Dinner 1.0

Dinner. This is not always an easy task in my household. I have a picky eater for a husband, and occasionally some of my children will decide to become discriminating food critics, as long as it gets them what they want (or removes what they don't).

One dinner I made surprised me to no end that all (yes ALL) of my children of solid food age absolutely loved. Hamburger Pie. As odd as it sounds, it's really just good old comfort food that is very easy to make, and not very expensive either. Add some biscuits on the side and you've just about got yourself a complete meal for very cheap.

NOTE: With this recipe I tend not to really measure anything. I just cook up as many potatoes as I feel like peeling, dump in as much cheese as I can stand, and use up all the leftover cooked ground beef from tacos or whatever else might have had some left. I have made this for so long I don't use a recipe anymore. Feel free to mess around with the amounts and even try adding different seasonings. We've tried the Northwoods Seasoning from Penzey's and it made it a very interesting dish.

Hamburger Pie

• 1 lb. ground beef, cooked and drained
• 2-3 cups shredded cheddar (depending on your tastes)
• 6 medium sized potatoes, cooked and mashed with butter, milk and salt

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Farenheit. Spray a 2 qt. baking dish with non-stick cooking spray.

Evenly layer the potatoes on the bottom, half of the shredded cheddar, the ground beef and the remaining shredded cheddar in the baking dish. Bake for around 20-25 minutes or until cheese is melted and starting to brown.

For your biscuits, try these:

Cornmeal Biscuits

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose unbleached flour
• 1/2 cup cornmeal
  
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 3/4 cup buttermilk
• 5 tablespoons cold unsalted butter cut into small pieces
  

Preheat your oven to

Combine all of the dry ingredients in a medium sized bowl. Cut in the butter with a pastry fork until the mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs. (For a little more flaky layer action leave a few bigger chunks of butter). Don't let the butter melt or overmix the dough or you will have flat nasty biscuits.

Add the buttermilk and stir with a spatula until the dry ingredients are moistened. Turn onto a lightly floured surface and knead about 5 to 10 times just to get everything to stick together. Roll out until the dough is about 1/2 inch thick. Using a biscuit cutter, cut out biscuits and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment or a silicone mat. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until golden brown on top.

Serve with butter and a little honey and these are great with any meal.