Beef Lombardi Casserole

This is take 2 in my "The Great Spaghetti Compromise" series. This is so easy to make the night before and pop in the oven when we get home from scouts/dance/soccer/PTA/whatever the heck else calls us away from la casa.

Creamy, garlicy noodles mixed with tangy tomatoes:

Beef Lombardi Casserole

2 lb ground turkey or beef
2 cans diced tomatoes with garlic and onions OR 1 lb chopped Roma tomatoes, 1 medium onion diced, and 1 clove of garlic minced
12 oz tomato paste
1/2 to 3/4 c beef broth
1 tbs oregano
16 oz egg noodles
8 oz fat free sour cream
1/4 c grated Parmesan cheese
1 tsp garlic powder
8 oz shredded Mozzarella cheese

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 13x9x2 inch baking dish with cooking spray.

2. Cook noodles according to package directions. Drain and pour into baking dish. Mix in sour cream and garlic.

3. Meanwhile, brown meat in skillet over medium-high heat. Drain and return to skillet. Mix in tomatoes (or tomatoes, onions, and garlic) and tomato paste. Pour in beef broth just until mixture is smooth but NOT soupy. It should be thick. Stir in oregano. Heat to boiling over high heat. Reduce heat and simmer 10-15 minutes.

4. Pour meat mixture over noodle mixture. Top with Mozzarella. Bake at 350 degrees 30-35 minutes, until cheese is bubbly.

Iced Coffee

It's still hot here. Really hot. Hot enough to make Bella di Cucina grumpy and grumbly. Usually I'd reach for a cup of coffee to calm my battered nerves...but -- it's H O T. So here's the next best thing:

Iced Coffee

*8 tbs double-strength brewed coffee (see instructions below)
*2 tbs flavored coffee creamer OR chocolate syrup OR caramel syrup
*6 tbs skim milk
*1 tbs sugar
3/4 to 1 cup ice cubes

1. To make double strength coffee, use twice the amount of coffee grounds you normally would. I usually use 1/8 c of grounds per 8 oz of water, so for this recipe I use 1/4 c of grounds per 8 oz of water.

2. In your blender add coffee, creamer, milk, and sugar. Blend for 20-30 seconds. Add ice. Blend until frothy. Makes 16 oz of iced coffee

*You may need to alter these amounts according to your personal tastes

Perfect Blueberry Muffins

I'm a sucker for warm, crumbly blueberry muffins to dunk in my gotta-have-it-first-thing-in-the-morning coffee. I've been in search of the perfect recipe for years, and I think I've finally figured it out. This one's it, ladies and gents:

Perfect Blueberry Muffins

1 cup fresh blueberries
2 tsp sugar
1 1/2 c flour
3/4 c sugar
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp baking powder
1/3 c vegetable oil
1 egg
1/3 c milk

FOR OPTIONAL CRUMB TOPPING:

1/2 c sugar
1/3 c flour
1/4 c margarine, cubed
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon

1. In small bowl lightly mash blueberries with a coffee cup ( this is tricky -- don't make a paste out of them, just smash them enough to get a little juice). Sprinkle with 2 tsp sugar. Let stand at least 1 hour.

2. In medium mixing bowl blend flour, sugar, salt, and baking powder. Make a well in the center of the bowl.

3. Add egg, oil, and milk. Whisk briskly with fork. Stir into dry ingredients just until moistened. Batter will be lumpy. Fold in sugared blueberries.

4. Spoon batter evenly into muffin tin that has been greased on the bottom and 2/3 up the sides of each well (or using paper baking cups).

OPTIONAL: Make crumb topping by placing cubed margarine, sugar, flour, and cinnamon in small bowl. Cut with pastry cutter or fork until mixture forms fine crumbs. Spoon evenly over batter in muffin tin.

5. Bake at 400 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes, until knife inserted in center of muffin comes out clean. Allow to cool 5 minutes in pan before removing.

Variations: may omit fruit OR substitute chopped strawberry, apple, pineapple, or other chopped fruit for blueberries.

