Spicy Pasta

This is my go to dish when I have not defrosted anything. It is simple to make and I always get rave reviews.This dish contains Prosciutto. If you get Open Nature brand, it only contains pork and sea salt and only pork raised without antibiotics.

Ingredients: 
3 tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cloves of garlic,minced
4 oz package of Open Nature prosciutto diced
1 14.5 oz can of petite diced tomatoes
1 tsp crushed red  pepper
8 oz of fettuccine cooked al dente
4 oz grated  Parmesan cheese

Preparation: 
Saute garlic and onion in olive oil until golden. Add prosciutto and cook until browned. Add tomatoes and crushed red pepper. Cook for about ten minutes. Serve over pasta with the cheese.

Tip: Vary the crushed red pepper to taste. One teaspoon is very spicy. Start with a smaller amount and work your way up.You can always supply extra crushed red pepper at the table
                      
                      

                      

New Year's Resolution

We are just a couple of days before the New Year 2013.Many people will resolve to lose weight.I recommend against it. What is making people overweight is lifestyle. What needs to be resolved is to adopt a new lifestyle. Resolve to buy lots of fruits and vegetables and no junk food.Resolve to eat 3 meals a day and an afternoon snack. When hunger strikes,eat an apple or a banana.Lots of nutrition,no fat and low in calories.Take a walk after dinner(weather permitting).Eat more meals at home where you control the fat ,salt and portion size.Make family dinners fun.Reconnect with your kids. Make the kitchen table a text free zone. Broaden you perspective. Learn about other cultures. Take day trips on the weekend to nearby places you have not seen.It is all a balancing act,but it is really worth it.Resolve to be your own best friend.Only you can make the changes you want in your life.

Second Best Lasagna in the World

I have shied away from posting a recipe for lasagna because everyone has their favorite . The Internet is littered with the" best lasagna recipes in the world".What I have learned is that all recipes are pretty basic.Some load upon the meat and sausage.Others have three or four different kinds of cheese. I post mine now only because it is a tradition to serve it on Christmas Eve at our house.I will never claim mine to be the best.Second best?You be the judge.

Ingredients: 1lb of lean ground beef
                      1 medium sized onion diced
                      2 cloves of garlic,minced
                      1 28 oz can of crushed tomatoes
                      2 14 1/2 cans of petite diced tomato
                      3 tsp of Italian seasoning
                      1 8.8 oz box of oven ready lasagna noodles
                      2 eggs lightly beaten 
                      1 15 oz container of ricotta cheese
                      4 cups of shredded mozzarella cheese
                      1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Preparation: Saute' the beef in large pot until lightly browned
                       Add garlic and saute until lightly browned
                       Add onion and continue to saute until onion is golden
                       Add crushed tomatos,petite diced tomatoes,and Italian
                       seasoning.
                       Simmer sauce for about 1 hour
                       Mix together ricotta,eggs and 1/2 of mozzarella 
                       To assemble, place 2 cups of sauce in bottom of
                       a lightly greased 9x13 Pyrex dish                            
                       Place 6 oven ready noodles over sauce
                       Cover noodles with 1/2 of the ricotta cheese
                       mixture
                       Repeat with rest of sauce,noodles and cheese
                       mixture
                       Sprinkle top of dish with the grated Parmesan
                       cover lightly with foil
                       Cook in 375 degree oven for 50 minutes
                       Remove foil and cook another 10 minutes
                       Remove from oven
                       Let sit for about 10 minutes before serving

What may be different with this recipe is that I top the dish with Parmesan instead of mozzarella because it does not stick to the foil as much and it forms a nice brown crust.                       
                      

                      

My Christmas Banana Bread

When my kids were young,I always made Christmas cookies with them.We have hilarious pictures of them in droopy diapers with flour in their hair and sprinkles everywhere.As time went on,baking Christmas cookies was no longer on their hit parade.I seriously looked at not baking at all.It is not my forte' and the hubby and I can do without the calories.Then I came across a simple banana bread recipe in ,of all places,a children's Mickey Mouse cookbook we bought 30 years ago in Disney World. I changed it a little and now, December 1st comes and my friends and family start asking when I will be handing out the banana bread.I have given the recipe out to many people but they come back and say,it just isn't as good as yours.Could be there be pixie dust in that old Magic Kingdom kids cookbook?Here is the recipe. Try it out.


