#3254 - Easy Beef Burritos

(by Shirley McNevich)

1lb. ground beef
1 onion (chopped)
1 cup water
1 envelope burrito seasoning
flour tortillas
your choice of toppings (shredded cheese, chopped tomatoes, shredded lettuce, corn chips, etc.)

In a skillet over medium heat add the ground beef and chopped onions--cook/stir until meat is browned, then drain off the fat and discard the fat. Add the water and the burrito seasoning--cook/stir until mixture starts to boil. Once boiling, turn heat back to simmer and simmer until the liquid is gone (7-10 minutes). Spoon beef mixture into tortillas, add your toppings, then fold the bottom of the tortillas and roll up the sides.

#950 - Grilled Burgers (Hamburgers)

(by Shirley McNevich)

80 % lean ground beef (your choice of package size depending on how many burgers you are making)
McCormick's Montreal Steak Seasoning

Tear off a piece of Saran wrap and place on counter. Use an ice cream scooper to get out a heaping scoop of ground beef--drop it into your hands and form into a ball. Place the ball in the bottom center of the plastic wrap--fold the other half of the Saran Wrap on top of the beef. Use a small plate to gently press down the beef to make the burger patty. Remember that the harder you press, the thinner the patty will be. If you like your burgers thick, it takes longer to cook them, especially the inside. Repeat until all of your ground beef has been made into burger patties. Set aside the burgers you are using right away, then place 4-6 burgers into two stacks and wrap them in aluminum foil--place packages in your freezer (by using both the Saran Wrap and the aluminum foil it keeps them from getting freezer burned). For the burgers you are making right away, turn your gas grill on LOW and place the burgers on the very top rack away from any flame--this help cook the insides of your burgers (if you are using a charcoal grill, don't put burgers on until all flames have died down). Sprinkle a generous amount of McCormick's Montreal Steak Seasoning on top of each burger. When the bottom sides start to turn gray in color, flip them and sprinkle more seasoning on the opposite sides. Once both sides of the burgers are gray, move burgers down to the bottom rack and cook until done to your liking (medium, well, etc.). Just before taking the burgers off of the grill, place burgers near open flame to get char broil lines on them. You may want to use a steak knife to cut into each burger to check if its done to your liking. When using frozen burgers, let them thaw on a plate before grilling them.

#737 - Skillet Lasagna

(by Shirley McNevich)

1 lb. ground beef
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1 chopped onion
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
2 - 14oz. cans beef broth
1 - 14.5oz. can diced tomatoes
1/4 tsp. Italian seasoning (spice)
1 1/2 cups uncooked corkscrew pasta
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

In a skillet add the ground beef, salt, pepper and chopped onion--cook until browned. Drain off the fat and put ground beef back in the skillet. Add the beef broth, tomatoes and Italian seasoning to the browned beef--stir and bring to a boil over medium heat. Add the uncooked corkscrew pasta to the beef--cover with a lid and cook on medium another 10 minutes or until pasta is cooked to your taste. Add the Parmesan cheese--stir.

#683 - Spaghetti and Meatballs

(by Shirley McNevich)

Meatballs: 1/2 lb. ground beef, 1/2 lb. ground pork, 1/2 lb. ground veal, 3 slices of Italian bread (soaked in milk and then squeezed dry), 1/2 of a medium onion (chopped), 2 TBSP minced parsley, 1 tsp. garlic powder, 1/2 cup grated Romano cheese, 2 eggs, vegetable oil.

Spaghetti/sauce: 1/3 cup olive oil, 3 garlic clove halves, 1/2 of a medium onion (chopped), 2 - 28oz. cans crushed plum tomatoes, 2 basil leaves, 1/2 tsp. oregano, salt and pepper (to your taste), 1/4 cup water, 1 lb. Barilla spaghetti.

In a bowl add ground beef, ground pork, ground veal, chopped onion, parsley, garlic powder, eggs, and Romano cheese. Break the milk-soaked Italian break into bite sized pieces and add to the mixture. Use your hands to knead (but not squeeze) all of the ingredients. Once mixed, shape into your favorite size of meatballs. In a saucepan (must be large enough to hold all meatballs in a single layer) add 1/4" of vegetable oil. Add the meatballs in a single layer to the saucepan and gently turn each so they are coated with vegetable oil. Place the saucepan in a preheated 450 degree oven. As they brown on top, use tongs to gently turned them until browned on all sides. Once browned, turn heat back just enough to keep the meatballs warm.

Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat--add garlic cloves and chopped onions--cook until the garlic and onions are see-through. Add the crushed tomatoes, basil leaves, oregano, water, salt and pepper--stir and bring to a boil, then turn heat back to simmer and simmer for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally. While the sauce is simmering, in a large pot add 1 TBSP salt and fill with water--bring water to a boil and cook the spaghetti to your taste (al dente, etc.). Drain the spaghetti. Remove the bay leaves and garlic cloves from the sauce. Use a spaghetti serving utensil to place spaghetti on each plate, add sauce to the top. Place a few meatballs on top of the sauce before serving. Serve with Parmesan cheese as a side.

#453 - Bisquick Burrito Bake

(by Shirley McNevich)

1 cup Bisquick
1 medium chopped onion
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1/3 cup water
1 cup salsa
1 can refried beans
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 lb. ground beef

In a bowl, mix Bisquick, water and refried beans together--place in the bottom of a greased pie plate. Brown ground beef with chopped onion, salt and pepper--drain ground beef and spoon on top of mixture in pie plate. Add salsa on top of ground beef, then cheese on top of salsa. Bake at 350 degrees uncovered for 30 minutes or until golden brown. Serve with extra salsa, sour cream and Mexican chips.

