Budget Friendly Dinner Series - BBQ Spaghetti and Cornbread

Okay folks.  I told you I was going to blow your mind and now I shall.  Ladies and gents, I give you:  BBQ Spaghetti.  Yes.  BBQ and spaghetti.  Together.  I know, I know.  It makes absolutely NO sense but somehow this works.  Like its unreal.  I LOVE this stuff.  I get requests to make this regularly and not just from my husband.  I have given samples of this stuff to family and friends and I always get the same reaction.  Questionable looks followed by shock followed by "mmmm"s of deliciousness.

Now, you do have to make your own bbq sauce for this.  The ingredients list looks very long but its full of basic ingredients, which I can pretty much guarantee you have in your pantry.  How much more budget friendly can you get?  You do need to be made aware of the fact that this bbq sauce does need to cook for two hours before you can use it.  I like to make this on weekends for use during the week. The sauce is the longest part of this whole thing.

The following recipe is actually DOUBLE the normal recipe found in the cookbook. I always recommend that you make this amount because I have no idea how much sauce you enjoy on your pasta and plus, having some extra in your fridge is great for making grilled pork chops or grilled chicken whenever you get home and don't want to cook something crazy and in depth.

BBQ Spaghetti

courtesy of Down Home with the Neelys

SAUCE:

4 c. Ketchup (I prefer Simply Heinz)

2 c. Water

1/2 c. Light Brown Sugar

1/2 c. Sugar

1 Tbsp. Black Pepper

1 Tbsp. Onion Powder

1 Tbsp. Dry Mustard Powder

4 Tbsp. Lemon Juice (if you don't want to use actual lemons, I really like Pure Lemon)

4 Tbsp. Worcestershire Sauce

1 c. Apple Cider Vinegar

4 Tbsp. Light Corn Syrup

2 Tbsp. BBQ Seasoning

Combine all ingredients in a large pot.

Bring to a boil over high heat, stirring frequently to keep it from sticking.

Reduce the temperature to low and simmer, uncovered, for AT LEAST two hours, stirring occasionally.

Use as needed.

Store leftovers in a sealed jar (like those good ol' fashioned quart size Mason jars) for up to 2 months.

SPAGHETTI:

1 lb. Hamburger

2 c. BBQ Sauce (from recipe above) or more, if you're so inclined

1 lb. Spaghetti

In a large pot, cook spaghetti according to the package directions.

Drain.

Meanwhile, cook hamburger until done.

Drain.

Toss the pasta, hamburger, and bbq sauce together, heating over low heat for a few minutes (to heat up the sauce if its been in the fridge).

Eat and enjoy!

Note:  If you want to add diced onions and peppers to this meal, you may do so by cooking them together with the beef.

Buttermilk Cornbread

courtesy of Paula Deen and Friends

1 c. Yellow Cornmeal

1/3 c. All Purpose Flour

1 tsp. Baking Powder

1/2 tsp. Salt

1/4 tsp. Baking Soda

1 Egg, Beaten

1 c. Buttermilk*

Preheat oven to 400.

Spray an 8x8 pan with cooking spray.

Combine all the dry ingredients together.

Mix the egg and buttermilk into your cornmeal mixture.

Pour the batter into your pan.

Bake for 20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

* no buttermilk?  No problem.  Take one cup of 2% milk and add 1 tsp. white vinegar and let sit for five minutes.

Budget Friendly Dinner Series - Jambalaya & Corn Muffins

Wow, it's been awhile since I've posted on here.  My sincerest apologies but I CAN EXPLAIN!  First off, Ryan and I moved into our new house!  Yay!  *claps* *jumps up and down excitedly*  Moving involves all sorts of things like packing and more packing.  Did I mention packing?  Oh and we also had a wedding to go to down in Texas in the midst of all the packing and moving and unpacking.  So, of course, I blame everyone else =D  That's just what I do.  Anyhoo, just because I've been surrounded by so many cardboard boxes that I thought I lived in one, didn't mean that I wasn't baking.  Oh I was baking - I just wasn't posting.  Bad Jamie, I know.  You'll be bombarded with posts and then you'll be sick of me (well, maybe not "bombarded" but you get the idea). 

I've made a decision... *drumroll please*... to begin posting a few of my budget friendly dinners that I tend to make all the time.  And I mean, ALL THE TIME.  Usually my budget friendly dinners are quite good if I do say so myself and Ryan loves them.  So to start off our new series, we're going to begin with one Ryan's favorites, Jamie's Jambalaya (I can call it "Jamie's" because I came up with the recipe.  All by myself.  Do I get a gold star?).  The recipe below makes a lot of jambalaya.  There is usually enough for Ryan and I have to eat for dinner and have two or three servings for lunches during the week!  This is also very HUSBAND FRIENDLY.  That's right ladies, it's so simple your husband can make it (I should know, I made Ryan make it once and he completed it with no problem).  And because I love this recipe and I love Seinfeld, I must include the following clip:

(yes, we actually do pronounce "jambalaya" the same way Newman does when we eat it.)

