Cavatini Please?

Ok pathetic I know, but I had no idea what cavatini was until my sweet Kofee told me and then I was on a mission to find a recipe! I found one, tweaked it and then made it tonight. Not a mistake at all, it was DELISH!!!!!!!!!! Very very good and I bet the leftovers will be just as good.







Cavatini Casserole

1 lb. lean Ground Beef
1/2 medium Onion, chopped
1/2 Green Bell Pepper, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 package Spaghetti Sauce Seasoning Mix
1 large stick Pepperoni, sliced
1 can sliced Mushrooms
1/2 cup each - 3 different types of Pasta (Shells, Wheels, Penne, etc.)
15 oz. can Tomato Sauce
1 cup Water 6 oz. Mozzarella, grated
6 oz. Cheddar Cheese, grated

Pre-heat oven to 350°F and reserve a 9x13" ovenproof baking dish or pan. In a large skillet over medium heat, brown the ground beef with the onion and green pepper. Add in garlic and take off heat. Add spaghetti seasoning mix to the browned meat and blend. Add pepperoni and mushrooms and blend again.
Meanwhile, prepare the pastas as directed on the package and drain. Combine the cooked pastas with the ground beef mixture in the baking pan. Add tomato sauce and water; stir to combine. Add most of the cheeses and stir again, sprinkling the remaining cheeses over the top of the casserole. Bake for about 30 minutes, uncovered.
Served with a salad and garlic bread and you have one yummilicous (ok is that a word?) meal

Serves 8

Jacey's PERFECTLY Thin & Crisp Chocolate Chip Cookies

This thin and crispy buttery cookie is the best thing invented! It is the perfect cookie in my opinion. And all 3 times I have made these, they have come out perfectly every time. Brown around the edges, thin and crispy in the center.

Again, no pics but I will do it next time! But you'll still want to make these and eat em up!

Jacey's PERFECTLY Thin and Crisp Chocolate Chip Cookie
2 sticks butter
2 1/4 cups flour
1 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp baking soda
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 egg
2 ounces milk
1 1/2 tsp vanilla ( I use Mexican vanilla from Mexico)
1 cup milk chocolate chips
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 375.Melt the butter in microwave. While that's melting take your flour, salt, and baking soda and put in a large bowl. Mix with a whisk until combined( Martha Stewart taught me thats how she sifts). Set aside
Pour melted butter in your kitchen aide (unless you have a hand mixer, if that's the case just put in a bowl). Cream butter on low until it is softened. Add your two sugars, increase the speed and cream the mixture until light and fluffy. Reduce the speed and add the egg, milk and vanilla and mix until well combined.Slowly incorporate the flour mixture until combined. Stir in your chocolate chips.
Chill for one hour.Then use a tablespoon ( I use the one that you actually measure with) and place on greased cookie sheet or cookie sheet lined with parchment. I use my silpat.Set your timer for 7 mins. When that timer goes off, rotate cookies and bake for another 7 minutes. This of course all depends on your oven. You want the edges to be brown and the tops to light brown. Cool on wire rack.
Makes about 45-50 rounded tablespoon sized cookies.

The tips that I have learned is to make sure all your ingredients are at room temp. Don't over mix. Stir in your chips or chunks. Chill your dough. Take cookies out BEFORE they get too brown. I always take them out when I think they might be a tad bit undercooked because I allow for carry over cooking and when they cool they settle

Jacey's PERFECTLY Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

After years and I mean years of making chocolate chip cookies (baking since I was 13) I have finally found the perfect recipe for my taste buds!! Of course I'm not that picky.
I don't have any pics but next time I make these I will take some...

Jacey's PERFECTLY Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookie
2 sticks butter
2 1/4 cups flour
1 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 cup sugar1
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 egg yolk
2 Tbs milk
1 1/2 tsp vanilla ( I use Mexican vanilla from Mexico)
1 cup milk chocolate chips
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 375.Melt the butter in microwave. While that's melting take your flour, salt, and baking soda and put in a large bowl. Mix with a whisk until combined( Martha Stewart taught me thats how she sifts). Set aside
Pour melted butter in your kitchen aide (unless you have a hand mixer, if that's the case just put in a bowl). Add your two sugars and cream on medium speed until thickened and looks like peanut butter.Add the egg, yolk and 2 Tbs milk and vanilla and mix until well combined.
Slowly incorporate the flour mixture until combined. Stir in your chocolate chips.

Chill for one hour.

Then use a tablespoon ( I use the one that you actually measure with) and place on greased cookie sheet or cookie sheet lined with parchment. I use my silpat.Set your timer for 7 mins. When that timer goes off, rotate cookies and bake for another 6.5 minutes. This of course all depends on your oven. You want the edges to be brown and the tops to still be light brown. Cool on wire rack.

Makes about 35-40 rounded tablespoon sized cookies.

