Thursday, June 2, 2011

SUMMER VEGETABLE MEDLEY

12:14 PM bell pepper, crookneck squash, extra-virgin olive oil, farm co-op, GARLIC, healthy, LAWRY'S® Seasoned Salt, onion, orange bell pepper, produce, SUMMER VEGETABLE MEDLEY, vegetables No comments

Recently, one of my husband's friends went to a farm co-op to buy produce. There, you buy vegetables by the case. Since he had more than he could use, he shared with us. It was great and I appreciated it, (who doesn't appreciate free food, especially fresh produce?), but there was so much I had to get creative to use it all before it ruined. Every time I see food spoilage, I have a flashback to childhood: "Starving children in __(pick your favorite Third World country) would love to have that.....". So I cannot let food spoil with a serious guilt trip. This side dish was the most recent result.

SUMMER VEGETABLE MEDLEY

2 crookneck squash, chopped (medium chunks)

1 bell pepper, chopped (I had an orange bell pepper, but it really doesn't matter)

1 onion, chopped

1 clove garlic, minced

LAWRY'S® Seasoned Salt

2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil

Heat oil in skillet. Add vegetables. Season with LAWRY'S® Seasoned Salt to taste. Saute until vegetables are tender.

Easy, right? That's one of the reasons I liked it. It also tasted good and was healthy. Yay!

MUSIC TO COOK BY

I think I may have posted this song before, but I really like it! Enough said....

Until next time, Happy Cooking! : )

A friend never defends a husband who gets his wife an electric skillet for her birthday. -Erma Bombeck

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Monday, May 23, 2011

(BAKED SPAGHETTI)

6:06 PM Baked Spaghetti, bell pepper, GARLIC, ground beef, Italian diced tomatoes, onion, orange bell pepper, Spanish-style tomato sauce, tomato sauce 3 comments

It has been 20 days since my last blogpost. Between illness, travel, and various other etc.'s, I haven't been able to find time to write. Actually, some days I had time, but couldn't get my mind straight long enough to write. So, today, I'm beginning this post and will do it in bits and pieces, if necessary.

Today, I couldn't decide what to make for dinner. I didn't want the same ol', same ol', so I started going through cookbooks looking for something different. The result was that we had Baked Spaghetti. I had never made it before, but it was simple and we enjoyed it. On some level, it reminded me of Cincinnati Chili Four-Way. Although, I have to admit that I have only had that at Steak 'n Shake, so I'm not really sure if that is the typical flavor. Oh well, I like it.

So, here's my recipe for Baked Spaghetti.

BAKED SPAGHETTI
adapted from Taste of Home Ground Beef Cookbook

1 pkg. (12 oz.) spaghetti
1 lb. ground beef
1 med. orange bell pepper, chopped
1 med. onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, chopped
1 can (14-1/2 oz.) Italian diced tomatoes, undrained
1 can (8 oz.) Spanish-style tomato sauce
1 Tbsp. brown sugar
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. chili powder
1/2 tsp. pepper
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

Cook the spaghetti according to package directions. Meanwhile, cook beef, bell pepper, onion, and garlic over medium heat until the meat is browned; drain. Stir in the next seven ingredients.

Drain spaghetti. Transfer to a greased baking dish (I used olive oil cooking spray). Add beef mixture. Stir together. Cover and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Uncover; sprinkle with cheese. Bake 5 minutes longer or until cheese is melted. Serves 12.