Search Results for: blog beef and pasta bake

Baked Ziti

This version uses ground turkey instead of ground beef, but it has all of the flavor. Since full-fat cheese is used, I wouldn’t exactly call it healthy, but the milder taste of the meat really lets the other ingredients come through for a very tasty dish. This baked ziti is very kid friendly too and leaves over well. I usually make it up to a day in advance and then just pop it in the oven at dinnertime. It makes that crazy witching hour with the kids much easier, since I can give them all of my attention. Ingredients 16 … Continue reading →

Chicken and Lemon Fettuccine

Some nights all you want is to make something that is quick, filling and tasty. For that, pasta is an excellent choice. This recipe meets all of those criteria and for the gluten free you can still has pasta, it’s just rice pasta. The original version of this recipe that this was adapted from called for spaghetti but personally I find the gluten free spaghetti is hopeless, as it is so thin and doesn’t have a good texture, so I always prefer to use fettuccine instead. Of course it is entirely up to you and your preferences. Quick and Easy … Continue reading →

Beef and Pasta Bake

This beef and gluten free pasta dish is so simple and yet it tastes great. Our family prefers this to traditional lasagna made with lasagna sheets. Sorry, but because of the cheese content, this is not suitable for those unable to eat dairy products. HINT Any dish that uses ground beef should always include grated carrot or apple. It adds to the flavor. It’s all a matter of taste but in the efforts of cutting down salt intake I rarely add salt to most recipes, especially if using tomato paste. It is usually salty enough. No-one’s ever noticed or complained. … Continue reading →

Combining Meat and Cheese

When I’m looking for a quick meal to serve on a busy weeknight, I often turn to my initials—-MC. When my family members see MC on the dinner calendar that hangs on our refrigerator door they instantly know that we’ll be dining on two favorites: Meat and cheese. I have a seemingly endless variety of recipes, which feature a combination of meat and cheese, that are fast, tasty and nutritious. Some of my family’s favorites are: CHEEZ-IT MEATLOAF Ingredients: 2 pounds ground beef 1 cup crushed Cheez-It crackers (you can also use a generic version of cheese crackers) 1/4 cup … Continue reading →

More Pasta Party Recipes

In my previous blog I suggested employing a simple yet delicious pasta theme for your next gourmet get together. The following recipes are easy and affordable additions to the classic Italian dishes I featured in my last entry. BOWTIE PASTA AND CHICKEN Ingredients: 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided 1 teaspoon garlic salt 1/2 teaspoon black pepper 3 boneless chicken breasts, cut into 2-inch pieces 1/2 cup diced red and yellow pepper 1 garlic clove, minced 1 teaspoon dried marjoram 1/2 cup dry white wine 1 cup chicken broth 3/4 cup heavy cream 1/4 cup diced sun dried tomatoes 1 cup … Continue reading →

Pony Up to the Table for this Unique Sandwich

This is not your ordinary stick-in-your-kid’s-school-lunch-box type sandwich. The following culinary creation takes a bit of time and effort to prepare, but your taste buds will thank you for it (though your waistline might not). The “Ponyshoe” sandwich is considered the signature dish of Springfield, Illinois because it was created by two local chefs employed by the city’s Leland Hotel back in 1928. The sandwich is not for the faint of heart—-literally. It starts out with two slices of thick toasted bread. Those are topped with a monstrous piece of fried ham steak or two large hamburger patties. Add to … Continue reading →

More Quick and Easy Back to School Meals—Wrap and Go

Even if your children are not enrolled in year round school the business of getting ready to head back to class is well underway in most households. (Heck, our Wal-Mart already moved the school supplies to make room for Halloween decorations.) With so much to do and so little time to do it preparing 4-course meals is out of the question for many home cooks. If you are pressed for time, but still want to get a healthy meal on the table then these next recipes might come in very handy during the next couple of weeks. The first is … Continue reading →

Another Easy Mother’s Day Meal—Perfectly Simple Pasta

Dads you can do this! Mother’s Day is May 11th and all this week I have been guest blogging in FOOD sharing simple recipes that even the most culinary-challenged dad can whip up for that special woman who bore his children. This next recipe is just as easy as the others and it comes with an added bonus: it’s very affordable. There’s no arguing that mom is worth all the money in the world, but if you are battling high gas prices, rising food costs and a shrinking household budget then you might consider cutting back on excessive Mother’s Day … Continue reading →

The Secret Ingredient You Need to Have on Hand

Have you discovered the wonders of sour cream? Sour cream is great because you can add it to just about anything to get a creamier, richer, or more moist result. I consider it a “pantry essential” as it’s the best way I know of to make a quick dip or add flavor and texture to a flat sauce. Here are a few of my favorite sour cream hints and tips: A Quick Dip Combine equal parts sour cream and mayonnaise. Then add chives, bacon and tomatoes for a quick and tasty dip for last minute company. Creamier Pasta Sauce Want … Continue reading →

Simple and Tasty Ways to Use Extra Ground Beef

Ordinarily there is nothing remotely close to “extra” ground beef anywhere near my kitchen, but since I committed to making Spicy Sloppy Joes (among other dishes) to take to a football viewing party tomorrow I happened to have a few extra pounds of beef in my refrigerator. As such I was able to prepare two tasty and affordable one-dish meals to feed my family this weekend. (Both can be modified to feed more than four people.) Two other perks of these dishes are their simplicity (all of the ingredients are kid-friendly and take less than 30 minutes to prepare) and … Continue reading →