Tomatofredo Sauce

*1-8 oz can tomato sauce
*3/8 cup powdered milk
*2 cups water
*1 Tbsp. butter
*2 oz. cream cheese (I use 1/3 less fat)
*1 tsp. salt (Note: If you're sensitive to salt, only use 1/2 tsp. or 3/4 tsp.)
*1 tsp. basil
*1/2 tsp. garlic powder
*pepper, to taste
*1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
*1/2 pound ground turkey
*1 pint diced tomatoes, drained (optional)

-In sauce pan, combine all ingredients except meat and diced tomatoes.

-Cook over medium heat until boiling.

-If your sauce is lumpy, put it in the blender or food processor. Blend until smooth.

-Brown and season meat.

-Add sauce to meat.

-Add drained tomatoes, if desired.

-Continue to cook over low-medium heat until sauce thickens.

-Serve over pasta.

From the Critics
Brittany: 4

Brooklyn: 10

Damon: 10

Chicken Stew

*2 carrots, chopped
*3-4 medium potatoes, cubbed
*1 Tbsp. dried onion
*2 cups chicken broth
*1 can diced tomatoes
*1-2 large chicken breasts, cubed, cooked and seasoned
*1-8oz. can tomato sauce
*1/2 cup barley, uncooked
*1 Bay leaf
*1 tsp. Italian seasoning
*1/2 tsp. salt
*1/4 tsp. pepper

Simmer carrots, potatoes and onion in chicken broth until almost tender. Add chicken, tomatoes, sauce and seasonings. **I cooked my barley separely and then added it the soup. If you use a slow cooker you should be able to add it raw with all the other ingredients.

Add extra water if needed. Remove Bay leaf prior to serving.

From the Critics
Brittany: 6

Brooklyn: 1

Damon: 10

Ravioli

My kids are fans of the frozen ravioli from Wal-Mart. Unfortunately, I haven't been to buy it for quite a while now either because Wal-Mart no longer sells it or they've moved it to some secret location in the store where I can't find it. Anyway, I've dabbled a little in homemade pasta-making and decided to try ravioli. It turned out better than I expected but needs some fine-tuning.


Pasta:
*1 egg
*2 Tbsp. milk
*1/2 tsp. salt
*1 cup flour

(You'll probably want to at least double this, unless you're only cooking for a couple of people.)

Mix all ingredients together and let sit 20 minutes. Divide in half and roll each half out onto floured surface. Roll very thin.

Filling:
(I made this up as I went along. It was okay but a little on the bland side. You can use anything you want for your filling.)
*1/2 lb. ground turkey, browned and well seasoned
*1 cup cottage cheese (fat free)
*1 egg
*1 tsp. basil
*mozzarella cheese, shredded (as much or as little as you want)
*marinara sauce (or whatever kind of sauce you want)

Mix all ingredients except sauce. (Note: I added the egg because I thought it might make the filling a little more cohesive. I don't think it helped much, kind of made things a bit runny and I think I'll omit it next time.)

Place spoonfuls of filling onto one of the rolled out pasta sheets, leaving a generous space between scoops. With a pastry brush, brush water or milk around each filling scoop. Cover filling with second pasta sheet. There will be air trapped around the scoops of filling, you need to expel as much of this as you can, otherwise your ravioli may burst when cooking. Press the pasta sheets together to form a seal around each filling scoop. Cut individual ravioli in whatever shape you wish, I used a ring from a mason jar. Make sure each piece is sealed.

I set my ravioli on a wire cooling wrack for about an hour to dry, but you might be able to skip this step and cook right away.

When ready to cook, bring pot of water to boil. Gently drop ravioli in water and cook 8-10 minutes, depending on the size of your pasta and how much filling you have. (I only cooked mine for about 7 minutes and it wasn't quite long enough.) Drain. Place in baking dish, pour sauce over ravioli, garnish with cheese and bake at 350 degrees until sauce is heated.

