mexican chicken lasagna

i'm posting this recipe now, because you might really enjoy it and i don't really want to wait. however...it needed a little something. more flavor, more spice, more something. i personally think it would be excellent with cilantro, but i live with haters people who don't like cilantro.

oh the humanity. how can you NOT like cilantro?? it could be worse. they could hate onions, peppers and tomatoes. then my life would REALLY suck.

my kids liked this and it was easy. there is only a small piece left in the pan...so either everyone was really hungry or it really was good.

here's what's so dang cool about this recipe: it can be prepared the night before... AND it can be cooked in the microwave (if the pan you prepare it in will fit in the microwave - and is not metal. that's a DUH, right? don't put metal in the microwave!!)

mexican chicken lasagna

3 cups cooked chicken, shredded or cubed
12-18 corn tortillas (depends on the size you use)
1 6 oz can tomato sauce
2 cups water
1 pkg enchilada seasoning
1 cup salsa, divided
1 cup corn, divided (or whatever is in the can you use)
2 cups shredded cheese, your choice (i used fiesta blend. it's a party cheese!!)
1 8 oz. package cream cheese
oregano (yeah, i have no idea how much. just some, ok?)

i also wanted to use 1 can black beans, drained and rinsed, divided, but i wasn't in the mood to listen to my kids bitch, so i didn't use them. however, next time, i just might use them anyway.

prepare the enchilada sauce by mixing the water, tomato sauce and enchilada seasoning packaet according to package directions (or you can use 1 28 oz can enchilada sauce).

soften cream cheese in the microwave for about 30-45 seconds. it goes without saying that you should remove it from the package and put it into a bowl, right?? mix 1 cup shredded cheese into the cream cheese, toss in some oregano. maybe like 1 tsp? ish? mix well.

we'll assemble this in a 9X13 pan (or a pan that will fit in your microwave). i sprayed the bottom with cooking spray first. dip 1/3 of the tortillas in enchilada sauce and layer them in the bottom of the pan. you may have to tear the tortillas to cover the bottom of the pan.

on top of the first layer, sprinkle half of the corn, half of the chicken, half the black beans (yanno, the ones i didn't get to use??), and half of the cream cheese mixture. i dropped the cream cheese on top using my pampered chef cookie scoop. i love finding new ways to use that overpriced little gadget. oh yeah, i almost forgot. distribute about 1/2 cup salsa on this layer, too.

dip another 1/3 of the tortillas in the enchilada sauce and arrange on top of the chicken, cheese, salsa, corn and black beans. repeat with another layer of chicken, cheese mixture, black beans, corn and salsa. top with the last layer of tortillas, pour the remaining enchilada sauce over the top of the lasagna. cover with foil and bake for 40 minutes at 350 degrees F, or until bubbling. remove foil, sprinkle with remaining cup of cheese and return to oven for about 3 minutes, or until cheese melts.

i probably would have served this with a bit of source cream if i would have had any, but i didn't... if you make this, let me know what you think.

pasta with blank & blank

are you intrigued by the title? i called it that because really you can use whatever you want in this recipe. recently, i made this using leftover grilled chicken, onions, garlic, green peppers and crookneck squash. it's all about using what you have in the fridge and what is in season. i did NOT have to buy anything special for this recipe.

i used the following items from my pantry:

garlic
dried minced onion
chicken broth
cornstarch
butter
parmesan cheese
salt & pepper
spaghetti

i used the following items in the pasta that i just had on hand:

fresh basil ( loooove growing it in the summer)
leftover grilled chicken
crookneck squash, halved, seeds removed and cut into slices
green bell pepper, sliced

heat water for the pasta you are using. cook according to package directions.

in a large skillet, heat some olive oil and stir fry the veggies you are going to use. i sliced up the leftover chicken and added it to the pan for heating. push all the veggies to the sides of the skillet and melt 2 T butter in the skillet. with a whisk, blend in 1 T cornstarch. add chicken stock to make a nice sauce. make it as thin or as thick as you'd like. when the pasta is done, drain and add it to the skillet with the chicken and vegetables. stir gently to combine. garnish with fresh chopped basil and parmesan cheese.

