Slow Cooker Chicken Cacciatore

I have no idea where I found this recipe! When I printed it out the link didn't show up at the bottom of the page so now I have no clue despite trying to search again. This was simple, easy and flavorful! We served it with rice initially but there was enough leftover that I ended up eating it for lunch a couple days with the Trader Joe's cauliflower gnocchi...which I am obsessed with by the way!

(picture from Skinnytaste)

Ingredients:
1 1/2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 3-inch pieces
1 medium red onion, thinly sliced
2 bell peppers, thinly sliced
1 (14.5 oz) can fire-roasted diced tomatoes
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/4 t crushed red pepper
1 c chicken broth
1/4 c chopped fresh parsley

Directions:
Lightly season chicken with salt and pepper and Place in a 5-7 qt slow cooker.
Top with onion, bell peppers, tomatoes, garlic, red pepper and broth.
Cover and cook on LOW 8 hours.
Sprinkle with parsley.

Easy (and Tasty) Gluten Free Turkey Meatballs

(picture and recipe from Fashionable Foods)
Spaghetti and meatballs is one of my kids' favorite meals and I have used many recipes for meatballs over the years. During the past year none of my older recipes were really doing it for me when I attempted to adjust them to be gluten free so I went searching for something else and found this winner. The meatballs are moist, but stay together, and they pack in lots of flavor considering they are a pretty healthy version. This has been our go-to meatball recipe for quite some time now so I am finally documenting it to make it easier to find!

Ingredients

1 Egg, beaten

2 Tablespoons Tomato Paste

1 Small/Medium Onion, peeled and grated

3 Cloves Garlic, finely minced

¼ Cup Fresh Parsley, finely chopped

1 Teaspoon Dried Oregano

Salt & Pepper

¼ Cup Almond Flour

1 ½ Pounds Ground Turkey

Extra-Light Olive Oil

Tomato Sauce, for serving

Fresh Basil, for garnish

Directions

Combine the beaten egg, tomato paste, grated onion, garlic, parsley, oregano, salt, pepper, and almond flour. Mix well and then mix in the meat.

Preheat the oven to 400º.

Heat a nonstick skillet over high heat and enough of the olive oil to coat the skillet. Using a medium or large ice cream/cookie scoop*, scoop out the meatballs and drop them directly into the pan. Let them cook for about 30 seconds or until brown, then flip them over using a spoon (I found this was the easiest in order to keep them intact). Cook them until brown on the other side, about 30 seconds, and then transfer to a baking sheet lined with parchment or foil. Repeat with remaining meat – you’ll end up with about 18-20 meatballs using a large scoop, and about 30-35 with a medium scoop.

Transfer the meatballs to the oven and bake for about 20 minutes for the large size, or 15 minutes if you used a medium-sized scoop. The meatballs will be firm to the touch when finished.

Serve with tomato sauce.

Margherita Pasta

Although I found the recipe on the blog Peachtree Cooking, it originally came from A Bountiful Kitchen (as did the picture!).

We have tried a few recipes recently that we LOVE and have been making on a fairly regular basis and this is one of them (I need to get around to blogging the rest as well!). The ingredients and the process are so simple, but the flavors are amazing. This is one of our favorite meatless meals! Nearly as good as being back in Italy ;-)!

Ingredients
1 box spaghetti, cooked "al dente", drained (I used Gluten Free)
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons butter optional, but highly recommended for flavor
1-2 cloves garlic, minced
2 lbs. Roma tomatoes (about 8-10) coarsely chopped or grape tomatoes
1 cup fresh basil leaves, chopped
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
1/2 lb. fresh mozzarella, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
½ cup grated Romano or Parmesan cheese
additional basil leaves for garnish

Instructions
Cook pasta. Set aside, or while pasta is cooking prepare sauce.
In large skillet, heat oil and butter over low heat.
Sauté the garlic until fragrant over low heat, about 1 minute.
Add tomatoes, sugar, salt and pepper.
Cover and cook for 10 minutes. Add basil, and pasta to pan with tomatoes.
Cook for 2-3 minutes, just until all pasta is heated through.
Just before ready to serve, pour into serving bowl, toss with fresh mozzarella and grated cheese. Serve at once with additional grated cheese, and more fresh basil if desired.

