Annabelle's Italian Delight

This is one of my favorites that my Grandma Margie fixes whenever we come for a visit. This recipe came from my Grandma's best friend (who we consider family) and neighbor Annabelle. My Grandma and Annabelle were quite a pair. They always kind of reminded me of Lucy and Ethel. Lots of laughing and giggling and funny business. Annabelle was a great cook and baker. She and her husband were also the owners of the original Napa City Bakery in Napa, CA. I always loved going over to their house because my Grandma would sit and drink coffee at their 50's style kitchen table and they would give me "coffee" (or a rather doctored up version) in an actual coffee cup, and I would get to indulge in all of their yummy treats and listen to the incessant laughter. Sadly, Annabelle passed away years ago and we all miss her very much, especially my Grandma. I feel very lucky to have some of her recipes and all the great memories we have had together as family.

Annabelle's Italian Delight

1lb. of ground beef

1 large green pepper (cut into small pieces)

1 large clove garlic (minced)

1/2 cup oil (it calls for vegetable oil, but I am a fan of the olive oil, so that is what I use)

1 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce

1 can tomato soup

1 can corn (cream style)

1 small can of mushrooms + liquid

1 large onion

1 dash Tabasco

salt and pepper to taste

3/4 lb. of spaghetti or vermicelli

Brown the hamburger and drain. Cook spaghetti or vermicelli per package directions and drain. In a 9 X 13-inch baking pan combine all ingredients including hamburger and noodles. Cover and bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes - 1 hour. My Grandma always uncovers hers for about 10 - 15 minutes at the end. It makes some of the top noodles a little crunchy.

Southwest Sweet Potatoes

O.k., I had to make up for the last sinfully delicious post. Got this great little recipe off of Shine on Yahoo. Sweet potatoes are a great "superfood" mixed in with olive oil and tomatoes and black beans. Dr. Oz would be a proud man! Try this and tell me what you think. I think it needs more sour cream.



Southwest Sweet Potatoes



2 medium sweet potatoes

1-15 oz. can of black beans, drained

1 medium tomato, diced

2 teaspoons of extra-virgin olive oil

1/2 teaspoon of ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon of ground coriander

1/4 teaspoon of salt

2 tablespoons of sour cream (you could even use vegan or soy sour cream)

2 tablespoons of chopped fresh cilantro (a constant staple at our house)



Prick sweet potatoes with a fork in several places. Microwave on high until tender all the way to center, 12 to 15 minutes. (Alternatively, place in a baking dish and bake at 425 degrees until tender all the way to the center, about 1 hour) They come out better when you bake them. Trust me on this.

Meanwhile, combine beans, tomato, oil, cumin, coriander and salt in a medium microwave-safe bowl; microwave on high until just heated through, 2 to three minutes. (Alternatively, heat in a small saucepan over medium heat.)

When just cool enough to handle, slash each sweet potato lengthwise, press open to make a well in the center and spoon the bean mixture into the well. Top each with a dollop of sour cream and sprinkle with cilantro

Crock Pot Pulled Pork Sandwiches

With Fall upon us, I love busting out my crock pot. It just feels like the season of comfort food and the crock pot is a great way to make those hearty dishes without too much effort. Dump the ingredients, turn it on and walk away.

Crock Pot Pulled Pork Sandwiches

1 - three to four pound boneless pork roast

1 - white onion

garlic powder (I never measure this, just sprinkle it on until the whole roast is covered well)

water

20 oz. or so of the best barbeque sauce you can find. (I use Sweet Baby Ray's - Honey Barbeque)

large hamburger buns or rolls

Place the pork roast into the crock pot. Cover entire roast with garlic powder (however much you prefer). Cut up onion and place in crock pot. Next, pour water over the entire roast, just enough to cover it. Put the lid on and turn the crock pot on low. Cook for eight hours. Yes, EIGHT HOURS! So be sure to start early! After eight hours remove the crock and dump all the water out. I use a colander to do this so I don't lose any of the onioney goodness. Place the onions and the roast back into the crock pot. Cover the roast with barbeque sauce. You can use a little or a lot depending on how you like your pulled pork. Place the lid back on the crock pot and let it cook for another hour on low. When it's done, grab a bun and serve it up sandwich style!

