One Pot Spaghetti

One pot.  3 ingredients.  30 minutes.  What more could you ask for in a family dinner recipe that pleases every time.

 Recently I was lucky enough to have Ann-Marie from Chaos is Bliss visit our family farm for a one-on-one tour thanks to Indiana's Family of Farmers.  Ann-Marie and I talked about all kinds of things from the similarities in our families, how we raise our pigs, and my favorite pork recipes. Although my all time favorite pork recipe is a good ole pork burger, I must admit I'm quite fond of this one pot spaghetti with pork Italian sausage and it is definitely becoming a go-to recipe at this pigpen.

I must give props to Ann-Marie's excellent self-timer abilities for this photo.

It was very exciting for me to have Ann-Marie visit our farm.  As you know, I'm very passionate about agriculture and our family farm and love talking about both anytime we get.  I realize I'm probably a little biased when I talk about our farm so I encourage you to visit Ann-Marie's recap of our visit as I assure you she asked a lot of great questions as nothing was off limits.  (You might even find a yummy pork recipe when you visit.)

Now that being said, let's get back to this one pot spaghetti.  I'm not lying when I say this is so easy as it truly only uses one pot (OK.  I may have used 2 as I used my micro cooker to brown the italian sausage to speed up the process.) and 3 ingredients.

One Pot Spaghetti

Ingredients

• 1 lb. ground Italian sausage
• 7 oz. package spaghetti, uncooked and broken into 1-inch lengths
• 2 24 oz. jars spaghetti sauce

Cooking Directions

1. In stock pot over medium heat, brown sausage for 5 to 7 minutes, stirring often.
2. Drain; stir in broken spaghetti. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring often.
3. Add spaghetti sauce and stir until well blended. Heat to boiling.
4. Reduce heat to low; cover and simmer about 20 minutes, until spaghetti is tender.

Print Recipe Here

Enjoy!!

This post was sponsored by Indiana’s Family of Farmers, but all words and opinions are 100% my own.

Easy On the Go Harvest Granola Rounds

Rain, Rain, Go Away, Come Again Another Day...

This isn't the first time I have said this. Unfortunately, this summer, we haven't seen a lot of it which hasn't been good for our corn and soybeans trying to grow in the fields.  Although it hasn't been quite as dry as last summer, it has definitely been less than desirable which is why rain this time of year is not exactly welcome. Rain this time of year will not help our crops as their growing season is over and harvest season is upon us; however, we can't harvest our crop if the ground is wet.  So after the rain this week, we will wait for it to dry up before heading to the fields and hope that harvest will begin soon.

That being said, I am always looking for quick and easy snacks that The Farmer can take with him when he is in the fields as harvest usually means long hours.  And this recipe is a super double bonus as it is not only quick and easy, but also rather nutritious, and can serve as a snack or breakfast.  I had seen a few recipes for these "health balls" floating around on the Internet, but when our great friend Nancy made some for The Farmer and I this summer, we were hooked and they will be the perfect snack for me to keep on hand during the upcoming harvest season.

Easy On-the-Go Harvest Granola Rounds

Ingredients
2 cups oatmeal
1 cup peanut butter
1 cup ground flaxseed
1 cup chocolate chips
2/3 cup honey
2 tsp vanilla

Directions

Mix all ingredients together.  Chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes or longer.  Roll into rounds and store in air tight container.  (I made approximately 40 one inch rounds.)  Enjoy!!!!

Tips

• Store in refrigerator if desired.
• Pre-package 4-5 rounds in a sandwich bag for a grab 'n go snack or breakfast.
• Perfect with a glass of milk

I am participating in Indiana's Family of Farmers Table Talk Series and received a gift in exchange for my participation.

Kid Friendly Apple Cranberry Pops

Now, I wouldn't have made it through the Farm Girls Freeze event without the help of Big Sissy and Little Sissy so it was only fitting that they decided to whip up their own recipe during the event as well from the same Gooseberry Patch Freezer Friendly Recipes cookbook.

Big Sissy and Little Sissy decided to make Apple-Cranberry Pops

Apple-Cranberry Pops

Ingredients
12 oz. can unsweetened frozen apple-cranberry juice concentrate, thawed
2 c. plain yogurt
2 t. vanilla extract

Directions
Mix ingredients together.

(After some trial and error and few messes, I would recommend adding the ingredients in the order of yogurt, concentrate, and vanilla and use a whisk to mix the ingredients together.)

Pour into small paper cups.

Insert a wooden treat stick into the center of each yogurt cup.  (We also learned through trial an error that they are some tricks to this step too, but you will have to stay tuned for those.)

Freeze overnight.

When ready to enjoy, let stand at room temperature for a few minutes; peel off paper cups.

Italian Beef in a Bucket

Or a crock pot or slow cooker.

