quick and easy meals for 1 or 2

Chicken Saltimbocca

 

serves 6. 

I purposely made the recipe for some extra.  Freezes great in a zip loc with some of the sauce in each bag.

6 small chicken breasts, pounded to about 3/8” thick

Salt and black pepper

6 paper-thin slices prosciutt ,,boiled ham will work in a pinch

1 (10-ounce) box frozen chopped spinach, thawed

olive oil

1/4 cup grated Parmesan  cheese

1 (14-ounce) can low-salt chicken broth

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

about ¼ cup of white wine or red if your feeling adventurous

Sprinkle the chicken with salt and pepper. Lay 1 slice of prosciutto on each chicken cutlet.

Squeeze the frozen spinach to remove the excess water. Season the spinach with salt and pepper. In a small bowl, toss the spinach with 1 about a tblsp of oil to coat.

Arrange an even, thin layer of spinach on the prosciutto slices. Sprinkle the Parmesan evenly over each.(sometimes I put a slice of mozzarella or provolone on also). Beginning at the short tapered end, roll up each chicken cutlet like for a jellyroll. Tie it up with a toothpick.

Heat about 2 tablespoons of oil in a heavy large frying pan over high heat. Add the chicken and cook just until golden brown, about 2 minutes per side. Add the chicken broth, lemon juice and the wine. Scrape the browned bits off the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon. Bring the liquid to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium. Cover and simmer until the chicken is just cooked through, about 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a platter. Simmer the cooking liquid over high heat until it is reduced to about 2/3 cup, about 5 minutes. Season the cooking liquid with salt and pepper, to taste. Remove toothpicks from the chicken. Drizzle the reduced cooking liquid over the chicken and

SERVE IT UP!!!! With some pasta aglia e olio, salad, crusty Italian bread and the rest of that wine and maybe another bottle.

quick and easy meals for 1 or 2

Italian Chicken Soup..

This is sorta like Chinese egg drop soup , but, 'ay it’s Italian,,,ya know wat I mean? With a some salad, some good crusty Italian bread and some wine it makes a good, fast meal. Also, let the leftovers cool, then into Ziplocs and into the freezer for some great outtta the freezer and into the nuker quick and easy meals.

3-4 cups cooked chicken cubed or pulled from a rotisserie chicken

6 cups chicken broth 

2 large eggs

2 tablespoons grated Parmesan

2 tblsp chopped fresh or 1 Tbsp. dried parsley

2 tblsp chopped fresh or 1 tbsp. dried basil leaves

1 cup lightly packed spinach leaves, cut in thin strips

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Bring the broth to a boil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. In a bowl, whisk the eggs, cheese, parsley, and basil to blend. Add the chicken to the broth. Cook for 1 minute. Reduce the heat to medium-low. Stir the broth in a circular motion. Gradually drizzle the egg mixture into the moving broth, stirring gently with a fork to form thin strands about 1 minute. Stir in the spinach, then season the soup, to taste, with salt and pepper.

Ladle the soup into bowls and serve.

quick and easy meals for 1 or 2

This a recipe from our friend Butch. It makes a lot of it but it freezes good for a no brainer some weeknight. I'll let Butch tell you about it.

This recipe is easy to make using leftover chicken. Feel free to
substitute cooked ground beef or chopped steak.
 
2 1/2 cups chicken, cooked, shredded
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 tablespoon chili powder
16 ounces salsa
1/2 teaspoon cumin
pinch of salt
6 − 10 inch flour tortillas
1 cup refried beans
Olive oil (for basting)
Sour Cream
Guacamole
 
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.  In a large saucepan, saute
onion and garlic in oil until tender.  Stir in chili powder, salsa,
and cumin. Stir in shredded chicken. Let cool.  
 
Grease rimmed 15 x 10 x 1 baking pan.  Working with one tortilla at
a time, spoon a heaping tablespoon of beans down center of each
tortilla. Top with a scant 1/2 cup of the chicken mixture. Fold up
the bottom, top and sides of tortilla; secure with wooden
toothpicks if necessary.
 
Place chimichangas in greased baking pan, seam side down. Brush all
sides with the oil. Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown and
crisp, turning every 5 minutes.  Serve with sour cream and
guacamole.
 
