Kids in the kitchen ( why hamburger is a staple )

Being a stay at home mom I do a lot of cooking and since I have a picky husband and a picky four year old son it can make dinner time tricky. One thing I know for sure is the number one kitchen staple in this house is hamburger. It is such a versatile ingredient and I can make some many different things from it.

My kids love pasta, we eat a lot of different pasta dishes in this house. Tonight we had a pasta dish that they ate really well. Very simple and easy to make also!

You need:
wheat elbow noodles
1 pound hamburger
1 small bag of frozen corn
catsup
v8
tomato sauce
garlic powder
Italian seasoning
salt
pepper

Cook your noodles like normal. While noodles are cooking start frying the hamburger, I add the garlic and Italian seasoning right to the hamburger while it cooks. Drain noodles when done, add hamburger and corn to noodles. Pour in enough v8 so you can start to see it coming up the sides, do not add to much or it will make your pasta soupy. Add 1 can of tomato sauce and a small squirt of catsup. Stir and heat through. Add salt and pepper to taste.

It only takes about 20 minuets to make and it was a huge hit in my house.

Later this week I plan on making meatloaf cupcakes again. They are really tasty, the cup cakes makes for a perfect portion and the kids really liked them. All you need to do is make the meat loaf the way you normally do.

Here is my recipe:

1lb hamburger
1 sleeve crushed ritz crackers
3 large eggs
catsup
garlic
Italian seasoning
pepper
meatloaf seasoning ( I get it from watkins and it is really yummy )

Then I line my cupcake pan with cupcake liners, fill the liners almost to the top and bake at 350 for around 30 mins or until baked through.

While those are baking I make garlic mashed potatoes to frost the meatloaf cup cakes with. After frosting them with the potatoes I add shredded cheddar cheese for sprinkles and serve with a side of corn.

It is a really simple way to make a meal fun, the kids love it and always clean there plates.