IT CAME FROM A BOX - HAMBURGER HELPER ll

And I am not going to apologize for it. Hamburger Helper is one of those mainstays that I can only say that I honestly really enjoy. Every now & then I truly crave it so when on sale ($1.99) I tend to stockpile a few boxes and stockpile I did. While seeking what Pasta's I had on offer to make a what turned out to be Rotelle w. Meat Sauce (which I turned into Lasagna by adding Mozz and Ricotta) I found FOUR boxes of Hamburger Helper way in the back on top of my fridge, Well now I have Six Boxes !!! Its A Party !!!

Cheesy Enchilada - Spicy, Cheesy Rice with a topping which you make separately that can only be likened to powdered Sour Cream, might not sound entirely appetizing but I am already planning on my second bowl. Upon  further inspection of the packaging I see they were going for a Blue Cheese Topping and not Sour Cream, could've fooled me, still Delicious.

UNDER CONSTRUCTION

HAMBURGER HELPER 2014 ENTRY

MINUTE RICE, The Ninth Wonder of the World. (In Progress)

These used to be known as "the Recipe from the back of the box" but as time marches on they are now mainly known as "the online Recipe" sure there are still Recipes on the back of the box but my box of Minute Rice was adorned with a Chugginton Chugasonic Maze (Explorer Koko) on its back and lower down taking up 1/8th of the packaging graphics is a BBQ Cheeseburger and Rice Skillet Recipe, I suppose the kids need a maze to do while they wait one minute for their Rice to get done, aah the wonders of the modern atomic kitchen.

The time honored tradition of cooking Rice in Chicken Broth is tried and true and quite possibly the basis of Rice-A-Roni and there have been variations over the decades. One of these variations is using a can of condensed "Cream Of" Soup with a little water for a Creamy Sauce and it was high time I made one. And so it passed that in my middle age years that I bought my first box of Minute Rice, this is also known as "Instant Rice" as the kernels are cooked by steaming causing cracks in the Rice then dehydrated only to be rehydrated rapidly once added to Hot water.

I am extremely fussy about my Rice and this was just fine, maybe a little softish but better soft than too hard or underdone. Minute Rice is just fine in my book and its just what the Recipe called for (see link below) which came out perfectly on my first try.

20 MINUTE PARMESAN CHICKEN & RICE DINNER

HAMBURGER HELPER

On one hand Hamburger Helper does not need be mentioned on any Food Blog more than once, on the other it is a staple of home cooking for the Boxed Food inclined so I believe it deserves an annual posting. I purchased 5 boxes on sale at a buck apiece (as opposed to $3.99 a pack) and as Dry Goods these will last and not for too long. I do realize that real Foodies go "out" to Dinner and this shall be alleviated in due time, for now we have this.

The Classic Double Cheeseburger Macaroni to which I added some Broccoli (from Silver Star Restaurant) and some Jarred Hot & Spicy Peppers courtesy of Salvati 

(J & R Packing company) of Mount Vernon, New York.

Whilst not a photogenic pic I had to include the Ground Beef (Chop Meat) from my favorite local Pork Store Frank & Sal's on my corner.

HAMBURGER HELPER WEBSITE

FAST AND BULBOUS, QUICK AND EASY SKILLET CHILI

This came out pretty good with some doctoring but I did break Rule number one, Never Use Jar Sauce For A Chili. Hence the doctoring.

A few Drops of the Really Hot Sauce and several drops of Franks Red Hot Sauce got the Spices going but always remember to only make a 5 Alarm Chili when all concerned feel the same way as you about Hot Food. I planned on sharing this with Jamie's family so did not go overboard.

These jarred Sweet Peppers really came through as the MVP secret ingredient but did give the Chili a bit of a Vinegar overlay. The story behind these Pepper's was that I wanted some Sweet Peppers for Sandwiches but when I got home I almost thought I bought the wrong thing as these were really Hot, checked the label again, it said "Sweet". I wonder what the Hot ones taste like ?

For my "test" bowl of Chili I added some diced Cracker Barrel White Cheddar and a Dollop of Sour Cream. It did not need it so I got the toppings out of the way first.

What do you do when you don't just want another bowl of Chili ?

You Make a Chili Dog, albeit this was a queer duck of a dog. Nathan's Frank (quartered), Aerosol Cheddar (on purpose, I wanted Cheez Whiz but thats a ridiculous $6.99 a jar), Potato Roll and the Chili. Flanked with a Bread Crumb Stuffed Pepper Shooter.

12/4/13 - I had another go at the Chili making but this time I did not use Jar Sauce but instead a Can of Crushed Tomatoes, Big difference here folks and as I forgot the Jarred Jalapeño Peppers at the Supermarket my mistake upped the ante and I popped by my neighborhood Mexican Bagel store for two Real Jalapeno's. At the time of this writing I am 48 years of age and I realized I had never shopped for Jalapeno's, how much would they cost ?, are there different kinds ?, Would this affect my non-existent credit rating ?

Two Jalapeno's for twenty five cents. I returned home happily with Pepper's in tow and began the slow Cooking process. 

Hours later as I took my time and Simmered the Chili, Tasted some, added Spices, re-Simmered, Tasted some, added Spices, let it sit and re-Simmered. Now it was time to transfer my Concoction to a Tupperware and this being the time in my life when I was wearing a splint due to "mallet finger" the all too heavy Pan lost balance as I gripped it, fell to the floor, glass lid shattered, half the Chili lost.

DEVASTATED.

However I was able to save about half the Chili. Very Tasty indeed but these were Mild Jalapeno's so not much "Kick" to it. Either ways this was an improvement to the previous Chili mentioned above, I plan on making another batch and possibly this evening.