Pizza with noodles

Pizza Spaghetti Casserole

Made: March 30, 2014

Ingredients
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 box (16 oz) uncooked Spaghetti noodles
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1 egg
- 2 ounces sliced pepperoni
- 1 jar (26 oz) pasta sauce
- 1 can (16 oz) diced Italian style tomatoes
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 package (8 oz) shredded Italian cheese blend
- Any other pizza toppings you like (optional)

Directions
- Preheat oven to 350F
- Boil water and salt for Spaghetti noodles according to directions on package
- Meanwhile, brown meat until no longer pink, drain
- Once noodles are cooked, drain and put in a casserole dish
- Whisk together egg and milk, pour over noodles
- Combime pasta sauce, tomatoes, garlic powder and oregano
- Pour ontop of noodles
- Top with meat
- Top with cheese
- Top with pepperoni and other pizza toppings
- Bake for 30 minutes

I thought I had bought some extra pepperoni for this recipe, but I did not. So my version is without the pizza toppings. But overall, this had a great flavor.

(Recipe used: found via facebook)

Cheesy Tex Rice

Tex-mex Beef & Rice Casserole

Made: February 3, 2014

Ingredients
- 1 pound extra-lean ground beef
- 1 14 ounce can fire-roasted diced tomatoes, undrained
- 1 11 ounce can corn with red and green bell peppers, undrained
- 1/2 cup chopped onions
- 1 10 ounce tub PHILADELPHIA Santa Fe Blend Cooking Creme, divided
- 3 cups cooked long-grain white rice
- 1 cup KRAFT Shredded Colby & Monterey Jack Cheeses, divided
- 1 cup crushed tortilla chips
- 3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

Directions
- Heat oven to 350 F
- Brown meat in large nonstick skillet; drain
- Return to skillet
- Add tomatoes, corn, onions and 3/4 cup cooking creme; mix well
- Combine rice and 1/2 cup shredded cheese in 13x9-inch baking dish sprayed with cooking spray; spread to cover bottom of dish
- Top with layers of meat mixture, remaining cooking creme and remaining shredded cheese; cover
- Bake 30 min. or until heated through
- Top with crushed chips and cilantro

I had to improvise, as the store didn't have the Santa Fe Cooking Creme, so I used onion and chive. I think it came out good, very tasty. My rice still stuck to the bottom of my dish, but that's rice for you! I didn't use cilantro though, it's not a welcomed flavor in the house.

(Recipe used: Recipe.com)

Taco spin-off

Beef Tostadas

Made: May 25, 2013

Ingredients
- 1-1/2 pounds boneless beef round steak
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/4 cup lime juice
- 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 1 jalapeno, seeded and finely chopped
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 1/4 teaspoon cumin
- 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 12 packaged tostada or hard taco shells
- 3/4 cup fat-free refried beans
- 1-1/2 cups shredded iceberg lettuce
- 1 cup reduced-fat shredded Mexican-blend cheese
- 3/4 cup salsa

Directions
- Sprinkle steak with salt and pepper
- Place 3 tablespoons of the lime juice, the garlic, jalapeno, onion, chili powder, cumin and cayenne in a slow cooker
- Place beef on top and cook on HIGH for 6 hours or LOW for 8 hours
- Remove beef to a cutting board and when cool enough to handle, shred with fingers or using two forks
- Place shredded beef in a large bowl
- Strain remaining liquid in slow cooker over a bowl or measuring cup, discarding solids
- Add strained liquid and remaining 1 tablespoon lime juice to beef in bowl and stir to combine
- Cover; keep warm
- Warm tostada shells in oven according to package directions
- While tostadas are baking, heat refried beans in microwave for 1-1/2 minutes on HIGH, stirring halfway through until warm and spreadable
- Spread each tostada with 1 tablespoon refried beans
- Place 1/3 cup beef over beans and divide lettuce equally among tostadas
- Top each with 1 heaping tablespoon cheese and 1 tablespoon salsa

