Healthy AND Delicious Baked Ziti

This is a wonderful hearty meal that you can feel happy about feeding to your family and eating yourself. This is one of my favorite week night meals. I have found myself adding spinach to every meal I can lately. If I can add it without detection I do. Spinach is just so great for you, loaded with vitamins and minerals and if you use it in saucy recipes even your fussiest eater shouldn't complain.

The other nice thing about this recipe is you can adapt it to suit the needs and taste buds of your family. For example, I have made it and added sweet white corn also. You could add mushrooms, zucchini, peas etc. The more vegies the better!

Healthy AND Delicious Baked Ziti


1 lb lean ground turkey or extra lean ground beef
salt and pepper
2 cups shredded sweet carrots
2 cups fresh spinach chopped
1 small onion, diced finely
2 cloves garlic, passed through a press or grated
olive oil
26 oz can crushed tomatoes
1 1/2 cups low sodium fat free chicken or vegetable stock
8 oz brown rice or whole wheat penne pasta
2 tablespoons fresh basil leaves, chopped fine (or use dry if you don't have fresh)
1/2 to 1 cup of shredded low fat mozzarella cheese (optional)

1. In a large skillet, heat olive oil. Once olive oil is heated, add ground meat. Season with salt and pepper.
2. Once meat has browned, add onion and garlic. Cook for a couple of minutes or until the onion starts to soften. Add stock, tomatoes and spinach.
3. Once all the vegies are in the pot and combined, add the uncooked pasta. Reduce the heat, cover and cook for 25-30 minutes until the pasta is al dente.
4. Just before removing from the heat add the chopped basil.
5. Preheat the oven to 350. Prepare baking dish with a light coating of cooking spray. Place pasta mix into baking dish and sprinkle with cheese if using. Place in the oven and bake for 20 minutes.

Serve with a wedge of crusty wholewheat bread. ENJOY!

Crockpot Lasagna

I love love love Italian Food. Maybe it's the small amount of Italian blood in my veins...maybe not. However, it is my fave by a mile. My favorite Italian restaurant is Biaggis at the Gateway. Oh how I love that place. I love lasagna too but my version, though worth it, is time consuming. So when I saw them making this quick, easy and healthy version on Oprah I was SO in.

This was fast and easy to throw together and very tasty. If I get a hankering for lasagna again and don't have the time and or energy as I've felt lately this will likely be my go to recipe. I was also interested to learn that funny man Jerry Seinfeld had a wife who had a recipe book out. Never knew that.

I love how this recipe sneaks in a substantial amount of spinach that is virtually undetectable. My husband is not a fan of spinach and I was a little worried that my son might spot it and be scared off, but they both enjoyed this recipe and nobody complained about the "green stuff" in it! AWESOME!!

My picture isn't too lovely but trust me don't let that put you off!


Crockpot Lasagna
Jessica Seinfeld



Servings: Serves 6-8 (generous portions)

Ingredients
3 cans (14.4 ounces) crushed tomatoes
3 cloves garlic , finely chopped
2 Tbsp. dried oregano
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes
1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
2 containers (15 ounces each) fresh ricotta
2 cups (8 ounces) grated mozzarella
1/4 cup grated Parmesan
12 lasagna noodles (about three-quarters of a 1-pound box)
5 ounces (about 6 cups) baby spinach

Directions
In a medium bowl, combine the tomatoes, garlic, oregano, salt, red pepper and black pepper. In a separate bowl, mix the ricotta, 1 cup of the mozzarella and Parmesan.

In the bottom of a 5- to 6-quart slow cooker, spread a thin layer of the sauce. Top with 3 of the noodles (breaking to fit as necessary). Spread about 1 cup of the sauce over the noodles and layer with 2 cups of the spinach and 1 1/2 cups of the cheese mixture. Repeat twice more with the noodles, sauce, spinach and cheese mixture. Top with the remaining 3 noodles, sauce and 1 cup mozzarella.

Cook on low, covered, until the noodles are tender—especially in the center of the lasagna—about 3 to 3 1/2 hours.

Beef and Noodle Casserole

Ok so this is a not so healthy dinner but one that is easy to put together and is definately tasty. This is one of those meals that I love to throw together on a Friday night when I am tired from having worked all week and the last thing I want to do is spend alot of time in the kitchen cooking dinner. This is a family favorite for sure!

