Shepherd's Pie (aka Hamburger Pie)

Are you in the mood for comfort food?
This hamburger pie is an old favorite casserole. 

Saucy ground beef topped with mashed potatoes
and sprinkled with shredded cheddar cheese.
What's not to love?

You can even make the beef filling ahead of time.

 Just bring it to room temperature before 

putting it into the oven. 

 

Simple ingredients. It's an old recipe from my
collection. It's from the 'BHG 100 Favorites'
 cookbook form the 70's.
It's retro!

 Brown the hamburger and onions.

 Add the seasonings, beans and tomato soup.

 Put into a greased pie dish. Sometimes I cover it

 at this point and refrigerate to bake later.

 Mash the potatoes while hot with the 1/2 C milk. 

 Whip in the egg.

 Season to taste with salt and pepper.

 Mound onto the hamburger.

Sprinkle with the 1/2 C shredded cheddar.

 Bake for 25-30 minuted.

 Enjoy a 'homey' dinner.

It's always good to have leftovers for lunch too.

Save this recipe for a day that has you

craving an old favorite.

Shepherd's Pie
(Hamburger Pie)

1 lb ground beef

1/2 C chopped onion

1t salt

1/2t pepper

1 can 16-oz green beans, drained

1 can tomato soup

Cook the meat with the onion until the meat  

is browned and the onion is tender. Season to 

taste with salt and pepper. Stir in the soup 

and green beans. Pour into a greased 

1-1/2 qt. casserole or deep pie dish. 

Add topping. 

topping:

5 potatoes, cooked

1/2 C milk

1 egg, mixed with fork

1/2 C shredded cheddar cheese

Mash the cooked potatoes while still hot with

 milk. Season with salt and pepper.

Soon in mounds around around casserole. 

Sprinkle the potatoes with cheese. 

Bake @350 for 25-30 minutes.

Enjoy!

Links: Between Naps On The Porch,
Designs By Gollum

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A Tale Of Two Dinners-Meatballs & Meatloaf

You will get two good dinners from this one ground

 beef mixture. One for now and 

one for the freezer..... you choose.

Meatballs & Meatloaf

2 lbs. ground chuck
1 small Italian sausage, about 3 oz.
Place the beef in a large mixing bowl. Remove the sausage casing and add to the  bowl.

1/2 onion, cut up
1 stalk celery, cut up
1 small carrot, cut up
1 garlic clove
1/4 C parsley
2 slices white bread, torn up
In a food processor, add the onion, celery, carrot, garlic and parsley.

Chop until small.

 Then add the torn bread pieces. 

Pulse a few times to blend in.

Add to the bowl with the meat.

1/4 C ketchup
1 C bread crumbs
1/2 C Parmesan/Romano cheese
1/2 C milk
1/2 t salt
1 egg
Add these ingredients to the bowl. Using your hands, mix until well combined.

Divide the mixture in half.

 For the meatballs, roll into 12 smooth round balls.

For the meatloaf, shape into a loaf to fit a 9x5 loaf

 pan. Wrap well and freeze.

Date with a label.

Good idea to also tape on the cooking instructions. 

To cook the meatballs: Heat a large frying pan
 until hot. Add 2 T olive oil and heat 30 seconds. 

Add the prepared meatballs and brown.  

Gently turn the meatballs, using two spoons
 until browned on all sides. 

Stir in sauce and let simmer 25-30 minutes.

You can use your favorite spaghetti sauce or 

make my sauce by adding:

 2 cloves minced garlic stirred into the pan.

then add:

1- 28oz can chopped or crushed tomatoes

1 t Italian herbs

1 t sugar

1/2 t salt

1/4 t red pepper flakes.

Tonights dinner.

Another homemade dinner waiting for you 

in the freezer for when you have no time

to cook. You'll like that! 

To cook the meatloaf: 

Place the thawed meatloaf in a 9x5 loaf pan, cover 

the top with 1/4 C ketchup and bake @350 for 1 hour.

Enjoy!

Links: Designs By Golllum,
My 1929 Charmer

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Glazed Meatloaf

I like comfort food like meatloaf
and don't make it often enough.
I have several recipes and this is the easiest one
because there is little prep work;
no chopping, just mix, shape and bake.

Serving my Easy Scalloped Potatoes for the side. 

It can bake along with the meatloaf.

I use my handy scale to measure out the 

ground beef. Gather all the ingredients.

Combine all the ingredients except the meat and

 let it sit to absorb. Then mix in the meat.

Shape into a loaf and put in a shallow casserole.

*You can prepare it ahead to this point and just

cover it with plastic wrap and refrigerate 

to glaze and bake later. 

Combine the glaze ingredients.

Spread the glaze all over the loaf.

Bake about 1 hour. 

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You'll want to save some leftover slices

 for sandwiches the next day. 

Warmed or cold slices of meatloaf on toast 

with your choice of mustard or more ketchup.

Enjoy!

Meatloaf

2 lbs ground beef

3 slices dry bread or 1/2 C breadcrumbs
salt and pepper

2 eggs

1/2 C milk

1/2 C ketchup

1 envelope dry onion soup mix

Combine the crumbled bread or breadcrumbs in a
 large bowl with the milk. Let sit for 5 minutes
to soften the bread. Add the milk, eggs, ketchup
and soup mix. Stir to combine.
Add the ground beef and mix until combined. 

