These three Columbia ladies are cooking up delicious dishes for themselves and their families, and Columbia Home wanted to get the secret recipes. Susie has a great pasta dish that’s a must-try. Becky shared a wonderful soup that’s a favorite for her and her husband and perfect for every season. And Darcie cooked up a fun and easy dish for her family of six. No matter how many you’re cooking for, we have the recipes for you!

Cooking for One

Johnny Marzetti

• 1 pound ground beef
• 28 ounces whole, peeled tomatoes
• 8 ounces tomato sauce
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 2 teaspoons pepper
• 2 teaspoons chili powder
• 2 teaspoons garlic powder
• 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
• 2 cups shredded mild cheddar cheese
• 12 ounces egg noodles

Brown the ground beef, and drain. Add in all spices. Blend the whole, peeled tomatoes in a blender, and add tomato sauce. Pour into ground beef/spices mixture. Simmer for 20 to 25 minutes.

Boil a large pan of water, and add egg noodles. Cook until tender, and drain.

Pour noodles in a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Pour meat mixture over top of the noodles. Add mozzarella cheese to the top, and cover with mild cheddar. Bake at 350 degrees F for 20 to 25 minutes.

I love eating this with crispy salad and warm garlic bread. Enjoy it with a nice glass of red wine.

Susie and her pup, Murphy
For Susie Sapp, entertaining and enjoying the company of good friends are keys to a happy life. Some of her go-to recipes are easy pasta dishes that will feed the masses and be great as leftovers. “This pasta dish is so simple, and yet it’s a fan favorite,” she says. Food brings people together, and that’s no exception in Susie’s house.

 Cooking for Two

Roast Chicken Soup with Roasted Vegetables

Recipe from Against All Grain

• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 carrots, peeled and cubed
• 1 cup butternut squash, peeled and cubed
• 1 small sweet potato, peeled and cubed
• ½ yellow onion, quartered
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 4 cups chicken stock
• 2 to 3 cups cooked shredded chicken or 1 pound uncooked chicken breasts
• ¾ teaspoon dried parsley
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• ½ teaspoon dried thyme
• ½ teaspoon dried rosemary
• ¼ teaspoon dried oregano
• ¼ teaspoon cracked pepper
• 1 cup water
• 2 cups baby spinach or kale

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Toss the vegetables in the olive oil, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast for 20 minutes, until the vegetables are tender.

Meanwhile, bring the chicken stock to a simmer in a large stockpot. Add the chicken, herbs and salt and pepper. Cover and cook while the vegetables are roasting, about 15 minutes. For raw chicken breasts, cook for about 45 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through and tender enough to
shred with a fork.

Add half the vegetables to the soup, and place the other half in a blender. Make sure to put all of the onion quarters into the blender. Puree the vegetables with the 1 cup of water.

Add the vegetable puree and baby spinach to the soup. Simmer for 5 to 10 minutes, until the spinach is wilted and the soup is hot. Adjust seasonings to your taste.

We love to eat this with warm bread!

Becky, Ryan and their pup, Porter
Newlyweds Becky and Ryan Melton enjoy trying out different approaches to nutrition. Both Becky and Ryan like similar foods and cooking together. Ryan’s specialty is smoking meat. Becky says he likes to experiment, while she prefers sticking to the recipe. The health-conscious pair enjoys cooking at home, where they know what’s going into their meals. As newlyweds, they’re also sure to stay money conscious. Both Becky and Ryan grew up on home-cooked meals, and Becky says she’s very grateful for that. She speaks fondly of her mother’s spaghetti, chili and chicken salad. Ryan’s favorites are his mother’s enchiladas and tacos.

 Cooking for Six

Sautéed Mini Chicken Burgers with Herbs

Serves 8 | Preparation: 20 minutes | Cooking: 30 minutes

• 2 pounds ground chicken (or turkey)
• 1 ½ teaspoons finely chopped garlic
• ½ cup finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves
• ½ teaspoon dried oregano
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• ½ teaspoon black pepper
• ½ cup dried bread crumbs (I use Panko.)
• 2 tablespoons olive oil

In a large bowl, use a fork to combine the ground chicken, garlic, parsley, oregano and lemon juice. Season with the salt and pepper. Form the meat
into small patties.

Place the bread crumbs in a shallow dish. Coat each patty in the crumbs, turning to coat and pressing so the crumbs adhere; set aside.

Heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add some of the patties, and cook, turning once, until browned and cooked through, about 10 minutes total. (If the patties brown before they’re cooked through, reduce the heat to medium-low, cover the pan and continue to cook for a few minutes more.) Repeat with the remaining oil and patties. Serve plain or with hamburger buns.

Mixed Berry Smoothies

Serves 5

• 1 cup coconut water, water, vanilla soy milk or liquid of choice
• 1 to 2 cups spinach
• 1 cup frozen strawberries
• 1 cup frozen blueberries
• 1 cup frozen raspberries
• 1 cup frozen peaches

In a blender, pour in liquid before putting in spinach and fruit. Add desired amount of ingredients, and blend. Throw in a fun ice-cream dish for extra appeal. My kids love the colored straws, and Macey always gets the pink one!

Darcie Putnam
Wife and mother of four Darcie Putnam has several approaches to making her busy family members’ lives run more smoothly. She credits buying in bulk and making weekly meal plans as some of her biggest tips. She likes to always keep meat on hand by having a frozen reserve and employs her slow-cooker often in the winter. “I think there’s so much life that happens around the table,” Darcie says. “It’s an opportunity for us to take a break from the hurry of our lives.” Every night at dinner, her husband asks, “Who’s thankful?” prompting everyone to share what they’re thankful for that day. Every week when Darcie is making her meal plan, she asks one of her children to choose a meal they’d like to eat that week.