Spaghetti Tacos

Okay so I watch some TV and I watch a lot of the same TV that Rae does.  This is an easy recipe that twists many great ideas into one.  It is customizable where people can make any way they want.  It can be as healthy or unhealthy as you want it and make sore great left overs.  Actually, it may be better made from left overs. 

Orgin:  I-Carly

Ingredients:

• 1 lb spagettii
• Garlic Salt
• Shredded Cheddar Cheese
• Shredded Mozzarella Cheese
• Parmesan Cheese
• Spaghetti Sauce
• Flour Tortillas 
• Taco Shells
• Tostada Shell
• Salad in a bag
• Optional: Meatballs

Directions:

1. Cook spaghetti for 8-10 minutes in boil water with garlic salt.
2. Drain and heat up sauce in the same pot that the spaghetti was made in.
3. Add cooked spaghetti and mix till there is a good coating on each little wiggler.
4. Lay out the Tortillas, shells, cheese, etc. buffet style. 
5. Call the clan over to make their own spaghetti tacos the way they want it.  
6. Make them clean up the mess afterward.

Okay, so the last step usually doesn't happen but it is always worth the try.  The salad in a bag can be used as part of the taco or as a separate salad.  Without it there is no green.  Of course there are variations like if you want and alfredo or pesto sauce instead, go for it.  You can also not mix in the sauce till the point of making the taco.  That keeps the options open.  And if you want to totally mash up the foods convert it to Lo-Mein and then you have an Mexican-Chinese Fusion. 

Skillet Chicken and Vegetable Parmesean

Oh my god, what an amazing recipe.  I was looking for something that would get all the major stuff in a single dish and I found it.  It has veggies and chicken and GARLIC.  And what is up with Kraft pushing is Light Zesty Italian Dressing.  It is like aliens are using it to slowly take over our minds and make us sterile for the take over.  Any who, still a great recipe and way to quick.

Origin:  www.kraft.com

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup Kraft Light Zesty Italian Dressing
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 4 small boneless skinless chicken breast halves
• 1tsp. dried basil leaves
• 1/4tsp. black pepper
• 1pkg. (10oz) frozen mixed vegetables, thawed
• 2 Tbsp Kraft Grated Parmesean Cheese

Directions:

1. Mixed dressin and garlic in large Skillet
2. Cood on medium heat for 1min.
3. Add chicken and season with 3/4tsp of basil and pepper
4. Cook 4 to 5 min on each side or until chicken is cooked through.
5. Add vegetables to skillet, sprinle with remaining basil.
6. Cook 2 to 3 min or until vegetables are heated.
7. Sprinkle with cheese.

Once again no Kraft products were harmed (or used) in the making of this recipe.  Old standbys from Aldi and Food Lion made their way in and made it fantastic.  A couple of other deviations.  I used a 16oz bag of frozen California Medley Vegetables and much more than 2 tablespoons of Parmesan Cheese was used.  Rae had a fit and said that this makes the book and the blog so here it is.  From the burner being turned on to serving it up took about 20 minutes which is faster than some mac'n cheese.  This may make a more regular appearance on the weekly menu.

Homemade Pizza Experiment: Frankenstein Pizza

So there we were, Rae and I working on a Pizza.  I could have gone real easy like dough, sauce and some mozzarella.  I had the ingredients and it could have been done quick.  Besides, AOTS was coming on and that is Awesome.  No, the menu for the day said Pizza Experiment.  Sure I am a chemist and experiment every day but there is no reason for ending the research when I leave work.  So I opened the refrigerator and we were off.

Origin:  From the minds of Duff and Rae

Ingredients: 

•  2 beef hot dogs, sliced
• 5 slices of turkey bacon, sliced
• 4 slices of american cheese chopped into 1/4" squares
• feta cheese
• 1/4 block Cream cheese, chopped into small cubes
• shredded mozzarella cheese
• shredded Italian blend cheese
• pizza dough
• pizza or tomato sauce

Directions:

1. Prepare dough per instructions.
2. In a frying pan with a little bit of oil fry the hot dogs and turkey bacon.
3. In a mixing bowl add cheese together.
4. Spread sauce, meat and cheese and bake for appropriate time.

