Layered Spaghetti Supreme Pie

I know there are a TON of baked

spaghetti casserole recipes out there.

I know because I have made more than

my share of them. Tell me why do they

always look and sound so much better

than they taste? To me they taste over

cooked and dried out. Never fear....

I am happy to tell you that I have

come up with the BEST baked

Spaghetti recipe EVER!!

Layers of goodness to

satisfy your taste buds.

 

Layered Spaghetti Supreme Pie

1/2 lb. Ground Beef

1/2 lb. Ground Sausage

2-3 Cups Spaghetti Sauce

8 oz. Cream Cheese~ softened

1 Cup Sour Cream

2 Cups Cottage Cheese

2 Cups Shredded Sharp Cheddar Cheese

2 tsp. Italian Seasoning

1 pkg. Spaghetti Noodles

4 TBSP. Olive Oil

 

Preheat oven to 350

* if you want to prepare this in

your Slow Cooker, you will need to set

it on the low setting.

 Boil the spaghetti noodle to

al dente stage, drain and then

toss with the 4 TBSP of olive oil.

Set aside.

In a skillet combine the ground beef

and ground sausage together. You can

add in any of your favorite seasonings

to the meat that you want.

I like to add in powdered garlic and onion,

 cumin and oregano.

Brown until cooked through.

Stir in the spaghetti sauce.

Combine the cream cheese, sour cream,

cottage cheese and seasoning together.

Stir until blended.

Lightly grease a 9x13" pan

or spray your slow cooker.

Place 1/2 spaghetti noodles in the

bottom, spread the cream cheese

mixture over top that evenly.

On top of this, layer the

remaining noodles over top.

Pour sauce and meat mixture

over the noodles and top

(I had extra mozzarella on hand so I used that also)

Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes.

*For slow cookers, cook for 3 hours on low.

 Remove foil and top with the cheddar cheese.

Return to oven to bake for another

5 minutes or until cheese is melted.

Let rest for 10 minutes before

cutting. Serve with a green

salad and garlic bread.

Mmmmm,

Lark

 

 

 

Cheesy Corn Chowder

 I love Soup.

I can eat it all year round.

But there is just something about

having a cup of warm soup when the

weather has a chill in the air,

that makes me smile.

This is a very simple chowder to make.

So why not make a double batch now,

and freeze some for another day? 

 

Cheesy Corn Chowder

1 Lg. White Onion~ diced

2 Stalks of Celery ~ diced

1/4 C. butter
4 TBSP All Purpose Flour

3 C. of Fresh Corn OR 2 (15 oz.) Cans of Corn

4 Lg. Red Potatoes ~ cubed/boiled

3C. Chicken Broth

3 C. Milk

2 C. Shredded Sharp Cheddar Cheese

*Optional~ Crisp Bacon pieces

 

In a large Stock pot, sauté onion

and celery in butter until tender. Add Flour, slowly
stir in milk whisk until thickens.

Add in remaining ingredients.

Make sure you stir continually until the

cheese is melted. Turn on low for another

10 minutes. Serve warm.

 

Warm Soup on Chilly nights.

Lark 

 



Chicken and Sausage Gumbo /Cooking Planit Review

Many of you that have followed

along with me on this foodie

journey of mine, are just like me.

In regards to liking to get in the

kitchen and just GO to work.

However I do know that there are

many out there that do NOT enjoy

being in the kitchen. For many it is

a time management issue, perhaps

a lack of confidence, or not

understanding how to coordinate

ingredients together.

This is where the Cooking Planit

web site will help you change all

those little deterrents. Cooking Planit has

asked if I would give their web site a try, then 

share with my readers what I thought about it.

As I logged on for the first time I wasn't quite

sure what it was all about or just how it worked.

SO I thought that I would let them

describe it to:

"Whether you’re a professional chef, working

 mother or single young professional, 

Cooking Planit brings a fool-proof approach to

 cooking great meals on a budget.

 Users can adjust personal preferences and/or

dietary restrictions to weed out any unwanted

 options to bring the best recipes forward.

 From mapping out a menu, to grocery shopping,

to coordinating several dishes in the kitchen....

you are sure to impress your family and friends

 with your new skills."

You have the option of using one of the

many recipes on their site, or you can input

one of your own to help you set up a

plan of action.

I will say in my opinion Cooking Planit  would

be a great site for brand new cooks, beginners.

They make sure to list every step you need to

make. For example if making a garden salad

it would tell you to rise the lettuce, spin or pat dry,

then tell you to cut or tear the lettuce......

Do you understand what I am explaining?

It describes every basic step in

"kindergarten" terms. 

For me, using it took more time, than if I just

went about how I usually prepare my families meal.

