Crockpot Pizza

 



 

 

Stars of the recipe:

• 1 1/2 cups browned ground beef (I omitted this.)


• 2/3 box of rigatoni (I used rotini.)


• 1 large onion chopped


• 4 cups of mozzarella cheese (I used 2 cups.)


• 2 jars of pizza sauce (I used 1 jar and added some water.)


• 1 package of pepperoni (I used 1/2 package. Next time I'm going to cut the pepperoni into smaller pieces.)


• salt and pepper taste

Steps:

1. Place all items in a crockpot that has been sprayed with cooking spray. (I used a 3 quart crockpot.)


2. Cook on low for 3 to 4 hours. (Mine was done in about 3.5 hours.)


3. Enjoy

 

Pesto Orzo Pasta Salad

I tried to come up with a witty blog entry about this salad.  Even though I thought and thought, I couldn't come up with anything.  So I'll just be straightforward.  This recipe is delicious and easy to put together.  You can adapt it by changing up the veggies in the salad.  

Stars of the recipe:

• 1/2 cup orzo pasta


• 1/4 Tbsp. pesto


• 1/4 c. broccoli florets


• 1/4 c. grape tomatoes, cut in half or even fourths


• 1/4 c. bell pepper, diced (I used yellow.)


• 2 Tbsp. diced black olives


• 2 Tbsp. Feta cheese

Steps:

1. Cook orzo pasta according to package directions.  Put broccoli florets in the cooking water for the last 3 minutes of the pasta cooking time.


2. Drain pasta and broccoli in a strainer.  Run cool water over the pasta and broccoli to stop the cooking process.


3. Combine all the ingredients in a bowl.


4. Enjoy!

This made 3 servings for me.

My family doesn't like shrimp so traditional shrimp scampi is a no go at my house.  So I decided to make scampi with chicken instead.  You know a meal is a winner when hubby, the Wee One, and Imaginative One all love the meal.  There was no complaints about the meal.  

About five years ago, I got a spaghetti pot that cooks the spaghetti whole.  The boys loved eating the whole pieces of linguine.  They loved slurping up the pieces.  It made the meal fun for them.

Chicken Scampi

Stars of the recipe:

• 1/2 box of linguine, cooked (reserve 1 cup of the cooking water) - I used whole wheat pasta.


• 1 lb. of chicken, cubed


• 1 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil


• 5 Tbsp. butter (seperate into a 2 Tbsp. piece and a 3 Tbsp. piece)


• 1/2 onion, diced


• 2 Tbsp. minced garlic


• 1 c. white wine


• 2 lemons, juiced (microwave them for 10 seconds before juicing them)


• 1 Tbsp. dried parsley or 2 Tbsp. fresh parsley

Steps:

1. Cook the linguine, reserving 1 cup of the cooking water.


2. In a skillet, heat the oil and 2 Tbsp. of the butter over medium heat.


3. When the butter is melted, add the chicken, onions, and garlic.  Cook until the chicken is cooked.  (5 to 10 minutes)


4. Remove the chicken, onions, and garlic.  Tent a piece of foil over the chicken to keep it warm.


5. Place the skillet over high heat.  Add the lemon juice and white wine.  Deglaze the bottom of the skillet and then cook until boiling.  Add the cooking water and 3 Tbsp. butter.


6. Lower the heat.  Once the butter is melted, add the chicken, onions, and garlic.  Cook for about 3-5 more minutes until the sauce is thickened.


7. Add the parsley and remove from heat.


8. Pour over the cooked linguine and combine.


9. Serve and enjoy!

Healthier Mac and Cheese

What is it about comfort food that warms your soul? The day after Christmas brought us lots of snow. We were under a winter storm warning but the counties around us were under a blizzard warning. The day after the storm, I decided to go grocery shopping. I still have to walk around snow piles to bring the groceries in. So I was craving some comfort food.

This macaroni and cheese warms your soul and is also healthier then the boxed stuff. So I was happy to serve it to my family. :)

The Imaginative One said it was good. Hubby went and took a second helping so that must mean he loved it.

