Baked Spaghetti

I love to have spaghetti.  Sometimes it's nice to have it a different way though.  We had this last week and everyone seemed to like it.  It's a basic recipe.  Feel free to replace the ground beef, add vegetables to the sauce or different spices that your family like.

10 oz spaghetti
1/2 lb ground beef
dash italian spices
dash garlic powder
1 jar spaghetti sauce
mozzerella cheese

1. Pre-heat oven to 350.
2. Cook the spaghetti according to box directions.
3. Brown the beef while pasta is cooking.  Add the spices to the beef and stir.  Add the jar of sauce.
4. Grease a 9 x 13 pan.  Add the pasta and sauce mixture and combine.  Make sure there is enough sauce to mix evenly with the pasta.  If there isn't, the pasta will get hard and not taste good.
5. Sprinkle as much cheese on top as you would like.
6. Bake for 20 minutes or until the cheese is melted.

Eggs in a roll

We like scrambled eggs, but sometimes I like to add things to them.  This morning I decided to add tomatoes, mushrooms, and cheese.  We had some rolls so I decided to make breakfast fun and put the eggs in them.  Just a different way to eat a yummy meal.  I was telling my daughter that she got a serving of all the food groups too, so that's a healty bonus.  You could add any vegetables that you like.  I had tomatoes and mushrooms on hand, so that's what I used.

1 roll per person

2 eggs per adult, 1 per child

few mushrooms

3 campari or roma tomatoes

cheddar cheese

splash of milk

salt and pepper to taste

1. 
   
   Cut tomatoes in half and take out the seeds, then dice into small pieces.  Slice the mushrooms into bite size pieces. Grate as much of the cheese as you would like.
   
   
   
2. 
   
   Remove the tops of the rolls, then take out some of the filling.  For children, leave a bit of the inside of the roll because 1 egg won't fill a whole roll.
   
   
   
3. 
   
   Saute the mushrooms, then add tomatoes.  Remove from pan.
   
   
   
4. 
   
   Beat the eggs with milk, salt, and pepper.
   
   
   
5. 
   
   Spray pan with Pam so the eggs won't stick.  Cook egg mixture until it just starts to get firm, then add tomato and mushroom mixture and the grated cheese.  Continue to cook until done.
   
   
   
6. 
   
   Serve eggs in the hollowed out roll.  Eat and enjoy!
   
   
   

Roasted Veggie Sandwich

1 - 2 c. mushrooms
1 small/med zucchini
1 red bell pepper
1 orange or yellow bell pepper
1 Onion
1 head garlic
Olive oil
Seasoning salt or S & P, for taste
Hoagies/Outdoor rolls

Preheat oven to 350.  Wrap onion in tin foil.  Place in oven while heating. Prepare veggies as follows:  clean mushrooms; remove stem and seeds from pepper and cut into 4 flattish pieces, slice zucchini into for long slivered quarters. Place all in large mixing bowl. Drizzle with olive oil. Mix around so oil covers most of the veggies and season with seasoning salt. Lay veggies on baking trays--mushrooms stem up, peppers & zucchini skin down.  Place garlic whole on tray.  Bake for 20 to 30 minutes until veggies are tender but cooked through.

Toast hoagie rolls. Spread with butter or mayonnaise. Slice off the tops of the garlic and squeeze out roasted garlic. Spread on top of the butter or mayo. Lay veggies on bread... and eat!

Optional: Add Insalata Caprese (bake & flip) to sandwich. Adds a few more flavors! Very yummy. (in photo)

Semi-homemade pizza

I've been checking out children's cookbooks from the library lately since Jen told me about some of the ones that she's read recently.  All of them listed mini pizzas as fun for kids to make and eat, so I decided that we would give it a try.  I bought the premade dough from Publix (a local grocery store).  I've tried to make dough, but kneading and I don't go well together so this was a good solution.  The great part about homemade pizza is that you can add whatever toppings you want, and as much as you want.

     My daughter doesn't like red sauce on her pizza, so she made the pizza with ricotta, mozzerella and parm cheeses.

    On my dough I put a light layer of Bertolli spaghetti sauce, then topped it with ricotta, calapari tomatoes, green pepper slices (from my garden!), pineapple, mozzerella, and parm cheese.  It was so good!

  My advice: when using fresh dough, brush it with olive oil and cook for about five minutes, then top with what you would like and bake until the cheese is melted and crust is done.  The time it took to get the crust to be done made the cheese a little browner than we like.  Also, for the white pizza, I would mix the ricotta with oregano, parsley, garlic powder, and onion powder.  Just to add a little more flavor.  They were really good though.  My youngest daughter doesn't usually like pizza (or dinner in general) and she ate two pieces.

