What's Cookin' this Weekend?

Here's what's cooking at Dysfunction Junction....

Dinner:

Cheeseburger Pasta from Recipe Shoebox

1 box (12-ounces) penne pasta
1 lb. ground beef
1 onion, diced
1 can (14-1/2-oz.) diced tomatoes
2 Tbs. prepared mustard (or less if you don't like mustard)
3 Tbs. ketchup
3 Tbs. dill pickle relish
1-1/2 tsp. steak seasoning (I used McCormick Montreal steak seasoning)
1/4 tsp. seasoned salt
1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
chopped green onions, for garnishment (optional)

Directions: Cook pasta according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, brown beef and onion over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain.

Stir in the tomatoes, mustard, ketchup, relish, steak seasoning, and seasoned salt.

Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered , for 5 minutes.

Stir in drained pasta.

Cook for 1 minute more. Sprinkle with cheese.

Remove from heat; cover and let stand until cheese is melted.

*Southern Loving's review: OFF THE CHAIN. This is one of the best dishes I've made in a LONG time! We absolutely LOVED it. It's super easy & super quick.

Dessert:

Cinnamon Roll Sugar Cookies from Simply Yum Food

Cinnamon Roll Sugar Cookies

Your favorite or use mine-

1 1/2 C butter, softened

2 C sugar

4 eggs

1 tsp vanilla

5 C flour

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

Mix the butter and sugar until smooth. Add the eggs and vanilla. Mix well. Add in the dry ingredients and then chill for a few hours.

After it has chilled take it out and roll it into a large rectangle. Spread butter all over it and then sprinkle brown sugar and cinnamon. Roll up the rectangle and slice cookies about 1/4-1/2 in thick. Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.

Bake at 400 degrees for 10 minutes.

Cool on a rack and then frost with your favorite cream cheese icing.

My cream cheese icing was:

8 oz cream cheese

1 C powdered sugar

1 tsp vanilla

1/4 c water

Mix until smooth

*Southern Loving review: Slap Ya Mama! I need more practice with rolling out the dough, then rolling & slicing the cookies, but they were very, very good. I can't wait to make them for our next church event or family gathering!

The recipes are from the blogs; the photos are mine.

Southwestern Pasta

I snagged this recipe from One Starry Night last week (one of the most beautiful blogs in the blogosphere, truly). I made it for dinner tonight. As promised, it was easy and delicious!
I did add chicken since it was our main dish, however it will definitely be a new Meatless Monday dish as well! I also eliminated avocado because I no likee. It's a nice flexible recipe, you can alter it to your tastes.
Its rating: Off the Chain!

Southwestern Pasta

Ingredients

• 1 large sweet onion, large dice
• 1 large red bell pepper, large dice
• 1 can of black beans, rinsed and drained (15oz generally)
• 3 ripe avocados, diced
• 1 bag of frozen corn (1lb)
• 1 cup cilantro, chopped
• 4 cloves of garlic, finely minced
• 1 TBSP cumin
• 1 can of diced tomatoes, (28oz)
• 1 box of dried penne (1lb)
• 1 block of sharp cheddar cheese (8oz, eliminate this to make the dish vegan!), cubed
• 4 limes
• 1 TBSP oil (I personally use olive but vegetable is fine)
• kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Directions

Start by boiling the water for the pasta, make sure you salt your water VERY well as this is your only chance to really season the pasta. Once your water is boiling like crazy, drop your pasta in, give it a stir, and cook for 8-10min until it’s done but not mushy, still has some texture to it.

In a separate skillet, add the oil, cumin, and the frozen corn. Cook over medium-high heat for 10 minutes, until the corn is soft and slightly caramelized.

In a large pot, add the beans, bell pepper, onion, cilantro, avocado, garlic, corn/cumin mixture, and diced tomatoes. Salt and pepper to taste. Cook for around 5-10 minutes, just to heat through.

Dump the cooked pasta and vegetable mixture into a large mixing bowl. Stir in the cubed cheese, the juice of the 4 limes, and any additional salt/pepper that it may need.

Meatless/MeatFree Monday

I really feel good about reducing the amount of meat that we consume by participating in Meatless/MeatFree Monday. It's just one of the little ways of making a difference!

Tonight for Meatless/MeatFree Monday, we had fettucini alfredo, a green salad, and garlic bread. Like most of our meatless meals, it's so simple, but very good!

Link up if you also cut out meat one day a week!