Yummy Recipe Wednesday! (Baked Spaghetti)

Welcome friends and food lovers to another edition of Yummy Recipe Wednesday. Hopefully everyone is having a good, not too cold, week and is looking forward to the weekend. Today I bring you a recipe for a delicious dish that my wife surprised me with last week. I think the best way to describe this dish is that it’s as if Spaghetti and Lasagna got together and had a love child. What really makes this dish stand out in my mind is the butter/Parmesan mixture that the spaghetti is tossed in. I will warn you, however, that this dish is rich but oh so good. On that note, you could use Ricotta Cheese instead of the Cottage Cheese but I’m afraid it would be too rich. My wife actually used Sour Cream instead of Cottage Cheese because that’s all we had available so that’s an option as well. I’ve also considered that you could use a white sauce and chicken and make a Baked Chicken Spaghetti but we’ll leave that for a future experiment. Give this recipe a try, I promise you won’t be disappointed. As always, feel free to leave comments below with your thoughts and/or opinions. Also, don't forget to follow us on Twitter by clicking the button near the top of the sidebar to the right.

Baked Spaghetti

• 1 (16 oz) pkg Spaghetti
• 1 lb Ground Beef
• 1 Onion, chopped
• 1 (32 oz) jar Meatless Spaghetti Sauce
• 1/2 tsp Seasoned Salt
• 2 Eggs
• 1/3 cup Grated Parmesan Cheese
• 5 Tbsp Butter, melted
• 2 cups Small Curd Cottage Cheese, divided
• 4 cups Shredded Mozzarella or Cheddar Cheese, divided

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C); lightly grease a 9x13-inch baking dish.
2. In a large pot of lightly salted boiling water cook spaghetti, stirring occasionally, until nearly al dente; drain.
3. In a large skillet over medium heat cook and stir beef and onions until meat is browned and onions are soft and translucent; drain off excess grease and then stir in spaghetti sauce and seasoned salt.
4. In a large bowl whisk together eggs, Parmesan cheese, and butter; add spaghetti to egg mixture and toss to coat.
5. Place half the spaghetti mixture into the bottom of the baking dish and top with half the cottage cheese, meat sauce, and mozzarella; repeat layers.
6. Cover with aluminum foil and bake in the preheated oven for 40 minutes; remove foil and continue to bake until the cheese is melted and lightly browned, 20 to 25 minutes longer.

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Gluten Free Friday (Flourless Peanut Butter Cookies)

Hello again everyone and Happy Friday. Welcome to another Gluten Free Friday recipe post. Today I bring you a gluten free cookie recipe that is so simple to make and so delicious that you can hardly believe there’s no flour in them. My wife made these a couple of nights ago and I was skeptical about how they were going to turn out but I have to say these are some of the best peanut butter cookies I’ve ever tasted. They’re rich in peanut butter flavor and they are so soft and chewy. I added a couple of optional ingredients to the list below. My wife actually added the 1 tsp of Vanilla when she made them and next time we make them we’re going to incorporate chocolate chips into the mix. There’s really a lot of things you can add to these to change it up a bit. I saw online the other day where someone had made these somewhat thin and then after they cooled they sandwiched jelly between two cookies. So give these a try and let me know in the comments below what you thought of them and what variations, if any, that you made.

Flourless Peanut Butter Cookies

• 1 cup Peanut Butter
• 1 cup White Sugar
• 1 Egg
• 1 tsp Vanilla (optional)
• Chocolate Chips (optional)

NOTE: Recipe makes about 6-7 cookies, double ingredients if desired.

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C).
2. Combine ingredients and drop by teaspoonfuls on cookie sheet; flatten with a fork, making a crisscross pattern, then sprinkle a little sugar on top.
3. Bake for 8 minutes; let cool and enjoy.

Yummy Recipe Wednesday! (Slow Cooker Chicken Stroganoff)

Happy Wednesday everyone! Welcome to another edition of Yummy Recipe Wednesday. Today I bring you a recipe that is so easy to make and utilizes one of my favorite cooking tools, the slow cooker. When I found this recipe I didn’t believe that something this easy could be very tasty but I gave it a try anyway and I’m glad I did. This dish is so delicious that your friends and family won’t believe that there are only 6 ingredients, give or take depending on whether or not you add anything extra. Personally I like to include a little broccoli to add a little color to the dish, plus I like the taste of broccoli and it works well in this dish. Mushrooms would be a great addition to this recipe as well. Also, I know it doesn’t seem like 1/8 c of margarine by itself with the chicken in the slow cooker would be enough but it is. However, the sauce is a bit on the thick side in the end so you could add 1/2 c of white wine or 1/2 c of chicken stock in the beginning when cooking the chicken. Give this a try and please let me know in the comments below what you thought and what variations, if any, that you made to the recipe.  Be sure to come back Friday for another Gluten Free Friday recipe.

