#186: Homemade Bagels

Our bagels were dipped in cinnamon sugar before baking

When I came across this recipe, I knew I really wanted to try it for my family and for the girls to take to school with them.   I am not a baker...not by any means!  As you notice I don't like measuring or taking great care with my recipes.  I'll do anything to make it faster and taste just as good.  Baking requires too much patience and precision.  That's not me!!  But when I watched the video of the guy rolling out and cutting/preparing the bagels, it didn't look difficult at all, so I figured I'd give it a try.  Of course we ate these as a post-breakfast snack since it took a while to make these. 

I think my yeast was either bad (expired in April but I've had it for a while) or I have the wrong kind.  These got larger but didn't rise at all.  They are a little dense and Brian thinks they taste more like a pretzel than they do a bagel.  Regardless, these are definitely better than the store bought kind and taste more like ones you would get from a bagel shop.  I don't think I would take the time to make these on a regular basis, but I will definitely try these again, and if they turn out will freeze and see what we think of them.  If you try this recipe, let me know if it turns out better for you and what you think of them!


4 cups bread flour
1 Tbls sugar
1 1/2 tsps salt
1 Tbls vegetable oil
2 tsps instant yeast
1-1/4- 1-1/2 cups of warm water.


Mix all the ingredients in a bowl. You don't have to worry about soaking the yeast when you use instant yeast (most yeast sold these days is instant yeast). The dough should feel stiff, but add the extra water if it's really stiff, or you can't get all the dry flour incorporated.


Plop the dough down onto the counter, and knead for about ten minutes, or until the dough is uniform and smooth.  Cut the dough into 8 equal sized balls (I got 16 smaller bagels--all weighing 2 oz pre-baked and they are quite a good size), and let rest for 10-20 minutes.  Pre heat your oven to 425.  (You don't bake for a while, so I'd wait to turn your oven on!)


Now, take each of the dough balls and using two hands, roll it into a little snake on the counter. When the snake is longer than the width of your two hands, wrap it around your dominant roiling hand. The dough rope should be wrapped so the overlapping ends are together at your palm, near the start of your fingers. Now take the two overlapping ends, and use your palm to squish/roll these two ends together. Once the dough is fused, you should have a perfectly circular bagel-to-be! This is the only part of the process that can take a little practice before your bagels will look really professional. Don't get discouraged if they don't look perfect, it just takes practice!


Let your bagels rest on the counter for about 20 minutes, and meanwhile, bring a pot of water to boil, and grease a large baking tray lightly. You can just rub a splash of vegetable oil and rub it around.  (Definitely grease w/vegetable oil and not non-stick cooking spray.  These need the oil so it doesn't stick to the cookie sheet!)
After the 20 minute wait, your bagels will start to look puffy, and it's time to get them boiling! Add them as many at a time as you can to your boiling water without crowding them. Boil for about a minute, turn them over, and boil for another minute. Take them out a let dry for a minute and then place them on your oiled baking tray. Repeat until all the bagels are boiled.  (For adding toppings, see below)


Add the tray to the oven, and after 10 minutes, flip the bagels over, bake for another ten minutes; and they're done!  Let them cool for at least 20 minutes, get the cream cheese ready, and feast on what's got to be one of the best weekend brunch treats possible!


You can add any toppings you like to these. To make sesame, onions, poppy seed, caraway etc. etc. bagels just have a dry plate ready with the seed or spice topping spread out on it. After the bagels have come out of the boiling water, place them face down onto the seeds, and then place the seed side up onto the baking tray. Bake and flip as for plain bagels.

March Freezer Cooking Menu

I missed posting February's Dinner Menu because we ended up moving a lot of meals around and ate leftovers (or partial freezer meals) for a big portion of the month.  The new recipes we tried were posted, you just didn't get a monthly outlook...not like anyone else cares what we're eating though! 

You'll notice this month that pizza and spaghetti make it onto the menu multiple times.  1.  That's because Brian requests this as his "dinner picks."  2.  My friend Jenny gave me several premade pizza crusts so we are graciously using those up!  I also am only doing my menu up to spring break, because I know I'll have the time to freezer cook again then (hopefully will finish up March and April at that time).  We have 16 new meals/recipes on our menu so far for March so stay tuned as we eat, share and rate these meals!

