Spaghetti and Meatballs.......

So today is the first official day of 2012.  Although this is not a brand new goal of mine... (I am kinda piggy backing on my last year goal) I wanted to start the dinner of the new year healthy.  I have always loved cooking, but recently found myself yearning for the ability to reinvent myself and how my family eats.  I wanted to be able to cook much of the same meals that my family and I have grown to love, but healthier.... which means little or no sugar and low in calories/fat.  So I would like to share with you this yummy and easy recipe for homemade spaghetti and meatballs:

For Meatballs:

1/2 pound lean ground beef
1/2 pound of lean ground turkey
1/2 cup dry breadcrumbs
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
3 tablespoons dried minced onion
1 tablespoon dried parsley
1 large egg
2 tablespoons low fat milk
1 teaspoon minced jarred garlic
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon fresh ground pepper


Directions:

In a large bowl, with a spoon or with your hands gently mix together all of the ingredients until combined.

With wet hands form into 1 1/4 inch balls.  Set aside


For Sauce/spaghetti

12 ounces spaghetti
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
3 garlic cloves minced
1/2 cup dry red wine or beef broth
1 (28 oz) can crushed tomatoes
1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons dried basil leaves
1 1/2 teaspoons oregano leaves
pinch of red pepper flakes
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
2 cups of water
garlic salt


Directions:

In a large saucepan, heat the oil over medium high heat.  Add the onion and saute for 3 to 4 minutes or until soft.  Add the garlic and saute for 1 additional minute.  Deglaze the pan by pouring in the wine ( or broth) and scraping the browned bits from the bottom.  Add the tomatoes, tomato paste, sugar, herbs, red pepper, black pepper and water.  Simmer for 15 to 20 minutes.

Cook the pasta according to the package directions while the sauce simmers, drain and set aside.

Gently stir the uncooked meatballs into the sauce and cover.  Simmer for 15 to 20 minutes or until meatballs feel firm and are cooked through. Sprinkle lightly with garlic salt to taste.  Let simmer additional three minutes.

Place pasta in large bowl or platter.  Pour sauce onto pasta and top with meatballs.

420 Calories:   in one cup of pasta,  1/2 cup of sauce and 3 meatballs

Eggplant Parmesan

Made this for dinner.... so super simple and yummy!  Made a some garlic bread to go along with it.  The little birdies ate it up!  I think this might be the baby birds new favorite!

Ingredients

•   2 eggplant, peeled and thinly sliced
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 4 cups Italian seasoned bread crumbs
• 6 cups spaghetti sauce, divided
• 1 (16 ounce) package mozzarella cheese, shredded and divided
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese, divided
• 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
• minced garlic

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. Dip eggplant slices in egg, then in bread crumbs. Place in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake in preheated oven for 5 minutes on each side.
3. In a 9x13 inch baking dish spread spaghetti sauce to cover the bottom. Place a layer of eggplant slices in the sauce. Sprinkle with mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses. Add a sprinkling of minced garlic. Repeat with remaining ingredients, ending with the cheeses. Sprinkle basil on top.
4. Bake in preheated oven for 35 minutes, or until golden brown.

Super Simple Lemon Pepper Wings........

I owe this dinner recipe to Mrs. Krysta..... It is so easy and delicious!!!!!  I am making this tonight... you have to give it a try it is fool proof, I promise!

All you need is a pack of chicken wings and some Lemon Pepper Seasoning....

Separate wings at each of the joints... discard the tips

Season generously with lemon pepper seasoning....

place seasoned chicken on foil lined baking sheet.....

place in 400 degree oven for 45 minutes turning chicken once halfway through cooking time....

meanwhile slice celery and carrots into sticks......

the final result... serve with ranch or blue cheese dressing for dipping... Enjoy!!!!

Steve's Awesome Spagehetti......

