Bacon Cheeseburger Pasta

A couple of weeks ago, I asked the kids to go through some cookbooks and pick out some new recipes to try.  Frankie picked this recipe and I was a little skeptical, but not wanting to discourage him, I decided to make it. 

Bacon Cheeseburger Pasta - adapted from The Busy Family Cookbook

8 ounces penne pasta
1 pound ground beef (I used sirloin)
6 strips of bacon, diced
1 can condensed tomato soup (do not add water!)
1 cup shredded cheddar
Barbecue sauce and yellow mustard for topping

1.  Boil pasta according to the directions on package.
2.  While pasta is cooking, brown ground beef in a large skillet until no longer pink.  Drain and scoop meat out into a heat proof bowl, and set aside. 
3.  In the same skillet, cook the bacon pieces until they are crispy.  Remove the bacon using a slotted spoon and place the pieces on a plate lined with a couple of paper towels.  Drain the bacon drippings from the pan. 
4.  Add cooked pasta to the skillet, return the beef and bacon to the pan as well.  Add in the tomato soup and let it all heat through.  Add the cheese on top, then cover and let cheese melt for a minute or two.  Serve with barbecue sauce and mustard.


Ok, I know it does not sound healthy, but there are so many things you can substitute in the recipe to make it "healthier".  I made it as written this time, but I would not be opposed to using whole wheat pasta, ground turkey, and low fat cheese. 

I wasn't sure about the barbecue sauce and mustard, but believe me when I say, this is what made it taste SO yummy.  It really was much tastier than I anticipated.  We all gave Frankie the credit for picking it out, because honestly, it's not something I would have just looked at in the cook book and decided to make.

If you have a family bigger than 4, I'd suggest doubling it.  We finished it, and there was at least one (teen boy) that would have eaten more if there had been more.  Serve this with a big salad and you have an easy, yummy weeknight meal!!

Hearty Oven Baked Chili

I have not made this chili in years.  Seriously.  I think the last time I made it before this time was when we lived in Michigan more than 7 years ago.  I am not really sure why, but I got it in my head that I didn't like it.  Well, was I wrong.  My husband kept asking me to make it, so I finally did last week, and I LOVE it.  And my kids thought it was great, too! 

It makes a ton, so it's great if you have a large family, are going to have company, or just want to have leftovers.  It does require a little prep (like anything!), but then you just put it in the oven and let it bake.

I have adapted this recipe from a Pampered Chef recipe that I got years ago.

Hearty Oven Baked Chili

2 1/2 pounds boneless meat stew meat, excess fat trimmed and cut into bite size pieces (1/2 inch cubes)
4 garlic cloves, minced (I use dried garlic)
2 tbsp. chili powder
1 1/2 tsp. dried oregano
3/4 tsp. ground cumin
3/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
2 cups onions, coarsley chopped
2 cups green pepper, coarsely chopped
3 cans (14 1/2 oz each) diced tomatoes, undrained1
1 can (14 1/2 oz) tomato sauce
2 cans (15 1/2 oz) kidney beans (or your favorite beans), drained and rinsed
Sour cream
Shredded Cheddar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Place meat cubes into a large, oven proof dutch oven, (or I use the Pampered Chef Stoneware Baking Bowl).  Sprinkle garlic and all seasonings over meat.  Stir to coat the meat well.  Add chopped onions, green pepper, diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, and beans.  Mix well.  Cover and bake for 2 1/2 hours or until meat is tender.  (2 1/2 hours has always worked for me).  Carefully remove from oven and lift lid away from you to avoid the hot steam that will come out!!  Serve topped with sour cream and cheddar cheese, if desired.


We ate this for a few days, and it was so good every time.  I baked some cornbread to go with it and it was a great meal for a cold day! 

I will definitely be making it again soon!!

Cheeseburger/French Fry Casserole

This is a recipe I have made for my kids for years.  It is not low-fat.  It is not low-sodium.  It is full of processed food items.  So, if you are looking for something healthy.  This isn't it.

However, it is easy, and pretty tasty.  My kids enjoy it, and it makes enough to get some leftovers from. 

I believe I got this recipe from a magazine years ago, and it's just kind of become a comfort food staple at our house.

Cheeseburger French Fry Casserole

2 lbs. browned ground beef
1 can Golden Mushroom soup (*see note)
1 can Cheddar Cheese soup
1 bag your favorite frozen french fries

1.  Preheat oven to 350.
2.  Mix browned beef and soups.
3.  Spread in a 9x13 dish that has been sprayed with non-stick spray.
4.  Top with french fries to cover.
5.  Bake 35-40 minutes or until fries are lightly browned.

Serve topped with salt, pepper, ketchup, mustard and pickles. 

*Note:  Ok, this is TOP SECRET...but a few years back, one of my kids found a mushroom in the casserole.  Well, they swore it was a mushroom, and I told them it wasn't.  After that, I started running the Golden Mushroom soup through my mini-food processor to pulverize any evidence of the actual mushrooms!  :) 

I usually make this ahead by browning the beef and mixing it with the soups and placing it in the pan and then putting it in the fridge until I am ready to bake.  At that point, I top it with the fries and put it in the oven.

Tonight I served it with a Caesar salad!  Big hit and everyone was happy!  :)

Chipotle Chili Cornbread Casserole

I learned of this recipe at a Pampered Chef a little over a year ago. I love it because it's all made in the microwave. Oh and it's delish.