pasole

many of you know i've traveled a rather bumpy road...all because of choices that i made. those are decisions that i own. despite traveling uphill both ways in 8 inches of snow to many destinations, i'm in a pretty good spot now. much of that i owe to some dear pals...

for almost 7 years, another woman has taken care of my kids while i finished school and worked, because i refuse to be a freeloader. (no offense to any of you freeloaders out there. it's just not for me.) anyway...this wonderful lady has given my kids a second home and she's a good cook. she's also married to a hispanic dude and so she cooks up some awesome mexican food. she introduced me to pasole, which is a mexican soup made with pork and hominy.

i've had a couple of different versions of pasole, but this recipe i developed on my own... my kids love this and will chow down on it, even though it IS a little spicy. i've made it with canned chicken, too, but it's much better with pork, so if you make it, use pork. :) at least the first time. think of this like a mexican version of chicken noodle soup, without chicken or noodles. LOL.

pasole (PAH-soul-ay)

*1 1/2 - 3 lbs pork (you can use tenderloin, chops, whatever)
*2 28-oz cans of white hominy (found in the mexican section of your grocery store)
*1 large onion, diced
*2 or 3 cloves of garlic, minced
*12-14 cups of broth, any kind (more on this later)
*1 8 oz. can tomato sauce
*1 or 2 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
*2 tsp. dried oregano
*finely shredded cabbage
*salt and pepper to taste
*1 T bacon fat or vegetable oil

ok, ok, so i know i use cabbage alot. i apologize, especially if you don't like cabbage. i also use a buttload of chicken broth. believe me when i say i love to buy it when it's on sale. also, don't forget the better than bouillion. you could then use water and a couple of spoonfuls of that stuff and be good to go.

first, a quick note. this recipe takes TIME to cook, but the prep time is next to nothing. i like to roast a pork loin in the oven the night before. place the pork loin in deep baking dish, and season well with salt and pepper. i like to cook the pork loin with 1 can of beef broth and i roast it on 275 degrees F for about 2-3 hours. i let it cool off and put the whole thing in the fridge before i go to bed.

ok, now you are ready to cook. and dinner will be ready in no time at all. in a large pot, melt the bacon fat. dice the onion nicely and cook it in the hot fat, seasoning with salt and pepper. mince the garlic and toss it in with the onion. i like to let this cook for about 5-7 minutes, or until everyone in the house is really complaining that i'm stinking up the house or that their eyes are watering from the onion.

i'm awesome.

open the cans of hominy and drain them in a colander. rinse the hominy off several times and let it drain. have you ever eaten corn nuts? if yes, then you've eaten hominy. you'll LOVE it in soup. it tastes nothing like corn..it's much more like barley.

let's talk about that broth. 12-14 cups is about 8 14-oz cans of chicken broth. you can use vegetable or beef broth if that is what you have. you can also substitute some of that broth for water. that's the beauty of cooking...you can really do what you want. this soup will still have lots of flavor if you replace some of the broth with water. this might be important to you as some broths can be very salty.

this is where you add the broth. put it all in there, baby. toss in the drained hominy and the oregano. stir and taste the broth for seasoning. add salt if you need to...but not too much. make sure the soup is simmering....mmmkay? add the tomato sauce, too.

chipotle peppers in adobo sauce. are you scared? you'll find these little guys in the mexican food aisle at your grocery store, too. probably close to the hominy. it seems kind of lame to buy a can of them to only use one or two peppers. however, i put mine in a gladware container and find they keep in the fridge for at least three weeks. they are good in chili and i have another soup recipe somewhere that i use them in. and somewhere, someone will cringe, but sometimes i have to throw the unused ones away.

