Crazy Cooking Challenge for March - Spaghetti

Do you have that one go to dish that you really like?  I have always loved spaghetti but I never had a special recipe.  And can you image that the month we join the Crazy Cooking Challenge, spaghetti is the category.  I know, it's like magic.

Here's how it works.  You find a blog that has a recipe for what you need to cook.  So simple.  I looked at a couple that met the requirement but really, I wanted comfort, everyday dinner spaghetti.  Cooking a sauce all day on a Sunday did not appeal to me...AT ALL.

Then, I found it.  At Mel's Kitchen Cafe.  And found it quite by accident but found it just the same.  I sometimes click on the blogs that other bloggers read.  At one point, I can have 15 windows open because I just keep on going.  Somewhere down the line, I found Mel.  She's in Wisconsin raising her 4 boys and taking care of her husband while sharing wonderfully delicious recipes and great looking pictures with us.

Let me share her aunt's recipe that she tweaked.  It's even got the best name:

Homemade Spaghetti Sauce - Perfected
    by Mel

3 tablespoons olive oil
2 cups chopped onions - divided
1 red pepper, coarsely chopped
2 pounds hamburger (90% lean)
5 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1- 12 oz can of tomato paste
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon pepper
3 teaspoon dried oregano
3 teaspoon dried basil
1 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
2- 14 oz can Italian style diced tomatoes
2- 28 oz cans crushed tomatoes
1 1/2 cups beef broth
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 bay leaves
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

Heat the oil.
Add 1/2 of the onion.
Saute until translucent.
Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute.
Add the meat and cook through.
Drain if needed.
In food processor, blend the remaining onion and the red pepper until smooth.
Add mixture to the meat.
Add tomato past and spices.
Cook for 1 minute.
Add tomatoes, broth and brown sugar.
Add bay leaves.
Bring to a boil, then reduce to low simmer for 1 hour, stirring occasionally.
Fifteen minutes before serving, add balsamic vinegar.

Mel notes that she has let this cook for 3 hours before with no problems.  I was hungry and Charlie couldn't stand not eating when the house smelled so good.

There was plenty and we put some in the fridge and some in the freezer.  This is absolutely going to be a staple in our house.

What could be better...easy, mostly pantry items, and oh so good.  You really need to try this one. Thank you Mel.

Powered by Linky Tools
Click here to enter your link and view this Linky Tools list...

If you would like to join the Crazy Cooking Challenge, visit Tina at Mom's Crazy Cooking.

 Live, Laugh, Love!!

Karen and Charlie

Before Hamburger Helper

This goulash is a dish of memories.  It was a go to dinner for my mom.  I now know why since it is cheap and fast.  I had forgotten about it until I was looking in the pantry for something to make since I had forgotten to take meat out of the freezer. And hamburger thaws so quickly.

You can get most of this in a box.  It goes by the name of Hamburger Helper.  However I would bet that you have everything in your pantry.  This is how my goulash goes...

I don't have amounts because it's all a matter of personal taste.  But it is really so simple, macaroni, beans, tomato sauce, hamburger meat and cheese.  Season with onions, garlic powder, paprika and chili powder.

I felt like a kid again.  And as with any pasta dish...it tastes better the next day!

Karen

A Favorite from My Past

When I was a teenager, Pizza Hut was a big hangout after church on Sunday nights.  Even though most of us had spent the entire day together, we all headed over to Pizza Hut to get something to eat and just continue the day.  I can remember the laughter, the gossip and all the friendships that were formed in the dimly lit room and over the best pizza and pasta.

As I write this, I think of some specific instances and they bring such a smile to my face.  And a few even make me laugh out loud.  Luckily I can still call most of the people that I have these great memories with friends either through facebook or a few that have stuck with me through the years.  I am fortune that they are all well grounded, Christian people that care about their fellow man.

What brought on all these memories you ask?  I found a recipe in 'America's Most Wanted Recipes' for Pizza Hut Cavatini and of course, I had to try it.  I made an attempt a year or so again and while it was close, this one is spot on to what I remember.

I didn't have enough cheese to cover the top but it was still super delicious.  Like pizza without the bread.  The only problem I have with this recipe is....it makes too much.  So some of my co-irkers get a treat.

Charlie and I did manage to put a big dent in it though. 

Pizza Hut Cavatini
Adapted from America's Most Wanted Recipes

1/2 stick butter
1 onion, diced
1 green pepper, diced
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 pound pasta (wheels, shells, spirals)
16 oz jar of pasta sauce
8 oz cooked ground beef
8 oz cooked italian sausage
8 oz pepperoni, sliced
2 cups shredded mozzarella

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Melt butter.  Saute onion and green pepper along with garlic powder.
While that's happening, Cook pasta according to package directions.
Remove onion and green pepper.  In the same pan, heat pasta sauce, ground beef and italian sausage.
Spray a 4-quart casserole or several small ones.
The recipe calls for two layers.  I just made one.
Layer ingredients starting with pasta, then vegetables, pepperoni, sauce.  Then add another layer or cover the top with cheese.

Put in oven until it is bubbly and the cheese is browned.

It's some good stuff.  Notice the new gas range making an appearance in the picture.  I love it, love it, love it!

The interview was ok.  Not sure it will turn into anything.   We'll see.
And the weather will be in the 70s for the weekend.  I am so excited.

Live, Laugh, Love...............have a wonderful day!

Celebrate Life!!!

Karen

Stuffed Shells

I was wanting something different for dinner last night and I'm trying really hard to limit our eating out.  But as usual I didn't take any meat out of the freezer.  I told myself to just figure it out and this is what I came up with.

I had made sliders on Sunday from a recipe on The Dutch Baker's Daughter blog.  They weren't bad but the meat was a little on the thick side.  It reminded me of meatloaf.  I'll try it again but next time will definitely be more careful about the amount.  Anyway, I slipped away there.  So, I had hamburger meat with onions and cheese.  I took a look in the pantry to see what was going on in there.  Beans, rice, potatoes, jarred pasta sauce, tuna, shells, lasagna noodles.  Wow, I have some choices now. Beans were out though because we have chili in the fridge from the weekend. Rice or potatoes, nah not feeling it.  So I went with the pasta.

My hands were yucky so I didn't get pictures of the steps to make it.  When I do things like this, I wash up and dive in.  Mixing ingredients like this are easier with your hands than with a spoon.  Ok, call the kitchen police but it's what I do!

And forgive the measurements, I mix until I get a good balance and texture.  Then I taste, season and I'm done.   And I literally just  cleaned out the fridge for this one.

Cooked hamburger patty, crumbled (with or without cheese)
Ricotta cheese (I used the entire pint)
Parmesan cheese (shredded, crumbled - use the kind in the green can if you must)
Cooked bacon, crumbled
garlic salt
chives
oregano
red pepper flakes
onions, diced
pepper
Pasta Sauce - any flavor
Pasta Shells
mozzarella
fried onions - the packaged kind (you can eat these like chips! Yummy)

Boil water and cook pasta according to package directions.
Spray a casserole dish with cooking spray

Put meat, bacon, onions, cheeses, and spices into a bowl.  Start with a small amount and add as you mix to get the textures correct.  You want more cheese than meat and you want it to hold together in a bowl.  Taste and add more seasoning if necessary.

When pasta is ready, rinse and fill with stuffing.  Don't overfill, you still want them to have a shape.  Put one layer in the casserole dish.  Top with pasta sauce, mozzarella cheese and fried onions.

Put in oven to warm through.  I went with a 300 degree oven for about 25 minutes.

Enjoy!