Spaghetti & Meatballs

1 pound spaghetti
1 jar prepared spaghetti sauce
1 can diced tomatoes
1 can tomato paste (minus 2 tablespoons for the meatballs)
½ cup beef broth
1 pound ground turkey
¼ cup breadcrumbs (directions for preparation to follow)
2 tablespoons paste
1 egg
3 tablespoons of beef broth
Handful of parmesan cheese
Salt & pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add salt and the spaghetti and cook as directed or until al dente. The spaghetti will continue to cook in sauce, later. To a large skillet add prepared spaghetti sauce, tomato paste (minus 2 tablespoons), and diced tomatoes, and allow to cook together. Add beef broth and allow the sauce to simmer while you make the meatballs. In a large bowl mix together turkey, bread crumbs, tomato paste, egg, beef broth, handful of cheese, and salt and pepper. Shape into meatballs (any size, just make sure they are all the same size for even cooking) and bake the meatballs for fifteen to twenty minutes or until cooked thoroughly. Carefully remove meatballs from the baking sheet and add them to the sauce. Drain and add cooked pasta to the pan and mix together with the red sauce.

Serve meal with a tossed garden salad.

Breadcrumbs Recipe

Making your own breadcrumbs can be easy and inexpensive. The flavor of fresh breadcrumbs versus the store bought variety is not even comparable. Store your breadcrumbs in your freezer and you will always have fresh breadcrumbs on hand. I keep mine in a freezer-safe container and when I get low, I simply make another batch. Breadcrumbs can be made out of loaf ends, stale bread, hot dog rolls, & hamburger buns- whatever you have on hand! Keep a bread bag with all of your bread in it and store it in the freezer. Once the bag is filled, it is time to make some breadcrumbs!

Set your oven to broil and then lay all of the bread out on cookie sheets. You only need to broil the bread a couple of minutes (keep one eye on it because it can burn quickly). This helps just to dry the bread out and make it easier to handle. Once the bread is toasted, put this bread into my food processor. You can just have only the bread in there, or if you like the Italian seasonings type of breadcrumbs add your own seasonings (I add garlic salt, and an Italian seasonings dry blend of herbs to mine for that variety). Run the food processor until the bread crumbs are of a fine consistency. Then put these crumbs into a freezer-safe container.

Taco Soup

1 pound ground turkey
1 can chili beans, with liquid
1 can kidney beans, with liquid
1 can whole kernel corn, with liquid
2 cans diced tomatoes
1 can tomato sauce
2 cups water
1 package of taco seasoning mix

In a medium skillet, cook the ground beef until browned over medium heat. Drain & set aside. Place the ground beef, chili beans, kidney beans, corn, tomato sauce, water, diced tomatoes, & taco seasoning mix in a slow cooker. Mix to blend and cook on Low setting for eight hours.

Serve alone or can be topped with shredded cheese & sour cream.

Serve with tortilla chips.

Stop buying those precooked chickens at the store and enjoy this chicken right at home!

Sticky Chicken

1 tbsp salt
2 tsp paprika
2 tsp dried oregano leaves
2 tsp dried thyme leaves
1 tsp pepper
1 tsp garlic salt
1 – 3 or 4 lb roasting chicken
1 cup chopped onion (I omit this)

In a small bowl, combine all ingredients except chicken and onion. Rub herb mixture inside and outside of chicken. Place in food storage bag; seal bag. Refrigerate overnight. Remove chicken from bag; stuff with onion. Place in crockpot on low 6-8 hours; high 2-4 hours. Chicken juices should run clear and chicken reaches 180*. Let stand 15 minutes before carving.

Serve with mashed potatoes and corn.

Enjoy some outdoor grilling!

Chicken Oregano

6-8 bone-in chicken portions (whatever is cheapest & sounds best)
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup dry white wine
2 T dried oregano, rubbed
salt and pepper
2 garlic cloves, crushed

Arrange chicken portions in a large, shallow dish. In a small bowl, combine the oil, wine, oregano, salt and pepper, and the garlic. Mix well. Spread the marinade over the chicken portions, cover, and refrigerate for 2-3 hours, turning and rearranging occasionally. Place chicken portions on an oiled broiler rack and cook under a preheated broiler for about 30 minutes or until the chicken is crisp and golden on the outside and cooked through, turning and rearranging several times during cooking. Serve warm or cold.

Rice & Noodle Pilaf

1 tablespoon butter
1/2 tablespoon oil
2 cloves minced garlic
1/2 onion chopped (I omit because I don’t like onions)
1 cup of egg noodles
1 cup of rice
1/2 cup dry wine
2 cups chicken broth (use the Fit & Active brand to cut down on sodium)

Heat oil and add butter. Once the butter is melted, sauté onion and garlic on high. Add noodles and rice and toss until toasted. Reduce heat to low and add wine and chicken broth. Cover and cook for 20 minutes or until rice is done and liquid absorbed.

