Oven-Baked Spaghetti

Melissa's yummy lasagna recipe inspired me to add one myself. I made this the other day when the missionaries were coming for dinner. It turned out really good!

1 jar Spaghetti Sauce
sliced olives
1 4oz mushrooms
1 lb ground beef
12 oz spaghetti
2 cup cheddar cheese
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1/4-1/2 cup water
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

Brown the meat then add the jar of Spaghetti Sauce. Set aside.
Cook the spaghetti.
In a lightly greased 9x11 pan, layer half the Spaghetti, half of the meat sauce, half of the olives and mushrooms, and 1 cup of cheese. Then repeat the layers.
Mix the soup with water and pour over top of everything. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.
Bake at 350 for 30 min.

(I used cream of chicken soup and left out the mushrooms and it was still very good!)

Kim

Lasagna Casserole

This recipe is from my slow cooker recipe book. It is very easy and tastes good too.

Lasagna Casserole

4cups spaghetti sauce

9 lasagna noodles, broken up

1 24oz container cottage cheese

1 Tbsp dried parsley flakes (I didn't have any so I left it out)

2cups mozzarella cheese

1/4cup parmesan cheese

In slow-cooker, layer 1 cup sauce, 3 broken-up lasagna noodles, 1 cup cottage cheese, 1 tsp parsley flakes, 1/2cup mozzarella cheese. Repeat to make 3 layers total. Top with remaining sauce and mozzarella cheese. Cover and cook on high 3-4 hours or low 7-8 hours. Sprinkle parmesan cheese over top during last hour of cooking.

I haven't tried it yet, but you can also make a spinach lasagna by adding a heavy layer of fresh baby spinach leaves over each layer of cottage cheese or a meaty lasagna by adding cooked ground beef over each layer of cottage cheese.

Artisan Bread

(I am posting this for Kim)

Okay, I am finally sending this bread recipe! I tried to put it on Natalie's recipe site, but can't figure out how to write on it. Anyway, here you go. The instructions sound harder than it really is so if you have any questions just let me know. The recipe says to use kosher or sea salt - I have done with regular salt to and it seemed fine. Also, I don't have a pizza peel and just put the corn meal on a cookie sheet and it worked fine - you could probably put foil down on the cookie sheet and the corn meal on that. The coarse corn meal is better. Good luck!

Kim

Also, here is the link to the whole article about the bread with other things you can make with this dough.

http://www.motherearthnews.com/Real-Food/Artisan-Bread-In-Five-Minutes-A-Day.aspx

The Master Recipe: Boule

(Artisan Free-Form Loaf)

Makes 4 1-pound loaves

3 cups lukewarm water
1 1⁄2 tbsp granulated yeast (1 1⁄2 packets)
1 1⁄2 tbsp coarse kosher or sea salt
6 1⁄2 cups unsifted, unbleached, all-purpose white flour
Cornmeal for pizza peel

Mixing and Storing the Dough

1. Heat the water to just a little warmer than body temperature (about 100 degrees Fahrenheit).

2. Add yeast and salt to the water in a 5-quart bowl or, preferably, in a resealable, lidded container (not airtight — use container with gasket or lift a corner). Don’t worry about getting it all to dissolve.

3. Mix in the flour by gently scooping it up, then leveling the top of the measuring cup with a knife; don’t pat down. Mix with a wooden spoon, a high-capacity food processor with dough attachment, or a heavy-duty stand mixer with dough hook, until uniformly moist. If hand-mixing becomes too difficult, use very wet hands to press it together. Don’t knead! This step is done in a matter of minutes, and yields a wet dough loose enough to conform to the container.

4. Cover loosely. Do not use screw-topped jars, which could explode from trapped gases. Allow the mixture to rise at room temperature until it begins to collapse (or at least flatten on top), approximately two hours, depending on temperature. Longer rising times, up to about five hours, will not harm the result. You can use a portion of the dough any time after this period. Refrigerated wet dough is less sticky and easier to work with than room-temperature dough. We recommend refrigerating the dough at least three hours before shaping a loaf. And relax! You don’t need to monitor doubling or tripling of volume as in traditional recipes.

