Week 2 - Baked Spaghetti

Week 2 - Baked Spaghetti

I had a hard time deciding what to make this week. I had leftover ground beef that I wanted to use, so I found this recipe for Baked Spaghetti that was similar to lasanga and baked ziti.  It was super easy to make and really good!!!

I found this recipe on All Recipes.com - http://m.allrecipes.com/recipe/177833/baked-spaghetti
This seemed to be the easiest recipe to me, but there were a lot of others online as well with slightly different variations.

Ingredients - this is what I used

1 package cooked spaghetti
2 tablespoons butter
1 cup parmesan cheese
1 (15oz) carton ricotta cheese - this was the perfect amount for me
left over ground beef
1 jar tomato sauce - I did not use the entire jar, but use your judgement on how much sauce you need
Shredded mozzarella cheese

Directons
Preheat oven to 400. Spray baking pan with cooking spray.

Combine cooked spaghetti with butter, stir until butter melts and coats spaghetti.  Add 1/2 cup parmesan cheese; stir to coat.

 Arrange spaghetti in an even layer in pan. Spread ricotta cheese over spaghetti. Sprinkle with 1/4 cup parmesan cheese.

Brown ground beef (do this while spaghetti is cooking). Add pasta sauce and heat until bubbly.

Spoon sauce mixture over ricotta cheese. Top with mozzarella cheese (I used enough to cover the sauce) and remaining parmesan.

Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove foil and continue baking for 15 minutes or until cheese is slightly browned.  Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.

I'm so happy with how this recipe came out. It was really easy to make if you want something a little different. ENJOY!

Sunday Funday 2014 has begun!!!

Welcome back!!!!!!!!!!!!  I can't believe another fall football season is here! I will say I'm excited for the fall weather and some fun cooking!!!

For the first week, I wanted to post an old recipe I've made before along with something new I've been wanting to make.

Taco Dip
This is one of the easiest recipes I know and I always try to keep 1-2 cans of chili in the house.

Ingredients:
1 - block of cream cheese
1 - can chili
shredded cheddar cheese
1 - bag of tostitos or favorite chips

Depending on the size taco dip you want to make, spread your cream cheese in the bottom of your dish. I softened mine slightly in the microwave to make it easier to spread.

Add chili on top of the cream cheese to cover all of the cheese. If I'm making a bigger dip I use the whole can. This time I only used about half.

Spread cheddar cheese on top - again covering the chili (feel free to use as little or as much as you prefer)

Now here is the really easy part.....put in the microwave for 3-5 minutes. When you hear it bubbling, that means it's done!

Serve with your favorite chips. Ellie even tried this and loved it too!!!

Easy Chicken Tetrazzini 

This may not be a true Sunday Funday recipe, but it is something I've been wanting to try for a long time! We enjoyed it, and I hope you do too!!

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/easy-chicken-tetrazzini/detail.aspx?src=VD_Summary

Ingredients:

1 - pound cooked and drained spaghetti

5 - chicken breasts, cooked and cubed (I used 3)

2 - cans condensed cream of chicken soup

2 1/4 cup - water

1/4 cup - butter

2 - cubes chicken bouillon (I did not use this in my recipe)

1/4 cup - shredded cheddar cheese

Cook chicken first if you don't already have cooked chicken (some of my friends use the canned chicken for this step as well)

Put cooked spaghetti into 9x13-inch baking dish. Place chicken on top of spaghetti. I added some frozen peas to my casserole to add some color as well.  

In medium saucepan heat together soup, water, and butter.. Bring to a boil and then pour over the pasta and chicken. Put shredded cheese (to taste) on top and press down a bit. **I did have some left over sauce that I didn't end up using. It is up to you on how much you want to use. Just use your judgement.**

Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 25 minutes.

We enjoyed this recipe for dinner and had leftovers as well. Next time, I would maybe just cut the chicken a bit smaller. You can also try this with different soup combinations as well depending on what taste you enjoy best.

Stay tuned for next week....Lets go Giants!!

BLIZZARD Easy Pizza Bubble Bread!!

I saw this posted on a page I follow on Facebook and just knew I had to try it! It was a big hit and super easy to make!!!

We had a great weekend and I just love sharing pictures of my favorite girl!

• 1 roll of biscuit dough
• 1 cup pizza sauce
• 2 cups cheese (I used 1 1/2 cups mozzarella and 1/2 cup cheddar)
• Toppings as desired

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Cut each biscuit into 4 pieces using kitchen scissors or a knife.
3. In a large bowl, toss biscuit pieces, pizza sauce, toppings and 1/2 cup of cheese.
4. Spoon biscuit pieces into a well greased 9x9 pan.
   
5. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until lightly browned and centre seems cooked.
6. Top with remaining cheese and bake an additional 5 minutes or until cheese is melted and bubbly.
   
7. Serve warm.
   

SUPERBOWL - Appetizers!

I know this post is very delayed but I just haven't found the time to sit down and upload this information. I am going to share recipes today and will upload the photos later.

I have some great, easy appetizers for entertaining to share!!!