We Are Back!

Whew! How have you guys been? It has been a while. Kim and I have been busy being mommies and have not had very much time lately to devote to our beloved blog. Luckily, school is out for summer vacation and I have been cooking it up with a few new recipes that I think that you are going to like. I also procured my great-grandmothers recipe box over the summer! I am so excited to share all of the fantastic recipes that I found. So thank you all for sticking with us while we have been away. We appreciate all of your emails and hope to get the ball rolling again here with our blog. Keep writing in with your recipes and questions. We love to here from you!

Velveeta Cheese Quick Pasta Dinner - Originally obtained out of Kraft Food & Family Magazine and modified by me (Deb) to make it taste better!

1 pkg. of Velveeta Shells and Cheese Dinner (12 oz.)

2 Tbsp. Italian dressing

1 cup of broccoli florets

1 cup of red pepper

1 cup of yellow pepper

1 cup of frozen baby peas

1 handful of chopped fresh basil - the recipe calls for dried, but the fresh makes it taste better

3 Tbsp. Parmesan cheese

Prepare pasta as directed on box.

Heat dressing in a skillet on medium heat. Add broccoli and peppers; cook and stir approximately 5 minutes or until done. Stir in peas; cook until heated through. Add pasta mix and basil to the veggies and mix. Top with the Parmesan! Super quick and really great dinner in a dish.

Mike and Deb's Beer Chili and Famous Cornbread

So here is our recipe for this week. We have been really contained to the house this past weekend due to a bunch of sick kiddos and a sick kitty cat. My husband Mike thought that he would whip up some of his favorite beer chili. He always asks me to make my famous cornbread to accompany it! These are super good together so hope you will try them out.

Mike's Beer Chili

2lbs. hamburger

1lb. bacon

2 cans of kidney beans

2 cans of black beans

2 cans of tomato paste

1 lrg. can of crushed tomatoes

1 beer of choice (We only use Sierra Nevada in this house)

2 white onions

2 bell pepper

1 red pepper

1 yellow pepper

5 cloves garlic

2 fresh tomatoes

1 tablespoon of oregano

1 tablespoon of cumin

1 1/2 tablespoons of paprika

1 - 2 tablespoons of chili powder

1-2 tablespoons of cayenne pepper (If you want the kids to be able to eat it. Stick with 3/4 of a tablespoon or less. Mike used 2 tablespoons at it was a little too spicy for our little eaters)

Brown the hamburger. In a food processor (or a blender) combine fresh tomatoes, crushed tomatoes, garlic, cumin, oregano, paprika, chili powder and cayenne pepper together until blended. Fry the bacon until nice and crisp.

Add hamburger, blended ingredients, bacon and remaining items into a large stockpot. Add enough water to give it the correct consistency. Cook and cook and cook on medium heat. It makes the house smell fantastic!

Deb's Famous Cornbread

This is a recipe I have adapted from the original recipe on the Aber's Corn Meal box. My mom always made our cornbread nice and sweet and I have to carry on the tradition here. I love it like this and I think you will too.

1 cup of Aber's yellow corn meal (or any brand of corn meal that you have handy. I just prefer Abers)

1 cup of all purpose flour

3/4 cup granulated sugar

1 tablespoon of baking powder

1 tsp. salt

1 cup of milk

1/3 cup of extra light virgin olive oil

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Grease an 8 inch baking pan.

Combine corn meal, flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in medium bowl. Combine milk, oil and egg in small bowl; mix well. Add milk mixture to flour mixture; stir just until blended. Pour into prepared pan.

Bake for approximately 20 -23 minutes. I use a wooden toothpick to see if it is done or not. When it comes out clean I know that it is ready to roll.

Taco Chili

Kim here...Here is our first recipe in our new feature...Recipe of the Week! I originally got this idea while watching Paula Dean on her Food TV show. She did it with dried beans and spicy tomatoes. While I am sure that is delicious, I don't have the patience for dried beans and after my second pregnancy, my belly doesn't appreciate spicy tomatoes :). So here is my altered recipe for Taco Chili. It's a great one that I think you will enjoy.

