Neither my husband or I are lovers of tomato sauce.  Because of this, we rarely eat lasagna…at least the traditional form.  I came across this recipe and was terribly excited at the concept of a “white lasagna” (a lasagna that layers the noodles with a cream sauce instead of the traditional tomato).  This recipe pairs a creamy garlic sauce with spinach, broccoli, and peas for a fresh and clean twist on the Italian classic.  White lasagna is the perfect way to transition the comfort-food lasagna we crave in Winter into a fresh vegetable lasagna for Spring. (more…)

Chicken Pomodoro Paninis

Ravioli with Chicken and Basil

Santa Fe Chicken Pizza

Chicken Salad with Grapes & Almonds

So we’ve talked about how to roast a chicken, now, what to do with all those leftovers?  Cooking for two, I find myself with almost a full chicken left after our first meal.  So as not to be wasteful (with food or money) I make sure I use up all the chicken meat before it goes bad, even if it means having chicken for dinner for the rest of the week.  With a little creativity you can create 4 meals (give yourself a break and cook a steak on Wednesday) with the same cooked chicken and never get bored.  Each of these recipes offer a different flavor profile, and are quick, easy recipes that are very manageable for weeknight meals. (more…)

Its cold and rainy outside, so I thought this would be a good opportunity to sneak in one last “comfort food” recipe before we are officially into the fresh flavors of Spring.  Even though I welcome the abundance of fruits and veggies the warmer weather brings, there is a part of me that misses the excuse to curl up with a piping hot bowl of noodles, or a hearty stew.  Luckily (for my waste line) the winter only lasts so long, and with that, so does my “heartier” cooking.  Yet, here is one last good “chilly night” recipe: Veal Paprika.

My mother made a version of veal paprika when I was growing up.  Her grandparents were originally from Czechoslovakia and her grandmother used to make veal paprikash for her as a child.  The dish was nostalgic for my mother, but unfortunately it must have lost something through the generations….this dish was not nostalgic to me.  While I have always been an adventurous and never a picky eater, my mother’s veal paprika was one of the few meals I passed up as a child.  I actually didn’t eat veal until recently because I had judged veal on her  paprika recipe. (more…)

I hadn’t made this dish in years, until just the other night.  Having my left over dill from the Veal Paprika, I was determined not to let it go to waste (as so often my bunches of dill do).  I remember liking the recipe very much, but for some reason, it fell out of my regular repertoire years ago.  What a shame that was!  I forgot how wonderfully light and flavorful this dish is (and healthy and quick too!).  The salmon is grilled with a simple seasoning of salt, pepper, and lots of fresh dill.  The fish is then beautifully presented over “pickled” cucumbers, which marinate while the salmon is cooking.  All in all, this could easily be a 15 minute meal.   With a short ingredient list, easy preparation, a low calorie count, and refined taste, this meal is certainly a winner.  I vow to keep it in the rotation from now on.

Recipe: Dill Encrusted Salmon with Pickled Cucumbers

Have left-over dill?  Try:

Recipe: Veal Paprika

My good friend Jami has been very supportive of my new blog endeavor.  A frequent visitor, Jami was quick to offer suggestions for future posts – the most challenging of which was this:  Plan a dinner I can make and eat on Sunday that will provide lunches for the rest of the week (and it can’t take too long, and it can’t be too difficult, and it can’t require many ingredients, and oh right, I have very few pots and pans).

Only because I love you Jami….

So this was my task for the last couple of weeks, lying in bed at night, on my drive to work, I have been running over recipes in my head trying to be as creative as I could with the little I had to work with (no offense James).  And what crazily creative concoctions did I come up with?  Roasted Chicken!  Sometimes the simplest things are the answers to difficult problems.  Roasting a chicken is not difficult, you just have to be patient with the longer cooking time.  However, if you put in the time on a Sunday afternoon, not only can you create a wonderful, warm, healthy dinner for that night, but the left-over chicken can be used in a variety of quick and easy recipes for later in the week.  Hence, dinner for Sunday, lunches for the rest of the week. (more…)

Chicken Fajitas

Scott and I love to play games, and when you live in New England in the winter time, inviting neighbors over on a cold night beats the bar any day (not like we go to the bar in good weather, but you get the point).  I love to entertain, but a lot people shy away because they believe you have to go all out and produce a 5-course French menu any time you have guests.  That is simply not the case.  Casual entertaining is a whole other ball game.  With less fussy menus (however not less tasty) and more do-ahead friendly dishes, not only are you guests at ease with a casual atmosphere, but more importantly, you the host are relaxed.

For our last game night, I decided to serve Chicken Fajitas.  I love all Mexican food, but I especially love to serve fajitas.  Whenever I have a big crowd to feed (I made these for a Superbowl party one year) I turn to buffet style.  Buffets are usually easier when entertaining and fajitas are great because they also offer “make your own”  component to the evening.   Its a great way to get your guests up and moving, talking and mingling.  Also, most people enjoy participating in dinner and feel like they are “helping” by simply being able to create their own plates – they aren’t being waited on and again the atmosphere is taken down a notch. (more…)