From the Critics
Brittany:

Brooklyn:

Damon: 10 - "I love it so much."

Parmesan-crusted Chicken

*1/3 cup bread crumbs
*3 Tbsp. Parmesan cheese
*4 boneless-skinless chicken breasts (cut into strips if desired)
*1 tsp. season salt

Mix bread crumbs, cheese and season salt. Coat chicken with mixture and cook over medium (Spray pan generously with cooking spray.) until chicken is done.

Gravy (not pictured)
*1/3 cup cream cheese (I use reduced fat. Do NOT use Fat Free, it doesn't work well, I've tried.)
*2 cups chicken broth
*chives, onion powder to taste

Remove chicken from pan, add broth and cream cheese and seasonings. Cook until cream cheese has melted and mixture is smooth.

Serve chicken and gravy with baked or mashed potatoes or rice.

From the Critics
Brittany: 10

Brooklyn: 10

Damon: 10

Chocolate-Mug Cake

My grandma sent me this recipe in an email yesterday and I was curious so I tried it. However, I made some changes to the ingredients. Also, the picture in the email showed the cake in a large mug. I wasn't sure my regular-sized mugs were big enough for the full recipe so I divided it among 2 mugs and I'm glad I did. I would have had a huge mess in the microwave if I hadn't.


*1/4 cup flour
*1/4 cup sugar
*2 Tbsp. cocoa
*1 egg (I used egg substitute.)
*3 Tbsp. milk
*3 Tbsp. oil (I replaced the oil with APPLESAUCE.)
*3 Tbsp. chocolate chips (I used 1/4 cup. The more chocolate, the better, right?)
*splash of vanilla

Mix dry ingredients. Add egg, mix. Add milk and oil, mix well. Stir in chocolate chips and vanilla. Pour into 2 microwave-safe mugs. Cook 2-3 minutes in microwave.

From the Critics
Brittany: 10

Brooklyn: 1

Damon: 10

Pasta Chowder

*3 cups vegetables, fresh or frozen (broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, peas, etc.)
*2 cups chicken broth
*1/2 cup water
*1 - 12 oz can evaporated milk
*1 tbsp corn starch
*2 cups chicken breast, cooked,cubed and seasoned
* 1 1/2 cups pasta shells, uncooked

Cook and drain pasta. In a large saucepan, combine vegetables, broth and water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until vegetables are tender. In a small bowl, combine milk and cornstarch. Add to veggies; add chicken and pasta; salt and pepper to taste. Cook until thick and bubbly.

From the Critics
Brittany: 5

Brooklyn: 5

Damon: 10

Macaroni Tomato Soup

My mom used to make this when my siblings and I were little. It was a favorite of mine.

*1/2 - 1 lb. ground turkey, I use extra lean (or  you can use ground beef)
*2 - 2 1/2 cups macaroni, uncooked
*4-6 cups tomato juice
*parsley, to taste
*salt, pepper, and garlic powder to taste

Brown meat and cook macaroni. In large pot, combine all ingredients. If more liquid is needed, add water. Simmer until heated through.


Note: My measurements are just guesses, because I don't measure anything except the macaroni, so just do what looks/sounds good to you.

Pumpkin Cookies

*1 1/2 cups brown sugar
*1/4 cup shortening
*1/4 cup applesauce
*2 eggs
*1 3/4 cups flour
*1 Tbsp. baking powder
*1 tsp. cinnamon
*1/2 tsp. nutmeg
*1/2 tsp. salt
*1/2 tsp. ginger
*2 cups chocolate chips

Combine sugar, shortening and applesauce, mix. Add eggs. Beat well. Add remaining ingredients and mix. Drop by spoonfuls onto greased cookie sheet. Bake 10-12 minutes at 375 degrees. Makes approx. 3 dozen cookies.

