My oldest child, Seth, has quite the sense of humor. It's just like his fathers' and I haven't decided if that's a good or bad thing. It all depends on the day!
Seth has a really good friend that comes over quite often. And we love having him over mostly because he tames Seth down and gets his quirky sense of humor (and that means Seth isn't trying it out on us for several hours--hahaha...). This boy also makes dinner and breakfast for his family quite often.
Now I have this thing about my kitchen. If anyone is making a recipe in there it takes all my willpower, not kidding, to leave them alone. The hubs doesn't really appreciate me telling him all sorts of ways to do things better, so it's just best for me to stay out of there.
Anyway, this boy convinces Seth that he should make dinner for us. Now I have been wanting to try this recipe (because my girls L.O.V.E. spaghetti and would have it every night if I let them) just to have a little change of pace.
Seth decided this was easy enough for him to do so off he went. I found something that would keep me mostly occupied and out of their hair and besides a few pointers--which resulted in this conversation:
Friend: How can she (meaning me because I am several rooms away from the kitchen) hear us all the way in there?
Seth: She's a mom. She has radar hearing.
Friend: Good point!
I thought it was hilarious. Well this is the masterpiece that turned. They did an awesome job and it even met the approval of our spaghetti connoisseurs. Fast, easy, yummy, and perfect for a quick night meal.
1 lb. spaghetti noodles, cooked and drained
6 slices bacon, diced (doesn't matter what kind)
1 lb. lean ground turkey or beef
1 small onion, chopped
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
2 garlic cloves, finely minced
1 28 oz can crushed tomatoes
1 8 oz can tomato sauce
1/2 tsp dried oregano
2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1/4 tsp liquid smoke, optional but totally delicious
1/4 cup BBQ sauce
Toppings:
Sliced olives
Shredded cheddar cheese
Sliced green onions
1. In a medium nonstick skillet, cook bacon over medium heat until crisp. Scoop the bacon onto a plate lined with paper towels and drain the grease, if needed, reserving a teaspoon in the skillet for cooking beef or turkey. Return the skillet to medium heat and cook the ground turkey or beef with the onion, salt and pepper, breaking the meat into small pieces as it cooks. Cook until meat is cooked all the way through and a little crispy, about 6-8 minutes. Then, stir in the minced garlic and cook for another minute. Drain any excess grease.
2. To the meat mixture, stir in the cooked bacon, crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, oregano, Worcestershire, liquid smoke (if using) and BBQ sauce. Bring the mixture to a simmer and cook for 10-15 minutes or up to an hour.
3. Boil the spaghetti noodles according to package directions and serve the sauce over hot noodles and sprinkle with toppings of your choice. This spaghetti is fabulous with these French Bread Rolls. Enjoy!
Source: Mel's Kitchen Cafe
