Taco Spaghetti

How have I gone my entire life without trying this recipe?  I love tacos, I love spaghetti, and I really love quick, easy, one-pot dinners that my whole family will enjoy!  This one is all of those things, plus, I usually have all these ingredients on hand, so it's a great last-minute meal, too.

Here's a bonus tip:
This is one of those recipes that calls for a tiny amount of tomato paste, and I always hate opening a new can for just a tablespoon or two.  But tomato paste freezes great!  So, next time you have a lot leftover, divide it into ice cube trays and freeze it.  Once it's frozen, you can pop out the cubes and transfer them to a freezer bag or container.  Then it's easy to pull out exactly the right amount without having to open a new can.

Taco Spaghetti
Cook time: 20 min
Serves 4

1 lb ground beef
1 (1.25-ounce) package taco seasoning
1 (10 oz can) diced tomatoes & green chilies
1 Tbs tomato paste
8 oz spaghetti
1 cup Mexican or Fiesta blend cheese
2 Tbs chopped, fresh cilantro leaves

Brown ground beef in a large stockpot over medium high heat. Drain.  Stir in taco seasoning.
Stir in tomatoes, tomato paste, spaghetti and 3 cups water. Bring to a boil; cover, reduce heat and simmer until pasta is cooked through, about 13-16 minutes.

Remove from heat and top with cheeses. Cover until melted, about 2 minutes. Garnish with cilantro.

662 calories per serving.  Click here for shopping list and more nutritional info!

Crock Pot Beef and Noodles

I couldn't hardly believe it when I logged on and realized it's been four months since I last posted a new recipe on here!  I've been pretty busy lately with the holidays, my daughter's birthday, and my burgeoning career as an author.  I have 8 books out now!  Planning new meals has taken a backseat, so I haven't even made anything new lately, let alone anything that was worth blogging about.

The other day, I found a bag of frozen noodles at Wally World, and they looked intriguing.  I picked them up, figuring I'd find a use for them eventually.  A quick Pinterest search led me to a beef and noodles recipe that sounded yummy, so I decided to give it a try tonight.  So glad I did!

I threw this together in minutes on my lunch break and finished it off while I set the table and made a salad after work.  I tried it out on my bestie (my second favorite guinea pig after my husband), and she and everyone else thought it was great!  Plus, there were enough leftovers to share.  She was pretty happy about that.

Crockpot Beef and Noodles

Prep time: 5 min  Cook time:6-8 hrs
Serves 8

2 lbs of beef roast or beef tips
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can golden mushroom soup
1 packet Au Jus Gravy mix
1 packet beefy onion soup mix
4 cups water
1 (16 oz) bag frozen egg noodles
1 Tbs of Kitchen Bouquet Browning & Seasoning Sauce (optional)
1 large can sliced mushrooms, drained (optional)

Spray, oil or butter your slow cooker insert.
Dice up the meat, season with salt and pepper, and toss it in the slow cooker. (If you have the time, you can give the meat a quick sear in a bit of oil in skillet first, just to up the meaty flavor, but this isn't essential)
Mix your canned soups, onion soup mix and au jus mix with 4 cups of water. Pour over the beef tips.  Cover and cook on low for 6 to 8 hours.
60 minutes before serving, turn the crockpot to high.  Add the seasoning sauce, mushrooms, and noodles. Stir and squish down the noodles so they're under the liquid.
Cover and cook on high for 60 more minutes.

542 calories per serving.  Click here for more nutritional info and shopping list!

Sweet-n-Spicy Sticky Crispy Chicken Wings

I really like chicken wings, but I'm not a fan of the typical buffalo sauce they are normally served with.  BBQ sauce is good, but that gets a little boring, too.  The best chicken wing sauce I've ever had was a unique garlic ranch sauce that they serve at Dick's Wings in Jacksonville, Florida.  I lived there for a year and must have eaten there a dozen times because that sauce was sooooo good!  One time, when I went back to Florida to visit, I bought a whole gallon of their sauce so I could made my own wings at home.  Since I don't get to Florida very often, and I've yet to find a copycat version of that delicacy, I was determined to find something else really yummy, and I totally scored with this one!

These wings have a great, crispy texture, and the sauce is sweet and spicy with a unique Asian flavor that was anything but boring.  In fact, the sauce was so yummy and easy, I just might try it on a few other things!

Sweet-n-Spicy Sticky Crispy Chicken Wings
Prep time: 15 min  Cook time: 10 min
Serves 6

4 lbs chicken wings sections
1 cup flour
1 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1.5 tsp Chinese five spice powder
2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1.5 Tbs ground ginger
1 eggs
1 Tbs milk

For the Glaze:
1 finely minced garlic clove
2 tsp olive oil
⅔ cup honey
2 tsp Chinese crushed chili paste
½ tsp pepper
¼ tsp salt

Mix together the flour, nutmeg, cayenne pepper, five-spice powder, sea salt, black pepper and ground ginger.  Whisk together the eggs and milk.

Dredge the wings in the egg mixture then the flour mixture and drop them in a 350°F deep fryer for about 8-10 minutes or little longer for larger wings, until a medium golden brown.  Drain on a wire rack placed on a paper towel-lined cookie sheet. Hold in a 175°F oven if making more than one batch.