Serves 8-10

quick and easy meals for 1 or 2

Quick marinated pork chops, onions and wine sauce

2-4 sorta thick pork chops
some good olive oil
about 2 tbsp. butter
red wine
1 whole orange (or lemon or lime)
half  of a med sized onion or about 8-10 pearl onions
some rosemary fresh is great but dried will work in a pinch
salt and pepper
flour for dredging

Put the pork chops in a big bowl. Put in about 2 swirls off olive oil. 2 good splashes of red wine. cut the orange (or lemon or lime) in half and squeeze the juice in with the pork chops. Put in the skins as well. Mix it all up so all the chops get coated. Slice up the onion in sorta wide slices or if pearls just cut off the ends and peel them. Heat up a frying pan big enough to handle the chops with a couple of swirls of olive oil. The thicker the chops slightly more oil is needed. Coat the chops with some salt and pepper.Dredge them in some flour. Cook them in the pan just turning once. Put the onions in with the chops when you turn the m over. When the chops are done remove them and put on a plate on the back of the stove to keep warm. Add the butter and rosemary (a couple of sprigs of fresh or about a tbsp. of dried)  Add the wine and kinda scape the bottom  the pan with whatever you used to turn the chop to "deglaze" it. When the wine is reduced some and thickened pour it all over the chops and serve.

I usually fry some potatoes while I'm doing all this and get a salad ready in between turns and stuff.

SERVE IT UP!! with some good crusty bread and the rest of that red wine and maybe another bottle!!

quick and easy meals for 1 or 2

 Gammy is still up in Texas cuddling our new grandbaby and our friends Butch and Janie had me over for a fast supper. This is what Janie made. I've had Aztec (tortilla) soup before, but never this good. This was the best ever!! This is Janie's recipe in her words.

6 corn tortillas, cut into strips                            1 can tomatoes (303) with liquid
2 TBL. Olive Oil                                                1 tsp. salt
1 onion, chopped                                             1/4 tsp. pepper
1 garlic clove, minced                                        1 tsp. chili powder
2 red chili pods, stems and seeds removed            1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese
  ( dried can be used but fresh much better)
3 Cups chicken broth (see note)

    Cut tortillas into 1/2-inch strips and set aside.  Saute the onion, garlic, and chili in the hot oil until tender.  Add all the other ingredients except tortillas and cheese and simmer for about 30 minutes.  Add the tortillas and continue simmering for another 30 minutes.

  I like to boil chicken and use the stock for this recipe add chopped chicken as much as you like.  I also add 1 can of whole kernel corn , drained. The chicken and corn should be added  for the last 30 min. of simmering. Serve with extra corn chips, avacado slices and sour cream and cheese.  Freezes very well ( usually  make a double batch).

Experiment you can use any veggies or meat you like in this recipe.

quick and easy meals for 1 or 2

Roast Pork Loin and Gravy with Roasted Veggies and Potatoes

This is a real good Sunday thing and not too labor intensive. This recipe serves 8-10 people. You could do the math and make it for fewer (or more!)

     5 pound boneless pork loin roast

     Extra virgin olive oil for drizzling

     Salt and black pepper

     1 tbsp. dried thyme

     2 pounds baby carrots

     2 small or 1 large head cauliflower, cut into florets, each floret cut in half

     8 baking potatoes, peeled and chopped into bite-size cubes

     3 tablespoons butter

     2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

     4 tablespoons flour

     1 quart chicken stock (broth)

     Zest of 1 orange

     1/2 cup flat leaf parsley leaves (a couple of handfuls), roughly chopped or      2 tbsp. dried

     3 scallions, green and white parts finely chopped

Pre-heat the oven 425°F.

Place the pork roast in a roasting pan or on a cookie sheet. Drizzle thoroughly with some olive oil and season liberally with the salt and pepper. Sprinkle with the thyme. Transfer to the oven and roast for 45-60 minutes, until the internal temperature is 145°F. Remove from the oven and let the roast rest for 10 minutes before slicing.

Arrange the baby carrots, cauliflower and potatoes between three cookie sheets. Drizzle everything liberally with olive oil and some salt and pepper.

Transfer the veggies to the oven about 30 minutes before you are ready to take out the pork roast. Roast them for about 40 minutes, until tender.

For the gravy, place the butter in a medium size saucepan over medium-high heat and let it melt. Once melted, add the garlic and cook for one minute. Add the flour and stir to combine with the fat and continue to cook for one minute. Whisk in the chicken stock, bring up to a bubble and cook until thick. Put a lid on the gravy and put it on the back of the stove until ready to serve.

