I can cook 40 homemade meals in a row...and hear nothing particular in the way of comments from my husband (and I don't suffer a delusion, I do know how to cook). Then the one thing that I can be sure will break this string of silence is to make...drum roll please...Hamburger Helper. Any flavor will do.
I find it disturbing and ironic. I comfort myself, though, that it's impossible to compete with the comfort of childhood memories. Gary's mom worked as a teacher and fully embraced all the convenience foods that were so new on the market in the years he was growing up. So prepackaged, instant, frozen, or fast food are like mother's milk to him. Even though for the most part I detest the predictable and mysteriously chemical-laden taste of Hamburger Helper, I am also thankful for it on the days that I am exhausted from working out in the yard or doing major projects around the house; I am thankful on those days that the very thing I use for an emergency measure is guaranteed to please.
But I still hate the thought of making something full of mysterious reconstituted dried powder, and so I go for an ironic twist: on my better days, I take something instant that was made to imitate full-fledged home cooking, and I imitate that imitation. I have a number of skillet meals that can make my life a little saner, my family a trifle healthier, and my husband as happy as if I'd made it out of a box.
I will share four of my skillet delights below; I don't remember where I got them, but these are the first four skillet dishes I ever had that bore any resemblance to the mixes:
Family Quick Lasagne Casserole
1 ½ lb. ground beef
Small onion
3 stalks celery, chopped
1 16 oz. can tomato sauce
2 c. small lasagna noodles
(or other suitable for casserole)
Spices: garlic, basil, oregano, salt and pepper to taste
1 can chopped tomatoes (opt.; if mixture’s rather dry)
1 c. cottage cheese
2 c. grated mozzarella cheese
Brown ground beef; drain fat. Add chopped onion and celery; cook until translucent. Cook noodles and drain. Add tomato sauce, noodles, spices, canned tomatoes, cottage cheese, most of the cheese, reserving some for top. Serve with garlic bread and a salad.
Family Quick Taco Casserole
1 ½ lb. ground beef
Small onion
3 stalks celery, chopped
1 16 oz. can tomato sauce
2 c. macaroni noodles (or other suitable noodles)
Spices, taco, enchilada or chili seasoning to taste, or garlic,
Cumin, and chili powder to taste
1 can chopped tomatoes (opt.; if mixture’s rather dry)
1 c. corn (opt.)
Sliced black olives (opt.)
2 c. grated cheddar cheese
Corn chips or made-up cornbread mix
Sliced or chopped tomatoes
Brown ground beef; drain fat. Add chopped onion and celery; cook until translucent. Cook noodles and drain. Add tomato sauce, noodles, spices, canned tomatoes, corn, sliced black olives (reserving some for top), most of the cheddar cheese, reserving some for top. On top, place corn chips or made up cornbread mix; sprinkle remaining grated cheese over (pat tomatoes dry and place on top of cornbread mix) and bake. Serve with sour cream, salsa, chopped tomatoes, and sprinkle each serving with a few black olives.
½ lb. ground beef
½ c. chopped onion
1 clove garlic, minced
1 ½ c. water
1 c. beef broth
1 ¾ c. (15 oz. can) tomato sauce
2 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 Tbsp. ketchup
¼ tsp. prepared mustard
2 Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley
½ tsp. chili powder
¼ tsp. dried basil leaves
¼ tsp. dried oregano leaves
3 ¾ c. (10 oz.) rotini noodles, uncooked
In a 4-qt. saucepan, cook meat, onion and garlic until meat is brown and onion is tender; drain. Stir in water, broth, tomato sauce, ketchup, Worcestershire, mustard and seasonings; heat to boiling. Add uncooked pasta; return to boiling; reduce heat to med.; cover. Cook, stirring frequently, 12 min. or until pasta is tender. Salt and pepper to taste. Sprinkle with cheese. Serves 4-6.
¾ lb. lean ground beef
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 med. onion, peeled and finely chopped
1 med. Bell pepper, seeded, diced
Salt and pepper to taste
1 Tbsp. chili powder
1 c. corn
14 ½ oz. can stewed tomatoes
½ c. long-grain rice, uncooked
1 c. water
1 c. broken tortilla chips
1 c. cheddar cheese, shredded
In a 3-qt. casserole dish, brown the ground beef over med. heat with garlic, bell pepper, salt and pepper, and chili powder about 10 min. Stir in corn, tomatoes, rice and water. Cover. Reduce heat and simmer mixture undisturbed 20 min. Preheat the broiler during the last 5 min. of cooking time. Remove the lid from the casserole, sprinkle with broken tortilla chips and shredded cheese. Broil about 3 min. until bubbly and brown. Serves 6.
No comments:
Post a Comment