Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Granola Bars

 This is another recipe that I saw a long time ago and I wanted to try.  I like making my own snacks for our family that use dates as the base.  The recipe also includes prunes.  These types of bars make me feel better nutrition wise because the source of sugar is natural and not refined.  I'm not saying that we never use normal sugar, but I like using natural sources as often as I can when making treats.

These were easy to mix together and I ended up freezing them once they were cut into bars.  My son and I enjoyed them quite a bit straight from the freezer.  These will definitely be made again and again.


Here is the recipe for Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Granola Bars

Minestrone Pot Pie with Whole Wheat Parmesan Biscuits

 Sometimes I wonder why it takes me so long to make a recipe that I see online when I really, really want to make it as soon as I see it!  Such is the case with this recipe.  I saw it here over a year ago and thought it looked so fabulous.  I love Minestrone, especially the one that my Mom makes, and I thought the idea of placing biscuits on top was awesome.

It was quite dark the night I made this, so I didn't get a shot of the entire dish, but I did take a quick picture of the leftovers, which I enjoyed for a few days after we made this.  My 6 year old helped me put this together and she made the biscuits almost all by herself.  This is a very comforting dish for a cold night and tastes great as a hearty lunch if you are lucky enough to have leftovers.

 Recipe for Minestrone Pot Pie with Whole Wheat Parmesan Biscuits   
* I used low-fat buttermilk in the biscuits and reduced the amount to 1 cup and 1 Tablespoon
* I used diced tomatoes 

Chocolate Chip Cookie Test

  Chocolate Chip Cookies, left to right- Martha Stewart's Soft and Chewy,  Cook's Illustrated The Perfect CCC,  Alton Brown's The Chewy, (the random one in the middle was a whole wheat variety that used oil that was not good enough to even be in the running) and The New York Times CCC.
 
 My son decided he wanted to do a Chocolate Chip Cookie science project this year. He wanted to find out which variables make the chewiest chocolate chip cookie.  We did some research and found 5 recipes that we wanted to test.  Some used bread flour, cake flour, an extra egg yolk or melted butter.  Some required chilling the dough in the refrigerator for a specific amount of time.  

We mixed up all the doughs on the same day and had 4 taste tests.  
Of course, since all people have different tastes and things they like about cookies, the reviews were different each time.  The first time, CI'S Perfect CCC was the overall winner in chewiness and taste.  The next time it was a tie between Martha Stewart and Alton Brown's The Chewy.  The last time we taste tested, the majority of the tasters liked Martha Stewarts cookie the best.  I am not a huge fan of Chocolate Chip Cookies, but I enjoyed CI's cookie the best.  I thought it had the best flavor and texture.  My husband loved The Chewy.  My kids all liked different ones better than the others, so the problem was never resolved!  

The good news is that we now have about 100 CCC dough balls in the freezer, for a quick snack whenever we might want one!


   Recipe for Alton Brown's The Chewy

Recipe for The NYT Chocolate Chip Cookies from Recipe Girl

Recipe for Martha Stewart's Soft and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookie

Recipe for Cook's Illustrated Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookie from the way the cookie crumbles

Beet Risotto with Roasted Asparagus

  This is one of my favorite ways to use beets and it is the only way I have found to get people who don't enjoy beets normally, to eat them without complaining.  I shared this recipe a couple of years ago, but since I make it quite often, I decided it was time to update the picture.

 I made this when we had people over for dinner and it was a huge hit.  I love making risotto for dinner when people are over because it is fairly easy to make and always a crowd pleaser.
  I also love the colors and presentation of this dish.  It is delicious.  
Beet Risotto with Roasted Asparagus and Feta  adapted from Rachael Ray

6  1/2 cups vegetable or chicken broth

2tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 1/2 cups arborio rice

2 baseball-size red or golden beets, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes

1 small yellow or red onion, chopped

2 - 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped

Salt and freshly ground pepper

1 pound fresh asparagus, trimmed and cut on a diagonal into 1-inch pieces

4 oz feta cheese, crumbled

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees . In a medium pot, warm the broth over medium heat. In a large, deep skillet or a medium Dutch oven, heat 1 tablespoons olive oil over medium to medium-high heat. Stir in the rice to coat with the oil, and toast for 2 minutes. Add the beets, onion and garlic and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Pour in 1/2 cup chicken broth and cook until absorbed into the rice, then begin adding broth a couple of ladles at a time, stirring with each addition, until the rice is cooked, about 20 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
2. While the risotto is working, on a baking sheet, toss the asparagus with the remaining 2 tablespoons EVOO, season with salt and pepper and roast for 10 minutes.
3. Serve shallow bowls of beet risotto with the roasted asparagus and crumbled cheese on top.

