Spaghetti Sauce from Scratch

Spaghetti Sauce from Scratch 

Slightly adapted from Lauren Allen on tastesbetterfromscratch.com

Ingredients:

1 lb ground beef (or 1/2 lb ground beef, 1/2 lb Italian sausage)
salt and freshly ground pepper
1 medium onion, chopped
15 oz tomato sauce
6 oz tomato paste
1/2 tsp Italian seasoning
1 tbsp dried parsley flakes
1 tsp garlic powder 
1/8 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1/2 tbsp granulated sugar
1 c water
1/4 c fresh basil leaves (optional)
spaghetti noodles (gluten free for gluten free meal)

Directions:

• Season meat with salt and pepper
• In a large skillet, brown the meat and chopped onion. Drain excess grease.
• Add tomato sauce, tomato paste, Italian seasoning, parsley, garlic powder, crushed red pepper, Worcestershire, and sugar to the skillet. Stir well to combine. Bring to a simmer. 
• Add water and stir well.
• Reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes. Add chopped basil before serving, if desired.

Boys rating: 2 thumbs up

Husband rating: 4.5 stars

Lemon Crinkle Cookies

 

from my aunt Jeanne

2 cups all purpose flour (or gluten free flour)

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

8 tbsp=1/2 cup=1 stick of butter or 1/2 cup of coconut oil

1 cup granulated sugar

1 tbsp lemon zest (from about 2 medium lemons)

1 large egg (room temp)

1 large egg yolk (room temp)

2 tbsp lemon juice

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

3/4 tsp lemon extract

In a mixing bowl whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt.

In a separate bowl, whip together butter (or coconut oil), sugar, and lemon zest until pale and fluffy. Mix in egg then blend in egg yolk. Add lemon juice, vanilla and lemon extracts and mix until well combined. Slowly add dry ingredients and mix until just combined.

Refrigerate the dough for 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Using a cookie scoop, place balls of dough on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet. Space dough 2 inches apart. Bake in preheated oven for 10-13 minutes. Cool on baking sheet several minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.

Boys rating: 2 thumbs up

Kneaders BBQ Pulled Pork Sandwiches

This is my new favorite pulled pork recipe. I use Lillie's Carolina Barbeque Sauce that I find at Whole Foods. Yum!

Ingredients:

1 1/2 tbsp chili powder

3/4 tsp salt

1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper

1 (about 3.5 lb) pork shoulder roast (or pork loin. I like to buy the large pork loins at Costco. One pork loin is enough for three meals for our family)

1 onion, roughly sliced

1 tsp minced garlic

1 1/2 cups barbecue sauce, divided

4 cups water

your favorite rolls or buns

coleslaw, for garnish (optional)

cilantro, for garnish (optional)

red onion, for garnish (optional)

Instructions:

In a small bowl, combine the chili powder, salt and pepper. Rub the mixture onto the pork until it is thoroughly coated.

Placed the sliced onion and garlic in the bottom of a slow cooker. Add water to the slow cooker. Add the pork covered by a 1/2 cup of barbecue sauce. Cook the roast on high until it is very tender and easy to shred, about 6 hours.

Remove the pork from the slow cooker and place in a 9x13 dish. Strain and discard the cooking liquid from the slow cooker, keeping the onion. 

Shred the pork. Return it, and the onions, to the slow cooker. Mix in the remaining cup of barbecue sauce. Cook until heated through. 

Serve on rolls or buns with desired toppings such as coleslaw or cilantro.

 

 

Chicken Zucchini Pasta

Chicken Zucchini Pasta

1 package of linguine noodles (gluten free if needed)

1 45oz jar of Prego Traditional spaghetti sauce

2 chicken breasts, cut into small pieces

1/2 sweet onion, chopped

1 tsp chopped garlic

1 zucchini, quartered and sliced

1. Chop the chicken, onion and zucchini.

2. Heat a skillet with a little olive oil. Cook the chicken until no longer pink in the middle. Remove the chicken from the pan, draining any liquid. 

3. Add a 1/2 tbsp olive oil to the skillet over medium heat. Add the onions, zucchini and garlic. Stir frequently until the onion is translucent and the zucchini has softened. Put the chicken in this pan. Pour the jar of spaghetti sauce into the pan as well. Stir. Cover pan. Cook over medium low heat, stirring occasionally, until the noodles are ready. 

