Mashed Potato topped Meatloaf Cupcakes

 I'm not a huge fan of meatloaf but these babies were really yummy.  You could really taste the A1 sauce and I think that just gave them really good flavor along with the Stoved Top Stuffing.  Top them with cream cheese mashed potatoes and beef gravy and you have a very delicious meal!

Mashed Potato topped Meatloaf Cupcakes
from Kraft Recipes

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1 lb. very lean ground beef
1 pkg. 6oz Stove Top Stuffing
1 cup water
2 T. A1 sauce
6 oz. low fat cream cheese, softened and cubed
1 T. minced garlic cloves
3 cups hot mashed potatoes
1/4 cup fresh parsley, optional
1 jar (12 oz) beef gravy, warmed

Heat oven to 375

Mix meat, stuffing, water and steak sauce together and press into 12 muffin cups sprayed with cooking spray.  Bake for 20 to 25 min. or until done.







Add cream cheese and garlic to potatoes; stir until cream cheese is melted. Stir in parsley. Scoop over meatloaves. Serve with gravy. 

Open Face Lasagna Sandwiches

I was going to make meatballs and it just sounded like too much work so I decided to make Italian sloppy Joes.  After I cooked the meat and poured the spaghetti sauce in I thought putting provolone cheese sounded good on it and then I thought why not add cottage cheese while I was at it.  There you have it, Open Face Lasagna Sandwiches.  Oh my were these yummy!

Open Face Lasagna Sandwiches
a Lacey Creation

6 servings, 13 WW points per serving

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1 lb. very lean ground beef
1 jar of spaghetti sauce
1 1/2 cups fat free cottage cheese
6 French Bread rolls
12 slices of provolone, I used Sargento's thin sliced

Pre-heat oven to 350

In a skillet brown the ground beef.  Drain.  Place back in pan and add the spaghetti sauce and heat through.  On a baking sheet place the 6 French bread rolls opened up.  Spread 1/2 cup of the meat mixture on each roll.  Spread 1/4 cup of cottage cheese on top of the meat mixture.  Place two slices of the provolone on each roll.  Bake for 10 minutes or until the cheese is nice and melty.  The bread gets nice and crusty.

The Librarian

I have been in Arizona this past week having a great time on vacation. I'm sad that my time here is almost up. I celebrated my 30th birthday yesterday in style. Jessica and her mom got me roses and donuts to start the day with. Then they took me shopping and we had our nails done. Later that evening we had a small party with ice cream cake. They made turning 30 without mom really special. I didn't miss her so much. Tomorrow we are going to the Renaissance Fair. That should be fun other than it supposed to be 90 some degrees.


Now on to The Librarian. Jessica and her family are from Indiana and they love Lincoln's Carry Out. Jessica's favorite sandwich is The Steel Worker. I don't know the story behind it. The sandwich is roast beef, cheese, lettuce, tomato, onion, and mayo on rye bread but she gets it on Vienna bread. Jessica had been craving a Steel Worker so I set out to recreate it. The only problem is around here is that they don't have a very big selection of Vienna or French bread so I choose round hard rolls but they were still soft. For the beef I got Charlies Pride from the deli sliced thin and American cheese from the deli. They turned out really good. Jessica said that when she got a bite of the beef with the cheese and the mayo it tasted a lot like The Steel Worker. It wasn't exactly the same but pretty darn close. I don't know why it's named The Steel Worker but Jessica renamed my creation The Librarian since I'm a Librarian.


The Librarian
inspired by The Steel Worker

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6 hard rolls, Vienna bread, or French rolls
1 pd. Charlies Pride deli meat sliced thin
12 slices American cheese, I used Prima Della
lettuce
tomato slices
onion slices
mayo

Spray a skillet with cooking spray. Place a few slices of meat on the skillet and heat for 2 to 3 minutes on one side and flip over and heat on the other side for 2 to 3 minutes. While the meat is heating slice your bread open and spread mayo on each side. Place a cheese slice on one half and place one slice of heated meat on top of it. In the pan if the slices are long fold them over and stack three or four slices on top of each other and place a cheese slice on top. Let sit until cheese gets melty. Place on top of the waiting sandwich. Repeat with the rest of the sandwiches. Depending on how big your skillet is you could probably do 2 sandwiches at a time. Garnish each sandwich with lettuce, tomato, and onion if desired.