I prepared (2) meals using two of the recipes

found on the Cooking Planit site. Following

EACH and EVERY direction they provided.

I then made one of my own recipes

(listed below) using their directions,

then I  prepared it on my own, as I usually

would. I wanted to see if there

 was a time difference.

There was a HUGE time difference!

It took an extra 49 minutes to prepare the

my recipe by using their site.

I felt like I was using up more time checking

on each step, than if I just went ahead and

prepared it.

**I do want to make it clear though, that if you

are NOT a person that feels at home in

the kitchen, Cooking Planit might be the

perfect tool to help you become so.

My first thought when trying out this

site was it would be great for

newly graduated High School students,

or a newly married couple.

It all adds up to what level/skill you

cook at. Go visit Cooking Planit and

see if the simple cooking steps will help

you feel more at ease in the kitchen.
 

Chicken and Sausage Gumbo

8 C. Water

2 C. Chicken Broth

4 Skinless Boneless Chicken Breasts

1 (13oz.) Beef Smoked Sausage~ sliced

1 Onion~ Chopped

4 Celery Ribs~ diced

2 Garlic Cloves~ minced

2 TBSP. Butter

1 C. Flour

1 Stick Butter~ cubed

1 (8oz.) Hunts Roasted Garlic Tomato Sauce

Salt/Pepper to taste
*Cooked Rice to serve with Gumbo

In a large stock pot bring to a boil the

water, chicken, broth, onion and any seasoning

you want to add. I like cumin, chili powder

and garlic powder. I use 1 tsp. each. Boil

for 15-20 minutes or until the chicken

is cooked through and easy to cut.

While chicken is boiling, sauté the

onion, celery, garlic and butter.

For 5 minutes or until fork tender.

Add these into the chicken/broth.

Next take the sliced sausage place

in a  skillet cooking over medium

heat to brown on both sides.

Then add this to the stockpot.
Turn down the heat, simmer for
20 minutes.
Now it's time to make your roux.
in a large skillet melt your butter
over medium/high heat.
Stir in the flour, making sure
not to allow the flour to burn!

Once the roux is browned, you will
take a cup at a time of the broth
in the stockpot, adding to the roux
as you whisk. This will become thick.
Keep whisking to make sure you
don't have any lumps.

Take off heat, and stir in the
tomato sauce. Now add this into
stockpot. (at this point all the
ingredients will be in the pot.
Stir until all the roux is mixed in
and blended well.
It will look a little "thin" however
it will thicken up as you stir.
Let simmer for another 20 minutes
then you are ready to serve over
some steamed rice.

ENJOY!
Lark

Go Register for a FREE
Cooking Planit Account HERE

**You can go HERE for a list of

all 50 Food Bloggers and the dates

of which their giveaway/reviews

will be published.
 

*All opinions in the above post
are solely my own. I was not
compensated for this review.
**Cook ware used in this post
are from the T-Fal Stainless Steel
Non-Stick set.

 



Pulled Pork Sliders

This meat is so tender and juicy.

You don't even need to add anything

to the bun to make these sliders

melt in your mouth.

Y'all wont believe how easy it is

to make this marinated meat.

Just 2 Ingredients!

 

Pulled Pork Sliders

1(16oz.) Root Beer

4 lbs. Pork Roast

Dinner Rolls

 

Place your pork roast into your

slow cooker, pour root beer over

top of roast. Cover, set on low

heat setting and cook for at least 6 hours.

I like to let it cook over night.

Shred with forks, serve on a dinner roll.

 

Weeknight meal perfection.

Lark



Slow Cooker Double Berry Cobbler with White Choc.-Chips

It's Berry Season!

I love all types of berries.

When berry season rolls around each

year, I make sure I buy plenty to

snack on as well as freeze for later.

You can change out the type of berries

in this cobbler for whatever you like

or have on hand.

 

Slow Cooker Double Berry Cobbler

1 1/2 C. All Purpose Flour

1 1/2 C. Sugar

1 tsp. Baking Powder

1/4 tsp. Salt

1/2 tsp. Cinnamon

2 Eggs

2 TBSP. Milk

2 TBSP. Oil

1 C. Blueberries

1 C. Raspberries

3/4 C. Water

1 tsp. Vanilla

1 C. White Chocolate Chips

 

In a mixing bowl sift all the dry

ingredients together. Add in the eggs,

milk and oil, mix well. Pour into a

lightly greased slow cooker.

Combine berries, water and vanilla

together in a saucepan. Stirring

constantly over med./high heat.

Bring to a boil for 1 minute.

Pour hot berry mixture over top of

the batter in the cooker. Place on High

heat cook for 2- 2 1/2 hours.