I made mine slightly different ... I used ground beef instead of round steak. I browned the beef in a pan with the spices and I used lemon juice instead of lime juice. I also added in a touch of taco seasoning. I also used spinach instead of lettuce and I also used sour cream to add a touch of cool. Also makes a good salad

(recipe used: recipe.com)

Meaty Taco Pasta

"Baked Taco Ziti"

Made: May 6, 2013

Ingredients
- 3/4 bag ziti noodles
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1 package taco seasoning
- 1 cup water
- 1/2 package cream cheese
- 1 1/2 cup shredded cheese

Directions
- Boil pasta until just cooked (al dente)
- Brown ground beef; drain
- Mix taco seasoning and 1 cup water in the ground beef; stir for 5 minutes
- Add in cream cheese, stir until melted & remove from heat
- Add pasta into a casserole dish, top with 1 cup of the shredded cheese
- Gently pour beef mixture on top and mix with the pasta
- Top with remaining shredded cheese
- Bake for 15-20 minutes, uncovered, at 350 F, until cheese is melted and the dish is heated throughout

I used a normal sized box of pasta, used about 1/2 for this dish. We made over 4 servings with leftovers. I used a little more than 1/2 of a package of cream cheese and used cheddar jack & mozzarella cheeses. Overall, it came out nice and creamy, gooey and hot!

(Recipe used: via facebook)

Non-lasagna

Easy Bowtie Lasagna

Made: March 6, 2013

Ingredients
- 16 oz package bowtie pasta, uncooked
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 onion, chopped
- 32 oz jar spaghetti sauce
- 8 oz container sour cream
- 1/4 cup grated Parmesan chese
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 2 cups shredded Mozzarella cheese

Directions
- Cook pasta as package directs, drain and set aside
- In a skillet over medium heat, brown beef and onion, drain
- Add spaghetti sauce to skillet and simmer for 5 minutes
- Mix cooked pasta with sour cream, Parmesan cheese and garlic powder
- In a greased 13x9 pan, layer half of beef mixture and half of pasta mixture
- Repeat layers
- Top with Mozzarella cheese
- Bake, uncovered, at 350 F for about 30 minutes, until heated through and cheese is melted

Along with the sour cream, I added in a couple spoons of cream cheese. It's not lasagna without cream cheese!! Overall, I really liked this recipe. I didn't use an onion, so I used Onion flakes instead, just to get that flavor. I also didn't use all the same measurements listed; I only used about 8 oz of pasta and 24 oz of sauce.

(Recipe used: Gooseberry Patch; Mom's very best recipes)

Mexcio meets Pie

Mexican Sheppard's Pie

Made: February 19, 2013

Directions
- 1 lb extra lean (at least 93%) ground beef
- 1/2 cup sliced green onions
- 1 cup Old El Paso® Thick ‘n Chunky Salsa
- 1 1/2 teaspoons chili powder
- 3/4 teaspoon cumin
- 1 can Green Giant® SteamCrisp® Mexicorn® corn, drained
- 1 pouch Betty Crocker® loaded mashed potatoes
- 1 1/3 cups water
- 2 tablespoons butter or margarine
- 1 cup milk
- 1/2 cup shredded Cheddar cheese (2 oz)
- 1 medium tomato, sliced into thin wedges
- Tortilla chips, if desired

Ingredients
- In 10-inch skillet, cook ground beef and 1/4 cup of the green onions over medium-high heat 5 to 7 minutes, stirring occasionally until beef is thoroughly cooked; drain
- Stir in salsa, chili powder and cumin
- Spoon corn evenly over beef mixture in skillet
- Cover and cook over low heat until mixture is thoroughly heated
- Meanwhile, in 2-quart saucepan, heat water and butter to boiling
- Remove from heat
- Stir in milk and 1 pouch potatoes with seasoning just until blended
- Let stand about 1 minute or until liquid is absorbed; beat with fork until smooth
- Spoon potatoes over corn in skillet; spread evenly
- Sprinkle with cheese and remaining 1/4 cup green onions
- Cover; cook over low heat about 5 minutes or until cheese is melted
- Arrange tomato wedges in spoke fashion over potatoes
- Garnish with tortilla chips around outside edge of skillet



