Showing posts with label quick and easy meals. Show all posts
Showing posts with label quick and easy meals. Show all posts

Italian Sausage Red Potato Meal

Italian Sausage Red Potato Meal

This Italian Sausage Red Potato Meal is an easy and quick way to have dinner ready in 30 minutes or less.

Fran made this one the other night using our own Homemade Sausage. If you're a fan of Italian sausage this one is for you.

Italian Sausage Red Potato Meal: Here is what Fran used

1/2 lb. Italian Sausage links (Cut into one-inch pieces)
2 Medium Red Potatoes (Cubed)
1 Medium Onion Sliced
Light olive Oils (enough to coat the bottom of the pan)
One clove of fresh garlic minced (Optional)
Some Italian seasoning to taste

Using a 10-inch cast iron skillet or nonstick skillet. Cook this over medium heat on the stove top until the sausage is cooked through and the potatoes are nice and tender.

This is another quick, easy and versatile meal.  You can add slices of red and green bell peppers, fresh mushrooms or whatever veggie you desire. Try serving this over your favorite pasta or even rice.

This was enough for both of us. If you're serving more than two people just use more sausage and other ingredients.


As always thanks for stopping by and I hope you enjoy.

Mozzarella Stuffed Chicken Parmesan

Italian chicken Parmesan dish

This Italian chicken parmesan dish is a perfect family pleaser and easy to make. I can't take credit for making this one. This stuffed chicken parmesan recipe is a creation of my son Sammy.

Sammy is an excellent cook, and he should be, given his culinary degree. He is always making amazing, delicious creations. His stuffed chicken parmesan is no exception to being amazing and delicious, made with all fresh ingredients, mozzarella, basil, and prosciutto.

The ingredients and instructions for this delicious dish are below:



Italian chicken Parmesan recipe

First, Sammy cut the chicken breasts in half lengthwise.

He set up a breading station using beaten eggs, flour, and breadcrumbs, and fried them on both sides.

I would have used my cast-iron skillet for this.



Italian chicken Parmesan

 He spread some sauce at the bottom of a baking pan. Then he placed one-half of each chicken breast in the pan and layered it with prosciutto, mozzarella, and basil.

You can use your favorite jarred sauce or try my Quick Marinara sauce here.



breaded chicken Parmesan recipe

Sammy then placed the second half of the chicken breast on top.

Again, he layered the fresh mozzarella and basil on top and baked it according to the instructions below.




Italian Chicken Parmesan Recipe:

INGREDIENTS:

3 large chicken breasts
1c. flour
1c. flavored breadcrumbs
4 eggs, beaten
1 log of fresh mozzarella
1/2c of fresh basil
1 jar of favorite tomato sauce
4 slices fresh prosciutto
1 to 2c. oil
  
DIRECTIONS:
  1. -Preheat oven to 425 degrees
  2. -Cut each chicken breast in half
  3. -Cover the chicken with Saran Wrap on a cutting board
  4. -Tenderize the chicken breast with a meat tenderizer, and set aside
  5. -Set up a breading station with the flour, beaten eggs, and breadcrumbs
  6. -Dredge chicken breast in flour, then eggs, and finally breadcrumbs
  7. -Heat oil in a large frying pan; make sure there is enough to cover the bottom of the pan
  8. -Once the oil is hot, place the chicken in the oil and brown on each side, probably 2 min. per side
  9. -Remove chicken from the frying pan to a plate or sheet tray covered in paper towels to drain oil
  10. -Grease a baking dish with Pam or Crisco
  11. -Cover the bottom of the baking dish with a thin layer of the tomato sauce
  12. -Thinly slice the fresh mozzarella
  13. -Chop fresh basil
  14. -Layer 3 pieces of chicken breast on the bottom of the pan
  15. -Top chicken with sliced prosciutto, then sliced mozzarella, then half the basil
  16. -Place other chicken breasts on top, then place a few slices of mozzarella
  17. -Spoon some of the tomato sauce on top with the remainder of the basil
  18. -Place in preheated oven and cook for 30 minutes
NOTES:

-Check the chicken after 20 minutes for doneness.  Adjust time and temperature accordingly

-Serve with a side of your favorite pasta.

Sammy lives two hours away, so I didn't get to taste his creation, but just looking at the pictures makes my mouth water.

As always, thanks for stopping by, and I hope you enjoy

Marinara Sauce

Make easy Marinara sauce

Make Easy Marinara Sauce: 


There is nothing that I like better than my tomato sauce cooking for hours and filling the house with that amazing aroma.

Today is certainly a busy world, and sometimes you just don’t have the time. This simple marinara sauce recipe can be ready in 15 minutes or less.

