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Tuesday, February 21, 2012

Cheeseburger Pasta

Cheesebuger Pasta 1

Growing up our house was "the house" in the neighborhood that everyone wanted to hang out at. We had a huge basement with a kitchen, a ping pong table and a pool table. Free pool. No quarters necessary. Needless to say, all the guys wanted to be there.

My grandmother and my Mom (we lived in a duplex) would happily provide homemade pizza, munchies and an endless supply of baked goods.

My Gram would often embarras me by loudly yelling down the stairs whenever possible, "Lisa Anne". Never just Lisa, always Lisa Anne. She never just said it, she sang it.

My friends loved spending time at that big old house on Wood Street, a house my father and granfather built back in the early 70's. I was always wishing that we could be hanging out at anyone elses house but mine.

Looking back now I realize how lucky I was to have the kind of family and home that kids felt welcome in. To know that my Mom and Gram would be in the kitchen smiling to greet us as a line of teenagers bounded down the stairs and that my Dad would be in his recliner, tilting the newspaper down just long enough to see who was coming through the door as we whizzed past him in a blur.

My Mom says now "well at least I always knew where you were".

Now all these years later, we have "that" house that all the kids hang out at. We don't have a ping pong or pool table, but we sure do have plenty of food.

If you want to feed a crowd of hungry teenagers, one sure fire way to make a beeline directly to their grumbling bellies is with pasta. Make that pasta taste like a cheeseburger and you have one happy group of kids.

Don't worry it's not overly cheeseburgie. The mustard, pickle and ketchup flavors don't smack you in the face.

Cheesebuger Pasta

Cheeseburger Pasta
Adapted from a recipe at Taste of Home
1 pound penne pasta (or any pasta you like)
1 pound ground beef
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 (14.5 ounce) can no-salt added diced tomatoes
1/8 cup dill pickle relish
1/8 cup Dijon Mustard
¼ cup ketchup
2 teaspoons of seasoning (I used Mrs. Dash)
1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded

Cook the pasta until it is al dente. Meanwhile in a large skillet, cook the beef, onions and seasoning over medium heat until cooked through. Drain any grease. Add in the tomatoes, relish mustard and ketchup. Heat for an additional 5 minutes. Sprinkle with cheese and serve.

11 comments:

  1. We have "that" house as well, and now that the oldest went to college, it is getting more and more quiet around here, and that is sad!

    This looks like something to make for he and his friends when they are home over break! anne

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  2. My parents still have that house! Ha! I moved thousands of miles away for work old enough to have my own grown high school kids and my parents still have an open door policy, all my friends still stop by with their kids visiting and eating at my mum and dads!
    It's awesome to have that kind of place

    Xx
    Callie

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  3. We had that house, too. All my friends would rather play video games with my Dad than me. Remember Atari?! Good times. There's in no doubt in my mind that my house will follow suit, but I want the pool!

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  4. Did you say mustard, pickle and ketchup flavors? Yummy! I love pickles :)

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  5. This looks pretty tasty-wish I'd had a recipe like this when my kids were younger.
    We had "that" house too, when our kids were little. I loved having the neighborhood hanging out here. And I loved knowing where my brood was. Now everyone is married. sigh

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  6. Great idea for pasta, one that doesn't break the bank which I love.

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  7. Lisa Anne,
    I need some dinner inspiration.
    Heading to your Savory Pinterest board :)

    ~ Dana

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  8. That's my house as well. On any given day there is a parade of boys between ages 17-22. It's been that way since the boys were young. Everyone calls me "MOM" and look to see what I have made. I wouldn't trade those years for the world!

    I have no clue what I'm going to do once my boys move out!!

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  9. Great story! My girlfriend just sold her house (i Providence). She talks about the basement and pool table, and how her father built the house. We just don't have basements in California, and I think we've missed out. When my son was a Tweenager, I used to bake and cook food like this. I felt it was my secret weapon to keep an eye on my kid and his friends. They would have loved this dish.

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  10. I love that story, Lisa - I got choked up reading it:-)...my girls are starting to get old enough where having friends over is more of a help/good thing than a babysitting job so I am loving having the kids running in and out of the house. I also love picking out recipes that will either make for a good snack or a fun dinner. Love this - and I really love the fact that it has dill pickle.

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  11. I'm giving this recipe to Mr. Mom to make for supper next week. It's looks perfect for his skills -- and fast!

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