Simple Spaghetti

I have to be honest.  I have never liked spaghetti, ever.  This recipe changed my mind though.  The original recipe can be found here .  Naturally, I had to add my twist to this one, even though it was already ridiculously simple.

Simple Spaghetti

8 oz. ground italian sausage
8 oz.  uncooked spaghetti
1-28 oz no salt added whole tomatoes, undrained (I used the garden tomatoes I froze)
2 T. olive oil
5 garlic cloves, minced
1 t. sugar
1/2 t. crushed red pepper
1/2 t. kosher salt
1/4 cup torn fresh basil
1/2 c. shaved parm. cheese

Cook pasta according to package directions.

Cook sausage in a pan until done.  Remove from pan.  Meanwhile, place tomatoes in a food processor; process until almost smooth. Heat olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add crushed red pepper and minced garlic; sauté 1 minute. Stir in tomatoes, sugar, and salt; cook 4 minutes or until slightly thick. Add sausage and stir to coat.  Use sauce to top pasta and garnish with fresh basil and parm. 

Pecan Pie

My husband requested Pecan Pie this Thanksgiving, and let me confess, I've never made one.  So I went to the trusted allrecipes.com and found some instructions.  The pie met my husband's approval, so I thought I would share.  I used my sister's fabulous pie crust recipe found here and reposted for your convenience.  I did make a few changes to the recipe.  I reduced the pecans, combined the dry ingredients, and covered the pie to bake.

Pecan Pie

1 c. light brown sugar
1/4 c. white sugar
1/2 c. butter, melted
2 eggs
1 T flour
1 T milk
1 t. vanilla
1/2 c. chopped pecans, plus whole pecans to top pie

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  In a large bowl, beat eggs until foamy, and stir in melted butter.  In a separate bowl, combine sugars and flour.  Mix well. Add gradually to egg mixture, then add milk, vanilla and nuts.  Stir until combined.  Pour into an unbaked 9 inch pie shell. Top with whole pecans.  Cover entire pie loosely in aluminum foil.  Bake for 10 min at 400, then reduce temperature to 350 and bake for 30-40 min, uncovering the last 10 min.

Pie Crust

1 cup flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

½ cup butter flavored crisco (make sure it is cold)

1/4 cup COLD water

Mix flour and salt. Cut in crisco with a rubber spatula (make sure all the flour is mixed in, should be in small clumps). Stir in water with a fork all at once. Shape into a disc and wrap in plastic wrap.  Refrigerate for an hour, then remove and roll out. Makes 1 pie crust, double if top needed. Bake according to pie directions or if it is a cold pie prick bottom with fork and bake at 425 degrees for 6-7 minutes.

Tacos al Carbon

I have found that the quality of steak really makes a difference in dishes like this.  I went ahead and bit the bullet, buying the pricier flank steak.  Boy, was it worth it.  Yum!  These were tasty!  I did make some changes, but you can find the original recipe here at cooking light.

Tacos al Carbon

1 med red bell pepper, sliced in strips
1 med onion, thinly sliced
1 lb flank steak, sliced thin
1 t. chili powder
4 oz diced canned tomatoes (I used frozen fresh tomatoes from my garden)
2-1/2 t. olive oil
3/4 t. salt
juice of 1 lime
8 garlic cloves, minced
8 (6 inch) corn tortillas

For garnish
Avocado slices
cilantro
fat free sour cream

Heat a pan to medium high.  Coat with 1 t. olive oil.  Add bell pepper and cook about 4 min.  Add onion and 1 clove garlic, saute until vegetables reach desired tenderness (I like mine a little crunchy).  Remove from pan and place in a large bowl.

Add steak to pan with remaining olive oil and cook until almost done.  Add tomatoes, lime, salt, remaining garlic, and chili powder.  Stir to coat.  Add pepper mixture until mixed.  Serve on warmed tortillas with garnishes
of your choice.

