Angel's Marinara Sauce

We aren't a fan of the store bought spaghetti sauces...it's okay for a quick meal, but we prefer homemade.  I've been playing around with different recipes and think I've found the right combination of ingredients.  I made this today and we really liked it - even the picky kids in the family!

I made this using Red Gold Brand tomatoes and tomato sauce and FarmRich Turkey Meatballs

Marinara Sauce

2 tbsp olive oil
1 white onion, minced
2 garlic cloves, minced
salt & pepper
32 oz can of crushed tomatoes
32 oz can of tomato sauce
1 tbsp sugar
2 tsp sea salt
1 tsp pepper
2 dried bay leaves
2 tbsp dried basil
1 bag FarmRich Turkey Meatballs

In a large pot or Dutch Oven heat the olive oil, add onion and garlic and sprinkle with some salt and pepper.  Saute the onion and garlic for about 5 minutes. Then add the remaining ingredients and simmer for about 40 minutes on low, stirring occasionally.  Remove and discard the bay leaves before serving.

Angel's Chili

When the temperature drops there is nothing like a  pot of chili to warm you up.  My Mom called me yesterday and told me that she had talked to my brother...he lives about 30 minutes north of us and got even more snow than we did.  He was craving some chili....once he could get out they went to the store and he came home with $85 of groceries...but no chili beans...they were sold out!  For some reason this cracked me up so I e-mailed him to see if he had any chili beans I could borrow.  He e-mailed back and said I was a smart ass.  Is that any way to talk to your baby sister??

This morning, Katie asked if she could see Kallen and Donnie.  So I called him and asked if they wanted to come over for lunch and so the kids could play in the snow.  I made a big pot of chili and some brownies.  It was a  hit, there's just enough chili over for one serving and we polished off the whole pan of brownies!

Angel's Chili
2 pounds hamburger
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 white onion, diced
salt & pepper
8 oz can tomato sauce
1or 2 8 oz cans of Rotel tomato sauce with chillies
16 oz can diced tomatoes
28 oz can tomato sauce
2 cans light red kidney beans, drained
1 tsp ground oregano
1 tbsp ground cumin
2 tbsp chili powder

In a large skillet, brown hamburger with garlic and onions.  Season with salt and pepper.  Drain any excess fat.  Add the a can of tomato sauce and the spices.   Transfer the hamburger into a large pot...add remaining tomatoes, sauce, and beans.  Simmer for 1 hour.

Serve with grated cheddar cheese, diced onions, sour cream, crackers, Frito's....or whatever you like.

Corn & Cheese Chowder

It's been chilly the past few days and I thought a big pot of yummy soup would hit the spot.  Friday after work, Katie and I stopped at the grocery store and picked up the ingredients to make Corn and Cheese Chowder...and to make it even better I bought some Ciabatta bread to use as bread bowls.

The soup was excellent....unfortunately I wasn't thinking and didn't take a picture for the blog.  The original recipe came from Pioneer Woman; however I altered it a little.  The recipe I have below is a combination of her recipe, my alternations, and what I'll do differently next time!

This is a really good soup and I can see us having this often.  The only problem is that our local grocery store doesn't have a large quantity of bread so I was only able to buy two of the bread bowls....so if I wanted to serve several people I'd have to shop someplace else... or maybe I need to learn to make my own bread bowls.

Corn & Cheese Chowder

Source: Adapted from Pioneer Woman

4 slices of bacon, cut into small pieces
4 tablespoons butter
1 whole onion, diced
1 garlic clove, finely diced
12 sweet mini-peppers (red, yellow, orange) or 3 regular sized whole bell peppers, finely diced
2 (12 oz) packages Birdseye Steamfresh Gold & White Corn
1/4 cup flour
3 cups chicken broth
2 cups half and half
2 cups grated Monterrey jack cheese
1 cup grated pepper jack cheese
1/2 cup sliced green onions
salt and pepper
bread bowls (optional)

Place the 2 pkg of corn in the microwave and cook for 5 minutes.  In a dutch oven, cook the bacon until it's crisp then add the butter and melt.  Add the onion and garlic and cook for a few minutes.  Then add the diced peppers and cook for a couple of minutes.    Then add corn to the onion/pepper mixture and cook for a few minutes.