Shape into a loaf in a shallow casserole.

Top with glaze mixture spreading to coat.

 Bake @ 350 for 1 hour. 

Glaze Mixture

1/2 C ketchup

2 T brown sugar

1 T mustard

Links: Stone Gable, EKats Kitchen

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Popeye Burgers

We had our first Popeye Burger at the Hamburger Hamlet in Chicago probably 30 years ago. 

They're thick, juicy, delicious burgers topped with spinach and cheese. 

Now we can make them at home when we get the craving....like today for lunch.

We like them bunless with a toasted and buttered bagel on the side.

 I use fresh ground beef and use my large

 Tupperware hamburger press to shape the burgers.

It's quick and doesn't over-handle them.

 Heat a cast iron skillet over medium high. Coat the skillet with a little oil.

 Season one side of the burger with a generous amount of seasoned salt and pepper.

 Place seasoned side down in the hot pan. 

Now season the top side with a generous amount of garlic salt and pepper.

 Cook about 2 minutes and flip.

 Cook the second side about 2 minutes, then top with chopped spinach, about 1/4 C.

 Top with a slice of cheese. 

Turn off the heat and cover the pan to allow the cheese to melt.

One for me.

One for you.

And two patties in the freezer ready for the next craving.

Popeye Burgers

1-1/2 lbs ground beef

garlic salt

seasoned salt

pepper

1 box frozen chopped spinach

 (cooked and drained, seasoned with butter and salt and pepper)

Cheese slices of choice

( Cheddar, Swiss, Colby-Jack, Muenster)

Butter

Toasted Bagels

Shape the beef into 4 large patties.

Season generously with the salts and pepper 

on both sides.

Pan grill in a lightly oiled hot skillet. 

About 2 minutes per side.

Top with spinach and cheese.

 Cover the pan and turn off the heat. 

Allow about 2 minutes for the cheese to melt 

and the burgers to cook to medium rare.

Adjust cooking times to your preference.

Serve with a toasted buttered bagel on the side

Lunch is served!

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Pastitsio-My Big Fat Greek Casserole

This is a good winter dish that can be made ahead of time. It's warm winter spices make it perfect for a cold snowy day. The flavors of cinnamon and nutmeg enrich the meat sauce and nutmeg perks up the white sauce.  It's a lot like lasagna, but with an unexpected new taste.

Layers of pasta, meat sauce, white sauce and cheese.

Gather ingredients.

 Saute onions and garlic in butter until tender.

 Brown the beef and add remaining ingredients.

 Let simmer uncovered.

 Start white sauce with 3T butter.

 Stir in 3T flour and cook 1 minute. Add salt and pepper.

 Whisk in 2C milk.

 Bring to a boil and whisk until thickened.

 Remove from heat, then add 1/4C cheese and 2 eggs.

Whisk until smooth and stir in a pinch of nutmeg.

 Pasta pot, meat sauce pot and white sauce pot, ready to assemble the casserole.

 Drain cooked ziti, return to the pot and stir in 2T butter and 1/2C cheese.

 Spoon half the pasta into a greased casserole. Spoon the meat sauce on top.

 Top with remaining pasta.

 Pour the white sauce over all. Tap the casserole to help the sauce settle. Sprinkle with 1/4C cheese.

 Bake at 320 for 45 minutes until golden.

 Let sit for 10 minutes.

 Cut into squares.

 Serves 6.

Love the leftovers!

Serve with a big fat Greek salad and crusty bread.

Pastitsio

Meat Sauce

1 to 1-12 lbs ground beef

1 onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 T butter

1 t salt

1/4 t pepper

2 t cinnamon

1/2 t nutmeg

1 t oregano

6-oz can tomato paste

8-oz tomato sauce

1/2 C red wine

Saute the onion and garlic in 2 T butter in a large sauce pot. Add meat and brown. Drain excess fat and add remaining ingredients. Simmer about 30 minutes while you prepare the white sauce and cook the pasta.

Pasta Layer

1/2 lb ziti pasta

2 T butter

1/2 C Romano cheese, grated (1 C total used)

Cook the ziti, drain and return to the pot. Add the butter and Romano and toss. Set aside.

White Sauce

3 T butter

3 T flour

1/2 t salt

dash pepper

2 C whole milk

1/4 C Romano cheese, grated

dash nutmeg

2 eggs, slightly beaten with a fork

Melt butter in sauce pot until bubbly, Add the flour and whisk for about 1 minute until cooked. Add the salt. Whisk in the milk and bring to a boil, whisking constantly until thickened. Remove from heat and let cool a bit. Whisk in the Romano and eggs, until smooth. Add dash of nutmeg.

Assemble and Bake

Grease a 9X13 casserole. Put in half the pasta. Spoon on the meat sauce. Top with remaining pasta.

Pour the white sauce over the top. Shake or tap the casserole dish to help the white sauce settle in.

Sprinkle the remaining 1/4 C Romano cheese on top.

Bake at 350 for 45 minutes. Let stand for 10 minutes before cutting. 

Enjoy!

Links: Remodelaholic

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