On 10/10/10, I decided to go on a 'no frivolous spending' fast and have been doing relatively well. I've been eating at home, making lunches, not getting Starbucks, not happy-houring as much and having friends over instead of going out. It's been quite an experience.

Since eating out has been my biggest frivolous expense, I've decided I need to learn how to cook. I've hated cooking my entire life but now I'm 30, single, living alone (my roommate finally got a girlfriend & is never home), childless (happily, thank you), working a lot and trying to save money. I think it's time I actually learned how to do what my mother always told me I needed to know how to do. Her only other advice was to find a man who cooks (or go on a lot of dates, which typically equals free dinner).

I've subscribed to Real Simple for the last 5 years and have been slowly collecting recipes that look quick and easy in a binder. Every once in awhile I'll go on a stint & make a few things but then I forget. Now that I'm grocery-ing instead of restaurant-ing, I've hit up my stash of simple recipes. Shopper's & I had a date last night at which I bought stuff for 4 great recipes.

I made one last night called "gnocchi with sausage & spinach" that I've made numerous times. It was delicious as always and fed me last night, today for lunch and will feed me again on Monday for lunch. It is exactly as the title tells you. The best gnocchis can be found at Rodman's Gourmet & the best sausage to use is Jimmy Dean's Sage sausage.

gnocchi with sausage & spinach

Serves 4 | Hands-On Time: 15m | Total Time: 25m

Now that I've got a fridge & freezer packed with healthy ingredients, I've decided to start writing about what I make. I honestly hate cooking. I haven't found a blog about a cook who hates cooking, only those who love it but want to teach others how to do it. I don't want to teach anyone, I just want to share my trials & errors with you all so if you want something simple to cook, here you go.

Submit Your Recipe

Did you find a great recipe (or accidentally make one up) that you want to share? Send it to me! Submit your info on my contact form & I'll email you my contact info so you can send me your post, recipe & link (if you have one) for your website/blog. I'd love to share it!

Can't wait to start getting other recipes!

Melanie, The Simple 'Cook'

The weather is getting cooler which brings reminders of cozy evenings by the fireplace with a book and, of course, chicken potpie. I decided to try my hand at making one homemade since Real Simple had a fantastic recipe for it in its April 2010 issue.

Ingredients seemed easy & although I couldn't find corn chowder in 3 grocery stores, I figured out a good alternative. I added my notes in italics below.

Creamy Chicken & Corn Potpie

by Jonathan Broskey

I am a BIG fan of Gordon Ramsey. Yes he is a bit harsh when it comes to cooking but he knows what he likes and how it should be prepared. This brings me to my dish. I was looking for something simple to make but it had to look good and taste fantastic. I remembered an episode I saw of the F-Word. How to make Fast Food in the home. Gordon Ramsey made this appetizer that looked like it took forever to make but really only took 10 minutes. I had to try it.. I made it once and it has turned in to one of the most favorite things to make when I have people over.

Salmon Ceviche

Enjoy!

by Alejandra Owens

I can’t quite remember what got me on this idea of potatoes and onions. It might have been the potato pizza I had in Vegas. But the idea of a galette definitely came from Nikki Rapaport.

But I must admit. I cheated. I cheated bad. A simple galette crust is so easy to make from scratch. I used…*hangs head in shame*…oh god…I used a frozen pre-made pie crust.

Oh please! Who am I kidding!? I’m not ashamed!

I was having people over. I wanted to enjoy my little get together…including the cooking part. The last thing I needed was to be battling it out with a crust that was either falling apart or was too sticky. Pillsbury, I salute you. That crust is amazingly flaky. (Modern Domestic has a great post on pie crust science in case I’ve got you thinking about it.)



A layer of thinly sliced potato (my first time using a mandolin – unscathed thank you very much!), a layer of sauteed shallots, a layer of shredded gruyere cheese…repeat. It really doesn’t get much easier. And it’s a crowd pleaser!

Enjoy!

POTATO, SHALLOT AND GRUYERE GALETTE

Ingredients

- 2 small potatoes (or 1 large) thinly sliced
- 5 shallots, thinly sliced
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 small block of gruyere
- 1 frozen pie crust
- salt/pepper

Directions

- Pre-heat your oven to 400F.

