Kinda Sesame Noodles

Serves 2-4
½ pound cold cooked spaghetti
¼ cup sesame oil
1/3 cup smooth peanut butter
1½ tablespoons white or rice vinegar
½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
2 tablespoons sugar
1 cup broth or water
1 minced jalapeno, seeds and veins removed
2 cucumbers, chopped (salad bar)
2 scallions, trimmed and minced
¼ cup minced cilantro
Toss spaghetti with the sesame oil. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour.
In a large bowl, combine remaining non-vegetable ingredients. Add the cold spaghetti and toss well. Add the cucumbers, scallions, and cilantro, toss and serve.
You could add cold shredded chicken and or thinly sliced cabbage or lettuce.
Add hot sauce or more red pepper flakes, if it’s not spicy enough

Hearty Chicken Noodle Soup with homemade Chicken stock

Serves 4 to 6.
Stock
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 pound ground chicken
1 onion chopped
1 carrot chopped
1 celery rib chopped
2 quarts low-sodium chicken broth
2 bay leaves
2 chicken breasts

Soup

1 onion chopped
2 carrots chopped
1 celery rib chopped
8 ounces tagliatelle
Salt and Pepper
Dried English mustard


For the stock:
Heat oil in large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add ground chicken, onion, carrot, and celery. Cook, stirring frequently, until chicken is no longer pink, 5 to 10 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-low. Add broth, bay leaves, and chicken breasts; cover and cook for 30 minutes. Remove chicken breasts and set aside. Continue to simmer stock for 20 minutes. Strain stock through fine-mesh strainer into large pot.
For the soup:
Brown onion, carrots,and celery in oil. Add broth to vegetables. Add pasta and continue to cook until pasta is cooked. Shred chicken meat with fingers or 2 forks. Add shredded chicken, Season with salt and pepper; in the bottom of each owl put 1/2 teaspoon or so of dried mustard. spoon soup over mustard and serve.

Eggplant “sandwiches”

1 small eggplant
Garlic
Feta Cheese
Cherry tomatoes
Olive oil for cooking
Good olive oil for drizzling

Preheat oven to 350

Slice “hips” off opposite sides of eggplant and then slice lengthwise into three or four sections.

Chop garlic

Chop cherry tomatoes in half and salt them.

Heat pan over medium heat and sauté

Eggplant in olive oil until tender. Drain on paper towels.

Sauté garlic for one minute then add tomatoes and stir until they start to break up

In oven proof dish or sauté pan, layer eggplant slice, top with garlic and tomato and then crumbled feta. Top with eggplant slice

Once all are assembled, place in oven for 15 minutes. Rest for 5 minutes

Serve with salad

1-2 servings

half hour

Pasta with Eggplant Sauce

Easy but exotic

1 or 2 eggplant(s)
Salt for salting eggplant
Lots of cooking Olive oil
1 recipe worth of Lonely Guy Sauce
1 pound pasta

If you have not already made Lonely Guy Sauce, do it now.

Slice eggplant lengthwise into 1½" slices. Salt well and stand in colander of sink for ½ hour. Rinse well and dry on paper towels.

Put water on to boil for pasta. Add oil to skillet and sauté eggplant all on sides until well browned (even blackened). Don’t crowd the pan, so this may take several batches. Drain on paper towels.

When cool enough to handle, cut eggplant slices into 1 1’2" cubes and add to fully cooked warm sauce.

When pasta is done drain, return to pan, pour sauce over pasta. blend and serve.

I don’t like parmesan with this recipe.

2-4 servings

45 minutes

You could add red pepper flakes. You could add Anchovy paste.

Kinda Mu Shoo

Cutting some corners here, but end result is close enough

Packaged Cole slaw mix, rinsed and drained
2 cloves garlic chopped
1 bunch scallions, cleaned and cut finely
1 package firm tofu, cut into ½" cubes and drained on paper towels
Hoisin Sauce
Flour tortillas
Cooking oil

Heat Oil in large sauté pan until hot

Add Cole slaw mix and sauté until softened. Add tofu and stir to mix and warm.

