I have been very busy planting my vegetable garden. I am almost done, so hopefully tonight after work I will be able to plant the last few beds. That won’t leave a lot of time to cook dinner though, but I have a plan: Frozen cheese ravioli, left-over marinara and a quick salad. By the time the water boils and the ravioli are done, I will have the sauce warmed and the salad made. We even have some rolls left from last night if someone wants bread with their dinner.

The vegetarian marinara sauce is really easy and tasty. Here’s the recipe:

Vegetarian Marinara Sauce (double batch)

Ingredients:
2 large onions, chopped finely
2 bulbs of garlic, minced finely
2 bell peppers (red, green or one of each), chopped finely
1 can black olives, drained and chopped finely
1 pound mushrooms, chopped finely
5 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons sugar
2 – 26 oz. cans of crushed tomatoes
handful dried oregano
handful dried basil
salt to taste

The reason I chop every thing finely for this sauce is that it gives a consistency resembling ground beef in the sauce. It took a very long time for my kids to realize there wasn’t any meat in this sauce.

In a heavy bottomed pan sauté the onions until softened. Add the mushrooms and cook for a few minutes. Next add the bell peppers and garlic and cook until soft. Add the rest of the ingredients to the pan (except the salt) and bring up to a boil. Turn down and simmer for at least 30 minutes. The longer it simmers, the better the sauce will taste. After the first 30 minutes, taste the sauce to see if it needs any salt. It may not because the olives are salty and the canned tomatoes usually contain salt also.

A trick I use if the sauce gets too thick, is to add a can of V-8 juice. It has most of the same ingredients as the sauce so it adds liquid and maintains the flavor.

So if the weather holds, my garden will be completely planted tonight before dinner. My Quick Fix Dinner will be less than 30 minutes from start to finish. Everyone will be satisfied with the garden and the dinner!

The reason I have been making pizza more than ordering it recently is probably obvious. With the economy what it is, we just can’t afford to spend $30 or more for pizza. Pizza is surprisingly easy to make. And, if you watch for sales on the cheeses and toppings, it is usually less than half the price of take-out. Here is my pizza crust recipe and a quick pizza sauce recipe.

EZ Pizza Crust (makes 2 twelve-inch pizzas)

Ingredients:

4 cups flour

2 tablespoons dry yeast or 2 packages

3/4 cup warm (about 110 degrees) water, plus more as needed

2 teaspoons salt

4 tablespoons sugar

1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

cornmeal for pan

Dissolve yeast in a bowl with 3/4 cup lukewarm water. In a large bowl mix the flour, sugar and salt. Stir in the olive oil and the water with the dissolved yeast. Mix well. Add more lukewarm water as needed to make a dough that is smooth and elastic. Turn out on a floured board and knead until for 3 minutes. Pour a little olive oil in a large bowl and place the ball of dough in the bowl. Turn to coat with the oil. Cover bowl with plastic wrap, and leave it in a warm place until the dough has doubled in size, about 1 hour.

EZ Pizza Sauce

Ingredients:

1 large can of crushed tomatoes

1 teaspoon sugar

2 tablespoons dried oregano

1 tablespoon garlic powder or 2 minced garlic cloves

Mix everything together and let sit for a hour or so to let flavors mingle before making your pizza.

Preheat your oven to 550°F. Punch down the dough and separate in to two balls. Using a rolling pin, roll each ball into a 12-inch round. Sprinkle some cornmeal onto your pizza pan and place the dough on top. Spread with the pizza sauce. Add the desired toppings and cover with cheese. I usually use just mozzarella cheese, but sometimes we mix it up and add cheddar, jack or parmesan. This is the great thing about making pizza at home. You can make it the way you want it, not the way the restaurants offer it.

We often have Make Your Own Pizza Night. I prebake the crusts in the morning. I cook them until just down, but not brown. I usually break the recipe into fourths and make small crusts. Before baking use a fork and pierce the crust so that it doesn’t bubble up. Then that night everyone gets to pick their own toppings and put their pizza together. I cook them as fast as they are assembled and everyone gets just the pizza they want. Everyone loves this; kids and adults alike.

Start a new family tradition. Pizza night!

