quick and easy meals for 1 or 2

Risotto with a Mexican twist


First we’re going to start tomorrow’s meat marinating for some great marinated flank steak. Down here in Mexico they call it “aracara”.

This is for 2-4 servings. Depends how piggy you and the gang are.

1-1/4lbs. flank steak

In a large plastic zip lock freezer bag put about
¾ cup olive oil
1 cup red wine,
¾ tbsp. dried basil
2 dashes of balsamic vinegar
juice from 1 lime then toss in the skins
a few dashes of salt and pepper
about a tbsp. of paprika
2 dashes of garlic powder

zip the bag shut and somersault the bag in your hands until all the stuff is mixed. Add the steak, zip it shut and somersault it some more. Unzip it a little bit and squeeze the air out. Zip it shut, get the steak as flat as possible so as much of the surface is covered with the marinade as possible. Lay it flat in the fridge and let it marinade for at least 6 hours. Over night is good. Turn the whole thing over once, or more if you want. Tomorrow we’ll do the veggies and carb. It’s easy.

Now the risotto. We start with a basic risotto recipe. We’ve done it before.

2 tbsp. of butter
1 tbsp. of olive oil
about ¾ cup chopped onion
salt and pepper to taste
½ cup white wine
1 cup rice
2 cups hot chicken stock or bullion

Then
1 cup frozen (or canned) corn
1 cup frozen peas
1 tbsp. grated Parmesan cheese
1 small can hardez salsa. We like cesera


In a med sauce pan med/high heat put about a tbsp. of olive oil and a tbsp. of butter. Add the onions and cook until translucent. Add the rice and stir until the rice is coated. Add the wine and cook until the wine is mostly absorbed stirring often. Start adding the hot stock 1 cup at a time as it gets absorbed by the rice. Stir it often. It’s going to want to stick as it gets less liquidy. I use something to stir it that has a flat edge, like a burger flipper or a wooden spoon with a straight end to it so I get as much of the rice as possible off the bottom while I'm stirring. When the last of the stock is almost absorbed taste a grain or 2 of the rice to see if it’s done. If not keep adding water and stirring until it’s as chewy or mushy as you want. Add the rest of the butter and the rest of the stuff. Stir as the new stuff gets hot and serve. Some times we add some chicken torn off a roasted chicken from the store. Some times peeled and deveined shrimp and stir while they cook and turn pink. It just takes a couple of min. for shrimp to get pink and done. Some times we just put the whole roasted chicken from the store on the table and pick at it while we eat the rice with some tortillas and drink the rest of that wine.

quick and easy meals for 1 or 2

edit to the chicken cordon bleu

Just trying to make it easier and faster. You can just dredge the chicken in flour that has been jazzed up with a little basil, garlic powder, salt and pepper instead of the eggs and crumbs thing. The chicken won't have the bread crumb crust on it after it's cooked, but, I sorta like it that way better anyway.

quick and easy meals for 1 or 2

Chicken Cordon Bleu

Don’t get scared this is easy. Serves 2.

I’m told that this dish was invented in France a looong time ago to honor the knights that wore the blue belt with a white uniform. Thus white meat, veal or chicken with the ham ,blue belt and the white cheese.

4-6 chicken tenders or 2 boneless skinless breasts pounded to about ½ in thick

Pre heat oven to 250 deg.

1 egg beaten with a little milk

about a cup and a half bread crumbs. I like Progresso Italian
a couple of dashes of dried basil
a couple of dashes of powdered garlic
salt and pepper

2 slices of boiled ham
3-4 slices of swiss or provolone cheese

Heat up a frying pan med. heat, big enough to handle the chicken. Put in enough olive oil to coat the bottom and a little more.

dip the chicken in the egg stuff then the bread stuff. Then fry it. Put it in a casserole dish and put the ham then the cheese on it.

Put it in the oven.

Drain all but a little bit of the oil out of the pan and put it back on the stove. Add 1 tbsp. of butter, 1 tbsp. of flour and whisk it around ‘til there is no more dry flour. Add about 1 and a half cups white wine and a little salt and pepper. Stir and heat until it’s thick. Take the chicken out of the oven. The cheese should be melted by now. Serve with the sauce over top. Some folks like to serve it on a bed of egg noodles. We just have it with the carb. De jeur and some salad and crusty Italian bread. If you’re going to do the poppop’s homemade bread thing you might want to do the bread first then lower the temp to 250 for the chicken.

