You can even omit the bacon if you don’t like meat. On the other hand, if you don’t mind the meat but don’t like the smoky flavor of bacon, use pancetta instead. I’ve done it in the past. It’s really good, too.

Ingredients (2-3 servings):
1 lb. Galletti Pasta (or Farfalle)
15 Fresh Strawberries (more or less, depending on size), diced
5-6 strips of Bacon, diced (or pancetta)
1 tbs. minced Shallots
2-3 Cloves Garlic, minced
A handful of Flat-Leaf Parsley, finely chopped
EVOO
Balsamic Vinegar
Grated Parmesan
Fresh Ground Pepper

Directions:
In a bowl, macerate the diced strawberries in a drizzle of balsamic vinegar. Set aside. Cook pasta to al dente.

Meanwhile, saute bacon and shallots with a little EVOO in a medium-heated pan until bacon is lightly browned. Add in garlic and cook for another few minutes or until bacon is golden brown and crispy. When pasta is cooked, combine everything together, add in the strawberries, parsley, some grated parmesan and a few cracks of black pepper. Toss well.

Serve on pasta bowls and garnish with some more fresh strawberries and parsley. Finish with a drizzle of EVOO.

So, leave the Prego on the shelf already… and suck it up. You won’t regret it!

Ingredients (6-8 Servings)
12 sheets No-Boil Lasagna
1 5oz package Organic Baby Spinach
4 Italian Sausage Links, cooked and thinly sliced diagonally
2 24oz bottles All-Natural Marinara Sauce
2 cups Ricotta
2 cups Fresh Mozzarella, sliced into thin pieces
2 cups Provolone, Shredded
1/2 cup Grated Parmesan
1 cup EVOO

Directions:
Soak the no-boil lasagna sheets in tap water and set aside. Preheat oven to 375F. Meanwhile, lightly coat a 9″x13″ baking dish with a little EVOO. Pour half a bottle of marinara sauce and spread to cover entire bottom of dish evenly.

Slather 1 cup of ricotta cheese on one side of four lasagna sheets and layer on the bottom of dish, cheese side up (may overlap a little). Pour half a bottle of marinara sauce and spread evenly with a spatula. Spread evenly half of the sausage slices and half the spinach, then a third of the mozzarella, provolone and parmesan. Repeat the process for a second layer.

Top with a final layer of lasagna sheets and the remaining sauce and cheese. Drizzle evenly with a little EVOO.

Cover with foil and pop in the oven for an hour. Remove foil and keep in the oven for another 10 minutes. Let rest for a few minutes before digging in.

I had some leftover fresh mozzarella so I diced it up and added it but you really don’t need it. Just some grated parmesan and you’re good to go.

So easy to make, too. Ready in 15 minutes.

Ingredients (2 servings):
1/2 lb. Campanelle Pasta
1-2 Garlic Cloves, minced
A handful of Parsley (or Cilantro), chopped
EVOO
1 Lemon, cut into 4 wedges
Grated Parmesan
Fresh Cracked Pepper

Directions:
Cook pasta to al dente. Meanwhile, in a medium-low heated large pan, sweat garlic in EVOO for a few minutes until fragrant but not browned. Add cooked pasta, chopped parsley and fresh cracked pepper. Toss well. Squirt some lemon juice and serve on pasta bowls. Garnish with grated parmesan, a lemon wedge and a drizzle of fresh olive oil.

I would’ve used ground beef but I happened to have a thing of ground turkey in the fridge, so that’s what I used. Smart Ground or something similar would be a good vegetarian alternative, as well.

I also had some leftover cilantro leaves so I just threw it on the mash and it worked out great. By the way, the radish slices gave it a nice cool break from the spiciness of the dish.

Outstanding, I say! Give it a try already.

Ingredients (4 servings):
The Meatloaf:
1 lb. Lean Ground Turkey
1 1/2 cup Bread Crumbs
4 Jalapeno Peppers, seeded and finely diced
1 Onion, finely diced
3 tbs. Chugwater Chili Powder (or whatever variety you have)
2 tbs. dried thyme
6 Garlic Cloves, minced
1 cup Frozen Peas & Carrots, thawed in microwave
1 Large Egg
4 tbs. EVOO
Fresh Cracked Pepper

The Glaze:
1/2 cup Ketchup
1 tbs. Chugwater Chili Powder (or whatever variety you have)
1 tbs. Honey
1 tsp. Worcestershire Sauce
1 tsp. Hot Sauce

The Mash:
4 Russet Potatoes, peeled and diced
1 bunch Fresh Cilantro Leaves, finely chopped
1/2 stick Unsalted Butter
1 cup of Low-Fat Milk, more or less
Salt & Pepper

1 Bunch of Raddish, sliced

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350F. In a large mixing bowl, combine all meatloaf ingredients together and mix well using your hands. Take note that Chugwater Chili Powder is already salted. If the chili powder you’re using doesn’t have salt in it, go ahead and add some, otherwise, beware of over salting.

