Phase 2 of The House Behind The Trees ~ The downstairs #TeelsBuildaHouse

So we are starting the downstairs ... I HATE to say basement because we had a basement in our old home, where you opened a door and went down stairs separated from anything else. It was a finished basement complete with a bedroom, craft room, family/game room and we spent a lot of time there ~ our oldest son moved down there in jr high and stayed through high school ... until we finished the master suite in the attic then he moved back up to the bedroom floor with his brother and sister.  So here our downstairs is open to the rest of the house, you can see through to the outside from the top of the stairs going down because we have a wall of windows down there as well.  We really didn't plan to have a kiddo down there but since we are having to do a switch-a-roo with rooms (I'll explain later) he is moving home soon and will be downstairs. Anyhoo, our downstairs will house our main family room, our middle sons room, a full bath and kitchenette.  I thought it would be fun ...

10 Quick-Fixes with Ground Beef

Cheesy BBQ Sloppy Joes
Ingredients
1 1/2 pounds lean ground beef
1 (14.5-oz.) can diced tomatoes
1 cup ketchup
1/2 cup bottled barbecue sauce
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 (11.25-oz.) package frozen garlic Texas toast
1/2 cup (2 oz.) shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
Brown ground beef in a large skillet over medium-high heat, stirring often, 8 to 10 minutes or until beef crumbles and is no longer pink; drain well. Return to skillet. Stir in tomatoes, next 3 ingredients, and, if desired, jalapeño peppers and liquid. Cover and cook 10 minutes. Meanwhile, prepare Texas toast according to package directions. Serve beef mixture over Texas toast; sprinkle with cheese.

Old-fashioned Meatloaf
Ingredients
1 tablespoon butter
1/2 large onion, finely chopped
2 pounds lean ground beef
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce, divided
1/2 cup Italian-seasoned breadcrumbs
1/3 cup ketchup
2 teaspoons Creole seasoning
1 teaspoon garlic powder
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 (8-ounce) can tomato sauce
3 tablespoons tomato paste
1 tablespoon ketchup
Melt butter in a medium nonstick skillet over medium heat. Stir together ground beef, 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce, breadcrumbs, and next 5 ingredients in a large bowl. Shape into a 10- x 5-inch loaf; place on a lightly greased broiler rack. Place rack in an aluminum foil-lined broiler pan. Bake at 350° for 45 minutes. Stir together remaining 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce, tomato sauce, tomato paste, and 1 tablespoon ketchup until blended; pour evenly over meatloaf, and bake 10 to 15 more minutes or until no longer pink in center. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

Red Bean Chili
Ingredients
2 pounds lean ground beef
1 large onion, chopped
2 (15-ounce) cans light red kidney beans
1 (12-ounce) can tomato juice
1 (10 3/4-ounce) can tomato soup
2 tablespoons chili powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
Cook beef and onion in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat 10 to 12 minutes, stirring until beef crumbles and is no longer pink. Drain, and return beef mixture to Dutch oven.Stir kidney beans and next 5 ingredients into beef mixture; reduce heat, and simmer, stirring occasionally, 1 hour. Garnish, if desired.

All-In-One Spaghetti
Ingredients
1 pound ground beef
1 large onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 (8-ounce) can tomato sauce
1 (6-ounce) can tomato paste
3 cups tomato juice
1 cup water
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
2 to 3 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon dried oregano
Dash of pepper
1 (7-ounce) package spaghetti, uncooked
Grated Parmesan cheese
Cook first 3 ingredients in a Dutch oven, stirring until beef crumbles and is no longer pink; drain well. Return beef mixture to pan. Stir in tomato sauce and next 8 ingredients; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer, stirring often, 30 minutes. Add pasta; cover and simmer, stirring often, 20 minutes or until pasta is tender. Serve with cheese, and garnish, if desired.

Mexican Lasagna
Ingredients
1/2 pound ground mild pork sausage
1/2 pound ground beef
1 (15-ounce) can -pinto beans, drained
2/3 cup canned diced tomatoes and green chiles
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 (10 3/4-ounce) can cream of celery soup
1 (10 3/4-ounce) can cream of mushroom soup
1 (10-ounce) can enchilada sauce
9 (6-inch) corn tortillas
2 cups (8 ounces) shredded Cheddar cheese
1 cup (4 ounces) shredded Monterey Jack cheese
4 green onions, chopped
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 medium avocado, chopped
Cook sausage and ground beef in a large skillet over medium-high heat, stirring until meat crumbles and is no longer pink. Drain. Stir in beans and next 5 ingredients; cook until thoroughly heated.Stir together soups and enchilada sauce in a saucepan; cook until thoroughly heated. Spoon one-third of sauce onto bottom of a lightly greased 13- x 9-inch baking dish; top with 3 tortillas. Spoon half of beef mixture and one-third of sauce over tortillas; sprinkle with half of Cheddar cheese. Top with 3 tortillas; repeat layers ending with tortillas. Sprinkle with Monterey Jack cheese and next 3 ingredients. Bake at 350° for 30 minutes. Top with avocado.

