Foodie365

Slow Cooker Spaghetti and Meatball Casserole

(7-oz.) pkg. uncooked spaghetti
1 cup water
24 oz jar spaghetti sauce
14.5 oz can Hunts diced Fire Roasted tomatoes with Garlic
12 frozen precooked Italian meatballs (or vegetarian meatballs)
2 tablespoons shredded fresh Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley (optional garnish)

In slow cooker, combine uncooked spaghetti, water, spaghetti sauce and tomatoes; mix well. Add meatballs; turn to cover everything completely with sauce. Place cover on slow cooker. Cook on low 3 hours. Sprinkle top with cheese. Cook uncovered for an additional hour or until casserole is bubbly and cheese is melted. Sprinkle with parsley.

Updated: 6/27/2011 added can of diced Fire Roasted tomatoes with garlic.

Photo credits: Baka Vicka

ever wondered if eggs you’ve had in the fridge are too old to use? Try this solution suggested on twitter tonight by @monimoob. I love crowd sourcing to get feedback from others.

Originally I was asking about how to tell if eggs were hard boiled (I had undercooked some). Here’s an answer for that too! (from 808_niner)

P.S. (5/16/2011) Tonight I peeled a few of the eggs that weren’t as done as I had hoped and microwaved them. I took the shells off first because I heard that eggs will explode if you microwave them. The big surprise was when I cut into the 1st egg’s yolk it sort of exploded with a pretty good POP! Boy did I let out a yelp & jump back. Turns out it’s the yolks that explode from a microwave and not the shells. Haha. Never guessed that was coming.

Tabbouleh is a salad of herbs and cracked wheat that’s great with crackers, pita bread, or even wrapped in tortilla. The Armenian style has more greens and is a little more tart. I grew up with Tabbouleh that had more wheat but once I tried it with less wheat & more greens I loved it!

Tabbouleh – Armenian style

3 bunches parsley, chopped fine
2 Roma tomatoes, diced small (or 2 med tomatoes)
Juice of 4 lemons
1/4 to 1/2 cup olive oil
1 onion, diced fine (I use red onion)
1 large cucumber (I try to get ones with less seeds)
1 cup wheat bulgur (cracked wheat- fine grain)
salt to taste
1 bunch mint, chopped fine
1 1/2 c. warm water

Mix bulgur wheat with water and set aside to soak. Wash & dry parsley and mint, remove stems and chop fine. In large bowl, combine all ingredients except salt, mix well. If your lemons are small or not very juicy, you may need to add more lemon juice. Just taste it and see. Salt to taste. Mix and serve chilled. It lasts 4-6 days in the refrigerator and it is actually better the 2nd day!

If you don’t want to make Tabbouleh yourself I’ve bought this brand at Whole Foods Market (Kahala Mall, Oahu Hawaii) and it was very tasty: Nayora (found it in the packaged deli section)

taboule, tabouli

BLT Dip

1 c. Mayonnaise
8 oz. Sour cream
1 envelope Lipton’s Onion Soup mix
1 lb, Bacon, fried & crumbled
1 med. Tomato, diced

Mix mayo, sour cream & soup mix. Fold in bacon & diced tomato. serve with toasted bread, chips or crackers.

Photo credits: mhaithaca