In the Kitchen: Italian Spaghetti Bake & Freezer Meals

Italian Spaghetti Bake

I have made this tasty baked spaghetti dish many times over the years. The most recent time was in late September when we had two grandsons (who live nearby) over for a meal while their parents were out-of-town. Being busy, active seniors in high school, they were quite hungry when they came over, and they both absolutely loved this dish. 

This recipe makes two 9x13 pans of Italian Spaghetti Bake.

Ingredients

2 packages (one 16 ounces, one 8 ounces) spaghetti
1 1/2 pounds ground beef
1 large green pepper, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cans (15 ounces each) tomato sauce
1 package (8 ounces) sliced pepperoni
1 can (8 ounces) mushroom stems/pieces, drained (I use a 4 ounce can, or sometimes leave them out)
1 can (3.8 ounces) sliced ripe olives, drained (I usually leave these out)
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon garlic salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
3 cups (12 ounces) shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Directions

Cook spaghetti according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a large saucepan, cook the beef, green pepper and onion over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain. Stir in the tomato sauce, pepperoni, mushrooms, olives, and seasonings. Drain spaghetti.

Spoon 1 cup meat sauce into each of two greased 13x9 inch baking dishes. Top each with about 2 1/2 cups spaghetti, 1 1/2 cups meat sauce, and remaining spaghetti and meat sauce. Sprinkle with cheeses. Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until heated through.

Bake both dishes, or use one now, and then freeze the other one, unbaked. When using, thaw overnight in the refrigerator, and bake as directed.

Yield:  2 casseroles (8-10 servings each)

Click here to print from the Taste of Home website, which is the source of this delicious recipe.

Though you can prepare this recipe for two 9x13 pans of Italian Spaghetti Bake (as the recipe suggests) and bake them right away, my preferred way to prepare this now is to use one 9x13 pan, and split the other half into two 8x8 inch square pans.

I like to bake the 9x13 pan right away, and place the two 8x8 pans in the freezer to use at a later date. This is what I did last month. After serving our two grandsons, I now have two smaller pans in the freezer to thaw and bake later.

UPDATE: This recipe post replaces an earlier one with this recipe. (Click here for my earlier post for Italian Spaghetti Bake back in 2012.)

Freezer Meals

Do you like to prepare "freezer meals"? It's the secret to enjoying homemade, nutritious meals each day of the week. I do love to be "in the kitchen", preparing tasty meals, and also baked goods. But also, I don't love to do this every day. Some days I have other things to care for, or may be gone most of the day and don't have time to prepare a meal. And especially now in this season of life, I just don't want to be cooking every day. 

I used to prepare dishes specifically for the freezer, even when some of our six kids lived at home. For a few years, a few friends and I used to make quantities of favorite recipes in our own homes, package them up for the freezer, and then share these "freezer meals" as friends, giving each of us a variety of dishes to add to our own freezer meal collection. 

And also for a number of years, some of my daughters who lived nearby, would come over for a big "freezer meal" day, where we would prepare quantities of favorite recipes and freeze them, some for each of us to keep in our own home freezers. Those were full and fun days, with little ones (our grandkids!) playing together while we cooked together. 

Click Our Family Recipes page tab & scroll all the way to the bottom to see posts from the past of "freezer meal days" (from 2010-2015) with my daughters. Lots of sweet memories for me!

Today I continue to prepare "freezer meals" just for the two of us. 

This photo (taken today) shows the top two shelves of my upright freezer in our pantry room. The top shelf holds baked sourdough breads, plus other baked items, and to the left of the lower shelf that you see, is my current supply of "freezer meals". It's actually a little less of a supply than normal, but soon, I'll be filling it up with various soups, as well! 

My current "freezer meal" methods ...

One current "freezer meal" method is to make larger quantities of recipes, as described above with Italian Spaghetti Bake, keeping a portion in the freezer to use on a future day. 

And another method is to continue to make the full recipes (amounts that would feed our family of eight), instead of cutting the recipe back to a smaller size, that would work good for just the two of us now. This is what I do all the time now, each time I prepare a meal. I make the full amount of the recipe, even though it is just the two of us here. Actually, sometimes I will even double a regular recipe, so I will have even more to keep in the freezer for a future date.

My husband and I will enjoy a meal together at the time of preparing the dish. After our meal, I'll divide up what we did not need for one meal for us as a couple, and place two-serving portions in containers for the freezer from what is left. This works amazingly well for us. I love to cook and bake, but there are also many days when I am involved in other things, and love to just pull a home-made meal out of the freezer, let it thaw, and then either heat it in the microwave, or as with Italian Spaghetti Bake, bake in the oven.