Beef and Noodle Casserole
Worldwide Ward Cookbook

1 cup noodles uncooked (I use macaroni noodles)
1 pound of lean ground beef
1/4 onion chopped finely
1/2-1 cup of grated cheddar cheese (I like sharp)
1 1/2 cups of frozen corn
2 tsp chilli powder (can use more if you like kick- we don't)
1 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
1 8 ounce can of tomato sauce
1/4 cup water

Boil noodles for 10 minutes or until tender, drain well but don't rinse. In a skillet brown ground beef with onion. Add all of the remaining ingrediants including the cooked noodles, and place in a 2 quart casserole dish. Bake at 350 for 25 minutes.
Makes 6-8 servings and makes for great left overs. I like to serve this with a slice of french bread.

Grilled Cheese Burgers and the 4th Weekend

The 4th of July just wouldn't be the 4th of July for me unless it involved staying up late on the 3rd to put out chairs for the parade, the annual parade down Main Street on the 4th, and a delicious BBQ lunch afterwards. Though I am not an American, I do enjoy the 4th of July holiday. I enjoy the patriotic colors, the time spent visiting with friends and family, the food, the fireworks and the general mood of the day.

This 4th of July the majority of our family were away on a trip to Yellowstone. Though we couldn't go, we didn't let that spoil our fun. We enjoyed taking our little one to the parade, eating our tasty lunch, our lazy afternoon and watching some fireworks later that evening.

My husband loves homemade hamburgers. Who doesn't really? Though I am not completely opposed to buying pre-made hamburger patties, to me homemade patties just taste that much better. These were DELICIOUS!

Grilled Cheese Burgers
Rachel Ray


3 tablespoons of olive oil (I use extra virgin)
1 small onion chopped fine
1 1/4 pounds of ground sirloin
1 tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce
salt and pepper

Place a medium skillet over medium-high heat with 1 turn of the pan of oil. Add the onion to the pan and cook until tender about 4-5 minutes. Remove onions and place in a large mixing bowl.

When the onions have cooled slightly, add the ground sirloin, Worcestershire sauce and salt and pepper. Mix to combine. (If you can stand it, this is best done using your hands). Divide meat into 4 portions and shape into round patties. Grill until cooked through.

We enjoyed our burgers topped with all the regular favorites- cheese, grilled bacon, lettuce, tomato, mustard, ketchup and mayonnaise. I forgot about it this time around, but as is customary in Australia, I would usually also fry and egg and have that on our burgers too. Mmmmmmmm.

The Parade
Mmmmm Taffy!


Making friends with another Nana
They had lots of fun chatting and Gabe enjoyed sharing his candy with her

Me and my Daddy!

Me and my Mummy!

I had bought a small squirter bottle to help keep us cool and Gabe had a ball squirting people with it. We were laughing hysterically the whole time. He is definatelty cute enough to get away with it.


I love his cheeky smile in this one. He knew excatly what he was doing!

La'ai's Samoan Sapasui or Chop Suey

Chop Suey is a dish that I have loved for as long as I can remember. I'm not sure when the first time I ate it was or whether I first had it while living in New Zealand or if I first ate it in Australia. Either way it would have likely been prepared by a New Zealand Maori native or a Samoan or Tongan islander native. Growing up in both New Zealand and Australia I would say that there was a fairly strong Maori/Samoan/Tongan influence in my life. Whether it be friends, family, food or church, the islands were always present in one shape or form. This is one of my favorite island dishes for sure. Before making this dish this time around, I hadn't eaten it since I lived in Australia so I was excited to have it once again. It didn't quite look like I remembered but it tasted spot on. Ahhh the islands.

Chop Suey
http://polynesiankitchen.blogspot.com



2 lbs. chopped beef (chuck steak) or chicken (I used chicken)- cubed and cooked through
5 cloves garlic (chopped)
1 tsp ginger – I used fresh minced ginger
1 cup soy sauce
1 half head of cabbage chopped(veggies can be fresh or frozen)
Approx 1 cup of baby carrots chopped
1 cup beef or chicken broth
1 bag of Long Rice Noodles (I just found a bag at my local Wal-mart)
3 Tbsp. oil

Prepare noodles – bring 3 quarts water to a boil. Add noodles and turn off heat. Soak noodles until softened.

Sauté meat in oil for 3 minutes. Add garlic and ginger and continue cooking for 2 more minutes. Add broth and soy sauce and cook 5 more minutes. Drain noodles and stir into meat mixture with vegetables. (You may have to add more liquid as needed as the noodles may absorb some of the liquid.

