Spaghetti Pie

This is an easy casserole to make ahead of time, keeping it chilled in the fridge up to 3 days before baking, or freezing it for up to 3 months. I adore anything that makes my life easier and is a hit with the kids, which this one does admirably.

Spaghetti Pie

1 (16 oz.) pkg. spaghetti, broken into 3 inch pieces
3 TBSP. butter
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
3 eggs (well beaten)
1 (24 oz.) tub small curd cottage cheese
3 cups Italian Blend shredded cheese, divided
1 1/2 (32 oz. jars) Prego spaghetti sauce
1 lb. ground beef, browned and drained

In a large pot of boiling water, cook the spaghetti according to package directions. Drain. Stir in the butter and stir until melted. In a small bowl, mix the beaten eggs and Parmesan cheese. Stir into the buttered spaghetti, stirring to mix well, making sure to coat evenly. Grease a 10x14-inch baking dish. Pour the coated spaghetti into the pan and spread it out like a crust to cover the bottom and slightly up the sides. In a medium bowl mix together the cottage cheese and 1 cup of the shredded cheese. Spread evenly over top of the bottom of the spaghetti crust just to the sides. Mix the 1 1/2 jars of pasta sauce with the ground beef and mix well. spread the sauce mixture evenly over top of the cottage cheese layer, spreading it from egde to edge, covering the entire top of the pie.
*To Bake: Bake @ 350* F, uncovered for 45-55 minuntes. Sprinkle the remaining 2 cups of shredded cheese over top for the last 15 minutes of baking. Let sit for 5 minutes before serving.
Makes about 10-12 servings.
*To Freeze: Cover and label the casserole and place the last 2 cups of shredded cheese in a ziploc baggie and attach to the covered casserole and freeze. Thaw in the fridge completely before baking, at least 24 hours. Uncover and bake as directed above.
*To Chill: Cover and chill up to 3 days until ready to serve, storing the remaining 2 cups of shredded cheese in the fridge with it. Remove from the fridge about 45 minutes before baking, then bake as directed above.

Island-Style Fried Rice

When I lived on Guam, this style of fried rice was the most common on island, and we loved it. I always knew Spam was good for something:)

Island-Style Fried Rice

3 3/4 cup uncooked rice
1 (12 oz.) can Spam, sliced and diced into tiny cubes
1 small onion, chopped
1 (16 oz.) bag frozen peas & carrots, cooked and drained
6 eggs
4 TBSP. oil, divided
1/2 cup soy sauce

The day before the meal, cook the rice according to package directions. The rice is best if made the day before and then stored in the fridge until cooking day, but you can use rice cooked the same day too. In a large skillet, heat 2 TBSP. oil over medium-high heat. Add the diced Spam and the onions and saute until the onions are translucent and the Spam is nicely browned. Set aside. In the same skillet, cook the eggs, scrambling them. Set them aside. In the same skillet, heat the remaining 2 TBSP. oil. Add the cooked rice and stir to re-heat. Add the soy sauce, just to taste, stirring to evenly distribute it throughout the rice. Cook until the rice is hot. Add the cooked onion/Spam mixture, the cooked peas & carrots, and the scrambled eggs. Stir to mix until everything is evenly distributed. Season with additional soy sauce if needed. Serve hot.
Makes 12 generous servings.

Potato Veggie Soup (Slow Cooker)

I decided to add some veggies to the slow cooker baked potato soup and loved the outcome so much I thought I had better write it down or I would forget. It was too good and too easy to not make again! Yum!

Potato Veggie Soup (Slow Cooker)

1 - 1 1/2 bags (32 oz. each) cubed hash browns
1 (16 oz.) pkg. frozen sliced carrots
2 heads of broccoli florets, chopped 
2 quarts chicken broth
2 cups water
1 (10 3/4 oz.) can cream of chicken soup
1 small onion, chopped
pepper to taste
1 (8 oz.) pkg. cream cheese, softened***

  In a slow cooker, combine potatoes, carrots, broccoli, broth, water, soup, onion, and pepper. Cover, and cook on "High" for 6 housrs, on 'Low' for 8 hours. About 1 hour before serving, stir in cream cheese, stirring occasionally, until combined.
Makes 10-12 servings.

