Grandma Ellen's Meatballs

 

This recipe was shared with me by my friend MaryAlice. They are yummy meatballs covered in a sweet and tangy sauce, very easy to make. She always serves them over brown rice, so I am also including the recipe I use for making brown rice in the pressure cooker.

Grandma Ellen's Meatballs

1 1/2 lb. ground beef

3/4 c. oatmeal

2 eggs

1/2 c. milk

1 tsp. salt

pepper to taste

1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce

1 Tbsp. dried, minced onion

Mix all ingredients in a large bowl. Using a large scoop or your hands, form meatballs and place them on a baking sheet. 

Sauce:

1 c. brown sugar

1/2 c. vinegar

2 tsp. prepared mustard

1/2 c. barbecue sauce

2 tsp. Worcestershire  sauce

Mix sauce ingredients with a whisk until smooth then pour over raw meatballs in pan. You may have too much sauce to fit in the pan. Extra sauce can be heated in the microwave later. Don't overfill the baking sheet. (see Notes) Bake uncovered in a preheated 350 degree oven for 30-40 minutes. You want the meatballs to be a nice brown on top and the sauce to be thick. Serve over brown rice topped with the yummy sauce.

Brown Rice (for pressure cookers such as the Instant Pot)

2 c. brown rice

2 1/2 c. water

1/2 tsp. salt

Stir ingredients in the pot. Cook on high pressure for 25 minutes. Let rest 10 minutes before releasing the steam. Fluff and serve.

Notes: You can also scoop your meatballs into a 9x13 which will ensure you can cook all your sauce with the meat, but be aware your cooking time will increase by as much as 20 minutes.

Jenny

Oven Tin Foil Dinner

 

I enjoy tin-foil dinners when I'm out camping; but I don't camp all that often, so this is one you can make at home any time of year. It isn't seasoned with the fire smoke, but it's pretty good.

Oven Tin Foil Dinner

7 potatoes, peeled and sliced thin

1 large onion, sliced thin

1/2 lb. carrots, peeled and chunked

1 lb. ground beef

onion powder

garlic powder

salt and pepper

1 tsp. beef bouillon powder

Spray a 9x13 with cooking spray and layer sliced potatoes, onions and carrots. Crumble beef over the top, sprinkle with all seasonings. (You can stir it if you like to distribute everything, or leave it in layers.) Cover tightly with aluminum foil and bake at 400 degrees for 1 hour. Serve with ketchup.

Notes: While living in Michigan, some friends we met spoon cream of mushroom soup over their tin foil dinners before cooking. I think you can assemble whatever ingredients you like, then bake as directed.

Jenny

Taco Casserole

 

We loved this! It has all the yummy taste of tacos layered up lasagna-style. We ate it with dollops of sour cream, but after trying it, I would add a bed of lettuce and a sprinkling of sliced olives too. This uses lots of pantry staples, making it a weeknight friendly meal.

Taco Casserole

1 lb. ground beef

1 med. onion, chopped

1/2 green pepper, chopped

Brown this together in a skillet. Add:

1 pkg. taco seasoning

1/4 c. water

1 (8 oz.) can tomato sauce

1 (14 oz.) can corn, drained

1 (14 oz.) can pinto beans, rinsed and drained

Stir together and heat through. 

9 flour tortillas

1 can cream of chicken soup, diluted with 2/3 c. of milk

1 c. grated cheese

In a greased 9x13 pan, layer 3 tortillas, tearing them as needed to make an even layer. Layer 1/2 of the ground beef mix on tortillas. drizzle a little less than 1/2 of the soup over the beef layer.  Add a 2nd layer of tortillas, remaining beef mix, then top with remaining tortillas.  Pour remaining soup over top and spread to cover. Top with cheese, bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Serve hot with sour cream, guacamole, sliced olives, shredded lettuce, or any other favorite taco toppings.

