Bacon Cheeseburger Meatloaf

I found this recipe's cousin in the Cooking Club magazine that I get every month. I'm a Life Member of the Cooking Club of America, and I love their magazine!! Anyhow, I say this recipe's cousin, because I'm pretty sure the person who made it would have no idea this was the same thing if the met this meatloaf going down the street... HA! Either way, this stuff in Nummy. I know, 'cause my girls said so.

Bacon Cheeseburger Meatloaf

1  1/2 lbs. hamburger
1 (12 oz.) pkg. bacon, diced*
2 eggs
1/2 C. ketchup
1/2 C. oatmeal
1/4 C. Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1/2 tsp. Mrs. Dash
1/4 tsp. onion powder
1  1/2 C. shredded sharp cheddar cheese, divided
1 C. french fried onions




 *Dice the bacon by cutting the raw bacon in strips with kitchen shears, and then cut it in little dices. It works great and it's much easier than crumbling it after it's fried!!

 Fry the bacon until it's just about crisp, then drain in a paper towel lined bowl. Crumble the hamburger in a large bowl, then add the bacon, eggs, ketchup, oats, Worcestershire sauce, salt, pepper, Mrs. Dash, onion powder and 3/4 C. shredded cheese. Mix with your hands until well blended. Spray a loaf pan with cooking spray, form the meat mixture into a good looking loaf and place gently in the pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes. Top with the remaining cheese and the french fried onions. Bake an additional 10-15 minutes, or until thoroughly cooked.

Rosie's Rice

 Rosie came up with this recipe one day when I was talking to Reece on the phone pondering how I was ever gonna make hamburger gravy for him to take in the truck. See, he doesn't like mashed potatoes, and I can't send him his happy happy boiled potatoes that he loves, because after they have been frozen they are all rubbery and he can't stand them. So I was mourning that I can't make him hamburger gravy and he was crying with me when Rosie came up and said thoughtfully, with her finger on her chin and her head tilted, "I think you should use... ... ... RICE!! I think that would taste yummy!" So I made up my hamburger gravy and added rice and cheese and Reece drooled all over his phone and whined 'cause he wasn't there to taste it that very night. Now it is a much requested meal around here!  Enjoy!

1  1/2 lbs. hamburger
1 medium-large onion, minced
1 large clove garlic, minced
1  1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1/2 tsp. Mrs. Dash
1/4 tsp. onion powder
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
2 beef bouillon cubes
Water -about 3 cups?
1 C. brown rice (I use the instant stuff that cooks in 10-12 minutes)
2 C. shredded sharp cheddar cheese

 Brown the hamburger with the salt, onion and garlic, drain off the fat if there is any. Add the water and seasonings. Simmer for about 10 minutes. Add the rice and more water if needed so the rice can cook properly. Cover and simmer for 15-20 minutes or until the rice is tender. Mix in the cheese and serve when it's all incorporated. ;) (I like to sound important.)

Mushroom Swiss Burgers

I love Mushroom Swiss burgers. I love the Angus ones at McDonald's, I love the ones from DQ and from Hardees and from that little truck stop in the town who's name I can't remember in Montana that Reece didn't even know was there until I was in the truck with him in February and I love them from the Stamart in Fargo. But now I am forever ruined I fear... I made them myself at home. And I made up my own recipe because I couldn't find anything I liked anywhere online. *sigh* That's okay. These things are GOOD!!! Rosie even liked them and she doesn't like hamburgers very much! :D I also added onion, 'cause I've always felt that the onions were the only thing lacking in the ones I eat in the restaurants.

Obviously you can adjust the amount of meat you use... I made a bunch so I could have some leftover for the next time the Mushroom Swiss urge strikes my left taste bud.

