Spaghetti Tacos? So Old Hat - How about Lasagna Burritos?

Unless you've been one of the contestants on Survivor, by now I'm sure you've heard of spaghetti tacos, the creation from Spencer on Nickelodeon's "iCarly". Simple enough - make some spaghetti, heat up some sauce, put the spaghetti in the taco shell, pour sauce over, sprinkle with cheese.

But why stop there? Invent your own fusion cuisine! Hell, in LA they have Korean tacos - Korean BBQ ribs in a taco. How about lasagna burritos - layer sauce and cheese and sliced burritos softshells inside another whole burrito, wrap it up, and bake. Yummy!

Breakfast burritos? Cut up waffles, insert inside burritos with maple syrup and butter. Let your imagination run wild.

And don't be grossed out with what your kids suggest. Hey, at least they're in the kitchen with you cooking and that's the whole point, right? I said, RIGHT?

Roasted Garlic for great garlic bread

This has got to be one of the easiest recipes in here. Roasted garlic makes great garlic bread, it's an easy addition to sandwiches and salad - it's just great to have around.

Preheat the oven to 350.

Break apart a few heads of garlic into individual heads (leave them unpeeled). Drizzle a little olive oil over them, then wrap in tinfoil.

Roast for 30 minutes. Shake the foil packet a few times during roasting to prevent uneven baking. Don't bother making this a special bake time - throw some garlic in anytime you're baking lasagna, baked potatoes, etc. I'd leave them out when you're baking brownies, however! You don't want to bake the garlic with anything you wouldn't want to eat it with.

Let cool - then peel. They keep for a week or two in a airtight container in the fridge.

Toss in a salad, on top of a burger, or just spread on French bread, drizzle melted butter over them, and toast in the oven! Great stuff.

Quick Dinners with Ramen noodles!

Need a quick dinner...how about ramen noodles? Throw out the spice packet, throw in the noodles to some water heating on the stove - no need to wait 'til it's boiling. While the noodles are boiling, get out the olive oil and pepper flakes. Drain the noodles, add the olive oil and red pepper flakes to taste - toss - and voila! Instant dinner or snack - and a lot better for you than that spice packet with all that MSG. Want a little protein with that - toss in a canful of tuna and some soy sauce. Have some leftover pepperoni? Dice that and toss it in. Or make the night before and stick it in the fridge for tomorrow's cold pasta lunch.

some kitchen basics...

Here's some stuff you should pick up for your kitchen if you want to bake some...

Measuring cups & spoons (full set, from 1/4 cup to 2 cups, 1/4 tsp to 1 tablespoon)
Set of mixing bowls
Wooden spoons
Rubber spatulas
3 cookie sheets
9x9 baking pan
9x13 baking pan
Sifter
Whisk (a few different sizes would be nice!)

Mixer - a standalone is nice, but a handheld is cheaper and easier to find - and works almost as well (until you get to large batches!)

Blender - well, I've never gotten used to using one - blame it on years of working in restaurants! Just one more - make that 5 or 6 more things to wash.