Smothered Burritos

It had been far too long since I had eaten these burritos and now that I have, I'm not sure I can stop. Honestly, with my head held in shame I will admit that I made these on a Sunday night because I knew the hubs was heading out of town and I would get the left overs...I ate them for supper on Sunday...lunch on Monday....AND supper on Monday. I only quit eating them because...well they were gone! Yep, their amazing and the cheese melts sooooo good and runny and stringy....yum!

Smothered Burritos

Source: Mrs. O's mom

1 (16oz) can refried beans

1 lb hamburger

1 pkg taco seasoning

1/2 cup water

6-8 flour tortillas

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1 (8oz) can tomato sauce

1/2 cup taco sauce

Brown hamburger. Add beans, taco seasoning and water. Cook until bubbly. Pre-heat oven to 250 degrees. Spread on tortillas and roll up. Put in a greased 9x13 in pan. Mix tomato sauce and taco sauce in a separate bowl. Pour over top of rolled tortillas and cover with foil. Bake for 20 minutes. Sprinkle with cheese and bake until cheese melts. Serve with lettuce, onions, black olives and sour cream.

Hamburger Soup

Spring has arrived so I kind of missed the boat on making this amazing soup but I figured better late than never! This is a soup that is best served with fresh baked bread on a cold night. It has amazing powers that instantly make your nose run and if you weren't cemented in your chair eating this soup, maybe you would go catch it. The liquid portion of this recipe is mainly a guesstimation (mixture of a guess and an estimate, a term that my high school science teacher swore would get us through college exams) so fell free to add more vegetable broth. This time my 'soup' was a little more 'runny casserole' but it was good none the less.

Hamburger Soup

Source: Mrs. O's mom

Ingredients

1 lb hamburger. browned and drained

1 med onion sauteed with hamburger

1/2 c celery chopped

1/2 c carrots chopped

1/4 c barley (instant)

1 can stewed tomatoes

salt and pepper to taste

8 c water

6-10 ounces vegetable broth (this is where you can guesstimate, anywhere between 1/2 to a full can)

1 envelop Country Vegetable soup mix

1/2 c macaroni

Directions

Combine all ingredients-except soup mix and macaroni-in a large stock pot. Cook for 1 hour on med/high heat allowing for a simmer. Add soup mix and macaroni and cook for an additional 1/2 hour.

Coca-Cola Roast

School has been so busy lately that I am searching for the easiest recipes possible without sacrificing the taste. Enter crock pot, the most efficient method to cooking the juiciest meat. Also, with the crock pot bags, there is no simpler clean up. Exit, happy college housewife. This recipe has been made so many times in my family and they don't come much easier. This roast is also the reason we registered for an immersion blender for our wedding and is still the only meal I have ever used it for! That needs to change....but anyways, this roast is great and the gravy that comes after it...ohhhh even better!

Coca-Cola Roast

Source: Mrs. O's mom and there are also several varieties floating around the Internet

Ingredients

1 roast- any size

1 12 ounce can of coca-cola

1 can of cream of mushroom soup

1 medium onion

Directions

Place roast in crock pot.

In a medium bowl, combine soda and soup. Place immersion blender in the bottom of the bowl and press on. Mixture will foam up (hence the need for a medium bowl). Pour over roast.

Slice onion and place on top of roast.

Cook for 6-8 hours on low heat.

Crock Pot Taco Soup

The hubs has been working out of town during the week and with my crazy school schedule, I have found myself rarely making time for supper or having anything more substantial than cereal. I took this as a time to make something for myself, something that he wouldn't normally eat. The recipe I decided on was Crock Pot Taco Soup and I'm pretty dang glad I did. I was quite happy with the way this turned out and I couldn't have asked for an easier recipe.

Crock Pot Taco Soup

Source: Adapted from AYearOfSlowCooking

Ingredients:

2 cans of kidney beans

2 cans of pinto beans

2 cans of corn

1 large can of diced tomatoes

1 can tomatoes and chile's

1 packet taco seasoning

1 packet ranch dressing mix

1 lb browned ground hamburger

1/4 tsp garlic salt

shredded cheese, sour cream and black olives to garnish

Directions:
1) Brown meat, drain fat and pour into crock pot

2) Sprinkle seasoning packets and garlic salt on top of meat

3) Drain and rinse the beans and add

4) Add the entire contents of the corn and tomato cans

5) Stir, cover and cook on low for 8-10 hours or high for 4-5.

Cheesy Biscuit Lasagna

With the start of classes and a never-ending literature review, I have found myself with very little time left in the day. I keep getting puppy dog eyes from the hubs as he has been neglected so I am trying my hardest to stay strong with meals. It has been our only time catch up and discuss the thrilling events of our day. So in my futile attempts to multitask, I am trying to build up my repertoire of fast and easy meals. In my search to do so, I came across this little dandy on the Pillsbury website.
The original recipe calls for only tomato sauce and 9x13 inch pan but out of respect for the hubs I thought it would be easy enough to split the recipe and use some leftover Alfredo sauce on half of it. He really enjoyed it despite the slightly odd combination of hamburger and Alfredo...I'll let you be the judge on whether or not that appeals to you. Bottom line, there are options to change things up a little.
Future adaptations: I may try cooking filled, pressed and sealed biscuits on a cooking sheet and bake separately because the bottoms were a little doughy. I feel that the bottoms have a difficult time cooking when laying on the sauce. Then serve meal by placing biscuits on top of hot beef mixture.

Cheesy Biscuit Lasagna
Source: Pillsbury

Ingredients:

1 lb lean ground beef (I used 1/2 lb Jenny-O ground turkey burger)
1 jar (28oz) of tomato pasta sauce (I used 10oz of each kind of sauce in each pan as we don't like a ton of sauce)
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 can (12 oz) Pillsburry Jr. Golden Homestyle Butter Biscuits
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup cottage cheese
1 tablespoon parsley flakes
1/2 teaspoon dried minced onion
1/2 teaspoon dried basil leaves
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese (I didn't look closely enough and put shredded Parmesan on the top, which is the dark cheese on top...oops!)

Directions
1) Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a small fry pan, cook ground beef over medium-high heat, stirring frequently, until thoroughly cooked; drain. Stir in pasta sauce, garlic powder, Italian seasoning and pepper. Reduce heat; cover and simmer 10 minutes.
2) Separate dough into individual biscuits. Press or roll each into 4-inch round. In a small bowl, mix mozzarella cheese, cottage cheese, parsley flakes, onion and basil until well blended. Place around 2 tablespoons cheese mixture on each biscuit. Fold dough in half and press edges with a fork to seal.
3. Into ungreased 9x13 in pan (or 2 8x8's) glass baking dish, pour hot beef mixture. Arrange filled biscuits on top. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.
4. Bake 15 to 18 minutes or until biscuits are golden brown.