4. Fill a pot with water. Turn on the heat. Once the water is boiling, add 1 tsp of salt to the water. Add the noodles. Drain once cooked through. 

5. Fill a plate with noodles and top them with the sauce. Enjoy! 

Husband Rating: 4 stars

Boys say: thumbs up

Seasoned Rice

 

from africanbites.com, lightly adapted

Ingredients

• 2 cups (277.5 g) uncooked long grain white rice
• 1 tablespoon (14 g) onion powder
• 1 tablespoon (14 g) garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon (2 g) paprika
• ½ teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 teaspoon (5 g) salt
• ½ teaspoon (1 g) freshly ground black pepper
• 2 teaspoons (4 g) bouillon
• 1 tablespoon (4 g) dried parsley
• 4 tablespoons (56 g) butter or coconut oil
• 4 cups chicken broth, plus 4 tbsp water

Instructions

• In a large pan (that has a lid), combine the rice, onion & garlic powder, paprika, dried thyme, salt, bouillon, ground black pepper, dried parsley, butter or coconut oil, and chicken broth/water. Stir to combine.
• Place on the stove and bring to a boil over high heat.
• As soon as it starts to bubble, cover and reduce to low heat.
• Simmer for about 20 minutes.
• Turn off the heat. Do no lift the lid! Let rice rest for 10 minutes. 
• Stir and serve.

Notes

1. Do not open the lid while simmering the rice because the rice will not cook through.
2. The 10 minutes rest time is essential. The rice will stick to the bottom of the pan if you don't follow the 10 minutes resting time.
3. Use a different container when storing the rice. Do not use the one where you let it cool.

Honey Garlic Chicken

Honey Garlic Chicken

from: therecipecritic.com

Ingredients:

• 6-7 Boneless Chicken Thighs
• 3/4 cup Honey
• 3/4 cup soy sauce (or coconut aminos for a gluten free recipe)
• 2 tbsp hoisen sauce 
• 2 cloves garlic crushed I used 1 1/2 tsp minced garlic
• 1 tbsp fresh ginger root I used 1 tsp dry ginger
• 1 tsp seseame oil
• 2 tbsp cornstarch
• 1/4 cup water

Instructions:

• In a 5 quart slow cooker add the chicken thighs. In a small bowl, whisk together the honey, soy sauce, hoisen sauce, garlic, ginger, and sesame oil. Cook on low for 4-6 hours or high for 3-4 hours.
• Remove the chicken from the slow cooker and shred. Whisk together the cornstarch and water in a small bowl. Whisk it into the sauce in the slow cooker. Return the shredded chicken back to the slow cooker and let cook for another 15 minutes to let the sauce thicken. Serve over rice with roasted broccoli or cooked green beans for a healthy, easy and inexpensive meal. 

Boys say: thumbs up

Husband rating: 4.5 stars

Grilled Salmon with Avocado Salsa

lightly adapted from thecookierookie.com

Ingredients:

2-3 lbs salmon (cut into portions if you're going to grill)

1 tbsp olive oil

1 tsp salt

1 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp paprika

1 tsp onion powder

1/2 tsp chili powder

1 tsp black pepper

Avocado Salsa:

2 avocados, cubed

1/3-1/2 red onion, diced (depending on your raw onion tolerance)

2 limes, juiced

1 tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped

Instructions:

1. Mix the salt, chili powder, cumin, paprika, onion and black pepper together. Rub the salmon with olive oil and this seasoning mix.

2. Refrigerate the salmon for at least 30 minutes. If you're going to bake the salmon, preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

3. Chop the avocado, onion, cilantro and juice the limes. Chill until serving time.

4. Pre-heat the grill or stove top grill pan. Grill the salmon to desired doneness. Or, bake the salmon for about 20 minutes (until it flakes easily with a fork). 

5. Top with avocado salsa and enjoy!

We like putting this in small flour tortillas. The boys requested I add mango next time to the salsa. Sounds like a great idea to me. 

This recipe is easy, fresh and healthy. I hope you love it as much as we do. 

