Sun-Dried Tomato and Sausage Pasta

The majority of what I know for cooking comes from my mom, who was a Home Ec/Foods teacher for many years. One of the main things I learned from her was expermintation, and some of my favorite memories in the recent years have been her and I trying and inventing new recipes. (Oh and she doesn’t measure anything unless it is baking!) This is pasta she ccreated and I added little things to make it my own over the years. It is a quick and easy recipe with only 7 ingredients.
Note:You can usually find sun dried tomatoes in either the produce aisle or near the canned tomatoes. But you might have to search, one time I had a grocery store employee tell me they were out of season.

INGREDIENTS

1 bunch asparagus -chopped diagonally
2 chicken sausages – cut in half and then into slices about 1/4 inch thick. (I prefer any flavor of Aidell’s sausages, usually I use artichoke and garlic or habenero and green chile for a little kick) 1 jar (about 6-8 oz) Sun-dried tomatoes, julienne cut, in olive oil
½ yellow onion – cut in about 1” square chunks
2 cloves garlic
¼ c pine nuts
½ lb penne pasta
2 tbs Olive Oil
Parmesan Cheese
Salt/Pepper

Boil water for pasta. When water is boiling add pasta. Heat Olive Oil in sauté pan. Add onion and sauté until cooked (they should become partially see through and also be flimsy. Add garlic, sausage and pine nuts. Cook for 3 minutes. Add asparagus and cook for an additional 3 minutes. Add sun –dried tomatoes with olive oil. Add salt and pepper to taste. Cook for 3 minutes. When pasta is cooked (always taste test one!) drain and return to pot. Add veggie/sausage mix. Serve and top with Parmesan.

Sunday Night Dinner

Sundays for me are a night of relaxing, cleaning and getting ready for the week to come. It is also usually a time when I have time to cook a good dinner. Since it is summer and had just gotten back from a weekend away indulging in foods like bacon and cupcakes, I needed something light and easy. I also had mint and parsley left over from a previous meal that I wanted to use up.

Lemon-Mint Chicken

2 Thin-Sliced Chicken Breasts
2 Lemons (Sliced)

3 Cloves Garlic (Chopped)

1 tbs butter

3 tbs olive oil

1/4 fresh mint (about a handful)

salt/pepper

Preheat oven to 350F. In the bottom of a oven safe pan (I used a Pyrex) place half of the lemon slices to cover the bottom. Place half of the mint and garlic on top of the lemon slices. Lay chicken on top of mint, garlic and lemons. Season with salt and pepper. Place the remaining mint and garlic on top of the chicken. Finish off with the remaining lemon slices. Pour the olive oil over the chicken. Cut the butter in to small pieces and sprinkle throughout. Bake in oven at 350F for 30 minutes.

I also like to do these as a foil pack, just place all the ingredients on foil, wrap it up and cook in the oven for the same amount of time.

Couscous Tabbouleh

1/2 c couscous

1/2 c Water

1 tbs Butter

1 tbs Olive Oil

Juice of 1 Lemon

1/4 c chopped parsley

1/4 c chopped mint

2 tomatoes seeded and chopped

Salt

Boil water with butter. When water is rapidly boiling stir in couscous. Remove from heat and cover. Let sit for 5 minutes. Stir to fluff. Stir in remaining ingredients and place in refrigerator to cool for 20 minutes.

Since I always have a vegetable with my dinners I steamed some broccoli, and melted some butter with the juice of half of a lemon to pour on top.

The Finished Product:

Cooking for One...simple, cheap, and delicious!

I always have friends who tell me they can't cook for one person for cheaper than they can go out for. I beg to differ. And this blog is going to help me prove that you can! I live by myself in a studio with a small kitchen, no dishwasher and very little counter space. This is it:

Yep...that is all of my kitchen. Although I am normally cooking for myself, I love entertaining and cooking for others as well. And I make it work in that tiny kitchen! The majority of recipes that I will include on here will be for 2 servings. I always make 2 servings, and usually have the leftovers for lunch the next day. Although not everything I cook is glamourous, or restaurant ready, it is easy and most of the time I think it is delicious! Also, not every recipe is made from scratch, but uses different sauces and other ingredients that are pre-made. Recipes will follow but first, what I find to be the most important things of cooking for 1!



Keys to Single Cooking

• Buy only what you need. You can easily plan out a couple days of recipes and buy at the store, but don't buy produce for what you won't eat in a week. Go to the store with a recipe in mind and a list of ingredients.


• If you are buying bulk make sure it is non-perishable or can be frozen. I buy most of my meets in bigger batches and then freeze either one or two pieces in individual bags.


• Have a set of good reusable tupperware. This makes it easier to save the second serving.


• When planning your meal, check for common ingredients that you can use in multiple parts of the meal, such as herbs.


• And what I feel is the biggest key to single cooking: Plan ahead. Think about a couple days, plan out the menu and make a grocery list. Only buy what is on your list. (That carton of ice-cream probably isn't!)

Happy Cooking!!