Spaghetti Pie, Herbed Focaccia, & Cinnamon Dessert Bread

Are you ready? This post has three recipes in it, but they are easy!!! And I think you are going to love them. Easy on the budget, time, and well maybe not your waistline.  We use whole wheat spaghetti, part skim mozzarella, farm beef, and olive oil so maybe it's okay. ;)

First I'll share the recipe for the  Spaghetti Pie, we make spaghetti  A LOT, and I like the little spin this recipe puts on something we usually make!!! I get recipes from Campbell's emailed to my inbox and this one caught my eye.

My oven is needing some work, so all of this was baked in my Oster Toaster oven, I am super thankful hubby got this for me as a gift several years ago, it has really been a life saver with the oven not working.  Mine is like the one below only retro red. :)

Family Spaghetti Pie

(Source: Campbell's Kitchen)

My version below:

1/2 pound ground beef (I had this already cooked in the freezer)

1 cup mild salsa (I was leery, but it made it sooo good!!!)

1-1/2 cups spaghetti sauce

2 Tablespoons brown sugar

Almost the whole package 13 oz.-whole wheat spaghetti pasta

1 egg, beaten

1 tablespoon butter, melted

1 cup ricotta cheese ( I didn't have this, still taste wonderful)

2 cups mozzarella cheese

• Cook the beef in a 10-inch skillet over medium-high heat until meat is well browned, stirring frequently to break up the meat. Pour off fat. Stir the picante sauce,pasta sauce, and brown sugar into the skillet and cook until it's hot and bubbling.
• Stir the spaghetti, egg and butter in a medium bowl. Spread the mixture on the bottom and up the side of greased 10-inch pie plate. Spread the ricotta cheese in the spaghetti shell. Top with the beef mixture.
• Bake at 350°F. for 30 minutes or until it's hot and bubbling. Sprinkle with the mozzarella cheese. Let stand for 5 minutes before serving. Cut into 6 wedges.

Herbed Focaccia

(Source: My Recipes)

Ingredients

• 1  (1/4-ounce) envelope active dry yeast
• 1  teaspoon  sugar
• 1  cup  warm water (100° to 110°)
• 2  to 3 cups bread flour
• 2  tablespoons  olive oil
• 1  teaspoon  salt

Dissolve yeast in sugar and water, then add, olive oil, salt and flour.  Knead dough and let rise in warm place for 30 minutes. shaping dough into a ball.. Roll dough into an 11- x 14-inch rectangle on a lightly greased baking sheet. I cover the entire ball of dough in oil and knead it in the oil a bit.  Then I start pressing it into the desired rectangle shape.  Press handle of a wooden spoon into dough to make indentations at 1-inch intervals. Drizzle dough evenly with 1 tablespoon olive oil; sprinkle evenly with 1 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning. Bake at 475° for 12 to 15 minutes or until golden brown.

(I filled the bottom of a plate with olive oil and an amazing blend of Italian seasonings from my mother-in-law, owner of Jazz Cafe in Ozark, Mo)

Then today I was thinking about how easy and fun the Italian bread was and decided "Why, I could make a cinnamon dessert bread with the same dough and it would be like those cinnamon bread sticks you get when you order pizza (ONLY BETTER)! :)   WOW, they were amazing, hot and fresh from my little toaster oven, ha ha ha! :) My recipe below.

Maries's Italian Cinnamon Dessert Bread

Ingredients

• 1  Tablespoon active dry yeast
• 1  Tablespoon sugar
• 1  cup  warm water (100° to 110°)
• 2  to 3 cups bread flour
• 2  tablespoons  olive oil
• 1  teaspoon  salt
• 
  
• Topping: 
• 2 Tablespoons butter
• 3 Tablespoons sugar
• 1 to 2 tsp. cinnamon
• 
  

Directions:

I  dissolved the yeast and sugar in water, then add oil, salt, and flour. Knead dough and let rise for only 30 minutes. I love that it only had to rise for 30 minutes.  After it is done rising I like to knead my dough in a couple tablespoons of oil that I will bake the pan on, stretch out to a 11 x 14 rectangle. As I did this in my toaster oven it makes the perfect rectangle. Then take the end of a wooden spoon and  press into the dough every 1 inch.  

Melt the butter and brush over the bread dough, mix together your sugar and cinnamon and sprinkle evenly over butter. Bake at 450 for about 15 minutes.  Make this better: While this is baking mix up some powdered sugar and a little milk for dipping!!! :) Hope you enjoy, we did! :)