Two Recipes You NEED To Try!

Ok guys, so I'm going to be really honest. I don't cook. At all. I'm really not good at it. Even with a recipe, I am always one step away from burning the house down. Well, maybe not that bad. But still bad.

With that being said, my husband (Mike) is an AMAZING cook. He is always taking recipes and spicing them up and adding his own ingredients to them. They always taste great!

We are trying to make dinner more...and by using the word "we", I actually mean him. LOL! Anyways, here are two recipes we tried last night and this evening. These are simple and DELICIOUS! Give them a try and let me know what you think!!

Spaghetti with Cherry Tomato Sauce
This recipe is a great main dish. Just add a Caesar salad and some garlic knots! You will be set!

Ingredients:

• 1 pound of thin spaghetti (we used angel hair)
• 3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
• 1 pound of cherry or grape tomatoes
• 1/2 teaspoon dried chili flakes
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley (we used dried Italian seasoning instead)
• Salt and pepper
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan (add more for serving)

Directions:

1. Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and pour pasta into a large serving bowl.

2. In a large skillet over medium heat, heat the olive oil and add the garlic, whole cherry tomatoes, and chili flakes. Cook 3-4 minutes, stirring constantly, until the cherry tomatoes start to burst open. Remove from heat and add the lemon juice and parsley (or Italian seasoning :)). Season with a sprinkle of salt and pepper, stir to combine, and pour mixture over the pasta, scraping out all the pan juices. Sprinkle with the Parmesan and toss to combine. Serve with extra Parmesan over the top and feel free to add more lemon juice (we did!)

P.S. Next time we plan on adding shrimp or salmon to put some protein in the mix! Try it out!!

 Sloppy Joes

This recipe is great when you're searching for comfort food. Add some homemade french fries or take the easy route and use frozen waffle fries like we did! Yum in the tum!

Ingredients:

• 1 lb of lean ground beef (we used 93%/7%)
• 1/4 cup chopped onion
• 1/4 cup chopped green bell pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon yellow mustard
• 3/4 cup ketchup
• 3 teaspoons brown sugar
• Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. In a medium skillet over medium heat, brown the ground beef, onion, and green pepper. Drain liquid.

2. Stir in the garlic powder, mustard, ketchup, and brown sugar. Mix thoroughly. Reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes. Season with salt and paper.

P.S. Put this delicious mixture in hamburger buns (the yummy ones from the deli). If you want a kick, add Cholula Hot Sauce: Chipotle. It adds a delicious BBQ flavor and brings out the flavor of the meat!

Until next time

xoxo,

J.