2 lbs. hamburger

Mushroom sauce:
5 T. butter
1/2 medium onion, sliced in 1/4" rings -I also sliced the rings in half
1 lb. Baby Bella mushrooms, sliced
1 pkg. brown gravy mix -and there is a healthy version out there! Azure Standard sells it!
2 beef bouillon cubes dissolved in 1  1/2 C. water
1 T. Worcestershire sauce
1/4 tsp. black pepper
Salt -if you need it
Flour if your sauce isn't thick enough for you

Mayonnaise
Swiss Cheese
Hamburger buns

Melt the butter and saute the onions and mushrooms until the mushrooms are cooked. Sprinkle with the brown gravy mix and stir it all together so there are no clumps to be seen. Pour in the water and stir until smooth, add the Worcestershire sauce, pepper and salt if you need it. Cook until thick. If your sauce isn't the consistency you like, add flour mixed with a little water so you don't end up with clumps. Keep warm while you grill your burgers. I used my George Foreman Lean Mean Fat Reducing Grilling Machine. :D I didn't add and salt or pepper to the burgers when I cooked them and they tasted perfect. When the burgers are all cooked, lay them on a cookie sheet, top with a couple T. of mushroom sauce and top with a slice of Swiss cheese. Bake at 450 degrees for about 5 minutes or until the cheese is melted. Spread both sides of your hamburger bun with mayo, top with the burger and eat with Great Gusto. (Whoever HE is!;)

Layered Potato Casserole

I wanted to use up my hamburger and I wanted to use potatoes. But I DIDN'T want to make mashed potatoes and hamburger gravy like I always do when I don't know what to make for supper. So I googled hamburger potato recipes. And I found a casserole that would now be considered a cousin of this one. It was apparently made by someone afraid of using spices. And afraid of using things like onion, corn, mushrooms, garlic powder... you kinda get the point. So I added some things. And now there's gonna be a Hamburger Potato Casserole family reunion in 2 weeks. You're invited.

Here's the seasonings I used.

And here's the stuff for the sauce. I didn't take any pictures of the main ingredients, because my husband might look at this blog and then he'd be forever scared of this casserole. I will ignore him tho', because Rosie said "This is REALLY GOOD food, Mommy!!" when she was eating hers. :D

And for some reason I forgot to take a picture of the sliced potatoes, so just imagine them down there on the bottom of this. Under the onion soup mix, pepper, salt, corn, hamburger & sauce.

Here's the layers from the side.

This is what it looks like before heading to the oven to cook it's life away.

And here's the recipe:

1 - 1  1/2 lbs. hamburger

1 smallish onion, minced

1 -1  1/2 tsp. salt

1 C. mushrooms, sliced -or minced if you're serving to non-mushroom people ;)

3 C. peeled, thinly sliced potatoes

1 packet onion soup mix

2 C. frozen corn

1 can Cream of Mushroom soup

1/2 C. milk

2 T. mayonnaise

2 T. sour cream

Salt

Pepper

Onion powder

Garlic powder

Mrs. Dash

1/4 C. milk

1  1/2 - 2 C. shredded cheese

  Brown the hamburger with the salt and onions. Add the minced mushrooms so Reece can't see them. Cook until the onions are tender.

  In a medium bowl mix together the can of soup, 1/2 C. milk, mayonnaise, sour cream and salt, pepper, onion powder, garlic powder & Mrs. Dash to taste.

  In a 2 qt. casserole dish, layer half the potatoes, half the onion soup mix, some pepper & salt, half the corn, half the hamburger mixture and half the sauce. Repeat layers. Pour the remaining 1/4 C. milk evenly over the top. Cover and bake at 375 degrees for 1 hour. Remove from oven, top with cheese -I used the Four Cheese Mexican blend- and bake, uncovered, for 10 minutes more. Take it out of the oven and let set for 10 minutes before serving.

Sloppy Baked Potatoes

I came up with this recipe one day, and I still can't remember what on earth possessed me to even try such a thing. Maybe we were out of bread or something. Maybe I wanted baked potatoes and we had some hamburger that needed to be used up. Or maybe I just had a momentary flash of brilliance. Whatever it was, this stuff is GOOD!!

Take a bunch of potatoes and scrub them up real good. ;) Don't ask me how many to use... that all depends on how many people you're serving and how much food they want to scarf down.

Rub your nice clean taters with olive oil and stick them in your oven that is hopefully cleaner than mine. *sigh* Bake them at 350 degrees for an hour.

While the tatoes are baking, brown some hamburger and onion. Add about a teaspoon of salt while it's all frying.

