During a recent (and most unwelcome and over extended) visit with the Flu Fairy, I found myself doing a lot of serious lolling about for a few days. When my eyes were too tired to read any longer, I turned on the television and tuned to what else, the foodie lover's channel and watched a couple of well known chefs struggle to come up with something delicious made from ground beef. Voila! An idea for a column was hatched, and here it is today.

When you are selecting ground beef from your grocery store or meat market, pay attention to the numbers because they tell you a lot about what you can expect. Here’s the translation of all those percentages, based on 3 ounces of cooked meat:

Ground beef: 70 percent lean is 232 calories and 16 grams of fat

Ground chuck: 80 percent lean is 204 calories and 13 grams fat

Ground round: 85 percent lean with 193 calories and 12 grams of fat

Ground sirloin: 90 percent lean with 175 calories and 9 grams of fat

The leaner the ground beef, the less flavor there will be because much of the flavor in the beef is from the fat. Low fat equals low flavor, so if using a higher percentage of lean meat to fat, be sure and ramp up additional ingredients to boost flavor. For burgers, 80-85 percent blend is best. But for recipes where there are lots of other flavorful components (think chili, taco filling, a meat sauce for pasta, etc.) you can use the leanest combo and save fat and calories with good results.

I confess that I'd never had a taco until Peter made them for a Sunday night supper when we were first married. I thought they were fun to assemble and eat but also knew I could come up with a better way of making a well seasoned ground beef filling not using one of those dreadfully salty seasoning packets. Now when I make a batch of this delicious filling, I portion it into freezer containers and pop it into the freezer so it's ready when we have a hankering for tacos.

TACO FILLING

1 Tbsp. vegetable oil

3 cups finely chopped onions

6 cloves garlic, peeled and minced

3 jalapeño peppers, minced (for less heat, remove seeds and ribs)

2-1/2 Tbsp. chili powder

1 Tbsp. ground cumin

1 Tbsp. ground coriander

1/4 tsp. dried hot pepper flakes (adjust to your liking)

2 lbs. ground beef

1 can (28 oz.) crushed tomatoes

1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce

1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

Salt to taste

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onions; cook 5 minutes or until tender but not browned. Add garlic, jalapeño, chili powder, cumin, coriander and pepper flakes; cook and stir 1 minute. Add ground beef and cook, breaking up meat with a wooden spoon, for 5 minutes or until cooked through. Stir in tomatoes, Worcestershire and black pepper; cook (stirring occasionally) for 15-20 minutes or until mixture has thickened and most of liquid has evaporated. Season to taste with salt. Yield: about 9 cups.

VEGETABLE STUFFED MEATLOAF

1 large red bell pepper

2 Tbsp. olive oil, divided use

1 bag (6-oz.) fresh baby spinach, cleaned

2 cups chopped onions

6 cloves garlic, peeled and minced

2 cups fresh breadcrumbs made from French bread

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

1/4 cup chopped fresh basil

6 Tbsp. ketchup

1 Tbsp. Dijon mustard

1 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce

3/4 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

1 lb. ground veal

1/2 lb. ground pork

1 lb. ground beef

About a 2-1/2 inch thick slice of bulk hot sausage (like Jimmy Dean brand)

Char red bell pepper over gas flame or boiler until blackened on all sides. Place pepper in a paper bag and close tightly. Let steam 10 minutes. Remove from bag and peel charred skin off; seed and slice pepper into 1/2-inch wide strips. (NOTE: you can shortcut this step by using a jar of roasted red peppers.) Heat 1 Tbsp. olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add spinach and toss just until wilted. Remove spinach from skillet and place in a small bowl. Add remaining 1 Tbsp. olive oil to skillet and sauté onions and garlic until tender. Transfer onion mixture to a large bowl and add breadcrumbs, eggs, basil, ketchup, Dijon mustard, Worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper. Mix in ground veal, pork, beef, and sausage. Place half of meat mixture in a 9 by 5 by 3-inch loaf pan. Using the back of a spoon, make a 1-inch wide by 1/2-inch deep trough lengthwise down the middle of the meat mixture. Lay half of the roasted red bell pepper strips in the trough and then top with spinach and remaining pepper strips. Add remaining meat mixture, pressing down firmly. Bake in a preheated 375 F oven for 1 hour 30 minutes or until meat thermometer registers 160 F. Let stand 15 minutes before slicing. Yield: 6-8 servings.

NOT THE CAFETERIA LADIES’ SLOPPY JOES

1 can (14-1/2-oz) whole tomatoes, drained

2 Tbsp. vegetable oil

1 large onion, peeled and chopped

4 garlic cloves, peeled and minced

1 medium carrot, peeled and finely grated

1 stalk celery rib, peeled and finely chopped

1/2 tsp. salt

1-1/2 lbs. ground beef

1 Tbsp. chili powder

1 tsp. ground cumin

1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

1/2 cup dry red wine

2 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce

1-1/2 Tbsp. packed light brown sugar

4 bulkie rolls, split

Puree tomatoes in blender or food processor. Set aside. Add vegetable oil to a large skillet set over medium high heat. When hot, add onions and cook 5 minutes or until tender. Add garlic and cook 1 minute. Add carrots, celery and salt and cook 4-5 minutes, stirring often, or until veggies are soft.

Add ground beef and cook 5-6 minutes breaking up meat with a wooden spoon as it cooks. Add chili powder, cumin, and black pepper; continue cooking and stirring for 2 minutes. Add pureed tomatoes, wine, Worcestershire sauce, and brown sugar; increase heat and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and cook 6-8 minutes or until sauce has thickened. Season with additional salt if desired. Fill rolls and serve immediately. Yield: 4 servings. (Note: Recipe can be doubled or tripled and freezes well.)

BAKED CHIMICHANGAS

1 lb. ground beef

1 cup chopped onion

1 can (4-oz.) chopped green chilies, drained

1 can (8-oz.) tomato sauce

1/2 cup water

1 package (1.25-oz.) taco seasoning mix or equivalent amount homemade seasoning mix (recipe below)

1 can (15-oz.) fat free refried beans

7 burrito-size flour tortillas

1 package (8-oz.) shredded Mexican 4-cheese blend, divided use

1 jar (16-oz.) salsa verde (available in Mexican food section of most supermarkets), divided use

1 Tbsp. vegetable oil

Suggested toppings: guacamole, sour cream, green onions, sliced black olives

Combine ground beef, onion, and chilies in a large skillet set over medium high heat. Cook 5-6 minutes, stirring often, or until beef is cooked through. Drain well. Add tomato sauce, water and taco sea­soning and bring to a boil over high heat; reduce to low and cook 8-10 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until mixture is very thick. Stir in refried beans.

Spoon about 1/2 cup meat mixture into center of each tortilla and top with about 3 Tbsp. shredded cheese, and 1 Tbsp. salsa verde. Fold sides of tortilla over filling. Fold bot­tom of tortilla up over filling, and roll tortilla over to enclose filling. Place seam side down on baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Brush each chimichanga evenly with oil and bake in a preheated 450 F oven for 16-20 minutes or until golden brown. Top with remaining cheese and salsa verde. Serve with choice of toppings. Yield: 7 chimichangas.

HOMEMADE TACO SEASONING BLEND

1 Tbsp. chili powder

1/4 tsp. garlic powder

1/4 tsp. onion powder

1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes

1/4 tsp. dried oregano

1/2 tsp. paprika

1-1/2 tsp. ground cumin

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

Combine all ingredients in a small jar with a tight fitting lid. Shake well. Store in a cool, dry place away from heat and light. Yield: about 2-1/3 Tbsp.