- In a pan over medium heat combine olive oil and shallots. Saute until soft and just turning brown. Remove from heat.

- While shallots are cooking, slice your potatoes up and shred your cheese.

- Place one frozen pie crust on a foil-lined cookie or rimmed baking sheet.

- Start with one layer of potatoes – place them slightly overlapping going around in a circle about an inch from the edge of the crust. Take about half the shallots and spread them evenly over the potatoes. Now a layer of shredded cheese – as much as you like. Repeat! If you’re feeling fancy reserve a few shallots to place on top of the last layer for garnish.

- Now fold edge of dough over the potatoes. Pop that sucker in the oven and leave it alone for an hour, or until the crust is golden brown. Let it rest for a few minutes after you pull it out of the oven and then you’re free to slice and serve!

Originally posted at One Bite at a Time on November 2, 2010

by Jason LaGarde

I've got two recipes for you. Ready?

I'm not supposed to be telling you this. I've gone to a lot of trouble to make this seem so much more complicated than it is. Everyone thinks that making homemade pasta sauce is an all day affair. Once I'm outted, I'm probably going to lose a lot of street cred, but sometimes you just got to take that risk.

Dead Simple Homemade Pasta Sauce

1 6 oz can of tomato paste
1 14.5 oz can of stewed tomatoes (undrained)
1 6 oz can's worth of water
Salt & pepper to taste

That's it! You've got homemade tomato sauce! Just simmer that until warm and serve over pasta. Of course, the modifications for this are endless.

Modifications

*Add in 1 tsp each of basil, oregano, & garlic powder for an italian kick
*Add in 1 tsp of sugar to reduce the tomato acidity (it's okay, it won't make it sweet!)
*Add a 1/4lb of browned ground beef (drained if 80/20) or turkey for a meatier sauce
*If you don't like large pieces of tomato, subsitute a 14.5 oz can of diced tomatoes.
*Have some peppers, onions, or mushrooms? Dice 'em up, sautee them in olive oil over medium heat until soft (about 10 minutes) and throw 'em in!

This was a favorite for me growing up.  It's a simple recipe, but full of flavor and great for a filling comfort food on short notice.

Kielbasa Stir-Fry

(serves 4-6)
 
8 oz kielbasa, sliced (1/2 a package)
1 diced green pepper
1 diced med. onion
4 oz sliced mushrooms
1 14.5 oz can of stewed tomatoes
2 minced garlic cloves
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp basil
salt and pepper to taste
 
Heat a pan over medium heat.  Saute kielbasa until browned, then put in the pepper, onion, garlic, and mushrooms.  Saute until the onion is translucent. Now empty the can of stewed tomatoes into the pan (don't drain it).  Season with the oregano & basil, salt & pepper.  Cover and heat for at least 10 minutes over medium heat to let the flavors mingle.  From there, you either reduce the heat to low and simmer, or serve immediately.
 
Serve over rice.

ENJOY!

by Amanda Makulec

A close friend of mine, who lived in Italy for a summer and loved all things Italian, handed me a bowl of this when I arrived at her porch one day, years ago, when we were in college together. She kept it simple: ricotta and garlic and butter mixed in to steaming hot pasta. And that was it. I've made it many times since then, adding herbs, lean Italian turkey sausage, veggies, and whatever else I have in my fridge. I like to make a nice batch of the basic pasta, with herbs, and then add things to it when I reheat it: that way your leftovers are never the same!

Ricotta & Herb Pasta

Cook pasta according to box directions (1 lb pasta to 1 15 oz tub ricotta).
When pasta is still hot, add 1 15 oz. tub of part-skim ricotta cheese, 4 minced garlic gloves, ground black pepper, and a hearty sprinkle of Italian seasoning (or shredded fresh basil if you feel so compelled...but the Italian seasoning is easy). Add crushed red pepper to taste if you want some heat.
Stir to combine, letting the ricotta "melt" onto the pasta.
And enjoy :) --- add chicken, Italian sausage, veggies, or whatever else if you like; I love making this with some lean, spicy italian turkey sausage and sauteed zucchini.

