Baked Spaghetti

This is a very quick and easy oven dish for a weekly dinner.  It is super cheesy and my kids love it for a change to regular spaghetti.   I double this recipe to feed my whole family and it leaves some for leftovers.  The sausage is optional, you can either leave it out or substitute it for mushrooms, green peppers or ground beef will work too.  To give it a bit of healthier kick,  use a whole wheat pasta.

Ingredients:
 8oz spaghetti
1 egg, beaten
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 lb crumbed cooked Italian sausage (optional)
1 3/4 spaghetti sauce

Ready to go into the oven

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Spray 8 in baking dish with non stick cooking spray
Cook spaghetti according to the package.  Drain and rinse with cold water.   Toss spaghetti with egg, 1 cup of mozzarella and Parmesan cheese.  Put spaghetti mixture into dish.
Mix cook sausage with spaghetti sauce.  Spoon sauce over spaghetti mixture.  Top with the remaining mozzarella cheese.

Bake for 15 minutes. Let it stand about 5 minutes before serving.

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Mom's Apple Cake {Apple Dump Cake}

This is another recipe that my Mom has made for years.   It has become a family favorite here too. It's a great cake to make for fall and the holidays.

Ingredients:
1 dry box yellow cake mix( with ingredients)
2- 21oz cans apple pie mix
1 stick butter
1/2 cup water

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Spray 9 x 12 cake pan with non stick cooking spray
Spoon apple on bottom on the pan.
Make cake mix according to the box directions or using the diet soda version works with this also. Pour cake batter on top of apples
Melt butter with water and pour on top of cake batter
Bake for 70 mins.
Yum!

Turkey Meatballs

This recipe is my mom's meatball recipe.  She has been making meatballs with this since, well, forever.  It is a very simple recipe, primarily, I think, because, my father liked plain foods and my mother cooked to his liking.   So, adding any other types of spices, cheese, veggies is quite simple to do with this.   Like, my mom, I stick with the original recipe.   We eat these with spaghetti sauce, plain or for me, personally, bbq sauce.  

Ingredients:
1 lb ground turkey
1/2 cup grated parmesean cheese
1 cup breadcrumbs
1/2 cup milk
2 beaten eggs
garlic/salt/pepper to taste

Directions:
Preheat over to 250 degrees. Spray cooking sheet with non stick cooking spray.
Mix all ingredients in a bowl.  Form into balls..  
Bake on a cookie sheet for 30-35mins.
Makes apprx 24-30 meatballs depending on size.

Broiler Nachos

Nachos are a pretty simple recipe for just about anyone.  Get some chips, cheese and toss in the microwave or oven.   That works good, but, the conventional oven can take some time and the microwave is quick, but, let's face it, they don't always turn out that great.  A great alternative is using your broiler.  It's quick and the chips turn out nice and crispy.

Here's what I did for mine that is pictured:

Tortilla chips (we love unsalted Donkey Chips in our house)
Fat Free refried beans
shredded cheddar cheese
lettuce
salsa

Preheat broiler
Spread the beans on the individual chips and arranged on some foil, then, place on a baking sheet.  Sprinkle them with the cheese.  Place in  the well heated broiler and let them cook for only about a minute or 2.  It doesn't take long at all. Keep an eye on them.  They cook fast!
I topped mine off with lettuce and salsa when they were done.
These are great because they can be made for a large group or just one person.
Enjoy! :)

Menu Plan Monday

It's a busy week here this week, so, the menu isn't too fancy. But, here it goes!Monday: Chicken stir fry with rice  and wonton chips
Tuesday: Hot beef sandwiches
Wednesday: Lunch meat sandwiches
Thursday: Homemade meatballs with spaghetti
Friday:  Leftovers!

Link up at:  I'm an Organizing Junkie

Have a great week!

Baked Wonton Chips

I found this recipe in a book that my daughter took out of the library. They seemed like a pretty easy recipe and would go with our chicken stir fry that we are having this week for dinner.  This is a great recipe for kids to do (with some assistance).  My 9 year old had no problem mixing the oil mixture and cutting/brushing the wontons. 

