Hamburger Roll-Ups

this recipe was given to my Mom by Mrs. Hagar, the Pastor's wife at the church I attended growing up.

This recipe doesn't have a lot of precise measuring to it.

1 lb lean ground beef, raw
about 1 lb cheddar cheese, grated
ketchup
garlic salt
one recipe of Baking Powder Biscuits, below (I have no idea if this makes good biscuits or not...I've only ever used it for the roll-ups.)



Baking Powder Biscuits
oven 450

2 C flour
3 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 C shortening
3/4 C milk




Sift all dry ingredients together. Use pastry blender to cut shortening into sifted dry ingredients until it resembles coarse crumbs.


Make a well and add milk all at once. Stir quickly with a fork only until dough follows fork around bowl. Turn dough onto a lightly floured surface. Knead gently with heel of hand 10-12 strokes (1/2 min.) This makes tall, plump biscuits.

If making biscuits--roll or pat to 1/2 in thick. Cut. Bake 12-15 mins. on an ungreased pan. Makes about 16.


For roll-ups--On a lightly floured surface, roll out the biscuit dough into a large rectangle 1/8 in. thick.

Spread lightly with ketchup as if buttering it--leave about 1 in. bare along one of the long sides so the dough will seal when you roll it up. I use the back of a spoon to spread it out.



Break up the raw ground beef into little bits and spread over the ketchup. Sprinkle with garlic salt to taste.



Put grated cheese over all.



Start rolling at the long edge that has the ketchup on it and rolling it toward the bare edge. Be careful not to tear the dough. You are rolling this up like you would a jelly roll. I find it easiest to roll it toward me. Stuff any pieces that fall out back inside. I find it helpful to sort of pinch the ends in but not all the way closed.



Make slices 3/4 in. to 1 in. and place in a pan at least 3/4 in. deep. (Use non-stick spray first for easier clean-up).







Bake @ 450 20-25 mins. until the meat is cooked, the cheese is melted and the dough is brown. It will be a little tricky to tell when the meat is done because of the redness caused by the ketchup.

These are great right out of the oven but also store well and reheat nicely.

Chimichangas

From Make-A-Mix Cookery
by Karine Eliason, Nevada Harward & Madeline Westover

These are a bit of work but delicious!

6 large flour tortillas
3 C Mexican Meat Mix (recipe here)
Vegetable oil for frying
Shredded lettuce
salsa
2 tomatoes, chopped
1 C Guacamole, see below
sour cream
olives, for garnish

Guacamole--Mix the following in a small bowl:
2 ripe avocados, pared and mashed
1 tsp lemon juice
salt and pepper to taste
few drops of Tabasco sauce

Warm tortillas in oven about 5 mins. (I use the microwave--about 1 min.). Heat Mexican Meat Mix in a small saucepan. Heat 1/2 in. deep oil to 400 in a large skillet. Spread about 1/2 c Mexican Meat Mix over the lower third of each tortilla.



Fold the bottom edges of each tortilla up over filling. Fold both sides toward the center and roll into a cylinder.



Secure rolled tortillas with a toothpick (I don't bother doing this). Fry 2 chimichangas at a time in hot oil about 2 mins. until golden and crisp. Drain on paper towels.



Serve hot over a layer of shredded lettuce. Top with salsa, tomatoes, Guacamole and sour cream. Garnish each with an olive. Makes 6 chimichangas.

Easy Oven Lasagna

Adapted from the recipe off of a Golden Grain Lasagna box.

No precooking the noodles! This is probably the all time family favorite recipe.
preheat oven 375

I don't recall ever having lasagna growing up--either at home or in a restaurant--but this could just be a faulty memory. When we first got married I was learning to cook (I could bake) and I must've been interested in making lasagna...but all the recipes called for precooking noodles and that seemed so messy and time consuming--until I came across this one! I fell in love with the simplicity and we use this all the time. I went to their website and didn't see this version listed. I've changed the amounts of things which I will list separately.

My version--basically just MORE of everything...and mostly I don't measure

1 lb ground beef
1/2 C water
1 jar* Ragu meat flavor sauce
lasagna noodles
16 oz cottage cheese
1 lb Mozzarella, sliced or grated

*Ragu used to come in a 32 oz jar...over the years it has reduced
in size to 26 oz but I don't really adjust for that and it's worked fine.

