Spicy Pasta Skillet

We just had this for dinner and boy is it good.

It's called the Spicy Past Skillet and the recipe can be found here.
I did however double a few of the ingredients because I didn't think that it would feed our family of 5 plus leftovers for hubby's lunch the next day. I was wrong, but this is what I did. I doubled the broth, cream, rotel and pasta. It worked. It came out so good that the kids liked it and we had enough for all of us to have for lunch the next day. I can't wait for you to try it. Let me know what you think of it.

Believe it or not this is all we ate. I'm beginning to think that it was too much with a salad and a vegetable.

I think that I will try chicken next time. I will let you know how it turns out.

UPDATE: I made it with chicken and it was just as good. I also made it for my vegetarian daughter. I cooked the chicken separately then made the dish without the meat and used vegetable broth, after the noodles were cooked I took out her portion, then stirred in the chicken added the cheese as usual and viola! Vegetarian and Chicken versions.

Happy Eating, Donna

Taco Seasoning Mix

Did you know that you can make your own Taco Seasoning? Sure, just mix up the spices and store in an air tight container. I keep mine in a canister with a sprinkle top lid. I'm not one to measure too much so I just sprinkle it on whatever I'm cooking.

1 T chili powder
1 T ground cumin
1 T garlic powder
1 T onion powder
1/4–½ T crushed red pepper


Just put all ingredients together and mix it up. I usually double the recipe as it doesn't make that much. Now you have your own seasoning without all of that added salt.

Also if you are looking for other mixes to make there is a huge list of them here.

Happy Eating :) Donna

How to Crochet a Heart

Ok, really who knew it was that simple? I've been trying to make one of these and for the life of me it is a struggle for me to get it right. You can find it here. Now that I have the hang of it I will be making a ton of them. Barrette anyone?

Red Beans & Rice

This is my version. My husband and I eat this one, the kids don't like it. It does cover us for dinner and leftover lunch the next day.

1 pound Kielbasa (I use Turkey Kielbasa)
1/2 onion sliced
2 cloves garlic crushed
1 bell pepper, sliced
1 can diced tomatoes
1 can kidney beans (drained/rinsed)

Slice the Kielbasa sausage. Brown them in about a teaspoon of oil in a hot skillet. You don't want to brown it too much, just a little bit. When you are satisfied with it, then add the onion, bell pepper and garlic. Cook until the onion is soft. Add the can of tomatoes and beans and simmer the liquid down about halfway.
Serve over rice.

Quick, simple and to the point. Very flavorful and satisfying.

Happy Cooking,
Donna

Rigatoni Bake

I made a dish for dinner tonight using the leftover Homemade Spaghetti Sauce that I made the other day. It was so good that everyone ate it up and didn’t save any for my husband to take to work tomorrow. It’s ok, he has something else to take with him.

Rigatoni Bake

This isn’t really a recipe but instead just a telling of how I made dinner.I boiled some Rigatoni and placed it in a casserole dish, I added some of my Homemade Spaghetti Sauce and stirred. I then chopped up a couple of tomatoes and some green onion and stirred that in as well. Topped with cheese and put it in the oven for about 5-10 minutes to melt. Served with a salad and some crusty bread. It was a very filling meal. I made mine a vegetarian dish, but you can use almost anything in the casserole, ground turkey, sausage, chicken, corn or just about anything. I hope that you can find inspiration with it. Please leave me a comment and tell me what you did with it.

Happy Eating,

Donna

Fish Tacos

I decided to make Fish Tacos tonight for dinner. They came out really good. It’s hard for me to believe but the kids really like this recipe and it gets them to eat fish in a healthier way then just frying them up. I do switch between the two fish recipes for variety but these are better.

Fish Tacos

2 jalapenos, sliced into thin strips

1/2 onion, sliced

3-4 cloves garlic

2 cups water or chicken broth

chicken bouillon cubes, if using water

1 lb fish fillets, diced (I use Tilapia)

Sour Cream

Add 1 tbsp. olive oil to your pan, when hot add your onion, garlic and jalapenos. Cook until all is limp. Add the chicken broth. Cook for 1-2 minutes. Add fish, very carefully stirring and cook for 5-10 minutes, until fish pieces turn white.

Using a slotted spoon take out all of the veges and fish leaving just the liquid. Add 3 spoonfuls of sour cream to the liquid. I usually turn the heat up a little and using a whisk melt the sour cream into the broth. Add fish and veges back into the broth and serve with your favorite taco toppings.

Fried Fish Tacos: I just use Tilapia fillets and cut them into strips then coat them with Louisiana Fish Fry crumbs and fry in oil. Serve with your favorite toppings.

Happy Eating,

Donna

Homemade Spaghetti Sauce

I got the inspiration for this sauce from watching Giada De Laurantis the other day. She made a Rigatoni Veggie Bolognese and it looked so good. So of course I thought that I would give it a try and make a Spaghetti Sauce. I made so much of it that I had some leftover and in a couple of days I can toss it with some roasted veggies and some cheese in some rigatoni and bake it.

Spaghetti Sauce

1 medium onion, quartered

3 cloves garlic, unpeeled

any veggies that you have in the fridge (carrots, broccoli, mushrooms, bell pepper, zucchini, etc) about 2 cups unchopped.

2 28oz cans chopped tomatoes

1 15oz can tomato sauce

Italian Seasoning, Sage, Bay Leaf, Oregano to taste.

Clean and cut off any stems off the vegetables, chop them into smaller pieces. Do the same thing to the onion and garlic. Place them in the food processor and pulse them til you like them.

Add about a tablespoon of olive oil into a heavy pot. Add vegetable mixture. Saute til veges are limp.

Add cans of tomatoes and tomato sauce. Add a couple of cups of water. Bring to boil and then turn down the heat. Simmer for a couple of hours. You may need to add more water.

It came out really good. If you like it smoother then go ahead and use a blender.

I served it with Italian Sausage links and Garlic Bread. I guess I should have made a salad too, but it was enough and everyone liked it.

If you have any questions, feel free to leave a comment or send me a question.

My mom used to say that whoever got the bay leaf that’s who’s turn it was to do the dishes ;)

Happy Eating :)
Donna