start with ONE pepper. trust me on this. these are hot little bastards babies. slice it up into very small pieces and put it into the soup. i use the seeds and everything...but if you want, you could try to remove the seeds, as that is where most of the heat is. stir the soup well and continue to simmer.

take that pork out of the fridge and skim all the fat off the top of the broth. the broth that the pork was cooked in will probably be gelled; this is ok. remove the pork loin to a cutting board and put the broth the pork loin was roasted in into the soup. you can slice, dice or shred the pork, it's completely up to you. add the pork to the soup, bring back up to a simmer temperature.

taste the broth. chances are it is spicy enough, but if you want more heat, add another chipotle pepper. i once made this so freaking spicy that we could barely eat it! i had to serve it with TONS of sour cream...and it was good, but it was SO. HOT. make sure it has the flavor you want...you can add a little bit of salt and pepper if you want.

the longer you simmer this, the better it is, but if you want, you can serve it as soon as it's heated through.

i know you're dying to know what to do with that cabbage. slice it up real thin, right? you can also use that shredded coleslaw mix that you find in the premade salad section at your grocery store. put a handful of cabbage in the bottom of a bowl, and ladle the pasole over the top. you can garnish with fresh squeezed lime juice if you like.

my kids love this. if you get it too spicy, calm the heat down with some sour cream.

this makes enough to serve a small army, so we always have it for two meals. it's usually weekend food, so sometimes we eat it for lunch AND dinner. cook once, eat twice.

potstickers

so last week i was wasting time watching food network, as i often do on weekends while waiting for my laundry to fold itself. bobby flay did a throwdown on chinese dumplings, or potstickers as we white folk like to call them.

i've been craving them ever since. like, dying for them. since i love to cook, i thought to myself, "self, you can probably make those. yeah, it looks like it will be a pain in the ass, but i still think you can do it."

so i went out to teh interwebz in search of a recipe and i found quite a few, but none that i loved and was dying to make. here was some of my criteria:

1. i didn't want to make the wrappers from scratch. that seemed like a giant PITA (pain in the you-know-what)and i didn't want to deal with it.

2. i wanted the recipe to include cabbage, because i love cabbage.

3. i only wanted to use pork as the filling inside. i knew my kids wouldn't be hip on shrimp or other weird crap. when introducing new stuff to them, i know the limits.

4. i didn't want to have to buy tons of expensive ingredients that i might only use one time. what if the recipe didn't turn out? or if my family didn't like it? i don't want to be stuck with a bottle of expensive seasoning i'll never use.

i took a few recipes i found and came up with the version below. i created the dipping sauce all on my own...and you'll just have to trust me when i tell you that it's good, because it does kinda sound weird.

potstickers

*1 package round dumpling wrappers, approx. 60 count
*1 pound lean ground pork
*1 head napa cabbage (use napa, not regular)
*1-2 tsp. fresh ginger, minced finely (ginger is not for everyone...)
*5 green onions, thinly sliced, including the green tops
*1 T cornstarch
*1 T soy sauce
*black pepper
*kosher salt
*vegetable oil for frying

slurry:
*1 T cornstarch
*1/4 cup cold water

dipping sauce:

*1/2 cup soy sauce
*1 tsp. sugar
*1-2 t. brown sugar


begin by preparing the napa cabbage. wash, remove the core and the outside leaves. slice very thin and place into a large bowl. salt with 2-3 tsp kosher salt, mix well. let the cabbage sit for about 10-15 mins. this will draw out the water and the cabbage will become limp. this is an important step and cannot be skipped - or you will have soggy dumplings. after 10-15 mins, place the cabbage into some cheesecloth or into a clean dishtowel and wring all the water out. again, this sounds like a pain in the butt (and it is, this whole recipe is. just do it.)