Notes: This could be spicier using a can of diced chilies in place of the green pepper and adding some Tabasco sauce to the meat mix.  We liked it as is, but a little spice is always nice. 

This could also be a useful make-ahead meal, storing it in the refrigerator after assembly until you are ready to bake it. If you are cooking for a smaller crowd, with a little tweaking, this could be made in two smaller pans, and one could be frozen for later.

Jenny

Beef and Bean Taco Filling

My kids love crunchy tacos, and they can eat a mountain of them. I developed this recipe to make the ground beef stretch to fill more tacos, and it is delicious and hearty. If you want other recipes to help with eating meat on a budget, check out Stretch the Meat, Stretch the Dollar.

Beef and Bean Taco Filling
1 lb. ground beef
1 large onion, finely chopped
2/3 c. rolled oats
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 can pinto beans, rinsed and drained
5 Tbsp. taco seasoning
1 1/4 c. water

In a large skillet, brown the ground beef and onion together. If you are using lean ground beef, add the oatmeal toward the end of browning. If you are using ground beef that will need the fat spooned off, brown it and spoon fat before adding the oatmeal, then give the oatmeal a few minutes to brown as you stir it around with the beef a bit.  When all of that is brown, stir in beans, taco seasoning and water and let it simmer about 10 min. Serve in taco shells with your choice of toppings.  Fills about 20 standard size tacos.

Notes: If you don't need this much for your family, you could cut the recipe in half, or you could just freeze the leftovers for a very fast second meal; heat and eat.
Jenny

Swedish Meatballs

I have a love for these, but they take a long time to make from scratch. This recipe is one I developed to use frozen meatballs, and it is oh, so good and fast to throw together. Serve it with Lingonberry jam if you have it, or we enjoy it with homemade plum jam or cranberry sauce.

Swedish Meatballs
1 (12 oz) can evaporated milk
1 1/2 c. water
4 tsp. beef bouillon powder
3 Tbsp. flour
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1 tsp. dried parsley flakes
a dash of ground allspice

2 lbs. frozen meatballs

In an oven safe dish with a cover (tin foil works) place the frozen meatballs. Combine the milk, water, flour and seasonings in a bowl and whisk to combine. Pour over meatballs. Cover and bake at 375 degrees for 25 min. Stir. Bake uncovered for 15 min. more. Serve over 1 lb. of cooked wide egg noodles, tossed while they are hot with about 4 Tbsp. melted butter.

Yum!

Notes: If you would like a meatball recipe to start from scratch, or for making your own frozen meatballs, try Meatballs for Freezing.

Jenny

Heka

I'm not sure where this recipe originates from.  It is a stir fry with ground beef as a base and soy sauce for flavor. The recipe came from my friend Kristen a long time ago.  It is for me and my fellow cabbage-lovers!  I'm still working to convert some of my household to the appreciation of this vegetable.  It is a process that consists of putting it on the table in front of them as often as I think they will let me! Go, cabbage!

Heka
1 lb. hamburger
1 med. onion, sliced
2 c. carrots, sliced
2 c. celery, sliced
2 c. cabbage, sliced thin
1/3 c. soy sauce
1/2 c. water
2 Tbsp. sugar
pepper to taste

Chop all the veggies.  Brown hamburger and onion together in a skillet, do not add any salt, but pepper to taste.  Add remaining vegetables.  Mix soy sauce, water and sugar together and pour over vegetables and hamburger.  Reduce heat to simmer, cover and simmer 15 min. or until veggies are tender. Serve immediately. I like to serve this with bread, rolls or biscuits.

Notes: The original recipe calls for 1/2 c. soy sauce and 1/3 c. water.  I think it makes it a little over-salty, so I use a bit less, but keep the liquid ratio the same.  You can do as you like.

Jenny

Meatballs for Freezing

With the holidays in full swing, I wanted to post this recipe which is helpful as a quick dinner item or nice to have on hand for making appetizers for company or to take to the holiday parties.  The meatballs take very little time for the payback. Ideas for using them are listed after the recipe.

