Spaghetti a la Philly

This is my most current favorite meal!  The original recipe can be found at Mommy's Kitchen.  I've made this twice in the last two weeks and it's a hit with the kids as well!  I think this would also be good as a meatless meal and plan on making it like that in the near future.


Spaghetti a la Philly
1 - lb lean ground beef, browned & drained
1 jar (24 -26 oz) Spaghetti Sauce
1/2 package (4 ounces) cream cheese, cut into cubes
1 - (8 ounces) pkg spaghetti, cooked and drained (I usually use whole wheat pasta.)
2 - tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

Cook the beef in a 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat until well browned, stirring often to separate meat. Pour off any fat. Stir the sauce and cream cheese in the skillet. Reduce the heat to low. Cook for 3 minutes or until the cream cheese is melted, stirring often. Place the spaghetti into a large bowl. Add the beef mixture and toss to coat. Sprinkle with the Parmesan cheese and serve.

Prep: 20 minutes
Cook: 15 minutes
Makes: 4 servings
(about 1 1/2 cups each)

Debdoozie's Blue Ribbon Chili

This is our favorite chili recipe. Or I should say our favorite beef chili recipe because we also have a favorite chicken chili recipe. The original recipe can be found here. It's easy to make, doesn't take a lot of ingredients and tasts so good! I've also made this in the crock pot and let it cook on low for a few hours. Sometimes I also make some noodles, either spagetti noodles or elbow macaroni, on the side to add to the chili if desired.

Debdoozie's Blue Ribbon Chili

2 lbs ground beef (sometimes I only use 1 lb)
1/2 onion, chopped
1 tsp ground black pepper
1/2 tsp garlic salt
2 1/2 cups tomato sauce
1 (8 oz) jar salsa
4 tablespoons chili seasoning mix ( I use one chili seasoning packet)
1 (15 oz) can light red kidney beans
1 (15 oz) can dark red kidney beans

In a large saaucepan over medium heat, combine the ground beef and the onion and saute for 10 minutes or until meat is browned and onion is tender. Drain grease.

Add the ground black pepper, garlic salt, tomato sauce, salsa, chili seasoning mix, and kidney beans. Mix well, reduce heat to low and simmer for at least an hour.

Strawberry Pancakes

I make pancakes for my kids about once a week. Usually we make chocolate chip, but I wanted to try something new. My kids love strawberries so I thought this would be a good fit for them...and it was! I got this recipe from mommy hates cooking. This recipe made about double the amount of pancakes we needed. We ate them as leftovers a couple days later and they were still good, but if you don't want leftovers it should be fine to halve this recipe.

Strawberry Pancakes

2 cups baking mix
1 cup milk
2 eggs
1/2 cup chopped strawberries

Combine baking mix, milk, and eggs until well mixed. Mix in the strawberries. Cook on a skillet over medium heat. Top with syrup if desired.

Rockin' Salsa

Today was the day!! I canned my first batch of salsa for the year!

This is my third year canning salsa. If you have never canned, it's not a hard thing to do but it can be time consuming depending on what you are canning. Canning salsa is a little more tedious and time consuming then something like pickles.

This is the recipe I've been using for the past three years.

It's versatile as in you can alter the onions and peppers you use as well as the amount of spices you put in. There's been times I only used yellow onions because that's what I had on hand. As for peppers, I usually use Anaheim peppers as well as the three green peppers. With this current batch I used some hot peppers my mom gave me from her garden. Sorry! I can't remember what kind they were. So you can adjust the peppers to the spice level you prefer. I also adjust the spices and add a little extra cumin and cayenne pepper because I like spice!

I'm going to post the recipe as written, but just keep in mind you can change it up a bit.