place the ground pork in a large bowl. add the minced ginger, and sliced green onions, including the green tops. add about 1/4 tsp pepper. by now, you should know that i really don't measure...i just eyeball it. add the sliced, drained cabbage. i wish i had sliced mine thinner and chopped it a bit more. mix well. you'll probably just want to use your hands, like you would mix meatloaf, but a spatula works nicely, too. i didn't add salt to the meat mixture, because i thought the cabbage was salty enough, and the dipping sauce's main ingredient is soy sauce, which is salty on its own.

now, let the fun begin. in a small dish, prepare the slurry. this is what you'll use to make the wrappers stick together. take 1 wrapper and moisten the edges with the slurry. place about 1/2 T of filling in the wrapper and fold the wrapper around the filling, rolling the filling out slightly inside. pinch the wrapper in the middle to seal. then, seal the sides, pleating only ONE side of the wrapper, and do either the right OR the left side first. make sure the bottom is flat. the finished potsticker should look like a purse. kinda. here's a link to show you with pictures how to fold them: http://steamykitchen.com/blog/2008/07/27/potstickers. if you scroll down a bit you can see photos of how they fold them.

trust me, it's not easy. in fact, it really is a PITA (see above). thankfully, i had jake to help me. i entertained him by talking to him with my asian voice:

me: sirry boy. you suck at making potsticker. it take you four hour to make 2 potsticker. you so razy and slow!

jake: (laughing) four hour! hahahah! razy! mom, you're funny.

me: risten, get working. you have lots of potsticker to make.

jake: mom, you are funny. you sound just like a chinese lady.

(dear internet, if you know me at all, you know i am not racist. i'm not making fun of asians. i worked with asians for many years and i love them with all my heart. i'd give my left leg to cook like they can.)

a few things here. first of all, it IS worth your time to make these, even though they are way time consuming and a giant PITA. it looks like you have too much filling for 60 wrappers, but you should turn out ok. we did, and i know my kids ate at least a few plain wrappers along the way.

after you've finished about half of the potstickers, it's time to think about cooking them. i have a large 12-inch skillet with a lid. you need a pan that has a lid. if you don't have a 12-inch skillet, you'll have to fry them in smaller batches. pour enough vegetable oil into the pan to just coat the bottom. i used about 1/3 of a cup. heat the oil over medium heat for several minutes. you don't want to put the potstickers in cold oil or they will get greasy. place about 1/2 of the folded and sealed potstickers into the hot oil. carefully. i burned myself and swore no fewer than 12 times and jake laughed every time. fry the potstickers for about 2-3 minutes, until you can see the edges of the dumplings getting very dark brown. you can lift one up to see if they are the right color.

this is where it gets scary, unless you have an apron made of steel and a face mask. measure about 1/2 cup water into a measuring cup. VERY CAREFULLY pout it into the skillet and immediately cover with a lid. steam the potstickers for about 5-7 minutes. even our fattest potstickers were cooked all the way through after about 6 minutes. you can remove one from the pan and cut it in half to be sure.

while your slave helper continues to fold the potstickers and the first batch cooks, make the dipping sauce. in a microwave-safe bowl, combine the soy sauce and the sugar. cook on high for approximately 2 minutes. you want it to boil and for all the sugar to dissolve. stir well.

keep folding the second batch of potstickers. at this point you'll be so sick of it you want to die. but your family is salivating over the first batch and you'll really want to be able to eat at least a couple, so keep making them. it won't seem like it, but you will finish.

remove the first batch from the pan with tongs, let cool slightly, and serve with dipping sauce.for the second batch, you may need to add a bit of oil and reheat it. i did not need to do this, but you may. steam them and cook them like you did with the first batch.

total PITA and totally worth it. i'd make them again.

sweet and sour meatballs. casa de elana style

so i've never made this, but i'm going to tonight. the biggest reason i'm posting it is b/c i got the recipe in an IM and i need to get it written down before i do something stupid like close the IM window and then POOF! it's gone forever.

i'm going to serve this with rice, but elana (and really, you've got to head over there and see her "daft hands" post anyway...) says it's good with funeral potatoes (if you seriously need this recipe, let me know and i'll post it, but really??? you don't already have it???)

mmm...sweet n sour meatballs. from my sister's IM to your kitchen.

