So Simple,yet So Delicious: Spaghetti

My husband loves spaghetti so much, but I don't make it very often because I really like it also, and I tend to eat too much of it. I know there are so many fancy ways of making spaghetti, but my homemade sauces don't really taste any better than Ragu. I like to keep it simple and delicious, and serve it with a side of garlic bread.

I debated whether or not to blog our spaghetti dinner, but I decided that I should. Did you know that there are people out there who don't know how to make spaghetti? For example, when I moved into my first apartment with my husband, I didn't know how to cook ANYTHING. The first time my husband asked me to saute an onion, I didn't know that you had to peel it first. I sauted the onion, peel and all. Oh well, I have learned so much since then, but I still have a long way to go....which leads me to a question about spaghetti. My spaghetti often turns out very watery. It still tastes great, but there is just too much water. Do you ever have this problem??? If you do, how do you fix it??? I tried to make sure my noodles were extra dry this time, but it didn't help much. A tip I found in a magazine said to add bread crumbs to the sauce to soak up the extra water (apparently, according to the tip, it doesn't change the texture or taste). I'm going to try this next time, unless someone can give me advice that sounds better. So again, I'm asking for all advice to fix my watery spaghetti.

Spaghetti

1-12 oz package spaghetti noodles

1 to 1 1/2 lbs of hamburger meat

1 large bottle/jar Ragu spaghetti sauce (oringal flavor for us)

Grated Parmesan (optional)

Cook spaghetti noodles according to package directions. Meanwhile, brown hamburger meat in a large pan; drain. Add Ragu to hamburger meat in the same pan and turn heat to low. Simmer until sauce is warm. Drain noodles when done. Pour sauce over noodles and add as much grated Parmesan as you want.

Notes: We only eat Ragu, but I guess you could try Prego or any other brand of spaghetti sauce if you really want to.

Success!!: Sloppy Joe Casserole

Thank you Taste of Home Casserole Cookbook!!!! I know I can always come to you to make a good dish with leftovers.

Lately, I've had a series of bad experiences in the kitchen. Well, actually, they weren't bad experiences in the kitchen, so much as bad experiences after my husband tasted them. To make a long story (and many arguments) short, my husband has not been fond of the dishes I've made lately. Anyway, after this dish, I asked him how it was, and he said "It was ok," which for me, means SUCCESS!!!!! He even took leftovers for lunch the next day. I know it may seem odd to get excited about a simple "it was ok," but my husband is a picky eater, and anything that he doesn't have a bad opinion about means it was good. I also made a side dish for this recipe. It was very small, and not really worth it. It was called "In a Flash Beans", and while they were done pretty quickly, they weren't much different than if they had come straight from the can.

Sloppy Joe Casserole

(sorry, no picture)

1 lb ground beef

3 cups cooked rice

1-15 1/2 oz can sloppy joe sauce

1 can whole kernel corn, drained

1 tsp. seasoned salt

1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

In a large skillet, cook beef over medium heat until no longer pink; drain. Stir in the rice, sloppy joe sauce, corn, and seasoned salt. Transfer to a greased 2 qt. baking dish. Cover and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Uncover; sprinkle with cheese. Bake 5-10 minutes longer or until cheese is melted.

Notes: I used 1 1/2 lbs of ground beef and a little more than 3 cups of rice, so I used a slightly larger casserole dish. That's how I got so much left over. Also, the original recipe also calls for 1-4oz can of mushroom stems and pieces, drained to be added along with the rice, sloppy joe sauce and corn. We left that out.

In a Flash Beans

1-15 3/4 oz can of pork and beans

1/2 cup barbecue sauce

1/2 cup chopped onion

1/4 cup chopped green pepper, optional

In a large saucepan, combine the beans, bbq sauce, onion, and green pepper. Cook and stir over medium heat until heated through.

