Simple Home Cooking

It came out great!  Everybody started tearing it up and when I revealed they weren't eating meat, they were so shocked.  The one here in the picture is the ground sausage type.  I used the ground beef type.

I didn't use any more or any less seasonings as in my regular spaghetti and the flavor was wonderful. This meal left is feeling satisfied but not feeling FULL of food.

I will be using this meat substitute on a regular.

I know most people know how to make spaghetti. It's one of the first dishes you learn how to make. Well this is the way I make my spaghetti... I'm going to Ask my homegirl Nichelle to add a picture of the spaghetti she made using my recipe. Thanks Nichelle. LOL!

Spaghetti

Fill a large pot up halfway to three quarters of the way to the top with water. Set it on the stove over a high fire. Sprinkle salt into the water and cover.

Put your ground turkey, beef or chicken in the pan. You may also add your choice of italian sausage. It comes in pork, turkey or chicken. Season with salt, pepper, oregano, garlic powder, minced onion. If you have green peppers put a little in there too.

With your spatula, start browning your meat. Once your meat is browned, not too much. season again with the same seasonings (minus the green peppers). Cook a little more, maybe five minutes.

Add two small cans of tomato paste. Mix in with meat.

Add a jar of spaghetti sauce and mix in. turn your fire down to simmer. Season once again, lightly this time. cover your pan.

At this time your water should be boiling. Add your spaghetti and pour a little oil into the water to keep the spaghetti from sticking together. turn your fire down to almost medium. You want your water to keep boiling but not too much. leave your pot uncovered because if it’s covered the water will boil over.

At about two tablespoons of white sugar to your sauce and stir. Add bay leaves if you have them. three or four is good enough. Stir again. and cover back up. (continue to watch your sauce and stir.

Stir your spaghetti. You will need it to cook at boiling for about 11 minutes. To make sure your spaghetti is done, take one with a fork and see how easily it cuts against the inside of the pot. It should cut VERY easily. If not, let it cook a little while longer.

Almost done. at this point you’ll know what to do from here. you can sprinkle some cheese into the sauce, heat up your garlic bread. While your garlic bread is heating, drain your spaghetti, put it back to the pot and add your sauce. Your garlic bread should be almost done at this point.

Please excuse the sidways pics. I saved them on my computer the right way but I guess since I took them sideways that's the way they post. LOL!

On Sunday I wanted to make some fried salmon but as I keep saying, it's too darn hot! LOL So I was looking through my cabinets and saw a box of fusilli pasta. I decided to make salmon pasta!

It was so easy to make. I spent less time in the kitchen than I would have if I had fried the fish, made rice and veggies. UGH! I'm getting hot just thinking about that.

Anyway, I used six pieces of salmon. They were already thawed. I placed them in the pan with about a quarter cup of oil. Any kind of oil will work but EVOO is always best. I seasoned my filets with salt, pepper, italian seasoning and Old Bay and heated everything over medium heat.

Meanwhile, I filled my big pot with water and sprinkled some salt in for boiling. I also chopped up my onion and fresh garlic. I used about 6 cloves of garlic and one big onion. By the time I was done chopping my onion and garlic and added them to the fish, my water was just about to the boiling point.

I cut my salmon and other ingredients down and added my pasta to the boiling water. I added a touch of oil to the pasta to prevent sticking.

Add about another quarter cup of oil to your fish mixture and turn the fire up. Let some of the oil cook down and stir occasionally. You want some of your fish to be browned. Not too much though. Add three capfuls of lemon juice to this fish and stir.

Drain pasta well and pour back into the big pot. Now you can add your fish mixture to the pasta. I sprinkled in grated parmesan cheese and added just a touch of ranch dressing to the pasta and tossed everything together. If you use ranch dressing you don't want to add so much that you see it in the food, just enough to add flavor throughout.

The result was MAGIC! My family loved it. I thought it would last through three nights like spaghetti does but the last little bit was devoured last night. LOL! I'll be making more soon.

Try it and let me know what you think. I believe a bed of fresh, uncooked spinach would have been the perfect compliment to this dish.

Enjoy!

I haven't really been cooking as much as I do during the colder months. It's just too darn hot! LOL! Maybe I should work on getting central air by next summer. Hmmm....

