Not everyone like spaghetti squash. Well, I'm not everyone! I happen to really like it! It has taken my husband a bit of convincing, however, that this odd vegetable served with a really yummy homemade sauce can be just as good (or better) than plain old white pasta.
Someone told me to quarter the squash, seed it, and then boil it in salted water for about 20 minutes before scraping it into strands. Yes, that's quick and easy, but I don't like this way of cooking it. It seems to absorb too much water and then you are left with a soupy mess in the bottom of your pasta boil.
So I have experimented with a few methods. This is the one I like the best. I cut the squash in half and seed it. Then I place it skin side up in my favorite old Pyrex baking dish that my daughter found for me at Goodwill for $4.00. I put a pat of butter under each half and add a couple tablespoons of water to the dish. Cover it with foil and then bake it for about an hour and 15 minutes at 350 degrees. Just walk away and let it bake! Take a walk. Take a nap. Whatever. No peeking! Then just scrape the insides of this weird squash and there you have it! Spaghetti! See?
Tonight I served it with some homemade marinara made from last summer's garden tomatoes and with peppers, carrots, and onions and a little bit of Italian chicken sausage. Topped it off with some grated asiago cheese.
A note: This makes really good leftovers lunches too!
I used to be such a traditionalist when it came to things like meatloaf. Ground beef, bread crumbs, eggs, onions, green peppers, sometimes a little cheese and smothered with ketchup. That served with lots of mashed potatoes and a veggie...yum! But over the last couple of years, I've switched to ground turkey for almost everything. I can't remember the last time I used ground beef. There was a bit of resistance of the part of my husband, but I think he's come around, too!
So tonight, what's for supper at casa de Mamma Church? Meatloaf! Sort of. Here's how I make it:
I use a package of ground turkey. It's a bit more than a pound. Then I drag my big old food processor out of the pantry (because I am lazy and hate grating things by hand) and grate a small zucchini, a carrot, 1/2 a green pepper and 1/2 an onion. So yeah, it's "meat"and veggie loaf! Sometimes ground turkey can be dry, but the zucchini makes it very moist.
I skip the bread crumbs and use the dregs from the bottom of the rice cake bag. (My usual breakfast is a brown rice cake with no salt peanut butter and raspberry jam.) But if you don't have rice cakes, toss in a good handful of oatmeal. I add one egg to bind it. Season it anyway you wish. I used just a bit of salt and pepper and some seasoning from one of the local markets called "Harvest Blend" which is like "Mrs. Dash." Today I also gave a good squirt of spicy brown mustard too. Then instead of ketchup (which has lots of sugar in it), I spread the top of the loaf with plain, old tomato sauce.
Bake it at 375 degrees about an hour. (As always I recommend a glass baking dish.)
Tonight's meatloaf will be served with some steamed carrots and green beans.
This isn't anything difficult or flashy or terribly complicated. It's just dinner. But it's a good dinner. Good for the body and for the soul.
When my kids were in college, I would get regular phone calls. "Mum, can we have a mac 'n cheese night?" (We had waffle nights, too.) And before long they'd show up, sometimes a dozen or so hungry college students. Mac 'n cheese night involved lots of butter and cheese and pasta...lots of it. I think they just would get cravings for some homemade comfort food and we were more than happy to have them here!
No college kids around anymore. (Sad.) But I still have days when I crave comfort food. Today is one of those days. No college days mac 'n cheese though. This instead. It's a broccoli mac 'n cheese with half the amount of pasta. And here's how I make it.
Make a white sauce. Do it however you wish, but can I recommend using skim milk? I make mine with 2 TBLS of butter. (Yes, butter. Not margarine. I really don't like using margarine.) Melt the butter and whisk in 2 rounded TBLS of flour. (I prefer unbleached flour for everything.) Cook it for just a minute and then whisk in 2 cups of skim milk. Add a bit of black pepper and a healthy pinch of nutmeg. Once it thickens a little, add 6-8 ounces of cheese, shredded or just cut up into small pieces if you're like me and too lazy to dirty the grater. I usually use a low-fat Celtic cheddar from Trader Joe's, but today I only had some TJ's cheddar-gruyere. (Pretty darn good too!) Let it melt and you have sauce!
Meanwhile, cook 2 cups (dry) of whole wheat pasta. This is the brand I like, not because I am an organic freak, but because it tastes good! And I like rotini for a dish with a sauce. When the pasta is almost done, toss 3 cups of broccoli florets right in with the pasta. I had frozen, so I used frozen. But fresh works really well too. Cook for another minute or two and then drain. Add the sauce and pour into a casserole dish.
I used to top my mac 'n cheese with lots of buttery, toasty bread crumbs or crushed Saltine crackers. But I like this just as well. I whiz about 1/4 cup of almonds in the food processor and sprinkle on top. It's crunchy, nutty (obviously) and adds a bit of protein. And it's good!
Bake for 20-25 minutes at 375 degrees or until bubbly and lightly browned on top. Let it set for a few minutes before serving. And what do we eat with our mac 'n cheese at Mamma Church's? Beets!