Shepherd’s Pie
Ingredients
1 1/2 pounds ground round
1 cup chopped onion
1/2 (8-oz.) package fresh mushrooms, sliced
1 cup frozen peas, thawed
4 teaspoons beef bouillon granules
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon thyme
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 (14 1/2-oz.) can stewed tomatoes
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
Cheese-and-Carrot Mashed Potatoes
Brown beef in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat, stirring often, 10 minutes or until meat crumbles and is no longer pink. Remove ground beef from skillet using a slotted spoon; reserve 2 Tbsp. drippings in skillet. Reduce heat to medium. Sauté onion, mushrooms, in hot drippings over medium heat 10 to 11 minutes or until tender. Stir in ground beef, peas, and next 4 ingredients. Sprinkle flour over meat mixture. Increase heat to medium-high, and cook, stirring constantly, 1 minute. Stir in tomatoes, bay leaf, and vinegar, breaking up large tomato pieces with a spoon. Reduce heat to medium, and cook, stirring often, 3 minutes or until slightly thickened. Remove bay leaf. Transfer mixture to a lightly greased 3-qt. baking dish or pan. Spoon Cheese-and-Carrot Mashed Potatoes evenly over meat mixture, smoothing with back of spoon. Bake at 400° for 15 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

Italian-Style Beef-and-Pepperoni Soup
Ingredients
1 pound extra-lean ground beef
1 cup sliced turkey pepperoni (3 ounces)
Vegetable cooking spray
1 cup sliced fresh mushrooms
1 green bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1 bunch green onions, chopped
1 teaspoon olive oil
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
4 cups low-sodium fat-free chicken broth
1 tablespoon chopped fresh or 1 teaspoon dried basil
1 tablespoon chopped fresh or 1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
Cook ground beef and pepperoni in a Dutch oven coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat 8 minutes or until beef crumbles and is no longer pink. Rinse and drain beef mixture.Sauté mushrooms and next 3 ingredients in hot oil in Dutch oven 5 minutes. Stir in beef mixture, tomato paste, and next 5 ingredients. Bring to a boil; reduce heat, and simmer 30 minutes.

Smothered Enchiladas
Ingredients
2 pounds ground beef
1 (1 1/4-ounce) package mild taco seasoning mix
1 (4.5-ounce) can chopped green chiles, divided
2 (10 3/4-ounce) cans cream of chicken soup
1 (16-ounce) container sour cream
8 (8-inch) flour tortillas
2 cups (8 ounces) shredded Cheddar cheese
Brown ground beef in a large skillet, stirring until it crumbles and is no longer pink; drain. Stir in taco seasoning mix and half of chopped green chiles; set aside. Stir together remaining green chiles, soup, and sour cream. Pour half of soup mixture into a lightly greased 13- x 9-inch baking dish. Spoon beef mixture evenly down centers of tortillas; roll up. Place, seam sides down, over soup mixture in baking dish; top evenly with remaining soup mixture and cheese.
Bake at 350° for 25 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Garnish, if desired.

Cheesy Chili Hash Brown Bake
Ingredients
1 1/2 pounds lean ground beef or turkey
1 (15.5-oz.) can original sloppy joe sauce
1 (15-oz.) can chili with beans
1/2 (30-oz.) package frozen country-style shredded hash browns (about 4 cups)
2 cups (8 oz.) shredded Cheddar cheese
Preheat oven to 425°. Brown ground beef in a large skillet over medium-high heat, stirring often, 7 to 10 minutes or until meat crumbles and is no longer pink. Stir in sloppy joe sauce and chili. Spoon chili mixture into 8 lightly greased 10-oz. ramekins. Top with frozen hash browns. Bake, covered, at 425° for 30 minutes; uncover and bake 10 more minutes or until browned and crisp. Sprinkle with cheese, and bake 5 more minutes or until cheese is melted.

One-Pot Pasta
Ingredients
1 pound lean ground beef
1 teaspoon vegetable oil
2 (26-ounce) jars tomato-basil pasta sauce
1 cup water
1 tablespoon dried Italian seasoning
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 (20-ounce) package refrigerated four-cheese ravioli
1 cup (4 ounces) shredded mozzarella cheese
Cook ground beef in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat, stirring until it crumbles and is no longer pink; drain. Stir in beef, pasta sauce, 1 cup water, and next 3 ingredients. Bring sauce to a boil; add ravioli. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer, stirring occasionally, 8 to 10 minutes or until pasta is done. Stir in cheese. Serve immediately.

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