While everything is roasting away in the oven, combine the orange zest, chopped parsley and chopped scallions in a bowl and put aside.

Thinly slice the pork and arrange it next to the veggies.  Pour about one cup of gravy over the roasted pork; serve the rest for the potatoes. Sprinkle the platter with the saved herb mixture and

SERVE IT UP!!! With maybe some red wine and pop pop’s homemade bread

quick and easy meals for 1 or 2

Pork chop Pizziola

Well Gammy is up in Texas cuddling our new grandbaby and visiting so I had to do a quick and easy meal for just 1 :( Well, the puppies helped me a little.

First the garlic bread. I mashed a clove of garlic then crushed it with the side of the knife. Took about a tbsp. of butter and mashed it on the cutting board. added the garlic, a little parmesan cheese and a little basil. Smoothed it all together and spread it on a couple slices of Italian bread. Toasted them in the toaster oven.

Put a little pot of water on for some pasta. I had some marinara sauce in the freezer. Broke off a piece and put it in another small pot with a little water and started it heating. I made a little salad of sliced tomatoes and onions.

Heated up a small frying pan with a little oil in it. Sprinkled some garlic powder and black pepper on one side of the pork chop and put it in the pan with the sprinkled side down then sprinkled the other side. Cooked the chop turning once until firm to the touch. The sauce was heated up so I just dumped it in the pan with the chop when it was done. The pasta was done so I drained it and put it on a plate with the chop and sauce. The bread was done , the salad was waiting for me. Of course I had some red wine. It was all good and took less than 30 min. Wish I had Gammy back here to cook for.

quick and easy meals for 1 or 2

Arrachera

We had some friends over the other night and as we do sort of regularly, had some arrachera. This is just flank or skirt steak that you marinate for a while before you put it on the grill. I've seen and heard of all different kinds of marinade. Everything from just beer and cumin to pineapple and cayenne pepper and some secrets that the cooks won't reveal. This is how we do it. Our friend, Butch, gives this his seal of approval. I bought 2 flank steaks, Each about 5 in. across and 10 in. long, some tortillas and some veggies.

Took a large zip lock bag opened it up and put it in a bowl with the opened side up (of course).

3/4 cup of good olive oil
3/4 cup red wine
about 1 1/2 tbsp. garlic powder
about a tbsp. black pepper
a few shakes of salt
a pinch of red pepper flakes
1 lime squeeze all the juice out of it and put the skins in also


All of that in the zip lock then the meat. fold the bag so you get all the air out and zip it shut. Squeeze and push on it to arrange the meat so it is lying flat when you lay the bag on it's side. Put it in the fridge, The longer the better. Overnight is good but a couple of hours works ok. The shorter the marinade time the tougher the meat is going to be,sooo, the shorter the time the thinner you have to be sure to slice the meat when it's done.

We always saute up some veggies to put on the tortillas with the arrachera.

2 poblamo peppers in slices
2 jalapeno peppers minced
3 cloves garlic minced
2 med. sized onions sliced or julienne
some broccoli cut into small pieces
some string beans
2 plum (roma) tomatoes diced

heated up a frying pan med high with a couple of swirls of olive oil.
Put the broccoli and string beans in first, let them get a little soft then the rest of the stuff. Got it all almost done and turned the heat off.

After we were had happy houred a little we lit the grill and after it was ready Butch grilled the meat. He turns the meat often. Says its his secret way of doing great grilling. After a little bit he put some more of the marinade on the steaks. Cook the steaks about 8-10 min. We like them a little pink inside. Remember the finger poke test? The firmer it is the more done it is.

When the steaks were almost done. I put the heat to the veggies and heated up the tortillas 3 at a time in a dry pan.The meat was done. I sliced it across the grain and thin.

It was great!! We took a tortilla, put a few slices of meat and some veggies on it and dug in!

quick and easy meals for 1 or 2

Impromptu pizza

We didn’t know what to do for supper tonight. No plans whatsoever. Has that ever happened to you? I decided on pizza someway some how.

Of course we had some bread dough as a result of Pop Pop’s homemade bread

We didn’t have any sauce in the freezer (can you believe it?) so we went this way.

Lit the oven for 450. put some sliced onions, garlic and diced up plum tomatoes in a frying pan. Added some salt and pepper. Cooked it up ‘til the onions and garlic were done but not brown.

Rolled out a hunk of bread dough to fit the size of the pizza pan we have. Let me go on a little. I took a hunk of dough a little bigger than my fist and kinda curled it into a ball. Then I rolled it out with a rolling pin (I’m no good at the tossing thing). Got it the size of the pan, lined the pan with flour and put it on. Spread the tomatoes onions, etc. on the dough. Added some of the rotisserie chicken we had leftover in the fridge. Put some basil, oregano, Parmesan cheese and drizzled it with a little olive oil. Put it in the oven. Cooked it 'til the crust was the way we liked it (a little crispy) and

served it up!!! Of course we had a little (or a lot) of red wine to help things work out OK!! P.S. our puppy s , Stella and Bubba, helped with some of the crust.

quick and easy meals for 1 or 2

Skillet meal

This makes for great leftovers. Just put in meal sized bunches in the freezer in zip locks. Nuke it for a quick good busy weeknight meal.

1 lb beef

1 green bell pepper chopped

1 (28 ounce) can diced tomatoes I like Progresso

1 medium onion chopped

1 teaspoon mustard powder if you have it 2 teaspoons mustard will work

1 tablespoon chili powder if you have it 1 ½ tsp red pepper flakes will work

2 tsp salt

2 tsp black pepper

1 1/2 cups rice. uncle Ben’s fast stuff or pasta will work good

get the rice (or pasta) going.

In a large frying pan over medium heat, add the beef. Bust it up real good and cook it until browned. Drain the juices.

Add the green pepper, onion and spices and cook until the veggies are soft.

Add the canned tomatoes and bring to a simmer. Simmer for about 5 minutes

Mix the rice or pasta into the pan and

SERVE IT UP!!! With some good bread for dipping and some wine!!

quick and easy meals for 1 or 2

Sauté

I’m going to go on and on about sautéing veggies with or without pasta added. We’ve done this so many different ways depending on what we have in the fridge at any time... Of course it all starts with the basic aglio e olio which is just pasta cooked up and garlic mashed and chopped up. Some olive oil in a frying pan, heat it up and add the garlic, salt and pepper. I always throw a little parsley in for color and flavor. Put in the pasta and away you go.

That’s the basic beginning of so many quick and easy meals you can make that are great and sooo easy to do.

Let’s go the next step to pasta primavera. Same idea just more ingredients. The basic veggies are peppers (red and/or green), onions and garlic. You might want to give a thought to color ie. Some red peppers, some green peppers, maybe some string beans, broccoli, carrots or some seeded tomatoes you can put in just about any veggie in the frying pan. Just remember, the harder the raw veggie the longer it needs to cook in the oil in the frying pan. When I use carrots I put them in first on med/low heat ‘til they start to get soft then the broccoli ‘til it softens up a little then the peppers, onions, zucchini, string beans, eggplant, etc. The last stuff you want to put in is the garlic, tomatoes and basil. I always squeeze a half of a lemon or lime on the veggies just before serving.

When the pasta is still a little chewy and not quite done strain it and put it in the pan at the same time as the garlic, etc. toss it all for about 2 minutes and it’s ready to serve. Oh yeh, a splash of white wine at garlic time is good too.

Now, what if we want a little fish or meat with this to make it a real good 1 plate (or bowl) Italian meal. When I use chicken I usually get a rotisserie chicken and just pull pieces off and put it in when I put in the garlic etc. If I use shrimp I, of course, peel and de-vein them before anything else, put them in some ice water with a few cubes and a squeezed lemon or lime. Then squeeze the extra water off and add them when I add the peppers etc. I’ve used mussels and or clams (it’s great). I put them in about broccoli time. If any of them don’t open throw those away. I’ve seen and used frozen cooked mussels. Found them in the frozen packaged fish section. All you have to do is warm them up so I added them when I added the garlic etc.

We used to eat in a real good Italian restaurant back up north that served traditional 5 course Italian meals. One of the courses was just sautéed veggies. (Peppers, onions, zucchini, eggplant and garlic) It was good, but not as good as the above. Of course there was always real good crusty Italian bread and some Chianti.

quick and easy meals for 1 or 2

shrimp and sausage stew

This is easy and fast. it makes about 3-4 servings. Leftovers keep good in the freezer.

• 2 tbsp olive oil

• 1 chopped green bell pepper

• 1 cup thinly sliced turkey smoked sausage
  

• 1 tbsp minced garlic

• 3/4 cup fat-free, low(or no)sodium chicken broth

• 1 (10-ounce) can diced tomatoes and green chiles, undrained (such as Rotel)

• 12-16 peeled and deveined medium shrimp

• 1 (15-ounce) can organic kidney beans, rinsed and drained

• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

Heat a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add oil to pan; swirl to coat. Add bell pepper, sausage, and garlic to pan; sauté 3 minutes or until bell pepper is tender, stirring occasionally. Add broth and tomatoes; bring to a boil. Stir in shrimp and beans; cover, reduce heat, and simmer 6 minutes or until shrimp are done. I like to thicken it a little with some cornstarch whopped up with some cold water. Sprinkle with parsley and,,,

SERVE IT UP!! with some good crusty bread and some red wine orrr ice cold beer!!

quick and easy meals for 1 or 2

Tomato Sauce

I’m going to go on and on a little about the 2 ways I make tomato sauce.

The first is basic Marinara sauce. The word marinara is a reference to the sea. The old Italians only meant to imply that the sauce will have no meat of any kind in it. There are fewer ingredients used and the tomatoes are crushed by hand and left in a little bit bigger chunks than the crushed used in the “spaghetti and meat ball” stuff. We always make more than we need for the meal and put the pot with the extra in the fridge overnight. Then the next day or so we put it up in the freezer in plastic zip lock bags labeled with a sharpie pen saying “marinara” and the date. Then when we want a quick, good Italian something during the week we just bust off as big a chunk as we need for the Chicken Parmesan or the shrimp fra Diablo or the pizza or whatever. Then put the frozen sauce in a pot with some water in the bottom and heat it up. You will have to add some more water if it gets too thick.

About a half cup of good olive oil

1 small onion finely chopped

3 or 4 cloves of garlic finely chopped

1 Tbsp. dried parsley or about 1/3 cup of fresh, chopped

1/2 Tbsp. salt

1/2 Tbsp. black pepper

2 32 oz cans of whole plum tomatoes I like Progresso. Pour them into a bowl and break them up by hand until the biggest pieces are about as big as a nickel.

In a pot, big enough to hold everything, plus some room for stirring, heated up med/high put the olive oil. As soon as it gets hot add everything but the tomatoes. Cook until the onions are translucent stirring often. Add the tomatoes. Bring to a boil and lower the heat to just a simmer. Simmer for anywhere from 20 min. to an hour depending on how tomatoee you like the taste to be. The shorter the cooking time the more fresh tomato flavored. Try it different times to see what you like. If you cook it longer you may need to add a little water if it thickens up. When it’s done cooking taste it for tartness. If it has too much bite add a little sugar ‘til it tastes like you want it to.

Wasn’t that easy? The best part is coming home during the week and having it waiting for you in the freezer.

Tomato sauce with meatballs and or sausage

I do this on a Sunday. There are more ingredients and more cooking time. Also, very regular stirring, so figure on hanging around the house near the kitchen for a good while.

About a cup of good olive oil

2 med sized onions finely chopped

6-8 cloves of garlic finely chopped

2 tbsp dried parsley or about a cup of fresh, chopped

1 Tbsp. salt

1 tbsp. black pepper

½ tbsp thyme

1 tbsp. dried oregano

1 tbsp. dried basil or 2 of fresh chopped

1 dried bay leaf

4 32 oz. cans of crushed tomatoes

1 6 oz. can of tomato paste (optional)

Heat up the oil in a BIG pot. Remember you are going to add the meatballs and/or sausage to the sauce so you’ll need lots of extra pot room. Add all the ingredients except the tomatoes. Cook until the onions are translucent. Add the tomatoes and the paste. Stir it up.

Meatballs

About a pound and a half of chopped meat. When it’s available I get about half of it pork or chicken. Just for some good flavor.

About 3/4 cup of bread crumbs. I like Progresso Italian.

About ¾ cup of grated parmesan cheese

1 tbsp dried basil

½ tbsp salt

½ tbsp black pepper

about a half cup of cold water

Put it all in a big bowl and mix it up with your hands until everything is blended pretty evenly. If it’s too dry add a little water. If it’s too loose add a little more crumbs.

