Whatcha Got Cookin'?

I have to say, one of the great things about being down here is that my cooking skills are improving by leaps and bounds! That's right, I can cook! I'm pretty good at it, too, and getting better everytime I venture into the kitchen.
When I first got here, Sue gave me a makeshift cookbook - just a few recipes to get me going. They're all very simple and easy, but so far I've only tried one of them because it's one of BJ's favorites and one that I remember eating as a kid: Chicken and Dumplings! Mmm mmm YUM! I had quite the adventure making dumplings for the first time, mainly because I misplaced the cookbook, but all was not lost...I called BJ's sister and got the recipe from her, then called Sue to double check when I had trouble. My flour wasn't looking/feeling the way it should have, and I got a little concerned. But in the end, I had a lovely batch of dough to slice up and boil to perfection! I was so proud of myself!
One of my other cooking adventures centered around what to do for dinner one night (this happens a lot, this is when I break out the cookbook or just open all the cabinets and stare for a few minutes). I opened up the cabinets and stared, and didn't see anything immediately appealing. Then I remembered we had ground beef in the freezer, and it came to me...cheeseburger casserole! Yummy stuff, to be sure, but when I told BJ about my dinner plans, he suggested I try something else. His other favorite dish, something he will eat his weight in - beef stroganoff, made according to his family's age-old recipe. It came out so great, all three of us were fat and happy by the time dinner was done! That cheeseburger casserole idea got me hooked, though, so a few nights later, I made some, and boy, was it ever delicious! It's really easy, too! Here, I'll share it with you! Bear in mind, I was cooking for three people, two of whom are big eaters. You can always expand the recipe or shrink it as you see fit!

2 boxes of mac and cheese
2 lbs of ground beef
2 cans of cream of mushroom soup
1 soup can of milk
1 cup of chopped onion
1 package of crackers, crushed into crumbs
1 cup of chopped onion
1 cup of shredded cheese
9 x 13 baking dish

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare the mac and cheese according to the box (mine was the easy kind, with the cheese pouches). Set aside, covered. Brown the ground beef and onion, then drain and add to mac and cheese. Add the soup and milk, and mix it together thoroughly. Spread the mixture in the baking dish and top it with the crumbled crackers. Sprinkle with all or part of the shredded cheese. Bake at 350 until the cheese on top melts. Take it out to let it cool, and enjoy!

I'll be sure to share some more recipes with you later!