Mushroom Meatloaf

Ingredients

* 2 pounds lean ground beef
* 1/2 pound fresh mushrooms, all minced except for 6
* 3/4 cup fresh bread crumbs
* 1/2 cup minced onion
* 1/2 cup ketchup
* 2 eggs, beaten
* 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
* 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. In a large mixing bowl, combine ground meat, minced mushrooms, bread crumbs, onion, ketchup, eggs, and salt and pepper. Mix well. Spread 1/2 of the mixture into the bottom of a loaf pan. Arrange 6 whole mushrooms stem down into meat. Top with rest of meat, patting to combine both halves.
3. Bake for 1 hour and 45 minutes, or until done. Internal temperature should measure 160 degrees F (70 degrees C) when done.

Chevapchiche

Botra's Recipe;
1 lb beef
1 lb port or veal
1 egg
1 large onion (if desired put also a couple of cloves of garlic)
salt & pepper to taste (a few sprinkles of Mrs. Dash if desired)
Fry onions (garlic) just to lightly brown.
Mix in meat well by hand.
Place in Fridge for 1/2 hour or over night.
Make Chevapchiche and BBQ.

Katica Panenich Recipe:
1 lb beef
1 lb port or veal
1 large onion (if desired put also a couple of cloves of garlic)
salt & pepper to taste (a few sprinkles of hot paprika if desired)
beef powder
1 large onion
Fry onions just to lightly brown.
Mix in meat well by hand.
Place in Fridge for 1/2 hour or over night.
Make Chevapchiche and BBQ.

Layered Taco Salad

yield: Makes 6 servings

Ingredients
For dressing

* 1/4 cup fresh lime juice
* 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
* 1 teaspoon sugar
* 1 tablespoon chili powder
* 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
* 1/2 cup olive oil


For beef

* 1 medium onion, chopped
* 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
* 1 to 2 fresh serrano chiles (including seeds), finely chopped
* 1 tablespoon chili powder
* 2 teaspoons ground cumin
* 2 tablespoons olive oil
* 1 1/2 lb ground chuck
* 1 (8-oz) can tomato sauce
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 1/4 teaspoon black pepper


For salad

* 1 (1/2-lb) firm-ripe California avocado
* 1 head iceberg lettuce, thinly sliced (8 cups)
* 1 large tomato (1/2 lb), chopped
* 1/4 lb coarsely grated extra-sharp Cheddar (1 1/2 cups)
* 1 (15- to 19-oz) can black beans, drained and rinsed
* 1 (6-oz) can sliced pitted California black olives, drained


* Accompaniment: tortilla chips

Preparation

Make dressing:
Whisk together lime juice, cilantro, sugar, chili powder, cumin, salt, and pepper, then add oil in a stream, whisking until emulsified.

Cook beef:
Cook onion, garlic, chiles to taste, chili powder, and cumin in oil in a 12-inch heavy skillet over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until onion is well softened, about 6 minutes. Add beef and cook, stirring occasionally and breaking up lumps, until meat is no longer pink, about 5 minutes, then spoon off any excess fat from skillet.

Add tomato sauce, salt, and pepper to beef and cook, stirring, until slightly thickened, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat.

Assemble salad:
Peel and pit avocado, then cut into 1/2-inch pieces.

Spread lettuce over bottom of a shallow 4-quart dish. Spoon beef mixture evenly over lettuce and continue making layers with tomatoes, cheese, beans, avocado, and olives. Drizzle dressing over salad.

Chimichangas

1/2 lb extra lean ground beef
2 tbsp diced green chiles
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp cumin
2 tsp chili powder
8 oz tomato sauce
1 small onion, finely chopped
1/3 cup cheddar cheese
1 garlic clove, minced
4 tortillas
Pam

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cook hamburger in skillet that is lightly sprayed with Pam. Add garlic, cumin, chili powder, chiles, tomato sauce and oregano and simmer for about 5 minutes, until the sauce thickens a bit.

On a Pam sprayed cookie sheet, fill each tortilla with a good scoop of goo (I had extra since I used extra meat but try to keep it as even as possible). Roll the tortilla up, pushing in the sides then rolling it. They will be thick and that is ok! Spray the tops of the tortillas so they glisten and bake about 20 minutes or until crisp.

Serve w/refried beans and/or spanish rice

Pastitsio

Prep Time: 1 hours, 15 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hours,
Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 pounds of bucatini pasta (or other tubular pasta like penne, ziti #2 etc.)
• 1 cup of olive oil
• 1-2 cloves of garlic, finely minced
• 1 1/4 cup of chopped onions
• 1 1/2 pounds of ground beef
• 2 1/2 cups of peeled, chopped plum tomatoes
• 1 1/2 teaspoons of ground cinnamon
• 6 whole cloves
• sea salt
• 20 or more ground peppercorns (to taste)
• 1 1/4 cups of grated kefalotyri cheese (or pecorino)
• 1/2 cup of breadcrumbs
• béchamel sauce with cheese or basic béchamel

Preparation:

Make the Meat Sauce
Sauté the onions until translucent in 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large heavy-bottomed frying pan. Add meat and continue to stir until lightly brown. Add the tomatoes, cinnamon, cloves, garlic, salt, and pepper and stir well to combine. Reduce heat and simmer until liquid has been absorbed, about 30-35 minutes. This is very important - the meat mixture should be as dry as possible without sticking to the bottom of the pan. Set meat mixture aside, uncovered, and allow to cool.
Preheat oven to 350F (160C). Lightly grease a baking or roasting pan approximately 11 X 14 X 3 inches high.
Prepare the Pasta
While the meat is simmering, prepare the pasta. Cook until slightly underdone, drain, toss with a couple of tablespoons of olive oil to prevent sticking, and set aside.
Make the béchamel sauce with cheese.
Spread the breadcrumbs evenly on the bottom of an 11x15x3-inch baking pan. Use 1/2 the pasta for the first layer and sprinkle with 1/2 cup of the grated cheese. Remove cloves from the sauce, add the meat sauce evenly over the pasta, and sprinkle with 1/2 cup of the grated cheese. Add the remaining pasta on top. Carefully pour the béchamel over the top and use a spatula to spread evenly.
Bake at 350F (160C) for 30 minutes, then sprinkle the remaining 1/4 cup of grated cheese on top, and continue to bake for another 15 to 30 minutes until the sauce rises and turns golden brown.
Remove pan from oven and allow to cool before serving (Pastitsio is served warm, not hot).
Yield: serves 6-8
Notes: This dish can be prepared the day before, all the way to the béchamel sauce, refrigerated overnight, and cooked the next day after adding the sauce.

Ground Beef Quiche

PREP TIME 15 min; COOK TIME 35 min; READY IN 50 min; SERVINGS 6

INGREDIENTS

• 1/2 pound ground beef
• 1 1/2 cup broccoli florets, cut small
  
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 3 eggs
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
• 1 cup shredded Swiss cheese
• 1 (9 inch) unbaked pastry shell

DIRECTIONS

1. In a skillet, cook ground beef and onion until beef is browned and onion is tender; drain. Stir in broccoli, salt, oregano, garlic powder and pepper. In a bowl, beat eggs, milk and mayonnaise, stir into meat mixture. Fold in cheeses. Pour into pastry shell. Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees F or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean. Let stand 5 minutes before cutting.