Time for some goulash.

The recipe is pretty simple and straightforward, nothing fancy. In fact, it's nearly identical to the smoky turkey shepherd's pie, except for a swap of just a few ingredients. We served it over egg noodles.

Ingredients for beef goulash	Browned beef, onions, carrots and celery
Red peppers, flour and chicken broth added	Beef goulash over egg noodles

Recipe source: Rachael Ray's 365 No Repeats: A Year of Deliciously Different Dinners

This recipe caught Julia's eye when it showed up on her feed for Betty Crocker's recipe of the day. It wasn't entirely homemade, as half of the recipe comes from the contents of a box of hamburger helper, but it contained a number of fresh ingredients as well. It was a quick and tasty dish fitting for cooking up after a long day at work.

Ingredients for beef pasta and mushroom soup	Julia chopping fresh parsley
Browning ground beef in the stock pot	The soup containing everything it needs except pasta and mushrooms
Voilà! Beef pasta and mushroom soup, topped with freshly-grated Parmesan cheese.

Recipe source: Betty Crocker

Jonas wanted to make the köttfärssås (meat sauce) that he remembered his mother making when he was a child, so he got out our Swedish cookbook, Rutiga Kokboken (trans. the checkered cookbook). The recipe was simple, but required some conversions to metric measurements.

The end result, served over spaghetti, had flavor but was a bit too salty. We think the extra salt probably originated in the bullion cubes. American bullion must be saltier than its Swedish counterpart. Served over spaghetti.

Some of the ingredients for köttfärssås	Julia peeling garlic
A strangely oriented photo of the completed meal, including bread and olive oil

Recipe source: Rutiga Kokboken

It was time to try another of ATK's lasagna recipes. (We had tried the skillet lasagna some time ago.) This one went in the oven, and required a few more steps, but was ultimately a delicious success. We served it with a store-bought crusty herb bread.

Lasagna ingredients ready to go!	Julia plopping down ricotta dollops during lasagna assembly
Applying the finishing touches of mozzarella	Served with herb bread

Recipe source: America's Test Kitchen

After watching ATK one weekend afternoon, we decided to make their version of beef chili with kidney beans. It was a simple recipe, but it was an agonizing 2-hour wait while it was simmering on the stove!! As always, ATK makes a perfect meal.

Beef chili ingredients all lined up and ready to go	Onions, peppers and spices cooking in oil
Julia stirring the pot after the beef has been added. She is reaching because she didn't want to be in the photo.	Beans and tomatoes added
After simmering on the stove for two hours	Topped with cheese and ready to eat! Yum!

Recipe source: America's Test Kitchen