Meatballs for Freezing
4 lbs of ground beef
2 eggs
2 c. dry bread crumbs or rolled oats
1 onion, chopped very fine
1 Tbsp. salt
1 tsp. pepper
2 c. milk

In a large bowl, with a strong wooden spoon, or using clean hands, mix all ingredients together until evenly combined.  Using a scoop or your hands, form meatballs about the size of a walnut and place on a baking sheets.  You can crowd on as many meatball as you can, they actually shrink a little as they bake. Bake meatballs in a preheated oven at 375 degrees for 25-30 min. until browned.  Let meatballs cool.  Remove from pan with a spatula and transfer to large freezer bags in groups of about 20 meatballs.  I usually get about 4 bags. Squeeze out the air and freeze for up to 3 months.

To Use Meatballs:  You can thaw meatballs in the fridge or in the microwave.  They are ready to add to marinara for spaghetti, or for meatball sandwiches.  You can use them for Swedish meatballs or sweet and sour.  I like to add a package of meatballs to Mandarin Sauce and serve it over rice.  For appetizer meatballs, try one of these combinations in a crock pot:

My friend Emily buys a Smucker's Red Currant Jelly, empties the jar into the crock pot, fills the jar with yellow mustard, and dumps that in too.  Heat and stir to combine.  When the jelly is melted and everything is an even color, add meatballs and heat on low for an hour or two. Yum!

A similar method but different taste is accomplished by using equal parts grape jelly and barbecue sauce.

Notes:  Your meatballs will look much better than mine because you will pay attention to what you are doing and chop your onions very fine.... :) Don't stress about any grease that accumulates in the bottom of your pan, you are going to lift the meatballs out of that.  You can use lean ground beef if you like.

Jenny

Quick Lasagna Casserole

This recipe can be made in about 30 minutes, and my children appreciate it as much as the real thing.  I put this in a casserole dish that will fit in my microwave.  You can use sausage or beef in this, or both.  You can also use any pasta or cheese you like.

Quick Lasagna Casserole
1 lb. ground beef or sausage, browned
1 large can (26 oz.) spaghetti sauce
1 lb. lasagna noodles, broken up (or other pasta)
4 oz. cream cheese, softened
1 c. sour cream
1/4 c. milk
1/8 tsp. garlic salt
1 c. shredded mozzarella cheese

Boil pasta until tender.  Stir spaghetti sauce into browned meat and warm while pasta cooks.  Stir together, in a small bowl, cream cheese and milk until smooth, add sour cream and garlic salt and mix.  When pasta is ready, spread a bit of spaghetti sauce into the bottom of a 2 qt. casserole dish. Layer 1/3 of the noodles, 1/3 of meat sauce then 1/3 of the white sauce, repeat layers twice.  Top the last layer of white sauce with cheese.  Microwave on high for 8 minutes, or until cheese is melted and casserole is bubbling.  Serve with French bread and a salad.  Serves 4-6

Notes:  I have a few noodles left over from my layers when I use a whole box of lasagna noodles.  So, if you want to start with less, you can.  You can use cottage cheese in place of the cream cheese/sour cream sauce.  You might like to still add the milk to thin it a bit.

Clip art from vintagefeedsacks.blogspot.com

Jenny

Beef Taco Skillet

This recipe comes from a cooking with Campbell's Soup pamphlet, but I have tweaked it to feed a bigger crowd.  The tortillas in it always make my kids hesitant, until they taste it, then it disappears.  You can also use leftover shredded beef in this, which makes is a super fast-to-fix meal.