SERVE IT UP!! With the carb, salad, bread and the rest of that 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

Do you remember the frozen french fries ? get them going.

First put a frying pan on med/high with enough veggie oil (I like canola) to get about 1/2 half inch deep.

Now I know we've done the fish/chips thing before. Tonight we;re going to do it a little different. Instead of the eggs then the bread crumbs thing let's do it with some BEER BATTER. Just mix up 2 eggs and about 1/2 cup of beer. (yeh you can drink the rest) whoop it up with a whisk then add about 3/4- 1 cup of flour. whoop it up again put the fish in it and then in the frying pan with the hot oil. Test the oil for temp by dropping a little of the batter in the oil. If it sizzles it's ready. Cook on one side 'til crispy then the other. When done take them out anf put them on a plate lined with paper towels and let them drain for a minute.

The fries should be done. Cole slaw is good with this or some onions and tomatoes with oil and vinager and grated parmesan and ground black pepper and dried basil and garlic powder and, and,

SERVE IT UP!! with some good bread and some oil for dippin and some white wine!

quick and easy meals for 1 or 2

Baked ziti

My granddaughter, Dawn, asked me for a baked ziti recipe so I sent her this. Well, it made me want some so Gammy and I are going to have it tonight. It’s a good Sunday meal and it’s easy to do.

Preheat the oven to 400

You can do it with Italian sausage or not. If you want to do the sausage you have to cook them (3or4) pretty thoroughly in a frying pan before you start to build the baked ziti. Cook them good and slice them up.

Boil up a pound of ziti

Heat up about 2 cups of sauce. I’d suggest get butoni from the super market or some other good brand or you might have some leftover in the freezer.

About 1 lb of sliced mozzarella cheese

About 3/4 cup of grated parmesan

In an oven baking dish big enough to hold all the stuff pour just a little olive oil and spread about 1 tbsp. of the sauce on the bottom. Build the pasta, sausage (if you’re using it) and mozzarella cheese up in layers. Finish on top with some sauce and the parmesan cheese.

Bake it in the oven til it bubbles on the sides them lower the temp to 300 and do it for about 10-12 min. more. Let it stand for about 5 minutes before serving it up with some salad, good Italian bread and some Chianti!

quick and easy meals for 1 or 2

quesadiallas any way you want them

You'll need some large flour tortillas.

I know I've told you about quisadillas b4 but they are so good and soo easy and can be done in sooo many differant ways.

Tonight we did a take off on what a local bar/resteraunt called "bar tomas" does. They call it "quisadillas supreme"

They use ground beef, we used some leftover chicken. If you don't have leftovers use anything. The basis is some fried onions, peppers, garlic, cheese and tomatoes, then some meat or seafood of some kind, or , not.

Get out your biggest frying pan. Heat it up on med/high and swirl a little olive oil in it. Put one of those large flour totillas in it and then add the cheese first and then the rest of the ingredients. Try to kind of favor on half of the tortilla cause you're going to flop one side over the other. So, go ahead and flop. After a little bit (about 2 min.) flip it over and do the other side.

SERVE IT UP!!! with some salsa and some Jose Quervo or some corona with lime and salt!!!

quick and easy meals for 1 or 2

Steak Pizzaiola

Gammy and I like this a lot. We usually have some marinara sauce in the freezer or we might get some butoni from the super market or we do it this old fashioned way. (poppop’s sauce is the best) We cook up some pasta and put some of the sauce on top.


1 or 2 new york strip steaks. It depends on you and/or your guests appetite

salt and pepper to taste

1 tsp.red pepper flakes

about 2 swirls of olive oil in a frying pan big enough to handle the steaks

½ medium onion cut julienne but wide kinda slices

1 large clove garlic minced

1 small can (8 oz) crushed tomatoes or sauce

1/3 Cup Red Wine



Season the meat with salt and pepper. Heat the olive oil in a heavy skillet, and brown the meat on both sides. Remove it and keep it warm. Add the onion and garlic to the pan and sauté until tender. Add the tomatoes (or sauce) and the wine and season with salt and pepper, and red pepper flakes. Lower the heat and simmer for about 10-15 minutes or until the sauce has thickened. Return the meat to the pan and cook an additional 8-10 minutes.