This browning of the meat is optional. I like to brown the meatballs a little before I put them in the sauce. They seem to hold together better.

Start a big skillet med/ high with a couple of swirls of olive oil. Form the meat into the size meatballs you want and add them to the skillet. Brown and turn them until they are brown all around and add them to the sauce as they get done. Stir the sauce carefully and frequently. If you are going to go with some sausage you can get them started in the skillet while you are mixing up the meatballs. Just get them browned a little on 2 sides and put them in the sauce. Get the sauce cooking at a slow simmer and mix it every 5-10 minutes. I use a big Teflon pancake flipper and drag it across the bottom of the pot to get all the solids back up to the surface so it all cooks evenly. Go slow with the stirring to be careful not to break up the meat. Cook it for 2-3 hours depending on how you like it. When it’s done cooking taste it for tartness. If it has too much bite add a little sugar ‘til it tastes like you want it to. Again we put the extra in the fridge overnight and put some meal size amounts in zip locks in the freezer labeled with what’s inside.

SERVE IT UP!! With the pasta of your choice, some salad, good crusty Italian bread and some good red wine!!

quick and easy meals for 1 or 2

Chicken Crock Pot

This easy but it’s not quick. It’s good for starting in the morning and having it ready when you get back home. Gotta have a crock pot. If you don’t,,now might be a good time to get one. They are great. We’re going to be posting some crock pot recipes from now on. Gammy is a whiz at them.

4 teaspoons salt

2 teaspoons paprika

1 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 teaspoon onion powder

1 teaspoon thyme

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1 1/2 teaspoon black pepper

½ cup white wine (optional)

1 large roasting chicken (with pop-up timer if possible if not a meat thermometer will work)

1 cup onion, chopped (optional) or substitute a small lemon cut in ¼ s and or a few cloves of garlic smashed and put in the body cavity or do both! What the hell!!

In a small bowl, combine the spices.

Remove any giblets from chicken and clean chicken.

Rub spice mixture onto the chicken.

When ready to cook, put chopped onion in bottom of crock pot.

Add chicken. No liquid is needed, (but white wine is a nice touch) the chicken will make it's own juices.

Note: We highly recommend a pop-up timer in the chicken or test it with a meat thermometer when you think it’s done, because some crock pots cook slower than other. It's great with sauteed veggiesand the carb of your choice. And the rest of that wine!!!

quick and easy meals for 1 or 2

Shrimp and garlic fettuccine alfredo

Serves 2 but it will freeze real good in zip locks for a quick no-brainer some other day

1/3 to ½ lb fettuccine pasta
olive oil
1/2 small red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
1/2 can (12-ounce size) evaporated milk
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
12-16 medium shrimp, peeled, deveined
1/4 cup frozen peas, thawed
1 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley or ½ tbsp. dried

Cook pasta until just short of al dente. It’s going to cook some more with the milk and cheese so leave it with a little bite. Drain and set aside. Drizzle with a little olive oil and stir it so it is all coated so it won’t stick together

In a nonstick skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat; cook red bell pepper, shrimp and garlic for about 2 min. turn the shrimp once with a fork or grabber..

Add to pasta along with evaporated milk and Parmesan cheese. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring gently, for 3 to 4 minutes or until sauce is heated thoroughly and thickened slightly.

Add peas; stir gently until heated thoroughly. Remove from heat; let stand for 2 to 3 minutes or until thickened.

Garnish each serving with parsley and Parmesan cheese, if desired. Season with salt and pepper according to taste.

SERVE IT UP!!! With a little salad and some good crusty bread and some wine!!

quick and easy meals for 1 or 2

Poached salmon

This is from the archives. We do this a few different ways. Sorta what we have on hand and the mood we're in.

Serves 2- I don’t like to keep fish leftovers so I just make what I’m going to use.

2 bout 1/2 lb salmon fillets I like to go to the fish person and ask that they cut about a 2 1/2 inch from the middle of a big fillet and skin them. It'll cook more evenly than a piece cut off the end

½ cup white wine

½ cup water

A few thin slices of onion and/or 1 shallot, sliced thin

1 ½ tsp. dried dill

A sprig of fresh parsley or 2 tsp. dried

Freshly ground black pepper

1 lemon

Put wine, water, dill, parsley, onions, squeeze ½ of the lemon in and then put in the skin in a sauté pan, and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Place salmon fillets, in the pan. Cover. Cook 5-6 minutes or to desired almost flakeyness. Do not overcook.