Vegetable Lasanga Cupcakes

I was looking for a new meatless meal to try when I came across Yummy Mummy Kitchen's Lasanga Cupcakes and was intrigued! (her picture above) I did one tray as she directed and one with only veggies and no noodles and they were sooo yummy! Easy to put together, easy to clean up and super easy to devour. I wanted to be sure to save this recipe because I will definitely be making them again!

Original recipe, with more pretty pictures, HERE.

Ingredients:
1/2 package lasagna noodles
1 (15 oz) container ricotta cheese (my fam doesn't love this so I used about 2/3 of it)
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for topping
1 egg
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
1 ball of fresh mozzarella, sliced (the kind in water)
1 (24 oz) jar your favorite pasta sauce
1 (about 2″ wide) zucchini, sliced into 1/8″ rounds
1 Japanese eggplant, sliced into 1/8″ rounds (my grocery store was out of eggplant!!! I used 2 zucchini instead)

Directions:
Cook noodles according to package instructions. Set on a lightly oiled cookie sheet so that the sheets don’t stick together.
In a medium bowl, stir together the ricotta, Parmesan, egg, and basil until well combined. Set aside.
Spoon tomato sauce into 12 muffin cups to coat the bottom. Cut cooked lasagna sheets into 2-inch pieces, or 2-inch rounds if you have a cookie cutter. Place one piece of lasagna noodle in each cup over the sauce. Top with 1 tablespoon of ricotta mixture. Top ricotta with one slice of zucchini, mozzarella, and eggplant and press gently into the ricotta. Cover vegetables with a layer of tomato sauce. Top with a teaspoon of the ricotta mixture. Cover ricotta with a second sheet of pasta, then spread tomato sauce over the top. Sprinkle with Parmesan.
You may have enough ingredients left over to make about 5 more, so go ahead and do so in a second muffin tin!
Bake at 375 degrees F for 35 minutes. Let cool 10 minutes. Run a knife around the edge to release cups.

Pepperoni Pasta Bake

I love creamy cheesy pasta dishes, so even though I knew I wouldn't get to eat this recipe from Everday Foods magazine, since I've never seen jumbo gluten-free pasta shells, I still wanted to make it! Unfortunately the rest of my family doesn't love those types of pasta dishes quite as much as me. They liked these for the most part, but I know I would have appreciated them much more! I tried a little bite of the filling and I do think I would some salt next time. I also loved that I was able to get some extra veggies in the meal with the addition of zucchini to the cheesy filling.

Ingredients:
2 1/2 cups part-skim ricotta
1 1/4 cups grated zucchini (about 1 medium)
1/3 c chopped fresh basil leaves, plus more for serving
1 large egg, beaten
coarse salt and pepper
3 cups marinara, divided
28 jumbo pasta shells (7 oz), cooked according to package instructions
26 small pepperoni slices (2 oz)
3/4 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
In a medium bowl, combine ricotta, zucchini, basil, and egg; season with 1/2 t each salt and pepper.
Spread 1 cup marinara in a 9x13 inch broiler proof baking dish.
Fill each shell with 1 heaping Tablespoon ricotta mixture and arrange in an even layer in dish.
Top with remaining 2 cups marinara, then pepperoni and mozzarella. Cover with foil and bake until sauce is bubbling, about 30 minutes.
Heat broiler, remove foil, and broil until cheese is browned in spots, about 3 minutes. Top with additional basil and serve.

Serves 4: 694 cal; 28g fat; 39g protein; 72g carb; 3 g fiber

Cheese-Stuffed Meatballs

(picture here)

These guys were a HUGE hit with the entire family! I got my recipe from Fabulously Delicious and we will definitely be making them again! I ate some of the extra meatballs the next day for lunch with a little sauce to dip them in. YUM!

