Mona- Good luck with the surgery. Here are a couple of ideas to make double
meals that can be cooked and frozen or just use half today and freeze the rest
for later.

Smothered Hamburgers

2 pounds or more ground beef
10 1/2 ounce can cream of mushroom soup
package brown gravy mix
1 soup can water

Form hamburger into 8 - 10 patties. Dip each patty in flour and sear in a
little hot oil until brown on both sides. Transfer browned patties to a dutch
oven. Combine remaining ingredients and pour over patties. Bake in a preheated
350 degree oven for 1 hour. Makes a nice sauce. I usually serve half now and
make milk gravy to serve over boiled potatoes. Freezes great. Leave some
sauce with the freezer patties. Reheat in microwave.

Meatloaf (adapted from Quaker Oats)

2 1/2 pounds ground beef
1 1/4 cups oatmeal
chopped onion as desired
1 egg
(2) 8 oz cans tomato sauce
salt and pepper to taste (I usually omit salt)

Combine all ingredients and form into 2 loaves. Wrap one loaf in aluminum foil
and freeze (thaw in fridge before baking). Bake the other one 375 degrees for
1 - 1 1/4 hours. I usually mix about 1/4 cup ketchup with a little brown sugar
and a dab of mustard and pour over top last 30 minutes. Serve with cheesy hash
browns.

Cheesy Hash Browns (Makes 2 8" square pans)

2 large packages finely shredded hash brown potatoes (like Mr. Dell's)
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can cheddar cheese soup
8 oz. carton sour cream
a little onion if desired

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and mix thoroughly. Divide evenly
between 2 8" square pans. Bake both while baking meat loaf above. Cool second
pan, cover with foil and freeze. Next time you have meat loaf just thaw and
heat in oven while meat loaf is baking. Baked beans go good with the meat loaf
and potatoes and lets you bake the whole meal in the oven.