This Meaty Skillet Lasagna is simple and requires only a 10″ non-stick skillet for cooking. Because I have a bounty of tomatoes from my garden, I substituted the 28-ounce can of whole peeled tomatoes with ones from my garden. Since the recipe calls for the canned tomatoes to be placed in a food processor, I cored out my tomatoes, quartered them, pulsed twice in my Vitamix to make a chunky puree, perfect for this recipe. Do not use “no-boil” lasagna noodles in this recipe, as they will fall apart during cooking. Make sure to use either whole-milk or part-skim ricotta, as the NON-FAT ricotta will result in a very…
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Setting Up a Breading Station for Pork Chops
I did not have a clue what I was going to make for dinner, so I thumbed through a great cookbook, The Complete Cooking for Two Cookbook: 650 Recipes for Everything You’ll Ever Want to Make This cookbook has come in handy since Doug and I became empty-nesters. With appropriate portion sizes and accurate ingredient lists, every recipe has been a winner so far. Last night, it was Crispy Pan-Fried Pork Chops. The recipe calls for cornflakes; however, neither Doug, nor I like cereal, so the leftover cornflakes would have been a waste. But we LOVE RITZ crackers; therefore, I made my crust mixture using RITZ and it was…
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Breakfast Brunch Scramble
I love scramble recipes. I consider a “scramble,” as any dish that includes scrambled eggs, combined with meat, starch, and vegetables, cooked in a cast-iron skillet with very little fat. So, Sunday around lunchtime, I wanted some kielbasa and eggs. Well, what best way to combine these, as to make a scramble. After searching for some simple recipes, to no avail…I made up my own. Let me know if you try it and what you think. Ingredients Vegetable oil 2 cups frozen cubed hash brown potatoes, thawed 16 oz kielbasa sausage, or beef sausage 10 oz bag of frozen tri-medley mix, thawed (contains onions, celery, peppers) 6 eggs…
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Chicken Lemon Pasta with Summer Vegetables
Looking for a way to use up your summer harvest? For this Chicken and Lemon Pasta, you will spend more time prepping than cooking. Use store-bought rotisserie chicken to make it a weeknight meal. MAKES 4 SERVINGS TOTAL TIME 35 MINUTES Ideal Cooking Gadgets When Cooking Pasta COOK – pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water according to package directions. Drain and reserve 1/2 cup of pasta water. You can use any type of your favorite pasta. The recipe recommended campanelle, which I used, but I think a penne or bowtie would’ve been better. HEAT – butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add scallion whites…
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Tips for Delivering Bereavement Comfort Food
Mourning the loss of friends… So, the last couple of days have been difficult. I found out that a friend I met while working at the Home Depot nearly 18 years ago, has passed away. This followed by a rash of news that flooded my inbox regarding other former co-workers that have passed away within the last year. I am a bit heartbroken. Although I have not been in contact with these individuals in recent months, I have always felt a special kindred relationship with them because we shared time together, years ago when we were younger, before families, and before the responsibilities of middle-aged adults were realized. We could…