The last 5 minutes of baking

sprinkle the white choc. chips

over top of cobbler.

Serve warm or cooled.

Berry Delicious!

Lark

 

 

 



Grandma's Raisin Pudding~(Slow Cooker Version)

If you like raisins, you are

going to LOVE this dessert!

I remember having this growing up

for a Sunday Dessert. Although my Mom

baked it in the oven. I wanted to see if I

could adapt it to make it in

my slow cooker.  It Worked!

 

Grandma's Raisin Pudding

1 tsp. Baking Soda

1 tsp. Vanilla

1 C. Milk

1 C. Raisins

3 TBSP. Butter~ melted

1 C. Sugar

2 C. All Purpose Flour

1/2 tsp. Salt

2 tsp. Cinnamon

4 C. Water

2 C. Brown Sugar~packed

1/4 C. Butter

 

Combine the first (9) ingredients together.

Pour into a lightly greased slow cooker.

Bring the water, brown sugar and

butter to a boil. Then pour over the batter

in your slow cooker.

Cover with lid, set on low for 4 hours

remove lid the last 30 minutes of baking.

This magically makes a "toffee flavored"

cake with a rich raisin pudding

underneath. We like to serve it

warm with a scoop of

vanilla ice cream.

Passed down recipes,

are the best kind.

Lark

 

*If you are wanting to make this in the

oven, it makes a 9x13" pan. You will need to

reduce the water by 1 Cup. Bake for 30 minutes

in a preheated oven of 350.



Slow Cooker~ Tater Tot Breakfast Casserole

Slow Cookers aren't just for dinner.

This is  perfect breakfast casserole

to make the night before company

comes. Or for those very busy

weekday mornings.

Slow Cooker~ Tater Tot Breakfast Casserole

2 lb. Frozen Tater Tot's

1 Small white Onion ~ chopped

2 C. Cheddar Cheese~ shredded

1 C. Diced Ham

12 Eggs~ beaten

1 C. Milk

1 tsp. Pepper

1 tsp. Salt

1 (4oz.) Diced Green Chili's

 

Spray your slow cooker with

non-stick spray. Place half of the tater tots

in the bottom. Sprinkle with half of

the onion, cheese and ham.

 In a bowl combine the remaining

 ingredients together.

Pouring half of the egg mixture over the

the tots, ham, cheese and onion.

Repeat with remaining ingredients.

Cover and set your slow cooker on

low for 8 hours.

Breakfast never tasted so good.

Lark



Slow Cooker~Dry Rub BBQ Ribs

These are so simple to make

y'all will be asking yourself why you

haven't cooked them this way before now.

Start with mixing up your dry rub.

DRY BBQ RUB

1/4 C. Fresh Ground Salt

1 TBSP. Fresh Ground Pepper

1/4 C. Brown Sugar

1 TBSP. Garlic Powder

1 TBSP. Onion Powder

1 tsp. Ground Cumin

1/4 C. Paprika

2 tsp. Celery Salt

1 TBSP. Dry Ground Mustard

 

Blend well. Rub into ribs.
*You can use either Pork OR Beef Ribs
with this flavorful Rub. Both are delicious!

Place on a sheet pan.

Place in  oven on a High Broil

for 8 minutes each side.

Then transfer ribs to your slow cooker.

Se on high heat, cook for

4 hours.

Perfect every time.

Ribs with out the heat,

Lark

Slow Cooker~ BBQ Wings

*Before I share this great recipe with
Y'all, I wanted to take the opportunity to
SHOUT OUT a FABULOUS way you can
PAY IT FORWARD to help all
the Families in Oklahoma.
Please Tweet, Share and Post this message~

THANK YOU!
You guessed it, ANOTHER

Slow Cooker Meal!

I just might make you into

slow cooker fans yet. 

These wings have the full flavor

you get from grilled wings.

Without the dry over cooked meat.

Slow Cooker~ BBQ Wings

4 lbs. Chicken Wings

1 1/2 C. BBQ Sauce (I use Sweet Baby Ray's)

1/4 C. Fresh Citrus Juice (Orange, Lemon or Pineapple)

2 TBSP. Hot Deli Mustard

1 TBSP. Worcestershire Sauce

1 TBSP. Garlic~ minced

 

Place the wings on a Parchment lined

baking sheet. Season with salt, pepper

garlic and onion powder.

 Place in a oven, broil for 7 minutes

on each side. 

Mix all the Sauce ingredients together.

Place the wings in your slow cookers,

brushing the sauce onto each wing

as you layer them.

Cover and cook on low for 2 1/2 hrs.

 

*This sauce can also be used as a marinade

or for dipping. Make ahead of time to let

flavors intensify as it chills.