Add ketchup, brown sugar, Worchestershire sauce, vinegar, dry mustard, & pepper. I had taken a picture of this step, but the ketchup came out looking like a very undistinguished body part, so I scrapped that one. If this stuff is too runny, add some quick oats to thicken it up a little bit.

Take your baked potato, cut it in half and slather on some butter, sour cream, salt & pepper. Add a goodly sum of shredded cheese and top with the sloppy joe business. Serve with a salad and a pile of corn. Or green beans. Or whatever veggie you can get all members of your household to eat. Then say YUMMY and make it often! :D

Potatoes
Olive oil

1 lb. hamburger
1 tsp. salt
1/2 of a medium onion, minced
3/4 C. ketchup
2 T. brown sugar
2  1/2 T. vinegar
1/2 tsp. dry mustard
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 tsp. onion powder
1/4 tsp. Mrs. Dash

Butter
Sour cream
Salt & pepper
Shredded cheddar cheese

  Scrub the potatoes, rub with olive oil and bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour.
  While the potatoes bake, brown the hamburger with the onion & salt. Drain the fat if there is any left. Add the ketchup, sugar, vinegar, mustard, pepper, onion powder, garlic powder & Mrs. Dash. Simmer for about 15 minutes. If it's too runny, add some quick oats to thicken it.
  Cut the baked potatoes in half lengthwise, spread with butter, smear on some sour cream, then add salt & pepper to your taste. Top with shredded cheese -sharp cheddar is REALLY good!- and then finally, top with the sloppy joe mixture. Enjoy immensely.

Pasty

I must post a disclaimer at the beginning of this recipe. I wasn't planning on posting this recipe, so I didn't take any pictures of it while I was in the process. But Glenda is begging and pleading for the recipe and ignoring me while she talks to mom on the phone for the first time since she's been across the puddle, so I'll post it. She claims she can't eat pictures... so... YEAH. Here ya be.

*EDIT* I now have pictures. You can see what you're eating! :D

CRUST:
3 C. flour
1  1/2 tsp. salt
1 C. shortening
Cold water

FILLING:
10 medium potatoes, I think they were medium anyway, diced or shredded
1 medium sized rutabaga, diced or shredded
4 or 5 carrots, diced or shredded
2 medium onions, minced
3 lbs. hamburger (85% lean works best)
2 T. salt
1 T. pepper
1 tsp. onion powder
2 tsp. garlic powder
1  1/2 sticks butter, divided

For the crust; Stir together the flour and salt, cut in the shortening and add the water until your dough is the consistency you want it. Divide it in half and roll out to fit two 9X13 pans.

For the filling; Mix together the potatoes, rutabaga, carrots, hamburger, onion, salt, pepper, onion powder and garlic powder; divide between two 9X13 pans. Top each pan evenly with butter slices, (about 1 T. for each slice) then top with the pie crust. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour or 1 hour and 10 minutes, depending on how huge you cut your tatoes and rutabaga.

Chili Screw Up With No Pictures

What do you know? As soon as I posted that Chili recipe, I screwed it up and Reece liked it even better than before! I accidentally used a jar of my Marinara Sauce that we canned last year and got a recipe from Nina for chili powder, 'cause I only had one packet of Chili Seasoning. It's was hilarious! Kinda went like this:

1 1/2 lb. hamburger
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1 large onion
1 qt. marinara sauce
1 can black beans
2 cans black eye peas
1 can navy beans
1/2 bottle Chili Sauce
1 pkg. Chili Seasoning
2 T. cumin
1-2 tsp. crushed red pepper, depending on how burnt to death your taste buds are
2 t. oregano
2 t. garlic powder
2 t. onion powder
1 t. chili powder
1 t. allspice
1/8 t. cloves
Salt

Brown the hamburger with the onion and 1 1/2 t. salt, drain the fat if there is any. Stick it all in the crockpot and cook until it starts bubbling. Then add your salt to taste. Cook for 2-3 hours on low.

My Version of Reece's Chili

I haven't posted any recipes for a few days because we were busy eating leftovers. LOL! Anyway, I was gonna make these chicken strips  for supper tonight, but then I saw that it should be soaked forever so I decided to make chili. So here ya go...


