DIY Hamburger Helper

Now I am a big fan of cream soups as base for skillet meals but here is another healthy alternative to all those packaged mixes. BTW I often store brown sugar, pasta, rice, or flour based items in airtight packages rather than the original packaging. I have pretty jars full of pasta and beans displayed on counter-tops. Keep your eyes open for those at rummage and estate sales.

Make your own mix used as a flavoring and thickener in ground beef recipes.
from http://busycooks.about.com/od/homemademixes/r/groundbeefmix.htm
Prep Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 15 minutes

Ingredients:

2 cups nonfat dry milk powder
1 cup cornstarch
1/2 cup beef bouillon powder
1/4 cup dried onion flakes
1 tsp. dried basil
1 tsp. dried thyme
1 tsp. pepper
2 Tbsp. dried parsley
1 Tbsp. garlic powder
Preparation:

Mix the ingredients together in a medium bowl and store in an air tight container in a cool, dry place.

Make into Recipes Using Ground Beef Mix
*Chili Tomato Mac
*Ground Beef Stroganoff
*Hearty Potato Ground Beef Casserole
*Skillet Ground Beef Lasagna

Chili Tomato Mac is an easy five ingredient recipe that uses homemade Ground Beef Mix.
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients:

1 pound lean ground beef
1 onion, chopped
1 cup water
1-1/2 cups uncooked medium shell or penne pasta
2 (14-ounce) cans diced tomatoes, undrained
1 tablespoon chili powder
1/2 cup Ground Beef Mix

Preparation:

In large skillet, brown ground beef with onion and drain off the fat. Add remaining ingredients, bring to a boil, stir well, cover, reduce heat, simmer covered 20 minutes or until pasta is tender. 4-6 servings

************************

Ground Beef Stroganoff

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes

Yield: 4-6 servings

Ingredients:

1 pound ground beef
1 onion, chopped
2 cups water
1/2 cup Ground Beef Mix
2 cups uncooked egg noodles
3/4 cup sour cream

Preparation:

In large skillet, brown ground beef or turkey with the onion and drain off the fat. Add water, Ground Beef Mix (this is similar to mixes like Hamburger Helper) and uncooked egg noodles and stir. Bring mixture to a boil, cover pan, reduce heat to low, and simmer covered for 15-20 minutes or until noodles are tender. Stir in sour cream until well mixed. Serve immediately.

************************

Hearty Potato Ground Beef Casserole

Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:

1 pound ground beef or ground turkey
1 onion, chopped
4 peeled, thinly sliced potatoes
3/4 cup water
1-1/2 cups frozen peas and carrots
1/2 cup Ground Beef Mix

Preparation:

Brown ground beef with onion in heavy skillet and drain off the fat. Add remaining ingredients, stir gently, and bring to a boil. Cover skillet, reduce heat, and simmer covered 20-30 minutes or until potatoes are tender. Stir, uncover skillet and cook until excess water is evaporated. 4-6 servings

************************

Skillet Ground Beef Lasagna

Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes

Ingredients:

1 lb. lean ground beef
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 cups uncooked mafalda (mini lasagna noodles)
28 oz. jar spaghetti sauce
1-1/2 cups water
1 cup small curd cottage cheese
8 oz. pkg. cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley
1/2 tsp. dried basil leaves
1/4 tsp. dried oregano leaves
1/2 cup grated Parmean cheese
1 cup shredded Mozzarella cheese

Preparation:

In heavy skillet, brown ground beef with onions and garlic. Drain thoroughly. Add uncooked noodles, spaghetti sauce and water to meat in skillet. Mix well and bring to a boil, then cover skillet, reduce heat and cook 15-17 minutes until noodles are tender, stirring frequently.
Meanwhile, combine cottage cheese, cream cheese, Parmesan cheese, parsley, basil, and oregano in a small bowl until blended.