 Like I mentioned in an earlier post we were cooking spaghetti here... and I was able to finally get the okay from my father in law to get the recipe.... it only took 8 years!  So I am gonna share it with you.  We made this with fresh garlic cheese french bread and it was oh so yummy!  The recipe is as follows:



Ingredients:

1/2 pound of ground beef
3 spicy italian sausage links
1 can tomato paste
4- 15 ounce cans of tomato sauce
1 -15 ounce can stewed tomatoes
1 can of sliced mushrooms
2 cloves of garlic minced
1/2 a chopped onion
1/2 a 15 ounce can of sliced black olives
fresh parsley
fresh rosemary
2 bay leaves
 basil
thyme
garlic salt
salt
pepper
extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon of sugar
red pepper flakes
1 cup of Vodka
dried pasta
fresh grated Parmesan cheese

Directions


In large pot on med/low heat cook tomato sauce, tomato paste, stewed tomatoes and sugar.  Slowly add in 1/2 tsp. of basil, thyme and red pepper.  Add two bay leaves, 1/2 a cup of vodka, mushrooms and olives.  Let cook for 20 min. 


Meanwhile in skillet over med/low heat cook italian links in 1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil turning every 5 minutes until sausage is cooked through and starts to brown on each side.  Remove sausage from skillet and set aside.  Add ground beef to skillet and cook over med. heat in sausage drippings.  Season ground beef while browning with garlic salt, and pepper and Italian seasoning to your liking.  Add garlic and onion to ground beef mixture and continue cooking until ground beef is browned and onion is soft.


To sauce add fresh rosemary and chopped parsley and ground beef mixture (do not drain) and cover.  Let sauce cook on med/low heat and simmer for 1 to 2 hours stirring occasionally.

 For pasta boil water with a little salt and a tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil.  Once boiling add pasta and cook until al dente.  Plate pasta and pour sauce on top.  For those who like their spaghetti with a kick.... slice cooked sausage and add to the sauce of those who desire it.  Garnish with freshly grated Parmesan cheese and parsley serve.

Creamy Chicken Noodle Soup.... From Leftovers......

One of the things I make the most at my house is oven roasted whole chicken.  It's my seven year olds absolute favorite thing to eat... and It yields lots and lots of leftover meat for me to use for the next couple of nights.  Tonight I made creamy chicken noodle soup from some of the leftovers.  I thought I would share the recipe with you since it is so easy and so yummy... especially on cold rainy days like today:



Ingredients

3 cups of cooked chicken shreadded
1 can of cream of chicken and mushroom soup
4 cans of chicken broth
1 cup of chopped onion
1 cup of sliced carrot
1 cup of chopped celery
2 stalks of green onion chopped
2 cloves of garlic minced
1 tablespoon of dried parsley
Salt and Pepper to taste
2 cups of uncooked egg noodles



Directions

Put chicken, onion , carrots and celery in crock pot.  Mix together soup and broth and pour into crock pot.  Mix well.  Add green onion, garlic, and dried parsley.  Let cook on low for 3-4 hours.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  Turn crock pot to high and let cook an additional hour.  Add dried egg noodles 15 to 20 minutes before serving.  Enjoy!

Oven Baked Seasoned Fries.....

So for dinner last night I made pulled pork sandwiches.... you can view the recipe from an earlier blog post here. I decided that I wanted to make french fries to go with our sandwiches. This recipe is so easy and really really yummy! They came out like perfect seasoned fries you would get at a steakhouse.... Here is a pictorial how to:

Ingredients

• 1 large baking potato
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder

If you want to make more than just one potato worth of fries then just double or triple the ingredients......

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees
   
2. Cut potato into wedges or fries if you prefer.....

Mix olive oil, paprika, garlic powder, chili powder and onion powder together

Coat potatoes with oil/spice mixture and place on a baking sheet

Bake for 45 minutes in preheated oven, turning fries once halfway through.....

enjoy!!!!

Abandon Ship....