Brown the hamburger and onions with some salt. Why do high faluty people insist on calling it 'ground beef'? Does that make it taste better to them or something?

Dump 4 cans of beans into your crockpot. I used Blackeye Peas, Black Beans and Navy Beans. Or you can mix and match whatever kind you want. I just like the look it gives with all the different kinds together.

Add a quart of tomatoes. These ones were actually diced, but I also use the ones I chopped in the food processor so Reece can't complain about huge chunks of tomato scaring him.

Add 2 packets of chili seasoning. No that's not too many. There isn't any seasoning in the beans so you need two or it'll taste like some truck stops out in Washington who's names we won't mention...

Add the hamburger and stir it all up. Turn the crockpot on high until it starts cooking ferociously then add salt and onion powder to taste. Leave it on low until you eat. Reece loves it with the corn we froze last summer. Someone remind me to post that recipe when we're doing corn this summer! ;)

1 1/2 lbs. hamburger

1 1/2 tsp. salt

1 medium onion, minced

2 (15.8 oz.) cans Blackeye Peas

1 (16 oz.) can Navy Beans

1 (15 oz.) can Black Beans

1 qt. diced or half-pureed tomatoes

2 pkgs. McCormick Original Chili seasoning

Salt, 1-2 tsp.

Onion powder, 1/2-1 tsp. depending on what your taste buds say

Brown the hamburger, 1 1/2 tsp. salt and the onion. Stick everything in the crockpot and turn on high until it's heated through and starts boiling. Taste it and add more salt or onion powder or both to taste. Turn to low and cook until you're ready to eat. I usually start it about noon and we eat at like 5 or 6... or 7 or 8. Sometimes ever 9 for some stupid reason. Actually, I'm kidding about the 9 o'clock part. :D

Hamburger Soup

First of all, I will introduce you to the main cast of characters:



Potatoes, rutabaga, cabbage, peas, onion, canned tomatoes,  green beans, celery & mushrooms. I only had this sorry can of mushrooms left and none of those wonderful fresh Baby Bellas... sigh. Oh yeah. And there's hamburger too. It just wasn't all that photogenic. And I also added in the rest of the Pepperoni that Rosie and I didn't eat while it was waiting to go into the soup. Reece laughed at me when I accused her of being as bad as me! LOL

So you chop and diced and pour and mince and stick everything in a big huge pot. And then you add a few spices...

Basil, Oregano, Thyme, Red Pepper flakes, Garlic powder, Onion powder, Mrs. Dash of course, Parsley, Italian Seasoning & Black pepper.

Here's the recipe...

1 1/2 lbs. hamburger browned with 1 1/2 tsp. salt

1 medium-large onion minced

2 1/2 C. diced potatoes

1 C. minced cabbage

2 C. rutabaga

1/2 C. minced celery
1 pt. green beans
1 qt. diced tomatoes
1 C. peas
1 can mushrooms -put them in the blender if you're serving this to mushroom haters-
About 1/2 of an 8 oz. bag of pepperoni, cut in to 1/4s
About a tablespoon of minced garlic
2 1/2 tsp. salt less or more... depending on your love of salt

1/4 - 1/2 tsp EACH -depending on how spicy you like stuff- of:
 thyme, black pepper, red pepper flakes, oregano, basil, Italian seasoning, cumin, sage, garlic powder, onion powder, Mrs. Dash & dried parsley

3 beef bouillon cubes
Water

Dump everything in a big pot over medium high heat until it starts boiling. Keep adding water and seasonings as needed until it's perfect, then cook on medium heat until all the veggies are tender.
*If you and all of your household can eat carrots you can reduce the rutabaga to 1 C. and add 1 1/2 C. sliced carrots. And if you have half a bag of broccoli taking up time & space in your freezer you can use that too. :)

This stuff is even better as leftovers because the flavors get to meld and get all lovey dovey with each other and stuff. It would also be great served with some wonderful crusty Panera bread... you can find some of their recipes here.

Lasagna

Let me warn you here and now that if you are looking for something low-fat, low calorie or low anything you have stumbled on to the WRONG page. I don't believe in that stuff. I think it tastes nasty so I don't use it. There is also the wee little problem that I forget to take pictures while I'm cooking. But I guess we can't all be PW and have "freaky alien fingers" -as she calls them-putting ingredients in to many and various pots and bowls and stuff. So here's the recipe. And some pictures I remembered to take.