Warm tortilla in microwave according to instructions.

Spread 1 TBS Hoisin on warm Tortilla. Spoon on veggie mix. Fold up one perpendicular side and roll up crossways.

2 servings

20 min

You can add chopped ground beef, pork or lamb or leftover chicken instead of tofu
Could also add scrambled egg.

Peas and bacon

1.2 slice of thick bacon, cut into 1/8 inch squares
1/2 package of frozen peas

The sweetness of the peas pairs nicely with the saltiness of the bacon.

I use the thick slab bacon as it has better flavor and texture. After you open the package, separate bacon into two slice stacks and wrap with plastic wrap and freeze. It will keep indefinitely in the freezer and you can take out whole slices or just cut off some as in this recipe.

Brown bacon pieces in sauce pan until dark and crunchy. Add peas and stir to coat in bacon fat. remove from heat and let peas cook for a couple of minutes.

Yum Yum

Many Mushroom Stew

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
1 pound assorted mixed mushrooms (cremini, shitake, even button) cut into largish pieces
1/2 cup chopped carrot
1 onion, chopped
garlic, minced
1/2 cup red wine
1 cup broth
Black pepper
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 tablespoon anchovy paste
1/4 teaspoon thyme
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
Papardelle or tagliatelle

Heat the one tablespoon of the olive oil and one tablespoon of butter in a sauce pan over high heat. Sear the mushrooms until they begin to darken and turn dark color on the edges, about 5 minutes. Remove from pan.

Add more olive oil. Add carrots, onions, thyme, and lots of black pepper into the pan and cook for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onions are lightly browned. Add the garlic and cook for just one more minute. Add flour and stir until it turns to paste. Add Tomato paste and Anchovy paste and stir to mix

Add the wine to the pot, scraping any stuck bits off the bottom, and stir until alcohol smell is gone, a couple of minutes. Add back the mushrooms with any juices that have collected and the broth. Simmer for 20 minutes, or until mushrooms are very tender.

Season to taste.

To serve, spoon the stew over a bowl of cooked pasta.

Serves 4

Great with peas and bacon.

Sweet and spicy chicken thighs

Chicken thighs are:
-way cheaper than breasts
-are easier to cook
-have more flavor.

4-6 chicken thighs, skinless and boneless
Oil

For dipping sauce:
2 -3 TBS sugar
2-3 TBS cider or white vinegar
Red pepper flakes to taste
1 clove garlic minced
I TBS canola oil

Make dipping sauce

Heat Oil in microwave proof bowl for 1-2 minutes. Add Garlic and steep for three minutes.

Add sugar and vinegar and stir. Cook in microwave for 2-3 minutes until it boils. Watch that it does not boil over.

Add red Pepper and set aside.

Heat Oil in sauce pan over medium heat.

Sauté Thighs, turning, until done 6-9 minutes. Let rest for few minutes and serve.

Dip slices of thighs into sauce


1-2 servings

20 min

If you have Asian fish sauce (nam pla), marinate thighs in a couple of tablespoons before cooking

Thick pork chop

The problem with pork today is that all the fat has been bred out. And the fat is where the flavor and moisture is. The recipe attempts to make moist flavorful chops.

1 thick (1”) pork chop, as marbled as you can fined with bone on.
Oil
1-2 cloves garlic
½ cup white wine
Salt and pepper

Heat oil in pan until smoking. Salt and pepper chop. Place in center of pan and cook for 3 minutes to make a nice brown crust. Turn chop over, turn heat to lowest setting. Add garlic for 1 minute and then add wine and closely cover. Cook slowly for 10 minutes until meat is cooked through. Remove meat to plate and turn heat back to high until pan juices are reduced to syrup-like quality. Pour over chop and serve.

Great with Brussels sprouts and Henry's favorite Macaroni and Cheese

1 serving

15 minutes

Chimichurri

1 cup packed fresh parsley leaves, finely chopped
½ cup fresh Mint, finely chopped
1/2 cup fresh basil, finely chopped
5 medium cloves garlic, peeled and finely chopped
3/4 cup best extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 cup lemon juice
Salt
Red pepper flakes

Steep garlic in olive oil for 1 hour. Blend rest of ingredients and steep for half hour.
Spoon over grilled meat or fish.