#185: Crockpot Thyme Chicken

I love the crockpot for ease of preparation and moistness of the meat we are cooking.  I do NOT like the crockpot because it doesn't brown up the meat (i.e. CHICKEN!).  Every time I make chicken in the crockpot, I assume I'm not going to enjoy it because it's just white and boring looking.  Then I eat it and am pleasantly surprised how moist and tender it is and usually enjoy it anyways.  So not visually stimulating though!  This recipe is exactly everything I love and hate about my crock. 

This was happily very moist and tender and I ended up chopping up some of the chicken and throwing it in my salad I was eating.  I would definitely make this recipe again (for taste not looks).  The "juice" the chicken was cooking in worked great as a broth to cook our brown rice in.  You can see from all of the red text below that I made some changes to the original recipe.  :)

2 cup chicken stock
½ cup white wine (I used another 1/2 c of chicken broth)
½ tbsp dried thyme
1 clove garlic (minced)
1 lemon, cut in half (I didn't have that so I used some lemon juice)
3 lbs Chicken Pieces (I used about 1.25 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts)


1. Place everything except the lemon and chicken in the Crock Pot.  (Of course I didn't listen to this and threw it all in together.  Then I froze it.  I defrosted in the fridge for about 24 hours and stuck it in the crockpot still partially frozen.)

2. Give the lemon a bit of a squeeze into the crock and then add the entire lemon (yes the entire thing).  (I skipped this step)


3. Mix it all together.

4. Add the chicken and stir around as best you can to coat all in the liquid. (Skipped this step too)

5. Cook on low for 7-8 hours (I cooked mine for about 9).

6. To serve I poured out some of the liquid into a saucepan, added about a tablespoon of corn starch that was dissolved in water and brought it to the boil for a thick, thyme gravy.  (That would have been a fantastic idea...who has the extra time?  I just need to get dinner on the table.  By this point Chloe was following me around the kitchen repeating "eat."  We were able to squeak a few extra minutes by giving her some bread to chew on). 

Serves 4-6 Serve with rice or mashed potato.

#184: Strombolli

When I came across this recipe I knew I could make this a little healthier and that I really wanted to try it.  And boy am I glad I did...this was good!


2 loaves italian bread
1 c pizza sauce (I used about 1 1/2 c)
1 lb bulk sausage (I used 3/4 lb ground turkey), cooked, crumbled and drained
20 slices pepperoni (I used about 8 pieces and chopped it up)
1/4 c sliced black olives (I omitted)
1/4 c sliced mushrooms (I omitted)
I added 1 tsp italian seasoning and 3 shakes of garlic powder
1/2 lb mozzarella cheese, shredded or sliced
(I also snuck in orange puree --sweet potato and carrots-- to mine!)


Here are the real directions:  Cut the loaves of bread in half horizontally without cutting all the way through.  Spread 1/2 c of pizza sauce on the bottom of each loaf.  Next layer the remaining ingredients: cooked sausage, pepperoni, olives, mushrooms then cheese.  Partially close the sandwiches and bake in a 350 degree oven for 15-20 minutes or until cheese is melted and meat is heated through.

Here's mine:
Cook the sausage.  Chop the pepperoni into bite size pieces.  In a small bowl combine the cooked ground meat, pepperoni, 1 cup of the pizza sauce (more or less is fine), seasonings and orange puree.  Add in any chopped vegetables as desired: mushrooms, black olives, chopped peppers, etc.  Mix to combine.  FREEZE until ready to use.

When ready to cook defrost in the fridge over night.  Pop in the microwave for about 2 minutes to heat through. 

Cut the loaves of bread in half horizontally without cutting all the way through.  Spread 1/2 c (or so) of pizza sauce on the bottom of each loaf.  Close the bread so it spreads onto both the top and the bottom.  (No reason to dirty a knife!).  Open the bread and top w/meat mixture.  Next, add mozzarella cheese (I used shredded).  Partially close the sandwiches and bake in a 350 degree oven for 15-20 minutes or until cheese is melted and meat is heated through.  About 10 minutes into baking place a piece of aluminum foil over the top of the bread so it doesn't over bake. 

#183: Layered Pizza Dip

I found this recipe from Betty Crocker and decided to make it for book club tonight since I pretty much had all of the ingredients on hand.  This was super yummy and was completely eaten!!  Make this one!!!