#397 - Taco Salad

(by Shirley McNevich)

1 lb. ground beef
1 medium onion, coarsely chopped
2 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1/2 to 1 tsp. crushed red pepper - optional
1 head lettuce
2 chopped tomatoes
2 chopped ripe avocados
2 cups shredded Monterey Jack or Mozzarella cheese
1 - 12oz. bag Doritos tortilla chips, slightly crushed

Brown the ground beef in a skillet and drain. Stir in the chili powder, cumin, salt, pepper, and red pepper. Remove the skillet from the heat and stir in the onions. Set aside. Tear lettuce into pieces and place in a large serving bowl. Add the tomatoes, avocados, and cheese. Pour the beef mixture in while still warm and toss. Add the slightly crushed tortilla chips and toss again. Serve at room temperature.

#370 - Mexican Casserole

(by Shirley McNevich)

1 lb. lean ground beef
salt and pepper to taste
1 tsp. chili powder
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 cup sour cream
2/3 cup mayo
2 TBSP chopped onion
2 cups Bisquick
1/2 cup water
3 medium thinly sliced tomatoes
1/2 cup chopped green pepper
1/2 cup chopped red pepper
1/2 cup chopped yellow pepper

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease a 13 x 9 x 2" baking dish. Brown the ground beef in a large skillet, then drain off the excess fat--season to your taste with salt and pepper and set aside. In a small bowl mix together the cheese, sour cream, mayonnaise and onion--set aside. Stir the Bisquick and water together until a soft dough forms. With floured fingers, pat the dough into the prepared baking dish, pressing the dough 1/2" up the sides of the pan. Layer the browned ground beef, tomato slices, green pepper, red pepper, and yellow pepper over the dough layer. Spoon the sour cream and cheese mixture evenly over the top of the casserole. Bake, uncovered 25-30 minutes or until the edges of the dough are light brown. Cool 5 minutes before cutting and serving.

#325 - Macaroni and Cheese Lasagna

(by Shirley McNevich)

1 - 7 1/4oz. package Kraft macaroni and cheese dinner (prepared with "light" directions on box)
1 1/2 cups spaghetti sauce
1/2 lb. ground beef, cooked and drained
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
2 TBSP grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spoon half of the prepared macaroni and cheese into lightly greased 8 inch square baking dish. Top with half of the spaghetti sauce, half of the meat and half of the shredded cheese. Repeat with second half of each ingredient. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Bake 20 minutes or until heated.

#318 - Easy Lasagna

(by Shirley McNevich)

1 lb. ground beef
2 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
1 - 15oz. container part skim ricotta cheese
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 - 26oz. jar spaghetti sauce
1 cup water
12 lasagna noodles, UNCOOKED

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Brown meat in large skillet on medium-high heat. Mix 1 1/4 cups of the mozzarella cheese, the ricotta cheese, 1/4 cup of the Parmesan cheese, the parsley and egg until well blended--set aside. Drain meat and return to skillet. Stir in spaghetti sauce. Pour water into empty sauce jar; cover and shake well. Add water to skillet and stir until well blended. Spread 1 cup of the meat sauce onto bottom of a 13 x 9 x 2 baking dish and top with layers of 3 lasagna noodles, 1/3 of the ricotta cheese mixture and 1 cup of the meat sauce. Repeat layers. Top with remaining 3 noodles and the remaining sauce. Sprinkle with remaining 1 1/4 cups mozzarella cheese and remaining 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese. Cover tightly with greased foil. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes. Remove foil after 45 minutes, then continue baking 15 minutes more or until center is heated. Let stand 15 minutes before cutting for easier serving.

#31 - Homemade Polish Pigeons

(by Millie Barilla)

Makes approx. 23 pigeons.

1 pound ground beef
1 pound ground pork
1 pound ground veal
1 medium onion
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
1 cup Minute white rice (RAW--do not cook)
1 large head cabbage
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. pepper
1 quart tomatoes (either stewed or home canned)
2 cans Campbell's tomato soup
2 eggs
3 TBSP Worcestershire sauce

Mix by hand - beef, pork, veal, salt, and pepper. Add two eggs slightly beaten and mix by hand. Add parsley, chopped onion, Worcestershire sauce, and rice (uncooked). Use hands and mix everything thoroughly. Set aside.

Remove as much of cabbage core as you can and remove first two layers of cabbage head (do not throw away). In a large pot, place cabbage head in and cover with water. Add 1 tsp. salt. Boil the cabbage until you can get the leaves off and they are pliable (not too soggy). Trim the stem part of the leaves off (keep after removing) so cabbage bends easier.

In a large second pot, place trimmed cabbage stems in the bottom of the pot as well as the first two layers of cabbage that you removed earlier. Put 2-3 TBSP of meat filling mixture onto each cooked cabbage leaf and tuck in the corners. Secure it like a napkin by rolling it. Place them in the pot with the extra cabbage.

In a bowl, stir the tomatoes and tomato soup until thoroughly mixed. Pour this mixture into the pot with the rolled pigeons and cabbage. Put a lid on the pot and put in oven. Bake for 2 hours at 375 degrees until cabbage is done (test with a fork).

Extra pigeons can be frozen.