Although I'm a pig farmer and love me some pork, Italian Beef will always have a soft spot in my heart.  That being said, I had never made it before in my life.  That is until Gooseberry Patch's Slow Cooking Year 'Round arrived with the Italian Beef in a Bucket recipe.  I knew I had to make it. 

Italian Beef in a Bucket

3 1/2 - 4lb. beef rump roast

12 oz. jar Italian giardiniera mix, mild or hot, drained

12 oz. jar pepperoncini

.7 oz. pkg. zesty Italian salad dressing mix

10 -1/2 oz. can beef broth

12-18 crusty Italian rolls

Place beef roast in a large slow cooker.

In a bowl, combine remaining ingredients except rolls; do not drain pepperoncini. (I mixed together the broth and dry salad dressing mix first.)

Pour mixture over roast.

Cover and cook on low setting for 10-12 hours, until meat is very tender.

Shred with 2 forks; stir into mixture in slow cooker.

Serve on rolls; top with some of the giardiniera mixture from the slow cooker.

Makes 12-18 servings.

This Italian Beef was absolutely delicious and so juicy and even made for yummy leftovers.  

It was the perfect meal to come home to after spending the day at Big Sissy's first volleyball tournament.

Now don't forget to enter for your chance to win a copy of this amazing cookbook and hurry as time is running out.

Loaded Potato Soup

Let me just say this isn't just any loaded potato soup... It is super easy, delicious, and Big Sissy even asked for seconds.  So needless to say this recipe will become a year 'round regular at the pigpen even if it does appear in the Simply Speedy Springtime section of Gooseberry Patch's Slow Cooking Year 'Round cookbook.

Loaded Potato Soup

32 oz. pkg frozen hashbrowns with onions and peppers, thawed
(I could only find a 28 oz. bag but it worked just fine)
8 oz. pkg cream cheese, diced
(any type would work:  regular, reduced fat, fat free)
10-3/4 oz. can cream of mushroom soup
10-3/4 oz. can cream of celery soup
10-3/4 oz. can cream of chicken soup
1/4 cup onion, minced
salt and pepper to taste
Garnish:  shredded Cheddar cheese, chopped green onions, crumbled bacon, crackers, etc...

Place hashbrowns in slow cooker.  Add remaining ingredients except garnish.  Stir.

Cover and cook on high setting for 4 hours.

Garnish individual servings as desired and serve with crackers.

Serves 6-8 or at this pigpen it served 5 with a couple people getting seconds and no leftovers.

I hope you all enjoy this soup as much as our family did and have entered for my giveaway to win your very own copy of Gooseberry Patch's Slow Cooking Year 'Round cookbook.  Good luck!


Special thanks to Gooseberry Patch for providing me with this great cookbook to try and share with you. If you would like to purchase this or other cookbooks, please visit their store. Additionally, this post does contain an affiliate link.

Yummy Quick Taco Soup with a winner

Seriously what is not to love with the words yummy and quick being in the same sentence and when that sentence just happens to be a recipe it really can't get any better.  Unless this also happens to be where I announce the winner of Gooseberry Patch's Simple Shortcut Recipes ... time will tell.  But for now, let's get back to this super easy recipe.

Yummy Quick Taco Soup

Ingredients

1 lb. ground beef

1 onion, diced

2 16-oz. cans black beans

2 16-oz. cans kideny beans

11-oz. can corn

10-oz. can diced tomatoes with green chiles

46 oz. can tomato juice

2 1 1/4 oz. packages of taco seasoning mix

Optional:  sour cream, shredded cheddar cheese, tortilla chips, jalapenos, etc...

Directions

Brown beef in a skillet over medium-high heat; drain. (Or use this handy dandy Pampered Chef Micro Cooker  that Miss Cris and Miss Leah told me I had to buy (they were right).  I had browned ground beef in about 5 minutes.)

Add beef to a large slow cooker.

Add onion and undrained beans, corn, and tomatoes.

Pour in tomato juice.

Stir in seasoning mix.

Cover and cook on low setting for 6-8 hours.

Serve with sour cream, cheese, tortilla chips, jalapenos and other toppings, if desired.

This was a big hit with The Farmer and will definitely be a go to recipe at this pigpen in the future.

And now it is my pleasure to announce that entry #290, Apple B, is the winner of my giveaway of Simple Shortcut Recipes thanks to Gooseberry Patch.  Thanks to all of you that entered and be sure to stay tuned as another amazing Gooseberry Patch cookbook or two may have just arrived in my mailbox.  

Linked to Beyer Beware's Hunk of Meat Monday

Special thanks to Gooseberry Patch for providing me with this great cookbook to try and share with you. If you would like to purchase this or other cookbooks, please visit their store. Additionally, this post does contain affiliate links.