Sylvia's Scenario

I'm never buying bottled pasta sauce again.  This is a delicious recipe.  Love it, love it, love it!  This recipe is so good and so easy and it makes such a quick, simple dinner.  It is a recipe from  The Pioneer Woman , so you know it's yummy.  I added meat to it but you really don't need meat since this recipe has 1/2 cup of Parmesan cheese mixed into the sauce along with a 1 cup of heavy cream. Needless to say, you don't need to eat much of this to feel satisfied.  Top it off with a nice salad and dinner is ready.  Serves 6 1 pound spaghetti or pasta of your choice 2 Tbs. olive oil 2 Tbs. butter 1 medium onion, diced 4 cloves garlic, minced 1 pound ground beef (optional, it's rich enough without meat) 2 -15 oz. cans of tomato sauce Salt and pepper, to taste Dash of sugar pinch of red pepper flakes 1 cup heavy cream 1/2 cup grated Parmesan 1.  Cook pasta according to directions on box, reserving a bit of the pasta water to thi

I just returned from another weekend in Seattle and for the first time, I actually went to a Top Pot Doughnut shop.  I've had their doughnuts before because they serve them at Starbuck's and I've seen their shops in Seattle when I visit because there is now one right across the street from our old house in Wedgwood.   Now, our daughter, lives in another old neighborhood of mine on Capitol Hill and right around the corner from her house is a Top Pot. There were not eateries like this in my old neighborhoods when I lived in Seattle.  And our daughter literally lives steps away from my old house on Capitol Hill where I lived when I was her age.  There are so many more luxuries and temptations lurking around the corner in Seattle neighborhoods more so than when I lived there but I'm not sure if that's a good thing or a bad thing.  Being that I'm one that mostly gives in to temptation, it's probably a good thing they didn't exist when I lived there.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!   We are going to a St. Patrick's Day dinner and I volunteered to bring dessert so this year I made a Chocolate Stout Cake with Bailey's Irish Cream Cheese Frosting.  But now I think it's too pretty to eat!  I know it tastes delicious so this recipe is a keeper.  Like the title says, the frosting is made with Bailey's Irish Cream. We bought these cute little mini bottles of Bailey's at the liquor store and the stout beer in the cake makes this a true St. Patrick's Day dessert through and through.   I had some cute little shamrock cake decorations in my cake decorating box so this was the perfect time to use them. You could also use the green sprinkles for the top of the cake or you could also color some of the frosting green and spread it on top of the cake and then sprinkle the white chocolate curls over that.  I prefer the white on white look with just a subtle color of green.  I did use green frosting for the

Once again, another recipe that is a saucy chicken recipe, my favorite kind of recipe.  That sauce spells C-O-M-F-O-R-T. Sweet, tangy, spicy, garlicky, gingery:  You never expect something that is this simple to taste so yummy.   And it hits the spot on these breezy pre-spring days when we are yearning so much for warm weather but we still must wait...wait...wait. 3 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs salt and pepper 1/2 cup honey 1/2 cup soy sauce 1/2 cup minced onion 1/4 cup + 2 Tbsp. ketchup 1 Tbsp. canola oil 1 Tbsp. toasted sesame oil 1 Tbsp. minced or grated fresh ginger 4 cloves garlic, peeled and minced 3/4 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes 4 tsp. cornstarch 1/4 cup of water 1.  Very lightly, season the chicken thighs with salt and pepper and place them in the slow cooker. 2.  Whisk the honey, soy sauce, onion, ketchup, canola and sesame oils, ginger, garlic, and pepper flakes together in a mixing bowl and pour over the chicken thighs.  Cover th

This is a family favorite recipe and I have two recipes I like, one made with sausage and spinach and one made with ground beef.  So, depending on your preference, you can choose your favorite.  I like both!  Tonight, we had the stuffed shells with sausage and spinach, so yummy!  I love the jumbo shells. There is just something about them, so hardy, substantial and satisfying! The recipe I use with ground beef is actually right on the box; you can use beef, pork or turkey and it's delicious. But tonight we had the shells stuffed with sausage and spinach. Serves 4 16 - 18 jumbo pasta shells 1 pound fresh pork sausage 1 Tbsp. minced garlic 1 (14-ounce) can diced tomatoes or your favorite pasta sauce 1 cup frozen spinach, thawed and squeeze dry 1 cup ricotta cheese 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese salt and freshly ground pepper 1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and fill a large bowl of cold water and ice, set aside. 2. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add pasta

My mom use to make Ham and Lima beans with a ham hock - it was probably a cheap meal back then, good for feeding a family of nine. I'm not sure if she had a recipe for that meal but I still crave that recipe to this day. I had ham leftover from the Super Bowl party so decided to try Ham and Lima Beans like she did it and it turned out pretty decent, at least decent enough to keep so I won't forget how I did it. It's probably not the way she did it but it did cure my craving and my husband loved it, too. Serves 4 1 bag of dry lima beans 32 ounces chicken broth leftover ham or a ham hock 1. Add the bag of lima beans and chicken broth to a crock pot. 2. Add the ham or ham hocks. Add enough water so all is covered. 3. Cook on low for 8 hours.

I'm not sure why I'm posting this because I've made so many "green smoothies" since my first  smoothie post  in June and they all taste delicious and it doesn't really seem to matter what I put in it!  And they all look the same!  But anyway, here is another smoothie I made today to "cleanse" after going out last night for my sister's birthday.  I had prime rib so after eating all that red meat, I need to cleanse now with a green veggie smoothie!  Last June, we had an abundance of lettuce from the garden so this time my smoothie is made with organic baby lettuce.  I used 3 cups. Then I added a couple handfuls of organic blueberries and 3-4 frozen strawberries which act as ice cubes with flavor. Then I added 1 cup of coconut water for the liquid to get that kick of potassium and threw in a banana and there is was.  Delicious.  And just like the last one I posted, it was very easy to drink down.  Rejuvenated.