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]
pasta
Slow Cooker Beef Stroganoff
Beef Stroganoff is a simple dish of meat and mushrooms with a sour cream sauce that literally has been around for centuries. Eventually it was given the name of the Russian Count Pavel Stroganoff. Stroganoff, was a celebrity in turn-of-the-century St. Petersburg, a dignitary at the court of Alexander III and a gourmet. He entertained frequently and beef, onions and mushrooms in a savory sour cream sauce became a signature dish bearing his name. However, his Beef Stroganoff was likely served over potatoes rather than noodles. Beef Stroganoff has many variations and here is one more! This is a quick and easy version of Beef Stroganoff for families on the go. It takes about 10 minutes to put together, using cubed stew meat. You can use frozen diced onions to shave off a couple of ... [Read More]
Macaroni and Cheese Bites
Macaroni and Cheese Bites are a hearty appetizer for any occasion. Bake them in tart pans for Bitty Bites. Bake them in a regular muffin tin for a big guy appertizer or a light meal. Serve them for a prom after-party, an informal wedding reception, a couples potluck, the Big Game Food Table. I’ve mentioned before that we like hearty appetizers for a light meal that is different and out of the ordinary for us. It takes 20 minutes to prepare the big macaroni muffins. If you do the prep as directed and multi task while the water is coming to a boil and the pasta is cooking, you’ll feel less hurried during assembly. I used a small ladle to fill each muffin cup to the top. The recipe makes exactly 12. Serve hot. Garnish with fresh ground pepper and chopped parsley. If you ... [Read More]
Easy Ravioli and Sausage Lasagna
Cheesy, flavorful Baked Ravioli and Sausage Lasagna is busy day casserole that is deliciously filling. It tastes like you spent hours, layering and cooking – but you don’t. In fact, this recipe is almost stress free! It doesn’t come out in beautiful layers and is not particularly photogenic (as you can tell!). But that doesn’t matter because the littles and the bigs at your house will love it!!! It tastes great and hugs with full tummies are a winner every time. Use frozen ingredients and this will go together in a flash, ready to bake in about 5 minutes. Even the onions are chopped and frozen ahead of time. You can do this yourself, but I keep a package of frozen onions in the freezer for quick meals. The sausage crumbles were a first for me – great addition! They were ... [Read More]
Ham and Orzo Salad
Oh yes, I am still a mustard wimp. And yes, Ham and Orzo Salad has a mustard dressing. Buuuuut it’s mellow and just right, after the salad sits for half an hour or so -so results are worth it! Of course, if you are a mustard aficiando you can always add a squirt or two extra mustard to your serving :-) I just met orzo pasta last winter – sheltered life, I know – and I loved it in Chicken and Orzo Skillet. When I was looking for a recipe to use the ham I had in the refrigerator, the orzo won out over the mustard. I am so glad!! Cook the orzo according to package directions. It should be firm, but not crunchy, when you bite it (al dente). Generally that takes about 11 minutes after the water returns to boil. I did not have red onion so I used the Vidalia onion I had on hand. ... [Read More]
Skillet Lasagna Mexicana
Skillet Lasagna Mexicana is so easy it almost makes itself. Well, not quite. But it is an all-ages approved dinner that goes from pantry to table in just about half an hour. Made from ingredients that are likely already in your pantry and refrigerator, it works wonderfully well on those days you walk in the door with a million things on your mind. Swoop the ingredients off the shelf, brown the meat and simmer in sauce, cook the pasta, add cheese – and there is one less things to worry about. A quick and delicious dinner is on the table. You'll have time to finish the rest of the list. Or free to play with the kids or even sit down and relax. Whatever fits :-) I keep browned ground beef in the freezer in bags of 2 cups each – about a pound of fresh meat. If I throw a package in ... [Read More]