Now, make the glaze by combining all the glaze ingredients together in a small bowl and mixing well. Transfer meatloaf to a meatloaf baking pan and smother evenly with the glaze. Pop in the oven for 1 hour.

Meanwhile, start your mash by rinsing the cubed potatoes to get rid of excess starch. Place in a pot immersed in cold water and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce heat and continue boiling for another 20 minutes or until potatoes are tender enough to mash. Drain water and then, add butter, milk, salt & pepper and start mashing until smooth and creamy. Give it a taste and re-season accordingly. Add in cilantro and fold using a large spoon or spatula.

Serve with slices of radish.

This is pure vegan recipe but you can certainly add some chicken, if you wish. I have in the past, I just didn’t have any at the moment. That’s why tofu became the star of the dish. Works for me!

Oh yeah, green curry is way spicier than the red one, FYI. Okay, don the apron and get cooking!

Ingredients (4 servings):
1 can Maesri Green Curry Paste
1 can Low Fat Coconut Milk
1 cup Low Sodium Vegetable Broth
3 tbs. Fish Sauce
1/2 package firm tofu, diced into small cubes
A handful of Fresh Basil Leaves, torn into pieces
1 tbs. Dried Basil
1 Onion, sliced
1 Red Bell Pepper, sliced
4 cLoves Garlic, minced
Small Eggplant, diced into small cubes
A few pieces of diced Carrots
3 tbs. Canola Oil

Directions:
Heat oil in a pot and saute bell pepper, onions, eggplant and carrots in medium-high heat for a few minutes. Add in the garlic, dried basil and fish sauce and let cook for another couple of minutes while continuously stirring. Stir in the green curry paste, coconut milk and broth and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce heat to medium-low and let simmer covered for about 20 minutes. Give it a taste and re-season with more fish sauce if needed. Fold in the tofu and fresh basil. Serve over a bowl of jasmine rice.

Although, I still have to have that scoop of ice cream, that’s right.

Ingredients:
1 cup Pure Maple Syrup
1/2 cup Raw Cane Sugar (or Brown Sugar)
3 Large Eggs
4 tbs. Unsalted Butter, melted
1 tbs. Pure Vanilla Extract
1 tbs. Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
1/4 tsp. Sea Salt
1 1/2 cups Pecans (pieces or halves)
1 9″ Pie Crust

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350F. In a mixing bowl, whisk together the first 8 ingredients until well blended. Pour mixture over the crust and bake for 1 hour. Let stand at room temp until completely cool.

The spinach was added since I had some leftover from last week’s salad.

Ingredients (2 servings):
1/2 lb. Spaghetti (Linguine or penne works great, too)
3 cloves Garlic, minced
EVOO
Red Pepper Flakes
A handful of Baby Spinach Leaves (or other greens you have)
Grated Parmesan (or Parma, for a vegan alternative)

Directions:
Cook pasta according to package directions.

Meanwhile, sweat garlic with EVOO and red pepper flakes in low heat until flavor is fully released, 10 minutes or less. Be sure to not burn the garlic, so keep watch.

When pasta is cooked, drain and quickly combine with garlic and oil mixture and spinach and toss well. Sprinkle with grated parmesan and finish with a drizzle of fresh EVOO.

If I had a lemon, I would’ve squirted a little juice on it, too. Maybe next time.

Surprisingly, toads taste great served both sweet and savory. Along with the leftover colcannon from the previous meal, I made a simple onion gravy and smothered it on one toad.

And I slathered another one with homemade raspberry rhubarb jam that a friend of mine just gave me. Yum!

I have to admit, though… they’re definitely not the prettiest looking dish. I had to shove the sausages down so they don’t stick up. Kinda embarrassing. Hee hee! But comfort food is simple and isn’t meant to look pretty, right? Just taste good. And taste good, it does!

Give it a whirl sometime. You won’t be disappointed.

Ingredients (Serves 3-6):
3 Fresh Sausage Links
2/3 cup All-Purpose Unbleached Flour
3 Large Eggs
2/3 cup Low-Fat Milk
3 tbs. Unsalted Butter, melted
Salt & Pepper
2 tbs. Fresh Thyme Leaves

Directions:
Place a 6-cup large muffin baking pan inside the oven and preheat it to 450F. Meanwhile, sear the sausages in high heat until half done. Cut each link in half and set aside.

In a mixing bowl, whisk the eggs with a dash of salt & pepper. Mix in the melted butter, milk and thyme. Finally, add the flour and keep whisking until well combined. The batter should be on the thin side, unlike pancake. Add a little water if it needs thinning.