Okay, so I know that I am suppose to be posting a review on my 16 day dinner challenge.... but here's the thing, I am abandoning that ship. I was fully ready and set to commit to making each and every dish on the list, I went to the grocery store and picked up all the ingredients. I cooked the first dish last night and even took pictures of the prep and the finished result.
Well, when the husband came home to eat it his blank expression worried me..... when I asked him what he thought he exclaimed, "it's bland...". I tried to defend the dish explaining to him that is was suppose to be a simple and healthy chicken and veggies dish. He then replied, "I didn't say it was bad, but its not good either....".
Well then I explained to him my little plan about making all of the dishes on the list, and then asked to see the list. When he read through it he looked up at me and said....."your not serious are you???" Now this frustrated me to no avail... when I asked him why this was a problem he said he didn't want to spend the next three weeks eating bland boring food. He then went on to tell me how much he likes my own cooking, and how that is one of the biggest things he looks forward to when he comes home from a hard days work. Well what was I to do? I understood what he said and decided that if my family wasn't going to want to eat it, then why make it?

That being said, I will go ahead and review the dish last night, since I did make it. I liked it very much, but I like healthy light food. It was quite simple and the taste was light, the only seasoning was with salt and pepper and lemon zest. My oldest ate it all up, my middle child shunned her nose at the beans and my husband was unimpressed. This dish would be great for someone who's family are picky eaters and like their dishes a little more on the plain or simple side. The other thing I like about this dish is it is so fast and easy that I can whip it up for me no problem, even if no one else wants any.

So that being said.... I guess I will be roasting a chicken tonight with red potatoes and steamed broccoli.... yes because these are the dishes my family likes. But I must say it is a huge compliment that in my families eyes..... my cooking is better than the recipes from Better Homes and Gardens!

Better Homes and Gardens 16 Day Dinner Challenge.....

So I must admit, while most of my posts have to do with fashion and DIY projects, I do sneak in the occational dinner recipe. Most of the magazines that come to my house have to do with fashion, although I do have a few parenting ones scattered in there(hey I have three kids remember???). The one other exception is my monthly better homes and gardens magazine, that I am always giddy to recieve, does that sound old ladyish??? Anyways my favorite part of the magazine is the recipes section. I like having new dishes to try, it keeps things interesting in the dinner department around here. Well this months issue really caught my eye. Splashed on the cover in bright orange lettering reads, "make it easy!!!" Okay so this catches my eye, as a mama of three kiddos with tons of laundry, housework, dishes and diapers at all times anything exclaiming that it is going to make my life easy has already got my full attention. So here it is.... better homes and gardens claims to have 16 fast yummy meals to make your family for dinner using a small list of grocery items. So I check out the recipes, complete with pictures of each dish, and I have to say they do look tasty. So I read on to the grocery list, more than 2/3rds of which I already have in my fridge and pantry. This gets me wondering, are these really that easy and more importantly... how do they taste? With each recipe surprisingly healthy and quick to prepare I finally come to the assumption of...."I'm game."

So I am starting tonight, and for the next three weeks (weekends we eat out as a family for dinner), I am gonna make each and every dish on this list. If you want to join along with me, please do... I would love to hear your opinion on the challenge as well. I am going to report back each of the following days to update you on just how easy or fast and most importantly how it tasted. So Day one..... the grocery list:

apples
bagged spinach
broccoli
broth
canned beans
canned tomatoes
carrots chicken breasts
chili powder
cheese crusty bread
eggs
herbs
ground meat
honey
lemons & limes
olive oil
olives
onions
pasta
refrigerated pizza dough


The first Recipe on the list.....

