Creamy Beef and Penne with Vegetables

Eons ago when I thought I was a good cook, and my husband did too, but in reality what I did was fake it with processed foods and shortcuts that may or may not have worked, I made a pasta dish I'd found in a magazine.  It had stew beef, mostaccioli pasta, and lots of vegetables.  I remember it being good, but for some reason I never made it again.

Two Super Easy Sauces

Ever have one of those nights when you've got to get supper in the table in a hurry and you're not feeling inspired, so you pull out a tried and true meal?  For me that's usually breaded chicken with rice or angel hair pasta.  Sometimes I'll manage broiled salmon if I've found some on managers special.  But then...there's that look on your family's faces.  That look of resignation that you've just phoned it in for dinner tonight.

Chicken of the Woods and Asparagus with Vodka Sauce

I love chicken of the woods.  It's a type of mushroom called a sulfur shelf that generally grow on hardwoods.  My favorite farmer at the local farmers market and his wife are fantastic mushroom foragers.  Anytime we have a day or two of heavy rains, they are out looking for oyster mushrooms, chicken of the woods, and morals. 

Bolognese Sauce with Linguine

On Tuesdays and Thursdays I keep the 8 year old's best friend after school until right at supper time.  On Tuesdays we go to our house, and on Thursdays we give the boy an opportunity to be at his house.  Unfortunately on Thursdays this means the 8 year old, and I don't get home until almost 6:00p.m.  So Thursdays are almost always "slow cooker night."  That way when I get home all I have to do is set the table, do some last minute prep, and put dinner on the table.  

Southwest Pasta Skillet

The kids are back in school after a long winter break.  Activities are starting back up again after one or two weeks off.  There are more demands on our time again.  Our lazy days of the end of the month are over until spring break.

Weekend Recipe Review - Spinach Artichoke Pasta

Not the healthiest dish in the world, but is there anything better than a big plate of creamy pasta topped with spinach, artichokes, and crunchy panko bread crumbs?  Pioneer Woman came up with Spinach Artichoke Pasta - a twist on spinach artichoke dip - and I'm a sucker for her recipes.  (Think she'd adopt me?)

Working Ahead - Marinara Sauce

More often than not, I use jarred marinara sauce.  It's a lot easier to open a jar than to cook it myself, right?  But then I ran across a recipe for marinara sauce by The Naptime Chef and featured by Recipe Girl.  It's oh so good and simple enough that it can be "doctored" to your own tastes.  I generally just follow the recipe on Recipe Girl's site.  

Macaroni Salad

Growing up macaroni salad and potato salad were staples on our table in the summer time.  They were also standard fare for picnics and covered dish dinners.  My mother had a special insulated bowl with a tight fitting locking lid that was reserved for these two dishes.

Weekend Recipe Review - Pasta au Gratin with Vegetables

I've made this recipe by bell alimento twice now, making alterations both times, partly so I could half it and partly because my husband arbores celery and nutmeg. The original recipe serves 6.  Either we've cut back a lot on our serving sizes (I've been trying) or that must be very large servings.  I love this meal, as does my husband. I serve it with a green salad and some nice crusty bread.

Spaghetti with Mizithra and Brown Butter Sauce for Two

When my husband and I lived in Nashville as newlyweds, there was a restaurant in the downtown area called Old Spaghetti Factory.  (Might still be there, but we haven't lived in Nashville for 8 years now).  Old Spaghetti Factory was good and cheap and in a fairly popular area to see and be seen on weekend nights.  For broke newlyweds, it was a perfect place to go and feel part of the scene.

Eggplant Parmesan

When my husband requested eggplant Parmesan for supper one night this week, I was overjoyed.  I love Olive Garden's eggplant Parmesan.  However I didn't want just a copycat recipe of their entree.  I wanted something we could call our own.  Purposely not looking at many recipes for the dish in the blogsphere and other websites, I fiddled tonight and came up with something my husband and I both enjoyed.

Fettuccine Alfredo

One of my husband's favorite dishes is Fettuccine Alfredo.  For years I was afraid to even attempt making Alfredo sauce, thinking it was much too complicated and I would screw it up for sure.  Fortunately for my husband, he traveled frequently and often had a pretty decent expense plan.  So he made sure to get Fettuccine Alfredo while he was on the road.