I lived just down the block from Trader Joe's when I was in graduate school, and discovered the joys of their $0.99 refrigerated pizza dough, particularly the whole wheat one. Who knew you could do so much with a bag of dough??? My favorite ways to use it always involved the creation of some sort of flatbread: roast veggie, margherita, and, my favorite, BBQ chicken. Using a rotisserie chicken keeps the price low, and you end up with leftover pulled chicken that you can toss on a salad (or into the Ricotta Pasta!).

The recipe for my BBQ chicken flatbread follows, but you can pretty much sub any sauce + any toppings + any cheese, and bake! Savory/spicy pumpkin sauce + roast veggies + feta is a favorite combination of mine; ask if you want the whole breakdown on how that one comes together!

BBQ Chicken Flatbread

Preheat over to 400 degrees.
Pull one rotesserie chicken into shreds, discarding skin and bones.
Spread one container of refrigerated pizza dough on an 11x15" pan.
Cover pizza dough in BBQ sauce of your choosing.
Sprinkle pulled chicken, chopped red onions, and 2% milk cheese (I like cheddar jack) on pizza.
Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes.
Remove from onion and sprinkle with chopped green onions.

by Kim Fernandez

Until last night, I’d never made Penne Alla Vodka. Two good reasons: ten thousand steps and ingredients, and heavy cream.

Who cooks with heavy cream? Christmas Eve, yes. Wedding, yes. Even birthday. Fine. But for a regular old Tuesday? I think not.

Then, I learned a secret. In almost every recipe that doesn’t involve actually whipping the cream, evaporated skim milk makes a darn tasty substitute. Open a can, and voila. Calories are slashed. Fat is slashed. Recipes that hereunto made you shudder in your skinny jeans are suddenly realistic, even for a regular old Tuesday. You get the same yummy creaminess without the dietary disaster.

This was a Giada recipe I doctored up a bit. Evaporated skim milk for the heavy cream, with a little more than she called for because I like this a little creamier. Jarred pasta sauce for her homemade tomato (which is delicious and great and freezable, but I didn’t have the time to make it or the forethought to have made it previously and frozen it).

I used shredded Parmesan in this. You should not. You’ll notice the photo above is not mine. That’s because shredded Parmesan doesn’t melt down and my sauce was a bit more…um…textured than I’d have liked. Ugly. Tasty, but ugly. So save your plates and use the grated kind. Even out of the green can. It’ll work in this. Sprinkle some shredded on top when it’s plated if you want.

I used the full cup of vodka called for in the recipe, and you could definitely taste it. Cook it down. When you think it’s ready, let it go awhile longer. Cooking it down will get rid of most of that alcohol bite. I liked it, but I can see where it would be too much for some people. In fact, you might consider using 1/2 cup your first time out with this. See what you think. You can always go up on it next time.

I learned making this that vodka boils quite violently. Keep a watchful eye on your pot and your burner temperature. You really want a simmer. And taste it before you add the milk so you don’t wind up with a table full of loopy people after dinner.

The recipe I started with said this would yield 6 servings, and that’s pretty accurate. You don’t need to drown your penne with the sauce–there’s lots of flavor in it.

To make this, you’ll need:

32 oz prepared marinara sauce (that’s one 28 oz jar and a scant cup of another)

1/2 to 1 cup vodka

3/4 cup evaporated skim milk

1/2 cup grated (not shredded) Parmesan cheese, plus more cheese for topping

In a heavy pot over medium heat, stir together the sauce and vodka. Simmer, uncovered, adjusting burner as necessary, for about 30 – 45 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes or so, until it reduces by about 1/5 and the alcohol taste is gone.

Stir in the milk and heat through. Stir in cheese and heat until it’s melted and combined into the sauce. Pour over cooked noodles, garnish, and enjoy.

Original Post: Playing with my Dinner

by Ethan Adeland

I've never made these sweet and sour meatballs before, but I ate them often when my family would visit my grandparents and by often I mean often! The recipe comes from my grandmother's homemade cookbook and now that she's gone, it's just one more reason to cherish this book and enjoy something that is easy, delicious and reminiscent of her.

