Chris' Spaghetti

Growing up, my version of spaghetti was noodles with warmed up sauce. If we got fancy we added ground beef or meatballs. I thought it was pretty good - until I tried my Mother-in-law's recipe. From then on, I was hooked. She made this for us all the time when we were newlyweds. I finally asked her for the recipe and although I don't think mine turns out quite like hers does, it's still pretty good.

Ingredients:

1 lb lean ground beef
1/2 onion, diced
1/2 green bell pepper, diced
2 plum tomatoes, diced
1 tsp. minced garlic
1 jar traditional spaghetti sauce, plus 1/2 jar of water
1 package McCormick Thick and Zesty spaghetti mix
1 can (8 oz) tomato sauce
salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:

Brown hamburger until cooked most of the way through; drain the grease. Add the garlic, onions, bell pepper, salt and pepper; cook about 5-7 minutes. Add the spaghetti sauce, water, tomatoes, spaghetti mix and tomato sauce; stir over low heat. Cover and simmer on very low for about 30-45 minutes. Cook spaghetti noodles according to package directions then top with sauce. *I generally cook 1 box of noodles (1 lb) so that I have leftovers for the next day.

Ginger Lime Marinade

Spring and Summer weather is my favorite because it means that I can dust off the BBQ grill and pull out my favorite marinade recipes. I just found this one in my Mom's ward cookbook and was so excited to try it. I wasn't disappointed - it smelled great while cooking and tasted even better!

Ingredients:

3/4 c. Italian dressing
3/4 c. honey
4 Tbsp. lime juice
1 tsp. ground ginger
1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes
6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

Directions:

Combine all ingredients in a large Ziploc bag, add chicken and turn to coat. Refrigerate for at least a few hours - I think I left mine in for 4 or 5 hours - and then you're ready to grill.

*You can also freeze this recipe. After combining marinade and chicken place flat in freezer. When ready to use, defrost and then grill.

Easy Funeral Potatoes

A good Funeral Potatoes recipe is a must have for any Mormon girl's recipe box. That's a little inside joke - if you've never heard of Funeral Potatoes, it's just a cheesy potato recipe that is served often at church dinners and funerals - hence the name. It seems like everyone has a different version of the recipe! Although this one isn't too much different from most that I've tried, it turned out really yummy and was fast to put together.

Ingredients:

1 bag (2 lbs) frozen hash browns, southern style
1/2 c. melted butter or margarine
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1-2 Tbsp dried minced onions
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 cup sour cream
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese


Directions:

Pour hash browns in a 9x13 inch pan. Mix remaining ingredients together, then pour mixture over the potatoes and mix together. Sprinkle with grated cheese. Bake at 350 degrees, covered, for 30 minutes then remove foil and continue baking for another 30 minutes.

*the original recipe didn't say to cover the potatoes and of course, as it was cooking I decided to check my email. As you can see, I let the cheese get a little too brown on top. I think it would be better to cover the potatoes for a bit, so I added that into the instructions.

Creamy Fettuccine with Rainbow Veggies

I found this recipe in my mom's ward cookbook and just had to try it. I have a sudden and unexplainable need to try every recipe that includes asparagus, which is odd, because my parents could never get me to try it while I was growing up.


I have to admit, I was slightly worried about the cream sauce - I've been trying to start a diet for months now - but some awesome new recipe always gets in my way! However...it hardly uses any cream or butter compared to some recipes I've made. The end result is a very light, cheesy taste. Besides - the veggies cancel out any of the bad calories. Trust me.

Ingredients:

1 Tbsp olive oil
1 tsp salt (for cooking pasta), plus 1/4 tsp for sauce
2 Tbsp butter
1 or 2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 c. chicken broth
1 lb. asparagus, cut into 1 inch pieces (upper half of spears only)
1 small zucchini or summer squash, cubed
1/2 c. finely diced carrot
1/2 c. diced red or yellow bell pepper
1/2 cup heavy cream
3/4 lb. fettuccine
1 c. freshly grated Parmesan cheese
2 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley


Directions:

In a large pot, combine 3 to 4 quarts of water, olive oil and salt, then bring to a boil. Meanwhile in another pan, melt the butter over low heat. Stir in the garlic and warm gently for 1 minute. Add the broth, veggies and 1/4 tsp of salt. Bring the mixture to a simmer. Cover the pan and continue to simmer the veggies undisturbed for 3 minutes, then stir in the cream.