Ingredients
2 lbs. ground turkey
2 eggs
1/2 cup finely chopped yellow onion
1/2 cup Panko bread crumbs (I used gluten-free Italian bread crumbs)
1 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 Tbsp. deli (brown) mustard
1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. black pepper
3-4 sticks string cheese, each stick cut into 5 pieces

Directions
1. In a large bowl, combine turkey and all other ingredients except string cheese. Mix well to combine (use your hands to get the best results!).
2. Spray a large baking sheet with cooking spray (or each cup of a muffin tin, if using). Take 1/4 cup of meat mixture and roll into a ball. Press your finger into the center to make an indent, and place a piece of string cheese into it. Roll meat mixture again to cover the cheese completely and make a meatball shape. Place meatballs onto baking sheet or into muffin pan. Bake for 30 minutes or until cooked through and cheese starts to ooze out. Remember, in this case, ooze is a good thing! Cook them too long and the cheese will start to harden and not be melty. Serve immediately.
(I then simmered mine in a large saucepan with the spaghetti sauce)

Easy Cheesy Alfredo

I really, really love pasta in creamy sauces. I thought this was a great lower fat option with tons of flavor (plus I could use gluten free noodles for me!). And like I mentioned before, that Rosemary Ranch Chicken that The Recipe Club suggested putting on top was seriuosly divine. I mixed steamed broccoli in with it all and LOVED it!

Ingredients:
1- 8 oz. package cream cheese (I used 1/3 fat kind)
1 cup grated parmesan cheese, divided
1/2 cup margarine (I used 4 T)
1/2 cup milk (I used 1% and added some extra to thin out the sauce a bit at the end)
8 oz. fettuccini noodles, cooked & drained (I used gluten-free spaghetti noodles)
fresh parsley for garnish

Directions:
In a large sauce pan stir together cream cheese, 3/4 cup parmesan cheese, margarine & milk over medium heat until smooth. Pour over noodles & top with the rest of the parmesan cheese
**Top with Rosemary Ranch Chicken!!!**

Artichoke Mushroom Lasagna

I don't think I've ever been so behind on posting recipes before...I like to get them up here as soon as I make them. But life has been SO busy that it just has been low on the priority list. This lasagna was a hit though...even with Mike who is not a big pasta (or meatless dish) fan. In fact, he even had leftovers of it the next day...and he's not a leftovers guy either, so that says TONS!!! I used gluten-free noodles and loved it! (recipe from Taste of Home apr/may 2011)

Ingredients:
* 1 pound sliced baby portobello mushrooms
* 2 tablespoons butter
* 3 garlic cloves, minced
* 2 cans (14 ounces each) water-packed artichoke hearts, rinsed, drained and chopped
* 1 cup chardonnay or other white wine (used white cooking wine)
* 1/4 teaspoon salt
* 1/4 teaspoon pepper
SAUCE:
* 1/4 cup butter, cubed
* 1/4 cup all-purpose flour (I used cornstarch)
* 3-1/2 cups 2% milk
* 2-1/2 cups shredded Parmesan cheese
* 1 cup chardonnay or other white wine
ASSEMBLY:
* 9 no-cook lasagna noodles (I used gluten-free and cooked them before assembly)
* 4 cups (16 ounces) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese, divided

Directions
* In a large skillet, saute mushrooms in butter until tender. Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer. Add the artichokes, wine, salt and pepper; cook over medium heat until liquid is evaporated.
* For the sauce, in a large saucepan over medium heat, melt butter. Stir in flour until smooth; gradually add milk. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 1 minute or until thickened. Stir in Parmesan cheese and wine.
* Spread 1 cup sauce into a greased 13-in. x 9-in. baking dish. Layer with three noodles, 1-2/3 cups sauce, 1 cup mozzarella and 1-1/3 cups artichoke mixture. Repeat layers twice.
* Cover and bake at 350° for 45 minutes. Sprinkle with remaining mozzarella cheese. Bake, uncovered, 15-20 minutes longer or until cheese is melted. Let stand for 15 minutes before cutting.

Olive Garden's Zuppa Toscana

(this pic courtesy of Favorite Family Recipes, it's much better than the one I took!)

I have only eaten at Olive Garden a handful of times and have never tried this soup there so although I can't vouch for how similar it is to the orginal, I can tell you it is DELICIOUS! When I saw the recipe on Favorite Family Recipes The ingredients sounded intriguing and I am always up for a new soup recipe. I'm so glad I tried it! I loved it and even my husband, who is a soup skeptic, loved it.