Pepperoni Pizza Monkey Bread

I saw this twist on Monkey Bread months ago and finally got around to making it for dinner. The prep was easy enough and the finished product was so fun! My family loved pulling off each little pizza bite and dipping it in pizza sauce. I used pre-made pizza dough from our local grocery store since it was a busy weeknight, 1 lb of whole wheat and 1 lb of white dough. This would make a great appetizer also. I served it with large salad and cut up veggies. Here is the recipe-
Pepperoni Pizza Monkey Bread | Confections of a Foodie Bride

I followed Shawnda's advice and used a pastry brush to apply a dab of butter to each prepared pizza bite. I had a lot of the garlic butter left over.

Carrot Soup with Tahini and Crisped Chickpeas

We were gone for about 10 days over the Christmas break and when we got back, there wasn't much in the fridge.  I happened to see this carrot soup on smitten kitchen and knew that I at least had carrots and onion, so I could make this for dinner without having to make a trip to the grocery store.  The prep is easy and the best part is the crunchy chickpeas. We enjoyed it on a gloomy, chilly night and it was just the perfect meal.
Here is the recipe - carrot soup with tahini and crisped chickpeas | smitten kitchen
I used chicken broth and added some curry powder to the spices. 

Link for Meyer Lemon Scones

Here is the link for the scones

Meyer Lemon & Blueberry Scones
I used low-fat buttermilk, added an extra teaspoon of baking powder, and dried blueberries-which I mixed into the dough and only baked these for about 18 minutes

Meyer Lemon Blueberry Scones and Meyer Lemon Curd

We started off our morning with these delicious scones and curd.  I have been trying to figure out how I can blog from my phone since our computer crashed and I think I finally figured it out! We've been at my sisters house in DC and she happened to have some Meyer lemons that I couldn't resist using.  I used a basic lemon curd recipe from Martha Stewart and if I can figure out how to put the link to the scone recipe I will.  Happy New Year!

Roasted Root Vegetable Salad

 This past weekend we went to a friend's house and I helped her make this salad to serve for dinner. She invited a few guests over and we had fun chopping and roasting veggies together in the kitchen.  The weather has finally turned a little bit cooler and this salad was the perfect introduction to fall.  It features all those delicious veggies that beg to be used this time of year- butternut squash, parsnips, turnips and carrots.  The veggies are roasted in the oven with some shallots and then mixed with a delicious vinaigrette.
  
This salad was a definite favorite at dinner.  It is a nice side dish and is so delicious!
Here is the recipe for Roasted Root Vegetable Salad 

Sweet Potato Quinoa Cakes with Blackberry Salsa

 Ever since I discovered the fact that I like sweet potatoes last fall, I have been buying a couple every few weeks and cooking them in the microwave to use throughout the week.  I even planted some sweet potato plants in my garden.  I happened to have some sweet potato chunks in the fridge when I saw this recipe and I decided to make it for dinner.

I have made the quinoa patties that this recipe is adapted from (and they are superb!), so I knew these would be delicious.  They were easy to make and the salsa was the perfect topping.

Other people in my family are not fans of sweet potatoes, but I didn't mention that these quinoa cakes contained sweet potatoes and no one really noticed too much.  My youngest daughter had a little bit of trouble finishing hers, but the rest of us liked them.  I liked them a lot.

Here is the recipe for Sweet Potato Cakes with Blackberry Salsa

Rocky Road Brownies

   My son brought home a sheet of paper that told me he had volunteered to bring a dessert in for the last day of school.  I knew, without even asking him, that he wanted brownies. 

  He decided he wanted me to try a new brownie recipe, instead of the usual Mint-filled Brownies (from Martha Stewart's Cupcakes) that I make for his birthday every year.  We looked at a couple recipes on the internet and as soon as he saw this one for Rocky Road Brownies, we didn't have to look any further.

