Panini

Panini. A fancy word for grilled cheese. And there's nothing better than grilled cheese. And you can make it with anything. All you need is bread, cheese and some goodies to go inside. For example, the other day, after rummaging through my fridge, I came up with the following panini:

1. I drizzled olive oil on a grill pan.

2. I laid out two pieces of bread and put two slices of provolone cheese on each of them.

3. On one side, I added:

• A couple slices of turkey
• Artichoke hearts
• Sliced red onion

4. I topped that with the other slice of bread and the cheese, pressed down hard on it and then put it on the grill pan.

5. I plopped a heavy pan on top. You can use a brick covered in foil or anything that will smoosh your sammy.

6. Then I flipped it.

When it was done, it was ooey gooey cheesy delicious inside.

The choices are endless. But what would you stuff inside your dream panini?

Suzie

Grilled Shrimp

It's grilling season! Time to fire up the fun and enjoy the summer sizzle. Instead of going with the same old burgers and dogs, put a twist on a boring old BBQ and grill some delicious shrimp. Whether you serve them up as an appetizer or a main course, your guests will be impressed. Just:

1. Peel and de-vein a pound of shrimp.

NOTE: You can also grill your shrimp in the shells and serve them peel and eat style. The shells definitely rev up the shrimpy flavor, but the peeling can be messy. It's up to you.

2. Chop four garlic cloves and put the garlic in a bowl.

3. Add olive oil and red pepper flakes to the bowl.

4. Pat your shrimp dry with paper towels. Salt and pepper them.

5. Chop parsley or cilantro (whichever you have fresh) and add it to the mix.

6. Pour marinade over shrimp.


7. Marinate for at least a half an hour.

8. Start grill. When you have a high heat, put shrimp on grill.

9. Once they turn pink and curl up, flip them. Should only be about 2 or three minutes.

10. Cook on other side until pink and firm.

11. Remove from grill and enjoy!

So, what's your favorite summertime food to grill?

Suzie

Joey's Favorite Salsa

Looking for a dip with a twist? A chunky salsa with a kick? Try Joey's Favorite Salsa. It's soooo easy, delicious and good for you too.

1. Rinse one can of black beans and dump them in a bowl.

2. Add one can (same size) of diced tomatoes to bowl. If you have Rotel tomatoes in your area, use those. Rotel are canned tomatoes with lime juice and chilis.

3. Add one can corn. If you have fresh corn, just slice the kernels off the cob. They're super sweet and deliciously fresh.

4. Chop half a red onion and add it to the mix.

5. Mince two garlic cloves and blend them in.

6. Dice a jalapeno, add it to the pool.

7. Chop a handful of cilantro and add it for a fresh zing.

8. Squeeze one lime over the bowl.

9. Add salt and pepper and mix up the creation.

Scoop up some of this fabulous salsa on a tortilla chip and enjoy the fresh zesty spicy kick!

What's in your favorite salsa?

Suzie

Huevos y Frijoles

My lust for black beans is making me do crazy things with them. This morning I made a black bean omelet that made me salsa dance all over the kitchen. Try it:

1. Defrost a pack of your single serving vacuum sealed black beans. Add a little chopped jalapeno to your beans. Warm them in a little pot over medium heat.

2. Beat two eggs in a bowl with a splash of milk.

3. Chop up a little fresh cilantro.

4. Drop some butter in an omelet pan on medium heat. When it melts, pour in the egg mixture.

5. Cover the pan.

6. When the egg mass is no longer runny, spoon beans onto one half of omelet.

7. Sprinkle with cilantro and jack cheese.

8. Flip the other half of the omelet over the delicious bean mixture.

9. Wait for the cheese to melt.

10. Eat the heavenly omelet.

Can you think of a more delicious omelet? What's your favorite type of omelet?

Suzie

Black Beans

Psst...I have a secret. A secret crush - on black beans.

A great source of protein, antioxidant rich black beans are a very good source of cholesterol-lowering fiber, as are most other legumes. In addition to lowering cholesterol, black beans' high fiber content prevents blood sugar levels from rising too rapidly after a meal, making these beans an especially good choice for individuals with diabetes, insulin resistance or hypoglycemia.

They're also super filling and ridiculously delicious. They're my new BFF. Well, maybe even BF.

I have not taken any pictures while cooking them. I'm sorry. You're going to have to envision these black beauties on your own.

1. Soak a bag of black beans over night per directions on the bag.

2. Chop one onion, one jalapeno and three garlic cloves.

NOTE: This veggie trio is also known as a sofrito. It's a great base for all kinds of soups, stews, etc. Often, the jalapeno is replaced with a bell pepper, depending on what you're going for.