1 (8-oz.) container soft cream cheese with chives and onions (I missed the chives and onion part, so I used plain neufchatel cream cheese)
1/2 cup pizza sauce
1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper
1/3 cup finely chopped pepperoni
2 oz. (1/2 cup) shredded mozzarella cheese
2 oz. (1/2 cup) shredded Cheddar cheese


Heat oven to 350°F. In ungreased 9-inch pie pan or 1 to 1 1/2-quart baking dish, layer all ingredients in order listed.  Bake at 350°F. for 10 to 15 minutes or until dip is hot and cheese is melted. Serve warm with bagel crisps, bagel chips or crackers. (I served mine w/toasted baguette pieces)

#182: Chicken Potato Casserole

This isn't pretty so I wouldn't serve this at a party, but I enjoyed it!!

I'm glad we are finally eating this because I froze it in my 8x8 glass pan and I want it back!  See, this is why you need to stock up on foil pans when freezer cooking.  : )

Brian has made it quite clear that he does not like frozen potatoes in his meals.  You think I'd eventually get the hint.  But alas, I keep trying to drag him kicking and screaming over to the "casserole" side.  It's not working.  As I was about to serve this I knew he would not enjoy this meal....especially since I was serving it on the same night that Little Caesars had their $4 pizza special.  Can you see where this is going??   I loved this.  I could have probably eaten the entire pan.  Brian ate about 3 bites...and later went out and got a pizza and breadsticks for dinner.  I have to give him credit though, he did try it.  I appreciate that!  And lesson learned: no more meat/potato casseroles!!


10 oz. can condensed reduced fat and sodium cream of chicken soup
1 cup sour cream
1/4 cup milk
2 cups cubed cooked chicken (I used 1 c)
1-1/4 cups shredded Cheddar cheese (I used 1/4 c)
3-1/2 cups frozen hash brown potatoes, thawed (I used 3 c)
1-1/2 cups frozen peppers and onions, thawed (I omitted)
1-1/4 cups shredded Cheddar cheese (I used 1/4 c)
1-1/2 cups crushed potato chips (I used about 1 oz baked potato chips)


Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium bowl, combine soup, sour cream, milk, chicken and 1-1/4 cups cheese. Spread three-quarters of this mixture in a greased 2-quart baking dish.  Sprinkle hash browns and peppers and onions over the top of the casserole and press down lightly, then top vegetables with remaining soup mixture. Sprinkle with remaining cheese and potato chips.  Bake casserole, uncovered, at 350 degrees for 50-60 minutes or until bubbly. Let stand for 5-10 minutes before serving.


To freeze, assemble casserole as directed, except do not thaw potatoes, peppers, or onions and do not sprinkle with potato chips. Wrap casserole in freezer wrap or heavy duty foil and freeze. Reserve potato chips in pantry. To thaw and bake, let thaw overnight in refrigerator. Uncover and bake at 350 degrees F for 60-70 minutes until bubbly. Then top with crushed potato chips and bake 5-10 minutes longer.

#181: Super Easy Veggie Soup

I ran across a cooking blog and while looking for dinner ideas, I came across this vegetable soup recipe.  Since I love having healthy, filling, low point soups for lunch, I figured I'd give this one a try.

Although I think this would have definitely been better if I used fresh vegetables, the ease of this recipe gives this extra stars from me.  It's not my favorite soup, but I would definitely eat and make this again.

My version is a bit different (I added more veggies, omitted ground beef, and added a lot more vegetable juice), so you might want to check out the original recipe from Ellie's blog.

1 onion, roughly chopped
1 tablespoon garlic
Salt and pepper to taste
1 can of corn
1 can green beans
1 can sliced potatoes
1 can sliced carrots (I used fresh)
1 can diced tomatoes (I used 2 can petite diced)
1 can butter beans (drained)
1 can vegetable juice (recommended V8)--I used 46 oz...apparently you are supposed to only use an 8 oz can, but this recipe didn't specify!!
A few shakes of italian seasoning
I also added about 4 cups of water since I used so much vegetable juice
Dump all of your ingredients into a crockpot.  You do not need to drain the veggies, but I did drain the butter beans.  Stir ingredients together.  Cover and coko on low for 6-8 hours or high 2-4 hours. (I had to cook mine on high for about 5 hours to soften the carrots)

I got 7 large servings of this at 3 ww+ pts a piece

#180: Dark Chocolate Cream Pie

I COULD have taken a better photo, but once we started eating this, I didn't go back to take another one.