"healthy" pumpkin chocolate chip cookies (or muffins)

Two quick notes. These make cookies or muffins. These are very dense cookies and are not real sweet. If your whole wheat flour isn't very finely ground you may want to consider doing half whole wheat and half white flour for a finer texture.

1.5 cup canned pumpkin
1 cup unsweetened applesauce
2 tbsp oil
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
2 eggs
3/4 cup sugar
2 1/4 cup whole wheat flour
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1 cup chocolate chips

Combine pumpkin, applesauce, oil, vanilla, eggs and sugar. Next, combine the dry ingredients and sift them into the wet ingredients. Add chocolate chips. Bake at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes. If baking muffins bake 18-20 minutes.

Delicious dinner rolls

I have never successfully made tasty rolls…until I tried this recipe. These are fabulous. I froze the cooked rolls and they are still very good when thawed.
Original recipe can be found on How Does She.

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups of milk
• 3/4 cup + 1 Tablespoon Sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 Tablespoon salt
• 2 Tablespoons yeast
• 2 cups of warm water
• about 9-10 cups of all purpose flour
• at least 1 cup of butter

Instructions

*Please note I did NOT hand mix these rolls. I'm way too lazy. I used my Bosch and just barely mixed it. 

1. Scald 1 1/2 cups of milk, 3/4 cup sugar and 1/2 cup of butter, in a microwave safe bowl, for about 2 minutes. Cutting the butter into pieces helps it melt faster. There will probably be some little cubes of butter still floating in the hot mixture, they will melt.
2. add yeast to this hot mixture, but it will be too hot to just dump the yeast straight in (it would kill it!). To cool it down stir in 1-2 cups of flour, then add 1 egg and 1 Tablespoon of salt, and leave it to cool for a couple of minutes. Meanwhile, in a measuring cup dissolve 2 Tablespoons of yeast in 2 cups of warm water and 1 Tablespoon of sugar. Let it sit for a couple of minutes until it is bubbly.
3. Make sure your milk mixture is just warm, not boiling and add the yeast mixture!
4. Using a fork or wooden spoon, gradually stir in 9-10 cups of flour (counting the flour you have already added to cool it earlier). I would recommend only adding 2 cups at time and stirring in between. These rolls turn out so much better when they are mixed by hand.
5. At the end the dough will be dense and sticky, and may be hard to stir, you can use your hands to incorporate the rest of the flour if needed. Be sure not to add too much flour. Then smooth the dough out and cover the bowl with plastic wrap. Leave it in a warm place and let it rise.
6. When your dough is close to raising completely, butter 2 cookie sheets and set them aside.
7. Let the dough raise until it has doubled in size.
8. Cover your working space with flour to prevent the dough from sticking. Dump your dough out and divide it into 4 balls. Eyeball the sizes, then lift them up and feel the weight of each ball. Try to make them even, but they don’t have to be perfect.
9. Using one ball of dough at a time: roll the dough into a circle on a floured counter. Once it is rolled out spread the top with butter from edge to edge. You will use about 2 Tablespoons per circle of dough.
10. Cut the dough into quarters using a pizza cutter.
11. Then cut each quarter into 3 pieces. You should end up with 12 triangles from each circle of dough.
12. Roll the dough starting with the wide end of the triangle
13. Tuck the tail of the triangle under the roll and place it on the buttered cookie sheet. You will make 3 rows, with 8 rolls per row. This will give you 24 rolls per pan. Two balls of dough will fill 1 pan. You will get a total of 48 rolls!
14. Pre-heat your oven to 350 degrees. Place the pans of rolls in a warm place (on top of the oven if possible) to let them rise. Once they are touching and full in size, cook (one pan at a time) in the oven ’till they are golden brown. About 10 – 15 minutes, It may take longer depending on how hot your oven cooks. Keep a close eye on your first pan to get the right time for the second.
15. While they are still hot and fresh out of the oven run a stick of butter over the tops of the rolls for a delicious buttery glaze.