1 lb (or so, she claims to eyeball it. i find this weird, b/c it makes it sound like she has a giant pot of ground meat and she just scoops out whatever and uses it for these meatballs.)

let me start over.

*1 lb. ground meat. i'm using turkey, b/c it's what i have. you can use beef or pork, too.
*2 eggs
*3/4 cup oats
*1/2 cup milk
*minced onions (dried or fresh, eyeball it. she leaves them out, but that should be illegal.)
*1 T worchest-whatever (her words, not mine...)
* salt n pepper

mix together and shape into balls using this thing:



what? you don't have one of these? LAME. making the meat mixture into balls will not be as easy for you, then.

place the meatballs on a cookie sheet in a 9x13 baking dish in a nice little pattern of your choosing.

for the sauce:

*1 c. brown sugar
*1/2 c. vinegar
*1/2 c. bbq sauce
*2 tsp. mustard
*1 T. worchest-whatever

mix ingredients together in a saucepan, heat until boiling. pour sauce over meatballs and bake at 350 degrees F for 30 mins.

here's a little variation i'm going to try out - i'm going to brown the meatballs in a skillet first...and THEN put them in the oven. i have a skillet that is oven proof, so i think they'll be good this way.

ham and potato casserole

tonight i wasn't really sure what to make for dinner. i've been too busy to meal plan (really, it's WAY easier if you meal plan, but i've not made it a priority) and life has pretty much been hell on earth since the middle of january.

i stared at the fridge to see what i had on hand. i had a bunch of leftover ham. i knew i had some frozen hash browns on hand. i looked to see if i had some cheese...and all i had were some american singles, white and yellow. one brand claimed to be "swiss," but i really think it's just white american cheese.

so, i whipped up a little ham and potato casserole...and it was a huge hit with tha family, if i do say so myself. don't laugh at the ingredients...it is what i had.

also, take caution with the salt. i thought it turned out a bit salty, probably from the ham. you'll have to adjust based on the cure of the ham and your preference for salt.

ham and potato casserole

*1 32-oz. bag southern style (square cut) frozen hash browns
*2-3 cups diced ham
*1/2 stick of butter (4 T)
*1/4 cup flour
*2 T dried chopped onions (i was way too lazy to just cut up a real onion)
*1 T dried parsley
*1 1/2 cups milk (i wish i could have used 2, but 1 1/2 was all we had!)
*4 slices white american cheese
*2 slices yellow american cheese
*1/2 cup sour cream
*1 can cream of chicken soup
*pepper
*garlic powder
*salt to taste (be careful!)

preheat oven to 350 degrees F. spray a 9x13 pan with pam. melt butter in a medium saucepan with onions. stir in flour, pepper and garlic powder, whisk until it's thick and bubbly. gradually add the milk, stirring to prevent lumpage. (ha ha! lumpage!) cook until nice and thick. turn heat down to low, add cheese. let the cheese melt, stir occassionally. when the cheese is melted, remove pan from heat, stir in sour cream and cream of chicken soup.

in a large bowl, combine hash browns, ham and parsley. pour sauce over top, stir to combine. spread into the baking pan, cover with foil and bake for 60 mins or until hot and bubbly.

jake LOVED this - he ate three plates.

autumn pork chops

first of all, has it really been like 3 weeks since i last posted? what the H is up wit dat??

second of all, i know it's not autumn, but these pork chops kick butt. you should like, make them. tonight.

your kids will like them. and so will you.

autumn pork chops

*1 T vegetable oil
* 4 pork chops, about 1 1/2 pounds (any thickness, bone in or boneless)
*1 can cream of celery soup
*1/2 cup apple juice or water (you can totally use water...i have...)
*2 T spicy brown mustard (it's all about the gulden's, baby!)
*1 T honey
*4 cups hot cooked rice
*mrs. dash

cook pork chops about 5 minutes on each side or until browned. remove chops from pan, pour off fat. put soup, apple juice, mustard and honey in pan, whisk together. heat to boil.return chops to pan. reduce heat to low. cover and cook until chops are no longer pink (about 10 minutes) sprinkle with mrs. dash. serve over rice.