SERVE IT UP!!! Sprinkled with freshly ground black pepper. , also, your favorite form of carbs, bread, a salad and the rest of the lemon cut into wedges. Oh yea, and the rest of the white wine

quick and easy meals for 1 or 2


Pop Pop’s bread recipe

I have made bread in a bread machine for ages. But it’ was enough of a chore that I didn’t do it as often as I would have liked to have homemade “good crusty Italian bread”. And, I could just make enough for one night and I had to wait about 2 hours while the machine did its thing. So I started to mix the dough up in a bowl and letting it rise then forming the loaves or rolls, letting them rise for about 20 min or “ until doubled in size” then baking. Then I read somewhere that you could save bread dough in the fridge for up to 2 weeks and use it when you wanted. So this is my bread routine now.

In a med. sized bowl put 1 and a half cups of warm water, ¾ tbsp. of dry yeast and ¾ tbsp. of salt. I like to add pinch of sugar and a squirt of olive oil, but they’re optional. Whisk it up until the yeast has dissolved and add 3 and a half cups of flour. Stir it up until it’s all mixed up and there are no dry spots. (you’ll get a little exercise doing this) Some times I need to add a little more flour cause it looks too wet but not always. Don’t ask me why. Leave the bowl on the kitchen counter somewhere out of the way with a towel over it for about 2 hours. Drop some flour around the edges and on top. Then punch it down and pull it away from the bowl into a ball shape, kinda. Tear off some and shake some flour on it and shape it into whatever kind of bread you want that day. Now comes the good part. Put the rest of the dough in a container that will have a plastic top that seals down on it. And put it in the fridge. Dust the container with flour and the top of the dough also. Then when you come in from work , school whatever all you have to do is light the oven, tear off some dough and your fresh homemade bread will be ready while you multi-task the supper. I just make 2 small loaves for Gammy and I. Then spread a little corn meal or flour on a baking sheet or anything flat and metal. Even a cast iron skillet will work. Put the oven on 450 and let the bread rest a little. It doesn't have to "double in size". When the oven has heated up put the bread in. It’s done when you tap the bottom and get a hollow sound. About 8-10 min. I’ve found that some times the bottom of the loaves start to get dark before the top is done. I just turn them over and let them finish upside down. Some times they want to stick then I just get a spatula or turner thingy and scoot them of the pan. We like to make a dip out of extremely virtuous olive oil, some crushed black pepper, dried basil and a little garlic powder. We enjoy fresh homemade bread every night.

quick and easy meals for 1 or 2

Mexican Chicken

This from the archives,,updated a little. It's a quick, Mexican, version of parmigiana.

Serves 2



4-6 chicken tenders (depends on how hungry you are)
3/4 cup salsa we like Hardez, cesear red salsa for this
3/4 cup or a little more shredded Cheddar and/ or mozzarella cheese
1 clove garlic, minced or just sprinkle garlic powder
1 pinch salt
1 pinch ground black pepper
1 small pinch ground cumin
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
Heat a oiled skillet to medium. Rub chicken pieces with garlic, salt, pepper and cumin to taste and add to hot skillet. Cook until brown on both sides and no longer pink (8-12 minutes).
Transfer meat to baking dish or casserole dish(s), top with salsa and cheese and bake at 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) for 10-15 minutes (until cheese starts to bubble and brown.)

SERVE IT UP!!!! Maybe Over rice or buttered noodles. some tacos or crusty bread and maybe with some corona!!!

quick and easy meals for 1 or 2

Sautéed shrimp, red and green

This is a good, fast meal and you can do it as good as the best restaurants,,,it’s easy!!!

Shrimp about 6-8 large per person. Peeled and deveined.

Pasta about ¼ lb per person

Roma (plum) tomatoes 1 per serving seeded and diced

Onion about a Tbsp. chopped per serving

Garlic 1 small clove per serving

Olive oil

Salt and pepper

Red pepper flakes

Arugula fresh,, a small handful per serving if you can’t get arugula spinach will work but arugula has a a little extra flavor to it. Another option is some frozen peas that have been defrosted a little.