Wow, what an amazing combination.  Of course there was more shredded cheese on the counter than in the mixing bowl but that is what make the charm to this Frankenstein like pizza.  Rae had a lot of fun with it and it was delicious.  This definitely makes the book.

Oatmeal Bar Wars: Oatmeal Peanut Butter Bars

So this is the the third recipe in the the quest for more oatmeal bars.  This may be the most complicated but that is because of the shear number of ingredients.  The best part is as far everything needed for running and nutrition this may the best yet. 

Origin:  www.foodnetwork.com

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup baking mix (Bisquick)
• 2 cups quick oates
• 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
• 1/2 cup cinnamon applesauce
• 1/2 cup raisins
• 1/2 cup chocolate chips
• 1 egg
• 1/3 cup honey

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350F
2. Spray 11x7 or 9x9 inch baking pan with cooking spray.
3. In a mixing bowl, stir together baking mix and oates.
4. Add remaining ingredients and stir until combined
5. Press dough into baking pan.
6. Bake for 20-25 minutes.
7. Cool completely before cutting into bars.

I am not sure the war is won but this may be in a dead heat for the best.  Unfortunately, it is a three way tie out of three.  Of course there is no creamy peanut butter in my house so extra crunchy works great.  Space and the Psycho love it and all of the oatmeal bars.  These are real heavy bars almost like fudge and I like. 
Time for new oatmeal bar recipes.  I can't wait.

Avacado Tostadas

So this is a kind of special recipe considering it has two recipes in it.  I started making my own guacamole about a year ago.  It is usually better than that pureed junk that passes for guac that you by in a container.  To top if off I have found the best cookbook ever.  I found it a while back at a garage sale and it is amazing.

Origin:  Best Recipes :From the backs of Boxes, bottles, Cans and Jars

Ingredients:

• 8 Old El Paso tostadas shells
• 1 can Old El Paso refried beans
• 4 cups browned ground beef
• 2 1/2 cups guacamole
• 1/2 cup sliced black olives
• 4 cups shredded lettuce
• 1 cup grated cheese
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• Old El Paso Taco Sauce

Directions:

1. In separate skillets heat beans and brown beef with some taco seasoning
2. Assemble tostadas by spreading equal portions of beans on each shell.
3. Next layer equal portions of meat and guac.
4. Add olives, lettuce, and cheese.
5. Top with guac and sour cream
6. Add taco sauce if desired.

Just so we are clear no Old El Paso was harmed in the making of this tostada.  This a great way to get everything a kid needs to eat for a nutritious dinner.  The lettuce of the mention has been replaced by a salad in a bag.  This make the book and now for the easiest guacamole recipe ever.

Ingredients:

• Avocado
• Lemon Juice
• Salsa

Directions:

1. Pit and scoop out Avocado
2. Add a dash of lemon Juice
3. Add a spoon of salsa
4. Mush up till it makes Guacamole!

There are variations with garlic powder, onions or tomatoes or what ever but this is the basic.

Chicken and Bow Tie Pasta

Hey there everybody I have a recipe that does not come from Kraft.  I was looking around for some one dish dinners and came across this.

Origin: www.myrecipes.com

Ingredients:

•      1  quart water
•      4  skinned and boned chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces
•      8  ounces  uncooked bow tie pasta
•      1  cup  chicken broth
•      1  celery rib, chopped (about 1/2 cup)
•      1  small onion, chopped (about 1/2 cup)
•      1  (10 3/4-ounce) can cream of mushroom soup
•      1  (8-ounce) package pasteurized prepared cheese product, cubed (it does not actually say velveta)
•      Garnish: chopped fresh parsley

Directions:

1. In a Dutch Oven (big pot) bring 1 quart salted water to boil and add chicken.  Cook for 12 minutes remove from water.
2. Cook bow Ties for 10 minutes and drain.
3. Add 1/4 cup of chicken broth to big pot and add celery and onion.  Cook for 5 minutes till it is tender/crisp.
4. Add broth, soup, chicken and cheese product and cook till cheese is melted.
5. Add bow tie pasta and stir together.