Note: In my slow cooker, I put this on before we leave for church and can come home and have dinner ready when we get back. If you have a newer slow cooker, you can aim for two or three hours tops! Enjoy!

Slow Cooker Ravioli

1 (25 ounce) bag beef or cheese ravioli
1 (26 ounce) jar pasta sauce
1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
1 cup water
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Pour about half of the pasta sauce in the bottom of slow cooker. Add frozen ravioli. Pour additional pasta sauce, tomato sauce, and water over ravioli. Sprinkle cheese on top. Turn slow cooker on low and cook for four to five hours (until ravioli are tender).

One-Pot Pasta with Italian Chicken

1# boneless, skinless chicken
2 tsp olive oil
8 oz fresh button mushrooms
1 tsp bottled minced garlic
1 tsp dried Italian seasonings
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 can diced tomatoes
1 can chicken broth
8 oz pasta- egg noodles, macaroni, or orzo

Heat oil. Slice mushrooms and add to the skillet. Add garlic. Cut chicken into bite size pieces and add to the skillet. Add seasoning. Cook for three minutes. Add wine and cook stirring constantly for one minute. Add tomatoes with their juice, broth, 1/2 cup water and pasta. Bring to a boil and press pasta down into the liquid. Cover and cook at moderate boil for seven to nine minutes, stirring once.

The kids love this one! Even the people in our family who don’t like sloppy joes enjoy this recipe. Hope your family enjoys it too!

Sloppy Joe Turnovers

1 lb ground beef (or turkey)
1/4 cup chopped onion (or onion powder)
1/2 cup ketchup
1/4 cup sour cream
1/2 t salt
1/4 t garlic powder
10-oz can of the larger biscuits (should be ten in the can)
Preheat oven to 375º.Brown the ground beef and onion, drain. Add the ketchup, sour cream, salt and garlic powder, stir to combine. Roll out dough to 4” round. Place 1/4 cup (or so) meat mixture in center and fold over top. Seal edges firmly with fork. Bake 15 minutes.

Serve with shoestring oven fries.

Greek Chicken Over Orzo

8 oz orzo (you can substitute with white rice to make this an Aldi Recipe)
1.5# skinless, boneless chicken breasts
2 cloves garlic or 2 tsp bottled garlic
1 can diced tomatoes
1 8 oz can tomato sauce
1 jar artichoke hearts (14 oz), quartered
1 can sliced olives (3.8 oz)
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp dried basil

Cook orzo or rice as directed. Heat oil in pan and add chicken. Cook until chicken turns white on the outside (approximately 4 minutes). Add garlic to the skillet. Add tomatoes with their juice and tomato sauce. Drain artichokes and add them to the skillet. Drain olives and them to the skillet. Add oregano & basil. Cook until chicken is no longer pink (about five minutes). Reduce heat to low utnil ready to serve. Serve chicken with sauce over the hot orzo.

*To add extra flavor, cook the rice/orzo in chicken broth, instead of water.

Tuscan Pork Chops

1/4 cup all purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon pepper
4 1 inch thick pork chops, boneless
1 tablespoon olive oil
3 cloves minced garlic
1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
1/3 cup chicken broth
3 plum tomatoes seeded and diced-or small can diced tomatoes, drained
2 tablespoons capers- (can be omitted to make this an Aldi store recipe. Feel free to add, should you have these in your pantry!)

Combine first 3 ingredients in shallow dish, dredge pork chops in flour mixture. Cook pork chops in hot oil in large skillet over medium high heat until golden brown on each side.One or two minutes per side. Remove chops and set aside.  Add Garlic to skillet, sauté for 1 minute. Add vinegar and chicken broth and stir to loosen particles from bottom of skillet, stir in tomatoes and capers.  Return pork chops to skillet, bring sauce to a boil. Cover, reduce heat and simmer 4-5 minutes until pork is done. Plate pork chops and cover with sauce.

Serve over angel hair or thin spaghetti pasta.

This is for when you need to get dinner on the table in a hurry!

Stroganoff Skillet

1 lb ground beef
1- 10 ¾ oz can cream of mushroom soup
3 c wide egg noodles (uncooked)
1 c sour cream
1 c beef broth,
½ c water

Brown ground beef in a large skillet over medium heat; drain and return meat to skillet. Gradually add soup and remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil; cover. Reduce heat and simmer for ten minutes or until noodles are tender. Makes four to six servings.