Taco Chili

1 pound ground beef or chicken
salt/pepper to season meat while cooking
1 small onion, chopped
14.5 oz. can kidney beans, drained
14.5 oz. can pinto beans, undrained
1 (1 1/4 oz.) packet taco seasoning ( I like McCormick)
1 (1 oz) packet of buttermilk salad dressing mix (Hidden Valley)
1 tsp. chili powder
1/4 tsp. cumin
14 oz. can diced tomatoes
14 oz. can tomato sauce
2 cups water
Tortilla Chips (optional for garnish)

1. Brown and crumble meat while adding seasonings and chopped onions.
2. Add tomatoes, tomato sauce and water.
3. Bring to a boil. Let simmer uncovered until you get a nice, rich, thick consistency to your chili. This may take up to 2 hours.
4. Serve with tortilla chips and/or a dollop of sour cream on top.

Chunky Chicken Chili

Kim here...Now I know you are thinking, yuck! What are you thinking putting chicken in chili! I know, I thought the same thing until I tried it. My mom isn't a ground beef fan and so she usually substitutes different meat for beef. Tonight, she made this for our family and I really liked it. The hubby complained because it wasn't his typical red meat fare, but I enjoyed it because it was lighter in calories and better for you...plus it was good! So give this a try and you will be surprised that chicken really can go in chili!

Congratulations to our winner as well for this month's giveaway. Thanks Deb for organizing that!

Chunky Chicken Chili

1 lb. ground chicken
1 15 oz. can diced tomatoes
1 15 oz. can tomato sauce
1 pkg. McCormick chili packet
1 15 oz. can pinto beans, don't drain

1. Brown and crumble chicken in a deep skillet. Season with salt and pepper while cooking it. After it is cooked through (no pink left) add the rest of the ingredients and stir. Bring to a boil and then lower heat so it can simmer about 30 minutes. Thanks mom for the good idea! Gotta love those moms!

Baked Three Cheese Tortellini with Tomato Cream Sauce

Kim here...We are back from Disneyland! It was so much fun, but feels oh so good to be out of the mouse house! Both the kiddos had a blast!

We are very excited around here because Bubbas actually touched his food tonight on his own free will and put it to his mouth to eat! This is the first time that has happened in his 25 months of life! Woo hoo! Way to go Bubbas! In celebration of this huge milestone for him, here is a dish he likes quite a bit.

Baked Three Cheese Tortellini with Tomato Cream Sauce

1 (13 oz) bag Barilla Three Cheese Tortellini (dried)
1 jar marinara sauce (I like Golden Grain)
1/2 cup heavy cream, at room temperature
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese, divided
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Boil water for tortellini's and follow cooking times on package. Drain and set aside.
3. Bring marinara sauce to a light boil over medium heat. Reduce heat to low and stir in cream. Simmer, stirring occasionally, 3-4 minutes. Remove from heat and add 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, salt and pepper. Add tortellini and toss to coat.
4. Grease a 13x9 pan with butter. Pour tortellini mixture into baking dish. Sprinkle with remaining Parmesan cheese and dot with 2 Tbls. butter.
5. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes or until lightly browned.

***Good with adding ground beef or sausage to sauce as well.**

Ratatouille - Like the Movie

Bet you didn't think that this was a real dish....but it is, and I am going to share it with you. Now, if you haven't seen the movie yet, it is a definite must-see. It's one that the whole family will enjoy. This wonderful recipe was also out of my slow cooker recipe book from Southern Living. They have such great dishes. Get our your slow cooker (don't roll your eyes, I love these things) because here it is:

Ratatouille - Like the Movie

1 (1 pound) eggplant, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks (about 3 cups)

1 1/2 teaspoons salt, divided

1 large onion, cut in half lengthwise and sliced (about 2 1/2 cups)

1 large green bell pepper, cut into strips (about 1 1/2 cups)

1 large red bell pepper, cut into strips (about 1 1/2 cups)

3 medium zucchini, sliced (about 4 cups)

2 pounds plum tomatoes, cut into 1/2 inch wedges

3 tablespoons of tomato paste

2 tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil

1/4 teaspoon of black pepper

3 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 cup chopped fresh basil

1/4 cup capers

Place eggplant in a colander over a sink. Sprinkle 1/4 teaspoon salt over eggplant; toss well. Let stand 30 minutes to drain. Pat dry with paper towels.

