Kinda Kid Friendly

I do not have any children; thank God because would you really want a mini Tricia running around. And even though we make the most adorable babies in my family and she would be fabulously dressed, the world is just not ready for her. Seriously though kids just don’t fit into my lifestyle, I have too short of an attention span to deal with a child full time, drool completely disgusts me and don’t even get me started on the diapers. Don’t get me wrong I like kids, well most of them, okay only the well behaved ones (get that Josh?). And it’s not like I avoid them like the plague; I have two young nephews that I simply adore, and honestly they couldn't’t ask for a better auntie.

Now just because I don’t have any kids of my own doesn’t mean that I don’t know how to cook for them, whether they are three or thirty-something. The only thing that annoys me is picky-eaters. When my nephew tells me that he doesn’t like something I can deal with it because he is five, but when a grownup is a psychotically picky eater I just think that someone’s mommy babied him too much and probably still does. My younger nephew is a pretty good eater because he is not given a choice on what goes on his plate because my sister does not run a restaurant. My mother always told us that if we didn’t want what she made for dinner we would get nothing, hence the reason my sister and I are not picky eaters. I have over the years found a few recipes that I deem kid-friendly but also like to make for myself. Ironically they are all hamburger based which makes them cheap and easy, always a plus when cooking for kids.

The first recipe came off of a soup can and is super fast and easy to make, Hamburger Taco Skillet. Start by browning one pound of ground beef, then stir in one can of condensed tomato soup, half a can each of water and salsa and six cut up flour tortillas. Bring this mixture to a boil and then turn the heat back to low and cook for about five minutes. Finally top this with shredded cheddar cheese and serve. Literally this takes between fifteen and twenty minutes, and what could be better than that. I tend to play with the flavors in this meal by mixing in different salsas; my personal favorite is Peach-Mango Salsa.

Next I want to share a recipe that my brother-in-law thinks is perfection; by the way he is the second pickiest eater I have ever met. The magazine called them Barbecue Beef Cups, but I have a much more colorful name for them, Trailer-Park Muffins. (Not very PC I know, but it fits). Once again brown up your ground beef about three-fourths of a pound, to which you are going to add half a cup of barbecue sauce, remove this mixture from the heat and break out your muffin tin. Okay now comes the fun part, open one of those refrigerator pop cans of biscuits and into each muffin cup form one piece of dough into the form of a cup. Fill each of these cups with the beef mixture, top with shredded cheese and bake at 400 degrees for ten to twelve minutes. You can switch up this recipe by making a taco meat mixture for the biscuit cup and garnishing it with lettuce, tomatoes, salsa and sour cream.


I know very few kids who don’t like pizza or cheeseburgers so the next two recipes should be well received, Cheeseburger Meatloaf and Pizza Meatloaf. For the Cheeseburger version combine one and a half pounds ground beef, one finely chopped onion, two-thirds cup each of ketchup and breadcrumbs, two eggs, half a cup of chopped pickles, two tablespoons mustard and eight ounces diced cheddar cheese. I always cook my meat loaf in a, go figure, loaf pan; but if you prefer to cook it free form knock yourself out. Bake this at 400 degrees for at least thirty-five minutes or until the center registers 160 degrees on a meat thermometer. I know that you are probably thinking, “eww pickles in meatloaf!” I thought the same thing, but actually it works and tastes great and I use dill, but if you prefer use sweet pickles.

Moving on to Pizza Meatloaf, a recipe that incorporates all the flavors of pizza without all that extra fat. Start by combining a small-diced onion with one sixteen-ounce can of tomato paste, a cup of water and a fourth teaspoon of salt. Bring this to a boil then reduce the heat to simmer and cook for about twenty minutes. While the sauce is cooking combine one and a half pounds ground beef, one cup of breadcrumbs, one and a half teaspoons salt, one teaspoon oregano, a fourth teaspoon each of basil and pepper, one minced garlic clove, one egg and half a cup of the finished sauce. Form this however you want and cook it at 375 degrees for about an hour. Finish it off by topping the loaf with the remaining sauce, one tablespoon Parmesan cheese and one cup of mozzarella cheese, cook this about ten minutes more or until the cheese is all melty and bubbly.

So there you have it, four kid-friendly meals that didn’t come out of a can or the freezer. Now don’t get me wrong I fondly remember getting the occasional TV dinner when I was a kid; it was a super special treat to eat off of that partitioned tin foil tray. But to do it regularly makes me understand why there are so many overweight kids in this country. Besides the recipes I just gave you there are tons of cookbooks out there that are devoted to feeding our kids healthy meals, so there really is no excuse to trade quality for convenience. Honestly if my sister can make homemade dinners for her family after a full day of work and hour commute anyone can.



Hamburger Taco Skillet
1 lb. Hamburger
1 can Condensed tomato soup
½ cup Water
½ cup Peach-mango salsa
6 Flour tortillas, cut up
½ bag Shredded cheddar cheese

Brown the hamburger, drain and stir in the next three ingredients. Once boiling stir in tortillas and cook 5 minutes. Top with cheese and serve.



Trailer Park Muffins
¾ lb. Hamburger
½ cup Barbecue sauce
1 can Refrigerator biscuits
½ bag Shredded cheddar cheese

Brown the hamburger, drain and stir in the barbecue sauce. In a muffin tin press each biscuit to form little cups. Spoon in the beef mixture into each cup and top with a small amount of the cheese. Bake at 400° for 10-12 minutes.



Cheeseburger Meatloaf
1 ½ lbs Hamburger
1 Onion, finely chopped
2/3 cup Ketchup
2/3 cup Breadcrumbs
2 Eggs
½ cup Pickles, chopped
2 Tbsp Yellow mustard
8 oz Cheddar cheese, diced

Mix all of the ingredients together and press into a loaf pan. Bake at 400° for 35-40 minutes.



Pizza Meatloaf
1 small Onion, diced
1 16oz can Tomato paste
1 cup Water
¼ tsp. Salt
1 ½ lbs. Hamburger
1 cup Breadcrumbs
1 ½ tsp Salt
1 tsp Dried oregano
¼ tsp Dried basil
¼ tsp Pepper
1 clove Garlic, minced
1 Egg
1 Tbsp Parmesan cheese
1 cup Mozzarella cheese

In a small pan combine the first 4 ingredients, bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer 29 minutes. Combine the remaining ingredients plus half a cup of the finished sauce. Press the beef mixture into a loaf pan and bake at 375° for about an hour. Top the loaf with the remaining sauce and cheeses and bake 10 minutes.