Recipe 911: Italian Night

I ran across this recipe on Once A Month Mom last month. Apparently it is a dish found at Cheddar's restaurant, but I have never eaten at Cheddar's before.  I have had a very bad day today pain-wise (actually a rough past three days) so hubby prepared this for tonight's meal. It made enough for a 9x9 pan for tonight and an 8x8 to freeze.

Spasagna

1 (24 oz) Jar of your favorite Spaghetti Sauce

1 (24 oz.) Jar Garlic Alfredo Sauce

1 lb. spaghetti noodles

1 pound of ground beef

2 cups shredded mozzarella

1/2 cup milk (2% or higher)

1 tsp. dried oregano

1 tsp. dried parsley

Cook spaghetti noodles according to package directions. Drain noodles very well. Preheat oven to 350 degrees (F) Spray 9x13 baking dish (or two separate pans like I did) with nonstick spray.

In a large bowl, combine alfredo sauce, mozzarella, milk, oregano and parsley. Stir well to combine. Add cooked and drained spaghetti noodles and toss to coat them completely. Place entire mixture into baking dish. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for about 30 minutes.

While it cooks, start browning your ground beef in a medium sauce pan. Once beef is brown and crumbled, drain well to remove excess grease. Over low heat add spaghetti sauce and mix. Put cover over sauce pan and allow the mixture to keep warm until pasta is ready. After pasta is finished cooking, remove foil and allow to cool for 8-10 minutes. Original recipe can be found at The Country Cook.

**If freezing this DO NOT bake just assemble and freeze. When ready to use thaw completely and cook at 350 for 30 mins.

We used a little less than 1lb of spaghetti noodles because whole wheat noodles come in boxes less than one pound. We used low-fat alfredo sauce which was fine and we used about 1 1/2 jars of spaghetti sauce which I think is definitely needed to off-set the "chesseyness" :)

Hubby liked it. It was " just ok" for me but it's definitely a pretty easy meal that makes a lot and can easily be frozen.

Recipe 911: Mexican Style

I thought I'd try to post "emergency" recipes from time to time that are either good for freezing or quick and easy for those of who struggle with chronic illness (and those who do not). Who doesn't like good, easy meal ideas?! Today's involves my favorite method of cooking--the crock pot!

Slow cooker Salsa Chicken

1 lb thawed boneless chicken breast
1 cup salsa
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 package taco seasoning
1 cup sour cream

Put chicken, salsa, cream of chicken, and taco seasoning in slow cooker and cook on low for 4-6 hours. Before serving stir in sour cream and cook until heated thoroughly. Serve over rice.
The original recipe can be found at  Chef Mommy (She has a great homemade taco seasoning recipe that I used as well). Apparently this is a common recipe with several variations found online, but I had never tried it before.

Best Black Beans

1 can black beans
1 small onion (i used about a forth of a larger onion)
1 clove garlic chopped
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
salt to taste
1 tbsp fresh cilantro (didn't have but wish I did!)
(I also added in some cumin)

Stir-fry onion and garlic for a few minutes in saucepan. Add other ingredients (except cilantro), bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for about 5 minutes or so.

My two year old LOVES rice and beans and we love spice so these will be repeat recipes in our house.

What did you eat for supper tonight?