Layer half each of onion, eggplant, bell pepper strips, zucchini, and tomatoes in a 6 quart electric slow cooker. Combine remaining 1 1/4 teaspoons of salt, tomato paste, olive oil, black pepper and garlic in a small bowl; stir well. Spoon half of oil mixture over vegetable mixture. Repeat layering of vegetables, ending with oil mixture.

Cover with lid; cook on low-heat setting six hours or until vegetables are tender. Stir in chopped basil and capers. Serve hot, at room temperature, or chilled.

Fajita Chicken

Kim here...The other night I made some fajitas and I experimented with some grilled chicken. It turned out great! Use it for fajitas or even just some chicken with Mexican rice, etc. Very versatile and easy to make.

Fajita Chicken

4 Chicken breasts
3 Tbls. lime juice
3 Tbls. olive oil
1 Tbls. kosher salt
2 tsp. black pepper

1. Put chicken and other ingredients into a plastic bag. Seal the bag and shake until all is well mixed and chicken is well coated. Let marinate 30 minutes.
2. Grill chicken on charcoal grill or on stove top.

Fall Meatloaf

First off, I would like to give a big shout-out to Amy of Peptogirl Industries who awarded us the Este blog investe e acredita na Proximidade Award. To translate the gift from Portuguese to English, it means: "This blog invests and believes, the proximity" (meaning, that blogging makes us 'close' -being close through proxy).

Blogging really opens up a whole other world for a lot of us. It helps keep us in touch with friends and family and helps build a whole new interest based community where we can meet new friends and network our interest and expand our knowledge and visions of what we can accomplish or want to try. It's nice to find other sites out there that have the same vision as us. We are supposed to pass this award on to eight other blogs that are deserving of this award.

Here are the eight that I thought definitely deserved it:

http://shmooedfood.blogspot.com/

http://angrychicken.typepad.com/

http://thepioneerwoman.com/

http://ellierichellie.blogspot.com/

http://www.allthingscupcake.com/

http://foodallergyqueen.blogspot.com/

http://www.nut-freemom.blogspot.com/

http://cupcaketastic.blogspot.com/

Thank you Amy for the award. We really appreciate the recognition!

With all of the pumpkins and costumes out at Target, the local apple orchards open for business and my first grader keeping me updated on a daily basis of when the first day of Fall was going to be, I am happy to announce that it is officially here! This is my favorite time of year. I don't know if it is the colors, the cold weather or all of the good homemade soups and apple desserts that I consume that make me love Fall, but it's here and I am happy. I thought we could post a few of our favorite Fall recipes. We know that you have them tucked away in your recipe boxes just waiting for the season to arrive. So let's pull them out and start sharing.

Fall Meatloaf

I am a big fan of moist meatloaf. Most traditional meatloaves have oatmeal in them that really dry them out. My Mom has always referred to these as "dog food." She claims they are just too dry, and I have to agree. I like my meatloaf moist with lots of ketchup and potato. This is another version that I fix for my family. I love using Stove Top Stuffing. It really helps keep the moisture along with the delicious barbeque sauce. I hope you and your family enjoy it. I like to serve mine with a huge baked potato and broccoli.

2 eggs beaten

2 lbs. of lean ground beef

1 pkg. of Stove Stop Stuffing Mix for Chicken

1 cup of water

1/2 cup of bbq. sauce - divided

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In small bowl, beat eggs with a fork. Combine in large bowl, lean ground beef, stuffing mix, beaten eggs, and 1/4 cup of bbq. sauce. Mix until well blended. Shape mixture into an oval loaf in a 13 x 9 inch baking dish. Top meatloaf with remaining 1/4 cup of bbq. sauce. Bake 1 hour or until cooked through. Use a meat thermometer to check internal temperature. Should be at least 160 degrees in the center of meatloaf to be considered done.

