Pasta e Fagioli

A friend of mine was recently rotating her food storage when she found she had a very large amount of tomato products that were going to expire in the next few months. Realizing she had more on her hands than she could get through with her family alone, she offered some of the cans to me. I happily accepted, and now I am trying to find ways to use a lot of tomato sauce, crushed tomatoes, and diced tomatoes! This recipe was on the back of the Western Family can of crushed tomatoes. It caught my eye because it looked simple and right up my alley. I'm excited to try a new pasta recipe! (Shocking, I know.) I'll report once we've tried it..

*So we tried it! And we really liked it. We decided this tasted like SpaghettiOs, except way better. It was a huge hit with the kids, but it was also tasty for the adults. This would be delicious served with grilled cheese or garlic bread. It's nice and thick with plenty of noodles. Yum! I would love this on any chilly autumn night.

Pasta e Fagioli
from Western Family

1 T olive oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/4 c onion, finely diced
2 (14 oz) cans chicken broth or vegetable broth
2 (14 oz) cans crushed tomatoes
1 (14 oz) can Great Norther beans, not drained
1/2 t black pepper
1/4 c chopped fresh parsley
2 c rotini pasta

Heat the olive oil in a large stock pot. Add garlic and onions to oil and cook until onions are golden brown and tender. Add chicken broth, tomatoes, beans, pepper and parsley. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, for 5 minutes. Add rotini to the pot and simmer until pasta is tender, approximately 10 minutes. Serve immediately.

Week 41ish Meal Plan

Do you ever skip grocery shopping for a week?

Sometimes I do. Usually it's when there have been a lot of great stock-up deals throughout the month and I want to stay within my budget. Or sometimes I just skip shopping to give myself the challenge to eat more of the food we have in the pantry.

This week, I am shopping just for the basics because I have so much food sitting in the fridge. So much!! I will be able to make this ENTIRE menu only purchasing mozzarella cheese and milk. If I didn't have to buy diapers for the baby, I'd probably skip the store altogether and make do. Like I said. . . too much food in the fridge!


Saturday
Turkey Sandwiches, Twice Baked Potatoes, Carrot Sticks

Sunday
Macaroni and Cheese, Garlic Bread, Broccoli

Monday
Lime Chicken Soft Tacos, Corn, Salad

Tuesday- Here's a new recipe!
Spaghetti with Meat Sauce, Sauteed Zucchini with Italian Seasoning

Wednesday
Leftovers

Thursday
Bruschetta Chicken, Peas, Fruit Salad

Friday
Roasted Red Pepper Soup , Homemade Rolls

Spaghetti with Meat Sauce

My mom makes a mean spaghetti sauce. And lucky for you? It's super easy, too.

Now that my littlest sister is the only one left at home with my parents, I LOVE when my mom makes spaghetti. Why? Leftovers, of course! My mom is wonderful, and she often comes with a bag full of goodies when she pops in for a visit. (Bag full of goodies means a super random sack of things only she can give me- books to borrow, clearance socks for my boys, a little treat, or a container of leftovers.) The best news about leftover spaghetti sauce is that it freezes really well for a night when you need a quick meal. Just put it in a quart jar and don't forget to leave a little space at the top for expansion.

You can get fancy with this recipe if you want. Do you prefer Italian sausage to ground beef? Well then go ahead and swap it out. Do you have a ton of garden veggies you're dying to use? Feel free to grate in extra carrot or even some zucchini or squash. Add extra onion if you prefer. It's pretty hard to mess this up.

Spaghetti with Meat Sauce
from my mom :)

16 oz spaghetti

1/2 onion, chopped
1/2 lb ground beef (preferably 93% lean)
1 carrot, peeled
1 (28 oz) can tomato sauce
1 T dry basil
1/2 t salt
1/4 t nutmeg
2 T butter

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Cook spaghetti according to package instructions. Drain.