So this stuff was good but a couple of things.  There is no need for skinning a boning a chicken (sounds dirty anyway).  I by boneless and skinless. Also, two was enough.  These recipes seem to make way too much sometimes.  In case you are looking for Bow Tie Pasta and cannot find it by name try Farfelle.  I have no idea what that is supposed to mean but I always thought Farfelle was the dog from the old Nestles commercials.  The other thing is the celery really added nothing to this dish except as a small amount of green.  It could be left out entirely. 
Overall, a real good recipe and Rae seems to like it.  I am waiting on Spaces call.  It reheats real nice as well.

Oatmeal Bar War: Strawberry Oatmeal Bars

Battle number 2.  Another attempt at gaining a foothold in the oatmeal bar business.  Not that I am going to sell them.  Just that I want to make them and eat them.  Either way, this is not something an obsesive compulsive like me should really go into.  Baking can be such a torture.  Sometimes.
Origin:  http://www.allrecipes.com/
Ingredients:

• 1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 1/4 cup quick cookign oats
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 3/4 cup melter butter
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 cup stawberry preserves
• 1/2 cup coconut flake

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350F
2. Combine flour, oats, sugar, baking powder and salt in a mixing bowl.
3. Add in butter and vanilla and stir until crumbly.
4. Set aside 1 cup.
5. Press remaining crumb mixture into a 13x9" baking pan. 
6. Spread preserves over crust.
7. Combine coconut flake with reserved crumb mixture and sprinkle over preserves.
8. Bake for 30min.

Okay, so the bastards that posted this on http://www.allrecipes.com/ had instrustions that read, "In a bowl, combine all dry ingrediats."  I took this to include the coconut flake as well.  I was wrong because as I was following the directions I got the part listed as number 6.  Sure I should have read the directions first but where is the fun and adventure in that.  Either way, I like it my way.  So get rid fo number 6 and add the coconut to number 2 and all will be fantastic.  Also, Strawberry jam work just as well as preserves.
Overall, another hit on the recipe front.  This absolutly makes the book.

Oatmeal Bars War: Cranberry Oatmeal Bars

Okay, so I was at this 5k race which I was neither running or volunteering for which is weird.  Actually, it was Rae's second 5k and I was there as an Athletic Supporter.  And they had these oatmeal bars there for post race refreshments.  They were deliscious and I promptl stole a bunch for later runs/work outs.  The thing is oatmeal bars can be a real good source of energy for both recovery and refueling during a long work out.  With that being said I decided to go out and try and make some oatmeal bars for future use. 

 

Source:  http://www.allrecipes.com/

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup melted butter
• 1 egg
• 1/3 cup brown sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 cup flour
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp pumpkin spice
• 3/4 cup dried cranberries
• 3/4 cup pecans
• 3/4 cup old-fasioned rolled oats

Directions

1. Preheat oven toe 350F and lightly grease 11"x7" baking pan
2. Pour melted btter into mixing bowl with egg, brown sugar and vanilla extract and beat.
3. Stir in baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, pumpkin spice and flour until throughtly blended. 
4. Mix in cranberries, pecans and oates till blended evenly.
5. Bake in over for 15 minutes.
6. Cool before cutting into squares.

This recipe is written a little over complicated but is really very easy.  The actual instructions talk about sifting powders together but I say just add the small quantity stuff in to make sure it gets toroughly mixed and then add the flour.  It works the same.  The other thing is I own no pumpkin spice so that was left out and more cinimon was added.  I am not sure what old-fashioned rolled oats are but I used quick cut oats and the bars were fantastic. 
One last thing to note.  Wait till they are cool to cut.  If not it like eating warm oatmeal goo.  Sure it tastes great but nothing that will resemble a bar will come out of it and it will most likely fall on the floor. 
Overall, a great recipe and will definately make the book.

Banana Nut Bread

So, what do you do with bananas when you forget to eat them.  At one point I thought about giving them to the dog but Booger just throws them back up.  It is funny seeing a whole banana come back up.  Either way, that is not the best option.  Cookies?  Maybe.  Bread?  Yes.  Banana Nut Bread!!!!!

