KateS, Author at Eat at Home

Slow Cooker Pasta Sauce with Sausage and Eggplant

June 13, 2013 by KateS

My husband likes his pasta sauce with meat. I prefer mine to be packed with veggies. This is our compromise.

After hours in the slow cooker, the eggplant becomes melt-in-your-mouth buttery. If you didn’t know it was in there, you might not notice it. It’s a great way to sneak in extra veggies! For the sausage, I prefer to use pre-cooked sausage because it’s easier to slice up, but any Italian sausage would work for this.

This makes a pretty big batch for the two of us, but it freezes nicely for future use.

Here’s what you’ll need:

Slow Cooker Pasta Sauce with Sausage and Eggplant

Yield: 8

Ingredients

1 (28 oz.) can crushed tomatoes
1 (16 oz.) jar pasta sauce
1 T. Italian seasoning
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 lb. Italian sausage
1 large eggplant

Instructions

In the slow cooker, combine the crushed tomatoes, pasta sauce, Italian seasoning and minced garlic.
Coin slice the sausage. Peel and dice the eggplant. Add both to the slow cooker. Stir well to combine.
Cook on low for 6-8 hours.
Serve over pasta, topped with parmesan cheese.

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Kate is a home cook living and working in New Jersey. In addition to sharing recipes with Eat at Home readers, she blogs her cooking adventures at Kate’s Recipe Box. When she’s not in the kitchen, you can find her reading or tending to her garden.

Filed under: 75 days of summer slow cooker recipes, Main Dish, Pasta, pork Tagged with main dish, Pasta, pasta sauce, pork, slow cookerLeave a Comment

Easy Grilled Pizza

May 16, 2013 by KateS

Grilled pizza is one of my favorite summer meals. It’s easy, involves almost no planning and it’s super quick. The first time I tried this I was thinking, there’s no way this is going to work! But it works and it works really well.

The ingredients for grilled pizza are the same as you’d use for a traditional pizza:

I like to prep everything inside and lay it out on a cutting board to take outside. This seems to keep things contained a little better, and it’s easier than carrying a million things back and forth to the kitchen. It’s also a great idea to have everything prepped before you start – these cook quickly!

In a nutshell, you plop your dough onto the preheated grill. When the bottom is firm and has grill lines (after about a minute on the grill), you flip it over. [Read more...]

Filed under: Main Dish, vegetarian Tagged with grill, grilled, main dish, pizza, vegetarian1 Comment

General Tso’s Chicken and Broccoli

May 9, 2013 by KateS

In college, the dining hall had a made-to-order station featuring a different dish ever night. General Tso’s nights were one of my favorites – you could pick your protein, vegetables and type of rice for a customizable dinner. I always got chicken and broccoli with brown rice. When I moved off campus, it was one of the few things I missed about the dining hall.

I quickly learned to recreate it at home and it’s been one of our go-to dinners on busy nights since – it’s on the table in about twenty minutes. It’s also a really flexible recipe. Broccoli not your thing? You can sub in snap peas, green beans or another vegetable. Small meatballs or pork can be subbed for the chicken.

If you’re going for the classic, though, here’s what you’ll need. [Read more...]

Filed under: Chicken, Main Dish Tagged with Asian, Chicken, general tso's, popcorn chicken3 Comments

Slow Cooker BBQ Peach Pulled Pork

April 5, 2013 by KateS

Slow cooker pulled pork is one of our staple dinners. It’s just so easy to throw it in the slow cooker before work in the morning. I regularly try to mix up the meal with slight variations to keep it from getting boring.

For this dish, I grabbed a jar of peach salsa from the international aisle of the grocery store to mix in. The sweetness of the peaches pair nicely against the tartness of the barbecue sauce. And, you only need three ingredients! You can’t beat that.

Serve this on buns with an easy side dish and you’re all set for dinner. Here’s what you’ll need: [Read more...]

Filed under: Crockpot, Main Dish, pork Tagged with Crockpot, pork, slow cooker6 Comments

Easy Almond Pastries

March 19, 2013 by KateS

These pastries really couldn’t be easier. With just a few ingredients you have a fun and delicious brunch dish. What makes them so fun? Cookie cutters and food coloring.

I like to use cookie cutters to cut my pastry into seasonally appropriate shapes and then tint the icing on them to make them especially festive. With Easter coming up, I couldn’t resist making some Easter egg pastries.

Decorating the pastries would be a great kitchen project for kids. I usually put my icing in zippered sandwich bags and snip off the tips for decorating purposes, but you could also put the icing in little bowls and brush it on with a pastry brush or new paintbrush.

