Who’s Home for Dinner? Recipes from the story.

Do you cook together as a family?

Cooking together as a family is not only fun and relationship-building, but can also result in healthier meals, teach important lifelong skills, and build self-esteem and confidence.

In last week’s post, I shared the short story my sister, Carolyn, and I wrote for young children about eating together, titled “Who’s Home for Dinner?” This post shares the two recipes featured in the story. In the third and final post, I will share the supplemental information we wrote for parents and teachers.

Would you like to try William’s Chili and Ethan’s Skillet Spaghetti?

William’s Chili  (6-8 servings)

Ingredients:

2 pounds ground beef or turkey (2 tablespoons olive oil if using ground turkey)

1 onion chopped (1 cup)

2 cloves garlic, minced or crushed

1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes, undrained

2 (15-ounce) cans tomato sauce

1 (4.5-ounce) can chopped green chilies, undrained

2 (15-16-ounce) cans kidney, pinto, or red beans, drained and rinsed well

1 teaspoon salt

¼ to ½ teaspoon pepper

1 teaspoon cumin

1-2 tablespoons chili powder

Optional seasonings:

½ - 1 teaspoon cinnamon and 1 tablespoon brown sugar (These cut the spiciness and add a sweet taste.)

Optional add-ins:

½ - 1 cup each chopped celery and chopped green pepper (Cooked with the onion and garlic.)

Directions:

1. Brown the ground beef in a large soup pot with the chopped onion and garlic. Drain well and return to the pot. (If using ground turkey, add 2 tablespoons olive oil to the pot first.)
   

2. Add tomatoes, tomato sauce, beans, chilies, and seasonings. Bring to a low boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer over low heat until ready to serve. Stir occasionally. Longer cooking enhances flavors.
   

3. Serve with shredded or grated cheddar cheese, sour cream, chopped green onion, crackers, or tortilla chips.
   

Ethan’s Skillet Spaghetti  (6-8 servings)

Ingredients:

26-ounce jar spaghetti sauce

4 cups water

18-24 frozen meatballs

12 ounces uncooked spaghetti pasta

Optional: Shredded mozzarella cheese, Parmesan cheese

1. Pour spaghetti sauce into a deep skillet that is 12 inches wide or wider. If you do not have a skillet this large, a large pot works well.

2. Pour two cups of the water into the emptied jar. Screw on the lid and shake to rinse the sauce off the sides and bottom of the jar. Pour this water into the skillet. Add the remaining 2 cups of water to the sauce.

3. Add frozen meatballs to sauce. Add 3-4 meatballs per person.

4. Bring sauce to a boil over medium heat.

5. Break the pieces of spaghetti pasta in half and add them to the sauce.

6. Stir to cover the pasta with sauce and to keep the pasta from sticking together. Cover with lid. Return to boiling; then lower heat to simmer.

7. Cook on low heat for 25 minutes. Stir occasionally. Pasta should be done without being overdone. See below for cooking times for other types of pasta.

8. Serve with shredded mozzarella cheese and Parmesan cheese.

Other types of pasta work well in this recipe. The cooking time will be a little more than double the suggested time on the pasta box or bag. See below:

Type of pasta                                  Regular cooking time      Skillet Spaghetti time

Regular or whole-grain spaghetti              11-12 minutes                 25 minutes

Thin spaghetti/Vermicelli                           7-8 minutes                      15-16 minutes

Angel Hair pasta                                           5-6 minutes                      12-15 minutes

Ready-cut spaghetti                                     6-7 minutes                       14-15 minutes

Elbow macaroni                                           7-8 minutes                       15-16 minutes

Rotini pasta                                                  9-10 minutes                      20 minutes

For more on family meals, check out these resources and posts.  

“Cooking with kids is not just about ingredients, recipes, and cooking. It's about harnessing imagination, empowerment, and gut creativity.”

~ Guy Fieri

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