caitlyncooks

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Spaghetti and Meatballs with Zucchini

Growing up in the south, spaghetti and meatballs were always on my mothers weekly dinner rotations. Today I will share with you our special family recipe for this dish.

This recipe takes about an hour to make and creates 4 servings. The ingredients are as followed:

20 ounce Ground Beef

2 Zucchinis

1 Garlic Clove

2 tablespoons of Beef Concentrate

Half a cup of Panko Breadcrumbs

12 ounces of Spaghetti Noodles

28 ounces of Marinara Sauce

Parmesan Cheese

2 tablespoons of Butter

2 Ciabatta Pieces

Seasonings:

4 tablespoons of Italian Seasoning

1 teaspoon of Garlic Powder

Salt

Pepper

Step 1:

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Bring large pot of water to a boil. Peel and mince garlic clove. Cut Zucchinis into quarters lengthwise, halve crosswise.

Step 2:

Combine garlic cloves and 2 tablespoons of butter into small bowl. Place microwave safe plastic on top and put in microwave for 30-60 seconds. Set aside.

Step 3:

In a large bowl, combine ground beef, panko, beef concentrate, and half the Italian Seasoning. Sprinkle with salt. Mash all the ingredients together.

Step 4:

Once you have formed a mixture, morph ground beef mixture into 8 21/2 - inch meatballs. Place meatballs on lightly oiled baking sheet.

Step 5:

Place chopped Zucchini on separate lightly oiled baking sheet. Season with salt and pepper. Place meatballs on top rack and place zucchini on bottom rack. Cook for 25-30 minutes.

Step 6:

Toss spaghetti into boiling pot of water. Cook for 9-11 minutes or until pasta is cooked through.

Step 7:

Strain pasta, set aside. In same pot to boil pasta, combine marinara, remaining Italian Seasoning, garlic seasoning, and salt. Cover with lid. Let cook for 5-8 minutes.

Step 8:

While marinara mixture cooks, toast and slice ciabattas. Spread melted butter and garlic mixture unto pieces.

Step 9:

Mix spaghetti noodles into marinara mixture.

Step 10:

Serve on plate, top spaghetti with parmesan cheese. You can either incorporate the zucchini into the pasta or have it as a side. Enjoy!!

[caitlyncooks]

Crockpot Chili

Sometimes you just don't have enough time in the day to spend an hour on making dinner. This recipe is perfect to just throw in the crockpot before heading off to work in the morning and is ready when you get home! This crockpot chili is a staple in our household during fall! The ingredients are as followed:

1 pound ground turkey

1 green bell pepper

half a yellow onion

2 garlic cloves

15 oz tomato sauce

28 oz diced tomatos

2 cans of kidney beans

Seasonings:

1 tbsp garlic powder

2 tsp chipotle chile

2 tbsp of paprika

2 tbsp of chili powder

1 tbsp of Worcestershire Sauce

1 tbsp of Liquid Smoke

Step 1:

Start with putting you ground beef in a pan and cook until slightly brown. It is okay if you want to skip this step and just add the beef raw into the crockpot. Although, in my experience, cooking it before hand gives more flavor to the finish product. You want to start dicing you bell pepper, onion, and garlic cloves while waiting on meat to cook.

Step 2:

Add bell pepper, onion, and garlic cloves to crockpot.

Step 3:

Add your ground beef into veggie mixture. This is where you want to include all seasonings as well. Make sure not to leave out the liquid smoke. Liquid smoke gives this chili a unique charcoal taste that sets it aside from other recipes!

Step 4:

Add all other ingredient into crockpot. Give this a good stir, allowing all the ingredients to mix together. Cover crockpot with lid. You can either cook on low for eight hours or high for four hours.

Step 5:

After allowing chili to cook, open lid and give chili one last stir.

Step 6:

Your chili is ready to eat! There are multiple things that you can add to your chili that gives it extra flavor. Green onions and sour cream are just a few examples. This time however, me and my husband enjoyed it with just shredded cheese on top.

[caitlyncooks]

Chicken N' Dumpling Soup

As the cooler weather approaches, nothing says fall like a soup dinner. Today I will walk you through the steps of cooking one of my favorite fall recipes, chicken and dumpling soup! This recipe has a cook time of 40 minutes and makes just under 4 bowls. The ingredients are as followed:

-1 rotisserie chicken

-2 tbsp butter

-1/2 yellow onion, finely chopped

-3 celery sticks, chopped

-2 carrots, peeled and chopped

-2 cups chicken broth

-1 cup water

-1 can cream of chicken

-1/2 cup heavy whipping cream

-1 can biscuits

Step 1:

Finely chop onion, celery, and carrots. Don't forget to peel your carrot sticks before chopping!

Step 2:

Place butter in pot. Then pour celery, carrots, and onions. Season with the spices of your choice. I chose salt and pepper for this specific recipe but this step is completely up to you! Sauté for 5-8 minutes. Shred your rotisserie chicken while you wait.

Step 3:

After your veggies have sautéed, pour in all liquid ingredients (except for the heavy whipping cream). Toss in your shredded rotisserie chicken and season with salt and pepper. Bring pot to a light boil. Place lid on top and let set for 15-20 minutes.

Step 4:

After soup has simmered pour in heavy whipping cream. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed. Simmer for 5 more minutes.

Step 5:

Cut biscuits into fours, set aside.

Step 6:

Gently drop the biscuit dumplings into soup. Place lid over soup for another 10 minutes, allowing the dumplings to cook.

Step 7:

Enjoy!!

[caitlyncooks]

CaitlynCooks

Hello there! 🤎 My name is Caitlyn, but my friends call me Cait! I am very passionate about cooking. As well as trying new foods from restaurants. I only cook for two as it is just me and my husband in the household, but these recipes can easily be fixed to fit your families lifestyle/needs! Follow along as I post some of mine and my husband's favorite recipes with the occasional review from some of our favorite restaurants! ☺️