A base for many dishes

As I was standing in the kitchen making dinner, I realized how I could turn my go to base into many different dishes. The base is meat, onion, garlic, tomatoes and tomato sauce. It is my go to dinner when I am in a pinch or wanting some homemade goodness. So simple and easy and the leftovers can be made into other dishes to keep kids interested.
Base
1 pound of ground meat (beef, venison or whatever you like)
Diced onion (you pick the amount)
Chopped garlic (again you decide how much)
1 can or jar of diced tomatoes (drain if you want)
2 cans or jars of tomato sauce

Simple huh? From here I can add elbow noodles for goulash, Italian spices for spaghetti, or turn it into chili with beans, cumin, and chili powder. Tonight I will serve it with corn on the side, if there are enough leftovers, it will all go in one pan and become chili mac tomorrow. You could even make leftover sauce into meat loaf. I am sure I could go on and on about different dishes to make from it. What is a favorite base your family loves to eat?

Brownie Pudding

This recipe is out of a recipe book my Mom put together when she was in school. I found this recipe next to the squash relish and let me say that they are both awesome! It is super easy to put together and very easy to eat, lol.
Brownie Pudding:
1 cup all purpose flour
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 T cocoa powder
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup milk
2 tsp salad oil or melted shortening (I used coconut oil)
1 tsp vanilla
3/4 to 1 cup chopped walnuts (I used half pecans and half chocolate chips, because that is what I had, it rocked)
Topping:
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup coca powder
1 3/4 cup hot water
Sift together first 5 ingredients. Add milk, oil, and vanilla, mix until smooth. (its kinda thick) Stir in walnuts. Pour into greased 8 x 8 x 2 pan. Mix together brown sugar and cocoa, sprinkle over batter. Pour hot water over entire batter. Bake in oven at 350 for 45 minutes. Serve warm. It ends up having a layer of brownie on top and pudding underneath it.