** Depending on your cut of meat, you may boil tougher cuts for ½ hour before sautéing.

Nats EASY any meat marinade

I have ALWAYS loved any kind of marinated meat. Grilled or Barbequed meat just tastes better when it is marinated - I think. I came up with the recipe for this marinade while I was a teenager living at home and my family always loved it. It tastes great on both chicken and red meat and is so easy to put together. This past week we enjoyed a little BBQ at home and I used this marinade on some chicken tenders I had. They were delicious!

Nats any meat marinade


1 cup of tomato ketchup
2 tablespoons of soy sauce
2 tablespoons of Worcestershire sauce
splash of lemon juice
1 minced clove of garlic

Simply combine all of the ingredients in a bowl. Once combined, place over meat in a tupperware container and let marinate. Over night marinating is best, but as long as the meat has at least an hour to sit in the marinade, the flavors will have enough time to permeate the meat.

Enjoy!

Baked Ziti with Meat Sauce

My husband loves baked ziti. When Melanie from My Kitchen Cafe posted this recipe on her blog a while back I was excited. I made it this past week for my husband and we all loved it. The original recipe doesn't call for meat but I added it in to get our protein in. While I loved it with the meat, I am also excited to try it without. This recipe is definitely a keeper!


Baked Ziti
adapted from Cook's Illustrated


1 pound of ground beef
1 pound 1% cottage cheese
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
3 ounces grated parmesan cheese (about 1 1/2 cups)
1 pound ziti or other similar pasta (like penne)
2 tablespoons olive oil
5 medium garlic cloves, finely minced (about 5 teaspoons)
1 (28-ounce) can tomato sauce
1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 tablespoon dried basil (use 1/2 cup fresh basil if you have it but add it to the sauce after it has simmered and you take it off the heat)
1 teaspoon sugar
Black pepper
3/4 teaspoon cornstarch
1 cup heavy cream (or substitute whole milk but increase the amount of cornstarch to 2 teaspoons and the cooking time in step 3 by 1 to 2 minutes)
8 ounces mozzarella cheese, cut into 1/4-inch cubes

Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 350 degrees. Whisk the cottage cheese, eggs and 1 cup of the paremsan cheese together in a medium bowl; set aside. Bring 4 quarts of water to boil in a large pot over high heat. Stir in 1 tablespoon salt and pasta; cook, stirring occasionally, until pasta begins to soften but is not yet cooked through, about 7 minutes (the pasta will finish cooking in the oven). Drain pasta and leave in colander. Do not wash the large pot.

While the pasta is cooking, heat oil and garlic in a large skillet over medium heat until the garlic is fragrant but not browned, about 2 minutes. Add ground beef and cook until browned. Once meat is cooked through, stir in the tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, sugar, basil and oregano; simmer until thickened, about 10 minutes. Take off heat and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Stir cornstarch into heavy cream and transfer mixture to the now-empty large pot the pasta cooked in. Set the pot over medium heat. Bring to a simmer and cook until thickened, 3 to 4 minutes. Remove pot from heat and add cottage cheese mixture, 1 cup tomato sauce, and 3/4 cup mozzarella, then stir to combine. Add pasta and stir to coat thoroughly with sauce.

Transfer mixture to a 9X13-inch baking dish and spread remaining tomato sauce evenly over pasta. Sprinkle remaining 3/4 cup mozzarella and remaining 1/2 cup parmesan cheese over the top. Cover the baking dish with foil that has been lightly sprayed with cooking spray and bake for 30 minutes.

Remove foil and continue to cook until the cheese is bubbling and beginning to brown, about 30 minutes longer. Cool for 10 minutes. Serve.

Si's Meatloaf

I think I have mentioned this blog already, but if you haven't checked it out you need to. Si over at http://abountifulkitchen.blogspot.com/ has lots of delicious recipes on her blog. All of the recipes I have tried from her website have been delicious.

This past weekend I made Si's meatloaf. It was delicious. Unfortunately when I was trying to get my meatloaf out of the pan to put it on a presentation plate it broke but I can assure you despite the appearance of my meatloaf, this was a delicious and it was an easy recipe to make.

Si's Meatloaf


Ingredients
1 pound lean ground beef
1 ¼ teaspoons salt
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
½ cup chopped onion (if omitting green pepper, use 1 cup onion)
½ cup chopped bell pepper (optional)
1 egg, lightly beaten
8 ounces canned diced tomatoes with juice
½ cup quick-cooking oats

Topping:

1/3 cup ketchup
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon prepared mustard

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
Mix all meat loaf ingredients well and place in a baking dish. Shape into a loaf.
Topping: Mix ingredients for topping and spread on loaf. Bake for 1 hour.

