Ground Beef – Seven Plates

Ingredients:

1 1/2 lbs of ground chuck

6 carrots, peeled and sliced

3 russet potatoes, sliced

1/2 white onion, sliced

salt and pepper

6- 12 by 12 squares of foil

Light a charcoal grill and allow it to come to high heat, (look for ash on the charcoal briquettes).

Cut foil into 12 by 12 squares.

Take a square of foil and place a 1/4 lb patty in the center. Layer potatoes, carrots and onion on top. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Wrap up into packets. Place on the hot grill, seam-side up. (This will allow the juices of the onion, carrot and potatoes to drip into the beef and give it great flavor.)

Cook 45 minutes, flipping once. Check to make sure the vegetables are tender before removing from the grill and serving.

Don’t make ordinary pasta and sauce. Take some TLC to dinner tonight and make something special, like this Rigatoni Pie. It’s a bit tedious to stack the noodles, but the extra 10 minutes of time is rewarded with the presentation.

Ingredients:

I box or rigatoni pasta

1 jar of prepared marinara sauce

1 lb of ground beef

salt and pepper to taste

2 cups of shredded mozzarella

Boil a large pot of water and add pasta. Cook until al dente. Strain in a colendar and rinse with cold water.

In a large skillet, add ground beef and cook over medium heat. Add salt and pepper to taste. When beef is cooked, pour 3/4 of the marinara sauce. Stir to combine. Remove from heat.

In a greased springform pan, take the cooled rigatoni pasta and individually stack each noodle on its end, side-by-side, until the surface of the pan is filled.

Pour ground beef mixture over the top. Add remaining marinara sauce. Top with mozzarella.

Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 35 minutes, or until the cheese starts to brown.