Baked Spaghetti (Squash)

1 spaghetti squah
16oz cottage cheese
1 egg
Italian seasoning
Prepared meaty spaghetti sauce
Parmesan cheese

Bake one spaghetti squash whole at 375 for 45 minutes. Cool slightly, cut in half. Scoop put seeds and remove flesh. Chop it up slightly. Place in bottom of square baking dish. Season with salt and pepper.

Combine cottage cheese, egg, Italian seasoning and layer on top of squash.

Layer meat sauce on top and generously sprinkle Parmesan.

Bake at 350 for and hour. It will be a little watery on the edges. Just scoop it out and discard. Serve with salad and garlicky flax crackers.

Baked Chimichangas

1lb ground beef
1/2 onion, chopped
1 packet taco seasoning
1 can refried beans

1 batch chili rice
cheese

10 8inch flour tortillas
1/2 stick butter, melted

Brown and cook beef and onion, add taco seasoning and beans. I do this in the crock pot on high. Refrigerate filling and the chili rice to make it firm enough to wrap tortillas tightly. Mix beef bean mixture and rice. Add about a 1/2 cup filling to tortilla with a little cheese. Wrap the burrito tightly. Brush melted butter on bottom and lay on a lined sheet pan. Brush the tops and sides of burritos generously with butter. Bake at 400 for 25 minutes. Serve with chopped lettuce, taco sauce, and sour cream on top. Can be frozen once baked and reheated. Makes 10.

Super Easy Inside Out Chicken Cordon Bleu

1 package (8 pieces) breaded chicken cutlets (I used frozen Perdue ones)
8oz. deli ham sliced and cut into thin strips
8oz. swiss cheese, shredded
1 bunch Green onion, chopped
Honey mustard

Cook chicken cutlets according to package directions. Once chicken is done, sprinkle ham evenly over cutlets, cover with cheese. Bake for another 10 minutes or until cheese is melted and bubbly. Serve sprinkled with green onion and honey mustard on the side.

Slow Cooker Korean Beef

1 onion, chopped
1 red pepper, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 lb ground beef
1/2 tsp Chinese five spice
1/2 bottle Kikkoman Katsu sauce
1/4 cup water

Add to slow cooker, break up meat. Cook on high for 3 hours stirring once to break up ground beef more.

1 head broccoli cut into pieces

Add broccoli on top of meat mixture. steam for 1 more hour.

2 tbsp corn starch
2 tbsp water
2 tbsp sesame oil
1 can sliced water chestnuts, drained

Combine cornstarch and water. Add everything to slow cooker and stir until sauce thickens and broccoli is incorporated.

Serve over rice. Top with chopped green onions.

Hawaiian Slow Cooker Chicken

6 boneless skinless chicken thighs
1 bottle Hawaiian barbecue sauce (from Target, Archer Farms brand)
1 small onion, chopped small
1 small green pepper chopped into 1inch pieces
1/2 cup baby carrots
1 can pineapple chunks

Add everything to slow cooker. I put the chicken in frozen. Cook on high about 3 hours. Shred chicken with 2 forks.

Serve with brown rice.

1 1/2 cups brown rice
3 cups water
1 tablespoon minced onion flakes
3 tablespoons soy sauce

Bring water to boil with onion and soy sauce. Add rice. Cook on low about 45-60 minutes until liquid is absorbed.

Red Lentil Sloppy Joes

1 cup red lentils
2 cups stock
1 tbsp olive oil
1 small onion, diced
1 small green pepper, diced
3 tbsp ketchup
1 cup homemade barbecue sauce

Bring stock to a boil. Add lentils and simmer on low until the liquid is absorbed and lentils are tender.

Saute' onion & pepper in olive oil until tender. Add to cooked lentils. Then, add ketchup and bbq sauce. Simmer for 5 minutes.

Serve on buns. Makes 4.