if your pan is large enough, i have done this with six chops and the same amount of sauce.

angel hair pasta with chicken

even though my children can be holy terrors, i am really lucky they DO like to eat. ask anyone who knows them - they'll eat things other kids won't touch with a ten foot pole. that doesn't mean they aren't picky. jake doesn't like tomatoes - not chunks of them anyway. he does like spaghetti sauce and tomato soup. he's also not super fond of onions, but he will eat them. neither one of my kids likes squash. but they will eat beets, either pickled or just sliced and cooked. jenna just LOVES to eat her grandma's pickled beets. they love asparagus. one of our favorite snacks to eat after paul goes to work is a bag of edamame. i'm not having much luck finding a picture of the brand we like the best, but edamame is soybeans. they come in the pod and i boil them in the microwave. i rinse them with cold water so they are cool enough to handle and sprinkle with kosher salt. then we sit down, pop them out of the pods and eat them. totally yummy and very good for you. they are high in protein and fiber.

another veggie my kids both love is broccoli. this recipe uses broccoli nicely, and while it also calls for carrots, i have left them out before, because my kids would rather just eat the broccoli. the truth is, i don't like cooked carrots all that much and that's the REAL reason i have left them out in the past. the carrots do provide some nice color, however. for the most part, i think this recipe is fairly light, and it will serve 6-8 people. or 4-6 if you have giant eaters in your house. i believe you COULD replace the butter with margarine if you prefer. but i wouldn't recommend it. :)

angel hair pasta with chicken

*4 chicken breast halves, trimmed and cut into small chunks (approx. 1 inch)
*2-3 cups broccoli florets
*2-3 carrots, sliced diagonally
*3-4 cloves garlic, peeled and minced (i use the food chopper!)
* 1 12-oz. pkg angel hair pasta
*2 c. chicken broth (1 15-oz can will work, if that's easiest)
*1 1/2 tsp. dried basil
*1/2 cup shredded parmesan, divided
*2 T. butter
*2 T. flour
*1/4 tsp. salt (or to taste)
*2-3 T. olive oil, divided

Put water on for pasta to cook - don't forget to salt the water! Heat 1-2 T. oil in skillet over medium heat; add chicken. Season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring until chicken is cooked through, about 5-7 minutes (mine took more like 9 minutes, but i'm super anal about cooking chicken). I like to get the chicken nice and browned as it looks better when mixed with the noodles. Remove the chicken from skillet and set aside. Heat remaining oil in same skillet. Add carrots to skillet; cook, stirring, for 4 minutes. Add broccoli and garlic to skillet; cook stirring for 2 minutes longer. Cook pasta according to package directions (do not overcook angel hair pasta - it's super nasty!). While pasta is cooking, push the vegetables to the sides of the skillet and make a thin white sauce of 2 T. butter, 2 T. flour, 1/4 t. salt and 2 c. chicken broth in the skillet, then add basil and 1/2 of the parmesan cheese. Return chicken to skillet and simmer for 4 minutes. Drain pasta. Place in a large serving bowl. Top with chicken and vegetable mixture. Sprinkle with remaining parmesan. Serve immediately.

if your skillet is large enough (mine is a 12-inch), i recommend adding the pasta right to the skillet. toss the ingredients with tongs and you're good to go. i also added onions to mine, because i think onions go well with chicken and pasta. onions actually go well with most things. but if your kids won't eat them, don't add them! the best thing about this recipe is that you could use less chicken or omit it altogether if you want - and use vegetarian broth to make it totally vegetarian. you could add whatever veggies you have in your fridge already. from start to finish, it took me less than 30 minutes to make.