Real Chocolate + Pie = YUMMY! Oh I will definitely be making this one again!  And I am most proud that this did not have pudding as an ingredient...yes this was home made! (Not the crust though, I'm not that ambitious!)  This was very easy!  My pie crust edges broke a bit as I cut it though.  : (
**Halfway through cooking the crust, I put a ring of aluminum foil around the edges so they wouldn't burn.**

1-1/4 cups sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 cups milk (I used skim)
3 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped
4 egg yolks, lightly beaten (I only had 3 on hand, so that's what I used)
3 tablespoons butter
1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 pastry shell (9 inches), baked 


In a large saucepan, combine the sugar, cornstarch and salt. Stir in milk and chocolate. Cook and stir over medium-high heat until thickened and bubbly. Reduce heat; cook and stir 2 minutes longer. Remove from the heat.

Stir a small amount of hot filling into egg yolks; return all to the pan, stirring constantly. Bring to a gentle boil; cook and stir 2 minutes longer. Remove from the heat.  Gently stir in butter and vanilla. Spoon into pastry shell. Cool on a wire rack. Cover and chill for at least 3 hours. Yield: 8 servings.

#179: Healthy Chicken Fiesta Soup

My friend Jaime posted this recipe on our other recipe blog threecookingmamas.com.  I'm always looking for something healthy, low point and filling for lunches, so when she posted this I was excited to try it. 

Of course in typical Tracy fashion I had to make some changes to it.  (Not because I didn't like it, but to make it easier for me!)  I loved this!!  I can't wait for lunch tomorrow.

1 lb ground chicken meat, browned (I used chicken tenders and shredded when cooked)
1 (14.5 oz) can of Great Northern beans; rinsed and drained
1 (16 oz) can chicken broth
2 garlic cloves; minced
1 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground red pepper (I omitted)
1 Tbsp lime juice
1 bay leaf
1 (4 oz) can diced, green chiles
1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes
2 cups frozen corn (I used 1 cup)

Add chicken, beans, broth, garlic, salt, lime juice, bay leaf, chilies, and tomatoes to the slow cooker. (I also added 1/2 jar picante sauce and threw my raw chicken tenders in the crockpot and let it cook for 6 hours.  Then I shredded and added it back in).  

Cover and cook on low for 5-6 hours. Add in oregano, ground red pepper, and corn and stir. Cover and cook for another half hour.

Ladle into bowls and serve with cilantro, cheese, and sour cream if desired. (I chopped up some cilantro and threw it right into the pot w/the oregano and corn).


1 cup = 4 WW+ points (I got 6 big servings at 4 pts each)  (without cheese or sour cream)

#178: Kale Chips

My mom gave me this recipe, and since I'm basically roasting every vegetable imaginable right now, I figured it wouldn't hurt to give this one a try.  I have never eaten kale before (and if it's in my chinese food, I normally pick it out/around it).

But the kale was inexpensive, this required no additional ingredients to be bought and she claimed it would be like kettle potato chips. 

She was wrong.  : ) 

However, I still loved it!  Chloe wouldn't touch it and after much protesting Allison finally tried it and claimed that it wasn't so bad, "but it's a leaf."   

No this does not taste like a potato chip.  But it does have the crunch of potato chips so I don't mind pretending.  You can't eat this at work though because it is a little messy (who wants little green chip crumbs stuck in their teeth at work??)

Kale (Just the leaves.  Cut around the stemmy veins too)
Olive Oil (I used about 1 tsp)
Sea salt

Wash the kale and pat dry w/a paper towel.  Mix with olive oil and toss to coat.  Bake in a 425 degree oven for about 5 minutes, the flip the leaves (ahem, kale) over.  Bake about another 5 minutes, but keep an eye on these so they don't burn.

Remove from pan, and sprinkle with sea salt. 

#177: Chicken Fried Steak Strips

Sorry no picture this time.  I only took one and it didn't turn out.

This is NOT a ww friendly meal!  I made this in December before I finally decided to rejoin and I've been pushing this one around the menu ever since in trying to avoid eating it.  So today I figured it was about time and we better just eat it for dinner.  I found this recipe on Heavenly Homemakers (a site I haven't visited too often, but she has 5 ingredient or less recipes so I will be checking her out again...and again). 

