My Special Spaghetti Sauce

Yesterday I made spaghetti for a CROWD!!. It was an all-you-can-eat Spaghetti Feed and we served about 125 people (maybe a little more) . This is my third year doing this and it gets bigger every year. Perhaps it's because they love my sauce...at least that's what everyone says.

I want to share my recipe with you, but it is a bit difficult because there are few actual measurements of ingredients. I have a tendency to make things up as I go along...you know "that looks about right" or "about a hand/palm full". But I can tell you the basics. I suggest that you use your own judgement on amounts. However, leaving the vegetables out is a NO-NO. That's what makes this sauce so goooood!!

MY SPECIAL SPAGHETTI SAUCE

--ONE batch serves about 50 people depending on the size of the portions--

(This is ONE BATCH)

8-1/2 pounds of hamburger (22% fat)

2 pounds of mild Italian sausage

2 or 3 cups of medium dice onions

1 large red bell pepper (medium dice)

1 large green bell pepper (medium dice)

1 large yellow bell pepper (medium dice)

1 large orange bell pepper (medium dice)

1 bunch of celery (medium dice)

5 or 6 carrots "pulverized" in a food processor into 1/8" to 1/4" bits

6 tablespoons of minced garlic

4 tablespoons dry Italian seasoning

2 tablespoons salt

1 or 2 tablespoons ground black pepper

2 institutional size cans of crushed tomatoes

2 institutional size cans of diced tomatoes

1 - 8.5 pound bottle of Ragu Spaghetti Sauce

1 cup of Kraft parmeasan cheese

1/3 cup Olive oil

Saute all the vegetables and garlic, salt and pepper in the Olive oil until they are soft/translucent. Meanwhile, brown the ground beef and Italian sausage in a Dutch oven; drain well. Add the meat to the vegetables. Season with Italian seasoning. Add the crushed tomatoes, diced tomatoes and Ragu. Mix well and continue cooking on medium high until heated through - stirring frequently to prevent burning on the bottom. Add the parmeasan cheese; thoroughly incorporate. Reduce heat to simmer for another half-hour; again stirring frequently to prevent burning. Turn off heat and cover tightly. This will retain its heat during service without turning on a burner again for at least a couple of hours. Serve over cooked spaghetti noodles and wait for the oohs and aahs.

Some people balk at the fact that this sauce has carrots and celery in it, but I have to tell you, carrots and celery are essential to the success of this sauce. They serve to sweeten and thicken the sauce and simply add a layer of flavor that is heavenly.

I use this same recipe -- only in much smaller amounts -- at home. SPECIAL note to Vegetarians/Vegans: This sauce is equally as good without any meat at all; however, eliminating the meat means it will not serve quite as many people.

Peace...and I'm outta' here.

Okay - so you already know I love Lemon Squares...now I've found an absolutely awesome recipe for Luscious Lime Bars!!! And it is more simple to make than any other citrus squares recipe I've ever seen. And did I say, they were DELICIOUS?

LUSCIOUS LIME BARS

1 pkg vanilla or yellow cake mix

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter - melted

1 egg yolk

4 eggs

1 can (14 oz) sweetened condensed milk

2/3 cup lime juice

1 tbsp lime zest

powdered sugar for dusting the top

Preheat the oven to 350*. Spray a 9X13 pan with non-stick spray. Put aside 1 tbsp of the cake mix. Combine the remaining cake mix, melted butter and 1 egg yolk in a large bowl. Blend with electric mixer for 1-2 minutes or until well mixed and crumbly. Press the mixture into the bottom of the baking pan. Bake for 10 minutes.

While the crust bakes, whisk together the 4 eggs, condensed milk, lime juice and the tablespoon of reserved cake mix until smooth. Stir in the lime zest. Pour the mixture onto the warm, baked crust. Return to the oven and bake another 20 minutes or until the topping is set. Cool completely and dust with powdered sugar. Refrigerate 60 minutes. Cut into squares and store covered in the refrigerator. Makes about 24 squares (1-1/2" X 1-1/2"). ENJOY!!!

Peace...and I'm outta' here.