I didn't use those exact brands, I had Gaint Mexicorn, Chi-Chi's Thick & Chunky Mild salsa & Velveeta cheesy Potatoes. I opted against the green onions and tomato. I topped mine with some sour cream, extra salsa and shredded cheese. I also used a little more salsa in with my beef to fully coat and mix around the spices so you didn't get one bite of nothing but chili powder. The extra cheese in the potatoes really kicked it up a notch

(Recipe used: Betty Crocker)

Pizza Puffs

Cheese-Crusted Pizza Pot Pies

Made: January 19, 2013

Ingredients
- 1 package (12oz) pork sausage or 3/4 pound ground beef
- 2/3 cup chopped onion
- 2/3 cup finely chopped carrots
- 1/2 cup chipped fren bell pepper
- 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 1 1/4 cups marinara sauce
- 2/3 cup sliced pepperoni
- 1/3 cup chopped pimiento-stuffed green olives
- 1 cup shredded Italian cheese blend
- 1 cup Pillsbury refrigerated thin pizza crust
- 8 slices Mozzarella cheese

Directions
- Heat oven to 450 F
- In a skillet, cook sausage, onion, carrots, bell pepper, and garlic over medium heat, until meat is no longer pink, drain
- Stir in marinara sauce, pepperoni and olives
- Simmer for 3-5 minutes or until thickened
- Remove from heat
- Stir in cheese blend
- Spray bottoms, sides and rims of 4 individual baking dishes (10oz ramekins) with cooking spray
- Spoon meat mixture into dishes
- Place on baking pan
- Unroll dough on large cutting board
- Cut in half lengthwise, then cut in half crosswise
- Place 1 dough piece over meat mixture in each dish, overlapping rims
- Top ech pot pie wiht 2 slices cheese, overlapping slightly
- Bake 16-20 minutes or until crust is brown

I did things a little differently. I opted against the carrots and chose for black olives instead. I also used shredded Mozzarella cheese to top the dough and used a Mexican blend. I also mixed meat; we had some leftover celery sausage so I used that and ground beef making enough meat for 6 servings and even some for a mini-flatbread pizza.

(Recipe used: Pillsbury Annual Recipes 2013)

Twist on Tacos

Crispy Beef and Bean Tacos (Beef & Beans mixture)

Made: January 12, 2013

For Crispy shells
Ingredients
- 8 6in corn tortillas
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 1/4 teaspoon salt

Directions
- Position the oven rack in the center of the oven
- Preheat the oven to 375 F
- Wrap tortillas in damp paper towels
- Microwave on high about 40 seconds until warm and softened
- Lightly brush both sides of tortillas with oil, sprinkle with salt
- Slide oven rack out slightly
- Carefully drape each tortilla over two bard of oven rack, forming shells with flat bottoms
- Bake about 7 minutes until crispy
- Using tongs, transfer warm shells to a plate (or allow to cool completely on oven rack)
(These can be made a day in advance)

Ingredients
Beef & Bean filling
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 can black beans, drained & rinsed
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 teaspoons chili powder
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1/4 cup water

Toppings (examples given from the book)
- 1 medium tomato, diced and seeded
- 1/2 cup chopped red onion
- 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- 1'2 cup shredded romaine lettuce
- 1/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves

Ingredients
- In a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat, cook beef for 8 minutes, stirring occasionally and breaking up the meat with a wooden spoon until no longer pink
- Add beans and garlic
- Cook and stir for 2 minutes
- Add chili powder, oregano, salt, cayenne pepper and the water
- Cook and stir for 2 minutes until heated through
- To serve, divide the filling among the shells
- Serve toppings in separate bowls to top the meat