From the Critics
Brittany: 10

Brooklyn: 10

Damon: 10

Manicotti

*2 cups spaghetti sauce
*1 egg
*1 3/4 cups cottage cheese (I use fat free.)
*2/3 cup Mozzarella cheese (I use partly skimmed.)
*1 Tbsp dried basil
*salt
*12-14 manicotti tubes
*1-2 packets Boca Meatless ground burger (optional)
*Parmesan cheese

Cook pasta until almost tender. Spread half of spaghetti sauce on bottom of 9X13 pan. Mix egg, cheeses, basil and Boca "meat" in medium bowl. Add salt as desired. Spoon mixture into large plastic bag. Snip corner of bag and squeeze mixture into pasta tubes. Place over sauce in baking dish. Pour remaining spaghetti sauce over manicotti. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Cover with foil and bake 30-40 minutes at 350 degrees.

Note: If you prefer real meat, use 1/2 pound ground beef or ground turkey.

From the Critics
Brittany: 9 - "It was pretty good."

Brooklyn: 10 - "I loved it very, very, very, very much!"

Damon : 10 - "I love it so much."

Jodie's Carmel Popcorn

* 1 1/4 cups popcorn kernels

*1 cup butter (I use margarine)

*1/2 cup corn syrup
*2 cups brown sugar
*1 tsp. salt

Pop popcorn, put in really BIG bowl. Set aside. Combine other ingredients in sauce pan. Cook over medium heat stirring frequently. Boil for 5 minutes. (DO NOT stir while boiling.)

Add:
*1 tsp vanilla
*1/2 tsp. baking soda

Stir carmel mixture and pour over popcorn. Stir gently until well coated. Transfer to 2 large cookie sheets or large roasting pan. Bake one hour at 275 degrees, stirring every 15 minutes. Dump onto waxed paper and let cool.

From the Critics

Brittany: 10 - "Its super-duper yummy."

Brooklyn: 10 - No comment

Damon: 10 - "I like it really, really, so, so much!"

Pasta Soup

*1 3/4 cups macaroni
*3/4 cup dehydrated carrots

*1/2 cup Parmesan cheese

*3 1/2 Tbsp. minced onion

*3 1/3 Tbsp. chicken bouillon

*1 1/2 Tbsp. parsley

*1 3/4 tsp. oregano

*1/8 tsp. garlic powder

* 10 1/2 cups water

*1 large can canned chicken (optional)

In large pot, bring water to boil. Add remaining ingredients. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 40 minutes or until veggies and pasta are tender.

Slow Cooker: Combine all ingredients in slow cooker EXCEPT macaroni and Parmesan cheese. Cook on low 5-6 hours. Add Parmesan cheese. Stir occasionally. Cook macaroni on stove top and add to soup just before serving.

From the Critics

Brittany: 10 - "Its yummy!"

Brooklyn: 10 - "I ate way too much! I have a big tummy ache."

Damon: 10 - "I like it so much."

Tiny Spicy Chicken

My pictures of this dish didn't turn out very well, so you'll just have to use your imagination. But please note: If you compare this to what you'd find at a Chinese restaurant, the color of my finished product is a much lighter red.



* 6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
* 1 egg, beaten
* ½ cup cornstarch

Cut chicken into strips. Dip in egg then roll in cornstarch. Spray skillet with non-stick cooking spray and cook chicken until brown. Spray 8x12-inch baking dish with cooking spray. Place chicken in baking dish, set aside.

Sauce:
*1/2 cup sugar
* ½ cup vinegar
* ½ tsp. garlic powder
* ¼ cup ketchup
* 1 Tbsp. soy sauce
* ½ - 1 tsp. fire oil

Mix sauce ingredients and pour over chicken. Bake at 375 degrees for 45 minutes to 1 hour, stirring every 15 minutes. Do not cover. Sauce will thicken as it bakes. Be careful not to let it burn. Serve over rice.

Note: Fire oil is found in the oriental food section of grocery stores.

From the Critics:

Brittany: 10 - "I love this and I can't stop eating it."

Brooklyn: 5 - No comment.

Damon: 10 - No comment.