Simply Quick: Spaghetti Skillet

I'm Italian. My bolognese sauce takes an entire day and the will of God before I will pronounce it ready for consumption. This means that I don't tend to make spaghetti as often as the kids would like.

This recipe is my compromise with them. And, BONUS! It's quick!

Spaghetti Skillet

1 lbs ground turkey or beef
1 15 oz cans diced tomatoes
1 tbs dried minced onion
6 oz tomato paste
15 oz canned tomato sauce
2 cups water
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tbs oregano
1/2 tsp basil
1/8 tsp black pepper
8 oz uncooked elbow macaroni

1. In 4 quart sauce pan brown ground meat over medium high heat. Drain and return to pan.

2. Stir in tomatoes and dried onions. Simmer 5 minutes.

3. Add tomato paste, tomato sauce, water, garli, oregano, basil, and pepper. Stir in uncooked macaroni.

4. Bring to boiling over high heat. Cover; reduce heat. Simmer 15-20 minutes, until macaroni is tender.

5. Allow to stand, uncovered, 5 minutes before serving.

Variations: substitute penne or rotini for macaroni. Add mushrooms, green pepper, or zucchini with tomatoes.

Watermelon Bombe (Molded Ice Cream)

It has been wickedly, unfairly, ridiculously, unmercilessly H O T here the past week. We're talking 100+ degrees outside every. stinking. day. Wednesday I decide that I was going to take the kids to our local splash pad park.

I made everyone clean up bedrooms and then announced to them we were going to play in the sprinklers. Yes...mirth and joy abounded. Until Dancing Queen and Little Buddy came flying out of their room yelling, "THEY'RE GOOOOONE!!!!!!!"

What, you may ask, was missing? Why, swimsuits of course! They left them in their beach bags -- at their dad's house!

So instead of three grateful, excited baminos ready to beat the heat, I had on my hands three depressed, grumbly, disheartened children.

I had to do something, and fast! I piled them into the car and headed to the store. 5 quarts of ice cream and some saran wrap later, I served them this to much applause and smiling:

Watermelon Bombe (Molded Ice Cream)

2 quarts lime sherbert
1 quart fat free vanilla yogurt
2 quarts raspberry sherbert
3/4 to 1 cup milk chocolate chips

1. Find a metal, glass, or plastic 12 cup or larger mixing bowl (4 quart size). Place in freezer for 15 minutes, until cold. Remove from freezer. Line with plastic wrap, making sure that the plastic overhangs the bowl and that the plastic wrap is as smooth as possible (no wrinkles here folks).

2. Dump the lime sherbert into a clean mixing bowl. Beat with an electric mixer 30 to 60 seconds, until soft and spreadable. Using a rubber spatula, spread an even, smooth layer of lime sherbert into the plastic-lined mixing bowl. This is your shell :D. Place the bowl into the freezer for 1 hour.

3. Remove the bowl from the freezer. The lime sherbert should be fairly firm to the touch. Place the vanilla frozen yogurt into a CLEAN mixing bowl. Beat with an electric mixer 30 to 60 seconds, until soft and spreadable. Using a rubber spatula spread an even layer over the lime sherbert. This is your rind :D. Place bowl back into freezer for 1 hour.

4. Remove bowl from freezer. Frozen yogurt should be firm to the touch. Place raspberry sherbert into a CLEAN mixing bowl. Beat with an electric mixer 30 to 60 seconds, until soft and spreadable. Fold in chocolate chips. This is your melon and the chips are the seeds :D. Use rubber spatula to make sure rasberry sherbert is smooth across the top.

5. Freeze watermelon bombe for at least 6 hours. To remove from mold place serving plate into freezer for 15 minutes. Remove plate and bowl of ices from freezer. Invert bowl onto plate and cover with a handtowel soaked in hot water for 30 to 60 seconds. Holding the plastic wrap with one hand, carefull lift the bowl off the ices with the other.

