Spicy Rigatoni with Creamy Meat Sauce

What can you say about pasta? How delicious it is? How easy it is? How it feeds a lot of people? Yes to all those things! And this dish is no different. Throw everything into a pan and you’re good to go! Well...you’ll need to cook the pasta first so technically it’s two pans, but still. This is WAY good and WAY easy! Double it to feed lots of hungry people or if you like lots of leftovers!!!

Spicy Rigatoni with 

Creamy Meat Sauce

8 ounces of rigitoni ~ cooked and drained

1 24-ounce jar pasta sauce

1 pound Italian sausage

1 small onion ~ diced

1-2 cloves garlic ~ minced

1 cup heavy cream

1 teaspoon red pepper flakes

Salt and pepper to taste

1 - 2 cups fresh grated Parmesan cheese

In a large skillet, saute the diced onion and minced garlic for a few minutes.

Add the meat and seasonings and cook until done.

Pour in the jarred sauce and stir.

Then add the cream.

Add the cooked pasta and stir to combine.

Turn off heat.

Sprinkle the Parmesan cheese on top and cover pan. Allow to sit until cheese melts.

Serve!

Let's make some yummy pasta!

Saute the onion and garlic then add the meat and seasonings.

Cook until the meat is done 

then add the pasta sauce.

Next comes the cream!

Dump in the cooked pasta.

Sprinkle with cheese! Eat it up!

Three Meat Treat

When we were Californians, one of our favorite places to go was a little pizza joint in the historic section of the little town we lived in. It had a great three meat pizza we almost always ordered. Since I live with a couple of carnivores, I thought this would be a welcomed treat! The guys loved it! In fact, IT Guy took the leftovers to work the next day and a couple of the other guys in the office did a double take when they saw what he had and commented that it looked and smelled delicious. And they were right! This is a crazy-good pizza! I used our favorite Thin & Crispy Mama's Mary's pizza crust on this, but you could use any kind and it will still be delicious!

And don't forget to go to Mama Mary's Facebook page  and give them a big LIKE!! Also, make sure you visit their WEBSITE  for more recipes!

Three Meat Treat



1 Mama Mary's Pizza Crust
1 cup pizza sauce
2 cups sharp cheddar cheese ~ grated
1/2 pound Italian Sausage ~ cooked and crumbled
30 slices pepperoni
1/2 pound bacon ~ diced and cooked crisp
1 medium onion ~ sliced and caramlized

Spread the sauce over the pizza crust.

Top with 1 cup of the grated cheese.

Top with cooked sausage, cooked bacon and pepperoni.

Add 1/2 of the caramelized onion on top of the meat.

Top with remaining cheese and the rest of the onion.

Bake for 15 minutes until hot and bubbly.

The goods.

Cook the sausage and the bacon 
then caramelize the onions.

Add 1 cup of the cheese, 
then the meat and half of the onion.

Then top with remaining cheese and onion.

Bake it up and eat!

Ravioli with Creamy meat Sauce

Have you ever gone to your cupboard/pantry/freezer...pulled out a bunch of ingredients and started cooking with no plan in mind? Well..that's what happened to me yesterday and the following recipe was the result. It turned out pretty good. No..let me rephrase...it turned out STINKIN' good! We all loved it! A close second to Mexican food around here, Italian ranks right up there for us. I'll be making this again, no doubt!

Ravioli with Creamy Meat Sauce



2 14-ounce cans tomatoes with basil, oregano and garlic
1 14-ounce can petite diced tomatoes
1 onion, diced
1 pound lean ground beef – cooked and drained
1 cup cream
Salt
Pepper
1 25-ounce bag frozen ravioli – cooked according to package directions and drained (2 bags would be better....but I only had one)

Dice the onion and cook with a little olive oil for a few minutes. Add ground beef and cook until no longer pink. Stir in tomatoes and let simmer for about 10 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste. Stir in the cream and allow to heat through. Spoon sauce over cooked ravioli.

Serve with crusty bread

Let's get going!

 

Dice the onion and give it a quick 

cook with some olive oil.

 

Then add the ground beef 

and let that cook for a bit.

