Spaghetti Pie

This week I had the pleasure of cooking a meal for a fellow Coast Guard family who just gave birth to their first bundle of joy.  I often bring dishes for fellow military, neighbor or church families and love to do it.  We were blessed with meals brought to us after we had our girls so I love to return the favor.  Here is one of the dishes I prepare for occasions like this.

Spaghetti Pie

Cook spaghetti and drain.  In a separate bowl mix 4 eggs and 2/3 cup of Parmesan Cheese, then add the mixture into the spaghetti stirring well.  

Sauté 1 cup of chopped onion in 1/4 cup of butter until tender.  Remove from heat and stir in the sour cream.  

1.  Transfer the spaghetti/egg/cheese mixture into the bottom of a greased 9 inch pie plate to act as the crust of the pie.  

2.  Spoon the onion/butter/sour cream mixture on top of the spaghetti crust.  

3.  In a skillet cook the meat until no longer pink.  Stir in 2 cups of water and a 12 oz can of tomato paste.  Simmer uncovered for 10 minutes.  Spoon over the sour cream mixture.

4.  Sprinkle with 1/2 cup of both mozzarella and cheddar cheeses.  

Here's the best part of this recipe, it makes 3 pies!  That's right 3, one for your family and two to giveaway or freeze.  

To Freeze:  Cover tightly and freeze for up to one month.  Before cooking, thaw completely in the refrigerator and remove from the refrigerator 30 minutes before cooking. 

To Bake:  Cover and bake at 350 for 35-45 minutes or until warm and bubbly. 

When you're cooking for others remember to cook their dishes in disposable baking dishes so they don't have to take the time to return your dishes to you.  Add a fresh salad and a simple dessert like brownies,  and you will have a complete meal to bring to bless others!

Spaghetti Pie

1 lb spaghetti 

4 eggs beaten

2/3 cup Parmesan Cheese

1 cup chopped onion

1/4 butter

2 cups (16 oz) sour cream

2 lb ground pork (you could also use ground beef or turkey)

2 cups water

1 can (12 oz) tomato paste

1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese 

Cook spaghetti and drain.  In a separate bowl mix 4 eggs and 2/3 cup of Parmesan Cheese, then add the mixture into the spaghetti stirring well.  Transfer the spaghetti/egg/cheese mixture into the bottom of a greased 9 inch pie plate to act as the crust of the pie.  Sauté 1 cup of chopped onion in 1/4 cup of butter until tender.  Remove from heat and stir in the sour cream.  Spoon the onion/butter/sour cream mixture on top of the spaghetti crust.  In a skillet cook the pork until no longer pink.  Stir in 2 cups of water and a 12 oz can of tomato paste.  Simmer uncovered for 10 minutes.  Spoon over the sour cream mixture.  Sprinkle with 1/2 cup of both mozzarella and cheddar cheeses.

  

To Freeze:  Cover tightly and freeze for up to one month.  Before cooking, thaw completely in the refrigerator and remove from the refrigerator 30 minutes before cooking. 

To Bake:  Cover and bake at 350 for 35-45 minutes or until warm and bubbly.  

Homemade Cream of Chicken Soup

The other night I was making one of our family's favorite dinners, Comfy in the Kitchen's Crescent Chicken. when I realized I was out of the canned Cream of Chicken Soup that I normally keep stocked in my pantry.  I found a Pinch of Yum recipe for homemade Cream of Chicken Soup.  It looked surprisingly easy so I thought I would give it a try!

Homemade Cream of Chicken Soup
2.5 cups chicken broth
1.5 cups milk
3/4 cup flour
Seasoning Mix: 1/2 teaspoon of onion powder, 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder, 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon of parsley.

In a saucepan pour the chicken broth and 1/2 cup of milk, bring it to a low boil.  In a seperate bowl combine the flour, seasoning mix and 1 cup milk until smooth.  Stir the flour mixture into the broth and milk over a low boil, stirring constantly for 5 minutes.  It will become thickened as you stir.

This recipe makes the equivalent of two cans of condensed Cream of Chicken Soup.  

I was very happy how the soup turned out and I especially like that it doesn't have any preservatives in it.  With that said, I'm not totally against the convenience of the canned soup.

 {Click here to see where I link up}

Crock Pot Corned Beef and Cabbage

 

My family is part Irish and we LOVE Corned Beef and Cabbage. We definitely have it every Saint Patrick's Day but we also have it on and off throughout the year because we all love it so much, even the kids.  Well I take that back, they don't like the cabbage so I try to buy a small head of cabbage for my husband and I and I'll make another vegetable to go with it. 

I've learned over the years to buy the "Flat Cut" brisket as they tend to be less fatty.  You have to really look at all of the packages and try to find the one with the least amount of fat. 

I put the brisket along with the packet of seasonings that it comes with, into a crock pot and cover it with water.  If I have an onion in the pantry I'll cut it into quarters and  throw that in there too, if not I'll sprinkle some Minced Onion into the pot.  Cover and turn your Crock Pot on low, cook for at least 8 hours. 

 

An hour and a half before your ready to eat, slice your cabbage and carrots.  Place them into the Crock Pot with the brisket.  Cover and continue to cook for the last hour and a half.  (I don't like hard or mushy cabbage and I've found the hour and a half to be just the right amount of cooking time)

Take out your brisket and cut it against the grain. 

