Recipes: Octopus Spaghetti
One of the Octopus Spaghetti pieces
Our family enjoys having fun in the kitchen. We have done this recipe a few times especially when the kids are a little younger. It was one of those days when we had spaghetti on the menu, but instead I decided to alter it to make it more fun for the kids. The normal spaghetti and meatballs for dinner turned into Octopus Spaghetti which included hotdogs instead of meatballs.
It really is easy. While the noodles were still hard I stuck them through pieces of hotdogs. The hotdogs cooked while the spaghetti noodles were boiling. I added a little bit of spaghetti sauce, a side dish or two (garlic bread and / or a fresh salad are good ones) and dinner is ready. The kids love it and enjoy helping with this recipe too.
Octopus Spaghetti Recipe:
- 1 package Hotdogs
- 40 Spaghetti Noodles
- 1 jar Spaghetti Marina Sauce (store bought or homemade)
Place a pot of water on the stove and begin heating it up until boiling. While you are waiting for your water to boil cut each of the 10 hotdogs into 4 equal pieces. Put 4 dry spaghetti noodles through each piece of hotdog (this allows you to have 4 octopus arms on each side of the hotdog, therefore giving you 8 octopus arms total). It may take a couple extra spaghetti noodles because you may break a couple when poking them through the hotdogs. Once the water is boiling place the hotdogs and noodles into your pot and boil until noodles are thoroughly cooked.
While the hotdogs and noodles are cooking place your spaghetti sauce into a smaller sauce pan and heat until it is hot. Place the hotdogs and noodles on your plate first and put the spaghetti sauce on top.
Our kids think the hotdogs and noodles tastes good even without the spaghetti sauce. You can do it either way. It is a fun meal, especially for the kids.
A pile of Octopus Spaghetti on that plate.
Spaghetti marina sauce added on top of the Octopus Spaghetti
Kids in the Kitchen: Cupcake Pops on a Stick
Blue Raspberry Cupcake Pop anyone?
The kids were baking up a storm in the kitchen the other day. They put together these delicious blue raspberry cupcake pops. Thankfully for kids who enjoy spending time in the kitchen cooking. Now if I could get them to spend more time cleaning up their cooking messes. They do clean up some, it’s just not always a thorough, but they are getting better!
Some of the delicious cupcake pops they made!
The sprinkles had a blue raspberry flavor which made these extra tasty!
Kids in the Kitchen: Mini Doughnuts
Mini Doughnuts!
The kids love spending time in the kitchen. They have put together some great treats. Thankful for kids who love to cook. They used the doughnut recipe on the mini doughnut container. The doughnuts were good, but they were a little heavier than what we were used to so we will probably look for a different recipe to try out. They did these all by themselves. The kids decorated them beautifully.
Kids in the Kitchen: Winter Rice Krispy Treats
The girls made these super cute rice krispie treats. They made and decorated these special treats to share with friends. Thankful for kids who love to spend time in the kitchen. It is great seeing their creative juices flowing!
My Little Chef: Christmas Sugar Cookies
A plate full of yummy egg and dairy free sugar cookies to enjoy!
I love having my kids home for the Christmas Break! It is always nice having extra time with them to have fun, relax, and do creative activities together. Brina wanted to make Dairy and Egg Free Christmas Sugar Cookies so she make a batch, rolled out the dough, cut out the shapes, cooked, frosted, and sprinkled the sugar cookies. The only thing I helped her do was get the hot pan out of the oven, but otherwise she did it on her own. So excited to see her start doing more in the kitchen! Yes, the cookies were delicious too!
Earlier that day Brina asked me to braid her hair! She wanted to wear it that way all day so she can have a crinkly hair style! Plus, it is probably a good hair style to wear when cooking in the kitchen.
Frosting the sugar cookies!
She made one giant cookie with the last bit of cookie dough and put the phrase “I Love You” on it!
Decorating the cookies!
Pausing for a split second to look up for a picture!
My Little Chef: Homemade Apple Crisp
Brina’s Homemade Apple Crisp was delicious!
Brina wanted to make homemade apple crisp for the family. She loves to cook and spend time with us in the kitchen. Thankful for her willingness to learn how to cook. She is becoming a great chef!
Mixing up the crisp, the spoon wasn’t working well so she used her fingers.
Freshly cubed apples sprinkled with cinnamon and sugar.
Homemade Apple Crisp ready to go into the oven.
Freshly baked apple crisp!
My Little Chef: Making Blue Raspberry Cookies
Mixing up the cookie dough!
When I am in the kitchen and Brina is around she is always willing to pitch in and help. She is becoming more efficient cook as she gets older. Recently, she decided to whip up some blue raspberry sugar cookies as a “Welcome Home” goodie for Jake who was arriving home that day from a work trip.
When he is away on a work trip we always try to make or pick up something special for him to have when he comes home. It is important to us to make sure he knows how excited we are to have him back home again. It is always so much better when the whole family is home together!
I am so thankful for kids that enjoy helping out in the kitchen. The girls have fun helping out in the kitchen and learning some great lessons along the way too. Grateful for my girls!
A batch of blue raspberry cookies ready to go into the oven!
Cookie rolled is blue sprinkles!
She made the perfect cookies!
Ready to eat and delicious! Thanks B!
Kids in the Kitchen: Ham & Pasta Casserole Recipe
The girls made dinner for us this week. They wanted to try a casserole so Jake found a recipe from Better Homes & Garden and adapted it for the girls. They got the items out of the fridge and pantry, measured, and added them to the casserole. I did help with getting it in and out of the oven but otherwise they put the casserole together on their own. It turned out really well!
Ham & Pasta Casserole:
- 1 1/2 cups Milk
- 1 can Condensed Cream of Chicken Soup (10 3/4 oz)
- 2 cups diced cooked Ham
- 1 cup dried Elbow Macaroni
- 1 can sliced Mushrooms (4 oz)
- 1/2 cup chopped Onions
- 1/2 cup shredded Cheddar Cheese
Grease a 8 x 8 pyrex dish and preheat oven for 375 degrees. Mix the milk and cream of chicken soup. Stir in the ham, macaroni, mushrooms, and onions. Cover the casserole and bake for 40 minutes or until the noodles are tender. Sprinkle the cheese over the top of the casserole and bake uncovered for 10 minutes or until the cheese is melted. Let stand for 10 minutes prior to serving.