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

quick and easy meals for 1 or 2

Salmon with a lemon, butter, sun-dried tomatoe mixture

2 Salmon Fillets, About 6 Oz Each
2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
1/2 Cups of Seasoned Bread Crumbs


Sauce
1/3 Stick Butter
Juice of 1 Lemon
1/3 Cup Dry White Wine
about 1/3 cup Chopped sun-dried tomatoes,
1 large garlic clove, minced
1 1/2 tbsp. dried basil
Salt & Pepper

To thicken if needed
1 Tbsp.butter
1 Tbsp. flour


Melt the butter in a heavy saucepan. Add the garlic and sun-dried tomatoes and cook 3 minutes over medium low heat. Add the lemon juice, salt and pepper to taste, and cook over low heat until thickened. Just before serving, stir in the fresh, chopped basil. If your sauce does not thicken up enough, mix the soft butter with the flour and whisk in just a teaspoon or so, adding more as needed.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Brush the salmon with the 2 tbs. of oil then sprinkle on the crumbs. Put it in the oven and roast until done, but still moist inside. (cooking time depends on the thickness of your salmon , duh). Or, grill the salmon on a hot grill until cooked. Serve them with a scoop of the sauce.


SERVE IT UP!! With some fried potatoes, salad and some good crusty bread and the rest of that white wine!!

quick and easy meals for 1 or 2

Grilled lobster tails

This is great, classy and easy.

If you don’t have a stove top grill a frying pan with a little oil will work in a pinch or they can be done in the oven at 450 dgrees. A little stove top grill is a good investment.

You can serve any kind of carb and veggie you feel like multi tasking while the lobster grills. Of course we like pasta aglia e olio and salad.



Juice from ½ lemon
1/2 cup olive oil
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. paprika
dash of pepper
2 dashes garlic powder
2 (10 ounce) lobster tails

Preheat grill for high heat.
Squeeze lemon juice into a small bowl, and whisk in olive oil. salt, paprika, pepper, and garlic powder. Split lobster tails lengthwise with a large knife, and brush flesh side of tail with marinade.
Lightly oil grill (or frying pan). Place tails, flesh side down, on grill. Cook for 10 to 12 minutes, turning once, and basting frequently with marinade. Lobster is done when flesh is opaque and firm to the touch. Throw away any remaining marinade.

SERVE IT UP!!! With some good crusty bread, lemon wedges and some white wine!!

quick and easy meals for 1 or 2

Pork tenderloin with stuff

This is what Gammy and I did tonight.

We have some great house guests and we want to spend time with them and give them a great meal.

Pre heat oven to 450 degrees.

We bought a med. Sized pork tenderloin and split it lengthwise so it would cook faster. Then sprinkled red pepper flakes, garlic powder, crushed black pepper and dried basil. (sound familiar?) . I put it on a stove top grill. Then I sliced up 4 roma tomatoes and did a half a med onion julienne. Put those in a bowl and added extremely virtuous olive oil, some grated parmesan, a few dashes of balsamic vinegar, salt, pepper, squeezed a half a lime in it and some dried basil. Mixed it up. I put some of those frozen French fries on a cookie sheet in the oven. Should be ready when the pork is done.

Grilled the pork until real firm. If you start to slice it and it’s still too pink then just put it back for some more heat.

Slice it up and serve it up!!! With some good Italian bread and some red wine!!

quick and easy meals for 1 or 2

Gammy and I have made this a meal and sometimes a veggie with a meat and a carb. We're trying to eat less red meat, healthier, etc. these are 2 red pepper recipes that we enjoy often and a lot.

First the sauted veggies.

1 red pepper cut in half and seeded then in big slices
1 mediume onion halved, skined and cut into thick lenthwise slices
1 large zucinni sliced
1 very small or 1/2 normal egplant skinned and sliced
3 cloves garlic smashed and chopped
some baby spinach at the last minute if you have some
1 tbsp. basil
salt and pepper

put about 3 swirls of olive oil in a frying pan big enough for all the veggies and heat it up (med high) Put in the veggies and toss while you cook them 'til done like you like it.
Gammy and love it.

