Slow Cooker Spaghetti Sauce (90 of 150)

Photo from
Love Bakes Good Cakes

You know I love a good Bolognese. I mean what's not to like? Meat, tomato, cream. Yum. A good Bolognese cooks all day in my opinion. My go to Bolognese is from Tyler Florence and it's what I make when I want Bolognese. 

But on occasion I don't want to deal with the Bolognese recipe. But I still want a hearty meat sauce. I've made another crock pot spaghetti sauce that was amazing. It's my go to when I don't want to watch a pot all day. 

This recipe was delicious too. It was so simple to throw together and let it sit all day. By 1pm this house smelled amazing. Pantry Goat was over for dinner and I figured this is a great recipe to send her home with leftovers. She does love my leftovers. 

This is also a great recipe to clean out your pantry with. I think most of us have diced tomatoes and other canned tomatoes in our pantry. I only had to buy spaghetti to make this meal. 

It's a simple recipe that requires no fuss. Make it. You'll be glad you did. 

Slow Cooker Spaghetti Sauce

Recipe from Love Bakes Good Cakes

Serves 6 (really I think it could serve 8 easily)

• 1 pound ground beef or ground turkey
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 can (15 oz) tomato sauce
• 1 can (28 oz) diced tomatoes or Italian tomatoes
• 1 can (6 oz) tomato paste
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1 T dried basil
• 1 T dried oregano
• 1 T Italian seasoning
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1 lb of spaghetti or any other pasta

Cook ground beef in skillet until almost done. Add onions and cook completely until beef is done and onions are soft.

Add the beef mixture to the slow cooker. Add all remaining ingredients to slow cooker. Mix well.

Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours or high for 3-4 hours.

Serve immediately with cooked pasta of your choice.

Store leftovers in the refrigerator.

(Bacon) Cheeseburger Chopped Salad (89 of 150)

My mom loved cheeseburgers. The sloppier the better. She passed that love on to me. That's part of how I keep my girlish figure. 

In the spirit of containing the girlish figure, I need to cut back a little. I still wanted the cheeseburger flavor but didn't want the carbs. I've made a Big Mac Salad a couple of times.  They're solid recipes and a good meal for a summer day. 

I made a slight modification to this recipe. I made the vinaigrette and didn't really care for it. So I made a "big mac" dressing instead. 1/4 c mayo, a big squirt of ketchup, shallot, dill pickle, some dill pickle juice, salt and pepper. It's a good dressing and much better than the vinaigrette IMHO. Though I liked the mustard slant, I just wanted something different. 

I also added bacon to this recipe. I mean every good salad has bacon bits in it. Plus I had some left over from breakfast, so I chopped it up and added it. 

Now, as a chop salad, the idea is to "chop" everything together and mix the salad so all the items are about the same size. But before I did that, I had to make sure I took the quintessential "chopped salad" pic. 

 

Then I mixed it all together. 

I have a feeling tomorrow's salad at lunch time will be just as good as this one was. I'd make this again for sure. It's super easy and can be thrown together quickly.

Cheeseburger Chopped Salad

Recipe from How Sweet Eats

Serves 4

• 1 T olive oil
• 1 pound lean ground beef
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• 6 ounces sharp white cheddar cheese, freshly grated
• 8 c butter lettuce
• 1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved or quartered
• 1/3 c chopped dill pickles
• 1/4 c diced red onion
• salt and pepper for seasoning

Dill Pickled Vinaigrette

• 1/4 c diced dill pickles
• 3 T dill pickle juice (from a jar of dill pickles)
• 2 T diced shallot
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 tsp Dijon mustard
• 1 tsp honey
• pinch of salt and pepper
• 1/2 c extra virgin olive oil

Heat a large skillet over medium heat and add the olive oil. Once it’s hot, add the ground beef, garlic cloves, salt and pepper. Break the mixture apart with a spoon and cook until browned, stirring over and breaking the pieces into crumbles, for about 6 to 8 minutes. Turn off the heat and sprinkle about 2 ounces of the cheddar over the beef so it slightly melts. You can serve this salad with the beef hot or room temp – so if necessary, you can make this a bit ahead of time!

Place the butter lettuce on a cutting board and run your knife through it to chop it into pieces. Ideally we want everything in uniform pieces so each bite is perfect. Chop up the lettuce, then throw it in a bowl with a pinch of salt and pepper. Toss it well. Add the tomatoes next, the dill pickles and the diced onion. Add the remaining shredded cheese. Toss the salad well, drizzle on the dressing and serve!

Dill Pickled Vinaigrette

In a bowl, whisk together the pickles, pickle juice, shallot, garlic, mustard and honey. Add a pinch of salt and pepper and whisk until the mixture comes together. While whisking, stream in the olive oil until the dressing emulsifies. This stays great in the fridge for a few days!

Asian Steak Bites (88 or 150)

Photo from Jo Cooks

It's a nice day in Seattle. A great day to grill. This recipe came up in the shuffle and it's supposed to be done in a skillet. I decided that wasn't what was going to happen on a sunny day in Seattle.

So I skewered them and grilled them. 

I was confused by the marinade. The recipe doesn't say to marinade it for any length of time. I guess you were supposed to just let it sit for the 5 minutes it takes to put the sauce together. Well, that's not long enough for me. So I marinaded it for 2 hours. 

I also couldn't find sweet soy sauce. In fact, I had never heard of it. Google helped by letting me know that sugar or brown sugar can be used, so that's what I did. I did just a tablespoon of brown sugar.

Asian Steak Bites

Recipe from Jo Cooks

Serves 4

Marinade

• 1 pound ribeye steak (cut into 1-inch bite-size pieces)
• 1 T soy sauce (low sodium)
• 1 T hoisin sauce
• 2 tsp sweet soy sauce
• ½ tsp black pepper (coarsely ground)
• 1 tsp cornstarch
• ½ tsp baking soda

Sauce

• 2 T hoisin sauce
• 1 T soy sauce (low sodium)
• 1 tsp honey
• 1 tsp chili garlic sauce (such as sambal oelek)
• 2 T water

Marinate the beef. In a medium size bowl, combine the beef with all the marinade ingredients together. Set aside while preparing the sauce and heating up the wok or skillet.

Prepare the sauce. In a small bowl whisk all the sauce ingredients together and set aside until ready to add to steak bites.

Cook the steak bites. Heat a wok or non-stick skillet over high heat until hot. Add a tablespoon of vegetable oil or sesame oil to it. Add the marinated beef to the wok and arrange in a single layer. Sear for a minute before tossing then continue cooking for another 2 minutes, tossing a couple times, until the steak bites look almost charred. This is for medium-rare, if you prefer it medium, just cook it a minute or so longer.

Add the sauce. Pour the sauce over the steak bites and cook for another minute while tossing then remove the wok from heat.

Garnish and serve. Serve immediately garnished with green onions and sesame seeds.

Cashew Chicken (87 of 150)

I'm a fan of making Chinese food instead of ordering it out. I haven't found a great Chinese food restaurant here in Lynnwood, so when I have a craving I just make it. 

I'm quickly discovering that there's some special ingredient in Chinese food from a restaurant that I can't quite figure out. Maybe it's the fact you don't have to do the dishes that makes it taste so great. 

This recipe sounded like a winner. And it very well could be. I'm not really sure what it was about it that I didn't like, but there was something. I think maybe it's because it was too sweet. The honey and the hoisin really set this to the sweeter side, where as I prefer a more savory cashew chicken.

I also didn't have green onions. I swear I did, but apparently I did not. So I tossed in some water chestnuts instead. They have a nice crunch to it. 

Cashew Chicken

Recipe from Closet Cooking

Serves 4

• 3 T honey
• 3 T (low sodium) soy sauce
• 2 T rice vinegar
• 1 T hoisin sauce
• 1 tsp chill sauce (such as sambal oelek or sriracha)
• 1/4 c (low sodium) chicken broth (JW note: I used regular old water)
• 1 T cornstarch
• 1 T oil
• 1 pound boneless and skinless chicken, cut into bite sized pieces
• 4 green onions, thinly sliced and divided between white and green
• 1 T garlic, grated
• 1 T ginger, grated
• 1 c cashews, lightly toasted
• 1 T sesame oil
• 1 T toasted sesame seeds

Mix the honey, soy sauce, vinegar, hoisin sauce, chili sauce, broth and cornstarch and set aside.

Heat the oil in a large skillet/wok over medium-high heat, add the chicken and sauté, about 6 minutes.

Add the whites of the onions, garlic and ginger to the pan and sauté until fragrant, about 30 seconds.

Add the sauce mixture and sauté, until the sauce thickens a bit, about 1-2 minutes.

Mix in the cashews, sesame oil, sesame seeds and the greens of the onions and enjoy!

Option: Add vegetables such as bell pepper, snap peas, broccoli, edamame, etc. In general add them to the pan after the chicken is cooked and sauté, until just tender before moving on to adding the onions, garlic and ginger.

Smashed Big Mac Tacos (86 of 150)

Come on. Admit it. You've seen the viral "smashed burger tacos" all over TikTok and Instagram. And if you haven't, what rock have you been under?

It's a unique take on smashed burgers and tacos. It's big in the low carb world for obvious reasons. I used a carb balance tortilla to keep the carbs low.

The concept is you make a smash burger on a flour tortilla. Making the beef as thin as possible. THIS is key. It has to cook fast, and get a crust on it. 

Once it's done, you top it with the same things you'd top a burger with. My sauce was mayo, sugar free ketchup, mustard, dill pickle juice, chopped dill pickles, a little garlic powder, a little onion powder, some salt and pepper. 

After I put the cheese on it and let it sit for a bit to melt the cheese, I added the tomatoes, onion and sauce. 