The tips that I have learned is to make sure all your ingredients are at room temp. Don't over mix. Stir in your chips or chunks. Chill your dough. Take cookies out BEFORE they get too brown. I always take them out when I think they might be a tad bit undercooked because I allow for carry over cooking and when they cool they settle.

Dinasour Tracks

They will walk their way into your heart. My kids just love them. And my husband calls them cow patties. Either way they are mighty easy and super yummy!!




Dinasour Tracks
2 c sugar
1/2 cup milk
1 stick of butter
dash of kosher salt
4 Tbs cocoa
1/2 c peanut butter
2 tsp vanilla
2 1/2 C oatmeal, quick cooking works best

Place sugar, milk, butter and cocoa for 1 1/2 minutes. Start timing when mixture reaches a full boil. Remove from heat and add oatmeal, vanilla and peanut butter. Stir until blended. Drop by spoonfuls onto wax paper until cool.

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

Peanut Butter Cookies made even better?





I just kind of made these up and I tell you what they were soft, fluffy and super yummy. Too bad it didn't make that many...or is it too bad?


Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
3/4 c creamy peanut butter
1/4 cup crisco shortening
1/4 cup butter ( I used the soft country crock spread)
3 Tbs milk
1 egg
3/4 tsp kosher salt
1 1/4 c packed light brown sugar
1 Tbs mexican vanilla (that's all I use, but regulary vanilla extract would work just fine)
1 3/4 c flour
3/4 tsp baking soda
1 cup milk chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 375. Combine peanut butter, crisco, butter, brown sugar, milk and vanilla in mixing bowl. Beat on medium speed until well blended. Add egg. Incorporate egg. Combine flour, salt and baking soda in bowl and whisk (learned from martha stewart thats how you sift). Add dry ingredients to creamed mixture at low speed. Mix just until blended. Stir in chocolate chips. Drop by tablespoon on baking sheet. I use a silpat lined one. Bake for 6 minutes, then rotate and bake another 6 minutes. Remove and cool on a rack. Made 37 give or take a few samples...

Chicken Spaghetti AKA Chicken Bagebi (in the words of my McKenna)

Chicken Bagebi is a cheesy dish that my kids eat until they can't eat anymore! Creamy, cheesy and warm this chunky spaghetti will soothe all of your comfort food desires.

I forgot to take a pic once the cheese was sprinkled on and baked. Go figure its my momnesia...





Jacey's Chicken Spaghetti
2 big skinless boneless chicken breasts or a package of 4 smaller ones
1/2 of a package of angel hair
1 can of petite diced tomatoes
1 small can chopped green chilis
1 small can sliced black olives
1 can of fat free cream of mushroom soup
4 oz of chopped 2% milk velveeta
1/4 of a green bell pepper, chopped
1/4 of a yellow onion, chopped
Half of a bag which is 8 oz I think of mexican blend cheese which is montery jack, cheddar, queso quesadilla and asadero cheese. If you can't find this I often use just plain cheddar.

Boil your chicken until cooked. Remove and chop into bite sized pieces.

Boil your angel hair for 4 mins in the chicken broth.

Meanwhile in a seperate bowl add all of the other ingredients and place in the microwave utnil the velveeta melts.

Then add your chopped chicken to your sauce and toss with the cooked angel hair.

Place in greased 9x13 casserole dish and sprinkle with cheese.

Bake at 400 until brown and bubbly. About 20 minutes.

Served with garlic bread and a side of broccoli.

Apple Crisp

I first want to say that you won't find my recipes very precise. I usually don't even measure. And I am always tweaking things at the last minute. It just depends on my mood. So in my homemade recipes you will find a sprinkle of this, a dash of that, a handful of this. So please excuse my improvising, its just the way I cook.

I didn't have very much in my pantry so I made this and it was devine.. Served warm with a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream and you've got yourself one heck of a dessert! A hint of orange really brings out the flavor of the apples.







Jacey's Apple Crisp

6 small apples peeled and sliced thin, 2 granny smith, 2 braeburn, 2 golden delish ( I only used this combo because I had these types of apples )
3 TBS sugar
A sprinkle of pumpkin pie spice
1-2 tsp of orange zest
1/2 of a fresh orange juice freshly squeezed from the orange you zested
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup rolled oats, not the quick cooking kind
A sprinkle of ground cinnamon
1/4 cup flour
1/4 cup chopped pecans
1/4 cup softened butter

Put your apples in a bowl and sprinkle with sugar and pumpkin pie spice and toss. Then zest your orange over the apples and squeeze half of the orange into the bowl and toss. Place in a shallow baking dish.

In another bowl mix your brown sugar, oats, flour and cinnamon then cut your butter in with a pastry cutter until it resembles crumbs. Once that is done add your chopped pecans and mix in.
Sprinkle crumble topping over apples.

Bake @ 400 for 30 to 35 mins until the topping is brown and crisp.

Serve warm with a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream.