Cheeseburger Pie

As unappetizing as this "pie" looked in the picture, it was actually really good. I guess I'm just a cheeseburger type of girl at heart. Using crescent rolls as the crust was genius. It tasted so good! I guess I just never thought to combine all the ingredients of a cheeseburger into a casserole but it works. I really enjoyed the chopped up pickles in the beef. I might have to try chopping up pickles and putting them in the meat next time I make hamburgers. It's a really nice touch. But my favorite part of a burger has always been the pickle. 

This recipe was quick and easy to whip up, and it is pretty kid friendly. What kid doesn't want to eat a pie made of cheeseburgers? When I told Logan we were having cheeseburger pie he immediately paid attention. If you like cheeseburgers, this is definitely a 4 star recipe.

Cheeseburger Pie

Source: Disney Family

Ingredients:

1 can crescent rolls
1 pound ground beef
1/4 cup finely chopped onion, OR 1 teaspoon onion powder
1/3 cup chopped dill pickle slices
2 tablespoons ketchup
1 teaspoon prepared mustard
2 tablespoons flour
2 tablespoons dill pickle juice
2 tablespoons milk
2 cups shredded American cheese, divided

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375°.


Unroll crescent rolls and press into the bottom and up the sides of an 8 inch pie pan.


Cook ground beef in a skillet until browned. Drain well. Stir in onion, chopped pickle, ketchup and mustard. Sprinkle with flour and add pickle juice and milk. Cook and stir until thickened and bubbly. Remove from heat and add 1 cup of shredded cheese.


Pour into the prepared crust and bake for 15 minutes, or until edges of crust are golden brown. Remove from oven and top with remaining cup of cheese. Let stand until cheese melts.


Garnish with extra ketchup, mustard and pickle slices.

Kids' Pasta and Cheese

My husbands only comment on this meal: "not the best recipe." I'd have to agree with him. I was expecting to feel this way though. The name of it does have the word "kid" in it. And it is kid friendly. Logan's comments on it: "mmm, nummy. Hot dogs!" 

This recipe will be put in the "kids lunch" file. I'd probably put in 3 hot dogs instead of 2, we're a hot dog loving family. So this recipe is 3 stars for me, but probably a 4 star for Logan. It just depends on your audience.

Kids' Pasta and Cheese

Source: Disney Family

Ingredients:
1 cup acini di pepe pasta
1 cup frozen peas
2 turkey or chicken hot dogs - sliced thinly
4 ounces (about 1 cup) shredded melting cheese such as American, cheddar or gruyere
1/4 cup milk
salt and pepper as desired


Directions:
Cook pasta according to package directions until just before desired doneness is reached. Two minutes before pasta is done, add peas and hot dogs to cooking water and cook until heated through.


Drain water from pasta, hot dogs and peas. Put back into pot and add milk and cheese. Heat over a very low flame, stirring constantly until cheese is melted and pasta is coated well. Season with salt and pepper before serving.

Veggie and Quinoa Burritos

This is a vegan recipe and I am not a vegan, but that doesn't mean I can't enjoy it. I'd give it 4 stars. I'm not sure what would make it better. I liked it and had seconds. Logan ate it. It just wasn't knock your socks off good. But I probably will make it again. I bought a huge bag of quinoa from Costco and have been searching for recipes to use it. The last, and only, quinoa dish I made was the Southwestern Quinoa Salad and Logan would not touch it. Finding recipes that Logan will eat and Brian and I will enjoy is always great. The recipe uses shredded sauteed zucchini and you can hardly tell it is there. I love being able to sneak some vegetables into Logan. He has a few favorites - corn, peas, tomatoes - but he wont even give a lot of them a try. I'm sure that is a problem for a lot of you mom's out there, so this recipe might be a keeper for you too! It's kid friendly and easily personalizable if you have super picky eaters or allergies. The only thing I would do differently is to make more of the sour cream mixture. I love sour cream and I wanted to dip my burrito in it. Super healthy, I know.

Veggie and Quinoa Burritos

Source: Cooking Quinoa

Ingredients:

1 onion, chopped

1 jalapeno, seeded and minced (optional)

½ cup quinoa, rinsed

4 cloves garlic, minced

2/3 cup vegetable broth

1/3 cup vegan or low fat sour cream OR Greek yogurt

1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro

2 teaspoons lime juice

1/8 tablespoon chipotle chili pepper powder (optional)

1 cup frozen corn, thawed

¾ cup shredded zucchini

¾ cup chopped tomatoes

4 whole wheat or gluten free tortillas

1 cup Daiya Pepper Jack or Cheddar Cheese

For serving: Salsa and/or Guacamole (optional)

Instructions:

Spray a medium saucepan with organic canola spray. Add onion and jalapeno and cook for 8 to 10 minutes, until tender. Add quinoa and garlic and sauté for one minute. Add vegetable broth and bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to low and cover. Cook for 30 to 35 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to sit covered for 5 more minutes.

In a small bowl combine sour cream, cilantro, lime juice and chipotle chili pepper.

Heat a large skillet to medium high heat and spray with canola oil spray. Add corn and zucchini and cook for 2 minutes. Add tomatoes and cook for one additional minute. 

Remove vegetables from heat and wipe pan carefully with paper towels.

Heat tortillas a few minutes per side. Spread with a thin layer of sour cream. Top with ¼ cup cheese, ¼ of the quinoa and ¼ of the vegetable mixture. Roll up using toothpicks to secure.

Return skillet to medium heat and spray with olive oil. Add 2 burritos to pan and cook each side until browned.

Pizza Quesadillas

I love quesadillas. So when I saw this recipe I was instantly excited. The marriage of italian and mexican food would have to be good, right? I am happy to report that it was and this recipe was a resounding success! Even Logan ate it without me having to coax/bribe/feed him myself. For anyone who wants a kid friendly and yummy recipe, make this. I didn't fry the pepperoni before hand and I just baked the Quesadillas in the oven instead of a pan and they still turned out great. This is a 5 star recipe for sure.

Pizza Quesadillas

Source: The Girl Who Ate Everything

Ingredients:

8 flour tortillas

8 ounces of shredded mozzarella cheese

6 ounces sliced pepperoni

1 (16-ounce) jar of pizza sauce
butter for pan

Instructions:

Heat a medium skillet over medium heat and fry the pepperoni until crisp. Transfer onto a paper towel to drain. Brush each tortilla with a thin layer of pizza sauce. You want the layer so thin that if you turned it over, none would drip. Sprinkle cheese on top of the sauce on the bottom tortilla. Top with pepperoni and other toppings, if desired. Sprinkle with another layer of cheese and place the other tortilla on top (sauce side in).

Preheat a medium cast-iron skillet over medium heat. Add a little butter if desired and melt. Gently place quesadilla in the pan and cook for 3-5 minutes on each side, until cheese is melted and tortillas are crispy. Slice into quarters and serve with a little bowl of warm pizza sauce for dipping.