Hamburger Bake

**Hamburger Bake** is the third recipe featured in Cinnamon Roll Murder

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F., rack in the middle position

**The Filling:**

* 1 pound lean ground beef
* 3/4 cup chopped onion ***(you can also used frozen chopped onions)***
* 1 can ***(10 and 3/4 ounces)*** condensed Cheddar cheese soup ***(I used Campbell's)***
* 1 cup frozen vegetables ***(I used peas and carrot mix - I've also used corn and chopped bell pepper mix)***
* 1/4 cup whole milk

**The Crust:**

* 1/2 cup butter ***(1 stick, 4 ounces, 1/4 pound)***
* 3/4 cup whole milk ***(in addition to the 1/4 cup used in the filling)***
* 1 and 3/4 cups all-purpose flour ***(don't pack it down - just scoop it up in a measuring cup and level off the top)***
* 2 and 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
* 1/4 teaspoon salt

**The Topping:**

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

## **Directions**

* Spray a 9-inch by 13-inch cake pan with Pam or another nonstick cooking spray. ***(You can also  grease it generously if you'd rather not use the spray.)***
* The filling takes the most time, so you'll start that first by crumbling the raw hamburger into a 10-inch or larger frying pan.
* Add the chopped onion to the hamburger in the pan.
* Fry the meat and onions over MEDIUM heat on the stove top until the hamburger is nicely browned.
* Drain the hamburger and onions. ***(You don't want a lot of hamburger fat in this dish.)***
* Add the condensed soup, frozen vegetables and the 1/4 cup milk to the hamburger and onions. Stir well. ***(You can do this right in the frying pan.)*** Cover the frying pan and set the mixture aside.
* Put the 1/2 cup of butter in a microwave-safe bowl. Add the 3/4 cup while milk and heat it on HIGH for 1 minute. Stir. If the butter isn't melted, heat it for another 30 seconds and stir. Continue to heat in 30-second increments until the butter has melted. Then take the bowl out of the microwave and set it on the counter to cool slightly.

**Hannah's 1st Note: Michelle and I used a 4-cup Pyrex measuring cup to melt the butter with the milk. You could also do this in a saucepan on the stove top, if you wish.**

* Measure out the flour and put approximately half of it in a mixing bowl. ***(You don't have to be exact - nobody's going to complain if it's less or more than half.)***
* Sprinkle the baking powder and salt over the top of the flour in the bowl. Add the remainder of the flour and stir the bowl with a fork until all of the dry ingredients are thoroughly combined.
* Add the butter and milk mixture to the mixing bowl, and mix until the resulting dough is well moistened.

**Hannah's 2nd Note: In case you haven't guessed it, you're making baking powder biscuit dough.**

* Spoon the dough into the bottom of the cake pan you prepared earlier. Spread it out so that the dough forms an even layer in the pan. This will be the bottom layer of  your Hamburger Bake.
* Spread the hamburger mixture on top of the biscuit dough. Do this as evenly as possible.
* Bake the Hamburger Bake at 400 degrees F. for 30 minutes. Then take it out of the oven and let it cool on a cold burner on the stove top or on a wire rack for at lest 10 minutes before serving. ***(It's just too hot to serve straight out of the oven - eager eaters could burn their mouths.)***

**Hannah's 3rd Note: This dish is perfect to take to a potluck dinner. All you have to do is prepare a cardboard box big enough to hold your baking dish and line it with a bath towel. When you take the Hamburger Bake out of the oven, place it in the box, and cover it with the towel. It should stay warm for at least 30 minutes.**

Yield:  This delicious, quick, and easy main dish makes 10 servings if you pair it with a green salad.

**Hannah's 4th Note: If there's any Hamburger Bake left after dinner, cover the pan with plastic wrap and refrigerator it right in the pan. You can simple reheat it in the microwave the next day for lunch.**

**Hannah's 5th Note: If  you invite Mike to dinner and serve Hamburger Bake, don't plan on having any leftovers. When Michelle and I made it for him, he ate half a pan all by himself!**