man burgers

jake loves these. he really likes the name. he'll kill me for saying this, but he believes he has chest hair. he is NINE YEARS OLD.

i made these one night when i didn't know what to make for dinner. as i stood staring at the fridge, door open, i had an epiphany. and i threw this together. i called them man burgers, because hello, it's total man food. and i knew jake would like them just because of the name.

man burgers

*1 lb. lean ground beef
*2 pkgs. onion gravy mix
*4 slices Texas toast
*4 slices cheese, your favorite kind
*2 T butter, softened and divided
*garlic powder or salt

shape the ground beef into 4 patties. you can add breadcrumbs and egg, dry onion soup mix, or chopped onions if you'd like. season and cook the patties over medium heat in a large skillet. while the patties are cooking, prepare the gravy according to package directions. keep the gravy warm while the burgers are cooking. prepare the texas toast by spreading each slice with 1/2 T. butter and sprinkling with garlic salt or powder. broil the texas toast in your oven until it's toasty and brown, about 1-3 mins depending on your broiler settings.

(PLEASE USE YOUR TIMER or some other mechanism to remind you have BREAD UNDER THE BROILER!! otherwise, you will need 8 slices of texas toast. 4 to burn to a crisp and 4 to actually serve with your man burgers.)

when the burgers are cooked, top with a slice of cheese and let melt slightly. assemble the man burgers as an open faced sandwich: texas toast on the bottom, topped with a burger, smothered in gravy. serve with tater tots or mashed potatoes for the perfect man meal.

my husband and son like cheese tots with this. super healthy, right?? hey, i use LEAN ground beef.

swift spaghetti

i have adapted this recipe from taste of home magazine. yes, i subscribe to a cooking magazine. i've even checked out past copies of taste of home from the library.

yeah, something might be wrong with me.

i love spaghetti. i love pasta. even better - my kids love it, so it makes me happy to know that i'm slaving over something they'll love. i recently tried this recipe out and took half of it to my fabulous sister-in-law to feed her family, as she had just had surgery. while my first go-round with this recipe wasn't fabulous, the second one was much better.

this is awesome and can be made on a weeknight AFTER work - serve with bagged salad and store bought garlic bread and it's DINNER.

swift spaghetti

*8 oz. dry spaghetti noodles
*5 1/2 cups water
*1 pkg. onion soup mix

*1 - 1 1/2 pounds ground beef
*1 6-oz. can tomato paste
*1 8-oz. can tomato sauce
*1 tsp. basil
*1/2 tsp. oregano
*1 T parsley
*salt and pepper

in a large pot, bring the water to a boil. make sure you measure it; you won't be draining the spaghetti. when the water boils, add the onion soup mix and the spaghetti. i never buy a pkg. of spaghetti that small, so (don't cringe) i usually just eyeball what 8 oz. is. ha ha ha. cook the spaghetti according to package directions, about 12 mins. stir occasionally to keep the spaghetti from sticking the bottom of the pot. or do what dumb asses like i am do and use non-stick cookware. stir it anyway, ok?

when you put the water on to boil, in a separate skillet, brown the ground beef. i usually use very lean ground beef, so i don't drain it, but if you use 80-20, you'll want to drain the hamburger. sesaon with salt and pepper while the beef cooks. after you drain it, add the spices and the tomato paste and sauce. stir well to combine, keep warm.

when the spaghetti is cooked (almost all of the water should be absorbed...) stir the meat mixture into the noodles. heat through and serve. you'll seriously have this on your table in less than 30 minutes.

fettuccine alfredo

warning: this recipe is not low fat. if you are on a diet, just quit reading now. close your laptop and walk away.

paul loves alfredo sauce, but he also was blessed with this freaky metabolism...i can't eat this very often, so it's a special treat at our house. it's pretty easy to make and totally yummy. add grilled chicken or shrimp if you want to serve with meat.

