octopus hot dog-with-spaghetti lunch

In the last couple of months I've found all my cooking ideas from Pinterest.  Yesterday I found a link for some cute recipes to make with preschoolers.  Julia enjoyed trying to stick the spaghetti through the hot dogs; she equally enjoyed throwing them into the pot of boiling water.  She did eat them, being the sausage fanatic that she is, but not without some prodding from her mom. :)

 Break several uncooked spaghetti in half.  Insert spaghetti through hot dog pieces, cut sausage, or the like...

 Boil in a pot of boiling water for 8-10 minutes.

They look pretty silly in this picture, and they are, but they're fun to make anyhow!

Source: Quirky Momma Kids' Activities Blog.  "Octopus Hot Dogs".  Cooking With Preschoolers - 5 Cool Things!  23. April 2012.

Swedish Meatballs (BH&G)

This is a fairly simple recipe. I made a few alterations with the ingredients, and they still turned out nicely!  Although we served it with a German side dish, not Swedish, they complemented the Spätzle well and tasted great!

Ingredients

1 beaten egg
1/4 cup milk
3/4 cup soft bead crumbs {I used Panko bread crumbs}
1/2 cup finely chopped onion {I used 2 T dried minced onion; however, an actual onion would help the moisture level a lot}
1/4 cup snipped fresh parsley {again, I used what I have-- dried}
1/4 tsp tsp black pepper
1/8 tsp ground allspice or nutmeg
8 oz ground beef or ground lamb
8 oz ground pork or ground veal {I wish there was a variety, but we just had beef in our fridge}

Instructions
In a mixing bowl, combine the egg with the milk.  Add the bread crumbs, onion, parsley, pepper and allspice (or nutmeg.)  Mix the meats into these ingredients until combined.

Form into small meatballs and place onto a foil-lined baking sheet.  (Since we used such a low-fat beef, it would have been easier to spray the foil first.)  It made about 36, first time that I actually made more than the recipe says it will yield, which is 30.

Bake in the oven at 400 degrees for about 15 minutes.  The cooked temperature would read at 160 degrees Fahrenheit.

Done!

Another way to cook these meatballs is by frying.
The rest of the recipe calls for:
1 T butter
2 T all-purpose flour
2 tsp instant beef bouillon granules
1/8 tsp black pepper
2 cups milk
3 cups hot cooked noodles
snipped fresh parsley (optional)

Fry half of the meatballs into a heated {stainless-steel} skillet with melted butter, over medium heat, turning to brown evenly, for about 10 minutes or until done.  Remove cooked meatballs and place on a paper-towel lined plate.  Repeat with the second half of the meatballs.  With the remaining skillet drippings (should have 2 T, if not add cooking oil to make up the difference), stir in flour, bouillon granules and the pepper.  Gradually add milk, stirring.  Cook over medium heat until thickened, stirring constantly.  When the gravy bubbles, cook for 1 minute longer.  Return meatballs into the skillet and heat through.  Garnish with the snipped parsley.

Source: "Swedish Meatballs." Recipe. Better Homes and Gardens Cook Book. 12th Ed. Des Moines, IA: Better Homes and Gardens Books, 2002. 362.

Lasagna Soup

In the fall of 2008 I created this soup with inspiration from Good Things Utah.  It was a dinner staple until mid 2010.  Originally I would use 1/2 pound of Jimmy Dean sausage, but this time I used ground turkey.

Recipe
1/2 pound of ground meat (turkey, sausage or beef)
1 can of chicken broth
1 can diced tomatoes
2 cups of pasta
Cheeses like Mozzarella or Parmesan

Vegetable suggestions
(aim for about 1 cup for each vegetable)

diced carrots
baby spinach
diced zucchini
onion
mushrooms

Herb/spice suggestions
(to taste)

Italian seasoning
Parsley
onion powder/dried onions
garlic powder
black pepper
salt

Instructions
Cut carrots and begin to boil in a medium saucepan.  If you'd like to use an onion, dice and begin to sautee in a skillet.  Brown ground meat in a skillet until cooked through.  (I like to spice the ground turkey to ensure more flavor.)  In the skillet, add cans of chicken broth and diced tomatoes. Simmer until bubbly.  Stir in all herbs and spices into the meat/sauce mixture.

Meanwhile, add any other vegetables into the medium saucepan to soften.  Make sure there is enough water to cook two cups of pasta.  Add pasta to the boiling water. 

Add baby spinach in the skillet after pasta begins to cook.  After the pasta has cooked and the baby spinach has wilted, drain the pasta and vegetables returning them to the saucepan.  Mix the meat/sauce/spinach mixture into the pasta. 

One suggestion is add the cheese to the bottom of the bowl and ladle the hot soup into the bowl.  Or just top the soup with your cheese of choice. 

