Valentine's Day Chocolate Fondue Family Tradition

 

A couple years ago I found a fondue kit, brand new and still in the box, at Goodwill for just a few dollars. It sat in the cupboard until Valentine's Day when I decided to start a new family tradition.  So VD is the only time we have our chocolate fondue party.

 

1 bag of milk chocolate chips

various dipping items like strawberries, bananas, cream puffs, pound cake, marshmallows, potato chips and pretzels.  Have fun with it and try a bunch of things!  Melt the chocolate chips in the microwave in a microwave safe bowl (I was lazy this year and didn't use my fondue pot on the stove since it's the 19th and the kids were at their dads on the 14th lol), stir every 30 seconds until melted all the way.  Happy Dipping!

 

Pink Spaghetti

 

 

Ok, it's more orange but pink sounds more fun. lol My husband's mom made spaghetti "often" when he was young, so it hasn't been his favorite.  I tried a "vodka" spaghetti once and it was really good so I tried this with the family and it was a hit.  Pretty basic and simple using store bought items. 

 

16 oz (1 pound) thin spaghetti noodles

1 pound ground beef or turkey

1 tsp minced garlic

powdered onion flavor to taste

salt and pepper to taste

Italian seasoning to taste

1 15 oz can tomato sauce

1 16 oz can Alfredo sauce

 

Cook noodles according to package. In the mean time, brown hamburger with garlic, onion flavor, salt, pepper and Italian seasoning. Once the hamburger is cooked through, add the tomato sauce and alfredo sauce, mix and let simmer on low.  When the noodles are cooked, drain the water and add the noodles to the meat sauce.  Stir and serve. 



Baked ham and cheese sandwiches

I made these today for Super Bowl Sunday. I made them with brown sugar in the sauce but the kids said they were too sweet. So I'm leaving that out of the recipe. 

1 pkg Hawaiian sweet rolls (I used mini sub size)

1 pkg thin sliced deli ham

6-8 slices Swiss or American cheese

1 stick of butter

2 tsp onion powder

3 tbsp Dijon or yellow mustard

1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce

3 tsp poppy seeds

Directions:

Cut the whole sheet of rolls so you have a sheet of tops and bottoms. Line 9x13 pan with foil and place bottom sheet in the pan. 

Melt butter in microwave in bowl and whisk all ingredients except ham and cheese. Pour HALF mixture over bottom sheet in the pan. 

Layer ham then cheese slices over bottom sheet of rolls. Put top on sandwiches and pour the rest if the butter mixture over the top. 

Cover with foil and bake at 350 for 20 min. You can make ahead with sauce and keep refrigerated until ready to bake. 

Cut apart after uncovering and serve hot. Serves 6. 

Faith's Sausage Potato Soup

 

Ok, first of all, I made up this recipe all by myself! Hubby and I ate at Olive Garden a few weeks ago and for the first time passed on the salad and got soup.  I can't remember the long Italian name of the sausage and dumpling soup I had, but it was *really* good.  Hubs had the other one that was sausage and potatoes.  One of them had kale, but I can't remember which.  So today I made spaghetti with sausage for the first time and decided to use half the sausage for soup.  Here's what I came up with and it's really good.  Hubby thinks it gives OG a run for their money!!! REALLY???!!! Look out Top Chef, here I come! lol

Faith's Sausage Potato Soup

1 pound ground pork sausage (the kind in the tube, I used "original" or maybe it was "mild"?)
4 beef bullion cubes
1 can Cream of Mushroom soup
1 can sausage gravy (I know, weird, but I told you I made this recipe up by myself!)
3 handfuls of fresh spinach (I didn't really measure, but a little extra wouldn't hurt anyone)
4-6 red potatoes diced
salt and pepper to taste
dry Italian seasoning to taste

Brown pork sausage. Add 6-8 cups of water to a large pot.  After sausage is cooked through, add to pot of water, turn on high. Add bullion cubes, COM soup, can of sausage gravy, stir. While this starts to heat up, dice up red potatoes. Add them to pot along with the fresh spinach.  Add some shakes of salt and pepper and several shakes of Italian seasoning to taste.  Bring to a boil, turn down heat and cook until potatoes are soft. Enjoy!

Apple-Dijon Pork Roast

APPLE-DIJON PORK ROAST

 

 

1 pork shoulder roast (about 2 1/2 pounds)

1/2 cup apple sauce

1/4 cup apple juice

1/2 cup Dijon mustard

 

Place the roast in the insert of a slow cooker with 1/2 cup water.

 

In a small bowl, whisk together the applesauce, apple juice, and Dijon mustard.  Pour over the roast. Cook on low for 7-8 hours.

 

Serve with sautéed red potatoes and steamed broccoli.

 

This was really good.  The pork practically fell apart.

 



Cheesy Burrito Casserole

CHEESY BURRITO CASSEROLE

 

Prep Time: 20 mins

Total Time: 50 mins

Servings: 8-10

 

                    Ingredients:

• 1 lb ground beef or 1 lb ground turkey*
• 1/2 medium yellow onion, chopped
• 1 (1 1/4 ounce) packages taco seasoning
• 6 large flour tortillas*
• 1 (16 ounce) cans refried beans*
• 2 -3 cups shredded taco cheese or 2 -3 cups cheddar cheese*
• 1 (10 3/4 ounce) cans cream of mushroom soup*
• 4 ounces sour cream*  (I used 12oz cottage cheese) 
• extra sour cream, salsa and/or guacamole to add on the top

                  Directions:

1. Brown ground meat/turkey and onion; drain.
2. Add taco seasoning and stir in refried beans.
3. Mix soup and sour cream in a separate bowl.
4. Spread 1/2 sour cream mixture in the bottom of a casserole dish.
5. Tear up 3 tortillas and spread over sour cream mixture.
6. Put 1/2 the meat bean mixture over that.
7. Add a layer of cheese.
8. Add hot sauce if you want spicy
9. Repeat the layers.
10. Sprinkle cheese over the top and bake, uncovered, at 350°F for 20-30 minutes.
11. *can use low fat or fat free

http://www.FAITHfulCooking.blogspot.com

This was easy for me to do.  I didn't have sour cream, so I decided to be brave and use cottage cheese and it still turned out!!! And the best thing, the kids LOVED it!  And hubby too. =)

Fried Irish Cabbage with Bacon

 

Fried Irish Cabbage with Bacon

Ingredients:

1 (12 ounce) package bacon
1/4 cup bacon drippings
1 small head cabbage, cored and finely
chopped
ground black pepper to taste

Directions:

Cook bacon in a deep skillet over medium heat until crisp, 5 to 7 minutes.

Remove bacon from skillet and drain on a paper towel-lined plate. Reserve 1/4 cup drippings in skillet.

Cook and stir cabbage in hot bacon drippings over medium heat until cabbage wilts, 5 to 7 minutes.

Crumble bacon over cabbage. Stir and simmer until bacon is warmed, 2 to 3 minutes.

Season with black pepper to taste. 
http://www.faithfulcooking.blogspot.com
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I made this for a dinner party with friends over the weekend.  It was so easy and really good.  I'm proud of myself that I didn't screw it up!  It took longer to cook the bacon than I thought it would, so we were a few minutes late to the party.  lol