Broke Folks Have to Eat Too, You Know.

I was feeling particularly lazy one evening and I didn't want to do a thing....but my stomach had other ideas.Unfortunately, my wallet had other ideas too. I wanted to put together a meal that would feed my house and give me enough for leftovers for work the next day (or two). Enter PW's Pasta Alla Marlboro Man. You'll see me make a lot of her recipes on here because I just love this woman. Her recipes are dead simple, use easy/fresh ingredients, and she's just amazing.
OH! Also, I wanted something sweet for afterward, so I made Dump Cake as well.DON'T RUN AWAY!!!! Trust in me! And if you don't trust in me, trust in Pioneer Woman.
Let's begin, shall we?
I seasoned some turkey meat (ON SALE YAY) with some salt, pepper, SOUL SEASONING and Italian seasoning and browned it with some onions and garlic in olive oil.

I think the recipe originally called for ground beef, but sometimes that sits a little too heavy on my tummy....so I often substitute turkey.

And yes...I used Soul Seasoning again. It's kinda trashy, but I use it in a lot of recipes, from my various mac and cheeses to spinach artichoke dip. When I use it, I usually cut back the amount of kosher salt that I use b/c this thing has a ton in it already. Most seasoning blends (except for Mrs. Dash) fill up mostly on salt b/c it's cheap and they don't have to spend as much money on other seasonings.

Steamy action! I threw in two tins (in retrospect, I think I could have gotten away with three) of whole tomatoes in their juice.I covered the pot and let this simmer and bubble away on low heat. Sidebar: those tins of tomatoes? 69 CENTS EACH! Don't be afraid of the store brands sometimes. Unless the cans are dusty and swollen, of course.

OH WAIT. Pasta. Right. Get some hot water on in a big pot to boil. Salt it, olive oil it. The recipe called for rigatoni, but I used thin spaghetti because it was all I had. *Shrug*
Now, for a little nutritional boost toward the end of cooking, I threw in 2 packs of frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained. I'm not about the butter and fat all the time. Just some of the time. Okay, MOST of the time. It's just a matter of finding a balance.


After a bite or two, I realized that I needed a little bit of richness and depth of flavor. In lieu of not having a can of tomato paste to add, I squirted in...some ketchup.

IT'S BASICALLY TOMATO PASTE SO SHUT UP K THX.
Drain the pasta, serve some up on a plate, then spoon some of the hearty sauce over the top.

For the love of God, don't forget Parmesan cheese.


Wait a minute. You thought I forgot the Dump Cake right? Sit back down, please!
This is probably the most morally reprehensible dessert you'll ever eat. BELIEVE ME WHEN I SAY THERE IS NOTHING GOOD ABOUT THIS. But eating it will bring contentment in your soul. Start with by opening a can of crushed pineapple and a can of cherry pie filling. Then "dump" them in a rectangular baking pan.


No, I didn't go and cover the fruit in cocaine. All that powdery mess is a whole box of yellow cake mix. No eggs or oil, just the plain ol' mix. Then, cut up half a stick of butter, and a stick (or 8 tablespoons if you have a tub) of margarine. I didn't take a picture of this step...cause I knew I'd be judged. :-( Pop that baby right into a pre-heated 350 degree oven, for about 45 mins to an hour. I think I left mine in for about 50.
Come to me, my sweet. Oh yes.

You could almost call it cobbler if it wasn't so bad for you!

Now for all that creamy stuff, it's actually a dead simple dessert sauce recipe from Alton Brown: Sweet and Sour Dessert Sauce.

Take a 1/4 cup of honey and heat it up a on a stove or in a microwave (I put it in a Pyrex measuring cup, and held it in the pasta water while it was boiling. Why waste a pan???). Then whisk in a cup of whole sour cream. You could use lite sour cream, or even some plain yogurt....BUT WHY??

The portion in the previous picture was for my niece. The one below...that's for me. Sweet, tangy....OOOOO SO YUMMY!
I may not have morals...but this was DELIGHTFUL. :-)