Marinara Sauce Ingredients:

1 – 28oz. can crushed tomatoes (you can also use diced tomatoes if you prefer)
2 cloves garlic finely diced
Olive oil (enough to cover the bottom of a 10-inch fry pan)
1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
1 tablespoon parsley (dried or fresh)
¼ cup water
Fresh grated Romano cheese
Salt and Pepper

Here is how I did this:

I covered the bottom of my 10-inch fry pan with olive oil and then added the garlic. Let this just begin to sizzle, not too much because you don’t want to burn the garlic.

Next, I added the can of tomatoes, Italian seasoning, parsley, and water. I had the burner set to medium heat and stirred until seasoning mixed in well.


Italian marinara sauce recipe

I started a pot of water for our spaghetti, continuing to stir the marinara sauce. Bring the sauce to a boil for 2 minutes continue to stir, then turn your burner down to simmer.

Grate some fresh cheese on top, add some garlic powder, salt, and pepper to taste and your marinara sauce is ready to mix with your pasta or spoon it over your plate of favorite pasta.

This recipe for Italian marinara sauce is so quick and easy you'll never want to buy sauce in a jar again.
This is so easy and quick; you can have a meal on the table in less than 20 minutes with this easy marinara sauce recipe.

You might also like my Slow Cooked Homemade Pasta Sauce


As always thanks for stopping by and I hope you enjoy.

A Summer Salad

A summer salad


Sometimes it’s just too hot to cook inside even here in Western New York. We needed to come up with dinner the other night so we put together this salad with whatever we had on hand.

Fran started off with a mixture of greens that were in the refrigerator, some romaine, leaf, and iceberg lettuce, and filled up a large bowl. Then she crumbled up four strips of crispy bacon on top.

Next, she added some red onions, diced tomatoes, sliced fresh zucchini, and cucumber just picked from our friend’s garden, and to top it off shredded cheddar cheese.

While she was doing all of that I fired up the grill and grilled a boneless chicken breast. We cut up the chicken breast, whipped up some ranch dressing and created a nice summer salad with whatever was on hand.

I went a step further with my salad and added fresh ground black pepper, almonds and some raisins.

This made for a nice meal for just the two of us. So if you’re stuck for a quick dinner just put together what you have.

As always thanks for stopping by and I hope you enjoyed.

Taco Pizza

Taco Pizza


When you have a large family good recipes are in abundance, and our family is no exception. This recipe for Taco pizza was created by my daughter-in-law's sister Melissa, and trust me Melissa knows how to feed a crowd.

At every family event, she is always cooking something special, so I’ll need to spend some time with her to see if I can’t convince her to keep them coming.

And if you’re looking for a meatless night for your dinner just leave out the meat.

Here is what Melissa says you need:

1 - 8oz Package sour cream
2-3 cups - Cheddar Cheese
4 cups - Shredded Lettuce
1-2 - Medium Size Tomatoes - Chopped
1-lb - Ground Beef, Sliced Chicken, Ground Turkey - pick one or none!

Here is how she prepares it:

  • Pre-heat your oven to 350 degrees...
  • LAYER 1 - Spread Refried Beans on a cookie baking sheet - round pizza pan size or 9x12 cookie sheet - your choice!  Bake for 10-12 min on 350 degrees. Beans will bubble when they're done.
  • While Refried Beans are baking, brown meat of your choice.  Once meat is done, Add Taco Seasoning package with water as directed on package.
  • Let Refried beans cool for a few minutes 3-5min, while cooling...Chop tomatoes and prepare cheese and lettuce.
  • LAYER 2 - Spread Sour Cream on cooled Refried Beans.
  • LAYER 3 - Shake 1 cup Cheddar Cheese all over the dish.
  • LAYER 4 - Add chopped Lettuce all over the dish.
  • LAYER 5 - Add chopped Tomatoes all over the dish.
  • LAYER 6 - Sprinkle remaining Cheddar Cheese all over the dish.
  • Serve now or Heat 3-5 min in an oven to melt cheese.
  • Serve immediately - Can be a main course dish or appetizer - you decide!

* This will serve 6-8 people.

As always Thanks for stopping by and I hope you enjoy

Breakfast for Dinner

Eggs Benedict on a plate with sausage and baco


Have you ever had breakfast for dinner? Oh yes we do this a couple of times a month. Most of the time we have pancakes, eggs, and bacon.

This time my daughter decided to make Eggs Benedict, with bacon and sausage on the side, and we also had pancakes.

So the next time you have breakfast for dinner or breakfast in the morning you may want to give this one a try.

To make this delicious meal even quicker she used McCormick’s Hollandaise sauce in a package.

Here is what you need:

1 package of hollandaise sauce (Follow the package instructions)
6 slices of Canadian bacon
3 English Muffins
6 Eggs
1 lb of bacon
1 package of sausage links
Sprinkle of Paprika

First prepare the hollandaise sauce, bacon, and sausage links. I don’t know about you but I like my bacon crispy.

