Baked Spaghetti with Bacon

The beginning of a new school year in our household has always meant pulling out a few of my easy, fast recipes for nights when there was very little time to get dinner on the table.  The criteria that these recipes had to meet was simple:  nutritious, quick to prepare, short list of ingredients and tasty!  Pasta dishes were always a hit.  After having spaghetti made the same way several times, though, the adults at the table start getting weary (not so, for the children;  they're creatures of habit).  If you'd like to mix up your "go-to school night  spaghetti" a little here's a recipe that uses bacon.  I think everyone at the table will like it and the cook will get an A+. (Have the kids who are complaining that they "need a snack";  they're "hungry";  and  "when's it going to be ready"  to tear up the salad and set the table.  They will "sneak" salad ingredients to munch on as they're helping, and you've gotten them to eat their vegetables without even trying :)

Baked Spaghetti with Bacon

1/2 lb. bacon, diced
1 medium onion, diced
1 can (14 1/2 oz.) diced tomatoes with liquid
1 can (8 oz.) tomato sauce
8 oz. spaghetti, cooked and drained
garlic salt and pepper to taste

In a skillet, brown bacon and onion until bacon is crisp;  drain.  Add tomatoes and tomato sauce;  bring to a boil.  Place cooked spaghetti in a 2 qt. baking dish.  Pour sauce over;  cover and bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.  Yield:  4-6 servings.  Sprinkle parsley on top to garnish. 

Book I'm Reading Now:  Eudora Welty;  A Writer's Life

Swaps:
Blessed with Grace
All the Small Stuff
My Sweet and Savory
33 Shades of Green
Delightfully Dowling
Beyer Beware
Mandy's Recipe Box
It's a Blog Party
The Blackberry Vine
Balancing Beauty and Bedlam

Broccoli Cheese Cornbread

When we lived in the Charleston, West Virginia area many years ago, we attended church at the Park Avenue Church of Christ.  The congregation was blessed to have several good cooks and everyone looked forward to the monthly luncheons, "following the morning service".  At one point in time, we had two ministers serving at that location, Jerry and Steve.  Steve the younger of our two preachers, was married to Suzy and they had three children.  Suzy, a great cook, would bring dishes that were road-tested by her husband, three kids, and congregations of her past as a preacher's wife and daughter (yes, her dad was a preacher, too!)  Often, I would ask her for one of the copies of a popular recipe (that she was copying  for everyone else who had requested it).  Suzy, as usual, would cheerfully oblige.  She brought a cold pizza dip one time that I've used for youth devotionals many times since.  I also remember her being asked to bring this cornbread after it was devoured at one luncheon and there were no "seconds" left!  I hope you enjoy this yummy  twist on cornbread.

Broccoli Cheese Cornbread

1 1/2 sticks butter
2 boxes corn muffin mix (Jiffy)
8 oz. cottage cheese (I use small curd)
1/2 C chopped onion
1 box frozen chopped broccoli, cooked
1 C mozzarella cheese, shredded
4 eggs

Melt butter in a 9 X 13 pan.  Combine remaining ingredients and pour into the pan.  Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes, or until slightly browned.  Cut into squares and serve warm.  Step Back!!  It will be gone before it has cooled :)

Book I'm Reading Now:  Eudora Welty;  A Writer's Life

Swaps:
All the Small Stuff
Blessed with Grace
My Sweet and Savory
33 Shades of Green
Bizzy Bakes
Balancing Beauty and Bedlam
Mandy's Recipe Box
It's a Blog Party
The Blackberry Vine
Delightfully Dowling
Beyer Beware

Hot Homemade Rolls in 30 Minutes!

Please check the bottom of my blog everyday for the swaps section.  The recipe swaps that I include on the bottom of each post for that day are a wealth of recipes and useful information.  I encourage you to check out these other wonderful  blogs.  I found a super roll recipe through one of the swaps this week.  The recipe is originally from Real Mom Kitchen, but posted by Home-Based Mom. It's a goody and  evidently has  been passed around!  I liked it so much that I included  it on my food ideas board at Pinterest (also a wealth of information!).  The ease of preparation is a given since you mix this dough up  in your stand mixer, using the dough hook attachment.  However, I did tweek this recipe a little by substituting whole wheat flour for the white flour and adding a touch more sugar.  In a mere 30 minutes, we buttered these warm rolls and drizzled them with some Texas honey.   Ohhhh, sooo  good!   This recipe will go into my main file;  it's a definite keeper.  The rolls were a little denser because of the wheat flour, but really delicious.  Enjoy!