Garlic Tri Tip Sandwiches

Kim here...Again, here I am copying another entree I have had at a restaurant. This is actually part of the thrill of me eating out, figuring out how to do it at home :)! My dad, his friend Charlie, my husband and I have all worked together to perfect it. I am proud to say this sandwich we created blows the socks off of the restaurant one! This is truly an indulgence but oh is it so tasty. It is a fun crowd pleaser too because guests get to have a part in their dinner which they always seem to like. Enjoy!

Garlic Tri Tip Sandwiches

Tri Tip (size depends on crowd)
Sweet Rolls (again crowd size dependant)
Garlic Butter (see below for recipe)

Garlic Butter

2 cubes of butter (this will do about 4-6 sandwiches)
1 bulb of garlic chopped (I highly recommend the food processor)

To make, put butter in a saucepan that has a large enough bottom for the sandwich rolls (open flat) to fit into. After butter is melted, turn down heat so that it won't burn or brown and add garlic. Let simmer or set for about 5 minutes.

To make sandwiches:
To prepare the tri tip, brush on a little olive oil and then salt and pepper the sucker. To cook the tri tip, there are several different ways. The preferred methodology is to smoke it. We own a pellet smoker and let it cook on there for about 3 hours and it is simply delicious. However, not everyone owns a smoker. So, here are some alternatives in cooking the tri tip in descending order from most delicious to just okay. 1. Smoked 2. Charcoal 3. Gas grill 4. Stove top grill 5. In a pan on the stove

So now that you have a cooked tri tip, it is assembly time. Let the tri tip rest 10-15 minutes before cutting into it and always cut against the grain. Slice into about 1/4 inch slices. Take your roll and open it up so that it is flat. Dip roll into the pan of garlic butter for a couple of seconds. Place sliced tri tip onto the roll with the yummy melty butter, close and enjoy!

**Feeding Tip**
To mash or puree this for little ones or ones that need help with the chewing this makes a great meal. Put sliced tri tip in food processor (2 slices). Add some garlic butter (about 1 Tbls.) and chop to desired consistency. Now, if this is still too dry for the one eating it, either add more butter or add some warmed up beef stock. The beef stock will take it to the puree step if needed. Talk about some gourmet food for your kiddos!

Mango Chutney Pork Tenderloin and Coconut Rice with Roasted Asparagus

It's Deb. This post came to us from clear across the United States in sunny Florida from another crafty girl by the name of Prentiss Lee Ladkani that also has an infinity for sewing. Check out her cool blog at: http://prenspace.com/blog. This sounds sooo good. I can't wait to give it a whirl. Thanks Prentiss!!!!

Mango Chutney Pork Tenderloin and Coconut Rice with Roasted Asparagus

This is a quick recipe I came up with based on a similar dish my mom used to make for us growing up. You can substitute the Mango Chutney with Pineapple preserves. Try a more traditional approach and use Apple preserves.

Prep time: 15 mins. Cook time: About 30 mins.

1.5lb pork tenderloin, patted dry

1 jar Major Grey's Mango Chutney

Salt & Pepper

2 cans Goya coconut water

Basmati rice

2lbs asparagus, patted dried and tough ends removed.

1 1/2 tablespoons minced garlic

2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

3 tablespoons olive oil

Heat oven to 425°. Line a 9x13x2-inch baking pan with foil; brush with olive oil. Season with salt and pepper to your taste. Place tenderloin in baking pan and pour entire jar of Major Greys Mango Chutney over it. Roast pork in oven for approximately 30 minutes (approx 20 mins for every 1/2 lb of tenderloin). Internal temperature should be at 160 for medium done-ness.
In another large glass baking dish, toss the asparagus with the olive oil and garlic. Season lightly with salt and pepper, and toss. Bake until the asparagus are tender and lightly browned, 15 to 20 minutes, depending upon the thickness of the stalks, stirring twice. Remove from the oven and toss with the lemon juice. Cook rice according to directions, replacing water with the Goya coconut water.
Once the tenderloin has cooked, remove from oven and let rest for 5 to 10 minutes.
Slice tenderloin into medallions and serve with coconut rice and asparagus.
http://prenspace.com/blog

