50+ Lifestyles

March is National Sauce Month

Do you have jars in your refrigerator that only have a little bit of sauce in them? And the expiration date is fast approaching? Add the sauce to a soup or casserole or a crockpot meal to add a little flavor.
I had some guacamole sauce left over from the Super bowl. The sauce was a little spicier than I liked for just dipping corn chips. So I added what was left to some chicken and wild rice soup. It spiced the soup up a little, but was not too spicy anymore since it had been mixed with the wild rice soup. I now plan to try some other sauces
in my cooking. You do the same thing.

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Preheat oven to 350° Fill your 9×12 pan 1/2 full with apples.

Sprinkle the apples with dry cake mix.

Combine sugar and cinnamon and sprinkle over the cake mix.

Melt butter and drizzle over.

Bake for 30 minutes or until golden brown.

Can be served with ice cream, if desired, with caramel sauce drizzled over ice cream.

Taco Stuffed Pasta Shells Oven-bake

• 8 ounces of jumbo shell pasta
• 1 pound ground meat, either beef or turkey
• 1 packet taco seasoning
• 2 teaspoons minced garlic
• 5 ounces cream cheese
• 1 cup salsa
• 1/4 cup chopped green onion
• 1/4 cup chopped or sliced black olives
• 1 cup shredded taco blend cheese

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Boil the pasta shells until al dente. Rinse in cold water to keep the shells from sticking together.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Brown the ground meat in a skillet over medium high heat. Sauté until completely browned. Drain off the excess fat. Add the minced garlic and cook about a minute more. Stir in the taco seasoning, cream cheese, and salsa. Continue stirring until the cream cheese is completely melted. Remove pan from heat and let the mixture cool.
Now stuff the cooked jumbo shells with the meat mixture. Place stuffed shells in a well greased 9 x 13 baking dish.

Sprinkle with the grated cheese and bake for 15 to 20 minutes. Let rest for about five minutes, then garnish with the green onions and ripe olives before serving.

Broccoli Grape Apple Pasta Salad with Nuts

• 8 ounces bow- tie pasta, cooked
• 1 pound fresh broccoli, trimmed
• 1 cup mayonnaise
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/3 cup minced onion
• 1/3 cup red wine vinegar
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 2 cups seedless red grapes, halved
• 2 cups diced apple
• 2 Tablespoons bacon crumbles
• I cup slivered almonds (pecans pieces or peanuts can be substituted)

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Prepare pasta according to package directions.

Meanwhile, cut broccoli flowers from stems. With a paring knife separate the broccoli flowers into small pieces. Peel away the tough outer layer of the stems and discard. Finely chop the rest of the stem.

In a large bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, sugar, onion, vinegar and salt. Add the broccoli, the cooked pasta, grapes and apples. Toss to coat with the dressing. Cover and chill for at least 3 hours. Add nuts and bacon just before serving.

Root Beer Float Cake

• 1 package of white cake mix
• 1 3/4 cup of root beer, divided
• 1/4 cup cooking oil
• 2 eggs
• 1 envelope powdered whipped topping mix

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In a large mixing bowl combine cake mix, 1 1/4 cup of the root beer, oil and eggs. Beat on low speed for about 2 minutes. Pour into a greased 9 x 13 baking pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 or 35 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. Cool completely before icing.

For the icing, combine the remaining 1/2 cups root beer with the whipped topping mix. Beat on high until soft peaks form. Ice the cake and serve. Store leftover cake in the refrigerator.

I tried this with chocolate cake mix and orange soda pop. Follow the same directions. For the icing on this, you could add a couple of teaspoons of cocoa or hot chocolate mix to the whipped topping powder if you desire. Make your own combinations of the cake.

[Ella can be contacted at ellaweeza@yahoo.com or Ella at 50+ Lifestyles, 804 W Lombard Street, Davenport, IA, 52804]