Ingredients:
30 wonton wrappers - I found these in the produce section of our grocery store.
2 TBSP olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced - I didn't have fresh garlic, so, garlic salt worked well
1/2 tsp basil
1/4 cup grated Parmesan or Romano cheese

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees and spray baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray.
Cut wonton wrappers in half diagonally to make triangles and arrange on baking sheet.
In a small bowl, mix oil, garlic and basil.  Brush the wontons with the mixture lightly.
Then, sprinkle the wontons with the cheese.
Bake for 8 minutes until golden brown.
Move chips to a cooling rack and cool completely.

Thumbs Up!  She loves them!

The Easiet Peanut Butter Cookies Ever

This is a regular item in our house.  They are so easy to make and are gone within hours of me making a batch. I usually have all the ingredients in the house and they taste darn good too.

Ingredients:
1 egg

1 cup creamy peanut butter

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup chopped peanuts ( optional )

1 tsp.vanilla

Directions:

Heat oven to 350°F. Then, beat egg in large bowl with mixer until foamy. Add remaining ingredients; mix well. Shape dough into 1-inch balls. Place, 2 inches apart, on baking sheets. Flatten, in crisscross pattern, with tines of fork.
Bake 10 min. or until lightly browned. Cool on baking sheets 1 min. Remove to wire racks; cool completely.    
Makes: approx 36 cookies
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Chewy Granola Bars

Ok, so, this is  something that was purchased in our house in mass quantities.  Granola bars.  Oh, my kids can go through boxes of these in a week.  It was getting expensive and I figured, homemade is healthier, why, not try them out?   Like the mac n cheese, I still have kids that prefer the boxed version of these.  But, I refuse to buy them anymore.  So, they are coming around...slowly.   My husband and I, love them.   I make a batch every week for him and he brings them to work to snack on.   They are super easy to make too.

Ingredients:
4 1/2 cups rolled oats
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2/3 cup butter, melted

1/2 cup honey

1/3 cup packed brown sugar                   

2 cups miniature semisweet chocolate chips~~you can also use peanut butter chips, peanuts, walnuts, add whatever you prefer. 

Directions:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Lightly grease one 9x13 inch pan.               

In a large mixing bowl combine the oats, flour, baking soda, vanilla, butter or margarine, honey and brown sugar. Stir in the 2 cups assorted chocolate chips, raisins, nuts etc.               

Lightly press mixture into the prepared pan. Bake at 325 degrees F (165 degrees C) for 18 to 22 minutes or until golden brown. Let cool for 10 minutes then cut into bars. Let bars cool completely in pan before removing or serving.

Chewy granola bars with peanut butter chips and walnuts.

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Beer Bread

Some time ago, my sister in laws were hooked on beer bread from Tastefully Simple.  It was served at every family event forever. Birthday parties, baptisms, holidays, you name it. (It was really good, so, who could blame them?) Well, buying the package from Tastefully Simple wasn't convenient for me, so, I found a recipe to make beer bread at home.  I was pretty surprised how incredibly easy it was to make and it tasted just like the packaged stuff.  I also don't even use beer for it. I used some left over diet soda from my diet soda cake recipe.  

Ingredients:
3 cups self-rising flour
1/2 cup sugar
12 ounces beer ( or any carbonated beverage)
2 tbsp butter

Directions:
Preheat over to 375 degrees
Butter a loaf pan and set aside.  In a large bowl, add flour, sugar and beverage and mix well.  It will be sticky. Pour into loaf pan and bake for 55 minutes.  For the last 3 minutes of baking, remove from oven and brush the top with butter and return to oven for remainder of baking time.
This is great just plain or cut up into cubes and served with a spinach or garlic dip.

Macaroni and Cheese

For some reason, the idea of homemade mac n cheese scared me a bit.  We have always been an boxed mac n cheese family. Everyone loved it.  So, when, I came across this recipe from Jessica Seinfeld's cookbook Deceptively Delicious, it didn't seem too complex.   So, I made it and almost everyone (I have 1 boxed mac n cheese holdout) loves it. 