Slow Cooker Meatballs

My husband loves meatballs. When we go to Subway that is the sandwich he gets, even though it isn't the healthiest on the menu. Meatballs tend to be point heavy. These yummy babies are 1 point a piece. I really enjoyed them but unfortunately my picky husband did not. He wasn't sure if it was the mini buns I bought to make sandwiches out of or the light Prego sauce. I think it's all in his head because I enjoyed every bite of my mini meatball sandwiches. The meatballs were moist and very flavorful. You could taste the Parmesan I put in them. The best part was I cooked them right in the slow cooker. I didn't think they were greasy or anything since I used the leanest beef I could find. Enjoy!

Slow Cooker Meatballs
a Lacey Creation

15 meatballs, 1 WW point per meatball w/o sauce

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1 lb. really lean ground beef
1/4 onion, finely chopped
1/2 cup fiber one cereal, crushed finely
2 T grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup Egg Beaters
1/2 T Oregano
1/2 T Basil
1/2 T minced garlic
Jar of Spaghetti Sauce (I used Prego Light)

In a bowl mix together all of the ingredients until incorporated. I used my medium cookie scoop to help me make the balls but if you don't have one no worries just pinch off some beef and start rolling out balls with your hands. I made mine a little bigger because I knew I was making mini sandwiches. You can always make them smaller. In a slow cooker pour some of the spaghetti sauce on the bottom. Place all the meatballs in the slow cooker. Pour the rest of the sauce over the meatballs. Cook on low for 2-4 hours or until meatballs are cooked through.

Sloppy Joes

Raise your hand if you love sloppy Joe's. I don't see any hands raised. I'm not a huge fan of sloppy Joe's but I enjoyed this recipe. Will loves sloppy Joe's but my mans not into Manwich. He likes simple ketchup sloppy Joe's. These are simple yet tasty.

Sloppy Joe's
adapted from Heinz

8 servings, 6 WW points per serving

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1/2 cup onion, chopped
1 lb. lean ground beef
1 1/2 cups ketchup
2 Tbsp. brown sugar
1 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
8 light hamburger buns

In a skillet brown the beef and onions over medium heat. Once browned, drain. Place meat back in skillet and add the ketchup, brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce, salt, and pepper. Cook for 10 minutes or until thickened.

Black Bean and Beef Chili

I made this chili awhile back and loved it but I didn't get a picture. I don't like posting recipes without pictures. The weather is getting colder and making chili for the chill seemed fitting. I got to use my first jar of canned tomatoes I helped can this year. What I like about this recipe is that you can brown the meat and throw everything into your slow cooker and let it cook all day. This time when I made it I let it simmer on the stove. But whatever method you choose will taste fantastic.




Black Bean and Beef Chili
from Smells Like Home

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10 one cup servings, 4 WW points per serving

3 cans (14-15 oz) black beans
1 can (14 oz) diced tomatoes or pint jar of canned tomatoes
1 diced chipotle chili pepper (canned in adobo sauce) or a pinch of ground chipotle chile powder
1 – 2 tbsp olive oil
1 lb very lean ground beef (less than 10% fat)
1 medium red onion, very finely diced
1 tbsp regular chili powder
1 1/2 tbsp ancho chile powder
Pinch ground chipotle chile powder
2 1/2 tsp ground cumin
2 cups beef stock or 1 (15 oz) can beef broth
2 tbsp tomato paste
Juice of 1/2 lime
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
Kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper, to taste

Instructions:

1. Drain 2 cans black beans into colander and rinse well, until no more foam appears. Let beans drain while you use a food processor to puree the third can of undrained beans, diced tomatoes and liquid, and the diced chipotle chile pepper (or chipotle powder). Process the beans and tomatoes about 1 minute, until they are fairly smooth.
2. In bottom of heavy soup pot or large Dutch oven over medium heat cook the beef and onions until the beef is no longer pink, drain. Add all the chile powders and cumin and saute about 30 seconds.
3. Add beef stock, browned ground beef, pureed bean mixture, drained beans, and tomato paste and simmer over low heat, uncovered, 1 to 1 1/2 hours. Stir the chili occasionally to prevent any sticking on the bottom of the pot. After 45 minutes, check the seasonings and add more chile powder, salt, and/or pepper as needed. Or if using slow cooker add all the ingredients and cook on low for 4 hours.
   
4. Just before serving Chili, stir in the chopped cilantro and lime juice and cook about 5 minutes. Serve chili hot with toppings of your choice.

Philly Cheesesteak Sloppy Joes

There was a change in the weekly meal plan. I had about two hours of sleep last night and there was no way I was going to be able to get anything cooking in the crock pot this morning to make the baked chicken chimichangas. The beef was sitting in the fridge so I knew I could come home and make the sloppy joes. I just wasn't sure if I was going to make it the whole day. Once I got past that sick feeling I was okay but still really tired. But here I am at 9:45pm and I'm feeling wide awake. When I do lie down after I get this posted I better fall straight to sleep. No lying wide awake in bed like I did last night until 5am. I have to get up tomorrow at 6am so I can be at the Dyer library at 8am. Someone hates me to make me get up that early.

I liked these sloppy joes. Do they taste exactly like a Philly Cheesesteak? No, but they have a really good flavor with the onions, green peppers, and mushrooms. I could have done without the cheese sauce. The original recipe called for provolone but I couldn't find what I needed at the store. I'm thinking that the provolone would have been better. I should have just gotten a chunk at the deli but I was tired and didn't want to have to go back that way. So I settled for a block of reduced fat mild cheddar. Will and I both agreed that it didn't have a lot flavor. Maybe I should have used sharp cheddar. I think even a slice of melted provolone would have been better. So yeah I could have done without the cheese, which I don't say very often, but the meat was really good.

Philly Cheesesteak Sloppy Joes
adapted from A Taste of Home Cooking

8 servings, 4 WW points per serving includes 2 point hamburger bun
2 tablespoons of the cheese sauce adds 2 WW points

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1 tablespoon olive oil
1 pound really ground beef
1/2 tablespoon garlic powder
1/2 large onion, diced
1 green pepper, diced
2 tablespoons steak sauce
1 cup beef broth
1 small can sliced mushrooms, drained
8 low calorie and fat hamburger buns
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon flour
1 cup milk
1 cup reduced fat mild cheddar, shredded

In a large skillet heat the oil and add the onion and green pepper. Cook for about 5 minutes, until the vegetables start to get tender. Add the ground beef and garlic powder and brown the beef until cooked through. Drain. Place the beef mixture back in the pan and add the steak sauce, beef broth, and mushrooms. Bring to a bubble and cook for 2 minutes.

While the meat is cooking, melt the butter in a medium-size pot over medium-high heat. Stir in the flour and cook about 1 minute. Whisk in milk, bring up to a bubble and let thicken, about 2 minutes. Turn off heat and stir the cheese.

To serve, place a scoopful of the meat mixture onto the bottom of the rolls, then top with the cheese sauce and replace the top of the roll.

Beef Roll Ups

A friend of the family's used to make this recipe. I remembered that it was really good. So I asked my Aunt if she had the recipe and she did. It's very easy. In the picture the roll ups are on the right hand side of the plate. To the left are the mash potatoes covered in gravy with extra stuffing.