Freezer Cooking: Tikka Masala in the Slow Cooker

In a 1 quart freezer bag, place:
12oz. boneless skinless chicken breast, in 1 inch pieces
1/2 cup plain yogurt
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp cayenne
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper

In a gallon freezer bag, place:
1 large can diced tomatoes, with chiles
1 small can tomato paste
1 tsp ginger
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 medium onion, diced
1 tbsp garam masala
1 tbsp red curry paste
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp chili powder

Freeze bags for up to 3 months.

When you're ready to cook-
Remove bags from freezer. Place frozen contents in crock pot. Cook on high for 4 hours.

After 4 hours, add 1 1/4 cups brown rice or pearl barley and 2 cups very hot water to crock pot. Stir to mix in the grains. Cook on high for 2-3 more hours until grain is cooked.

Before serving, stir in 1/2 tsp cumin, 1/2 tsp chili powder, 1/2 tsp salt, & 1 cup half & half (or milk).

Serve with salad or carrot sticks and a piece of pita (naan) or crusty bread.

Serves 6

Spinach Fondue

1/3 cup milk
1/2 cup chardonnay
5 cups shredded mild cheddar or colby jack cheese
2 8oz. packages cream cheese
1 box chopped spinach, thawed & drained
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon black pepper

In a saucepan over medium heat, slowly warm up all ingredients. Stir (or whisk if necessary) until the sauce is smooth and coats the back of the spoon. Takes about 10-20 minutes. The slower you warm it up, the better chance you have to avoid any graininess.

Serve with bread cubes, veggies, apple slices, meatballs, etc.

Serves 6 meal portions or 12 appetizers portions.

Brown Rice Quiche

Makes 2- one to eat for dinner, and one to freeze

1 1/3 cup brown rice
1 large onion, chopped
2 2/3 cup water
8 eggs
1 cup shredded cheese, and kind
1lb bag frozen peas
1/2 cup sour cream
3/4 cup plain yogurt
1 tsp dried basil
salt & pepper
1/4 cup plain bread crumbs, plus some for the top

In a medium size pot, add rice, onion, & water. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low. Cook for 45 minutes or until the rice has absorbed all the water.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

In a mixing bowl, add all the other ingredients. Stir to combine. Then, fold in the rice & onion mixture.

Grease 2 9" pie plates. Pour half of the mixture into each plate. Top with bread crumbs.

To freeze- Wrap uncooked quiche in plastic wrap and foil. Write directions on the foil (Thaw & Bake at 375 degrees for about an hour), and freeze up to 2 months.

To cook- Bake for about an hour. You'll know it's ready when it's browned, slightly puffed up, and "springy" to the touch.

Serve with a big salad.

Buffalo Mac & Cheese

3 cups milk
3 cups whole grain pasta
1 heaping cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/4 cup parmesan cheese
1/4 cup plain yogurt
1 small red pepper, chopped
1 small green pepper, chopped
1 1/2 cups cooked chicken
4 tablespoons Frank's hot sauce (use more or less)
1 tablespoon butter (optional)
Blue cheese crumbles (optional)
Bring milk, pasta, and red pepper to a simmer on medium/medium low heat. Stirring often, cook pasta in milk until al dente- about 10-15 minutes. Keep the heat low because you don't want to scorch the milk or cause it foam and boil over.


In a separate bowl, combine chicken, hot sauce and butter (optional). 
Remove pan from heat, stir in cheeses and yogurt. Return to warm burner and combine. Fold in chicken mixture and green pepper. 

Top with blue cheese crumbles if you'd like. Serve immediately. 

Serves 4 generous dinner portions.

Super Easy Homemade Mac & Cheese

3 cups milk
3 cups whole grain pasta
1 heaping cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/4 cup parmesan cheese
1/4 cup plain yogurt
salt to taste

Bring milk and pasta to a simmer on medium/medium low heat. Stirring often, cook pasta in milk until al dente- about 10-15 minutes. Keep the heat low because you don't want to scorch the milk or cause it foam and boil over.

