First off I know I have slowed to a snails pace with posting recipes. The month of June has been busy and I admit to not trying a lot of new recipes the last few months. When the weather gets nice I want to be outside not in the kitchen. I have tried a few new recipes but some of them I feel need some tweaking before I put them up here.

Spaghetti is  a favorite in my family. I have posted a few recipes that have gone over pretty well before. I have been trying to make my own sauce but so far have not found one we all like. So I have take a break and have been using store bought sauce. I have though been tweaking that and have come up with a recipe I am happy with and wanted to share. My husband puts his nose up at this because he likes his sauce plain and I like it with some added veggies. The kids like this though so I told him to pick them out then! :p

Source: Abs Kitchen

Prep Time: 10 minutes Cook Time: 30 minutes to a few hours

• 1lb ground hamburger
• 1 small to medium onion diced
• 1 medium green pepper diced
• 3 or 4 fresh mushrooms sliced or diced
• 1 67oz jar of Prego traditional Italian sauce
• Red pepper flakes to taste
• Hot cooked Spaghetti noodles

Brown the ground hamburger with the onion, green pepper and mushrooms. I also add a few shakes of the red pepper flakes as well. Drain off fat. Add Prego sauce and more red pepper flakes(I like my spaghetti with a little bite) if you like. Bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and let cook for at least 30 minutes. I  tend to let it simmer for a few hours. Serve over hot spaghetti noodles.

Yields: 6-8 servings

Its very simple but I love adding the extra veggies. I add the red pepper flakes to give it a nice little bite. You can play around with it and add as much or as little of the veggies and red pepper flakes as you would like. I also like to let it simmer all afternoon because I think the flavor is a bit better but I have also only cooked it for about 30 minutes and its still comes out great. You can of course use any spaghetti sauce you want but we really like the Prego flavor.

This recipe was one my mother in law gave me shortly after we got married and its one of my husbands favorites. It took me a few times to get it just right but its easy and tastes great.

Source: Family

Prep Time: 10 minutes Cook Time: 1hr

• 1 large jar(30oz) spaghetti sauce
• 1 can cheddar cheese soup undiluted
• 1 large package(16oz) egg noodles
• 1lb hamburger
• 1-2 cups shredded mozzarella or cheddar cheese.

Brown the hamburger and cook the noodles. Combine all ingredients into a baking dish and bake at 350 for 1hr.

Yield: 4-6 servings

Its that simple. I will say you may need a little more sauce as your mixing it all together. That was my problem the first few times I made this recipe it was a little dry so now I buy the big 64oz can of spaghetti sauce and use all but a quarter of the can. It really just depends how saucy you want it. So play around with the sauce amount but use at least 30-40oz of sauce. This goes great with garlic bread and a salad for a fast hardy meal.

I admit I love cookbooks. So its always hard for me to pass them up when I find one for sale. My MOMS Club has one and I bought it last year not long after I joined and I am just now starting to try recipes from it. I love using a cookbook that I know the recipes are tried and true! This recipe is fast and tastes great.

Source: Local MOMS Club Cookbook

Prep Time: 5 minutes Cook Time: 10 minutes

• 2lbs ground beef or turkey
• 1/2 onion or a dash of onion powder
• 2 cans tomato soup
• 8 oz plain cream cheese
• 3 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 6-8 oz pasta

Cook the pasta while you brown the meat and onion. Drain. Mix all ingredients. Enjoy. Freezes fine and reheats well.

Yields: 4-6 servings

Yeah its that easy and you all know I love easy!!

This is a great soup! A friend of mine mentioned she was making it for supper one night a few weeks back on her blog and I asked her for the recipe. I changed a few things as I was making it but it turned out great!

Source: Friend(Thanks Liz!)

Prep Time: 20 min Cook Time: 6-7 hrs

• 1.5 lb hamburger
• 1 onion diced
• 4 ribs celery (sliced)
• 4 carrots (sliced)
• 4 medium to large potatoes peeled and cubed
• 4-5 tsp beef bouillon granules( 4-5 of the cubes crushed)
• 2 cans stewed tomatoes(cut up)
• 4 cups water
• 3/4-1 cup ketchup(to taste)
• 2 tbsp brown sugar
• 1 bag (16 oz) mixed vegetables

Brown hamburger and onion and drain. Combine all ingredients in slow cooker except for frozen mixed vegetables. I added the vegetables about 2 hours before it was done. Total cook time is 6-7 hours.

Yield: 8-10 servings

My husband devoured this soup. He had 2 helpings that night and took it for lunch the next day. I did not get a 2nd helping… He told me I could make that any time I wanted. That my friend is a 5 star rating in this house. I do not get that a lot. This makes a big batch. I started out with it in my 3 quart slow cooker and when I added the vegetables I realized I was out of room and had to move it too my 6 quart slow cooker. I would have been find if I had a 5 quart. The original recipe she gave me would have fit in my 3 quart but this one will not once you add the vegetables. If you want a smaller amount just use 1 lb of hamburger 2-3 celery and 2-3 carrots. I also added the 2nd can of tomatoes. I basically doubled it.

