Dinner

I thought maybe we'd do something fun tonight. Turned out to be a failed effort, but whatever. We tried. Not really very hard, but we tried a little.

Simple Idea: Build a fire, roast some hot dogs

Reality: Wood not dry enough, nobody tried to find any kindling, the paper burned too fast for the wood to catch on fire, out of five lighters only one actually worked, the wind kept blowing out the flames

Then I gave up, put everything away, and came inside. Cause it was a little chilly outside anyway, and we have a nice warm kitchen, and a convenient stove... But it DID get the kids outside for awhile, and it was nice to hear them laughing and playing together out there while I warmed up the hot dogs inside. And that makes for a successful evening.

Taco Stuffed Shells

This one was a big gamble when I made it, I call these kinds of dishes the "Freezer Experiment." Sometimes the experiments work, sometimes... Well, on other nights we resort to pizza.

This one worked out, David told me its a keeper, so here it is!

Taco Stuffed Shells

Ingredients

1 Tablespoon olive oil
2 (or a few more) cloves garlic
1 yellow onion
1 lb. ground beef
1 can pinto beans, drained and rinsed
1 packet taco seasoning
12 ounces jumbo shells
2 cans red enchilada sauce
2 cups shredded cheese
3-4 whole green onions (optional)
sour cream

Instructions

1. Dice onion and mince garlic, cook both in a large skillet over medium heat with the olive oil until soft.
2. Add ground beef and cook until browned. Drain, then add taco seasoning and beans. Stir until combined.
3. Remove beef/beans from heat. Cook pasta shells just until tender.
4. Preheat oven to 350. Drain shells and rinse in cold water until cool enough to handle. Spray inside of 9x13 casserole dish with non-stick spray. Fill the shells with the beef/bean filling and place in casserole dish.
5. Pour enchilada sauce over the stuffed shells, cover with shredded cheese. Cook in oven until its hot and melty (about 30 minutes).
6. Slice green onions and sprinkle over top of casserole when its done in the oven. (Or not, whatever you want.)
7. Serve with a dollop of sour cream... yummm.....

Why we love it

This one takes a little while to prep (about 20-30 minutes total) but its so good, even the leftovers for the next day or two are good. The sour cream really puts the finishing touch on the whole thing!

These weren't really a hit with the kids, but the grown ups loved them, so I'm definitely going to make this one again.

original recipe from BudgetBytes

Skillet Lasagna

I get sort of annoyed when I have to use lots of dishes to mix things up, then very carefully assemble something (that we'll destroy later), then... Well, I just don't like to make lasagna. Its too fussy. But I found this alternative, it wasn't too hard, it tasted good, so we'll add it to our Faves!

Skillet Lasagna

Ingredients

2 Tablespoons olive oil
4 cloves garlic (or a few more!)
1 1/4 lb Italian sausage (sweet, not hot)
1/2 cup red cooking wine (MUST HAVE!)
3 oz. tomato paste
1 can (15 oz.) diced tomatoes
1/2 Tablespoon Italian seasoning
1/2 cup water
8 oz. pasta (I used ziti)
15 oz. cottage cheese
1/4 cup parmesan
salt and pepper to taste
1 cup shredded mozzarella

Instructions

1. Mince the garlic and cook in the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat until softened.2. Squeeze the Italian sausage from its casing into the skillet (easier to do if the sausage is slightly frozen). Break it up and cook thoroughly until browned.
2. Add the wine and tomato paste to the skillet. Add the diced tomatoes, Italian seasoning and water. Bring to a simmer then reduce heat to low.
3. Cook the pasta until al dente, drain, then stir into the sauce.
4. In a bowl, combine cottage cheese, parmesan, dash of salt and pepper. Stir everything together. Drop spoonfulls of the mixture onto the sauce and pasta, then sprinkle mozzarella over the top and cover with a lid. Leave heat on low, allow cheese to melt (about 5-10 minutes), then serve.

Why we love it

Because its yummy, because we don't have to try to cut slices of lasagna out of a hot pan, because the leftovers are just as good as the first night it was served.

Four Stars, just one of the gang wouldn't touch it. More for the rest of us!

original recipe from BudgetBytes