Cooking

[Bob Franks]

Always interested in more recipes. Would have to swap out hamburgers for meat chunks though. Maybe add a ghost pepper or two.

Well, you had to go and encourage me.
Now, you're just going to have to deal with it!

This is my wife's all-time favorite recipe. Years ago I got in the mood to make lasagna, and after several hours work, she said, "It's...O.K." I was disappointed. Every couple of years, I would want to make it again and she would have the same lukewarm response. One time, I was ready to boil the lasagna noodles; the water was at a rolling boil, and when I went to get the box (on the extra pantry shelf in the garage), mice had gotten it first!
Panic begets innovation, and I substituted an equal weight of spaghetti pasta.
She loved it. Who'd figure?
This is the recipe, adapted for the (small) crockpot, and using ingredients we typically have on hand. You could probably bake it an hour at 350F.

Baked Spaghetti for Two

Ingredients (latest version)

Small slow cooker, or Crockette
cooking spray
3/4 cup Ricotta cheese (may substitute cottage cheese)
1 egg, beaten
3/8 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon dried parsley
4 ounces spaghetti, cooked
¼ pound hamburger (or 1 hamburger patty) cooked and crumbled
1 tsp. crushed red peppers
10+ oz. spaghetti sauce
4 oz shredded mozzarella cheese (or 5 sticks of Mozzarella string Cheese)

Directions

Fry hamburger and crushed red pepper in skillet over medium heat, drain, and crumble, pour on spaghetti sauce.
In a seperate bowl, mix ricotta, egg, Parmesan and parsley.
Place 1/3 of cooked spaghetti in bottom of small slow cooker.
Cover spaghetti with layers of 1/3 each of the spaghetti/meat sauce, ricotta mixture and mozzarella.
Repeat all layers twice.
Top with layers of the remaining sauce, ricotta mixture and mozzarella.
Plug in small slow cooker for at least 4 hours.

Let the knife and fork degrees begin!

S&F

 

[Windrider]

I learned to make ravioli at my mother's side when I was a tyke. I just made, from scratch, 370 raviolis for my lodge. Since I'm JW and have to provide meals for the boys, I figured I would do it up right. The ravioli started out as 20 lbs of flour, 18 eggs, 9 lbs of ricotta, about a pint of olive oil, 5 lbs of grated parmesan cheese and a large jar of parsley flakes. I kneaded the dough by hand, rolled it with a rolling pin, put the filling in each and hand cut them one at a time. It took 10 hrs of work.

 

[MWS]

I learned to make ravioli at my mother's side when I was a tyke. I just made, from scratch, 370 raviolis for my lodge. Since I'm JW and have to provide meals for the boys, I figured I would do it up right. The ravioli started out as 20 lbs of flour, 18 eggs, 9 lbs of ricotta, about a pint of olive oil, 5 lbs of grated parmesan cheese and a large jar of parsley flakes. I kneaded the dough by hand, rolled it with a rolling pin, put the filling in each and hand cut them one at a time. It took 10 hrs of work.

Brother, now that is commitment to your Lodge! I can only assume it was appreciated. I was making my own ravioli's last week - almost 2 hours for a dozen, lol!

 

[Windrider]

Brother, now that is commitment to your Lodge! I can only assume it was appreciated. I was making my own ravioli's last week - almost 2 hours for a dozen, lol!

We'll find out next week They raviolis are in the freezer for now.

 

[Bob Franks]

If you've ever listened to Garrison Keillor's A Prairie Home Companion, you may have heard of him talking about the great midwestern stick-to-your-ribs staple , Tuna Casserole. I have adapted it for the 1 quart crockette and fixed it to great acclaim from the Significant Other:

Traditional Tuna Casserole

Ingredients
1 (6-ounce) can tuna, drained
1 cup uncooked macaroni, or other short pasta
1 can (8.5 oz) peas, drained
1 can (4 oz) mushrooms, drained
2 tablespoons minced onion
1/4 cup milk
1 can (10¾-ounces) cream of mushroom or cheddar cheese soup
1 tablespoon Texas Pete (made in NC!)
several slices of cheese

Procedure
Spray crock with cooking spray.
Mix all ingredients, except cheese slices, in crock.
Plug in and cook covered 2-3 hours.
Cover top with cheese slices and cover again for 5-10 minutes, until cheese is melted.

I made it up before leaving for work (her Total Shoulder Replacement is still sore) and put the crock in the refrigerator. She put the crock on around noon and plugged it in.
Next time, maybe an extra teaspoon of Texas Pete sauce.

S&F

 

[FamilyMan]

My wife is addicted to the Food Network. She really enjoys watching Chopped. (See: http://www.foodnetwork.com/chopped/index.html?vty=/chopped/) She says I could compete on there because I can make a meal out of anything laying around. She calls it talent, I call it spending a period of my life with very limited resources. I am known, however, for my top secret steak tip marinade.