Ramping Up My Recipe Repertoire: Spaghetti Bake (Yes, Spaghetti Bake)

You might not consider the humble spaghetti bake add-a-new-recipe-to-the-repertoire worthy, but when the man you love requests it, then there's no room for hoity-toity judgment. Plus, who doesn't need a quick, easy-to-fix, satisfying-on-a-cold-winter's-night recipe in her repertoire?

Not me.


Lower the calories and fat by substituting reduced-fat mozzarella and either lean ground beef, ground turkey, or even turkey sausage for the Italian sausage. If you can afford it, buy a chunk of real Parmesan cheese. The salty, savory flavor you get from a wedge - instead of the green can -- is truly noticeable in a dish like this, with its few and rather bland ingredients.

My husband gives this recipe from the Kraft Recipes website a glowing review. I'm not a fan of spaghetti bake, preferring my spaghetti tossed in a sauce, rather than bound together in a casserole. It's a texture thing. But judging on flavor alone, this IS good.

Ramping Up My Recipe Repertoire: Crunchy Sweet Brussels Sprouts Salad

One of my goals for 2015 is to expand my recipe repertoire. The plan is to try one new recipe each week. I know that life will sometimes get in the way of my plan, and that's okay. That good news is, I'm off and running!

I've had Sunny Anderson's Crunchy Sweet Brussels Sprouts Salad recipe stuffed in a drawer for four years -- four years! -- and chose it to launch my 2015 goal.

In the Ford house, there's one criterion for judging a recipe's success: Do we want this again? It's that simple. If the answer is yes, it's a keeper; if it's a no, it's tossed.

We'll be eating this salad again and again. It is delicious...and that's saying a lot because I'm a picky eater. I would have been every mother's nightmare as a child, but not for my mom. Because in our house, you ate what mom made or you didn't eat. I hated Brussels sprouts...and potatoes, and lima beans, and cheese cake, and, well, it would be easier to list what I DID like. Brussels sprouts were at the top of my hate list. They were mushy with a stench that grossed me out before I even put them in my mouth. 

But the tiny little cabbages are so nutritious. As an adult, I absolutely WANT to like them. And because of The Food Network's Sunny Anderson, I do! 

The ingredients' list is short and sweet:

1 pound Brussels sprouts
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
Kosher salt and black pepper, to taste
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 cup dried cranberries

Directions:

1. Cut the Brussels sprouts in half, remove the core (two slices with the point of a sharp knife makes it easy), and thinly slice. Rinse and thoroughly drain. This is the most time consuming step. Once this prep is done, the dish comes together quickly.

2. Warm olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the Brussels sprouts, nutmeg, and salt and pepper. Cook, stirring until the sprouts are bright and slightly wilted, about 2-3 minutes. Add the walnuts and cranberries. Toss to combine. Turn out into  serving bowl and serve.

I altered the recipe slightly.  I didn't have Craisins on hand, so I used dried cherries. The sweet is a nice contrast with the Brussels sprouts that lose their in-your-face flavor when their cooked. I'll use Craisins next time, just because I think I'll like their tartness even more. I also opted for roasted almonds instead of walnuts and will stick with that. Walnuts can taste a little too "woodsy" for me, especially black walnuts. The roasted almonds I used were lightly salted and delicious.

And the final dish is so visually appealing!

 I haven't yet chosen next week's recipe but that won't be a problem. Trust me: I have several file folders full of them, everything from pasta to main dishes, casseroles to desserts, snacks to soups. I'm leaning toward a pork chop, green beans, and roasted potatoes dish.

Come back next week to see (1) if I even made a second recipe, (2) what it is, and (3) if it's a keeper.

Blessings...