Minestrone Soup

I got this recipe from my coworker, Suzanne Clissold. She's a fabulous cook.

1.5 lb ground sausage (I used chicken sausage--Lees makes it)
2 quarts water
4 beef boullion cubes
3 stalks celery with leaves, diced (I left this out, I am not a big fan of cooked celery)
2 small onions, diced
4 large carrots, diced or sliced
2- 8 oz cans tomato sauce
15 oz canned stewed tomatoes
1 clove garlic minced
1/2 tsp sweet basil
1 tsp oregano
1 tbsp parsley

1. Saute sausage and onions in a pot, then add the rest of the ingredients. Simmer for 2-4 hours.
2. Half and hour prior to serving add the following ingredients:

1 can french cut green beans, drained
1 can garbonzo beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup uncooked noodles

Caramel Toffee Dip

This delicious dip is from Our Best Bites.  The recipe can be found here.  Picture from ourbestbites.com

1- 8 oz package of cream cheese
3/4 c. brown sugar
1-1/2 t. vanilla
Toffee bits (find these by the chocolate chips)

Apples or fruit of your choosing.

Tip:  Make certain that your cream cheese is at room temperature.  Mine wasn't and I had a terrible time getting the brown sugar to dissolve.  I ended up heating the dip in the microwave and it finally worked!

Use a beater to mix cream cheese, brown sugar, and vanilla.  Add desired amount of toffee bits (I prefer just adding mine on top for appearance) and stir in.  Serve immediately or chill and then serve.

Maple Mustard Glazed Chicken

This is similar to the Maple Mustard Pork Tenderloin in flavor, but it is quicker.  All the kids liked this one.  (Recipe and picture from cooking light.  Found here.)

• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 4 (6-ounce) skinless, boneless chicken breast halves 
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup fat-free, lower-sodium chicken broth
• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• 2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme (I used dried)
• 2 medium garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• 1 tablespoon cider vinegar
• 1 tablespoon stone-ground mustard (I used regular dijon)

1. 1. Preheat oven to 400°.
2. 2. Heat a large ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat. Add oil; swirl to coat. Sprinkle chicken with pepper and salt. Add chicken to pan; sauté 2 minutes on each side or until browned. Remove chicken from pan. Add broth, syrup, thyme, and garlic to pan; bring to a boil, scraping pan to loosen browned bits. Cook 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Add vinegar and mustard; cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Return chicken to pan, and spoon mustard mixture over chicken. Bake at 400° for 10 minutes or until the chicken is done. Remove chicken from pan; let stand 5 minutes. Place pan over medium heat; cook mustard mixture 2 minutes or until liquid is syrupy, stirring frequently. Serve with chicken.

Pumpkin Rolls

Cake:
2/3 cup canned pumpkin
1 cup sugar
3 eggs
1 tsp lemon juice
3/4 cup flour
1 tsp baking powder
2tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ginger
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp salt

Filling:
1/4 cup butter, softened
1 (8 oz) pkg cream cheese
1 cup powdered sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla

Directions:

1. Line a 10x15 jelly roll pan with greased wax paper, set aside. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Beat eggs until lemon colored. Gradually add sugar, pumpkin and lemon juice.Sift dry ingredients and add to wet ingredients.
4. Pour batter into a jelly roll pan, even distribute with a spatula and bake for 10-15 minutes.
5. Sprinkle powdered sugar on a clean kitchen towel. Turn baked cake onto towel and remove wax paper. Roll up cake and dishtowel length wise and let cool.
6. Whip butter, cream cheese, vanilla and powdered sugar for filling.
7. Unroll cooled cake and spread filling evenly (may add mini chocolate chips if desired). Roll cake up again and cut in half. Wrap each in greased wax paper and refrigerate for 2 hours before serving.