This is only good fresh

10 servings

2 hours

Sword fish Kabobs

½ pound swordfish chunk (cheaper than buy whole slices)
1 sweet onion, quartered
½ lemon, sliced

Separate onion into pieces, with 2-3 layers of onion in each piece
Thread swordfish chunk onto skewer. Then thread onion and lemon piece, repeat until all Swordfish is on skewer. End with swordfish piece

Grill or broil kabob, turn every three minute for 9 minutes total or until fish is cooked through.

Serve with Chimichurri sauce

1 serving

10 minutes

Pork and green chili stew

Good to make on Sunday afternoon while watching the Pats win. Freeze leftovers and have during the week

3 lbs. Pork stew meat, cut into 1½" cubes
Oil
2 onions, medium chopped
6 cloves of garlic
1 TBS dried oregano
2 15 oz. cans Tomatillos (tomatoes verdes)
2 4 oz. cans green chilies (not jalapeño)
Bunch of cilantro, stems removed and chopped
1 can chicken broth

Heat oil in pot and brown pork in batches until well browned on most sides. As meat browns, set onto clean plate

Add onion and sauté 3 minutes; add garlic and oregano and sauté for 1 more minute.

Add tomatillos, breaking up in your hand. Add half chopped cilantro and broth. Return pork to pot, bring to a boil and simmer for 1½ hours.

Stir in remaining Cilantro and rest for ½ hour or longer.

Good over tagaliatelle or egg noodles


4-8 servings

3 hr

Variation: Add a cup or two of frozen corn at the end.

Zucchini, Raisins and Pine Nut Pasta sauce

butter
olive oil
zucchini (1 large per person)
garlic
salt and pepper
2–3 tablespoons Marsala
¼ cup golden raisins
2 TBS pine nuts, toasted in dry pan until golden
Pasta
Parmesan
parsley, chopped



Heat the butter and oil in a heavy-based saucepan, and cut the zucchini into small cubes before adding them to the pan. add minced garlic and salt and pepper. Cook over a low to medium heat for about 45 minutes or so until zucchini starts to break down

Warm the Marsala, pour it over the raisina for about 15 minutes, or longer if you want. Once the zucchini are cooked, stir the sultanas and their juices into them. Taste for seasoning.

Cook the pasta according to package instructions, then drain. Add the zucchini mixture and fold and toss to combine. Sprinkle over the pine nuts, Parmesan and the chopped parsley.

Serve.

Ruben Blades’ Black Beans

This is really, really, really good

1 28 oz. can black beans
2 14 oz. cans chicken broth
Cooking oil
1 onion chopped
1 jalapeno, seeded and chopped
Bunch of cilantro, stemmed and chopped
1 TBS balsamic vinegar
1 TBS sugar
1 TBS soy sauce
1 TBS oregano
1 TBS dried orange peel
4 cloves of garlic chopped

Heat oil in pot. Sauté onion for 3 minutes. Add Garlic and jalapeno and cook for one more minute. Add half of cilantro, Balsamic, soy, sugar, orange peel and stir to mix for 1 minute.

Add beans and juice bring to boil and simmer for 1 hour.

Stir in remaining cilantro and serve with rice.


2-4 servings

You can make this a soup. Add more broth and garnish with chopped hard eggs and raw onion.

Sauté a ham steak, and cut into bite size pieces and add for a more hearty meal

Fried rice

Great use for leftover takeout rice or make some ahead and use cold

2 TBS oyster sauce
1 TSP soy sauce
2 TBS oil
1 eggs, beaten lightly (optional)
½ cup frozen peas
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups cooked white rice (cold), large clumps broken up with fingers
Couple of scallions, sliced thin or use sliced onion from salad bar

Combine oyster sauce and soy sauce in small bowl; set aside.