Ingredients:
3 cans (14oz) Chicken Broth
2 cups whipping cream (I used 1 cup cream, 1 cup whole milk)
red pepper flakes (to taste) (I left out since I used spicy sausage)
salt and pepper (to taste)
1 small onion, diced, sauteed
1/2 pkg. bacon (cooked and crumbled)
4-5 cups chopped kale
3 to 4 potatoes scrubbed and cut into slices or small chunks (skins left on) (I used red onions)
1 lb Johnsonville mild Italian sausage (shaped into small rounds, browned, and put on paper towels to de-grease... or if you are in a rush, just brown the sausage like you would ground beef). (I used 2 small links spicy Italian sausage)

Directions:
Put everything together in a large crockpot and cook on high for 3 to 4 hours. (they suggested not putting the potatoes in until the last 40-60 minutes, but I put mine in at the beginning and was glad I did...they took awhile to cook)

Italian Meatball Subs

When I saw this recipe on My Kitchen Cafe I knew Mike would LOVE it, so I decided to give it a try. The meatballs are sooo good! And of course, in combination with the melted cheese and homemade bread, it makes for one delicious sandwich. She advises using the recipe for french bread rolls and shaping them into more sub-like rolls (which I need some practice on :-). The only problem I had was there were WAY more meatballs than rolls, so double the roll recipe, and you have enough meatballs to make about 10 sandwiches.

Meatball Ingredients:
1 cup unseasoned bread crumbs or crushed saltines
3/4 cup shredded Parmesan or mozzarella cheese (I used Parmesan)
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup low-sodium beef broth
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
3 eggs, lightly beaten
1 1/2 tablespoons dried oregano
3 cloves garlic, finely minced
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons ground black pepper
2 teaspoons dried basil
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes, optional (I put them in and think they added SO much to the flavor!)
2 pounds ground beef or ground turkey
To dredge the meatballs:
1 1/2 cups flour in a shallow baking dish
For the Sauce:
1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes
1 1/2 teaspoons dried basil
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
For the sandwiches:
1 recipe French Bread Rolls, shaped into sub rolls and baked according to the recipe
Sliced mozzarella or provolone cheese (we used mozzarella)

Directions:
(if you are baking the rolls the same day, start them first)
*In a large bowl, mix all of the meatball ingredients together EXCEPT the meat. Let the mixture sit for 10-15 minutes so the breadcrumbs/crackers can soak up the liquid a little bit. Add the meat and mix well with your hands until all the ingredients are combined.
*Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil and lightly grease the foil. Form golf ball-sized meatballs and dredge them in the flour until lightly coated. Place the meatballs on the baking sheet about one inch apart. Bake for 20 -25 minutes until the meatballs are completely cooked through.
*Combine the sauce ingredients in a medium saucepan and bring to a low simmer. Simmer for 10-15 minutes on low. Keep warm until the meatballs are finished baking.
*When the meatballs come out of the oven, let them sit for about 15 minutes. Gently scrape off any fat and place the meatballs in a 9X13-inch baking dish, or similar size. Pour the hot tomato sauce over the meatballs. (I just added the meatballs to the large saucepan I cooked the sauce in)
*To assemble the sandwiches, slice the buns in half. (If desired, lay the buns flat open on a baking sheet and top one side with cheese – toast in the oven for 4-5 minutes at 400 degrees until the buns are toasted and cheese is melted.) Place 3-4 meatballs on each bun and top with desired amount of sauce. Serve immediately with lots of napkins.

Diane's Lasagna

Aren't family recipes THE best?! Tried and true and tasty. This is Mike's mom's lasagna recipe and it was Delicious...my first ever lasanga attempt was a success! It makes A LOT of lasagna though, so be prepared. I used 3 separate 8x8 dishes, which worked out well for me (1 for Mike and the girls, 1 to share with a friend, and 1 using gluten free Penne noodles for me and Preston). If you don't have a humongo dish, I think a 9x13 and an 8x8 would do the trick.
Ingredients/Directions:

*Boil water for 1 lb pkg lasagna pasta noodles and cook as directed.

