Stuffed Eggplant

Ground Sirloin that I ground myself with the old Kitchen Aid.

So I found this recipe here. I used some of my ground sirloin, reserving the rest to make into taco meat. I found that the beef really needed something else, so I added a dash of cinnamon to make it a bit more savory. Really, I forgot to salt the eggplant and it was a bit tough, maybe it was because I bought it at Market Basket, Home of the Worst Produce Ever. It was good but I wouldn't say it was great, I may actually do my own take on this at some point, so watch out! And yup, them be yeller tomaters on to thayr.

Meatballs

I made these for meatball subs and for some sauce. Its nice to have spaghetti and meatballs for lunch and this recipe makes a whole lot.

Ingredients:

• 2 lbs ground beef
• 1 lb Italian sausage
• 1 c bread crumbs, regular or Italian
• 1 green pepper
• 4 cloves garlic
• 1 medium to large onion
• 2 tbsp worcestershire
• 1/4 c grated romano
• 1 egg

Directions:

• In a food processor, combine garlic, green pepper, and onion, pulse until minced
• In a large bowl, combine above mixture with meats, egg, worcestershire, bread crumbs, and cheese
• Roll into balls and place on baking tray
• Bake at 325 for 30-45 minutes

Tex-Mex Casserole

Ingredients:

• 1-1/4 lbs ground beef
• Taco seasoning:
• 1 tbsp cumin
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1/2 tsp oregano
• 1/2 tsp thyme
• 2 tsp chili powder
• dash of cayenne or chipotle powder optional
• sea salt, according to preference
• pepper, according to preference
• 1 small can tomato sauce or tomato juice
• 1/2 green pepper chopped
• 1/2 red pepper chopped
• 1 can of black beans
• 1/2 cup frozen corn
• 1/2 medium onion chopped
• 2-3 cups Mexican cheese
• 1 lb (1box) of pasta, like penne or farfalle

Directions:

1. Brown ground beef with onions, peppers, taco seasoning, (drain beef if necessary) adding tomato juice after beef is nearly done browning.
2. boil pasta to al dente, and strain
3. combine beef mixture, beans and corn with pasta in a big bowl or pot that you boiled pasta in
4. layer pasta mixture with cheese
5. bake at 300 for 1 hour or 325 for 40 minutes or until cheese bubbles.

Ranch Taco Salad

Ingredients:

• 1 head romaine lettuce, chopped
• 1- 1 1/4 lb ground beef, sirloin if you want to spend the extra money
• 1/2 c. frozen corn
• 1 carrot, shaved with a vegetable peeler
• 2-3 cups of your favorite shredded cheese, I like Kirlkand Mexican Blend
• 1 small can tomato sauce or 1 small can tomato juice
• Your favorite tortilla chips, I like Garden of Eatin Blues
• Ranch Dressing
• Hot sauce, optional
• Taco seasoning, you can use a packet or make your own:
• 1 tbsp cumin
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1/2 tsp oregano
• 1/2 tsp thyme
• 2 tsp chili powder
• dash of cayenne or chipotle powder optional
• sea salt, according to preference
• pepper, according to preference

Directions

1. Brown beef with carrots and add taco seasonings, drain fat if necessary or desired
2. Add can of tomato juice or sauce
3. Add corn and simmer
4. Assemble your salad, crumbling tortilla chips on top

Save money on this meal:

• buy beef and cheese in bulk and freeze in appropriate proportions for your family size
• keep a good stock of seasonings on hand to avoid convenience foods, which are almost always more expensive in the long run
• add pinto beans or black beans (at the end) with less meat or the same amount to stretch it out
• eat leftovers in a tortilla for lunch

Splurge:

• use ground sirloin (it is a lot more flavorful that regular old ground beef)
• use a specialty cheese (like chipotle cheddar and grate it yourself)
• use 2-3 cloves of minced garlic in place of real garlic
• serve with cornbread on the side

Ranch Taco Salad

Ingredients:

• 1 head romaine lettuce, chopped
• 1- 1 1/4 lb ground beef, sirloin if you want to spend the extra money
• 1/2 c. frozen corn
• 1 carrot, shaved with a vegetable peeler
• 2-3 cups of your favorite shredded cheese, I like Kirlkand Mexican Blend
• 1 small can tomato sauce or 1 small can tomato juice
• Your favorite tortilla chips, I like Garden of Eatin Blues
• Ranch Dressing
• Hot sauce, optional
• Taco seasoning, you can use a packet or make your own:
• 1 tbsp cumin
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1/2 tsp oregano
• 1/2 tsp thyme
• 2 tsp chili powder
• dash of cayenne or chipotle powder optional
• sea salt, according to preference
• pepper, according to preference

Directions

1. Brown beef with carrots and add taco seasonings, drain fat if necessary or desired
2. Add can of tomato juice or sauce
3. Add corn and simmer
4. Assemble your salad, crumbling tortilla chips on top

Save money on this meal:

• buy beef and cheese in bulk and freeze in appropriate proportions for your family size
• keep a good stock of seasonings on hand to avoid convenience foods, which are almost always more expensive in the long run
• add pinto beans or black beans (at the end) with less meat or the same amount to stretch it out
• eat leftovers in a tortilla for lunch

Splurge:

• use ground sirloin (it is a lot more flavorful that regular old ground beef)
• use a specialty cheese (like chipotle cheddar and grate it yourself)
• use 2-3 cloves of minced garlic in place of real garlic
• serve with cornbread on the side