Beef Daube Provencal

This was tasty.  I made a few simple changes.  Patrick suggested it would be good with garlic mashed potatoes instead of egg noodles.  I concur.   (picture from Cookinglight.com.  Original recipe Here.)

• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 12 garlic cloves, crushed
• 2 lbs beef stew meat
  
  
• 1 1/4 teaspoons salt, divided
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided $
• 1 cup red wine $
• 2 cups chopped carrot
• 1 1/2 cups chopped onion
• 1/2 cup lower-sodium beef broth
• 
  
  
• 1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary
• 1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
• Dash of ground cloves
• 1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes
• 1 bay leaf
• 3 cups cooked medium egg noodles (about 4 cups uncooked noodles)

Preparation

1. 1. Preheat oven to 300°.
2. 2. Heat a small oven safe pot (or dutch oven) over low heat. Add oil to pan; swirl to coat. Add garlic; cook 5 minutes or until garlic is fragrant, stirring occasionally. Remove garlic with a slotted spoon; set aside. Increase heat to medium-high. Add beef to pan; sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Cook 5 minutes, browning on all sides. Remove beef from pan. Add wine to pan; bring to a boil, scraping pan to loosen browned bits. Add reserved garlic, beef, remaining 3/4 teaspoon salt, remaining 1/4 teaspoon pepper, carrot, and next 8 ingredients (through bay leaf), and bring to a boil.
3. 3. Cover and bake at 300° for 2 1/2 hours or until beef is tender. Discard bay leaf. Serve over noodles.
4. Note: To make in a slow cooker, prepare through Step 2. Place beef mixture in an electric slow cooker. Cover and cook on high for 5 hours or until beef is tender.

Thai Cucumber Salad

3 large cucumbers, peeled, halved lengthwise and cut into 1/4-inch slices 1 tablespoon salt 1/2 cup white sugar

1/2 cup rice wine vinegar 2 jalapeno peppers, seeded and chopped 1/4 cup chopped cilantro 1/2 cup peanuts

1.	Toss the cucumbers with the salt in a colander, and leave in the sink to drain for 30 minutes. Rinse with cold water, then drain and pat dry with paper towels.
2.	Whisk together the sugar and vinegar in a mixing bowl until the sugar has dissolved. Add the cucumbers, jalapeno peppers, and cilantro; toss to combine. Sprinkle chopped peanuts on top before serving.

Peach harvest cake

This is a recipe from America's test kitchen. It tastes very similar to peach cobbler, but the consistency is much better and is not runny like cobbler.

Ingredients:

2 1/2 lb ripe peaches

1/3 cup + 3 tbsp white sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

3 tsp lemon juice

1 cup flour

1 cup flour

3/4 tsp salt

1 1/4 tsp baking powder

2 eggs

8 tbsp butter, melted

1 1/2 tsp vanilla

1/4 cup sour cream

1/3 cup panko bread crumbs

Directions:

1.Set aside 24 1/2" slices of peaches (for the top). Add 1 tbsp sugar and 2 tsp lemon juice. Stir and set aside.

2. Dice remaining peaches and add 2 tbsp sugar and 2 tsp lemon juice. Next, spread peaches on a lined & sprayed cookie sheet in a single layer. Roast in a 425 degree oven until juices thicken and begin to carmelize--about 20-25 minutes (this helps to reduce the liquid from the peaches making a firmer cake). Let cool to room temperature. Then toss with panko bread crumbs.

3. Combine 1 cup flour, 3/4 tsp salt and 1 1/4 tsp baking powder and set aside. 

4. Mix 2 eggs, 1/3 cup sugar, 1/2 cup brown sugar. Once combined add butter, sour cream and vanilla extract. Once well combined add sifted dry ingredients and mix well.

