Every now and then, I get a night completely kid free. The stars will align and both of our children find themselves a place other than our house to crash for the night. Usually at a friend's house surrounded by junk food and video games. When those rare occasions happen, I find myself in quite the predicament...what do I cook for dinner? The answer is this quick and easy ...
marinara
Fried Grit Cakes
Fried Grit Cakes are a delicious way to serve up cheesy grits and are delicious covered in marinara sauce and a little Parmesan cheese. Fried grit cakes are ubiquitous in the South. They are a natural progression of cheese grits for dinner to leftover cheese grits for dinner again. That's because whenever you make grits, two things are bound to happen; 1 - you will make way ...
Ricotta Parmesan Chicken over Spaghetti
Ricotta Parmesan Chicken over Spaghetti is a delicious and easy Italian inspired dish that your family will love! Serve over pasta or even zucchini noodles for a healthier version! Everyone needs a "go-to" dish. Something delicious and satisfying that takes less than 30 minutes to throw together. Ricotta Parmesan Chicken over Spaghetti is the answer in my book. ...
Pizza Pasta and the Incredible Shrinking Woman
Happy New Year! I'm only about 2 weeks late on that one. I hope 2012 has gotten off to as good a start for you as it has for me. For the first time...ever I think...I have stuck to my resolutions so far. The most exciting part? I've lost 5 pounds. WooHoo! Five down, 25 to go. I've been putting a lot of focus on not eating like a pig and not drinking like a fish, both of which ...
Tuna Tuesday: Chicken Patty Fontina
Tuna Tuesday is back! Even though it's Wednesday and not Tuesday, but it is back! So, for those of you just joining us, Tuna Tuesday is the day to celebrate meat in a can. I am doing my best to turn the humble staple into a tasty meal. Feel free to add your recipe links in the comment thread below! I have a little confession. Chicken in a can is not my favorite. Since the ...
Stuffed Mini Meat Loaves
Here is another favorite from the Working Woman's Cookbook. I am seriously in love with this "vintage" book. I can't stop making recipes out of it! You know what else I love? Cheese. Anything with cheese is an automatic favorite of mine. Lucky for me, Cabot Cheese likes me enough to send me a few samples of their new snack cheese. I got some reduced fat cheddar and some ...
Chicken Zucchini Pasta
Don't you just love an easy summery, pasta dish? Something you can throw together in a flash and it taste delicious? Me too! This super simple chicken and zucchini pasta is just one of those meals. You can even make this with leftover cooked chicken if you've got some lying around. If you don't have Herbes de Provence, feel free to substitute Italian Seasoning instead. ...
Pizza Pie in the Sky
Ah...New Years Eve. A night of revelry, drinking and general celebration. Unless of course you have kids, then you are probably like me and will be sitting on the couch with your nice cold beer ringing in the new year with Dick Clark ( is he still alive?). That's assuming of course that you can make it that long. Because we all know that no matter how late you stay up and ...
Stromboli
I am exhausted. After weeks of travel, family, weddings, sick babies, and holiday revelries, I am completely drained. I'm sure you have similar feelings. I think we all do. So today, I did something I rarely do...I bought canned pizza crust. I know what your thinking, "big deal" , but I feel a little guilty about it. For $2.59 I bought a tube of convenience instead of making ...
I love a Good Italian – Meatball Sub
A few months ago, I went on a "diet and exercise program". You may have heard of it - Body for Life. To this day, it is the only diet I have ever completed ( not counting the Beer & Cigarette Diet I was on in college). I lost 12 lbs and dropped 2 dress sizes, it is a great diet and I recommend it to anyone. ANYWAY, the big reason I could stay on the program is because the ...
Homemade Marinara Sauce
If there is one recipe every frugal parent should have in their repertoire it is Marinara sauce. I can't think of one child ( or adult) who doesn't like spaghetti with mounds of sauce and piles of cheese. Not to mention it is one of the healthiest, easiest and most versatile meals to fix for dinner. You can hide a multitude of things in marinara. Vegetables, ground turkey ( ...