Cripsy Beef and Bean Tacos (finished tacos)

I'm a soft shell person, so I had soft shells for mine. I topped mine with sour cream, shredded lettuce, shredded Cheddar/American cheese mix and cherry tomatoes diced. Overall, this is a lighter version of a taco seasoning that you would get from the packets. It wasn't as powerful or overwhelming with the seasoning you'd be used to, but I did like the change in taste,

(Recipe used: Better Homes and Gardens - Annual Recipes 2012)

Oven Taco

Beef Taco Casserole

Made: January 5, 2013

Ingredients
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 can Cambell's Condensed tomato soup
- 1 cup Pace Chunky Salsa or Picante sauce
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1/2 cup uncooked instant white rice
- 1/2 cup slightly crushed tortilla chips
- 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Directions
- Cook beef in skillet over medium-high heat until beef is well browned, stirring to break up meat
- Drain off fat/grease
- Stir soup, salsa, milk and rice into skillet with beef
- Spoon beef mixture in 1 1/2qt casserole dish
- Cover
- Bake at 400 F for 25 minutes or until hot
- Stir
- Arrange chips around edge of casserole
- Sprinke with cheese

I used Tostitos chips and salsa (mild) for our recipe. I also plated each serving before sprinkling with cheese and chips.

(Recipe used: Campbell's)

Stuffed beef

Beef Stuffing Bake

Made: December 29, 2012

Ingredients
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 small onion, chopped
- 1 package beef or pork-flavored stuffing mix
- 1 can condensed cream of celery soup, undiluted
- 1 can condensed cream of mushroom soup, undiluted
- 1 jar (4.5oz) sliced mushrooms, drained
- 1 cup water
- 1 cup frozen mixed vegetables

Directions
- In a skillet, cook beef and onion over medium heat until meat is no longer pink, drain
- Transfer to an ungreased 13x9x2 baking dish (2qt)
- In a bowl, combine contents of stuffing seasoning packet, soups, mushrooms water and vegetables
- Sprinkle stuffing over beef mixture
- Top with soup mixture
- Bake uncovered at 350 F for 30 minutes or until heated through

I did things a little differently. My stuffing mix (which was chicken flavored) only had 1 package and not a 2 package combo; so I mixed my stuffing in with my soup and veggies. For the veggies, I used some of the open bags we had. So it was a combo of peas, green beans and broccoli. Granny's portion had no mushrooms and I didn't use onions at all. But we have no leftovers :)

(Recipe used: Taste of Home's Ultimate ground beef cookbook)

Homemade Hambuger Helper

Layered Beefy Mac n' Cheese

Made: November 4, 2012

Ingredients
- 2 cups uncooked elbow macaroni (8oz)
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 teaspoon salt, divided
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 2 tablespoons flour
- 2 cups milk
- 1/2 cup chicken broth
- 3 cups shredded Cheddar cheese (12oz)
- 1 cup soft bread crumbs

Directions
- Heat oven to 350 F
- Spray 2 qt casserole dishe with cooking spray
- Cook and drain macaroni as directed on package, using minimum cooking time
- Meanwhile, in a skillet, cook the ground beef
- Season beef with 1/2 teaspoon salt and pepper
- Cook beef until thoroughly cooked, drain
- In a 2 qt saucepan, melt butter over medium heat
- Stir in flour, cook and stir 1 minute until bubbly
- Add in milk, cook and stir for 5-6 minutes until mixture thickens slightly
- Stir in broth and remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt
- Remove from heat
- Stir in cheese
- Fold in cooked macaroni
- Spoon 1/3 of the macaroni mixture into casserole dish
- Top with 1/2 of the beef misture
- Layer with another 1/3 of the macaroni mixture, remaining beef and finish off with the last of the macaroni mixture
- Top with the bread crumbs
- Bake uncovered 25-30 minutes or until bread crumbs are golden brown

The only thing different I did was use Velvetta cheese instead of the shredded cheddar cheese. I didn't use a full 12oz of cheese either, just enough to coat the noodles and still be nice and cheesy!