If you didn’t want to make them season-specific, you could make them as squares or triangles with a drizzle of white icing – they’re just as good!

Easy Almond Pastries

Ingredients

1 box of frozen puff pastry, thawed
1 can of almond pastry filling
1 egg, lightly beaten
2 c. powdered sugar
3 T. milk
Food coloring, if desired

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 400F degrees.
Using a cookie cutter (or a sharp knife) cut out an even number of puff pastry pieces.
Generously spread the almond pastry filling on half of the cut-out shapes, and then use the remaining shapes to top them off. Using a fork, press together the edges of the pastry to seal in the almond filling.
Transfer the pastries to a lined baking sheet. Brush the tops with the beaten egg.
Bake for 20 minutes, until the pastries are golden brown. Set them aside to cool.
Meanwhile, whisk together the powdered sugar and milk. Add more sugar or milk to reach desired consistancy. Stir in food coloring as desired.
Drizzle the icing over the cooled pastries to decorate. Alternatively, you can brush the icing on using a pastry brush or new paint brush.

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Filed under: Baked Goods, Breakfast, Dessert Tagged with almond filling, Easter, holidays, puff pastry, puff pastry doughLeave a Comment

10 Minute French Dip Sandwiches

February 19, 2013 by KateS

I always feel like life is supposed to slow down after the holidays, but that doesn’t seem to be the case. This is one of my go-to meals for busy days – it’s on the table ten minutes after I walk into the kitchen. You really can’t beat that!

I recommend about a quarter of a pound of roast beef per adult to make a good, hearty sandwich. And with bubbly cheese and Italian seasoning, it doesn’t feel like you’re eating “just a sandwich” for dinner.

We usually serve these along with a big salad or veggies and dip.

10 Minute French Dip Sandwiches

Ingredients

1 can beef broth
1 lb. roast beef
4 long rolls
Mayonnaise
Italian seasoning
8 slices provolone cheese

Instructions

Add the beef broth to a large skillet over high heat. When the broth starts to steam, reduce heat to medium and add the roast beef and cover. Let warm for about five minutes, until the roast beef is no longer pink.
Meanwhile, preheat the oven broiler. Slice rolls in half and place them on a baking sheet cut side up. Spread a thin layer of mayonnaise on the top side of the buns and sprinkle with Italian seasoning.
When the roast beef is warm, remove it from the broth using a slotted spoon or tongs and divide between the rolls. Lay two slices of cheese over the roast beef on each roll.
Broil for 2-3 minutes, until bread is toasted and cheese is melted. Serve with extra broth for dipping.

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Filed under: Main Dish, Sandwich Tagged with beef, cheese, Sandwich15 Comments

Thai Chili Chicken Egg Rolls

January 25, 2013 by KateS

Is anyone else excited about the Super Bowl? Even though my beloved Giants didn’t even make the playoffs, I’m looking forward to the big game. It’s so fun to get caught up in the hype, watch the commercials and spend the night eating finger foods in front of the TV!

Egg rolls are always one of my go-to dishes for football game watching. People are always impressed, but they’re actually really easy to make yourself. (And, who doesn’t love dipping things?!) These are also baked, not fried, so I feel better about indulging in them.

I’m not going lie – my first few rolls always come out a little lumpy or ripped. That’s part of the reason double-wrapping them is great – it also helps make them crunchy without the frying. They do get easier as you go, though, I promise!

These are also super freezer-friendly. After you have them assembled, put them on a baking sheet and pop them into the freezer for 2-3 hours, until firm, and then transfer them to a zipper-lock freezer bag. When you’re ready to cook them, use the same baking instructions and just add a few minutes to the cook time.

Thai Chili Chicken Egg Rolls

Ingredients

1 T. olive oil
4 1/2 c. cole slaw mix (or, shredded cabbage and carrots)
3 c. cooked, shredded chicken breast
1 1/2 c. bean sprouts
2/3 c. Thai Sweet Chili Sauce, plus more for serving
24 Egg roll wrappers
Cooking spray

Instructions

In a large skillet, heat 1 T. olive oil until shimmering. Add cabbage and cover. Cook until wilted, for about 5 minutes. Stir in the shredded chicken and cook until heated through, about two minutes. Stir in bean sprouts and sweet chili sauce and toss to coat. Set aside until cooled enough to handle.
Preheat oven to 425F degrees.
Add 2-3 T. of the mixture onto the center of an egg roll wrapper. Fold in two opposite corners, then a third corner over. Roll towards the fourth corner, sealing it off. Place the roll onto another wrapper and wrap again. Repeat with remaining mixture and wrappers.
Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray. Place the egg rolls, seem-side down, on the baking sheet. Spray tops with cooking spray.
Bake for 15 minutes, until golden brown, turning halfway through.

