Easy Cheesy Beef Broccoli Stroganoff

 

Last night we needed something quick and easy, I had to work late and had a call scheduled from college.  Hubby was getting himself and our son ready to take his mom to visit with her sick brother.  So it was another hectic Tuesday night.  Checking my e-mail, I found a recipe that looked interesting, but also looked like it could be improved a little bit.   Much better than hamburger helper and just as easy. So here's my take.

Easy Cheesy Beef Broccoli Stroganoff 

Ingredients:

1 lb ground beef

1 12 oz bag of frozen chopped broccoli

2 cups water

3 cups egg noodles, uncooked (about 1/2 of a 12 oz bag)

1/2 lb Velveeta, cut into small cubes

1/2 medium onion, chopped

1 can cream of mushroom soup

salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Brown meat  and onion in large skillet; salt and pepper to taste; drain.
2. While meat is cooking, heat broccoli, about 1/2 the time recommended on the package.
3. Stir in water,bring to boil. Add noodles and broccoli.  Cover and simmer on medium-low heat until noodles and broccoli are tender.
4. Add Velveeta, soup and more pepper; cook an additional 5 minutes or until Velveeta is melted and mixture is blended.  Stir frequently.

I used ground venison, so I would recommend a low fat ground meat.  Additionally, you could use whatever vegetables you had on hand.  I think this would be great with frozen peas and canned mushrooms.

Recipe adapted from:Kraft Recipes

Breakfast Bowl Casserole

Watching the morning news, hubby saw an advertisement for breakfast bowls and thought they looked really good.  I'm a cheapskate, plus I'm not a huge fan of buying frozen foods, maybe some frozen veggies or a frozen pizza for a quick dinner, but usually we don't each much frozen prepared foods.  After looking at the bowls, I figured I could make them pretty easily.  The first time I tried to make them, the sausage was overcooked by the time the potatoes were done, so I thought, let's try a breakfast casserole and see if it works.

Here's my take on the Breakfast Bowl, a breakfast bowl casserole, chocked full of sausage, potatoes, peppers, onions, cheese and eggs.  Sometimes hubby eats this with topped with salsa.

Ingredients:

1 lb ground breakfast sausage
2 cups chopped potatoes
1/2 green bell pepper
1 medium onion
1 cup grated cheese (I used a cheddar & jack mixture)
4 eggs
1 cup biscuit mix (Bisquick or Jiffy Mix)
2 cups milk
1 to 2 Tbsp oil
salt, pepper, and garlic powder

Directions:

1.  Chop potatoes into small pieces, about 1/4 to 1/2 inch. 
2.  Heat oil in large skillet, add potatoes and sausage, cooking about 5 minutes.
3.  Add pepper and onion. Salt, pepper and garlic powder to taste.  Cook until sausage is brown and potatoes are starting to turn golden brown.
4.  Pour into a prepared 9 x 13 inch baking dish.
5.  Top with grated cheese.
6.  Mix biscuit mix, eggs and milk.  Pour mixture over the sausage/potato mixture.
7.  Bake 25 minutes in a 350 degree oven.

Recipe adapted from: Cooks.com

German Chocolate Surprise

I love using cake mixes to make fabulous cakes and this cake is no exception. The first time I had this cake was when a co-worker brought it in for someone's birthday. I took a taste and said, "I think I taste coconut in this cake." She said that I did and then I ask her what the nut was that I couldn't identify and she told me the secret to this cake. It was why I have called this cake, German Chocolate Surprise Cake, you dump a can of German Chocolate Cake Frosting into the cake mix and bake it. I wanted to share this cake with everyone because it is a huge hit at my house. I made it on Sunday evening and by Monday morning, it was gone.

 Ingredients: 

1 German Chocolate Cake Mix and the ingredients to make it
1 can or carton of German Chocoalate Cake frosting
1 can of Chocolate Frosting

Directions:

1. Preheat oven and mix cake according to package directions.
 2. Once the cake is well mixed, dump in the can of German Chocolate frosting and mix well.
3. Place in prepared bundt cake pan.
4. Bake according to package directions.
5. Once the cake is cooled, remove from pan.
6. Microwave can of chocolate frosting for 30 seconds to 1 minute or until the frosting is runny. Using a spoon, drizzle the chocolate frosting over the cake. Hint: If this is just too much chocolate for your taste, you can also sprinkle with powder sugar instead of drizzling with chocolate frosting.

Additionally, when making cakes, I usually subsitute applesauce for the oil that is called for in the directions. It makes a much moister cake and adds a lot less fat to the overall recipe.