Roasted red peppers

You gotta get the heat to the red peppers to make the skin turn black. I've done it under a broiler, in a skillet with olive oil, on a grill and on a burner on a gas stove. The secret is to turn them when they get black on the hot side. Then put them on a chopping board and cut them lenthwise and remove the stems and the seeeds. Then cut them into lenthwise slices. Hold them with a fork and scrap the skin off.

While the peppers are roasting mash and mince 1 clove of garlic per pepper. When the peppers are skinned and in a bowl add the garlic, 1/2 tbsp. basil and extremly virtious olive oil. Mix it up. serve it as an appitizer or a veggie. It wil keep about 1 week in the fridge.

This is a Gammy and Poppop thing that we do often.

With some good italian bread and some red wine!!

quick and easy meals for 1 or 2

We did this for a nice sit down meal with our house guests. Did lemon roasted chicken. See Feb. 19th. Some sweet potatoes done in the microwave and this salad out of stuff we had in the fridge.

3 plum tomatoes
1 apple peeled and cored
1 small zucinni peeled
1/2 med. onion
I had a piece of smoked provolone about the size of a baseball leftover from?
About a tbsp. of basil

diced them all up and mixed them in a bowl. then added:

a couple of swirls of extremely virtuous olive oil
a few shakes of some grated parmesan
a couple of squirts of balsamic vinager
ground pepper a little salt

mixed it real good again. It made a hit

Of courese we had some good crusty poppop's homemade bread (another story) and some red wine!

quick and easy meals for 1 or 2

Fast and easy “baked” macaroni

serves 2. Double it for some good leftovers

1/2 pound ground beef
½ med. sized onion chopped
Olive oil
1/2 tsp. salt
Dash crushed red pepper
1 med can (14oz) of diced tomatoes
1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
2 tbsp dried parsley
1 cup uncooked elbow macaroni

get some water boiling with a dash of salt and Start the macaroni cookin.

Put about 1 swirl of olive oil in a frying pan med high, get it hot and start the beef. After the beef cooks a bit add a dash(or 2) of crushed red pepper and the salt. Add the tomatoes and Worcestershire sauce lower the heat and simmer for about 5 min. add the drained and cooked macaroni and the parsley. Simmer for about another 5 min. serve it with some grated parmesan or a slice of American cheese on top.

SERVE IT UP!!! With some good bread for “mopping” !!

quick and easy meals for 1 or 2

Risotto with shrimp

4 tbsp. butter2 tbsp. olive oil
1/4 cup chopped onion
2 cups rice
1/2 cup white wine
6 cups chicken broth
1 lb shrimp, peeled, deveined
2-3 zucchini peeled cut lengthwise and then sliced
¼ cup dried parsley
1/2 grated parmesan cheese

Heat the 2 tablespoons of the butter in a heavy saucepan with the oil. Add the onions and cook until translucent over medium heat. Add the rice and stir until it is well coated with the butter and oil. Begin to add the wine, and stir continually over medium heat until it is absorbed. Start to add 1/2 cup of hot broth, stirring as it is absorbed. Continue, adding hot broth at about a cup at a time, and stirring continuously. About 10 minutes into the cooking time, add the zucchini and continue cooking for another 6 minutes. Add the shrimp, and continue to cook until the rice is cooked, but remains slightly firm to the teeth. Remove from the heat, add the remaining butter. parsley and the parmesan cheese.

SERVE IT UP!! With some Good Italian bread and the rest of that white wine!!

quick and easy meals for 1 or 2

Linguine with White Clam Sauce

½ - 2/3 lb. of linguine pasta
3 tablespoons olive oil
½ med onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 (6.5 ounce) can minced clams, drain and save the juice
3/4 cups milk
2 tablespoons white wine
1/2 tsp dried parsley
salt and pepper to taste

Get the water boiling, add a dash of salt and cook the pasta ‘til it’s a little under done. Drain it.
Heat olive oil in a med/large frying pan over medium heat. Do the onion and garlic until soft and translucent. Stir in flour, then the saved clam juice. Gradually blend in the milk. Stir in wine and parsley. Cook, stirring, for 5 minutes, or until sauce thickens. Mix in the clams. Put the pasta in the pan, toss a little and

SERVE IT UP!!! With some salad, good crusty Italian bread an

quick and easy meals for 1 or 2

London broil


Gammy and I have done this so many times,,so many ways. We’ve done it on the grill outside, on a stove top grill, in a cast iron skillet, in the broiler, etc.

