Parmesan Pasta with Meat Sauce

This is a great, easy, satisfying recipe from my mother-in-law. My husband has been requesting this meal for a couple of months now so I was thrilled when I called his mom for the recipe and found out I had all the ingredients on hand! The only exception was the penne pasta, but I substituted thin spaghetti and all was well.

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Parmesan Pasta with Meat Sauce

serves 4

1 lb hamburger
salt and pepper
2 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley
2 cans beef broth OR 4 cups water and 4 tsp (or cubes) beef bouillon
8 oz uncooked penne pasta (or another kind)
2 Tbsp butter
1/4 cup fresh shredded parmesan

Brown ground beef in a large skillet, drain off fat, and season with salt and pepper. Be generous with the pepper.

Add parsley and broth and simmer for 5 minutes.

Cook the pasta according to package directions, drain, and toss with butter and parmesan.

Place pasta in individual serving bowls and top with beef and broth mixture.

This recipe is featured in Menu Plan 11.

Crock Pot Ribs

I have come to the conclusion that I never need to go out to eat for good ribs ever again. These ribs are just as good as any I have had in a restaurant. They start out in the crock pot then finish on the grill for a great texture and flavor. Give them a try next time you want to make your loved one a special meal!

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Crock Pot Ribs

1 rack baby back ribs
1 bottle barbecue sauce (we like Sweet Baby Ray's)
1 can Dr. Pepper (not diet)

Cut the rack into 2-3 pieces and place in your crock pot.

Pour the can of soda and bottle of barbecue sauce over the ribs (reserving 1/2 cup barbecue sauce for basting later).

Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours. You don't want to overcook these, they should be tender but not quite falling off the bone. You can serve them like this, but we prefer to finish cooking them on the grill.

Heat your grill to high, place ribs on grill then turn heat to low and cook 15-20 minutes. The initial high heat will add a nice crust.

Don't these look great?! Serve with mashed potatoes and steamed broccoli or asparagus.

This recipe is featured in Menu Plan 11.

Sugar Cookies

Happy Valentine's Day! For a fun family night, try making these cookies with your kids, using heart shaped cookie cutters and pink frosting!

This is my mother-in-law's recipe and it produces by far the most delicious and beautiful sugar cookies I have ever tasted. I was never a fan of sugar cookies in the past, usually they are dry and tasteless and I could never get them to look nice.

Enter this recipe. I wish I was a better cookie froster, these are cute but pretty boring (although so yummy)!




All the cookie decorating talent in my family belongs to my husband. Check out this Achmed the Dead Terrorist he made!

Note: try freezing these cookies, they are delicious eaten right out of the freezer.







printable recipe

Sugar Cookies

yield: 2 dozen cookies using 2 inch cookie cutter

1/2 cup butter

1 cup sugar

1 egg

1/2 cup sour cream

1tsp. vanilla

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

3 1/4 cup flour

Cream butter and sugar together in a bowl.

Add egg, sour cream and vanilla.

Mix until well blended.

In a separate bowl, combine dry ingredients. Gradually beat dry ingredients into wet ingredients then chill dough until firm.

Roll out dough to about 1/2 inch thick.

Cut into desired shapes.

Place on a cookie sheet and bake at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes or until cookies start to brown on the bottom.

Frosting

Mix together:

1/3 cup butter

1/3 cup shortening

2 tsp vanilla

a pinch of salt

3 Tbsp + 1 tsp milk

Beat in 3 1/3 cup powdered sugar until fluffy

Add a few drops of food coloring, if desired.

Spread frosting on cookies.

Allow frosting to set, if you can.

Hehe.

This recipe is featured in Menu Plan 11.

Menu: Week of February 14-20

On Monday we returned to Denver after 11 days in Montana visiting family and friends. My kids got to play with their cousins, I reconnected with old friends, and we all said goodbye to a dear brother/uncle who just left for two years to serve a mission in Brazil.