Perfect every time,

Lark

 



Slow Cooker Layered Goulosh

As the Hot Heat of Summer

starts to take over, I use my

slow cooker more and more.

Meals like this are family friendly.

 

Layered Goulosh

1 lb. Ground Spicy Sausage

1/2 lb. Lean Ground Beef

1 (28oz.) Spaghetti Sauce

1 (18.5oz.) Rotel Tomato's with Green Chili

1(15 oz.) Cottage Cheese

1 Egg~ beaten

1 TBSP. Italian Seasoning

2 C. Mozzarella~ shredded

1 lb. Favorite Pasta~ cooked al Dente

 

Brown the sausage/beef together.

Place in the bottom of your slow cooker.

Pour half the can of each spaghetti sauce

and rotel over meat. Then layer your par-cooked

pasta noodles over top of the sauce.

In a bowl mix together the cottage cheese,

egg, seasoning and 1 C. of mozzarella.

Spread over pasta. Top off with the remaining

sauces and remaining mozzarella.

Cover and set your slow cooker

on low for 3 hours.

SLOW COOKING~ FAST CLEAN UP!

Lark



Slow Cooker Cream Cheese Chicken

 This recipe contains 2 of my favorite
ingredients. Cream Cheese and Chicken!
Now throw in the ease of using my
slow cooker and you have done
made my day! ;)
Since making this recipe, my
family have requested it
twice. It really is going to be
one of those meals we will be
having often this Summer.
I mean who wants to
heat up the kitchen in the dead
heat of the (Nevada) Summer?

Slow Cooker Cream Cheese Chicken

4 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts

1/2 White Onion~ diced

1 (10 3/4oz) Cream of Chicken Soup

1/2 C. Milk

1/2 C. Sour Cream

1 (8oz.) Cream Cheese~ softened

1/2 C. Zesty Italian Dressing

Cooked Rice

 

Spray the bottom of your

slow cooker with a non stick spray.

Line the bottom of the dish with

the chicken breast's and onion.

Mix together the soup, milk,

sour cream, cream cheese and dressing.

Pour over the top of the chicken

and onion's. Set it on low for 8 hours

or on High for 4 hours.

During the last 20 minutes of

cooking time take two forks and

shred the meat mixture.

Serve over the cooked rice.

*This is also very Freezer Friendly*

Flavor galore!

Lark



Mom's Sloppy Joe's



I remember my Mother making these in

a slow cooker on busy week nights,

or when she knew company was

coming and needed to have a dish

that was easily doubled (or tripled) 

to feed a large crowd.

They were always a hit!

Mom's Sloppy Joe's

1 lb. Lean Ground Beef

1/2 C. White Onion~ diced

3 TBSP. Ketchup

1 TBSP. Mustard

2 tsp. Frank's Hot Sauce

1 tsp. Worcestershire Sauce

1(15oz.) Cream of Chicken Soup

1 (15oz.) Chicken Gumbo Soup

Salt/ Pepper to taste

Hamburger Buns

Shredded Cheddar Cheese~Optional

Start by Browning the meat and onion,

until meat is no longer pink and onions

 are tender. *If you are wanting to make this 

in a slow cooker go ahead and transfer

the meat mixture along with all the other

ingredients to a slow cooker. Cook on low heat

for 1-2 hrs. before serving.

If you are wanting to make this on

the stove top, you will now add

in all of the remaining ingredients

(except the buns and cheese of course;)

turn heat to a low simmer to cook

for 20 minutes. Serve on split

hamburger buns and top with

cheddar cheese if desired.

Week Night Menu,

Lark

Cheeseburger Soup

Ingredients:
1/2 pound ground beef (use 1 pound)
3/4 cup chopped onion
3/4 cup shredded carrots
3/4 cup diced celery
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dried parsley flakes
4 tablespoons butter, divided
3 cups chicken broth
4 cups peeled and diced potatoes
1/4 cup all purpose flour
2 cups of Velveeta processed cheese cubed (I used 16 ounce)
1 1/2 cups milk
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/4 cup sour cream

1.  Brown the ground beef in 3 quart saucepan.  Drain and set aside.
2. In the same saucepan add 1 T butter and add onion, shredded carrots, parsley flakes, basil and celery.  Saute until tender.
3.  Add the broth, potatoes and beef and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat, cover and simmer 10-12 minutes or until potatoes are tender.
4.  In small skillet melt remaining butter (3 T) and add the flour.  Cook and stir for 3-5 minutes or until bubbly.  Add to the soup and bring to a boil.  Cook and stir for 2 minutes.  Reduce heat to low.
5. Stir in the cheese, milk, salt and pepper.  Cook and stir until cheese melts.  Remove from heat and blend in sour cream.