Kristen's Recipes

1 cup Uncooked elbow macaroni
1 lb. Lean ground beef
1/2 cup (1 med.) Chopped onion
1 can tomato soup
1/2 soup can Water
3/4 cup (3 oz.) Cheddar cheese, chunked or shredded
1/8 tsp. Garlic powder
Pinch Ground oregano
¾ tsp. pepper
1 (4 oz.) can Mushrooms, drained (optional)

Cook macaroni as directed on package for aI dente (tender but firm). Drain. Set aside. In large skillet, brown beef with onion until done. Drain fat. Add tomato soup, water, cheese, garlic powder, oregano and pepper to beef. Simmer 5 minutes until cheese melts and mixture is bubbly. Optional: add drained mushrooms. Add cooked macaroni. Combine mixture. Cover, remove from heat and let stand for 5 minutes before serving.

2 T. unsalted butter
1/4 C. all-purpose flour
2 C. homemade or canned low-sodium chicken broth
1 small canned chipotle chile en adobo, seeded and minced, plus 1 T. adobo sauce
1/2 tsp. chile powder
2/3 lb lean ground beef
1 small yellow onion, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, finely minced
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
10oz wide egg noodles
2 C. grated cheddar cheese
1 C. chopped fresh cilantro leaves

Melt 1 T. of the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the flour using a wooden spoon. Let the paste cook, stirring constantly, until it is pale blond, about 2 minutes. Gradually stir a little of the chicken broth into the flour mixture. Keep adding the broth a little at a time until you have a smooth paste, then whisk in the remaining broth. Add the chipotle chile, the adobo sauce, and the chile powder; bring to a simmer and then reduce the heat to very low and keep warm until the meat mixture is ready. Bring a large pot of water to a boil for the noodles. Melt the remaining butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the ground beef, onion, garlic, and some salt and pepper. Cook the meat, breaking it up with a wooden spoon as it cooks, until the meat is browned, 5-8 minutes. Pour off some of the fat in the skillet (place a too-small pot cover in the skillet and use it to hold the meat mixture), then add the sauce to the meat and stir together. When the water boils, add a large pinch of salt and the noodles. Cook according to package directions or until they are al dente. Drain the noodles and stir into the meat sauce. Serve in bowls, sprinkled with cheese and cilantro.

2 large potatoes, peeled
1 cup frozen peas, thawed
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 bay leaf, crushed
2 large onions, finely chopped
1 pound ground beef
4 cloves garlic, crushed
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger root
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
2 tablespoons chopped green chile peppers
1 quart oil for deep frying
1 (16 ounce) package phyllo dough

Bring a medium saucepan of lightly salted water to a boil. Stir in potatoes and peas. Cook until potatoes are tender but still firm, about 15 minutes. Drain, mash together and set aside. In a large saucepan over medium high heat, heat the oil. Brown cumin seeds and bay leaf. Mix in onions and ground beef. Cook until beef is evenly brown and onions are soft, about 5 minutes. Mix in garlic, fresh ginger root. Season with black pepper, salt, cumin, coriander, turmeric, chili powder, cinnamon and cardamom. Stir in the mashed potato mixture. Remove from heat and chill in the refrigerator for 1 hour, or until cool. Heat oil in a large, heavy saucepan over high heat. Mix cilantro and green chile peppers into the potato and beef mixture. Place approximately 1 tablespoon of the mixture onto each phyllo sheet. Fold sheets into triangles, pressing edges together with moistened fingers. In small batches, fry until golden brown, about 3 minutes. Drain on paper towels and serve warm.

1 lb. ground beef

1/2 C. Parmesan cheese

1/2 C. finely diced sweet bell pepper

1 large egg, slightly beaten

1 C. fresh bread crumbs (place bread in food processor, process to crumbs)

Salt, pepper, & 1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg

3 C. tomato sauce

1 C. crushed or diced tomatoes

2 T. olive oil

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Carefully slice the bottom of each onion, forming a flat surface so onion won’t tip over. Combine meat, cheese, diced onion, and eggs, and mix until ingredients are incorporated. Add the bread crumbs, salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Distribute the meat mixture, filling each onion evenly, pressing it down and shaping with your fingers or a spoon. Combine tomato sauce and crushed tomatoes, and spread in bottom of a baking dish. Place stuffed onions in the tomato sauce. Drizzle with oil and season with salt and pepper. Cover loosely with foil and bake for 30 minutes.

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1 lb. lean Ground Beef

¼ C. chopped Onion

1 clove Garlic, finely chopped

2 T. grated Gingerroot

1 T. Tomato Paste

1 tsp. Salt

2 tsp. Cumin

2 tsp. Chili Powder

1 tsp. Garam Masala

2 14.5oz. cans diced Tomatoes, undrained

3 T. chopped Cilantro

Cook rice as directed on package.  Meanwhile cook beef, onion, garlic and gingerroot over medium-high heat 5-7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until beef is fully cooked.  Drain if desired.  Stir in remaining ingredients except cilantro into beef.  Reduce heat to medium and simmer uncovered 8 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally until slightly thickened.  Serve beef over rice and garnish with cilantro.

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2/3 C. oats, uncooked

1/2 C. diced onion

1 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. garlic powder

2 eggs

2/3 C. tomato sauce

Put ground beef, oats, onion, salt, garlic powder, eggs and tomato sauce in a large bowl. Mix together well with your hands.