Hannah (in the background) playing with her cousin Jane

It was wonderful. The only downside is I feel like I've been spending the several days since then playing catch-up: on the blog, the housework, and the laundry. Oh, the laundry...

So last week's menu plan never really came to fruition. I made a couple of the recipes here and here but I never got around to making the shopping list for the blog. So I am re-working that menu plan to use this week, complete with a shopping list.

Some of the recipes for this week's menu plan already have links and others I will add the links as we go, as usual. As usual, I'm linking up with I'm an Organizing Junkie for Menu Plan Monday.

Meatless Monday: Jamaican Rice and Peas - a vegetarian dish, you might want to serve this with a roast and gravy if you are opposed to meatless fare

Tuesday: Cheesy Green Chile Chicken and Zesty Jalapeño Corn Muffins 

Wednesday: Garlic Chicken Stir-fry 


Thursday: Leftover/Takeout Night

Friday: White Chicken Pizza 

Saturday: Parmesan Pasta with Meat Sauce - My husband requested this favorite recipe from his mom

Sunday: Crock Pot Ribs and Mashed Potatoes - I want my baby back, baby back, baby back...

Family Night Treat: Sugar Cookies - in honor of Valentine's Day, have fun decorating these with your loved ones

What do you say? Ready for a yummy week? Let's get shopping!


The amounts listed here are for a family of 3-4. If you are feeding a larger family, double the amounts that are asterisked. For Menu Plan Explanation, click here. For all of my menu plans, click here.

printable shopping list

Pantry:
rice
flour
white sugar
corn meal
powdered sugar (1 bag)
yeast
baking powder
baking soda
salt
vanilla
olive oil
shortening
soy sauce
sesame oil
coriander seeds
thyme
cumin
taco seasoning
crushed red pepper
*8 oz penne pasta (or whatever you have on hand)
*1 can kidney beans
*1 can coconut milk
1 can artichoke hearts in water
1 can corn
*1 can whole green chilies
*2 cans of beef broth, or 4 tsp beef bouillon granules
*sun-dried tomatoes in oil (1/4 cup)
1 can dr. pepper (not diet)
1 bottle of your favorite barbecue sauce (we love Sweet Baby Ray's)


Fresh:
*2 bunches scallions (green onions) - 3 if doubling
potatoes (your favorite kind for mashed potatoes, in the amount you need for one meal for your family)
1 head garlic
1 red onion
1 red bell pepper
1 bunch cilantro
1 jalapeno
*1 lime (or 1 Tbsp lime juice)
3 sticks butter
8 oz sour cream
1 egg
milk (about 2 cups needed)
*8 oz shredded Italian blend cheese (mozzarella, provolone, romano, parmesan, asiago, etc)
*4 oz mozzarella (block form)
*1 1/2 lb chicken breast
*4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
*1 rack of baby back ribs
*1 lb ground beef

Garlic Chicken Stir-fry

This recipe from my mom was a favorite of mine growing up, and I continue to make it often today. I love that it uses ingredients that I always have on hand (with the occasional exception of the green onions). It's easy to make, inexpensive, and tasty, with a little kick to it.

printable recipe

Garlic Chicken Stir-fry

1 lb boneless skinless chicken breast

3 cloves garlic, minced

1/4 cup soy sauce

3 tsp sesame oil

1 tsp black pepper

1 tsp crushed coriander seeds

1/2 tsp sugar

1/8 tsp red pepper flakes

8 green onions

3 Tbsp olive oil

Slice the green onions into half-inch slices.

Cut chicken breasts into 1 inch cubes and place in a medium-sized bowl.

Add the garlic to the chicken.

Top with green onions, soy sauce, sesame oil, black pepper, coriander, sugar, and red pepper.

Stir ingredients until well-blended. Cover and place in refrigerator for 30-60 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Heat olive oil over medium-high heat in a large skillet. Add the chicken mixture.

Cook and stir until chicken is cooked through, about 5-8 minutes.

Serve over rice.

This recipe is featured in Menu Plan 11.