Food Friday: What's for Dinner? Spaghetti, Cheesy Bread and Juan Hot Stew

Today's recipes come from Jenny a mom of 2 (soon to be 3) who works more than full time outside the home. Enjoy!

Spaghetti Sauce
When my husband and I were first married, he was shocked to see that I made homemade sauce as he had grown up "on the bottle." This sauce is a hit with him and our whole family, and it's not uncommon for him to take a second helping with a big piece of bread instead of noodles.

1 can tomato sauce (not the super big one)
1 can tomato soup
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 small can tomato paste
1 pound hamburger
Brown sugar and yellow mustard to taste

Brown your hamburger, drain off excess fat. Add canned ingredients to the hamburger and heat on medium till cooked through. Add brown sugar and yellow mustard to taste (start with a small sprinkling of sugar, then taste, add mustard, repeat if necessary). My mom and grandma add a can of water to make their sauce a bit more liquid, but we prefer it thicker at our house. Reduce heat until you're ready to eat. It's great right away and even more wonderful if you let it simmer for awhile. Serve over spaghetti noodles and whatever else you love with spaghetti - which in our house is my next recipe!


Cheesy Oven Bread

(I just came up with that name - I'm not sure what I usually call it. Probably just bread.) This bread is perfect for sopping up extra spaghetti sauce or with a plate of spaghetti sauce (husband's aforementioned preferred route). This is not low cal by any means, but it's so delicious you won't even care.

1 loaf French bread
1 pack sliced mozzarella or Swiss cheese (your call)
1 onion
1 stick of butter

Dice onion and sauté in butter until onions are slightly soft and starting to color. Cut thick slices into your French bread, but do not cut through the bottom of the loaf. Gently open the loaf at each slice to drizzle the onion/butter mixture into the open area, making sure the bottom of the loaf remains intact. After drizzling the onion/butter mixture, stick 1/2 a piece of cheese (or the whole piece, folded) into each opening. Continue until the whole loaf is dressed up. Wrap the loaf in aluminum foil and place in a 350 oven for 20 or so minutes (honestly, I don't know how long I cook this but 20 sounds like a good number as a start). Check the loaf around that time - if you want it soft, it should be ready. If you prefer a more toasted loaf, keep it in a bit longer. Note: if you have onion boycotters in the house you can make 1/2 the loaf with the onion/butter/cheese and the other 1/2 with butter/cheese or forgo the onions all together and just use the butter and cheese - your call.


Juan Hot Stew
We get a bunch of venison each fall. I'm not a big fan of the steaks (read: yuck, can't stand them), but love the sausage. One year we had a surplus of sausage and I decided to get creative with how we used it. Juan (One) Hot Stew is the result. Now this is a standby each fall/winter/spring (or until the time the sausage supply runs out).

2 links of sausage (not the tiny Jimmy Dean links - the hefty, butcher type of link)
2 14 1/2 oz cans stewed tomatoes
1 14 1/2 oz can diced tomatoes
1 15 oz can blacked beans, drained (and rinsed, if you so choose)
1 15 oz can corn & pepper mix, drained
1 cup water
0-3 jalapenos (your call, but this is the "Juan" part of the recipe) Additional hot peppers, if desired Pinch of cornstarch, if desired

Cook sausage (grill, fry, boil, whatever) and cut into 1/2 thick slices. Combine stewed tomatoes, diced tomatoes, drained black beans, drained corn & pepper mix and water into a pot (or crock pot). Add slices of sausage and your choice and quantity of peppers. Bring to boil, then reduce heat and simmer until stew is thick (you can add a little bit of cornstarch if you want to thicken the stew a bit - I'm 50/50 on the addition). Serve with milk, crackers, bread, whatever!

Image courtesy of Google Images

Wednesday Wisdom: Stat time

Getting rid of excess clutter would eliminate 40 percent of the housework in the average home.

National Soap and Detergent Association

Motivational Monday: Guest Welcome Basket

I have house guests several times a year, and I always rush at the last minute to get my guest clean towels before I go to bed. So I thought I would put on my “Martha Stewart” hat and create all of the necessities my guest would need while staying with us. Here is a quick check list to help you get your own guest welcome basket started:

• Fluffy towel for each guest
• Two washcloths for each day the guests are staying
• A bottle of water
• Sample bottles of shampoo, conditioner and body wash (you know the ones you took from your most recent hotel room stay)
• Toothbrush, toothpaste and floss
• Something sweet to eat

This takes just minutes to put together and what a great thing to show my guests that I appreciate them staying.

