While I'm awake and hungry, mac and hamburger

[kozar]

We called It goulash here, it's a cheap,and filling meal, and LilBit would destroy her plate
As she needed calories, and I as the cook, wanted flavor

Here's what I did, brown the ground beef, season the ground beef, I did garlic powder, not garlic salt, ,
I had the elbow macaroni, in cold water in the fridge ( it's now, soft and rehydrated ) and toss that in
A can of tomato paste, not sauce, and a bit of apple juice
But LilBit loved cheese
So , I didn't have cheese on hand, but I had a jar of Cheese whiz, and I thought, wtf, do it. And she ate even more
Uhm a very cheap, flavor loaded meal, I wish I could cook it today, but I have trouble walking to to the bathroom much less cooking,
But I can share my mind
.koz

[Shellback Squid]

1. I can taste it..cheese whizz, not so much but it's what's at hand

[kozar]

2. Chhez whiz,

Added the cheese flavor for her but also kept a few bucks in my wallet. Uh. What's the point of your reply?

[buzzycrumbhunger]

3. Never occurred to me

... to just soak the pasta, but I suppose it gets cooked through either way... 🤔

And yeah, it was goulash growing up in Iowa, as well. Cheap staple for a big family.

[kozar]

4. Buzz

Last edited Mon May 25, 2026, 02:04 PM - Edit history (1)

You buy dry pasta , a buck a box , and you have to, boil water( time and money spent)
I've always, when I buy a box of any pasta, open the box immediately and dump it into a bowl of cold water in my fridge, because, as long as it's there, 3 quarters of the prep is done,, it's hydrated now. All I have to do, is heat it. Which, takes about 2 mins, in a pan with whatever I'm cooking.
Or, you can pay 3 bucks for 8oz, of " fresh" pasta