Pasta Carbonara

This meal was not my best. My husband found this recipe in one of my European cookbooks and wanted me to make it. I've always steered clear of carbonara recipes because I was afraid I would scramble the eggs in the sauce on accident. Well, thankfully, that didn't happen, but I did overcook the pancetta. Oh well, we still ate all of it, and I overcame my fear of all things carbonara.

Pasta Carbonara

400g (14oz) penne
1 tbsp. olive oil
200g (7oz) pancetta or bacon, cut into strips
6 egg yolks
185 ml (3/4 cup) heavy cream
75g (3/4 cup) grated Parmesan cheese
(as noted earlier, it was a european cookbook, gotta love the metric system!!)

Cook the pasta in a saucepan of boiling salted water until al dente. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a frying pan and cook the pancetta over high heat for 6 minutes, or until crisp and golden. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. Beat the egg yolks, cream, and the Parmesan together in a bowl and season generously. Return the freshly cooked and drained pasta to its saucepan and pour the egg mixture over the pasta, tossing gently. Add the pancetta, then return the pan to very low heat and cook for 30-60 seconds, or until the sauce thickens and coats the pasta. Season with pepper and serve immediately.
Be careful not to cook the pasta over high heat once you have added the egg mixture, or the sauce risks being scrambled by the heat.

Notes: I think I will look for a recipe that calls for less egg yolk next time. My pasta was a color that very much resembled mustard (which didn't look appetizing to me). Also, you may have noticed that the picture above has green onions in it. That is because I looked for a picture on the internet that looked most like my pasta and this was it. I didn't take any pics the night I cooked it. Also, I would advise against adding any salt to the boiling water or the dish itself. The pancetta or bacon is already salty enough.

2 days after Ike: Chicken Tortilla Bake

On Saturday, we ate some pork roast leftovers that we could warm up on the stove as we didn't have power. As stated earlier, we also ate a lot of chips and drank a lot of beer while enjoying the view from our front porch that night. There really isn't much to do without electricity!! On Sunday morning, we got up from our pallet on the living room floor (too hot to sleep in the bedroom), and my husband cooked some pork sausage. After breakfast, we loaded up all of our thawing food and headed for my dad's house. Since I had all my food with me, I decided to cook dinner there.

Chicken Tortilla Bake

1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1 inch cubes

1/2 tsp. cumin

1/4 tsp. salt

1 tbsp. plus 1 tsp. oil

1- 16oz. can refried beans

1 can rotel, drained

6-8 inch flour tortillas, cut into 1 inch strips

1- 11oz. can Mexicorn, drained

2 cups shredded cheddar cheese (or a mexican cheese blend)

In a large skillet, saute the chicken, cumin, and salt in 1 tbsp. of oil until done. Combine the refried beans and rotel together; spread 1 cup of mixture into a greased 11x7x2 inch baking dish. Top with ~24 tortilla strips; layer with half of the corn, bean mixture, chicken, and cheese. Repeat the layers. Using remaining tortilla strips, make a lattice crust over filling. Brush the lattice crust with the remaining tsp. of oil. Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes or until cheese is melted and dish is heated through.

Notes: You can use however many tortilla strips you like, and you don't have to bother shaping it into a lattice, obviously. But, it does make for nice presentation. I didn't want to bother cooking the chicken in a skillet this time, so I baked the chicken breasts in the oven (see previous entry about cooked, cubed chicken). I just sprinkled the seasonings on the chicken breasts before cooking. Feel free to use spicy refried beans or rotel, and we always add a dollop of daisy on top as well.

1 day before Ike: Fried Rice

This is the best fried rice recipe I've ever tried. You can adjust all of the ingredients to suit your tastes. My husband doesn't like many veggies, so I just have onions, bell peppers, and bean sprouts in mine. You can add carrots, broccoli, or any frozen stir fry mix (without the sauce). The trick is to used cold, cooked rice. I used the left over pork from the Savory Pork Roast (previous post), but you could used cooked chicken, beef, or shrimp instead. It's great for almost any leftover meat!!