Once the oven reaches 450F, take the pan out (be careful, it’s screaming hot) and quickly spray the cups with cooking spray, pour the batter about 2/3 full and add a half sausage piece to each cup. Do this very quickly and stick the pan back in the oven and bake for 20 minutes. Do not open the door until then or it might not puff up like it should.

Serve either with gravy or fruit jam or preserve.

I made my mash colcannon style. Besides butter and cream, I added some shredded and boiled cabbage and onions with a bit of roasted garlic and fresh thyme. Then I sprinkled it with ground mace to give it a different twist. Topped that with grilled Irish-style sausages, smothered with white mushroom gravy and… dinner’s ready.

Oh wait! Can’t forget the pint of bitter, too.

But, come on… who cares? It’s fantastic! The Yorkshire pudding may not have risen much but it’s still one heck of a pie, I think. But then, what do I know? It’s the first time I’d made it.

I used Irish pork sausages that I sliced into smaller pieces so they’re more manageable. Same Yorkshire pudding recipe as anyone’s, give or take. They say the pan has to be very hot. It was screaming hot, the kitchen was full of smoke. I think it’s because I didn’t want it to be oily so I drained pretty much all of the oil in the pan before I poured in the batter.

I don’t know! All I know is that it’s good. And that’s all that matters. Right? Right?

Let’s see what I had left… Zucchini, roasted eggplant pieces, a can of tomatoes, an almost empty bag of cheddar, a small piece of fresh mozzarella, leftover burger patty and the remaining sweet corn salsa.

Whatcha got left in your fridge?

There’s so many different ways to approach this. I just happened to have some leftover ingredients and it worked out pretty good. No, actually it was heaven!!!

Ingredients:
Spaghetti Pasta
Grilled/Roasted Veggies (bell pepper, eggplant, broccoli, onions, etc.), diced
Grilled/Roasted Chicken Breast, diced
Fresh Mozzarella, diced
Fresh Basil Leaves, julienned
EVOO
Red Pepper Flakes
Grated Parmesan Cheese

Directions:
Preheat oven to 500F. Cook spaghetti to al dente, drain and coat with EVOO. Transfer to an oven-safe platter and top with veggies, chicken and mozzarella pieces. Sprinkle with red pepper flakes and pop in the oven for about 6-8 minutes or until cheese is bubbly and a little brown on top. Be careful not to burn it, though. Top with fresh basil and parmesan cheese. Finish with a drizzle of EVOO.

These are really meant to be enjoyed raw and fresh. So I thought I’d do a little Caprese action and throw in some basil and mozzarella. I just sprinkled a little bit of sea salt and fresh pepper on the tomato slices and drizzled them with EVOO and a good quality balsamic. Good to go!

Ok, so I got carried away and made a mini cairn out of it. Hey, food’s suppose to be fun, right?

Only one way to find out…

I have to tell ya, sometimes I amaze myself. Hahahaha! Yeehaw!!!!!

Of course, regular milk works but I really prefer the subtle flavors of buttermilk and have gotten used to doing it this way, everytime.

It takes a little bit more work and care, though, to make the “perfect” pancake. For one, you must not over mix the batter, which I know I have done one too many times. And be vigilant about cooking it in perfect timing without any burning or under cooking. Time really depends on individual circumstances (i.e. type of stove, etc.) that’s why I don’t like to say to cook it for so many minutes before flipping over. You must learn to feel things yourself. Takes a little practice, for sure.

And so with this recipe, I want to give a final word to a couple of old ladies: Aunt Jemima… the family is now officially disowning you. Oh, and Mrs. Butterworth… it’s been nice knowing you, too.

Ingredients (2-3 Servings):
1 cup All-Purpose Flour
1 tbs Sugar
1/4 tsp Salt
1 tsp Baking Powder
1/4 tsp Baking Soda
1 cup Buttermilk
1 Egg
2 tbs Unsalted Butter
1 tsp Vanilla Extract

Directions:
In one mixing bowl, combine flour, sugar, salt, baking powder and baking soda. In a second bowl, add butter and microwave for a few seconds to melt completely. Then add buttermilk, egg and vanilla extract and whisk together. Add the liquid ingredients into the dry bowl and mix for about half a minute or so, or just when everything is combined but still lumpy. Do not over mix. Set aside.

Now, heat a griddle in medium heat. When fully heated (a few minutes), lightly grease the surface with butter, oil or cooking spray. Pour batter and cook in batches. When bubbling appears, it’s time to flip. Cook the other side for less than the time you cooked the first side. Peek underneath every now and then to make sure you don’t overcook. Serve with maple syrup, butter, berries, walnuts and what have you.