6. Place watermelon bombe back into freezer (still covered with plastic wrap) for at least 15 minutes, just in case the hot towel has melted any of the lime sherbert. Serve by cutting into slices.

Side Sensations: Carrot and Bacon Stuffing

A couple of weeks ago whole roasting chickens were on sale for 50 cents a pound. This is every cook's dream: cheap meat. Oh yes -- I picked up 4 chickens. Then I got busy and had zippo time to cook the birds. I opened the freezer after shopping last weekend to store more treasures inside, only to find that I had no room thanks to the 24 lbs of bird. I pulled out one to defrost and got started on the perfect stuffing to shove in its neck come Sunday dinner :D.

Carrot and Bacon Stuffing

1/2 loaf cheap white sandwich bread (I buy whatever's on sale)
1 tsp poultry seasoning
1 cup shredded carrot
4 oz Hormel Real Bacon bits OR 4 oz cooked, crumbled bacon
1 small onion, diced
1/8 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp Thyme
2 cups low sodium chicken broth

1. Cut bread into 1-inch cubes. Arrange on cooking-sprayed cookie sheet. Sprinkle with poultry seasoning. Spray with cooking spray. Toss to coat. Bake at 450 degrees 15-20 minutes, until crisp. Remove from oven and allow to cool.

2. Pour cooled bread cubes into large mixing bowl. Add carrot, bacon, onion, pepper, and thyme. Stir.

3. Add chicken broth and stir until all bread cubes are moistened.

4. To cook INSIDE 6 lb chicken: stuff into cavity of chicken after rinsing chicken and patting dry with paper towels. Make sure to use meat thermometer; stuffing should reach 180 degrees. Baste any stuffing which is exposed in roasting pan with pan juices every 15 minutes (at same time you baste chicken). Serve by spooning into serving dish before carving chicken.

5. To cook OUTSIDE of chicken: Increase chicken broth to 3 cups and add one beaten egg to mixture. Arrange stuffing in a cooking-sprayed 9X9 inch baking dish. Bake for 30-40 minutes at 350 degrees, until excess chicken broth is absorbed and stuffing is lightly browned. Do NOT overbake: this will dry your stuffing out!

Hot Milk Sponge Cake with Peach Cobbler Topping

Nothing says "summer" like peaches, and since today is my first offical day of summer vacation, I decided to use some. I waffled over just how (since thanks to the kiddos I only had 5 peaches left from the 12 I bought two days ago). I'm out of brown sugar, too...so that really limited my culinary creativity for the night. I also didn't want to choose something that would overpower the absolutely out of this world taste of fresh peaches. So after thinking, I decided to go old fashioned and make a Hot Milk Sponge Cake and top it with peach cobbler filling.

Hot Milk Sponge Cake with Peach Cobbler Topping

For the cake:

1/2 c milk
3 tbs margarine
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup sugar
1 cup flour
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp baking powder

For the Peach Cobbler Topper

4 medium peaches, peeled and sliced thinly
3/4 c sugar
2 tbs flour
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 tbs margarine, cut into small cubes

OVEN: 350

1. In a small sauce pan, combine milk and margarine over medium low heat. Allow to heat, stirring occasionally, until steam rises.

2. Meanwhile, in a medium mixing bowl beat eggs with an electric mixer 3-5 minutes, until frothy and lighter in color. Add sugar and vanilla and beat another 1-2 minutes.

3. Remove hot milk mixture from stove. In a small bowl mix flour, salt, and baking powder.

4. Add flour and hot milk alternately to egg and sugar mixture. Make sure to add the milk in a thin stream. Beat well after each addition. You should end with flour (usually I do 1/4 c of the flour, 1/3 of the milk and of course end with the last 1/4 c of flour)

5. Pour into 9X9 inch baking dish OR 9 inch round cake pan which has been greased with margarine OR sprayed with cooking spray. Bake at 350 for 25 minutes, until knife inserted near center comes out clean. Allow to cool 15 minutes before removing from pan.

