Jean’s Ultimate Spaghetti Sauce & my delicious Bruschetta Recipe!

“Cooking is about passion, so it may look slightly temperamental in a way that it’s too assertive to the naked eye.” – Gordon Ramsay

Spaghetti can be as simple as noodles with butter, or as elegant as a delicious meat sauce with sautéed vegetables and freshly grated parmesan cheese. In my home, we like them both, and everything in between.

Today I’m going to show you how to make my personal favorite, along with offering a few variations. I of course use my marinara sauce as the base, and then add several ingredients. If you have my cookbook, Lovingly Seasoned Eats & Treats, you can find this recipe on page 414. I’ll also provide the link to the recipe here at my blog. What is your favorite sauce? Let me know in the comments below.

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Ingredients: Yields approximately 8 to 10 cups of sauce.

2 pounds ground meat: I used fresh ground pork here, but you can use beef or chicken or a combination of either
6 cups of my Marinara sauce or your favorite spaghetti sauce
1~ 16 ounce can of tomato sauce
8 ounce container of fresh cremini mushrooms, sliced
1 green pepper, diced
3 Roma tomatoes, diced
1 medium red onion, diced
2 fresh garlic cloves minced OR 2 tsp jarred
1 TBSP Italian seasoning
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp garlic salt
1 tsp pink Himalayan salt
1 tsp fresh ground black pepper
¼ tsp red pepper flakes
2 TBSP Extra virgin olive oil
4 TBSP salted butter

You can serve this with my delicious Bruschetta as well!

SCROLL DOWN TO SEE MY YOUTUBE VIDEO!

Here is the LINK for my Marinara Sauce Recipe. Enjoy friends!

PRO TIP: When trying to figure out how much sauce, remember that 1 cup = 8 ounces. This will help you if you are purchasing pre-jarred sauce. It’s fine to go over or under an ounce or two.

1. Heat a large skillet; add 1 TBSP oil, 2 TBSP of the butter, and meat; fry until crumbly.

Fry on medium heat until crumbly.

2. In another skillet, add all veggies, spices, and garlic, sauté covered until tender, about 5-7 minutes, stirring occasionally;

3. Next add tomato sauce and blend.

4. Next add cooked meat and blend.

5. Simmer for at least 1 hour covered, stirring occasionally.

6. In a large stock pot heat about ¾ full pot of water to a boil; cook noodles according to package instructions.

Serve with a salad and my delicious Bruschetta. Watch my YouTube Video here!

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Added bonus: You can go to my blog at http://www.fordragonfliesandme.com to purchase my original cookbook, Lovingly Seasoned Eats and Treats in either a spiral bound soft cover OR NEW, a Downloadable PDF version. The cookbook has almost 1000 recipes on almost 500 pages! Check out the Cookbook Testimonials while you’re there!

Until next time remember to,
Eat fresh, shop local & have a happy day,

Jean

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All text and images on this site are copyright of For Dragonflies And Me. Unless otherwise noted, you may not use this content.

Creamy Chicken & Vegetable Gnocchi Soup

Posted on March 26, 2023 by Jean Roman

“Cooking for people is an enormously significant expression of generosity and soulfulness, and entertaining is a way to be both generous and creative. You’re sharing your life with people. Of course, it’s also an expression of your own need for approval and applause. Nothing wrong with that.” – Ted Allen

We just love soups! Really, we love any type of comfort food. One of my favorite types of pasta is Gnocchi, and when I saw this recipe, I knew I had to make my own version of it. I often see yummy recipes and then adjust them to make them my own suited to my family’s preferences.

The first time I had Gnocchi was from a co-vendor during my market vendor days. If you are in or around the Metro Detroit area, then you may have heard of Tracinas. They are by far the best I’ve ever eaten. You can find them at several farmers markets, and in some stores. Check out their website to see if there is a location near you!

Now let’s get rolling with this super yummy & easy to make soup recipe. Be sure to let me know what you think of it, and tell me what your favorite soup is. I love to hear your feedback. Enjoy friends!

Check out my recipe at my YouTube Channel!

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Ingredients: Yields 4~ 2 cup servings

2 large boneless, skinless chicken breast cut into bite sized chunks~ about 1 ½ to 2 pounds
48 ounces or 6 cups chicken broth
1- 8 ounce package of Gnocchi
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1 cup celery, diced
1 cup carrots, cut into ¼ inch coins
1 cup frozen peas
1 cup shallots, diced
1 cup fresh spinach
½ cup diced Heirloom tomatoes or 1~ 8 ounce can of diced tomatoes
2 fresh garlic cloves minced OR 2 tsp jarred
2 TBSP white all purpose flour
1 tsp pink Himalayan salt
½ tsp fresh ground pepper
2 tsp Italian seasoning
2 tsp fresh thyme or 1 tsp dried

Watch the final steps to preparing this super delicious Creamy Chicken & Vegetable Gnocchi Soup.

1. In a large stock pot, heat ½ the butter and ½ the oil; add all vegetables and sauté for about 5-7 minutes; add garlic and seasonings; blend well and sauté for an additional minute.

2. In a separate skillet, add the other half of the butter and oil; heat and add chunked chicken; cook on medium heat for about 8-10 minutes or until lightly browned on all sides. Do not fully cook.

3. When chicken is done, add to the vegetable mixture; mix until well blended.

4. In a cup, take 1 cup of the broth and whisk flour into it until there are no lumps; add to chicken and vegetable mixture with remaining broth and cream; bring to a boil and then reduce heat to simmer and cook for half an hour.

5. Add spinach and gnocchi; cook according to package instructions.

Serve with a salad and garlic bread!

If you aren’t following me on Facebook & Instagram go on over & give a LIKE & Follow me for daily tips & tricks for your home & garden!