MEATLOAF: Immediately put into a pan and bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour or until no pink shows in center. Cool 10 minutes before slicing and serving. Or put meat mixture in a 1 gallon freezer bag. Seal, label and freeze. To serve, thaw overnight and cook according to direction above.

MEATBALLS: Form meatballs with your hands or a small cookie scoop. Cover a rimmed baking sheet with foil for easy clean-up. Put the raw meatballs on the baking sheet. Bake at 375 for 20-30 minutes, until lightly browned and no longer pink in the center. Cool. Package the cooled meatballs in appropriate size freezer bags or rigid container based on your family size. Seal, label and freeze. To serve, thaw, bake at 350 degrees for 10-20 minutes until hot. If you are serving the meatballs with a sauce, put them in a baking dish and pour the sauce over them. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 -30 minutes, turning the meatballs occasionally while they are cooking.

Serve as is, or over rice, pasta or potatoes, or make meatball subs.

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1/2 C. quick-cooking rice cereal (1/2 minute to cook)

1 C. minced onion

2 T. minced garlic

1 1/2 T. tomato paste

6 C. beef broth

2 T. long-grain white rice

3/4 lb. ground lean (7% fat or less) beef

About 1/2 tsp. salt

About 1/4 tsp. pepper

1/4 C. chopped fresh mint leaves

2 T. chopped parsley

2 T. lemon juice

Mix rice cereal with 1/3 C. cold water; let stand at least 5 minutes. Meanwhile, in a 5- to 6-quart nonstick pan, stir half the onion and 1 tsp. garlic over medium-high heat until limp, about 4 minutes. Stir in tomato paste, broth, and rice. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer until rice is tender to bite, 12 to 15 minutes. As rice cooks, mix beef with 1/2 tsp. salt and 1/4 tsp. pepper. Mix half the beef mixture with one-fourth of the rice cereal mixture, remaining onion and garlic, 1 T. mint, and parsley. In a food processor, whirl remaining beef mixture and remaining rice cereal mixture until it is a sticky paste. Shape each of the meat mixtures into 4 oval pieces. In your palm, flatten 1 piece of the beef paste until it’s 1/4 inch thick. Lay a coarse-beef oval over the thin piece and fold paste around it, shaping into a 3-inch-long football. Repeat to form each meatball, and as shaped, drop into simmering broth. Simmer over low heat, covered, turning meatballs once, until no longer pink in center (cut to test), about 10 minutes. Add lemon juice, remaining mint, and salt and pepper to taste. Ladle meatball soup into bowls.

Bloody Mary Burgers with Horseradish Dressing

These are exceptionally good burgers; I’ve never known them fail to please anyone. They are essentially a kind of seared steak tartare – with the spicy seasonings leaning more toward a Bloody Mary. You can’t use any old ground beef for them. Ideally, ask your butcher to grind some top round for you, on a medium rather than a fine setting. If you’re shopping in the supermarket, go for ground sirloin – preferably organic. The better the meat, the more you can be inclined to serve these burgers pretty rare. As an alternative to the horseradish dressing, you could serve the burgers simply with hot mustard and mayonnaise.

1 tablespoon tomato paste

1 1/2 teaspoons prepared horseradish

1/2 teaspoon celery seeds

4 to 8 dashes hot sauce, plus more as necessary (recommended: Tabasco)

1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt

Freshly ground black pepper

3 pounds ground round

A little canola or olive oil, for brushing

1 (3/4 to 1 1/4-inch piece) fresh horseradish root, freshly grated

2 tablespoons creme fraiche

1 teaspoon cider vinegar

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

4 good bread buns, ciabatta rolls, or thick slices of baguette

A few romaine lettuce leaves

A few tomatoes, sliced

Ketchup, optional

For the burgers: In a medium bowl, mix together the tomato paste, horseradish, celery seeds, hot pepper sauce, Worcestershire sauce, salt, and a generous grinding of black pepper. Add the beef and mix thoroughly with your hands, making sure the seasonings are spread throughout the meat. Let stand for at least an hour for the flavors to develop. Meanwhile, make the horseradish dressing. For the dressing: Mix the grated horseradish, creme fraiche and vinegar together in a bowl, seasoning with salt and pepper to taste. Break off a small piece of the beef mixture, the size of a walnut, and fry in a little oil until well cooked. Taste and adjust the seasonings, if necessary. To serve: Heat a grill. Shape the meat into 4 patties about 3/4-inch thick. Lightly brush each one with oil, then place on a grill over high heat. It’s hard to give exact cooking instructions due to variables such as the thickness of the burger, the heat of the grill, and personal preference. For a medium-rare burger, you will probably need to grill for 3 to 4 minutes, then flip over and cook the other side for a couple of minutes. If you’re cooking the burgers indoors, use a lightly oiled grill pan set over medium-high heat. Let the burgers rest for a minute or two while you prepare the buns. Toast the buns or other bread lightly on the cut side, then top with the lettuce leaves and tomato slices. Add the burgers and smear with horseradish sauce, and a dollop of ketchup if you like. Top with the other half of the bread. Good with French fries, obviously, but if they’re too much effort, really good potato chips will do.