Origin:  southernfood.about.com

Ingrediants:

• 1 1/3 cup mashed bananas
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup milk
• 3 tsp veg oil
• 1/2 tsp vanilla
• 3 eggs
• 2 2/3 cups bisquick
• 1/2 cup chopped nuts.

Directions:
Pre-heat oven to 350F, grease bottom of loaf pan.
In mixing bowl, combine all except Bisquick and nuts.  Stir until blended.  Stir in Bisquick and nuts.  Pour into loaf pan.  Bake for 50-60 minutes.

This is amazingly simple and makes a great banana nut bread.  Really, this works if you dump the entire stuff into the loaf pan and mix it there.  I love this recipe and so does Rae.  It is already in the book.

Swiss Loaf

"The I Hate to Cook Book" is an amazing book with interesting easy recipes and great humor.  The real interesting part is the tastes of  1950's and 1960's.  Food has really changed.  Either way, here is meat loaf with a twist.

Origin:  "The I Hate to Cook Book"

Ingrediants:

• 2 pounds hamburger
• 1 1/2 cups dices Swiss Cheese
• 2 beaten eggs
• 1/2 cup chopped onions
• 12 cup chopped green peppers
• 1 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 1 tsp celery salt
• 1/2 tsp paprika
• 2 1/2 cups milk
• 1 cp dry bread crumbs

Directions:
"Just mix thest things together in the approximate order they're given, then press it all into one big greased loaf pan, or used two.  Bake, uncoverd at 350F for abotu an hour and a half, then yodel for the family."


Honestly, not much to this.  A couple of changes.  I have never owned celery salt so there was none added.  Green bell peppers are the most foul of all living things so I substituted red ones instead.  I also cut the recipe in half.  2 pounds of meat seemed excessive.  The other thing is I used 80/20 ground beef so meat loaf does not really work that well.  I think I may have to brown and drain prior if I decide to try this again. 

For the moment this is not making it into the book.

Double Cheese and Veggie Macaroni

Once again Kraft has helped me out with finding a good side dish that can act as most of the meal.  This one has the veggies, the tanginess, and the Mac n Cheese.  It is too bad that I don't think I used a single Kraft product in this recipe but that is what happens when you shop at Aldi.  It is amazing how easy this is and the only draw back is need for two pots. 

 

Origin:  http://www.kraft.com/

 

Ingredients:

• 1 pkg of Kraft Deluxe Macaroni and Cheese
• 1/4 cup Kraft Zesty Light Italian Dressing
• 2 small Zucchini, Chopped
• 1 large tomato, chopped
• 1/2 cup Kraft shredded Sharp cheddar cheese.

Directions:

1. Prepare Macaroni and Cheese per instructions
2. In a sauce pan heat dressing over medium heat and add zucchini and cook for 5 minutes or till crisp.
3. Add to Macaroni and Cheese along with chopped Tomatoes.
4. Top with shredded cheese.

 

A few things to note.  Shells work real nice as well.  regular Italian Dressing works since Aldi does not have Zesty.  The cheese on top is not nessecary and we have pretty much eliminated in the past couple of times making it.  This is a great recipe and Rae loves it.  It complements a good meal and can stand alone as well.  Most definately makes the book.  Another thing is the picture is from Kraft.com so thanks to them again for assist.

Easy Mini Quiches

I love Quiche and I love to cook Quiche except the fact that when I cook them I cook a lot of them. It is like Pot Pie from scratch. If you are going to put that much effort into cooking something then you might as well make it worth it. The last time I cooked Quiche I made about a dozen. Okay so I have some OCD issues and that is why it has been 6 years since I have cooked Quiche. I got the idea somewhere that there had to be a recipe for mini quiches and I searched and found a bunch. This one works real well.

 

Origin: http://www.allrecipes.com/

Ingredients

• 6 slices of bacon, chopped
• 1 onion, chopped
• 3 eggs
• 3/4 cup buttermilk baking mix (Bisquick)
• 1 1/2 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
• 2 cups shredded American Cheese

1. Preheat oven to 350F.  Grease muffin pans with spray oil or whatever you have.  In a large skillet over medium heat, fry the bacon and onion together for about 5 minutes or until bacon is crisp.  Drain and Set aside.
2. In a medium bowl, beat eggs.  Stir in baking mix, parsley, shredded cheese, bacon and onion.  Spoon into greased muffin cups. 
3. Bake of 10 to 15 minutes in a preheate oven, or until tops are lightly browned.