Chipotle Chili Cornbread Casserole - adapted from Pampered Chef

1 medium green bell pepper, chopped
6 green onions, with tops, divided
1 lb. lean ground beef
1 can (16 oz.) chili beans in sauce
1 cup chunky salsa
1 tbsp. finely chopped chipotle peppers in adobo sauce (or 2 tbsp. Pampered Chef Chipotle Rub)
1 pkg. Jiffy cornbread mix
8 oz. sour cream
1 egg
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1.  Chop the light green and the white parts of the of the onion to cook with the ground beef. Thinly slice the green onion tops. Reserve 1 tbsp. of the onion tops for garnish. Put the remaining tops in a medium bowl (which you will mix the cornbread in).
2.  In a 3-quart, microwave safe casserole dish, combine the bell pepper, onion bottoms and beef; mix well. Cover and microwave on HIGH for 7-9 minutes or until beef is no longer pink, stopping halfway through to breakup meat and stir. Remove the dish from the microwave (it will be HOT) and carefully drain off the juices. Add the beans, salsa and adobo peppers (or rub) to the meat mixture and mix well. Replace the cover and microwave for 5 minutes or until hot.
3.  While that cooks, mix the muffin mix, sour cream and egg in the bowl that has the green onion in it. Spread the muffin mix evenly over top of the chili and spread all the way to the edge of the dish. 4.  4.  Place the cover on the dish and microwave on HIGH for 7-9 minutes or until center of cornbread springs back lightly when pressed. Remove from microwave and sprinkle with cheese. Cover and let stand for 5 minutes. Sprinkle with green onion and tomato.

This is one of my hubby's favorite meals. He loves the chipotle flavor in the chili. It's kind of smoky and adds so much flavor! I have made this several times, and I have used the rub and I have used the canned peppers. Both are good. You may have concerns about cooking your meat in the microwave. Don't. It's awesome. You won't be able to tell this difference.

I hope you enjoy this as much as we do!!

French Onion Burgers

This is one of my family's new favorite recipes! It's so easy, too! It's a Campbell's soup recipe that I pulled out of a magazine. It's kind of a cross between a French Dip Sandwich and a Cheeseburger. Sorry I don't have a picture for this, but the last time I made these I was starving and in a huge hurry, so I wasn't thinking about the camera! You can see a picture by clicking the link to the Campbell's website below the recipe. But, I'm pretty sure you can picture a cheeseburger without a lot of help! ;)

French Onion Burgers - adapted from Campbell's

1 pound ground round
1 can (10 1/2 oz.) Campbell's French Onion soup
4 slices cheese (your favorite!)
4 hamburger buns

Shape the ground beef into 4 patties, about 1/2 inch thick. Heat a 10 inch skillet (with a lid....you'll need it later) over medium-high heat. Cook burgers until they are well browned on both sides, but you are not trying to fully cook them at this point. After browned, remove them from the skillet and pour/wipe any fat from the pan. Pour the French Onion soup into the skillet and bring to a boil. Place the hamburgers back in the skillet, reduce the heat, cover and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from heat, place cheese on the burgers and let sit 1-2 minutes so the cheese can melt. Serve on buns with bowls of juice for dipping!!


The original recipe for this can be found right on the can of Campbell's French Onion Soup or at
http://www.campbellkitchen.com/RecipeDetail.aspx?recipeId=25508&ref=%2fSearchRecipesResult.aspx%3fq%3dfrench%2bonion%2bburger%26filter%3d


I love making these burgers. I can keep all the ingredients on hand easily, they are super quick to prepare, and my entire family loves them. My kids don't like to dip them in the soup, so they just put all their usual favorite cheeseburger toppings on. They love them because they are so juicy and flavorful. I like to serve them with French fries or sweet potato fries and a salad.

Enjoy!

Baked Brisket

I had never cooked a beef brisket before yesterday, but my daughter had been begging me to make one ever since she had some at a friend's house in October. I saw this recipe and it sounded like a good one to make for the first time.

Baked Brisket - adapted from a Southern Living magazine recipe

1 12 oz. bottle of chili sauce
2 cups ketchup
1 can Coke (not diet)
1 box Lipton dry onion soup mix
1 4 to 5 pound beef brisket

Mix the chili sauce, ketchup, Coke and BOTH packets of the onion soup mix together. In a roasting pan, put the brisket in fat side up and pour all of the chili sauce mixture over it. Cover the pan with a lid or aluminum foil. Bake for 4 hours at 350 degrees. You should be able to cut it with a fork when it is done. Let it rest for 20 minutes before slicing and serving. Top slices with pan juices, if desired.


The brisket I bought was just under 5 pounds and took 4 hours to cook. Don't trim off any of the fat. This helps keep the meat moist while cooking, and it comes right off after it is cooked. This brisket was so tender, it was impossible to slice. It was more like shredded beef, which was great, too!

Everyone in my family loved this. We ate it for 2 nights, and there are still leftovers. The sauce had a good taste. The whole flavor reminded me of a tomato based beef stew recipe from my Grandma that I make. I served it with some mashed potatoes, broccoli, and rolls.

I would make this again, but I would also like to try another brisket recipe just to have something to compare it to. It's hard to say when something's good, when you haven't made or at least tried a few different recipes! If you have a recipe for brisket you love, please let me know. I would love to try it!

More recipes to come! I have been baking Christmas cookies, and will be starting to prep my Thanksgiving dishes today!!!