I hope this has been encouraging to you as you spend time "in the kitchen", no matter what season of life you are in. Writing this has brought back memories for me of "freezer meal" prep in the past. 

Preparing meals is what we do all through the seasons of life, and so many memories are made as we gather around the table sharing good food, and making sweet connections with those we love. 

Click to read another post on this topic: Easy Freezer Meal Prep

My September Kitchen: Sourdough Breads and Homemade Coconut Cream Pie

My September Kitchen was filled with the aroma of breads baking, and also with my dream coming true of making pies again! Though I am fairly regular at baking sourdough bread each week, I needed to take most of the month of August off from baking breads, as we were very involved with some significant happenings with my siblings. So it was especially exciting for me to spend a focused amount of time in September baking breads again. And the pie ... well, it was an unexpected gift for me to make a pie. 

My first bake the beginning of September was to replenish our supply of Artisan Bread. I keep a supply of this favorite sourdough bread in our freezer, and it was time to make more. I made four loaves, and like to cut each one in half before placing them in the freezer.  

My "Basic Artisan Sourdough Loaf" recipe comes from "Second Rise Sourdough" who I follow and learn lots of helpful tips from on Instagram.

I also like to continually have sandwich bread on hand, and made three loaves on my second bread-baking day this month. Again, the recipe I use is from the same source as the Artisan bread. For these, I slice the loaves, placing wax paper between each slice, and then store in the freezer to pull out as needed.

My next bake was a seasonal recipe that I've made before: Apple Pie Focaccia. A sweeter sourdough bread which is much like a dessert for us. Though it can be served as a sweet pastry for breakfast, if desired. Click for the recipe at Amy Bakes Bread.

Another sourdough bake this month was to make some Ciabatta again, something I do once in awhile. It's a treat to use these for sandwiches, shown as an open-faced sandwich in the photo below. 

I froze both the Apple Pie Focaccia and the Ciabatta in smaller packages, perfect to pull out for the two of us.

And now ... sharing my biggest baking joy of the month:

Homemade Coconut Cream Pie

It has been a desire of mine to get back into baking pies again. Sadly, it has been a number of years since I have done so, and my latest attempts a few years ago didn't turn out as I had hoped.

I feel like this was a gift from God, who cares about every detail of our lives, and knows even our dreams and desires. It turns out that I needed to find a new crust recipe. And in mid-September I learned of a great source with lots of detailed tips for pie baking: Sally's Baking Addiction. An answer to my dreams and desires ... I am so thankful.

This Homemade Buttery Flaky Pie Crust turned out amazing, so buttery and flaky and so very delicious. And it will be my go-to pie crust recipe from now on! This baker also has very detailed helpful tips for baking pies, and also other baked items. (This pie crust will be replacing the one - click here - I used in the past.)

The Homemade Coconut Cream Pie  that I made was from the same source as the crust recipe. It was the perfect pie for me to make for my hubby, one of his favorites! And so delicious. And if you follow along here, you'll be seeing more pie recipes in the future, for sure. You can also purchase the cookbook, Sally's Baking 101 from this helpful source, which I treated myself to this month, as well. (Currently it's 45% off on Amazon.)

Thanks for reading along; it's a joy for me to share what is happening "In My Kitchen". And hopefully it will be an encouragement to you as we love and serve our families and friends with delicious foods. 

Where Do We Go When We are Running on Empty?

 

On an ordinary day, or on a stressful day, we each have our defaults of where we go, where we look to for renewal. And I keep learning ...

There are so many choices of where to go. The choices really are unending ... we can pick up our phones, spend time on a hobby, plan our next vacation trip. Go shopping, treat ourselves to our favorite flavored hot coffee. 

And I have done, and keep doing all of these. And each of these are good choices at times. Each of these choices can bring renewal and refreshment for a while.  

But what if our default place to go is the one choice that is always available, that satisfies in the deepest places? What if our default place to go when we need renewal, is to go to a Person. 

These words from Psalm 119:114 (MSG translation) have come to my mind often in recent weeks. What if we would pause in our busyness, pause in times of unsettledness, pause at the end of the day, or in the middle of the day, and go to this ultimate source of renewal. What if this would be our first choice, the very first place we would turn to?