Beef Taco Skillet
1 lb. ground beef
2 Tbsp. dry minced onion
1 can Campbell's Tomato Soup
1 1/2 c. salsa
1/2 c. water
12 flour or corn tortillas, cut into bite-sized squares
1 can (8 oz.) tomato sauce
1 c. shredded cheese

Brown beef and onion together in a skillet, spoon off fat.  Add soup, salsa, water, tortillas and tomato sauce.  Heat to a boil, cover and cook about 5 min. or until hot.  Top with cheese.

Notes:  I prefer flour tortillas and I like to serve this with a dollop of sour cream.  To use already cooked beef in this, just heat the beef until it is warm in the skillet with the onion and a bit of oil, then proceed.

Jenny

Spoon Burgers

Not a sloppy jo, just a burger with all of its toppings in the skillet.  This is a fast weeknight meal.  You can adjust any of the ingredients for your tastes, this is just a place to start.

Spoon Burgers
1 lb. ground beef
2 Tbsp. dry minced onions
salt and pepper
Brown together, drain any extra fat.  Add
1/2 c. ketchup
2 Tbsp. mustard
4 Tbsp. relish (I like sweet pickle)
2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 Tbsp. horseradish sauce
a little water to desired consistency
Heat through.  Serve spooned onto hamburger buns with cheese and lettuce if you like.

Jenny

Cinco de Mayo

My Spanish teacher from Mexico explained to us last year that this is a commemorative holiday in Mexico, much more akin to our Memorial Day than to our Fourth of July.  It is to remember a group of peasant farmers who joined with the regular soldiers to win the day in a very nasty battle.  It was not, as we seem to have the idea, for the independence of Mexico.  He said he was a bit shocked and amused at all the celebrations here in the states for this holiday.  So why do we do this???  I think it has something to do with our passionate love affair with Mexican food!  Any reason to enjoy some spicy cuisine and we are on it!  Today I'm posting a list to satisfy that particular hunger.  Most of these are Quick and Easy, as it is a weeknight dinner this year.  There are more recipes under the recipe tab, look for the label Mexican.

Black Bean Dip

Tamale Pie with Cornbread

Taco Soup

Beef Enchiladas

Black Beans over Rice

Frito Burritos (This one serves a crowd.)

Tres Leches Cake (This one is FABULOUS!)

Jenny

Hamburger Surprise

This recipe is from my little hometown cookbook.  What I am excited about is having a new Cheater-Pants Meal!  This was 20 min from "We'll have that." to "Come and get it!" And I keep these things on hand. The kids ate it with gusto, a win/winner!

Hamburger Surprise
1 lb. ground beef
1/2 c. chopped onion
1/2 c. chopped green pepper
1 clove garlic, minced
salt and pepper to taste
Brown together.  Add
2 cans cream of mushroom soup
1 soup can of water
Stir and heat through.  Serve over rice.

Notes:  The original recipe has you make a mixture of the hamburger ingredients and form them into small meatballs, brown, then simmer with the soup.  That would make for a nicer presentation, but I was in a hurry.  Start the rice first and everything else will be ready about the same time.  We ate it with steamed carrots and applesauce.

Jenny

Tamale Pie

This is a hearty can-of-this-n-that recipe.  The hamburger mix can be served over cornbread or you can serve it over scones and call them Navajo tacos.  Put the cornbread in the oven and then start the ground beef, this way, they will be ready together.

Tamale Pie

1 lb. ground beef

1/2 large onion
1/2 c. green pepper
1 clove garlic, minced

Combine these and cook in a skillet.  When hamburger is browned, spoon off fat and add the following:
1 can corn, drained
1 can kidney beans, drained

2 cans tomato sauce (or 3 to make it saucy to your taste)

1 can diced tomatoes with juice (you could also use the kind canned with chilies)

1/2 Tbsp.  sugar

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. pepper

1 tsp. chili powder

1/2 tsp. cumin

1/2 c. chopped olives (opt)

Heat through and serve over cornbread, sprinkled with grated cheddar cheese and a dollop of sour cream. 

