posted by Nina on Apr 9
Yes, it’s as good as it sounds and better. Anything with cream cheese is going to be good and this yummy dish is no exception!
Ingredients:
12 oz spaghetti
1 (28 ounce) jar spaghetti sauce
1 lb ground beef, turkey or chicken
1 tsp Italian seasoning
1 clove garlic, minced
8 ounces cream cheese
1/2 cup parmesan cheese, grated
Ingredients:
Preheat oven to 350 F degrees.
In a skillet, brown the ground beef until cooked through; drain fat and stir in spaghetti sauce. Set aside.
Cook spaghetti according to directions on package. Drain and place cooked spaghetti in bowl. Add cream cheese, Italian Seasoning and minced garlic. Stir until cream cheese is melted and the spaghetti is thoroughly coated.
Lightly grease a 9×13″ pan. Spread a small amount of meat sauce in the bottom of the dish. Put spaghetti on top of sauce and top with remaining meat sauce. Sprinkle parmesan cheese on top.
Bake for 30 minutes, until bubbly.
What did the family think? Yum, yum, super yum!
Where did this recipe come from? Plain Chicken
photo from Plain Chicken
posted by Nina on Apr 5
We are back from vacation which means I am back in the kitchen. I love going on vacation and eating out a lot just as much as the next person, but it’s good to be home again eating home cooked meals, too. We all love breakfast for dinner and this meal was an easy way to get back in the swing of cooking again.
Ingredients:
8 large eggs
1/2 cup half-and-half
Assorted mix-ins (such as shredded cheese, diced vegetables, and cooked and chopped bacon, ham, or sausage)
Instructions:
Heat your oven to 350º F and coat a muffin pan with nonstick cooking spray.
Whisk together the eggs and half-and-half then evenly distribute the egg mixture among the muffin cups. (The recipe makes about 8 frittatas so make sure your muffin tin is big enough.)
Add about 2 tablespoons of mix-ins to each cup.
Bake the frittatas until they are puffy and the edges are golden brown, about 20 to 25 minutes. (If necessary, run a butter knife around the edge of each one to loosen them before removing them from the pan.)
What did the family think? They loved them!
Where did this recipe come from? Family Fun
photo from Family Fun
posted by Nina on Mar 26
Both strawberries and pineapples were buy one get one free at the store this week, which is awesome, but now I have a lot of pineapple and strawberries and I have to figure out what to do with all of them before they go bad. This was part of our breakfast yesterday…it’s a great way to use produce and a great way to get a bunch of fruit into your kids (and you) all at once.
Ingredients:
6 oz. low-fat vanilla or plain yogurt
1 large banana
1/2 cup chopped pineapple
1/2 cup strawberries
2-3 tbsp. ground flax seed
1/4 cup milk
Instructions:
Combine all ingredients in a blender or food processor. Process until thick and smooth.
Add more milk if it’s too thick.
What did the family think? Only three of us were home when I made these, but we all liked it.
Did I change anything? This isn’t going to come out super cold. Blend some ice in too if you want it colder.
Where did this recipe come from? adapted from a recipe at Annie’s Eats
photo from Kelsey’s Apple a Day
posted by Nina on Mar 25
I use my waffle maker all the time. My husband gave it to me for Christmas about three years ago. I didn’t use it a lot right away, but I use it at least 2-3 times a month now. We love having breakfast for dinner and that usually includes homemade waffles. These honey yogurt waffles were on the menu this week and they were a hit.
Ingredients:
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/4 cup old-fashioned oats
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 1/4 cups skim milk
3/4 cup plain Greek yogurt
1/3 cup honey
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Maple syrup or honey-for serving
Instructions:
Melt the butter in the microwave and set aside.
In a large bowl, whisk together flours, oats, baking powder, baking soda and cinnamon.
In another bowl, whisk together the milk, yogurt, honey, eggs and vanilla until smooth. Pour the liquid ingredients over the dry ingredients and whisk until just combined. Gently fold in the melted butter.
Preheat and lightly grease the waffle iron.
When the waffle iron is hot, pour batter into the wells of the waffle iron. (Fill according to the manufacturer’s instructions).
Close the lid and bake until the waffle is golden and set.
Carefully remove waffle from iron and serve warm with maple syrup or a drizzle of honey.
What did the family think? These were super tasty. We all loved them.
Where did this recipe come from? I got it from Two Peas and Their Pod and they got it from Williams-Sonoma.
posted by Nina on Mar 21
Yep, that’s right, another pasta dish. We do love our pasta around here and this one was no exception. Yum!
Ingredients:
1 pound ground beef, turkey or chicken
1 jar (28 ounces) spaghetti sauce
1 package (25 ounces) frozen ravioli
1-1/2 cups (6 ounces) shredded mozzarella cheese
Instructions:
In a large skillet, cook beef over medium heat until no longer pink; drain.
