Gravy Meatball Pasta

I noticed that my recipe blogs get a lot of hits and since I am working on several writing projects and developing my own company (stay tuned!) I have not had extra time to devote to my blog. I thought I could manage to post a great recipe that my family loves. You will be happy to know it takes no time at all.

If you have read any of my recipe posts, you know that I am a little bit of this and a little bit of that type of gal. When trying to cook for six-you have to learn to be quick and that I am.

Gravy Meatball Pasta

2 jars of beef gravy 

1 or 2 bags of frozen meatballs (we prefer turkey meatballs)

Handfull of Parmesan Cheese

Egg Noodles (you can use whatever you like)

Toss meatballs into gravy, dash salt and pepper and a handfull of parmesan cheese

Boil noodles, once done, spoon the meatballs and gravy over top and serve.

The last time I made this my family couldn’t get enough and my children said I was the best cook in the world. I still laugh at their words because none of it was homemade but it was sure tasty.

THURSDAY THIRTEEN MOM FOODS

Thirteen Things about Maribeth This week my mother celebrated her birthday. Everyone loves their mother’s cooking (I think). My mother is top notch when it comes to cooking and baking. For this Thursday Thirteen I have decided to list thirteen of my favorite dishes I love- compliments of my mother. I have learned to cook from her and hope one day my children will be just as excited by my cooking as I have been by hers. Bon Appetit! 1…. Meat Loaf, mashed potatoes and butter beans. She has a knack for Meatloaf – I love the ends the best, but we always had to leave them for my father. Once in a while I would sneak one. 2…Risotto- This is an Italian dish, It’s rice in a spaghetti sauce. Very delicious and goes great with her homemade meatballs. Yum 3…Oyster Stuffing-A Thanksgiving tradition in our household. I wait all year long to stuff myself with oysters-It wouldn’t be Thanksgiving without this dish 4…Fresh Brewed Iced Tea-Since I was a little girl my mother has been making this, she used to make it in summer’s only but now it’s an everyday thing. She brews the tea bags on the stove and then makes a pitcher of sugar iced tea and a pitcher of unsweetened(my favorite, she knows exactly how much lemon juice to add to make it perfect) 5… Potato Salad-Summer cookouts are especially nice when mom’s potato salad is part of the smorgasbord. 6…Stew and Dumplings-The best stew ever, she drops bisquick dumplings on top of the stew which make this stick to your rib’s dinner the best on a cold winter’s night 7…Chili- Not everyone can make the perfect chili but my mother can (I learned from her so I have to say I make a mean chili too) Perfect with buttered bread and parmesan cheese. You can’t just eat one bowl 8…Rice Pudding-She makes the best rice pudding ever. The consistency is always perfect and it is especially good when still a little warm 9…Pies galore-Every pie she makes is to die for, Apple, Coconut Custard, Pumpkin, she makes a great Apple Dumpling too. I don’t know if I will ever inherit her knack for pie crust. As long as we are talking about baking-I better mention how much I love her bread pudding. 10…Pasties- I am a crust girl, anything with crust I love, so Pasties is definitely one of my favorites. She makes the traditional meat along with broccoli and cheese which are definitely my favorite. 11…Dough Ball Soup-I guess by now it is obvious I love dough (I’m Italian what can I say) this is not the correct name of the soup but it is what our family calls it. It is a tomato based soup filled with yummy dough balls. Again, you wouldn’t be able to eat just one bowl of this 12…Chicken Divan- I think this might be my FAVORITE- Broccoli, Cheese, Chicken and Bread Crumbs, scoop this dish over white rice and add lots of pepper, it is amazing. 13…Ravioli- Hands down the best cheese and meat ravioli ever. Another tradition we have, Christmas time is ravioli making time. I feel sorry for all of the people that never will get to taste one of my mother’s ravioli’s. They cannot be duplicated. 11… Links to other Thursday Thirteens! 1. (leave your link in comments, I’ll add you here!)

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Mmm Mmm Mushrooms

I got some positive feedback from my crab-ravioli recipe so I thought what the heck I would throw another one out there. I am busy writing for a class I just started and only have a few minutes to spare for blog time. I thought this was the perfect opportunity to introduce another yummy recipe. Once again it’s a little bit of this and a little bit of that. I am sure you could make it work.

Mmm Mmm Mushrooms

6 Portabella mushroom caps

1 bag of frozen spinach

-clove of garlic

-roasted red pepper from the bottle

-tablespoon or so of olive oil

-pinch or more of parmesan cheese

-2 or three slices of cheddar cheese per mushroom

Defrost spinach in microwave to save time. Once done fill cap of mushroom with spinach.

Place sliced roasted red pepper on top of spinach 

Top with fresh garlic(as much or little as you like)

Place slices of cheese on top and drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese and a small shake of salt and pepper to top it off.

Wrap mushrooms individually in foil and heat for about ten to fifteen minutes.

You can use a conventional oven, a toaster oven or the grill (my favorite) to make these.

I have received many compliments on these and you will too.

Enjoy-Let me know how they turn out.

POOR MAN’S CRAB RAVIOLI

Today what popped into my head was not a story but a recipe that I created (Though there may be similiar recipes out there they were not my influence). Once you get to know me you find out quickly that I am organized in an unorganized way. This is exactly how I cook- A little bit of that, a dash of this and maybe a few pinches of whatchamacallit. But to my surprise and my family’s liking somehow it always turns out edible and actually quite delicious. You won’t find exact measurements for what I use but if you are anything like me you will make this recipe work.

Here we go…

A bag of your favorite frozen ravioli’s-any will do-cook them according to package.In a Sautee pan put a nice amount of olive oil-We like ours oily so I put more.

Slice roasted peppers (the kind you find in a jar) and imitation crabmeat (or real if you want to splurge-I never do:)). I usually like the peppers and the crabmeat slivered but still chunky-Again your choice. Throw both into the oil and add fresh garlic (as much or little as you like). You can use minced garlic in the jar if you don’t have fresh- A dash of salt a pinch of pepper and a handful or two of parmesan cheese.

Sautee all together for a few minutes, pour over ravioli and serve. Voila gourmet made simple. And if your kiddo’s aren’t into gourmet just butter their ravioli’s and they will be just as happy.

I’m sure you noticed by now this is my first attempt at putting a recipe up and it is not very organized. I apologize for this but I am pretty sure you will forgive me once you tried this dish. Next up my famous portabella mushroom recipe.

Enjoy!