(Recipe used: Pillsbury Annual Recipes 2012)

Taco Pasta

Taco Supper Skillet

Made: October 9, 2012

Ingredients
- 1/2 pound gounf beef
- 1 package Old El Paso taco seasoning mix
- 2 1/4 cups water
- 1 1/2 cups uncooked wagon wheel pasta
- 1 1/2 cup frozen corn (thawed)
- 1 can (15oz) kidney or pinto beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 medium tomato, chopped
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Directions
- In a 12in skillet, cook ground beef over medium-high heat until thoroughly cooked; drain
- Stir seasoning mix, water, pasta, corn, beans and tomatoes into beef
- Heat to boiling
- Stir, reduce heat to medium
- Cover, cook 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until pasta is cooked and most of the liquid has been absorbed
- Stir in sour cream
- Remove from heat
- Sprinkle with cheese, cover and let stand for 2-3 minutes until cheese is melted

I didn't have any wagon wheel (or rotelle) pasta, so I used eblows instead. I also used a can of stewed tomatoes and chopped them into smaller pieces. I topped with extra cheese, it didn't say too, but you can't say no to extra cheese!

(Recipe used: Best of Betty Crocker 2013)

Meaty pie

Hamburger Pie

Made: September 10, 2012

Ingredients
- Mashed potatoes
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- 1/2 cup chopped onion (1 medium)
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- Dash black pepper
- 2 1/2 cups frozen cut green beans, thawed
- 1 can condensed tomato soup
- 1/2 cup shredded process American cheese (2oz)

Directions
- Prepare mashed potatoes; set aside
- In a large skillet cook meat and onion until meat is brown and onion is tender
- Drain off fat
- Add the salt and pepper
- Stir in thawed beans and soup; pour into a greased 2-quart rectangular baking dish or casserole
- Spoon mashed potatoes in mounds on bean mixture
- Sprinkle cheese over the potatoes
- Bake, uncovered, in a 350 F oven for 30-35 minutes or until mixture is bubbly and cheese begins to brown

The only thing I didn't do was use onion, but just onion powder instead. Overall, this came out really good. I used probably more than just 1/2 cup of cheese as I really coated the potatoes. :)

(Recipe used: bhg.com)

Corny meat

Meaty Corn Bread Casserole

Made: August 24, 2012

Ingredients

- 1/2 pound ground beef
- 1/2 pound bulk pork sausage
- 1 3/4 cups frozen corn, thawed
- 1 cup water
- 1 envelope brown gravy mix
- 1 package corn bread/muffin mix (and ingredients to make mixture)
- 1 1/2 teaspoons pepper
- 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder

Directions

- In a large skillet, cook beef and sausage over medium heat until no longer pink; drain
- Stir in the corn, water and brown gravy mix
- Bring to a boil, cook and stir for 1 minute or until thickened
- Spoon into an 8in square baking dish
- Prepare corn bread batter according to package directions
- Stir in pepper and garlic powder
- Spread over meat mixture
- Bake, uncovered at 400 F for 15-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the corn bread layer comes out clean

Got a new cookbook in the mail today and opened up to this page; decided this would be for dinner! Came out nice and juicy. I used celery sausage instead of the pork sausage and seasoned my meat with seasonal and pepper while cooking to get it an extra punch of flavor.

(Recipe used: Taste of Home Almost Homemade)

Burgers & Veggies

Broccoli Hamburger Casserole

Made August 3, 2012

Ingredients

- 2 - 16oz packages of frozen broccoli
- 2 pounds ground beef
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 2 - 10.75oz cans condensed cream of celery soup
- 1 - 16oz container of sour cream
- 1 - 16oz package of shredded Monterey Jack cheese
- salt to taste
- pepper to taste

Directions

-Preheat oven to 350 F
- Prepare the broccoli according to the package directions
- In a skill over medium heat, mix the ground beef and onion
- Cook until beef is evenly brown; drain grease
- Season with salt & pepper, mix in cream of celery soup and sour cream
- Continue cooking until heated through
- Transfer to medium baking dish, evenly layer with broccoli and top with cheese
- Bake 1 hour, until bubbly and lightly brown

As a family of 3 (or 4, depending if it's Granny approved) we never use 2 pounds of ground beef at a time for a casserole dish. So I cut this recipe in half and didn't use the onion. I also only baked it in the oven for 25 minutes. It didn't seem like it needed 30 and 25 bubbled the cheese enough to make it ooey good! I also used a blend of Monterey Jack & Mozzarella cheeses :)

(Recipe used: Pinterest)

Inside out Stuffed Peppers

Slow Cooker Stuffed Pepper Soup

Made: February 15, 2012

Ingredients
- 1 pound ground beef or turkey
- 1 cup chopped onion
- 1 teaspoon minced fresh garlic
- 28 oz can diced tomatoes with juice
- 6 oz can tomato paste
- 4 cups low sodium chicken broth
- 3 cups chopped green pepper
- 2/3 cup uncooked rice (white or brown)
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar, packed
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- Ground black pepper to taste

Directions
- In a large skillet, cook ground beef, onion and garlic over medium heat until browned
- Drain any juices and transfer mixture to a slow cooker
- Add remaining ingredients and stir gently to mix
- Cook on low for 8-9 hours
- Add water to thin if necessary

I followed this one pretty much to the tee, until my slow cooker was too full to add anymore. I only did about 3 cups of chicken broth and only 1 can (14.5 oz) of diced tomatoes. It also took about 7 hours to cook, I put it on around noon and it was ready by 6:45pm. The peppers were nice and soft and the rice was nicely cooked. Apparently it needed more salt and pepper, but I don't want to over season where it's inedible. Overall, it wasn't bad. I added some shredded cheese overtop of mine. :)

Gołąbki's

Stuffed Cabbage rolls

Made: January 24, 2012

Ingredients
- 1 large head of cabbage
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- 1/2 cup uncooked rice
- 1 can (15oz) tomato sauce, divided
- 1/3 cup finely chopped onion
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
- 1/8 teaspoon cinnamon

Directions
- Preheat oven to 350F
- Bring a large saucepan to a boil
- Cut 4 large cabbage leaves from a head of cabbage
- Add cabbage leaves to boiling water; reduce heat & simmer until leaves are softened
- Combine ground beef, rice, 1/2 cup tomato sauce, onion, garlic salt & cinnamon in a large bowl; mix well
- Place about 1/3 cup beef mixture on stem end of each cabbage leaf
- Fold sides of leaves over beef mixture and roll up
- Place cabbage rolls, seam side down, in an 8in baking dish
- Pour remaining tomato sauce over cabbage rolls
- Cover with foil
- Bake cabbage rolls until beef mixture is no longer pink, 50-60 minutes
- Spoon sauce over rolls when serving

I need to work on my rolling technique

Since I usually try to cook for my Granny (which everyone knows by now), this was without onions. But all-in-all it came out just like they did when I bought them at my Church's polish festival :) I didn't have tomato sauce, so I used Diced tomatoes in sauce and then tomato paste to top it off with. :) The hardest part was getting the leaves of cabbage off in one piece. :( And I need to work on how to roll things correctly. They always seem to come out weird, but as long as they're tasty!

Recipe used: Easy to bake, easy to make

Sloppy Caserole

Sloppy Joe Casserole

Made: July 20, 2011

I love sloppy joe, but I wanted to try it in a different way. I saw this recipe and I just had to try it!

