A Pick-Me-Up, Broads’ Style

This post is dedicated to my fellow broads. It seems like this winter has been very long and very trying, and so the other night I set out to make a pick-me-up meal. This is what I came up with: Cheeseburger Pie.

I know, it’s giving you a warm, comforted feeling in your belly already, isn’t it? It brings to mind all those warm summer evenings by the grill, with good friends, good wine, and lots of laughter. I consider it the cold weather version of that, except without the grill, without the friends (unless you’re having a dinner party), and without the laughter. The wine is pretty much ever present in my household, so that one’s easy.

Anyway, one of the best parts of this recipe is that you’re bound to have the ingredients on hand, so it’s a perfect meal to throw together after a long day in the salt mines. You just need:

1 lb ground beef (aproximately)

1 chopped onion

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1/2 cup flour

3/4 teaspoon baking powder

2 tblspoons butter

1 cup milk

1 egg

1 sliced tomato

shredded Swiss cheese

And now down to business! Cook up that beef and onion all the way through.

Then you can toss in that pepper. Throw the whole mixture into a greased pie plate and move on to the next step!

Part of what I love about this recipe is that you don’t have to worry about an actual pie crust. Remember that old Bisquick “pie” recipe our moms used to make? This is basically another version of that, without the Bisquick. Because Bisquick makes things too easy (and quick) for my taste.

In a separate bowl mix the flour and baking powder together. Then cut in the butter, and stir in the milk and egg.

Pour this delicious goodness over your meat mixture and put it in your preheated 400 degree oven for about 25 minutes. Don’t worry about the beef grease, either, as I found it added a nice complexity to the “crust” mixture and made it nice and heavy.

Top it with your tomato slices and cheese, and cook it for another 7 or 8 minutes (or until the cheese is melted and bubbly and prepare to be comforted!

Doesn’t it look delicious? I tell you, in these uncertain times, I think it’s extremely important to gather around your family table with a warm, home cooked, healthy meal like this to keep things in perspective. I hope you enjoy this wonderful meal as much as we did!