Cooking . . . It's a Family Thing!

2 cups Broccoli Tops

1 T Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1 cup Chopped Onion

1 clove Garlic, Minced

10 whole Mushrooms, Sliced

1 t Corn Starch

1/4 cups Vegetable Broth

1/2 cups White Wine or Chicken Broth

2 cups Cooked Cannellini Beans (I used canned)

2 Turkey Sausages, sliced & browned (use Kielbasa, Polish, whatever you like)

1 sprig Fresh Basil, chopped

Steam broccoli tops for 3-4 minutes and then turn off the heat and remove the lid (this prevents the broccoli from continuing to cook)

Put the olive oil in a saute pan over medium low heat. Add the chopped onion and minced garlic and saute, stirring often, for about 4 minutes. Turn the heat up to medium and add the mushrooms. Cook this mixture until the mushrooms are browned, stirring often. Add the corn starch to the broth and stir until dissolved. Pour the wine (or chicken broth) over the mushroom mixture and then pour the broth over them. Let this cook for a few minutes to thicken up. Add the cooked beans, steamed broccoli and the sausages and stir. Cook for a few more minutes, or until everything is warmed through. Garnish with chopped basil.

I heated the canned beans and then drained the liquid which I reserved. Once I had everything mixed together I added back in as much of the reserved liquid from the beans as I wanted. I also added a little crushed red pepper flakes (cause I like a little heat)!

This is really, really good and Richard ate 2 bowls full so he must have enjoyed it also. Can't wait to try it leftover for tomorrow's lunch, yum!

I'm sure there are many different recipes for Ratatouille but this one is really, really good. I can't wait to have it as "leftovers" for lunch tomorrow. I served this for dinner tonight with crusty wheat bread with olive oil for dipping and chicken breast tenderloins that I marinated in pineapple juice, soy sauce & Italian Dressing. I just cooked them in a non stick pan on the stove. If you have a griddle pan that would be a good way to cook these also. I could have definitely done without the chicken but Richard doesn't want dinner without meat. So there!

1 large Eggplant

2 medium Squash (I used 1 zucchini & 1 yellow) that's what I had

2 small to medium Bell Peppers (any color you have will do)

1 small Onion

8 oz of Sun dried Tomato Vinaigrette (I had some of this & some leftover Tomato Basil Soup so I just mixed this together and used)

2-3 fresh Tomatoes (or a 16 oz can of diced tomatoes)

2 T Garlic Powder

Salt, Pepper, Parsley & Basil to taste (use fresh if you have)

2 T grated Parmesan Cheese

1-2 cups of Shredded Mozzarella Cheese

1)Slice eggplant into rounds and then quarter rounds. Slice squash into rounds. Dice onion. Slice peppers into strips and cut into smaller segments (2-3 slices per strip). Add all these ingredients to a large sauce pan along with the Sun Dried Tomato Vinaigrette (if you don't have this substitute a small can of tomato sauce). Cook on medium-high heat for 8 minutes.

2)Meanwhile dice tomatoes if using fresh or drain tomatoes if you're using canned. After the 8 minutes of cooking add tomatoes, salt, pepper, basil, parsley & garlic powder. Cook for an additional 15 minutes.

3)Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Add contents of pot to a 9 x 13 casserole dish. Sprinkle the top with Parmesan Cheese and Mozzarella Cheese (use as much or as little cheese as you like, this is really a personal preference). Bake for about 15 minutes until cheese is nicely melted.

Whole Wheat Pizza Dough (I normally make mine, but this came from Trader Joe's)

Pizza Sauce

Fresh Pineapple

Onion

Bell Pepper

Jalapeno Pepper

Fresh Mozzarello Cheese

Shredded Monterey Jack & Cheddar Cheeses (or whatever you like)

Roll dough out on a floured surface (either circular or rectangular)

If you decide on a rectangle pizza roll dough up at ends

Spread on pizza sauce

Add a little of the cheese then add toppings and add more cheese

Now, melt 1T of butter and brush on edges of dough.

Bake @ 350 for about 15 minutes or until cheese is bubbly and crush is a golden brown.

Katie did such a good job and this was so good. I'm so glad my girls like to cook!

3-4 lb whole chicken

Something to stuff inside the chicken: I used 1 onion, 1 lemon & a few cloves of garlic

Canola Oil

Salt & Pepper

Fresh Herbs:

For the outside I used sage, rosemary & thyme (1-2 T of each)

1T Salt (Kosher is best)

1t pepper

Preheat the oven to 450 while you pick herbs from the stems. Give them a good chop.

Toss the herbs in a bowl and add 2-3 T Canola Oil

Mix Well

Wash and dry the chicken

Fill the cavity with a lemon (cut in half), 1 onion, quartered and garlic cloves, mashed

Now rub the chicken all over with your herb mixture, making sure to rub all sides.

and place on a baking sheet and roast for an hour to an hour and 15 minutes until your bird is a golden brown color.

Remove from the oven and make sure you let your chicken rest 10-15 minutes.

If the legs get too brown for you, cover with foil.

This is the best roasted chicken. The skin, which I normally don't eat, is crisp and delicious! Make this for your Sunday lunch!

This is such a great summer meal! It's light, fresh and so easy.

Angel Hair Pasta

2-3 T Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1 Clove Garlic, minced

1 Can Diced Tomatoes

Salt to taste

1/4 t crushed red pepper flakes

1 T chopped parsley, chopped

2-3 T fresh basil, chopped

1/2 cup parmesan cheese, grated

Cook pasta according to package directions

Heat olive oil in a large skillet

Add garlic and saute until golden. Add tomatoes and crushed red pepper. Season with salt and simmer 5-10 minutes. Drain pasta and add to skillet with sauce. Add herbs and mix w ell. (I used fresh basil & parsley from my garden). Add parmesan cheese and serve. I toasted slices of honey brown bread that I bought for $.99 a loaf from Food Lion and served this pasta on top of the bread, bruschetta style.

You can adjust the amount of all these ingredients to make as much or as little as you want. For instance if you use an entire box of pasta, use a 28 ounce can of diced tomatoes. If you want to use a half box of pasta, use a 16 oz can or more if you really like tomatoes. Use as much or as little of the garlic, basil and parsley as you want.