Recipe of the Week: Hamburger Helper

I grew up as an Army brat and remember that there were times when we had what we needed but not always everything we wanted. Looking back, that actually might be a good thing...on recipeforfatherhood.com I talk about how my mother created the Fiesta Tamale Casserole out of necessity but I also remember a few nights of Hamburger Helper. I used to love it but now I have to say that it's hard for me to cook out of a box...

The other day I was thinking about how I could make a better one and did just that. After cooking the hamburger with a little oil and minced garlic, I added tomatoes, mushrooms, and zucchini.

There are a lot of vegetables you can add to this but I didn't have a lot in the refrigerator...the key is to drain the juice after the hamburger is almost done cooking through and before the vegetables are thrown in. I cooked up a box of Near East brand wild rice and I had a great dinner that my wife loved.