Crock-Pot Pizza

YAY! I'm back from vacation and it's only taken me 3 weeks and a lot of people beating me with wet noodles to update. We had a GREAT vacation and you can check out a few highlights here.

On Sunday we had some friends over, but I didn't really feel like cooking. I decided to browse crock pot recipes on Taste of Home and found this. I'll be honest. I wasn't crazy about making it, but it was easy and didn't require a lot of prep. Everyone loved it however, except for me. I thought it was just okay. More of a "kids" meal, but hey, most the time I'm a big kid anyway! On a side note, I could NOT bring myself to use 6 CUPS of cheese in one recipe, so I only used 4 cups instead...still a lot of cheese and I could probably get away with using less.

INGREDIENTS:
1 package (16 ounces) wide egg noodles
1-1/2 pounds ground beef or turkey
1/4 cup chopped onion
1 jar (26 ounces) spaghetti sauce
1 jar (4-1/2 ounces) sliced mushrooms, drained
1-1/2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
1 package (3-1/2 ounces) sliced pepperoni, halved
3 cups (12 ounces) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
3 cups (12 ounces) shredded cheddar cheese

DIRECTIONS:

1. Cook noodles according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, cook beef and onion over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain. Stir in the spaghetti sauce, mushrooms and Italian seasoning. Drain noodles.


2. In a 5-qt. slow cooker coated with cooking spray, spread a third of the meat sauce. Cover with a third of the noodles and pepperoni. Sprinkle with a third of the cheese. Repeat layers twice. Cover and cook on low for 3-4 hours or until heated through and cheese is melted.

Yield: 6-8 servings.

Spahgetti with Cherry Tomatoes, Chicken, and Parsley

What do you do when you have leftovers, but no food in the house? Mix them all together of course! Looking at my pictures... I really want to learn to take better photos. I'll work on that.

INGREDIENTS:
1 left over fully cooked chicken breast
3 cups left over spaghetti
1 tablespoon olive oil
Cherry tomatoes, cut in half
Garlic salt to taste
Publish Post
Parsley

DIRECTIONS

1. Cut chicken breast in thin slices and saute until warmed through in a little cooking spray.
   
2. Add olive oil, pasta, tomatoes, and garlic salt cook for 10 minutes or until everything is hot.
3. Eat and pat yourself on the back for coming up with something so yummy so quickly.

Jen's Macaroni & Cheese

I made up my own macaroni and cheese recipe after being disappointed with the recipes I was finding online.

INGREDIENTS

16 oz uncooked macaroni, prepared according to package directions
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons flour
2 cups warm milk (whole milk ideal, but 2% will work)
1 cup shredded cheddar
1/2 cup shredded monterey jack

DIRECTIONS

1. In a medium sauce pan melt butter over medium-low heat and add flour. Make sure heat is low enough that the flour doesn't clump.
2. Add warm milk, increase heat to medium, and stir until the sauce thickens.
3. When sauce has thickened, remove from heat and stir in cheeses until fully incorporated.
4. Mix with cheese sauce with noodles and serve.

Egg Noodles with Garlic Tomato Sauce

I have this thing where I love to just make up new recipes for pasta dishes. Anything goes, but I don't measure. I made a delicious dish last night, so I'll try my best to guess at the proportions.

INGREDIENTS

1 tablespoon minced garlic (or more, LOTS more if you like it)
4 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon Mrs. Dash (any variety you like)
1 can diced tomatoes, drained and sweated*
6 oz egg noodles, prepared by package directions

DIRECTIONS

1. Saute garlic, olive oil and Mrs. Dash over medium low heat for one minute. Add tomatoes and cook covered for 8 minutes while noodles are cooking.
2. Add cooked noodles to your sauce and cook for another minute or two until all noodles are covered with sauce.

*to sweat the tomatoes, drain them in a colander, and sprinkle with a generous amount of salt. This will remove some of the moister so the sauce isn't watery.

Fusilli with Provolone Sauce

INGREDIENTS

Fusilli cooked according to package directions
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons AP flour
2 cups whole milk, heated
1 cup grated provolone cheese
1/4 cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano
Salt and freshly ground white pepper

DIRECTIONS

1. Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in the flour and cook for 1 minute.
2. Slowly whisk in the warm milk, and cook, whisking constantly until thickened, about 3 to 4 minutes.
3. Remove the mixture from the heat and whisk in the provolone and parmesan until combined; season with salt and white pepper.

From Bobby Flay.