5. Prepare a pizza peel by sprinkling it liberally with cornmeal to prevent the loaf from sticking to it when you slide it into the oven.

Sprinkle the surface of the dough with flour, then cut off a 1-pound (grapefruit-sized) piece with a serrated knife. Hold the mass of dough in your hands and add a little more flour as needed so it won’t stick to your hands. Gently stretch the surface of the dough around to the bottom on four “sides,” rotating the ball a quarter-turn as you go, until the bottom is a collection of four bunched ends. Most of the dusting flour will fall off; it doesn’t need to be incorporated. The bottom of the loaf will flatten out during resting and baking.

6. Place the ball on the pizza peel. Let it rest uncovered for about 40 minutes. Depending on the dough’s age, you may see little rise during this period; more rising will occur during baking.

7. Twenty minutes before baking, preheat oven to 450 degrees with a baking stone on the middle rack. Place an empty broiler tray for holding water on another shelf.

8. Dust the top of the loaf liberally with flour, which will allow the slashing, serrated knife to pass without sticking. Slash a 1⁄4-inch-deep cross, scallop or tick-tack-toe pattern into the top. (This helps the bread expand during baking.)

9. With a forward jerking motion of the wrist, slide the loaf off the pizza peel and onto the baking stone. Quickly but carefully pour about a cup of hot water into the broiler tray and close the oven door to trap the steam. Bake for about 30 minutes, or until the crust is browned and firm to the touch. With wet dough, there’s little risk of drying out the interior, despite the dark crust. When you remove the loaf from the oven, it will audibly crackle, or “sing,” when initially exposed to room temperature air. Allow to cool completely, preferably on a wire rack, for best flavor, texture and slicing. The perfect crust may initially soften, but will firm up again when cooled.

10. Refrigerate the remaining dough in your lidded (not airtight) container and use it over the next two weeks: You’ll find that even one day’s storage improves the flavor and texture of your bread. This maturation continues over the two-week period. Cut off and shape loaves as you need them. The dough can also be frozen in 1-pound portions in an airtight container and defrosted overnight in the refrigerator prior to baking day.

Breakfast

Honey Oat Muffins

Mix:

1 C flour

1 1/2 C rolled oats

1/4 C brown sugar

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. baking powder

In a seperate bowl mix:

1 egg, beaten

1/4 C honey

1/4 C oil or melted butter

1 C milk

Stir together lightly until barely mixed. Divide evenly into greased muffin pan. Bake at 400 for 15-20 min. I've had this recipe since David and I got married and I still make it all the time. They are easy and yummy!

Pancake Mix

4 C whole wheat flour

4 C white flour

1/2 C sugar

1/3 C baking powder

4 tsp salt

2/3 C shortening

1 1/4 C dry milk (I use instant)

Combine first set of ingredients in mixer. Add the shortening and mix until it is well cut in. Add the dry milk and just mix until it is throughout. Do not over mix. I store my mix in the fridge in either a nice big tupperware or a ziplock storage bag. David really likes these because he grew up on them. They are really good!

For pancakes:

4 Cups of mix

3 eggs

3 C water

(this makes kind of a lot. If we are not super hungry I half it, but this amount might be good for Kim and Amy's size families!)

For Waffles:

4 C mix

3 eggs

3 C water

1/4 C oil

Oven-Roasted Vegetables

1 medium zucchini, cut into bite-sized pieces

1 medium summer squash, cut into bite-sized pieces

1 medium red bell pepper, cut into bite-sized pieces

1 medium yellow bell pepper, cut into bite-sized pieces

1 pound fresh asparagus, cut into bite-sized pieces

1 red onion

3 tbsp olive oil

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp black pepper

Heat the oven to 450F. Place the zuccini, squash, peppers, asparagus, and onion in a larg roasting pan. Toss with the olive oil, salt, and pepper to mix and coat. Spread in a single layer in the pan. Roast for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the vegetable are lightly browned and tender.