Chicken and Vegetable Saute'

Ingredients

• 2 cups broccoli florets
• 4 medium carrots, cut lengthwise into strips
• 1 Tbsp. olive oil
• 4 medium boneless skinless boneless chicken breasts (1-1/4 lb. total), cut lengthwise into thirds
• 1/2 of a medium red onion, cut in thin wedges
• 1/2 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth
• 1 15-oz. great Northern beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 Tbsp. finely shredded lemon peel

Directions

1. Fill a 3-quart saucepan about 2/3 full with water; add 1/2 teaspoon salt. Bring to boiling; add broccoli and carrots. Boil 3 minutes or until crisp-tender. Drain vegetables and place in bowl of ice water to stop cooking. When cool, drain; set aside.

2. Heat oil in a very large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Cook over medium-high heat until browned and cooked through about 10 to 12 minutes, turning occasionally to brown evenly. Remove from skillet; set aside.

3. Reduce heat to medium-low. Add onion and season with salt and pepper. Cook and stir for 2 minutes. Increase heat to medium-high. Add beans, broth, lemon peel, vegetables, and chicken. Cook and stir 1 minute or until heated through. Makes 4 servings.

Wish me Luck!!!!!

Ham Bone Soup.....

Here is another easy and cheap recipe for you! I cooked up a ham for dinner yesterday.. and saved the bone to make this soup. It is perfect for cold winter nights or if you are a busy mom like myself.


Ingredients

1 meaty ham bone
1 can of kidney beans drained
2 cans of chicken broth
2 bay leaves
1 onion chopped
1 can of diced tomatoes with green chilies
1 sliced carrot
2 cloves of garlic minced
3 red potatoes diced


Directions

Place Ham bone in bottom of 5 quart crock pot. add all other ingredients. Cover and cook on low for 8- 10 hours.

Pull Apart Cinnamon Bread....

Okay so it has been a little while since I have posted a recipe... this one is oh so good! I like to bake something yummy at least once each weekend. I usually do this on our family movie Sundays and lately it has been different kinds of muffins. Now while I do love muffins, I am how do I say???? Quite sick of them. I was just racking my brain for something new to make when I came across this, yummy melt in your mouth goodness. To make it even better, it is so simple (only 5 ingredients), I wonder if you could actually call this baking??? This recipe is so stinking easy and the results are so insanely yummy! I found this recipe on the awesome blog Petit Elephant. Click here to view the recipe, oh and the best part is it is a pictorial.... don't you just love when recipes have easy to follow pictures???


The Yummy result pictured above....



Seriously 5 simple ingredients.....

Southwestern Bean Soup....

Ingredients

1/4 cup butter
1 onion chopped
1 bell pepper, seeded, chopped
2 teaspoons minced garlic
2 (15 ounce) cans Mexican Stewed Tomatoes
1 (15 ounce) can pinto beans, drained
1 (15 ounce) can kidney beans, rinsed, drained
1 (15 ounce) can black beans, rinsed, drained
1 tablespoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon ground coriander
1 cup shredded Monterrey Jack Cheese
1 cup shredded Mexican 4- cheese blend



Directions


In a large saucepan melt butter on medium heat. Add garlic, onions and bellpepper. Saute 5 minutes. Add tomatoes, beans, chili powder and coriander. Cook on medium heat until soup begins to boil. Reduce heat to low, cover and let simmer 25 minutes. Add Mexican shredded cheese and stir around just until cheese melts. Ladle into bowls and top with Monterrey Jack cheese. Serve

Italian Sausage Soup......

Just another soup recipe for you, and boy is this one good!

Ingredients

• 1 pound Italian sausage
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 2 (14 ounce) cans beef broth
  
• 1 (14.5 ounce) can Italian-style stewed tomatoes
• 1 cup sliced carrots fresh or frozen
• 1/2 cup of sliced button mushrooms
  
• 1 (14.5 ounce) can great Northern beans, undrained
• 2 small zucchini, cubed
• 2 cups spinach - packed, rinsed and torn
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

Directions

1. In a stockpot or Dutch oven, brown sausage with garlic. Stir in broth, tomatoes and carrots, and season with salt and pepper. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer 15 minutes.
2. Stir in beans with liquid mushrooms and zucchini. Cover, and simmer another 15 minutes, or until zucchini is tender.
3. Remove from heat, and add spinach. Replace lid allowing the heat from the soup to cook the spinach leaves. Soup is ready to serve after 5 minutes.

recipe courtesy of allrecipes.com with the exception of a few added ingredients

Sarah's Fail Proof Minestrone....

