Day 14 - First Chemo Cycle - Baked Spaghetti Recipe

After having a great day yesterday with energy, I was quite tired today.  So I didn't do much although I did continue my knitting.  With my personality, this is a huge step forward to accept that I'm tired and to adjust what I do accordingly.  So perhaps at the end of this whole journey, I'll know how to slow down and enjoy life a little more.

On another positive note, I received a few phone calls this morning and was able to talk for 2 hours before my voice started to fail.  I truly believe this is due to the smaller size of the lymph node in my neck.  Again, I'm connecting with good friends from afar with whom I hadn't talked to in many, many years.  I was asked to post my baked spaghetti recipe so here it is:

Baked Spaghetti

2 Handfuls of raw spaghetti noodles
1 pound ground pork
1 onion, diced
1 garlic clove, minced
2-3 cups sliced mushrooms
1 can diced tomatoes
1 stalk celery, diced
1 carrot, diced
1-1/2 cups red wine
1 cup water
Italian seasoning
Salt and Pepper to taste
3 slices of bread, cubed
olive oil
grated parmesan cheese
grated cheddar cheese

Cook the spaghetti noodles to almost tender.  Drain and put the spaghetti in a deep casserole dish with a little bit of the pasta water and set aside.  Brown the ground pork until done and drain the fat off.  Set aside and season with salt and pepper.  In a large saucepan, heat some olive oil over medium heat and saute the onion, garlic, mushrooms, celery and carrot until the onion, garlic and mushrooms are tender.  Add the can of tomatoes, red wine, water, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper.  Bring to a boil.  Then reduce the heat and simmer for 1 hour, stirring occasionally.  Add the meat to the sauce and continue to simmer for 1 hour, stirring occasionally.  Put the cubes of bread in a bowl, drizzle with olive oil and mix until all cubes are coated with oil, adding more oil if needed.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.  When the sauce is finished simmering, pour it over the spaghetti noodles in the casserole dish.  Layer the bread cubes evenly over the sauce.  Combine the cheeses together and spread evenly over the bread cubes.  Bake, uncovered, for 40 minutes until the cheese is fully melted and the bread cubes are browned.

I think this would also go well with a caesar salad.  Anyway, there's the recipe for those who were asking for it.