                                           My Christmas Banana Bread

Ingredients: 1 cup of sugar
                      4 very ripe bananas  (this is key)
                      1 cup canola oil
                      2 eggs
                      2 cups all purpose flour
                      1 teaspoon Baking soda
                      1/2 teaspoon baking powder
                      2 teaspoons of vanilla

Preparation:Heat oven to 325 degrees
                      Spray loaf pan with oil
                      Mix sugar,bananas,oil and eggs in a large bowl
                      Stir in remaining ingredients
                      Pour into pan
                      Bake for 1 hour.Loaf is done when a dry spaghetti noodle
                      out cleanly when inserted into center of loaf
                      Cool for 10 minutes then loosen loaf from sides of pan onto
                      cooling rack or plate.
                      Cool completely
                      Makes one loaf

My family likes to toast slices very slightly and then spread little whipped cream cheese on top.Yummy with coffee in the morning
                          

Potato Leek Soup

A lot of moms shy away from making homemade soup because they believe it is to hard and time consuming.This recipe for Potato leek soup is really very simple and everyone who tastes it want a second bowl.



                                                       Potato Leek Soup


Ingredients: 4 cups of Yukon gold potatoes,peeled and sliced
                    4 cups of leeks,cleaned(they can be sand in some of
                    the slices) and chopped;including
                    the tender light green part,but not the leaves
                    2 quarts of water
                    1 cup chicken stock
                    1 tablespoon of salt

Preparation: Add all ingredients to large pot
                     Bring to a boil and simmer for 1 hour
                     Remove from heat
                     Blend the soft ingredients with a Cuisinart blender stick or 
                     with hand held mixer until
                     creamy
                     Correct seasoning and serve
                     Serves 6

To make the soup even more interesting,you can make a jalapeno salsa with 1/2 cup of corn,1/4 cup chopped red pepper and 1 seeded and chopped jalapeno.Place large crouton in the middle of the bowl of soup and spoon a spoonful of salsa on top of the crouton.This makes a nice presentation and adds a little kick to the soup 
                     
                   

                        

Toddler Mac and Cheese

This recipe is great for toddlers because it is drier and less sticky than regular Mac and Cheese and the can eat it with their fingers.



Ingredients: 1 16oz package of elbow macaroni
                       4 tablespoons of Smart Balance(I use this instead of real
                        butter for keeping the cholesterol low.You can use extra
                        olive oil as well)
                        1/2 cup all purpose flour
                        2 1/2 cups of whole milk
                        1/2 lb of American Cheese
                        1/2 lb of Mild cheddar cheese

Preparation:  Prepare macaroni according to package directions
                        using al dente time for cooking
                        Melt Smart balance in sauce pan
                        Add flour and stir continually so the roux mixture doesn't
                        burn
                        Add milk a little bit at a time and stir until  the roux
                        thickens. Remove from heat
                        Add grated cheeses and stir until cheese melts to a
                        and a smooth mixture forms
                        Stir in pasta and reheat on  low burner until mixture is
                        heated and then serve

Should serve four.

The important thing about this recipe is forming a good roux with the oil
or smart balance.This is what makes it usable as a finger food for toddlers

Make your own Pizza

Sounds like a lot of work.Why bother? Here is why.  Look at an empty pizza box from any of the vendors and you will see that there is so much grease in your purchased pizza that it has soaked through the entire bottom of the box. It is not hard to make home made pizza.Get a pizza shell from Bobili at the supermarket or buy the frozen pizza dough and roll it out. Then add your own marinara sauce (see recipe on this blog) toppings and shredded mozzarella cheese. Stay away from the pepperoni. It is a killer not only because of the fat but because it contains so many chemicals.The sodium nitrite is the worst .This chemical has been shown to be carcinogenic. I feel this way about all luncheon meats. Salamis, bologna, ham etc all has these chemicals.So do hot dogs.Stay away from these and your family will be much healthier. Below is my take on a good home pizza.You can Jazz it up or down to suit your family.



Ingredients: Bobili pizza shell
                      Home made or store bought marinara sauce
                      Cooked 7 % hamburger meat
                      6 oz's of sauteed mushrooms
                      Onion rings
                      Tomato rings
                      Asparagus tips

Preparation: Remove pizza shell from wrapping
                       Spoon out marinara sauce and spread evenly over shell
                       Use as much or as little as suits your family's taste
                       Spread other ingredients over pizza shell
                       Cover with either regular or reduced fat mozzarella's cheese
                       Bake 20 minutes at 375 degrees
                       If you have young children make 1/2 of the pizza plain
                       cheese or ,another pizza with just cheese depending on the
                       crowd your are feeding