Burgers

I've come a long way in the last couple years. I used to not be able to touch raw meat....blech.. disgusting. I used to cook all meat from frozen.

But now, I can do it without too much yuckiness (exception is cuts of meat that are fatty, or tendons... I still don't usually cook meat with bones (or skin)). Progress!

Another fact... I rarely buy meat at full price. I prefer to do my grocery shopping first thing in the morning, right after all the mark downs go out! I pretty much always find the meats I need marked down, and I stock up if I see them when I'm not doing my regular grocery shop. 30% off stickers are my best friend (and 50% off stickers in the bakery section).

The other day I scored six 500g packages of extra lean ground sirloin marked down. I didn't even clear them out.... i just stuck with the 6 and left. What does that scream to you? BURGERS! I love to make a big batch of burgers for the freezer and pull them out as we use them.



This is the first summer I've ever made burgers.... ever! But they're delicious, easy, and a great freezer stocker for bbq nights. Gone are the days of pre-packaged frozen burgers that I always used to buy.

Here is my step by step.... I don't know any real recipes.. I read that you can make burgers with just beef, nothing else mixed in.. but we like a few extras.

First step... cut pieces of wax paper (or parchment paper) larger than you plan to make your burgers (these will help you separate the burgers when you take them out of the freezer later)



Next step... put toddler in high chair with some food that is fun to play with and will entertain them (spaghetti today). You just know you'll have to deal with them when your hands are covered in raw meat.... better to put them in a contained place with something to do.



Here's my recipe:

Beef Burgers

1500g lean ground beef
1 cup bread crumb
2 eggs
1/2 cup bbq sauce
seasonings of choice (I used Mrs Dash today.. but have used taco seasoning, italian seasoning, even curry).

Put it all in the bowl and mix together (spoon works.. but you'll get a more even mixing if you use your hands (you're going to have to get them in there to form burgers anyway.. so you might as well).



Once it's all mixed evenly, form patties to whatever size you like and place on a square of paper on a plate. Place another square on top and stack another burger... keep going (start a new stack when it starts getting high). Your kids might want to help... I let her put the papers inbetween layers for me... and she also took my photos for me!

*my husband just reminded me (yet again) that you're supposed to put a thumb indent in the middle of each burger for more even cooking. I forgot.. again. Maybe you can remember ;)*





I like to make slider size ones too (since the kids like these size burgers):




Wash up, transfer the burgers to freezer bags (or containers). When it's time.. just take out however many you need, and grill them up!

This recipe made 14 large burgers, and 12 sliders for me. I made 2 batches of this size, so I am stocked with burgers for a while now!

This recipe is very flexible.. throw in what ever you want! Onions, sauces, herbs, whatever you feel like adding! :)


This is just one of the recipes I do when I stock up on discounted ground beef. I actually use this same recipe for turkey burgers as well. When you buy discounted meat, you have to deal with it (prep to freeze, or cook with it) within a day or two, so always good to keep a few things on hand for mixing with them. I might have to post some of the other recipes I do when I get meats on sale. :)

Make-Ahead Unstuffed Shells

Recipe was found in Kraft's What's Cooking Magazine (Festive 2011).

Not as pretty on my plate as in the magazine:


Make-Ahead Unstuffed Shells

4 cups medium pasta shells, uncooked
1 lb (450g) extra lean ground beef
1 jar pasta sauce
1/4 cup cup Philadelphia Light Cream Cheese Spread
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup Parmesan Shredded Cheese
1/3 cup chopped fresh basil
1 1/2 cups Park Skim Mozzarella Shredded Cheese

Cook pasta as directed on package (no salt).

Brown beef in a skillet. Stir in the pasta sauce and simmer for 2 minutes, stirring.

Drain pasta. Wish cream cheese, milk and parmesan in large bowl, add pasta and basil and stir until evenly coated.

Spray a 9 x 13 pan, spread half the meat sauce o the bottom, cover with pasta mixture, then top with remaining meat sauce. Sprinkle with mozzarella. Cover with foil.

Refrigerate for up to 24 hours.

Heat oven to 375 degrees... bake casserole covered for 40-45 minutes (uncovered for the last 10-15 minutes)

You can also bake immediately after making for 30 minutes (uncovering for 20 minutes)

______________

This was pretty good... nice creamy cheese, good flavour. It was super easy to make, and everyone ate their plate fulls. Probably not 5 stars, but definitely 4. Will be on the meal plan again, most likely. I don't even have any suggestions on this one for improvement. It was good... just not spectacular!

Barbecue Spareribs - Crockpot

This is another recipe that I do in bulk (3 or 4x) and freeze. It's from the book Don't Panic - Dinner's in the Freezer (LOVE this book)



5 lbs beef or pork spare ribs
1.5 cups ketchup
1.5 cups water
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 Tablespoon soy sauce
1 Tablespoon lemon juice
3/4 cup pineapple

Brown the spareribs in a skillet. Combine remaining ingredients in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Place ribs in a freezer bag and after sauce has cooled, pour over ribs in bag. Freeze.