Beef Roll Ups

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6 roll ups w/extra stuffing and gravy, 7 WW points per roll ups w/extra stuffing and gravy

6 Steak umms, thawed leave the parchment paper on
1 box stuffing
2 jars beef gravy
mash potatoes

Pre heat the oven to 400 degrees

Prepare the stuffing according to the box directions. In a 8 inch square baking dish pour one jar of gravy. Take a Steak umm leaving it on the parchment paper it came on. Spoon about two tablespoons of the stuffing onto the short end of the Steak umm and roll up. Use the paper to help you roll up the Steak umm. They are fragile. Place the roll up seam side down onto the gravy. Repeat with the remaining Steak umms. You will have stuffing left over. I spooned the rest of the stuffing over the roll ups and then topped with the other jar of gravy. Bake for 30 minutes. Serve with mash potatoes. The potatoes will add extra points.

Angie's Taco Pie

I think I could eat Mexican type food everyday and be happy. Unfortunately Will is not the same way. So I try and limit my Mexican cravings. I found this recipe on the Gooseberry Patch website. I sorta followed it. Instead of just making regular boring taco meat I made my Rio Rancho taco meat and I thought this meal was really good. Will liked it too. It's a combination of sweet and savory with the cornbread and the taco meat and cheese. Just add your favorite taco toppings and you have a very yummy meal.



Angie's Taco Pie
adapted from Gooseberry Patch

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4 servings, 10 WW points per serving

1, 7oz package of Sweet Yellow Cornbread and Muffin Mix
1/2 lb. really lean ground beef
1/2 small onion, diced
1/6 cup or 2 tablespoons and 2 teaspoons of taco seasoning
1/2 cup salsa
2 0z of green chili's
1/2 tablespoon brown sugar Splenda or just brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon garlic
1/2 cup water
sprinkle of red pepper flakes (optional)
salt and pepper to taste
3/4 cup reduced fat shredded Mexican cheese

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees.

Prepare the cornbread according to the package directions. Spray a 8 inch square or round baking pan with cooking spray and pour in the cornbread batter. Set aside.

In a skillet brown the ground beef and onion. Drain. Place back in skillet and add the next eight ingredients. Let cook for 10 minutes or until some of the water has reduced. Spoon beef mixture over the cornbread batter and top with cheese. Bake, uncovered, for 20-25 minutes or until the cornbread has set. The cornbread pretty much completely rises over the beef mixture and cheese. Feel free to use your favorite taco meat recipe. The original recipes just calls for beef mixed with taco seasoning then topped with salsa and cheese. Nothing wrong with that but I wanted to kick it up and notch and I have to hide salsa inside the meat or Will won't eat it.

Next time I think I might make these into individual muffins.

Mini Cheeseburger Puff Pies

I found these babies on Paula Deen's website. This is her boys recipe. Will and I both liked them. I doubled the recipe because I was making them for dinner and didn't know how big they were going to be. It was something different for dinner. Very tasty.








Mini Cheeseburger Puff Pies
from Paula Deen

4, 4 puffs per serving, 7 WW points per serving

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1 lb. really lean ground beef
4 teaspoons ketchup
4 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 tablespoon olive oil
All purpose flour for dusting
2 sheet puff pastry (from a 17.5 ounce package)
4 ounces reduced fat Mexican shredded cheese
1 large egg beaten with 1 teaspoon water

Preheat oven to 400°F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper; set aside.

In a large bowl, mix together the beef, ketchup, mustard, salt, and pepper. Form the mixture into 16 equal-size patties. In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat until shimmering. Brown the patties in oil about 1 minute per side.

On a lightly floured surface, unfold the pastry. Cut the pastry lengthwise into four equal strips, then cut strips in half crosswise. Place one patty on each strip and top with cheese. Fold the pastry up around the burgers and pinch the edges together to seal, molding to fit around the patties. Repeat with the other pastry and other burgers. Brush the tops of the pastries with the egg mixture.

Place the mini burgers on the prepared baking sheet. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes or until puffed and golden. Let stand for 5 minutes before serving.