However, I don't know if I will be making this recipe again.  : (  The flour mixture had a gummy texture to it, but I don't know if it's because I used whole wheat flour or because I froze/defrosted it?  Brian thought the meat itself was too thick.  Everyone gave this dinner a 3.5.  Not a good sign in my book!
1 pound beef cube steak
1 1/4 cups whole wheat flour
1/2 t. garlic powder
3/4 cup milk
oil for frying


Cut cube steak into 1 inch strips. In a bowl, stir together flour and garlic powder. Pour milk into a separate bowl. Heat oil in a skillet (350° for electric skillet or medium heat on the stove top).
Dip beef strip in milk, then in flour mixture. Dip, repeat. Dip, repeat. Dip, repeat. (More or less is fine.) Place strip in oil. Cook for about 7 minutes on each side. (Salt to taste.)

#176: Grandma Myrtle's BBQ

At my bridal shower (6 1/2 years ago) I received a bunch of recipes and I FINALLY got around to making this one that I got from Brian's grandma.  (This is exactly why I started this blog/challenge.   I have SO many recipes collected that I never get around to trying them. This is not only forcing me to try recipes I've had for a while, but I'm really enjoying making so many new things!)

Anyhow, this family loves sloppy joes and it frequently ends up on our menu because it's easy to make, freezes well, is quick to reheat and relatively low in points.  This recipe did not disappoint.  Thanks for sharing this one Grandma Hitchins!

1/4 c chopped onion
1/4 c chopped celery (I omitted)
1 lb ground beef (we used ground turkey)
2 tbsp brown sugar
2 tbsp vinegar
3 tbsp worchester sauce
1/2 tsp mustard
1 c catsup

Sautee onion and celery until tender.  Meanwhile, brown ground beef in a skillet.  (I cooked my beef and onion together).  Add vegetables when tender.  When beef is browned and crumbled, add remaining ingredients.  Simmer, covered, for at least 1/2 hour, stirring often. 

#175: BBQ Glazed Meatloaf

Attention meatloaf fans: MAKE THIS!  We LOVED this one!  This is definitely going on next month's menu...at least once.  LOVED IT!  See how nice and crispy the bottom and the edges got?  Mmmm....and no, I didn't share the ends!

I made this on my freezer cooking day, formed into the meatloaf shape, and then froze it in my silicone loaf pan.  When it was frozen, I popped it out and bagged it up.  This time, I let it defrost in the fridge for 2 days before making it, next time I'm going to try making it still frozen.  It is supposed to cook for 6-8 hours on low, but we are gone for about 9 1/2 hours so this cooked a little longer than it should.  I thought it was a tad dry, but Brian didn't agree.  I wonder if he'd notice if some of his lunch for tomorrow was missing?? 

I found this recipe on weightwatchers.com.  It was extremely quick and easy to prepare and low in points. 

1 1/4 pound(s) uncooked ground turkey breast
1/3 cup(s) dried bread crumbs, seasoned
1/4 cup(s) low-fat shredded cheddar cheese, shredded 
1/4 cup(s) onion(s), minced
1 large egg(s), lightly beaten
1 tsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp table salt
1/4 tsp black pepper, freshly ground
2 Tbsp ketchup
2 tsp packed light brown sugar
2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp Heinz Spicy Brown Mustard, or other brand (I used yellow mustard...and Mr. I-don't-like-mustard couldn't tell)

Fold a 24-inch length of foil in half lengthwise. Fit into the bottom and up the sides of a 5–6-quart slow cooker insert.   (Forget all that math...just pull off 1 or 2 medium sized pieces, ball them up and place the meatloaf on top!) 

Put the turkey, bread crumbs, cheese, onion, egg, oregano, salt, and pepper in a medium bowl; mix with hands until well combined. Shape the mixture into a loaf and place on the foil in the slow cooker.  Cover the slow cooker and cook until the meatloaf juices run clear or an instant read thermometer inserted in the center of the meatloaf registers 165°F, 3–4 hours on high or 6–8 hours on low. 

Combine the ketchup, sugar, Worcestershire sauce, and mustard in a small bowl. Spoon the mixture over the meatloaf, spreading it smooth.  Cover the slow cooker and cook until the glaze is heated through, about 30 minutes longer.  (I added the sauce when I put it in the crockpot and let it cook w/the meatloaf all day.  Then when I came home, I whipped together a little more and added it on top of that.  I just let it cook until everything else was ready.  Who has 30 more minutes to wait??). 

