Andrew and Tasha's Spaghetti Sauce for Lazy People

I'm pretty sure Andrew taught me this little recipe, and we've been using it as our spaghetti sauce staple for years.  

Can you really call it a spaghetti sauce recipe when the core ingredient (the sauce) comes from a jar?  Yes.  Now quit quibbling and just cook.

Andrew and Tasha's Spaghetti Sauce for Lazy People

Ingredients

Italian sausage

Olive oil

Garlic, minced

Onion (yellow or white), chopped

Mushrooms (white or cremini), sliced

Green bell pepper, chopped
Canned tomatoes, chopped 

Two jars spaghetti sauce (aim a little higher than Ragu, but other than that the choice is yours)

Garlic powder, onion powder, dried basil, dried oregano, and other such spices

Directions

Cook Italian sausage and set aside.

Saute garlic in olive oil until fragrant (~1 min).  Add onions, mushrooms, and bell pepper.  (I like to add the onions first to given them some extra time to caramelize). 

Once vegetables are cooked, add sausage, tomatoes, and spaghetti sauce.  (I recommend two jars because there is usually so many veggies in mine I need two.  Add as many or as little as you like).

Add spices as desired for flavor.  Cook until heated through.  Serve with spaghetti noodles and Parmesan cheese. 

Creamy Summer Coleslaw

This is another one of my creations.  I'm not great with measurements (I just add stuff as I go along) so feel free to adjust to your own taste.

The reason I use cider vinegar is because I have a delicious bottle from Rockridge Orchards.  It's amazing and I'd drink it straight from the bottle if people didn't look at me funny.

Creamy Summer Coleslaw

Ingredients

Green cabbage, finely shredded
Carrots, finely shredded
Green onion, sliced
3/4 cup sour cream (I prefer Tillamook all natural)
2 tbsp mayonnaise
1 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp onion powder
2 tbsp cider vinegar
2 tsp dry mustard
2 tsp garlic powder
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

Combine the shredded cabbage, carrots, and green onions in a large bowl. Whisk together the remaining ingredients in a medium bowl, and then add to the cabbage mixture. Mix well to combine and taste for seasoning.

Oven Roasted Teriyaki Chicken

I was worried I had lost this recipe!  Luckily I found it again.  One word of warning - it made an absolute mess of my Pyrex baking dish.  In fact, it's still covered with burned black chunks.  Next time I might try lining it with foil.

Also, the original recipe says to make it with Splenda, but only a crazy person would do something so silly.

Oven Roasted Teriyaki Chicken

Ingredients

1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 tablespoon cold water
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup cider vinegar
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
12 skinless chicken thighs

Directions

In a small saucepan over low heat, combine the cornstarch, cold water, sugar, soy sauce, vinegar, garlic, ginger and ground black pepper. Let simmer, stirring frequently, until sauce thickens and bubbles. 

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C).

Place chicken pieces in a lightly greased 9x13 inch baking dish. Brush chicken with the sauce. Turn pieces over, and brush again.

Bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes. Turn pieces over, and bake for another 20 minutes, until no longer pink and juices run clear. Brush with sauce every 10 minutes during cooking.

Original link:

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/oven-roasted-teriyaki-chicken/

Shrimp Quesadillas

Too tired to think of an intro... Good quick dinner idea...  yum...   Great with avocado on the side.

When I made my first batch, I was a little too skimpy on the jalapeno, thinking it would be too spicy.  However, I could barely taste it at all.  With all the cheese and cream cheese (not to mention the shrimp), you can easily add the whole jalapeno to the batch without it being too hot.

Shrimp Quesadillas

Ingredients

Flour tortillas
8 oz. Cream Cheese
Green onions, sliced
Cilantro, chopped
1 jalapeno, diced
1 Roma tomato, diced
Shrimp meat
Shredded cheddar cheese

Directions

Preheat skillet to medium heat.

Mix green onions, cilantro, and jalapeno in cream cheese.

Butter one side of each tortilla.  Place tortilla in preheated skillet.  Add cream cheese mixture, diced tomatoes, shrimp, and top with cheddar cheese.  Close tortilla by folding in half.  If room, add another filled tortilla to the other side of the skillet.  Cook until golden and crispy, then flip and repeat.

Bacon Candy

The name says it all.

Bacon Candy

Ingredients

1/2 cup packed light brown sugar

1 1/2 tsp chile powder

20 slices of thick-cut bacon (1 1/2 lbs)

Directions

Preheat oven to 400.

Line 2 rimmed baking sheets with foil.  In a small bowl, whisk the brown sugar with the chile powder.  Arrange the bacon strips on the foil and coat the tops with the chile sugar.

Back for 20-25 minutes, until caramelized and almost crisp.  Transfer the bacon to a rack set over a sheet of foil to cool completely.  Serve.

The bacon candy can be made earlier in the day; store at room temperature.

Original link:

http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/bacon-candy  

Oven-Roasted Cod Crusted with Herbs

This recipe is really tasty.  The lemon zest is a fantastic compliment to the cod.  And last night we threw our leftover garlic and lemon zest in a pan with some zucchini chunks.  Delish.

Oven-Roasted Cod Crusted with Herbs

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups plain bread crumbs
1 handful fresh flat-leaf parsley
2 large cloves garlic
1 lemon, zested
Coarse salt
4 (6 to 8-ounce) cod fillets
Extra-virgin olive oil

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Place bread crumbs in a shallow dish. Pile parsley, garlic, lemon zest, and a little coarse salt on the cutting board. Finely chop the lemon-garlic mixture, then combine with plain bread crumbs.

Brush the top of each fillet with olive oil and dip in to the bread crumb herb mixture. Brush a little bit of olive oil in the bottom of a baking pan then place fillet in the pan, crust side up. Roast fillets in oven until firm to the touch, about 12 to 15 minutes.

Original link:
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/rachael-ray/oven-roasted-cod-crusted-with-herbs-recipe/index.html 

Potato Leek Soup

I started with a basic recipe (link below) and made some key modifications for this creamy potato leek soup.  Not to say that my modifications were particularly healthy (I think at one point I actually poured some bacon grease in the pot of soup) but they sure were delicious. :)

Potato Leek Soup

Ingredients

8 potatoes, peeled and cubed (note: if using red potatoes or similar, feel free to leave the skins on.  I used a mix of russett and reds)
4 cups chicken broth
1 lb bacon (note: surprisingly I didn't use a full lb. and I still had plenty of bacon awesome-ness)
3 leeks, sliced
1 cup heavy cream (note: I noticed mid-cooking that I only had regular cream, so I added a couple tbsp of butter)

Other optional ingredients:

Garlic (minced)

Shallot (sliced)

Spices, such as paprika, bay leaves, salt and pepper, etc.

Directions

In a large saucepan or stockpot, bring potatoes and chicken broth to a boil.  (Optional: add spices; remove bay leaves before serving.) Cook until potatoes are tender. Meanwhile, place bacon in a large, deep skillet. Cook over medium high heat until evenly brown. Drain, reserving 3 tablespoons of grease and set aside. Saute the leeks in the frying pan with the reserved bacon grease 8 to 10 minutes. (Optional: if adding minced garlic and shallot, saute garlic first for about 1 min until fragrant, then add leeks and shallots).

When the potatoes are tender, stir in the fried leeks, heavy cream and bacon. Stir to blend and remove from heat. Serve hot.



Original link:
http://allrecipes.com/recipe/creamy-potato-leek-soup-ii/