Cheeseburger Biscuit Bake

One late weekend night I was really mad at myself for not having planned dinner ahead of time! I was so busy grading papers and doing homework and before I knew it, it was time for dinner. I frantically searched through my fridge and pantry and a recent Valentine's Day gift from my mom (Pillsbury cookbook) and struck gold! I adapted the following recipe according to the availability of a few ingredients. I was really nervous about this dish because of the newness of it. I actually stood waiting for Computer Man's reaction. Success! He actually loved it and, despite being stuffed, went back for seconds. This meal came in at just about $10--maybe $11. I recommended it to a friend who has three children and she was ecstatic at the taste and affordability of this dish! Enjoy! Cheeseburger Biscuit Bake Source: Adapted from Pillsbury AnnualRecipes 2010 Yields: 6 servings

1 lb ground beef
1/4 yellow onion, chopped
2 dill pickles, chopped (next time I might even do 3 because I like pickles a lot)
1/4 cup water
1/2 cup ketchup
1 T yellow mustard (you can just do a big squeeze into the pan, don't measure this out--it takes too long)
a sprinkling of salt and pepper
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1 can (8 biscuits) flaky layers biscuits
1 egg, beaten

Preheat oven to 365. Brown the onions and ground beef together in a pan until the beef is fully cooked. Add in the water, ketchup, mustard, pickles, salt and pepper. Stir together and cook for about 5 minutes. Transfer the beef mixture to an ungreased glass baking dish (2 quart, or 11x7). Sprinkle cheese on top evenly. Separate the 8 biscuits from each other and then separate each biscuit in half by tearing apart at the middle layer. Arrange the biscuits on the cheese; use all the biscuits. If you have too many biscuits, just overlap a few, but make sure the cheese is fully covered; you can tear biscuits in half if you need to. Beat the egg and brush on top of the biscuits--this will give it a golden brown topping. Bake for about 30 minutes uncovered until the biscuits are a deep golden brown and fully cooked. You could also add in a can of corn or mixed veggies when you add in the ketchup and other ingredients; just increase the water amount by 1/4 cup then. I served mine with a bag of salad I got from Fresh and Easy for 98 cents!