Quieting our hearts, pausing our activity, and turning our thoughts to Him, spending time with Him, listening to His life-giving Words ... this is our true source of renewal. This is what we are made for, to be loved by Him. 

And this deeper joy will then overflow and affect everything else, giving joy to our ordinary days, our good days, and our stressful days. The cup of coffee will bring deeper refreshment, the tasks at hand will be given deeper purpose, the writing of a note to a friend, or the writing of a blog post, will overflow with more creativity, more love. The time in our kitchen will bring more joy, the tedious tasks of cleaning or fixing will be accomplished with a lighter heart. 

What are your current top choices of what to reach for when you are longing for something more, when your heart is unsettled?

Above all else, may we reach for Him, the source of everything we need, and everything we long for.

If you are needing some encouragement and some deeper insight in how to draw closer to God, how to make time for what is most important, here is a suggestion ... 

I read through this very thoughtful, encouraging book seven years ago when it first came out, and also just read through it again, very slowly, this summer. 

I highly recommend it ... click here: Whispers and Wildflowers.

(For more posts on this topic, click the page tab at the top of my Pursuing Heart blog:  "Above All Else".)

In the Kitchen: A Few End-of-Summer Favorites

There is so much to love about summer, and one of the big things is the delicious summer salads and dishes. Some, of course, can be served all year long, but some are especially delicious in the summer! Here's a sampling of some of my favorites that we have loved this summer ...

Our veggie garden produced an abundant crop of cucumbers this summer, and I cannot even count how many times I used them to make this amazing cucumber salad: Kansas Cucumber Salad. It has been a favorite salad these past few months, for sure.

We love this macaroni salad ... Best Ever Macaroni Salad. You can adapt it to use other add-ins, as well. A good recipe to have on hand for summer days.

This recipe came in very handy for quick summer lunches, especially when we had family visiting us from the east coast: Ham & Cheese Sliders. I like to have these ingredients on hand in the freezer and refrigerator.

I added a new grilled hamburger recipe to my recipe collection this summer ... Classic Hamburgers. This has now become our favorite way to grill hamburgers. It features a mixture of dry spices that you sprinkle on the shaped hamburgers right before grilling. So very good! 

My dear hubby and I love this delicious muffin recipe so much ... Zucchini Muffins! We love to keep these muffins on hand in the freezer to pull out when needed. In fact, I baked 12 dozen of these muffins this past summer, all made with zucchini from our little veggie garden.

We were so very blessed to have my two brothers with their sweet wives here for a visit earlier this month. One night we enjoyed a delicious summer meal together, with some of our own family joining us. Two of the items that I served were: Pulled Pork sandwiches, and a Classic Coleslaw. Together with corn-on-the-cob from a farmer's market in the area, and also the baked beans and fruit salad that two of our daughters brought, it was the perfect summer meal!

And now, we'll soon be entering the season for the equally delicious foods of the autumn season. I am so thankful for the beautiful and nutritious foods that God blesses us with, for each season of the year. 

Summer Beauty: A Call to Keep Company

How can so much beauty exist all around us? Every season has it's own beauty; each one unique, calling us to draw up close and to enter fully. 

Could it be that summer's vibrant colors and shapes and textures, are created just for us to enjoy? Calling us to pause our busyness, lean in close, and to be filled. When what we see is so beautiful, it slows us. And refreshes us in the deepest ways. And it's hard to pull away.

Maybe all of this beauty is primarily meant to call us to lean in close. To Him, our Creator, the One who loves us and longs for our love, for our company.

Do we pause long enough to hear His whispers ... 

Come to Me.

Keep company with Me.

There is beauty all around, calling us.

Calling us to intentionally slow our pace.

To keep company with a Person.

A Person who desires to walk with us, and work with us, and wants to live His life through us. A Person who died for us, and who rose for us to know Him. He is longing for us to depend on Him, trust Him, live freely and lightly with Him.

Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion?

Come to Me. Get away with Me and you'll recover your life.

I'll show you how to take a real rest.

Walk with Me and work with Me - watch how I do it.

Learn the unforced rhythms of grace.

I won't lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you.

Keep company with Me 

and you'll learn to live freely and lightly.

(Matthew 11:28-30 MSG)

Above all else this summer, may we pause and listen to His Word, His gifts of beauty, and open our eyes and our hearts to all the ways that He wants to give us rest and grace. 