The brownie batter comes together quickly and the chocolate chips, marshmallows and nuts are layered on top after they have almost completely baked through.   I made them the night before and the melted chocolate chips hardened into a nice, almost solid chocolate layer that could've passed for a frosting of some sort.  My self control was in high gear the night I made these and I didn't try even a nibble.  My family each tried a small bite and declared them delicious.  My son said they disappeared at school before he could even take one! 

 Here is the recipe for Rocky Road Brownies from Martha Stewart

Avocado Frog Dip and Potato Mice

   My kids like to look at cookbooks almost as much as I do.  Well, maybe not quite as much, but they do enjoy flipping through and marking recipes that they want us to make together.   A week ago, my 7-year old daughter marked quite a few recipes in this Mom and Me Cookbook and she asked  if we could get the ingredients and make them for dinner.  

The first thing she wanted to make was this Avocado Frog Dip.  It is a basic guacamole dip and my girls had lots of fun making it with me.   It was quite easy.  We took turns cutting and scooping out the avocado, mashing it and stirring in a few other ingredients.  Then my girls wanted to get a pretty tray and arrange all the veggie dippers and make the face.

 I thought it turned out great.  My kids aren't huge fans of avocado, but they ate this with the veggie dippers because "It's good for me" and "I know it's healthy".   They said it, not me! They actually both ended up liking it more than they originally thought they would and we had fun putting it together.  We made the dip while the potatoes were baking in the microwave.

 Here is the recipe for Avocado Frog Dip
* We used plain Greek Yogurt instead of sour cream

   To complete our meal, we made these Potato Mice.  We baked them in the microwave, so that the prep time wouldn't be quite as long.  Our potatoes were pretty small, so we didn't use as much butter or milk as the recipe called for.  We just used a little bit of each, and mashed it together until the texture was perfect.   These were tasty as well and the girls were very proud of the dinner they helped me make. 

 Here is the recipe for Potato Mice
* We used mozzarella cheese to top our mice
* We baked our potatoes in the microwave (minus the oil brushed on the skins of course!)


 

Buttermilk Wafffles with Strawberry Topping

 My kids love having breakfast for dinner.  They think it is so much fun.   A few weeks ago I found this recipe for Buttermilk Waffles with a fresh strawberry topping in Shape Magazine and I ripped it out because I really wanted to try it.  It comes from Ellie Krieger, whom I absolutely love, because her recipes are healthy and they always turn out to be very delicious.  Plus, she uses mostly low-fat buttermilk instead of a ton of oil or butter, which is something I do all the time when I make quick breads or muffins.  I also really liked that she only used honey to sweeten the waffles as well as the topping. 

I made the topping a few days in advance when I was cutting up strawberries for something else and I am glad I did because I think it tasted great chilled.   I doubled the recipe for the waffles, so that I could freeze some for a quick breakfast option on school days and I was really glad that I did that too. These were yummy and the sauce was perfect with the waffles.


Buttermilk Waffles with Strawberry Topping

by Ellie Krieger via Shape Magazine

3/4 cup all-purpose flour

3/4 cup whole-wheat flour

2 Tablespoons toasted wheat germ

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 large egg

1 1/2 cups low-fat buttermilk

1 Tablespoon canola oil

1 tablespoon honey

1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

Strawberry Topping, recipe follows

confectioners' sugar, optional

 Preheat a waffle iron.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients (flour through salt). In another medium bowl, whisk together the egg, buttermilk, oil, honey and vanilla.

 Stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, mixing only enough to combine them. The batter will be somewhat lumpy.

Coat the waffle iron with cooking spray.  Ladle enough batter to cover 3/4's of the surface, close lid, and cook for 3 minutes or until golden brown.  Repeat with remaining batter.  Serve topped with strawberry mixture and an optional dusting of powdered sugar.

Strawberry Topping:
16 ounces strawberries, fresh or frozen (unsweetened, thawed)
1 teaspoon lemon juice
2 tablespoons maple syrup

  In a medium saucepan over a low flame, stir together strawberries, lemon juice, maple syrup, and bring to a gentle boil.  Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 5 minutes, until the liquid has thickened slightly.  Flavor with additional maple syrup if desired.  Remove from heat and set aside.