In a large pan, saute onion in a little cooking spray until translucent. Add beef and cook until brown and crumbly. Grate in carrot and cook for a minute. Add tomato sauce, basil, salt, and nutmeg. Simmer sauce on medium heat for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in butter and remove from heat.

Pass Parmesan cheese with pasta and sauce at the table, if desired.

Well Hello There

Missed me these last 11 months?

Holy moly, the time has flown by. I could detail all the converging circumstances that made this blog fall off my to do list, but it's all just water under the bridge at this point if you ask me. Suffice it to say that moving, being called to undertake a lot of responsibility at church, having a baby, and supporting my husband in full time work and school has been a bit time consuming. I feel like I've finally found a balance in life (and a few spare minutes, too, I hope).

So while I can't guarantee I am ready to put up weekly meal plans, grocery lists, and all new recipes, I am excited to interact with this blog after such a long break. Will you be patient while I figure it all out again?

Thanks!
Rachelle

Week 40 Grocery List

This week I will be price matching at WalMart.

Ingredients for Week 40 Dinners
I will be purchasing:
1 red bell pepper ($.50- Buy Low)
1 head lettuce (Organic Romaine lettuce- $.99 Sunflower Farmers Market)
1 c cauliflower crowns ($.89/lb- Reams)
green onions
3 potatoes
fresh parsley (optional)
1 head garlic
cilantro
milk (1 gallon- $1.99- Kohlers)
mozzarella cheese (Tillamook 2 lb block- $4.99- Maceys)
jarred red peppers

I will be using from my pantry:
2 c broccoli
5 chicken breasts
2 lbs pork
8-10 tortillas
1 onion
1/2 c sour cream
cheese (about 16 oz of cheddar and Colby Jack)
Parmesan cheese
frozen edamame
frozen corn
rice
1 lb ziti pasta
1 lb linguini pasta
1 (28 oz) can tomatoes, crushed, diced, or whole
1 (8 oz) can tomato sauce
1 (14 oz) can refried beans
1 (14 oz) can chicken broth
1 (14 oz) can black beans
2-3 (10 oz) cans green enchilada sauce
1 (4 oz) can diced green chiles (optional)
teriyaki sauce
Ranch dressing
bacon bits
dry Ranch salad dressing mix
salsa
lime juice
hot sauce
peanut buter
butter
oil
olive oil
sesame oil
flour
brown sugar
salt pepper
minced onion
garlic powder
chili powder
cumin
basil
bay leaf
nutmeg

I will also be purchasing these deals:
fuji apples ($.79/lb- Buy Low)
1 lb mini carrots ($.79- Fresh Market)
10 (7 oz) Keebler crackers ($1.99- Fresh Market, then use mail in rebate for $10 back)
(15 oz) Progresso Italian breadcrumbs ($.88 with Maceys in-ad coupon)
8-10 ct. Nestle hot cocoa mix ($.69 with Maceys in-ad coupon)

Week 40 Meal Plan

So sorry about the lack of posting last week. Man, oh man, my life has gotten extremely more complicated lately. I'm trying to balance it all, but sometimes I just run out of time! Here is this week's meal plan.

Wednesday
Leftovers

Thursday
Cream of Broccoli Soup, Toast

Friday- Trying something new!
Anniversary Chicken, Mashed Potatoes, Green Salad

Saturday
Go Out

Sunday
Pork Enchiladas, Rice and Beans, Corn
(Follow the Pork Burrito recipe, but after rolling the meat in the tortillas, place in a pan with an extra can or two of green enchilada sauce. Top with cheese as desired and bake at 350 until bubbly.)

Monday
Neapolitan Baked Ziti, Green Salad, Peas

Tuesday- Trying something new!
Americanized Thai Pasta, Edamame

Anniversary Chicken, Mashed Potatoes, Green Salad

When my husband and I were dating, he would always try to do sweet things for me. Ok, he still does that, but he happens to do it a little more skillfully these days. Once upon a time, I had to stay late at school studying, and since he lived just off campus, I asked if I could take a quick study break to see him and eat some dinner. He offered to make some food, and I asked for something quick and easy, like pb&j. When I arrived at his apartment, I was surprised to find he had tried a new chicken recipe from AllRecipes in hopes of spoiling me with an exciting dinner.

