Italian Style Baked Spaghetti Recipe

Oh hey! I showed up twice this week! Granted, that is my current posting schedule, so I'm doing good. Bonus, this is a food post. Not just any food, like, really really good food. Hubs has been begging me to make this again every day since I made it the first time. It makes A LOT, so it's perfect for large families, a pot luck, or to have leftovers for two days after. It's also a great freezer meal you can put together ahead of time. This is not a low fat or low calorie dish... but it's not terrible if you choose lighter versions of the ingredients.

Ingredients:

+ 1 box of pasta - Spaghetti, rotini, penne, bow tie, whatever floats your boat.

+ 1 lb of Ground Italian Spiced Turkey - You can also use regular turkey/beef and add your own Italian spices.

+ 1 Jar of Spaghetti sauce - I use traditional, but other flavors would work too.

+ 2 tbs olive oil

+ 1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese - the shaker stuff works well for this

+ 1 cup Shredded Italian Blend Cheese

+ Seasonings to taste

What you need:

+ Large glass baking/casserole dish - preferably with a lid to store for later

+ Aluminum Foil

+ Non-stick cooking spray

+ Large mixing bowl

+ Skillet

+ Medium/Large Pot

+ Cooking utensils

What you do:

Preheat the oven to 350. 

Spray your baking dish with some nonstick spray and sprinkle some parmesan cheese on the bottom. This makes a nice little crust and keeps the pasta from sticking to the pan so bad.  

Cook your pasta. While that's going, brown your meat with you chosen seasonings and add about 1/3 of the jar of sauce to the pan to simmer for a few minutes. Once the pasta is done, drain it and pour into a large bowl. Put 2 tbs of olive oil, 1/4 cup parmesan cheese, and 1/4 cup shredded cheese and mix well. Then spread the coated pasta on the bottom of the dish. Sprinkle a light layer of shredded cheese then add the meat sauce you just made. Pour the rest of the tomato sauce evenly on top of that. And, of course, another lovely thick layer of cheese. 

Cover the dish with aluminum foil and bake for 30 mins. Remove the foil, and bake for another 5-8 mins until cheese it browned and melted to taste.

Slice and sprinkle with some parmesan cheese, add a slice of garlic bread, and a glass of wine. BOOM! Gourmet dinner! What's great about this dish, is that it's still just as good re-heated the next day.

A nice step up from plain old spaghetti right?

Currently August

I'm taking it easy today. I am in the middle of writing a very emotional post, and I thought I'd take a break to write something a bit lighter for today's post. So let's catch up, shall we?

Loving: That Llama is back to blogging! Go see her latest post on The Rambling Llama.

Reading: I'm currently re-reading Fifty Shades Freed, but I'm getting the new Harry Potter book on Thursday. I AM SO EXCITED.

Feeling: Everything. Literally. It's really hard to talk about what I'm feeling these days as there is so much happening for us personally as well as it being an election year, on top of all the bombings and shootings. 

Watching: Dexter. It's on Netflix and I was hooked two episodes in. Also watching How I Met Your Mother with Hubs. On real TV I'm watching The Bachelorette, Married at First Sight, and America's Got Talent.

Writing: Blog posts for later this month. I've got a few lined up already, and I'm hoping to eventually increase my posting schedule back to three days a week instead of two.

Listening: My new playlist on Spotify. It's a kind of sexy one, which helps with the baby making, haha!

Wanting: It to be Friday. I'm making a solo trip to Georgia to visit my Mom and my Llama for about a week. It will be the only time I'll get to see Mom this year, and I haven't seen Llama in a couple years now. I cannot wait!!

Needing: Something to occupy my time until classes start up again at the end of the month. And I mean the literal freaking end. I've just added Media Kits to my list of services offered at Knock on Wood Designs, so if you're needing one or an update on the one you have, fill out the information form on the Media Kit page.

Hoping: This is our cycle. As a rule, though, I try very hard not to get my hope up. 

Avoiding: Eating things with too many carbs or high in sugar. The struggle is real. With PCOS I really should cut them out altogether, but that's not realistic for me, so I'm just cutting them down. Having small individually wrapped chocolate, like a Kiss, helps me curb my sweet tooth with just one or two pieces instead of an entire pint of ice cream.

Wishing: It was Fall already. I just can't with summer. I sound like a broken record about this, but it's so very true.

Trying: Not to think about turning thirty in thirteen days. 

Hating: The feeling that I don't have much, if any, control over my future right now. That I have even less control of the future of the next generations because of stupid decisions the people that hold power in our country, and the world, are making. 

Missing: Caffeine. It's been over a year now. 

Praying: That the next four to eight years will be better than anticipated. That we'll be kept safe from hate and violence as a result of the outcome in November. That we are making the right decisions for our family in spite of everything that is going on.