Chicken Cacciatore

Hey, hey, its Deb. The Cowgirls and Cupcakes giveaway is officially on its way. We have had quite a few comments as well as quite a few new recipes to add to the blog. Thank you so much for reading and contributing! This next recipe came from a good friend of mine by the name of Jennifer Billeci. Jenn and I have known each other since the womb, as I have with my buddy Kim. We have had so much fun together throughout the years and I have to say that Jennifer is one of the most fantastic cooks that I know. She also comes from one of the nicest families that I know that keep family as well as their Italian cooking heritage close to their heart. I am crossing my fingers that maybe she might also send us her fantastic pesto recipe! (Hint Hint) It's yummy. I have personally tasted it! And if you are looking to invest in some real estate, you might also want to check out Jenn and her husband Roger's website at: http://www.propertyqwest.com/
So I hope you enjoy her recipe and keep on cookin cowgirls!

Chicken Cacciatore

Chicken Cacciatore was a family staple in our house growing up. The smells it sends through the house are right up there with chocolate chip cookies baking in the oven. This was my favorite meal growing up and now I share it with my own family. It is best on a crisp fall day or cold winter evening. This recipe is one that has been passed down over the years from generations who didn’t rely on recipes, so go with your senses when cooking! Serve with a good bottle of red wine, a small salad, and a good loaf of crusty French bread and you’ll have yourself a great meal . . . Buon Appetito!

Skinless chicken pieces (you can do bone-in or boneless – I think the bone adds more flavor to the sauce – I normally cook six to eight pieces, but you can adjust everything for the size of your crowd! However, make sure you don’t crowd the chicken in the pan as you will want it to brown – if they are too crowded they will just steam.)

Fill a plastic bag with flour and salt and pepper to taste. Add chicken and shake – to coat all chicken pieces.

In a large fry pan add 2-3 tbls. olive oil and equal amount butter (if you need more, add more olive oil – not butter)

Once the pan is heated, add chicken to the pan brown on both sides. Add sauce and simmer (the longer the better – the meat should be so tender it begins to pull away from the bone!)

Sauce (adjust accordingly if you use more chicken):

1 can chopped tomatoes

½ cup chicken broth

Chopped up celery (2-3 stalks)

parsley (a small bunch)

onion

5-6 cloves garlic

1 bay leaf, basil (1 tsp. or so)

rosemary (a couple branches chopped or 1 tsp. dried or so)

4-5 sliced mushrooms

1/3 – ¼ cup red wine (don’t worry for kids, the alcohol cooks out)

salt and pepper to taste

After simmering for 1 hour or so, if you feel the sauce is too liquid add tomato paste. Let simmer (not too high) until the chicken is tender. Serve with lots of sauce on top to soak up with the French bread!

*For children who can’t yet chew, this makes a great puree!

http://www.propertyqwest.com/

Baked Ziti with Red & Cream Sauce

Kim here...Here is another recipe for Baked Ziti. We are big fans of this stuff around our house! It is very simple to make and gives you lots of leftovers. Check below for feeding tips.

Baked Ziti with Red & Cream Sauce

For Cream Sauce:
1 Tbls. Butter
1 ½ cups heavy cream
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese


For Ziti:
1 jar marinara sauce (Big fan of Golden Grain marinara)
16 oz. package of ziti noodles (or any tubular noodle)
1 lb. ground beef
2 cups mozzarella cheese
½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
½ cups bread crumbs (take French bread you are going to use for dinner and place in a food processor until it resembles breadcrumbs)
Salt/Pepper

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Boil pasta in water, follow directions on package.


2. Make the cream sauce. First heat butter and heavy cream in a saucepan. Stir frequently. When the mixture starts to bubble, stir in the Parmesan cheese. Reduce heat and cook for 3 minutes, stirring often. Set aside.


3. Brown the ground beef until no longer pink, add salt and pepper while it is browning. After beef is cooked, add marinara sauce. Stir together and let simmer for a few minutes.


4. Put cooked noodles, cream sauce, red sauce and mozzarella together in the pan and mix together. Sprinkle the top with breadcrumbs and Parmesan. Bake 20 minutes, until bubbling. Broil for 3 minutes until top is golden brown.

*Feeding Note*
Simply put into food processor to mash or puree. Add a bit more marinara sauce or water if needed to thin out puree.

