Hot Luvin' From the Oven.... YUMMMMM

Happy Snowy Sunday... which is no April Fools Day joke for this April 1st! It's been kind of a blah cold day in our part of the country but the kitchen here sure has been heated up! This afternoon I made a cake using a very quick and easy recipe I picked up from my friend and fellow blogger, Debbie. Be sure to check out her blog.... she makes the most delicious foods ever! (http://capturedfoodphotosandcrafts.blogspot.com/) And then we progressed on to Buffalo jerky and spaghetti pie, a long time Stuart family favorite dinner. A recipe I got from my sister years ago when I used to cook all the time for her and random other people. So needless to say a lot of my afternoon has been spent in the kitchen. I am not complaining though because there is nothing quite like the smile you get on your face when one of your kids says, 

"It smells so good in here from all the food cooking... Yummmmm...." (Thanks Mikayla!) 

Buffalo Jerky... Not a huge fan but Tad and the kids love it and it does smell really good in the dryer! 

 I am sure some of you are wondering what is Spaghetti Pie. Honestly, it is just as it sounds! Here is what you need to make it :

1/2 an onion       1/2 a green pepper

1 Jar of spaghetti sauce (The thicker the better) 

Cottage cheese    2 Well beaten eggs

1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese 

2 TBSP of butter  3 Cups Cooked Spaghetti noodles

1 Cup Mozzarella cheese 

1 pound ground beef 

Brown the meat and onion in a pan (drain grease) 

Mix in the green peppers and sauce

After draining the pasta noodles and measuring the 3 Cups of cooked noodles (roughly 1/2 box) mix in the hot noodle pan butter, well beaten eggs, and Parmesan Cheese.

In a greased (I use Pam Cooking spray) pie pan dump the noodle mixture and form a crust. Layer with cottage cheese, pour on meat and sauce mixture and bake uncover for 20 minutes at 350 degrees. Cover with Mozzarella cheese and bake for another 5-10 minutes until the cheese has melted.

And then you have Spaghetti Pie.

A pretty simple dinner all and all. I can't wait to see who tries it and who likes it! Shall we check on the jerky? It sure does smell good! 

Looks almost as good as it smells!!!! 

For anyone who likes jerky... I highly recommend buying a dehydrator and trying to make some. I bought Tad his two years ago and he loves to make jerky. It's a great treat to take on trips or to just have on hand. We even make jerky dog treats! 

As I am sitting here typing this blog Peyton is hounding me for cake. Everyone is dying to taste the cake that only took two ingredients! That's right... I said two ingredients! 

These three....

Made this.... 

So Yummy!!!! And simple as pie! In a bowl pour a box of cake mix and dump a can of soda over it. Mix till creamy smooth and bake according to cake box directions. Cool and frost... Easiest cake I have ever made! Makes life simple for a busy Momma such as myself! A huge thank you to my friend for bringing such simplicity to my life! I think next time I will try chocolate cake with Dr. Pepper.

Although today was nothing exciting and the recipes weren't glamorous, it's the little things in life that go a long way. It is the things like Dad's jerky and Momma's Spaghetti pie the kids will remember and someday fill their own homes with the familiar delicious smells of their parents kitchen....