Granny Annie's Spaghetti Pie

The way food can recall a memory is so amazing to me. I can take a bite of Rice Chex cereal with sliced bananas, and suddenly I'm back in my junior year of high school, it's 6:42 in the morning, and I'm having breakfast with my wonderful dad.

When I take a bite of this spaghetti pie, it's April 8, 2009. I'm in Boerne, Texas at one of my closest friend's houses just days before her wedding. Around the table are the rest of the girls that make up the Fab 5, and we're digging in to some of the best home cooking west of the Mississippi, thanks to the mother-of-the-bride.

I loved each savory bite so much so that I begged Kristen's momma for her recipe. She showed me how she had prepped extras for the freezer--ready to pop in the oven at a moment's notice for any guests who might be dropping by during "wedding week"--and shared what a great meal it was to bring to a neighbor or friend in need. (Talk about thoughtful and hospitable!)

She gladly went and scanned a copy of the recipe from her cookbook that I have kept to this very day (and have since made numerous copies of for friends). 

Take one bite of this dish--with its perfect spaghetti and parmesan "crust," its flavorful sage sausage that's cooked in a delicious tomato sauce, then its balanced layer of sour cream with sautéed bell peppers and onions, and of course the oozing mozzarella cheese--and you will be sold.

I was so eager to share Ann's dish with my peanut and tell her about Granny Annie's spaghetti pie. We had such a sweet time making it together, and this mom was THRILLED that it got her eating veggies and meat. She loved every bite of it, and I'm sure Kristen's baby girl, Anna (Ann's namesake!), will love it just as much when she gets bigger.

Someday you may be able to throw your arms around Ann and thank her for one of the tastiest comfort foods ever when you join her in heaven... Until then, get to know the sweet, warm, wonderful momma and grandma that she was through making this special dish for your loved ones.

Granny Annie's Spaghetti Pie
From the Loving Kitchen of Ann Smith

8 oz. spaghetti
2 eggs
1/4 c. grated Parmesan cheese
2 Tbsp. margarine
1/2 c. chopped green bell pepper
1/3 c. chopped onion
1 c. sour cream (preferably room temp)
1 lb. sage seasoned sausage
1 c. water
6 oz. can tomato paste
4 oz. sliced Mozzarella cheese

NOTE: The gist of the layers will be:
1) Spaghetti mixture
2) Sour cream w/ veggies
3) Meat in sauce
4) After baking, cheese (then bake to melt)

Heat oven to 350 degrees and set out the sour cream to bring to room temp. Break spaghetti in half and cook in salted water until barely tender; drain (or you can use up that leftover spaghetti!). Beat eggs. (Ellie loves doing this for me! I ask her to keep the fork touching the bottom of the bowl when stirring, and to keep the fork in/just above the bowl when she pokes the yolks and lifts them to break them up.)

Add Parmesan cheese (I usually use the green canister one) and toss with warm spaghetti. [See earlier pic of Ellie holding recipe.] Put spaghetti mixture in greased 10-inch pie pan.

Melt margarine in medium skillet; add green pepper and onion. Sauté for 5 to 7 minutes. Do not brown. 

Add sour cream to vegetables; mix and spoon over spaghetti. 

Cook sausage; drain off grease. 

Add to sausage, the tomato paste mixed with water (I usually do this in my liquid measuring cup. I fill it with water first and then dump in the tomato paste and stir with a fork.

Simmer for 10 minutes and then spoon over sour cream mixture.

Bake for 25 minutes at 350.

Then cut cheese into strips and arrange over top. (Try to cover the whole pie with cheese. I start with the slices that come out nice and whole and then fill in the gaps with smaller slices.)

Return to oven for 3 to 4 minutes, until cheese is melted.

Mmmmm delicious... It also makes wonderful leftovers (if there is any!!)

Peanut Butter & Banana Muffins (w/ Cauliflower!)

One of my favorite things to do with Ellie is to bake.  She really makes a good little assistant if I may say so (and looks adorable in her Pottery Barn Kids apron her Auntie Linds got her for her birthday). 

And it's such a fun way for me to give her little responsibilities and teach her things like following directions in a recipe, etc.  She feels quite grown-up doing it. :)

I also love that it involves her in making her food--she tastes things along the way and makes a connection with it ("I made this!"), so there's a much better chance of her trying it and even liking it.

Because veggies have been the hardest thing for me to get her to eat, I have absolutely loved the book, Deceptively Delicious by Jessica Seinfeld.  This came out in 2007, and since then she's had a couple more cookbooks out.  You can check out her site, Do It Delicious, here--it has plenty of recipes, and some sneak peeks of her cook books, too. 

My first cauliflower puree food I tried was the scrambled eggs (which I loved!), and I think it was then that my sis-in-law, Molly, suggested we try the Peanut Butter and Banana Muffins.  So now I've dubbed these Molly Muffins. :)

-------------------------------------------------------

Molly Muffins 

{Peanut Butter and Banana Muffins | Jessica Seinfeld | Deceptively Delicious}

Yield: 12 muffins (double recipe to make 2 dozen)

Ingredients:

1 cup firmly packed light or dark brown sugar, divided

1/2 cup natural peanut butter

1/2 cup carrot or cauliflower puree

1/2 cup banana puree

1 large egg white

1 cup whole-wheat flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

Supplies:

Muffin tin 

Paper baking cups (or use nonstick cooking spray)

Large mixing bowl

Wooden spoon

Pot and collapsible steamer for steaming (you can also use a rice steamer or one of those pasta pots that has a drainer basket)

Food processor or blender

Measuring cups and spoons

Ziploc bag (we used the quart size)

 For your cauliflower puree, cut the florets off and toss the core.  Steam for 8-10 min.