6. While cake is baking, mix flour, cinnamon, and sugar in cooking-sprayed covered 2 qt casserole dish. Add peach slices and stir to coat. Drop small margarine cubes randomly into peach mixture.

7. Bake peaches, covered, for 20-30 minutes at 350 degrees, until peaches are tender and juices have thickened. IF peaches become too thick, add a small amount of apple juice OR water to thin them back out again.

8. Pour peach cobbler filling over cake. Sprinkle with powdered sugar if desired. Can be served warm or cooled.

Side Sensations: Loaded Smashed Potatoes

All too often I spend all of my time focused on perfect main dishes, forgetting that a spectacular side dish can really spruce up a meal. Mashed potatoes are a great family favorite, but I really think this variation takes it up a notch...and a half.

Loaded Smashed Potatoes

6 large white or Russet potatoes, quartered but NOT peeled
8 oz fat free sour cream
6-8 oz reduced fat sharp cheddar OR Velveeta
4 tbs light margarine
1 bottle of Hormel Real Bacon bits
1/2 c green onion, sliced thinly
1/8 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp garlic powder
2-4 tbs skim milk

1. Place quartered potatoes in large stock pot. Cover with water. Bring to boiling. Boil 15-20 minutes, until fork inserted in potato easily breaks it in half.

2. Drain potatoes. Return to pan. Reduce heat to medium-low.

3. Add margarine and cheese to potaotes. Using potato mahser (NOT mixer) smash margarine and cheese into potatoes. Add sour cream, green onion, pepper, garlic, and bacon bits. Smash until cheese and margarine are melted and other ingredients are incorporated.

4. Add milk in small amounts until potatoes are desired consistency, smashing after each addition.

Crockpot Magic: Chicken Taco Stew

I woke up yesterday to an 80 degree house. The air conditioner decided to quit on me. Not a good time, considering the average high fro the past week has been around 96!!!!!

After much drama and a high of 93 inside my house, the blessed air conditioning guy came out around 8 last night. Turns out...fixing was a no-go. I rushed off to WalMart to buy window units. I got it down to a balmy 82 in the living room and then had to start considering life the Sans A/C.

Dancing Queen has a ballet class at 7, and I had to work until 4 (next to last day for me YAAAAAY), so I had to think of a quick dinner. Ohhh...and one which wouldn't cause the house to go from Sauna to Blazing Inferno of Death. Soooo I turned to my trusty crockpot and put the ingredients together last night for

Chicken Taco Stew

3 lbs boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into 2 inch thick strips
1/2 package dry black beans
1/2 package dry red beans (kidney)
6 cups water
3 beef bouillon cubes
4 tsp garlic powder
3 tsp ground cumin
2-3 tbs chili powder
1/4 tsp ground red pepper
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
1 large onion, sliced and separated into rings
2 30-oz cans tomato sauce
2 15-oz cans original Ro-Tel tomatoes (or hot if you're feeling froggy)

1. Rinse and drain beans. Pour into large stock pot and cover with 6 cups of water. Bring to boiling. Boil 2 minutes. Remomve from heat and let stand, covered, for 1 hour.

2. Place pot back on heat source. Bring to boiling. Reduce heat. Simmer, covered, one hour.

3. Using a colander, drain beans into large measuring cup or mixing bowl. Set beans aside. You should have around 5 cups of "bean water." If you do not, add enough water to make 5 cups. To "bean water" add bouillon, chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, red pepper, and black pepper. Stir until spices and bouillon are completely dissolved.

4. In bottom of crockpot mix Ro-Tel, tomato sauce, onion, and beans. Add spiced bean water. Throw strips of raw chicken into mixture.

5. If desired, place crockpot, covered, in refrigerator overnight (I prefer this because it lets all those yummy spices soak into the meat and beans mmmmmmmm).

6. Cook on low 8-10 hours. Remove chicken and shred with two forks approximately 30-60 minutes before serving. Stir back into stew.

Serve with crumbled tortilla chips, a dollop of sour cream, and Mexican cheese.

ALTERNATIVE: for a thicker "stew" that's more like a dip, omit 1 can of the tomato sauce and reduce the "bean water" to 2.5-3.5 cups (pour bean water in until mixture is desired consistency).

Easy Comfort: Shepherd's Pie

The past two weeks of my life have been hectic beyond belief. Between dance rehearsals and recitals, final exam and End of Course testing week, and end of school year obligations, I've been lucky to get home before 9 PM. Unfortunately, being busy does not excuse one from feeding children (dang government interference).

The kids' favorite solution to the "I Won't Be Home" meals was a make ahead recipe for Shepherd's Pie.

Shepherd's Pie

16 oz ground turkey OR beef
2 egg whites OR 1 egg
1/2 c skim milk
1/3 c bread crumbs
1 small onion, diced
1/2 tsp sage
1/8 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp dry mustard
1/2 tsp ground garlic
8 oz frozen corn
8 tbs light margarine
3 tbs sugar
3 tbs corn starch
3 cups skim milk
6-8 large potatoes, peeled and quartered
1/8 tsp black pepper
8 oz sour cream
1 tsp dry rosemary

1. Place potatoes in large stock pot and cover with water. Bring to boil over high heat. Boil 15-20 minutes, until fork inserted in potato goes through easily.

2. Meanwhile, in mixing bowl whisk egg and milk together. Add bread crumbs. Let sit approximately 5 minutes. Stir in onion, sage, black pepper, paprika, mustard, and garlic. Add ground meat and mix well with hands.

2. Spray 13X9X2 inch baking dish with cooking spray. Spread meat mixture into bottom of dish evenly. Bake at 350 degrees 15 or so minutes, until set. Remove from oven.

3. Meanwhile, boil frozen corn according to package directions. Drain. Return pan to stove. Melt margarine over medium high heat. Add cornstarch. Stir in sugar and slowly add milk. Stirring constantly, allow mixture to boil and thicken. Remove from heat. Pour over partially cooked meat mixure.

4. Drain cooked potatoes. Return to stock pot. Add sour cream, black pepper, and rosemary. Mash with potato masher OR whip with electric mixture. If potatoes are still thick, add a small amount of milk until desired consistency.

5. Spread potatoes over creamed corn. Sprinkle with paprika.

6. Bake at 350 for 35 or so minutes, until top of potatoes form crust. Allow to cool 10 minutes before cutting and serving.

Chicken and Sausage Gumbo

I don't make this very often, but when I do I can't count on leftovers. There's just something about this smokey, spicey, savory stew that my family can't get enough of. I always make it with a huge batch of sweet corn bread.

Chicken and Sausage Gumbo

16 tbs flour
1/2 c canola oil
12 oz frozen cut okra, thawed
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 large onion, diced
1/4 tsp ground red pepper
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
8 cups low sodium chicken broth
2-3 lbs boneless skinless chicken breast, cooked and cubed
16 oz turkey Polska Kielbasa, quartered and sliced into chunks
8 bay leaves
6-8 cups cooked rice

1. To make roux (sauce base), in a large stock pot stir flour and oil together until smooth. Heat, stirring constantly, over medium-high heat. Continue to cook and stir until roux turns the color of a penny (about 15 minutes).

2. Add garlic, onion, okra, red pepper, and black pepper. Cook 4-6 minutes, until vegetables are crisp-tender.

3. Slowly pour in chicken broth. Increase heat to high. Cook and stir until mixture boils and thickens.

4. Add chicken and sausage. Stir. Bring mixture back to boiling. Stir in bay leaves.

5. Reduce heat. Cover and simmer 45 minutes.

6. Remove bay leaves. Serve over rice.

ALTERNATIVE: Seafood gumbo: Cook roux until LIGHT brown (about 10 minutes). Omit chicken. Substitute 2 8-oz cans of lump crab meat, drained, and 8-10 oz of peeled and deveined jumbo shrimp. Add crab with the sausage. Add shrimp the last 10 minutes of cooking.