Meatballs in Marinara Sauce and a conversion story

Before he tasted these, my husband would have told you, if asked, that he doesn't like meatballs. I know strange huh? Who doesn't like meatballs? Anyway, the first time I heard that I was determined to change his mind. He just hasn't had GOOD meatballs obviously. One Saturday while watching my American's Test Kitchen DVD's I watched them make this recipe for Meatballs in Marinara Sauce. They did look like allot of work but I was up for the challenge. So a couple of weekends ago I set out on Sunday to make these Meatballs in Marinara Sauce. I watched anxiously as my husband took his first bite. Sooo? I asked him. His response was "These are really good!". I didn't stop there but continued to grill him for a couple of minutes to make sure he really liked them and wasn't just being polite. SUCCESS! He now won't tell you, if asked, that he doesn't like meatballs. Thanks American's Test Kitchen- as always you never disappoint!

Meatballs in Marinara Sauce

ATK
Serves 8- Freezes very well

The meatballs and sauce both use the same onion mixture.

Onion Mixture

1/4 cup olive oil
3 onions , chopped fine
8 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon dried oregano
3/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes

Easy Marinara

1 (6-ounce) can tomato paste
1 cup dry red wine
1 cup water
4 (28-ounce) cans crushed tomatoes
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup fresh basil leaf
Salt
1 - 2 teaspoons sugar , as needed

Meatballs

4 slices hearty white sandwich bread
3/4 cup milk
1/2 pound sweet Italian sausage , casings removed
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley leaves
2 large eggs
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
2 1/2 pounds ground beef chuck (80 percent lean)

1. For the onion mixture: Heat oil in Dutch oven over medium-high heat until shimmering. Cook onions until golden, 10 to 15 minutes. Add garlic, oregano, and pepper flakes and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Transfer half of onion mixture to large bowl and set aside.

2. For the marinara: Add tomato paste to remaining onion mixture in pot and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add wine and cook until slightly thickened, about 2 minutes. Stir in water and tomatoes and simmer over low heat until sauce is no longer watery, 45 to 60 minutes. Stir in cheese and basil and adjust seasonings with salt and sugar.

3. For the meatballs: Meanwhile, adjust oven rack to upper-middle position and heat oven to 475 degrees. Mash bread and milk in bowl with reserved onion mixture until smooth. Add remaining ingredients, except ground beef, to bowl and mash to combine. Add beef and knead with hands until well combined. Form mixture into 2 1/2-inch meatballs (you should have about 16 meatballs), place on rimmed baking sheet, and bake until well browned, about 20 minutes.



4. Transfer meatballs to pot with sauce. Simmer for 15 minutes. Serve over pasta. (Meatballs and marinara can be frozen for up to 1 month.)

Delicious Spaghetti Pie

Last week one day when I was home I made this delicious Spaghetti Pie for dinner. We all loved it. The photos don't even close to do it justice. It was soooo flavorful and yummy I can't rave enough about it. While I wouldn't usually make this during the week due to time constraints and energy levels etc this would be perfect to make on a Saturday or any other day you have the time to spend a little longer on dinner. As a working mum I have to plan my weekly dinner menu accordingly. Sadly it just isn't realistic for me to spend hours in the kitchen when I get home from work. Nevertheless if you try this dish you will not be disappointed. I'll certainly be making this again. It made for awesome left over’s that both my hubby and I were excited for.

Delicious Spaghetti Pie

From CC
Serves 6 to 8

Pasta Crust

Table salt
4 ounces vermicelli , broken into 2-inch pieces
1 clove garlic , minced
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 large egg , beaten
1 tablespoon minced fresh basil

Filling

2 teaspoons vegetable oil
1 small onion , chopped fine
1/2 pound 90% lean ground beef
1 (15-ounce) can tomato sauce
3 tablespoons tomato paste
1 teaspoon sugar
1 tablespoon minced fresh basil
Table salt and ground black pepper
1 cup whole-milk ricotta
1 large egg
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 1/2 cups shredded whole milk mozzarella cheese

1. For the crust: Adjust oven rack to lowest position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Bring 2 quarts water to boil in large saucepan. Add 1 teaspoon salt and vermicelli and cook until al dente. Drain well.