Healthier Mac and Cheese

Skinny Taste

Stars of the recipe:

• 
  
  12 oz. high fiber pasta (I used Ronzoni Smart Taste rotini. You can use whole wheat pasta if you want.)


• 2 tbsp. butter


• 1/4 c. flour (I used white whole wheat.)


• 1/4 c. minced onion


• 2 c. skim milk


• 1 c. chicken broth (I used 1 c. water with a chicken bullion cube.)


• 2 c. shredded cheddar cheese, reduced fat


• salt and pepper


• 2 c. baby spinach


• 1/4 c. panko bread

Steps:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.


2. Cook pasta in salted water according to package directions.


3. Meanwhile spray a baking dish with butter flavor cooking spray.


4. In a large, heavy skillet, melt the butter.


5. Add flour and cook over low heat stirring with a whisk. Add the onion and cook for about 2 minutes.


6. Add milk and chicken broth and continuing whisking. Raise the heat to medium heat until it begins to boil and becomes smooth and thick. Season with salt and pepper.


7. Once the milk mixture becomes thick, remove the skillet fro the the heat, add the cheese and mix until cheese is melted.


8. Drain the macaroni and put back in the pot. Add the spinach and cheese sauce. Stir to combine.


9. Pour into baking dish. Top with breadcrumbs.


10. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes.


11. Take the dish out, spray with a little more butter flavored cooking spray on the top.


12. Broil for a few minutes to get the breadcrumbs golden.


13. Enjoy!

Top Clicks of 2012

According to my stats counter, these are the top 10 recipes that were clicked on.

Taco Crescent Bake was #1 - It was published in February of  2011.

Sloppy Joe Pizza was #2 - It was also published in February of 2011.

Watermelon Cookies was #3.  These continue to be my kids and students favorite cookies.  It was published in July of 2010.

[caption id="attachment_2286" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Watermelon Cookies[/caption]

Makes It Own Crust Apple Pie was #4.  It was published in November of 2011.

[caption id="attachment_1692" align="aligncenter" width="228"] Makes It Own Crust Apple Pie[/caption]

Baked Spaghetti was #5.  It was published in January of 2012.

[caption id="attachment_1790" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Baked Spaghetti[/caption]

Homemade hamburger helper was #6.  It was published in October 2010.

[caption id="attachment_1185" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Homemade Hamburger helper[/caption]

Charleston Cheese Dip was #7.  It was published in January 2012.

[caption id="attachment_1787" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Charleston Cheese Dip[/caption]

Ranch Chicken Legs was #8.  It was published in March 2011.

Peanut Butter Blossoms was #9.  It was published in October 2010.

[caption id="attachment_1656" align="aligncenter" width="200"] Peanut butter blossoms[/caption]

Green beans, potatoes, and ham was #10.  It was published in April of 2012.

[caption id="attachment_2037" align="aligncenter" width="240"] Green beans, ham, and potatoes[/caption]

Here's to a successful 2013!

Reader's Favorites

I went to my stats' summary page to find the recipes that get the most clicks.  This is the top post of 2012.
Baked Spaghetti

Here's the 2nd to 5th top posts of 2012:

Charleston Cheese Dip

Green beans, potatoes and ham

Bacon Cheeseburger Soup

Peanut Butter Blossoms Redone

Best Main Dishes

Italian Chicken

Green Beans and Ham

Paprika Chicken

Baked Spaghetti

This has been linked to Finding Joy in My Kitchen's countdown to 2013 - Best Main Dishes of 2012.

Last week, I cleaned out my corner appliance cabinet.  It's in this weird shape that makes it a good place to store appliances.  While cleaning it out, I pulled out my food processor and have been using it more faithfully.

Today I decided to make spaghetti for supper, a family favorite.  I made a sauce of fire roasted tomatoes, zucchini, carrots, onions, and sausage and then served it over whole wheat pasta.  Hubby gave it two thumbs up and then went back for seconds.  The Imaginative One doesn't like sauce so he didn't want to try it.

