Brown Sugar Meatloaf ... dee-lish!

I got this recipe from the Easy Recipe link (thanks to who ever put that link on!) and made it tonight for dinner. Yummy! Josh really liked it ... he is a meatloaf lover. It has simple ingredients but a great taste.

Brown Sugar Meatloaf:

1/2 C packed brown sugar
1/2 C ketchup
1 1/2 lbs lean ground beef
3/4 C milk
2 eggs
1 1/2 tsp salt (it was a little salty so I think next time I'll use only 1 tsp)
1/4 tsp pepper
1 small onion, chopped
1/4 tsp ground ginger
3/4 C finely crushed saltine cracker crumbs (about 10-15 crackers)

Preheat oven to 350.
Lightly grease a 5 x 9 loaf pan.
Press the brown sugar into the bottom of pan and spread with ketchup.
In a mixing bowl thoroughly mix all remaining ingredients and shape into a loaf.
Place loaf on top of ketchup.
Bake in a preheated oven for 1 hr or until juices run clear.

Tator Tot Casserole

Here's a REALLY easy recipe that you can make quickly when you forgot to make something or are short on time (however, I may be the only one that considers tator tots a staple!). This recipe usually feeds me and Gerald with a little for Roger and enough for one person's lunch - so 3 1/2 people I guess. It's nothin' fancy, but like I said, it's really easy and good in a pinch.

1 lb ground beef, cooked and drained
2 tbsp flour
1 cup beef broth
1 can vegetables (green beans, corn, etc.)
some chesse to sprinkle
enough tator tots to cover the top of it all

Add broth and flour together in a pan ( I do it in the pan that I cooked the hamburger in) and whisk until smooth. Allow it to heat until it boils, stir constantly for about a minute or until it thickens a little. Add the hamburger meat and stir. Then take a casserole dish (I think mine is 2 quarts) and layer that on the bottom. Drain the vegetables and layer them on top. Sprinkle some cheese over top then layer tator tots in a single layer on top. Bake at 400 for maybe 20-30 minutes, basically until the tator tots are brown.

Hamburger Stroganoff

Ryan, I kept meaning to get this recipe to you anyway, so I figured I'd post it. And Jess, this is a great one to freeze in a ziploc. I leave out the sour cream until I'm ready to use it just b/c it can get a weird texture after being frozen. So when you're ready, thaw, add sour cream and throw it over some noodles.

1-1 1/2 lbs ground beef
1 1/2 cups beef broth
1/4 - 1/2 cup white wine (depends on how winey you want it)
8 oz mushrooms, sliced
3 tbsp flour
1 cup sour cream
noodles or rice

Brown and drain the meat. I use the beef bouillon cubes so for 1 1/2 cups broth, I use 1 cup hot water and 1/2 cup white wine. Then just cook the mushrooms in that mixture. Once the mushrooms are cooked, take them out and use 1/3 cup of the broth/wine and add the flour. You can shake them together in a tightly covered container or just put them in the pan and whisk them until smooth. Add the rest of the broth back in and heat to boiling, stirring constantly. Boil and stir for one minute; reduce heat to low. Add mushrooms and beef. (Here's were you'd freeze it if you want to) Add in sour cream; heat until hot. Serve over noodles.

sirloin marinade

this is a yummy recipe for steak - we put them on the grill.

1/2 cup butter

1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley or 4 tsp. dried parsley

1/4 cup minced onion

2 tblsp. worcestershire sauce

1 tsp. ground pepper

1/2 tsp. dry mustard

combine butter, parsley, onion, worcestershire sauce, pepper & dry mustard in a small sauce pan. heat, stirring continually, over low heat, until butter melts. reserve 1/4 of the mixture.

place steaks on the grill, brush with mixture. baste frequently. drizzle reserve over sliced pieces.

good hamburger recipe

Does anyone have a good hamburger recipe? I was just going to throw in some onion soup mix but wanted to see if anyone has a really yummy recipe that I could try. I'm having a birthday party for Jason tonight for about 14 people and he wanted hamburgers...he's so easy to please.

easy, easy taco soup

Joc, you requested this one....and I'm happy to help! I guess this will be my first recipe post. Which is funny since I have pictures of two other things at home waiting to be added. Just haven't had a second while I'm home to download the pics.
As for this recipe, I got it from this older lady in a church in Mississippi when Ken and I went down w/ a group of Covenant students to help w/ Katrina recovery and rebuilding. There were a group of older women who were fixing all our meals, and everything they made was wonderful! One of the appeals of this recipe is that it makes a huge amount (and I'm sure you can guess why I'd like that)! There's usually enough for both Ken and me for dinner and then leftovers for each of us for lunch/dinner the next day.

1 lb. ground beef
1 med onion chopped fine
1 can pinto beans (don't make the mistake of getting the kind w/ pork--gross!)
1 can light red kidney beans
1 can whole kernel yellow corn
1 can white hominy
2 cans Rotel (I use mild)
1 pkg Ranch dressing seasoning
1 pkg taco seasoning (I use low sodium)
1/2 to 3/4 cup water
Fritos
Shredded cheese--Mex blend, mont. jack, cheddar, or whatever you like

Brown beef in large pot and add onion when beef is almost done. (Karen--I've left the onoin out many times b/c I forget that part when I make it from memory, and it's still great!) Add all 6 cans and 2 pkgs of seasoning and water and stir all ingredients together. Let simmer for 15-20 minutes stirring occasionally. Serve w/ Fritos and cheese on top. So easy and so good!

Little side note--you may want to try to find low sodium cans of the corn and beans to add if possible.