 

A few quick Meal Ideas

Mini Meatball Pita Pizzas-  I made extra mini meatballs when I made Homemade Spaghetti-O's and Meatballs and put them in the freezer for a later date.   A couple of weeks later I quickly sauteed them with a little chicken stock and turned them into mini pizzas.  We used whole wheat pitas as the crust and dinner was ready in no time at all.

Pepper-Cheese Muffin from Weight Watchers Magazine

Heat skillet sprayed with nonstick spray. Add 2 slices Canadian Bacon; cook 1 minute per side.  Top 1/2 toasted English Muffin (I used 1/2 of a Vitabuns since I had them in the freezer, usually I have the Ezekiel variety) with bacon, 1/3 cup low-fat cottage cheese and 1 sliced pepperoncini.  1 slice cantaloupe on the side

Hummus Chicken Salad-1/2 cup chopped chicken, 2  chopped radishes, 1 stalk celery-chopped, 2/3 cup chopped cucumber, mixed with 1 1/2 Tablespoons hummus, on top of 1 1/2 cups spinach, 1 1/2 cups romaine w/ 8 cherry tomatoes

Sweet Potato, Cauliflower, Turkey Bowl (idea from Clean Eating Magazine)
  I combined 2/3 cup leftover ground turkey breast/ pinto bean mixture, with 1 cup cooked sweet potato, 1 cup steamed cauliflower, 2 Tbls chopped cilantro, and 2 Tablespoons salsa.

Elmo's Sweet Potato Biscuits

 There isn't a child in my home who still watches Sesame Street, but that didn't matter to me when I saw the new book- B is for Baking . This cookbook uses the characters from Sesame Street and I couldn't resist it.  I have had C is for Cooking for quite a few years and we use it all the time.

 I made Sweet Potato Biscuits last fall that we really loved and I noticed the version in B is for Baking was a little bit different and that it didn't use butter at all.  I was intrigued and decided it would be the first thing that we tried from this cookbook.  I made them on a night that we had a family favorite for dinner.  Whenever I make this stew, we have some sort of bread/biscuit to go with it and  I  knew these sweet potato biscuits would be great with it.  They didn't have the exact texture of a normal biscuit, but they were soft and fluffy and we loved them.   I froze a few of the leftovers and we made breakfast biscuit sandwiches the next week.  I will be making these again!

Elmo's Sweet Potato Biscuits

from  B is for Baking by Susan McQuillan

1 large sweet potato, cooked and mashed to equal 1 cup

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 cup whole-wheat flour

1/4 cup cornmeal

1 Tbls baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

1 large egg

1/4 cup olive oil

1/4 cup skim milk

2 Tbls honey

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

In a small bowl, whisk together dry ingredients (ap flour to salt).  In a medium bowl, with a wooden spoon, stir together egg, oil, milk, and honey.  Stir in the mashed sweet potato.

Gradually add the flour mixture to the sweet potato mixture and stir until just combined.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface.  With your fingers, gently pat the dough out to a 9*12-inch rectangle.  Cut into 12 squares.  Places biscuits on an ungreased baking sheet about 1 inch apart.

Bake 10-12 minutes or until golden brown. Cool slightly on rack and serve warm.

 

Green Chile Tamale Pie

  One of the other pies we had during Pie Week was this Green Chile Tamale Pie.  I was intrigued by the recipe and had never eaten or prepared any sort of Tamale Pie, so it was a new adventure for all of us.  I stuck to the recipe and used ground sirloin (shocker!) instead of subbing in lean ground turkey.  I added some pinto beans and switched up the cheese I used on top, but other than that I stayed pretty close to the recipe.


I had a little bit of trouble with the topping.  The recipe said to "Dollop and spread" it on top of the filling.  I actually had to roll mine out with a rolling pin and then transfer it to the top of the filling.  I had a few little patches that I had to pinch together.  Not too pretty, but it worked.


 I think my entire family was pleasantly surprised by this dish.  It had good flavor and was a fun twist on something we have never really tried before.   A perfect addition to our very fun Pie Week!

Here is the recipe for Green Chile Tamale Pie
* I added a can of drained and rinsed pinto beans to the filling
* I used feta cheese instead of queso fresco 
* I chopped the onion, garlic, tomatillos, and poblano chile in the food processor before added them to the skillet


 

Baked Breakfast Oatmeal Pie

   As part of Pie Week, I wanted to include some Breakfast pies.  I found this recipe for Baked Breakfast Oatmeal Pie  and just knew it would be perfect.  My youngest daughter and I stirred together the ingredients the night before and the next morning I popped it in the oven while my kids were getting ready for school.

 It was perfect! It is basically just a baked oatmeal recipe, but looks like pie because it is baked in a pie plate.  I reduced the sugar by over half, just because my kids and I don't really like our oatmeal too sweet (I usually don't add any sweetener to my own) and used almond milk instead of normal milk.

This was a big hit.  My kids enjoyed a slice warm out of the oven and they loved snacking on the leftovers, cold, right out of the fridge.  There are so many ways that you could make variations of this, like adding fruit or making a savory option.  It really seems like there are limitless possibilities and it is super quick to throw together.

I also saw this Pigs in a Blanket Pie and thought it was just too funny to pass up.  I whipped up some whole wheat pancake batter and put turkey sausage links into the batter.  The only problem was that it took longer than I expected to bake through, so my kids had to wait until after school to eat it since it wasn't ready before they left.  Fun idea though.

I also used  the filling from this recipe for Savory Breakfast Pies with Cheddar Cheese Crust , but used pizza dough as the crust.  I made them for dinner and they were a big hit.  I used canadian bacon instead of ham in the filling and also omitted the milk and used a little bit of oil instead of butter to cook the onion/veggies.  They turned out really cute and my family loved them.  I didn't get a picture quick enough though.  They ended up looking like little calzones.

 
Here is the recipe for Baked Breakfast Oatmeal Pie
* I used 2/3 cup pumpkin puree
* I reduced the sugar to  a little less than 1/4 cup
* I used almond milk (original) instead of regular milk 



 

  

Ellie Krieger's Shepherd's Pie

 I have a confession to make- up until last week, I had never, in my life, made Shepherd's Pie.  I don't remember ever eating it before.  My mom never made these types of dishes growing up.  I've never been a "meat & potatoes" type eater, so it just never  was something I was interested in making.

 2 things changed that for me- Pie Week and Comfort Food Fix: Feel-Good Favorites Made Healthy by Ellie Krieger.  

  Ellie Krieger's recipes never, ever disappoint and I like that she uses a combination of cauliflower and potatoes for the mashed topping.    I made a few changes, like using lean ground turkey instead of lean ground beef, but that is just because of my personal taste preferences.

I actually put this together on a Saturday night and then covered it and put it in the fridge, so I could just pop it in the oven after church on Sunday and we wouldn't have to wait too long for a hot meal to be ready.

My family really liked this meal, (it is a meal in itself), and I was pleasantly surprised by how flavorful and fun it was.  While we were eating it, we took turns telling stories about how this dish might have gotten the name Shepherd's Pie.  For your sake, I won't repeat any of those stories.  :D

Here is the recipe for Ellie Krieger's Shepherd's Pie
* I used 94% lean ground turkey
* I used chicken broth
* I added 1/2 cup of celery to the veggies
* I added a few splashes of Worcestershire sauce to the filling
* I added some garlic powder, salt & pepper to the mashed potato/cauliflower topping and used an extra Tablespoon of butter

  

Greek Greens and Sweet Onion Pie

 A couple of weeks ago, my 10 year old son could not stop saying "I like Pie!".  He said it after almost every sentence. He sang it.  He yelled it.  He repeated it over and over.    He said a couple of friends at school had decided that was their new catch phrase.   The only problem was, he didn't really like pie.  Or at least he thought he didn't like pie.    


After hearing "I like Pie!" a million times at least, I decided that he was going to learn to love pie.  I declared that we would be having Pie Week, where we would eat all sorts of different pies.  Pie for breakfast.  Pie for lunch.  Pie for dinner.  Sweet pie, savory pie.  Any and every kind of pie we could come up with.  I started researching pie recipes and set the menu for the week.  He wasn't too excited to begin with.