2. Combine cooked vermicelli, garlic, butter, Parmesan, egg, and basil in medium bowl. Press mixture into deep 10-inch pie plate.



Bake until crust has set, 15 to 20 minutes. Cool while making filling.

I could have just eaten the crust it smelled so good!

3. For the filling: Heat oil in large skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Add onion and cook until softened, about 4 minutes. Add beef and cook until lightly browned, 6 to 8 minutes. Drain off any excess fat. Stir in tomato sauce, tomato paste, and sugar and simmer until thickened, about 3 minutes. Stir in basil and season with salt and pepper.

4. Stir ricotta, egg, and oregano together in small bowl. Spread ricotta mixture over pasta crust. Top with meat sauce and sprinkle with mozzarella. Bake until golden brown on top, about 25 minutes. Cool 15 minutes. Slice into wedges and serve.

Taco Stuffed Shells

Here is another great recipe from Mmm Cafe. I made these for dinner on Sunday night. Brad really enjoyed it. To be completely honest, I don't know that I will make these again. This is totally a personal issue. Growing up I think we had "Tacos" one to many times and so now anything with taco flavor or seasoning just doesn't sound or taste overly great to me. I am not a big fan of Mexican food either. That being said, I can appreciate this recipe for what it is. If you like Mexican food and more specifically Tacos then you will love this recipe. It's just not for me.

Taco Stuffed Shells
From: Blog Chef

1lb ground beef
1 package taco seasoning
1 4 once package cream cheese
12 large pasta shells
1 cup salsa
1 cup taco sauce
1 1/2 cups mexican blend shredded cheese
1 ½ cups tortilla chips (crushed)
1 cup sour cream

Step 1: In a fry pan cook ground beef and add taco seasoning and prepare according to package directions. Add cream cheese, cover, and simmer until cheese is melted. Blend well. Set aside and allow slightly cool. While burger is cooking cook the pasta shells, drain.
Step 2: Pour salsa in the bottom of a 9 x 13 inch baking dish.
Step 3: Stuff each shell with the meat mixture. Place the stuffed shells in the baking dish and cover the tops of the shells with taco sauce.

Step 4: Cover with foil and bake in the oven at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.
Step 5: After 30 minutes, uncover, and sprinkle crushed chips and shredded cheddar and Monterey jack cheeses on top. Cook for 15 additional minutes. Serve with sour cream, additional salsa, and anything else that you like to serve with tacos.

Photos from Mmm Cafe blog. http://mmmcafe.blogspot.com

Easy Beef Stroganoff

On Sunday I wasn't feeling overly inspired when it came to making dinner. I decided that given my non-inspired mood I’d look through my stack of recipes and find an easy recipe we had enjoyed in the past.

Easy Beef Stroganoff
From the Food Network courtesy of Rachel Ray
Serves 4


1 1/2 pounds of beef tenderloin fillet cut into strips or bite-size pieces (see note)
Salt and pepper
3 tablespoons of butter, divided
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 cups of beef consommé (fancy name for beef broth)
2 teaspoons of Dijon style mustard
1/4 cup sour cream, eyeball it
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil or vegetable oil
1/2 small onion chopped (I chop it as small as I can)
1/3 cup coarsely chopped cornichons ( I omit these as I never have any on hand)
1 pound extra wide egg noodles (or your favorite pasta noodle) cooked
Chopped parsley leaves (for garnish purposes only)

1. Slice meat and season with salt and pepper. Set in freezer.

2. Heat a skillet over medium heat. Melt 2 tablespoons of butter and cook with flour for 1 minute. Whisk in consommé (broth). Thicken 1 minute. Stir in mustard and sour cream, thicken 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat and season sauce with salt and pepper.

3. Heat a second skillet over high heat. Add 1 tablespoon oil (see note below) and 1 tablespoon of butter, then add meat and onion and cook over high heat until brown on both sides, 3 to 4 minutes total. Then add the chopped cornichons and stir to combine.

4. Arrange meat on a bed of egg noodles and top with Stroganoff sauce and parsley. Serve with your favorite bread.

Note- Sometimes I haven't had the beef tenderloin on hand so have substituted for 1 pound of hamburger meat. Though I prefer the dish with the tenderloin, we still enjoy it with the hamburger meat too.

Note- I don't add the tablespoon of oil to the tablespoon of butter when cooking the meat and onion. I did that once and found it to be a little too oily. I have found that using the 1 tablespoon of butter alone works wonderfully.