Fried Rice

This photo isn't very good!!

1 small onion, coarsely chopped

1/2 cup green pepper, finely chopped

1/2 cup green onions, chopped

2 tbsp. veg. oil

3 eggs, beaten

2 cups cold, cooked white rice

4-5 tbsp. soy sauce (or however much you like)

1/2 cup bean sprouts

2 cups cubed, cooked pork

salt and pepper to taste

Heat one tbsp. of oil over medium heat in a large, nonstick skillet. Add the onion and saute for 1-2 minutes (you still want them to be crisp/tender after all cooking, so only cook for a few minutes). Add the green onion, bean sprouts, and green pepper; continue to saute until all veggies are crisp tender. Remove the vegetables and set aside. Heat remaining tbsp. of oil over medium heat. Add eggs; cook and stir continuously till set. Break up the egg while cooking, so you get small bite size pieces. Add the meat, rice, soy sauce, salt, pepper, and vegetables into the pan. Cook and stir until heated through. Enjoy!!

Notes: I usually don't have leftover rice in the fridge, so I usually make 2 cups of instant rice at the beginning and throw it in the freezer while I prep the veggies. You might need more time for it to get cold if you prep faster than I do. I hope you try this one!!

2 days before Ike: Savory Pork Roast

My husband went nuts over this dish and it couldn't be easier. He didn't believe that this was the 3rd or 4th time I had made it. He swore he had never eaten it before. Anyway, it's great tasting, and it makes plenty for leftovers, as you'll see in my next post.

Savory Pork Roast

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 tsp. dried marjoram

1 tsp. sage

1 tsp. salt

1 boneless pork loin roast ~ 4 lbs ( Not pork tenderloin)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine the seasonings; rub over roast. Place on a rack in a shallow roasting pan. Bake, uncovered, for 1 hour and 20 minutes, or until a meat thermometer reads 160 degrees. Let stand for 10-15 minutes before slicing.

Notes: Ok, the trick to making this a great dish is using a thermometer. I don't know about you, but I don't always buy a 4lb pork roast, so mine are usually smaller, and therefore cook for different amounts of time. Just buy whatever size you want, and then cook until it has an internal temp of 160 degrees. It is so juicy, but perfectly crisp on the outside. The other note I'd like to mention is to wait till pork loins go on sale!!! They are too expensive otherwise. I usually wait till they are $1.99/lb. I'll buy one smaller pork loin for this dish, and then I buy two more and have the butcher cut them into pork chops for free. That usually lasts me until they go on sale again, or longer.

I'm back!!

Sorry to the few ppl who read my blog for the long delay. Hurricane Ike has come and gone. My family is extremely lucky. My husband and I didn't have any roof damage, although almost every house around us does. It's crazy to drive through a neighborhood and see carpet and mattresses laying next to the street all around you. We lived on Galveston island for the last 7 years and just moved to Houston a few months ago. Can't believe how close we came to possibly losing everything. By the way, we now have renter's insurance as well.

We moved into our new house at the beginning of July, and it's the first time I've used a gas stove/oven in my life. I wasn't convinced that it was any better than electric until Ike knocked out the power!! So, we have been cooking/eating during our power outage. We spent the night of the hurricane in the walk in closet with our 2 cats. We didn't come out till about 6am. We didn't eat breakfast because we were too tired from being up all night. We mostly ate potato chips that first day. On Sunday morning, my husband cooked up some sausage and we had sausage and cheese bagels for breakfast. We realized that all of our food was already thawing that morning. So, we loaded up everything frozed/refrigerated, and took it to my dad's house. We spent the night there (tv, ac, and internet included). On Monday, we got the call that our power was back on, and we loaded up to come home.

As I said before, we are so lucky. My mom and some friends still don't have power. School will resume hopefully next Tuesday for my school district. Things are slowly starting to get back to normal. I even got gas today without waiting in a line!!