Chunky Vegetable - Sausage Pasta Sauce

Stars of the Recipe:

• 1/2 pound Italian Sausage


• 1 to 2 carrots, peeled and ends cut off


• 1 can of fire roasted tomatoes (I used garlic fire roasted tomatoes.)


• 1 zucchini, with ends cut off


• 1 small onion, peeled and ends cut off


• Italian seasoning, to taste


• 1/2 box of dried pasta (I used whole wheat thin spaghetti.)
  

Steps:

1. Brown the sausage and then drain it.


2. Meanwhile, shred the carrot(s).


3. Place the shredded carrots into a saucepan.


4. Place tomatoes, zucchini, and onion in the food processor and dice them up into small pieces.


5. Place the mixture in the sauce pan.


6. After the sausage is done browning, place it in the saucepan with the carrots and tomato mixture.  Season with Italian seasoning.  Mix together.


7. Warm the sauce in the saucepan. at med. heat until bubbling.  Then turn down to low.  (About 10 to 15 minutes)


8. Cook the pasta.


9. Serve the sauce with the pasta.

Homemade Spaghetti Sauce

I found this recipe in Erin Chase's $5 Dinner Cookbook and have been using it for the past year or so. Today I was making lasagna for dinner and decided to make the sauce for it.

Homemade Spaghetti Sauce
$5 Dinners

Stars of the recipe:

• 1 - 28 oz can of crushed tomatoes or 2 - 14.5 oz can of crushed tomatoes


• 2 tsp. or to taste Italian seasoning


• 2 Tbsp. of olive oil


• 1 Tbsp. beef granules


• 1 Tbsp. minced garlic

Steps:

1. Place all the ingredients in a sauce pan.


2. Bring up to a rolling boil. (You don't want a full boil because you don't want spaghetti sauce everywhere.)


3. Simmer for about 15 minutes.


4. Serve over your favorite pasta.

Note: You may add 1 Tbsp. of white sugar or a shredded carrot to cut back on the acidity of the tomatoes or to add sweetness to the sauce.

Crockpot pizza

My mother-in-law found this recipe in the newspaper.  She thought I would like to cook it for dinner one night.  When I made it yesterday, we were impressed with how much it did taste like a pepperoni pizza even with no crust.  I was also impressed with the simplicity of the recipe.

Stars of the recipe:

• 1 1/2 cups browned ground beef (I omitted this.)
• 2/3 box of rigatoni (I used rotini.)
• 1 large onion chopped
• 4 cups of mozzarella cheese (I used 2 cups.)
• 2 jars of pizza sauce (I used 1 jar and added some water.)
• 1 package of pepperoni (I used 1/2 package.  Next time I'm going to cut the pepperoni into smaller pieces.)
• salt and pepper taste

Steps:

1. Place all items in a crockpot that has been sprayed with cooking spray. (I used a 3 quart crockpot.)
2. Cook on low for 3 to 4 hours.  (Mine was done in about 3.5 hours.)

Happy eating,
Traci

Spaghetti Carbonara

I found this recipe on Mommy's Kitchen.   This is one of my hubby's meals.  In fact, when I make this recipe, hubby and I fight over who gets the left-overs. 

While cooking, the smell is intoxicating.  Your mouth will start to water from anticipation of eating this delicious dish. 

Stars of the recipe:

• 1 - 16 oz box of spaghetti
• 2 Tbs. olive oil, separated
• 8 slices bacon or pancetta, diced
• 1/2 small onion, chopped
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/8 to 1/4 c. dry white wine (optional)
• 2 eggs betaten
• 2 Tbs. heavy cream or milk
• 1/2 c. grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 pinch salt and black pepper to taste
• extra grated Parmesan cheese of garnish

Steps:  