When you want to cook them for that day, you can either dump the whole bag (thawed first) in your slow cooker on low for 7-8 hours, or you can bake it in the oven in a large dish, covered, at 350 degrees for 1.5-2 hours.



These ribs are delicious. I've never been a rib person, but these are pretty darn good! We serve them with rice, or with potatoes, and veggies. Toddler approves them as well!

I generally buy ribs when I see them on a really good sale or marked down, and whip these up for the freezer, since it's quick, easy and with stuff I have on hand most of the time. I am LOVING freezer cooking, so you'll probably be seeing a lot more of it on here. Tonnes of new freezer recipes I've found on Pinterest as well!


I think we're finally starting to settle into our "new" normal since baby's arrival, and I think I could maintain a meal plan again, so I plan to do one up for the month of October, and hopefully get back into blogging.

Rouladen

This recipe is one my mom made for us when we visited one time, and my husband LOVED it. He loves most german food, but this was a winner.



Rouladen

4 sandwich steaks, 6 oz each
2 tsp dijon mustard
1/4 tsp pepper
4 slices of bacon
2 dill pickles, cut length-wise
1 onion, chopped
1 1/2 cups beef broth
4 peppercorns
1 bay leaf

Lay steaks flat, spread each with mustard and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place a strip of bacon on each one. Place pickle and onion at one end, and roll up jelly roll style, securing with a toothpick.

Brown well in butter drippings and then place in baking dish and pour beef broth, peppercorns and bay leaf in as well. Cover and bake at 350 F for 1.5 - 2 hours, or until tender.

Remove rolls from pan, remove toothpicks, place on heated tray/plate, thicken sauce with cornstarch for gravy.

Best served with spaetzle. For the meal we photographed, we weren't able to find spaetzle at the store (and we didn't want to make it ourselves that day), so we served it with gnocchi, which works, but not the same. Usually you can get dehydrated spaetzle at the store, for quick german dishes, and it is pretty easy to make at home.. just time consuming.

Chilli

One of the go to meals in our house is Chilli. It's quick, it's easy, and has stuff that we keep in our pantry. Although it's never the same twice...



This is how we serve chilli in our house. Over multigrain tortilla chips, and topped with a sprinkling of cheese. Produces great table manners, as we start eating with the chips with our fingers, like nachos, then as the chips get too soggy (or we run out), we switch to forks.

Growing up, this is how we made chilli:

2 cans of kidney beans
1 can of tomato soup
0.5 cans of corn
ground beef
chilli powder to taste

Since moving out on my own, I now add a can of black beans, and a can of chick peas, as well as the FULL can of corn. I sometimes swap out the tomato soup for the diced tomatoes with red peppers that I usually keep in the pantry. I also, more often than not, use ground turkey instead of beef. When I make it with all of this, it usually makes massive quantities, so I freeze several individual portions for dh to take to work, and we get leftovers the next night.

We love it, but it's different everytime, based on what's in the pantry. I've even used beans in tomato sauce in there before, or pork and beans. Chilli is such a forgiving meal, and every person makes it completely different. That's the beauty of it!

Now, recently I've heard of people serving chilli with rice. That's completely foreign to me. Never would have thought to do that.. but I guess that's how MOST people eat it. Maybe we'll try that one day... but I like my chips for now ;)

Beef Enchilada Casserole

Recipe from Life's on Fire: Cooking for the Rushed.

This is the first time making this recipe.... and it was pretty darn tasty. Not too spicy for the toddler, and enjoyed by everyone. My husband thought it was extra delicious with just a touch of peppercorn ranch dressing, that he put on his salad, on it.



675g ground beef
1 small onion
1 can chopped green chilies
1 can cheddar cheese soup
1 cup chunky salsa
1 can black beans (drained)
1/2 cup of grated low fat cheddar cheese
1/2 cup of grated part-skim mozzarella cheese
12 Catelli Express Oven Ready lasagna noodles
2/3 cup water
1/2 cup grated low fat cheddar
1/2 cup grated part-skim mozzarella

Preheat oven to 350 F

Brown meat.

Chop onion finely while meat is browning and add gradually as you cut.

Add chilies, soup, salsa, beans and cheeses to cooked meat. Stir until well mixed.

Layer 9x13 pan with 1/3 dry noodles and 1/3 sauce. Do this 2 more times. Drizzle water all over the top and top with remaining grated cheese.

Cover tightly with foil and bake for 50 minutes.


* I think the addition of black beans to the sauce would be delicious, so that is on my next go at this recipe!   Enchilada Casserole... with no beans.. just seems wrong!  

* edited to add... I will DEFINITELY add black beans every time!   I made this again while on holidays to serve the family, and black beans totally made this dish!!... adding it to the ingredients.