As you know I am a huge fan of soups and stews in the cold weather months... tonight I made my homemade minestrone.. and let me tell you this is so simple and fail proof! Not to mention, hearty, tasty , filling, fast and cheap!


Ingredients

2 - 15 ounce cans of chicken broth
1- 15 ounce can of Italian stewed tomatoes
1- 15 ounce can of dark red kidney beans drained
2 cups of uncooked rigatoni pasta
1 cup of fresh or frozen broccoli florets
1/2 cup of fresh or frozen cauliflower
1/2 cup of fresh or frozen sliced carrots
garlic salt


Directions
Stove Top: bring chicken broth to a boil in a pot. Add pasta and veggies. let cook 5 minutes stirring occasionally. Add beans and stewed tomato's. Let simmer over med/high heat stirring occasionally until pasta and veggies are cooked through. Season generously with garlic salt to taste and let simmer another 5 minutes.

Crock pot : put all ingredients except garlic salt into crock pot and let cook on low for 4-5 hours. Season with garlic salt 15-20 min before serving.

Parmesan Crusted Chicken....

So this is what I made for dinner tonight.. and let me tell you it was so yummy and so easy. Here is a little visual how to....

Ingredients

• chicken drumsticks
• 2 cups grated Parmesan cheese
• 2 eggs
• 2 cups of flour
• parsley
• chicken seasoning
• 2 cups of breadcrumbs
  

Beat both eggs in a shallow bowl....


Set beaten eggs aside...


Put grated Parmesan cheese in a separate bowl and sprinkle a generous amount of parsley into the Parmesan cheese, set bowl aside. Put 2 cups of flour into a separate bowl......

Start by coating the chicken drumstick in the flour.....


Next dip the drumstick into the beaten egg, coating well.....

Next dip the drumstick into the Parmesan/Parsley mixture, again coating well....


Now coat the drumstick with a light layer of the breadcrumbs.....


Now set drumstick aside on a baking sheet... continue this process until all of the drumsticks are coated....
Next sprinkle your choice of poultry seasoning on chicken, I used Lawry's Perfect Blend Chicken and Poultry Seasoning. But you can use whatever kind you want, it's your chicken not mine....


Yay, look at that coated up goodness....

Bake in the oven on 400 degrees for 45 minutes or until chicken is cooked through and coating is crisp.... and enjoy!

A Jar of Simmer Sauce.....

So I don't know about you, but I am already thinking about Christmas. Yes you know me, I am a planner. My really good friend has this motto, "Less is more..." so I am adopting this motto for myself and applying it to Christmas. I decided I am going to do a lot more home made gifts rather than buying. I started thinking about possible DIY gifts. Cookies are great.. but everyone makes cookies. So I thought I would start a list of posts of some great DIY gifts that are truly unique and that your family and friends will love. For my first post I though... how about jarring some home made "simmer sauce?" This can be made even easier by simply saving spaghetti sauce jars for a few months. Here is a super simple fool proof method of making your own yummy sauce. Just make a couple batches of this, tie a pretty homemade label around the lid, place in a cute basket with a baguette and a bottle of wine and bingo!

Ingredients

• 12 pounds ripe tomatoes (about 25 tomatoes), peeled*
• 3 tablespoons packed brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons kosher salt or 4 teaspoons salt
• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2 cups lightly packed fresh basil leaves, chopped
• 1 cup lightly packed assorted fresh herbs (such as oregano, thyme, parsley, or Italian (flat-leaf) parsley), chopped
• 6 tablespoons lemon juice

Directions

Cut peeled tomatoes into chunks and add some of the chunks to the food processor. Cover and process until chopped. Transfer chopped tomatoes to a 7- to 8-quart nonreactive heavy pot. Repeat chopping remaining tomatoes, in batches, in the food processor. Add all tomatoes to the pot.

