All posts tagged: best meals for the family

Food: Dinner Tonight – Roasted Squash-ghetti

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I bought my first squash over the weekend for this season knowing exactly the meal to make. My version is simple – ground Italian chicken sausage, corn kernels, shredded Parmesan cheese, fresh cut cilantro, naturally the squash cut in half, and broiled…and voila the simplest and easiest dinner your family is guaranteed to love. But I am not one who follows a measurement – and if you have trouble imagining how to work with the ingredients I have listed, then please follow a similar recipe, where you can take away the ingredients you don’t want and still get the best of the simplest Squash-ghetti dish: INGREDIENTS 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling 1 head garlic 3/4 pound ground spicy Italian chicken sausage or ground chicken 1 small yellow onion, chopped 1 can (28 ounce) crushed San Marzano tomatoes 1 dried bay leaf 2 teaspoons dried oregano 2 medium spaghetti squash, halved and seeds removed 1/2 cup whole milk or heavy cream 1/4 cup whole milk ricotta cheese 1/2 cup fresh basil, chopped 1/8 teaspoon grated fresh nutmeg 1 1/2 cups shredded fontina cheese or mozzarella cheese 1 cup shredded provolone cheese kosher salt and black pepper …

Food: Dinner Tonight – Lemon butter Chicken and Mashed Cauliflower

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I realized last night, while up with eyes wide-open planning the week, that I wanted to make a chicken dish for dinner tonight. Something different and exciting and this recipe is just perfect, because everyone in my family loves cauliflower – let’s just hope they love mashed cauliflower – oh and the chicken too. INGREDIENTS 4 chicken cutlets, or 2 boneless chicken breasts, sliced in half horizontally kosher salt and black pepper 1/3 cup all-purpose flour (can use GF flour too) 1/4 cup grated parmesan 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil 1/2 cup dry white wine, such as Pinot Grigio or Sauvignon Blanc 1/3 cup fresh lemon juice 12 fresh sage leaves 4 tablespoons salted butter 1 1/2 cups cherry tomatoes 2 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves 2 tablespoons capers MASHED CAULIFLOWER 1 large head cauliflower, cut into florets 3 cloves garlic, smashed 2-3 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature 4 tablespoons salted butter {more} On another note – if you are wondering what to watch on television tonight since you are probably all caught up on the rest – here’s my suggestion – a start -studded 2002 film with Paul Newman, Tom Hanks, Jude Law, and Daniel Craig among so many others. I normally …

Food: Dinner Tonight – Quinoa Salad

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I cooked quinoa last night – but it was too warm to make a salad out of it just yet. So I switched gears and went with sliders for dinner with a side of home-made coleslaw. But tonight, we are having quinoa salad with a side dish – open-faced grilled cheese baguette. Since this is my first attempt at quinoa salad, I found a recipe here to try. Except I realize, I should not have boiled the spinach leaves. May have to go to the grocers and pick up a fresh bag of spinach leaves. Ingredients For the Dressing: 1/4 cup olive oil 1 clove minced garlic 2 tablespoons lemon juice 1 large lemon 1 tablespoon golden balsamic vinegar or champagne vinegar 1 teaspoon pure maple syrup or honey Kosher salt and black pepper to taste For the Salad: 2 cups cold cooked quinoa 2 cups fresh spinach leaves chopped 1 cup chopped cucumber 1 cup halved grape or cherry tomatoes 1 large avocado pitted, peeled, and chopped 2 green onions sliced Kosher salt and black pepper to taste  {more} {recipe and image source}