Tashyra's Breakfast Pie

I created a new breakfast dish this morning and Tashyra told me to call it simply "Breakfast Pie". The next time I make this however, I will use a bit more salt and pepper and possibly incorporate some sourcream into the potatoes before putting them into the pan. Another good change would be to mix the cheese in the egg mixture before pouring it into the pan.

TASHYRA'S BREAKFAST PIE

2 parboiled potatoes
12 cooked sausage links
12 eggs
2 tbs heavy cream or milk
½ cup shredded cheddar cheese
Salt & Pepper to taste
¼ cup chopped green onion or parsley (optional)

Preheat oven to 350*. Generously butter (or non-stick cooking spray) the bottom and sides of a 9” cake pan. Shred the potatoes (like for hash browns) and spread evenly in the bottom of the cake pan. Position the sausage links in a circle (fanned out with one end of each in the middle) on top of the potatoes. Wisk the eggs well with the cream/milk; salt & pepper (and green onion/parsley if desired). Pour the egg mixture over the potatoes and sausage. Sprinkle cheese evenly over all. Bake for 15-20 min. or until the egg is well set (somewhat dry in appearance).Turn out onto a plate (like an upside down cake and then flip over once again onto another plate. Cut into wedges and serve. Try a dollop of sourcream and a spoon of salsa on top. Yum-Yum. Serves 6.

So that's the basic recipe...give it a try and tweek it to suit your family. Let me know how you like it.

Peace...and I'm outta' here.

Lemon Bars

I love lemon bars. They are like little squares of sunshine in your mouth. They are always a hit at potlucks and bake sales. I found this recipe that is so simple, you'll never want to use a box mix again.

LEMON BARS

1 cup butter, softened
2 cups flour + 2 Tablespoons flour (save for lemon "filling")
1 cup confectioners' sugar + 2 Tablespoons confectioners' sugar (save for dusting)
4 eggs
2 cups granulated sugar
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 Tablespoon lemon zest

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
2. With an electric mixer beat together the butter, 2 cups of flour and 1 cup of confectioners' sugar until completely blended.
3. To form your crust, press the mixture into the bottom of your 13 x 9 x 2 inch pan, evenly covering the bottom. Bake for 20 minutes until light golden brown.
4. In a bowl combine eggs, 2 Tablespoons of flour, granulated sugar, lemon juice and lemon zest and whisk together.
5. Pour the mixture over crust and bake at 325 degrees F for 30 minutes, until set. (You will know it's ready to remove from the oven when the filling no longer jiggles.)
6. Place lemon bars on a wire rack and let them cool to room temperature.
7. Using a wire strainer, sprinkle the tops of the cooled lemon bars with the remaining 2 Tablespoons of confectioners' sugar.
8. Cut the bars into 24 pieces and enjoy.

Peace...and I'm outta' here.

Boxed Dinner Kit SURPRISE!!

As a general rule, I do not like nor use boxed dinner kits, i.e. Hamburger/chicken Helper. Overall, I think they all pretty much taste the same. When I do use one (generally to prepare a very quick skillet meal for my grandkids or at their specific request), I share the Semi-Homemade philosphy of Sandra Lee where the kit is simply the base of the dish, with many additions to make it palatable like fresh diced onions, celery, carrots, garlic and other spices. I NEVER make one just as it is --yuck!!

However, of late I've noticed some different boxed dinner kits at the local grocery store --Wanchai Ferry and Romano's Macaroni Grill. I thought "Why not give them a try?" I purchased one of each a few months ago, but just haven't been motivated to use them...until last night. I had two healthy boneless, skinless chicken breasts thawed out in the fridge and wanted to do something different with them.