Skillet Squash Dish

I've made this dish twice in the past two weeks.  I cooked three red potatoes in the microwave.  Meanwhile I sliced yellow squash and began to sautee them in (as little as possible) olive oil.  I sprinkled "Pasta- und Pommessalz", which main ingredient after salt is garlic, on top of them.  When they're cooked (translucent), transfer to paper-towel lined plate.  Dice cooked potatoes and sautee in (as little as possible) oiled skillet. The first time I just seasoned them with black pepper and the second time I seasoned them with smoked paprika.  Thomas seemed to like the latter better.  Add ham, low-fat weiners, sausage with the potatoes.  Combine the squash with the meat and potatoes.  Sprinkle parsley over the dish before serving.  Easy peasy.

Experiment: Oven Ready Lasagna

Passing by the pasta in the grocery store, I saw this package and thought it would be fun to try. 

Just being able to layer pasta with the other lasagna ingredients would save me from having to clean an extra pot, but I was uncertain if it would save time.  I did two things differently with this recipe, first is that I mixed an egg with cottage {or ricotta} cheese and second is that I used this oven ready pasta.  I also like to layer a vegetable and this time I used zucchini and yellow squash.

First layer of lasagna

The directions on the box do instruct to layer the lasagna so that they do not touch each other, as they will expand while cooking in the oven.  The directions also advised to bake in the oven for 30 minutes, covered, then 10 minutes longer uncovered.  I was worried that if the extended cooking time were true, that it wouldn't be worth it.  Luckily, my lasagna was well cooked after the 30 minutes and I had no complaints with the turn out!

My Recipe!*

It seems that the purchase was worth the extra money, in that it saved me from worrying about another step in the cooking and one less dish to wash after eating. 

*In tonight's sauce, I did not add a can of (or fresh) diced tomatoes and the quantity was perfect for two layers of noodles.  I also added garlic powder, but I used onion powder as I didn't saute fresh onions with the sausage.

A Becky "Breakfast" Casserole

Last night for dinner I wanted to use up the 1/2 pound of Jimmy Dean's Natural sausage.  I was reminiscing about a delicious [fattening] egg casserole that my mom would sometimes make with sausage, hash browns, and of course egg.  I was also thinking back to the frittata that I made for my brother and his (at the time) fiancee from the top of my head.  Here is a picture of what I made them:

Frittata, Sunrise drink and orange crescent rolls

Ah-- memory lane!  I can't believe that was almost four years ago.

So I love doing egg casseroles and frittatas! When I started making my dinner creation, I had no idea what the end product would be.  I first browned the sausage in a skillet.  Then I started to think about adding either bread or potatoes.  I remembered how much I love potatoes with egg (as seen as above!), so I put four red potatoes in the microwave.  After the potatoes finished cooking through, I took them out of the microwave.  I was going to grate them, but both my graters aren't with me right now.  So I came to the conclusion of just cubing the potatoes and frying them with the sausage.

Add salt, pepper and Italian Seasoning as you fry the sausage and potatoes. 

Onto the egg mixture.  I used five eggs, but if you're feeding a larger group, you'll need 10 to 12 eggs and a 9x13 baking dish.  I whisked five eggs, splash of milk (at least 1 T), Dijon mustard (2 tsp), parsley, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, salt, pepper and 1/4 bag of frozen vegetables (using  my favorite California blend).  I've turned into a "dash" of this and a "pinch" of that kind-a-cook, so sorry for not having exact measurements.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.  Lightly grease an 8x8 pan with nonstick spray.  Transfer the potato-sausage mixture into the baking dish. 

Pour the egg mixture over the sausage and potatoes. 

Sprinkle cheese (mozzarella) on top.  Bake for 45 minutes or until egg is cooked through. 

I thoroughly enjoyed my egg casserole.  It was reminiscent of my favorite egg casserole or frittata without as much work.  Loved it!

Becky "Breakfast" Casserole
8x8 pan
nonstick spray
1/2 pound sausage (like Jimmy Dean)
4 red potatoes
chopped onion, optional
at least 1 tsp. Italian Seasoning
Salt, dash
Black Pepper, to taste
5 eggs
1 T milk (at least)
2 tsp. Dijon mustard
Add about:
1 tsp. paprika
2 tsp. parsley
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. onion powder
1/4 tsp. salt (at most)
1/8 tsp. black pepper
1/4 bag of frozen vegetables, optional
1/4 cup shredded cheese

Lightly spray an 8x8 baking dish with nonstick spray.  Cook 4 potatoes in the microwave.  In the meantime start browning sausage and onion.  Add chopped potatoes and fry together.  Sprinkle Italian Seasoning, dash of salt and black pepper over mixture until potatoes and sausage have a nice covering of seasonings over them.  In a mixing bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, mustard (Dijon), paprika, parsley, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, black pepper, and frozen vegetables.  Transfer meat and potatoes into the baking dish.  Pour egg mixture over the sausage and potatoes.  Sprinkle cheese on top.  Bake uncovered in a 375 degree oven for 45 minutes, or until egg is set.