Jenny

Rose's Forgotten Goulash

My friend called last night to give me a recipe, so I could write it down, so she could find it again if she forgot it again. Made me smile.  But I had all the ingredients on hand and made it for dinner.  Thanks for sharing, Rose, it was delicious!  And now it will be here where you can find it!  This is an easy weeknight meal.

Rose's Forgotten Goulash

1 lb. hamburger, browned

1 pkt. dry onion soup mix

2 cans diced tomatoes (seasoned or not, your choice)

1 c. sour cream
cooked noodles for serving

Add soup mix and tomatoes to browned hamburger.  Simmer 10 min. (Boil the noodles in the meantime.) Stir in sour cream and heat through.  Serve over noodles.

Notes: I stirred noodles into mine.  Measurement was 2 c. dry elbow macaroni.

Jenny

Lasagna

This recipe does not boil the noodles before baking, but soaks them, then uses enough sauce for them to finish cooking during baking.

Lasagna
12 lasagna noodles
2 lbs. ground beef or 1 lb. each ground beef and Italian sausage
1 (14 oz.) can diced tomatoes
1 1/2 can (26 oz.) spaghetti sauce
1 carton cottage cheese
1 egg
1/2 lb. mozzarella, grated

Fill a container with very hot tap water and soak noodles while you brown the meat.

Break the egg into the cottage cheese carton and stir.  Brush a 9x13 pan with olive oil. Open the cans and get ready for the layers: Start with a bit of sauce in the bottom of the pan.

Then add 1 layer of noodles and cover it with 1/2 the can of diced tomatoes.

Another layer of noodles, the rest of the tomatoes, then 1/3 of the sauce 1/2 of the meat, and a bit of the cottage cheese.

Noodles, sauce and meat, remaining cottage cheese and top with mozzarella.  Cover with foil and bake at 350 for 1 hour.

If the cheese has not browned and you would like it to, you can uncover the dish for the last 10 min. or so of baking time.

If your kids need encouragement to eat lasagna, check out a Garfield cartoon from the library. :)

Jenny

Salisbury Steak

This is an old Taste of Home recipe and one of our favorites.  The patties are traditionally shaped in ovals.  Yours will be.  Mine are the product of some serious multi-tasking efforts last night, and I completely skipped over the oval bit.  If they look like hamburgers, can you still call them Salisbury Steak?  They disappear either way! Yum!

Salisbury Steak with Onion Gravy
1 egg
1 can (10 oz.) condensed French Onion Soup, undiluted, divided
1/2 c. bread crumbs
1/4 tsp. salt
pinch of pepper
1 1/2 lbs. ground beef
1 Tbsp. flour
1/4 c. ketchup
1/4 c. water
1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1/2 tsp. prepared mustard
Hot cooked egg noodles

In a large bowl, beat egg.  Stir in 1/3 c. of soup, bread crumbs, salt and pepper.  Add beef and mix gently.  Shape into 6 oval patties.  Brown in a skillet over medium heat for 3-4 min. on each side.  Remove and set aside; discard drippings.  In the skillet, combine flour and water until smooth; add the ketchup,  Worcestershire sauce, mustard and remaining soup;  bring to a boil.  Cook and stir for 2 min.  Return patties to skillet.  Cover and simmer for 15 min. or until meat is no longer pink.  Serve patties and gravy over noodles.  Garnish with parsley if desired.  Yield 6 servings.
Notes:  The only kind of soups I buy are cream soups, chicken noodle, and tomato, so I substitute for the French Onion Soup in this recipe: 1 pkt. onion soup mix which I mix with 10 oz. of water, then I proceed as directed in the recipe. I also use about 2 lbs of ground beef and make some of my patties child sized to get 10 servings out of this recipe.

