Kristen's Recipes

3 medium Acorn Squash
1 lb. Ground Beef
1/2 C. Herb-seasoned Stuffing Mix
1 T. fresh Parsley, minced
1 tsp. Salt
2 T. Onion, minced
1/2 tsp. freshly ground Black Pepper
¾ C. Beef Bouillon
1/2 Fresh Mushrooms, sliced
Butter or Margarine

Rinse, dry, and cut each Acorn squash in half, lengthwise. Remove the seeds from the center and discard. Place Acorn squash halves, cut side down, in a baking pan and pour 1/4-inch of boiling water over them. Bake in a pre-heated 350-F degree oven for about 30 minutes, or until almost tender. Meanwhile, brown ground beef in a large skillet over medium heat. Make sure to work the ground beef into small, crumbly pieces as it browns. Drain off any excess fat. Add stuffing mix, parsley, salt, onion, pepper, and beef bouillon. Stir gently or toss to combine. Remove from heat and reserve. Remove half-baked squash from the oven and when cool enough to handle, turn it cut side up. Fill the center of each squash with an equal portion of the beef and stuffing mixture. Return to the oven and continue to bake for another 20 to 30 minutes. Meanwhile, sauté mushroom slices in butter or margarine until desired degree of doneness. Remove finished stuffed squash from the oven and distribute an equal portion of sautéed mushroms over the top of each half. Serve warm, in the skin.

4 large bell peppers (red, yellow, or orange)
2 lbs. lean ground beef
1½ tsp. creole seasoning
¼ cup Italian bread crumbs
1 egg
¼ cup shredded Parmesan
A pinch crushed red pepper flakes
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 T. olive oil
1 T. fresh chopped parsley
1 cup shredded Italian cheese blend
1 28 oz. can crushed tomatoes

Prepare peppers by slicing off a little of the top and bottom of each pepper. Do not discard these. Cut out ribs and seeds. Slice into 3 thick rings and place on a sheet pan lined with parchment for easy clean up. Dice up remaining parts of peppers to use in meat mixture.
Prepare meatloaf mix: Mix ground beef with seasoning, bread crumbs, egg, Parmesan, red pepper flakes, garlic, and remaining diced peppers until combined. Stuff each pepper with meat mixture leaving a dome of the mixture on top of each pepper. Heat olive oil in a large oven-safe pot over medium-high heat. (If you do not have an oven-safe pot, you will just transfer them into a casserole dish to bake later). Brown each stuffed pepper ring for about 4 to 5 minutes on each side. You may need to do this in 2 batches depending on the size of your pot. Once, browned on each side, pour crushed tomatoes over the stuffed pepper rings. (Transfer to casserole dish before topping with crushed tomatoes if you do not have an oven-safe pot. Bake at 350 degrees for 35 to 45 minutes. Top with cheese and bake for 5 more minutes. Top with fresh parsley and serve.

1 lb. Lean Ground lamb or beef
1 md. Onion, chopped
1 Garlic Clove, minced
10oz. Linguine, broken into 11/2” lengths
1 (28oz.) Can Italian peeled Tomatoes with their Juice
2 md. Zucchini, sliced in 1/4” Rounds
1 C. Tomato Sauce
1/2 tsp. Dried Basil
1/2 tsp. Dried Thyme
1/2 tsp. Dried Rosemary, crumbled
1/4 tsp. Each Salt & Pepper
1/2 C. Pitted Black Olives, chopped
Grated Parmesan Cheese

In non-reactive skillet cook lamb, onion, and garlic over medium-high heat, stirring often to break up lumps of meat, until meat is no longer pink. Drain off excess fat. Stir in linguine, tomatoes & juice, spices, and 11/2 C. water. Bring to a simmer, reduce heat to low, and cover. Cook, stirring often to avoid scorching, until linguine is tender, about 25 minutes. Sprinkle with olives and Parmesan cheese.

1 lb. hamburger
2 tsp. prepared mustard
1/4 cup minced onion
1/4 cup chili sauce
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
2 tsp. horseradish
2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
12 slices hearty bread

Toast 12 slices of bread and spread each slice with the meat mixture to the very edges. Broil about 3 inches from heat source for about 5 minutes or until done. Variation: Top each sandwich with a slice of sharp cheese and broil until cheese bubbles.

1 lb. hamburger
1 med. chopped onion
1 cup (more or less) crushed cracker crumbs, or bread crumbs
1/4 cup Bell pepper
1 egg
1/4 cup catsup
Salt and pepper to taste

Mix all the above. If too dry to stick together, add a little milk. Divide meat mixture. Pat into two small loaves. Carefully roll or sprinkle flour on all sides. In a deep fry pan, lightly brown loaves, one at a time in about 1 inch hot oil. Using a large spatula, carefully remove from the pan onto a platter. Brown about 3 heaping tablespoons flour in the pan drippings. Now stir in a pint of stewed tomatoes, add water as needed to make a smooth gravy, and season with salt and pepper. Gently place the meat loaves into the tomato gravy, cover pan and cook on a low heat for about 30 to 45 minutes. Serve with creamed potatoes or cooked rice. This will be one of the most moist meat loaves you’ve ever put into your mouth.

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.