5. Place half the batter in a grease 9" spring form pan. Next, add the roasted peaches. Top with the remaining batter and spread evenly. Next arrange peach slices on top and sprinkle a few tbsp of sugar on top. Bake at 350 degrees for 45-55 minutes, or until a tooth pick comes out clean. Let rest for 5 minutes, then use a knife around the outside and remove spring.

Mile-high strawberry pie

This recipe is from America's test kitchen. It's easy and delicious. After eating a large slice McKay commented, "this is the best pie I've ever had."

Ingredients:

2 1/2 - 3 lb fresh strawberries, hulled
3/4 cup sugar
2 tbsp corn starch
1 1/2 tsp low sugar pectin (in the pink box)
-pinch of salt
-1 pre-cooked pie crust

Directions:

1. Puree 6 oz of strawberries in a food processor until liquid. Add pureed strawberries, sugar, corn starch, pectin and salt in a sauce pan and whisk until combined. Bring to a boil and cook for 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool to room temperature.

2. Combine strawberry sauce to 2 lb of whole, hulled strawberries. If you are using a deep-dish pie pan I recommend using 2 1/2 lb strawberries. Once strawberries are evenly coated place in the pre-baked pie crust. Use your fingers to arrange strawberries in an eye-pleasing manner.  Refrigerate for at least 3 hours prior to serving.  *When serving use a serrated knife to cut the pie and remove with a pie spatula. It's amazing how it holds its shape and it looks fabulous. Top with whipping cream.

Antipasto pasta salad

This recipe is from allrecipes, with some alterations. Really, you could do so many combinations and still come out with a delicious salad.

Ingredients:

1 lb pasta
1/4 lb salami, chopped
1/4 lb pepperoni, chopped
1/2 lb Asiago cheese, diced
1/4 cup parmesan cheese, grated
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 yellow bell pepper, chopped
1 large cucumber, chopped
1 package cherry tomatoes sliced in half
1 (0.7 oz) package dry Italian salad dressing mix
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
2 tbsp dried oregano
1 tbsp dried parsley
salt & pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Cook the pasta to al dente, drain and set aside to cool to room temperature.
2. In a large bowl combine: pasta, salami, pepperoni, Asiago cheese, peppers, cucumbers and tomatoes. Stir in salad dressing mix and Parmesan cheese. Cover and refrigerate for an hour.
3. For salad dressing whisk together olive oil, balsamic vinegar, oregano, parsley, salt and pepper. Stir into salad. I served this after about 5 hours in the fridge. However, all the reviewers said it's really best to let it sit overnight. It may need a touch more vinegar right before serving.

Carne asada style steak salad

When Mainstreet grill was open (for the second time) they had the most delicious steak salad. After they closed I went into mourning over the loss of that salad. This is my attempt at making my own version.

Steak:
1-2 lb Flank steak (I normally buy one and cut it in half and freeze the other half, it's too big for just two people)

For the rub:
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
2 tbsp lime juice

Combine all the ingredients in a small bowl and rub on the steak. Let sit in the refrigerator for 30 min to 1 hour. Next, grill steak to desired doneness.


Cilantro-Lime vinaigrette (taken from our best bites) 
*This makes a lot of dressing,  I always cut it in at least 1/2
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
1/4 cup white wine vinegar
1/2 tsp kosher salt
2 tsp sugar
1 cup canola oil
1/2 cup finely chopped cilatro
2 garlic cloves, crushed or finely chopped

1. Place ingredients in a jar (I use my little blender so I don't have to chop the cilantro) and mix well.

Salsa:
*You could really use any fresh, chunky salsa recipe or store purchased one.

1 container cherry tomatoes, cut in half
1/8 cup red onion, diced
1 avocado cut into chunks
1 can corn, drained
1 can black beans, drained & rinsed
Cilantro, as desired
1 tsp salt
Juice of one lime

*To assemble salad first place your lettuce (I use spinach, but romaine or spring mix would also be good) on the plate. Next add some freshly grated cheese, salsa, tortilla strips and sliced steak and dressing.