A June Collection: Memories, Little Blessings, and Zucchini Muffins

How do you capture this beautiful month that flew by so quickly? It may be a favorite month, though it seems that I have multiple favorite months. I love the spring months, and June is a month of beauty in our gardens and our yard, and brings with it a bit of a slower pace than the month of May. It's a time to slow down, and to soak in the beauty around us.

One of the many blessings of this month was celebrating birthday #82 for my precious hubby at a daughter's beautiful lake view home (thanks, Amy!). It's hard to believe that #82 and #76 belong to us! Each year and each day are a gift, and I am looking forward to enjoying each moment of our life together at this season of life that we are in together. My husband is the dearest one on this earth to me, and I am grateful for God's gift to me in him. We will celebrate 55 years later this summer!

Another thing I'm really grateful for this month is that we completed a huge project ... a complete clean-up and re-organization of our storage room on our lower level. New shelving, many trips to Good Will, and lots of memories that we discovered along the way. It took us several months to complete this big project, even bigger than we imagined as we have not moved for 44 years. There was a lot to go through. We have no plans of moving anywhere soon, but just needed to go through the boxes and boxes of things no longer used or needed.

Here are a few more glimpses of what the month of June held ...

The flowers, many of them perennials, in our deck planter boxes have given us much joy! We have been especially surprised by the poppies that my husband planted last fall ... they have spread and the beautiful flowers are so vibrant throughout the planter boxes. 

It's always fun to bring some of the beauty of the outdoors to our indoor living. I could not resist the coffee mug purchase (above) from Kirklands. Though I already have multiple coffee mugs, this one is giving me joy each morning this spring/summer season.

Our zucchini plants grew so very fast this month, and began producing earlier than we even expected. I was happy to have lots of zucchini to make our favorite muffin recipe: Zucchini Muffins. They are so moist and delicious, and I was able to put quite a few dozen in our freezer for the days/weeks ahead. You can click here to read a previous post that has a link to view the recipe that I use.

We finished off the month with a weekend trip to McCook to visit one of our daughters and her family. It was a big treat to spend time together (thanks, Carrie!), and also to watch our youngest granddaughter (14 years old already!) in her last softball tournament of the season. Such fun to cheer them on to 1st place in the tournament! 

Deepening Our Roots

Spring is a time for fresh beginnings and new growth. Coming out of a long and cold winter, though winter can be lovely in its own way, I am often longing for new growth, for a freshness in my soul. As our garden spots, our trees, and our grass take on a new life, so my soul thirsts for new life, as well.

O God, You are my God,

earnestly I seek You;

my soul thirsts for You,

my body longs for You

in a dry and weary land

where there is no water.

(Psalm 63:1 NIV)

This new life and fresh start in our gardens, in the plants on our deck, often finds its beginnings quietly, and mostly hidden from sight. For as we plant, we need much patience; patience to wait for the nourishing rains and the life-giving rays of sunlight to strengthen the roots of our new plants. It really is a beautiful thing. We put our love and best efforts into planting the seeds or the small plants from the nursery. And then we wait ... 

The roots need to strengthen and reach deep for the nutrients. Soaking up the rain and the sun. Without strong roots, the plants will not be able to endure. And the plants will not blossom and bear fruit.

The same is true for my heart, for my soul, and for yours, as well. Our roots need to be strengthened and nurtured. My heart and my soul need gentle, nourishing care. Each day. We need to pull away to connect with our Creator. To pause our busyness, quiet our hearts in the midst of a busy life and world; pausing and listening to hear His voice; to read His Words, and to let them soak deeply into our hearts and souls. 

Find a quiet, secluded place -

Just be there as simply and honestly 

as you can manage.

The focus will shift from you to God,

and you will begin to sense His grace.

(Matthew 6:6 MSG)

Pausing, retreating from our busyness. Listening, reading His Words. And as the days go by, this soaking up of His Words, of His Love, will fill us with all that we long for. We will be filled up with His love, presence, wisdom, and joy ... and this will overflow from us, spreading beauty and love to those around us. 

Let your roots grow down into Him,

and let your lives be built on Him.

Then your faith will grow strong

in the truth you were taught,

and you will overflow with

thankfulness.

(Colossians 2:7 NLT)

Lord, may my life be a rhythm of serving and loving others, of joining You in Your work ... and above all, of pausing, retreating to the quiet place where I can hear Your whispers more clearly. Where Your truth and Your love can nourish my roots, my heart, strengthening me in every way. 

For You are the One

who nurtures our souls so that

we blossom, flourish, and thrive.

(Whispers and Wildflowers)