Until next time remember to,
Eat fresh, shop local & have a happy day,

Jean

Copyright Policy

All text and images on this site are copyright of For Dragonflies And Me. Unless otherwise noted, you may not use this content.

Recipe for Corn Chip Lettuce Salad and 3 Cheese Quesadillas

Posted on March 25, 2023 by Jean Roman

“Cooking is about creating something delicious for someone else.” – Ayumi Komura

It’s a bit early for salad in my opinion, but this is a good one for sure! We are a family of comfort food in the cooler weather, and dive head first into grilling & salads once the weather begins to warm up!

If you have a copy of my wonderful cookbook, Lovingly Seasoned Eats and Treats, then you’ll be able to find this yummy recipe on page 77. If you don’t own a copy of it, you can purchase it here in either a beautiful spiral bound softcover or NEW, a Downloadable PDF version. o purchase my original cookbook, Lovingly Seasoned Eats and Treats in either a spiral bound soft cover OR NEW, a Downloadable PDF version.

Check out this super yummy easy recipe here at my YouTube Channel!

Our Favorite Recipes

I’ve adjusted the recipe a bit, and provided you with specifics on how I make it! Enjoy friends, and be sure to let me know how you like it in the comments below, I love your feedback!

Ingredients: Yields approximately 4~ 2 cup servings

1 head of lettuce, iceberg is best for this salad

6-8 hard boiled eggs, diced or quartered

1 cup shredded Colby jack cheese or similar

4-6 cups of crumbled corn chips. I prefer Frito Lay brand, and I only use about 4 cups

½ pound bacon, fried and crumbled

Dressing:

1 cup Miracle Whip. Do not substitute with mayo, it does NOT taste the same!

⅛ cup white vinegar

¼ cup white whole milk

¼ cup brown sugar

¼ cup white sugar

Easy 3 Cheese Quesadillas!

To make 1 you’ll need: You can use any cheese you want but here is what I used and it was a perfect blend of mild to sharp!

1 TBSP salted butter
1 Extra large flour tortilla
2 slices mozzarella cheese
2 slices baby Swiss cheese
2 slices of mild to sharp cheddar cheese

Directions:

In a skillet, melt the butter; spread to cover the whole bottom of the skillet.

Place the tortilla down in the skillet.

Add cheese to cover 1 half of the tortilla; fold over to make a half moon.

Fry for about 1 to 2 minutes, or until golden brown; flip and repeat.

I added about 5 sundried tomatoes and some fresh basil leaves into mine! So yum!

In a bowl, combine all the dressing ingredients and blend until any lumps have been blended thoroughly.

In a large salad bowl, toss together the first 5 ingredients.

When you are ready to serve, add the dressing into the salad and toss until evenly coated.

PRO TIP: I precut my bacon into about 1 inch pieces and fry to eliminate the crumbling! Much easier & faster!

This is a sweet tasting salad, and you can cut back the amount of sugar if you choose to, but I suggest you try it as the recipe states first and then adjust.

How to make perfect hard boiled eggs:

In a medium pot, fill a bit more than 1/2 full with cold water.

Place eggs carefully in water and bring to a boil on high heat; boil for 3 minutes.

Turn heat off, leave eggs in water for an additional 5 minutes.

Drain water and place water in a bowl with ice cubes and cool. Peel.

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If you enjoyed this blog, please LIKE, Follow, Share & leave me a comment! I love your feedback!

If you aren’t following me on Facebook & Instagram go on over & give a LIKE & Follow me for daily tips & tricks for your home & garden!

Until next time remember to,
Eat fresh, shop local & have a happy day,

Jean

Copyright Policy

All text and images on this site are copyright of For Dragonflies And Me. Unless otherwise noted, you may not use this content.

Poor Man’s Steak

Featured | Posted by Jean Roman

“Cooking is all about people. Food is maybe the only universal thing that really has the power to bring everyone together. No matter what culture, everywhere around the world, people get together to eat.” – Guy Fieri

This recipe has been a long time favorite of my children’s and can be found in my cookbook, Lovingly Seasoned Eats and Treats on page 163. If you don’t own your own copy, you can in either a beautiful soft cover spiral bound edition OR now, NEW PDF Downloadable version.

I remember when we were with the Mennonite church, this was a family favorite for Sunday company. It’s so easy to make, yet so delicious to the taste buds. With just a few simple ingredients you’ll have everyone so impressed and wanting this recipe!

Enjoy friends, and let me know how you like it. Be sure to give me feedback, I love your comments!

Our Favorite Recipes

Ingredients: Yields 15 to 18 patties

2 pounds ground beef

1 cup Italian bread crumbs

1~ 10.5 ounce can of cream of mushroom soup

1 cup water

1 to 2 soup can water or milk- I use milk

2 TBSP white all purpose flour

1 TBSP pink Himalayan salt

½ tsp black pepper

1 medium red onion, diced

White all purpose flour for breading patties

Olive oil for frying

1. In a large bowl combine ground beef, bread crumbs, 1 cup milk, seasonings, and diced onion; blend until thoroughly mixed

2. Place about 1 cup of flour into a bowl; take about ¼ cup of meat mixture and form into a patty; coat all sides in flour; set aside and repeat until all meat is formed into patties.

3. In a skillet while forming the patties, add 2 TBSP olive oil and heat on medium high.

4. Once all patties are breaded with flour, place in heated oil in a skillet; cook for about 1 ½ minutes on both sides and remove into a 9x13x2 inch baking dish. Repeat until all patties are cooked.

5. Put soup and can of milk into another bowl with 2 TBSP flour; whisk until blended and there are no clumps. Pour soup mixture over patties.