We usually do fried slices of potatoes with some onion slices and rosemary thrown in for a carb in a frying pan and a salad.

In the meat section you usually can find a “London broil”. If you can’t then a thick slice of top round will work just as well.

Coat the meat with garlic powder, ground black pepper, paprika, salt, dried basil and anything else that makes you happy.

Grill the meat on the grill,,,skillet,,broiler ,,,whatever until firm, but not like a brick, to a poke with your finger. (about 4-6 minutes per side). Let it rest for a few minutes before you slice it , then slice it thin across the grain, thin and across the grain, is important!

SERVE IT UP!! With some good crusty bread and some red wine!!

quick and easy meals for 1 or 2

Pasta prima Vera, any way you want it.

I love pasta prima Vera. It can be a lot of different things. You can add seafood, shrimp especially, or chicken, or whatever.

Ya gotta have the pasta. So start the water with a little bit of salt. When it boils add the pasta stir it and watch it.

3 cloves of garlic chopped
½ med onion chopped or julienne
a little of any other veggie you may like. I.e. broccoli , string beans, red bell peppers, zucchini, etc. etc.
½ - ¾ lbs. peeled and deviened shrimp
olive oil to do the job.
Salt and pepper to taste


In a big frying pan about 3 swirls of olive oil. Med high. Add the veggies. Cook until translucent (isn’t that a neat word?) add the shrimp. When the shrimp is pink on the down side turn them over with a fork of pincher thingy. Cook the other side. The pasta should be done by now. Drain it and put it in with the veggie, shrimp stuff. Toss a few times.

SERVE IT UP!! With some good crusty bread and some white wine!!

quick and easy meals for 1 or 2

Chicken Mintyish

The fresh mint leaves are the key. You can find them in the refrigerated produce area where you get the bags of pre washed baby spinach.

I usually serve it with pasta aglia e olio and sliced tomatoes and onion for a salad, but any carb or veggie of your choice will work.

2 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves or 4-6 tenders - cut into bite-size pieces
1 clove garlic, chopped
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup butter or margarine or good olive oil
juice from 1 lemon
1/2 cup chopped fresh mint leaves
¼ cup white wine

Mix together the chicken and the garlic. Put the chicken in the flour and stir until it is covered with the flour.

Heat the oil/butter/margarine in a frying pan big enough to handle the chicken over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and cook and stir until browned. Add the mint leaves, white wine and lemon juice, fast simmer for about 5 minutes, just until the chicken is cooked through and the wine is reduced. Do not over cook or it will be tough.

SERVE IT UP!! With some good crusty bread and the rest of that white wine!!

quick and easy meals for 1 or 2

Italian roast pork

OK it’s Sunday and you want to do something special. This is special! I like baked russet or Idaho potatoes. Scrub them, pierce them, coat them with oil or butter and put them in the oven about 1 hr. before the pork is done. The veggie of your choice and salad.

This takes 2 ½ - 3 hours. You should have a meat thermometer. They’re cheap and are good when you are cooking poultry or pork.


1 #3 can (29-30oz), diced Tomatoes
2 tbsp. dried Basil
1/2 Cup mushrooms in oil, Chopped
1/2 Cup artichokes in oil, finely chopped
2 slabs pork ribs
salt and pepper to taste


Preheat the oven to 300 degrees Season the ribs both sides with salt and pepper. Place the ribs in a baking pan and bake for one hour. Mix together the chopped vegetables with the tomatoes and basil and pour the sauce over top of the ribs. Cover (aluminum foil will do it), and bake for another hour at 300 degrees Uncover, reduce the heat to 250 degrees F. and cook another hour, turning the ribs over once during this time, and basting them with the sauce. If the sauce gets too thick while cooking, add water and mix this into the sauce. Cut the ribs up for serving. Spread the sauce on top.

SERVE IT UP!! With some good crusty Italian bread and some red wine!

quick and easy meals for 1 or 2

Poached Salmon Serves 3-4.

This is good and easy. I’ve done it lots of times.

1 to 1½ pounds salmon fillets, skinned
Juice squeezed from 1 lemon
½ cup white wine
½ cup water (or chicken stock)
A few thin slices of onion
sprinkle of some dried dill
1 tsp. dried parsley
salt and pepper to taste

Put wine, water, dill, parsley, lemon juice and onions in a frying pan, and bring to a simmer on medium heat. Place salmon fillets in the pan. Cook 5 minutes or to desired done-ness. Do not overcook. Serve topped with freshly ground black pepper.

