Baked Ziti is one of those classic, “everybody makes this dish” – but I never did until I saw this super simple recipe. You can add herbs of your choice, if you like. Add some Italian seasoning if you want. Or not. I used ready made spaghetti sauce with basil and garlic, and with the garlic called for in the recipe, it was good. Use the refrigerated package of shredded parmesan – or grate your own. This is also a very dense recipe so you won’t need a large serving. In fact, we made three meals (9 servings) of this and served it with a medium sized green salad and simple fruit dessert. I’m told it’s traditionally served with garlic bread – but we skipped that in pursuit of our staying (relative) low carb goal. We’re not big tomato sauce fans so this was just right, but if it seems ... [Read More]
Italian inspired
Tuscan Chicken Rice Bowl
A delicious meal, ready to eat in about 30 minutes. You can assemble from scratch which may take a just a few minutes longer at cooking time or freeze ahead of time, thaw overnight and have it ready in a flash for a healthy work night meal. Add a quick salad of spring greens, feta cheese, a few walnuts and blueberries. Look for chicken breast fillets as they are about half an inch thick and will cook quickly and evenly. Most stores will carry them, but if you don't find them make your own fillets. With a sharp knife slice a chicken breast lengthwise into half inch pieces. Look for chopped mushrooms if you have a "fungus-phobe" like Bytes at your house. He'll eat chopped mushrooms with little comment, but objects to the bigger pieces. (We're making progress with that -- lol!) ... [Read More]
Italian Chicken Breast with butter lemon sauce
Italian Chicken Breast is a Quick and Easy recipe that is delightfully delicious and so easy to make that it will become a regular on the menu. Thaw the chicken breasts in the refrigerator overnight. Yes, you can thaw them in the microwave, if you forget. But it's one less hassle if you think ahead and throw the bag of frozen chicken breast in the refrigerator overnight. You can get right to cooking after work. The package of chicken breasts I used were wildly varied in size. Slice them in a way that will give you relatively uniform thickness. I laid the breasts on the cutting board and made slices abut 3/4 inch thick. Those will cook easily with about 5 minutes on each side. Be sure the oil is hot before adding the meat, dredged in egg and crumbs. This will make a quick and ... [Read More]