Slow Cooker Chicken Stroganoff

• 4 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts, cubed
• 1/8 cup Margarine
• 1 (.7 oz) package Dry Italian Salad Dressing Mix
• 1 (8 oz) package Cream Cheese
• 1 (10.75 oz) can Condensed Cream of Chicken Soup
• 1 (12oz) package Extra Wide Egg Noodles

1. Add the chicken, margarine, and dressing mix into your slow cooker; mix together and cook on low for 5 to 6 hours.
2. Add the cream cheese and soup to the slow cooker; mix together and cook on high for another 1/2 hour or until heated through.
3. Serve over cooked egg noodles.

Yummy Recipe Wednesday! (Four Bean Casserole)

Welcome everyone to another Yummy Recipe Wednesday. I hope everyone is having a good week so far and is looking forward to the weekend as much as I am. Today I bring you a recipe for a dish that I remember my grandma making a lot as I was growing up. It’s called a “casserole” but it’s essentially just a chili which you can bake in a casserole dish in the oven or cook in a slow cooker. With the sugar, brown sugar, and molasses this is certainly not a healthy dish by any sense of the imagination but I promise you it is super delicious and you’ll have friends and family begging you to make more. I do remember my grandma adding about 2 lb of bacon to this instead of the 1/2 lb the recipe calls for and I also remember it being way better with more bacon. Of course what isn’t better with bacon and more bacon? Personally I think one of the best things about this recipe is that it’s so easy to make. Don’t let the list of ingredients fool you. Give this a try and let me know how big of a hit it was for you in the comments below.

Four Bean Casserole

• 1 lb Lean Ground Beef
• 1/2 cup Chopped Onion
• 1/4 cup Ketchup
• 1/4 cup Barbecue Sauce
• 1/4 cup Granulated Sugar
• 1/4 cup Brown Sugar
• 2 Tbsp Sorghum or other molasses
• 1 Tbsp Chili Powder
• 1 tsp Salt
• 1 tsp Pepper
• 2 Tbsp Mustard
• 1 can (16 oz) Pork and Beans
• 1 can (16 oz) Butter Beans, drained
• 1 can (16 oz) Kidney Beans, drained
• 1 can (16 oz) Pinto Beans, drained
• 1/2 lb Bacon

1. In a dutch oven or large pot cook the bacon until done but not crispy then remove from the pan and cut into 1 to 2 inch pieces; drain any excess bacon grease leaving enough to cook the onions with.
2. Add the onions to the pot and cook until they are tender.
3. Add the ground beef and cook until browned, breaking up and stirring as it cooks; drain off any excess grease.
4. Add all of the remaining ingredients and stir to combine; transfer to a casserole or slow cooker.
5. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour; if using a slow cooker, cook on HIGH for 1 hour then reduce to LOW and cook for 2 to 4 hours longer.

Gluten Free Friday! (Lamb Meatballs in a Spicy Curry)

Hello again everyone and welcome to this year’s first Gluten Free Friday recipe post. I hope everyone has had a good week and is ready to get their weekend started. Today I bring you a spicy Indian dish that is so flavorful and so delicious that you’ll want to make it again and again. I had tried Thai Curry dishes before but had never really had any Indian food so I had to give this a try when I saw how delicious it looked. Thai Curry dishes and Indian Curry dishes have different flavors in many ways but also have subtle similarities. However, they’re both delicious and that’s what really matters. While lamb is common to Indian cuisine, if you don’t have lamb on hand you could always use Turkey instead. Also, since the spiciness of this dish comes from the Curry Paste there’s not really any way to make this dish mild unless you happen to find a mild Curry Paste, which I hear does exist. On that note, the Madras Curry Paste can typically be bought in the ethnic foods section of your local grocery store or online but if you really feel like taking the time to make your own just click here for a recipe. I hope you enjoy this dish as much as I did. Please post comments below letting me know what you thought about the dish.