Heat pan over medium heat until hot, about 2 minutes;

Add oil and swirl to coat pan bottom. Add egg (if using)and cook without stirring, about 20 seconds, then scramble and break into small pieces with wooden spoon; continue to cook, stirring constantly, until eggs are cooked through but not browned, about 1 minute longer. Transfer eggs to small bowl and set aside.

Return skillet to burner, increase heat to high, and heat skillet until hot, about 2 minutes. Add remaining 2½ tablespoons oil and swirl to coat pan bottom. Add peas and cook, stirring constantly, 30 seconds; stir in garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add rice and oyster sauce mixture; cook, stirring constantly and breaking up rice clumps, until mixture is heated through, about 3 minutes. Add eggs and scallions; cook, stirring constantly, until heated through, about 1 minute. Serve immediately.

1-2 servings

10 min

Variations at the end:
Add cooked chopped meat
Add other frozen vegetables
Add leftover Chinese food
Hot sauce is good here too

Jammy Cherry Tomatoes

Cherry Tomatoes

garlic

Balsamic vinegar

Olive oil

Cut Cherry tomatoes in half and salt. The salt makes them sweeter.

Mince garlic. Heat oil in pan and saute garlic until it begins to color. Add tomatoes and stir to coat. Saute 3 minutes until tomatoes start to break down. Torn off heat and move pan to coll side of stove. Add splash of Balsamic and let cook down a bit. Stir to coat and serve.

Creamy Garlic Beans

Garlic
Cooking olive oil
Drizzling olive oil
Can of cannellini beans
Rosemary

Mince garlic. Heat Oil in pan and saute garlic until it begins to color. Add Rosemary. Add canned beans and the juices. Add 1/2 can of water. Bring to a boil and the turn to lowest simmer for 1/2 hour.
Beans should be very soft and begin to fall apart. beans should have consistency of soft mashed potatoes. If not there yet, turn heat up for a few minutes.
Serve, drizzled with best olive oil

This goes really well with grilled meats or veggies

Sausage, white bean and greens soup

Whole sausages in soup are in chunks that are too big, so I squeezed the meat out of the casings. There was creamy sausage in every spoonful!

1/2 pound sweet Italian sausage removed from casing
1 can cannellini beans
Garlic, minced
red pepper flakes
1/2 package Arugula
Olive oil
1 onion chopped
1 quart chicken broth

Heat oil in pot and saute sausage meat, red pepper flakes and garlic, breaking up sausage into small pieces until it starts to brown around the edges and is no longer pink. Remove from pot, leaving all the fat in the pan and reserve sausage meat.
Add onions and more garlic to pot and saute until it starts to brown. Add chicken broth and bring to boil. Add beans and its juice and return pot to boil, simmer 10 minutes.
Return meat to pot and return to simmer. Add arugula and stir until wilted, about 2 minutes.

Serve with red pepper flakes an EVOO.

Serves 2 (or one hungry boy).

Instead of arugula you could use baby spinach, swiss chard, beet greens or frozen peas.

Gateau Viande (aka meatloaf)

This is cheap and simple comfort food and makes a great sandwich the next day

1 pound "meat loaf mix” (⅓ each of veal, pork and beef)
1 small onion finely chopped
2 garlic cloves finely chopped
1 TBS butter
1 cup bread crumbs or 1 piece of bread chopped fine
1 egg
Salt and pepper
½ cup ketchup

Preheat oven to 425 degrees

Heat butter in pan and sauté onion and garlic until soft, 5 minutes. cool.

In mixing bowl, combine meat mix, onion, garlic, bread crumbs, salt, pepper and egg. Don’t mix too much but make sure it is mixed.

Form a loaf in Pyrex pan or other baking pan. Pour ketchup over top of loaf.

Bake 30 minutes until fully cooked.

Rest 5 minutes and serve


2-3 servings

45 min

Good with a baked potatoes and peas

Uncle Matt’s Real Deal Chili

Cooking oil
3 lbs. onions, chopped
!0 cloves of garlic, chopped
1 ½ lbs ground chuck
1 ½ lbs ground pork
1/2 jar of Mexican Chili spice
1 TBS salt
1 jar ground cumin
1-2 chipotle peppers
2 28 oz. cans whole tomatoes, crushed in your hand
1 can beer

Heat oil in Dutch oven and add onions. Turn heat to high until they really begin to sizzle, stir and then turn to simmer and cover for 20 minutes.
Remove cover, add garlic, stir and turn to high until onions begin to burn and turn brown.
Add ground meats and stir to break up clumps. Add spices and tomatoes, Stir, bring to boil and then turn to simmer. Cover and simmer for 3 hours. Turn off heat and allow pot to cool. Refrigerate over night.
The next morning, put on stove and turn to simmer. Allow to heat up over time slowly. After an hour or so, Turn heat to high, add beer and after it comes to a boil turn to simmer, until done, a couple more hours.
Adjust seasonings and fish out chipotle.
The chili will benefit from sitting over night again, if you can wait that long.
If it is too spicy, add kidney beans or serve over cooked macaroni.

Chicken and Rice

Simple, filling and good left over

1½ pounds of Boneless Skinless Chicken thighs, cut into 1" pieces
Cooling Olive oil
1 cup chopped onion
At least 1-2 garlic cloves chopped
½ cup long grain rice
¼ cup white wine
1 14 oz. can chicken broth
½ cup peas (from salad bar or frozen)
½ cup corn (from salad bar or frozen)

Heat oil in pan over high heat. Brown chicken, stirring for 3 minutes. Add onions and stir for 3 minutes. Add garlic and cook for one more minute

Add rice and stir for 1 minute. Add wine and boil until “winey” smell gone, about 1 minute. Add broth, bring to boil and then turn to simmer, covered, for 15 minutes.

Add peas and corn and serve


4 servings

1 half hour

Add lemon juice and or red pepper flakes if you have it at end

Buffalo chicken salad

Go to salad bar and make salad of lettuce, tomatoes, corn and cheese. Get ranch or bleu cheese dressing in separate container.

Go to KFC and get 3 chicken strips (or 6 if you are hungry). Discard biscuit.

At home, chop strips into bite size pieces and place in bowl.

Add bottled hot sauce like Crystal or Frank’s to strips.

Toss strips and lettuce together and dress with dressing.

Chicken Noodle or Rice soup

Good for when you have a cold and your mommy is not there to take care of you

4 14 oz. can chicken broth
½ cup carrots (salad bar)
¼ cup celery (salad bar)
¼ cup onion (salad bar)
½ package of wide noodles or 1 cup rice

Add Broth to cold pan with veggies.

bring to boil and simmer for 5 minutes

Add noodles or rice and cook according to package.

If necessary add water.

2-3 servings

20 min

You can add cooked chicken (salad bar) if you want.

Grilled Cheese Sandwich

Just like Saturday lunch at Mom’s

4 slices hearty bread
Good Cheddar cheese, sliced to fit on bread
Butter

Heat heavy bottom pan over moderate heat

Place cheese between slices of bread

Butter top slice and then put buttered side down in pan for 3 minutes.

Butter uncooked side and flip.

Cook three more minutes

Slice sandwich in thirds and serve with pickles.

Serve with Campbell’s canned Tomato soup. Dunking encouraged!

1 serving

10 min

Variations
Add slice of ham
Add sliced tomatoes
Add cooked bacon

Miracle fish soup

This one is real easy and comes together very quickly. Great to impress your friends.

I call it a miracle becasue when it first read the recipe that was the genesis of this one, I said to myself no way this can work. Cold ingredients in a cold pot--yeah, right!

2 pounds cod or hake or haddock
Juice of two limes (at least)
1 teaspoon (at least) red pepper flakes
4 cloves (at least) garlic roughly chopped
1 ½ pounds Cherry tomatoes (parboiled and peeled)
1 large sweet onion roughly chopped
1 red bell pepper and 1 yellow bell pepper, somewhat peeled and roughly chopped
2 cans Cannellini beans
1 cup chopped cilantro
½ cup chopped parsley
½ cup good olive oil

Marinate fish in Olive oil, lime juice, garlic and red pepper flakes for at least an hour and up to 4.