Boys: thumbs up

Pumpkin Muffins

 

adapted from cookieandkate.com recipe

muffin ingredients:

1/3 c melted coconut oil

1/2 c maple syrup

2 eggs, room temperature

1 c pumpkin puree

1/4 c almond milk

2 tsp pumpkin spice blend

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 tsp salt

1 3/4 c gluten free flour (or whole wheat flour if you're okay with gluten)

1/3 c old-fashioned oats

topping ingredients:

2 tsp turbinado (raw) sugar

2 tsp finely chopped pecans

2 tsp oats

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Put parchment paper cups in muffin tin.

2. In a large bowl beat the oil and maple syrup. Add the eggs and beat well. Add the pumpkin puree, milk, pumpkin spice blend, baking soda, vanilla extract and salt. Stir.

3. Mix in the flour and oats, just until combined.

4. Divide the batter evenly between the muffin cups. Sprinkle the tops of the muffins with topping mix. Bake for 22-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into a muffin comes out clean.

5. Place the muffin tin on a cooling rack to cool. These muffins are delicate until they cool down. 

Muffins keep at room temperature for up to 2 days or in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. In a freezer-safe bag in the freezer you can keep these for up to 3 months.

Boys say: thumbs up

Cowboy Caviar

Last week I decided to minimize my cookbooks. I went through all of them, kept the recipes I still wanted to try and gave away (or recycled) the rest. It felt great! In that process I found this recipe. It was the perfect timing too because I wanted a tasty side dish to go with the meat we grilled on the 4th of July. Yum!

1 cup black eyed peas

1 cup black beans

1 cup sweet corn

3 avocados, chopped

3 roma tomatoes, chopped

juice from 1 lime

5 green onions, tops only, chopped

1 package Italian Good Seasonings Mix

1 bunch of cilantro, chopped

Mix ingredients together and serve with tortilla chips or your favorite crackers.

Apple Cinnamon Muffins

When a friend asked if I'd like a bushel of apples I said sure. I didn't realize that meant about 125 apples! This gave me a perfect opportunity to find a few new recipes. I LOVE this recipe. I think you will love it too!

adapted from addapinch.com

2 c flour (2 tsp extra for coating apples)

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

2 tsp ground cinnamon (1/2 tsp more for coating apples)

2 c diced apples (peeled and cored)

1/2 c coconut oil

1 c sugar

2 large eggs

2 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 c almond milk or oat milk

Topping:

1/4 c melted coconut oil

1/4 c sugar

1 tsp ground cinnamon

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line cupcake tin with baking cups. 

In a medium bowl mix together 2 cups flour, baking powder, salt and 2 tsp cinnamon. 

In a different bowl mix together 2 tsp flour, 1/2 tsp cinnamon and diced apples.

In another bowl cream together coconut oil and sugar. Add one egg, mix, add the other egg and mix again. Add vanilla.

Add half of flour mixture and mix. Add almond milk. Stir in remaining flour mixture until just combined. Fold in diced apples.

Fill muffin tins about 2/3 to 3/4 full. Bake 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle of the muffin comes out clean and the muffins are a light golden brown. 

Mix sugar and cinnamon for topping.

Remove muffins from the oven. Cool for five minutes in the muffin pan. Melt coconut oil for the topping.

Remove each muffin and brush with melted coconut oil. Dip muffin into topping mixture of sugar and cinnamon. Let muffins finish cooling on a cooling rack.

Seafood Tacos

lightly adapted from spendwithpennies.com

8 tilapia fillets 

Rub:

1 tbsp chili powder

1/2 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp onion powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

1 tsp paprika

1 tsp oregano

Sauce:

2 tbsp mayonnaise

3 tbsp sour cream

1/2 lime, juiced

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp sriracha 

Tacos:

corn or flour tortillas

avocado, sliced

coleslaw mix

lime slices

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Combine all sauce ingredients in a small bowl. If you have a plastic container used for sauces (for example, one you would put ketchup or a dressing in so you can squeeze the topping onto the food) put it in container now and set aside.

Put tilapia fillets onto a foil lined cookie sheet. Drizzle extra virgin olive oil lightly over the fish. Sprinkle the spice mix onto the fish. Rub in, if desired. Bake for 12-15 minutes.

When the fish is cooked transfer the fillets to a large bowl. Using forks, break the fish into pieces. 

Build your tacos and enjoy!

Husband rating: 4 stars

Boys say: thumbs up (even my picky eater!)

