Spaghetti Pie

4 oz uncooked spaghetti
1/2 lb lean ground beef
1 small green pepper, chopped (1/2 c)
1 small onion, chopped (1/4 c)
1 jar (14 oz) tomato pasta sauce
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2 large eggs
1 cup small curd cottage cheese
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Cook & drain spaghetti as directed on package. Cook beef, bell pepper, and onion. Stir in pasta sauce, chili powder, salt and pepper. Cook until sauce thickens. Place spaghetti in a 10 inch glass pie plate; gently press on bottom and 1 inch up side of pie plate. In a small bowl, mix cottage cheese and eggs and pour over spaghetti. Spoon beef mixture over cottage cheese mixture and sprinkle cheese on the top. Bake covered for 35-45 minutes and let stand 5 minutes or so before cutting.

McKay LOVES spaghetti pie. He'll eat more of it than any other meal. Once in a while I tell McKay to 'say cheese' when I am going to take his picture. As I was getting ready to take this picture I said 'say... ' and he said 'cheese!' and grinned. I guess he remembered. ;)

This recipe is out of my Betty Crocker Cookbook and was one of those 'new recipes' that gets a permanent flag. The recipe doubles nicely and freezes well. I don't always put the bell pepper in; Jordan & I really like it but McKay only asks for seconds instead of thirds and fourths.

Sunday Dinner

For the first time ever I have been able to experiment with new recipes and have fun cooking. I have always been way too busy before to cook anything that took too much time or creativity. Most of the recipes I have been trying don't take a super long time but they are different so the newness factor makes them take a little longer for me. I have also been trying to find some yummy recipes that are healthy. Yesterday for dinner we had Italian Crusted Talapia and it was really good!

I pretty much followed the recipe for the talapia (except I toasted my own bread crumbs - can't waste that end-slice!) but the rice was the experiment. I used 1 1/3 c. water, 1/2 c. brown rice, 1 cube chicken bullion, 1 teaspoon Italian Seasoning, about 1/8 teaspoon garlic salt, and a couple of shakes of paprika. The water & rice are the amounts you normally use for 2 servings of brown rice. Next time I will probably add 1 Tablespoon more of water, but it was still really good and wonderful with the talapia! Add to the fish & rice steamed broccoli, carrots & summer squash and we had a delicious & healthy dinner! Definitely one we will repeat!

Garden Tuna Pasta Salad

I got this recipe at an enrichment activity just before we left Utah and it is quickly becoming a favorite.

1 cup Mayo or Miracle Whip (1/2 c. of each is best)
1/3 cup milk
1 TB Vinegar
1 tsp Salt
8 oz Spiral Pasta cooked & rinsed in cold water
1 6 oz can Tuna drained
2 medium tomatoes diced
1 small cucumber

Combine the first 4 ingredients. Add Pasta, Tuna, Tomatoes, and Cucumber. Best served chilled.