Bifgtekia and Chips

Liz Gibbs • August 29, 2025

Greek version of the classic beef burger for your whole family!

Prep Cook Total Serves

20 min                                  50 min                           1 hr 10 min                                  4 servings


Ingredients

  • 1 pound ground beef
  • 2 garlic cloves, divided
  • 1 red onion
  • 1 tomato
  • 2½ teaspoons dried oregano, divided
  • 1 teaspoon dried mint
  • 1 ounce dried breadcrumbs (gluten free, if needed)
  • 3 ounces whole milk (plant-based, if needed)
  • 1 bunch flat-leaf parsley, divided
  • 1 large egg
  • Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • Extra-virgin olive oil
  • 3 baking or large waxy potatoes
  • 1 lemon


Directions

1. Preheat your oven to 400°F. Place the beef in a large mixing bowl. Finely grate in one garlic clove. Coarsely grate in the onion and tomato, discarding the tomato skin. Add two teaspoons of the oregano, the mint, breadcrumbs and milk. Finely chop the parsley and add half to the bowl. Crack in the egg and season generously with salt and pepper. Drizzle in a couple of tablespoons of olive oil and thoroughly combine.


2. Cut the potatoes into 1-inch-thick wedges. Place them in a large roasting tray and finely grate in the zest of the lemon and the remaining garlic clove. Sprinkle over the remaining ½ teaspoon of oregano, season generously and squeeze over the juice of the lemon. Toss everything together, then pour a couple of tablespoons of water into the base of the tray. Divide the beef into four equal patties; you want to flatten them out quite a bit, as they will shrink in the oven. Nestle the burgers in among the potatoes and drizzle over a final bit of olive oil.


3. Cover the tray tightly with foil and bake until the beef is partially browned, 10 to 12 minutes. Remove the foil and cook until the potatoes are golden and the biftekia are well crusted and cooked through, 30 to 35 minutes. Finish by scattering over the remaining parsley.


Nutrition Facts

  • 458 calories
  • 23g fat
  • 40g carbs
  • 25g protein
  • 5g sugars

Best Chili Recipe

By Liz Gibbs • January 27, 2026
Ingredients ▢2 pounds lean ground beef ▢1 onion diced ▢1 jalapeño seeded and finely diced ▢4 cloves garlic minced ▢2 ½ tablespoons chili powder divided, or to taste ▢1 teaspoon cumin ▢1 green bell pepper seeded and diced ▢14.5 ounces crushed tomatoes 1 can ▢19 ounces canned red kidney beans drained and rinsed ▢14.5 ounces canned diced tomatoes with juices ▢1 ½ cups beef broth ▢1 cup beer ▢1 tablespoon tomato paste ▢1 tablespoon brown sugar optional ▢salt and black pepper to taste Instructions Combine ground beef and 1 ½ tablespoons chili powder. In a large pot, brown ground beef, onion, jalapeno, and garlic. Drain any fat. Add in remaining ingredients and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer uncovered 45-60 minutes or until chili has reached desired thickness. Top with cheddar cheese, green onions, cilantro or other favorite toppings. Serving size: 1 1/2 cups Beer can be replaced with extra broth. Any ground meat will work in this recipe. Optional toppings: sour cream, red or green onion, cheese, jalapenos, cilantro, avocado & lime wedges, tortilla chips Nutrition Information Calories: 395 | Carbohydrates: 27g | Protein: 29g | Fat: 17g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Cholesterol: 77mg | Sodium: 283mg | Potassium: 1066mg | Fiber: 7g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 870IU | Vitamin C: 26.2mg | Calcium: 86mg | Iron: 6.2mg

Cowboy Casserole

By Liz Gibbs • December 16, 2025
Ingredients - 1 (32-oz.) bag of tater tots - 4 strips of bacon (about 3 oz.) - 1/2 yellow onion, chopped - 2 cloves garlic, chopped - 1 lb. ground sirloin - 1 (10.75-oz.) can cream of mushroom soup - 3/4 cup milk - 1/2 tsp. salt - 3/4 tsp. ground black pepper, divided - 3 cups baby spinach, roughly chopped - 1 cup frozen corn - 8 oz. shredded cheddar or colby jack cheese - 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese - Chopped chives or scallions, for topping Directions 1 Preheat the oven to 375˚F. Remove the tater tots from the freezer to let them thaw slightly while you prepare the filling. 2 Heat a large cast-iron skillet over medium heat. Add the bacon and cook until golden brown and extra crispy, 6 to 8 minutes. Remove to a paper towel-lined plate, leaving the grease in the skillet. 3 Add the onion to the skillet with the grease and cook until slightly softened, about 4 minutes. Add the garlic and cook 1 minute more. Add the ground beef and cook, breaking it into small pieces with a wooden spoon, until no pink pieces remain, 6 to 8 minutes. Drain off the excess fat, if you like. Remove the skillet from the heat. Stir in the soup, milk, salt, and ½ teaspoon black pepper; mix until smooth. Fold in the spinach to wilt slightly. Stir in the corn. 4 Sprinkle the cheddar cheese evenly over the top of the casserole. Place the tater tots on top in a single layer, arranging them in concentric circles (or just toss them on and push them very close together). Sprinkle the top with the parmesan cheese and the additional 1/4 teaspoon of black pepper. 5 Bake until he tater tots are golden, 30 to 35 minutes. Remove from the oven and crumble the cooked bacon over top. Let rest 5 minutes. Top with chopped chives or scallions and serve.

No Bake Cannoli Pie

By Liz Gibbs • December 4, 2025
The Prep Time: Additional Time: Total Time: Servings: Yield: 20 mins 4 hrs 4h rs 20 mins 1 0 1 (9-inch) pie Crust: - 8 waffle cones, slightly crushed - 1/2 cup roasted pistachios - 1 tablespoon granulated sugar - 7 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted - cooking spray Filling: - 1/4 cup salted roasted pistachios, plus chopped pistachios for garnish - 1½ cups whole milk ricotta - 1 cup mascarpone cheese - 1 cup unsifted powdered sugar - 1 /2 cup miniature semisweet chocolate chips, plus more for garnish - 2 teaspoons grated orange zest, plus more for garnish - 1 teaspoon vanilla extract - 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt - 1 cup heavy whipping cream Directions: - Gather all ingredients. - To make the crust: Pulse waffle cones, pistachios, and sugar in a food processor until mixture is finely ground, about 20 (1-second) pulses. Add butter, and pulse until mixture holds together when squeezed, about 10 (1-second) pulses, stopping to scrape down sides as needed. - Lightly coat a 9-inch deep-dish pie plate with cooking spray, and transfer waffle cone mixture to prepared pie plate, pressing evenly into bottom and up sides of pie plate. Freeze crust, uncovered, until set, about 15 minutes. - Meanwhile, to make the filling: - Finely chop pistachios, and transfer to a medium bowl. Add ricotta, mascarpone, powdered sugar, chocolate chips, orange zest, vanilla, and salt. Stir until combined, and set aside at room temperature. - Beat heavy cream with an electric mixer on medium-high speed until medium peaks form, 2 to 3 minutes. Spoon whipped cream into ricotta mixture, and gently fold until just combined. - Spoon ricotta mixture into prepared Crust, and spread in an even layer with a rubber spatula or offset spatula. Cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate, uncovered, until set, at least 4 hours or up to 8 hours. - Remove pie from refrigerator; remove plastic wrap, and garnish with additional chopped pistachios, chocolate chips, and orange zest. Nutrition Facts (per serving) 664 50g 46g 11g Calories Fat Carbs Protein
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