Spaghetti Squash Mac and Cheese

I was recently looking at some old photos of myself and I realized, I need to jump off the pity party bus and run alongside it in order to lose some weight. I am starting by saying goodbye to any and all fast food and soda. I didn’t realize how much soda I drank. I figured I don’t buy it when I go grocery shopping so that means I don’t drink a lot. Well my friends, when you are purchasing a $1 large coke from Mickey D’s four to five times a week, that’s a lot of soda!! Kind of gross now that I just wrote that down. Anyway, I digress. Besides no fast food and soda I am also trying to cut back on my carb intake. Now I am Italian so I can’t cut it out all together (I’d be one sad Italian) but I can always cut back. Below is a Spaghetti Squash Mac and Cheese recipe I found, and of course changed. I actually tried to follow this recipe, but then when I took a bite of it, I decided it needed a few extra things added in.

1 large spaghetti squash
Pam cooking spray
1 bag frozen broccoli
1 Tbsp butter
1 Tbsp flour
1 cup milk
1 hand full of cheddar cheese
1 hand full of mozzarella cheese
¼ cup parmesan cheese
Salt and pepper
Red pepper flakes
Garlic, minced

1. Preheat the oven to 400⁰ and wash the outside of the squash thoroughly.
2. Cut the squash in half, long ways, and spray both sides with Pam. Let cook in oven for 50 minutes. Squash should be tender to the touch of a fork when done.
3. Once squash is out of the oven microwave frozen broccoli for 4-5 minutes, until steamed.
4. While squash is cooling and broccoli is cooking, melt butter in skillet and whisk in flour. Once flour thickens add in shredded cheeses and milk while continuously whisking.
5. Lower heat and quickly scoop insides out of squash and place into bowl.
6. Add in cooked broccoli and top with cheese sauce. Add salt, pepper, red pepper and garlic.

**I added a lot more salt than I normally would for any other meal. I also added Tastefully Simple’s Garlic Garlic but garlic powder or minced garlic would work fine.

Mom’s Cranberry Sangria

Mom’s Cranberry Sangria

½ bag fresh cranberries
1 750 mL bottle Chardonnay
2 liters Ginger Ale
½ liter Cranberry Schnapps

1. Freeze fresh cranberries in small, shallow container with water to make into ice cube. Let freeze 24 hours.
2. Combine wine, soda, and Schnapps into a serving pitcher. Include cranberry ice cubes and serve.

Red Skinned Mashed Potatos

1 lb red skinned potatoes
3 garlic cloves
3 Tbsp butter
¼ cup milk
Salt and pepper

1. Clean potatoes and peal any brown spots. Leave about half of the skin on the potatoes and cut them into 1 inch cubes.
2. Bring water to a boil in a saucepan. Once the water is boiling rapidly add the potato cubes and pealed garlic; let sit.
3. Boil until potatoes are tender and break apart at the touch of a fork.
4. Drain water and return to pan adding butter, milk and salt and pepper. The garlic should still be with the potatoes.
5. Smash potatoes with a potato-masher. Do not whip, you want a chunky consistency. Add extra milk for a creamier dish. I have even added two tablespoons of French onion dip for added flavor.

Mom’s Sausage and Peppers

Sausage and peppers has always been a staple in my family. Whether my mom is serving it over rice or as a grinder it was always something that my family loved. Recently I have gained a disgust toward cooked peppers. I’m not sure where it came from but one night I thought maybe I’d try getting rid of it and made my mom’s Sausage and Peppers. Unfortunately for me, I still hate cooked peppers; fortunately for my boyfriend, he now loves Sausage and Peppers so I have to pick around the peppers. I usually use red or green peppers but if I am using a Hot Italian Sausage and want to sweeten up the dish I will substitute an orange pepper into the mix.
Sausage and Peppers

2 Tbsp olive oil
1 package Mild or Hot Italian Sausages
3 peppers (Red or Green)
1 onion
Black pepper
Salt
Slice peppers and onions long ways, cleaning out insides of the peppers. Set aside and drizzle olive oil in bottom of pan and put full links in sauté pan to brown. Flip to make sure all sides get color. Once browned, about 5 minutes, remove sausage links and lower heat to low. Cut sausage links into 1/2 inch thick slices and return to pan at medium-low heat. Add peppers and onions and cover. Let vegetables cook with the sausage for 12-15 minutes, stirring every couple of minutes. Onions will turn translucent and peppers will be soft. Season with black peppers and salt. Serve on a grinder roll or over rice.

Spicy Chicken Meatballs

My favorite Sundays are in the fall and winter, spent around the TV watching football and eating all day. A few weeks ago, my boyfriend Chris and I decided it was time to start decorating for Halloween and luckily enough, our only day free was a Sunday where the Steelers were airing out here in Los Angeles. We invited his sisters and parents over to have a little decorating party, watch the game and eat all day. I figured it was a perfect time to try out some of my new recipes I experiment with on people other than Chris and I. Here was my favorite recipe I came across… and… adjusted. =]

Spicy Chicken Meatballs

Spicy Chicken Meatballs

1 lb ground chicken
1 egg
½ cup Panko breadcrumbs
1 carrot
2 small green onions
½ tsp garlic powder
¼ tsp salt
½ cup hot sauce, split in half
1 Tbsp butter

Preheat oven to 350° and spray cookie sheet with nonstick spray. Mince onions and carrots and combine with chicken, egg, breadcrumbs, garlic, salt and ¼ cup hot sauce. Fold together the ingredients to the center of the bowl. Fold until ingredients are evenly dispersed throughout meat. Form 1 inch meatballs and play onto cookie sheet. Bake for 20 minutes. In the last minute of baking combine ¼ cup hot sauce with butter into a microwave safe dish, and microwave for 30 seconds. Either serve sauce on the side as a dipping sauce or pour over the meatballs on a serving platter.