 

Add the tomatoes. If you'd rather use 

a can or two of crushed tomatoes instead, 

that would be fine. In fact, I used my food 

processor to finely chop the two cans of seasoned tomatoes.

 

Cook the meat/tomato mixture for a little while.

 

Then add the cream.

 

Cook your ravioli. I only had one 

25-ounce bag, but two would be better 

for the amount of sauce. And this stuff 

cooks quick once your water starts to boil! 

And no, I'm not too proud to use FROZEN 

ravioli! This IS supposed to be "simple fare." ;-)

 

Yum! Serve this over the ravioli for a quick dinner!

Burritos/Burros

When we lived in Arizona, we called "burritos", "burros". I thought everyone did that. So the first time I ordered a "burro" after we moved to California, the waitress thought I was nuts. I conformed to the Cali way while I was there but I always revert back to "burro" when we go to Arizona. "Burros" are all over Mexican food restaurant menus there so they don't think I'm crazy. Not much any way. Whatever you call them, make sure you try these. They're terrific. And it's easy to switch up the insides to suit your preferences!!

Burritos/Burros



2 pounds ground beef
1 medium onion ~ diced
1 packet taco mix (or homemade, 3 tablespoons)
1 10-ounce can Rotel tomatoes ~ do not drain
1 - 2 cups frozen corn
1 15-ounce can refried beans (optional)
1 15-ounce can black beans (optional)
1 cup cooked rice (optional)
2 cups grated cheese

In a large skillet, fry the ground beef with the onion. Drain.

Add taco mix, tomatoes and corn (and refried beans, if using). Stir to combine.

Allow to simmer for 20 minutes. 

Add grated cheese on top and allow to melt, then stir through.

Heat a large flour tortilla in the microwave for 15 seconds and add 1 cup meat mixture.

Add salsa, guacamole or sour cream, if desired.

Fold tortilla around filling. Repeat until all filling is used.

You can also fry or bake these after you fold them to make chimicangas!!

Makes about 10 burritos/burros

Here we go!

Cook the ground beef and onion together then drain.

Add the corn and tomatoes or 

whatever filler you like. Combine 

and simmer for 20 minutes or so.

Sprinkle with cheese. Allow the cheese to melt.

Stir the melted cheese into the meat mixture.

Heat up a flour tortilla then scoop

 some of the filling inside.

Add your favorite condiments, roll 'em up and eat!!

This little crock pot meal just can't get any easier. Throw everything in the crock pot in the morning and let it go all day until dinnertime. Your house will smell amazing! The smell of the green chilies cooking along with the spices will have you smiling! This is especially yummy during those cold winter evenings when you're craving something warm. It's especially good as leftovers the next day. One of IT Guy's favorites!

Green Chili Stew

 

1 - 1 1/2 pounds beef stew meat
2 15 ounce cans diced tomatoes (I used fire roasted with garlic but regular diced works)
1 4-ounce OR 1 7-ounce can diced green chilies (depending on your preferred heat level...add more if you want)
1 medium onion ~ diced
2 cloves garlic ~ minced (leave out if you're using the fire roasted with garlic...unless you like a LOT of garlic)
1/2 cup water
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon dried oregano
Salt and pepper to taste

Dump everything in the crock pot and simmer on low all day, stirring occasionally.

Serve with heated flour tortillas.

How easy is that?

The stuff.

 

Throw it all in your crock pot 

and give it a stir. I let mine cook 

on high most of the day because 

my stew meat was a little frozen.

 

Serve with flour tortillas!!!

 

One of my favorites things to use in the kitchen in a good marinade. A friend of ours introduced me to a good marinade a few months ago. I showcased here once, but I wanted to remind you of it again. It's REALLY good. I had some kabob meat in the freezer and a half a bottle of marinade, so I figured I'd combine the two. I added some onion and green and red peppers and we had a yummy meal. I don't have a grill so I had to use my grill pan on the stove top, but I can only imagine how yummy these would be on a REAL grill. If anyone tries that, would you let me know, please????

Steak and Veggie Kabobs

1/2 bottle Allegro marinade (found in the condiment aisle)

1 pound kabob meat ~ whatever steak type meat you like would work

1 red bell pepper ~ cut in large chunks

1 green bell pepper ~ cut in large chunks

1 onion ~ cut in large chunks

At this point you can add whatever veggies you like: mushrooms, zucchini, etc.

