Pasta Sauce

Ladies, I don't know about you, but this chilly, rainy weather has driven me to the kitchen to try to create tasty creations that warm from the inside. One thing that we have been enjoying a lot of lately is simple homemade spaghetti sauce. It's flavor is as uncomplicated as the recipe, but it is so fresh and tasty. Plus, because it all goes through the food processor there is no need to really chop things up too much.

Ingredients
4-5 fresh tomatoes (I cut the "meat" off and toss away the seeds and liquid)
1 large can fire-roasted diced tomatoes
6 cloves garlic
1 onion
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp balsamic
Fresh basil
Fresh thyme
Fresh sage
The following to taste:
Chipotle powder
Cumin powder
Cayenne pepper
Ground cinnamon
Salt
Pepper
Sugar

Directions
Combine all ingredients except olive oil and balsamic in food processor. Process until still a bit chunky, drizzle oil and balsamic through processor feed tube and continue processing until almost smooth (or whatever consistency you enjoy). Serve over pasta with grated cheese.

PS - Mr. "I Love Prego" has actually been requesting this - maybe I've converted him from a processed food. Could it be true?

Tres Leches Cake

For Ann's baby shower today I brought along this easy but delicious cake to share with the ladies. Courtney did a great job with all of the wonderful foods she prepared! Enjoy!

Ingredients
1 pkg. yellow cake mix
1 12 oz. evaporated milk
5 oz. whipping cream

[Variation--Bananas Tres Leches Cake--additional ingredients 3 oz. banana liquor & 3 ripe bananas)

1. Bake and prepare cake according to package directions. When done, set aside.
2. Combine milks, cream (and liquor). Using a wooden toothpick poke holes all over the cake--the more the better.
3. While cake is still warm, pour the liquid mixture over the cake and allow it to set at room temperature for no more than an hour. Cover pan with plastic wrap and chill overnight or for at least 2 hours until liquid is absorbed and cake is soft and soggy.
4. Serve in footed goblets spooning some of the sauce from the bottom of the pan on top of the cake. Optional--top with sliced bananas and fresh whipped cream.

Shower for Little Baby P

Courtney hosted a beautiful baby shower tea today for Ann and little baby P. It was beautiful and I am sure she'll post a few of her delicious recipes here (esp. the ginger lemon tea - delish!). Here are some pictures I took. I love the first one of Courtney and Ann - they both look great (and so does the food).

Mama-to-Be and the Hostess with the Mostess

The last (?) Fearless Foodies pic? (IN OBERLIN!)

Meatloaf & Garlic Mashed Potatoes

Meat Loaf

1 chopped white onion
2lb Betty's ground beef
1 can (8 oz) tomato sauce (or ketchup)
1 cup uncooked old-fashioned oatmeal
1/2 cup grated Parmesan
1 tbsp dried oregano
1 tsp red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
2 large egg whites
4 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
Vegetable-oil cooking spray

Mashed Potatoes
8 large Idaho baking potatoes, unpeeled, scrubbed and cut into small pieces
1/2 cup cream
3 tbsp margarine
salt & black pepper to taste
4 cloves garlic, peeled and minced

For meat loaf:

Preheat oven to 375°F. Combine ingredients and mix thoroughly, using hands. Shape mixture into a loaf. Coat a 9" x 13" baking pan (or bread-loaf pan) with cooking spray, then fill with mixture. Bake 1-1.5 hour(s); let stand for 5 minutes before slicing. Optional: Top each slice with 1/4 cup warmed pasta sauce and basil leaf.

Mashed Potatoes

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add potatoes and simmer 15 minutes or until they yield to soft pressure. Drain, then transfer to a serving bowl. Using a potato masher or hand mixer, combine remaining ingredients. Serve warm with meat loaf.

Tortilla Soup

It is grey, rainy, and chilly outside - definitely a week to have something warm and comforting! After reading the blog Meal Planning Mommies, I was inspired to make Tortilla Soup. Although the recipe they had on their site looked good, I was looking for something a bit more complex so I googled and found this recipe on AllRecipes (great because I could scale the recipe for 12 - yes, I know there are only 10 of us).

