First off I know I have slowed to a snails pace with posting recipes. The month of June has been busy and I admit to not trying a lot of new recipes the last few months. When the weather gets nice I want to be outside not in the kitchen. I have tried a few new recipes but some of them I feel need some tweaking before I put them up here.

Spaghetti is  a favorite in my family. I have posted a few recipes that have gone over pretty well before. I have been trying to make my own sauce but so far have not found one we all like. So I have take a break and have been using store bought sauce. I have though been tweaking that and have come up with a recipe I am happy with and wanted to share. My husband puts his nose up at this because he likes his sauce plain and I like it with some added veggies. The kids like this though so I told him to pick them out then! :p

Source: Abs Kitchen

Prep Time: 10 minutes Cook Time: 30 minutes to a few hours

• 1lb ground hamburger
• 1 small to medium onion diced
• 1 medium green pepper diced
• 3 or 4 fresh mushrooms sliced or diced
• 1 67oz jar of Prego traditional Italian sauce
• Red pepper flakes to taste
• Hot cooked Spaghetti noodles

Brown the ground hamburger with the onion, green pepper and mushrooms. I also add a few shakes of the red pepper flakes as well. Drain off fat. Add Prego sauce and more red pepper flakes(I like my spaghetti with a little bite) if you like. Bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and let cook for at least 30 minutes. I  tend to let it simmer for a few hours. Serve over hot spaghetti noodles.

Yields: 6-8 servings

Its very simple but I love adding the extra veggies. I add the red pepper flakes to give it a nice little bite. You can play around with it and add as much or as little of the veggies and red pepper flakes as you would like. I also like to let it simmer all afternoon because I think the flavor is a bit better but I have also only cooked it for about 30 minutes and its still comes out great. You can of course use any spaghetti sauce you want but we really like the Prego flavor.

Again not the best picture but I keep forgetting to take one and am happily enjoying my food and then I remember I need to take a picture! I have been trying more and more pulled pork or other meat sandwiches and I really like this one. Its super easy to put together and very yummy as well.

Source: Taste of Home Quick Cooking Cookbook 2008

Prep: 20 min Cook Time: 5hrs if roast is thawed 9hr if you use a frozen roast

• 1 boneless whole pork loin roast (2 to 3 lbs)
• 1 tbsp fajitas seasoning mix
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 cup Italian salad dressing
• 1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
• 8-10 sandwich rolls, split

Cut roast in half(if you use frozen let it cook for a few hours and then cut it); place in 5-qt. slow cooker. Sprinkle with fajitas seasoning and garlic powder. Pour salad dressing and Worcestershire sauce over meat. Cover and cook on low for 5-6hrs(or around 9 if frozen) or until tender. Remove roast; shred meat(I did it right in the slow cooker with no problems) with two forks. Return to cooking juices; heat through. Using a slotted spoon, serve pork on rolls.

Yield: 8-10 servings

This was good!! I could not find the fajitas seasoning mix for the life of me in the store for some reason so I looked up a recipe online and made my own and I will post that at some point. When I make this again I might double the salad dressing and Worcestershire sauce since the pork sucked it up once I shredded it. This is a great recipe for a day when your going to be out and about. Come home shred the meat maybe throw some fries on or have some chips or a salad. Also would be great for parties and pot lucks.

First off I apologize that the picture is not the best. Sometimes I have to take the picture in a hurry and between that and the rice(white is not fun to take pictures of!) its a bit bright. I tried this recipe because it can be on the table in 20 minutes and I love quick and tasty recipes like this!

Source: Adapted from Taste of Home Quick Cooking Annual Recipes 2010 cookbook

Prep/Cook Time: 20 min.

• 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts(6oz each)
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 2/3 cup applesauce
• 2/3 cup barbecue sauce
• 2 tbsp brown sugar
• 1 tsp chili powder

Sprinkle chicken with pepper. In a large skillet(electric skillets work awesome for recipes like this), brown chicken in oil on both sides. In a small bowl, combine the remaining ingredients; pour over the chicken. Cover and cook 7-10 minutes longer or until meat thermometer reads 170. Serve over rice.

Yields: 4 servings

I will admit I over cooked the chicken.  I love chicken but tend to over cook it a lot. I have gotten better over the years but I am still working on that one. I also cooked it and let it sit on warm for a little while and that might have been the problem as well. I really liked the flavor of this one and plan to try it again for sure.

This recipe came across my feed reader a month or so ago and it looked yummy so I tagged it. I have never made a cream based chicken noodle soup before so I was curious how it would turn out. One word. MMM!!!! This was awesome. It really does not take that long to make and again SO yummy!!!