Spoon the cottage cheese mixture evenly over cooked mixture in skillet. Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese. Cover and cook 5 to 7 minutes until cheese is melted and mixture is hot. Remove from heat and uncover. Let stand 5 minutes before serving. 6 servings

************************

Chicken Pot Pie

From http://recipes.howstuffworks.com/chicken-pot-pie-recipe.htm
YIELD Makes 4 servings


INGREDIENTS
2 teaspoons margarine
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons fat-free reduced-sodium chicken broth, divided
2 cups sliced mushrooms
1 cup diced red bell pepper
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped celery
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 cup fat-free half-and-half
2 cups cubed cooked chicken breasts
1 teaspoon minced fresh dill
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
2 reduced-fat refrigerated crescent rolls

PREPARATION:

Heat margarine and 2 tablespoons chicken broth in medium saucepan until margarine is melted. Add mushrooms, bell pepper, onion and celery. Cook 7 to 10 minutes or until vegetables are tender, stirring frequently.

Stir in flour; cook 1 minute. Stir in remaining 1/2 cup chicken broth; cook and stir until liquid thickens. Reduce heat and stir in half-and-half. Add chicken, dill, salt and black pepper.

Preheat oven to 375°F. Spray 1-quart casserole with nonstick cooking spray. Spoon chicken mixture into prepared dish. Roll out crescent rolls and place on top of chicken mixture.*

*Reserve remaining rolls for another use, or bake and serve on the side.
Bake pot pie 20 minutes or until topping is golden and filling is bubbly.

Note
For 2 cups cubed cooked chicken breast, gently simmer 3 small chicken breasts in 2 cups fat-free reduced-sodium chicken broth about 20 minutes or until meat is no longer pink in center. Cool and cut into cubes. Reserve chicken broth for pot pie, if desired.

NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION:
Serving Size: 1 cup pot pie
Fiber 2 g
Carbohydrate 18 g
Cholesterol 50 mg
Saturated Fat 2 g
Total Fat 8 g
Calories from Fat 28 %
Calories 256
Protein 24 g
Sodium 541 mg
DIETARY EXCHANGE:

Orange Creamsicle Martini

Orange Creamsicle Martini
from Hungry Girl Happy Hour by Lisa Lillien

PER SERVING (entire recipe, 1 martini): 109 calories, 0g fat, 69mg sodium, 2.5g carbs, 0g fiber, 0.5g sugars, 0g protein -- PointsPlus® value 4*

This low-calorie cocktail tastes EXACTLY like those sherbet 'n ice cream bars you used to eat as a kid... Mmmmmm!

Ingredients:
4 oz. diet orange soda, room temperature
1.5 oz. orange-flavored vodka (like Smirnoff Twist of Orange)

1.5 oz. Torani Sugar Free Vanilla Syrup
1 tbsp. Cool Whip Free



Directions:
Place all ingredients in a martini shaker, but DO NOT shake (or the carbonated soda will explode!). Mix thoroughly with a spoon until mixture is mostly lump-free. Add about 1 cup ice (crushed, if you've got it), and stir until mixture is cold. Then place the strainer on top and pour into a large martini glass. Enjoy!

MAKES 1 SERVING

Spiced Caramel Appletini

Spiced Caramel Apple
found on http://www.endlesssimmer.com/2011/09/30/cocktail-oclock-cider-tini/

2-1/2 oz Apple cider
2 oz Domaine de Canton ginger liqueur
1 oz Van Gogh Dutch Caramel Vodka
1 dash lemon juice

Rim martini glass with agave syrup and crumbled gingersnap cookies at set aside. Add liquid ingredients to a cocktail shaker with ice and shake well. Strain into martini glass.

Created by Kara Newman, author of Spice & Ice

Oven-Fried Onion Rings

From http://annies-eats.com/2011/09/21/oven-fried-onion-rings/

Oven-Fried Onion Rings

Ingredients:
½ cup all-purpose flour, divided
1 large egg, at room temperature
½ cup buttermilk, at room temperature
¼ tsp. cayenne pepper
½ tsp. salt
¼ tsp. pepper
30 saltine crackers
4 cups kettle-cooked potato chips
2 large yellow onions, sliced into 24 rings (½-inch thick rounds)
6 tbsp. vegetable oil

Directions:
Adjust oven racks to lower- and upper-middle positions. Preheat the oven to 450˚ F. Place ¼ cup of the flour in a shallow baking dish. Beat the egg and buttermilk together in a bowl. Whisk the remaining flour, cayenne, salt and pepper into the buttermilk mixture. Combine the saltines and potato chips together in a food processor and pulse until finely ground. Place half of the crumb mixture in a second shallow baking dish; reserve the other half.