Making: Baby blankets. Several close friends, as well as my sister-in-law, are pregnant and you can never have too many blankets. I am sharing a pattern with you guys later in the month, so be on the lookout for that.

Thinking: About all the things I have to get done before I leave on Friday. There's a list, and it's long.

What are up to currently?

July Favorites

I am so ready for summer to be O.V.E.R. I may get some crazy looks for that statement, but I don't do well in the heat, and the heat this year is off the effing charts. UGH. Fall can't get here fast enough, so lets just hope we don't have nasty extended summer weather.

I've sorta stepped back from the blog this month, for several reasons. Some personal, and others that are reasons for a lot of people's anxiety and stress these days. I am so over all of the violence and hate that is permeating our society right now. It worries me when I think about our future and the future our potential child will have. Gives you a lot to think about. And this whole presidential election BS that's flooding the news stations and our Facebook Newsfeeds is getting out of hand. But that is for a post on another day.

While I haven't been showing up for my own blog, I have been reading others, so lets get to the part you really came here for, my Favs.

+ Progress, sweet progress, is being made in the bathroom. Like, tangible and usable progress. I'll give more details in the Newsletter (it goes out Sunday, so you still have time to get on the list for that! Click the button on my sidebar to add yourself to the roster).

+ I finished a project for my sister-in-law in about a week. And it's a-freaking-dorable (She's pregnant, btw). I also found a pattern for another project for another dear friend who just found out she's expecting too. 

+ Confession time: my eating has been utter shit lately. I'm so not joking. Two words: Cookie. Cake. However, I have not gained any weight! So this new supplement I'm taking (doctor approved, don't worry) is working to help keep my insulin levels under control (an update on the baby journey will be in the Newsletter too!).

+ Goal Setting Tip of the Month: Try 'Tiny Habits' - Not Entirely Perfect
Maybe this is what I need to do to get myself motivated to do the things I like and want to do, and to keep the depression at bay.

+ 3 Ingredient Cake Pops - Eat, Drink, & Be Mary
Um, Yes please!!

+ Highly Recommended - Frankly, My Dear
The most epic book lists of book lists. Have you read any of these?

+ Low Fat Lemon Pancakes - Dash of Herbs
These look so good AND they are low fat. Win, win!

+ 4 Reasons You Should Not Be Modest - Cattails, Rabbit Trails, and Thistlefish
This post is so insightful about the concept of a woman's modesty. It makes me questions my own choices when I leave the house, and now I will be much more aware of my clothes and how they effect others.

+ I'll Remember Tomorrow - The "Florkens"
This post. I relate so much.

+ IVF: What I did & Didn't Do - Becca Dorr
I've said it before, but I'll say it again. Reading Becca's infertility story and following her pregnancy has helped me so much in my own battle with infertility. As much as I don't want it to get that far, IVF may be in our future, so any information I can get my hands on is great.

+ How Are You Prioritizing Your Marriage? - The New Wifestyle
I 100% believe that in a family (no matter how big or small) your own marriage and spouse should come before anything else. Yes, even before your kids. Your spouse is the one that is supposed to be your partner in everything, including parenting, and they are the ones that will be there when your retired and the kids are all grown. It will be just you and him/her again, so keeping that relationship a priority is so excruciatingly important.

+ This video. I laughed for 10 minutes. 

+ This article showed up on my newsfeed and at first sight of the title, 'Why I'm Racist,' I thought "um, what?" But then I read the article and I relate. Because it's the truth about many white people. This quote sums it up: 

"But even with the upbringing and exposure I was blessed with, I’m probably still a racist. I don’t mean racist like a hate-filled bigot who dehumanizes and devalues the lives of others based on skin color. I mean that I am uncomfortable with, ignorant of and distant from racial inequalities that exist in my country."

+ This article resonates with me on a personal level as it voices many of my own concerns, even though I'm not yet a parent.

+ Free Stock Photos - Helene In Between
Another lovely set of photos to use for blog posts.

+ Common Blogging Myths - Love the Here and Now
All the yes.

+ A Beginners Guid to Blog Photography Styling
I found this on Pinterest the other day and I'm so glad I saved it.

+ 5 Alternatives to Email Marketing that Bring in Results - Elle ay Esse
Another Pinterest find. Good stuff here guys.

+ 6 Newsletter Ideas Your Customers will Love - Lot808 Marketing
Pinterest was a gold mine this month.

+ DIY Red, White, & Blue Wreath
+ Surprise Gift For Hubs
+ Design Reveal - Frankly My Dear

June Favorites
May Favorites
April Favorites
March Favorites

Were any of these on your favorites list this month?