What’s for lunch? A big pan of baked spaghetti. Or Pasketti as Bytes’ Big Brother used to say. The whole family will love it! Layers of pasta, meat sauce, sour cream and cheese – comfort food of the highest order! The number of servings will depend on the appetites at your house. It makes 8 large servings, which will serve the three of us with two man-sized servings (and one regular serving for me) for TWO meals. Two littles usually ate the equivalent of one of the 8 servings. Which means enough for the man sized eater, two littles and one regular serving. The point? You may very easily get TWO meals for the effort in making one! And that’s a bonus in my book. If your cooking tends to be based on last minute decisions, you’ll find no judgment here because there are a lot ... [Read More]
Budget Friendly
Buttery Apple Crisp
Nate the Great's Mommy set the dessert on the table. MMMMMM Apple Crisp. One bite and it was wow! Light and buttery, cinnamony, and just right sweetness. This apple crisp just whispers in your ear and wraps you in warm apple flavor kissed with butter and cinnamon. Where did you find this recipe, I asked. (just for you, of course!) In grandma's community cookbook, she said. Of course. Every cook who knows someone from that little town has a fat orange covered spiral bound cookbook on the shelf or in the kitchen drawer. Apparently even those who weren't even in kindergarten yet when it was published! How could I have missed it? Granted there are 7 apple crisp recipes in the book, including one with marshmallows, one with eggs and one with raisins. Interestingly they all call ... [Read More]
Gumbo Sloppy Joe Sliders
Creamy Gumbo Sloppy Joe Sliders are a great addition to the appetizer table for Game Day. Or for any party! They are delicious, filling and different from the usual. Slider means you still have room to sample other goodies – and circle back for more Sloppies! They are tasty and amazingly easy to make. Saute onions and brown the ground beef in the same skillet. Mix the two soups together in a medium bowl. Just the soups straight from the can – no other liquid needed. Add the soup to the meat and onion mixture in the skillet and bring to simmer. I simmer a few minutes to let the meat absorb the moisture and flavor. Any excess moisture is also reduced. You don’t want the sloppy joes to be --- “soupy”. Sorry – just had to do that!! Choose your favorite slider bun – Hawaiian ... [Read More]
Overnight Oatmeal
Add pizzazz to your breakfast with Overnight Oatmeal! It’s healthy, nutritious and delicious! I had a bowl of hot oatmeal every morning with raisins and walnuts for a very long time. When I heard about oatmeal made overnight in the refrigerator and eaten cold I was pretty skeptical. But we needed something to go with scrambled eggs (protein!) and the idea of a basic dish with lots of variations kept leading back to Overnight Oatmeal. Sauted apples were the first version we tried. Peel, slice and dice an apple and saute it with a tablespoon of butter in a small frying pan. Layer the hot apple with the cold oatmeal --- ummm, heavenly. Great for a leisurely morning. But there are lots of add-in and topping options. Enough to keep your tastebuds excited for a very long time. ... [Read More]
Tuna Melt — Air Fryer
Tuna Melts were the first thing I made in my new air fryer. I wasn’t expecting to buy one last Saturday – especially at the Kiwanis Garage Sale. But there it was on the Silent Auction table, reserved for brand new products from members or sponsors. I picked a random number and three hours later the air fryer was mine. The Tuna Melts I made for lunch today were delicious. I hope that is a good omen for my ownership!! Start with a good tuna. Usually that means a little more expensive – unless you can find a store brand that is just right. Another random find one day when the store had run out of the national brand that was on sale. Serendipitous because the substitute is so much better and actually costs less! I used mounding tablespoons of mayonnaise because I didn’t want the ... [Read More]
Cheesy Beef Stromboli
Hearty. Cheesy delicious. Filling finger food. Meal in a crust. You'll love Cheesy Beef Stromboli. Plus it is quick and easy! Just beef and cheese - no tomato sauce. Each sentence: one more word than the last. Now it is time to talk about the food! :-) Brown the beef and let it cool. Unless you brown the beef as you buy it and toss it in the freezer in 2 cup packages. (Highly recommended! Especially if you buy on sale!) If you are using beef from the freezer, thaw in the microwave. Add egg and cheese. Grab your favorite cookie sheet and spray lightly with cooking spray. Crack open a roll of refrigerated pizza dough and unroll it on the cookie sheet. Pat out until it touches the edges. Spread meat filling over the dough, leaving about 3/4 inch uncovered on all the ... [Read More]