Cooking Lessons for Dad

Cooking Lessons for Beginners

Fruity Fruit Sauce

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Yield: 8 servings

Fruity Fruit Sauce

Ingredients

  • 5 - 6 cups fruit, diced, sliced, or whole (small fruits) (fresh or frozen)*
  • 1 - 12 ounce can apple juice concentrate
  • 1 1/2 cup water (divided)
  • 1/3 cup cornstarch

*Fruit Possibilities (choose one):

  • Apples
  • Apricots
  • Blackberries
  • Blueberries
  • Cherries
  • Mangos
  • Peaches
  • Pears
  • Raspberries
  • Strawberries
  • And more!

Instructions

  1. Place fruit, juice concentrate, and 1 cup of water in a saucepan. Stir.
  2. Place pan over high heat until mixture begins to boil. Stir occasionally.
  3. Reduce heat and simmer about 5 minutes. Stir occasionally.
  4. While mixture is simmering, mix cornstarch with 1/2 cup of water. Stir until cornstarch is dissolved.
  5. After fruit mixture finishes simmering, remove it from the heat.
  6. Stir dissolved cornstarch again and slowly stir it into the fruit mixture.
  7. Return pan to a medium-high heat and bring the fruit mixture to a boil.
  8. Reduce heat and stir until the fruit sauce becomes thick. The fruit sauce will continue to thicken as it cools.
  9. Serve this fruit sauce hot or cold.

Notes

Fruity fruit sauce is delicious over waffles, French toast, pancakes, toast and more.

This fruit sauce served over toast and peanut butter is an easy and delicious breakfast, lunch, dinner or snack!

If the fruit is diced small, try this sauce in a peanut butter sandwich in place of jelly.

See a cooking demonstration of Fruity Fruit Sauce on the Cooking Lessons for Dad YouTube channel.

© Karen Breyer

 

Spaghetti

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Yield: 4 servings

Spaghetti

Ingredients

  • 1/2 pound spaghetti
  • 4 quarts water
  • 1 teaspoon salt (for pasta water)

[b]Possible toppings:[/b]

  • Pasta/spaghetti sauce
  • Parmesan cheese, grated

Instructions

  1. Bring water and 1 teaspoon salt to a rolling boil. Add spaghetti and stir it around a little to keep from sticking. Return to a boil, then boil uncovered until al dente.
  2. Start checking the spaghetti for doneness at about 6 minutes. See package instructions for cooking time guidelines.
  3. When the spaghetti is finished cooking, drain it and return it to the pan.
  4. Top spaghetti with desired sauce and/or grated Parmesan cheese and serve.

Notes

Spaghetti is a long, thin type of pasta.

Spaghetti is al dente when it is firm to the bite and loses it’s raw taste. It will have a slight resistance when bitten into. It is not soft or overdone.

You may want to serve this spaghetti with a salad, bread, and steamed vegetable.

Garlic or garlic-cheese bread is a delicious addition to the spaghetti.

See a cooking demonstration of this Spaghetti recipe on the Cooking Lessons for Dad YouTube channel.

© Karen Breyer

 

Crockpot Italian Pasta Sauce

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Yield: 12 servings

Crockpot Italian Pasta Sauce

Ingredients

  • 3 - 14.5 ounce cans tomatoes, diced with their juice
  • 3 cups water
  • 3 - 6 ounce cans tomato paste
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons honey
  • 1 tablespoon Kosher salt
  • 2 tablespoons onion powder
  • 2 tablespoons garlic, minced
  • 1 tablespoon basil, dried
  • 2 teaspoons marjoram, dried
  • 1 tablespoon oregano, dried

Instructions

  1. Mix the following in the crockpot (slow cooker): tomatoes, water, tomato paste, olive oil, honey, and salt.
  2. Cook on high for 2 to 2 1/2 hours.
  3. After cooking, add onion powder, garlic, basil, marjoram, oregano and stir.
  4. Cook sauce an additional 30 to 60 minutes on high and it will be ready to serve.
  5. Serve this sauce over pasta or use it in other recipes.

Notes

If you use fresh herbs, use 3 times more.

This sauce is great in lasagna and other Italian recipes.

I use this pasta sauce on pizzas whenever I have it on hand. It tastes amazing!

See a cooking demonstration of Crockpot Italian Pasta Sauce on the Cooking Lessons for Dad YouTube channel.

© Karen Breyer

 

Quesadilla

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Yield: Varies

Quesadilla

Ingredients

  • Tortillas, whole wheat, flour, or corn
  • 1/4 - 1/3 cup Colby - Jack cheese, shredded
  • Non-stick cooking spray

[b]2 - 3 tablespoons of additional ingredients such as:[/b]

  • Green onions, sliced
  • Black beans, canned, rinsed and drained
  • Whole corn, canned and drained or frozen and thawed
  • Black olives, sliced or diced
  • Mushrooms, sliced and sautéed
  • Cooked meats like chicken or beef, chopped
  • Green chilies, canned, diced
  • Bell pepper, diced and sautéed
  • Onion, chopped, raw or sautéed

[b]Possible toppings:[/b]

  • Salsa
  • Sour cream
  • Guacamole
  • Cilantro
  • Tomatoes, diced

Instructions

  1. Prepare ingredients and set aside.
  2. Spray skillet with cooking spray.
  3. Heat skillet on medium-high heat.
  4. Place tortilla in the skillet.
  5. Quickly sprinkle cheese over tortilla almost to the edges.
  6. Sprinkle 2 - 3 tablespoons of additional ingredients over 1/2 of the tortilla.
  7. When the cheese starts to melt, fold the cheese side of the tortilla over the other half of the tortilla.
  8. Turn the tortilla over and cook about 1 minute on each side or until golden brown.
  9. When the quesadilla is finished, transfer it to a cutting board and cut it into wedges and serve.
  10. Serve the quesadilla with salsa, sour cream, guacamole and/or other choice toppings if desired.

Notes

If you use a corn tortilla that is small, use less ingredients so you don’t overstuff it.

You could use other types of cheese like pepper jack, cheddar, or Monterey Jack.

You can probably think of other additional ingredients to put in and on your quesadilla. You can be creative and experiment!

See a cooking demonstration of this Quesadilla recipe on the Cooking Lessons for Dad YouTube channel.

© Karen Breyer

 

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