BBQ Chicken Dip - I've always wanted to make this and had leftover chicken to use which was perfect!
http://www.kraftrecipes.com/recipes/bbq-chicken-dip-145583.aspx

• 1 pkg 8 oz Philadelphia Cream cheese, softened
• 1/2 cup Honey BBQ Sauce
• 1 cup shredded cooked chicken breasts (you can also use canned chicken too)
• 1 cup Shredded cheese of choice

Heat oven to 350 or use microwave which is what I did. Mix cream cheese and BBQ sauce in bowl until blended. Add chicken and shredded cheese and mix well.

Spread onto bottom of shallow dish.

Bake 20-25 minutes in the oven or 4-5 minutes in microwave until HOT and BUBBLY!

Serve with chips and ENJOY!

The second appetizer I made on Superbowl is an oldie but goodie for Pigs in a Blanket - http://www.pillsbury.com/recipes/mini-crescent-dogs/e8abc84e-8a0e-42d6-ae7e-23b677a161ac

My mom actually taught me how to make these, but you can find the recipe also on the crescent roll container.

Ingredients:

• 1 can refrigerated crescent dinner rolls
• 1 package of hot dogs
• **Cheese is optional

• Heat oven to 375°F. Unroll can of the dough; separate into 16 triangles. Cut each triangle lengthwise into 3 narrow triangles.
• Place hot dog on shortest side of each triangle. Roll up each, starting at shortest side of triangle and rolling to opposite point; place point side down on ungreased cookie sheets.
• Bake 12 to 15 minutes or until golden brown, switching position of cookie sheets halfway through baking. Immediately remove from cookie sheet. Serve warm with ketchup and mustard.

**I forgot to do this but if you want to make some with cheese just take cheese and top the hotdog before rolling it up**

These are always a hit and came out great!!!

Stay tuned for more recipes throughout the year. I've been sharing some recipes on facebook I hope to try soon as well! Please feel free to share your favorite recipes too!!!

Week 20 - Amy & Ben's turkey meat surprise

This is one of our favorite dishes to make so I decided to share the recipe this week. *Note this can also be made with chicken or ground beef as well**
**Here is a pic of my little lady getting ready to go to school!

Ingredients:

• Package of ground turkey
• Cooked rice
• Shredded cheddar cheese or cheese of choice
• Can of diced tomatoes
• Can of corn or other veggies of choice
• Salsa

1. Cook ground turkey meat until cooked through. While cooking the meat, prepare the rice as well.

2. Once meat is cooked through add in tomatoes with the juice, corn and/or other veggies of choice. 

3. Add in enough salsa to coat the meat/veggie combination

4. Serve over rice and top with cheese

Ben was nice enough to cook so I only have the picture of the finished product. We love making this dish and had plenty of leftovers which I am having for lunch as we speak. You can also serve in tortillas, or as a sandwich as well. There are lots of different ways to make this dish depending on what you like. 

ENJOY!!

Stay tuned for the Super Bowl addition which will include:

• • Pigs in a Blanket
  • BBQ Chicken Dip
  • Mac and Cheese
  • and Rice Balls

Week 19 - Chicken Ranch Burgers

I wanted to change it up a bit and make more than just a plain old Chicken Burger. I did a search on Pinterest and this recipe for Chicken Ranch Burgers caught my eye - http://www.tastesoflizzyt.com/2013/06/24/chicken-ranch-burgers/

Ingredients:

• 1 lb ground chicken
• 3/4 cup bread crumbs
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 2 Tbsp barbecue sauce
• 4 Tbsp ranch dressing

In a bowl, mix together all of the ingredients until completely combined

Form into 4 patties

We decided to use the broiler to cook the burgers and started on high and when the outsides looked done we changed the temperature to low to finish cooking the inside

We topped our burgers with swiss cheese and BBQ sauce. They were delicious and even good reheated the 2nd day!

Stay tuned for 1 more week and then Super Bowl Sunday. Looking forward to trying some new recipes!!

Sunday Funday with Friends

This weekend I made a few repeat recipes that were Ben's favorites while entertaining friends.

Important to note is that Ellie has been changing daily and it has been so fun to see what new things she is going to say and what she will do each day! When we ask her to smile for us, she sometimes makes this silly smile face as you can see below. We just love her to pieces!!!

Here is a  repost of two of our favorite recipes with a few adjustments to them.

Honey BBQ Chicken wings - http://sundayfundayfood.blogspot.com/search?q=wings

These have been our favorite wings over the last few years and easy because they are mostly done in the crockpot. I used similar amounts of the honey, soy sauce, and bbq sauce combination and added a little bit more once the wings were in the crockpot so that the wings were covered in the sauce. I had some time, so I cooked the wings on low for about 4 hours. The meat fell apart and was very tasty!

Taco Pizza - Ben's favorite dish - http://sundayfundayfood.blogspot.com/search?q=taco+pizza

This has been a favorite of Ben's so I decided to make it today. I actually cooked the meat first and then put it in the fridge until I was ready to cook the pizza. When I was ready to cook, I added the meat and cheese to the pizza dough and cooked for 15 minutes. Once browned, I added the tomatoes and lettuce to the top of the pizza. Our guests loved it!

I don't have any new recipes this week, but will be sure to post some new ones soon!!

Until next time!!!