Super Easy Spaghetti Sauce

I have been really tired of canned spaghetti sauce. I just don't like it. So we haven't had spaghetti for a long time. But I was in a bind and needed a quick dinner so this is what I came up my own sauce. It was simple and yummy and my whole family LOVED it!

1 lb ground beef
1 quart jar of bottled tomatoes (from my dad's garden in Arizona) (or 32 oz stewed tomatoes)
1 clove garlic, minced
1 small onion chopped
Italian Seasoning
Salt
Pepper

Saute garlic and onions in a large pot. Add ground beef and season with salt and pepper and brown. Drain fat. In your food processor or blender, puree tomatoes to remove chunks. (My kids are anti-chucks but you may like some chunks...) Add tomatoes to beef. Season with Italian Seasoning. Bring to a boil and simmer with out a lid to boil off excess water from tomatoes. You may want to taste and see if you need more salt or pepper. Serve over spaghetti noodles.

You can also get really creative and add other vegetables like carrots, peppers, or what ever you can think of! I would love to know what you add.

Enjoy!

Sunday Roast

Beef Roast
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 pkg onion soup mix
1-2 Beef bouillon

In a slow cooker mix soup mixes together, add beef bouillon.  Place Roast over soup mixes, brush the roast with a little of the soup mixture.  Cook on Low 4-6 hours.

The dripping from the meat with the soup mix makes a really yummy gravy.  When I do it I Strain my dripping when putting them in a sauce pan.

This makes a really Yummy, super easy Sunday dinner.

Slow Cooker Hashbrown Breakfast Casserole

30oz pkg plain frozen shredded hash browns
4 already been cooked  sausage or diced ham
1/2 onion- diced
1 1/2 cups shredded cheese
12 eggs
1 cup skim milk
1 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp black pepper

Spray inside of slow cooker with cooking spray.  Dump in the whole package of hash browns.  Spread evenly & Break up big clumps.

In mixing bowl, mix eggs with milk, salt, pepper, cheese, and cut up meat and onions.  Pour over hashbrowns cook low 6-8 hours.  Done when the eggs are fully cooked and edges start to brown.

** when I made this I added more sausage and bacon.
Devin and I really liked it, but the kids were not big fans.

Chocolate Drop Quickies

(ie.. no bake cookies)

2 cups sugar
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup cocoa
1/2 cup milk
3 cups quick rolled oats
1/2 cup chopped nuts (optional)
1 tsp vanilla

Mix sugar, butter, cocoa and milk in saucepan.  Bring to boil quickly.  Reduce heat to medium and boil 3-4 minutes, or until a little dropped into cold water forms a soft ball (234 degrees). Remove from heat. Stir in rolled oats, nuts and vanilla.  Drop by teaspoonfuls onto waxed paper; let stand until hardened.  Store in refrigerator, if desired.  Makes about 3 dozen cookies.

Aprel's Red Beans and Rice

1 8 oz package of Red Beans (Camilla red beans are the best but you can't get them here. Sad. But you can order them online. )
1 yellow onion chopped
1 green pepper chopped
2 stalks of celery chopped, including the leaves)
1 package smoked sausage (Not ground raw sausage. This is by the hot dogs and looks like this.)
3 cups of uncooked rice

Rinse your beans in a strainer. In a large crock pot, put beans, onion, green pepper, celery. Fill to the top with water leaving about an inch. Set on high and let cook for 4-6 hours. Once beans are soft smash some with the back of the spoon against the side of the crock pot. This will help thicken it a bit.) Cut up sausage into rings and then cut the rings in half. Add sausage to crock pot. Taste beans, add salt and pepper to taste. Add Tony Chachere's Creole seasoning for some kick. Cook for 1-2 more hours on low with the lid off of the crock pot.

Cook the rice in 6 cups of water.

To serve, place rice in the bottom of a bowl. Pour red beans over top. ENJOY!

Creamy Italian Chicken

2-3 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 envelope italian dressing mix
1/4 cups water
4 oz cream cheese
1 can cream of chicken soup

place chicken breasts into slow cooker, mix water and italian seasoning mix and pour over chicken, cook 4 hours on low.  for the last hour shred chicken (don't remove any liquid) and mix together cream cheese and cream of chicken soup and mix into shredded chicken.

serve over egg noodles or rice.

Creamy Slow Cooker Chicken

1 envelope dry onion soup mix
2 cups sour cream
10 3/4oz can cream of mushroom soup
6 boneless skinless chicken breast halves

Combine soup mix, sour cream, and cream of mushroom in slow cooker.  Add chicken, pushing it down so it is submerged in sauce.
Cover and Cook on low for 8 hours.
*during the last hour of cook time, shredded chicken and mix well with sauce*

Serve over Rice or Egg Noodles.


*** Cream of chicken soup can also replace 1 cup sour cream, it just not as rich of a flavor***