Ingredients

- 1 pound ground beef; cooked & drained
- 1 can (15.5oz) sloppy joe sauce
- 1 can Pillsbury refrigerated original breadsticks
- 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Directions

- Heat oven to 375 F
- In a medium nonstick skillet, mix beef & sloppy joe sauce; heat to boil stirring occasionally
- Meanwhile, unroll breadstick dough, separate (should be 12 breadsticks)
- Pour beef mixture into ungreased 12x8in glass baking dish
- Place dough pieces on top in a single layer
- Bake uncovered for 13 minutes
- Sprinkle with cheese; bake for 2 more minutes

I used 3/4 cup of cheese (an entire small packet) and I feel like I could've used more for more of an even coating overtop the breadsticks. But I think it had just enough cheesy flavor overall. :)

(Recipe used: Pillsbury)

S'ghetti in the oven

Baked Spaghetti

Made: June 27, 2011

I love spaghetti and wanted to try something new. While flipping through a cookbook I saw something with olives on top. I can't pass up the olives!

Ingredients

- 1 cup chopped onion
- 1 cup chopped green pepper
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 can (28 oz) diced tomatoes, undrained
- 1 can (4 oz) mushroom stems & pieces, drained
- 1 can (2 1/4 oz) sliced black olives; drained
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano
- 1 pound cooked ground beef
- 12 oz spaghetti; cooked & drained
- 2 cups (8 oz) shredded cheddar cheese
- 1 can condensed cream of mushroom soup; undiluted
- 1/4 cup water
- 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Directions

(Cook spaghetti & ground beef)
- In a large skillet, saute onion & green pepper in better until tender.
- Add tomatoes, mushrooms, olives & oregano.
- Add ground beef; simmer uncovered for 10 minutes.
- Place half of the spaghetti in a greased 13x9x2in baking dish.
- Top with half of the vegetable mixture.
- Sprinkle with 1 cup of cheddar cheese.
- Repeat layers (spaghetti, veggies, cheese)
- Mix the soup and water until smooth; pour over casserole.
- Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.
- Bake, uncovered, at 350 F for 30-35 minutes or until heated through.

Garnished with a sprinkling of Parmesan cheese

I didn't have enough oregano, so I used some Ms Dash seasoning. I think it turned out really good. :D It was really cheesy and the spaghetti was nice and soft; not over or under cooked. :) I should've added a touch more sugar on the tomatoes; but overall I was quite pleased with the dish. :)

It was harder to make in one dish though; I made Granny a portion with only ground beef, tomatoes & cheese with the spaghetti. So it looked a little odd while cooking. But I think it turned out great. :D

(Recipe used: Taste of Home)

Ramen Noodles & Beef

Easy Beef & Noodle dinner

Made: May 12, 2011

I wanted to make something with ground beef ... It's one of my favorite ingredients to use. I don't know why, but I just love cooking it. :D So I saw this recipe and thought it was quite easy and very delish. So I tried it out!

Ingredients
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1/2 cup chopped onion
- 2 cups Muir Glen organic diced tomatoes with Italian herbs (2 14.5 oz cans)
- 1 cup water
- 1 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
- 1 package (3 oz) beef-flavored ramen noodle soup mix
- 1 1/2 cups Green Giant Valley Fresh Steamers frozen green beans

Directions
- In a 12in nonstick skillet, cook beef & onions over medium heat, until beef is thoroughly cooked; drain.
- Add tomatoes, water, Italian seasoning & seasoning pack from soup mix; mix well.
- Heat to boiling.
- Break up noodles; stir in noodles & beans.
- Bring to boil.
- Reduce heat to low, cover & simmer for 5 minutes, or until noodles & beans are tender.

I never heard of the "Muir Glen" brand of organic veggies; so I told Rob to use his best judgment while shopping. I used Del Monte diced tomatoes with herbs. :) I also substituted frozen corn instead of green beans (and they were normal Giant brand) since Mom had green beans for lunch and I wanted to use some of the stuff we already had home. I had to add a dash of sugar to the tomatoes to reduce the amount of acid; so it was a pretty sweet dish with that and the corn. It got good reviews all around and seconds. :D

(Recipe used: Pillsbury)