burger pizza
Posted: April 11, 2016 Filed under: casseroles and one-dish meals | Tags: basil, bisquick, garlic salt, ground chuck, oregano, parsley, swiss cheese, tomato sauce, vegetable oil Leave a comment
Let’s Eatsa The Pizza
As a self-proclaimed pizza junky my at-home pizza-like objects often take a variety of forms involving Boboli crust, a nice slice of bread topped with Joe’s Red Sauce or this home grown recipe for Trader Joe’s Bacon Cheese Bread. No matter the form the cheesy, savory taste of pizza is always a delight, morning or night.
It wasn’t until my first trip to Italy that I discovered I actually prefer thin crust pizza topped with a few simple ingredients. Sorry, cheese-stuffed crust, deep-dish gooey pie!
This burger pizza recipe surprised both Joe and I – we agreed it was a bit like the home grown Boboli pizza of the 1970s. But before we dive into how to make a slice of this burger topped piggy pie let’s enjoy a little story.
Burgertime … In The Beginning
Following our family’s Pong and Atari 2600 digital scores, in walked ColecoVision. My Mom “Betty” and I spent many mind-numbing moments playing our hearts away in front of the likes of Dig Dig, Frogger, and BurgerTime. Let’s have a brief look at some of the BurgerTime action:
Wow. Chef eating pickles, eggs, hot dogs brought to life in cutting edge ROM graphics. Exciting, huh? Hah! More than 30 years later I still have my Coleco game console including my BurgerTime cartridge, which shows my inner love of food-related fancies. Anyone game for a BurgerTime playoff?
foodie tips ~
❤ We didn’t see instructions for how to prepare 1 cup of biscuit mix so we got as close as we could – we used 1 cup Bisquick brand mix plus ¼ cup whole milk to mix. Also, we added a tad more biscuit mix to dust our pastry/cutting board.
❤ Out of Bisquick? Try this substitute for 1 cup of Bisquick mix: 1 cup flour + 1 ½ teaspoons of baking powder +½ teaspoon salt + 1 tablespoon of shortening. Mix it all up and voilà!
❤ Mom’s recipe doesn’t specify this but we browned our ground chuck before topping and baking the pizza.
❤ I thought to use fresh herbs but I was corrected. “Dried is what would have been used,” Joe said. I agreed.
i. ingredients
1 cup | packaged biscuit mix (most commonly known in the 1970s as bisquick)
¼ cup | whole milk (if following the foodie tip above)
to coat dough | wesson oil
½ pound | ground chuck, browned (see foodie tip above)
to taste | salt, pepper and garlic salt
½ teaspoon | oregano or basil (we used oregano but I love me some basil)
8 ounce can | tomato sauce
1 tablespoon | parsley, chopped
¼ pound | swiss cheese, cut into 1-inch strips
ii. what to do
1. Prepare dough according to package directions (or my above foodie tip).
2. Divide the dough in half and roll each piece to fit the bottom and sides of the pie pans. Place in pan and brush with the oil.
3. Put half of the remaining ingredients on each of the pies in the following order: crumble the ground chuck evenly over the dough, sprinkle with salt, pepper, garlic salt and oregano or basil. Cover with tomato sauce and parsley. Arrange the swiss cheese strips on top, like a spoke of a wheel.
4. Bake in a 400°F preheated oven about 20 minutes or until brown and cheese has melted.
Yields: 2 delicious pizzas
~ Patrick
Betty’s Son
Founder and “Nostalgic Food Blogger” of Betty’s Cook Nook
A Scan Of My Mom “Betty’s” Burger Pizza Recipe
swedish meatballs
Posted: October 3, 2012 Filed under: meats poultry and fish, The Best Of The Best Recipes | Tags: allspice, beef broth, bread crumbs, butter, cardamom, cream, dill weed, eggs, flour, ground chuck, ground pork, milk, nutmeg, onion Leave a comment
A Swedish Dish
“A piece of bread in your pocket is better than a feather in your hat.”
~ Swedish proverb
I’ll need larger pockets, as I’m a foodie through and through. And I do love my bread! Feathers aside, this dish is one of my Top 10 “mom favorites.”
One of my earliest experiences with international food came in the form of these meatballs and the Swedish Chef making special appearances on The Muppet Show (no kidding).
Thanks goodness mom was able to bring a bit of international tastebud travel to our tummies, compliments of this recipe and some of the Tex Mex favorites you’ll find here on “The Nook.” I can remember well mom’s electric skillet bursting with steam carrying the sensational and savory smells of swedish meatballs; where hearty meets happy. No wonder I wore Husky jeans growing up!
Yeah, I know… “more to love.”
Let’s Make a’ Meatballs
(said with an Italian-Swedish accent)
i. ingredients
2 | cage free eggs, slightly beaten
1 cup | milk
½ cup | dry bread crumbs
3 tablespoons | falfurrias brand butter (per Nanny)
½ cup | finely chopped onion
1 pound | ground chuck
¼ pound | ground pork
1-¾ teaspoons | salt
¾ teaspoon | dill weed
¼ teaspoon | allspice
⅛ teaspoon | nutmeg
⅛ teaspoon | cardamom
3 tablespoons | flour
⅛ teaspoon | freshly ground black pepper
10-½ ounce can | beef broth
½ cup | light cream
ii. what to do
1. In a large mixing bowl, combine the eggs, milk and dry bread crumbs.
2. In a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of the butter. Sauté the onion until soft, about 5 minutes. Lift the onions out of the skillet with a slotted spoon; add to the bread crumb mixture, the ground chuck, ground pork, 1-½ teaspoons salt, ¼ teaspoon dill weed, the allspice, nutmeg, and cardamom.
3. With a wooden spoon or your hands, mix well to combine.
4. Refrigerate, covered, for 1 hour.
5. Preheat oven to 325°F.
6. Take the meat mixture from the fridge and shape it into meatballs, each about 1″ in diameter.
7. In remaining hot butter, divide the meatballs into groups of 2 or 3 and sauté them until they are browned all over.
8. Transfer the meatballs into a 2-quart casserole, after they are browned.
9. Remove the skillet from heat. Pour off the drippings, reserving 2 tablespoons (add more butter if necessary).
10. Pour the dripping back into the skillet and add flour, the remaining ¼ teaspoon salt and the pepper, stirring together to make a smooth slurry over medium heat.
11. Gradually stir-in the beef broth, bringing the mixture to a boil, stirring constantly. Add the cream and remaining ½ teaspoon dill weed. Pour sauce over meatballs in casserole dish.
12. Bake, covered, 30 minutes. Garnish top of meatballs with fresh dill sprigs, if desired.
Makes: 6 servings.
Foodie Tips ~
♥ Serve the meatballs atop some wide, wavy egg noodles.
♥ I love the sauce and will double it on my next “go” of this recipe.
♥ While a salt lover, I found this recipe a little salty for me so I’ll decrease the sodium shakes on my next Swedish adventure.
Betty's Cook Nook 