Mother’s (or in my case Grandmother’s) Sweet and Sour Meatballs

Ingredients

1 lb hamburger steak
2 eggs
1 large onion
1 large carrot
1/4 cup rice
1 tbsp. chicken fat (I looked around but couldn’t find any and didn’t have any in the fridge. I used oil, if anything, the chicken fat it makes the meat balls more amazing)
4 tbsp. brown sugar
1 can tomato juice (What size can? I had no idea. I used a cup of tomato juice)
1 can tomato sauce (Again, what size can? I went with a 540 ml can)
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper

Directions

Add eggs to meat and mix.
Add rice, salt, and pepper and mix.
Dice onion and brown lightly in chicken fat. (I used vegetable oil)
Make meat balls and fry lightly till brown both sides. (I laughed, “both sides of a ball”, well, I did the top and bottom sides of the ball)
Place grated onion and carrot in bottom of pot. (So the onion isn’t diced, it was sliced and it didn’t say what to do with the carrot, so I just sliced it very thinly)
Place meat balls on top and add hot water to cover.
Let boil 30 minutes or put in over at 350 F. (I went the stove option. I covered the pot and boiled for 30 minutes)
Warm tomato juice, tomato sauce and brown sugar and bring to a boil
Add juices and sugar to meat balls, bring to a boil and then simmer 2 hours or bake in over 3 hours. (I simmered the 1st hour with the lid on and took off the lid for the 2nd hour. If the sauce is still thin, leave the lid off and let it simmer away on low-medium heat. Stir occasionally, but let it tighten up until the sauce is nice and thick, like the picture above.)

Original Post at Tastes Better with Friends

by Ethan Adeland

Note from Melanie: I hate bananas but this recipe without the banana part sounds scrumptious!

Nutella, peanut butter and banana, all very very good things, right? If you're still with me, than we can be friends. And since we're now friends, go ahead and keep reading if you want to make yourself a great breakfast or better yet, treat someone special to a great breakfast (bonus points if you serve it in bed).

Nutella and Peanut Butter Filled Banana Vanilla Buttermilk French Toast

Ingredients

• 2 pieces of bread (I used whole wheat, but whatever you have works)
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup of buttermilk (I just happened to have buttermilk because I want to try making biscuits)
• 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla
• 1/2 banana
• Peanut Butter
• Nutella
• Butter

Directions – I realize most people know how to make French Toast, but thanks for humoring me by reading this.

1. Combine egg, buttermilk and vanilla in a bowl.
2. Spread peanut butter one piece of bread and spread Nutella on the other piece of bread.
3. Slice the banana and lay flat on the peanut butter side (by the way – it does not matter what side you lay the bananas on).
4. Make a sandwich by placing the other piece of bread on top of the bananas.
5. Give it a good push, making sure the bananas are getting a good hug from both the peanut butter and Nutella.
6. Place it in the egg mixture and make sure both sides and all the edges are covered.
7. Add the butter to a pan and turn to medium-high.
8. Once the pan is hot, lay it down and let it cook.
9. I had to cheat a bit by sneaking a peek to know when to flip it, but when it’s got a crisp to it, it’s time.
10. Flip it and cook the other side.
11. Cut it in half or not and enjoy!
12. Happy Nutella dreams to you tonight.

Last year I hosted a series called I Can't Cook & So Can You. We got a ton of great recipes that were quick and easy thanks to all the helpful people who submitted posts.

Now while doing the #4weekdetox, I've found that I eat a lot more fruit and snack on bad things a lot less but am really craving vegetables. I know I need them in my diet but I hate the taste of most of them. Force-feeding isn't helping so I am looking for some great summer recipes that are easy. 

Do you have a favorite summer recipe that's quick, easy and healthy? It has to be veggie-heavy. Send it over and help me figure out how to eat healthier without choking on broccoli. Now that I've got a fridge & freezer packed with healthy ingredients, I've decided to start writing about what I make. I honestly hate cooking. I haven't found a blog about a cook who hates cooking, only those who love it but want to teach others how to do it. I don't want to teach anyone, I just want to share my trials & errors with you all so if you want something simple to cook, here you go.