SERVE IT UP!! With your carb and veggie de jour, some good crusty bread and the rest of that white wine!!!

quick and easy meals for 1 or 2

Shrimp fra Diablo (it means "like the devil" in Italian)

This is great! Serves 2-3

About a lb of shrimp deveined and peeled
About 2 cups marinara sauce remember buitoni or maybe you have some in the freezer from a past meal.
Red pepper flakes to taste. I like it a little spicy so I go with about 1 tbsp.
½ - ¾ lb. linguini

Put a pot of water on for the pasta with a dash of salt.
Put the sauce in a frying pan with the red pepper and heat it up.
When the water boils add the linguini. Stir right away and regularly as it cooks. You might have to turn the heat down a bit to keep it from boiling over.
When the sauce is simmering add the shrimp and cook until they are pink.
The linguini should be done by now. Drain it an put on a serving platter. Pour the shrimp and sauce over the pasta and

SERVE IT UP!! With some good, crusty Italian bread, some salad, grated parmesan cheese and some Chianti!!

quick and easy meals for 1 or 2

Salmon with green salsa (salsa verde)

Gammy and I like salmon and this a neat and easy way to do it. Serves 2

We do it with French fries and salad

2 Salmon Fillets, 2 Tbsp. olive oil

¾ cup bread crumbs1
Bunch arugula or basil or spinach
1 med garliv clove
1/4 cup good olive oil
2 splashes of white wine
1 Tbsp. Dijon mustard if you don’t have Dijon any mustard will do in a pinch
Salt and Pepper

Brush the salmon with the oil and sprinkle on the crumbs. Place in a very hot oven, about 375-400 and roast until done, but still moist inside. (cooking time depends on the thickness of your salmon steaks). Mix the remaining ingredients in a blender or food processor and pulse until blended. Serve each steak topped with a drizzle of the sauce.

SERVE IT UP!! With some lemon wedges, crusty bread and some white wine!!

quick and easy meals for 1 or 2

Cookin’ for company during the week

Light up the oven at 200

Gammy and I had a couple of friends come to visit us and we had to pick them up at the airport at 3 pm. Well the airport is about 45 minutes away not counting getting out of the parking garage. So it had to be a “quick and easy” meal. We bought some thin cut pork chops, some sweet potatoes and a bag of those already peeled and cleaned baby carrots.

Put the carrots in a pot with enough water to cover and a little salt, set at med high. Put the potatoes on a dish and set the microwave for 8 min. My friend Dougie sprinkled the chops with garlic powder and ground pepper. Beatriz did a half of an onion julienne. Fried the chops in some hot olive oil and put them in the oven on a platter. In the frying pan that we cooked the chops in we put the onions and scalded them a little with a little basil thrown in. Then we put about 1 ½ cups of red wine on top of the onions and let it reduce ‘till it was as thick as I wanted it. Zapped the potatoes again for another 3 min. or so or until soft. The carrots were done by now. Drained them, put them back in the pot, added about a tbsp. of butter and about a tbsp. of dried parsley and mixed them up. Poured the onion thing over the chops, cut the potatoes lengthwise and put a little butter in each one. We served it all up buffet style and had a great time. The whole thing didn’t take a half hour.

We also had some of poppop’s homemade bread, but that’s another story.

quick and easy meals for 1 or 2

Tilapia Parmesan

This super easy, fast and good

We usually do microwave baked sweet potatoes and whatever our veggie choice for the day is. If fast is important some salad,, maybe sliced tomatoes and onion with a little spinach if you have it and bottled dressing

This won’t keep very good as a leftover so only use as many fillets as you are going to serve tonight. Stella helps us if we have a little too much.

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup butter, softened
1 1/2 tablespoons mayonnaise
squeezed juice from 1 lemon
1/4 teaspoon dried basil
salt and pepper to taste
1/8 teaspoon onion (or garlic) powder
tilapia fillets,, these amounts are for 3-4 fillets adjust a little for more or less fillets


Preheat the oven's broiler. Pam a broiling pan or cookie sheet big enough to handle the fillets.

