Friday, October 31, 2008

Friday Feast: Part Cinco

I'm noticing a trend at my house. Well, several of my mommy friends have mentioned the same trend.
It costs more and more these days to feed a family of four. Especially with two tiny bellies to fill. I swear, their bellies are never full...they are eating us out of house & home! Little starvin' Marvins.

I try to shop wisely and use the same ingredients for several different meals for the week.
This also saves me time -- because the tiny Lanfords also suck all my time, as well as any food we have in the house.

This week, I had a huge 2.5 pound tray of hamburger. I could have made one heckuva meatloaf. But I divided it and used it two different times this week. These are two of the easiest meals in my arsenal. And pretty cheap to make, too.

Time saving. Budget conscious. And delicious.

Chili ala Easy! 1 lb ground beef
1 can kidney beans, drained
1 can petite diced tomatoes, drained
1/2 small can chile peppers
1/2 onion, chopped
1 clove of garlic
1/2 diced bell pepper
Chili seasoning to taste

Brown the beef, onions and bell pepper.
Dump the rest of the ingredients the pot.
Cook on medium for about 15 minutes.

We garnish with cheddar, sour cream & jalapenos.
But you don't need to - it's tasty as is.
Serve it with cornbread or these tasty cheddar biscuits.


Cheese Biscuits
Another one of my mom's recipes.
I could have lived on these as a kid!

2 cups bisquick

2/3 cup milk
1/2 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
1/4 cup butter, melted
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
Mix baking mix, milk, & cheese until a soft dough forms
Mix well for about 1 minute.
Drop dough by spoonfuls onto greased cooking sheet.
Bake 8 - 10 minutes or until golden brown.

Mix butter & garlic powder (optional).
Brush garlic mixture over warm biscuits before removing from cookie sheet.

And here's the other meal. Good old Southern comfort food.


Hamburger Steak with Gravy
1.5 lbs ground beef
Salt & pepper
Worcestershire sauce


Form beef into patties and brown in pan.
Plate over mashed potatoes or rice, with gravy.
And it's a must in our house that we have corn with it.

I usually go to the pantry for one of those brown gravy packs. But I didn't have any this time, hence the strange gravy color. My crowd likes the packet stuff! I've yet to find a recipe that they like as well, so we keep it easy around here.



Next week, we'll have something a little more adventurous. I just couldn't have you thinking I make elaborate dinners every night. I don't. And you shouldn't beat yourself up if you don't either.

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