This was the first pie we had for dinner.  It has a phyllo dough crust and a filling of swiss chard, spinach, and onion.  It was reminiscent of spanakopita, but mostly greens with a little bit of crust.  We eat swiss chard and spinach all the time, so I didn't have a hard time convincing anyone to eat this for dinner.  It was good and a fun way to start out our pie adventure. 




Greek Greens and Sweet Onion Pie from Cooking Light

• 2 quarts water
• 12 cups torn Swiss chard (about 3/4 pound)
• 8 cups torn spinach (about 1/2 pound)
• Cooking spray
• 2 cups chopped Vidalia or other sweet onion
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh dill
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 3/4 cup (3 ounces) crumbled feta cheese
• 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 2 large egg whites, lightly beaten
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 10 sheets frozen phyllo dough, thawed

Bring 2 quarts water to a boil in a large Dutch oven. Add the chard and spinach; cook 2 minutes or until tender. Drain well. Place chard mixture on several layers of paper towels; squeeze until barely moist.

Preheat oven to 375°.

Heat a large nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat. Add onion; sauté 5 minutes or until tender. Add garlic; sauté 1 minute. Add chard mixture, dill, and parsley, stirring well to combine. Cook 1 minute or until thoroughly heated. Remove from heat. Combine chard mixture, cheese, eggs, and egg whites, tossing well to combine. Stir in pepper and salt.

Place 1 phyllo sheet on a large cutting board or work surface (cover remaining dough to prevent drying); lightly coat phyllo sheet with cooking spray. Place phyllo sheet in a 9-inch pie plate coated with cooking spray, allowing edges to overlap plate rim. Repeat the procedure with 6 additional phyllo sheets, placing sheets in a crisscross design. Spoon the spinach mixture over phyllo. Lightly coat each of remaining 3 phyllo sheets with cooking spray, and place sheets over spinach mixture in a crisscross design. Roll excess phyllo into the dish to create a decorative edge; press lightly to hold. Cut 4 (2-inch) slits in top of pie; cover with foil. Bake at 375° for 10 minutes. Uncover and bake an additional 30 minutes or until crust is crisp and golden.

Cut pie into 8 wedges.

Homemade Spaghetti-O's with Meatballs

  In April, I drove to Washington D.C. with my children for Spring Break.  My sister lives there with her children and it is always so much fun to visit them.  We go on tons of outings and see so many amazing things when we are there.  It's pretty great that so many of the museums, the zoo, and so many other activities are completely free!

On Friday night, my sister took me on a Girls Night Out to Georgetown.  The first thing we did involved enjoying gelato at Dolcezza  ( I had blood orange and  meyer lemon;  my sister had salted caramel and apple cider), ate at a delicious pizza place (but I can't remember the name of it!) and then we did some window shopping.  Our first stop was Dean & Deluca. 

   I realize that some people might not find this type of store exciting, but let me tell you that I could've stayed in there all day long.  It was fascinating to see so many beautiful foods and packages.   You might be wondering at this point what any of this has to do with Homemade Spaghetti-O's and Meatballs.    Well, when we were wondering around Dean & Deluca, I just happened to spy a cute little bag of ring shaped pasta.  Anelloni to be exact.   I had to have those cute little rings.  I had been looking for them because this particular recipe was on my to-make list.  (I will let you know that I did not pay as much for them in the store as the price that is listed online).

I had found my must-have item and my sister was trying to decide what kind of treat to buy from the bakery section (She settled on a ginormous peppermint brownie that we shared the next day with both of our entire families-10 people- after a hike) .  We made our purchases and went on our way.

My little ring pasta made it back here to Georgia and this recipe was one of the first things I made for dinner once we were home.

I didn't grow up eating canned Spaghetti-O's, but when I got married, I discovered that my husband really liked them.  But only the ones with meatballs.  I haven't eaten them, but he usually has some on hand, in case of an emergency.   As soon as I saw this recipe on Tracey's blog, I knew I would have to try it, if for no other reason than just so my husband could compare the homemade taste to the can.  

This homemade version is pretty easy and actually quite tasty.  My kids really liked it and my husband seemed to enjoy it too.  I made extra mini meatballs and froze them, so next time we want this yummy dish, part of it will already be ready to go.




  Here is the recipe for Homemade Spaghetti-O's with Meatballs
* I used ground chicken breast for the meatballs