When I think of pasta and peas together, I think of blue box macaroni with a can of tuna and a can or bag of frozen peas. Well, that's what I thought about pasta and peas before I really learned how to cook. The fun of cooking comes with exploring with flavors, textures and tossing together new ingredients. I'm always on the hunt for new favorite recipes, especially for … [Read more...]
Southwestern Spaghetti Pie
This recipe is born of a desire to not waste leftovers. When my kids were young and their palates were limited I often had a spaghetti night and a taco night. At the end of the week when I cleaned out the fridge I often had mix matched ingredients. Leftover noodles, but no sauce. Leftover taco meat, but no tortillas. Instead of throwing them out I decided to combine them. My … [Read more...]
Baked Rosemary Garlic Chicken
I like to tuck things into chicken thighs. (Exhibit A - Grilled Salsa Chicken & Exhibit B - Grilled Marinara Chicken) I realize that this might sound strange, but it's how I cook with chicken thighs...when I'm not cooking them in the slow cooker. The other day I was planning to fix some chicken thighs in the slow cooker with a couple garlic cloves and some rosemary from … [Read more...]
Enchilada Stuffed Pasta Shells
My oldest child was born while my husband was deployed in the first gulf war. Our squadron's support group organized dinners for me every night until my husband returned 4 weeks later. But that is not all. Whoever brought me dinner packed a lunch for me to enjoy the next day. Seriously. I have been paying that amazing gift forward for the last 20 years. One of my favorite … [Read more...]
Minestrone Casserole
This Minestrone Casserole is a must-try recipe! All the loveliness of Minestrone Soup...in casserole form. The beans, the pasta, the veggies, the cheese. Without a drop of broth! This one didn't last long at our house. (And for those of you dairy-free folks, I actually made half with cheese for Steve to have for dinner and lunch the next day...and made the … [Read more...]
Pizza Penne Bake
There comes a time in every home cooks life when you really, really, really have a hankering for pizza. Except dinner is in 30 minutes. And you have no store bought dough. And no time at all to put together a dough, let it rise, etc. Might I suggest this pizza bake as an alternative?! It's sure to cure that craving and it can be on the table in 30 minutes or less! Here's … [Read more...]
“Toss It In” Pasta Salad
I was having a "what to have for lunch" moment the other day. I've been having salads for lunch lately. A lot of salads. And while I love them for a variety of reasons, it was time for a change. A salad wasn't going to work for me, hence the "what to have for lunch" moment. Then it occurred to me that I have quite a few boxes of pasta in my stockpile from recent sale. I … [Read more...]
Tortellini Soup
Last week I was craving minestrone soup, but many of the vegetables that I use in it are not in season. Buying imported, out of season veggies would have greatly increased the cost of the dish, so I decided to replace them with something that is always in season: tortellini! :) I reduced the cost of this soup, by using homemade chicken broth. I also used dry beans that I … [Read more...]
Spaghetti Frittata
Do you ever end up with just a couple handfuls of spaghetti noodles?! And you don't know what to do with them?! Several weeks ago the boys had MRIs. It happens every year. This year, they asked if I thought Ryan could do the MRI without sedation. He would have the chance to watch a movie through the "magic googles" and would get to wear heavy headphones to both hear the … [Read more...]
Sharon’s Vegetarian Lasagna
An easy peasy vegetarian lasagna! Sharon's Vegetarian Lasagna Prince Lasagna Noodles $1.99Bag of Shredded Mozzarella Cheese (8 oz.) $1.993 T. Parmesan Cheese .24 cents1 egg .13 centsRicotta cheese (15 oz) $2.39Can of plain tomato sauce (28 oz.) $1.192 organic carrots (grated) .19 centsOregano, basic and garlic powder (from the pantry)1 Loaf of Italian … [Read more...]