Original recipe
1/2 lb ground beef
1/2 C water
1 32oz jar marinara sauce (or 2 15oz)
1 tsp salt
1/2 pkg (8 oz) lasagna noodles
1 C Ricotta or small curd cottage cheese
12 oz Mozzarella, sliced or grated
1/4 C grated Parmesan cheese

In a 2 qt sauce pan, brown ground beef, draining fat. Add sauce and water (I use the water to rinse out the jar). Bring to a boil.


In 9 x 13 baking dish layer sauce, uncooked noodles, cottage cheese, and mozzarella.
Repeat layers, ending with sauce. Garnish with Mozzarella and Parmesan--I don't do this as it sticks to the foil and we just never used the Parmesan anyway

NOTE: Use sauce to just cover bottom of pan so there is enough left for two more applications.


Cover tightly with foil to prevent moisture escaping. Bake 375 for 1 hour. Let stand 5 to 10 minutes before cutting into squares. Makes 6 servings. This is even better the next day for breakfast...honest!


Can be frozen after baking (why would you?)

Commercial for Longaberger Pottery: For years I went to friend's Longaberger parties but never bought a thing--they were too spendy. Finally, after listening to so many testimonials I tried the 9 x 13 baking dish. The testimonials were all true. This is amazing stuff. Clean up of baked on food is a breeze...just soak and wash it off. EVERYONE should own these baking dishes. I have several pieces now. They are totally worth it.

What I'm learning

What shows in preview is NOT what shows on my screen when I actually post! Trying to get the text and pictures to line up is quite the chore. I may play with a different way to do this.

Potato-Ham Scallop

from the book All-Time Favorite Recipes
by BH&G

Hint: use non-stick cooking spray on the casserole and lid to make clean up easier







2C cubed fully cooked ham
6 to 8 medium potatoes
1/4 C finely chopped onion
1/3 C flour
2 C milk
Grated cheddar cheese (I took out the breadcrumb topping and added cheese instead)








Peel and thinly slice the potatoes. You need about 6 C sliced. This is where a food processor shines! I use the 2mm slicing blade.

Place half the ham in the bottom of a 2 quart casserole.

Cover with half the potatoes and half the onion.



Sift half the flour over; season with salt and pepper.


Repeat layering remaining ham, potatoes, and onion*. Season again with salt and pepper* and sift remaining flour over the top. (*I do not add onion or pepper the second time around.)







Pour milk over all. Bake covered @ 350 1 1/2 hrs.








Uncover, sprinkle grated cheese on top and bake 15 mins longer until cheese is melted and bubbly.






ENJOY!

Makes 6 to 8 servings.

Mexican Meat Mix

from the book Make-A-Mix Cookery by Karine Eliason, Nevada Harward & Madeline Westover

This is a master mix to use in recipes that will follow

5 lbs beef roast or combination of beef and pork roasts (I use cross-rib)
3 Tbs vegetable shortening (I use butter)
3 large onions
1 (4oz) can chopped green chilies
2 (7oz) cans green chili salsa (I've never found this and just use 14 oz chunky salsa)
1/4 tsp garlic powder
4 Tbs flour
4 tsp salt
1 tsp ground cumin
Juices from beef roasts

Preheat oven to 200. Place roast in Dutch Oven. Do NOT add salt or water. Cover with a tight lid and roast about 12 hrs, until well done. (I cover with foil before putting the lid on to make sure no moisture escapes.) Or cook roast with 1 C water in a pressure cooker 35-40 mins.

Drain meat, reserving juices.




Cool, then shred meat and set aside.



Rough chop the 3 large onions.








Melt shortening in the same Dutch Oven. Add onions and green chilies. Saute a minute or two, stirring occasionally.






Add green chili salsa, garlic powder, flour, salt and cumin. Cook 1 minute over medium-low heat.















Stir in reserved meat juices and shredded meat. Cook 5 mins until thick.




Cool. Put about 3 C mix each into 1 qt freezer containers, leaving 1/2 in space at top. Freeze. Use within 6 mos. Makes more than 9 C

Use to make:
Chimichangas

Introduction Jan 1 2011

I decided it might be time to do a photo cookbook of sorts of the recipes our family has enjoyed. This will provide step by step instructions and photos that can be accessed anywhere we have internet.

Tristan being home from Japan provided the perfect excuse to cook up some family favorites. I'll add to the list from time to time.