Stuffed Pasta Shells and Chocolate Self Saucing Pudding

Stuffed Pasta Shells from http://itsdinnertime2.blogspot.com

½ C parmesan cheese
24 oz ricotta cheese
3 C mozzarella cheese, shredded
2 T basil (I was out of basil so I used some Italian seasoning I had)
½ tsp salt
¼ tsp pepper
2 eggs, slightly beaten
1 jar spaghetti sauce (I love Bertolli) add cooked ground beef

Mix cheeses, basil, salt, pepper. Add eggs. Pour ½ sauce in 9x13 pan. Stuff shells with cheese mixture. Put in pan. Pour over remaining sauce. Cover with foil. Bake at 350 for 50 minutes.

For the three of us, I halved this recipe (except the sauce) and used a smaller dish. It was perfect. Just enough for us all to eat dinner and Brad to have left over’s for lunch the next day.

I made these for dinner last night. It was good, however when I make this dish again there are some things I will do differently. First of all, this recipe says to add ground beef to the pasta sauce. I thought about omitting the meat as I love to really taste the sauce, pasta and the ricotta, but because Brad prefers the meat I added it in. I added just less than 1 pound of hamburger meat to the sauce and for me it was way too much. I felt like I could only taste the hamburger. The next time I make it, I think I will leave out the meat all together and should I happen to make it with hamburger again I would only use about a quarter of a pound. I found that using as much meat as I did made the sauce too thick and chunky and I didn't love that about this dish.

The original recipe also suggested baking this for 40 minutes but I found that I need to bake mine for closer to 55 minutes.

All in all I did like this recipe. It was easy to make while Gabe was confined to his high chair eating breakfast. I love meals I can make in the morning when I have energy, pop in the fridge and then just put in the oven later on in the afternoon to cook in time for Brad to come home.



Chocolate Self Saucing Pudding- from http://whowantsdinner.blogspot.com

1 & 1/4 cups granulated sugar, divided into 3/4 cup and 1/2 cup
1 cup all-purpose flour
7 tablespoons cocoa, divided into 3 tablespoons and 4 tablespoons
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup milk
1/3 cup unsalted butter, melted
1 & 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1 & 1/2 cups hot water
Preheat oven to 350°.

Stir together 3/4 cup sugar, flour, 3 tablespoons cocoa, baking powder, and salt. Stir in milk, butter, and vanilla, mixing until smooth. Pour into an ungreased 8-inch square glass baking pan.

In a small bowl, mix 1/2 cup sugar, brown sugar, and 4 tablespoons cocoa. Sprinkle evenly over batter. Pour hot water over the top. Do not stir.
Bake for 35-40 minutes, or until center is almost set. Let stand for 15 minutes, then serve. Use the chocolate sauce in the bottom of the pan to spoon over servings. Garnish, if desired, with ice cream or whipped cream.

Makes 6 servings.

My mum would make a version of this dish growing up. I am not the hugest chocolate pudding fan, but this one is yummy and is so good when paired with a dollop of whipped cream or some vanilla ice cream. Note - This recipe doesn't call for eggs. I didn't notice that until I was almost done making it and thought I'd forgotten something. I was worried that it was a typo on the recipe but the pudding worked out wonderfully. It was the perfect end to our evening. Cuddling up on the couch with my Brad, eating a yummy dessert while Gabe was tucked in bed asleep. Ahhhhhhhh!

Baked Spaghetti

I made this for dinner on Saturday night. While it had been a crazy day with all the construction etc and it would have been so easy to get take-out I discovered this recipe last week and was excited to try it. I love anything with ricotta cheese and so this recipe caught my eye immediately. Once the wall was in and Gabe was asleep I enjoyed some quite and much warmer time to myself whilst whipping up this yummy dinner. I definitely think I'll make it again. This is another recipe from http://itsdinnertime2.blogspot.com.

Baked Spaghetti from Jamie

Mix these ingredients together and place in a greased 9x13 baking dish:

12 oz angel hair pasta, cooked
1 egg
1 C parmesan cheese
2 T chopped basil

Mix these together and place on top of the pasta:

1 lb hamburger, cooked
1 (13 oz) container ricotta cheese
2 C grated mozzarella cheese, save ½ C for the top
1 jar of pasta sauce- I only use the Bertolli brand, but that is my preference.

Sprinkle ½ C mozzarella cheese on sauce. Bake at 350 for about 35 min or until the cheese starts to bubble.