Anywho, let me tell you about these wonderful mini crab cakes by Phillips Seafood Restaurant that I found in Shop Rite. They are absolutely delicious. I never really liked crab cakes. Not everybody knows how to make them right. Some people put in too much breading or filling. I like to taste crab MEAT. LOL

These crab cakes fit the bill. They are small but they are FULL of flavor. I like to eat mine with honey mustard sauce. I used honey mustard salad dressing, in fact. The combination is a winner.

Pick some up the next time you make it to your favorite major supermarket.

P.S. I just looked at Phillips' website and you can order different items from them. Kind of expensive but I'm sure it's worth it to have as a treat at least ONCE a year. I sure want to order some things.

The Bissell Quicksteamer Multi Surface Lightweight Deep Cleaner! It is AWESOME!! If you have carpet you know that vacuums alone don't get all of the dirt out. You get stains from juice spills, people's shoes...everything.

You COULD rent a carpet cleaner from the market but if you buy this product, you'll save in the long run. Originally I wanted the Bissell Red Quicksteamer Powerbrush, which is for sale at Target for 89 bucks but it wasn't in stock when I went to purchase it. Instead I found this Bissell Quicksteamer Multi Surface Deep Cleaner. It was 10 dollars cheaper AND in comparison to the Red, it cleans hard surfaces too!!

Anyway, I tried my new toy on a piece of carpet I keep by the door to catch most of the stains from shoes as people walk in. You should have SEEN the dirt it lifted up. I also tried other spots on the main carpet and it worked wonderfully. I will be using this machine on a regular basis.

Click the link below and check it out for yourself. It has great reviews!

http://www.amazon.com/Bissell-Quicksteamer-Surface-Lightweight-17701/dp/...

Happy cleaning! LOL

For way less than what the store sells it for and you can make it any way you want. I wanted to find a way to give my kids "juice" without making all that kool-aid with all that sugar.

All you need are tea bags, any flavor, boiled water, lemon juice and honey. Boil your water, pour into a pitcher, add tea bags (10 for a gallon) Add lemon juice and honey to suit your taste. Also, you might want to add lime slices or even orange slices.

Place your pitcher in the freezer for faster cooling and there you have it. A nice cool tea with NO sugar.

Make two boxes of Ginger Evans instant pudding (a la Save a Lot). It's super easy. Empty two packets into a bowl. Wisk with 4 cups of cold milk until smooth.

Slice bananas into small pieces. I sliced and diced. Place bananas all around a Ginger Evans Graham Cracker Ready to Eat Pie Crust.

Spoon pudding on top of bananas. Place strawberries and Keebler Vanilla Wafers any way you'd like on top of the pudding and there you have it.

You might want to add whipped cream on top or mix whipped cream into the pudding before spooning it on top of the bananas.

My sister asked me to post this recipe. My kids and I love it!

Ingredients:
1 cup milk
1 cup flour
1 cup sugar,
1 stick of butter (I usually use half a stick of butter)
1 tbs baking powder
Ground cinnamon
1 can of peach halves or slices in heavy syrup (~32oz).

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix flour, milk, sugar, & baking powder in a bowl. (I usually add ground cinnamon to this batter)

Melt butter, and then pour in a baking dish to cover the entire surface.

Arrange the peaches in the melted butter, and sprinkle with ground cinnamon. I sometimes sprinkle very lightly, some lemon juice into this mix. It cuts into the sweetness.

Pour batter on top of the peaches. (It should cover the peaches without totally drowning them. Also, the melted butter should float to the top of the batter).

Bake for 35-45 minutes and enjoy! Try it with vanilla ice cream and a good movie!

I haven't been here in a couple of days but I wanted to tell you guys about an easy snack I sometimes make for the kids.

Pizza! Kids always love pizza. All you will need is...

1. Regular sliced bread (I prefer wheat. It contains fiber and helps with digestion)
2. Plain old ketchup
3. Oregano or Italian seasoning
4. Cheddar Cheese (shredded is easier)
5. Grated Parmesan Cheese

Preheat your oven to 275. Place a sheet of aluminum foil or parchment paper on a baking sheet. You will place your desired amount of bread slices on to the baking sheet.

Spread ketchup on and season with either oregano or italian seasoning. (Of course I prefer the Marcum brands found at Save a Lot.) Sprinkle cheese on top or slice block cheese and place on top.

Bake for 12 minutes.

Once removed from the oven, sprinkle a small amount of powdered garlic (Marcum) and grated parmesan cheese (Mantia's brand is what I use)

Let your pizza's cool for 5 minutes and serve. Your kids will LOVE them. You will too.

I don't have a picture right now but maybe you can try them and post your pics. :-)