Baked Spaghetti

I was actually surprised to discover that I had not posted one of my favorite pasta meals, Baked Spaghetti. Now, I'm not a huge fan of pasta, but I love seconds of this. The recipe is slightly altered because we like the spice of hot Italian sausage added to the mixture and use a large can of black olives. This meal is great for leftovers as well. The recipe is from Taste of Home Test Kitchen Favorites.

Baked Spaghetti

Amy Welk-Thieding

1 pound ground beef
1/2 pound hot Italian sausage
1 cup chopped green pepper
1 tablespoon butter
1 can (28 oz) diced tomatoes, undrained
1 can (4 oz) mushroom stems and pieces, drained
1 can (2 1/4 oz) sliced ripe olives, drained
2 teaspoons dried oregano
12 ounces spaghetti, cooked and drained
2 cups (8 oz) shredded cheddar cheese
1 can (10 3/4 oz) condensed cream of mushroom soup, undiluted
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

In a large skillet, cook the beef and sausage over medium heat until hamburger is no longer pink and sausage cooked; drain and set aside. In same skillet, saute onion and green pepper in butter until tender. Add the tomatoes, mushrooms, olives, oregano and ground beef. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered for 10 minutes.

Place half of the spaghetti in a greased 13 in x 9 in x 2 inch baking dish. Top with half of the vegetable mixture. Sprinkle with 1 cup of cheddar cheese. Repeat layers. Mix the soup and water until smooth; pour over casserole. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Bake,uncovered, at 350 F for 30-35 minutes or until heated through. Yield: 12 servings.

Here is another version from Quick Cooking, another Taste of Home publication. This one is just as yummy, but uses a lot more cheese.
http://www.tasteofhome.com/Recipes/Baked-Spaghetti-4

Dinner and A Movie - Men In Black

One of the more interesting concepts in weekend movie watching is the long popular Dinner and a Movie show featured on TBS. The idea is to key a recipe with a popular movie. During movie breaks, the dish or snack is prepared by the chef, step-by-step throughout the movie. You once could get an ingredient list before the movie and cook your way through and then feast during the last 1/2 hour or so of the show. Many of the recipes featured are gourmet, some are expensive, but there is still a lot of snacks and good ol' American food to choose from. I even bought the cookbook. Anyway, they recently featured Men In Black (which I already have in DVD). There are 4 recipes for this movie, but I'm giving you the two I tried and loved! Do visit the website at www.tbs.com. Lots of great recipes there. If you sit back to watch Star Wars IV, you MUST try the Obi-Wan Cannelloni with Darth (To)mater Sauce. Recipes are by Claud Mann. The sole complaint (and it is minor) that I have for Mann's recipes is that he doesn't give options if it is a very expensive ingredient or if it contains alcohol (Other than certain deserts like Rum Cake, I don't cook with alcohol).

Plot Twisted Pretzels

• 1 pound pizza dough (available in most groceries)
• 4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 quart water
• 1 egg, beaten with 2 teaspoons water

Suggested Toppings: kosher salt, sesame and poppy seeds, Parmesan and garlic, cinnamon and sugar, or your favorite topping

Divide pizza dough into 12 even pieces, and then roll each piece into a 16-18 inch rope. Form dough into pretzels by tying the dough into a loose knot and then pinching the ends across the loops.

Combine the baking soda and the water in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Using a slotted spoon, carefully lower each pretzel in the boiling water until it begins to float, about 30 seconds.

Drain each pretzel and transfer to a greased baking sheet, brush lightly with the egg-water mixture and sprinkle generously with kosher salt and any other toppings that sound yummy.

Cover the pretzels with a cloth and allow about five minutes for the dough to rise. Bake in preheated 450°F oven for about 15 minutes or until golden brown. These are delicious plain or with your favorite mustard for dipping.

Note: Feel free to make your own pizza dough. Use half for pizza tonight, then refrigerate the other half after the first rise for these twists tomorrow or the next day.

Cherry Chocolate Nut Clusters

• 8 ounces raw nuts (peanuts, almonds, cashews, walnuts…or even smoked nuts)
• 4 ounces dried sour cherries or cranberries (I used Craisins)
  
• 16 ounces dark chocolate, cut into pieces
• Sea salt

Place nuts on a cookie sheet and roast in a 350F oven for 15 minutes. Remove from oven and toss with sea salt.

Place chocolate pieces into a slow cooker or top of a double boiler. Stir often until melted and then fold in the toasted nuts of your choice.

Use a tablespoon to pile individual clusters onto wax paper or Parchment paper. Use a fork to drizzle with white chocolate if desired.

Please note. You can melt chocolate in a microwave. I use a greased, glass measuring cup. Melt in small increments, stir, then put back in the microwave.

Simple Cucumber Side

Right now, the cucumbers are coming in. I love home grown cucumbers and the ones she is growing this year are supurb. I think they are English cucumbers, so remain narrow and long and never with a bitter skin.

Today, I'm going to give you a common Midwestern Scandinavian recipe for something different to do with cucumbers. If your cucumber skins are bitter, then consider peeling them first. Ingredients aren't exacting here, but cucumbers with large seeds don't work very well. You can still use these large cucumbers if you use a spoon to scoop out the center section, removing seeds. Add more or less sugar. Taste in a couple of hours. Add more sugar if needed. Make this 2-3 hours before serving.

Sweet Cucumbers

1 long English cucumber, washed and sliced thinly
1 teaspoon celery seed
1/2 cup white vinegar
1/4 cup sugar

Place all in a deep dish and mix together. Cover and refrigerate. After an hour, and every hour until serving, stir to marinate the cucumber.