Homemade Hamburger Helper

I have a bit of a confession. I love hamburger helper. Brown the meat. Open the box, add the liquid and there is dinner. I just love it. I think we all have those secret food things that we know we shouldn't eat, that are full of crazy ingredients we can't even pronounce. You know the foods I'm talking about.

Well, a few months ago I decided enough was enough. I needed to find a healthier alternative to hamburger helper. And in stepped the internet, aka google and pinterest. It is amazing the talented people you can find that help you solve your dilemmas.

This recipe is based of the one found at Farmgirl Gourmet. You can find her recipe here. I found the original to be a bit on the spicy side for my family so I modified it slightly. I think that is the great thing about finding and sharing things online. You get a great jumping off point and can tweak things to fit into your family's tastes.

So here is the recipe I use.

Homemade Hamburger Helper
1 lbish of ground beef (I always buy my meat in bulk and divide it when I get home. I am never sure exactly of the weight, but I am happy with the amount.)
2 1/2 cups milk
1 cup hot water
2 cups whole wheat pasta (you can probably use whatever kind of pasta you want. This is what I happen to have on hand. I have used macaroni, penne, the rotini. They all seem to work using the same method.)
2 tsp garlic powder
not quite 1 tbsp chili powder
1 tbsp cornstarch
1/2 tsp salt
not quite a full tsp of paprika
1 tsp sugar
2ish cups of grated cheese (I don't actually measure, I just guestimate. If you have an Ikea grater it is about one container full.)

I use a big pot to insure no over bubbling. Brown beef. Add everything but the cheese and stir to mix. Bring to a boil then simmer for 15 minutes. You can stir if you want to. I usually just set the timer for 15 minutes and read for a bit. Remove from heat and stir in cheese. Enjoy!

That's all there is to it. Pretty amazing. And the best part. My kids actually eat it! I know that there are some recipe sites out there that claim that their kids eat that meal. But usually, in my experience at least, they lie. I feel duped as my kids turn their noses up at it. But this recipe, they actually eat, without complaining, and usually ask for seconds!! Definitely a winner in my books.


Do you make a healthier/real food version of one of your guilty pleasures? If show please share in the comments. It would be awesome to add to the repertoire.

Crazy Cake

Has this ever happened to you? You go to make a cake and then realize you don't have enough eggs. You don't feel like going to the store to get more and you don't have flax seeds to grind to make an egg alternative. What are you going to do?

Well in steps the crazy cake. I don't know if that is the real name for it. It is just what my mother always called it because she thinks it's crazy that it works. Crazy cake doesn't need eggs. Just some baking soda and vinegar and you end up with a cake that rises and has the perfect density and is super moist. No how sometimes it is really hard to find a great moist chocolate cake. Well you need to look no further. This cake seems to be moist all every single time.

Tonight is meet the teacher night at my girls school and the school council puts on a dessert potluck. So I made this today. I am going to put a chocolate butter cream icing on it but usually I just serve it with a glob of vanilla ice cream. Delicious.

I will give you the recipe for a 9"x13" pan. I made mind in an 8" square pan but just halving the recipe.

Crazy Cake
In a big bowl mix
3 cups flour
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
2 cups sugar
1/2 cup cocoa powder

Make 3 holes into the mixture.
Hole #1 put in 1 tbsp white vinegar
Hole #2 put in 2 tsp  vanilla
Hole #3 put in 2/3 cup oil (I used canola)

Pour 2 cups of water over top and stir vigorously until it is mixed well.

Pour into greased pan and bake at 350 for 30 minutes.

Sometimes I don't bother with the holes and just dump all the liquid in at once. It seems to still work. I don't know why my mom had us make holes. Maybe it was to make it more fun?

mmmm... Pizza

this is chicken pesto pizza. yummers!

I love pizza. It is so yummy. It is so versatile. It is so customizable. It can be so different depending on how it is made.

We have our favourite pizza shops. We are lucky to have one just down the street from us who makes really good pizza. Nothing is worse than pizza that has such a hard crust that it cuts the roof of your mouth. Or has no flavour. The bad thing with getting pizza no matter whether from a pizza shop or frozen at your store is that is has added grease, added preservatives and who knows what else in it. These days I have been making my own pizza and man is it yummy. Yes, my 5 year old keeps wanting pizza from the store. But, I'm sure she will turn it around. I mean, it's homemade, using my own two hands. Now if that doesn't deserve some rounds of applause, I don't know what will.

Here is the recipe for my homemade whole wheat pizza dough.

about 2-1/2 cups whole wheat flour (If you want a softer dough you can change it for all-purpose flour or a mixture of the two. I usually just use whole wheat flour.)
1 tsp sea salt
1 tbsp sugar
2-1/4 tsp yeast
3 tbsp olive oil
1 cup very warm water

In a large bowl stir 1 cup of the flour, the sea salt, sugar and yeast. Then add the olive oil and the water. Stir together. Add enough flour so the mixture isn't sticking to your hands and knead the dough. Add the flour a little at a time. You can always add more if needed but you can't take it out again. You don't want an over floured dough. I knead it right in the bowl. Knead until the dough is springy and then let it rest for 30 minutes.

Roll out the dough onto your cookie sheet. Bake in a preheated oven of 425 for 10 minutes and then decorate. Put back in the oven until the cheese is nice and gooey. And voila homemade pizza.

You can use a pizza stone if you would like, but I prefer to use a cookie sheet. I don't care if my pizza is round and would rather not go through the hassle of trying to make beautifully circular pizza.

If you are using all-purpose flour you may need a bit more. I find when I am using 100% whole wheat flour I don't need to use as much of it.

I hope you enjoy making some homemade pizza this week! What are your favourite pizza toppings?

Yummy Felafels

I love flavourful foods. I love complex tastes making love to my taste buds. These felafels do that for me. combined with an awesome tzatziki sauce and yammo, you have yourself one yummy dinner.

Ingredients 
1 can chickpeas
1 small onion
3 slices of bread (if using homemade bread you'll have to experiment with it a little)
4-6 cloves of garlic (I have been using 1/2 tsp of garlic powder lately)
2 tsp cumin
2 tbsp dried parsley (you can use fresh, just adjust the amount)

In a food processor puree chickpeas, onion, bread and garlic. I usually do one ingredient at a time and then put it in a bowl. You don't need it to be completely smooth like peanut butter but you definitely want it to be fine.

Mix the processed ingredients and the remaining ingredients in a bowl.

Make mixture into 1" balls

Put in a 450 degree oven for 20 minutes.

The felafels will be crispy on the outside and still soft in the middle. And did I mention oh so yummy!

I used to serve them in pitas with lettuce, tomatoes and cucumber. The kids had a hard time with it as their pita's would rip or the filling would fall out. Now I serve it over couscous that has been flavoured with garlic powder and cumin. Even my husband likes that better, and I do to. You can even eat them by themselves just as a snack. Healthy and a flavourful punch. That is a winning combination.