Chef's Notes

There's a reason this is called "Goulash? Maybe?"

Today was a slightly busier day for me (at work) than the past few days have been, and by the time I realized nothing had been done for supper, it was 3:30pm. YIKES ON BIKES! Thankfully, I not only work from home, but I do so in a role that is flexible enough to allow me to perform my duties from the kitchen (or even take a break from them, should I so desire).

I fully intended to make a second cottage pie (there was ONE SERVING left - and that's because I worked last night and didn't eat supper), because there's not a day in existence where cottage pie doesn't sound good in this house, but the boyfriend had taken the leftover serving for lunch and I just couldn't punish him like that.

So, with 30 minutes on the clock until the kids came home - starving as they always are - I decided I was going to play Chopped! I shopped the pantry and found some tomatoes that needed eating now or never, a can of butter beans and a can of cabbage from our hurricane stash (we move our hurricane food stash to the pantry once the season is over so we can consume it). I was very "iffy" about both cans, because they were "seasoned" and the seaoning might not have matched what I was going for, but a quick rinse and taste test revealed they'd do just fine to bulk up this dish. Margaret Holmes, you have never done me dirty, and for that alone, I appreciate you. Well, that and your cheap price point for a quality product. #Frugal

And that's how it came together. Ground beef cooking with onions and garlic. A WHOLE LOT of spice (because I opened the wrong side and shook hard). Some tomatoes, some butter beans, some cabbage. More seasoning. Season in layers, y'all. The rice (done in the rice cooker). Then some shredded mozzarella on top.

I worked tonight too, but this looked so good that I snagged myself a plate before I "clocked in" - lest I end up like last night.

It is worth noting that the cottage pie, as well as this dish, began with a 36 oz. package of ground chuck that I meant to portion and freeze but just froze whole. Life's like that sometimes. So far, that 36 oz. has done cottage pie and goulash. There's still some left in the fridge. Not sure what I'm going to do with it, but I mention all of this because - with the cost of food - it's important to understand how you can make your food go farther, particularly when you are feeding a family. The butter beans and cabbage were just me trying to bulk up the dish, while using up what I had on hand - but don't you know it was so darn good that I think my recipe, from now on, will need those cans - instead of them being optional!