1. In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook spaghetti until al dente.  Drain well and reserve a bit of pasta water.  Toss with 1 Tbsp. of olive oil and set aside.
2. Meanwhile, start cooking the bacon.  Cook chopped bacon until slightly crisp; remove and drain onto paper towels.
3. Reserve 2 Tsp. of bacon fat; add remaining 1 Tbsp. olive oil and heat in resused large skillet,
4. Add chopped onion and cook over medium heat until onion is translucent.
5. Add minced garlic, and cook 1 minute more.  Add wine if desired; cook one more minute.
6. Return cooked bacon to pan; add cooked and drained spaghetti.
7. Toss to coat and heat through, adding more olive oil if it seems dry or is sticking together.  
8. To ensure a creamy, silky sauce, mix the cheese, cream, and beaten egg toghter then stir into the pasta, off eggs are barely set.
9. If the mixture is too thick add a bit of reserved pasta water.  Add salt and pepper to taste.
10. Serve immediately with chopped arsley sprinkled on top, and extra Parmesan cheese at the table. 

Happy eating, Traci

Mexican hamburger helper

As I was driving home today, I was thinking about what I had planned for dinner.  Although homemade hamburger helper sounded appetizing, I wanted to jazz it up a little.  So I thought of what I could add and subtract from it to make it different from our usual.  I decided to add some taco seasoning, black beans, corn, and diced tomatoes.  Then I subtracted the ketchup and mustard.  I changed up the cheese also.  The end result was a semi-homerun for me.  The Wee One and Imaginative One ate at it but it was not a real winner.  Hubby gobbled his up.  He did not give any suggestions so I think it was a homerun for him.

Here's the orginal post:   homemade hamburger helper. 

Stars of the recipe:

• 1 lb of hamburger or ground turkey
• 1/2 cup of chopped onions
• 1 to 2 cups of pasta, cooked and drained (You can chose what kind of pasta you would like to use.)
• 2 Tbsp. butter
• 2 Tbsp. flour
• 2 cup milk
• 1-1/2 cup of cheese (For this I used a combo of Monterrey jack and cheddar.)
• 2 Tbsp. taco seasoning (Or more if you like it spicy!)
• 1 cup frozen corn
• 1 cup black beans, drained
• 1 14 oz can of diced tomatoes, drained  (You can use chili ready if you want to make it spicier.)
• salt and pepper to taste

Steps:

1. Brown the hamburger meat. When it's almost finished browning, add the onion.  Cook until they are translucent.  Drain and then set aside.  
2. Using the same pot you cooked the pasta in, melt the butter.  After the butter is melted, add the flour.  Cook for a minute or two.
3. Add the milk and then raise the heat. Stir until the butter/flour mixture is incorporated.
4. Let the milk mixture boil.  Take off the heat. 
5. Add the cheese and taco seasoning to the milk mixture.  Stir until the cheese is melted.
6. Add the hamburger, diced tomatoes, black beans, corn and pasta to the cheese sauce.  Stir until the hamburger, diced tomatoes, black beans, corn and pasta is covered in cheese sauce.
7. Enjoy!!

 This is great with crushed up tortilla chips on top.  Other toppings could include sour cream and salsa. 

I think if I had sour cream, this dish would have been a home run!

Happy eating,
Traci

Homemade hamburger helper

I found this recipe on Cooking during Stolen Moments blog. It's one of our favorite go to meals. The recipe utilizes a lot of items you would find in your pantry (dry, fridge, and freezer) which makes it nice. Plus since it's homemade, you know what is exactly in it. You can adjust it to your likes and dislikes.

Stars of the recipe:

• 1 lb of hamburger or ground turkey
• 1/2 cup of chopped onions
• 1 to 2 cups of pasta, cooked and drained (You caSn chose what kind of pasta you would like to use.)
• 2 Tbsp. butter
• 2 Tbsp. flour
• 2 cup milk
• 1-1/2 cup of cheese (I usually use cheddar but you can choose what type you want to use.)
• 2 Tbsp. mustard
• 2 Tbsp. ketchup
• salt and pepper to taste

Steps:

1. Brown the hamburger meat. When it's almost finished browning, add the onion.  Cook until they are translucent.  Drain and then set aside.  
2. Using the same pot you cooked the pasta in, melt the butter.  After the butter is melted, add the flour.  Cook for a minute or two.
3. Add the milk and then raise the heat. Stir until the butter/flour mixture is incorporated.
4. Let the milk mixture boil.  Take off the heat. 
5. Add the cheese, ketchup, and mustard to the milk mixture.  Stir until the cheese is melted.
6. Add the hamburger and pasta to the cheese sauce.  Stir until the hamburger and pasta is covered in cheese sauce.
7. Enjoy!!

