Beef & Spaghetti Pie Ole

This recipe was tucked into one of my books and I think I had every intention of making it years ago, but never got around to it. It is a very easy recipe and one that will likely be moved into the rotation once a month or so. It got thumbs up from everyone, but the eldest.

Beef & Spaghetti Pie Ole

7 ounces spaghetti, uncooked
1 egg
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1 1/3 cup Monterey Jack cheese, or cheddar, shredded
1 pound lean ground beef
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
10 ounces canned chopped tomatoes with chili, undrained
3/4 cup sour cream

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°F. Cook pasta according to package directions and drain.

Whisk together egg, half the salt, 1/4 tsp. garlic powder and 1/3 cup cheese. Add pasta and toss. Arrange in 9 inch pie dish, pressing to form shell. Heat large skillet over medium heat until hot. Add ground beef and brown 4-5 minutes, breaking up into 3/4 inch crumbles.

Pour off drippings. Season with remaining salt and remaining garlic powder. Add cumin and stir in tomatoes. Bring to a boil and cook 3-5 minutes or until liquid is almost evaporated, stirring occasionally. Reserve 2 Tbs. beef mixture for garnish.

Stir sour cream into remaining beef and spoon into pasta shell. Place remaining cheese in center, leaving 2 inch border around edge. Spoon reserved beef mixture onto center of cheese and bake 15 minutes or until heated through.

**Cook's Notes**

I doubled this recipe to feed all 8 of us and served it with a simple tossed salad. Instead of using 2 9" pie plates, I used my large lasagna pan.

I made the following changes:

ground turkey instead of ground beef, plain organic yogurt for the sour cream, regular diced tomatoes mixed with a little bit of tomato paste and some finely chopped jalapenos instead of tomatoes w/chilis, Mexican blend cheese for the Jack cheese, part onion powder for the garlic powder.

Cheese Crackers

Oh my goodness. Let's just say my mouth was salivating while just reading the recipe for these crackers.

Ok, so they're not what I expected. They did not "crisp up" the way the thin wheat crackers do. The taste, however, was fantastic. It was the texture that was a total turn off. I baked them for at least double the time that was suggested and yet they still are "doughy". Perhaps it is the butter? Or the fact that the recipe seems to be a straight pie crust with spices & cheese? My thought is that I will add the spices & cheese in this cracker to the wheat ones and see what I come up with. Stay tuned.

Cheese Crackers

1 c. flour (I used 1/4 c. whole wheat and 3/4 c. all purpose)
2 tsp. dry mustard
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp. thyme
1/2 tsp. paprika
1/2 tsp. chili powder
1/2 tsp. salt
2 c. sharp cheddar cheese (I used a Mexican blend, but think a good Italian blend would work just as well)
1/4 c. unsalted butter
1 c. cold water

Mix the flour, herbs & spices. Cut the butter into pieces and cut into the flour (pulse everything in your food processor). Add in the cheese. Add the cold water and mix until soft dough forms.

Roll out onto greased baking sheets about 1/8" thick. Poke with fork and cut into cracker sized pieces (I made mine about 1/2" square). Bake for 10-20 mins. or until lightly browned.

Once cool, remove from pan and place into an open container overnight.

Tuna with Rice & Cheese

I found this recipe in my Woman's Home Companion cookbook when trying to make supper with what little was left in my pantry this past winter. It ended up being well liked by everyone at the table. Even me, which is saying something because beyond tuna salad w/diced apples, I'm not a big tuna fan. In fact, given the choice, I would eat chicken almost every day of the week. I'm almost positive that if cheese was not a factor in this dish, I would not like it as much!

As with most recipes, this isn't exactly what the recipe in the book looked like, but it is how I've made it since finding it.

Tuna Fish with Rice and Cheese

2 sm. cans tuna packed in water, rinsed & drained well & flaked
5-6 c. rice, cooked*
2/3 c. shredded cheese, divided (I like a cheddar blend - usually have Mexican blend on hand)
1 c. frozen peas, divided
1 recipe basic Cheese sauce** (Parmesan is a good choice, but use what you like)
1/2 c. bread crumbs

Preheat oven to 400.

Layer the following into a large pan - foil ones work awesome: 1/3 of the rice, 1/2 of tuna, 1/2 of the cheese and 1/2 of the peas. Repeat, adding last 1/3 of rice on top. Cover with cheese sauce and bread crumbs. Bake for approximately 25-30 minutes.

*When I cook rice, I generally use a very bland homemade chicken broth or 2 bouillon cubes per 4 c. of water. I also add in dried minced onion, dried minced garlic, basil, oregano, salt & pepper. If you have just plain rice, you will want to add herbs/flavorings to it before making this casserole.*

**Basic cheese sauce is as follows: 2 Tbsp. butter melted, 2-3 Tbsp. flour whisked in to make a roux. 2 cups of milk added slowly, whisking to prevent lumps. When mixture starts to thicken up, add cheese and stir until melted. I generally do not measure my cheese.**