Baked Spaghetti with Zucchini

Easier than lasagna, this one is just as good.  It’s also a great way to sneak some vegetables into the kids’ diet.

Cook 1/2 pound of spaghetti according to the package and  place in a 9 x 13 baking dish.

In a small bowl, mix 15 ounces of ricotta cheese, 2 eggs and 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese.  Add this to the spaghetti.

Mix it together.  It doesn’t have to be perfectly mixed, but you want to get the cheese mixture spread throughout.

In olive oil, sauté:
1 1/2 cups grated zucchini
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup mushrooms
1/2 cupped chopped green peppers
2-3 cloves miced garlic
1 tsp. oregano
1 tsp. basil

When the vegetables are tender, add 1 quart of roasted tomato sauce (I used some that I had canned this summer).

When it’s hot, pour it over the spaghetti.

Use your spoon to help it settle down into the spaghetti and cheese mixture.

Bake it at 350° F for 30 minutes.  Then cover with a layer of grated Mozzarella cheese.

Return to the oven until the cheese is melted and bubbly.

This gives you all the goodness of vegetables without the kids knowing they are in there.

It was tested by my mom, and she also approved of this recipe.

Sharing at Homestead Barn Hop, Inspire Me Monday, and Clever Chicks Blog Hop.

Toasted Walnut Banana Bread

I had some rather ripe bananas sitting around.  I had some cream cheese that needed used.  I combined those into toasted walnut banana bread.

Cream:
1/2 cup margarine or butter (softened)
1 8 oz. package cream cheese (softened)
1 1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar

Add (mixing thoroughly after each addition):
2 eggs
1 1/2 cup mashed banana
1/2 Tablespoon vanilla
3 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup chopped walnut

Topping:
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
2 Tablespoons brown sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon

Pour batter into two 4×8 greased bread pans  and sprinkle topping over them.  Bake in a 350*F oven for about 55 minutes.

Sharing with Clever Chicks Blog Hop, Creative Blog Hop, and Homestead Barn Hop.

Raspberry Cheesecake Tarts

If you’ve been hanging out here for very long, you know if I post a recipe, it’s going to be easy.  I like easy.  I don’t have  a lot of time on the farm to spend all day making complicated dishes.  When I wanted to try something new, I thought raspberry cheesecake tarts sounded good, but I hated the idea of doing crust and cheesecake and raspberry sauce, so I simplified things.

You need enough pie crust for two single crusts. You can make your own or use pre-made crusts.  I did my own because purchased crusts are not vegetarian friendly.  Roll the pie crust and line muffin tins, making sure to leave a good edge to help lift them out of the pan when they are cool.  I used six jumbo and eight regular muffin tins.  To make your filling, just use a beater and mix together:

Two 8 oz packages of cream cheese (softened)
2 eggs
2 cups sugar
1/3 cup flour
1/4 cup milk
dash of salt
1 Tbsp. lemon juice
1 pint black raspberries

I used frozen raspberries from my pasture, and I did drain a bit of the juice off.  I won’t vouch for it, but I imagine fresh raspberries or red raspberries or even blackberries would also be good.  The batter will not be as thick as a true cheesecake batter.  I’m not going to lie.  I turned into a little kid licking the beaters and the bowl.  Fill the muffin tins and put them in a 350*F oven.  Trying to decide how long to bake this was the hardest part.  I baked them for about an hour.

Like cheesecake, they will fall as they cool,

which I just call a whipped topping well.

The only thing hard about this recipe was getting them out of the muffin tins.  I guess that’s okay because any of them messed up belong to the cook, right?  They come out of the muffin tins easier if you wait until they’ve been placed in the refrigerator to cool for several hours.

I might consider doing this as large pies rather than tarts.  I’m certainly going to be making this again.  I did have a couple of taste testers, and they gave it their approval.

It didn’t take long to get to that last bite!

I’m thinking this would be perfect for a family Christmas dessert.

Sharing with Homestead Blog Hop, Clever Chick’s Blog Hop, Inspire Me Monday, and Farmgirl Friday.