The pasta part is just a matter of choosing your favorite pasta and cooking according to the package directions, to your desired doneness. The sauce is a recipe from a magazine - I'm not sure what one, but it says "Paula serves this simple and delicious sauce with Chicken Parmesan or over whole wheat pasta for meatless spaghetti." Could be Paula Deen, could be somebody else entirely. The magazine was most likely either "Better Homes & Gardens" or "Food & Wine".
1/2 small onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 14.5-ounce can diced tomatoes with basil, garlic, and oregano (I've also resorted to regular diced tomatoes and added my own spices when I haven't had a can of the other handy)
1/4 c. red wine
1/2 tsp. ground red pepper*
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 c. chopped fresh basil
Saute onion and garlic in hot oil over medium heat 5 to 7 minutes or until tender. Add tomatoes, wine, and red pepper; simmer 20 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Add salt and basil.
*I have found that even half this much red pepper makes the sauce REALLY spicy - like, eye-watering spicy. I use no more than 1/8 tsp., or a tap of red pepper and 1/8 tsp. black pepper. If I'm making it for my mom who doesn't like spicy food, I leave it out altogether.
About This Blog
The idea for this blog came from my attempt to improve the variety in my family's evening meal after my second pregnancy, during which I made little or no effort to cook. Since I have two small children, I focused on my easiest recipes to minimize time in the kitchen, and aimed to go at least one whole calendar month without repeating a dinner menu. I did re-use a few side dishes, but I didn't repeat entrees, and I rarely spent more than 30-40 minutes making dinner. Ultimately, I found I could go way beyond one month!
I thought other folks might benefit from my little experiment, so I decided to go ahead and publish "a month of menus," including calendar, menus, recipes*, and notes. I've made some adjustments to my actual calendar to take out nights we ate out, spread out the chicken dishes, etc. (Once I get the first month complete, I may try to post a second month's worth.) I've posted each recipe as a separate posting for ease in searching, and the calendar appears at the bottom of the page. (My apologies that a few recipes are out of order. A blog is a difficult format for this, but it's a heckuva lot easier than a website!)
I hope someone out there will find this information useful! Bon appetit!
*Many of my recipes are from cookbooks or were published in a magazine or on a website. I have done my best to be respectful of copyrights, so in some cases I don't reprint a recipe here, but I point you to the book or link you to the website. I have attributed all other recipes as best I could, but I don't always have the original source noted in my own files. My apologies to anyone who isn't properly credited for a recipe!
I thought other folks might benefit from my little experiment, so I decided to go ahead and publish "a month of menus," including calendar, menus, recipes*, and notes. I've made some adjustments to my actual calendar to take out nights we ate out, spread out the chicken dishes, etc. (Once I get the first month complete, I may try to post a second month's worth.) I've posted each recipe as a separate posting for ease in searching, and the calendar appears at the bottom of the page. (My apologies that a few recipes are out of order. A blog is a difficult format for this, but it's a heckuva lot easier than a website!)
I hope someone out there will find this information useful! Bon appetit!
*Many of my recipes are from cookbooks or were published in a magazine or on a website. I have done my best to be respectful of copyrights, so in some cases I don't reprint a recipe here, but I point you to the book or link you to the website. I have attributed all other recipes as best I could, but I don't always have the original source noted in my own files. My apologies to anyone who isn't properly credited for a recipe!
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment