Grilling Hamburgers Safely

Summer and cooking hamburgers on the grill go together especially now that home grown tomatoes are ripe.  We love the grilled flavor for hamburgers, it's fast, easy and doesn't heat up the kitchen.  But have you heard the warnings from the USDA?

From their website:
Cook all raw ground beef, pork, lamb, and veal to an internal temperature of 160 °F as measured with a food thermometer. 

Seeing Isn't Believing
Many people assume that if a hamburger is brown in the middle, it is done. However, looking at the color and texture of food is not enough—you have to use a food thermometer to be sure! According to USDA research, 1 out of every 4 hamburgers turns brown before it reaches a safe internal temperature. The only safe way to know if meat, poultry, and egg dishes are "done" is to use a food thermometer. When a hamburger is cooked to 160 °F as measured with a food thermometer, it is both safe and delicious!

Wow! 

So to help a hamburger to cook evenly and prevent that "pink" spot in the middle, I poke a hole in the center of the patty.  You'll never notice the hole when eating your hamburger (the hole shrinks).  I would feel sooo bad if my cooking ever made anyone sick!  Hope your summer is fun, safe and delicious!

 
(Sorry for the poor picture but I think it's hard to get a good picture of uncooked hamburgers.)

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#1 Time Saver at Dinner Time

My number one, can't live without, way to save time when making dinner is to cook meat ahead to
use later.  It really saves you time if you have ground beef or chicken cooked and ready to use in your freezer.  I buy a large package of ground beef (which costs less per pound) then I brown it with chopped onion, and season with salt and pepper.  I usually add 1/4 onion to a pound of ground beef.  After the meat is browned I drain off the grease.  Then I package it for freezing.  Don't forget to write the date on the freezer bags or containers.  (I try to date everything I put in the freezer.)  Two cups is about the same as a pound to use in your recipes.  Sometimes before I start I take out some to freeze for hamburgers or meatloaf, if they're on the menu soon.  Just think how fast it will be the next time you need browned ground beef for dinner you won't need to chop onions, drain the grease off, or clean the pan!  The frozen meat thaws well in the microwave.  I love it for tacos, spaghetti, Baked Pasta, enchiladas and many, many more dinners.

For Chicken I buy the bags of frozen chicken breasts.  Then I thaw the whole bag and cook it all the way I'm using it for the first meal.  I cook it all on the grill or I simmer it with onion to shred for a casserole.  Then I label and freeze what I don't use for that meal.  It always gets used and saves me a lot of time.

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Make your own enchilada sauce

Yes, you can make your own enchilada sauce!  It's so easy, like making a white sauce.  The best part is you can make it mild or not, thin or thicker, just the way you like it.  I'm sure you have all the ingredients on hand.  This recipe makes about the same amount as a 15 ounce can of enchilada sauce and can be used in any recipe you use enchilada sauce like Pineapple-Black Bean Enchiladas.

3 tablespoons vegetable oil
3-4 tablespoons flour (3 for thin)
5-7 tablespoons chili powder (5 is mild)
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 1/4 cups water

In sauce pan mix first four ingredients.  Add water, cook on medium heat.  Stir often till it starts to boil and thickens.  Taste, add more chili powder if you'd like.

For micro wave oven, mix first four ingredients in a large glass bowl.  Stir in water.  Cook on high power for 3 minutes, stir.  Cook for 3 more minutes, stir.  Repeat till thicken. 

I like making sauces in the micro wave, because you don't need to constantly stir the sauce.  Just make sure your thickener (flour or cornstarch) is mixed in really good before you start cooking or the sauce will have lumps.   

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Cheese Filled Meatloaf

I got this recipe from a college roommate.  Thirty plus years later it is still "My Meatloaf Recipe".

1 slice torn bread

1/3 cup oatmeal

1/3 cup milk

1 ½ pound ground beef

1 egg yolk (save white for cheese filling)

2 tablespoons dehydrated onion or ¼ cup chopped onion

½ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon pepper

¼ teaspoon dry mustard

¼ teaspoon sage or poultry seasoning

¼ teaspoon garlic salt

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

Cheese filling:

1 egg white

1 tablespoon water

2 slices of bread torn into pieces

2/3 cup grated cheese

Topping:

1/3 cup catchup

1 teaspoon prepared mustard

1 tablespoon brown sugar

Mix together first set of ingredients. Pat 2/3 of mixture into loaf pan covering bottom and ½ way up the sides.

Mix together cheese filling ingredients. Fill meat in pan with cheese filling. 

Flatten remaining 1/3 of ground beef mixture, place over cheese. 

Press down around edge to seal top to bottom.

Bake 1 hour at 350.  In a small bowl mix topping ingredients together.  After an hour spread topping on meatloaf.  Finish baking another 30 minutes.  Bake 90 minutes total.

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Baked Pasta / Ziti

Baked Pasta is perfect for potlucks and taking dinner in.  So much easier than Lasagna.
This recipe was originally meatless.

I got this recipe from my super good friend Jane Huff.

1 12 oz. package of Ziti, Mostaccioli or similar tube pasta
4 cups grated mozzarella cheese
1 lb. carton cottage cheese or 15 oz. carton ricotta cheese or half of each
½ lb ground beef or 1 cup of browned ground beef (cooked with chopped onion) (opt)
2 15 oz cans tomato sauce
2 teaspoons sugar
2 teaspoon oregano
1/2 teaspoon minced garlic, dehydrated or 2 cloves

2 teaspoon parsley flakes (opt)
salt and pepper
Parmesan cheese (opt)

Brown ground beef, drain off grease.  Cook pasta using package instructions.  Do not over cook. Drain well and stir in 2 cups mozzarella cheese and cottage cheese.  Pour one can (save can) tomato sauce into 9x13pan, stir in cooked ground beef.  Sprinkle half of the spices over sauce and stir. (1 teaspoon sugar, 1 teaspoon oregano, 1/4 teaspoon dehydrated minced garlic, 1 teaspoon parsley flakes, salt and pepper)  Layer on top of sauce the pasta and cheese mixture.  Open second can of tomato sauce pour half of sauce into saved can.  Add remaining half of the spices to one can, pour back and forth from cans to mix.  Pour sauce over pasta mixture, sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and remaining grated mozzarella cheese.  Bake 30 minutes at 350.

Baked Pasta is freezer friendly.  If freezing, cook pasta 2 minutes less than the shortest cooking time in package directions.

 

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