Remove from heat, stir in cheeses and yogurt. Return to warm burner to melt everything if necessary.

Serve immediately. Add something yummy like peas, diced chicken, peppers, etc. to give it a little something extra. (Pictured with red & green peppers)

Make it into Alfredo by omitting the cheddar and doubling the parmesan. Grind black pepper onto it before serving. I like adding steamed broccoli to it, too.

You can also turn it into this with a few extra ingredients.

Serves 3 generous dinner portions or 6 as a side dish.

Thanksgiving Dinner- Turkey Brine & Roasting

Brining takes place the day before you'll be preparing the turkey.

Brines a 10-15lb turkey.

1 gallon water

1 medium onion, roughly chopped, peel still in tact

1 end of a celery bunch (the part you'd throw out), rinsed

4 cloves garlic sliced in 1/2, peel still on

1 tbsp whole peppercorns

1 tbsp whole coriander

4 dried bay leaves

1 cup sea salt

1/2 cup raw sugar

3/4 cup apple cider vinegar

(Thaw your turkey prior to brining.)

In the morning before you are going to brine-

Add everything to a large stock pot. Bring to a boil on medium/high heat, stirring to dissolve the salt and sugar. Once boiling, turn the heat off, remove from the burner and let it come to room temperature in the pot. 

The evening before you're going to cook the turkey, prep a small cooler. 

I use this one by cleaning the inside well. Add the cooled brine, 1 gallon or water, and 12 cups ice cubes. 

Unwrap your thawed turkey, remove giblets and neck (save those to MAKE STOCK!), & rinse.

Place turkey, breast end first, into brine. Weigh it down with a plastic container filled with water, heavy lid, etc. Put the lid on the cooler and leave it alone overnight. (Minimum brining time is 8 hours-Max amount is 24 hours)

Before you're going to bake the turkey, remove the turkey from the cooler, rinse it well, and place it onto the the pan/rack you'll be baking on. Then, dry the turkey by patting it with paper towels. Discard the brine. 

Bake at your preference. 

I use this method to bake turkeys- Rub dried turkey with a little oil. Fill cavity with one roughly chopped onion, one quartered apple, 2 sprigs fresh rosemary, and 6 smashed cloves garlic. Tie up the legs together with string. Tuck the wings back behind the body (like it's laying with it's arms behiind it's head). Roast turkey in lowest part of the oven at 500 degrees for 30 minutes. Then, place a triangle of buttered foil over the breast (white meat)- leaving the dark meat exposed. Put a probe thermometer into the breast and return the turkey to the oven. Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees. When thermometer has reached 130 degrees, remove the tent and check for even browning. If it's not browned nicely over the breasts, leave the tent off. If it's evenly browned, stick it back on until it's finished. Roast until the white meat has reached 161 degrees (about 15 minutes a lb.) Rest, covered with foil or a large metal mixing bowl for 15-30 minutes before carving.

Chicken Noodle Soup

This recipes almost fills up my 8 qt stock pot. The egg noodles are sturdy and hold up to freezing. Just thaw & reheat. Better than the canned stuff!

1 large softball size onion, chopped
1/2 bunch of celery, chopped- including the greens at the top!
1 lb. carrots, sliced
1 tbsp butter
1 tbsp (or more) parsley
1 tsp garlic (fresh or powder)
1/2 gallon of chicken stock
3 boneless chicken breasts (about 8oz.-1lb.)
Water to fill pot
Salt & Pepper to taste

Saute onions, celery, & carrots in butter over medium until they have some caramel color and the onions start to turn translucent- about 5-8 minutes.
Add parsley & garlic.

Add stock and chicken breasts. Bring to a boil. Poach chicken breasts about 20 minutes. Remove chicken from pot to a cutting board or plate. Let cool until you can handle it, then use two forks to shred chicken into bite size pieces.