Skewers

For every pound of meat you use, use HALF bottle of marinade.

Chunk the meat and place it in a zip-top baggie. Add marinade and allow to marinate for several hours.

Alternate veggies and meat until all skewers are filled to desired fullness.  I used 6 skewers.

Place your grill pan over medium heat. Add some olive oil to the pan and cook kabobs for about 7 minutes on each side.

Here's what I used....

 

Marinate your meat for a while.

 

If you're using wooden skewers, 

make sure you soak them for an hour or so...

so they don't burn on the grill.

 

Chunk your veggies.

 

Add the marinated meat 

and veggies to the skewers.

 

(I had to trim my wooden skewers to fit in my pan.) 

Then grill them! This marinade is SO good!! 

You gotta try it!!

 

 

This turned out to be a yummy soup! While not as thick as traditional chili...it's just as good. Make it as spicy as you want to by adding more green chilies or chipotle peppers. Switch up the beans if you're not a pinto fan. So many ways to make this your own style. Great for a crowd and the leftovers are good, too!

Meaty Chipotle Chili



3 slices bacon, diced
1 - 2 pounds extra-lean ground beef
1 large onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 medium carrots, diced
1 32-ounce container beef broth
2 14-ounce cans diced tomatoes
1 4-ounce can diced green chilies
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon salt
1- 2 ground chipotle peppers (I used my mini food processor)
Freshly ground black pepper
2 15-ounce cans pinto beans


Cook bacon, garlic and onion in a large stockpot over medium-low heat. Cook until done.

Add ground beef and cook until meat is done.

Add the rest of the ingredients and simmer on low for two hours.

Serves 6 to 8.

Let's start....

Brown the onion, garlic and bacon.

Then add the ground beef and cook until done.

Add everything else....

...then let it simmer for a while.

Serve it with french bread or cornbread.

This time of year just calls for soup, don't you think? And with my new found love of orzo pasta, I made this! It made a pretty big pot of soup, and after serving myself,  IT Guy and #1 son, then sending some home with my daughter for her and her family, there was NONE left! Oh wait...I take that back...there was enough to send for IT Guy's lunch the next day. (Apparently we're a hungry bunch!) I wanted to use diced tomatoes, but I was out. Then I thought..no big deal, I'll just use tomato sauce. Again, I was out. I did manage to scrounge up a can of El Pato (mexican style tomato sauce) so I poured that in. It gave the soup a really good kick. But if you don't care for extra kick then make sure you add plain tomato sauce. Anyway you make it, you'll be glad you did!! It's very good!!!!

Orzo and Meatball Soup



1 pound ground beef
½ onion – finely diced
1 egg
¼ cup bread crumbs
¼ cup water
1 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper
3 carrots - diced
3 stalks celery – diced
1 ½ cups orzo pasta
1 -2 cloves garlic – minced
1 32-ounce chicken stock
1 32-ounce beef stock
1 8-ounce can tomato sauce OR 1 14-ounce can diced tomatoes

In a large bowl, combine ground beef, onion, egg, bread crumbs, water, oregano, salt and pepper. Mix well and form into 1-inch sized meatballs.

In a large stock pot, sauté diced carrots, diced celery and minced garlic until just tender.

Add stocks and tomato sauce. Bring to a boil.

Gently add uncooked meatballs and continue to cook for about an hour.

Add orzo and cook for about 10 – 15 minutes until orzo is done.

The ingredients. You can use canned diced tomatoes or plain tomato sauce. I used El Pato...Mexican Style tomato sauce for extra zing. (Excuse the partially frozen ground beef. I'll get my timing right at some point, I'm sure.)

Saute the garlic, carrots and celery for a bit.

Then add the liquid ingredients.

After that comes to a boil, slowly add the meatballs. Oops..I forgot to include pictures of the meatball making, but you probably already know how to do that. It ain't rocket science.

After your meatballs have cooked in the broth a while, 

have your cute little kitchen helper add the orzo.

Then ask that same little helper to stir, stir, stir!!

Here it is!! All done and ready to eat!!