Baked Ziti

I am going to post this recipe as it might be my new favorite.  Here's why I liked it....it was fairly simple to throw together, it had plenty of flavor and plenty of sauce AND my kids ALL ate it.  Layne commented that he'd had dishes similar to this one in restaurants and mine was way better.  YAY.  Anyone who knows my husband knows he is brutally honest....so I'm telling you this is a yummy recipe.

Baked Ziti

1 pound ziti pasta (ziti pasta is the big tubular noodles...I didn't have any so I used those smaller spiral-shaped noodles....I swear that's part of why my kids liked it and they're prettier in my opinion too)
1 1/2 TBS olive oil
1 onion, chopped
4 cloves garlice, pressed
1 tsp. rosemary (you could really taste the rosemary in this...it made me miss my Rosemary plant we grew in Mesquite)
3/4 cup low-fat sour cream
3/4 cup low-fat cottage cheese
1/2 lb. ground turkey
1/4 pound extra-lean ground beef
1 1/2 jars spaghetti sauce - I accidentally dumped in 2 jars, but I have to say, it was perfect...I like lots of sauce.
6 oz. provolone cheese - I didn't have any, so I just used more mozarella
6 oz. mozzarella cheese, shredded

Preheat oven to 350

Prepare pasta according to package directions.  In a skillet, heat olive oil and saute' onion till translucent.  Add garlic and rosemary, remove from pan and set aside.  Meanwhile in a small bowl, mix the sour cream and cottage cheese together and set aside.

In that same skillet, cook the turkey and beef together till crumbly and brown.  Drain off the grease by blotting with paper towels (this will lower the fat grams).

Return the onion mixture back to the skillet.  Add the spaghetti sauce and put on low heat to simmer.

In a 9x13 inch pan, start layering.  First spread sauce on the bottom, then a layer of ziti, then sour cream mixture, then a layer of Provolone, then sauce, ziti sour cream mixture, etc.  Keep going till it's all gone.  Then top with mozarealla.

Bake in a preheated oven uncovered for 20 minutes or until heated through.

I served this with a green salad...it was very filling!

Layered Tukey Nachos

I will admit, I was a little leary of this recipe.  I thought the turkey would be really dried out (you use shredded turkey breast), but you mix the turkey in olive oil, lime juice, cumin and garlic powder.  It ends up moist and flavorful.  These were really good and since we had turkey a few nights before, I had leftover turkey that only needed shredded.

Will I Make it Again?  Yes.

Shepherd's Skillet

I am going to post this recipe because I thought it was really simple and pretty tasty.  Two of my children, who shall remain nameless wouldn't really touch it, but  that's their loss.

Shepherd's Skillet
2 tsp. oilve oil
1 onion, chopped
1 clove garlic
1 lb. extra-lean ground beef
1 cup oats
3 TBS. ketchup
1 tsp. cumin
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup beef broth
1 TBS. cornstarch
2 1/2 cups mashed potatoes
1/2 cup sour cream
3/4 cup low-fat Cheddar cheese, shredded

In a skillet (oven proof), heat the oil over medium-high heat.  Add onion, garlic, and beef and cook till beef is browned and crumbled.  Drain beef and blot with paper towels (this step will lower the fat grams).  Add oats and stir well to incorporate.

Add ketchup, spices, beef broth, and cornstarch; stir well and allow to simmer on low to thicken slightly.  Heat mashed potatoes and set aside.  Add sour cream to beef mixture and mix again.  Remove skillet from heat and spoon potatoes as evenly as possible over the entire skillet.  Top with Chedder cheese and place skillet under the broiler until the cheese is melted and bubbly. 

**I made a slight variation to this recipe (okay I messed it up).  I forgot to add the sour cream in the meat, so we just added our own when we ate it.  It was really good and Layne thought the adding your own sour cream was better than having it mixed in.   Part of why it was such a quick meal to throw together is because I always have browned hamburger in my freezer and I had already made mashed potatoes the night before and had leftovers.

Will I Make it Again?  Yes!  Especially when we have leftover mashed potatoes.

Baked Tomato Basil Fish

I am not much of a fish eater...so if I have to eat fish, it's either tuna or Salmon.  This dish was very quick, simple and tasty.  I am liking FORCING myself to try new recipes because I've probably had fish 4 or5 times in the past 6 months whereas before we had fish....well, NEVER. 

Will I Make It Again?  Yes.

Garlic Lime Chicken

I think this may be the only recipe my ENTIRE family liked!  It was very tasty.
If anyone is interested, I'll post the recipe...I'm too lazy tonight to type it out.

Will I Make It Again?  Yes.

Garlic Lime Chicken
1 tsp. salt
3/4 tsp. pepper
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp. paprika
1 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. onion powder
1/2 tsp. thyme
6 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
2 TBS. butter
2 TBS. olive oil
4 TBS. lime juice
1/2 cup chicken broth
    
     On a dinner plate, mix together first seven ingredients.  Sprinkle mixture on both sides of chicken breasts.

In a skillet heat butter and olive oil together over medium-high heat.  Saute' chicken until golden brown about 5 minutes on each side.  Remove chicken and add lime juice and chicken broth to the pan, whisking up the browned bits off the bottom of the pan.  Keep cooking until sauce has reduced slightly.  Add chicken back to the pan to thoroughly coat and serve. 

Serve with garlic mashed potatoes (make mashed potatoes; add garlic powder to taste).

Apple Turkey Burgers

I was pretty hesitant to try this recipe, but these burgers were actually pretty good.  Even my boys ate them which is saying something. 

Will I Make Them Again?  Yes.

Beef Fajitas

This was a really yummy recipe.  I've never  made beef fajitas before and now I know what kind of cut of beef to use for my Greek Gyros I tried a long time ago, but couldn't get the meat right.

Will I Make it Again?  Yes.

Crock Pot Jambalaya

I was really excited to make this one since Layne LOVES jambalaya.  I threw everything in the crock pot and smelled it's yumminess all day.  However, it was a pretty bland dish and I don't think jambalaya is supposed to be bland.  I'm going to take the blame on this one...the recipe calls for "cajun seasoning".  I found something that says it's good for jambalaya, but maybe I needed a different spice?  I don't know.

Will I Make This Again?  Yes, but I need to get just the right amount of spiciness.

Cheeseburger Casserole

I'm a little behind in posting the recipes I've tried the last week or so.  This recipe for Cheeseburger Casserole should have been good.  It didn't have anything weird in it and I was rather excited to try it since it was so quick to throw together.  However, after a few bites, my husband and I just looked at each other.  I said, "This recipe tastes really EARTHY." 
"Yes," he agreed, "it tastes like DIRT."  I have NO idea why this recipe turned out so badly, but it did.  Layne insists that we try it again because it should taste okay.....hamburger, onion, tomatoes, noodles, cheese.....how would those together taste like dirt?  I don't know, but in a few months I will give it another try.