Spaghetti Dinner

A pasta dinner for four at home costs $5 - $10, depending on whether you buy all organic pasta & sauce. At the Italian restaurant -- even the "fast food" type -- you'll be paying $20 -$30. If you find a quality pasta sauce that you like, don't turn your back on the good old spaghetti dinner. Instead, try the garlic bread ideas below sent in by Lara (thanks, Lara!) to turn it into something special.

Ingredients
Spaghetti
Jar of sauce
Bread
Butter
Garlic powder
Cheese (optional)

Instructions
Bring large saucepan of water to a boil. (1 minute hands-on prep)
Drop in spaghetti & turn heat to low. Cook until done the way you like it. (2 minutes hands-on prep)
While spaghetti is cooking, butter several slices of bread & sprinkle them with garlic powder. (3 minutes hands-on prep)
Top with sliced cheese if desired & toast them in the broiler for 2-3 minutes or the toaster oven for 5-10 minutes. (2 minutes hands-on prep)
Drain spaghetti when it's done & return to the hot pan. Mix in sauce. (2 minutes hands-on prep)

Variations
Any pasta can be used in place of the spaghetti. The sauce can be meaty or vegetarian.

Serving Suggestions
Serve with a salad if you have lettuce on hand. Or, try green veggies on the side, like peas or broccoli. The bread has a wonderful "Texas Toast" flavor, but is much healthier than the frozen boxed garlic bread.

Salmon Croquettes / Tuna Burgers

Thanks to Lara for this one. I've had these at her house & they are very yummy. The biggest plus? They even please the under 5 crowd.

Anna Mae's Salmon Croquettes (my granny)

Ingredients
1 packet of salmon (or use canned, but plan for time to debone)
1/2 c mashed potatoes (leftovers or use bread crumbs as a binder)
Chopped or Grated onion
Chopped or Grated carrot
Salt and pepper to taste (can also add garlic powder, oregano, parsley, red
pepper flakes - experiment with flavors)
1 egg
Cracker crumbs or bread crumbs (optional)
Olive oil

Directions
Debone salmon if you are using a can. (adds 4 minutes hands-on prep)

Combine first six ingredients and mix well (using your hands works well to catch any stray bones). (3 minutes hands-on prep)

Preheat some olive oil in skillet on medium-low heat. (1 minute hands-on prep)

Pat out croquettes to desired size. Roll in crumbs (optional). Place in olive oil. On medium-low heat, you can begin fixing sides, if desired, & tend to the patties very little. Once browned on one side, flip over to brown other side. (5 minutes hands-on prep)

I usually serve with green beans and potatoes or rice.

Variations to make them Super Easy

Rather than pat into croquettes, roll into balls, then dip each ball in olive oil. Place on a cookie sheet & bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes or until you just begin to smell them.

Tuna Burger Variation

Ingredients
2 cans tuna
3-4 Tbls. mayonnaise or 2 eggs
2-3 Tbls. dill pickle relish
1 onion, minced
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
salt
olive oil or cooking oil

Mince onion in a food processor. (2 minutes hands-on prep)
Mix all ingredients together except salt and oil. (2 mintues hands-on prep)
Make patties & saute in oil on medium-low heat until browned on both sides. (3 minutes hands-on prep)
or
Dip patties in oil & place on cookie sheet. Bake at 400 degrees until you begin to smell them (15-20 minutes).
Sprinkle with salt & serve.