You have to plan ahead for this meal. The meat needs to marinate for at least 24 hours, so I started yesterday on this dinner. I also bought an inexpensive pork shoulder roast that will require a very long, slow cooking time, so I had to plan to have it ready to go into the oven before I left for work. The black beans also take a fairly long time to cook, so I put them in the crock pot this morning. A little planning will go a long way, because this is a delicious dinner. Here are the recipes:

Cuban Style Pork

Ingredients:
pork roast (I have used pork loin, pork shoulder and pork butt roasts for this meal)
lemons – at least one lemon per pound of pork
garlic – 3 or 4 cloves per pound, depending on how garlicky you want it to be
salt and pepper to taste

At least 24 hours before you need to put your roast in the oven, zest your lemons and squeeze out as much juice as possible. Peel and finely mince the garlic and mix with the juice and zest. Place the roast in a large bowl and pour the garlic and juice over the roast. I rub in the marinade before I cover and place in the refrigerator. Turn the roast in the marinade several time over the next 24 hours.

I cook this recipe on low heat for a long time. Heat your oven at 325°F. Place the roast in a heavy roasting pan with a lid or a cast-iron skillet and cover well with foil. Save the marinade in the refrigerator and every hour or so, baste the roast. Cook for about one hour per pound of meat. You will know when the roast is done, because it will be browned and falling apart. Slice or pull apart with a fork and serve with the following side dish.

Black Beans and Rice

Ingredients:
1 pound dry black beans
1 large onion
1 large green bell pepper
2 stalks celery
4 – 6 cloves of garlic
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1 – 16 oz. can of crushed or diced tomatoes
4 cups of water for beans
2 cups of white rice
4 cups of water to cook rice

Chop the onion, bell pepper, celery and garlic. Place the dry beans, vegetables, salt, pepper and canned tomatoes to the crock pot. Add the 4 cups of water and turn on high for approximately 5 hours. Check after a few hours and add more water if necessary to cook the beans until tender.

About half an hour before you are ready to serve dinner, boil the four cups of water. Add the rice to the boiling water. Turn down and simmer for 15 minutes. Serve the black beans over the white rice with your delicious Cuban style pork!

SAUSAGE LENTIL SOUP

Ingredients:

4 tablespoons olive oil

1 onion chopped

4 cloves of garlic finely minced

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon black pepper

1 tablespoon oregano

1 tablespoon basil

16 oz. turkey or pork sweet Italian sausage

8 cups vegetable or beef broth

1 pound carrots chopped

3 stalks celery diced

2 large bell peppers chopped

1/2 pound dry lentils

1 – 16 oz. can crushed tomatoes

Parmesan cheese for topping

Cut the sausages into 1/2 inch slices.  The slicing is easier if the sausages are slightly frozen.  In a large heavy bottomed pan, brown the sausages in the olive oil.  Add the onion and sauté until tender.  Add the garlic and sauté until softened and fragrant.  To this mixture add the remaining ingredients.  Bring to a boil and then turn down to a simmer.  Allow soup to simmer until the lentils are tender.  Serve topped with parmesan cheese.

You can also make this soup in the crock pot.  Just brown the sausage and then put everything into the crock pot for about 10 hours on low or 6 hours on high.

This soup is so tasty and filling.  Serve it with some nice fresh bread and maybe a salad and you will definitely be satisfied.  Hope you enjoy this one!

With all the cold weather we’ve been having, I am ready for some comfort food. One of my favorite cold weather comfort foods is definitely Minestrone Soup! Here is my recipe for a very quick version.

MINESTRONE SOUP

Ingredients:

In a large heavy bottomed pan, brown the ground beef. Add the onion and sauté until tender. Add the garlic and sauté until softened and fragrant. To this mixture add the remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil and then turn down to a simmer for 30 minutes or until the carrots are tender. Cook the pasta separately until al dente. You can mix the cooked pasta into the pot of soup or add just as much pasta as you want to each bowl. Serve topped with parmesan cheese.

For a really quick cooking version – use your seasoned ground beef from the freezer and 1 jar of pasta sauce instead of the can of tomatoes and other seasonings. See Organization – the key to quick cooking! for details. Or, if you want dinner ready when you get home, use your crock pot!

Serve this soup with some warm, crusty bread and enjoy!