Pumpkin Smoothie

12 oz almond milk

1 serving vanilla protein powder
1/3 c pumpkin puree
1 banana
1 tbsp ground flaxseed
1/4 tsp cinnamon
2 c ice cubes

handful of kale

Put all ingredients in blender. Blend until smooth.

If there is a shortage of canned pumpkin at your local store, I'm sorry. I can't help myself at this time of year. We've had iced pumpkin cookies, pumpkin chocolate chip cookies, pumpkin pancakes and plenty of these yummy pumpkin smoothies this month. I love fall!

Green Colada

adapted from my friend, Jenna's, recipe

1 cup coconut milk

1 cup frozen pineapple chunks

1 banana

1 handful of spinach

1 cup of ice

Place all ingredients in the blender. Mix until smooth.

The boys love this. I will get creative and add frozen mangoes or strawberries one of these days!

Banana Walnut Pancakes

from allrecipes.com, submitted by CoOkInGnUt

1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup finely chopped walnuts
3 tablespoons white sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup almond milk
2 small overripe bananas, mashed
1 1/2 tablespoons butter, melted or coconut oil, melted
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 egg

Mix flour, walnuts, sugar, baking powder, nutmeg, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl; make a well in the center.

Whisk almond milk, bananas, melted butter, and vanilla extract together in a separate bowl until smooth. Whisk in egg. Pour mixture into the well in the flour mixture; stir until just combined.

Heat a lightly non-skillet or griddle over medium-high heat. Drop 1/4 cup batter into the skillet. Cook until bubbles form and the edges are firm. Flip and cook until browned on the other side. Repeat with remaining batter.

Boys said: thumbs up! They actually said these were the best pancakes they'd ever had. I was nervous that the walnuts would be a problem for my picky eater. But I think because they were so small he didn't really care. 

I'm sensitive to milk so I love that this recipe calls for almond milk. 

I doubled the recipe for the five of us and had half a dozen or so pancakes left over for the next day.

Minestrone Soup

adapted from ourbestbites.com

Ingredients
1 1/2 tbsp olive oil
1 small/medium onion, chopped
1 large carrot, thinly sliced or about 1 cup of julienned carrots (I buy these in bags from store so I can do this step faster)
1-2 stalks celery, diced
1 small zucchini, sliced
4-5 cloves garlic, minced or pressed (2 tsp minced garlic) 
1 c fresh french cut green beans, chopped into thirds
2 15-oz cans red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
2 15-oz cans white beans like Great Northern or Canalini, drained
1 14-oz can diced tomatoes, drained (blend if desired)
1 1/2 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp dried basil
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
32 oz vegetable broth (that’s 4 cups)
3 c hot water
1/2 c ditalini or other small shell pasta (use gluten free version for a gluten free meal)
1-2 c loosely packed fresh spinach leaves, hand broken into about half or thirds

Instructions
Heat a large stock pot to medium high heat.  Add olive oil to coat bottom of pan. Add onions, carrot, and celery and garlic. Cook, stirring frequently, 4-5 minutes or until onions start to look translucent.  

Add green beans, kidney and white beans, tomatoes, seasonings, broth and water and stir to combine.  

Bring soup to a simmer. Cover pot and simmer on low for 20-25 minutes, until carrots and celery are tender. Add zucchini and pasta and cook until pasta is soft, 8-10 minutes.  

Remove pot from heat and stir in spinach. Replace lid and let soup sit for five minutes before serving.

Observations

One of my running friends recommended I try this recipe. I'm so glad I did! The ingredients list is a little daunting. But for a soup that warms you up during the cold winter months and makes you feel good with all those vegetables, it's worth the effort to make it! And really, when you can throw everything in one pot, clean up isn't so bad. 

Husband rating: 4 stars

Boys say: thumbs up

Banana Toffee Poke Cake

from lilluna.com

This is SO TASTY!

1 18.25 oz box yellow cake mix
1⁄4 cup brown sugar
3 ripe mashed bananas
1⁄2 cup vegetable oil
1⁄2 cup sour cream
3 whole eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
2⁄3 cup caramel ice cream topping, plus 2 tablespoons for drizzling 

1 8 oz container whipped topping
1⁄4 cup toffee bits

In a mixer, combine cake mix and brown sugar. Add mashed bananas. Stir in oil and sour cream until blended. Beat in eggs one at a time, mixing well between additions. Stir in vanilla. Pour cake into a greased 9 x 13 in pan. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove from oven and let cake cool completely.