Mom's Manicottis

"When the moon hits your eye like a big pizza pie that's AMORE." That is the song that comes to mind when I eat Italian food. I worked at an Italian restaurant for about nine years and couldn't ever get enough of their manicottis or that song that played hourly on their old jukebox. I love the cheesy goodness of that lovely stuffed noodle. My Mom makes some pretty hard to beat manicottis and I have been using her recipe for as long as I can remember. I just took a double batch of these over to my brother's new house where he had a crew of family members busy painting, texturing, cleaning and installing. They were in dire need of food and these seem to hit the spot. They got some rave reviews that day so I thought you might like to make them too and see what you think.

Mom's Manicottis

A batch of your best spaghetti sauce - if you are in a hurry like me, use a jar of Ragu!

A box of manicotti noodles

1/2 pound mozzarella (8 oz)

3/4 cup cottage cheese

2 slightly beaten eggs

2 tbsp. of Parmesan

1/4 tsp. salt and pepper


Cook your spaghetti sauce and set aside. Pull out a 9 x 13 baking pan and put about a full cup of spaghetti sauce in bottom of pan. Make sure you move it around making sure a small amount is disbursed throughout most of the pan. Then the fun begins... In mixing bowl combine the mozzarella and next four ingredients. Next, open manicotti noodles. You will not need to boil the noodles on this recipe, the magic happens with the sauce and the foil. Wash up your hands and then dive into the goo and begin stuffing each noodle with mixture from the mixing bowl. I used to try to do this neatly, but you just have to get your hands messy on this one, sorry. Set each noodle in pan leaving about an inch or so in between each one. This allows for some growing room when they cook. Lastly, you will pour the remaining sauce over all the stuffed noodles in the pan. You want to make sure that all of them are well covered. Since these noodles have not been boiled, they will be dependent on the heat and the steam of the sauce to cook them up nicely. Make sure to cover with foil (if you don't cover it, that steam won't cook your noodles) and pop it into the oven for 45 minutes at 350 degrees. Serve it with some sourdough bread from your local bakery and a green salad and of course some wine! Let me know how they come out.

~ Deb
Your Cowgirl in Waiting

Easy Cheesy Baked Ziti

Kim here...Here is an easy weeknight meal you could put together in less that 15 minutes. Good too! It also happens to be my son's favorite. He usually will eat most things, as long as they are mashed :), but this one he actually gets really excited about! He will start pumping his arms up and down after taking the first bite and open his mouth wide open in anticipation for the next one. See feeding tip below.

Easy Cheesy Baked Ziti

3/4 box of ziti noodles, cooked and drained
1 jar of marinara sauce (I like Golden Grain)
1 bag of shredded mozzarella (2-4 cups worth depending on how cheesy you want it!)
1 pound ground beef

1. Boil water for noodles and cook according to directions. Drain and set aside.
2. Put beef in large pan. Start crumbling and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cook until there is no more pink.
3. Drain fat, then add marinara sauce. Stir and simmer for a few minutes more.
4. Mix in pasta noodles and cheese into the same pan as your beef sauce. Reserve some cheese to sprinkle on top of the casserole. Dump mixture into a 13x9 pan, spread evenly. Top with remaining cheese.
5. Place into preheated 350 degree oven and bake uncovered for 30 minutes. Cheese on top will be nice and melty!

*Feeding Note*
To puree this meal, simply place into a food processor. Sometimes the cheese makes it very sticky and clumpy, if this is the case add a little more marinara sauce if you have extra, or water, or chicken broth, or beef broth. Just add enough to get the consistency you want. The broths will give more flavor to the meal than water. The good thing is even if you use a little of the broth can it will keep in the refrigerator for about a week so you could use if for many more meals.

To mash this meal, simply place into food processor and give it a couple of whirls.

Homemade Spaghetti

Hey readers it's Deb. Please note the fun music selection to your right as you peruse the blog. These are a few songs (100 to be exact) that Kim and I have grooved to throughout the years. We hope you enjoy this little addition and hope that some of the songs can take you back to some great memories as they do for us.