Add chicken back to the stock pot. Fill the pot the rest of the way with water (or more stock if you think it needs the extra flavor).

Simmer on low while you prepare noodles.

2 cups flour
4 eggs
1 tsp salt

Using your bread machine (can be done in a big mixing bowl by hand, too), add flour, eggs, & salt to the bowl with paddle attached. Set machine to "dough" setting. Run for 10 minutes. You may need to add a little more flour or a 1/2 tsp of water at a time until the dough is a smooth, slightly sticky ball. 10 minutes total ensures that the dough is mixed and kneaded the proper amount of time. After time is up, stop machine, and rest dough for 10 more minutes.

Using pasta machine, roll sheets of dough out to thickest setting. Take each sheet, roll it up, and slice 1/2" spirals. Unroll the spirals into long noodles.

Heat soup to a boil. Add pasta to the soup, breaking noodles into smaller lengths if desired. Pasta will be finished cooking in 5 minutes.  Serve immediately or portion for freezing once slightly cooled.

Avocado Red Pepper Pasta

4 ripe avocados, halved and pit removed.
1 medium/large sweet red pepper
1 clove garlic, peeled
1/2 cup parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp black pepper
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp lemon juice
splash of milk, I used almond milk

Place garlic and red pepper into food processor. Pulse until finely chopped. Scoop out avocado flesh into food processor. Add remaining ingredients. Blend until smooth.

Add to hot, cooked pasta. I used angel hair. Makes enough sauce for 1lb pasta.

Store extra sauce in airtight container.

Broccoli Millet Casserole

6 cups cooked millet- I used Bob's Red Mill Millet & Chicken Stock
1lb bag frozen broccoli cuts
1 12oz. bag italian cut green beans
2 1/2 cups stock
4 tablespoons corn starch
2/3 cup milk powder
2/3 cup greek yogurt, mayonnaise, or sour cream or a combo of them.
1 1/2 cup shredded cheese
seasonings to taste- salt, pepper, garlic, onion, Mrs. Dash

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Combine the stock, corn starch, milk powder, yogurt, cheese and seasonings in a bowl. Add millet and veggies. Stir to combine.

Pour into greased 13x9 pan. Bake for approximately 35 minutes or until bubbly and golden brown on the edges.

Serve as a side or main dish.

Pizza Dough

Basic Pizza Dough

• 1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast
• 1 teaspoon honey/raw sugar
• 1 cup warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
• 3 cups flour (AP, Whole Wheat, White Whole Wheat, or a combo)
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 teaspoon salt

Add the water, yeast, & honey/sugar into your mixer bowl. Combine. Add the olive oil. Turn mixer on medium speed. Add the salt to your flour. Gradually add flour/salt mixture to mixer bowl. Combine everything until the dough comes away from the sides of the mixer bowl. Work quickly, and don't be afraid to really turn the mixer up. The whole process should only take about a minute. 

Let the dough rest in the bowl while you prep your other ingredients. It doesn't really NEED to rest, but I'm sure it helps the dough cooperate a little. 

Roll it out and top as you'd like. When baking it, use the highest temperature on your oven- like 550 degrees. It's the most promising way to end up with a "pizza place" type crust. Their ovens are usually at least 600 degrees.

You can also use this dough for calzones, stromboli, focaccia, breadsticks, even for quick cinnamon rolls.

Campfire Chili

This is the chili I make whenever we go camping. It's a hearty chili that's got classic chili flavors with a vegetarian twist. So filling that you won't miss the meat.

This is the pot I use over the campfire. Well, not this actual pot. Mine is a little more "seasoned" looking than this one. You can do this on the stove top or even on the grill too, but the smoky flavor from the fire is what makes this super tasty.