**You might be tempted to throw the whole box (16oz) of pasta in to boil. I've done that before and it definitely only needs the 12 oz that is calls for. I found it was not enough sauce for that extra bit of noodles.

***The original recipe called for just one jar of pasta sauce. It was fine with just the one, but both Brad and I like lots of sauce with our pasta, so I think the next time I make it I'll add another jar of sauce.

Mmmmm Lasagna and Homemade French Bread

Yesterday being my day off, I thought I'd try my hand at homemade French Bread to go with my homemade Lasagna. Whenever I make Lasagna or spaghetti I love to run across the street and pick up a loaf of warm French Bread from Albertsons to serve with dinner. All things bread and butter are certainly my weakness. If I had to live on bread and butter alone, I would be all too willing to do it. This recipe took a little time, but was really quite easy. I don't mind recipes that take time if I can get things done whilst I make it and with this bread I could. The only problem I ran into with my bread was that I was all out of eggs so instead of doing an egg wash on top of my bread I just used some olive oil. I think that may be why it didn't brown as much as it should have. Needless to say, I was quite proud of myself for making it at home as opposed to running across the street and buying it from the store and it made for a yummy dinner and a yummy smelling house!

Grandma’s French Bread
from The Sister's Cafe

2 ¼ c. warm water
2 T. sugar
1 Tbsp yeast
1 Tbsp salt
2 Tbsp oil
5 ½ -6 cups flour-stirred before measured

Dissolve sugar and yeast in the warm water. Let this proof—or sit for a few minutes until it bubbles. Then add salt, oil and 3 cups of flour and beat well. Add in 2 1/2 -3 more cups of flour. The dough should clean off the sides of the bowl and not be too stick - but be careful not to add too much flour. Knead for a few minutes.

Leave the dough in the mixer to rest for 10 minutes and then stir it down (turn on your mixer for 10 seconds) and then allow to rest another 10 minutes. Repeat for a total of 5 times. Then turn dough onto a floured surface and divide into two equal parts. Roll each part into a 9x13 rectangle. Roll dough up, starting from long edge of loaf to seal. Arrange seam side down on large baking sheet that’s been sprinkled with corn meal, allowing room for both loaves. Repeat with second part of dough. With a sharp knife, cut 3 gashes at an angle on the top of each. Cover lightly; allow to rise 30 minutes. Brush entire surface with egg wash (one egg beaten slightly with 1 Tbsp of water). If desired, sprinkle with sesame seeds. Bake for 30 minutes at 375 degrees.



Nats Homemade Lots a Layers Lasagna

1 Package of oven ready Lasagna sheets
1 container of Ricotta cheese (can use reduced fat if you want)
2 eggs lightly beaten
touch of salt
touch of pepper
1 Tbl spoon dried basil
2 cups of parmesan cheese (I only use freshly grated)
2 cups of mozzarella cheese
1 cup of cheddar cheese ( I use sharp)
1 cup of milk
olive oil
1 pound of hamburger meat (you could use more if you like more meat)
2 cans or containers of marinara sauce

Preheat oven to 380 degrees.

Step one- Brown hamburger meat in a small amount of oil (I always use olive oil) until no longer pink. Season with a little salt and pepper. Once meat is cooked through add the two containers of marinara sauce. Set aside.

Step two- In a small bowl, mix container of ricotta cheese, two eggs (lightly beaten) dried basil, 1 cup of mozzarella cheese and one cup of parmesan cheese. Set aside

Step three- To make cheese sauce melt 2 tbl spoons of butter in a saucepan. Once butter is melted add 2 tbl spoons of flour to make a paste. Add 1 cup of milk to paste and whisk until smooth (stirring constantly). When white sauce begins to thicken add one cup of cheddar cheese. Once cheese is melted set aside.

To layer lasagna begin with a small amount of red meat sauce mixture on the bottom of Lasagna pan. Sprinkle a small amount of parmesan and mozzarella cheese on top of red sauce mixture. Follow with a layer of noodles. On top of the noodles carefully spread some of the ricotta cheese mixture (be sure not to use too much so that you have enough for all layers). On top of the ricotta mixture spread another thin layer of the red sauce mixture and repeat. First red sauce, sprinkle with cheeses, layer of lasagna noodles, ricotta mixture, red sauce, layer of cheeses, noodles and repeat until you have used all lasagna noodles.

Bake at 380 for 45 minutes. When cooked remove from the oven and let sit for 15 minutes so as to allow cheese to set up. (I'm never good at this part!)