Working one at a time, dredge each onion ring in flour, shaking off the excess. Dip the onion rings in the buttermilk mixture, allowing the excess to drip back into the bowl, and then dredging in the crumb coating, turning to coat evenly. When the crumb mixture is low, add the reserved crumb mixture to the dish for dredging the remaining onion rings. Transfer the coated rings to a large plate or platter.

Pour 3 tablespoons of the oil onto each of 2 rimmed baking sheets. Place the baking sheets in the oven and heat just until smoking, about 8 minutes. Tilt the heated sheets to coat evenly with the oil. Lay the onion rings out in a single layer on the oiled baking sheets. Bake, flipping the onion rings and rotating the pans halfway through baking, until golden brown on both sides, about 15 minutes total. Transfer to a paper towel-lined rack briefly before serving.

Source: adapted from Cook’s Illustrated Summer Entertaining 2010

Chicken Rollups

1 First boil 2 chicken breasts. Straight out of the freezer, throw them in warm water, and let it boil for about 40 minutes.

2 Let a block of cream cheese thaw out

3 Mixed the cream cheese with 1 cups of mixed veggies (or pick out some peas and other veggies you like)

4 Once the chicken is cooked, shred and mix with remaining ingredients

5 Put the mixture on big, buttery, flakey crescent rolls

6 Roll them up

7 Brush them with melted butter and top with bread crumbs

8 Finally, bake them at 350 for 20-25 minutes!

1 pkg cream cheese (8oz)
1 pkg crescent rolls (6 ct)
2 shredded cooked chicken breasts
1 cup mixed veggies (frozen and thawed in the microwave for 3 minutes)
Green, pearl or yellow onion to taste (if you don't know how much, start with two tablespoons)
1/4 t salt
1/4 t pepper
bread crumbs
1/4 stick melted butter

Combine chicken, veggies salt and pepper. Spoon onto crescents. Roll them up making sure they are sealed around the chicken mixture. Brush tops with butter and sprinkle with bread crumbs. Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes. To reheat, just place in a 325 degree oven for 15 minutes.

Slow Cooker Caramelized Onion Beef Stew

Slow Cooker Caramelized Onion Beef Stew

from http://www.bettycrocker.com/recipes/slow-cooker-caramelized-onion-beef-stew/6f4ed63b-95d0-4ada-8bfc-aa44258fc9d7?p=1

Cook sweet onions to caramelized perfection in your slow cooker, then simmer with beef and vegetables for a satisfying stew.
Prep Time 35 Minutes
Total Time 8-9 Hrs: 30 Mins
Makes 6 servings

2 tablespoons butter or margarine
4 cups halved and thinly sliced sweet onions (about 1 1/2 onions)
2 teaspoons sugar
2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme leaves
1 1/2 lb beef stew meat
1 cup Progresso® beef flavored broth (from 32-oz carton)
1 package (.87 oz) onion gravy mix
2 cups 1-inch pieces diagonally cut carrots
1 cup 1-inch pieces diagonally cut parsnips
1/2 cup frozen sweet peas

Spray 4- to 5-quart slow cooker with cooking spray. In 10-inch skillet, melt butter over medium-low heat. Cook onions and sugar in butter 30 to 35 minutes, stirring frequently, until onions are deep golden brown and caramelized. Stir in thyme and stew meat; place in slow cooker.

In medium bowl, mix broth and gravy mix; pour over meat mixture in slow cooker. Top with carrots and parsnips. Cover; cook on Low heat setting 8 to 9 hours or until beef and vegetables are tender.

Stir in peas. Cover; cook 10 to 15 minutes longer or until hot.
Makes 6 servings

Kickin' Key Lime Pie Martini

From Hungry Girl Happy Hour by Lisa Lillien
Kickin' Key Lime Pie Martini

PER SERVING (entire recipe, 1 martini): 129 calories, 0g fat, 21mg sodium, 7g carbs, 0g fiber, 4g sugars, 0g protein -- PointsPlus® value 5*

This one tastes even better than a slice of key lime pie! Don't believe us? TRY IT!!!