Serves 4

(I didn't have a red pepper so I replaced it with a green pepper. I also didn't have an onion so I just left it out. I don't have a large roasting pan so I used a 9x13 cake pan, which means my vegetables weren't in a single layer. They still turned out yummy though.)

Melissa

Finally Some More Recipes.

I've had these for a few months but haven't had much time to post them. All three of them have been a success with David and the kids!

Tender Chicken Nuggets - This one is perfect for a night when you don't need a really fancy meal

1/2 C. seasoned bread crumbs (mine where Italian seasoned)
2 T. grated Parmesan cheese
1 egg white
1 pound of boneless skinless chicken breast cut into 1-inch cubes

In a large ziplock bag, combine bread crumbs and cheese. In a shallow bowl, beat the egg white. Dip chicken pieces in egg white, then place in a baking pan coated with nonstick cooking spray. Bake, uncovered at 400 for 12 to 15 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink.

Creamy Beef Enchiladas

1 pound ground beef
1 C. chopped onion
1 can condensed cream of mushroom soup
1 C. sour cream
1 can chopped green chilies (I just use 1/2 can)
1 C. shredded cheddar cheese
1 can enchilada sauce, divided
flour tortillas

In dutch oven (I use a medium size pot), cook beef and onion over medium heat until meat is no longer pink. drain. Add the soup, sour cream, chilies, cheese, and 1/2 cup enchilada sauce. Heat through.
Spread 1/4 cup enchilada sauce into ungreased 13x9 inch baking dish. Place 1/2 cup of beef mixture down the center of tortilla. Roll up and place seam side down. Repeat using 10-12 tortillas. Pour remaining beef mixture over top. Sprinkle with cheese. Bake, uncovered, at 350 for 20-25 minutes, or until heated through.

It is getting late so I will post the third one and others another time!

Pumpkin Squares

I just thought I would let you all know that I tried making the Pumpkin Squares that is in the October 2009 Family Fun Magazine. They turned out really good! I wanted to make the cider caramel sauce, but I didn't have all the ingredients, so I just frosted it with canned frosting. I used my own fresh pureed pumpkin to make it.

If you like pumpkin stuff you should try this recipe!

-Amy

For the Pumpkin squares:

1 Cup sugar

1 1/2 Cups flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon salt

3/4 Cup vegetable oil

1 (15 oz) can of pumpkin or 2 cups fresh pureed pumpkin

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

Ice cream for serving (optional)

For the cider caramel sauce:

1/2 Cup brown sugar, packed

1 Tablespoon cornstarch

2/3 Cup apple cider

2 Tablespoons heavy cream

1 Tablespoon butter

salt to taste

1. Heat oven to 325*. Grease a 9x13 inch baking pan and set it aside.

2. In a large mixing bowl, combine the first 6 ingredients for the squares. Add the oil, pumpkin, and eggs, and whisk until the batter is evenly blended. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top.

3. Bake the cake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 30 min. Remove the pan and allow it to cool completely on a wire rack, about 1 1/2 hours.

4. Just before serving the cake squares, make the cider caramel sauce. In a medium size saucepan, whisk together the brown sugar and corn starch. Add the cider and stir well to dissolve the other ingredients. Cook the mixture over medium high heat, whisking constantly, until large bubbles form around the perimeter of the pan, about 3 minutes. Reduce the heat to low and allow the sauce to continue to simmer until it thickens, about 2 minutes more.

5. Remove the sauce from the heat and whick in the cream and the butter. Let the sauce cool slightly, then taste it and add a pinch of salt, if necessary.

6. To serve the dessert, cut the baked cake into 3 inch squares and top each with a scoop of icecream, if you like, and a drizzle of warm cider cramel sauce. Makes 12 squares and about a cup of sauce.