Add the oil and garlic to a small saucepan.  Saute over medium heat until the garlic is softened but not browned.  Add the remaining ingredients and simmer for about 5-10 minutes.

Pour over all the cooked wings in a large bowl and toss well to cover the wings in the glaze before serving.

797 calories per serving.  Click here for more nutritional info and shopping list!

Bierocks

It's not often that I try something I've never had before, but this dish I've never even heard of before!  Apparently, these tasty little pockets originated in Russia or Germany and are quite popular in places like Nebraska, Kansas, and Oklahoma.  I was raised in Indiana, but the closest I've ever had to these is a Michigan pasty.  You could probably put just about anything you like in these, but beef, cabbage, and onions are the traditional staples.  My hubby thought they would be great with mushrooms, but he says that about everything.

The kiddo hates all three of those main ingredients, so of course, I had to save it for a day she wasn't going to be home for dinner.  It also takes a whole lot longer to make than I'm usually willing to spend cooking, but I knew my hubby would love it and the recipe would make a lot.  They turned out really yummy, and they were just as good reheated.  I stuck the leftovers in the freezer, and they would be handy hand sandwiches to pull out for lunches.

Bierocks

Prep time: 30 min Bake time: 20 min
Serves 12

2 loaves frozen bread dough, thawed
1 lb ground beef
1 large onion, chopped finely
1 small head of cabbage or 1/2 a large, chopped
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp allspice
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1 cup shredded cheddar

Preheat the oven to 350°.

In a large skillet, cook hamburger and onion until hamburger is cooked through and onion is fairly translucent. Add in chopped cabbage and cook until tender and wilted.  Place the filling in a colander and allow to drain for about 15 minutes as it cools. Return to pan and add salt, pepper, allspice, and cloves to taste. Adjust seasoning if needed.  Mix in cheese.

Gently punch down and divide the dough into 12 portions.  Roll each portion into a rectangle, approximately 3" by 6".

Put about a half a cup of the filling in each square.  Fold dough over to close and pinch edges.  Make certain seams are sealed well – if the dough has become too dry to easily stick easily, run a slightly wet finger next to the edges and proceed.

Place the bierock on a lightly-oiled baking sheet (or use a Silpat).  Cover with a clean tea towel.  If working at a time of year with low humidity, lightly spray the tops so they won’t dry. Repeat with the remaining dough and filling. Let rise about 20 minutes or so. and perhaps a bit longer in cooler weather (the tops should be smooth.) Bake 15 to 20 minutes until golden brown. Remove from baking sheet and place on a wire rack.  While still warm, brush tops with butter.

These are good hot and cold.  They freeze well and heat up easily in the microwave wrapped in paper towel or in the oven for 10 minutes.

Homemade BoBerry Biscuits

My coworker was talking about making homemade apple fritters all week, and they sounded so good I decided to make some, too. I searched Pinterest for my favorite apple fritter recipe, but you know how it first shows you all the results and then you have to click on "your pins" to find the recipe you saved? Well, right next to all the yummy apple fritter recipes was a recipe for blueberry fritters!

They looked awesome, so I decided to give them a try. Only problem was, the recipe called for 2 eggs and I had no eggs, because I used them all for some delicious egg salad the day before. Bummed, I decided to go back to my apple fritter recipe, only to discover it called for an egg, too! Double-bummed, I went back to Pinterest and saw the blueberry fritter recipe again, which reminded me of the BoBerry Biscuits they sell at Bojangles.

If you don't know what Bojangles is, well, I am so sorry!  Bojangles is a Charlotte, NC-based fast food restaurant with franchise locations pretty much everywhere south of the Mason-Dixon. They specialize in chicken and biscuits, and sticking with the theme, for dessert they offer their amazing buttery biscuits, speckled with blueberries and drizzled with glaze. I decided to search for a copycat recipe for those, and low and behold, I found one--and it didn't even call for eggs!

These turned out great and took about as long to make as it would've taken me to drive to my local Bojangles and buy some. I used some frozen blueberries, but fresh or even dried would be just fine.


Homemade BoBerry Biscuits

Prep time: 10 min  Bake time: 10 min
Serves 12

2 1/4 cups flour
1 1/4 cups buttermilk*
1/3 cup sugar
1 Tbs baking powder
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
2 Tbs shortening
1/2 cup butter, cut into 1/4 in cubes
5 oz blueberries

Glaze
1 cup sifted powdered sugar
4 tsp water
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp lemon juice

Preheat oven to 450F.

Combine dry ingredients. Cut in shortening and butter. Add buttermilk and stir till just combined.  Fold in blueberries.  Add additional flour if dough is too sticky.

Place dough on floured cutting board, rub rolling pin with flour, and roll dough out to desired thickness. (I like 3/4 inch)

Use a cookie or biscuit cutter to cut out biscuits.

Bake for 8-10 minutes till desired brownness.

Combine glaze ingredients and drizzle over biscuits. These are great warm or cool!

*If you don't have buttermilk and can't be bothered to go get some, just add 1-2 Tbs of lemon juice or vinegar to a cup of milk and let it sit for 5 minutes till it starts to curdle. Voila! You have buttermilk.

244 calories per serving.  Click here for more nutritional info and shopping list!