**Crazy Cooking Challenge!!* Spaghetti-oooooooooooooo!

I realize that I missed last month's Crazy Cooking Challenge. And I realize that it's been two months since my last post. I also realize that in those two months, I haven't posted because the only things to come to mind were overwhelming negative, pessimistic and/or boring. So I stayed away. While I still have a good reserve of the overwhelmingly negative, pessimistic and boring, I am also in a much better place and which means I will try and keep that other stuff to a minimum. Now for the challenge.

This month was spaghetti. Regular ol' spaghetti with red sauce. In other words, this month's challenge was ridiculously hard because a) there are only so many ways you can make red sauce and b) none of them are original. Well I mean they are but I like to look at this little competition as a way to grow my cooking laurels (if they can be grown at all). I found lots of butter sauce recipes that I'm now dying to try and a couple that called for pasta other than spaghetti. Finally, I came across Natalie at Oven Love and her recipe for Homemade Spaghetti-O's. Perfect. Husband and I recently ventured to the grocery store (together! I know, shocking) and picked up some of his favorite childhood food.

Now I would like it be known that I HATE Spaghetti-O's. Hate them. They are disgustingly overcooked pasta o's in sickingly gross tomato sauce. The thought of them makes me gag. And everywhere I went as a kid, there they were. I had friends who liked them with hot dogs added in. There were the (rare) babysitting clients who insisted upon them and nothing else (I mean I offered up grilled cheese and mac and cheese and still that canned pasta won). When Husband's feeling especially hungry, I will look up from my book to find him eating them. Straight. Out. Of. The. Can. Talk about birth control.

You can imagine my delight when I came across Natalie's recipe, which would hopefully put an end to my days of tin can torment. This recipe came out pretty well. Unfortunately, I didn't have any tomato sauce on hand so I used spaghetti sauce, which next time I will run through the food processor because the first words out of Husband's mouth were, "I don't like tomato chunks." No $%#^%. I didn't realize it had chunks until after I dumped it in the pot. Now get out my kitchen before you end up wearing it. I also used spaghetti noodles broken in half, so it wasn't quite as soupy as one would expect. The flavor was really good, though, and I will try this again with all the right ingredients. Hopefully.

Boil bubble toil and trouble. Literally trouble. Red sauce all over my clean stove top.

The cheese and milk lighten up the color.

This is my bowl...after I had eaten half. My bad!

So there you have it. Remember, if you've come to this post via the Facebook page or you subscribe to it, make sure you click on the picture of this recipe below (#60), so that your click counts. Happy reading!

**Meatless Monday** Shortcuts

I'm just going to come out and say it. I cheat. At least 3 to 4 times a week. I guess I should feel ashamed about using store bought food, in an age where everyone is spouting off about going green and how even the preservatives have preservatives in them. I should feel ashamed, but I don't. (you know who should feel ashamed? Those of you who have your finger hovering over Husband's number on your phone)

When I work back to back shifts, creating a 14 hour day, then have two hours to start the cleaning and get something for at least myself to eat before I go to bed, I don't have time to let my bread rise, yet alone punch it down and watch it rise again like some Michael Jordan comeback. No, I pull frozen all-ready-to-go-just-slap-it-in-the-oven garlic bread out of the freezer and call it good. I mean I have my spaghetti sauce recipe down to getting everything in the pot in under 20 minutes so it can simmer for an hour. In that hour, I can start the dishwasher, start a load of laundry, wipe down the bathroom fixtures, straighten up, put the wet laundry in the dryer and maybe vacuum, thus leaving feeding the fur kids to Husband. Plus I'm on here, responding to any comments, making sure I haven't totally thrown off my posting schedule (again) and laughing at any Walmart emails Binky has sent me.

So now you know my dirty little secret. I suppose I should also let it be known that we love Pasta Roni and Hamburger Helper. I feel much better now. The truth is so freeing.