Put tomatoes in bottom of cold pot. Add onions, peppers and beans. Add Fish and pour marinate into pot.

Bring to boil and then simmer 20 minutes, until vegetables have softened and released their juices and fish is barely cooked through(about 20 minutes)

Stir in herbs and serve with crusty bread and green salad

6 servings


5 hours, only 1/2 hour cooking

You can use a 28 oz. can of tomatoes instead of the cherry tomatoes

Fish in Foil

You can’t screw this up. Impress your friends!

For each package:
½ lb firm fish like tilapia or salmon
Parsley or cilantro sprig
Slice of Lemon
Onion, thinly sliced
Slice of jalapeño
1 TSP olive oil
One strip of aluminum foil, cut at 6"

Tear off Foil strip

Pour oil near one end

Place lemon, jalapeño, sprig, onion on top of oil.

Place fish on top of vegetables,

Fold foil in half over fish and fold each edge up to seal. This package can wait in fridge until you are ready to cook.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Bake package on sheet or in oven proof pan for 15 minutes.

Remove from oven and let sit for 5 minutes to cool.

Put package on plate. Holding on end of the package, cut opposite end with clean scissors and allow contents to slide out onto plate.

Serve with rice, veggie and salad


10 min to assemble, 20 minutes to cook

You can add to packages:
Sliced tomatoes
Chopped mushrooms

Beer Can Chicken

I know. I know. More beer wasted, but this time you get to drink some!

1 3½-4 lb. Kosher chicken (Empire is very good)
Salt and pepper
1 can beer
2 bay leaves
Pam

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Open beer. Drink ⅓. (Hooray for beer!)

Punch a couple of extra holes in top of can. Push bay leaves into can.

Slide the chicken over the can so that the drumsticks reach down to the bottom of the can and the chicken stands upright.

Set chicken into roasting pan and put in oven. Turn oven down to 350. Spray every 15 minutes with Pam. roast until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh registers 170 to 175 degrees, About 1 hour, and 15 minutes total.

With a large wad of paper towels in each hand, transfer the chicken to a platter or tray, making sure to keep the can upright; let rest for 15 minutes. Using wads of paper towels carefully lift the chicken off the can and onto a platter or cutting board. Discard the remaining beer and can. Carve the chicken and serve.


3-4 servings

2 hours

Baked Potato

1 potato per serving
Pam
Kosher salt
Butter


Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Spray potato with Pam and press into kosher salt.

Bake 1 hour, spraying with Pam every 15 minutes.

Slice open and add butter.

Yields as many as you make

1 hour

Top with:
Bacon chopped
Cheddar cheese
Sour Cream
Plain Yogurt
Pesto
Chili
Lonely Guy Sauce
Sauteed hamburger meat

Aunt Susan’s Fish

Quick Sauté of Sole fillets

⅓-½ lb. Sole fillets (Flounder OK)
Bread Crumbs
Butter

Heat sauté pan over high heat. Add butter and turn to medium. Dip fillets in bread crumbs, shaking off excess.

When butter melted and starting to turn brown, carefully add fillets. Cook on one side for 1 minute. Carefully turn and cook for one minute on the other side. Serve with lemon wedges

1 serving

Goes great with sautéed spinach

Potato soup

This is cheap, easy and really, really good comfort food
1-2 TBS butter
1 Yukon potato, unpeeled and sliced in 1/4” slices
1 small onion diced
1 can broth
Salt and pepper
Melt butter in pan over medium heat. Add onion and sauté 5 minutes until softened.
Add Potato and stir to coat. Add salt and lots of pepper.
Add broth, bring to boil and simmer until potato is cooked and crumbling, about 15 minutes.
Serves 1
My family used to argue about whether the potato should be sliced or diced.
Since this is my blog, I went with sliced.

American Chop Suey

Another great one pan meal.

1 lb. ground chuck
Cooking oil
1 onion chopped
2-3 cloves of garlic
Red pepper flakes
Pinch allspice (if you have it)
Pinch cinnamon (if you have it)
1½ tsp oregano
1 15 oz can tomato sauce
1 lb. shaped pasta
½ lb. fresh mozzarella, cut into ½" cubes
Parmesan

Heat oil in skillet and brown meat breaking up into small clumps.

