Ground Beef in the Slowcooker

If there is one thing I love as much as hamburger, its my slowcooker. That little darling (as long as you plan) can help you out tremendously!

You're out and about all day and you get home at 5:00pm and the little peeps are peeping about being hungry. Just imagine you saying 'Well, pull up a chair then, supper is served!' Heaven, you say. Totally achievable, I say.

It just take a bit of thought and organization on your part, the appliance does the rest.

Interested? I thought so!

I encourage you to visit A Crock Cook. There are tips of what to buy, how to convert favourite recipes and tried recipes galore! Some that include ground beef.

Browning Ground Beef

What's the right way really? It's not hard! Just watch and see:



Kathy Maister's startcooking.com is the perfect place for people who just aren't sure. Easy Peasy!

You know how in Ratatouille they say 'Everyone Can Cook'? Well its true!

What's Cooking? Magazine

Kraft Canada publishes a quarterly magazine called What's Cooking?.

If you're looking for quick and easy recipes, you are bound to find some within the pages of What's Cooking? and you're definitely bound to find recipes that call for hamburger.

Although I find most of their recipes to be bland, you can re-work them to suit your tastes. Herbs and spices are our friends. Let us repeat that: herbs and spices are our friends. Keep saying that to yourself over and over again while in the kitchen. It should be your new mantra!

Did I mention a subscription to What's Cooking? is free? Well, it is! So if nothing else you'll find some recipes that can be perfect jumping off points for your next meal.

101 Ways To Dress A Hamburger

A blog about hamburger wouldn't be complete without some information on Hanburgers! ;-)

Click the link for your free copy of '101 Ways To Dress A Hamburger'!

The Best Meatloaf - EVER!

This recipe is my parents’ (hopefully they don’t mind me posting it). It is absolutely superb!

Do you have a meatloaf recipe? Want to share it? Click the ‘comments’ link at the bottom of this post and let me know what it is. I love trying new recipes!

The Best Meatloaf – EVER!
1½ pounds ground beef
¼ cup rolled oats
1 large onion, chopped
2 Tbsp parsley, chopped
½ cup Ketchup
1 egg
2 tsp Worchestershire sauce
½ tsp black pepper
¼ tsp dry mustard

In a large bowl, combine together all ingredients. Press into a 9 x 5 x 3 inch loaf pan and bake in a preheated oven at 350°F for one hour, or until it reaches an internal temperature of 160°F (medium), is no longer pink inside and juices show no pink color.

Makes 4 to 6 servings.

*Note: This recipes doubles, triples, etc. really well. So buy a big package of hamburger, mix up a batch, and freeze the meatloaves for up to 3 months.

Joe Mazotte

This is usually the dish I make each and every Valentine's Day for my valentine, Troy. I only make it once a year. Not because its so special, but because, quite frankly, I HATE it!

Its a recipe from my mother-in-law, and of course, Troy just loves it...blah! :-S

I thought I would include it today as a post, I mean, someone might like it and it does have hamburger in it. ;-)

Joe Mazotti

1/2 cup margarine

1 1/2 lbs. hamburger

8 onions, chopped

2 green peppers, chopped

1 head celery, chopped

3 cans tomato soup

2 cans mushrooms

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp Tabasco sauce

1 tsp chili powder

1 lb Cheddar cheese, grated

8 oz egg noodles, cooked

Melt margarine in a large pan. Cook hamburger until no longer pink. Add vegetables and cook until tender. Add soup (undiluted) and spices. Simmer for one hour. Add cheese and allow to melt.

Now my MIL mixes the noodles directly into the sauce, however, I like to serve the sauce over the noodles in individual bowls. Its up to you!

Thankfully, I'm not making this tonight for supper. We're having my mother's spaghetti sauce with noodles. Yummy and whew all at the same time! ;-) We're also having a yummy chocolate chip cake with pink icing and red and chocolate sprinkles that Emma helped me make - yummy again!

Happy LOVE Day!

Tomato Sauce

Does your pantry have a can of tomato sauce in it? No? Well it should!

Its rather easy to create a quick something with it, especially if you have hamburger in the freezer.

Fry some sliced onions and mushrooms together, maybe some corn or green peppers if you have them. Add the already fried hamburger and a can of tomato sauce. Add a little minced garlic, a little basil. Mix it all together with your favourite cooked pasta and voila!

Eat as is. Or for an extra special added touch, put the mixture into a casserole dish, sprinkle with shredded cheese and bake for ten minutes or so until its warmed through and the cheese is melted.

Yummy or Yumm-o as Rachel Ray would say! ;-)

Happy Eating!

Hamburger Freezer Etiquette

How long will ground beef/hamburger stay 'friendly' in the freezer?

Good question!

The experts agree - 3 months is the longest hamburger will stay 'friendly' in your freezer.

Happy Eating!

Fried Hamburger

Another quick and easy tip for those who are time crunched is to buy hamburger in bulk, fry it up and then package it in 2 cups portions.

You've just saved 10 to 15 minutes of preparation!

The Great Recipe Finder

Not sure what to cook for supper?

Take a handy-dandy ground beef package from your freezer and type in 'ground beef casserole recipe' into your handy-dandy Recipe Finder.

Fabulous!