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups elbow macaroni
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup nonfat skim milk
• 1/2 cup butternut squash puree
• 1 1/2 cups shredded reduced-fat Cheddar cheese (about 8 ounces)
• 4 ounces (almost 1/4 cup) reduced-fat or nonfat cream cheese
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon paprika
• 1/8 teaspoon pepper

Directions:
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, add the macaroni and cook according to package directions until al dente. Drain in a colander.

While the macaroni is cooking, coat a large saucepan with cooking spray and heat over medium heat. Add the oil, then the flour, and cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture resembles a thick paste but has not browned, 1 to 2 minutes.

Add the milk and cook, stirring every now and then, until the mixture begins to thicken, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the vegetable puree, Cheddar, cream cheese and seasonings and stir until the cheese is melted and the sauce is smooth. Stir in the macaroni and serve warm.

Menu Plan Monday

I decided to try out Menu Plan Monday from I"m an Organizing Junkie. So, here we go!

Monday:  Skinny Chicken Parm with Spaghetti
Tuesday: Tacos with Rice
Wednesday:  Turkey Burgers with homemade baked fries
Thursday:  Homemade pepperoni pizza
Friday:  Leftovers!

Link up at:  I"m an Organizing Junkie


Happy Monday!

Diet Soda Cake

Over the summer, I decided to try Weight Watchers.  It has worked great, I am 15lbs lighter!  In my search for lighter recipes, I discovered Diet Soda Cake.  I believe Weight Watchers dreamed up this light and very delicious recipe:

Ingredients:
1 dry box cake mix- any flavor
10 oz diet sode- any flavor
2 egg whites

Directions:
Preheat your oven to whatever is listed on your cake mix.  Make sure you spray your pan with cooking spray.  (You can use 13x9, make cupcakes or I even made a bundt cake with this recipe)
Mix cake mix, diet soda and egg whites and pour into pan.
Bake according to your cake mix directions on the box.

I made a Red Velvet cake (Duncan Hines) with a just a store brand lemon lime diet soda.  I also topped it off with a bit of Cool Whip ( lite).  But, I also found a cream cheese frosting recipe that is lite(and tastes awesome!)  and would go well with it too.



My official cake-tester approves!



Baked Chicken Nuggets

These are a family favorite here!  Quick and a great healthy option to the regular chicken nugget.

Ingredients:
1.25  lbs chicken breast/cut into cubes
1 Tbsp canola oil
1 cup panko bread crumbs
1/2 cup grated parmesean cheese
1 Tbsp dry italian seasoning

Directions:
Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Spray baking sheets with canola spray
Mix breadcrumbs,grated cheese and seasoning in a bowl.  
Coat each chicken cube with canola oil.  Then, coat with breadcrumb mixture.  Put chicken on baking sheet and spray lightly with canola spray.   Bake 8-10 minutes, then, turn chicken over and cook an additional 5 minutes or until cooked through.

Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Pretzel Cookies

I made these for the first time today. They will surely satisfy any kind of chocolate craving!

Ingredients:
1 cup unsalted butter
1 cup white sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
1 3/4 cups flour
1 1/4 cups dark chocolate cocoa powder (Hershey’s Dark Chocolate Cocoa Powder)
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup bittersweet chocolate chips
3/4 cup peanut butter chips
1 cup pretzels, coarsely crushed
Sea salt for sprinkling

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line cookie sheets with parchment.
2. In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Slowly add eggs and vanilla until well combined then add peanut butter until combined.
3. In another bowl, combine the flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt. Slowly add to wet ingredients then stir in chocolate chips and pretzels. Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls onto the prepared cookie sheet.
4. Bake for 9-11 minutes, should still be soft in center. Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.
3 dozen cookies
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A Little Introduction

Hello!
Welcome to my blog.  I am Erin.  A stay at mom of 5 children.  Ages ranging from 9 years old to 18 mos. My husband and I have been married nearly 12 years.  I started this blog to share some easy, family recipes that are used in our house quite often, and to share photos.

Thanks for visiting!