Toast the English muffins, and fry your eggs on your favorite griddle. Now place the Canadian bacon on the muffin halves, add your egg on top, and pour over the hollandaise sauce. Top it all off with a sprinkle of Paprika.

Serve with your bacon and sausage links for a great breakfast for dinner. This was enough for 3 adults, the kids had the pancakes.

As always Thanks for stopping by and I hope you enjoy it.

How to Make Alfredo Sauce

A plate of alfredo tortellini


Alfredo sauce for your favorite pasta is really easy to make, and it’s OH so delicious. Our daughter whipped this Alfredo sauce up just the other night for this amazing Tortellini Alfredo.

I’m showing the fresh parsley as optional because our grandson doesn’t like anything green in his food. But I do recommend using parsley for this Alfredo Sauce.

This recipe will be enough for 1 pound of your favorite pasta.

Here is what you need:

1/2 Stick of butter
1 1/2 cups of Parmesan Cheese (grated)
1 cup of heavy cream
1 clove of garlic (minced)
½ cup of fresh chopped parsley (optional)

This is what you do:

  1. In a medium saucepan, melt the butter with the garlic, and then add the cream.
  2. Bring this to a simmer while stirring, and add the grated cheese.
  3. Continue to stir until you bring it to a slight boil
  4. Pour over and mix with your favorite pasta, garnish with the fresh parsley, and enjoy a simple pasta Alfredo dinner.
 As always Thanks so much for stopping by and I hope you enjoy it

Easy Light Lunch or Dinner




Mini chicken salad sandwiches and broccoli salad


This is a quick and easy idea for a light lunch or dinner, with some leftovers that you may have in the refrigerator.

I call this mini crescent roll chicken salad sandwich, with broccoli salad. If you have some leftover chicken this is a delicious way to use it up.

Make your favorite chicken salad, I like a little crunch to my chicken salad, so I add some chopped-up celery and chopped almonds.

Pick up some Pillsbury Crescent Rolls and bake them according to the package instructions. (I know that I didn’t really have to tell you that, but just in case!)

Now how to make the Broccoli Salad:

8 cups of broccoli (Chopped Very Fine)
1 cup Miracle Whip Light Dressing
6 slices of bacon (cooked and crumbled)
½ cup of red onion (Chopped Very Fine)
3 tbsp. sugar
3 tbsp. white vinegar

Mix the Miracle Whip, sugar, and white vinegar until it’s blended. Now in a large bowl add the remaining ingredients, pour in the dressing, and mix.

Refrigerate this for about one hour and it’s ready to serve. Slice your crescent rolls and fill them with that delicious chicken salad and enjoy.

As always Thanks for stopping by. I hope you enjoyed this recipe.

Italian Peasant Soup

A bowl of Italian Peasant soup

We are certainly in the cold season now, and when it gets cold outside we like our soups. There is nothing better than serving your family a hearty and healthy bowl of soup.

I like all kinds of soups, especially in the winter months, which happens to last a long time in here in Western New York.

Here is a recipe that my we found on-line last year called Italian Peasant Soup. This is a recipe by Kim Knight of Hamburg, Pennsylvania.

We’ve made this a few times now and I've got to tell you it is absolutely delicious, and easy to make.

So a big Thank you to Kim Knight of Hamburg Pennsylvania for this recipe, I love this soup and hope many other people will enjoy it.


As Always Thanks for stopping by, I hope you try Kim's recipe.

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Pasta with Peppers and Onions



A plate of pasta with peppers and onions

So you're finally home after working all day, and you realize that you really haven't thought about dinner. Tonight is your meatless night or maybe you're a vegetarian.

This is a great recipe that my wife whips up in no time at all. Well, it does take her a little time, but it could go even faster if I help.

Spaghetti with fresh bell peppers and onions is a nice, easy light meal unless you eat the whole pound of spaghetti. There are so many variations to this, you could use whatever vegetables that you like.

I prefer the fresh peppers and onions because the peppers are so sweet and have such an amazing flavor. I like to top it off with some fresh ground black pepper and just a sprinkle of red pepper flakes, just for a little extra kick.

Ingredients:
  • 1 lb. spaghetti
  • 1 Red Bell Pepper
  • 1 Green Bell Pepper
  • 1 Yellow Bell Pepper
  • 1 glove Garlic
  • 1/2 Medium Onion
  • Olive Oil
 Instructions:
  1. Add olive oil to a 12" fry pan, enough to cover the bottom
  2. Mince or finely chop the garlic
  3. Slice your peppers and onions into strips
  4. Saute over medium heat until peppers are tender
  5. Cook and drain your spaghetti
  6. Pour the sauteed peppers and onions over your spaghetti, toss, and serve 

As always Thanks for stopping by and I hope you Enjoy!!

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