I used the Italian Flat Leaf Parsley because that's what they sell at my Walmart. But when I was a kid and had to go pick it for mom and took long detours down to the barn to visit my cats we had the curly leaf stuff. It don't matter to me what you wanna use.
   

If you're wondering where this recipe came from... well... I kinda wanted Lasagna one day and I couldn't find a recipe that had EVERYTHING I thought there should be in Lasagna. So I grabbed 3 or 4 of my cookbooks and started taking all the ingredients I liked out of about 8 different recipes. Then I added a few more things I thought would sound good, and Voila! I had a recipe that Reece said wasn't too bad! Don't let that scare you tho... he says that about everything. And please don't mind the dented tomato sauce can in the picture. I didn't think about taking a picture until after I already used the UN-dented one.

                             

1/2 of a 1 lb. box of Lasagna noodles*
1 lb. hamburger
1 tsp. salt**
1 lb. Italian sausage
1 medium onion, minced
2 or 3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 can petite diced tomatoes
1 (15 oz.) can tomato sauce (or just use a quart of your home canned tomatoes)
1 pkg. Baby Bella mushrooms, minced
3 T. butter
3/4 tsp. dried oregano (only because I keep forgetting to plant my seeds. Use fresh if you have it.)
3/4 tsp. dried basil (same sob story as above.)
1/2 tsp. fresh ground pepper
1/2 C. chopped fresh cilantro, divided
1/2 C. chopped fresh parsley, divided
1/2 of an 8 oz. carton Ricotta cheese
8 oz. sour cream
8 oz. cottage cheese
6 oz. cream cheese
1/2 C. grated Parmesan cheese
1 egg
3/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. garlic salt
1 lb. shredded mozzarella cheese
10 oz. shredded cheddar cheese
Grated Parmesan cheese
Shaved Parmesan cheese
Parmesan cheese from the can for a generous sprinkle on top

*Please note. Do not be like me and forget to cook your lasagna noodles until you start layering your ingredients in the pan. It takes a lot longer to get your supper in the oven when you do such things.

**When frying hamburger, ALWAYS add 1 tsp. of salt to it WHILE cooking. Otherwise it will NEVER have the same flavor. And besides. I think it steals 3 times as much salt from everything else if it's unsalted when you mix it with other stuff.

Anyways, do you want some directions? Oh OK. I can't ever remember how to layer this right so if you screw it up you can blame my dog or the next door neighbor's pet Cheewawa ;)

Start frying the hamburger & Italian sausage. When it starts getting a little bit liquidy add the 1 tsp. salt, the onion & garlic. When the meat is all browned, drain the fat if there is any, and then add the tomatoes, tomato sauce, 1/4 C. cilantro, 1/4 C. parsley, 1/4 tsp. pepper, oregano & basil. Let that simmer on low while you do all kinds of other stuff.
Saute the mushrooms in the butter until tender. Add them to the hamburger/tomato mixture so nobody can find them. And while you're at it, don't tell Reece about this step. Thanks.
Start your noodles cooking and cook them until they're al dente. I always dump in some olive oil when I cook them so they don't lovingly cling to each other when they're cooked.
In your food processor, mix up the rest of the cilantro, parsley, Ricotta cheese, sour cream, cottage cheese, cream cheese, grated Parmesan cheese, egg, 3/4 tsp. salt & garlic salt.
In a big huge pan- LOL! I think mine is actually a roaster- layer one third of the meat sauce, one third of the white sauce, about one third each of the mozzarella, cheddar & grated Parmesan cheeses & half the noodles. Repeat that layer once, then put the remaining white sauce, meat sauce, mozzarella cheese, cheddar cheese & shaved Parmesan cheese. Sprinkle with The canned Parmesan and some oregano or pepper or some other dark colored dried Italian spice. :) It should kinda look like this: Minus the funky color from having to use flash because my house has a weird lighting issue...

 Bake at 350 for 45 minutes. Remove from the oven and let sit for 10 minutes before serving.