Pepperoni and Ziti Casserole

Ingredients:

• 1 lb uncooked ziti
• 1 lb ground turkey
• 1 (26.5 oz) can prepared spaghetti sauce
• 1 (8 oz) can tomato sauce
• 1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
• 1 (8 oz) can sliced mushrooms, drained
• 1 (9 oz) package frozen, chopped spinach - thawed & drained
• 1 cup cottage cheese
• 4 tsp Italian seasoning
• 2 tsp minced garlic
• 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
• 2 oz mini-pepperoni

Directions:

1. Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and set aside to cool.
2. Brown ground turkey over medium heat until no longer pink - then drain.
3. In a large bowl, combine: browned ground turkey, large can spaghetti sauce, 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese, mushrooms, chopped spinach, cottage cheese, Italian seasoning, minced garlic, red pepper flakes, and pepper. Mix well.
4. Fold drained pasta into the turkey mixture.
5. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
6. Prepare 2 baking dishes with cooking spray. (One to bake, one to freeze - if desired.)
7. Fill both baking dishes with ziti-turkey mixture.
8. Combine water with regular tomato sauce. Pour that combination equally over both pasta dishes.
9. Top with remaining shredded mozzarella cheese, Parmesan cheese, and mini-pepperoni.
10. Bake the casserole at 350 degrees F for 25-30 minutes - OR - cover and freeze until ready to use.

Mexi-Stuffed Shells

Ingredients:

• 24 jumbo shelled, cooked as directed and cooled
• 1 lb lean ground beef
• 2 cups salsa
• 1 (15 oz) can tomato sauce
• 1 can whole kernel corn, drained
• 1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 2 cups shredded Mexican blend cheese

Optional Toppings:

• sliced black olives
• diced tomatoes
• diced onion
• fresh, chopped cilantro
• chopped green onions
• crushed tortilla chips

Begin by cooking the pasta shells as directed on the package. Drain and set aside to cool.

In a large skillet, brown ground beef over medium heat until fully cooked. Drain.

In the same skillet with the cooked, drained ground beef - add the tomato sauce, black beans, corn, and salsa. This will be the filling for the shells.

Next, make sure that the baking dish for the stuffed shells is prepared with non-stick cooking spray. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Fill the cooked, drained shells with the beef and vegetable mixture. Cover shells with any remaining filling mixture.

Top shells with shredded cheese, and bake for 20-25 minutes at 350 degrees F.

After removing the stuffed shells from the oven, top with your choice of toppings. (We used diced tomatoes, diced onions, fresh chopped cilantro, and sliced black olives.)

Hint: I found the shells much easier to fill by using 2 large table spoons and putting the shell into the skillet with the filling mixture as I filled each shell. I used one spoon to hold the shell and the other to fill it - worked so much easier than the last time I cooked shells! This recipe made 2 dishes for our family: one we cooked and ate for dinner tonight, the second we put in the freezer for a later date. This was a great alternative to taco night at our house. Enjoy!

This recipe is linked up at Little House on the Prairie Living's Old Fashioned Recipe Exchange. Go see what other great recipes are linked up!

Herbed Chicken & Shrimp (Crock-pot)

Ingredients:

1 1/2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken thighs

1 tsp salt

1 tsp pepper

1 large onion, chopped

1 (15 oz) can tomato sauce

1/2 cup white wine

1 clove garlic, minced

1 tsp dried basil

1 lb uncooked medium shrimp, peeled and deveined

* Prepare the crock by spraying lightly with non-stick cooking spray. Lay the boneless, skinless chicken thighs on the bottom on the crock and season with salt and pepper.

* Next, top the chicken breast with chopped onion, tomato sauce, white wine, garlic, and basil.

* Cook on low 4 1/2 - 5 1/2 hours. During the last 45 minutes, add the peeled and deveined shrimp. Stir well.

* Serve over rice or pasta.

Hint: This is a great dinner to start later in the day. The cook time is shorter, and the prep is next to nothing. If you buy frozen chopped onion - as I do on occasion - prep will be even less. We topped ours with grated Parmesan cheese....delightful!

Pasta Sauce Plus

Tonight we are eating Spaghetti for dinner. Spaghetti like my Mama used to make!

Since we are going to cook a batch of pasta sauce, I decided to go ahead and cook enough to have sauce in the freezer ready for the next time we want to eat pasta.

We put a lot of vegetables in our sauce, and when in doubt - we add more tomatoes.

Making a double batch of pasta sauce to use half now and freeze half for later is a wonderful way to make the kitchen a more productive place in our home.

Ingredients:
1-2 lbs ground beef, browned and drained
1 large green pepper, diced
1 large onion, diced
1 TBS minced garlic
1 (4 oz) can sliced mushrooms, drained
1 (26.5 oz) can prepared spaghetti sauce
1 (14.5 oz) can stewed tomatoes
1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes with onions & green peppers
1 (15 oz) can tomato sauce
1 cup water
1/2 cup red cooking wine
2 tsp Italian seasoning blend
1 tsp sugar

- After browning ground beef and draining, combine with all other ingredients in the crock-pot.

- Stir occasionally while cooking on LOW for 3-4 hours.

- Divide prepared sauce. Use half for dinner and freeze the other half in a freezer safe zipper bag or freezer safe container with a lid. (Don't forget to label!)

Chili - "6 Way"

What can I say, we watch too much TV in our house. Really. But....because of what we are watching we are also learning new ways to cook our favorite dishes. Tonight was supposed to be Chili for dinner kinda night. It was. Kind of :)



Our version of a "6 Way" - - next time, more jalapenos!!

1 - Spaghetti noodles
2 - ground beef, slow cooked in tomato sauce and chili spices
3 - red kidney beans
4 - diced onions
5 - shredded colby-jack cheese
6 - sliced jalapenos


Beeeeee-licious!!

This was adapted from a segment featured on Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives. Awesome. Just, awesome!!