Spaghetti Squash With Vegetables & Mozzarella

I bought a spaghetti squash at a garge sale (of all places) last week and we had this recipe for dinner this week. It's really yummy and rather filling on it's own.

1 spaghetti squash
1 large yellow onion, diced
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
2 T olive oil
1 large can (28 ounces) crushed tomatoes
3-5 cloves garlic
1 tsp. basil
1/2 tsp. oregano
1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper (optional)
1 C grated mozzarella cheese
1/2 C grated Parmesan cheese

Serves 6-8
Cook spaghetti squash by your favorite method and remove flesh. I cut mine up and put it in a 9X9 pan in the microwave, covered with a little water in the pan for 5 minutes. It took three batches to cook the entire squash. Preheat oven to 375 F.

Heat olive oil in a skillet and add the onion, pepper and garlic. Sauté over medium heat for about 5 minutes. Add crushed tomatoes, basil, and crushed red pepper (if using). Simmer uncovered for about 15 minutes.

Mix squash well with the cooked vegetables and put half in the bottom of a large (13 x 9 inch) baking dish. Top with half the cheeses, followed by the other half of the squash mixture, then the rest of the cheeses. Bake for 30 minutes or until cheese is bubbly and slightly browned. Let cool 10-15 minutes before serving.

Recipe from Seed of Knowledge. There are also some other recipes for spaghetti squash.

BBQ Beef Sandwiches

This is an old and easy favorite:
1 slab of beef brisket -- at least 4 lbs
1 bottle of your favorite BBQ sauce -- I use Safeway brand hickory barbecue sauce

Put the brisket fat side down in your slow-cooker (Crock-pot). Pour the BBQ sauce over it. Cook on low for 8-10 hours.
Then take out the brisket and shred it (using two forks, pull the meat apart in opposite directions until it looks, well, shredded).
Put the meat back in the pot with the leftover BBQ sauce and stir.

Toast or warm your favorite bun. My favorite is Kaiser rolls, but hamburger buns work well too.
Put the meat on the bun, and enjoy a taste of BBQ heaven.

Good with fresh corn on the cob, baked beans, etc.

Special Ingredient: Sriracha Chili Sauce

Josh and I have come across this sauce at a number of restaurants and Josh became keenly interested in it after he found out they used it in a volcano blue cheese burger he ate in Boulder, Utah. We bought a bottle of it at our local grocer and I have started slipping it into various recipes to give them an extra kick and depth of flavor. Watch out though, a little goes a LONG way. Josh puts it on his burgers and hot dogs (he can handle more spice than I can). I used it this week in my spicy meatballs to bring up the flavor and also in Misty's homemade tomato soup. I can't wait to try it in Chili.

Monkey Bread

Last night we had our "Ball" dinner and for dessert I decided to make these to carry on the ball theme. I've made them before but never in a muffin pan. The muffin size is perfect for the kids and portion sizing. The recipe was adapted from one on The Pickey Palate. I used my french bread recipe and used half for a loaf of bread and the other half for the monkey bread. I am sure you could use your favorite bread recipe or any Pillsbury dough.

Bread Dough
6 Tablespoons Sugar
3 Tablespoons Cinnamon
½ Cup butter, (1 stick)
½ Cup brown sugar

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. With kitchen scissors, cut dough ½ inch little cubes/balls. Combine sugar and cinnamon into a large bowl. Gently toss all pieces of dough into sugar mixture.
2. Spray a 12 count traditional muffin pan with non stick cooking spray. Divide bread pieces into the 12 muffin cups with or without paper liners. Set aside.
3. Place butter and brown sugar into a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir until melted and bubbly. Pour evenly over each muffin cup. Place muffin pan on foil lined cookie sheet (mine bubbled over a bit in the oven).
4. Bake for 18-20 minute or until bread is cooked through. Remove from oven and let sit in pan for 5 minutes before transferring to cooling rack.

Chicken Pesto Pizza

I got the idea for this pizza from a restaurant Josh and I went to in Escalante, Utah in July. I pulled it together at home and loved it! It's a great twist on a traditional favorite.




Pizza Crust or other crust recipe

Pesto sauce in place of tomato pizza sauce
*I used a basil pesto but you could probably use any other kind of pesto. Store bought or homemade work great

Mozzarella Cheese
Cooked, Cubed Chicken
Tomato slices
Red Onion, thinly sliced
Mushrooms, sliced

Make and roll our pizza crust according to directions. Spread a liberal amount of pesto sauce on the dough (when I made it we thought I should have used more pesto sauce). Sprinkle on the cheese and toppings. Bake as directed.