3/4 lb hamburger
3/4 lb Italian sausage
1 yellow onion, chopped
2-4 cloves garlic, minced
2-3 Tbsp dry basil leaves
2-3 Tbsp dry oregano leaves
1/2 bell pepper, chopped (I didn't have one on hand)
salt and pepper
*Mix all of the above and fry in a pan. Break up meat as it cooks so there aren't big chunks.

*Add:
10 large fresh mushrooms, sliced
2 pkgs spaghetti seasoning mix, Lawry's original is best (didn't have it at my store)
add the amount of water the seasoning mixes call for
2 6 oz cans tomato paste
1 28oz can diced tomatoes (I used 2 14 oz cans w/ garlic and onion in them)

*Simmer 20 minutes, stir occasionally
16oz cheddar cheese, grated
16oz mozzarella cheese, grated
24oz cottage cheese

*Assembly:
-Spread some meat sauce in bottom of pan to prevent noodles from sticking
-Cover the meat sauce on the bottom of the pan with a single layer of noodles
-spread half of meat sauce over pasta
-add another layer of pasta
-spread all of cottage cheese on pasta, sprinkle half of both cheeses over it
-add another layer of pasta
-spread remaining sauce and sprinkle remaining cheese on top

*Bake at 400 for 20-30 minutes, until hot in center.

Spaghetti Casserole

This recipe is from the Southern Living Slow-Cooker cookbook and was a huge hit with the kiddos! They love spaghetti and I loved the extra flavor of the Parmesan white sauce...not to mention the fact that I was able to prepare it earlier in the afternoon, leave the house and come home to dinner all ready. Addie and I had leftovers for lunch yesterday and it was still delish :-)!

Ingredients:
1 1/2 lbs. ground beef
1 med onion, chopped
1 (26 oz) jar tomato and basil pasta sauce (I used leftover Basic Marinara)
1/4 c butter
1/4 c all purpose flour (I used cornstarch)
1 (12 oz) can evaporated milk (I used 2%)
1/2 c grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 t pepper
8 oz uncooked spaghetti, broken into pieces (I used 12 oz gluten-free noodles)
3 c shredded sharp cheddar cheese

Directions:
-Cook ground beef and onion in a large skillet until beef crumbles and is no longer pink; drain and return to skillet.
-Stir pasta sauce into beef mixture.
-Melt butter in a saucepan over med-low heat; whisk in flour/cornstarch until smooth. Cook 1 min, whisking constantly. Gradually whisk in milk; cook over med heat, whisking constantly, 8 minutes or until mixture is thickened and bubbly. -Remove from heat, and stir in Parmesan cheese and pepper.
-Spoon 1/3 of meat mixture into a lightly greased slow cooker. Spread 1/2 of broken noodles over meat mixture; pour 1/2 of white sauce over noodles, and sprinkle with 1 c cheddar cheese.
-Repeat layers once (1/3 meat, rest of noodles, rest of white sauce, 1 c cheese). Spread remaining meat mixture over cheese. Top with remaining 1 c cheddar cheese.
-Cover and cook on LOW 4 hours. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.
(mine got a little burnt around the edges...I wasn't home keeping an eye on it...so I would say 3-4 hours depending on the cooker and when the noodles are done cooking)

Basic Marinara Sauce

Mike's cousin Michele, of The Occasional Vegetarian, has some great recipes (remember the easy French bread?!) and posted this one on her personal blog not too long ago. Ella has been begging for spaghetti so we decided to have it for our Valentine's dinner (it is red after all). I remembered seeing this recipe and thought I would try it out. It is SOOOO yummy!!! I couldn't stop taste testing it :-). We had enough for I would say 3 full meals too...we ate it last night (I added some cooked ground beef to that portion), I gave some to a friend, and we still had enough to freeze another meal's worth. It was easy and SO worth it!!! (recipe originally from Everyday Pasta by Giada De Laurentiis)

Ingredients:
1/2 c extra-virgin olive oil
2 small onions finely chopped
2 garlic cloves finely chopped
2 celery stalks finely chopped
2 carrots peeled and finely chopped
1/2 t sea salt, plus more to taste (I used 1 t total)
1/2 t freshly ground black pepper, plus more to taste (I used 1 t total)
2 (28oz) cans crushed tomatoes
2 dried bay leaves

Ingredients:
In a large pot, heat oil over med-high heat. Add onions and garlic and saute until onions are translucent, about 10 minutes.
Add celery, carrots, salt and pepper. Saute until the vegetables are soft, about 10 minutes.
Add the tomatoes and bay leaves and simmer, uncovered, over low heat until the sauce thickens, about 1 hour.
Remove bay leaves and season with salt and pepper if needed.
* Michele suggested blending it once it was cooked and had cooled a little for a smoother sauce which I did.