*cooking times are approximate and vary with each individual slow cooker*

***Do not use fat free cream cheese. Regular cream cheese or low fat work well, but the fat free cream cheese does not melt, and ends up giving your soup an odd texture.

Homemade Creamy Italian Dressing

Another delicious homemade dressing recipe. Just beacuse I love making things myself!

Homemade Creamy Italian Dressing

1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/3 cup white 'or' red wine vinegar
1 tsp. vegetable oil
3 - 4 TBSP. corn syrup
2 TBSP. grated Parmesan cheese
2 TBSP. grated Romano cheese
1 clove minced garlic
1/2 tsp. Italian seasoning
1/2 tsp. dried parsley
1 TBSP. lemon juice

In a blender, combine all ingredients and blend until smooth. Pour into serving container, cover and chill several hours until chilled.
Makes about 1 1/4 cups.

Homemade Italian Dressing Mix

I love how easy this is to mix together and keep on hand in my pantry. And it makes a tasty salad dressing to boot!

Homemade Italian Dressing Mix

1 TBSP. garlic salt
1 TBSP. onion powder
1 TBSP. sugar
2 TBSP. dried oregano
1/2 - 1 tsp. ground black pepper
1/4 tsp. dried thyme
1 tsp. dried basil
1 TBSP. dried parsley
1/4 tsp. celery salt
2 TBSP. salt

Mix all ingredients together and store in a tightly sealed container in your pantry.
Makes about 1/2 cup dry mix.

To Use:
 Whisk together:
 2 TBSP. Italian Dressing Mix
1/4 cup white vinegar
2/3 cup vegetable oil
2 TBSP. water

Makes about 1 cup salad dressing.

Red Salad Dressing

Another yummy dressing recipe that you can make yourself. We love it!

Red Salad Dressing

1 cup ketchup
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup sugar
2 tsp. white vinegar
1 tsp. dried minced onion
1/4 tsp. minced garlic
1 tsp. Italian seasoning

Whisk all ingredients together in a bowl. Chill for several hours in fridge to let flavors blend. Serve over your favorite green salad.
Makes about 2 cups.

Chocolate Pecan Dessert

I'm not a big fan of graham cracker crusts, so I absolutely LOVE that the crust for this dessert is a shortbread style with bits of chopped pecan in it. It's simply divine!

Chocolate Pecan Dessert

Crust:
1 cup chopped pecans
3 TBSP. sugar
1/2 cup butter
1 cup flour
Layer 1:
1 (8oz.) pkg. cream cheese (reg. or lite)
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 cup Cool Whip
Layer 2:
1 (5.1 oz.) pkg. instant chocolate pudding mix
2 - 3 cups milk (less for firmer pudding)
Layer 3:
1 (5.1 oz.) pkg. instant vanilla pudding mix
2 - 3 cups milk (less for firmer pudding)
Layer 4:
2 cups Cool Whip
shaved chocolate for topping (opt.)

Preheat oven 350* F.
Mix all of the crust ingredients together and press into a greased 9x13-inch baking dish/pan. Bake @ 350* F for about 20 minutes until light golden brown. Let cool completely.
In a large mixing bowl, combine the cream cheese and powdered sugar and mix well. Add the Cool Whip and stir until light and fluffy. Spread over top of the cooled layer in the pan.
In a large mixing bowl, mix the milk and chocolate pudding mix together. Let it sit for about 5 minutes, then spread over top of the cream cheese layer.
Repeat the same process with the vanilla pudding mix. Let sit for 5 minutes then spread over top of the chocolate layer.
Top with 2 cups Cool Whip. Sprinkle shaved chocolate over top if desired. Chill for several hours to let it set up properly. Cut into squares and serve.

