Where you are always allowed to play with your food!
Girls all smiles this morning!
Throwback to this day in history! 
Missing my pirate fur baby on International Cat Day 😢
Dinner tonight was crockpot pork. I put a pork butt seasoned with just salt and pepper in the crockpot on low all day. We had BBQ Sammies and the fixins’. Creating some amazing leftovers for lunch tomorrow. See ya soon!
Another busy weekday calls for a make ahead meal. Last night I assembled this meatloaf ahead of time so all I had to do when I got home was pop it in the oven. It took a good 1 hour, but I still had dinner on the table by 6:30. Most families I know eat between the 5:30-7:00 window, so this is a perfect thing to make the night before. You could even make 2, and freeze one uncooked for another night!
Easy Make Ahead Meatloaf- Feeds 4-6- You can double this recipe for a bigger family, leftovers, or an extra uncooked meat loaf to go in the freezer
Ingredients
1 pound of ground meat- I used 1/2 ground beef and 1/2 ground mild sausage
1 egg
1/2 cup of seasoned breadcrumbs (add more if too wet) or crackers
2 tablespoons Worcestershire
1 can tomato sauce (1/2 in the meat and 1/2 on top)
1 splash of red wine (more if too dry) *this can be omitted, or you could add extra Worcestershire or tomato sauce.
1 garlic clove grated (or 1 teaspoon of garlic powder)
1/4 onion grated (or 1 teaspoon of onion powder)
fresh or dried herbs- This time I used dried Italian seasoning- about 1 tablespoon
salt and pepper to taste- do not skimp
Directions
In a large bowl combine all your ingredients. I get in there and mix it up with my hands. Mix just enough to combine the ingredients. DO NOT OVERMIX! I do not use ketchup at all. The tomato sauce, tomato paste, and Worcestershire combo is better and gives the meatloaf so much more depth of flavor than ketchup ever could. I take my mixture, form in a loaf shape, and put it on some aluminum foil in a long baking dish. Top with more tomato sauce. 350 for about an 1 hour or until meat is at 155. Take out and let it sit for 10 minutes to set and for carry over cooking. Enough leftovers for the hubby and I to take for lunch tomorrow!
I served with some green beans and fried potatoes (small white potatoes diced with salt and pepper cooked in a bit of olive oil and cooked until tender, about 40 minutes).
So I made another recipe from the beautiful book, The Chef Next Door, by Amanda Freitag. She has a whole section on low and slow recipes, which I love. This recipe was shown 2 ways- on the stove top and slow cooker! You know I love a good crock pot meal on a  busy night! I assembled everything in the morning before I took the girls to school. I served it on top of rice, but pasta would work, too. So good! The girls even ate the green olives and capers! Working on a stuffed mushroom dish up later tonight or tomorrow!
Chicken Fricassee
Ingredients
3 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup tomato sauce or stewed tomatoes
1 yellow, orange, and red pepper- julienned
1 Spanish onion
6 garlic cloves, diced
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
8 ounces of beer or white wine (I used wine)
1 1/2 cups Chicken Stock
20 green olives, pitted
5 small Yukon gold potatoes, quartered
4 bone-in, skin on chicken legs (I used thighs, but breasts would work)
1/4 cup drained capers
2 limes, cut in to wedges (I did not use lime)
Slow Cooker-
Combine everything in the crock pot. In the directions, she cooks it on high until it boils, then turns it down. Since I was working all day, I just put it on low until I got home. The meat was falling off the bone. If you are adding capers and lime, add them right at the end
Happy Thursday! I am so glad tomorrow is FRIDAY! Looking forward to a nice relaxing weekend spending time with family and friends. Yesterday, I cooked this lovely meal in my slow cooker. By the time Becca came home from cheer practice, dinner was already on the table. Lots of leftovers to eat and share!
Slow Cooker Beef Short Ribs with Rigatoni Pasta
Ingredients
4 Beef Short Ribs, salted and peppered on each side. Coast with olive oil. Massage.
1 container mushrooms
2 celery stalks, chopped
3 carrots, chopped
1/2 onion, chopped
3 cloves of garlic, crushed and minced
3 tablespoons tomato paste
3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1/2 cup red wine
1 beer
1 jar of your favorite tomato sauce
1 pound Rigatoni (or any hearty noodle)
Directions
*****Can be done the night before******
Brown ribs on high heat, about 6 minutes on first side, 3 minutes on second side.
Take out meat and turn down heat to med. Saute veggies, about 15 minutes. Add in tomato paste and stir together, about 3 minutes. Add in red wine. Reduce, about 3 minutes. Put ribs in the bottom of slow cooker. Add veggies, Worcestershire, beer, and tomato sauce. Mix with salt and pepper to taste. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
In the morning, plug in slow cooker and cook on low heat for about 8 hours. If you have to go longer, that is just fine. If you can prepare all of this in the morning that is fine. You can also cook this on high for 4-6 hours.
All you have to do in the evening is make the pasta. This would also be amazing over Polenta or mashed potatoes.
Evening guys! I thought I would share this amazing tip… cook spaghetti squash in your crock pot! I saw this tip the other day on TV, and I just had to test it out!
Crockpot Spaghetti Squash
Ingredients
1 large spaghetti squash
1 cup low-sodium chicken stock, vegetable stock or water
Directions
With a sharp knife or fork, poke your spaghetti squash a few times all around.
Place the entire squash in a large slow cooker. Add your liquid and cover. Cook on high for 3-4 hours or on low for 6-8 hours.
I am going to add some butter, Parmesan cheese, and possibly some leftover veggies from tonight’s dinner (recipe coming soon) and take for lunch tomorrow!
Here is how I did it in the oven. https://funfoodiefamily.com/2015/03/23/roasted-spaghetti-squash/
Fun Foodie Family 