Spaghetti noodles. With a little crunch. Served warm or cooled. I'm loving these noodles as a side dish this summer. They are the perfect compliment to grilled chicken, steaks and/or shrimp "on the barbie", and grilled pork chops. It's uber simple...instead of tossing with marinara or meat sauce, you toss the cooked noodles with a mixture of bread crumbs and grated … [Read more...]
Slow Cooker Goulash
Last week I decided to tack onto my batch cooking plan...doubling up on browning some ground beef. I ended up doing spaghetti for dinner one night and saved the other half of the beef I ground. I thought I'd use it later this week or next week...but ended up making this goulash over the weekend. I had all the other ingredients on hand...and it was perfect for a chilly, dreary … [Read more...]
Pasta Alfredo Casserole
A guest post Between college and work, my daughter puts in long days and often misses meals at home. She makes up for it by packing home cooked meals to take with her. Occasionally she comes up with suggestions for variations on my recipes tailored to her "perfect packable lunch" specifications. My daughter requested that I make a casserole using Alfredo sauce and rotini … [Read more...]
Eggplant Marinara Sauce
I was cruising through the produce department recently and saw that eggplant was priced as "per eggplant," not per pound. So of course, I looked for the largest one so I could make lots of sauce! Don't forget to get the largest one when you see "per unit" prices in the produce department! So here's how this goes down... Dice. Salt. Let sit in colander in the … [Read more...]
Slow Cooker Marinara Sauce
Batch cook your Marinara Sauce in your slow cooker...love this idea and measuring tip from Jackie at Mom on a Mission! Be sure to add that to your list for your next batch cooking session, freezer cooking day or the next time you make spaghetti sauce. Photo Credit … [Read more...]
Cream of Chicken Macaroni and Cheddar
Ever have one of those nights when you can't seem to figure out what's for dinner? Maybe you are in - between grocery shopping trips and the cabinets are getting empty. This macaroni dinner is the perfect solution. It is quick, easy, filling and inexpensive. All you have to do is cook up some macaroni elbows, then toss the rest of the ingredients in the pan. Mix until … [Read more...]
Spinach Orzo Soup
The pantry sweep out and the freezer sweep are almost complete. I've emptied the freezer and it will be making its way to its new home here in Dayton tomorrow. And I'm almost finished clearing out the "back shelves" where I store most of my stockpile items and non perishable pantry items. My goal is to have that cleared out by the end of February. This moving thing is really … [Read more...]
Three Cheese Spaghetti Bake
This is a classic example of being creative with ingredients you have on hand. I made this for us early last week...using up the tomatoes from Aldi from the week before, and the feta cheese from Monday's shopping trip. Also, this is another example of a meal that uses an "expensive ingredient," that is paired with a few other inexpensive ingredients and pantry staples to … [Read more...]
Slow Cooker Chicken Pesto With Bowtie Pasta
We do a lot of bulk cooking because our schedules are crazy during the week but we really prefer to serve home cooked meals to our five kids. This is a super simple recipe as well as a great way to cook once and eat many times! I just bought 40 pounds of boneless chicken breast for a great deal but I need to get it put up in the freezer pretty quickly so I put half of … [Read more...]
Stovetop Mac n Cheese
Jenna emailed this recipe to me from White on Rice Couple. And I was so skeptical that I had to try it...even though I rarely make Mac n Cheese because of the boy's dairy allergies. I made it anyways, and it worked out perfectly... Right before Christmas, Ryan woke up one morning with a fully body rash. After grilling him about what he ate at school the day before, thinking … [Read more...]