BAKED UP SKETTI

I love sketti. Plain and simple, it's my favorite food. I am a true PASTA lover. With this in mind you will find some really good recipes here for sketti. We'll do plain sketti, sketti with meatballs and sketti with meat sauce. We do it as many ways as we can.

This one is easy. Left Overs !!!!.

We have a Greek restaurant in Ocala named LAKIS that we have been eating at for well over twenty five years. http://places.singleplatform.com/lakis-greek-and-italian-restaurant/menu

They make all kinds of things Penny loves, and one thing for me. BAKED SPAGHETTI !!! 

 

I always wanted to try my hand at it. And the other night the opportunity arose.

We had friends over to celebrate my recent retirement from the work force. (I was in Broadcasting for almost 50 years. But I digress.) 

Penny made her famous Spaghetti & Meat Balls.

Don't worry. We will get around to that recipe (or something similar) when I can figure out how it's done.

Any who, I thought what a great way to use the leftovers. Let's bake it !!

In a casserole dish, put in a ungodly amount of pasta (cook it first). Then add a bunch of sauce, and a gaggle of meatballs. Then add 8-10 ounces of mushrooms (pre cooked). You can get small cans of mushrooms at the grocery. There are lots of choices. Top it all off with about three pounds of mozzarella cheese. (Just kidding, amounts are to taste) I USED 8 OZ

I am showing one serving PRIOR to adding the cheese for viewing clarity. Now add the damn cheese.

It's also a good idea to throw a couple rolls on a cookie sheet as well. I used Pepperidge Farms.

 

Make sure you have some garlic butter on hand.

Throw it all in a 350 degree oven for about 30 minutes. Check the temp with your handy dandy Thermo gadget. The hotter the better.

This made for a great dinner for Penny and me. AND I had enough left over for lunch the next day. 

RECIPE

½ POUND of you favorite PASTA

Left over sauce and meatballs

1 can Mushrooms

1 8 oz. bag of shredded whole milk Mozzarella Cheese

Place sketti in serving dish, then add sauce, meatball and mushrooms. I suppose you could stir it a bit if you so desire, I just did the 'layered' thing.

Add cheese on top, and bake in 350 degree oven for about 30 minutes or so. If it starts to brown on the edges, check the internal temperature. It should be about 150-160 degrees.

Using POT HOLDERS, place the baking dish on top of another dish and serve.

(I tried scooping it onto a dish, and it ruined the presentation. So eat it out of the baking dish.

BUT BE CAREFUL , THAT DISH IS FRICKIN' HOT

The rolls are best served with garlic butter. Everything is better with Garlic Butter....

Enjoy

JELL-O PARFAIT

There are two things in this world I love. (Actually three counting the wife) Deserts and Jello.

For the last sixteen years I worked, I took some sort of Jell-O dish in my lunch. (I always ate at my desk, in case a customer called) Any who, I do love Jell-O.

This is one I found on line at 

http://www.kraftrecipes.com/recipes/floating-fruit-parfaits-57651.aspx

It's my favorite Jell-O desert. Jell-O Parfait !!!

It is easy to make, so lets get the ingredients together.

½ cup sliced fresh strawberries

¾ cup of boiling water

1 pkg of JELL-O Strawberry Sugar Free

½ cup COLD water

¾ cup ICE

1 cup COOL WHIP LITE WHIPPED TOPPING

4 Tablespoons COOL WHIP for topping – (Top just before serving)

Wash and cut up some berries

Place berries into 2 parfait glasses. 

Add boiling water to gelatin mix in medium bowl; stir 2 min. until completely dissolved. Add cold water and ice cubes; stir until ice is melted. Pour 3/4 cup evenly over berries.

Refrigerate 20 min. or until gelatin is set but not firm. Meanwhile, let remaining gelatin stand at room temperature until cooled and ready to be used.

Add 1 cup COOL WHIP to remaining gelatin; stir with whisk until blended. Spoon over gelatin in glasses.

Refrigerate 1 hour or until firm.

Serve topped with COOL WHIP.

I had some trouble getting the Cool Whip into the glasses without smearing it on the glass. Put it into plastic bag, cut the corner and squeeze it in.

This made two good servings.

If you use fresh strawberries, sprinkle them with a sugar substitute. Even then, mine were a bit sour..

You could also use frozen berries, or Peaches, or even fruit cocktail. How about Peaches with Peach Jell-O ? or Cherries with Cherry Jell-O ? Oh, and Raspberries with Raspberry Jell-O.

The list goes on and on and on and on.

You know what the Coz says. “There's Always Room For Jell-O.”

CONDENSED MUSHROOM SOUP

      I make a large number of casseroles. They are quick and easy. And they taste good. But almost everyone that I find calls for “Condensed Cream of something Soup.” 

      I grew up on this stuff, never knowing how much better home made could be.

      My wife panics when ever I bring home a can of this “soup”. She hates it and says it tastes like sawdust. So we decided to go searching for something better.