Sprinkle the flour evenly over the mixture, stir to combine.  Stir in broth and stir well.  Allow this to thicken for 3-4 minutes and turn the heat to low.  Stir in half and half then cover and allow this to thicken/simmer for about 15-18 minutes.

Season with salt and pepper.  Stir in cheeses and green onions.  When the cheese is melted and it's all nice and hot, ladle out into the hollowed out bowels.  Serve immediately and enjoy.

Baked Mostaciolli

I tried a new Pioneer Woman recipe this weekend and it was delicious and will definitely be a made again.  It's good enough that I'm adding it to my blog which will eventually by converted into a cookbook that I can print and give to Katie when she gets older.

If you want to see PW's original recipe, which she called Baked Ziti, Click Here

Baked Mostaciolli
Source: Adapted from Pioneer Woman

• 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
• 4 cloves Garlic, Minced
• 1 whole Large Onion, Diced
• 1 pound Italian Sausage
• 1 pound Ground Beef
• 1 can (28 Ounce Can) Whole Tomatoes, With Juice
• 2 cans (14.5 Ounce) Tomato Sauce Or Marinara Sauce
• 2 teaspoons Italian Seasoning
• 1/2 teaspoon Red Pepper Flakes
• Salt And Pepper, to taste
• 8 ounces, weight Ziti Or Mostaciolli, Cooked Until Not Quite Al Dente (the orig recipe called for 16 ounces of noodles)
• 1 tub (15 Ounce) Whole Milk Ricotta Cheese
• 1-1/2 pound Mozzarella Cheese, Grated
• 1/2 cup Grated Parmesan Cheese
• 1 whole Egg
• Minced Parsley

 

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Heat olive oil in a dutch oven over medium heat. Add onions and garlic and saute for several minutes, or until soft. Add Italian sausage and ground beef and cook until browned. Drain off fat, leaving a bit behind for flavor and moisture.
Add tomatoes, tomato juice, salt, pepper, Italian seasoning, and red pepper flakes. Stir and simmer for 25 to 30 minutes.
In a separate bowl, mix together the ricotta cheese, 2 cups of the grated mozzarella, Parmesan, egg, and salt and pepper. Stir together.
Drain the pasta and rinse under cool water to stop the cooking and cool it down. Pour it into the bowl with the cheese mixture and toss to slightly combine (there should still be large lumps.) Add 3 cups of the meat/tomato mixture to this and mix.
Add half the coated pasta to a large casserole dish or lasagna dish. Spoon half of the remaining sauce over the top, then top with half the remaining mozzarella cheese. Repeat with another layer of the coated pasta, the sauce, and the mozzarella.
Bake for 20 minutes, or until bubbling. Remove from oven and let stand 5 minutes before serving.
Sprinkle some parsley on top before serving.

Blog Overhaul

With the turn of the New Year I decided I needed to evaluate the purpose of my blog.  I've been using the blog to share pictures of my daughter, family, our travels, recipes, and anything else that came to mind.  But since the blog people limit the amount of free space....and since I don't want to pay a monthly charge....I decided to overhaul the blog.

The blog title has been changed to Angel Cooks....and I'll give you 3 guesses regarding the content of my blog.   Give up?  Okay, it's going to be about the things I cook!

This blog will only contain recipes and pictures of things that I've made and deemed worthy of making again and also our family favorites.  Including recipes passed down to me from my Mom and Grandma and from other family members.  And friends.

The ultimate goal is that over the new few years I can blog and photograph all our family favorites and some new favorites we discover along the way -- then I want to publish a cookbook.  I want to have this cookbook to pass down to Katie and any children she may have.  I would love to have my Grandma's recipes but after she passed they seem to disappear and I didn't get the chance to copy down some of my favorites.

