lunch today

velvety lemon chicken soup. i've made it lots of time.....always delicious. and it's quick!

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Velvety-Lemon-Chicken-Soup-14580

My Go-To Meal

Okay, ladies, I recognize that with young ones you do need to present healthy meals and did so also when I had young ones. I also admit that I was much more creative in the kitchen when I was a stay-at-home Mom. But now since it is only the two of us we generally are very easy to please and only go full hog during holidays. So, I LOVE easy.


So, what do I keep in my freezer to put together really quickly that will tantalize the taste buds? I keep several bags of Cavatelli made with Ricotta and several bags of frozen chopped broccolli. If I am lucky I will also find a few Sweet Italian Sausage links but it is not essential to the meal but sure does add zip.

Here goes:

Chop two LARGE onions
10 cloves of garlic sliced thin or chopped, I prefer sliced(I generally use more...the more the better...the more the sweeter)
Two bags of frozen Broccolli
About 1/2 cup of chicken broth, just enough to steam up the broccoli and keep the pasta moist (If none available you can use some of the pasta water.)
Salt and Pepper to taste
Olive Oil, of course
One pound bag of frozen Cavatelli
~1/4 cup white wine

Sautee garlic and onion till golden in olive oil (I don't skimp). When golden add brocolli and sautee over HIGH heat for about three minutes. Add broth and wine and cover for about 3 minutes over Medium Heat or until fork tender. Cook Cavatelli. When done mix all together and serve.

Now, if you are fortunate to have sausages on hand you either barbecue them (that's what we do on our Jenn-Aire), broil them, or fry them. Start the sausages before you start the broccolli. When sausages are cooked (I like mine crispy) slice into pieces. When the broccolli mixture is done add the sliced sausages and cook for about another three minutes to meld all the flavors.

Of course you can always sprinkle with some cheese if you choose. Very easy and SO VERY DELICIOUS. And yes, this is healthy. But I also admit that it is just as easy to pop some Trader Joe's Orange Chicken in the oven and have dinner twenty minutes later.....that's when I get lazy.

Hope you have a chance to make this. It really is quite tasty. Sometimes we treat ourselves to some already made broccoli rabe and sausage from A&S. Broccoli Rabe is a very healthy food. Sausage, probably not so much!

Bon Apetito
Nicki

Giada's Couscous

this was so good and easy and pretty too! apples, cranberries, almonds and maple syrup....yum!

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/giada-de-laurentiis/israeli-couscous-with-apples-cranberries-and-herbs-recipe/index.html

I saw this on the food network and gave it a try. I really liked it and it was super easy. Enjoy with crunchy bread.

I also like it because it is super cheap and most likely you have all the spices already.

I copied the recipe below but here is the direct link to the food network site: Moroccan Soup

Moroccan Spiced Chickpea Soup

Cook Time:1 hr
Level: Easy
Yield: 6 servings

Ingredients:

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for garnish
1 large onion, medium diced
6 to 8 cloves garlic, pressed
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 heaping teaspoon sweet paprika
1 (14.5-ounce) can chopped tomatoes
3 (15-ounce) cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed well
1 quart vegetable broth or reduced-sodium chicken broth
1 teaspoon sugar
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 (5-ounce) package pre-washed baby spinach

Directions:

Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat.

Add onion and garlic and saute until the onions begin to turn translucent; lower heat if browning starts to occur.

Add spices and saute a minute or so.

Add tomatoes, chickpeas, broth, and sugar.

Season with a couple pinches of salt and 10 grinds fresh pepper. Stir well.

Chickpeas should be just covered with liquid. If level is shy, add some water so the chickpeas are just covered.

Bring to a simmer, then lower heat to low and gently simmer for 45 minutes.

Remove soup from heat. Use a potato masher to mash up some of the chickpeas right in the pot.

Stir in the spinach and let heat through until wilted, just a couple minutes.

Season again, to taste, with salt and pepper.

Serve soup, drizzled lightly with extra-virgin olive oil, if desired.

Standby Meal

Here is my standby meal...

Enchiladas (makes about 8 medium or 6 large)

This is a very simple recipe I received from my great friend, Christie. It is very easy and the recipe is on the smaller enchilada sauce can in case you ever forget it (but we added the beans and rice). The can will tell you if you need one or two cans of sauce, I just can't remember.

1 lb Ground Beef
1 can refried beans
2 servings of cooked rice (I use minute rice usually)
1 Bag of Shredded Cheddar Cheese
1-2 Cans of Enchilada Sauce (hot or mild)
Flour Tortillas (any size. I think I use the middle size)

Filling:
Cook Ground Beef and Drain
Cook Rice at Same Time (microwave works well for us)
Add Beans, Rice and 1/3 to 1/2 of cheese bag to Cooked Beef (looks gross but it will taste good)

Make Enchilladas:

Take a Tortilla and add as much of the above filling to it and roll it up
Place filled tortillas into a baking dish (I usually spray it with cooking spray first)
Top with Remaining Sauce and Remaining Cheese

Bake:
Bake at 350 (I think) for 15 minutes just to warm it all up. It will say the temp on the enchilada sauce can.

Enjoy!!

Weeknight GoTo Meal

What's your favorite homemade weeknight go-to meal, something quick but fresh and healthy? When I was in Boston last summer, visiting my brand new nephew, Adam and Mia made french bread pizza with a baguette, something I hadn't thought of in years.....so easy; so good!

Lately, our favorite has been "Rainbow Ramen," made from those cheap ramen noodles that cook up in about 1 minute, mixed with whatever colorful veggies we have and whatever meat we have in the fridge. It's a big hit every time, and since I discard the nasty (but admittedly delicious) packets, it's pretty healthy too. Here's the recipe:

1. Marinade/Meat:
If using meat, julienne and marinate for 30 minutes. For 1 lb. meat:
2 Tbsp. soy sauce
1 Tbsp. minced ginger
1 Tbsp. minced garlic

2. Prepare sauce:
1/4 cup soy sauce
3 Tbsp. rice wine
1 1/2 tbsp. sugar
1 1/2 tbsp. worcestershire
1/2 teaspoon sesame seeds

3. Saute meat in 2 Tbsp vegetable oil over med-high heat. Remove from pan.

4. Saute veggies in 2 Tbsp oil: onions, scallions, red cabbage, carrots, peppers, snowpeas, etc. If using onions, give them a 1 minute headstart before adding other veggies. Cook other veggies 1 minute. Add sauce.

5. Cook 3 packages ramen in boiling water for 2 minutes. Drain and toss in a big bowl with veggies and meat.

November Blues

Well, it's November 2 and we finally had to dismantle our garden last week. We had our first freeze, and I had gotten the tomatoes off a few days before. They are sitting in two bowls: one red, one green. I don't eat them anymore the way I did in August, sliced with salt, savoring every bite. This year, we had such a good yield that for the first time I decided to cook some of them (I found that to be a sacrilege before this year).

So, we will have the last of our red tomatoes this week in a pasta recipe with sausage, tomatoes, spinich and cream. I'll only simmer the tomatoes in the cream long enough to make the sauce pink.

And maybe I'll put aside one last tomato to slice and eat raw with salt. It's going to be a long wait til next August.