Here you go:

30 Minute Rolls
1 C plus 2 TBSP warm water
1/3 C vegetable oil (I used Canola)
2 TBSP dry yeast
1/4 C sugar
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 egg
3 1/2 C bread flour (but all purpose will work-I used whole wheat flour)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Combine water, salt oil, yeast and sugar in your mixing bowl;  let rest for 15 minutes.  Using your dough hook attachment, add salt , egg and flour.  Knead with hook until dough is soft and smooth (just a few minutes).  Form dough into 12 balls and place in a greased 9 x 13 baking pan.  Rest for 10 minutes;  pop into the oven.  Bake for 10 minutes at 400 degrees (takes a little longer to get the centers done  if you make wheat rolls).

Swaps:
Balancing Beauty and Bedlam

All the Small Stuff
Blessed with Grace
33 Shades of Green
My Sweet and Savory
Bizzy Bakes
Mandy's Recipe Box
It's a Blog Party

Grilled Teriyaki Sirloin and Vegetables

Well, here's a short rant about the disorganization of my "moving to Texas" experience.  I know that it's been almost a year in the new house, but I still can't find some of my stuff and have no clue as to which box might be holding it.  (This rant does have a happy ending so hang in there with me.)  This past weekend I wanted to make kabobs on the grill, so I went to get the wooden skewers from the kitchen drawer, but all that I found were wooden chopsticks.  Now, somewhere in this house (or garage...or attic) I Know that I have wooden skewers!  They may be in with a box marked "bedroom closet #2"...due to unusual packing procedures on the part of our packers, but they are here...somewhere!  Also, missing...my Frankhoma corn-on-the-cob  dishes!  So, I decided to be creative and fix all of  the ingredients without putting them on skewers.  It was a total success!  I thought I would let you in on how we (Hubby does the grilling part) made this beautiful steak dish.

Teriyaki Sirloin and Vegetables on the Grill

Marinate a large piece of sirloin steak in a gallon-sized ziplock bag with plenty of French's Worcestershire Sauce for several hours (I put mine in the fridge the night before).  Our steak was probably 1 1/2 to 2 inches thick.  When it's time to grill, take the steak out of the bag and discard the marinade.  On a chopping board, cut steak into nice-sized cubes.  On separate board cut vegetables into similarly-sized chunks.  We used:
-red onion
-fresh mushrooms
-red bell pepper
-green bell pepper
-tomatoes
Grill meat until almost done to your liking, add the vegetables to the grill.  Season with salt and pepper.  Baste with your favorite teriyaki sauce right at the end to make a delicious glaze on the meat and vegetables.  I served this with my "backwoods-cousin version" of  the fancy potato dish from Truluck's (type  Truluck's into  my search box and you will find the potato  recipe that I concocted).  It is a super combination.


Swaps:
I Should Be Mopping The Floor
Blessed with Grace
33 Shades of Green
All the Small Stuff
Balancing Beauty and Bedlam
Mandy's Recipe Box
It's a Blog Party
The Blackberry Vine

Magic Meatloaf

Our recipes from the Original Rival Crock Pot pamphlet continue!  Here's one from page 26 that claims, "...it cooks while you loaf!"   The Rival folks were so clever back in the 60's.  I think it's "magic" not only because the meatloaf cooks on its own in your Crock Pot, but most importantly you don't have to heat up your oven in the summer.   We've had 111 degree days here in Texas;  I can use some of that kinda magic.  Hope you all are staying cool and drinking plenty of water on these hot days.  If you exercise outside (like my sons)  keep a close eye on that "feels-like" temperature! 

Magic Meatloaf

1 1/2 pounds ground chuck
1 egg, beaten
1/4 C milk
1 1/2 tsp salt
2 slices stale bread, crumbed
1/2 small onion, chopped
2 TBSP each:  chopped green pepper and celery
4-6 potatoes, cut-up
Ketchup ( I like Heinz chili sauce)

Mix egg, milk, salt and bread crumbs;  allow to soften.  Thoroughly combine with ground chuck and chopped vegetables.  Shape into loaf and place in Crock Pot.  Top with ketchup and green pepper rings.  Place potatoes at the sides of loaf.  (If potatoes are peeled, coat with butter to keep from darkening.)
Cover and set to HIGH for 1 hour, then turn down to LOW for 8-9 hours.  This recipe may be doubled for the 4 1/2 qt. Crock Pot.

SWAPS:
The Blackberry Vine
Itzy's Kitchen
33 Shades of Green
Beyer Beware
All the Small Stuff
Delightfully Dowling
It's a Blog Party
Bizzy Bakes
Mandy's Recipe Box