Copycat - Chili Cheese Hamburger Helper

Although I will admit that I actually do like boxed hamburger helper, with all the preservatives in it, it really isn't very good for me. And one day when Nate and I were trying to think of what to make for dinner, he came upon this recipe. So we tried it. The first time we made it we even made home made noodles to go in it, making it almost completely homemade (now I just need to grind my own beef, and grown my own spices --- we do have parsley, chives and basil growing in a little pot inside)

Anyway, this is the second time we made it and it was delicious. Maybe it was because we were starving, or maybe because we were camping. But it was good. And if you (or your kids) like hamburger helper you should try it too.

1 lb ground beef

1 1/2 cup water

1 1/2 cups milk

1 1/2 cups macaroni noodles

1 TBS cornstarch

1 TBS chili pwder

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp salt

1 tsp sugar

1/2 tsp paprika

1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded

We cooked this in a pot on the stove the first time, but in a dutch oven the second time. The directions are basically the same.

1.  Brown ground beef in a large pot.

2. Once cooked, drain the fat.

3. Add water and milk and spices (spices can be combined prior to making this, or at this point)

4. Stir every couple of minutes until boiling.

5.  Once boiling add noodles.

6. Cover and simmer for about 10 minutes (until noodles are cooked), stirring occasionally.

7. In the last few minutes of cooking add the cheese.

8. Stir in the cheese and recover the pot for the final couple minutes of cooking.

9. Once noodles are soft, take the pot of the heat and uncover and let stand for a few minutes, to thicken.

Enjoy. 

 

I liked mine topped with a little ketchup, but that's what I do with the boxed stuff too. This was mighty tasty.

What pre-prepared meals can YOU not live without? Frozen, boxed, etc.

Dutch Oven Enchilada Casserole

 We've become pretty good cooks because we are trying one to two to three new meals every week. I think cooking well, just depends on knowing how to mix ingredients together, and maybe adding a thing or two, to make something taste the way you like it. 

One of our favorite TV shows is Chopped and maybe that's helped us a little to be creative. Of course we're not pro dicers, or slicers or anything. But we enjoy it. And that's what matters.

This meal turned out delicious. I had a meal similar to this at a Relief Society activity, where they taught us about dutch ovens. Ever since then I've wanted a dutch oven, and like I said before, we just got one. I do have to say, our enchiladas tasted much better than the ones I had at the RS activity. I think because they had more meat and less sauce. Anyway, we'll definitely be making this one again.

 

1 1/2 lbs. ground beef

1 tsp. Salt

1 TBS chopped garlic

1 can (10 oz.) tomato soup

2 cans (10 oz. each) red enchilada mild sauce

1 can water (10 oz.)

6 large tortillas

2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

 

1. Brown the ground beef with salt and garlic in a pan(You could also add onion, if you like)

2. Add tomato soup, enchilada sauce and water.

3. Simmer for 5 minutes.

4. Pour 1/4 of mixture into dutch oven.

5. Tear tortillas into pieces, and place 2 tortillas on top of the mixture.

6. Pour another 1/4 of mixture on top of tortillas.

7. Sprinkle with 1 cup of cheese.

8. Add another layer of 2 tortillas.

9. Pour another 1/4 of mixture on top.

10. Add another layer of 2 tortillas.

11. Pour the rest of the meat mixture on top.

12. Sprinkle the remaining 1 cup of cheese over mixture.

13. Cover with the lid and briquettes.

14. Cook for 15-20 minutes. 

Jambalaya

About a week ago, we gave in and, bought a dutch oven from Costco. We almost bought a dutch oven from amazon, but once we saw the one at Costco we knew we had to have it. It was more than 9 quarts (I just wrote this out as courts), pre-seasoned for 40 bucks. Great deal right? Well, we've already used it twice, because we can. And we can't wait to take it camping with us. We're especially excited to make cobbler, which is so easy and always tastes so good.

I keep typing jambalaya and spelling it jumbalaya (isn't that how its pronounced - it should be spelled like that anyway!)

I found the base of my recipe from foodnetwork, here. But we changed it up, to make it better for us, by adding more meat and no hot sauce and such. So here ya go:

1/2 lb small shrimp, tails removed

2 large chicken breasts, cubed in bite size pieces
1 1/4 TBS Creole seasoning (which cannot be found with the spices, but instead near (oh shoot, now I can't remember, Asian pre-made food) something)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 onion, chopped

1/2 green bell pepper, chopped
3 stalks celery, chopped 

2 tablespoons chopped garlic
1 can diced tomatoes
3 bay leaves
2 TBS Worchestershire sauce
1 cup rice, uncooked
3 cups chicken stock
3 spicy sausages, sliced (the size of brats or hotdogs)

1 tsp salt 

1/2 tsp pepper

1. Cook rice. (We did it in a rice cooker, but a pot would work too)

2. In a large bowl, combine shrimp, chicken and sausage.

3. Mix creole seasoning, salt and pepper in with meats.

4. In a pan, saute onion, pepper and celery with olive oil, for about 3 minutes.

5. Combine sauteed vegetables, meats, garlic, tomatoes, bay leaves and Worcestershire sauce.

6. Stir in rice, and chicken broth.

7. Pour mixture into dutch oven.

8. Cook until meat is done, about 30 minutes. Stirring occasionally.

* Warning, do not have your feeble wife, life the lid of the dutch oven, charcoal will spill EVERYWHERE including into your delicious meal. Oops. (I promise from now on, Nate will be the one to lift the lid.) After picking out the large pieces of charcoal, we enjoyed our meal with a few small speckles of charcoal dust. It just adds character, right?

P.S. I'm sure you could cook this in a pot over the stove, if you don't have a dutch oven.

Besides the charcoal dust, the meal tasted really good. I picked out the shrimp from my bowl, and added them to Nate's, but luckily there was no sea food taste throughout. This made enough for the 3 of us to each have a big bowlful, and we froze about half of it. Although this probably isn't a meal I'll make every month, we'll definitely make this every few months or so. Try it.