slow-cooker pasta sauce & cheesy garlic bread

These are a few of my favorite things...  red wine. pasta. crushed red pepper. garlic bread!

Ohmygoodness, I just concocted the best less-than-5-minutes-of-effort-needed pasta sauce!!  I am SO not the semi-homemade type.  If I am going to cook it, I am usually going to go alltheway, or noneoftheway.  This dish might have just converted me.  You MUST try it.  Please.  Thank you!

So, I had some ground sirloin that needed to be cooked.  Seeing as how there was no one home but me and a non-solid-food-eating baby, I needed to come up with something that would at least keep until, if not taste better by, the next day.  Owing to said non-solid-food-eating baby, who is also a very miserable not-feeling-good baby who needs constant comforting, I also needed to come up with something that required minimal effort.

What I found was a jar of store-brand Artichoke Pesto Tomato Sauce that I had bought a while ago, because it was on sale and sounded fun and different.  By the way, I NEVER buy store-brand anything.  Ask my husband.  In fact, ask my mom, dad, brother, sister-in-law, or anyone else who knows me!  It's a thing I have.  I know.  It's weird.

Anyways, here is the result of my ingredients that had to be used and my desire need to cook relatively hands-free.  I loved it, and from now on, I am converted and will be buying only store-brand ingredients and cooking the semi-homemade way.  Just kidding!  I won't be doing any of that, but I will be keeping these ingredients on hand (oh wait - I already do!), so I can throw together this sauce at any time!

Slow Cooker Pasta Sauce

Ingredients:

1 lb uncooked ground beef (whatever you amount you have on hand!)

1 jar of your favorite pasta sauce

1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

     (yep 1-tsp!  We like it spicy.  Adjust accordingly!)

1 good splash red wine

     (please use what you are going to have with dinner.  

        It will make the whole meal better...  I promise!)

Directions:

Place the ground beef in the bottom of your crockpot and break it into chunks with a fork. Pour the rest of the ingredients over the beef.  Turn it on low.  Walk away.

Seriously...  it's that easy!  Of course you could do all this on the stove... but why would you?!  Unless of course you don't have a slow-cooker, in which case you should jump in your car this minute and go get one.  You won't regret it!  My slow-cooker is one of my best friends.

When the meat is no longer pink, or after up to 8 hours, serve this sauce with your favorite cooked pasta (we like penne) and some crusty garlic bread.  Oh, and don't forget that glass of wine!

Speaking of garlic bread...  I found this recipe for The Pioneer Woman's cheesy garlic bread, and it completely stole the show!  Of course.  I could have easily eaten the whole loaf.  But I didn't.  Not that I would admit it if I did!  ;o)

sweet baby boy,

You are still so sad...  and in so much pain.  We keep waiting for some relief, and every day ends with the frustration of pain that is not going away.  We are halfway through this trial of medicine number one - baby Zantac.  So far - no relief!  But the doctor says it can sometimes take 2 weeks before the medicine shows any results.  And we can't try something new until those 2 weeks are up.  So, we wait...  ohnot-so-patiently.

How can we really be patient, when for you patience equals pain?  You are so miserable.  Screaming in pain at times, and just staring at the world with your big, sad eyes the rest of the time.  Your eyes are so expressive.  You can't say a word yet, but your eyes say so much!

Even now, as I sit here typing this - with one hand, I am holding you and watching the pain flit across your face while you sleep.  It seems you really find no escape, even in your dreams!

Now don't get me wrong, you do have good moments scattered throughout your day.  But they are just that... moments.  Brief glimpses of the happy little boy being trapped inside by your pain.

I love those moments.  I live for those moments!  When you smile, you melt our hearts.  You're such a charmer, and you have such a beautiful smile!  All squinty-eyed with a dimple in your right cheek.  I love that dimple!  I love YOU!

Your happiest times are early in the morning.  After your  firstbreakfast at around 4:30 every morning, while we're cuddling and deciding if you're still sleepy, you smile at me like I'm your best friend in the whole world and you haven't seen me in weeks.  I love those smiles!

Someday we will be able to show everyone your wonderful smile, but for now we just try to enjoy them when they come.  You smile so rarely, and by the time we run and grab a camera, the moment has usually passed... as you again remember your pain.  I am trying to focus on just enjoying those smiles, instead of trying so hard to share them with the world!

One more week to go, sweet boy.  Then we hopefully see some relief, or at least are able to move on to medicine trial number 2.  For now we keep on waiting.  And we hug and cuddle you as much as we can, so you at least know that we wish we could help you...  and so you know how much we love you.

fresh strawberry cream tart

This is a quick, almost no-bake dessert that is a perfect way to show off fresh fruit!  Tastes best after chilling a full day, so it's a great make-ahead recipe for entertaining!  If you try it, I would love to hear what you think...  :o)  Thanks!!

Crust
4 cups chocolate teddy grahams (1-10oz box)
8 tablespoons butter, melted

Filling
1 8-ounce container mascarpone cheese
6 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
1/4 cup sour cream
1/4 cup sugar

1 teaspoon grated lemon peel 

+ 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract or

1 teaspoon almond extract

Topping
strawberries, hulled and sliced in half
1/4 cup strawberry jam, warmed

1.  Preheat oven to 350°F. Finely grind cookies in food processor. Add butter and blend until crumbs are evenly moistened. Press mixture over bottom and up sides of an 11-inch tart pan with a removable bottom.  Bake crust until color darkens, pressing sides with back of spoon if beginning to slide, about 8 minutes. Cool completely.

2.  Beat filling ingredients until smooth.  Spread filling in prepared crust. Cover loosely and refrigerate at least 2 hours and up to 1 day.

3.  Arrange strawberries decoratively. Brush with warmed jam.  Serve, or refrigerate up to 6 hours.

You can use chocolate wafers or graham crackers to make the crust.  Just break into pieces before measuring the 4 cups into the food processor.  You can also substitute any berry and jam for the topping.  Enjoy!