Source: Adapted from “B” dubs cafe

Prep Time: 20 min Cook Time: 1 hr

• 4 chicken breasts, boneless, skinless
• 4 bouillon cubes(or 4 tsp bouillon graduals) divided
• 1 family size can of cream of chicken soup or 2-3 regular size
• 1 can evaporated milk
• 1 medium onion chopped
• 3 celery stalks, chopped
• 3 carrots, chopped
• 1 can chicken broth(2 cups)
• 1 tsp dried parsley flakes or more or less to your tastes
• 3/4 bag(16 oz) pkg wide egg noodles or less if you like it souper

Cook chicken in water with 2 tsp(2 cubes) bouillon. Cook until done. Lay out on a plate to cool. While chicken in cooking, chop onion, celery, and grate/chop carrots. In separate large pot, combine these with water so that the veggies are swimming around a little(not just a cover) and add handful of parsley flakes and  the other 2 tsp(2 cubes) bouillon to taste. Get this cooking. When chicken in cooled enough to handle with fingers, tear up the meat with two forks, into smaller pieces, add to vegetables in the pot. Add chicken broth, evaporated milk, soup, and noodles. Adjust to desired consistency. The soup will thicken as the noodles swell. Stir occasionally as it comes to a gentle boil and simmer until vegetables are soft and noodles are done.

Yields: A big pot probably 10 servings

Some tips to help this be a quick meal. You can chop up the veggies the night before or the morning your planning to make this. Just cover and put in the fridge. You don’t have to thaw out your chicken. I didn’t and it still cooked very fast in the water. I also add everything but the noodles while the kids where napping and then just let it simmer till I was ready to add the noodles and it worked fine. My Husband had 3 servings of this and kept saying how good it was. A big score for me let me tell you. He is my food critic(a bit picky) and so when he likes something well its a winner recipe around here. I served this with my homemade white bread and a salad.

These are a favorite of mine. These take a little time to make but taste great and I promise people will ask you for this recipe.

Source: Taste of Home I think.

Prep Time: 20 Min Cook Time: 20-25 min

Cupcakes

• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup baking cocoa
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 eggs lightly beaten
• 3/4 cup water
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• 1 tbsp vinegar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Filling

• 1 pkg (8 oz) cream cheese softened
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1 egg slightly beaten
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 1 cup (6 oz) semi sweet chocolate chips
• 1 cup chopped walnuts(optional)

In a large mixing bowl combine the first five ingredients. Add eggs, water, oil, vinegar and vanilla and mix well. Pour into 18 greased or paper-lined muffin cups.

For the filling, beat cream cheese and sugar in another mixing bowl. Add egg and salt; mix well. Fold in the chocolate chips. Drop by tablespoon fulls into the center of each cupcake. Sprinkle with nuts if you like. Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes or until toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean.

Yields: 1-1/2 dozen

Doubling this recipe gives you just the right amount for taking to get together’s or potlucks. I use the aluminum foil muffin tins so then all I have to do is put them on a cookie sheet and I can cook them all at the same time.  Also start checking them to see if they are done around 20 minutes. If you cook them to long they will dry out a little so watch them close the last 5-10 minutes.

My husband likes ravioli so I have been trying some different recipes and this one is a keeper. Its quite simple to put together and is on the table in less then a hour which is always a plus!

Source: Adapted from Taste of Home Quick Cooking 2010 cookbook

Prep Time: 25 min. Cook time: 35 min. + standing

• 1- 1/2 packages(25 oz) frozen cheese or meat ravioli
• 1/4 cup butter, cubed
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
• 2 cups milk
• 1/4 cup white wine or vegetable broth
• 1/2 cup minced fresh basil or 1 tbsp dried
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
• 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
• 3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese, divided
• 2-1/2 cups marinara or spaghetti sauce

Cook the cheese ravioli according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a large saucepan, melt the butter. Stir in the flour, salt and nutmeg until smooth; gradually add the milk and wine. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 1 minute or until thickened, Remove from heat. Stir in basil and mozzarella cheese and 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese.

Drain the ravioli; toss with the sauce mixture. Transfer to a greased 13-in x 9-in. baking dish. Top with 1 cup cheddar cheese and marinara sauce; sprinkle with the remaining cheeses. Cover and bake at 375 fir 30 minutes. Uncover; bake 5-10 minues longer or until bubbly. Let stand 10-15 minutes before serving.

Yields: 8 servings.

I am definitely going to make this again. Another recipe that goes good with a salad and some bread or bread sticks.

This recipe was one my mother in law gave me shortly after we got married and its one of my husbands favorites. It took me a few times to get it just right but its easy and tastes great.

Source: Family

Prep Time: 10 minutes Cook Time: 1hr

• 1 large jar(30oz) spaghetti sauce
• 1 can cheddar cheese soup undiluted
• 1 large package(16oz) egg noodles
• 1lb hamburger
• 1-2 cups shredded mozzarella or cheddar cheese.

Brown the hamburger and cook the noodles. Combine all ingredients into a baking dish and bake at 350 for 1hr.

Yield: 4-6 servings

Its that simple. I will say you may need a little more sauce as your mixing it all together. That was my problem the first few times I made this recipe it was a little dry so now I buy the big 64oz can of spaghetti sauce and use all but a quarter of the can. It really just depends how saucy you want it. So play around with the sauce amount but use at least 30-40oz of sauce. This goes great with garlic bread and a salad for a fast hardy meal.