Mexican Beef Stew

I got this really yummy recipe from my friend and co-worker Laurie. Thank you Laurie because I really enjoyed this stew. Unfortunately my hubby thought it was to spicy. I didn't think it was spicy at all so I'm a little confused by that but I did eat it with cheese, sour cream and crackers. If it was spicy maybe all my extras cooled it off. But even if it had been spicy I still would have loved it. This recipe is so easy and cooks in your crock pot which I love. Crock pots are your friends. At least I think so anyway.




Laurie's Mexican Beef Stew

8 one cup servings, 4 WW points per serving

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1-2 cups cubed leftover beef or pork
1 (14 oz) can pinto beans rinsed and drained, I used kidney beans
1 (14 oz) can whole kernel corn, drained
1 little can mild chopped green chiles
1 cup coarsely chopped onion
1 cup chunky salsa
2 Tbsp. chili powder
1 tsp. cumin

I added a can of diced tomatoes.

Put all in your crock pot, stir to blend. Cook on low 4 to 8 hours. Serve with crackers, crushed tortilla chips, cheese, and sour cream if desired.

Mama's Beef Stroganoff

When I think of beef stroganoff I think of my mom. She always made the best. Whenever she made roast I knew we would be having stroganoff with the leftovers and I always looked forward to it. Mom cooked roasts in her crock pot. She had an older crock pot that was rectangle and sat on a hot plate. It had a metal rack to put in it to keep the meat from touching the bottom. I think I still have that crock pot in one of my cabinets even though it's been retired for some time now. On roast day she would put the roast in the crock pot with a package of Lipton Onion Soup Mix and enough water to half cover the roast. That would cook all day and in the last few hours of cooking she would add peeled potatoes and carrots. We would eat roast with potatoes and carrots for a few days and then she would make stroganoff with the leftovers. She would take the crock pot out of the fridge and scrap off the hardened grease. She would then cut up the meat into smaller pieces and add more water if needed with beef bouillon cubes. Then she would put the crock pot right on the stove to heat up. She would bring it to a boil and then add a package of egg noodles. Once the egg noodles were cooked she would add a container of sour cream and that was that. It was always wonderful. Just saucy enough without being soupy and so flavorful. When I started making it, it just never tasted the same to me. Some things just taste better made by someone you love. I would either make it too dry or too soupy. But over the years I have gotten better but I miss the way mom would make it. I also have found over the years that I prefer making it with broken up spaghetti noodles but my hubby prefers the egg noodles. We are at a stand off. I usually make it the way I like it since I am the one cooking it. I don't make stroganoff very often because it's not really WW friendly. I suppose you could try making it lighter using fat free sour cream and wheat egg or spaghetti noodles but then it wouldn't be like mama's and I like the way mama made it. So I indulge from time to time. I know mama would approve.

Mama's Beef Stroganoff

from my mama

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1-2 cups leftover roast cut up

6 to 8 cups liquid, you can use the juice from the roast and if that's not enough add water with beef bouillon for flavor

1 package egg noodles or package of broken up spaghetti

1 16oz container sour cream, light works really well and if you like fat free have at it but I don't

In a dutch oven or stock pot bring the roast and liquid to a boil. Add the noodles and cook according to the package directions or to the doneness you like. I have learned over the years that if a lot of liquid is left after cooking the noodles don't be afraid to drain some of the liquid off. To much liquid makes it to runny. Runny stroganoff is bad, unless you want it as a soup. I like it thicker. Add the sour cream and heat until heated through and slightly thickened. About 5 minutes.

Disclaimer: I thought adding mushrooms would be a good thing and it really wasn't. I love mushrooms but it didn't add anything to this dish. I guess you shouldn't mess with mama's recipe.

Mongolian Beef

This was oh so good! Definitely a keeper. Hubby even loved it said it tasted better than at a Chinese restaurant. High praise coming from him. This is a quick easy meal ready in less than a half hour on those busy weeknights. Enjoy!

