Nobody doesn't like cheeseburger pie

Everybody loves this stuff.  The big plus is it's real easy to make and you probably already have everything to make it.

A 7 x 9 inch pan feeds the two of us twice.  If you don't have a 7 x 9 a 9 x 9 inch pan should work.

For a 7 x 9 inch pan you'll need,

about 3/4 pound of hamburger
1/4 of a small onion diced fine
8 squares of saltine crackers, crushed
3/4 to 1 cup of milk

6 to 7 servings of instant mashed potatoes made according to package directions
6 to 7 slices of American cheese

Mix the crackers, onion and hamburger until the crackers and onions are pretty well mixed thru.  Then add the milk and mix until it's totally mixed.  It should be pretty squishy.  Smash it into a baking dish.  It should be about 1/2 inch to 3/4 of an inch thick.  Bake it for about 30 minutes at 350 degrees or until it's totally done.  I use a spatula and hold the meat in the pan and drain off the fat.  Be really careful when you do that!!

While the meat is baking make a batch of 6 to 7 servings of your favorite instant mashed potatoes.

When the meat is done, add a layer of American cheese slices and the instant mashed potatoes and return to the oven for about 10 minutes.

let's have breakfast!

This is my hubby's favorite breakfast.  We'll cut the potatoes into about half inch cubes and dice the onion and bell pepper.  The ham steak was pretty thick so I cut it into quarters and hubby took the leftovers to work for a cold ham sandwich.

Waiting for the skillet to get hot.

The color gets a little odd in the shots of the skillet but cover and cook the potatoes until they just barely start to get brown.

I used about a quarter of a medium size onion and half the bell pepper.  Add the diced onion and bell pepper.  Cover and cook until the potatoes are cooked thru and browned.

We like our eggs over easy and on top of the potatoes.  Don't forget the toast and orange juice!

just a burger

A lot of times during grilling season we'll just have burgers. 

I use a sauce I make.

For burgers it's,

2 cups ketchup
1/2 cup brown sugar
3/4ths tsp chili powder
3/4ths tsp garlic powder
3 Tbl mesquite flavor liquid smoke (mesquite flavor only!!)
1/2 a smallish onion diced fine

Stir together and use on the meat while it cooks.  For chicken or pork increase the sugar to 1 cup.  This sauce is fairly high in sugar and it does burn if you're not careful.  You want it to carmelize though so some burn is okay.

I just add more onion and a bit more sauce to my burger.  Hubby likes to add pickles to his.

Sunday grill

Today I grilled pork chops and potatoes.  We had green beans and crescent rolls with it.

I have a funky grill pan with holes in the bottom so I decided to try grilling the potatoes in that pan.  I sliced the potatoes between a quarter and a half inch thick.  I mixed about half a package of Lipton onion soup with about two tablespoons of oil.  I dumped it all in a Ziplock bag and mushed it all around until the potatoes were well coated.

I put a paper plate under the grill pan before I dumped the potatoes in it!  Mmmmm, ready to go on the grill!!  I covered the grill pan with some foil and put them on first and let them cook about 20 minutes before I put the pork chops on.  I turned them over a couple of times.

Pork chops on the grill!

Yummyness on a plate!!  The potatoes looked burnt but they were really, really good.  Hubby said they were a definite keeper and I should cook them that way more often.

Sunday dinner, or fast and easy but not cheap

Dinner fixings.  We're having ribeye steaks, baked potatoes and corn on the cob.  For dessert well have strawberries over angel food cake with Cool Whip.

I know you probably didn't want to know this but strawberries have teeny, tiny bugs.  Set them in the sink and cover with cold water for about 30 minutes.  Agitate just a bit and drain.  Cut the tops off and slice.

Two pints of strawberries, sliced with half a cup of sugar added and stirred in.  Cover and put in the fridge for now.

Cut the ends off the corn instead of stripping off the husks.  Carefully peel the husks off and toss the outer dirty husks.  Save the clean inner husks to rewrap the corn.

Add butter to the corn.  Real butter.

Cover with the husks and add butter to the other side and cover with the husks until you have about two layers of husks around the corn.  Then wrap in foil and it's ready to go on the grill.  Microwave the potatoes until they're mostly cooked.

All on the grill!!  The potatoes and corn take longer to cook than the steaks do so put them on first and give them 15 to 20 minutes before you put the steaks on.

Mmmmm, dinner!!

A couple of thin slices of angel food cake topped with lots of strawberries.

Add Cool Whip and enjoy!!  Yeah, I know real whipped cream is better but this meal is about fast and easy.

Savory Noodle Goulash

This dish originally came from a Betty Crocker cookbook.  I changed it some.  Okay, a whole lot.  I start with about 1/2 to 2/3rds of a pound of hamburger and half of a small onion diced up.  Cook them together until the hamburger isn't pink anymore and drain off the fat.

Add an 8 ounce can of tomato sauce, a can and a half of water, and half a 12 ounce bag of wide egg noodles. 

Cover and cook for about 10 to 12 minutes stirring several times. 

When the noodles are cooked but still firm add 5 slices of American cheese slices. Put the lid on and let the cheese melt in.

 When the cheese is melted stir it in.

On the plate with a couple of crescent rolls.  One pan full will feed two adults with enough left for lunch for one.  Well, depending on how much the two adults eat it'll serve two.

If you double it, cook the meat, add the tomato sauce and maybe half a can of water and melt the cheese and cook the noodles separate and then mix them together.