A note: I have no idea where I got them but I happen to have a bunch of these small glass pie plates. They're about 6" across and 1" deep. You could divide the mac 'n cheese into these and have really lovely individual casseroles.
Enjoy! I know I did!
It's Thursday night in Mamma Church's kitchen. I got home from an arts-based after school program at church and some violin lessons...late. My husband got home from work...late. And he had to be out the door in twenty minutes for a meeting of the fire department of which he is the Chief. His meeting might last until at least 9 p.m. and I really didn't want to be eating dinner after that. What to do? The easiest thing to do would be to stop at Flying Pond Variety and grab a couple of sandwiches or some ready-made fried chicken. NO!
So I went into my pantry and opened the fridge and found some things that I generally have on hand.
I started with these pitas. I like them a lot! They are very yummy. Made by Joseph's, they are an oat bran and whole wheat pita.
I had a can of my favorite pizza sauce (see pic below) in the pantry and some part-skim shredded mozzarella in the fridge. Topped with some thinly-sliced white onions, lots of mushrooms, basil and garlic and stuck under the broiler for a few minutes and tada! Dinner in under twenty minutes from prep to table! (Yes, a set table even though it was a gobble-and-go meal!) A little spinach salad with almonds and feta on the side made for a great, quick dinner. Who needs fast food?
This is a brand of pizza sauce that I like to keep on hand. I'm not an organic freak. I just like this sauce. It's thick and rich and flavorful. And it's low in sodium.
And yes, a disclaimer here...I like to make my own pizza dough. (Remember? I love to bake!) But on a night like tonight, this was a great alternative, And if you like thin-crust pizza, give it a try!
So here goes! My first meal post! It's Sunday evening here in Mamma Church's kitchen and I am getting ready for a very busy week. My husband packs a lunch for work every day. And I take lunch with me a few days during the week. It's so easy to grab a sandwich at the local sandwich shop or a burger at a drive-though. Easy, but not so good. Given the fact that we have had THE WORST, COLDEST winter in a long time, a hot, hearty and healthy lunch is a very good thing. And this is it!
I found this recipe posted on Facebook a while ago...and then lost it! But I tried it from memory. The first batch was delicious. And this, the second batch looks to be the same.
It's called "Un-stuffed Stuffed Cabbage."
Brown a package for lean ground turkey (the one I had was about a pound and a half) with a chopped white onion and some chopped garlic in a Dutch oven. (I just use my 4 1/2-quart old Revereware pan.) Add a 28-ounce can of crushed or diced tomatoes (diced if you like chunks of tomatoes, and crushed if you don't) and a small can of tomato sauce. Add one small cabbage chopped into bite-sized pieces. Add seasonings of your choice. I used an Italian seasoning blend (no salt) and black pepper. Cover and simmer on low for about 30-40 minutes until the cabbage is tender. You might need to add a wee bit of water or vegetable stock. Serve with a little parmesan or asiago cheese on top. It's scrumptious!
This makes a big batch! We can have it for dinner one night and then lunches for a couple of days. It keeps well and reheats well for a nice hot lunch!
A note: Maybe I am being over-cautious, but I don't ever take a lunch that needs reheating in the microwave in a plastic dish. I only use glass. (Plastic lids are okay because they don't come in contact with the food.)
Actually, the only thing new about this is that I am a brand new blogger! (So please be patient with me as I learn.)
What's not so new is that I love to cook and bake. Ever since I was a little girl, the kitchen was a favorite place. Perhaps I should have become a professional baker or chef. Instead I am a minister and music teacher!
About eighteen months ago, I was quickly approaching my 50th birthday. In addition, my eldest child was about to be married. I decided I did not want all those pictures of this mother-of-the-bride to be ones I'd want to hide. So I did it. I lost a total of 55 pounds by walking (a lot) and eating healthy. The walking part was easy. The eating healthy part...not so much.
The difficult piece was that I LOVE to cook and bake and I LOVE food! So does my family. Then a few months ago, my husband of 32 years was diagnosed with an illness for which the only real remedy is healthy eating and losing weight. And as much as I enjoy food, he enjoys it even more. I knew this would be tough. But in the last three months, it's gone well! He has lost about 18 pounds and after the first couple of weeks, he stopped complaining. I knew we'd achieved a real victory when one evening a week or so ago, he looked up from his healthy dinner and said, "I think I have gotten used to eating this way."
So I am going to use this blog in response to a number of friends who have asked me to post some of my meal ideas, recipes, etc. (It's not a Facebook kind of thing, I think.) It's not meant to be everyone's cup of tea. (Pun intended.) I am not a nutritionist or a trained chef. I don't always get it right and will be honest when I get it wrong! I don't follow any particular diet trends. I try to use plain, old common sense. You won't find calorie counts and nutritional information. You will find real food, reasonably-priced food, just good, healthy food.
Let me end this first post with this thought: "Everything tastes better on a pretty plate and a set table."
I 