When cake has cooled, poke holes in the cake using the end of a wooden spoon. Carefully pour caramel over cake; spreading if necessary, making sure caramel fills in the holes. Cover cake with whipped topping. Sprinkle with toffee bits and drizzle with extra caramel.

Boys say: two thumbs up

Green Chile Burritos

lightly adapted from lilluna.com

I love finding a new cooking blog or book that inspires me to try new recipes. As you can see from the most recent posts, I've discovered lilluna.com and have found some great recipes. I get bored easily and can't make the same thing over and over! I'm grateful for good cooks who share their talents.


When I saw this recipe I wasn't sure I'd like it but I was so wrong! I'm really glad we tried it.

1 2.5-3 lb beef roast
2 TB Italian Dressing Dry Mix
2 TB Hidden Valley Dry Mix
2 TB Brown Gravy Dry Mix
1⁄2 cup water
1 - 2 cups 505 Green Chile Sauce (or whatever great salsa verde you can find at your store)
Tortillas

Mix Brown Gravy Dry Mix, Hidden Valley Dry Mix and Italian Dressing Dry Mix together.

Place chuck roast in your slow cooker. Pour 1⁄2 cup water over your roast. Sprinkle mix all over the top of your roast. Cook on HIGH for at least 4 hours. 

Remove meat from the slow cooker and shred using two forks. Pour out the liquid from the slow cooker. Place the shredded meat back in the slow cooker.

Add your green chile sauce, mix and cook until your sauce is warm. Serve on warm tortillas. I added chopped red onion and avocado slices to mine. Cotija cheese is another good topping for these burritos/tacos. 

Husband rating: 2 stars

My rating: 4 stars

Boys say: thumbs up

Southwest Chopped Salad

lightly adapted from lilluna.com

I love to have a great big healthy salad for dinner. This is one of our family's favorites. I promise there is lettuce under all those delicious toppings pictured above!

1 large head of Romaine lettuce
15 oz can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 large orange bell pepper
1 pint cherry tomatoes (halved or quartered)
1 cup corn
1-2 grilled chicken breasts, chopped
1 avocado, cubed

1 cucumber, sliced

1 cup carrot sticks
4 hard boiled eggs, sliced (optional)
green onions (optional)

I make the Tomatillo Ranch Dressing found here to go on this salad. 

Husband rating: 4.5 stars

Boys say: thumbs up

Snickerdoodles

from lilluna.com

My husband loves snickerdoodles. For his birthday I decided to finally find a great snickerdoodle recipe. This one is a winner! One tip-you will probably want to take them out before you think they are done. In my oven 10 minutes is perfect. Any longer and we think they are too crispy. 

For cookie dough:
1 cup butter, softened
1 1⁄2 cups sugar
2 eggs
2 3⁄4 cups flour
2 tsp. cream of tartar 
1 tsp. baking soda
1⁄2 tsp. salt

For cinnamon sugar mix:
2 TB sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon


1. Mix flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, and salt. Set aside. 
2. Cream together sugar and butter. Add eggs and blend well.
3. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and mix well.
4. Shape dough into 1 inch balls and roll in the cinnamon-sugar mixture.
5. Place 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheet.
6. Bake for 8-10 minutes at 350 degrees. 

(Makes about 4 dozen cookies) 


Husband rating: 5 stars
Boys say: thumbs up

Melanie's White Chicken Chili

The original recipe (that I lightly adapted) comes from a friend's daughter-in-law who happens to have the same name I do-Melanie!

1 large chicken breast 
1 15oz can black beans, drained
1 15 oz can corn, drained or 1 1/2 cups frozen corn
1 10 oz can mild Mexican-style tomatoes (diced tomatoes with green chilis)
1 package ranch dressing
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp ground cumin
1 c water
1 8 oz package cream cheese

Put all ingredients in the crockpot, except the cream cheese. Put the block of cream cheese on top. Cook on high for 4 hours or low for 6-8 hours. Take the chicken out and shred it. Put it back in the crock pot and mix all ingredients.

I have to double this recipe because our family likes it so much. The recipe should feed about 4-5 people as is.

Boys give this two thumbs up!