Mini Spaghetti Pies

The "Crust"
Handful of Whole grain spaghetti
1/4 cup of grated parmesan cheese
1 egg
1 tbsp of unsalted butter

The Filling
1/2 lb of ground beef
1/4 cup of Newman's Own Fire Roasted Tomato and Garlic Sauce

The Spices
Salt
Black Pepper
Dried Basil
Dried Oregano

Preheat oven at 350.

In a large size bowl, whisk egg and parmesan together. Set aside.

Break spaghetti in half. Cook spaghetti according to directions on box then strain in a colander. Take butter and throw in the pan you used for the spaghetti. Melt butter and then pour butter into the parm/egg mix (saves a dish). Using tongs, toss the spaghetti in the parm/egg batter. Set aside.

Meanwhile, brown your beef in a medium sized skillet with your spices. Once all the beef is brown, add it into the bowl with all the other ingredients. Pour in tomato sauce and toss with tongs again.

Then divide spaghetti mix into portions that will fit in a muffin tin. The recipe that I followed (sort of) originally made enough for a 12 muffin pan but I halved it for a 6. Bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes. Pull out of oven and  let them sit for about 5 minutes. Trust me. You don't want to take them out of the tin right away or they'll apart and you'll have mess! Sprinkle more parmesan on top and you're ready to dig in.

Enjoy!

Double Chocolate Chip Cookies

Here's a delicious sweet for you guys to try out!

1/2 cup of olive oil
3/4 cup of sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 egg
1 cup all purpose flour
1/3 cup of cocoa
1/4 tsp of baking soda
1/8 salt
1 cup of chocolate chips

Preheat oven at 350. Combine all dry ingredients except sugar in a large mixing bowl with a whisk. Make a well in the middle of the bowl. Set aside.

In a smaller mixing bowl combine olive oil, sugar, and egg until well blended. Add about a 1/4 cup of the wet ingredients in the dry ingredient well. Gradually add dry mix and stir. Continue to gradually mix the wet and dry ingredients until there is a smooth consistency. Next, add the chocolate chips and stir until evenly mixed.

Spray a large cookie sheet with cooking spray. Use a small ice cream scoop to scoop the cookie batter onto the cookie sheet. Bake in the oven for about 11-13 minutes. Take out of the oven and let them cool on a wire rack before serving.

Mmmm chocolaty goodness!

Homemade Breaded Chicken Strips

Hello everyone! I'm back and I am so sorry about the lack of posts the past few months. This summer was absolutely insane with work, changing jobs, family get-togethers, and everything else! I have a new recipe that I made last night that was a complete success with the boyfriend and I, so I wanted to share it with you! This breaded chicken went really well with rice and peas and carrots. If you have any other suggestions for side dishes feel free to comment in the comment section!

Dips! Dips! and more Dips! - Updated

Lita's Hummus
1 can of chickpeas, rinsed
3 cloves of garlic
1/4 cup of olive oil
salt and pepper, to taste


Throw everything into the food process and turn it on to the lowest setting. Hummus should be a smooth consistency. Add salt and pepper as desired. You may need to add more olive oil to help lubricate the blades as it breaks down the chickpeas and garlic cloves.

Goes great with corn chips as well as carrots!

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Lita's Bean Dip
1/2 can of black beans, rinsed
1/2 can of light red kidney beans, rinsed
1/2 of diced tomatoes
McCormick's Perfect Pinch Mexican Seasoning
1/4 cup of Sargento Chef Blend Taco Cheese
1 spoonful of sour cream
Cheese for topping

Heat a small sauce pan over medium heat. Throw in black beans, kidney beans, and tomatoes. Stir and throw in spices. Let cook for about 5-10 minutes then add sour cream and cheese, stir until all in incorporated. Let cook for another 5 minutes then turn off heat. Place in a small-medium size bowl and then add cheese for topping. Voila! Enjoy with regular corn chips or Tostitos Hint of Lime. Mmmm delicious!

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Arugula Pizza

1 ball of pizza dough
2 ripe tomatoes
1/2 cup of feta cheese
olive oil
basil
Salt

Preheat oven to temperature desired on pizza dough package. Next roll out dough onto a floured surface. Spray a pizza pan with cooking spray and then place dough onto the pan. Take about a tablespoon of olive oil and spread it around on the pizza dough. Next, sprinkle basil onto the dough. With a fork, poke holes into the dough so it doesn't inflate during baking.  Bake dough for 8 to 10 minutes.

While dough is baking, slice your tomatoes and sprinkle a little salt on them. This is to help suck up some of water from the tomatoes during baking so the dough doesn't get soggy.

Once the crust has lightly browned, pull out of the oven and sprinkle on the feta cheese. Add tomato slices on top. Bake for about 10 to 15 minutes or until crust is golden brown. Let cool for about 5 minutes after baking then add arugula. Mmm delicious!

Chicken Parm Pizza

1 ball of pizza dough
2 chicken breasts, cubed
1/4 white onion, roughly chopped
Newman's Own Fire Roasted Tomato and Garlic Sauce
Mozzarella
Grated Parmesan Cheese
Olive Oil
Black Pepper
Salt
Crushed Red Pepper, optional
Basil
Oregano

Preheat the oven at 350.

Roll out pizza dough until it forms a 11" x 8" rectangle. Throw on some basil, oregano, black pepper, and salt. Drizzle dough with olive oil. Place in oven for about 5 minutes.

Fettuccine with Scallops and Tomatoes

1 lb of Bay Scallops
Olive Oil
Dried Basil
Crushed Red Pepper Flakes
2 Roma Tomatoes
1/4 of an onion
3 Garlic cloves, minced
Fettuccine pasta
Grated Parmesan Cheese

Bring a pot of water to a boil. Throw in fettuccine and follow cooking instructions on the side of the box for cooking time. Also be sure to add olive oil and salt.

In a large pan over medium heat, saute garlic and onions in olive oil until garlic is lightly browned and the onions are translucent. Add basil and crushed red pepper. Stir occasionally. Next, stir in tomatoes and scallops. Cook until scallops are white in the center and tomatoes are broken down nicely. Use a spoon or spatula to cut open scallops to make sure they are cooked all the way through. Once scallops are fully cooked, turn off heat and serve over pasta. Add Parmesan Cheese on top before serving. Enjoy!

Penne with Homemade Alfredo Sauce

Penne pasta
1/4 cup of butter
1/2 cup of milk
1/2 cup of heavy cream
1 tbsp of all-purpose flour
1/4 cup of Parmesan Cheese
2 garlic cloves, minced
salt and pepper to taste
Parsley Flakes, optional

Bring pot of water to a boil and add pasta. Follow directions on the box for how long to cook the pasta.

In a medium saucepan, pour in milk and heavy cream. Turn burner to low heat and melt butter into the cream. Stir occasionally. Add salt, pepper, garlic, and parsley. As the cream mix begins to heat up, gradually add in flour, stirring while doing so, that way it shouldn't clump. If it does clump up, grab a whisk and stir to break up the clumps.

Add Parmesan Cheese and turn burner to medium heat. Cook for about 5 minutes or until sauce is thick.

Now stir in pasta and enjoy!

Lita's Easy to Make Home Fries

Happy New Year, everyone! Kicking off the New Year with a simple recipe after all the holiday craziness. After the holidays with large meals, its nice to have something simple! This is pretty much the same as my Ham and Potatoes recipe but just as delicious!

Here's what you need:
3 medium-sized potatoes
1/3 of a large onion
1/8 cup of brown sugar
black pepper
salt