Baked Lemon Pasta

Recipe from the Pioneer Woman website: http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2009/05/baked-lemon-pasta/

1 pound thin spaghetti

4 Tbsp salted butter
2 Tbsp olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
2  lemons
2 cups sour cream
½ tsp kosher salt
fresh grated parmesan cheese
flat-leaf parsley, chopped

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cook spaghetti until al dente.

In a skillet, melt butter with olive oil over LOW HEAT. When butter is melted, add minced garlic. Squeeze lemon juice into the pan. Turn off heat.

Add sour cream and stir mixture together. Add lemon zest and salt. Taste, then add more salt if necessary. Pour mixture over drained spaghetti and stir together, then pour spaghetti into an oven safe dish.

Bake, covered, for 15 minutes. Then remove foil and bake for an additional 7 to 10 minutes. (Don’t bake too long or the pasta will dry out.)

When you remove it from the oven, squeeze a little more lemon juice over the top. Top generously with Parmesan cheese, then chopped parsley. Give it a final squeeze of lemon juice at the end.

Soooo not healthy, but really yummy and smells amazing!

Grape Jelly Meatballs

Recipe from "Essential Mormon Celebrations" Cookbook, page 23

1 pound ground beef
1 tsp salt
1/2 small onion, finely chopped
1/2 cup bread crumbs
1/4 cup milk

Combine all ingredients, except sauce (below), in a large bowl. Form into balls. Place on greased baking sheet and cook at 400 degrees for about 10 minutes or until cooked through. Meanwhile, heat up sauce:

Sauce:
1 cup ketchup
1/2 cup grape jelly

Mix ketchup and grape jelly in a small saucepan. Warm briefly over medium heat. Pour sauce over cooked meatballs and serve with rice.

White Chili with Chicken Soup

I got this recipe from my mother in law Janet-- I'm not sure where it originally came from!

15 oz can white beans
1/2 Tbsp veg oil
1/2 medium onion diced
1 1/2 cloves garlic, minced
1 lb chicken diced
8 oz can white corn
1 tps cumin
1/4 tsp oregano
1/2 can (2 oz) green chilies
1/2 cup chicken broth
juice of half a lime
1/4 cup chopped cilantro

Place white beans in a large pot; set over low heat.
Saute onion and garlic in oil until golden. Add diced chicken, saute until nicely browned. Add to beans along with corn, cumin, oregano, chilies, and chicken broth. Simmer uncovered for 20 minutes. Just before serving, stir in lime and cilantro. Sometimes I need to add more water.
We serve with chips and garnish with sour cream, cheddar cheese, and lime wedges.

Spaghetti Squash with Tomatoes

From Betty Crocker's New Cookbook. Even Justin the squash-hater likes this dish!

1 spagghetti squash (about 1 1/2 pounds)
1 medium onion, chopped
1 small green pepper, chopped
1 parge clove garlic, finely chopped
2 Tbsp olive oil
4 medium tomatoes, chopped
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp dried basil
1/4 tsp fennel seed (never actually added this-- I'm not a big fan)
1/8 tsp pepper
2 Tbsp margarine or butter
1/4 cup parmesan cheese

Place spaghetti squash (whole) in 375 degree oven for about 45 minutes.
Meanwhile, cook onion, green pepper, and garlic in olive oil over medium heat for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until onion is tender. Stir in tomatoes, salt, oregano, basil, fennel, and pepper. Simmer uncovered, stirring occasionaly, for about 5 minutes.
When squash is done (you can easily pierce it with a paring knife), cut it in half lengthwise, remove the seeds and fibrous strings. Then use two forks to seperate the squash strands. I like to leave them in the squash shell and serve it this way. Toss strands with margarine and cheese. Spoon tomato mixture over the top. Maybe add a little extra parmesan and salt and pepper for looks!