In a greased 2-1/2-qt. baking dish, layer a third of the spaghetti sauce, half of the ravioli and beef and 1/2 cup cheese; repeat layers. Top with remaining sauce and cheese.
Cover and bake at 400° for 40-45 minutes or until heated through.
What did the family think? They loved it and it made enough for lunches the next day, too.
Where did this recipe come from? Taste of Home
photo from Campbell Kitchen
posted by Nina on Mar 20
I came across this site recently and fell in love with so many of their recipes. This is the first one I have tried; I just tweaked it a bit to fit our family.
Ingredients:
1 tsp. olive oil
1 large bell pepper, sliced thin lengthwise
1 lb.boneless, skinless chicken breasts, sliced thin lengthwise
1/2 large red onion, slice thin
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. onion powder
1 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. ground cumin
Flour tortillas
Garnish with shredded cheese, guacamole, sour cream, salsa, etc.
Instructions:
Heat olive oil over medium high heat and add chicken. When chicken is almost cooked through add peppers, onions and spices.
Serve on tortillas with garnishes.
What did the family think? Hubby and I liked these. The boys usually have cheese quesadillas when we have fajitas.
Did I change anything? The recipe above is how I made it. I wish I would have added the juice of a lime to it though. Next time…
Where did this recipe come from? The Gracious Pantry
photo from Mexican Food Recipes
posted by Nina on Mar 19
Full disclosure…this is NOT health food. As I was making this I was thinking to myself that this might be something that Paula Dean might make…butter, cheese, milk…and oh so good. Also, just a heads up, this makes a lot of mac and cheese.
Ingredients:
1 (16 oz.) pkg. macaroni
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 (13 oz.) can evaporated milk
1 1/2 cups milk
1 teaspoon salt
4 cups shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
1/2 cup melted butter
Instructions:
Cook macaroni following package directions. Drain well.
Grease bottom and sides of 3 1/2 to 5-quart crockpot.
Toss hot macaroni in slow cooker with the vegetable oil then add all remaining ingredients. Stir gently to combine then cover and cook on LOW for 3 to 4 hours, stirring occasionally.
What did the family think? Yum!
Where did this recipe come from About.com
photo from About.com
posted by Nina on Mar 16
Everyone in our house loved this recipe and I feel like that hasn’t happened in a really long time. This was also super, duper easy which was also awesome.
Ingredients:
1 lb. lean ground beef
1 jar (24 oz.) spaghetti sauce
2 1/2 cups water
12 lasagna noodles, broken
1 tub (10 oz.) PHILADELPHIA Tomato & Basil Cooking Creme
Instructions:
Brown meat in a deep large nonstick skillet; drain.
Stir in spaghetti sauce and water. Bring to boil. Stir in noodles; cover. Simmer on medium-low heat 18 to 20 min. or until noodles are tender, stirring occasionally.
Stir in cooking creme. Remove from heat. Let stand covered for 3 minutes.
What did the family think? Everyone loved this and most of us went back for seconds.
Did I change anything? The original recipe called for some chopped green and red peppers. I left those out. Next time I might add some chopped zucchini or some spinach though. Also, I have a feeling that any sort of macaroni/penne-type noodle would probably work just fine.
Where did this recipe come from? The back of the carton of the tomato and basil cooking creme
posted by Nina on Mar 12
I am always trying to think of ways to get my kids to eat more of a variety of veggies. They will eat salad day after day after day, and although that is awesome, a little variety would be nice, too. My kids are not totally opposed to carrots, although when they do eat them, they are usually raw. Cooked carrots have usually been met with a groan or two. That was not the case tonight.
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons orange juice
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
6 medium carrots, cut into 1/2-inch slices
Instructions:
In a small saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Stir in the brown sugar, orange juice, salt, ginger and cinnamon. Add the carrots; cover and cook for 20-25 minutes or until tender, stirring occasionally.
What did the family think? 3/4 of our family liked these. My oldest even said, “Wow! These are really good!”
Did I change anything? I used baby carrots instead of carrots coins. I already had them in the refrigerator so there was no need to buy even more carrots.
Where did this recipe come from? Taste of Home
photo from food.com
posted by Nina on Mar 9
It has been beautiful here the past couple of days, but the nights are still chilly. I was worried it might be too warm outside to make this soup, but it turned out to be the perfect weather and this soup went beautifully with a green salad and and the yummy baguette I picked up from the bakery.
Ingredients:
15 oz white cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
32 oz chicken broth
15 oz cans Italian style diced tomatoes
1 lb Italian sausage
2 oz fresh basil
2 cloves garlic, minced
Salt and pepper, to taste
Parmesan, to taste
Instructions:
Cook Italian sausage in a large pot. When cooked through, add all other ingredients. Simmer for 15-20 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste.
What did the family think? Hubby and I thought this was great. Our kids are not soup people unless it’s miso, so I knew they wouldn’t like this.
Where did this recipe come from? The Girl Who Ate Everything
Photo from My Recipes