My cute little chopping helpers :-).

Spinach Beef Skillet

I adapted this recipe from one I saw on Recipe Zaar and it turned out really well. I was looking for something using spinach and ground beef. Everyone ate it, even the girls (although they didn't appreciate the tomatoes) and I just ate the leftovers for lunch. It was simple to make, didn't use many ingredients, was healthy and SO good. We'll definitely make this one again!


Ingredients:
-1/2 lb. ground beef (you could use more if you wanted, or skip it too)
-1 small onion, chopped
-1 clove garlic, minced
-1 (28 oz) can diced tomatoes with Basil, Garlic and Oregano, UNdrained
-1 (9 oz) bag spinach
-1 (8 oz) box pasta, cooked (I used Gluten Free Penne, original recipe called for macaroni)
-shredded Parmesan cheese
-salt and pepper

Directions
- Brown beef garlic, and onion in large sauce pan.
- Drain excess fat then stir in tomatoes, spinach and cooked noodles until heated through.
- Sprinkle with Parmesan, salt and pepper before serving.

Maria's Italian Meatballs

I found this recipe on about.com when I did a search for recipes using ground beef. I ended up using ground turkey instead and they were great. Simple ingredients, easy preparation and lots of flavor. The recipe makes lots of meatballs too so I froze half of mine to save for later.

Ingredients:
•1 lb lean ground beef or turkey
•1/2 cup Italian bread crumbs
•1/3 cup water (more or less)
•1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
•1 medium onion
•garlic
•salt
•pepper

Directions:
Mix all ingredients together. Don't add all of the water at one time. Mixture should be moist but not so that the meatballs fall apart.
Shape meatballs to desired size and place on a broiler pan (I wet my hands before shaping each meatball and it helps make a nice meatball.) Broil until outside is slightly brown on one side and then turn and broil the other side. When finished, add to spaghetti sauce and simmer at least 20 minutes.

Parsley Parmesan Chicken (Freezer Meal)

This was another meal from my freezer swap and we really liked these! They had a great flavor and are very versatile. We were given 6 chicken breasts and only used 3 so I plan to serve the other 3 on Sunday and make spaghetti to go with them more like a traditional chicken parmesan meal (we had it with rice and green beans last night).

Ingredients:
2 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts (or 6-8 chicken breasts)
1/3 bottle of Italian salad dressing
1/2 c shredded Parmesan cheese
1/3 c dry bread crumbs (used Seasoned Italian bread crumbs)
1 1/2 T parsley flakes
1/2 T paprika
Salt & Pepper

Assembly Directions:
Marinate chicken in dressing overnight.
Mix the remaining ingredients and bread each breast with coating.
To Freeze:
Lay chicken breasts side by side on baking sheets and place in freezer for 1 to 2 hours to firm up. Place chicken in labeled gallon size Freezer Bag and freeze.
Cooking Directions:
Thaw & bake at 350 uncovered for 30 minutes or until done.

Spaghetti alla Carbonara

This recipe is from The Ultimate Southern Living Cookbook. I love pastas with creamy sauces...Mike isn't a big pasta fan and pretty much prefers traditional spaghetti over anything else...why was I the one born with Celiac Disease?! Oh well, when I make my gluten free versions it means lots more for me :-)! Aside from cooking the bacon (which Mike kindly did for me), this dish was simple to throw together and I LOVED it!!!

