Spaghetti Dinner

So I didn't post a link for my spaghetti meal tonight. I did this mostly because spaghetti is so universal that everyone generally has a recipe that they like. I will post a few step by step pictures just to give you something to look at. :)

The first picture is what the end product was; spaghetti with meatballs, steamed vegetables and a spicy chipotle cheesy garlic bread. I went a little nuts with the bread. I guess I just couldn't contain myself when I got ahold of my spices. Fret not, though. Your mouth won't complain, it'll enjoy the party.

On to the spaghetti! I always start with the meatballs because they take the longest. Of course I bake mine (you can even microwave most recipes) and I just used my simple meal maker meatball recipe. Once the meatballs finished, I set them aside and boiled some water to which I added garlic, extra virgin olive oil, and salt. Thus, enter my pasta. For spaghetti sauce you can use a store-bought can which is on sale this week at wal-mart for $1.08 for a large 6 serving can, or you can make your own which is what I tend to do since I am so picky about my sauces. You can use tomato puree or tomato sauce and simply season to taste. As a rule of thumb the first 2 spices I always add to homemade spaghetti sauce are 1) Italian Seasoning and 2) Garlic Powder.

Once the pasta noodles finished I strained them and quickly added a splash of extra virgin olive oil to keep the noodles from sticking together and a touch of spices. While my sauce simmered, I steamed up some veggies in butter and added rosemary. Usually I use garlic instead but with garlic bread and garlic powder in my pasta water, I didn't want to over-do it. Either way, the aromatics were amazing. For the garlic bread I cut a loaf of french bread in half and buttered it with a mix of melted butter, garlic, and cayenne pepper. Then I topped it with mozzarella cheese and toasted it in the oven. Bon Apetit! A lovely meal for you and your family at an unbeatable price!

Even with this full plate, hubby enjoyed it so much he finished off everything that was left on the stove. So needless to say, we have no leftovers. Which is fine. The more dinner he eats, the more I know he enjoyed it. It's weird, as easy as spaghetti is, we don't eat it often. I think I'll start cooking it twice a month (since it's cheap) instead of once every 4 months.

Anyway, on to dessert. Like I mentioned in my previous post, we finished off the rest of the cake so I was at a loss for tonights tasty delight. I purchased 5lbs of red delicious apples to make baby food with 2 weeks ago and never used them all and decided not to let them go to waste. I ended up making homemade apple crisp. It turned out ok. I've never made it before. Here is the result:

I may have cut my apples a little on the thin side but all in all, it was a great first attempt. And as an added bonus, my whole house now smells like apple crisp! (free air freshener!)

I better get back to TV time with hubby. This is really our only quality alone time since he works long hours. I'll post again tomorrow. Goodnight everyone!