He had logically chosen a recipe with extremely high ratings. But since his bachelor apartment wasn't fully stocked with all of the ingredients called for in the recipe, he had made a few substitutions of his own. In the end, you probably guessed that the chicken was a bit of a disaster. We laughed at how his time would have been better spent making sandwiches.

Well, a few days ago I got an email from AllRecipes with that very same recipe as the Recipe of the Day. My husband and I vowed that we would have to try it (with all the right ingredients this time!) to see what all the five-star fuss was about.

So, without further ado, here's the recipe for Anniversary Chicken, from AllRecipes.

• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 3 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
• 1/4 cup teriyaki basting sauce
• 1/4 cup Ranch-style salad dressing
• 1/2 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
• 1-1/2 green onions, chopped
• 1/4 (3 ounce) can bacon bits
• 1-1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh parsley, for garnish

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. In a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add chicken breasts, and saute 4 to 5 minutes each side, until lightly browned.
3. Place browned chicken breasts in a 9x13 inch baking dish. Brush with teriyaki sauce, then spoon on salad dressing. Sprinkle with cheese, green onions and bacon bits.
4. Bake for 25 to 35 minutes, or until chicken is no longer pink and juices run clear. Garnish with parsley and serve.

Americanized Thai Pasta, Edamame

I have been dying to try this Thai Pasta recipe from CreativeStirrings for months now, but somehow I hadn't ever gotten around to it. I have almost all of the ingredients in my fridge at the moment, so I thought I better get with it and make it!

You can find the original post for this recipe here at the Creative Stirrings blog, along with another creative and delicious-looking recipe for burritos if you want to try this sauce two different ways.

I am opting to only make the pasta, so I have modified the recipe by cutting out the extra sauce ingredients for the burritos. But man, check out the presentation on the burritos!


Americanized Thai Pasta
from Creative Stirrings

1/4 (1.0 oz.) dry package of Ranch® Salad Dressing and Seasoning Mix

1/2 cup sour cream
1/4 bunch of cilantro
3.75 oz (a little less than 1/2 cup) jarred red peppers, drained and patted dry with a paper towel
1 tablespoon regular salsa
1 tablespoon lime juice
1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
1/4 teaspoon hot sauce or more!

Combine the ingredients in a blender and mix until smooth.

Add the following in the blender:
1/3 cup creamy peanut butter
2 teaspoons sesame oil
3/4 teaspoon black pepper or more!
Additional hot sauce would also be good

Blend until smooth. Then, pour into a small saucepan or microwave safe bowl and set aside while you prepare the following:
16 oz. linguine pasta, cooked and drained

1 1/2 cups chopped and cooked chicken
1 red pepper, sliced

Stir the chicken into the sauce and heat through. Place noodles on individual serving plates and top with the sauce and red pepper slices. Serve immediately.

Disappointment

Remember how excited I was to try this Penne Rustica copy cat recipe?

Well, I think all of the reviewers online are either crazy or have never actually been to Macaroni Grill.

This dish looked a lot like Penne Rustica. It had penne pasta, chicken, shrimp, and cured pork (though Macaroni Grill uses proscuitto, not bacon) in a creamy sauce, so I can see where people might draw conclusions on their similarity. But seriously, the sauce did not taste one bit like Macaroni Grill's. Sorry, guys, but my pregnant taste buds are quite discerning.

I was pretty disappointed to spend so much time, money, and calories when the whole thing didn't come out right. My husband loved it and ate much more than he should have, but I was just left wishing for the right flavor. Ah well, maybe that means we'll have to actually go out for it sometime!

Sorry to anyone who tried it expecting a clone of the original. I feel your pain.