In a small bowl, mix together all the ingredients except the fish. Set aside.

Arrange fillets in a single layer on the prepared pan. Broil a few inches from the heat for 2 to 3 minutes. Flip the fillets over and broil for a couple more minutes. Remove the fillets from the oven and cover them with the Parmesan cheese mixture on the top side. Broil for 2 more minutes or until the topping is browned and fish flakes easily with a fork. Be careful not to over cook the fish.

SERVE IT UP!!!! With some crusty bread, lemon wedges and white wine!!

quick and easy meals for 1 or 2

This a little classy, but we deserve it! And, it's easy

Baked salmon, broccoli and new potatoes



1/2 pound small new potatoes, cleaned 2 Tbsp olive oil
about 2 cups of fresh broccoli crowns trimmed and cut

1 Tsp dried dill
about a Tbsp. lemon zest

1 garlic clove, chopped
salt and pepper
2 salmon fillets skinned cut about 1-inch thic.

1 lemon

Preheat oven to 400°F. In a shallow baking dish big enough to hold everything, coat the potatoes with olive oil. Arrange the potatoes in the baking dish cut side down and roast for 10-12 minutes, until the potatoes begin to brown on the bottom. Turn the potatoes over and roast another 10 minutes until browned on top. take the dish outa the dish oven.

In a right sized bowl, put the broccoli , the dill, cut the lemon in half and squeeze the juice into the mixture, throw in the skins, garlic, salt and pepper to taste. Add the broccoli mixture to the potatoes and stir to combine.

Push the vegetables to the side of the dish and put in the salmon fillets. put the baking dish back in the oven and roast the salmon and veggies for about 10 minutes, or until the fish is just cooked through.

SERVE IT UP!!! With some lemon wedges, good crusty bread and some white wine!!

quick and easy meals for 1 or 2

Osso Buco

Ok it’s Sunday. This great and pretty easy to make (for a Sunday meal). It’s well worth doing.

6 Crosscut Veal Shanks (2 Inch Thick) If there are only whole shanks on display you can go with that. If they display only whole ones that usually means they are small ones and you’ll have to eyeball them and determine how many you’ll need. Usually 1 per person. Also, if you use flanks tie some string around them so they don’t fall apart while cooking.
1/2 floursalt and pepper
1/2 cup butter2 tbsp. good olive oil
1 med. onion chopped
3 stalks celery chopped
2 large cloves of garlic minced
2 med. sized carrots chopped
1/2 bottle red Wine!!
1 small (10-12 oz) can diced tomatoes.

Topping:
zest from 2 lemons
1 garlic clove minched
4 tbsp. chopped fresh parsley. Or 2 tbsp. dried. Fresh is best for this but dried will work

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Dust each shank with flour, salt and pepper. In a large oven proof pan, melt 1/2 the butter with the oil, and brown the shanks well on both sides. Remove to a separate plate. Add the remaining butter, and the vegetables. Do the vegetables until tender. Add the wine, scrape up any brown bits on the bottom, bring to a boil and reduce by half. Add the tomatoes and mix well. Return the shanks to the pan, cover and place in the oven for at least 2/1/2 hours. If you go with whole shanks turn them once while cooking. Mix together the topping, and serve one shank per person with some sauce ladled on top. Sprinkle with the topping and serve with Risotto alongside.

Start the Risotto after the veal has been on for about 1 ¾ to 2 hours

6 Cups chicken broth, heated
about ¾ cup butter
1/2 cup onion finely chopped
2 Cups arborio rice if you can find it. If not go with reg. rice.
1/2 Cup White Wine
1/2 tsp. dried saffron
1/2 Cup grated parmesan cheese

Heat about 1/2 of the butter in a heavy saucepan. Add the onions and cook until they are translucent. Add the rice and stir until it is well coated with the butter. Add the white wine, and 1/2 cup of hot broth, stirring as it is absorbed. Continue like this, adding app. ½ cups of hot broth at a time let it be absorbed and then add another, and stirring continuously for about 20-25 minutes or until the rice is cooked, but remains slightly firm to the teeth. About 5 minutes before completion, add the saffron. Remove from the heat, stir in the remaining butter and the parmesan cheese. The veal should be done now. Handle it carefully, it will want to "fall off the bone".