Submit Your Recipe

Did you find a great veggie recipe (or accidentally make one up) that you want to share? Send it to me! Submit your info on my contact form & I'll email you my contact info so you can send me your post, recipe & link (if you have one) for your website/blog. I'd love to share it!

Can't wait to start getting other recipes!

 Melanie, The Simple 'Cook'

by Carolyn P.

INGREDIENTS:
Bunch of Radishes
Baby Red Potatoes
Baby Carrots (and anything else you want - have added apples too and that's totally yummy)
1 tbsp Olive Oil
1/2 tsp Chopped Basil
1/2 tsp Grated Ginger (I keep fresh ginger in the freezer at all times and grate what I need when I need it - Thanks Rachael Ray)
1-2 cloves Garlic
Salt & Pepper to taste

To Prepare:
Preheat oven to 425

In a large mixing bowl toss the veggies with oil, herbs, salt & pepper. Spread the veggies into one layer in a 9" x 13" baking pan. Place in oven and bake for 30-45 minutes, until the vegies are easily pierced with a knife (depending on the sizes of the radishes and potatoes, I will poke them with a knife before baking to allow them to cook a bit more evenly.)

Serve and enjoy! It's amazing the taste of the radishes change and are quite delicious.

by Flavia of Flavia's Flavors, @Flavias_Flavors

Baked Panko-Crusted Asparagus

A recipe from my mother-in-law, Eleanor.

1 bunch asparagus, washed, dried, and trimmed
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 T. plus 3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 cup plain Panko breadcrumbs
1 cup Italian-seasoned breadcrumbs
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Wash, dry and trim the asparagus. Set aside.

Place the flour in a shallow dish. Beat the eggs with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil, salt and pepper and place in another shallow dish. Mix the Panko and Italian-seasoned breadcrumbs together and place in a third dish. Have a fourth dish set aside (for the asparagus that have been breaded).

Working in batches, dredge the asparagus first in the flour, then in the egg mixture and then in the breadcrumbs. Transfer the breaded asparagus spears to the empty dish. Repeat this procedure until all the asparagus spears have been breaded. 

Pour 3/4 cup of the olive oil onto a baking sheet and place it in the preheated oven for 5 minutes. Watch the baking sheet carefully to make sure the oil does not start to burn and smoke. Carefully remove the baking sheet from the oven and place all the breaded asparagus spears onto the baking sheet in a single layer (it's OK if they touch). There is no need to roll them around in the olive oil.

Bake for 30-40 minutes, or until all the asparagus spears are golden and the breading is crisped and lightly sizzling. Remove from the oven and let stand for 5-10 minutes to allow them to cool slightly. Serve warm.

Originally posted at: Flavia's Flavors on May 12, 2011

by Jason LaGarde, @quix

So I'm going to cheat here a bit and reference back to the Food Lover's Cleanse Jess (@autumnbriars) & I did earlier this year and highlight the ones that I (a hard sell lets be honest) really enjoyed:

Avocado Tartine:
Slice an avocado then mash with a fork. Sprinkle with salt, red pepper flakes, and a squirt of fresh lemon or lime juice. Spread onto whole grain toast. Simple, easy, yummy.

Five-spice beet soup: This was super yummy and great with a hearty salad. 

Itamar's Bulgar Pilaf: Kinda like making rice, with just stuff thrown in. Super yummer, if a bit hearty for summer. 

Braised Fennel with Lemon: I've become a huge fan of fennel. 

Also, here's some recipes that I've recently come across that I've been looking forward to trying!

Zucchini & Summer Squash Fettucini: No actual pasta involved! 

Oven-baked Zucchini 'Fries': I'm not a fan of zucchini, so I've been trying to find different ways to work them into my diet

Florida Avocado Summer Wrap: Don't know if you're trying to avoid carbs or not, but if you are you could just put the ingredients into a bowl & eat it w/o the wrap! 

Avocado & Black Bean Salad: Perfect summer, hearty salad.