Mongolian Beef
as seen on Tried and True Cooking with Heidi

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4 servings, 8 WW points per serving w/o rice
Brown rice 5 WW points per cup

1 lb top round steak or flank steak, cut thinly on the cross grain (I used pre-sliced stir fry meat)
1/4 cup cornstarch
3 tsp vegetable oil
1/2 tsp grated or minced fresh garlic
1 Tbsp minced garlic
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 Tbsp rice wine vinegar
3 green onions, sliced into 2-3" pieces

Dry off meat with a paper towel and slice into 1/4" thick slices against the grain. Or use the pre-sliced stir fry beef like I did. Add to a bowl with the cornstarch and coat thoroughly.

Add 1 1/2 tsp oil to a wok or large frying pan over medium heat. Add the garlic and ginger, stir until fragrant. Add soy sauce, water, rice vinegar, and brown sugar. Cook for about 2 minutes and remove from pan.

Add remaining 1 1/2 tsp oil to the pan over high heat. Add the meat and cook until brown on all sides and slightly crispy. Pour sauce back into pan over meat. Add green onions, stir and remove from heat. Serve over rice and steamed veggies.

Country Salisbury Steak

I found this recipe in the Fall 2006 Kraft Food and Family magazine. Instead of a gravy you saute mushrooms and add barbecue sauce and water. It think this is where the recipe goes wrong. I like barbecue and thought it would be a different twist but this would be much better with beef gravy. I didn't put the sauce on all the patties and I'm glad because for lunch I heated one up with mash potatoes and smothered it in gravy. I used chicken gravy because that is what I had on hand and it was much better than the barbecue.



Country Salisbury Steak
from Food and Family magazine

6 WW points per patty

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1 1/2 lb. extra lean ground beef
1 pkg (6 oz) Stove Top Stuffing Mix for Chicken
1 1/2 cups water, divided
3/4 cup chopped onions
1 pkg (8 0z.) fresh mushrooms, sliced
1/2 cup barbecue sauce, I used Sweet Baby Ray's

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Mix meat, stuffing mix, 1 1/4 cups of water and onions until well blended. Shape into six 1/2 inch thick oval patties. I was able to make 7. Place on baking pan. I recommend spraying the pan with cooking spray because the extra lean ground beef doesn't have much fat in it and they stuck to the pan.

Bake for 25 minutes or until cooked through.

While the patties bake spray large skillet with cooking spray, add mushrooms and cook on medium high heat until lightly browned, stirring occasionally. Add barbecue sauce and remaining 1/4 cup water. Reduce heat to low and cook for 1 to 2 minutes or until sauce is heated through. Serve over patties.

Recipe makes 6 servings, I made 7. The sauce wouldn't have been enough for 6 patties if I would have liked the sauce.

Next time I make this I will bake the patties in beef gravy with mushrooms or cream of mushroom soup would be good to. I just think gravy would give it more flavor and be a lot better than the barbecue.

Italian Beef

I love Italian beef. What's not to love? Slow cooked beef in yummy spices until it falls apart served on a crusty french roll with melty cheese. If you like it moist serve with a side of Au jus. I like mine on the dry side. I don't like to dip the bread in the juice. The meat is juicy enough.

When I was deciding on what freezer meals to make I figured Italian beef would be perfect. I froze all the ingredients without cooking them first in a freezer bag. On the day of cooking I dumped it all in the crock pot and let it cook all day. The meat was even better the next day.

Italian Beef
as seen on The Pioneer Woman

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1 beef roast, 2lbs
1 can beef broth
3 tablespoons Italian seasoning
1/4 cup water
1/2 jar pepperoncini peppers, with juice
1 gallon freezer bag

Directions on Freezer Day

In the gallon freezer bag place the beef roast and the remaining ingredients. Let air out of bag and seal. Label the bag and place in the freezer.

Directions for Cooking Day

The night before take out the beef roast freezer bag and place in fridge to thaw. Even if it is not totally thawed out that is fine. Place the contents from the freezer bag in the crock pot and cook on low for 8 hours. When done cooking shred beef with two forks and you are ready to make sandwiches.