Homemade Hamburger Helper

I found this recipe on Cooking During Stolen Moment's blog and made it a lot of different times.  I love this recipe because I know exactly what is in the food I'm cooking.  I feel it's more nutrious that way.  Another thing I love about this recipe is that the ingredients come straight out of my freezer, pantry, or fridge.  This is a no frills recipe.

Stars of the recipe:

• 1 lb of hamburger


• 1/2 onion, chopped


• 1 to 2 c. of pasta (I've used shells, elbow macaroni, and farfalle pasta.), cooked and drained


• 2 Tbsp. butter


• 2 Tbsp. flour


• 2 c. milk


• 1.5 c. shredded cheese (I usually use cheddar cheese but it's your choice.)


• 2 Tbsp. ketchup


• 2 Tbsp. mustard (You can use regular mustard, honey mustard, or dijon mustard.  Again it's your choice.)


• salt and pepper to taste

Steps:

1. Brown the hamburger meat.  When it's almost finished, add the onions.  Cook until they are translucent.  Take the skillet off the heat.


2. Using the same pot you cooked the pasta in, melt the butter.  After it is melted, add the flour.  Cook it for a minute or two.


3. Add the milk and raise the heat.  Stir until the butter/flour mixture is incorporated into the milk.


4. Let the milk mixture boil.  Take off the heat.


5. Add the cheese, ketchup, and mustard to the milk.  Stir until the cheese is melted.


6. Add the hamburger and pasta.  Stir until it is all covered with cheese sauce.


7. Enjoy!

This post is linked to Potluck Sundays, Delicious Dishes, and Tempt My Tummy.

Lemon Basil Pasta

I found this recipe on The Pioneer Woman's website.  Since I had put some lemon chicken in the freezer, I decided that this would really compliment the chicken.  The pasta dish is pure heaven.  Okay maybe not pure heaven.  However, it was delicious and the smells coming from cooking it or even heating it up makes me happy.  In fact, I took it to work for lunch and one of my fellow teachers complimented me on the smell of the dish.  If you get a chance, make this dish and escape to happiness from the taste and smell.

Stars of the Recipe

• 1 pound Penne Pasta, Cooked Until Al Dente


• ½ sticks Butter


• 3 whole Lemons, Juiced (I also used some of the lemon rind to add another depth of flavor.)


• ¾ cups Heavy Cream (I used heavy whipping cream.)


• ¼ cups Half-and-half


• 1-½ cup Grated Parmesan Cheese (or Romano)


• Salt And Freshly Ground Black Pepper, To Taste


• 20 whole Basil Leaves, Chopped (I used basil paste in a tube.  It's all I could find.  I used maybe a tablespoon to a tablespoon and a half.  I didn't measure.)

Directions

1. Cook pasta, reserving 1 cup of hot pasta water when you drain.


2. Set pasta aside in a colander.


3. In the same pot, melt butter over medium heat.


4. Squeeze in the juice of 3 to 4 lemons. (Also use a microplane to grate some rind.)


5. Whisk together.


6. Pour in cream and half-and-heat. Whisk until hot.


7. Dump in cheese and whisk until melted.


8. Add salt and pepper.


9. Check consistency, adding some of the hot pasta water to loosen the sauce if needed. (I didn't need to add that much.)


10. Pour pasta and sauce into a large serving bowl. Sprinkle remaining basil all over the top.  (I skipped this step.)


11. Serve!

This recipe is great as a side dish or eaten by itself.

For other great recipes, Potluck Sundays, Delicious Dishes , and Tempt My Tummy Tuesdays.