So a few notes.  I don't eat pork so turkey bacon it is.  Turkey bacon does not really get crisp so play it by ear.  If you ever make the mistake of buying generic Bisquick this is a great place for it.

This good stuff.  Not the real thing but nice and quick and full of quichey goodness.  Rae loves it and has asked for it to be added to the weekly menu.  This makes it worthy of the Recipe Book.

Mexican Stir Fry

One day I had nothing planned and was kind of missing any inpiration on what to make.  So I hit the freezer and kind of stared for a while till something hit me in the toe.  This is what came out.
Origin: Duff's head

Ingredients:

1. 1 cup frozen corn
2. 1/2 bag of frozen tater tots or hash browns
3. 1 can of refried beans
4. 1/4-1/2 cup milk
5. 1 can cooked chicken
6. shredded cheese
7. sour cream

In a frying pan cook tater tots and corn with your oil of choice.  A little taco seasoning or chili powder can't hurt.  Once cooked where the tater tots are soft add the refried beans and milk and cook till thoroughly mixed.  Add chicken (undrained) to mixture and cook for several more minutes. 
Serve in a bowl or torilla with cheese and/or sour cream.

This was a mind bender at the time but is is amazingly simple and really quick.  It is full of nutritional goodness with a good balance of carbs and protein.  It is missing the greens but you can put it on top of a salad and make it a Mexican Stir Fry Tostada.  Eitherway, Rae did not aske for seconds she told me she was getting seconds shortly after her first bite.  What a complement.

Duff's Recipe Book

Well, I was thinking a while ago... "Duff you do a lot of cooking and though some of it is old standbys alot of it is new stuff or modified stuff. It would be nice to actually put some of those recipes into a book." At this point I started looking into a recipe book to put this stuff into and came up mostly disappointed. There did not seem to be much. I saw recipe card holders and spiral bound notebooks that may work but were not really the thing I was looking for. I could have gone for a 3-ring binder and a set of Avery sleeves but there had to be something more suited to what I was looking for.

First off I needed something to collect the recipes that I print out but have not been made because I run across tons of stuff as I am looking for something else. Allrecipes.com and Kraft.com are great sites for ideas. Honestly, not everything made was going into the book. It was just the stuff that was worthy of being made again. Well, new print outs need a pocket and after they were made and found delicious then they were to be added in some orderly fashion. So that meant some dividers for entrees, soups, appetizers, etc. Let be honest though I am a one dish meal kind of guy so most of it was going to be entree. On top of it I was looking for some recipe cards. Something that has a place for: ingredients, instructions, modifications, etc.

Well this seemed like a tall order for one device and at one point I was hitting a wall. I searched the book stores and stayed away from the cooking stores. I googled stuff like "diy cookbook" and still nothing.

Then it hit me "Recipe Organizer" I googled and Jackpot. There it was, like third on the list but it was there. It was three ringed. It had pockets for the recipes that had not been made yet. It had cards/pages designed for recipes and it had conversions on the inside. What a marvel and here it is.

So when Rae asked me what I wanted for Christmas I told her. She is such a sweet girl and she asked Santa for me. Like I said it is awesome. Look inside the "Cath Kidston Recipe Organizer."

Well, I got it and have already started with putting some recipes into the book as you can see. Along with this new book of mine I hope to present some of my recipes and creations here. I plan to include even the formulas that may not make the book. It will be an interesting ride.

Of course if you try any of this stuff please let me know your thoughts and if you have any recipes that you think I should try pass them along. (Simple recipes are best since I have to cook around Rae's swim team practice, girl scouts, and my running) Nutrition is a good thing to consider as well.

On a side note: I know the flowers are a little girly but I do not believe the publishers of the recipe organizer had guys in mind. If I find a camouflage pocket I will get it in there. Till then some of my guitar hero stickers may have to be applied.