Yummy easy spaghetti sauce

This is my favorite spaghetti sauce recipe. It comes from a freezer cookbook called Once a Month Cooking. This makes alot so plan on freezing about half of the recipe.

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Ingredients

• 1 lb Italian sausage
• 3/4 cup finely chopped onion
• 1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste
• 3 (15 ounce) cans tomato sauce
• 1 cup water
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 2 teaspoons dried basil
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley (I used 1 TBS dried parsley)
  
• 2 teaspoons salt

Directions

1. Brown the sausage with the onion and drain.
2. Add the rest of the ingredients and simmer, partly covered, for 1-2 hours.
3. Simmering can be done in a crockpot, if desired.
4. This makes alot of sauce and can be frozen beautifully.

Crock pot BBQ Chicken

This is super easy....

4-6 Chicken Breasts
1 Bottle of your favorite BBQ sauce

Put chicken in crock pot and pour BBQ sauce on top. Cook on low for 5-6 hours or high for 3-4 hours.

We serve this with rice and use the BBQ sauce as gravy on top. This can be used with any kind of chicken, even the kind that comes with bones :)

Mexican Fiesta Salad

Makes 4 servings

2 ripe avocados
3 vine-ripe tomatoes
1/2 sweet onion(yellow)
Chopped Cilantro(about 2 tbl)
coarse salt
Evoo(extra virgin olive oil)

Cut avocados in half. Remove the pit and carefully scoop out avocado halves with a spoon. Cut into wedges and pile in the center of a large platter. Seed and wedge the tomatoes and arrange around the avocados. Arrange sliced onion over platter and sprinkle all with cilantro. squeeze the juice of 2 limes evenly over vegetables. Season with coarse salt, drizzle with evoo and serve.

Very Light and refreshing Salad.
Enjoy!

Super Stuffed Potatoes

Makes 4 Servings

4 Slices center-cut bacon, chopped
2 all purpose potatoes
1/2 cup sour cream
2 scallions, finely chopped
salt and freshly ground pepper
1 cup of cheddar cheese, any kind will work

In a small skillet over medium heat brown bacon then drain on a paper towel.
Cook the potatoes in Microwave on high
Let the potatoes cool
Preheat your broiler
Carefully cut potatoes length wise and scoop out the potatoes and put into a bowl. Combine with sour cream, scallions, salt, pepper and cheese. Scoop back into the cut potatoes skins and place under broiler to lightly brown the tops and then serve.

You can put in kinds of vegetable in these to hide for the picky eaters in your house. Like broccoli chopped. If you don't like bacon use Ham instead. Also you can fry the potatoes skins and dip them into nacho cheese(without the filling of course).

Enjoy!

Baked Rigatoni or "BASAGNA" (as my kids call it!)

1 Box Rigatoni Noodles

2 cups shredded Mozarella
2 jars of Ragu Super Vegetable Primavera
(it tastes better with that specific sauce)
1 12ounce ( I think...it's a little bigger than a yogurt) Part Skim Ricotta Cheese


Cook noodles as directed.
Drain, and put back in pot.
Add 1 1/2 jars of sauce, 1/2 your mozarella, and all of the ricotta.
Mix Well.
Pour into Greased 9x13.
Pour the rest of sauce over it.
Sprinkle rest of mozarella over it.
Bake 350 for 20 or so minutes.

A TOTAL CROWD PLEASER!!! Everyone loves this. I took it as a meal to someone and they called asking (joking of course) for more! It really takes about 10 minutes to prepare, and then cook time! Way easy! And not expensive! And you know what my motto is :

If we are what we eat, I must be fast, cheap, and easy!

Cheddar Chicken Spaghetti

Another family favorite
1 package (7 ounces) spaghetti, broken
2 cups cubed cooked chicken
2 cups (8 ounces) shredded cheddar cheese, divided
1 can (10-3/4 ounces) condensed cream of chicken soup, undiluted
1 cup milk
1 tablespoon diced pimientos, optional
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper

Cook spaghetti according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a bowl, combine the
chicken, 1 cup cheese, soup, milk, pimientos if desired, salt and pepper. Drain
spaghetti; add to the chicken mixture and toss to coat. Transfer to a greased
13-in. x 9-in. x 2-in. baking dish. Sprinkle with the remaining cheese. Bake,
uncovered, at 350° for 20-25 minutes or until heated through.

Yield: 6-8 servings.

Favorite Chicken Casserole

One of our family favorites.
2 cups sour cream
1 can (10-3/4) condensed cream of chicken
2-1/2 cups cubed cooked chicken
1-3/4 cups of butter-flavored cracker crumbs*
1/2 cup butter or margarine, melted

In bowl, combine the sour cream, soup.
Stir in chicken. Pour into a greased
11-in.x7in.x2in. baking dish(I just use any
small to medium dish). Combine the cracker crumbs
and butter; sprinkle over top. Bake uncovered at
350 for 25-30 minutes or until heated through
Yield 4 servings
*Side Note I sometimes use stove top stuffing
in place of crackers. Follow the instruction on box
once done place on top of casserole.

Serve with cooked carrots:
Add a few drops of honey to water as carrots are cooking.
Gives the carrots a sweet taste that children like.

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