But don't worry...you won't have a shortage of Katie updates in your inbox.  I'll just deliver that in a different format, mostly likely a photo e-mail that I can generate from Photoshop Elements.

Christmas Crack Candy

This recipe has different names....Christmas Crack and Poor Man's Candy are two that I've heard.  This reicpe is from two of my friends who have both sent it to me and I've also seen it on other blogs. 

It's super easy to make and very good -- and it's addicting.  Once you start eating it, you can't stop....thus the name Christmas Crack!

Christmas Crack

 

Ingredients:

40 saltine crackers (approx. 1 1/2 sleeves)

1 cup (2 sticks) salted butter

1 cup dark brown sugar (I used regular brown sugar, it's what I had on hand)

2 cups chocolate chips

1 cup chopped pecans

Instructions:

1.       Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

2.       On a 9×13″ jelly roll pan lined with parchment paper, line the saltine crackers side by side until the pan is full.

3.       In a saucepot, melt butter and sugar together. Bring to boil then let boil for 3-5 minutes, do not stir.

4.       Pour the caramel evenly over the saltines then place in oven to bake for 5 minutes.

5.       Remove pan of saltines from oven and spread chocolate chips evenly on top of the caramel, spreading it evenly and smoothing it out -- the chips will melt as y ou do this.  If you’re using chopped pecans or nuts, this is now the time to sprinkle them on.

6.       Let the toffee and chocolate cool completely. I sat mine out in the garage covered with foil overnight, or you can stick in the fridge for an hour or so.

7.      Once cool, break into 2 inch pieces.

8.       Store in an airtight container.

 

Light and Easy Icing

Mom requested an Angel Food Cake for her birthday party so I made her one and tried a new recipe for making the icing.  It turned out really good and everyone liked it. 

I used a Pillsbury Angel Food Cake Mix.   I made it the day before so it could completely cool then I made the icing the day of Mom's party.   You will need to keep the cake in the refrigerator after you ice it. 

This would be really good served with some fresh strawberries or peaches!

Light and Easy Icing

1 cup milk
1 pkg instant vanilla pudding
1 pkg cool whip

Beat the milk and instant pudding mix until it starts to thicken.  Fold in the cool whip.  Ice the cake and try not to lick the beaters too much!


I haven't tried it yet; but I think making this with chocolate pudding would be good on some cupcakes!  Or any flavor of pudding that you like.

Apple Pie

A week ago we went to the apple orchard and I bought a peck of Cameo Apples.  This is the first time that I've gotten this type of apple. 

These apples have a creamy yellow skin with red stripes, the apples were crisp and juicy and the flavor is the perfect balance between sweet and tart, with a hint of citrus and honey.

I made some apple pies using these apples and they were very good.  I'll share my super easy yet super delicious pie recipe with you. 

I use Penzey's spices...click here for their online catalog: http://www.penzeys.com

Apple Pie
Source: Me

1 package of Pillsbury pre-made pie crusts
4-5 large cameo apples (it will take more if you have smaller apples)
3/4 cup flour
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
2 tsp cinnamon
2 tbsp butter
milk
Penzey's Cinnamon Sugar
Penzey's Vanilla Sugar

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Peel and cut apples into small bite sized pieces.  Put one of the pie crusts in your deep dish pie pan.  In a large bowl mix flour, sugar, brown sugar, and cinnamon.  Then add the apples and stir well to coat the apples.  Put the apples in the pie dish. Sprinkle remaining sugar mixture over the apples.  Cut the butter into pats and put over the top of your apples.  Then add the top crust and seal the edges.  Take a pastry brush and lightly brush the top of your crust with milk.  Sprinkle lightly with cinnamon sugar and vanilla sugar.  Then use a fork to make several slits in the top of the crust.  Bake 45-55 minutes.