THIS IS WAR!!!

This is WAR! The food being sold by the grocery stores keeps getting higher and higher priced and the ingredients keep getting smaller and smaller. :( Even the cake mixes have gone from 14. 5 oz. down to 11 oz. Now instead of adding 1 1/4 cups of water, you now add only 1 cup. AND GUESS WHAT! It STILL says it will make one size 9"x13" cake or 24 cupcakes! Containers of coffee also keep shrinking. (Except for the price). It seems that the size shrinks and then a short while later they just raise the price for the new smaller size. I have been looking at the boxes of Hamburger Helper and thinking I can make that at home possibly cheaper, and I know it would be healthier. So tonight I made Homemade Hamburger Helper Chili Mac. Not bad! :)
 

The variety, Chili Mac was my first one of the Hamburger Helpers. Here is the recipe:

Brown 1 lb. of ground beef (hamburger), and drain.
Add the following;  1 cup of hot water, 2 cups of milk, and 1 1/2 cups elbow macaroni. Stir.
In a small bowl stir together: 1 TB cornstarch, 1 TB. Chili powder, 1 tsp. garlic powder, 1 tsp. salt, 1 tsp. sugar and 1/2 tsp. paprika, after stirring it together add it to the meat mixture. Stir well and bring the mixture to a boil. Cover the panand turn the heat to simmer. Stir occasionally and cook for 10 mins. When the pasta is tender add 1 cup of shredded cheddar cheese and replace the lid for 2 - 3 more minutes to allow the cheese to melt.  Remove from the heat and let it stand uncovered for about five minutes as it will thicken as it stands.  Enjoy!
     You can package the amount of elbow maccaroni in a zip-lock bag and also the seasonings in a separate sandwich bag to allow ease of cooking.  If desired you can also place the amount of powdered milk needed into a sandwich bag and increace the hot water needed to replace the milk when making the recipe, if desired. :)