Then you fold and eat it like a taco. It was drippy. Very drippy. Which is what really makes a good burger if you ask me. 

Overall the was "ok". It wasn't great, but it was interesting enough to try and it filled the empty stomach. I won't make this again. I'd rather not have a bun and eat a thicker burger than deal with this. That said, it was fun to give it a try. I don't fall for the viral food trends too often, so this was fun to do. 

Chewy Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies (85 of 150)

Since it feels like fall outside I figured it's a good day to make what I consider a fall treat, pumpkin cookies. I was going to make these a couple of weeks ago for the girls weekend, but it was pointed out we'd have plenty of food, so I passed on making them. 

It's a standard cookie recipe. I was surprised there was only 1 egg yolk to the recipe, but the recipe writer knew what they were doing because these cookies are chewy and yummy.

Chewy Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

Recipe from Butter Your Biscuit

Makes 18 cookies

• 1/2 c unsalted butter, 1 stick (softened)
• 3/4 c white granulated sugar
• 1/2 c light brown sugar
• 1/3 c pumpkin puree
• 1 egg yolk
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 c all purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp table salt
• 1/4 tsp pumpkin pie spice
• 1 1/4 c mini semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Using a hand mixer, or fork, cream together butter, sugar, and brown sugar on low.

Add pumpkin, egg yolk, and vanilla and mix until combined.

Slowly stir in flour, baking soda, salt, and pumpkin pie spice.

Fold in 1 cup mini chocolate chips, save the remaining 1/4 cup to sprinkle a few on top of each dough ball.

Using a 2 tablespoon cookie scoop, create heaping 2 tablespoon cookie dough balls and place them 2” apart on the prepared pan.

Bake for 16-18 minutes or until the edges start to brown.

Remove from the oven and let cool on the baking sheet for 15 minutes before moving to a cooling rack.

Immediately after removing it from the oven spread chocolate chips with a toothpick is desired.

Spanish Garlic Shrimp (84 of 150)

Yesterday was Sunday dinner and our theme was Spanish. It was also a wroaming Sunday dinner so that meant I had to only bring an appetizer. 

When I was in Spain I loved their shrimp tapas. This one was just as good. It was easy and delicious. 

Spanish Garlic Shrimp

Recipe from Goya

Serves 4

• 1.5 lbs Whole Shrimp peeled & de-veined
• 3 tbsp Minced Garlic
• 3 tbsp Olive Oil
• 2 tbsp Sherry Cooking Wine
• 1.5 tsp Smoked Paprika
• 1.5 tsp Red Chili Flakes
• 1 medium Lemon juiced
• Kosher Salt to taste
• Chopped Parsley for garnish
• Toasted Bread for serving

First, add your olive oil to melt in the skillet. Next, add the minced garlic and red chili flakes and let it brown for 90 seconds. 

Once browned, add all of your shrimp to the skillet (make sure to not overcrowd the pan), season with paprika, salt & pepper then cook for about 90 seconds on the first side. 

Flip the shrimp over and then deglaze the skillet with the sherry wine and the lemon juice. 

Stir and little and continue to cook the shrimp for another 1-2 minutes until fully done. When the shrimp are done, pull the whole skillet off the fire to cool.

Garnish the skillet with chopped parsley and crusted bread. Serve and enjoy!

Chicken Lo Mein (83 of 150)

Yay. I have a recipe to add to my 2023 favorites! This recipe was delicious. Well, the way I made it was. I did make a couple modifications. 

Making Chinese food at home is so much better than ordering out. It's less expensive, and you know what it's going into it. It's also often just faster. 

The original recipe has this being made in an Instant Pot. I don't have one of those, so I followed the stove top instructions. 

Now for the modifications. I wanted to use what I had on hand. I didn't have mushrooms or spinach. I swapped those out with water chestnuts and snow peas. I dropped those in at the last minute to just warm through. 

Other than that, I followed the rest of the recipe. Don't skimp out and NOT buy Lo Mein noodles. That makes all the difference. Oh, yah. I had to add about 2 tsp of cornstarch at the end. It was still too liquidy. I don't think you need as much chicken stock as it calls for. 

Chicken Lo Mein

Recipe from My Kitchen Escapades

Serves 4

• 1 T vegetable oil
• 1 pound chicken breasts, diced
• 1 carrot, julienned
• 1/2 onion, chopped
• 1 c chopped portabella mushrooms
• 3 c fresh spinach
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 1/2 c chicken broth
• 3 T soy sauce
• 2 tsp rice wine vinegar
• 2 tsp brown sugar
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• 1 tsp oyster sauce
• 1/2 tsp ground ginger
• 1/2 tsp sriracha
• 8 ounces lo mein noodles

Sauté and add vegetable oil. 

Add carrot, onion, mushrooms, spinach, and garlic and sauté for 2 minutes. Add chicken and cook until brown. Add remaining ingredients, simmer for 10 minutes. 

Stir the noodles together, and serve immediately.