A small pinch of dried basil per serving

The shrimp,, if you keep some in the freezer you may want to put as many as you are going to use in the fridge section before you leave the house in the morning. If you forgot just put them in some water with a dash or 2 of salt.

While they are thawing put a pot of salted water on the stove for the pasta.

Put a frying pan bigger than big enough to handle the shrimp. If you like to finish the pasta in the pan with the shrimp etc. remember to use a pan that is big enough.

Heat up the pan med heat. Add enough olive oil to coat the bottem about 1/8 inch deep. Put the shrimp, garlic, salt pepper, red pepper flakes and onion in the pan. Cook and toss until the shrimp has turned pink. Add the tomatoes and the basil. Cook just a minute. We don’t want the tomatoes to get mushy. If you are using peas add them now.

You should have been cooking the pasta while all this was going on. When it is just short of al dente drain it and add it to the frying pan. Toss for a couple of minutes and

and the basil. Cook just a minute. We don’t want the tomatoes to get mushy. If you are using peas add them now.

You should have been cooking the pasta while all this was going on. When it is just short of al dente drain it and add it to the frying pan. If you opted for the arugula (or Spinach) add it now. Toss for a couple of minutes and

You are good!! SERVE IT UP!!! With some good crusty bread and some wine de jour!!!

quick and easy meals for 1 or 2

Beer battered tilapia fillets

We hade Butch and Janie over for dinner tonight and this is what we did.

Before I did anything else I started some risotto. I made it with red wine this time as a little bit of a change, also because that’s the only color wine we had (are you surprised?) put about a tbsp. of olive oil and the same of butter in a sauce pan (pot with a handle). Add a half of small onion chopped up. And a little salt and pepper. When the onions are translucent (not brown) add a cup of rice. Stir it up ‘til the rice is covered with the oil, etc. then add about ¾ cup of wine. Cook and stir ‘til the wine is mostly absorbed. Have about 3 cups of chicken broth heating up in another pot and add it as the rice continues to absorb it. You are going to have to stir it pretty often, no, very often, to keep it from sticking. You can start and finish this as early before everything else and heat it up when the other main course stuff is started. I like to double boil this when I heat it up.

We found a place down here that has calamari cleaned and cut into rings then frozen and ready to go. We all like calamari so I bought some and fried them up for an antipasti. We served them with a little marinara sauce that I had in the freezer (are you surprised?). I jazzed up the sauce with a little bit of red pepper flakes while I was heating it up. Thawed out the calamari, dipped in whipped up eggs with a little milk, then combo of flour, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Then into hot fat in a skillet. (for this I like canola)

I had cut up onion, garlic, string beans, red bell pepper, zucchini and broccoli. Then started them in a hot skillet when I started the fish. By the way I did the fish in the oil that was left from the calamari. For the beer batter I started with the egg wash that was left over from the calamari, added about a tbsp. of baking powder about a cup of flour and about a half a can of bear. Whupped it all up and there is the beer batter. Rinse off the tilapia fillets (about one and a half per person). Dip them in the batter and put them in the hot fat. About 1 ½ minutes per side or until golden brown, remove them to a paper towel lined dish. Of course we had some homemade bread shaped into bastone loaves with some olive oil for dipping.

Need I say that we had the rest of the red wine with the meal??

quick and easy meals for 1 or 2

Pork Chops marinara

This is quick, easy and great! It makes great leftovers for that fast no brainer some other night. Serves 2. Increase it for the great leftovers.

4 thin cut rib or loin pork chops

While you’re in the store getting the pork chops you could walk over to fridge where the buitoni stuff is kept and get some tortellini We like it but any pasta will do and if you don’t have any marinara waiting for you in freezer at home, get some buitoni marinara sauce..

When you get home put a pot on for the pasta. Put a big frying pan on med/high with a couple of swirls of olive oil. While it’s heating up put a little salt, some black pepper and a little garlic powder on one side of the pork chops. Put them in the pan seasoned side down and then season the up side. Slice up a small onion and when you turn the chops add the onion slices if the pork is done before the onions are starting to brown just put the chops on top of the onion until the onions look like you want them to. Add the sauce and a splash of red wine. Mix it up and heat it ‘til the sauce starts to simmer. The pasta should be done so drain it and,,,

SERVE IT UP!!! With some salad, some crusty Italian bread and the rest of that wine!!