Recipe for the keeping...bacon wrapped green beans

Bacon Wrapped Green Beans

Who doesn't love bacon? This dish was amazing. Even my vegetarian sister in law eat it and loved the sweetness to the dish. I made this along with the prime rib my father in law made.




Green Bean Bacon Bundles

1 pound fresh green beans

10-12 slices of thick-cut bacon  *I used regular bacon

2 tablespoons butter

1 tablespoon brown sugar

2 cloves of garlic, minced  *I only used one

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Spray a 9 x 13 baking dish with non-stick spray.

Wash and thoroughly dry green beans, then season with salt and pepper. Bundle together about 5-8 green beans – this will depend on your size of beans and the amount of beans you get for one pound. Bundle together as many as you’d like! Using a slice of bacon, wrap it around the center of the beans to hold it together. Lay the bundle bacon seam side down in the baking dish to hold it together. Repeat with remaining beans.

Heat a small saucepan over low heat. Add butter, brown sugar and garlic and whisk until melted and combined. Using a pastry brush, brush the mixture over top of each green bean bundle. Cover the bundles with foil and bake for 35 minutes. Remove foil and bake for 10-15 minutes more, just until bacon gets crispy.

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Recipe for the keeping...Toddler Spaghetti's O's

DIY Homemade Spaghettio’s

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

Yield: 4-6 adult servings, 6-8 child servings

• 8 oz ditalini pasta (or other small pasta)
• 2 Tablespoons olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, pressed
• Pinch of crushed red pepper flakes
• 15 oz can tomato sauce
• 1 cup water
• 1 Tablespoon tomato paste
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon granulated sugar
• 4 Tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Cook the pasta in a large pot of salted boiling water, to al dente (about 10 minutes).

Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a Dutch oven or large saute' pan over medium heat. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes and cook until just fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in the tomato sauce, water, tomato paste, salt, pepper, sugar and butter. Heat, while stirring, until the butter is melted. Slowly stir in the milk, then turn the heat to low. Simmer at low heat for 10 minutes.

Stir the shredded cheese into the soup until melted. Drain the pasta and transfer to a serving bowl. Pour as much of the tomato sauce into the pasta as desired; stir to combine. (I don't like mine extremely soupy, so usually have about 1/3 cup of the sauce leftover.)

Extra Touch: I had made a big pot of roasted veggies for Christmas of butternut squash, carrots, cauliflower, brussels sprouts, and sweet potatoes. I tried feeding the boys this a few times, they will not having it. So I decided to add them to this dish to add a punch of nutrition to the dish. I mashed them up and put them right into the tomato sauce. I added a little extra italian seasoning to cover up the cauliflower taste. Again, this a trick for my 12 yr old nephew and the twins that worked.

I took the whole box of pasta and doubled the recipe for freezing or future meals for the toddlers. Dad is soon going to be home during the day with them,so this is going to be perfect for him to feed for lunch.

The entire dish fed by family of 5 for dinner, and there was 4x16 oz containers for leftovers. The dish was made for around $5 total. I call that a great deal for a family on a budget. 

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Recipe for the keeping...Meatball Minestrone Soup

This one I made on a Sunday afternoon after I had gone to the store.  I didn't have time for the slow cooker, so I made mine on stove.

 

 

Meatball Minestrone Soup (Crock Pot)

Meatball Minestrone Soup

Time: 15 min prep + 6-8 hours cooking

Yield: 10 servings

Recipe adapted from my dear friend Heather Peterson

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3 (14.5 ounce) cans Italian Style Stewed Tomatoes

1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce

4 C beef broth

1 1/2 C carrots, sliced

1/2 C onion, chopped

1 C green beans, fresh or frozen

1 t basil, dried

1 t oregano, dried

1 t thyme, dried

1 (15 ounce) can Kidney Beans

1 (15 ounce) can Garbanzo Beans

6 C (about 1 1/2 pounds) Italian Meatballs, fully cooked

1 (16 ounce) box Ditalini Pasta, or Elbow Macaroni

1 (10 ounce) can tomato soup

Parmesan Cheese

1. Into a large crock pot, pour 3 cans Italian Style Stewed Tomatoes and 1 can tomato sauce.

2. Add 4 C beef broth. (I just dissolved 4 teaspoons beef soup base granules into 4 cups hot water.)

3. Slice 1 1/2 cup carrots, chop yourself 1/2 a cup of onions, and about 1 cup of green beans. Add them to the crock pot.

4. Next you will need 1 teaspoon basil, 1 teaspoon thyme and 1 teaspoon oregano. 

Once you have the seasonings measured out, crush them between your fingers as you add them to the pot. This really maximizes the flavor. 

5. Drain and rinse 1 can kidney beans and 1 can garbanzo beans. Add them to the pot. 

6. Now for the meatballs! These Italian Style Meatballs from Costco are absolutely fabulous.

Toss about 6 cups of these frozen treasures into your pot. Cover and let the old girl cook on high for 6-8 hours.

7. When your soup has simmered away all day and you are ready to eat, cook the pasta according to package directions. Don’t be tempted to add the uncooked pasta to the crock pot. The pasta will be kind of squishy and gross, and will also soak up a lot of the broth, leaving you with a thicker soup than you want. Just cook the pasta separately and all will be well.  

8. Add 1 can of tomato soup into your crock pot. Give it a nice stir, cover the soup and let it heat through. Your soup should thicken just a bit with the addition of the tomato soup. 

9. When you are ready to serve, dish a nice healthy portion of the pasta into each soup bowl then pour the Meatball Minestrone over the top. Garnish with a bit of grated Parmesan cheese. 

Enjoy! 

 

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Recipe for the keeping...Crockpot Salsa Chicken

Crockpot Salsa Chicken

Slow Cooker Salsa Chicken

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (frozen is fine)

1 cup salsa

1 can condensed cream of chicken soup

1 packet taco seasoning

1/2 cup sour cream

6 tortillas

Place chicken in the bottom of your slow cooker. Sprinkle taco seasoning on chicken. In a bowl, combine soup and salsa. Pour over chicken. Cook on high 4 hours. Shred chicken with two forks and stir in sour cream. Serve on tortillas or as desired.

Slow Cooker Salsa Chicken