Remove the pan (with the veggies) from the heat and leave it covered. Add more salt to taste if needed. Once the water has reached a boil, gradually add the fettuccine to it. Cook the past according to the package, then drain. Quickly bring the veggies back to a simmer then add the drained pasta. Continue to simmer the mixture over medium-low heat for 3 to 4 minutes while carefully tossing the noodles up from the bottom of the pan with tongs or 2 forks. Remove the pan from the heat and sprinkle in half of the Parmesan cheese. Toss once more. Serve at once using the parsley and remaining cheese for garnish.

Serves 4 to 5

*I've made this a couple of times now and I can tell you that substituting fat free half and half for the heavy cream doesn't work very well. Stick with the heavy cream - it's much better. The veggies and sauce will be pretty soupy until you add the Parmesan cheese at the end. Once you do, the cheese soaks up some of the sauce and makes it a bit creamier.

Grilled Mexican Citrus Chicken and Taos Tumble Salad

I am a huge fan of marinade recipes - they're fast, they're easy and they're delicious. I can throw everything together in the morning and forget about it until dinnertime rolls around. I'm pretty sure I found this recipe in one of those little magazines you can find by the checkout, although I can't remember which one exactly.

I love grilling - not that I'm a master at the BBQ, I just love cooking outside. Maybe it's because it brings back all those memories of childhood summers, although it may be due to the fact that it doesn't heat up my kitchen; I can't decide. This recipe takes a little more time to put together than most of my marinades, but believe me, it's well worth it.

Ingredients: (for the chicken)

1/2 cup orange juice
1/2 cup lime juice
1/2 cup olive or vegetable oil
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1/4 cup chopped onion
4 tsp chili powder
2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp Tabasco sauce
8 boneless skinless chicken breasts

Directions:

In a large shallow dish or gallon Ziploc bag, mix first 8 ingredients, then add chicken; turn to coat. Refrigerate, turning chicken occasionally, at least 3 hours but no longer than 24 hours.


Taos Tumble Salad

This salad is super fast to put together while the chicken is grilling - you'll love it!

Ingredients:

2/3 cup Caesar salad dressing
1 tsp ground cumin
I head of romaine lettuce
1 pint grape or cherry tomatoes
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
2 cups coarsely broken lime-flavored tortilla chips


Directions:

In a small bowl, mix dressing and cumin. In a large bowl, toss remaining ingredients with dressing mixture. Sprinkle with additional cheese and chips if desired. Serve immediately.


*The picture above doesn't show the tomatoes in the salad because my hubby doesn't like them. Crazy, I know! I think he's missing out, but I add tomatoes to mine separately and then it's not an issue. Unless I'm serving this salad to several people, I only add the dressing to our portions of salad. That way I can save any leftover dressing and lettuce for the next day's leftovers ;)

Microwave Popcorn

I saw this on a friend's blog a couple of years ago and had to try it right away. Who knew it was so easy (and cheap) to make your own microwave popcorn?

Here's what you'll need:

a lunch size paper bag
1/4 cup of popcorn kernels
a pat of butter or margarine

Dump the kernels and butter into the bag (I probably only use a Tbsp of butter) and then fold down the top of the bag twice.

Cook in the microwave for 2 minutes - you might need to adjust the time depending on your microwave.  Once I hear the popcorn slowing down, I turn off the microwave, but leave the popcorn in.  Usually it's hot enough that a few more kernels will pop :)

Now you can season your popcorn and enjoy!  Sometimes we use the butter spray and other times we use butter seasoning - it all depends on your preference.  My grocery store carries a white cheddar seasoning that I'm dying to try!

Chicken Corn Chili

Mmmm...this is so yummy! In fact, it's on my menu for this weekend. Can't wait!

Ingredients:

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 jar salsa– we love Sam’s Choice Black Bean and White Corn
2 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp chili powder

Salt and pepper to taste

1 can Mexican-style corn

1 can pinto beans

Directions:

Place chicken and salsa in the crock pot the night before you want to eat this chili. In the morning, season the chicken and salsa mixture with garlic powder, cumin, chili powder, salt and pepper. Cook on low for 6-8 hours. About 2-3 hours before you want to eat, shred the chicken with two forks then place back in the slow cooker. Add the corn and pinto beans, continue cooking. Simmer until ready to serve. We like it with sour cream and shredded cheese on top and we eat it with tortilla chips. You can add all kinds of toppings to this – be creative. It’s fantastic anytime of the year!