Rainy Day Burger Wraps

Summertime eating is here, but we have issues with getting bored with our menu planning. It's the time for lighter fare, and we like to keep it quick & versatile. We have some menu items that we might rotate around depending on the week. I bet you can guess that gets a little tired, too, even with the change ups.

This time, I gotta give credit to my hubby. This is his time to take over a lot of cooking...on the grill! Two of our menu items we go back & forth with on alternate weeks happen to be bratwurst (and hot dogs) switched with burgers.

Even though today wasn't rainy, too hot or too cold...my hubby imagined having burger wraps. We could assemble them like our soft tacos, but with typical burger condiments & such.

I ended up cooking them, and here's what I did:

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RAINY DAY BURGER WRAPS

Ingredients:

* 1 lb. ground beef
* 1-2 splashes liquid smoke
* 2 Tbs minced onion
* salt & pepper to taste
* tortilla wraps
* condiments of choice


Directions:

~ brown up ground beef in a skillet with the minced onion with salt & pepper

~ once the meat is browned, crumbly & caramelized, drain the meat & rinse; place back into the skillet

~ set the burner with the skillet on low to keep the meat warm; add the liquid smoke, stir & allow to simmer

~ spoon some of the meat mixture onto a tortilla shell (we used a whole grain tortilla) & top with condiments of choice: shredded cheese, lettuce, tomato, onion, pickle, ketchup, mustard, mayo, bbq sauce, etc.

~ fold it up & consume

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These ended up really good! They look like tacos...my kids kept pointing that out. But if you planned on burgers, but it's raining...or it's just too hot to grill (so basically for anyone who isn't a die-hard, extreme griller), this is a great option to just throw together. They are quick & easy...and no having to form meat patties! Oh...and we served 'em up with waffle fries!

My hubby has referred to them as "Any-Way-You-Want-'Em Burgers" too. Either way, another variation & slightly lighter version of a burger for the spring & summertime!

ENJOY!

Ground Beef Stroganoff

One of our favorite Hamburger Helper meals is the Beef Stroganoff. But as I began to try my hand at more cooking, while building our pantry, I had some egg noodles to use...so I thought I'd try my hand making my own.

I looked around, like on Pinterest, and began to figure out how I wanted to go about making this.

Now then, I usually use canned cream of mushroom soup (which I do include in the ingredients), but when I made it this time...I apparently already used them, or they disappeared. I'd already began making the meal, so I had to improvise a backup plan quick! So I faked a cream soup gravy for this time around. I have given the ingredients & directions to it, too.

Oh...I took pics along the way, too. So here is what I did:

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Ground Beef Stroganoff

Ingredients:

1 lb ground beef

1 can cream of mushroom soup (or make *cream soup gravy)

½ C minced onion

2 T parsley

1 T paprika

½ C sour cream

4 C egg noodles

¼ C parmesan

¼ C milk

4 T butter

* Improvised Cream Soup Gravy

½-¾ C beef or chicken broth

½ C heavy whipping cream

½ C flour

4 T butter

1 T garlic powder

¼ t ground black pepper

pinch nutmeg

Directions:

Brown ground beef in a large skillet with the minced onion

Once browned thru, drain the meat & rinse

Place back into the skillet, set heat to Lo






~~ If making cream soup gravy, do so while browning the meat ~~

* melt butter in saucepan

* add in the flour to make rue

* add in broth & cream

* whisk until blended & bring to boil

* turn down burner temp, add in garlic, pepper & nutmeg

(I also added in the parsley & paprika here)

*stir often

Add milk, can soup (or cream soup gravy), sour cream, parmesan, paprika & parsley (if not added to cream soup gravy) to the skillet; stir & allow to simmer









In a large pot, make egg noodles to package directions; drain

When drained, melt the butter throughout the noodles

Combine noodles & meat mixture

Serve

Yield: 4

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So, my hubby liked the improvised sauce. The kiddos weren't as impressed...but they complain about anything they aren't used to. But my hubby is a big critic on about everything...so him liking this improvisation means it's a go again in the future!

Also, I double the recipe since we have a larger-than-4 family. (Not the cream soup gravy - I had to make it in a hurry based on the amount I was already making. If you want a portion that serves 4, cut the amounts in half)

We served it up with some Italian loaf bread. So good!

Let me know which way you went with it & what you thought!

ENJOY!

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Update:

OK...so this recipe has been my most pinned from this blog on Pinterest! So glad you all have enjoyed it!! Thank you SO much! And I've noticed it's because of my improvised cream gravy instead of canned mushroom soup. So glad this has worked out!

Well, I made it again with some changes that is just as tasty & even better for you!

I substituted in whole wheat flour for the all-purpose flour, I dissolved a beef bouillon cube in water instead of chicken broth/stock, I used white pepper instead of black pepper, plain non-fat Greek yogurt for sour cream, then I added in a little bit of kale, rinsed & torn into tiny pieces when I added it to the cream gravy to wilt a bit. I was asked what the green stuff was...I told them it was really big parsley that is supposed to be in there. (Shhhh....don't tell them my secret!)

Oh...and it was still SO good!! Hope you enjoy this kick up in health benefits, too!!