My husband loves pot roast. I tolerate it. I always seem to dry it out no matter how I cook it. So I keep trying hoping to finally find a recipe that both of us like. I think I may have found it.

Source: adapted from The Pioneer Women Cooks

Prep Time: 20 Minutes Cook Time: 10-12hrs

• 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
• 1 whole (3 To 5 Pounds) Chuck Roast
• Salt and Pepper to taste
• 3-8 whole Carrots
• 3-6 whole potatoes
• 1 cup Red Wine (optional, You Can Use Beef Broth Instead)
• 2 cans 14.5oz beef broth
• Thyme to Taste
• Rosemary to Taste

Cut up the carrots and potatoes. Put half the carrots and potatoes in the bottom of a 5 qt slow cooker. Generously salt and pepper your chuck roast. Heat a large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Then add 2 to 3 tablespoons of olive oil (or you can do a butter/olive oil split). Place the meat in the pan and sear it for about a minute on all sides until it is nice and brown all over. Remove the roast to the slow cooker. With the burner still on high, use either red wine or beef broth (about 1 cup) to deglaze the pan, scraping the bottom with a whisk to get all of that wonderful flavor up. When the bottom of the pan is sufficiently deglazed, poor the mixture over the roast in the slow cooker. Poor the two cans of beef broth over the roast. Sprinkle the thyme and rosemary over the roast. I just sprinkled a light coating but you can add more or less for your own taste. Put the rest of the carrots and potatoes on top of the roast. Cook in the slow cooker for 10-12hrs.

Yield: 4-6 servings

I used a English chuck roast and it really turned out well. My Husband is not a big fan of onions so I did not add any but if you like them cut up one or two small onions and mix in with the carrots and potatoes. If time was not short when I made this I would have made some gravy from the left over dripping. All you need to do is transfer the liquid from the slow cooker to the stove and add some flour or corn starch and thicken on high. I was very happy with this recipe. You could also not do the potatoes and then just make mashed just depends how you like your potatoes.

A recipe came across my feedreader for pulled pork and it sounded so good I had to give it a try.. It had a homemade sauce which sounded so good and I could not wait to give it a try. Let me just say the sauce turned out horrible I hated the flavor I tried to fix it and I at least got it to taste okay but it gave the pork such a odd after taste and I was pretty bummed so in a last ditch effort I smothered my sandwich with A1 sauce… HEAVEN. I saved this recipe and enjoyed the sandwich quite a few times. Next time I try this recipe I plan to try a new bbq sauce recipe.

Source: I butchered it enough to call this my own in the end.

Prep Time: 1 hour(for a homemade sauce) Cook Time: 10-12hrs(pork roast)

• 1 6-7 lb. picnic pork roast.(I ended up buying a 10lb one)
• salt and pepper to rub roast with
• 7-8 cups of bbq sauce(my own recipe to come at some point).
• Buns

Rub the pork with salt and pepper and place it in the slow cooker. Pour in 6-7  cups of the prepared barbecue sauce, cover, and cook on high for 7-8 hours or low for 10-12 hours, until the meat is fork tender and falling apart.

Remove the meat and place it in a large bowl to cool. Allow the cooking liquid to cool for a few minutes and then strain off the fat. Once the meat is cool enough to handle, pull off the gristle and fat and shred with your hands.

Toss several cups (3-4) of the cooking liquid with the meat, adding as much as you want to keep it moist. Serve on buns with extra sauce.

Yields: 8-12 servings

Mmmm so good.. I can’t wait to try again with a different sauce! The one thing I want to say is don’t give up on a recipe too soon. I knew the sauce was not quite right but I cooked the roast with it because I thought maybe it would get a better flavor after cooking with the pork. Even though it had a weird taste I tried something else and it make it work. Take a gamble and the worst that can happen is you end up with fast food for dinner. :p The best thing that can happen is you end up with a new recipe that tastes great!

My son loves pancakes and would eat them every morning if he could. Thankfully at this point he likes them covered with flavored yogurt rather then syrup which makes them a little healthier. Normally my husband makes us breakfast a few times a month on Saturday and I then give my son the leftover pancakes through out the week. A few weeks back my daughter wanted pancakes for supper and I wanted to try some homemade ones other then the Bisquick ones my husband normally makes. I had this recipe that I had bookmarked from a food blog so I gave it a try. I love how easy they where to make and how healthy they really are. My son loves them and I plan to make a double batch soon so I can freeze some.

Source:   “B” dubs cafe

• 1 cup milk
• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• ¼  cup sugar
• 2 eggs
• ¼ cup butter, melted
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 2 tsp baking powder
• ¼ tsp salt

Combine milk and flour and beat in a blender on high speed for 2 minutes.  Add remaining ingredients and beat on high for 2 more minutes.  Using a ¼ cup measuring cup, pour pancake batter on hot griddle and cook until lightly browned on both sides.  Serve with butter and warm syrup

Yields: 10-12 pancakes

I also love how I had everything I needed to make these pancakes no buttermilk required which is good since I don’t keep that in my fridge a lot. I am thinking about adding a little cinnamon the next time I make these just to change them up a little.