Garlic and Tomato Spaghetti

This is my Garlic and Tomato Spaghetti. One day for supper I was fixing Spaghetti. I was in a hurry and did not what to go through the process of making the sauce and such. So I did this. My family loved it! For a long time (and still now) we will call it No Name Spaghetti, because we didn't know what to call it. I did turn this recipe in for a recipe challenge. I didn't win, but did come up with a name! :) Enjoy.

Garlic and Tomato Spaghetti
1 to 2 oz of uncooked spaghetti noodles
1 pound of ground sausage
1 can of diced tomatoes
4 cloves of garlic, minced
1 tablespoon of basil
1 tsp of Italian seasoning
1 tsp of salt
1 tsp of garlic powder

1 tsp of Greek seasoning
Cook the spaghetti in water with the salt. (Drain couple minutes before noodles are done.)

Brown the ground sausage in a large skillet. When this is completed, add in the garlic, the diced tomatoes, basil,

Italian seasoning, Greek seasoning, and garlic powder. Cook for about 5 to 10 minutes. Add the noodles to the skillet to finish cooking. Cook another 10 minutes. Serve.

Sunday Dinner

Hello All,


First let me say I am very sorry about that other blog. I tried to use the new system that you can blog from your phone, lets say it didn't work. Yikes!


Well I hope everyone is enjoying this weather. Here in the Midwest turned out to be sunny and hot today! At least no rain today. 


I have cooked for my Grandfather every Sunday since my Grandmother passed away back in 2007. He really enjoys the meals. Today I fixed my brown sugar meatloaf, mashed potatoes, gravy, green beans, corn on the cob, and slaw.


Every Sunday my Grandmother fixed a big dinner of Roast, mashed potatoes, gravy, corn, and slaw. Well, my family and I can only take so much roast. :) So I have expanded his meals on Sunday. Plus during the week he will fix himself very little of sandwiches and things. 


This brown sugar meatloaf I learned back in High School during my Senior year in Food Management class. Everyone has at least liked it or loved it. I have left out a few ingredients from this recipe since my son Nick and Grampa doesn't like them. :)


What do you like to fix for a Sunday dinner for your family?


Have a fun and safe day.


Until next time,
Dayle

Hello Everyone,

I hope everyone is having a great Memorial weekend. It is a little cold and rainy here in the Midwest. :( 

I am posting a few cooking tips that I have read or learned myself over the years. Some of these came from my Foodnetwork magazine. Or sometimes I call it better then "Brown Chicken Brown Cow" magazine. (That's is a country song by Trace Adkins).

Tonight I am fixing fried fish for supper and some homemade fries. We hardly by frozen fries anymore. I found that the homemade ones are so much better and easy to fix.

I bought a french fry cutter at Bed Bath and Beyond, a few years back. It was pretty cheap. Had to be under $20 back then. I buy the white russet potatoes. You just need to wash them and put them in the slicer and pull down. Out comes perfectly cut fries. I do leave the skins on. That's the best part. 

The secret to homemade fries like this is to fry them twice. When restaurants serve these homemade ones, and they are all crispy, they fry them twice. I fry them all up, sometimes batches because you don't want the oil to cool when you put the fries in. Cook until done. Take them out, and put on paper towel to soak up the oils. When you get all done. Start again with your first batch. This time cook until golden brown. Then take them out and put back on some fresh paper towels then season to taste. Most people like salt. My family likes to use Season Salt. 

Now, I am in search of a delicious hush puppy recipe. I normally don't like them, but I have a found a few that I do like.  So if anyone has the most amazing hush puppy recipe ever please feel free to share. 

So here is some of those cooking tips. Enjoy. Fix something good this weekend.

1. NEVER EVER EVER rinse pasta.

2. Taste Taste and Taste....Chef Anne calls it QC (Quality Control)

3. Careful with onions, esp raw. It ruins the palate.

4. For best cooked pasta drain before done like couple minutes left and cook in the sauce.

5. Get your pans hot, esp for searing meats

6. My secret weapon in my marinara sauce is dash of sugar/splenda and 1/2 cup milk. The milk doesn't take away from  flavor just makes it creamy.

7. Keep dishes simple. Don't overdo.

8. Love bacon, but easy does it.

9. Garlic adds a lot of flavor without adding fat or calories, and major health benefits

10. Keep Garlic in cool dry place; pantry or cabinet. Never in direct sunlight or do NOT freeze it will alter the taste.

11. Less Garlic flavor keep cloves whole, more Garlic flavor mince them up. (while cooking don't let them brown they will taste bitter)

12. The seasonings I typically use on most things are, Salt, Pepper, Greek and Garlic Powder

13. Paula Deens house seasonings are Salt, Pepper and Garlic Powder.

14. Use fresh ingredients whenever possible.

15. Let meat rest or pasta like manicotti or lasagna for 5 minutes or more.

16. In my Italian dishes I always use sausage never hamburger

Until next time,

Dayle

Getting Started

Hello All,

This first blog is a little about why I am creating this blog. My hopes. My dreams (Sogno). I am almost 40 years old. Have four stepchildren from two marriages. One son of my own, Nick. He will be Senior this fall. Not sure how to feel about that. :)

I always loved to cook. My Grandmother and Mother taught me a lot. In High School I was in a Food Management Class and loved it! I worked in different Restaurants while as a teenager. After High School I moved and took a job at a Little Caesars Pizza. I worked my way up to be an Assistant Manager. After that I met my first husband. Moved, married, had kids. The cooking world was put on hold. After my Divorce I started to cook again. I found my passion again. Now going after my dream.

In this blog, I will share hardships of cooking, recipes, and cooking tips that I have learned.

I like to cook many things. I think my favorite and really good at is Italian food. (I so want to travel to Italy) Nick and I have narrowed down that an Italian Restaurant would be perfect. So then we had to settle on a name for this restaurant. Thanks to my high school classmates (especially Joy, Thanks Sweets) we settled on Sogno's. The Italian word for Dream.

Besides my grandmother and mother teaching me, I have self taught myself on a lot of things. I am a foodnetwork junkie. I have dozens upon dozens of cookbooks. I also get cooking magazines. I will take a recipe that I like and try, but when I try it; I usually end up changing lots of things and somehow its so different it becomes my own version.

I am very slowly writing my own cookbook. I am finding out its a very slow process. Especially when you work a full time job outside the home. So far my taste testers, my awesome co workers loves the food. I can not wait until it is completed.

I have or trying to get at least a small business started out of my home. I'm known for my hotwings and Lasagna. I do sell them to my co workers or friends. I just haven't made anything on it; but you got to start somewhere.

Some of my favorite people are Chef Anne Burrell, Guy Fieri, Bobby Flay, Gordan Ramsey, Rachel Ray, and Paula Deen. Many others too. I have a facebook and a twitter account. One night I was flipping out so happy. My family was wondering what was going on with me. Chef Anne emailed me on Facebook. :) Couldn't help myself. Then I follow A LOT of chefs on twitter. So far Chef John Besh and Chef Michael Symon has answered a few questions that I sent them. Also on cloud nine because Chef John Besh and Martha Stewart follows me. It doesn't take much to make me happy. I know corny.

Well, I will be going for now. I will be working on getting some cooking tips together and will be blogging about that in the near future.

Until next time,
Dayle

PS Just a short note; I did not do well in English in high school or college. Please excuse any grammar or spelling issues I may have.