Sheila's Spaghetti with Meat Recipe

When you think about spaghetti, you know that it is a meal that is great for feeding a bunch of people. Spaghetti is cheap and easy to make for a meal where you have lots of guests.  When I think of spaghetti I always think of the book Strega Nona. I think of Strega Nona and Big Anthony because I either make way too much or not enough.  Usually, it is way too much. Luckily, Noah loves spaghetti and he will gobble it up, like it’s no one’s business. There are different ways to make it of course. Most of the time I just make it with just sauce poured on and parmesan cheese. I will call that traditional spaghetti, but sometimes I want something more than just the sauce.  Usually when I can find hamburger on sale, I will make this recipe. It is great for serving a group because it is so filling and good. It is also really easy to make.

Sheila’s Meat Spaghetti Recipe

One box spaghetti

One Can Spaghetti Sauce whatever flavor you would like. I use Hunts

One pound hamburger

One small onion

A few garlic cloves

Cook Spaghetti per the box directions in a big pot, while it is cooking, start browning the hamburger in a skillet;  chop up onion and garlic. When the hamburger is almost done add the onion and garlic and cook through.  Drain the hamburger mixture.  Drain the spaghetti and return to the pot. Add the sauce and hamburger mixture and combine and  Enjoy!

Garlic Burgers Recipe

This recipe is one of my absolute favorites. I have about ten recipes or so that are my favorites. Most people like to eat a good burger unless you are a vegetarian then you probably don't. I have had many different types of burgers at restaurants. I have made many hamburgers but hands down this is my absolute favorite. Once you try these you will not want to have any ordinary burger again. It contains two of my favorite ingredients. Onions and Garlic. I have made my Garlic burgers for friends and family. We had them at Noah's second birthday party. Everyone raves about them. 

I make these on a grill pan. A skillet will also work. I guess you could make them on a grill, however I will not because the best part is the little bits of yumminess. They are onions and garlic that have glazed on the grill pan. Those little bits would fall in the grill and that would make me really sad. 

Check out those huge chunks of garlic!

Garlic Burgers

1 pound hamburger
1 head of Garlic or 2 smallish heads
1 small onion
Seasoning Salt
Pepper

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Cut the top off the head of garlic and drizzle with olive oil. Wrap in foil and bake for 45 minutes. You are roasting the garlic.

While the garlic cools enough for you to handle, chop the onion in to small pieces. Place the hamburger in a bowl and add the onion and garlic.

I try and use my fingers to get the cloves out whole or almost whole. You can squeeze it but really you are wasting garlic goodness.

Mix together with your hands and shape in to four patties. Make them thin because they thicken as they cook.

Liberally sprinkle your grill pan with seasoning salt and pepper.  Preheat your grill pan or skillet be sure to not breathe in the pepper while it heats up. You will know it is ready when you can put a drop of water on it and it will sizzle up.

Place the hamburgers on the grill pan or skillet and let them cook. Try not to flip them too much, for even cooking.

If you want to add cheese do it when they are completely cooked. I don't like cheese on mine. It doesn't need it. 

I also like to heat the bun on top of the cooked burgers.

Remove hamburgers and scrape the brown bits off. It is the best part. It's caramelized onion and roasted garlic.

Enjoy!

Let me know if you try this recipe. I look forward to your thoughts.

BBQ Chicken Pizza Recipe

I love pizza. I could eat it all the time. I don't always want the red sauce as Noah calls it. I love to mix it up. I started making BBQ chicken pizza. Who doesn't love BBQ chicken? I know I do. Every time I make my special BBQ chicken pizza it is fabulous. It may not be the most beautiful pizza but holy cow is it amazing. I laugh every time I make it because my best friend Brandy always comments that chicken doesn't belong on pizza. She is a little crazy, cause she has never tried it. 

I wanted to share my recipe with you all. My recipe is different when it comes to ingredients and the building of the pizza. Most pizzas have the toppings on the top but this recipe has them nestled inside. Please don't laugh at my pizza pan, it is very old and has made many pizzas and fruit pizzas in my life. This pan could be well over twenty years old because it is the only one I remember, and I have a great memory. I am convinced I should be a history teacher because I am so good with dates and memories.  Here is my recipe:

BBQ Chicken Pizza

Pizza Crust (I use Jiffy it works well)

BBQ sauce ( I use Jack Daniels no 7 BBQ sauce)

One package precooked Chicken ( I use Tyson in the green pouch)

Half of an Onion or a small onion

8 slices of Bacon

5 slices or 4 ounces of muenster Cheese

 1 cup Shredded mozzarella

3/4 cup shaved or shredded Parmesan

When using the Jiffy Pizza Crust, I let it rise for two hours. I turn on the oven on the lowest temp, preheat it and turn it off. I usually leave the oven open a little to let some of the heat escape. Then close the door.  I rise the dough inside the oven. 

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees,

Oil the pizza pan and spread out the dough. Bake for 5 minutes. 

While it is baking chop the onion and chicken and bacon and put it in a bowl. Pour in some BBQ sauce to cover it and mix. Make sure it is completely covered but not swimming in sauce. 

 When the timer goes off, put a layer of BBQ sauce on the crust and then pour on the BBQ chicken onions and bacon mixture. 

Bake for ten minutes at 400 degrees.  While it is baking chop the muenster cheese. I decided match sticks work the best. 

After the ten minutes is up take out the pizza. First put on a layer of muenster cheese, then the Parmesan and finally the mozzarella.

Return to oven for 5 to 7 more minutes until the cheese is melted and enjoy. 

I hope you like this recipe. Let me know what you think. This a good quick delicious recipe that anyone can make.    

Sheila's Beer Battered Onion Rings Recipe

I love onions; they are one of my favorite foods. So, naturally onion rings are on the top list of foods I really enjoy. Now onion rings can come in a couple different ways. There is breaded onion rings that have a thick coating where the onion always seems to fall out. I am not a huge fan of them honestly. I have to be in the mood for that kind, which isn’t often. Beer battered onion rings are the way to go for me. I love to make them at home. I actually bought a deep fryer just to make onion rings. It is the only thing I have ever made in my deep fryer. This is the recipe my mom used when I was younger. I have many memories of her making them and us eating them. I thought I would share with you guys the recipe. It is really easy but it is kind of time consuming but extremely worth it in my opinion.

Here is a list of what you will need:

Deep fryer

Can of shortening

Few big onions

12 ounce bottle of the beer of your choice, I buy whatever is on sale usually Coors Light

1 1/2 cups of flour

Salt

Step 1: in a large bowl combine beer and flour. Let it sit for 3 or 4 hours. Resist the urge to stir it after you have mixed it all together. The batter will turn frothy.

Step 2: Put your shortening in your deep fryer and let it heat to the proper temperature. Please consult your deep fryer manual.

Step 3: Cut onions in rings. I usually do thicker rings because when the onion cooks it gets thinner. Separate the rings.

Step 4: Coat rings in the beer batter thoroughly.

Step 5: carefully place the onions in the deep fryer. I usually use a fork. Watch out for splatter and steam.

Step 6: When the onion rings are starting to cook flip them over with a fork or tongs. I always wear an oven mitt to protect my hands. When they are golden brown they are done.

Step 7: Take out onion rings and place on a cookie sheet covered with newspaper and paper towel. Immediately salt both sides.

Repeat steps 4 through 7 until you have the desired amount of onion rings

You can reheat them in the oven for a few minutes at 350 degrees on a cookie sheet
with paper towel.

If you want to make more batter remember it is equal parts beer and flour.

Enjoy!

I hope you try out this onion ring recipe and let me know what you think.

New use for Boogie Wipes

Tonight I was chopping an onion cause I was making a quiche, and my eyes started watering really bad. My eyes hate the fumes that onions expel that cause you to cry so I have been trying to figure out something that would work. Sure if I owned a food processor that would work wonders. My Blender is like 2 9 years old and it barely works at all anymore without constant shaking. I did buy a little tiny one on Amazon but it made onion paste and mush not really quiche worthy so I don't use that. I only used that thing once after it made onion mush. Not fun.

I had a brilliant idea tonight as I was crying from the onions. I keep a package of Boogie Wipes in my kitchen drawer. I thought maybe if I smelled the Boogie Wipe it would help because it is made with saline. I tried it and then blew my nose. I stopped crying. I was still around the cut onions but the tears stopped. The Saline removed the onion smell from my nose and helped clear my nostrils and then hence stopping the vapors that were getting to my eyes.

Just now I had another idea... You could use Boogie Wipes to cover your eyes or wipe them when you are chopping onions. They are made of Saline and that is what is in contact solution. So I am pretty sure it wouldn't hurt them. Man I am brilliant!