I toasted my sandwich in the toaster oven. This is the before picture and the above is the after.

Wet Burritos

I enjoy cooking, especially for other people. While I was in Arizona my friend wanted me to make a recipe called Wet Burritos. The name is a little strange but that's what it was called. What makes these burritos "wet" is a mixture of sour cream and cream of mushroom soup. Let me give you some background on this yummy recipe. I don't actually know where the recipe came from. I think my mom might have found it in the newspaper or it could have been passed down from a friend. I can't remember and she is no longer with us for me to ask. My mom would make these a lot when we went camping on the weekends. They became a camping staple.

My mom and I along with my Godparents enjoyed camping each year for two weeks in Michigan. When the campground we went to didn't except dogs anymore we found a campground closer to home that we could frequent more often. We did not do that tent camping thing. I actually had never been tent camping until two years ago. We camped in campers. Our camper was a very small box. When you entered the only door you could stand in the entryway and touch the table on the right hand side, the bed on the left hand side, and the sink in front of you. It was small but cozy. And it's hard to believe that my parents and my Godparents used to sleep in that thing with two basset hounds and me in a cradle. But we had some really good times and I was sad to see it go when we upgraded to a bigger camper and then upgraded again to an even bigger camper.

The even bigger camper had an oven and that was when my mom started making these burritos for our weekend camping trips. Jessica, my friend in Arizona, would come with us often on our camping trips and that is where she was introduced to these yummy burritos. And they became known as our camping burritos. When we stopped camping we would still make them at home. It had been a really long time since I had made them and they were just as yummy as I remembered. I will be making them more often.

Wet Burritos
original recipe origin unknown, made by my mom

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1lb ground beef, browned
1 medium onion, diced
1 package taco seasoning
3/4 cup water
1 can re fried beans
1 large container sour cream
2 10oz cans of cream of mushroom soup
2 cups Mexican shredded cheese
8 to 10 flour tortillas

Directions:

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees

In a skillet brown the ground beef and onion until on longer pink. Drain the beef and put back in the pan. Add the taco seasoning and the water. Mix well until taco seasoning is incorporated. Mix in can of re fried beans. Mix well and let the beans warm through. Once heated take off the heat. While beef is cooking in a bowl mix together the sour cream and the cream of mushroom soup.

In a 9X13 pan spread half the sour cream mixture on the bottom. Take a tortilla and fill with the beef mixture and a sprinkling of cheese. Roll and place seam side down in the sour cream mixture. Repeat with the remaining tortillas until the pan is filled. Take the remaining sour cream mixture and pour over the filled tortillas. Sprinkle the remaining cheese on top. Bake for 30 to 45 minutes or until bubbly and heated through.

Rio Rancho Taco Meat

One of the freezer meals I prepared was taco meat. I love tacos and this meat was soooo good. I'll never make plain old beef with taco seasoning again. That's the basis of this dish but so much more. I got this recipe out of the book Don't Panic, Dinner's in the Freezer by Susie Martinez.




Rio Rancho Taco Meat
4 to 6 servings

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1 medium onion, diced
1 1/2 lbs ground beef
1 cup mild salsa
1 pkg taco seasoning
1 1/2 t. brown sugar
1-4 oz can diced green chile's
1 t. garlic powder
1/2 t. salt
1/4 t. pepper
1/4 t. red pepper flakes
3/4 cup water

Cooking Day Instructions

Brown onion and ground beef until no longer pink. Drain any excess grease. Add salsa, taco seasoning, brown sugar, green chile's, garlic, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes. Stir until well mixed. Add the water and simmer on low for 30-45 minutes until it has thickened. If it gets to thick add more water and adjust seasonings. Cool and freeze in meal size portions, using freezer bags.

Serving Day Instructions

Thaw meat in the fridge overnight or defrost in the microwave. I heated my in a skillet on the stove but you could probably microwave it. Serve with soft or hard tortilla shells and your favorite fixings. I love cheese, tomatoes, lettuce, and sour cream. Salsa is good too.