Some very exciting news: it's our first official entry for Cowgirls and Cupcakes from someone other than Kim or myself. So cool! A huge "Thank You" to Hatfield Systems for being our first entry. If you are looking for reliable and affordable computer consulting services in Sacramento and Placer county, please check out Hatfield Systems at: http://hatfieldsystems.com/


Homemade Spaghetti

Enough noodles for 4 people

2 cans tomato sauce

5-10 mushrooms cut into 4 slices each (more slices for less chunky, less slices for more chunky)

1 tomato (sliced and diced)

2 teaspoons sliced garlic

1 pound ground meat

1 package Italian seasoning

Brown meat on medium to high heat
Drain meat juice (this is all fat anyway)
Add tomato sauce, mushrooms, tomato, garlic, Italian seasoning
Set heat on low & cover
Let simmer for minimum of half hour, stirring every 5-6 minutes.
Once meat has been simmering for 15 minutes, cook noodles until they are soft, but not too much to make the noodles rubbery. (Follow directions on the box)
Serve hot with French Bread, salad, and Parmesan cheese and you’re ready to get full!

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Stove Top Fast Cass

Deb here. I love quick dinner in a dish meals. Like most of you out there, my family is always on the go. During the school year we either have soccer or baseball and Girl Scouts to juggle and during the summer it is swimming lessons, family gatherings and vacations. This dish is nice because you can make it ahead of time and serve it whenever - and it is tasty.

I believe I got this recipe out of a magazine. It is a Stove-Top Recipe so you probably could get on their website and find it too. I like to mix it up a little bit and throw in additional sour cream or change the stuffing to turkey stuffing instead of chicken stuffing. Ooooooo, now I am really living on the wild side!

Stove Top Fast Cass

1 pkg (6 oz.) Stove Top Stuffing Mix for Chicken (or Turkey if you are wild like me)

1-1/2lb. boneless, skinless, chicken breasts cut into 1-inch pieces ( I use about two good size chicken breasts, it's just easier. I hate to measure)

1 can (10 3/4 oz) condensed cream of chicken soup

1/3 cup of sour cream

1 bag of frozen peas and carrots, thawed and drained ( the original recipe calls for the mixed vegetables, but I am not a huge lima bean fan and the peas and carrots came out with rave reviews from the fam. Please use whatever you like or what you have handy) don't forget to thaw these guys first. There is nothing worse then having hard peas and carrots in this casserole. Trust me, I have learned by mistake.

O.k. so here's the deal:
Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Prepare stuffing mix as directed on package; set aside.

Mix chicken, soup, sour cream and vegetables in a 13x9 inch baking dish; top with stuffing.

The directions say to bake 30 minutes or until chicken is done. My oven takes about 40-45 minutes for the chicken to be done. You may have to experiment a little.

I told you, super easy and really tasty!

Quick & Delicious Chili

What cowgirl is complete without some chili? This recipe is soooo simple and literally takes about 10 minutes to prepare and 20 more minutes to simmer. 30 minutes later; you have dinner. I used to do different chili's that would take me hours, but one day I decided to try this one. Well, my husband said it was the best chili he has had and at family get togethers I always get asked for this recipe because they like it so much. So here is my "secret" chili recipe. Forget cooking for hours and hours friends, just do this one and save yourself a headache!

*Look below for puree and mashing ideas* You are probably thinking I am crazy for feeding somewhat spicy chili to my 1 year old. However, this is great to give children who need more "heat" in their food for sensory issues. Give my son a bland food and it doesn't have enough kick to it for him to want to work on his feeding, this however, he will go crazy with. Things you learn during feeding therapy! Thanks Peri, you are the best!

Quick & Delicious Chili

1 lb. ground beef or ground turkey

2 cans Hunts Chili Makin's tomato sauce (Note: I have never been able to find this at Safeway but know that Raley's & Bel Air stocks it)

1 15 oz. can pinto beans (undrained)

1. Brown ground meat in a pot seasoned with salt and pepper. Drain fat from meat. Pop open the 3 cans and dump into the meat. Stir, and then bring to a bubble. Simmer for 20 minutes to an hour, stirring occasionally. Top with cheddar cheese, if desired.

***To puree, simply put into a food processor and blend to desired consistency. If it is still too thick, add a little water. To mash, either use your food processor for just a few whirls or mash with fork.***