Depending on how big and deep your lasagna pan is this recipe can make two lasagna dishes. One bigger one and one small. The deepest dish I have for lasagna is a 2 quart oval shaped corn ware dish. From this recipe I can usually make a 2 quart sized lasagna and a 1.5 quart sized lasagna. Depending on how deep the dish is, this recipe could probably make one 9x13 sized lasagna.

Note- For ease in layering the lasagna noodles, I boil them until they become flexible prior to making the lasagna, cool them on foil and then cut them to fit the pan. I am yet to find the perfect lasagna dish and so use this method so that I don't have to worry about trying to break the noodles whilst hard. That never seems to work out for me.

ARGH!!! My crappy camera does not do close up's well at all. Please pardon the pics of my Lasagna.

Meatballs with Cream sauce and a VERY messy kitchen

Another fabulous recipe from My Kitchen Cafe. I tried this one last night and really enjoyed it. I think it would have been even better had I had a little more time to prepare it and didn't have to run to a gym class half way through making it.

Gabe was "helping" me in the kitchen too. Rather while I chopped, stirred and baked he got into my ingredient cupboard and found an open bag of chocolate chips and had much delight in watching them flow from the bag to the floor. Then he decided it would be fun to climb on top of a box I had in the middle of my kitchen floor and stand there smiling victoriously, in an attempt to get my attention I'm sure.

Needless to say in amongst all the cooking madness, my kitchen was a DISASTER! Brad walked in the door from work and when he saw it his response was "Oh boy". Now that I think about it, I wish I had of taken a photo, today after a good nights sleep it actually seems quite humorous.

Back to the meatballs. These were really tasty and quite easy to make. Even Brad liked them and he isn’t a huge fan of meatballs. I was a little worried that they would taste like parsley meatballs because of the fresh parsley in the meatballs themselves and in the sauce, but I hardly even noticed it. I think the next time I make these I think I’ll even add some grated carrots, probably for color more than anything else. I’ll definitely be making these again and I am really excited to eat the left over’s for lunch today.

Meatballs with Cream Sauce
adapted from Lesli D.'s recipe posting

MEATBALLS:
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/4 cup milk
2 T. ketchup
1 t. Worcestershire sauce
3/4 cup quick oats
1/4 cup finely chopped onion
1/4 cup minced fresh parsley
1 t. salt
1/4 t. pepper
1 1/2 lb. lean ground beef
3 T. flour

CREAM SAUCE:
2 T. butter
3 1/2 T. flour
1/4 t. dried thyme
1/4 t. salt
1/8 t. pepper
14 oz. can chicken broth (If you want your sauce thicker, cut down the chicken broth to 1 cup)
2/3 cup milk
2 T. minced fresh parsley

In a bowl, combine all of the meatball ingredients EXCEPT the beef and flour. Add beef and mix well. Shape into balls. Roll in flour, shaking off excess. Place 1 inch apart on cookie sheet and bake, uncovered, at 400 for 10 minutes. Turn meatballs, bake 8-10 minutes longer or until no longer pink. Meanwhile, for the sauce, melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir in flour, thyme, salt and pepper until smooth. Gradually add broth and milk; bring to a boil. Cook and stir for 2 minutes, until slightly thickened. If using the full can of chicken broth, the sauce doesn't thicken overly much, but it is delicious that way. If you want it slightly thicker, cut down the chicken broth to 1 cup. Drain meatballs on paper towels; transfer to a serving dish. Top with sauce and parsley. Serve over rice or noodles.

Monday Night Beef Noodle Bake and Blackberry Coffee Cake

This past Sunday we went to dinner at Brad's parents house to celebrate the November birthdays. I was absolutely THRILLED when I received a nice new pots and pans set and a cool cook book from the in-laws. The old pots and pans set we had was one that we were given by my in-laws when we got married (almost 6 years ago). It was a free set that had come with a purchase they had made at RC Willey. Needless to say it wasn't the greatest when we got it, so 6 years later the non-stick was anything but that, and I was down to one pot lid as the others had long since broken. For as long as we had had them and for as much as they had been used I was grateful that they had lasted as long as they did. However, I was so excited to use my new set. On Monday morning, I washed and seasoned my new pans and then on Monday night I made a yummy Beef Noodle Bake for dinner and a Blackberry Coffee Cake for dessert. The Blackberry Coffee Cake was so yummy and I thought it looked so pretty once baked. Both recipes were from my new cook book and will definitely be ones I will make again. Thanks Sandy and Clark!!!