An original Becky recipe

Mexi-Corn Zucchini Soup

Another recipe from Set for Life.  This is a hearty soup that reminds me a lot of Tomato Florentine Soup, but with meat and without pasta and spinach.  It has very good flavor!

Ingredients:
1/2 pound extra-lean ground beef [I used natural sausage]
1 medium onion, chopped or 1 tablespoon instant minced onion
1/2 green pepper, chopped
3 cups sliced zucchini, 1/2 inch thick
1 8-ounce can tomato sauce
2 to 3 fresh tomatoes, chopped [didn't have any on hand, used 1 can diced tomatoes]
1 to 2 cups whole-kernel corn
1/2 teaspoon salt [I used garlic salt]
1 teaspoon mild chili powder

Saute beef, onion and green pepper in a medium pot.  Drain if you have excess beef fat.  Add tomatoes, vegetables and spices.  Simmer on low for about 15 to 20 minutes until zucchini is tender.

Recipe from Set for Life. "Mexi-Corn Zucchini". Merrill, Jane P. and Karen M. Sunderland.  Salt Lake: Sunrise, 1995. 221.

A Becky Classic III

Good ol' Lasagna. A classic Italian stand by, but I don't really make it a lot, really. I've made lasagna with both lasagna noodles and curly pasta. It's far easier to make it with the flat lasagna noodles! I can fit more cheese, sauce and vegetables in between the layers. I use my classic sauce (same that I use to make spaghetti); we usually add meat but vegetarian lasagna is easy to adapt. I also like to change up my vegetables from spinach to yellow squash and zucchini.

Becky's Basic Mariana sauce:
1 can tomato sauce
1 can diced tomatoes or throw in some fresh (Optional and if you want a lot of sauce! Sometimes I add this the day after to stretch out the leftovers)
1/2 pound sausage
onion (fresh, saute with sausage; dried add to sauce)
Italian Seasoning
Parsley
Salt and Pepper

Brown sausage and onion in a skillet. Add tomato sauce(s), let heat until slightly bubbly and lastly add the herbs and season to taste.

Laying the Lasagna:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Add some sauce on the bottom of a 9x13 pan. Layer lasagna noodles to fit tightly, top with cottage cheese and your choice of vegetable. Repeat with layering sauce, noodles, cheese and vegetables. Depending on how my noodles you boiled and how much sauce you have left, you could end there (and top with grated cheese and/or Parmesan cheese) or you can put a third layer of noodles and the last of the sauce (then add grated cheese and/or Parmesan cheese).

Bake for about 30 minutes

Another dish without an official recipe to look at every time you make it. For a variation, you can try the White Cheese Chicken Lasagna. Who could go wrong with classic lasagna?

Spaghetti Pie (Better Homes & Gardens)

This is a square spaghetti pie, but please do make it in a pie pan!! I also just used my own recipe for the spaghetti sauce and added spinach once too. Creative idea!

Recipe:

4 oz dried spaghetti

1 T butter or margarine

1 beaten egg

1/4 c grated Parmesan cheese

8 oz ground beef

1/2 chopped onion (1 medium)

1/2 c chopped green sweet pepper

1 clove garlic, minced

1/2 tsp fennel seed, crushed

1 (8 oz) can tomato sauce

1 tsp dried oregano, crushed

Nonstick cooking spray

1 c low-fat cottage cheese

1/2 c shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese

1. Cook spaghetti according to package directions. Drain.

2. Return spaghetti to warm saucepan. Stir butter into hot pasta until melted. Stir in egg and Parmesan cheese; set aside.

3. Meanwhile, in a medium skillet cook ground beef, onion, sweet pepper, garlic, and fennel seeds until meat is brown and onion is tender. Drain. Stir in tomato sauce and oregano; heat through.

4. Coat a 9-inch pie plate with nonstick cooking spray. Press spaghetti mixture onto bottom and up sides of pie plate, forming a crust. Spread cottage cheese on the top and up the sides of pasta crust. Spread meat mixture over cottage cheese. Sprinkle with shredded mozzarella cheese.

5. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 20-25 minutes or until bubbly and heated through. To serve, cute into wedges.

[Better Homes and Gardens Cook Book. 12th ed, 2002. 382]

Kitchen Hint: Store tomatoes at room temperature for up to 3 days. Do not store tomatoes in the refrigerator because they lose their flavor (BH&G, 531)