      There are many recipes for Condensed Soup available on the web, and this is one that I tried. I have to admit that I enjoy watching the 'Pioneer Woman' on the Food Network. With a ranch, some kids and a hungry husband, this lady HAS to be good.

http://thepioneerwoman.com/food-and-friends/homemade-condensed-cream-of-mushroom-soup/?printable_recipe=79484

So lets give it a shot. (I doubled the recipe for a large casserole.)

Ingredients 

      1/4 cup Butter (I used 'salted butter')

     6 ounces, weight Mushrooms, Finely Chopped 

     1/4 cup Finely Diced Onion 

     1 clove Garlic, Minced 

     Salt And Pepper, to taste (I left out the salt) 

     1/4 cup All-purpose Flour 

     1/2 cup Heavy Cream 

     1/2 cup Chicken Broth 

  

     In addition to her increments, we ADDED

    1 TBL of fresh TARRAGON
   ¼ TSP Celery seed

     I wonder how a little beer would taste??

Preparation

Melt butter in a skillet over medium-low heat. 

Add mushrooms and onions and sauté until tender, about 8 minutes. 

 Season to taste with salt and pepper. 

 
Add garlic and cook for 2 minutes. Add flour and cook for an additional 2 minutes. 

 
Quickly whisk in cream and chicken broth until smooth. 

 Bring to a boil and boil for 1 minute. (ADD the Tarragon and celery seed) Remove from heat. Taste and adjust seasoning if needed–you want it to be saltier than normal, since this is a condensed soup. (I don't advise any more salt)

 
     Since we used it immediately, I have not tried the following steps.

Allow to cool slightly before transferring to a jar or freezer-safe container. Once soup is completely cool, you can store it in the refrigerator or freezer.

To reconstitute, add 1 1/2 cups of liquid, such as chicken broth, milk, water, or a combination.

Note: A 10 3/4-ounce can of condensed mushroom soup is about 1 1/4 cups. This recipe makes 1 1/2 cups of condensed soup.

Recipe inspired by Ali of Gimme Some Oven.


     We mixed our soup with 2 Cups of cooked rice and placed chicken parts on top and baked for about an hour. 

It was very good, but I think next time I will leave out the garlic. 

      YUM YUM !!!!

HOME MADE KETCHUP

     Earlier we talked about making Thousand Island dressing. Our recipe calls for 2 Table spoons of Ketchup. And this is the ONLY ketchup I will use.

     So as promised, this is how we make it.

     Full disclosure. This is another gem from Penny, who has made this for years. 

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      I love French Fries and Onion Rings. And ketchup goes so well with either of these wonderful side dishes.

     But the ketchup you buy at the store is basically tasteless. And is full of SALT.

     Why put salt on your fries then eat them with MORE SALT ????? 160 MG ?? That's 7 % of your salt intake per day !!!!

      So let make some Ketchup that is not only better tasting but better for you as well.

INGREDIENTS

8 OZ Tomato SAUCE

6 OZ Tomato PASTE 

2 TSP White Vinegar

¼ CUP SUGAR or Sugar like stuff.

¼ CUP Ground CLOVES

¼ TSP Ground ALL SPICE (This adds a TON of flavor)

      Now, this is were the recipe gets complicated and may be difficult for you Florida State grads.

      Mix all the above INGREDIENTS in a BOWL. And WHISK it all together.

      When the mixture is properly mixed, you may put it into a jar and refrigerate.

     That's all there is to it. The whole thing takes about ten minutes to put together.

     I love the taste. The CLOVES and the addition of the ALL SPICE elevate this to a whole new taste.

     I was reminded today of how much I love this recipe. Penny and I ran over to Crystal River, FL so she could get some Crab Meat for a friends dinner she is preparing. We stopped at a great place and I had a burger. (yes, I eat burgers at a Sea Food place. Sue me) Anyway their fries were delicious but the ketchup came out of one of those red bottles.

     No wonder I like eating at home more than going out.

     SO give this one a try. You won't be sorry.

     You can thank me later.

     COMING UP NEXT :  Home made Cream of Mushroom Soup. It is so good, you're gonna wanna slap your grand ma.

HOME MADE THOUSAND ISLAND DRESSING

     I love a good chopped salad. I try to have one every evening. 

     And the bigger the salad the better.

     Nothing goes better on a salad than good ole Thousand Island dressing.

     I no longer go to Ruby Tuesdays because the removed this favorite of mine from their salad bar. They also raised the damn price, but that another story.

      One thing that always worried me was the high salt content, not to mention all the preservatives they put into this dressing. Are you kidding me? 250mg of SALT !!!

     So we started to make our own.

     There are many recipes available for home made Thousand Island Dressing on the web. Ours is one my wife has been making for many years. I love the taste, and I know the salt content is lower.