Rockin' Salsa

1 red onion, chopped
1 yellow onion, chopped
1 white onion, chopped

6 lbs fresh tomatoes, peeled and chopped. If you have never peeled tomatoes, allrecipes has great step by step instructions here:

2 banana peppers, chopped
3 green bell peppers, chopped
18 oz tomato paste. I usually get a 12 oz and 6 oz can.
1/2 cup white vinegar
2 tablespoons garlic powder
1 1/2 tablespoons salt
1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup white sugar
8 pint canning jars with lids and rings-I've only ever gotten 7 pints out of this recipe.
You will also need a canning pot and other supplies like a jar grabber and magnetic wand are also helpful.

1. Combine red onion, yellow onion, white onion, tomatoes, banana peppers, green peppers, tomato paste, white vinegar, garlic powder, salt, cayenne pepper, cumin, brown sugar, and white sugar in a large pot. Simmer until thick, about 3 hours.

2. Sterilize the jars, lids, and rings in boiling water for at least 5 minutes. You can also do this in the dishwasher and just put the lids and rings in a small saucepan of boiling water. Pack the salsa in the hot, sterilized jars, filling the jars to within 1/4 inch of the top. Run a knife or a thin spatula around the insides of the jars after they been filled, to remove any air bubbles. Wipe the rims of the jars with a moist paper towel to remove any food residue. Top the jars with lids and screw on rings.

3. Fill the canning pot with water. Bring to a boil over high heat. Start heating the water about an hour before it's needed. It takes quite a while to get this large amount of water to boil. Also keep it covered to contain the heat inside the pot. Carefully lower the jars into the pot using the jar grabber. Pour in more boiling water if necessary until the water level is at least 1 inch above the tops of the jars. Bring the water to a full boil. Process for 10-15 minutes.

4. Remove the jars and place onto a cloth or wood covered surface, several inches apart, until cool. Once cool, press the top of each lid with a finger, ensuring that the seal is tight. Refrigerate after opening.

Baked Banana Oatmeal

I recently came across this recipe on Lynn's Kitchen Adventures. It was a big hit with my kids the first time I made it. This recipe makes a lot of oatmeal so I'm thinking about halving it the next time I make it. We ate the leftovers a couple days later and it reheated well and tasted just as good as the first day.

Baked Banana Oatmeal

3 cups quick cooking oats
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 cup milk
2 tablespoons butter, melted
2 eggs
2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons vanilla
3/4 cup mashed banana or about 3 bananas
1/2 cup chocolate chips (optional)

Mix all ingredients together and stir well. Spread in a greased 9x13 pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes. If you like it a little crunchy on top, cook for a few minutes longer. You can serve this with warm milk poured over top.

Oriental Salad

This is an awesome salad that my sister recently brought to a family get together. I've had Oriental salad before and always like them, but this is the best one I've tasted! Thanks for the recipe Whitney!

Oriental Salad

Dressing:
1 cup of oil
1/2 cup sugar
2 pkgs beef ramen noodle seasoning

Make dressing a day in advance and refrigerate over night.


Salad:
1 lb packaged coleslaw salad mix
2 pkgs beef ramen noodles (crushed)
1 cup salted sunflower seeds
1 cup slivered almonds

Break up noodles and mix dry ingredients together. Mix the dressing in with the dry ingredients and chill.

Glazed Dijon Carrots

This is a good carrot recipe I came across last year on allrecipes. I typically make frozen veggies since they are so easy, but this recipe is worth the "extra" work. This recipe calls for baby carrots but I have made this using regular carrots as well.



Glazed Dijon Carrots



1 (16 oz) package of baby carrots.
1/2 cup water
3 TBSP butter or margarine
2 TBSP brown sugar
1 TBSP Dijon mustard
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp salt

In a saucepan, bring carrots and water to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and cook 10-12 minutes or until carrots are tender. Drain. Place carrots in a serving dish and keep warm. In the same pan, melt butter. Add brown sugar, mustard, ginger and salt. Cook and stir over medium heat until sugar is dissolved. Pour over carrots and toss to coat.