One Pot Hamburger Helper

 

Belly Full on a Budget

Beef and macaroni are the epitome of a belly full. If you were a fan of hamburger helpers as a kid, this just might be up your alley. It tastes more grown-up but is still giving me an ‘I’m a kid eating a sloppy joe at summer camp vibe’. It is the dinner that will please both adults and kids and the whole pot only cost $1586.78 JMD. It can serve maybe 6-8, but let’s say it serves 6, that’s only $264.46 per serving, not bad at all.

Breakfast Jamaican Beef Patty

 

Belly Full on a Budget

Today’s cheap eat is elevating the left-over Jamaican beef patty. The beef patty is probably one of the most consumed dishes in Jamaica daily. It’s the Jamaican grab-and-go fast food. Deliciously seasoned meat baked inside the perfectly flakey crust, what could be better? Well, this breakfast patty is what is better! If you ever end up with leftover beef patties this is the way to bring them back to their original glory.

Cheeseburger Dumplings

 

The perfect bite

I have wanted to make cheeseburger dumplings for so long. Some of you already know I have a fierce love for all thing's Asian food. Generally, when I make dumplings, they are always filled with veggies or pork, never beef. I saw someone make cheeseburger dumplings about two years ago on Instagram, and I was so intrigued. So, this was a welcome change from the usual. The ultimate east meets west. It literally tastes like a little mini cheeseburger.

Jamaican Curry Cow foot and Beans

OFFAL

There is just something about this Jamaican dish that is so comforting. Some people love it brown stewed, but today we are making a curry. I know some of you may be reading this and thinking how does one eat a cow’s foot? It's easy once you have a pressure cooker and don’t mind thick, sticky gelatinous gravy, yum!

Slow cooker beef bowl

"Beefy"

It’s the last recipe of the month. Next month will be all about pumpkins. For this last recipe I wanted to do a simple enough recipe, very hands off, something you can set in the night or before you head off to work and then have ready when you get home or wake up. If you don’t have a slow cooker it’s something I would recommend.

Jamaican corned beef sandwich aka Bully beef sandwich

'Sammies' 

This is a classic Jamaican lunch. Almost every child has some memory of corned beef sandwich packed in their lunch kit. I love, love, love corned beef, even though I know it’s not good for me. We limit our corned beef consumption to maybe three times a year sometimes less. We always have a can of it on hand in the pantry but we rarely ever use it. Today I whipped out the can of corned beef and made a Jamaican Bully beef sandwich. Even though there may be some debate as to my method.

Mashed potato stuffed meatloaf

"Potato Patata" 

I can’t recall seeing meatloaf served without a side of mashed potatoes and gravy. So why not just stuff the meat loaf with mashed potatoes to begin with? That’s what I did in this post; a very cool way to combine two dishes into one.

Curry Beef Crescent Rolls

"Christmas is coming"

Ground beef always gets left behind at Christmas in favor of the glorious roast chicken and baked ham. But this Christmas you can put your pocket friendly, 80/20 ground beef to good use. This recipe is easy and delicious (aren’t they all). The beef, curry and coconut milk all in a buttery flaky crescent roll…say no more.

BBQ Blue Beef burger

 Burger Showdown!

If there was ever a more perfect way to have a beef burger, this would be it. The beef is juicy with the delicious blue cheese sauce, caramelized onions, BBQ lays and spinach all working in perfect harmony between two perfectly toted buns. Smash burger’s ‘New Yorker’ burger was at the top of my favorite burgers in the world list but this one right here has taken the top rank for the best beef burger ever!

BBQ Pulled pork patty in a rosemary garlic crust

Juici...and if you don't know, now you know!

It is a rare occurrence when pork makes its way into a patty. And I don’t mean bacon, I mean pork; meaty and juicy, the other white meat. For this recipe I wanted to make a jerk pork patty but after thinking about it, I opted for low and slow. And a pulled pork patty is born.

Classic Jamaican Beef Cocktail Patty

Juici...and if you don't know, now you know!

As a Jamaican I can say I know a good patty. And many persons would agree we eat patties a great deal. However we hardly ever make them. I venture to say most Jamaicans have never and will never make a patty. But I’m sure you would be hard pressed to find one that has never eaten one. There are a few places that sell the best patties.

Spicy Bacon & cheddar beef patty

Juici...and if you don't know, now you know!

Ladies and gentlemen, you’ve got beef! My boyfriend is solely responsible for the creation of this patty. About a week ago he went to Mothers (not a typo, Mothers is a fast food joint in Jamaica) and came back raving about how delicious their bacon cheese and beef patty was. A small light bulb went off in my head.  I was already making a beef patty that same weekend, why not make a variation by adding some bacon and cheese. And not just any cheese but fancy cheese.

Sweet and sour meatballs in cucumber cups

 

 Appetizing...

How amazing are the flavors of sweet and sour, another lovely marriage. This easy sweet and sour sauce is my specialty. I can’t tell you how many times I have made sweet n sour meat balls. For those of you who follow me on instagram, you would remember about two weeks ago, I posted an image of some sweet and sour chicken. This is that very same sauce. It can top any meat.  I knew it had to make an appearance this month as an appetizer, especially atop these meatballs in cucumber cups. The perfect two to three bites.