INGREDIENTS

2 TBL chopped RED Onion

1 Cup Mayonnaise

1 TBL RICE Wine Vinegar (Plain)

2 TBL of Ketchup (prefer Home made)

           (I will show you how to prepare it in our next post)

2 TBL Pickle Relish

2 TBL Artificial sweetener

¼ Tsp Salt

Ground Pepper (whatever amount you prefer)

Place all the ingredients into a bowl.

Wisk it until combined.

Put in a jar and refrigerate.

     This takes about five minutes to put together. SO why go with the  store bought salt laden, bad for you stuff, when you can prepare this yourself? 

     No, I don't want to hear that you don't have the TIME. Bull s..t, we ALL have five minutes. So put the damn phone down and make something !!!!

     Don't like salads ??? Make it anyway. It tastes similar to McDonald's BIG MAC special sauce. So grab some meat, fire up the grill and have a beer,

THE BASICS - BEEF BROTH

OK boys and girls, let get some BROTH !!!

Many recipes call for using Beef Broth. And I just want to scream when those TV cooks open a store bought container of broth.

Do they have ANY idea how much salt and preservatives are in that crap? No, of course not. That would require READING the LABEL.

One of the first things we did here was CHICKEN broth. I use it all the time. And if you made that recipe, (You did make it, right?) you know how damn easy it is. It's so easy Tim the Tool Man could make it. Although he would probably burn the crap out of his hand.

Here's how it goes.

Place 5 pounds of BEEF BONES in a roasting pan. 

We got 10 pounds of free range beef bones at the farmers market. Pre frozen for us in five pound bags, we threw one bag in the freezer for use later. Yeah at six bucks a pound it was expensive. BUT it makes so much broth, the cost would be comparable to store bought. And home made is better for you.

OK, lecture over.

Add - 4 carrots cut up along with 4 stalks of celery.

Roast in 350 degree oven for about an hour. Have a beer while you wait

Beef Bones should be brown.

Let them cool and have another beer.

Put it all in a STOCK POT. Scrape in all the leavings from the roasting pan as well.

ADD 2 quarts of water. And ¼ cup of Apple Cider Vinegar.

 I had help from the boss, thus the other beer.

Cover and bring to boil (about 15 minutes) then turn DOWN to a simmer.

Temperature should be around 208 degrees and you should see an occasional bubble

Cook about 4 hours, then add another QUART of water. 

What you do now is up to you. Being summer in Florida, it's too damn hot to work outside. I had a beer and watched CLASSIC Florida football on the SEC network. 

  Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images

Cook broth overnight (about 18 hours) Check often. DO not let it cool down, SIMMER !!!

Damn, does it smell good.

Using a slotted spoon or strainer, remove all the bones, veggies, and beef pieces.

Strain remaining broth through cheesecloth into containers. 

Place a frozen water bottle into the container with the hot broth and let cool

When the ice melts, replace the ice bottle .

When the liquid cools to about 70 degrees, place in refrigerator. This makes a TON..

The next day, remove the fat layer from the top of the container.

Put in smaller containers and freeze...

DONE !! 

 

Time for a beer....

MAC AND MUSHROOMS

      When I was growing up, my mother made mac and cheese all the time. She loved making casseroles. Perhaps it's the reason I avoided mac & cheese for years. But that's another story.

      But she did make a casserole using macaroni and Cream of Mushroom soup that I loved.

      I know it sounds weird. Mac and Mushroom soup ?? 

     My dear wife goes running from the room gagging whenever I mention this recipe.

      But every once in a while, She has a girl's night out. That's when I get to enjoy this 'disgusting foul recipe.' Her words, not mine. I happen to think this is right tasty. But she does not consider this to be "real food."

      This is a souped up recipe. (Pardon the pun) I have made it for years without the cheese and extra mushrooms. This idea took it to a whole new level.

      I am NOT a fan of canned soups. But I give in for this recipe, and a few in the slow cooker. Some day we are going to make our own home made Mushroom soup, without all the added crap you get in a can. More on that later.

     But for now, here is what you will need.

2 Cans Cream of Mushroom Soup

3 CUPS elbow Macaroni

1 Bag Mozzarella cheese. (or the cheese of your choice)

1 Can Mushrooms (drained) sorry, I took the picture without the can of mushrooms. But you get the idea.

      Cook macaroni per instructions. Do NOT overcook. 

      Drain the mac. If you used salt in the water, I suggest a good rinse.

      Pre heat oven to 350 degrees.

      In a large bowl, combine macaroni and soup.

     Stir, stir stir. I like mine with lots of soup. You can use just one can of soup if you desire. I do not salt. The soup has too much salt to begin with.

     Place mixture in baking dish. Right damn ugly, isn't it??

       Cover with mushrooms and cheese. (Amount to your taste. I like lots of cheese.)

      Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove foil and bake for another 15 minutes. 

      Serve. (salt and pepper to taste.) I know it looks like hell, but food does not have to look great to taste great. I guess you could throw some green stuff in for color, but why bother? It goes good with some Catsup too.

 LOTS OF PEPPER...YUM YUM

      I forgot the beer.

     Enjoy. But wait until your bride is out with the girls.