fettuccine alfredo

*1 12-oz. package fettuccine noodles, cooked and drained (do not rinse!!)

now for the sauce:

1 stick butter (um, do i need to point out NO MARGARINE!?)
1 pint heavy whipping cream (can use half and half)
2 cloves garlic, pressed or minced
1 3-oz. package cream cheese, cut into small pieces
3/4 cup parmesan cheese (i prefer the shredded over the kind in the can)
salt and pepper to taste

in a medium saucepan, melt butter and cream cheese together. add the garlic and combine well. stir in cream and simmer for 15-20 mins. do not boil. add the parmesan cheese, mix well and simmer for another 10-15 mins. keep the heat fairly low; otherwise the cheese may burn on the bottom of the pan. stir occasionally. sesaon with salt and pepper. the longer this cooks, the better it is, but you can adjust the cook time based on your schedule. this is also totally awesome (did i really just say totally awesome??) with breadsticks.

toss with cooked fettuccine noodles. remember me saying not to rinse them? rinsing noodles is a common mistake many people make. NOT rinsing them allows the sauce to stick to the pasta. usually you rinse pasta for cold pasta salads. however, you shouldn't rinse spaghetti that is going to be coated in sauce - or it will make the sauce watery.

serve. your family will love you.

p.s. you are supposed to use white pepper, but who has that in their cupboard? black pepper is fine.

park city oven stew

i have two stepdaughters and they come to stay with us every other weekend. it's my philosophy that families should eat dinner together as often as possible and i know their mom works at night, so they rarely eat with her, especially at home. i try to make dinner a big deal anyway, but even more so when they stay with us. i usually try to get paul to find out what they want to eat when they are at our house so i can have the ingredients on hand.

this past week, i got this same recipe from two different people: debbie- a co-worker of mine, and from one of the other moms on my pta board. debbie calls hers 8-hour stew and the other lady calls hers park city oven stew. i like the park city name as i think it sounds all rich n' fancy, so i'm calling it that here, even though in all reality, it's an 8-hour stew.

not only was this easy to make, but it started to smell fantastic after just one hour in the oven - which made the rest of the day mouthwatering, to say the least. everyone was starving by the time it was ready to eat.

another note: while i love my crock pot, it's my opinion that crock pots should only be used for certain recipes and mostly in the summer. you could certainly make this in a crock pot, but the oven is superior in creating flavor. that's just my opinion.

so..from my kitchen to yours,

park city oven stew

2-3 lbs. stew meat
6-8 potatoes, cubed (i leave the peels on)
4-5 carrots, peeled and sliced into thick chunks, on the diagonal
3 stalks celery, cut
1 whole onion, peeled and quartered
2-3 cloves of garlic, peeled and left whole
2-3 bay leaves
1 pkg. lipton onion soup mix
1 8-0z. can tomato sauce
1 can cream of celery soup
1 can cream of mushroom OR cream of chicken soup
flour
salt and pepper
oil

optional: 1 box of mushrooms, cleaned

heat oil in a large kettle. put stew meat into a ziplock bag, add 1/4 - 1/2 cup flour. add seasonings (salt, pepper, garlic salt, onion salt, whatever). shake to coat. brown the stew meat in the oil. (you can skip this step to save time if you want.)

preheat your oven to 225 degrees. put all the vegetables and the meat in the bottom of a large oven-proof dish. i just used my pampered chef 9 x 13 baker, but you can use a deeper casserole dish with a lid if you have one. add the bay leaves (these are quickly becoming one of my favorite spices). combine the soups, the tomato sauce and the onion soup mix. pour over the top of the meat and vegetables. since i used a baking dish, i covered the top tightly with foil before i put it in the oven.

if i use the mushrooms (and i do, paul loves them...),i add them after the stew has cooked for about 5-6 hours or when i remember. i leave them whole, but you can do what you want. let the stew cook for at least 6 hours, but it will be even better after 8 hours. serve with wheat bread for dipping - totally yummy.