Friday, July 19, 2013

One Pot Spaghetti Dinner

Ever since I had my first apartment, spaghetti has been a go-to dinner when money is tight or I just need something quick.  Time and money usually determined if I just opened a jar of sauce or if I added ground beef and veggies.  

A couple of weeks ago, I saw a post going around on Facebook about an amazing no-drain-just-stir pasta dinner and I knew I had to give it a try!  

I was skeptical, but figured the ingredients weren't very costly should it not turn out and there was a fridge full of leftovers to fall back on if needed.  Told you I was skeptical!  But there was no need to pull out all the tupperware for leftover buffet!  The recipe turned out great!  

The first time, I followed the original recipe as close as possible.  Instead of just 12 oz. of spaghetti, I used a full 1 pound box.  I also replaced the vegetable broth with chicken broth since it's what I had on hand, although I love the idea of making this completely meat-free by using some homemade veggie broth.   



Last night, I made this dish again, making a few more adjustments to suit our tastes.  Here's what I came up with:  

One Pot Spaghetti Dinner 

Ingredients:  
  • 1 lb. thick spaghetti
  • 2 cans (15 oz each) petite diced tomatoes
  • 1 Vidalia onion, diced 
  • 1 red bell pepper, diced 
  • 6 cloves garlic, finely minced 
  • couple handfuls baby spinach
  • 4 cups chicken broth 
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 2-3 Tbs. fresh basil, chopped
  • 1 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
  • 2 tsp. dried oregano
  • 2 Tbs. olive oil
Directions: 
  • Break spaghetti in half and place in a large pot.  
  • Add in the onions, bell pepper, garlic and spinach. 
  • Pour broth and water into the pot, then sprinkle in the herbs/spices. 
  • Drizzle olive oil over the top.  
  • Cover pot and bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring now and then.  
  • Once it comes to a boil, reduce heat and let simmer while covered until pasta and vegetables are tender, about 10 minutes.  Stirring often.  
  • Garnish with parmesan cheese or additional red pepper flakes and serve with a chunk of crusty bread! 


Oh, man!  It was so good!  I sure wish I knew about this when I was working!  Too many nights of working crazy hours and coming home to dishes still in the sink from the night before.  This no-drain pasta could have saved us lots of money from all the take-out we ordered just to help get caught up on dishes!

Besides the one-pot simplicity of this meal, I love how versatile it can be.  Talking to friends that have tried this and also tossing some ideas around with Joe, we've come up with so many different ideas on what can be thrown into the pot!  I cannot wait to give them all a try!



I'm sharing this recipe at the following blog carnivals and linky parties:



Monday, July 15, 2013

Simply Classic Sloppy Joes

Sloppy Joe Sandwiches is a favorite meal at our house.  When I worked, and cooked less often, I would often stop at the local butcher and pick up some ground beef and a packet of Sloppy Joe mix.  My experience with the saucy, ground meat mixture before that was always the canned stuff, so a powdered mix that you add your own ingredients to was just about homemade in those days!  

Now, being a stay at home mom that cooks just about every meal we eat, I love to try new recipes as well as eliminate processed foods when possible.  In this case, just a few extra steps for much better quality and flavor is definitely worth it!  

In addition to ditching the powdered mix, I also swapped our usual ground beef with ground turkey, just like when I make Sloppy Joes with hidden veggies! .  Last week, there was a sale on ground turkey.  We bought a 3lb. pack and I'll be making a huge batch of Sloppy Joe's for tonight's dinner!  Whatever we don't eat tonight, will be frozen for future meals!  


Simply Classic Sloppy Joes
     adapted from Heinz

Ingredients:
  • 1 Tbs. olive oil
  • 1/2 cup Vidalia onion, diced
  • 1/4 cup red bell pepper, diced 
  • 2 garlic cloves, finely minced
  • 1 lb. ground turkey 
  • 1/2 cup chili sauce
  • 1 cup ketchup 
  • 2 Tbs. brown sugar 
  • 1 Tbs. Worcestershire Sauce
Directions: 
  • Cook onion, pepper and garlic in hot oil over medium-high heat until tender.  
  • Add the ground turkey, chopping and stirring to combine.  Cook until browned. 
  • Drain the grease. 
  • Stir in the remaining ingredients. 
  • Reduce heat to low and simmer until slightly thickened.  

This recipe was a hit!  So much so, that we've made two weeks in a row!  The first time, we served on leftover hot dog buns!  Hamburger buns, crusty rolls or even a baked potato would be great options as well!  


Menu Plan Monday 2013 ~ Week of July 15th


We're starting on another heat wave here on the East Coast!  I sure hope our window unit air conditioners can keep up with the soaring temperatures!  I'm keeping the menu pretty simple this week.  Last thing I feel like doing is spend a lot of time in the hot kitchen!  

Here's what I'll be serving this week:  


Monday 


Simply Classic Sloppy Joes 








Wednesday


Corn Dog Casserole 
We have hot dogs in the fridge to use up,
but we're out of buns.
So, I'll throw together this cornbread-
topped casserole instead!



Thursday

Steak Fajitas 
Cheesy Mexican Rice
We loved this fajita recipe
when I served it last month!
Adding a side dish of rice this time! 








Saturday

Bubble Up Pizza 
We'll see how turning the oven on
for the corn dog casserole goes...
if it makes the house too warm,
we may have to skip this recipe
until it's a little cooler!  




Sunday 


One Pot Spaghetti Dinner 
I made this for dinner last week and it was fabulous!
I love simple (and cheap!) dinners!  




Now that you know what we're eating this week, let us know in the comments what's for dinner at your house this week! Or, if you need more menu planning inspiration? Follow me over to Menu Plan Monday hosted by I'm an Organizing Junkie! Or, if you like what you see here, you can check out my past menu plans.

You can also find this week's menu plan linked to On the Menu Monday hosted by Yvonne at Stone Gable. If you haven't checked out Yvonne's blog before, I suggest you drop everything and head on over to check out her delicious recipes, inviting tablescapes and stunning photographs!



Wednesday, July 10, 2013

Scooby-Dooby-Doo, Where Are You?

We drove past The Mystery Machine a couple of weeks ago...but Scooby-Doo was nowhere to be found!



Brought to mind the theme song to the long-running animated series:


Scooby-Dooby-Doo, Where Are You? 
We got some work to do now. 
Scooby-Dooby-Doo, Where Are You? 
We need some help from you now.

source: http://www.lyricsondemand.com/


Sing along...you know you want to!


Tuesday, July 2, 2013

Menu Plan Monday 2013 ~ Week of July 1st






Wednesday

Taco Salad



Thursday

Pulled Pork Sandwiches, 
Corn on the Cob, 
Cucumber Salad


Friday



Leftover Night




Saturday

Steak Fajitas




Sunday 



Leftover Night




Now that you know what we're eating this week, let us know in the comments what's for dinner at your house this week! Or, if you need more menu planning inspiration? Follow me over to Menu Plan Monday hosted by I'm an Organizing Junkie! Or, if you like what you see here, you can check out my past menu plans.

You can also find this week's menu plan linked to On the Menu Monday hosted by Yvonne at Stone Gable. If you haven't checked out Yvonne's blog before, I suggest you drop everything and head on over to check out her delicious recipes, inviting tablescapes and stunning photographs!



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