Jenny

Sloppy Joes

A family favorite, this is what I made for my husband the first time I fed him dinner. Now, of course, I double the recipe. :)

Sloppy Joes
1 lb. ground beef
1 medium onion, chopped (1/2 c.)
1/4 c. chopped green pepper
1/4 c. chopped celery
1 1/2  c. spaghetti sauce
1 Tbsp. brown sugar
1 Tbsp. vinegar
3 drops Tabasco sauce

Brown beef with onion, pepper and celery.  Spoon off fat.  Add remaining ingredients and simmer for 15 min. Serve on hamburger buns.
Notes:  Sometimes I add 1 c. spaghetti sauce and 1/2 c. barbecue sauce and omit the sugar and vinegar. 

Jenny

Mexican Lasagna

This is a little spicy for some of my kids, you can substitute a can of regular diced tomatoes for the RoTel tomatoes and chilies if you like. I like the flavor as is.

Mexican Lasagna

1 lb. ground beef, browned with some onion

1 can refried beans

1 can Ro Tel tomatoes and chilies

1 can (8 oz.) tomato sauce

1 tsp. chili powder

1 small container ricotta cheese (or choose another cheese you like)

1/2 c. grated Monterrey jack or cheddar

tortillas (flour or corn)

sour cream and taco toppings to serve

In a casserole dish, line the bottom with tortillas, tear them to fit the empty spaces.  Spread tortillas with 1/3 can refried beans, then layer on 1/3 of the ground beef and 1/3  of the tomatoes.  Top with 1/3 the ricotta.  Add another layer of tortillas, repeat layers two more times, ending with tortillas on top.  Mix the chili powder with the tomato sauce and pour over all.  Top with the grated cheese.  Microwave on high for 10 min. Serve with sour cream and any taco topping you like.  Serves 6-8

Jenny

Slumgullion

This comes from a cookbook called Make a Mix.  It basically starts with a mix of seasoned, browned hamburger.  I have tweaked the recipe so it will make sense here.  It is a weeknight skillet meal.

Slumgullion

1 lb. hamburger, browned with

1/2 onion, chopped

garlic salt

salt and pepper

Add:
1 can (15 oz) whole-kernel corn, drained
2 cans (8 oz) tomato sauce
1 tsp. dried parsley flakes
Stir together over medium heat and simmer 15 min.  Stir in
1 (6 oz) pkg noodles, cooked, drained
Makes 6 servings.
Notes: I like to add 1can diced tomatoes in tomato juice in place of 1 of the tomato sauce cans.

Jenny

Tangy Beef Stroganoff

This is a nice, basic recipe from Taste of Home.  It is versatile, I use it sometimes with ground beef.  Sometimes I serve it over noodles, sometimes I stir the noodles into the sauce for easier serving at our table.  I like balsamic vinegar in it.

Tangy Beef Stroganoff
1 lb. sirloin steak
1/4 c. butter or margarine
8 oz. fresh mushrooms
1/2 c. sliced onion
1 garlic clove, minced
2 Tbsp. flour
1 c. water
1 Tbsp. lemon juice
1 Tbsp. cider vinegar or red wine vinegar
2 tsp. beef bouillon granules
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1c. sour cream
Hot cooked noodles

Cut beef into strips or cubes, in a large skillet over medium high heat, cook beef in butter until no longer pink. Remove with slotted spoon and keep warm.  In the pan juices, cook mushrooms, onion and garlic until tender; stir in flour.  Add water, lemon juice, vinegar, bouillon, salt and pepper; bring to a boil.  Cook and stir for 2 min.  Stir in sour cream and beef; heat through, but do not boil.  Serve over noodles.  Garnish with parsley and paprika if desired.  Yield 4 servings.

Notes:  If you substitute ground beef for sirloin, omit butter.  I add the garlic and onion while I brown the hamburger, then spoon off fat if there is too much, and proceed as directed.  I also substitute canned mushrooms for fresh if that is what I have on hand, in doing this, you can just add the canned mushrooms to the browned burger in the skillet and omit the saute step.

Jenny