Ingredients
1-1/2 onion, chopped
4-1/2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon and 1-1/2 teaspoons olive oil
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 tablespoon cumin
1/2 tablespoon chipotle powder
1-1/2 (28 ounce) cans crushed tomatoes
1-1/2 (10.5 ounce) cans condensed chicken broth
1-3/4 cups and 2 tablespoons water
1-1/2 cups whole corn kernels, cooked
1-1/2 cups white corn kernals (the original called for hominy)
1-1/2 (4 ounce) cans chopped green chile peppers
1-1/2 (15 ounce) cans black beans, rinsed and drained
1/4 cup and 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
3 boneless chicken breast halves, cooked and cut into bite-sized pieces
crushed tortilla chips
sliced avocado
shredded Monterey Jack cheese
chopped green onions

Directions
1 - In a medium stock pot, heat oil over medium heat. Saute onion and garlic in oil until soft. Stir in chili powder, oregano, tomatoes, broth, and water. Bring to a boil, and simmer for 5 to 10 minutes.
2 - Stir in corn, chiles, beans, cilantro, and chicken. Simmer for 10 minutes.
3 - Ladle soup into individual serving bowls, and top with crushed tortilla chips, avocado slices, cheese, and chopped green onion.

Taco Salad - MN Style

We recently bid adieu to the husband of a Fearless Foodie. It is both sad and exciting at the same time - and it also provided an opportunity to cook (of course)! I made a Taco Salad that my mother and aunts make for summertime parties back home in MN. I say it's MN style, but maybe it's not as regional as I think. Regardless, I hope you enjoy it!

The portions used make enough for Brett and I to enjoy this for lunch plus a snack for him. Granted, this is one of his all-time favorites, so he eats A LOT of it. Everything really is "to taste", so feel free to experiment. It seems to change everytime I make it.

Basic Ingredients
Lettuce - I like romaine for this
1 lb ground turkey
1/2 bottle of low-fat french/catalina-style dressing
1 1/2 packages low-sodium taco seasoning
Shredded cheddar cheese
Tortilla chips

Fancy Ingredients - not required, just nice to add
Sliced black olives
Corn
Black beans
Tomatoes - chopped
Chopped onions

Directions
1 - Place ground turkey in a skillet, add 1/2 package of taco seasoning, fully cook the turkey while breaking it up into smaller pieces. When cooked through, drain and rinse with cold water.
2 - Wash and chop lettuce, place in large bowl.
3 - Add cheese to bowl and mix with lettuce.
4 - Gently crush tortilla chips in the bag (we actually save the last bits of our tortilla chip bags for this purpose - stale chips are not a problem for the salad), remove the chips from the bag (don't pour it directly on the salad because you'll get a ton of unneccessary salt) and place them in the bowl with the lettuce and cheese. Mix.
5 - Add the remaining taco seasoning to the bowl and mix.
6 - Add the cooled ground turkey to the bowl... and mix.
7 - Pour about 1/2 of the bottle of salad dressing into the bowl and... you guessed it, mix thoroughly. I often resort to using my hands at this point because it becomes a bit unruly/messy.
8 - Taste and adjust ingredients as necessary. I often find that I may need to adjust the basic ingredients, but it is not often that I adjust the fancy ingredients.

Note: This is not really good left over because the lettuce and tortilla chips will wilt and become soggy. Brett is a freak of nature and is happy to eat it the next day although sometimes he adds fresh chips.

Sausage Casserole

This is a dish that my mom made all the time when I was growing up. It's really easy and good comfort food.

1 package Bob Evans sausage

6-8 potatoes (whatever kind you like)

1/2-1 bag frozen peas

3/4 c. milk

6 Tbsp butter

1/2 c. flour

salt and pepper

Brown meat. While this is cooking, peel (if desired) and slice potatoes. When meat is ready, begin layering in a dutch oven: one layer of potatoes, sprinkle with flour, salt and pepper, then one layer of sausage. Repeat until ingredients are used completely. Leave enough room on top for peas later on. Top entire composition with butter cut into individual tablespoons and pour milk over entire pot. Put into a 375 degree oven, covered, for about 35 minutes. Lift top and pour peas into pot. Recover. Cook until peas are warmed through and potatoes are soft. Mix up and serve!

I hope you all enjoy this recipe! It's good served with a simple green salad. :)