Thursday, August 2, 2012

Baked Spaghetti....Mmm, Mmm, good!!

 I love this time of the year... 
LOTS of veggies are being harvested from our garden, especially
ZUCCHINI!!  
(other family Zucchini favorite recipes...(here))

Here is yet another 
 YUMMY Zucchini recipe and 
I love that it's loaded full of veggies 
and it uses many basic food storage ingredients as well! 
It calls for Cream of Chicken or Mushroom soup, but since I try to avoid using those, I make a white sauce to pour over it instead of the canned soup and it is absolutely delicious!!    

Easy and Oh, SO yummy!!
Baked Spaghetti
1 large onion chopped
2 cloves minced garlic
1 green bell pepper chopped
1 large Zucchini thinly sliced (OR, 2 medium)
1 Tbsp. butter
1 can crushed tomatoes
1 can olives sliced
1 (4 oz) can mushrooms drained (this is optional)
1 tsp. granulated garlic
1 tsp dried oregano
1 pound ground beef, browned and drained
12 oz. spaghetti noodles cooked and drained
2 cups grated cheddar cheese
white sauce...(recipe below) 
½ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, OR, 1 cup grated mozzarella cheese

(WHITE Sauce)
2 cups water
1/4 cup dry milk powder 
4 Tbsp. cornstarch 
1-1/2 tsp chicken bouillon
2 Tbsp. butter
pepper to taste
Bring ingredients to a boil until thickened 

In a large skillet melt butter and sauté onion, garlic, bell pepper and zucchini until tender.
Add in tomatoes, mushrooms olives, garlic powder and oregano. 
Add ground beef and simmer uncovered for 10 minutes.
Place half of the cooked spaghetti in a greased 9x13 baking dish
Top with half of vegetable mixture.  
Sprinkle with 1 cup of cheese
Repeat layers.  
Pour white sauce over casserole
Sprinkle with Parmesan or Mozzarella cheese.
Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 35-45 minutes until bubbly! 
Let sit 10 minutes before cutting and serving.
Delicious topped with freshly chopped garden tomatoes.  
Enjoy!
OH and if you are in the mood for 
delicious Cherry Pie to serve as dessert  
with your Baked Spaghetti
here is a link to the recipe for that!!

Pasta + Pie makes for HAPPY kids!!
 (at least it makes my sons
 happy, happy, happy!)

Sunday, July 22, 2012

Oh the fun we had at Granite...

FAMILY...
it's what life's all about!
Camping, excited kids running around constantly, beauty in abundance, bike rides, guitar playing and singing, relaxing, whittling, talking and reminiscing, good food, hot water, swimming, extremely chilly river crossing...
these things and more made up 3 days of FUN at our Smith Family Reunion at Granite Hot Springs!

Here is our three days 
of FUN in photos...
Granite Hot Springs....here we come!! 

This is pretty luxurious for us to be sleeping in this tent trailer... the last time we took this out was in 2008.
 We're  used to sleeping in 
something like this when we camp...
(Alaska Basin August 2011)
 Room with a view!  
Enjoying some relaxing before dinner...

DINNER...
Lots of great food & singing 
 Liam Knox

LOVE the music that Clair 
always brings to family events!
I never tire of hearing his guitar playing! 
Creed
Reese
Ty 

Whittling fun!!  
Ty sure enjoyed whittling...

  When we're out camping, 
it's a common sight to see Tracy whittling on a sticks. 
He gives most of them away,
 but here a few I found in his carving box. 

GOOD MORNING!!
 
 Making breakfast!  
 Sweet Easton!
 I LOVE that all of the kids 
wanted to hang out at our camp-site!!
 LOVE 
our cozy, functional tent!
 Swimming FUN!!
 I just wanted to be over 
in the corner 
by the rocks and moss...
 Heading back down for lunch...

 The most GORGEOUS view 
that you see on your way to the swimming pool!

 The view while we enjoyed lunch!  

 And MORE whittling fun...
Tracy is the BEST with the kiddos!
 (it's a good thing we had a good first-aid kit...
everyone that whittled 
ended up with some kind of cut...
LOL!)
 Fun skipping rocks...

Max
 
 "Happy Birthday to Joel"!!

FUN riding bikes...
 Yummy Scones!! 

 I LOVE these kids!! 
There was never a dull moment!

 Chilly river crossing 
to get to a natural hot spring...  
Brrrr!
AHHH...
Amazing, HOT water!
What a view!
 While we're soaking in water 
that is so hot it is making us PINK,
the water behind us is ice cold, snow fed water!
 What a great time!   
Roasting Marshmallows
and warming up around the fire....


6:30 am morning soak
 I could have stayed here 
in this spot for HOURS!! 
 Shelley, Kimmie and Tracy...
 The view from the hot pool...
there's our car and the chilly river 
we had to cross to get to this spot!
Crossing river 
and heading back to our car...

Washing dishes in the creek...  

We have the CUTEST kids ever in our family!! 
The view to to the right of our tent...
 The view to the left of our tent...
 Sad to take down our camp...

 Camp all put away...

 Enjoying lunch before heading out...

 This photo shows Tracy and Tom talking..
Tracy is commenting that since we hardly ever take this tent trailer out we should probably get rid of it and sell it to someone that will get more use out of it... 
Tom is commenting that "NO", don't get rid of it...it's a great set-up and it's amazing that you can pull it behind a small compact car!
 Heading out...
 LOVE the view down the gravel road...

 Gorgeous Canola Field 
we saw on our drive home...
Sad for our camping adventure to come to an end!
Beautiful site at the rest area 
on our way home!