Well the Ranch dressing is homemade and so is the spaghetti sauce, so 2 out of 3 ain't bad.

*Meatless Monday* A Twist on Cheese Biscuits

I apologize in advance if this post isn't very cohesive but I'm adjusting to a new work schedule and just ate a quarter of a loaf of cheese biscuit bread by myself. This is also going to be a short post because if I sit in one place too long, I will fall asleep. For dinner today I made spaghetti and a loaf of this. Needs a little bit of tweaking but made good garlic bread.

Now this is one instance I can except cheesy goodness oozing out of my food.

So what did you make for dinner? An old standby?? Or something out of a the box?

Food Friday

This week was kind of a roller coaster. Still haven't found a job but made a lot of good food. Am still trying to get Melodie over her fear of the dishwasher so that I can get the abundance of dirty dishes out of my sink. Also am wondering how she's going to react when we get our washer and dryer. Anyone interested in a neurotic puppy?

Friday: Biscuits and Gravy (Pizza was eaten a la Tombstone).

My all time comfort food. Once eaten every day for a week while on vacation.

Sunday: Baked Spaghetti

The beginnings of homemade sauce.

Peek a boo.

Ogres are like baked spaghetti, they have layers.

Homemade garlic bread

Sunday tradition (Husband even went in for seconds!)

 Tuesday: Baked Potato & Cheese Soup from Put A Lid On It! Cookbook

(from pg. 14 of Put a Lid on it! Cookbook)

Ingredients:

2 lbs. baking potatoes, peels and cut into 1/2" cubes

2 cans condensed cream of mushroom soup

1 1/2 cup green onions, finely chopped

1/4 tsp. garlic powder

1/8 tsp. ground red pepper

1/4 tsp. black pepper (or to taste)

1 1/2 cup Sharp Cheddar cheese, shredded

1 cup sour cream

1 cup milk

Directions:

(note: the longer this cooks the thicker it gets. I highly recommend it thick!)

Combine potatoes, soup, 1 cup green onions, garlic powder, red pepper and black pepper in slow cooker. Cover and cook on low 8 hours (4-6 if using a gigantore slow cooker like mine). Add cheese, sour cream and milk and stir until cheese has completely melted. Cover and continue cooking on High an additional 10 minutes. Garnish with remaining green onions.

Probably the thickest potato soup I've ever made.

It may not look like it, but this soup tasted EXACTLY like a Wendy's baked potato.

 Wednesday: Campbell's Kitchen Cheesy Chicken Casserole

(posted by Campbell's Kitchen on allrecipes.com; adapted by The UDG)
Ingredients:
vegetable cooking spray
4 (4 ounce) skinless, boneless chicken breast halves, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 cup sliced fresh mushrooms
1 (10.75 ounce) can Campbell's® Condensed Cream of Celery Soup (Regular or 98% Fat Free)
  2 cups frozen peas, thawed
2 cups cooked instant brown rice
1 (10.75 ounce) can Campbell's® Condensed Cream of Mushroom Soup (Regular or 98% Fat Free)
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese 
Directions:
Heat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Spray a 10-inch skillet with the cooking spray and heat over medium-high heat for 1 minute. Add the chicken and cook for 10 minutes Add mushrooms and continue to cook until chicken is well browned and cooked through and mushrooms are soft, stirring often.
Spray a 3-quart shallow baking dish with the cooking spray. Place the chicken into the baking dish. Spoon the celery soup over the mushrooms. Top with the peas and rice. Spoon the mushroom soup over the rice. Sprinkle with the cheese.
Bake for 20 minutes or until the mixture is hot and bubbling. 

I love dishes that have everything in one...dish.

Aw the money shot.

Get in my belly!

Thursday: Stovetop Mac & Cheese
Please take a moment to visit the link for this recipe.

Cheddary goodness

Perfect side: cornbread

Make sure you check out the What's Cooking page for complete recipes!