Spaghetti and Meatballs, Seago style

It's been awhile since I've blogged about my cooking. I honestly haven't cooked anything out of the ordinary or I haven't cooked at all. Our A/C is on the fritz so anytime I don't cook, the house is cooler.
Tonight we're having Seago Spaghetti with Meatballs. My maiden name is Seago and my brother and I always called it Seago Spaghetti. He puts in a couple ingredients I leave out for my husband's taste. You can add chopped bell pepper and mushrooms if you like the flavor. I usually only make meatballs at my husband's request. Otherwise, I just brown ground venison. Don't forget to salt the water when you boil your noodles, it should be like the ocean!

Meatballs:

1 ½ lbs ground venison or beef

1 egg

½ cup Italian Panko Bread crumbs

¼ cup Kraft Sun Dried Tomato Dressing

1 tsp fresh oregano, chopped

1 tbsp fresh basil, chopped

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp onion powder

Salt, pepper

Mix until incorporated. Try not to over mix. Roll into balls, about 1 tbsp. I scoop with a measuring spoon when I make mine, just so they cook evenly. Brown in batches in the pan with about 2 tbsp.’s of canola oil. Turn to brown evenly, about 4-5 minutes. Don’t crowd the pan, you don’t want to steam the meatballs. Remove from pan.

Spaghetti:

14.5 oz petite diced tomatoes

28 oz tomato sauce

6 oz can Basil, Garlic, and Oregano Tomato Paste

½ cup water

¼ cup Kraft Sun Dried Tomato Dressing

1 clove garlic

1 tsp fresh oregano, chopped

1 tbsp fresh basil, chopped

1 tsp onion powder

**If I don't have the necessary seasonings and herbs, I use 1 packet Zesty Italian spaghetti seasoning.

 Sauté garlic clove for 1 minute over medium-low heat. Add all ingredients, stirring to combine. Place meatballs into sauce. Stir gently and cook over medium-low heat about 30 minutes or until meatballs are cooked through.

Serve over your favorite pasta, I sometimes use the wheat noodles. They are pretty good and you don't really notice the difference. I serve mine with cheesy garlic bread! Kraft has Five Italian Cheese with Philly Cream Cheese that is amazing!

Crock Pot Wonders

Committed to not using to much heat to cook, I made beef pot roast in the crock pot with potatoes and carrots. At the last minute I decided to use the oven and make cheesy garlic biscuits. It takes getting supper ready in the morning, but the crock pot really is a wonderful cooking appliance. I bought a large roast and cut it in half for supper tonight. I fed my husband, me, and his best friend and the reviews were that it was fantastic. I use slightly more water than the seasoning packet requires because the flavor is quite strong. You can also leave out the potatoes and serve over your favorite rice.

Crock Pot Roast

Ingredients:
1-2 pound beef roast (I've made this exact recipe with deer tenderloin)
4-5 medium sized potatos, peeled
4-5 carrots, peeled
1 McCormick Savory Pot Roast packet
2 cups water
Salt, pepper, Lawry's, onion powder

Directions:
Put the roast in the crock pot. Peel and cube the potatoes and carrots (medium-large pieces so they keep their shape). Put the vegetables over the roast. Mix the seasoning packet and water. Sprinkle over desired seasonings. You need some salt for the potatoes.
Put Crock Pot on low and check when you get home from work!

I served it with Bisquick Cheesy Garlic Biscuits.

In the Crock Pot

















Yummy!

Saucy Ground Venison and Noodles

It is extremely hot right now in north Florida, as it is going to stay until mid-October. It was 90 degrees today! I am trying not to use my oven and cook using as few burners on the stove as possible. Tonight's supper is Saucy Ground Venison and Noodles. I got the idea from a Betty Crocker recipe and made it my own, as usual. It is super easy and fairly quick, about 40 minutes total. 99.9% of the time I avoid jar spaghetti sauce (I ALWAYS make mine homemade) but when making this recipe, I decided to use the jar to have the right amount of sauce called for in the recipe.

Ingredients:
 1     lb ground venison
3    cups uncooked noodles (I used bow ties for my little girl)
2 1/2    cups water
1/4    cup Zesty Italian Dressing (shake well)
1     jar tomato pasta sauce (I used Bertolli's Organic Olive Oil, Basil, Garlic)
Salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder
Optional: Mushrooms would be good, but my husband doesn't like them

Sprinkle of Kraft Italian Five Cheese blend with Philidephia Cream Cheese

Directions:
   In a large pot, cook venison over medium heat 8 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until thoroughly cooked; drain and return to pot.
   Stir in remaining ingredients. Heat to boiling, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat; simmer uncovered for about 20 minutes or until noodles are tender.

It seems like a lot of water but it cooks the noodles and you end up with a nice thick sauce. I topped ours with the shredded cheese blend. This recipe has a LOT of flavor from the jar sauce and the Zesty Italian Dressing. Would be great with garlic bread.