Remove meat and set aside, leaving oil in pan. Sauté onion for three minutes. Add garlic for 1 minute. Return meat to pan, stir in spices, add tomato sauce and water if necessary to cover meat mix.

Simmer 20 minutes.

Boil water for pasta and cook according to instructions. Drain, return to pot. Add meat sauce and mozzarella and stir, till mixed and mozzarella softened.

Serve with Parmesan

2-4 servings

half hour

Almost Meze

Using prepared foods from grocery/deli, make a cheap and hearty meal

From deli:
Prepared Hummus
Roasted pepper cut into ½” slices
Olives

From salad bar:
Tomatoes
Scallions
Cucumbers or Cucumber and Yogurt salad
Carrot

Pita bread

Oil (Pam is helpful)
Dried Oregano
Salt

Warm up toaster oven and set to broil.

Split open Pita and spray with Pam and sprinkle on oregano and salt

Broil until brown on edges

Chop pepper. Put all your veggie ingredients on Pita.

5 minutes

Henry’s Favorite macaroni and cheese

No baking involved. Easy clean up and you can eat it right out the pan. Use a fork please.

1 pound shaped pasta
2-3 TBS butter, softened
1½ cups Grated cheddar cheese
¼ cup grated parmesan

Cook pasta according to package instructions in lots of well salted water.

Drain and return to pan.

Add butter and stir to melt.

Scatter cheddar over pasta and blend gently.

Add Parmesan and blend.

Eat.

1-4 servings

20 minutes

You could sauté a ham steak (it's near the bacon in the grocery) until warmed and then cut into 1/2” pieces and add after cheese. You could also stir in frozen peas

Henry’s favorite pork chops

I always had to make an extra serving...

½ lb. very thin pork chops
Cooking oil
1 TSP rosemary
1 clove garlic
Salt and Pepper
¼ cup white wine

Heat oil in pan to hot.

Dry chops on paper towels. Sprinkle salt and pepper and rosemary on chops.

Sauté 1½ minutes on each side, pressing into pan to brown well.

Move to plate and cover with inverted plate.

Turn heat to medium, Add garlic and stir for one minute. Add Wine, turn heat back to high and reduce by half. Pour over chops.

Serve with Mac and cheese

1 serving

Best Salad Dressing ever

This is a very good, versatile recipe. In Italian, It’s Salsina Di Pepe Nero

Juice of lemon
Zest of 1 lemon
at least 4 garlic cloves, minced
1 TBS (yes, tablespoon) Freshly ground pepper
½ cup champagne vinegar
1½ cups EVOO

If you don’t have a lemon zester (and why not??) use a vegetable peeler.

Don’t go too deep. Zest before juicing--lemon will be firmer.

Combine all ingredients and let stand at least one hour.

Mix, Strain and dress your salad

2 cups

5 min

Strain all solids out and store in clean peanut butter jar in fridge. Refrigerated it will keep for months

Lonely Guy Spaghetti Sauce

I used to make this for myself when I lived apart from the family, during one of my numerous job changes

This sauce (and its variations) appears in many of my recipes.

Half an hour to a simple and delicious meal. Great base for variations

Garlic, chopped (a couple of cloves)

28 oz. can plum tomatoes (San Marzano best) $2

I pound pasta ($1.50)

Good (not best) Olive Oil, couple tablespoons

Start lots of well salted water to boil

Chop garlic

Heat Olive oil in sauce pan.

Add Garlic and stir for a couple of minutes until golden.

Add tomato juice first and then crush tomatoes in can with your hand and add to sauce pan.

Bring to boil and simmer 25 minutes.

When pasta water boils, add pasta and cook according to directions on package.

Drain and mix with sauce.

4 servings

Half hour

Variations:

Add chopped fresh basil

Add Grilled Sausages

Add Red Pepper flakes

Add Anchovies

Add canned tuna in oil