Spaghetti Pie

This isn't really a "recipe" but I thought I would share this dish with you all just in case it had never occurred to you to try it.  If you're like me, then spaghetti is one of your household staples. My husband loves it; it's cheap; it's relatively good for you; and it's fast. However, in order to break up the monotony of spaghetti (even though I often fix it different ways to keep the flavors lively), I sometimes make what I call spaghetti pie.

 

This was a little over-browned (woops!) but still tasty!

It's essentially spaghetti, but it's baked in a pie plate and is generously interspersed with Italian cheeses. To make it, prepare the same amount of spaghetti noodles as you normally would, then drain them and drizzle with olive oil to keep the noodles from sticking to one another. (I've also read that adding olive oil to your spaghetti helps your body absorb lycopene, which is a powerful antioxidant found in tomatoes.) The rest is just layering and baking.  Very easy and something different than everyday spaghetti!

Spaghetti Pie

Spaghetti Noodles (prepared)

Spaghetti Sauce (prepared)
Blended Italian cheeses
Parmesan cheese

In a pie plate or square baking dish, layer above ingredients making sure to generously coat the spaghetti noodles with sauce. (Using a meat sauce will increase the heartiness of the meal.)  Finish layering with cheeses and place in moderate oven (350 degrees) for about 30 minutes or until cheese is well-browned.
Serve with garlic bread/toast and salad.

Granny's Biscuits

Hi, everyone! I have been so busy for a couple weeks now and it has me seriously behind on my blogging.  I guess you could say I've had spring fever lately and it's kept me busy with all kinds of stuff.

One of my favorite things to make, regardless of what the item actually is, is something that reminds me of someone.  Food has a way of taking you to a happy place filled with love and memories of people that you have cared about.  As I have said before, there are a million ways to make biscuits and it seems that every cook has her own, unique, trademark way of doing it.  Granny's biscuits are no exception.

Granny's biscuits are one-of-a-kind and oh-so-good!

Granny's biscuits are very unique; I have never known anyone to make them the way she did, and she said that she didn't either.  As a rule, biscuits are simply a mixture of flour, baking powder, salt, milk and fat.  Granny however, simply used self-rising flour (which already includes the baking powder and salt) and buttermilk.  That's it!  And they are soo good! She claimed that she came upon making them that way accidentally as she and my grandfather (who was slowly dying of heart failure) had very little money after my grandfather could no longer work.  She said she just started leaving the fat out of the biscuits in order to conserve resources, and had no idea that she was creating a masterpiece in the process!  So, here's the recipe:

Granny's Biscuits

2 c. self-rising flour (plus more for handling)
1 c. buttermilk (approximately)
About 2-3 T. oil

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.  In a large, cast-iron skillet (or an old-fashioned black bread tin, if you happen to have one) pour enough oil to coat the bottom of the skillet or tin. Pour off any excess. (There should be a generous amount of oil in the skillet, but you don't want any to be standing.) In a mixing bowl, pour buttermilk into flour all at once, and stir vigorously until blended.  Be careful to not over-beat.  Turn out onto generously floured surface and sprinkle with flour.  Dip hands into flour, and using index fingers, pinch off enough dough for one biscuit.  Roll gently between hands to form and then lay in skillet.  Repeat with remaining dough.  Using a spoon, coat biscuit dough individually with oil, but be careful to remove any excess oil that may run-off and pool up between biscuits. (The idea is to make sure biscuits are well-coated on all sides with oil, but not soaking in it.)  Place in oven and bake for about 10-12 minutes or until well-browned on top.  Remove immediately and serve hot.  These are especially good with homemade apple butter. 

If you're like me, and you like the crunchy part of any bread, you can also fix yourself an individual "biscuit" by using a separate skillet and patting out about 2 biscuits worth of dough in it like you would pat out a pizza crust.  It will bake up crisp and delicious!!!

The interesting thing about her biscuits is that they are crunchy on the outside (due to the oil basically frying the dough) and very moist and chewy on the inside.  I promise they are unlike any you have ever had, but if you make them right, you will be making them again. 

Enchiladas

Hi, everyone! I've not been feeling well lately and have been super busy, thus my lack of blogging.  However, things are settling down somewhat, and I thought I would share one of my new favorite meals with you guys--turkey enchiladas (which go great with Spanish rice).  I know what you're thinking....and yes, I meant to write "turkey."  Of course, if you're not hip with using turkey in place of ground beef, you could always use it instead (or even shredded chicken or pork for that matter).  I have been buying it lately for two reasons: it is cheaper than ground beef/chuck, and it's better for you.  If you're not confident that the rest of your family will happily swallow turkey enchiladas, then do what I did---don't tell them it's turkey! Haha! The first time I made this, my husband had no idea that it wasn't ground beef and he loved them. It wasn't until later in the grocery that he spotted me buying turkey and then proclaimed that he would not be eating anything I made with it...that's when I confessed to my little switcheroo, and he had to eat his words. (Cheesy, I know, but I had to say it...Haha!)

Enchiladas

1 lb. ground turkey or beef
1 package of McCormick Enchilada Sauce Seasoning
1 (8 oz) can of tomato sauce
1 1/2 c. water
8 (6-inch) flour or corn tortillas
1-2 c. Mexican blend cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium saucepan, make enchilada sauce according to package directions. (1 package seasoning + 1 1/2 c. water + 8 oz. tomato sauce).  Brown the ground turkey or beef in a hot skillet and drain any fat. Transfer 1/2 c. of enchilada sauce to ground turkey or beef.  Take each tortilla, and dip into enchilada sauce to thoroughly coat.  Transfer to baking dish.  Lay tortilla flat, and place two generous spoonfuls of turkey or beef onto center, then roll up, leaving the tortilla edge on the bottom.  Repeat with remaining tortillas.  Pour remaining enchilada sauce over the enchiladas, being sure to generously coat them.  Top with cheese and bake for 15 minutes.  Serve hot with Spanish rice or refried beans.

Yummy is all I've got to say about these babies!