With the help of the foil, lift the meatloaf from the slow cooker and transfer to a platter. Discard foil and cut the meatloaf into 6 slices. Yields 1 slice meatloaf per serving.

1/6 of the meatloaf = 4 ww+ pts.

#174: Oatmeal Raisin Chocolate Chip Cookies

This recipe came in the mail from Great American Home Baking.  It's one of those recipe card collections where you sign up and they send you recipes to collect in a binder.  I must have made mine bigger/thicker than intended because the picture shows really crispy, thin cookies.  Mine are not like that at all.  Not that mine taste bad by any means, but not like the photo.

1 1/2 c flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 c firmly packed light brown sugar
1 1/2 sticks, softened butter
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 c quick cooking oats
1 c raisins (I used 2/3 c raisins, 1/3 c chocolate chips)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees (maybe that was my problem...I cooked at 375!)
Combine flour, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl.  Set aside.
Place the brown sugar and butter in a large bowl.  Beat w/electric mixer set on high speed until light and fluffy.  beat in the eggs and vanilla until smooth.  Gradually stir in the flour mixture with a wooden spoon until thoroughly combined (also just used my mixer for this!  Are you starting to get a feel for why mine didn't turn out as it should have?)

Stir in the oats and raisins (and chocolate chips) until blended.  Drop the dough by rounded spoonfuls 1 1/2 inches apart on a lightly greased cookie sheet.  Flatten the dough slightly w/a fork.  Bake until golden brown, about 12 minutes.  Cook on the baking sheets for 2 minutes, then transfer to wire racks.  Serve warm or at room temperature.

I got 50 cookies out of this batch and it came to ww+ pts a piece

#173: Garlic and Cheese Breadsticks

I'm happy to say that I came up with this recipe all on my own.  Okay, that's not 100% true...I took Pillsbury bread sticks and then just added a few things to it.  Wasn't very hard or creative, but a small attempt to take something basic and jazz it up just a little.  I wouldn't give this 5 stars by any means; in fact, I'd probably give it a 3.  But for a super easy recipe, I'd make this again. 

I'm not going to put ingredient measurements on this recipe because you can just make this recipe as big or small as you want/need to.

Refrigerated Bread sticks (I used Pillsbury)
Melted Butter
Minced Garlic
Parmesan Cheese
Pizza sauce for dipping

Open the tube of bread sticks and either twist as directed or leave in rectangles (personally, I liked the unrolled ones better...and it's one less step).  In a small microwave safe bowl, melt butter.  Add minced garlic and stir to combine.  Unroll the bread sticks and brush each one with garlic butter mixture.  Then sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.  Bake at 375 degrees for 10-15 minutes or until golden brown.

#172: Pizza Spaghetti Style

I've made, and frozen baked spaghetti's before, so when I stumbled upon this recipe, I figured it would be one my family enjoyed, and wanted to give it a try.  I put this into a 9 in pie pan, and it FILLED the pan!  I probably should have put it in a 8x8 or 9x9 instead!

This was yummy!  Or at least, Brian, Allison and I thought so.  Chloe however, did not eat very much of this.  Who doesn't like spaghetti???  We only ate half of this for dinner tonight so we'll be eating the other half for dinner tomorrow.  I love when that happens, because now another meal gets bumped on our menu and we can extend our number of meals made another day.  No cooking for me until March 3rd now!

1 lb. ground beef (I used 3/4 lb ground turkey)
1 onion, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped (I omitted)
8 oz. pkg. button mushrooms, sliced OR 2 more bell peppers, chopped  (I omitted)
26 oz. jar pasta sauce
8 ounce can tomato sauce
1 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
1 lb. spaghetti pasta, broken into 2" pieces (I used 1/2 lb)
3/4 cup whole milk  (I used 1/2 c skim)
2 eggs, beaten (I used 1 egg)
1 (5 ounce) package sliced pepperoni  (I used 10 slices, chopped and mixed right into the sauce)
1-1/2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese (I omitted)
2 cups shredded Monterrey Jack cheese (I used 1 c mozzarella instead)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bring a large pot of water to boil for cooking spaghetti. Cook spaghetti according to package directions.