Sushi

No, I'm not a sushi chef.  But in the last month I have become a sushi eater.  About 11 years ago I tried it for the first time when my friend Sabrina made it while I was visiting for a college graduation.  It was good, but at the time there weren't lots of sushi places, so I forgot about it.  In the past two months, my husband would bring home the mini california rolls.  So after a while of my being a little skeptical about them, I decided to try them.  I figured...well, I love avacado, so I might as well try it.  Avacado-yum Cucumber-yum sticky rice-yum. green wrap-no taste so it's okay  fish-barely tasteful  So all around it was a good experience.  Now I stop by the local grocery store that has a nice man that makes sushi.  I always buy it and tell my husband that he can take it to work for dinner, then I have one before he leaves.  This week he didn't take it with him.  So I took out the package and had two rolls for dinner.  My 4 year old daughter asked what it was and I told her.  She asked if she could have a bite and I let her.  Then she wanted the whole thing.  She really liked it a lot.  I was proud of her for trying something new and liking it.  It's always hard for me to get my girls to try anything.  I guess it just had to look fun. =)

Herbed Tuna with Sesame Dressing

Our neighbor brought over about 3 lbs of Tuna that her husband had just caught. I had never made Tuna before so I found a few recipes online and melded them. I am quite happy with the way that this turned out. Even my husband with top shelf tastes, said, "Its actually really good!"  Whoo hoo!

2 lbs fresh tuna  (ie.. not from the can)
1 bunch fresh cilantro, chopped
1 1/2 c. finely chopped fresh basil
2 teas black pepper
1 teas coarse kosher salt
1/4 teas salt
Olive oil for searing
Basil and cilantro for garnish... (ooops, I forgot to do this with mine!)

1 T soy sauce
1 T honey
1 t. pure sesame oil (in Asian food aisle)

Rinse tuna steaks. Pat dry with paper towls. Cut tuna into long blocks (1X1X5"). Mix together the basil, cilantro, salt, and pepper; cover fish with the mixture. Let sit for 30 mins.

Using a heavy bottomed saute pan or cast-iron pan, warm olive oil. Heat pan to high. Place tuna in pan. Sear for 2 minutes, turn over carefully. Drop temp to med (pan will still be hotter than this) and sear other side for another 2 minutes. (Do not over cook tuna or it will become dry and flavorless. It will be med-rare) Remove from heat.

Prepare plates. Add tuna and garnish. When pan has cooled a bit, add soy sauce, honey and sesame oil.  Mix well. Drizzle over tuna.

Storing fruit

Have you ever bought too much fruit at the store?  Do you like to have fruit that tastes good in the fall and winter?  I've got a tip for you.  We love grapes, watermelon, honeydew, peaches, and nectarines a lot.  During the fall and winter though, the fruit is never ripe and doesn't taste as good as it does when you get it in season.  What I do is spray a cookie sheet or jelly roll pan with cooking spray.  Then I slice up my fruit and put it in a single layer on the jelly roll pan.  I put the pan in my freezer.  When the fruit is frozen (in individual pieces) I put it in freezer Ziplock bags or in tupperware type storage boxes.  Then you can take a few pieces out and enjoy when you want them.  Grapes and bananas are really good as a snack.  The fruit is also good to use in smoothies too because it is already frozen and makes it a little thicker than when using fresh fruit.

Creamy Chicken Veggie Soup

This is a really easy recipe for a good soup.  I think it took me about 45 minutes to make this meal.

2 T butter/margarine

1 cup sliced mushrooms

1/2 c skinny strips of onion

1/2 red pepper in strips

1 can cream of chicken soup

1 1/4 c chicken broth

1 1/2 c milk

2 chicken breasts or 6 tenders, cooked and cut up

pepper

garlic powder

parsley flakes

bit of nutmeg

half of a small bag of frozen broccoli

1. 
   
   
   In a large saucepan saute mushrooms, onions, and pepper in butter until the veggies are tender.  Stir frequently.
   
   
   
2. 
   
   
   In a bowl, combine soup and broth until smooth.  Add milk and stir until combined.  Add this to the saucepan.
   
   
   
3. 
   
   
   Stir in chicken.  Season with herbs as you like.  Add broccoli and heat until just boiling.  Reduce heat to low.  Cook until broccoli is tender-about 5 minutes.
   
   
   

We like to eat this with dinner rolls or crusty bread.  You could add as many vegetables as you want.

Insalata Caprese

We have these 3 or 4 nights a week when the garden is producing tomatoes and basil. Simple and yummy!