I enjoy eating lasagna but have never enjoyed making it. Its just a messy dish. It always seems to bubble over in the oven and well like I said just a messy dish. I have seen recipes for the slow cooker before but I was just not sold on them being as good but I am now.

Source: Best of County Slow Cooker Recipes Cookbook

Prep: 20 min Cook Time: 4-6hrs

• 1 lb ground beef
• 1 large onion chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced or (1/2 tsp dried minced garlic)
• 1 can (29 oz) tomato sauce
• 1 cup water
• 1 can (6 oz) tomato paste
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1 package (8oz) no-cook lasagna noodles
• 4 cups (16 oz) shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1-1/2 cups (12oz) small-curd cottage cheese
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

In a skillet, cook beef, onion and garlic over medium heat until meat is no linger pink; drain. Add the tomato sauce, water, tomato paste, salt and oregano; mix well. Spread a fourth of the meat sauce in an ungreased 5-qt slow cooker. Arrange a third of the noodles over sauce(break noodles if necessary).

Combine the cheeses; spoon a third of the mixture over noodles. Repeat layers twice. Top with remaining meat sauce. Cover and cook on low 4-6hrs or until noodles are tender.

Yield: 6-8 servings

This turned out very well. I added a little more tomato sauce and I don’t think I really needed it. I also added some extra oregano because well I have a thing for oregano.  I had some Ricotta cheese left over from another recipe so I mixed that in with the other cheeses as well. If you would like more noddles you could do a few more layers just use a little less sauce or cheese mixture per layer.  I will definitely make this again.

I have had some questions about this recipe so I wanted to share some things. No cook noodles are great! Traditional lasagna noodles require you to cook them before you make the dish. No cook noodles are great because this step is not needed you just put the noodles right into the slow cooker. They are right next to the regular noodles and are also called oven ready. Also sorry the picture is not better. I just scooped a big spoonful out of the slow cooker and plopped it on the plate so it was not the best looking(my kids where hungry :p). Another thing if you want to add a few extra layers you may want to add some extra tomato sauce(6-12oz). If you do a few extra layers you may also want to use a 6qt slow cooker as well. It may add some extra cooking time so check it around 4 hours but it may take 6 just give it a taste test to see how the noodles are cooking.

I thought this recipe looked interesting. A quick Mexican like lasagna.

Source: Taste of Home’s Weeknight Cooking Made Easy 2007 Cookbook

Prep/Total Time: 30-45 min

• 1/2 lb lean ground beef
• 1/4 cup chopped onion
• 1 garlic clove minced or 1/4 tsp minced garlic
• 1 can (14-1/2 oz) Italian or Mexican diced tomatoes, drained
• 1/2 tsp chili powder
• 1/4 tsp cumin
• 3/4 cup part-skim ricotta cheese
• 1/4 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
• 3 tbsp minced fresh cilantro, divided
• 4 four tortillas (8 inches)
• 1/2 cup shredded reduced-fat cheddar cheese

In a large nonstick skillet, cook the beef, onion and garlic over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain. Stir in the tomatoes, chili powder and cumin. Bring to a boil; remove from the heat. In a small bowl, combine the ricotta cheese, mozzarella cheese and 2 tablespoons cilantro.

Place one tortilla in a 9-in. round baking pan coated with nonstick cooking spray. Layer with half of the meat sauce, one tortilla, all of the ricotta mixture, another tortilla and the remaining meat sauce. Top with remaining tortilla; sprinkle with cheddar cheese and remaining cilantro. Cover and bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes or until heated through and cheese is melted.

Yield: 6 servings.

Over all it turned out pretty good. I forgot to cover it before baking(oops!) so the top layer got a little dried out but I added some salsa and sour cream to make up for it. I personally did not love the cilantro flavor so if I make this again I might try less or add a different spice. It was quick and pretty filling and my son really liked it.

I have gotten bored with store spaghetti sauce. Even my kids have not been eating it as well the last few months. So after talking with people who make it themselves I started to get excited about giving it a try. I admit I am a recipe person I don’t do a lot of just throwing stuff together so I started looking through my cookbooks for one to try. So when I came across this one I was excited. If you don’t have a slow cooker you really should get one they are the best. I admit I am more of a winter slow cooker user but its great year round. Plus one of the many benefits is smelling your yummy food cooking all day long.  I will say I did play with this recipe a bit. I will share the original and then tell you what I did different at the end.