I didn't want to have to pull out a cookbook or do a search on the internet to find a new/different recipe. I just wanted something different but quick and easy. Searching through the pantry I pulled out the Romano's Macaroni Grill Chicken Piccata dinner kit and figured I'd give it a try. Since this was the first time using one of these I wanted to prepare it exactly as instructed on the box -- no special additions or personal touches. Well, let me tell you I was very pleasantly surprised with the results. Following the directions on the box - to the "T" --the resulting dish was VERY GOOD. Where most " -- Helper" dinners tend to taste pretty much the same with little variation and are basically designed to appeal to childish and unsophisticated palates, the Macaroni Grill Chicken Picata kit contains a cooking wine and sauce mix that resulted in an unexpectedly GROWN UP taste. I do not believe this was created with kids in mind, although my grandkids did love it (of course, they have a fairly well-developed palate - after all they are MY grandkids). The directions were well written and easy to follow. From start to plating - about 20 minutes! As prepared it is relatively low in calories - about 280 per 1 cup serving - and fat - 1g. Other nutritional data: 24g total Carbs, 510mg sodium, 4g Protein and 1g Dietary Fiber with 0g Cholesterol. And like I said - it was very good...lots of flavor...a wonderfully easy and tasty change of pace.

So I guess what I'm saying is this: If you want to try something EASY, DIFFERENT, WHOLESOME, SATISFYING AND TASTY, I highly recommend you try the Romano's Macaroni Grill CHICKEN PACATA boxed dinner kit. Do be aware that I don't think most kids will like it because of the wine flavor...but if your kids like more "grownup flavors" they just might like this too.

SPECIAL NOTE: I like my sauces just a tad bit thicker, so when I make this again, I believe I will be adding about 1/4 to 1/3 cup more water and a teaspoon of corn starch to thicken.

Peace all...and I'm outta' here.

The Best Darn Green Beans Ever!!!

Sunday was my father's 75th birthday and I cooked him a big dinner. Of course everyone loved ALL the dishes, but my grandson, Trevell, especially loved the Green Beans and insisted that I post the recipe here. These fresh green beans go wonderful with just about anything and are even good all by themselves. And just for the record, you can omit the butter and/or bacon and they are still very, very good!! But as Julia Child always claimed - "Everything is better with butter" and Emeril says "PORK FAT - YES!!"

THE BEST DARN GREEN BEANS EVER!!!

1 to 1-1/2 pounds of fresh green beans

1 to 2 tblsp on fresh minced garlic

2 tblsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1 tblsp real butter (optional)

1 or 2 slices of bacon, cut into 1" pieces (optional)

1 teaspoon Lemon Pepper Seasoning

Salt and Black Pepper to taste

Wash green beans and remove the stem ends leaving the rest of the bean whole. Parboil in salted water for about 10 minutes (until "crispy tender"). Drain. (If using the bacon, fry in a large skillet or heavy dutch oven until fat is rendered out) Add Olive Oil (and butter if desired) and minced garlic. Saute about 60 seconds or until garlic become quite fragrant. Add the drained green beans to the hot pan and toss (or stir) to coat with fats. Add Lemon Pepper and Salt/Black Pepper to taste. Continue to saute/toss over medium high heat for about 5-8 minutes. Turn off heat, cover and allow to sit/steam for another 10 minutes. Serves 4 (large servings) to 6 (small servings).

Your family/guests are going to love these so much you may have to increase everything in order to serve 6.

Peace...and I'm outta' here.

NO CALORIE SWEETENERS

Today I just wanted to comment on Sugar Substitutes. Since the doctor scared me last July with the threat of DIABETES, I've cut out sugary things: no more sodas (except for 0 calorie Pepsi Max), or koolaid or Sobes...no sugar in my iced tea or on my cereal. The thing is, I hate ARTIFICIAL SWEETENERS; they all leave an after-taste in my mouth; and everything I've read about them leads me to believe that long-term use of them is harmful to our health - perhaps just as harmful as the real thing.

So, after doing a bit of research into the matter, I thought I'd try some of the new NATURAL Sugar Substitutes on the market. I started with "Sun Crystals" which is actually a combination of Stevia plant extracts and cane sugar - it has 5 calories per serving. I liked it...it had no aftertaste and was sweet just like sugar.

Now I'm using "Truvia". The package states that it is a natural calorie-free sweetener made with rebiana, the "best tasting part of the stevia leaf --sweetness from nature..." Although it is calorie free, one serving (1 packet) does have 3g of Total Carbohydrates. But let me tell you, it is good. I highly recommend it to anyone who needs to cut out sugar calories. Of course, I am not a doctor or anything, but if your doctor says it's okay, give it a try.


Anyway, that's my opinion, for whatever it's worth. Peace...and I'm outta' here.