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Filed under: Chicken, Main Dish, Snacks, Uncategorized Tagged with Asian, Chicken, egg rolls4 Comments

Slow Cooker Meatballs and Spaghetti Sauce

January 11, 2013 by KateS

My husband grew up in a traditional Italian family, which meant big pots of meatballs and gravy simmering on the stove every Sunday. Yes, gravy – that’s what Italians in the New Jersey area call red pasta sauce!

I have his grandmother’s recipes, but I rarely make them because I don’t have the time. These quick and easy meatballs simmer all day in the slow cooker instead of the stove, which makes them much better for a busy lifestyle. The smell of them simmering all day in the slow cooker smells almost as good as having a pot of gravy on the stove all day!

This makes very tender meatballs in a thick sauce. They’re perfect over pasta or on long rolls for meatball subs. If you want a thinner sauce, mix in some jarred tomato sauce fifteen minutes before serving.

Slow Cooker Meatballs

Ingredients

1 lb. lean ground beef
1 egg
½ large onion, shredded
1/3 c. plain breadcrumbs
28 oz. can crushed tomatoes with basil, garlic and oregano
2 cloves garlic, minced
¼ c. fresh basil, chopped
¼ c. parmesan cheese, shredded, plus more for serving
Salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions

In a medium bowl, mix together the ground beef, egg, shredded onion and breadcrumbs. Roll ground beef mixture into 1-1 ½ inch balls. Set aside.
In another bowl, mix together the crushed tomatoes, garlic, basil and parmesan cheese.
Spread ½ cup of the tomato sauce mixture in the bottom of your slow cooker. Place the meatballs on top, and then cover with remaining sauce.
Cook on low for 8 hours.
Serve over pasta or on long rolls. Top with additional parmesan cheese, if desired.

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Filed under: Crockpot, Main Dish Tagged with beef, Crockpot, ground beef, Pasta, slow cooker7 Comments

Slow Cooker Chicken and Dumplings with Gnocchi

November 13, 2012 by KateS

I’m not sure there’s anything better than a warm bowl of soup on a cold day. I rarely have the time to have a pot simmering all day, though, so slow cooker soups are some of my favorites. And slow cooker chicken and dumplings was particularly awesome to come home to after a long day.

Using a combo of fresh and pre-prepared ingredients gives you the best of both worlds here. The cooking sauce and frozen gnocchi cut down prep time considerably and make this a great dump-and-go recipe, while the fresh vegetables elevate the taste to make it stand apart from canned soups. This quick version is great if you’re craving homemade chicken and dumplings, but don’t have time to fix them.

Served up with a big hunk of crusty bread for dinner, it’s an excellent fall meal.

Ready to get started? Here’s what you’ll need: [Read more...]

Filed under: Chicken, Crockpot, Main Dish Tagged with Chicken, Crockpot, dumplings, gnocchi, slow cooker7 Comments

Double Chocolate Crumble Bars

November 2, 2012 by KateS

The only formal cooking instruction I have had were my middle school home ec classes. We weren’t cooking anything gourmet, but it did teach me the basics of making a good omelette, how to properly knead bread dough and how to convert measurements quickly. I still have many of the original recipe handouts from those classes and even though my cooking has come a long way since then, they’re still some of my staples.

This is one of the recipes we made during one lesson. I’ve adapted it over time, but every time I bite into one of these fantastic bars I feel like I’m back in the classroom.

Here’s what you’ll need:

I try to get a brownie mix that is specifically for an 8×8 or 9×9 pan. Most brownie mixes make a 9×13 pan. If you’re using one of these, you can either cook it in a smaller pan for longer (directions will be on the box) or double the other toppings so you’ll have enough to cover the bigger pan.

Double Chocolate Crumble Bars

Ingredients

1 package brownie mix (for an 8x8 or 9x9 pan)
Ingredients to prepare brownie mix
2 cups mini marshmallows
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
1 1/2 cup crisped rice cereal

Instructions

Prepare and bake brownies according to package directions in an 8x8 or 9x9 pan.
Sprinkle mini marshmallows over cooked brownies and return to the oven for three minutes. Remove from oven and cool completely.
Melt chocolate chips and peanut butter together in a double boiler, stirring until smooth. Stir in crisped rice cereal. Spread chocolate mixture over cooled brownies.
Refridgerate for two hours or until completely set. Slice and store in an airtight container.

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