Source: Taste of Home Quick Cooking 2009 Cookbook

Prep: 15 min (um more like 30) Cook: 6-7hrs

• 1lb ground beef
• 1/2 lb ground pork
• 2 cans (28 ounces each) diced tomatoes
• 1/2 to 1 cup water
• 1 can (6 oz) tomato paste
• 1 medium onion, cut into wedges
• 1 medium sweet red pepper, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1 cup chopped carrots
• 2 tbsp sugar
• 2 tsp minced garlic
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp dried basil
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1 tsp pepper
• cooked pasta of your choosing

In a large skillet, cook beef and pork over medium heat until no longer pink; drain.

Transfer to a 3-qt. slow cooker. Stir in tomatoes, water, tomato paste, vegetables, sugar, garlic and seasonings. Cover and cook on low for 6-7 hours or until vegetables are tender.

Serve with pasta

Yield: 8 servings

What I did different. I put less onion in (half), instead of 1 cup carrots I did a half of a cup and then added a cup of cut up fresh mushrooms as well as a half a cup cut up zucchini. I also added another 6oz can of tomato paste and more oregano(not sure how much more of this I added probably another tsp or so).  I also added another 1/2 cup of water which I may not have needed.

These kind of recipes are fun because you can ready make it your own with out a lot of work.

I also wanted to add that its..

This was a hit with my son. He loved it. He was shoving fists full of this into his mouth. He had it again for lunch today and same thing. Its the most meat and veggies I have gotten into his mouth in quite some time. This probably tickled me more then anything.

So this recipe was a hit all the way around. I might try to work with the spices a little the next time I make it but that is all part of the fun.

After I first got married back in 2003 I started my search for a meat loaf recipe that was easy and tasted good. I tried quite a few before I found this one. Its my go too meat loaf for sure. I have even used this recipe to make meatballs which turned out great as well.

Source: Betty Crocker’s Cookbook

• 1-1/2 lbs lean ground beef
• 1 cup milk
• 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tsp chopped fresh or 1/4 tsp dried sage leaves
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp ground mustard
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• 1 clove garlic finely chopped, or 1/8 tsp garlic powder
• 1 large egg
• 1/2 cup bread crumbs
• 1/4 cup chopped onion
• 1/2 cup ketchup, chili sauce or barbecue sauce

1. Heat oven to 350
2. Mix all ingredients except ketchup. Spread mixture in ungreased loaf pan or whatever you want to cook it in. Spread ketchup over top.

I mix all the ingredients together in my kitchen aid mixer so every thing gets mixed together well. I also tend to use dried minced onion because my family is not big on onion. It adds to the flavor but does not have bits of onion in it. I don’t measure how much just sprinkle some in. This is also a great recipe to make a head and then just take it out of the fridge and cook when your ready.

A few weeks ago I was going to make taco’s and I was looking for a easy and tasty cheese sause. The recipe I found also had a homemade taco seasoning so I gave it a try.  The cheese sause was a bust but the seasoning turned out really well.

Source: Cooks.com

• 2 tsp. instant minced onion
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. chili powder
• 1/2 tsp. cornstarch
• 1/2 tsp. crushed red peppers
• 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp. ground cumin
• 1/4 tsp. oregano leaves
• 1 lb ground beef
• 1/2 cup water

Mix ingredients for Taco Seasoning and set aside in a small bowl. Separate ground beef and brown in a pan, drain all fat. Add the water and evenly shower the beef with the seasoning. Mix until distributed evenly and mixed thoroughly, then let simmer on low heat for 20 minutes.

The thing I like about making my own seasoning is you can add more or less of some ingredients for your taste buds. The first time I made it I thought it was a little too hot for me so this time I added less of the red pepper flakes. You could also make this in bulk and store it.

I’m normally not a big fan of recipes made in the microwave.  I don’t know what I do wrong but the few I have tried just did not turn out, but this one has become a favorite. I like it because its fast and tastes great. The only issue I have had with this recipe is over cooking the meatballs.

Recipe source: Taste of Home 2008 Quick Cooking Annual Recipes Cookbook.

• 1 egg
• 1 -1/2 tsp chili powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• 1lb ground beef
• 1 can (14-1/2 oz) stewed tomatoes, undrained
• 1 cup uncooked instant rice
• 1 cup sliced onion
• 1 cup chopped green pepper

In a large bowl, whisk the eggs, chili powder, salt and pepper. Crumble beef over mixture and mix well. Shape into 1-1/2-in, balls. Place in a 2-qt microwave safe dish.

Cover and microwave on high for 4-5 minutes or until meat is no longer pink; drain.

Stir in the tomatoes, rice,onion and green pepper. Cover and microwave on high for 5-7 minutes or until rice and vegetables are tender. Yeilds 3-4 servings.

This is also a very easy recipe to double. Just be sure to not over cook the meatballs.