Everyday Food for Busy People
I used to think that homemade pasta sauce took a long time to make. That’s the way my Grandma made it and hers was always so good.
But pasta sauce doesn’t have to be an all day deal. This one only takes about 10 minutes if you already have the Italian sausage browned out. Add an extra 10 minutes if you need to do that step too.
It’s hot outside. Super hot and humid.
If you’re looking for a cool dinner idea, this is your recipe.
I wish I could say that I had garden fresh tomatoes for this dish, but my plants have yet to decide to really produce tomatoes. All I have are a few small green maters that taunt and torment me because they haven’t changed in size or color for weeks.
I’m a gardening failure. But that’s a whole ‘nuther post. For this dish I used a couple of store bought tomatoes and grape tomatoes (tragic because this is August) and 3 delicious cherry tomatoes from my garden.
Have I mentioned how much I love our new grill? Oh yeah, I think I have.
The other day I was reading a post on The Happy Housewife about a panini party. That sounded good, but I don’t have a panini grill. I usually use the George Foreman, but this time I thought it would be fun to grill the sandwiches outside.
Two things I have been loving lately – our new grill and homemade seasoned salt. I love the grill because it doesn’t burn everything like the old one did. And I love the seasoned salt because it makes nearly everything taste better.
Even zucchini.
I like zucchini, but it’s not something that I would normally take a second helping of. But grilled zucchini tasted so good, I wanted to keep eating it. And it’s so simple to make.
Roasting broccoli in the oven gives a new dimension to the flavor. It brings out a nutty taste in the broccoli and enhances the sweetness of the red pepper. You can vary the seasonings using seasoned salt, grill seasoning or lemon pepper, but I chose to go simple with Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper.
There’s something about pita pockets that my kids love, so I had a feeling that this recipe would be a hit. I was right. A friend shared the recipe with me back in the winter when I was looking for meals to stock my freezer. I decided this one would be great to take on vacation. After marinating and cooking the chicken, it is frozen in Ziploc bags. Reheating can be done in the microwave. I served a quick cucumber and yogurt sauce with the sandwiches.
Update: This recipe comes from Cooking Among Friends, which is a freezer meal cooking club. So cool! They have a cookbook available and the Chicken Gyros is part of that. I’m guessing this would be a great cookbook to own. A friend had passed along the Chicken Gyros recipe and I just found out the original source. Pop over and check out more from Cooking Among Friends!
Parsnips are a vegetable that I had never eaten until recently. A few months ago I used some in All Veggie Vegetable Soup. My friend, Beverly told me that she roasts them in the oven, so I decided to try that too. They are so good! The slightly sweet taste pulls me back for a second helping and even third.
One of my favorite kind of recipes to create is pasta dishes. Coincidentally, I also love to eat pasta. This sauce has both Parmesan and Provolone cheeses along with fire roasted tomatoes. Ever since I tried fire roasted tomatoes a few months ago, they’ve been a staple in my pantry. They pack a bit more flavor than plain diced tomatoes.
The sauce may sound like it’s hard to make, but it comes together in about 15 minutes. Here’s what you’ll need: [Read more...]
This salad was perfect with the Hawaiian Grilled Chicken. It’s full of pineapple, green onions, macadamia nuts, bacon…Yum! I found the recipe on Bethany’s blog, For the Love of Grub. I made the salad on Saturday, so we could eat it Sunday after church. I mixed the dressing up, but did not add it until right before serving. [Read more...]
I know there’s no chicken in that ingredient picture. I think raw chicken is one of the least beautiful things in the food world. The roasted whole chicken doesn’t look much better.
Thank goodness it tastes wonderful! This can be a main dish for a really nice dinner, but it’s super easy to make. Here’s what you’ll need: [Read more...]