Italian Salad Dressing
1/2 lb mozzarella cheese, sliced 1/4" thick
2-3 ripe tomatoes, sliced 1/4" thick
20-30 basil leaves
Salt & Pepper to taste
Italian bread, thinly sliced

Slice cheese and 'marinate' in dressing. This struck me as strange the first time I made the recipe. I thought it would make the cheese all slimy and gross, but it didn't. Let sit for an hour or two. On a plate, lay a piece of cheese, then a basil leaf--slightly staggered, then a slice of tomato--slightly staggered. Repeat this pattern in a circle around the plate. Sprinkle on a bit of S & P if you want... Enjoy on top of a slice of Italian bread... or just eat as it is!

Variations:

Flip and Bake: Lay the tomato on a baking sheet, with a piece of basil directly on top, then a slice of cheese on top of that. Don't over lap these as they will all melt together.  Bake 350 for about 10 minutes until the cheese has melted. Don't over bake as the cheese will run everywhere and the basil will crisp up or get too chewy.

Shredded cheese: My daughter likes these made with a shredded 4-cheese mix. Prepare like flip and bake, just sprinkle some shredded cheese on top of the basil leaf and bake!

Baked Apples

A fun recipe for little helpers!

Small to Medium Apples
Raisins
Butter
Brown Sugar
Cinnamon
Salt


Preheat oven to 350. Core each apple. Place whole apples in a baking dish. Fill cored area with some raisins, a 1/2 T of butter, dash of cinnamon, sprinkle of salt and a T. of brown sugar. Cover with foil. Bake for about 30 minutes or until the apples are cooked through. Let cool for a few minutes. Serve in bowls and drizzle the cooking juices over the top of the apples.

Although these aren't beauties, the aroma while baking is worth the whole experience! My kid's think they are great to make and great to eat! Tip: If you pierce these with a fork before baking, they may not split like the ones in the picture. (let me know if you try it and it works!)

Measuring cups are worthwhile... every once in a while!

When I make soup, I make enough for an army. So, I haven't been cooking much, since we've been eating soup at least once a day! Anyway, I was thinking that since I don't have a recipe to post, I'll post another aha 'kitchen' moment. So, if you've read many of my posts, you know I don't follow recipes much. I've tried to create the recipes here from my head so that you can get a general idea of how to make the dish, but I like to improvise.  By being creative with your recipes and ideas, you can make a dish that will suit your tastes to a tee! BUT... I realized there is a time and a place for measuring!!  I am a stickler for measuring the ingredients when I make oatmeal and rice, etc. I always measure those! I've realized that texture is a big deal to me. I don't do well with clumpy food and its inevitable if I don't measure the rice or oatmeal,  that I end up with mushy clumps! So, be creative, but be wise!

Butterfly

I love to butterfly or thin cut my chicken breast. I love it. I'm almost adamant about it! Here's why. First, it cooks much more quickly (saves time for last minute planners, like me) and doesn't dry out before the center is cooked through. Also, the seasoning/marinade goes all the way through because the pieces are thinner. And... it saves money (not theoretically proven, but I'm working on it). My theory is that when you serve a breast of chicken, it will be eaten, regardless of its thickness. I've noticed that 1/2 thickness is usually filling enough not to need seconds. So, you are stretching out your chicken budget! Okay, so if you've never butterflied, here's the quick version: Take a chicken breast, remove fat, rinse in water, lay chicken on cutting board,  cut through the chicken (knife parallel to the cutting board) to halve its thickness....

Raincheck

Just another 'thrifty' reminder. Always get a raincheck if the store is out of a sale item that you wanted!  Its a great way to have your own personal sale... whenever you need it! I do this with roasts, chicken, Fishy crackers, etc--when the store is having an especially great deal. Sometimes they won't raincheck, but 90% they do!!

Tangy Crockpot Pork Chops

I got this recipe from a friend who had us over to dinner one time.  I thought this recipe was great!  It was the start of my using the crockpot.

4 pork chops                                                              
1/2 t salt
1/8 t pepper
med onion, sliced in strips
2 celery ribs, chopped
1 green pepper, sliced in strips                                             
1 can stewed tomatoes (14.5oz)

Sauce:
1 beef bouillion cube (or 1 T granuals)
2 T cider vinegar
2 T brown sugar
2 T Worchestershire sauce
1 t lemon juice
1/2 c ketchup


Thickener                                               
2 T cornstarch                                         
2 T water

1. Place pork chops in slow cooker, sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Add onions, celery, green pepper and tomatoes.
2. In a small bowl, combine sauce ingredients.  Pour sauce over veggies and chops.
3. Cover and cook on low for 5-6 hours if chops are thawed.  8-10 hours on low if frozen.
4. Mix thickener until smooth.  Stir into liquid in slow cooker.  If you don't stir well enough, it just goes to the bottom of the crockpot.
5. Cover and cook on High for 30 minutes.
6. Serve with hot cooked rice.