Gina’s Ground Beef Pot Pie

This mouth-watering dish starts with refrigerated pie crust for quick prep and a savory, satisfying meal.

A nice change for dinner that is very quick and easy to prepare. The hard part is waiting for it to bake while smelling the delicious smell.

Ingredients:

Crust:

·         1 box refrigerated pie crusts, softened as directed on box

Filling:

·         1 lb. lean (at least 80%) ground beef

·         1 medium onion, chopped (1/2 cup)

·         1 teaspoon garlic salt

·         ½ teaspoon pepper

·         3 Dashes of Worcestershire

·         3 tablespoons cornstarch

·         2 cups frozen southern-style diced hash brown potatoes, thawed

·         3 medium carrots, sliced (1 1/2 cups)

·         1 jar (12 oz.) beef gravy

Preparation:

1.       Heat oven to 450°F. Make pie crusts as directed on box for Two-Crust Pie, using 9-inch glass pie plate. In 12-inch skillet, cook beef, onion, Worcestershire, garlic salt and pepper over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until beef is thoroughly cooked; drain.

2.       Stir cornstarch into beef mixture until mixed. Stir in potatoes, carrots and gravy. Cook 5 to 6 minutes over medium-high heat, stirring constantly, until hot. Spoon into crust-lined pie plate. Top with second crust; seal edge and flute. Cut slits in several places in top crust; cover edge of crust with foil.

3.       Bake 35 to 40 minutes or until crust is golden brown. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

Happy Cooking ☺

Cids Caesar Burgers

These burgers are a big hit!!  Very tasty and easy! The Caesar flavours in this burger are different from the everyday Burger.

 

Ingredients:

·         1 lb.  lean ground beef

·         1/4 cup Parmesan Grated Cheese, divided

·         2 cloves garlic, minced

·         1 cup grated cheddar cheese

·         2 cups torn romaine lettuce

·         1/4 cup Creamy Caesar Dressing, divided

·         4 hamburger buns split

Preparation:

1.       PREHEAT barbecue to medium heat. Mix meat, 3 Tbsp. of the Parmesan cheese and the garlic. Shape into four patties.

2.       GRILL 6 min. on each side or until burgers are cooked through (160ºF). Top with grated cheddar cheese . Continue grilling 1 min. or until cheese begins to melt.

3.       TOSS lettuce with 2 Tbsp. of the dressing and the remaining 1 Tbsp. Parmesan cheese. Spoon evenly onto bottom halves of buns; top with patties and remaining 2 Tbsp. dressing. Cover with tops of buns.

 

Happy Cooking ☺

 

How to Make The Perfect Hamburger Patty

Have you ever wondered how the butcher at your local grocery store makes perfectly uniform hamburgers they sell?  I have - and  I just stumbled onto a great kitchen/cooking/grilling tip.

I didn’t know you could make uniform hamburger patties with a simple lid, chances are you didn’t know either.  So here’s your chance to make your burgers look perfect like the ones you get in restaurants. It’s so simple yet so brilliant. Say goodbye to jagged edges.  This technique works great and is easy to do.

 

Here’s how:

1. Season ground beef with your favorite spices.

2. Find a lid that is slightly bigger than the size of your hamburger bun. Cover the lid in plastic wrap. This will make it easier to remove the patty after each use.

3.       Place a good amount of ground beef inside the lid.

4.       Press meat down into the lid.  Remove any excess meat or add more if necessary.

5.       Flip patty out and continue to make as many burgers as needed.

For best cooking results, refrigerate patties for at least 1 hour before frying or grilling.

Happy Cooking ☺

Susanne’s Baked Spaghetti

This recipe makes our all-star list! It’s easy, made from ingredients you are likely to have in your pantry and something most people (including kids and picky eaters) will like. It can be made ahead of time and doesn’t require much last minute preparation.

Ingredients:

·         1 pound ground beef

·         8 ounces uncooked spaghetti

·         1 large can spaghetti sauce (26.5 ounces)

·         1 tablespoon butter

·         ½ cup chopped green peppers (I usually omit or substitute red peppers)

·         ⅓ Cup chopped onions

·         8 ounces cream cheese

·         2 tablespoons milk

·         Fresh grated Parmesan cheese

·         French-fried onions (small can)

Preparation:

1.       Cook spaghetti according to directions on the package. Cook to al dente, drain and set aside.

2.       Brown ground beef. Drain excess grease. Add spaghetti sauce to skillet and heat.

3.       Combine onions, peppers and butter in small glass bowl. Cover and microwave 4 minutes on HIGH until soft.

4.       Add cream cheese and milk to vegetables and stir well. (If cream cheese is not soft, nuke it for 20-30 seconds to make it easy to spread.)

5.       Using a 12 x 8-inch baking dish (or something close), assemble in the following order: thin layer of spaghetti sauce, cooked spaghetti, cream cheese/vegetable mixture, remaining spaghetti sauce, parmesan cheese (amount subject to your own taste)

6.       Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes. Top with french-fried onions and continue baking 5 more minutes. (This is the secret ingredient–don’t let them burn.)

Tip:

 Make this ahead of time and refrigerate or freeze without the French Fried onions. Don’t forget to add them 5 minutes before casserole is finished cooking.

Happy Cooking ☺