Homemade Thousand Island Dressing

I love making my own dressings, it not only saves money but I can customize them to suit our tastes. I try to save some of my empty ketchup squeeze bottles to use to fill with my homemamde dressings to save fridge space and make it easy to use them.

Homemade Thousand Island Dressing

2 cups mayonnaise, light or regular
2/3 - 3/4 cup ketchup**
1/4 cup white vinegar
8 tsp. sugar
4-5 TBSP. sweet pickle relish
2 TBSP. dried minced onion
1/2 tsp. salt
4 dashes pepper

Whisk all ingredients together and pour into container. Chill for several hours to let flavors meld.
**Can also use Chili sauce instead of Ketchup for a change of pace.

Slow Cooker Sloppy Chili Dogs

Slow Cooker Sloppy Chili Dogs

1 (28 oz.) can baked beans

1 (15 oz.) can pinto beans, rinsed and drained

1 (15 oz.) can kidney beans, rinsed and drained

1 (15 oz.) can black beans, rinsed and drained

1 (15 oz.) can tomato sauce 'or' Manwich

1 (15 oz.) can diced tomatoes

1-2 cups ground beef, browned and drained

2 (12 oz.) pkgs. hot dogs, sliced

1 small onion, chopped

2 tsp. chili powder

¼ - ½ tsp. salt

½ tsp. minced garlic

Toasted Hot Dog Buns

Shredded Cheddar Cheese

In a slow cooker (6 quarts or larger) combine the baked beans, pinto beans, kidney beans, black beans, tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, cooked ground beef, hot dogs, onion, chili powder, salt and garlic. Stir to mix. Cover and cook on ‘LOW’ 6-8 hours. To serve, spoon the chili dog mixture over toasted hot dog buns and sprinkle shredded cheese on top.

**note** you can substitute a packet of chili seasoning for the chili powder, salt and minced garlic if you prefer.

Slow Cooker Baked Potato Soup

A thick, hearty soup that is not only incredibly delicious, but insanely easy to throw together. I adore anything that you can throw into your slow cooker without a second thought, and this recipe is definitely one of them. Not to mention the super yummy end results!

Slow Cooker Baked Potato Soup

2 (32 oz.) bags cubed hash browns
2 quarts chicken broth
2 cups water
1 (10 3/4 oz.) can cream of chicken soup
1 small onion, chopped
pepper to taste
1 (8 oz.) pkg. cream cheese, softened***
toppings: bacon, cheese, green onion, steamed broccoli

  In a slow cooker, combine potatoes, broth, water, soup, onion, and pepper. Cover, and cook on low for 6-8 hours. About 1 hour before serving, stir in cream cheese,  stirring occasionally, until combined. Garnish with toppings of your choice. Makes 10-12 servings

***Do not use fat free cream cheese. Regular cream cheese or low fat work well, but the fat free cream cheese does not melt, and ends up giving your soup an odd texture.

Pantry Salsa #2

This version of the recipe came about when I accidentally ended up with several cases of cans of "medium" heat diced tomatoes and green chilies. It was way too spicy for me to use the whole can, and my kids refused to eat it, so instead I figured out how to use it with my other recipe with just a few modifications. To make things easy, I divide up the entire can of tomatoes and chilies into 1/4 cup portions and freeze them in baggies so I can just pull one out to make salsa anytime, and that way I'm able to actually make use of the numerous cans of spicy tomatoes and chilies in my food storage.

Pantry Salsa #2

2 (15 oz.) can diced tomatoes, undrained
1/4 cup 'Medium' or 'Hot' Ro-Tel, undrained
1 TBSP. dried minced onion (or 2 TBSP. diced fresh onion)
1 tsp. minced garlic (in the jar)
1 TBSP. lime juice or lemon juice
1/2 tsp salt
1-2 tsp. sugar
1/8 tsp. ground cumin
1 TBSP. dried cilantro (or 1/4 cup fresh cilantro chopped)

Throw everything into food processor bowl. Pulse lightly until well mixed and slightly chunky, but not pureed. Transfer to a bowl, cover and chill until ready to serve. Makes about 4 cups.