Then, in a food processor or a blender, puree the florets for a couple minutes with a teaspoon or two of water.  You should have a nice, smooth consistency.  

For your banana puree, smash one large or two small bananas. (We worked on this while the cauliflower was steaming.)

Then just puree till smooth!

You'll be using 1/2 cup of the cauliflower puree and 1/2 cup of banana puree.  (Ellie and I have a system: "Mommy measures, and Ellie pours.") :)

We had a bit extra of the banana puree, so Ellie enjoyed a yummy snack while I cleaned up the food processor and prepped the rest of the ingredients.

Now, in your large mixing bowl, use a wooden spoon to mix together the purees with 1/2 cup of natural peanut butter, one egg white, and 1/2 cup of brown sugar. ( Oops, I only had 1/4 c. of brown sugar in this picture--I added another 1/4 c. right after.)

Now, stir till combined.  It helps to tell my little assistant to keep the spoon touching the bottom of the bowl and to go slowly. 

Now comes a really fun part!  To mix your dry ingredients together, you can put them in a Ziploc bag for your little one to shake up!

You'll need 1 cup of whole wheat flour, 1 teaspoon each of baking powder and baking soda, and 1/2 teaspoon of salt.

 Ellie was pretty mesmerized. :)  After shaking a bit I also showed her how she can turn the bag upside down and continue turning the bag as a way of mixing it up.

Now combine the dry ingredients with your peanut butter mixture and stir just until it's combined (it's okay that it's a bit lumpy--don't overmix).  

(I absolutely love her Pottery Barn Kids apron--it was a gift from her Auntie Linds.) :)

Lastly, add the remaining 1/2 cup of brown sugar and just give it two quick stirs.

 Now it's time to fill the muffin tin!  I have a stash of muffin liners so I let Ellie pick out the colors she wanted to use.  (Great time to practice little one's colors and talk about circles!)  Also--she loves playing with muffin tins and liners and stacking the liners, etc., so this is also a fun activity I'll use whenever I need to keep her occupied in the kitchen.

Bake at 350 for 15 to 20 minutes (toothpick inserted into center should come out clean.)  I think I ended up baking mine a little longer.

Shh, don't tell her there's cauliflower inside!

  Pretty sure she liked it. :)

Side note--for my husband and me we felt like the first bite took a little getting used to, and then we really liked them.  Possibly because of the whole wheat flour?  Not sure... But you definitely don't taste the veggie. :)  And they really are quite addicting!

Have you tried hiding purees in food?  What are your tricks for getting your kiddos to eat healthily?

Mexican Haystacks

This is the first dinner David ever made me, when we started dating in 2006.  It was a family favorite of his growing up, and has definitely become a staple meal in this house as well.  It's one of those meals that ALWAYS sounds good.  And it's fairly easy as far as cooking time goes.  The toppings take a little bit of time to prep, but it's definitely worth it. :)

We have a rice cooker (a wedding gift from David's best friend, Stig, and his now-wife Jess), :) so I start by just putting on 3 cups of rice.  We use Calrose rice, which is yummy sticky rice.  We've stuck with the Botan brand for years, which you should be able to find at any grocery store.

Next, cook up a pound of ground beef, drain grease, and add a taco seasoning packet with cold water.  (Cook according to packet directions.)

Now for the prep:

*dice tomatoes
*chop Romaine lettuce
*grate Cheddar cheese (we used Colby this time)
*make dressing: mix mayonnaise and ketchup in a small bowl till orangey-pinkish (do a taste test to see if needs more ketchup)
*grab your favorite salsa

And now for the yummy layering... There is a particular order David taught me that maximizes its deliciousness, so don't. deviate. ;)

The other thing, is just know that no matter how small of an amount of rice you start with on your plate, it will explode by the end.  (When this happens, do not fear--you will still eat every bite.)

Step 1: Rice.

 Step 2: Cheese.  Don't miss this.  

 Step 3: Meat. (See this--now the cheese will melt perfectly between the heat of the rice and the meat, glueing it all together.  Mmmmmm....)

 Step 4: Lettuce (this is where it really explodes!)

 Step 5: Tomatoes.

 Step 6: Drizzle sauce with a spoon.

 Step 7: Salsa

And, voila!  Absolute deliciousness.  David's other tip is to take a bite on one end and work your way through (that way you're getting everything in each bite), rather than taking a bite off the top and working down through the layers.

Our picky-eater-Ellie even takes a couple bites of her "Taco Rice" when we have this.  For the kid version I just did rice, cheese, taco meat, and a little of the sauce--all mixed together.  Add tomatoes, too if your little one eats those!  Add some whole wheat toast and a veggie or fruit for a yummy meal.

When you have your next planning day (FlyLady chooses Tuesdays), add this to your meal plan for the week and let me know how you like it! :)

You'll know why I married my guy.