4 veggie burgers or 1 pkg veggie crumbles
1 14oz.-ish can diced tomatoes with green chilies (Rotel)
1 14oz.-ish can diced tomatoes with onion
1 14oz.-ish can tomato sauce
1 small can tomato paste
2 cups stock or water
3 cups cooked beans (I use red kidney beans, or a combo of black & pinto beans)
1 cup chopped onion
2 tbsp chili powder
2 tsp cumin
1 tbsp onion powder
2 tsp garlic powder

Mix everything in the pot. If the veggie burgers are still frozen, just put them in the bottom of the pot. They'll break down when you add the heat.

Cook indirectly over the fire, keeping the lid on & stirring often until the onions are translucent. You can simmer this gently all day long if you'd like to develop the flavors, but it's ready to eat in about 30 minutes.

Cook in the same kind of pot right on the grill or simmer on the stove top.

Serve with cornbread and chili toppings- sour cream, shredded cheese, & chopped onion.

White Chicken Chili

One of the two chilis I made for our Chili Cook-Off party. Makes one very full slow cooker (about a 5qt. size)

1 1/2 cup chopped onion
1 cup chopped green pepper
48oz jar of Great Northern Beans (like this)
1 can drained diced tomatoes
2 small cans chopped green chilies
1 cup frozen corn
3-5 cups chicken stock
2 cans (or about 2 cups) cream soup (any flavor)
1 8oz. pkg cream cheese, cubed
1 cup milk
3 cups shredded cooked chicken
2 tbsp chili powder
1 tbsp cumin
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tbsp. parsley
2 tsp. Mrs. Dash

Add everything but the chicken stock into the slow cooker. Gently mix. Add chicken stock until it's your desired consistency. Cook on high, stirring often for 3 hours or on low for 6.

Serve with cornbread and toppings for the chili- sour cream, shredded cheese, chives or green onions.

Freezes well.

Slow Cooker Mac & Cheese

A leaner and quick-to-prep version of a classic comfort food.

1 lb whole wheat pasta, any small shape, I used spirals

1 can evaporated milk

1 1/2 cups skim or plain soy milk

1 cup water

1 egg

2 egg whites (eggs are for binding the custard, you could probably use egg replacer)

3 cups shredded cheese, any flavors you like
1 tablespoon butter, for just a bit more flavor
1 lb broccoli pieces, I used frozen, but you could use fresh too
pepper to taste
1/2 cup parmesan cheese
1/2 cup bread crumbs

Boil pasta for 5 minutes, drain. Spray a 5qt. or larger slow cooker with cooking spray. Turn on high to warm it up while you mix. Whisk milk, water, & eggs in the cooker. Add butter, cheese, pepper, broccoli and stir to combine. Fold in par-cooked pasta. Smooth out the top & sprinkle with bread crumbs and parmesan.
Cook on high for 30 minutes.
Reduce to low and cook for 2-2 1/2 hours.
Keep warm for 30 minutes if you need to.
Serve hot. Store individual servings and freeze the leftovers for quick meals.

12 generous servings, approximately 350 calories per serving

Farmer's Savory Egg & Bread Pudding

I imagine this is something a farmer would have as part of their Sunday breakfast. We're having it for dinner, made with veggies and herbs from our little homestead farm. It's a little more "eggy" than a traditional bread pudding.



6 cups cubed bread, I use the "heels" I saved in the freezer until I had enough to make something with it
2 medium zucchini, sliced 1/4"
2 small eggplant, peeled & cubed
6 small tomatoes, quartered
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese

3 tablespoons fresh chives, chopped

2 tablespoons parsley, minced

salt/pepper
8 eggs
3 cups milk

Arrange bread in 13x9x2" pan with all veggies. Sprinkle with herbs and cheese.

Wisk eggs, milk, salt, & pepper in separate bowl. Pour egg mixture over bread mixture.

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Let mixture sit for 20 minutes before baking. Bake 40 minutes. Let sit for 10 minutes before serving.

Location:Cogswell St,Romulus,United States