Meanwhile, cook ground beef, onion, green pepper, and mushrooms in heavy skillet over medium heat until beef is browned, stirring to break up beef. Drain well and add pasta sauce, tomato sauce, and Italian seasoning; stir well and let simmer while preparing spaghetti.

Next, combine eggs and milk in large bowl and beat until blended. Drain spaghetti and toss with egg and milk mixture. Spread half of spaghetti/egg/milk mixture in a 13x9" glass baking dish. Top with half of sauce and beef mixture. Repeat layers.

To freeze, cool casserole in refrigerator at this point. When cold, wrap well, label, and freeze up to 3 months. To thaw and reheat, thaw casserole overnight in refrigerator. Bake, covered, at 350 degrees F for 40-50 minutes until thoroughly heated. Uncover, top with pepperoni and cheese, and bake 10-15 minutes longer until cheese melts and edges of casserole bubble.

To refrigerate overnight and bake the next day, cover the casserole and chill for 2-24 hours. When ready to eat, bake, covered, at 350 degrees F for 40-50 minutes until hot. Then uncover, top with pepperoni and cheese, and bake for 10-15 minutes longer until cheese melts.

If baking without freezing or refrigerating, bake at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes until hot and bubbly. Top with pepperoni, then cheese, return to oven, and bake for 10 minutes longer to melt cheese. Let stand 5 minutes to set, then cut into squares to serve. 10 servings.

#171: Steak Fries

Who doesn't like french fries??  We make baked french fries quite often because it's easy and inexpensive and I almost always have potatoes on hand.  This recipe called for Old Bay Seasoning, so I figured it was a new spice for our potatoes and I would give it a try.

YUM!  These were good!  I didn't use very much Old Bay, just in case the girls didn't like it, but they were good and next time I will definitely add more. 

4 Russet Potatoes (or as many as you need for your family)

1 Tbsp Olive Oil
1 Tsp Salt
1 Tsp Old Bay Seasoning

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.  Cut in the potatoes lengthwise into wedges.  Place the potatoes on a baking sheet, drizzle with oil, season with salt and Old Bay seasoning and toss with your hands until the potatoes are evenly coated.  (I mixed the potatoes and oil in a Ziploc bag, then sprinkled the seasonings onto the potatoes when they were on the cookie sheet.)

Bake for 20 minutes, turn potatoes over and bake for an additional 25 minutes or until golden on the outside and tender inside.

#170: Crockpot Sausage and Peppers

I really wanted to like this.  (Brian and Allison liked this, Chloe did not) I'm not sure if it was the meat choice or the time in the crockpot, but the texture of this was a tad off (super soft!).  I'm also not sure I like that this cooked all day in red wine vinegar.  In retrospect, that's an odd choice.  You'll definitely need to do the cornstarch/mustard mix so it cuts down on the vinegar taste.  (Shhh, don't tell Brian it was dipped in mustard).  I will definitely try this again, and use turkey sausage (instead of brats) and only cook this for a couple of hours instead of all day like I did.   If you try this, let me know what you think...was it this cook's error?! 

4 large sweet peppers of assorted colors, seeded and sliced (I used 2)
1 large onion, cut into wedges
1 package (20 ounces) hot or sweet Italian turkey sausages (I used 5 turkey brats)
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1-1/2 tablespoons cornstarch mixed with 2 tablespoons water
1 tablespoon grainy mustard
6 multigrain submarine or hoagie rolls (about 3 ounces each)

Directions
Combine peppers, onion, sausages, vinegar, thyme and black pepper in a 5- to 6-quart slow cooker.
Cook on HIGH for 3 hours or LOW for 6 hours. Use a slotted spoon to remove peppers and sausages from slow cooker; set aside and keep warm.

Heat broiler. Pour liquid from slow cooker into a small saucepan. Whisk in cornstarch mixture and mustard. Bring to a boil; boil 1 minute or until thickened. (I was too lazy to dirty another pot, so I just did it in the crockpot...it never got thicker, but that was okay with me!)

Meanwhile, slice rolls almost all the way through lengthwise. Place on a baking sheet, cut-side up, on top rack under broiler for 1 to 2 minutes or until toasted. Cut sausages diagonally into 1/2-inch-thick slices and stir back into pepper mixture. Place a scant 1 cup sausage mixture on each roll. Drizzle each sandwich with a generous 2 tablespoons sauce, reserving remaining sauce for dipping. Serve immediately.