Lamb Meatballs in a Spicy Curry

• 1 2/3 lb Ground Lamb
• 1 Tbsp Ground Cumin
• 1 Tbsp Grated Fresh Ginger
• 1 tsp Salt
• 2 Tbsp Butter
• 1 Large Onion, peeled and finely diced
• 4 cloves Garlic, peeled and crushed
• 4 Tbsp Madras Curry Paste
• 1 1/4 cup Boiling Water
• 2 Tbsp Tomato Paste
• 1/2 cup Coriander Leaves, roughly chopped

1. In a large bowl, add the lamb, cumin, ginger and salt; mix until combined and then roll into tablespoon sized meatballs.
2. Melt the butter in a large frying pan over medium heat; add the meatballs and brown on all sides, about 2-3 minutes, then remove from the pan and drain on a paper towel.
3. Using the same pan (add more butter if needed), cook the onion and the garlic until soft.
4. Add the Madras Curry Paste, stir to combine, and cook for another minute; add the water and stir to combine.
5. Add the tomato paste and stir to combine; bring the sauce to a boil and simmer, covered, for 5 to 10 minutes or until thickened.
6. Add the meatballs to the sauce and simmer, covered, for 5 minutes.
7. Garnish with Chopped Coriander; serve over rice and/or with Indian Roti Flatbread.

Yummy Recipe Wednesday! (Chicken with Prosciutto Spinach Cream Sauce)

Welcome everyone to my first recipe post of 2014. I hope everyone had wonderful holidays and didn’t miss my recipe sharing too much during the last couple of weeks. As you may have noticed, I’ve made a slight change to the title for this year. I didn’t feel the word “free” was a good fit, since everything on my blog is free, so I’ve changed the Wednesday posts to Yummy Recipe Wednesday.

This week’s recipe most certainly qualifies as a yummy one. The cream sauce for this recipe is so amazing that I’m pretty sure you could use it on any number of things. I think it would make an amazing pizza sauce personally. My only problem with this recipe is that it doesn’t make quite enough sauce so don’t be surprised if you find yourself wishing that you had doubled the sauce ingredients. If you don’t have heavy cream you could use half-and-half instead or if you absolutely had to you could use milk. Also, if your chicken is done on the outside to your liking but not quite done on the inside, transfer it to the oven to finish cooking. However, if you pound the chicken thin you shouldn’t have any problems with it getting done inside by the time the outside is done.

I hope everyone enjoys this recipe as much as I did. Leave comments below and let me know what you thought and what changes you made, if any. Also, be sure to come back Friday for the first Gluten Free Friday post of the New Year.

Chicken with Prosciutto Spinach Cream Sauce

• 2 Eggs
• 1 cup Milk
• 2 cups Italian Seasoned Bread Crumbs
• 1 tsp Garlic Powder
• 1 tsp Paprika
• Salt and Pepper, to taste
• 1/4 cup Vegetable Oil
• 4 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast, pounded thin
• 1/2 cup White Wine
• 1 Tbsp All-Purpose Flour
• 1 pint Heavy Cream
• 1 tsp Minced Garlic
• 1 1/2 cups Diced Prosciutto
• 3 cups Chopped Fresh Spinach
• 1 cup Shredded Mozzarella Cheese

NOTE: Chicken should be cooked to an internal temperature of 165 degrees as measure by an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center of the chicken.

1. Beat the eggs and milk together in a small bowl and set aside; stir the bread crumbs, garlic powder, paprika, salt, and pepper together in a separate bowl and set aside as well.
2. Heat the vegetable oil in a skillet over medium heat.
3. Dip the chicken breasts into the egg mixture and press into the bread crumbs, shaking off the excess bread crumbs; gently place the chicken in the hot oil and cook until golden brown on both sides and no longer pink in the center, about 6 minutes per side; remove from the pan, set aside, and keep warm.
4. While the pan is still hot, pour the white wine into the pan and scrape the browned bits of chicken off of the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon.
5. Increase the temperature to medium-high and stir in the flour; cook, stirring continuously, until the wine has reduced to half its original volume, about 1 minute.
6. Whisk in the cream and garlic and bring to a simmer; season to taste with salt and pepper and cook, stirring continuously, until thickened, about 8 minutes.
7. Stir in the prosciutto, spinach, and mozzarella cheese; cook, stirring continuously, until the cheese has melted and the spinach has wilted.
8. Pour the sauce over the chicken breasts to serve. (You can also serve this over pasta if desired)