Ingredients:
- 16 oz spaghetti or fettuccine (I used gluten free spaghetti)
- 1/2 c. whipping cream or half and half (I used 1/2&1/2)
- 1/2 c. egg substitute (I used 1 egg)
- 1 c. freshly grated Parmesan or Romano cheese, divided (I used parmesan)
- 1/4 c. butter
- 8 slices bacon or pancetta, cooked and crumbled
- 1/4 c. chopped fresh parsley

Directions:
(I'll type what the instructions as they are given, but I cooked the noodles and in a separate pan cooked all the other ingredients, stirring constantly. Then I mixed the sauce and noodles together and served.)
- Cook spaghetti according to package directions. Meanwhile, heat wihpping cream in a heavy saucepan. Combine egg substitute and 1/2 c. cheese, stirring mixture well.
- Drain spaghetti, and place in a serving bowl. Add butter; toss gently until butter melts. Add egg mixture, whipping cream mixture, bacon and parsley; toss. Sprinkle with remaining 1/2 c. cheese. Serve immediately.

Chicken Cacciatore (Freezer Meal)

This is the first freezer meal we have tried from the second round and so far so good! Much better than the picture, I promise. We ate ours over rice instead of spaghetti noodles and really liked it. All I had to do was dump the frozen bag in the crock pot in the morning...beautiful...especially since I had to work last night! The chicken shredded apart wonderfully after cooking all day. I will say I added lots of salt and pepper to mine though. Our fearless freezer group leader Kelly made this one, and also started a blog of our freezer meal recipes, Katy Freezer Swap, so check it out.

Ingredients:
2 lbs. Chicken Breasts, boneless skinless
1 Green Bell Pepper, chopped
1 Onion, chopped
1 can Spaghetti Sauce
1/4 cup red wine
1/2 tsp Basil
1/2 tsp Oregano
*On hand: 12 oz. Spaghetti

Prep Day:
Cut Chicken breasts into quarters. Combine with all ingredients into a gallon-size freezer bag and mush.
Serve:
Place Cacciatore, frozen, into a crock pot and cook all day on low. Serve over cooked spaghetti.

Serves 6, Cost per dish $4.98

Roasted Italian Sausages with Tomatoes and White Beans

Mike is actually the one who discovered this recipe in our USA Weekend newspaper insert. I agreed that it looked pretty good so we gave it a try and we all LOVED it!!!
(I cut everything in half for our little family)

Ingredients:
- 2 1/2 lbs. sweet Italian sausage links, cut into 2-3 inch pieces (I used a Pecan smoked garlic sausage because I couldn't find it)
- 3 pints cherry tomatoes
- 1 medium onion, cute into 1 inch chunks
- 4 garlic cloves, sliced
- 3 T. extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 1/2 T. balsamic vinegar
- 2 t. dried thyme leaves
- 2 whole bay leaves
- salt and pepper
- 3 (16 oz) cans white beans, such as cannellini, drained, with 1/2 c. liquid reserved (I used Great Northern beans)

Directions:
- adjust oven rack to lowest position and, 5 minutes before you are ready to put the food in, turn on oven to 425 degrees.
- Mix everything but beans and their reserved liquid in a roasting pan. Set pan in oven. Roast until sausages are brown and tomatoes have reduced to a thick sauce, about 45 min.
- Remove from oven, stir in beans and reserved liquid, and continue cooking until casserole has heated through, about 10 minutes longer.
- Remove bay leaves and transfer to a large serving bowl.
(We served it over brown rice)

Fast Easy Lasagna

This recipe was emailed to me through a recipe exchange awhile back and it truly is fast AND easy!

Ingredients:
- 1 26 oz. jar pasta sauce (you may want more when serving)
- 1 30 oz. bag frozen large cheese ravioli, thawed
- 1 10 oz. package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
- 1 8 oz. bag shredded mozzarella cheese
- 1/2 c. grated Parmesan cheese
(optional: I add 1/2 lb. ground beef...brown meat in saucepan and stir in sauce)

Directions:
- Heat oven to 350 degrees. Coat 9x13 dish with spray and spoon in 1/3 of sauce.
- Arrange 12 ravioli on top and scatter spinach over them.
- Top with 1/2 mozzarella cheese and the Parmesan cheese.
- Cover with foil and bake 25 minutes.
- Uncover and bake 5-10 more minutes, or until bubbly.