Weekend Update

Friday Bri had practice before school.  She got to come home like a normal student that afternoon.  I had been feeling off all week so we stayed home.  I made pancakes for supper and we just hung out here.  Actually that is what we did the entire weekend.  I didn't crank the truck or even put on clothes the whole weekend.  I stayed in pajamas trying to get to feeling better and the kids played outside about the whole weekend.

Here is a recipe I made earlier in the week and just didn't have time to post.  Here is the original and then what I did.  Of course on QVC they wanted to promote one of the products they sale.

Tamale Pie
from QVC.com

Ingredients:

Pie Filling:

• 2 Tbsp vegetable oil, divided
• 2 lbs lean ground beef
• 1 large yellow onion, diced
• 1 medium green bell pepper, diced
• 1 medium red bell pepper, diced
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tsp salt
• 3/4 tsp ground black pepper
• 2–1/2 tsp ground cumin
• 2 tsp chili powder
• 2 tsp dried cilantro
• 1–1/2 tsp oregano
• 1 (14.5-oz) can diced tomatoes (juice reserved)
• 1 (10-oz) can diced tomatoes and green chilies, (juice reserved)
• 1 (15-oz) can pinto beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 cup frozen corn kernels

Cornbread Crust:

• 1 (8.5-oz) package corn muffin mix
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1/3 cup milk
• 6 oz Monterrey Jack cheese, shredded

Directions:

1. Turn the Ninja on to the stovetop setting and set the heat to high. Add 1 Tbsp of oil and heat for 3–4 minutes. Add the ground beef and cook, uncovered, until the beef is completely browned, 10 minutes. Stir occasionally. Remove the ground beef from the pot and drain to remove the excess fat. Set aside.
2. Place the pot back into the cooking system and pour in the remaining oil. Add the onions, peppers, garlic, salt, and black pepper. Cook, uncovered, for 6 minutes, stirring from time to time. Spoon the ground beef back into the pot and stir to combine. Add the cumin, chili powder, cilantro, and oregano then cook for 4 more minutes, stirring occasionally. Pour in the tomatoes (with the juice), the beans, and the frozen corn kernels. Stir until evenly distributed.
3. Set the Ninja to the slow cooker setting. Cover and cook on high for 2–1/2 hours. When the time is up, make the corn muffin mixture by whisking together the corn muffin mix, egg, milk, and cheese. Remove the lid on the Ninja and spoon the batter evenly over the tamale mixture. Place the lid back on and cook for another 45 minutes.

I didn't drain any of the tomatoes, really just dumped and stirred the pie filling.  I cooked it using the stove and oven.  Just browned the ground turkey, onion, peppers, garlic, salt, and pepper.  Added the rest of the ingredients for the filling and then poured into a casserole dish.  I added the cornbread crust and baked at 350 until the cornbread on top was done.  This was good and super easy. I put it back in the oven that was turned off but still warm so Bri could eat when she got home from practice.  I have warmed it up a couple days for lunch and it warms up really well.  



Pepperoni Pizza Pasta Bake
David Venable

12 oz box penne or ziti pasta (I used whole wheat)
1/2 pound Italian sausage, casings removed and crumbled (I found a package of loose uncased Italian sausage)
1/2 cup chopped onion
14 oz jar pizza sauce
8 oz can tomato sauce
1/2 cup milk
1/2 pound thinly sliced pepperoni
1/4 cup diced Canadian bacon (I just used the sliced pizza style)
1 tsp Italian seasoning
3/4 tsp garlic powder
1 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
1/3 cup Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup finely chopped parsley

Preheat oven to 350.  Spray a 2 1/2 quart baking dish with Pam.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil.  Add salt and the penne and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, 8-10 minutes.  (I went about 7-8 minutes.)  Drain the pasta and set aside.

Heat a large skillet over medium heat.  Add the sausage and onion and cook until the sausage is cooked and the onion is tender, 7-8 minutes.  Carefully drain as much of the drippings as possible from the skillet.  Set aside.  (I cooked the sausage and onions while the pasta cooked.)

Combine the pizza sauce, tomato sauce, and milk in a large bowl.  Stir in the sausage mixture, the pepperoni, Canadian bacon, Italian seasoning, and garlic powder.  Add the pasta and stir gently until thoroughly coated with the sauce.

Transfer the pasta mixture to the baking dish and sprinkle with the mozzarella and Parmesan.  Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes.  Remove the foil and continue to bake until the cheese is melted and bubbly.  Garnish with parsley and serve hot.  (I left the parsley out.  The kids think it tastes like grass.)