You can serve it with potatoes or pasta.  We like to drizzle ours with apple cider vinegar. 

This is an easy and delicious meal for even the busy Momma!

First Place Chili and Cornbread Recipe

This past week we went to a FUN and Super CUTE Chili Cook off.  We may live in South Florida but we happened to be having a bit of Fall like weather here, making the cook off that much more appropriate. 

If you've noticed from the recipes I've shared on here, I don't make recipes that are very difficult.  I love simple and easy to follow yummy recipes.  This may be a prize winning chili but you will be pleasantly surprised just how easy it is to make.  A Special Thank You to my Momma for sharing her yummy recipe with me and our readers!

First Place Chili (aka my Mommas Chili)

1 package French's Chili-O Seasoning Mix (THE Secret ingredient...Sshh)

1-1.5 lbs Lean Ground Beef

2 Cans Hunt's Diced Tomatoes with basil, garlic and oregano

1 Can Red Kidney Beans (include the juices)

1-1.5 can of water (depending on the thickness desired)

1 Medium Onion chopped

1 Medium-Large Green Pepper (chopped)

2 tbsp Minced Garlic or 2 Cloves of Pressed Garlic

Optional:add a teaspoon of Cayenne Pepper

 Chop your green pepper and onion while browning the ground beef.

 Once the ground beef is completely browned add the green pepper, onion and either minced or pressed garlic into the pan and cook for approximately five minutes.  Add Chili-o seasoning mix, two cans of dices tomatoes, kidney beans and a can of water. 

Bring to a boil then simmer for ten minutes, or until pepper and onion are cooked.  If sauce is too thick for your taste, you can add more water. 

 Our hostess did a great job decorating, preparing a salad bar, drinks and desserts. 

 There were six chili's there to taste and judge, all were completely different from each other. 

 Toppings for your chili.

We each filled small cups of all the different chili's to sample and then voted for the different categories.  Then we went back and made big bowls of whatever our favorite was and all the yummy sides to choose from.  It was a great night visiting with friends old and new. 

 

Here's a great Cornbread Recipe from my Momma too to go with your Chili. 

(photo source)

6 Eggs

¾ cup of Butter flavored Crisco

1 Tsp. Sea Salt

6 Tbsps. Sugar

2 Cups Sour Cream

3 Cups Corn Muffin Mix

2 Cups Cream Style Corn

Directions:

Mix oil and eggs well. 

Blend all ingredients together

Spray (2) silicone cake pans with PAM

Bake at 375F for 45 minutes

Let me know how you like the recipes!!

 

(See where I link up and party here)

Cake Pop Tips

Middle Sis recieved a BabyCakes cake pop maker for a Christmas gift.  She loves making goodies in her easy bake oven but let's be honest, that food is just not so yummy.  I thought this would be a great step up so she could make some fun cake pops. 

You can buy the box of mix for cake pops or it comes with recipes to make your own homemade mix.   I did some research online and found that using a regular box of cake mix wouldn't work as well as their suggested recipe.  Baking them are very easy but I wanted to show you how I dipped and decorated the pops.

To keep the stick in place while you are dipping, you need to dip the stick into the melted candy melts and then stick it into the pop.  After getting all of your pops on a stick, place them into a gallon size ziploc and freeze until ready to be dipped and enjoyed or at least for 20-30 minutes if you need them sooner. 

Freezing them will help keep the stick in place and keep them from breaking open while you are dipping them.  Immediately after dipping it into the candy melt color of your choice sprinkle with whatever topping you would like.  {I was making these for a church event themed around Valentines}

*Dipping tip: I found the candy melts to be a little too thick to stick smoothly so I added a few drops of Vegetable oil and stirred it really well.  It coated much nicer and gives a little shine to the coating.  Or you can use chocolate chips to dip them in, which I personally prefer.  Melt 1 cup chocolate chips and 1 tbsp vegetable shortening.  

To keep them from flattening or touching each other I laid down a piece of wax paper underneath my baking cooling rack.  They sit well into the holes while they harden.  You can freeze them until you need them or stick them into a wrapped styrofoam square. 

These make an adorable Valentines treat for your kiddos and hubbie.  Have fun making some yummy cake pops for your family and friends!
{See where I link up and party here}

Pretzel Kisses and a Sweet Gift Idea

 My Mother In Law introduced me to this simple and delicious recipe several years back, and today I'm making them as gifts for Teachers, Coaches, Mail Person, Sunday School Teachers, Girl Scout Leader, etc... The great thing about these Pretzel Kisses are that you can make them for all sorts of occasions, whenever there is a holiday, you can find the m&m's in different colors. The girls love helping me make them and they are very yummy. Big Sis said it well tonight, "It's amazing how yummy something so simple can be!"

Line a cookie sheet with Pretzel Snaps, place an unwrapped Hershey kiss on top.  We used the peppermint kisses this time but regular chocolate is super yummy too!  Bake at 200 for approximately 7 minutes, make sure you keep an eye on them so that they don't get too warm and start melting.  Remove from oven once slightly softened, immediately press an m&m while still warm.  Allow to cool completely or overnight before placing in container for gifts. 

 

I bought these Christmas Tree Containers at Walmart and they make the perfect Christmas gift.

This is a gift I received recently and thought it was such a cute idea!

A Queen Bee hand towel, honey dipper and a personalized bottle of honey.  So SWEET ;)