Ingredients:
1.5 oz. lime-flavored vodka (like Finlandia Lime or Smirnoff Twist of Lime)
1 oz. Torani Sugar Free Vanilla Syrup
2 tbsp. pineapple juice
1 tbsp. lime juice
1 tbsp. Cool Whip Free

Directions:
Place all ingredients in a martini shaker with 1 cup ice (crushed ice works best). Cover the top of the shaker, and shake thoroughly. Strain into a martini glass and enjoy!

MAKES 1 SERVING

Fiesta Bites

fiesta bites
from http://fearsfood.blogspot.com/2010/06/fiesta-bites.html

These were a cute little appetizer recipe from Hungry Girl's book. I was busy teaching piano lesson, so DH made them. We doubled the recipe and left out taco seasoning, plus used our own chicken. They were good, but I wish they could have been a bit more crispy. Not sure how to solve the problem. DH and I talked about cooking the crisps longer and the middle less, but then the cheese may or may not melt. I also didn't like that there was some of the powdery flour on them still. Not sure how to remedy that either - spritz them better with cooking spray, or wet them with water? Something I want to experiment with because I really liked the idea of a won-ton bowl. Although they are meant to be an appetizer, serve 4 and they are lunch. That is what we did.

Ingredients

24 small wonton wrappers
1/4 cup taco sauce
2 Tablespoons cream cheese (1/3 less fat) (actually, I think I'd swap this with sour cream next time. It would be way easier to mix and just as tasty.)
10 -12 oz. chopped cooked chicken (we used our pre-grilled)
1/2 cup black beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 cup corn
1/2 cup fat free cheddar cheese
1 tomato, diced (although DH didn't use this today)
lettuce shreds (we didn't add these, but I wanted to - just didn't have any)
sour cream (as I type, I'm thinking this would have been great)
additional taco sauce

Directions (I will be modifying these eventually)
Preheat oven to 350. Spray 2 - 12 cup muffin pans with non-stick spray. Place a wonton wrapper into each muffin cup, pressing it into the bottom and sides.

Lightly spray wrappers with non-stick spray. Bake in oven for about 4 minutes until the corners begin to brown. Remove from oven (but don't turn the oven off.)

Mix taco sauce and cream cheese (or sour cream) in a bowl. Add chicken and stir until coated. Add beans, corn, and cheese, stir well.

Divide amounge wonton shells. Return pan to oven and bake for 8 minutes or until chicken mixture is hot and cheese is melted.

Top with tomato, lettuce, sour cream, and taco sauce.

Salsa Seasoning Mix

More to try to find what suits my taste

Dry Salsa Mix

1/2 cup crushed red pepper flakes
1 Tbsp. dried parsley flakes
3 Tbsp. dried cilantro leaves (I will omit cilantro)
1/2 cup dehydrated onion flakes
2 Tbsp. minced, dried garlic
Mix all spices and store in an air-tight container. Use the following recipe when you want fresh salsa.

Salsa Using Dried Salsa Mix

1 - 2 Tbsp. of dried salsa mix (according to taste)
1 28 oz. can of diced tomatoes with juice
salt to taste
1 jalapeno pepper seeded (more if you want)
Blend to desired thickness. Will keep for 5 days if it lasts that long.

**************************************

Salsa Mix in a Jar

1 1/2 cups dried cilantro
1 teaspoon garlic powder (more to taste)
1/2 cup dried chopped onion
1/4 cup dried red pepper flakes
1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon pepper

Measure all into ziploc bag, seal & shake to combine.

Attach Tag
Spicy Salsa
Combine the following, mix well: Chill 1 hour to let spices mingle.
2 tablespoons salsa mix
10 oz can Mexican-style tomatoes.

Serve with tortilla chips.


Salsa Spread
2 tablespoons salsa mix
1. Chopped Tomatoes
1 cup softened cream cheese

Combine Mix, tomatoes, Cream Cheese, chill 2 hours. Serve with Chips/Crackers/Veggie Sticks.