The Best Baked Spaghetti Ever!!

Here's another recipe I adjusted to fit our taste.  I saw it on Pinterest and thought it needed just a little something extra.  The original can be found at:

http://www.plainchicken.com/2011/11/baked-cream-cheese-spaghetti-casserole.html

This is not a meal for those of you watching your fat and calorie intake.  I cut where I can without sacrificing the taste, but it probably should not be a weekly menu item for anyone!  I don't like using plastic food.  If butter is what works, then butter I will use.  I haven't had a stick of margarine in my house in over a decade. 

Amy's Baked Spaghetti

• 12 oz spaghetti 
• 1 (28 ounce) jars prepared spaghetti sauce 
• 1/2 pound of ground turkey (see. . .I try!)
• 1/2 pound of Italian sausage
• a handful of chopped fresh herbs (I use basil, rosemary, parsley, and sage.  This is what I am growing; dry Italian seasoning will work fine.  If you use dry, only use about 1-2 tablespoons.)
• 1-2 cloves of garlic, chopped
• 8 ounces of reduced fat cream cheese (again, trying!!)
• 2 cups cheese (I used a pizza mix with mozzarella, parmesan, etc.)

Preheat oven to 350 F degrees.

In a skillet, brown the meats.  Toss in the garlic toward the end just to soften it up.  Drain the fat and stir in spaghetti sauce.  Set aside.

Cook the spaghetti according to directions on packet, then drain.  Add cream cheese, 1 cup of the cheese, and herbs (save some for the top).  Stir until the cheeses are melted and the spaghetti is thoroughly coated.  You could turn off the burner and mix on the eye of the stove to help melt the cheese; just be careful not to scorch it.

Spread a small amount of meat sauce in the bottom of the dish.  Put spaghetti on top of sauce and top with remaining meat sauce.  Sprinkle the rest of the cheese and herbs on top and bake until bubbly.  Maybe 30 minutes or so.

I doubled this recipe.  It is great to make ahead.  I didn't bake the second batch until we were ready to eat it.  Enjoy!

Happy Corn!!

Did this a few days ago, and I must say. . .it was awesome!!!  I apologize in advance.  I don't always use recipes and measurements.  So, you'll have to trust your nose, eyes, and tongue on this one.  This is the best corn ever!!!

Beer Corn with Lime Chili Butter

Boil your corn in a mixture of beer and water.  About half and half should do it.  Do not add salt, but do add a couple of tablespoons of sugar.  Don't cook with beer you wouldn't drink!!  There was a bit of a heated debate over the beer I used the first time.  I used a summer ale that was PERFECT for the corn.  At the urging of my husband, I used a different (read cheaper) beer the second time.  I could definitely tell the difference.  Use the good beer!!  Also, summer ales are great for this.

I boiled my corn about 15-20 minutes.  I have read this is waaayyyyy too long; however, it was tender and still had a bite to it.  When you cook your corn, cook it the way you like it.  If you want fresher, more like you just walked out of the farmer's market, cook it less.  If you want it softer, cook it more.  I'm not the corn police.

Now, for the butter.  While you are cooking your corn, pull some butter out of the fridge.  Let it come to room temp so it will be easy to mix.  You may need more or less, but for example let's say you are using 1/2 a stick.  Add the following (smaller amounts first and adjust as needed for taste) and mix well:

• the juice of 1/2 or 1 lime
• a couple of pinches of salt
• a few grinds of black pepper
• 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon of chili powder

I didn't have chili powder.  So, I took a bit of red pepper flakes and cumin and crushed them in my spice grinder.  Basically, the same. . .give or take some ingredients.  Also, if you were so inclined, you could zest a bit of the lime to garnish the top.  I was too lazy for that.  I did think of it but just didn't follow through. 


Everyone went crazy over this corn.  I'm not sure if the beer or the butter put it over the top, but the combination of the two was definitely worth it.  Enjoy!

Protein Bars

Amy's No-Bake Homemade Protein Bars

Here's where it all started.  I wanted to make homemade protein bars.  My morning exercise only made me want to take a nap, after some research I discovered that I might need a protein boost first thing.

I started with the recipe found at oxygenmag.com:

http://www.oxygenmag.com/Community/Blogs/Oxygens-Staff-Blog/No-Bake-Protein-Bars.aspx

Then, I thought. . .this needs to be tweaked just a bit.  Because what can you possibly add chocolate to that isn't better?  Here is my recipe:

1 cup of oats

1 cup of brown rice cereal (the one you grew up with now makes a gluten free, brown rice version)

1 T flax seed

4 scoops of vanilla protein powder (I used a brand made for women for a little extra calcium.)

1/2 cup of mini chocolate chips (semi-sweet)

1/2 cup of natural peanut butter

1/2 cup of water

Mix all of the dry ingredients first, then add the PB and water.  This mixes very easy with a stand mixer using the paddle attachment.  Hands work well, also!

Line a loaf pan with aluminum foil, parchment paper, or whatever.  Dump the mixture in the loaf pan, press it down, and chill for at least 30 minutes.  

The original recipe says it makes 6 bars.  I think these would be rather large.  My recipe is for 8 bars (2 x 2) and the nutritional breakdown per bar (according to myfitnesspal.com's analysis) is:

Calories:  243

Carbohydrates:  26

Fat:  14

Protein:  9

I would be interested in the fiber, but it isn't calculated by that program.  You could easily add more flax seed without much change in the texture.  I made a picture, but it didn't do them justice.  Just trust me, they are tasty.