To go along with my jambalaya, I've included this recipe for corn muffins which has become one of my absolute favorites!  Corn muffins go so well with almost anything.  They go great with barbecue (I'm actually going to have some with my barbecue spaghetti this week!)... grilled anything... pork chops.  The list goes on.  I hope you enjoy not only the corn muffins but the new series as well!!

Budget Friendly Dinner Series -
Jamie's Jambalaya
recipe developed by yours truly.

1 Link Butterball Turkey Smoked Sausage (feel free to substitute some Hillshire Farms regular Smoked Sausage instead of the turkey but only use HALF of the Hillshire Farms link)
1/2 lb. Uncooked Shrimp, tails removed
1 - 14 oz. can Chicken Broth
1 can Rotel Tomatoes and Diced Chiles (any heat you like)
1 small can Tomato Sauce
2 c. MINUTE White Rice (please, for the love of all that's holy, don't get regular long grain rice - I made that mistake once *shudders*)
Cajun Seasoning, to taste

Cut smoked sausage into bite size pieces and slice the shrimp in half.
In a nonstick pan, over medium heat, gentle cook the smoked sausage until heated through.
Add chicken broth, tomato sauce, and Rotel.  Stir to combine.
Add shrimp and Cajun Seasoning and increase heat to high.
Bring to a boil and stir in the Minute Rice.
Once your rice mixture comes to a boil, cover and remove from heat.  Let stand for at least five minutes (longer is okay).
Stir and serve!

Corn Muffins
recipe courtesy of Uncle Bubba's Savannah Seafood

1 c. Self Rising Yellow Cornmeal*
3/4 c. Self Rising Flour*
1/2 tsp. Salt
1/2 c. Canola Oil (or Vegetable Oil)
2 Eggs
1 c. Sour Cream
1 - 8 oz. can Cream-Style Corn

Preheat oven to 375.
In a bowl, stir together the flour and cornmeal and salt.
In a different bowl, combine the oil, eggs, and sour cream until well blended.
Stir in your corn to the wet mixture.
Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir until well mixed.
Pour the batter into a muffin pan that's been sprayed with cooking spray.
Bake for 18 to 22 minutes, until golden brown.

TIP:  When the muffins are done, tilt the muffins on their side in the muffin pan to prevent them from steaming in the pan and getting a wet bottom.

* - If you can't find self-rising cornmeal, use 3/4 cup + 3 Tbsp. yellow cornmeal plus 1 Tbsp. baking powder.  Increase the salt to 1 tsp.  For self-rising flour, use 3/4 cup all purpose flour plus 1 1/8 tsp. baking powder.

Ryan's Favorite Cornbread

Well, his favorite homemade cornbread anyway (he says Boston Market's cornbread is his favorite).  Those of you who like honey cornbread, I'm afraid you'll be in for a let-down.  I have honey cornbread recipes but none I have found really are worth of this blog... yet.  But, for now, this is my go-to recipe for cornbread.  It's so incredibly simple too!  I love simple :) :)  Although my current obsession with bread baking is proving to be not-so simple but I digress.  If you're looking for a quick and simple recipe for cornbread that really can't go wrong, this is it!

Side note - you'll notice these lovely little darlings are in special shapes.  I love making these in my Williams-Sonoma fall muffin pan!  It gives whatever you make these lovely little fall shapes - walnuts, pumpkins, acorns, and pinecones!  The pan is currently unavailable but should be back on sale in the fall.  I highly recommend this pan.  They're so cute!!

Corn Bread (or Cornbread, if you're from the South)
(recipe courtesy of Williams-Sonoma)

(Folks, let me mention if you want to make this recipe using a mini muffin tin, please HALF the recipe!)

2 c. Yellow Cornmeal (stone ground preferred)
1 c. All-Purpose Flour (can you guess what I used?)
1/3 c. Sugar
4 tsp. Baking Powder
1 1/2 c. Buttermilk (now, if you don't have buttermilk, you can substitute regular milk - I've made batches using both and there isn't that big of a difference in taste)
2 Eggs, Beaten (or, you can use my favorite - Egg Beaters, 1/2 c.)
8 Tbsp. Butter (1 stick), melted and cooled slightly

Preheat oven to 400.
Grease a 9 x 13 metal baking pan (or your muffin tin, if you're headed in that direction).
In a large bowl, combine the cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.
In a different bowl, mix together the buttermilk, eggs, and butter until just combined (this is why you need your melted butter slightly cooled - we don't want scrambled eggs in our cornbread, now do we?).
Combine the buttermilk mixture with the flour mixture until just mixed together.
Pour the batter in the prepared pan.  (If you're going the muffin tin route, my suggestion to you would be to put the batter into a ziploc bag, snip the end, and use the bag to fill up the cups.  Doesn't make a mess!  And I've got to be the cleanest cook you've ever seen - I can't stand a mess so anything to keep my kitchen clean, I do it.)
Bake for around 18 to 20 minutes (regardless of whether you use the muffin pan or the 9x13).
Let stand for 5 minutes.
Serve warm with honey butter (seriously folks - mix together some butter and honey to taste and you've got a match made in heaven!).

Calories - 55 cal. (using a mini muffin tin, fat free buttermilk, and regular eggs)

(my mini cornbreads with Bobby Deen's Goulash.  How's that for comfort food?)