To Simplified, Joyful Living

MS. Simplicity

Food Friday: What's for Dinner? Tortilla Soup, Egg and Sausage Casserole and Taco Melts

Please welcome today's home chef Diana W. who is a busy mom of 3, volunteer and entrepreneur. Enjoy!

Ground Round Mexican Chicken & Tortilla Soup
1 lb. shredded chicken breast
1 can Fiesta Nacho cheese soup
1 can Cream of Chicken soup
1 soup can of milk
1 can enchilada sauce (mild)
Crushed tortilla chips
Shredded cheddar cheese

Bake chicken breast in a casserole dish with a small amount of water for 1 ½ hours. Cut it up in small shredded places
Add chicken and all ingredients (except for tortilla chips and shredded cheese) to crock pot and heat on low for 2-3 hours. Serve with crushed tortilla chips and shredded cheese.



Egg & Sausage Casserole
• 1 pound pork sausage (I use the precooked sausage patties – so it is really quick to cook them up in the microwave
• 1 (8 ounce) package refrigerated crescent roll dough
• 8 eggs, beaten
• 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
• 2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Lightly grease a 9x13 inch baking dish.
Line the bottom of the prepared baking dish with crescent roll dough, and sprinkle with crumbled sausage. In a large bowl, mix beaten eggs, mozzarella, and Cheddar. Season the mixture with oregano, and pour over the sausage and crescent rolls.
Bake 25 to 30 minutes in the preheated oven, or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.



Grands Taco Melts
1 package (1 oz) Old El Paso® taco seasoning mix
2/3 cup water
1 1/2 cups Old El Paso® Thick 'n Chunky salsa
1 lb lean (at least 80%) ground beef, cooked, drained
1 can (16.3 oz) Pillsbury® Grands!® refrigerated biscuits (any variety)
1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese or Mexican cheese blend (4 oz)
1 cup sour cream, if desired

Heat oven to 375°F.
In medium saucepan, cook taco seasoning mix, water, 1/2 cup of the salsa and cooked ground beef until thickened.
Press each biscuit into 6-inch round. Fill each with taco mixture and 1 tablespoon cheese. Fold dough over filling and press to seal. Place on greased cookie sheet.
Bake 9 to 14 minutes or until golden brown. Serve with remaining salsa, cheese and sour cream.

Image courtesy of Google Images

Wednesday Wisdom: NAPO

Wanting to share a little wisdom with you, I thought I would let you know that I am a member of NAPO....or National Association of Professional Organizers and I am a fan of statistics. NAPO gathers interesting organizing stats that I hope to share with you to maybe bring you a little closer to order in your life.

• "Women with shoe racks were seven times more likely to be on time for work than women without shoe racks."

Goode, Stephen. Couples Best Steer Clear of Closet Organizers. Insight on the News 05/14/2001Statistic by/from IKEA, "You Can't Be Too Organized" survey of 620 consumershttp://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1571/is_18_17/ai_74440082

To Simplified, Joyful Living

MS. Simplicity

Motivational Monday: Clean Purse

So as women we all struggle with having different areas of our life organized, but there is one area that seems to be the defining picture of the status of our crazy life….our purses. My purse now is organized and clean, but I am not the only one judging that status I have found out. When was the last time you had to go through security? As I was approaching the security at a local football game, I saw they had these plastic rods lying on the table….and I thought, that is odd what would those be for? I now know it is for the purses that are so deep that no security guard would want to stick his/her hand down it. I call that good planning ahead! So when I went through security the guy looking in my purse commented on how organized it was. So this got me thinking….what is the story that your purse says about you. Can the security guy quickly look in your purse and make sure there are no guns or cans of beer in there? Or does the security guy need a plastic rod to look in your purse? Or maybe you want to take the cans of beer in, who am I to judge? How long would it take you to find what you need? Can you open it and find it quickly or do you need a long stick?

When I was a mom of little ones my purse was defined by wet wipes, diapers, Happy Meal toys, bouncy balls, collections of rocks, power rangers, matchbox cars, crushed snacks, juice boxes and broken melted crayons. You would have needed a 10 foot pole to look in my purse then. Now that my boys are older my purse is defined as a bit more organized. It now contains:

• wallet (as the kids always take my money)
• umbrella (as I sit outside and watch sporting events for said kids)
• Kindle (as I wait for them at various locations)
• Blackberry (as I wait for them at before mentioned locations I can check my email and update Facebook. I can also give my phone to one of my kids to play a game on it while we are waiting)
• Camera (when I attend those kid activities, I always need to snap a few pictures)
• Flip video camera (just in case I am at a concert or athletic event for one of those kids and I need to record the memory….last concert I taped I found out my son didn’t even play the song….so I was a little too quick on the draw on that one)
• first aid kit (band aids and antibiotic cream as you never know when you need to assist a nurse at a football game….true story)
• business cards (as I promote my business www.ididit-fargo.com )
• Small notepaper, pens and highlighters (in case I need to take note of something in my daily learning adventures)
• Tide to Go (as sometimes salsa gets the best of me)
  

Some tips in keeping an organized purse:

• I have several small containers within my purse to hold items. I have a small cosmetics bag to hold the first aid items. In this one bag I have band aids, pain relievers, antibiotic cream, chap stick, lip stick, lotion and vitamin C drops I also bought a cool thing called a Pouchee that holds all of the smaller items in my purse such as my camera, Flip, pens, highlighters, paper, check book, loose receipts, gift cards etc. So I know exactly where to put my hand to grab the smaller items. The Pouchee is designed in order to transfer from purse to purse all of the miscellaneous items quickly.
• Clean it out every two weeks. I usually do this task right over the garbage can as it usually contains gum wrappers, old receipts and loose change (the change I keep).
• I really keep only what I need on a daily basis in my purse. I have a friend who keeps her kid’s passports in her purse…is that just in case she plans on taking a quick trip to Mexico?
• Having trouble deciding what to put in your purse? Downsize the size of your purse forcing you to keep just the necessities. Often the big purses just become a catch all of the errands you ran during the day, heck the week or even the month. Keep it small and you will have to keep it organized.
  

Take a look at your purse and see how it is defining you. Could you save some time and frustration by organizing your purse today?

To Simplified, Joyful Living,
MS. Simplicity

Food Friday: What's for Dinner? Kuchen bars, Hot Broccoli Dip , BBQ's and Knoephla Soup

This weeks recipes comes from my husband's aunt who has raised 5 children and countless others as a day care provider over the years. Betty is know as her families best cook (apologies to my mother in law, but she would admit it too) I am really excited to make Kuchen Bars, because if you have German blood in you....you love Kuchen!

Kuchen Bars
1 cup butter
2 eggs
1 cup sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. baking powder
2 cups flour
Mix and spread in a 10 x 16 greased jelly roll pan and arrange fruit on top of the dough. May use apples or canned peaches. If you use canned peaches, drain off the liquid. Add custard. Top with a little sugar and cinnamon

Custard:
2 cups cream
4 beaten eggs
2 tbsp. flour
½ cup sugar
Bake at 350 degrees until custard is set and no longer runny. 40 minutes

Hot Broccoli Dip
3 cans cream of mushroom soup
10 oz. shredded cheddar cheese
½ lb. Velveeta cheese
½ stick butter
Mix soup, butter, cheeses together in the microwave till melted together. About 8 minutes.
Add 10 oz. of cooked broccoli (frozen) and 2 small cans of mushrooms (drained).
Serve hot with Mini round nacho corn chips.

Betty’s Barbeque
2 lbs. hamburger
1 package of Sloppy Joe Seasoning Mix (McCormick or Flavorite)
1can tomato paste
1 cup water
3 tbsp brown sugar
Brown hamburger and drain the liquid. Add sloppy Joe mix, tomato paste, water and brown sugar. Simmer for 20 mins. Serve on buns.

Knoephla Soup
6 potatoes, peeled & diced
1 onion, chopped
6 cups water (2 inches above the potatoes)
2 cups cream
2 cups milk
2 tbsp chicken Flavor stock
2 envelopes of Cream of Chicken (Lipton Cup-a-soup) Add to milk

Combine potatoes, onion, chicken flavored stock and water in a kettle: cook until tender. When tender add milk, cream, and cream of chicken. Add dumplings. Simmer for 10 mins.
Dumplings
3 cups flour, 3 beaten eggs, 1 cup milk, ½ tsp salt
I use a spaetzle make to make my dumplings and I like to cook my dumplings before adding to the soup. You may add the dumplings right to the soup.
Bring a large pot of water to a boil: add dumplings with a small spoon if you don’t have a spaetzle maker. Cook for 5 mins. Drain

Image courtesy Google Images