Simple Hamburger Steaks (Ready in less than 30 minutes)

Oh these are 'comfort food' delicious!  Especially served with smashed taters! 

Mix some spices into the burger, fry up the patties, fry up some sliced onions,

simmer...ENJOY!! 

Simply scrumptious and flavorful...and frugal too.  

No doubt, we all grew up on burgers...and I love being able to 'dress them up' a bit...this is a pretty easy recipe. 

Make sure you brown the patties well...it's the dark pieces that stick to the pan that add much flavor.  This makes a fabulous gravy! 

Do try them soon..you may want to add them to your weekly rotation!!

SIMPLE HAMBURGER STEAKS 

1 & 1/2 lb. ground beef

3/4 tsp. garlic powder

1/2 tsp. onion powder

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. black pepper (or more)

1 tsp. dry ground mustard

(or 1 Tb. prepared mustard) 

1 small onion, sliced thin

1 c. beef broth 

(or 1 can french onion condensed soup, undiluted)

1 (.75 ozs.) packet brown gravy mix

1/2 c. water

1 Tb. worcestershire sauce 

In a large bowl, add ground beef; sprinkle with garlic powder, onion powder, salt, pepper and mustard; blend well, but don't overmix (that makes for a tough burger). Divide mixture into 4 patties. 

Heat skillet over medium-high heat. (Cast iron works great here). When the pan is hot, add steaks and allow them to cook without flipping for about 4 minutes.  Flip then cook for 4 more minutes. Remove steaks from pan and rest on paper towels. 

Remove all but 2 Tb. grease from the skillet; place back on burner and add sliced onions.  Cook until translucent, about 4 minutes.  

In small bowl, combine broth, gravy mix and water; whisk well.  Pour over onions; bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer; add worcestershire sauce.  Add patties to the gravy and simmer until done, just a few more minutes. 

Serve with mashed potatoes or rice and a veggie for a perfect meal! 

Recipe inspired by Stacey at #Southern Bite - please be sure to check out his post with more details...

You may also enjoy...

Easy Crockpot Meatballs

Ranch Burgers (3 ingredients)

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The Bryan Times - August 5, 2019 - Fruits & Veggies

Creamy Taters, Green Beans & Caramelized Onions

I do hope you've been enjoying a super summer. It always seems to fly by so quickly - maybe because we stay so busy? For many of us, one of the highlights of summer is the abundance of fresh fruits and vegetables.  

Color, color, color is the rule to live by. Health gurus encourage Americans to eat at least five or more servings of fruits and vegetables daily. The more reds, oranges, greens, blues, and yellows you see on the plate, the more health-promoting properties you are getting. So fill your plates with lots of nutrients and colors. 

I'm excited that farmer's markets have been up and running in the area. I so enjoy seeing town-folks when they come visit my baked goods stand in Pioneer. Hope you'll support the local folks who take time to share their goods.  Be sure to stop by and get some of those fresh-picked fruits and veggies. You won't be sorry!

I recently made this awesome dessert and fell in love with it again! When a good friend served this crisp to me years ago, I swooned!  Perfect served warm with vanilla ice cream.  Yes please! 

Peach Blueberry Crisp

PEACH-BLUEBERRY CRISP

3 - 4 peaches, about 1-1/2#, peeled and sliced into wedges

2 c. blueberries, cleaned

1 hp. TB. cornstarch

2 TB. lemon juice

1/3 c. sugar

TOPPING:

2/3 c. all purpose flour

1/2 c. old-fashioned oats

1 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg

1/2 tsp. salt

3/4 c. light brown sugar

5 TB. (unsalted) butter, cut into small pieces

Preheat oven to 350*. Lightly grease a 2.5 qt. baking dish. In a large bowl, combine peaches, blueberries, cornstarch, lemon juice and sugar; set aside. In small bowl, combine flour, oats, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt; stir in brown sugar, then butter, mixing by hand until blended and crumbly. Spread fruit mixture in prepared baking dish and sprinkle with oatmeal mixture. Bake 45 minutes or until golden brown. Serve warm with ice cream or whipped topping. Yield: about 6 servings

I've never been fond of cukes, but I have a hard time staying away from this very simple recipe.   

EASY PICKLED CUKES

1 c. white vinegar

1 c. water

1/2 tsp. salt (or less)

3/4 c. white sugar, or more to taste

(I use xylitol or Swerve)

3 lg. cukes, peeled and sliced

sliced onion, to taste

In large bowl, add vinegar, water, salt and sugar; stir until dissolved. Add cuke slices and onions.  Eat right away or refrigerate.  These keep up to 2 weeks in the fridge (can reuse the brine a second time).  

Yield 4 - 5 servings (or maybe 2 or 3...depending on who's eating them!) 

For me, every bite of this fabulous veggie combo is roll-your-eyes-back delicious!  

CREAMY TATERS, GREEN BEANS & CARAMELIZED ONIONS

6-8 small new potatoes or 3 or 4 large ones

1 lb. green beans (fresh or frozen) 

1 medium onion, sliced

1/4 c. butter (1/2 a stick), divided

4 ozs. cream cheese 

1/2 c. milk

1/4 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. pepper

While veggies are cooking, melt 2 Tb. butter in large skillet over medium high heat. Add onion slices and cook, stirring often, until tender and are getting nice and brown, about 8-10 minutes. 

Remove from skillet, and place over veggies in colander while you make the sauce. In same skillet you used to brown the onions, add remaining 2 Tb. butter, cream cheese, milk, salt, and pepper. Over low heat, stir constantly until cheese melts. Use a whisk to beat lightly until smooth and creamy. Add a little more milk if you want a thinner sauce. Remove from heat. Add veggies from colander; stir to coat with luscious sauce. Sprinkle with more pepper if desired. Serve warm. 

"If at first you don't succeed, try doing it the way mom told you in the beginning." . -Unknown 

Easy Peasy Slaw Salad (quick & easy)

Summer is just around the corner!

This is a wonderful salad that's full of flavor, and color too.  Perfect for

making ahead or making and serving right away. 

And it's ready in minutes!!!! 

It's a Taste of Home recipe so you know it's gotta be good. 

I love that it uses pre-packaged slaw mix (I used tri-color for more pop!). 

It's beautiful and so delicious. It fulfills my need for C-R-U-N-C-H too!  I enjoyed a BIG bowlful soon after I made it. 

EASY PEASY SLAW SALAD 

1 - 1# bag frozen peas, thawed

(about 4 cups)

1 bag (14 ozs.) coleslaw mix

4 - 5 green onions, chopped

1 c. poppyseed dressing

1 c. (honey roasted) peanuts

Place peas, coleslaw mix, and onions in large bowl.  Stir in poppyseed

dressing.  May refrigerate until ready to serve or serve immediately. Stir in peanuts just before serving or just sprinkle over the top. 

Yield: 10 - 12 servings

Linked to 
Meal Plan Monday

You may also enjoy these...

Best Broccoli Salad

Simple & Creamy Pea Salad

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Scrumptious Sweet 'n' Spicy Baked Beans

      I served this dish to many at a local Bean Days festival this summer and       heard many comments about how they thought they were the best beans in                                                               town. 

               ...And several came back for second...even third helpings! 

I combined and simplified ideas from a couple other bean recipes online, 

and this is what I came up with...MMM!

The BBQ sauce and chili powder add a bit of 'zip' to this tasty recipe!

This is not a HOT dish...just with a little kick-back to them...

(If you prefer to 'tame' this down, use a BBQ sauce with less tang). 

These are great for reunions, BBQ's, picnics or camping!

Hope you'll try them and see for yourself. 

Everything's better with bacon in it, right???? 

SWEET 'N' SPICY BAKED BEANS 

1/2 # bacon, diced and browned, undrained

1 small onion, chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

1/4 c. brown sugar

1/2 c. Sweet 'n' Spicy BBQ sauce

(or your favorite)

2 Tb. white vinegar

2 tsp. worchestershire sauce

1/2 tsp. (fresh) ground pepper

1/4 - 1/2 tsp. chili powder

1 can (15 ozs.) pork and beans, undrained

1 can (15 ozs.) great northern beans, drained

1 can (15 ozs.) chili beans in sauce, undrained

Preheat oven to 350. In a large skillet, cook bacon; remove from pan with slotted spoon when browned, leaving half the grease in pan; (reserve remaining grease) cook onion until transparent and tender in grease; add garlic; cook 2 minutes longer. 

Place onion mixture in a large bowl with remaining ingredients, then add browned bacon and remaining grease. 

Place in lightly sprayed 3 qt. casserole dish; cover and bake 40 minutes; uncover and bake 30 minutes longer. 

Serve hot or at room temperature. 

Other popular bean dishes...

Winning Baked Beans (People's Choice)

Kraut 'n' Beans

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Leader Enterprise - July 11, 2018 - Farmer's Market

Creamy Taters. Green Beans & Onions

I'm excited that farmer's markets are up and running in the area.  Hope you'll support the local folks who take time to share their goods.  With that thread of thought, I decided to share recipes using fresh items more readily available this time of year.  Enjoy!

These tasty zucchini sticks are luscious dipped in ranch or honey mustard dressing! Be aware you need to begin prepping these early as they have to drain before baking. 

BAKED ZUCCHINI FRIES 

3 medium zucchini, peeled or unpeeled, cut into 3" long sticks

1 tsp. salt

1 c. Panko breadcrumbs

1/2 c. grated Parmesan cheese

2 - 3 tsp. dried oregano 

1/4 tsp. seasoned salt

1/8 tsp. garlic powder 

Olive oil spray

2 large eggs or 3 egg whites, lightly beaten

(may substitute with 1/4 c. melted butter) 

Place the zucchini sticks (do your best to cut them all about the same size) in a colander over a bowl and sprinkle with the tsp. of salt.  (I cut away the middle and use for bread or soup). Let drain for 1 hour or longer; rinse and pat dry.

Preheat oven to 425. In medium bowl, combine bread crumbs, parmesan and seasonings; set aside.  Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil; spray lightly with non-stick olive oil spray; set aside.  Dredge fries a few at a time, in the egg, then roll in the crumb mixture.  Pleace on prepared baking sheet.  Drizzle with olive oil or lightly spray with cooking spray (optional). Bake for 12 minutes, turn over and bake an additional 8 minutes, until golden brown and crisp. 

  

CREAMY TATERS, GREEN BEANS & CARAMELIZED ONIONS

6-8 small new potatoes or 3 or 4 large ones

1 lb. green beans (fresh or frozen) 

1 medium onion, sliced

1/4 c. butter (1/2 a stick), divided

4 ozs. cream cheese 

1/2 c. milk

1/4 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. pepper

Wash and chunk new potatoes into bite sized pieces. Cover with water and bring to a boil over medium high heat. Add green beans; boil until fork tender, about 10-12 minutes. Place in colander to drain.

While veggies are cooking, melt 2 Tb. butter in large skillet over medium high heat. Add onion slices and cook, stirring often, until tender and are getting nice and brown, about 8-10 minutes. Remove from skillet, and place over veggies in colander while you make the sauce. 

In same skillet you used to brown the onions, add remaining 2 Tb. butter, cream cheese, milk, salt, and pepper. Over low heat, stir constantly until cheese melts. Use a whisk to beat lightly until smooth and creamy. Add a little more milk if you want a thinner sauce. Remove from heat. Add veggies from colander; stir to coat with luscious sauce. Sprinkle with more pepper if desired. Serve warm. 

EASY PICKLED CUKES

1 c. white vinegar

1 c. water

1/2 tsp. salt (or less)

3/4 c. white sugar, or more to taste

(May use sugar substitute like xylitol or Swerve)

3 lg. cukes, peeled and sliced

sliced onion, to taste

In large bowl, add vinegar, water, salt and sugar; stir until dissolved. Add cuke slices and onions.  Eat right away or refrigerate.  These keep up to 2 weeks in the fridge (may reuse the brine a second time).  Yield 4 - 5 servings 

Watermelon Lemonade

WATERMELON LEMONADE (Sugar Free Option) 

2 c. water

3/4 - 1 c. sugar

2 generous cups of cubed watermelon (seeds removed)

1 c. freshly squeezed lemon juice (strained) 

(about 6 - 8 lemons)

2 c. cold water or sparkling water

Ice

In a medium saucepan, bring the water and sugar to a boil.  Reduce the heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until sugar dissolves. Remove from heat and cool.  Meanwhile, puree watermelon in blender and strain to remove any seeds.  You should have about 1 c. watermelon juice.  Add lemon juice, watermelon puree to the simple syrup (sugar water); add water; chill.  Serve over ice.

Hope to see you at Bean Days!

 

"Wishing to be friends is quick work, but friendship is a slow ripening fruit." -- Aristotle