Beefy Mac' n Cheese Bake ~ By Caroline

This is an easy dinner that the kids love! It's very flavorful, and even incorporates some carrots in there....so yeah, It's practically health food!  :-) (I wish)

 

 

 



Ingredients:

1 (8 oz.) package elbow macaroni noodles

1 cup chopped onion

1 cup grated carrot

2 tsps. minced garlic

1 pound lean ground beef

1 cup tomato sauce

1 tsp. salt, divided

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 cup fat-free milk

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1/8 tsp. nutmeg

1 1/2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese, divided

 

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Cook pasta according to package directions
3. In a large frying pan, add onion and carrot and sauté for 4 minutes. Add garlic and sauté for 1 minute. add ground beef; cook until browned, stirring to crumble.  Add tomato sauce, 1/2 tsp salt, and pepper. Cook for two minutes, or until most of the liquid evaporates.
4. Add pasta to beef mixture in pan, stirring to combine. Spoon pasta mixture into an 11x7 inch baking dish coated with cooking spray.
5. Place milk, flour, nutmeg, and remaining 1/2 tsp. salt in a medium sauce-pan; stir with a wisk until blended. Cook over medium heat two minutes or until thickened, stirring constantly with a wisk. Add 1 cup cheese, stirring until smooth. Pour cheese mixture over pasta mixture; stir. Top evenly with remaining cheese.  Bake at 350 for 2o minutes or until lightly browned.  Let stand 5 minutes before serving. 

Baked Ziti ~ By Valerie

For some reason, our family hasn't been real big Italian food lovers.  However, this has been one Italian dish that we all seem to like a lot.   It resembles lasagna in taste, but seems easier to make!

6-8 ServingsPrep: 20 min. Bake: 45 min. + standing

Ingredients

• 12 ounces uncooked ziti or small tube pasta
• 2 pounds ground turkey or beef
• 1 jar (28 ounces) spaghetti sauce (We usually add extra sauce which keeps it from being on the dry side.)
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1 carton (15 ounces) ricotta cheese
• 2-1/2 cups (10 ounces) shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Directions

• Cook pasta according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a large
• skillet, cook beef over medium heat until no longer pink; drain.
• Stir in spaghetti sauce.

• In a large bowl, combine the eggs, ricotta cheese, 1-1/2 cups
• mozzarella cheese and the Parmesan cheese. Drain pasta; add to
• cheese mixture and stir until blended. 
• Spoon a third of the meat sauce into a greased 13-in. x 9-in. baking
• dish; top with half of the pasta mixture. Repeat layers. Top with
• remaining meat sauce.
• Cover and bake at 350° for 40 minutes or until a thermometer
• reads 160°. Uncover; sprinkle with remaining mozzarella cheese.
• Bake 5-10 minutes longer or until cheese is melted. Let stand for 15
• minutes before serving.
• Yield: 6-8 servings.

Source:  Old Taste of Home magazine clipping

Sweet and Sour Meatballs ~ By Caroline

This is another favorite family recipe! 

I like that it is really easy and quick to make, on those busy days!  :) 

Meatballs:
1 pound ground beef
1 egg
1/4 cup dry bread crumbs
1 medium onion, diced

Sauce:
1 cup packed brown sugar
3 TB. flour
1/12 cups water
1/4 cup distilled white vinegar
3 TB. soy sauce
1/2 cup ketchup

Combine meatball ingredients and mix thoroughly.  Shape into golf ball size balls.  Place in a greased 13x9 pan and bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes. 

In a sauce pan, combine sauce ingredients, and cook until thick and boiling.  Serve over rice.

Cheeseburger Buns ~ by Valerie



 

This is a pretty simple main meal, but delicious!  The homemade buns are really soft, and the meat is juicy and flavorful.  (We do add some extras to the onion/beef/tomato sauce mixture . . . . like a bit of ketchup, McCormick Montreal Steak Seasoning, and/or any other appropriate spices! ;-)   These also make for an easy meal to take to a family in need, or for fellowship gatherings, etc.


2 packages (1/4 ounce each) active dry yeast
1/2 cup warm water (110 to 115 degrees)
3/4 cup warm milk (110 to 115 degrees)
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup shortening
1 egg
1 teaspoon salt
3 1/2 to 4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 pounds ground beef
1/4 cup chopped onion
1 can (8 ounce) tomato sauce
8 slices American Cheese, quartered

Directions

1. In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Add the milk, sugar, shortening, egg, salt and 2 cups flour; beat until smooth. Stir in enough remaining flour to form a soft dough.
2. Turn onto a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, about 4-6 minutes. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 30 minutes.
3. In a large skillet, cook beef and onion over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain. Stir in tomato sauce. Remove from the heat; set aside.
4. Punch dough down; divide into 16 pieces. On a lightly floured surface, gently roll out and stretch each piece into a 5-in. circle. Top each circle with two pieces of cheese and about 3 tablespoons beef mixture. Bring dough over filling to center; pinch edges to seal.
5. Place seam side down on a greased baking sheet. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 20 minutes. Bake at 400° for 8-12 minutes or until golden brown. Serve warm. Refrigerate leftovers. Yield: 16 sandwiches.

Source: Taste of Home's Mom's Best Meals cookbook, 2005.

Glazed Meat Loaf ~ by Caroline

Our family is very thankful to have fresh-off-the-farm ground beef.  And since it is relatively inexpensive to feed to our large family and easy to use, we seem to use it quite a bit! We like this meatloaf recipe, as it is very tasty and has a vegetable hidden in it!  It is also handy on busy days to make it early, refrigerate, and then cook just before dinner.  Then, if there are any leftovers, it makes for great meatloaf sandwiches the next day!

2 eggs, beaten
2/3 c. milk
1 1/2 cups (6 oz.) shredded cheddar cheese
1 c. crushed saltines (about 30 crackers)
1 c. finely shredded carrots (we use our mini food processor)
1/2 c. finely chopped onion
1/2 tsp, salt
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 tsp. pepper
2 pounds lean ground beef

Glaze
1/2 c. packed brown sugar
1/2 c. ketchup
2 TB Dijon mustard

In a large bowl, combine the eggs, milk, cheese, saltines, carrots, onion, salt, garlic powder and pepper.  Crumble beef over mixture and mix well.  Shape into a loaf.  Place in greased 13 X 9 in. baking dish.  Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees for approximately 30 minutes.

For glaze, in a small saucepan, bring the brown sugar, ketchup and mustard to a boil.  Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 3-5 minutes or until heated through.  Spoon over meat loaf.  Bake 10-15 minutes longer or until meat is no longer pink and a meat thermometer reads 160 degrees.  Drain; let stand for 10 minutes before slicing.  Makes approximately 12 servings. 

Source:  Taste of Home magazine