Add brown sugar, salt, vinegar, and black pepper to the tomato mixture. Bring to boiling. Boil steadily, uncovered, for 70 to 80 minutes, stirring occasionally, until mixture is reduced to about 11 cups and is desired sauce consistency. Remove from heat; stir in herbs.

Spoon 1 tablespoon lemon juice into each of six hot, clean pint canning jars. Ladle sauce into jars with lemon juice, leaving 1/2-inch headspace. Wipe the jar rims; adjust lids. Process filled jars in a boiling-water canner for 35 minutes (start time when water returns to a full boil). Remove jars; cool on wire racks.

Spicy Simmer Sauce: Stir in 1 tablespoon crushed red pepper with the herbs.

Roasted Garlic Simmer Sauce: Stir in 3 tablespoons chopped roasted garlic with the herbs.

Double Tomato Simmer Sauce: Stir in 1 cup snipped dried tomatoes (not oil-packed) with the herbs.

recipe and image courtesy of bhg.com

Easy Peasy Tortilla Soup......

It is cold and overcast today... so I am making soup! This one is super easy and filling. Hope you enjoy!



Ingredients

3 -15 ounce cans of chicken broth
2- 10 ounce cans of diced tomatoes chili's
3 cups of shredded cooked chicken
6 cloves of garlic minced
1 onion chopped
1 - 15 ounce can of corn drained
2 teaspoons of ground cumin
1 teaspoon of chili powder
tortilla chips, jalapenos, shredded cheese, sour cream or any other desired garnish


Directions

Mix all ingredients in a large pot and cook on medium/high heat letting simmer for 30-35 minutes until heat through. Ladle in bowls and add desired garnish. Serve.

Indian Chicken Stew....

One word.... Yummy!

Ingredients

• 2 lb. skinless, boneless chicken thighs, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 5 tsp. curry powder
• 2 tsp. ground ginger
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp. ground black pepper and/or cayenne pepper
• 2 15-oz. cans garbanzo beans (chickpeas), rinsed and drained
• 2 14.5-oz. cans diced tomatoes, undrained
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 Tbsp. lime juice
• 1 9-oz. pkg. fresh spinach (optional)
• Hot cooked rice (optional)

Directions

1. Lightly coat a 6-quart slow cooker with nonstick cooking spray or oil. Add chicken, onion, and garlic to the slow cooker. Add curry powder, ginger, salt, and pepper to the slow cooker. Toss to coat. Stir in drained beans, undrained tomatoes, broth, and bay leaf. Cover and cook on high-heat setting 4 to 5 hours or low-heat setting 8 to 10 hours.

2. Stir lime juice into cooked stew. Stir spinach leaves into stew and let stand 2 to 3 minutes to wilt. Serve with rice. Makes 8 (about 1-1/2 cup) servings.

Picture and Recipe courtesy of bhg.com

Super Simple Fiesta Soup....

I tend to make some of my families favorite dishes totally by accident. It is usually when I am in a hurry, scavaging through my fridge and pantry in an attempt to find something to make. I whipped up this simple soup with things I had in the pantry. This is seriously a dump everything into a pot kind of meal. I hope you enjoy!


Ingredient:

2 14oz cans of chicken broth
1 14oz can of mexican stewed tomatoes
1 14.5oz can of pinto beans with liquid
1 14oz can of corn drained
1 12oz can of white chicken
1 10oz can of fiesta nacho cheese soup
1 tsp. minced garlic



directions:

mix together broth, tomatoes, beans, corn , soup and garlic in a large pot. Add chicken. Cook on med/high heat until heated through stirring often. Enjoy!