Elise's Spaghetti

Dan used to dislike spaghetti. Now, he loves it. Here's why.

Noodles: ALWAYS use Angel Hair instead of Spaghetti. Cooks faster, feels less rubbery, holds the sauce better. Well I guess you don't HAVE to, but everyone in my household greatly prefers it.

Serve with this sauce:
1 tbs. olive oil
1 large onion (white or yellow), chopped
1 large clove of garlic, pressed or finely chopped
1 lb. ground beef
1 12 oz. package of white mushrooms, sliced
1 red or green bell pepper, chopped
1 yellow or orange bell pepper, chopped
OPTIONAL--1 small zucchini, grated
1 15 oz. can tomato sauce
2 fresh tomatoes, diced OR 1 can of PETITE diced tomatoes
Italian Seasoning
Salt

Saute the onion, garlic, and beef in the olive oil in a LARGE skillet. You don't want to use a deep pot--you need room for the mushrooms!

I like to add some Italian seasoning and salt here so the meat has plenty of time to soak in the flavor. But you can also do it at the end if you forget. I am very generous with my seasoning. Probably like 1-2 tbs. (My mix of Italian Seasoning has Basil, Oregano, Thyme, Rosemary, Marjoram, Garlic.)

Add the mushrooms and cook until they are browned. This feels like a lot of mushrooms, but go ahead. Add the whole pack. They really shrink down.

Add the bell peppers (and zucchini), cook to desired softness.

Add tomato sauce and diced tomatoes. If I'm using fresh tomatoes, I turn off the heat after just a minute--I like them still fresh and firm. With canned, it doesn't really make a difference. Just heat them through.

Serve with Parmesan cheese, or any of your favorite cheeses.

Chicken-Mango-Pineapple Salad

I sort of forgot about this blog. Did you?

Today I made a chicken-mango-pineapple salad. I cooked the chicken in lime juice and honey.
Here's my recipe:

• 1 lb chicken breasts, sliced and sauteed with juice from 1 lime and 2 Tbsp honey. I didn't use any oil.
• 1 head romaine lettuce, broken into bite-sized pieces
• 1/2 fresh pineapple, peeled, hulled, and chopped
• 1 mango, peeled and chopped

I used this dressing here. It was delicious. Even Violet liked it. I'm not sure why they called it a vinaigrette dressing though. There was no vinegar in it. Dan called it "restaurant-worthy."

I do wish I'd had some avocados to throw in the salad. Then it would've been perfecto. Next time for sure.

Mom's Meusli

This is what Mom made us for breakfast this morning:

1 c. rolled oats
1 grated apple
1/2 c. yogurt
1 handful of raisins
sprinkle of cinnamon
1/4 tsp. vanilla
1/4 c. chopped nuts (opt.)

50 Best Mom Food Blogs, by Babble

Check out this list here. There's a Gluten Free blog for you, Jen. And I love some of the names of the others:

The Saucy Apron
The Wicked Noodle
Steamy Kitchen

Awesome.

Share Recipes?

Do you girls (Mom, Kat, Jen, future sisters-in-law, sisters) want to share recipes? I just made this blog and thought it would be fun to have a place to share recipes, cooking tips, health advice, etc. What do you think?