SERVE IT UP!!!!! With some salad, good crusty bread, grated parmesan cheese and another bottle of wine!!

quick and easy meals for 1 or 2

Chicken fried steak

Let me tell you what Gammy and I did tonight. Our good friends Butch and Janie were over and we had Chicken Fried Steak, Mashed potatoes and white gravy!! I hate this stuff but it is a thing from the little Texas town (Stephenville) that we were lucky enough to spend some time in. I got a lot of help from Gammy and Janie about how to do the meat and gravy and stuff and the critics all said it was at least as good as “Jake and Dorothy’s”

Pre heat oven at 225.

Put 4 med sized potatoes cut up into about golf ball sized pieces ( I leave the skins on) in a pot of water enough to cover the potatoes, plus a little, on to boil with a dash or 2 of salt. When they are soft to a fork drain them, return to the pot and mash them up with about a half stick of butter. Put the pot in the oven.

We had for a veggie 4 ears of corn from the freezer section at the store. Butch did them on our grill. They were great! You could do them by boiling for about 10 minutes on the stove.


2 pounds beef I got some round that had been sliced across the grain so I didn’t have to “tenderize” it by pounding it or beating it with a tenderizer.
Salt and pepper to taste
About a cup and a half of flour
2 whole eggs, beaten with a little (about a half a cup) milk added
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 1/2 cups chicken broth
2 cups milk

Place enough of the oil to cover the bottom, and a little more, of about a 12 in. frying pan and set over medium-high heat.
Put the flour into a pie pan or big dish. Break the eggs into a bowl, add a little milk ( about 1 chug) Whup it up with a whisk. Dredge the meat on both sides in the flour, followed by the egg and finally in the flour again. As the meat is done with the egg flour thingy put it in the frying pan.

Fry each piece on both sides until golden brown, approximately 3-4 minutes per side. As the meat is done put the steaks on a large plate (or 2) and put them in the oven for later.

Whisk in, with the turner thingy that you handled the meat with, a big pinch or 2 of the flour left over from the dredging. Add the chicken broth and deglaze the pan. Whisk until the gravy comes to a boil and begins to thicken. Add the milk and whisk until the gravy gets as thick as you want it. Janie was helping me here and we decided we wanted not quite sticky thick, just thick, approximately 5 to 10 minutes. Season to taste, with more salt and pepper, if needed.

Serve the gravy over the steaks and mashed potatoes.

We had a fun night and would you believe it?! Some good bread and some red wine!!!

quick and easy meals for 1 or 2

Sauteed Chicken and Sundried Tomatoes

serve it with pasta or rice. You could cook up some penne pasta and put it in with the chicken stuff and toss it a few times before serving or do the uncle bens thing

1 small jar (8-10 oz.) diced oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes,
6-8 chicken tenders cut into 2-inch pieces
1 bunch broccoli rabe, chopped. if you can’t get broccoli rabe or don’t like it you can use a bunch of fresh basil or spinach
1/2 cup sliced pitted black olives
1/4 cup chicken stock
Salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
some flour for dredging
Heat the oil from sun-dried tomatoes in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Dredge the chicken in some flour and cook about 5 minutes, until golden brown on all sides. Add the sundried tomatoes, broccoli rabe (or basil or spinach), olives, and 1/4 cup stock, season with salt and pepper, cover and cook 3 minutes, until broccoli rabe (or whatever) wilts and chicken is cooked through.

SERVE IT UP!!! With the pasta or rice. Top it with the feta cheese. Don’t forget some good crusty Italian bread and some wine of the day!!

quick and easy meals for 1 or 2

Chicken and dumplings

Another warm and fuzzy, quick and easy meal

3 boneless chicken thighs or 4-6 chicken tenders
1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of celery soup
salt and pepper to taste
1 (12 ounce) package refrigerated biscuit dough
In a large pot over high heat, combine the chicken with enough water to cover, and boil for 15 to 20 minutes. Drain some of the water from the pot, leaving about 1-1/2 cups in the pot. Remove chicken pull or cut it into bite size pieces; return to pot.
Reduce heat to medium, and add the can of condensed soup. Season with salt and pepper. Pull 1/2 of the biscuit dough into pieces, and add to the soup. Simmer over medium heat for about 8 minutes, or until the dough is cooked through.

SERVE IT UP!! with maybe a little salad and maybe some white wine!