Spaghetti Pie

This recipe comes from one of my favorite sources: Mel's Kitchen Cafe.  She says this is her family's favorite meal.  I haven't had spaghetti pie since I was a kid but I decided to give this recipe a try the other night and I thought it was delicious.  I used regular spaghetti noodles because that's what I had on hand but I think the thin ones would be better. 

Spaghetti Pie

12 ounces thin spaghetti or vermicelli noodles
1 pound lean ground beef or ground turkey
1 small white or yellow onion, diced
1 clove garlic, finely minced (or 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder)
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
28-ounce can crushed tomatoes (I used diced.)
16-ounces tomato sauce
1 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
4 ounces light cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup lowfat cottage cheese
3/4 cup Parmesan cheese, divided
3/4 cup mozzarella cheese, divided

Lightly coat a deep 9 or 10-inch pie plate with cooking spray and set aside.  (If you don't have a really deep pie plate, use a square or rectangular pan - I used a 9X13.) Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

In a large pot of boiling, salted water, cook the noodles until al dente according to package directions. While the noodles boil, heat a large 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat and add the ground beef or turkey, breaking it into pieces with a wooden spoon. Add the onion, garlic, salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally and continuing to break up the meat, until the meat is cooked through, 5-7 minutes. Remove the skillet from the heat and drain the excess grease, if any. Return the skillet to medium heat and stir in the crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, dried basil and oregano. Simmer the sauce over medium or medium-low heat for 10 minutes.

When the noodles are done cooking, drain and return to the pot. Immediately stir in the cream cheese and toss the noodles by lightly lifting them up and over with tongs until the cream cheese is mostly melted. Stir in the cottage cheese, 1/2 cup of the Parmesan cheese and 1/2 cup of the mozzarella cheese. Toss until the noodles are evenly coated. Stir in 2 cups of the red sauce. Keep the remainder of the red sauce warm on the stove.

Scrape the noodles into the prepared pie plate and using a flat spatula, press the noodles evenly into the dish so they are tightly pressed together and evenly flat across the top. Sprinkle the remaining 1/4 cup Parmesan and 1/4 cup mozzarella cheese across the top.

Bake the spaghetti pie for 20-22 minutes, until it is hot and bubbly and the cheese is golden on top. Let the dish rest for 10 minutes. Cut into slices and serve with remaining red sauce.

Chicken Tortilla Soup

I tried a new chicken tortilla soup recipe tonight and really liked it so I'm adding it to my collection.  We officially have soup weather around here and I love it.  (Not the weather necessarily, but the excuse to make soup!)  I had to photograph the picture in the cookbook because I was in too much of a rush tonight to take a picture of the soup I made and it was gone by the time I came home.  This recipe comes from my "Crock-Pot" Cookbook.

Chicken Tortilla Soup

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 cans (15 oz. each) diced tomatoes, undrained
1 can (4 oz.) chopped mild green chiles, drained (I didn't drain mine.)
1/2 cup - 1 cup chicken broth (I used frozen chicken breasts so I didn't add any broth.)
1 yellow onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp. ground cumin
salt and pepper to taste

4 corn tortillas, sliced into 1/4" strips (I didn't have any so we ate the soup with Fritos corn chips on top instead.)
2 Tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro (I used about a tsp. dried.)
1/2 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese (I used sharp cheddar.)
1 avocado, peeled, diced and tossed with lime juice to prevent browning

1. Place chicken in slow cooker.  Combine tomatoes, chiles, 1/2 cup broth, onion, garlic and cumin in small bowl.  Pour mixture over chicken.  Cover and cook on low for 6 hours or until chicken is tender.

2.  Remove chicken from slow cooker and shred with two forks.  Return to cooking liquid.  Adjust seasonings, adding salt, pepper and more broth, as desired.

3.  Just before serving, add tortillas and cilantro (if you use dried, add it in step one) to slow cooker.  **At this point I also added about half a cup of sour cream.  Stir to blend.  Serve in soup bowls, topping each serving with cheese and avocado.

Mini Pumpkin Cheesecake Tarts

My friend Marianne made these for a church function we had a few years ago and they were delicious!  I had to bring a dessert to another church function tonight and immediately thought of these.  I'm so glad I have this recipe now - thanks Marianne!  I doubled this recipe and it filled 30 baking cups, each 3/4 full.  Also, the original recipe didn't call for whipped topping but it makes all the difference.  Marianne adds a little cinnamon to hers and it's the perfect touch.

Mini Pumpkin Cheesecake Tarts

12 gingersnap cookies (just store-bought ones, the crunchier the better so they don't get soggy)
1 (8 oz.) package cream cheese, softened (I almost always use Neufchatel - less fat)
1 cup canned pumpkin
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
1 tsp. vanilla
2 eggs

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Place 12 muffin cup liners in a muffin tin. Place a gingersnap cookie in the bottom of each liner. Beat cream cheese, pumpkin, sugar, pumpkin pie spice, and vanilla until well blended. Add the eggs and beat well. Divide batter equally among the 12 muffin cups. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until set. Cool in the pan on a wire rack. Remove from the pan and chill before serving.  Top with a dollop of whipped topping.

Whipped Topping:

1 cup heavy whipping cream
powdered sugar to taste (about 1/3 cup)
sprinkling of cinnamon (about 1/2 tsp.)

With an electric hand mixer, beat the whipping cream on high speed.  Once it has started to stiffen, add in powdered sugar and cinnamon.  Continue to beat until correct consistency.


 

Guacamole

I can't believe I used to not like this stuff!  Now I can't get enough.  This recipe is really tasty and the addition of lime juice keeps the guacamole from turning brown right away.

Guacamole

2-3 medium avocados
1 T. fresh squeezed lime juice (I used the juice from half of one lime.)
1-2 cloves fresh minced garlic
2 T. finely minced onion (You could omit.)
2 heaping spoonfuls of sour cream
Salt to taste

Optional: 3-4 T. finely diced tomatoes

Scoop out avocados from skins and mash in a bowl with a fork.  Add remaining ingredients and combine well.  If possible, make at least 30 minutes ahead of time so flavors can blend well.