3. Put 2 tablespoons olive oil in a pot over medium heat.

4. When the oil is hot, add your sofrito, salt and pepper.

5. When veggies are soft, after about five minutes or so, add the beans stir them around and heat them for about two or three minutes.

6. Add water according to the directions on the bean package. Usually about 8 cups per lb.

7. Let beans simmer over medium heat with the lid open a tad for two hours. Longer if beans are still hard or there's two much liquid left.

Now, you're probably wondering what the heck you're going to do with all these beans. That's where your food saver comes in. Cut single serving sized bags, and vacuum seal and freeze single servings. Then heat them up as a small meal or side dish at any time.

Enjoy!

Suzie Black Bean Lover

Stromboli

Having a party? Stromboli is a great and easy appetizer that's bound to please the masses. Just roll it up, bake it and slice it up. Its cheesy, yummy goodness brings on big smiles.

You can make the whole deal easier on yourself and use store bought pizza dough. I'm not going to tell you not to, but I'll give you the tools to go fresh, just in case you want to roll old school:

1. Sprinkle the yeast into a medium bowl containing 1 1/4 cup warm water and stir until yeast dissolves.

2. Add 2 cups sifted flour and stir until blended.

3. Add another 1 1/2 to 2 cups flour and blend until too stiff to stir with a spoon.

4. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead it for 10 to 15 minutes until dough is smooth and elastic.

5. Place the dough in another bowl greased with a small amount of oil. Turn the dough once so that the top is oiled.

6. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and put it in a warm place for about 45 minutes--until the dough rises to about double its original size.

7. Once it rises, roll it out on a floured surface. (Dough on an unfloured countertop = mess.)

8. Then layer your filling in it. It can be anything you want. For example, you can use pepperoni and cheese or spinach sauteed with garlic and cheese.

9. Once you stuff it, roll it up.

10. Whip up one egg and a little water then paint it on your stromboli. This will give it a nice, glossy, hard crust.

11. Pop it in the oven and let it bake at 425 degrees for about 20 minutes or until the crust looks brown.

11. Slice it up and enjoy!

So what will you stuff your stromboli with?

Suzie

Goat Cheese and Sundried Tomato Spread

On Easter, I realized that I didn't have enough appetizers for the friends who were coming over for dinner. So I dug into my freezer and pulled out a hunk of goat cheese left over from a party and waited for it to soften.

When it did, I rummaged through the pantry to see what I could add to it. I found sundried tomatoes and a sleeve of crackers.

Then I went out to the garden and cut some parsley.

I chopped the sundried tomatoes and parsley, mixed them in with the goat cheese, added some cracked black pepper and set it out on the table with the crackers.

I figured you can't go wrong with sundried tomatoes and parsley, can you?

The empty bowl was proof. Try it for an easy and different kind of cheese and crackers!

Suzie

Suzie's Mac and Cheese

WARNING: THIS MEAL IS NOT HEALTHY.

Aren't disclaimers fantastic? No, seriously, this meal contains processed foods and is totally not good for you. But since yesterday was a holiday and the people beg for it, I made mac and cheese.

You can too. Here's how:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

2. Empty 4 cans cheddar cheese soup in a pot on medium heat.

3. Add about a cup of milk. Stir.

4. Squirt about three tablespoons brown mustard in the cheese sauce. Stir.

6. Add one package (two cups) shredded sharp cheddar cheese to the sauce.

7. Boil two lbs large elbows until they are al dente.

8. Drain noodles.

9. Butter large baking dish.

10. Add half sauce mixture to baking dish. Stir in half the noodles. Repeat with second half.

11. Top with another package shredded sharp cheddar cheese (2 cups).

12. Bake about 30 minutes until top is cheesy crunchy.

13. Enjoy! Because you should only eat it once a year. ; )


What are your once a year favorites?

Suzie

Granny's Meatballs

Oh yes, here it is, the holy grail of recipes. And I'm sharing it with you. These meatballs are swoonworthy, drool inducing, crave causing little pockets of wonder. Try them for yourself.

First, heat some marinara sauce in a large pot on the stove.

1. Put equal parts ground beef, pork and veal in the biggest bowl you can find. I suggest using 1 lb of each for about 30 meatballs.

2. Smash two bags of store bought seasoned stuffing (in the bags) with a mallet. (Okay, I will admit, Granny did not use stuffing. She used day old bread. But my day old bread meatballs never taste as good as hers, so I've twisted the recipe a bit.) Pour them over the meat.

3. Add one egg per lb of meat.

4. Chop a bunch of fresh parsley and add it. I mean the whole bunch. Parsley is the secret fresh zing in these meatballs.

5. Add about a half a cup of shredded parmesan cheese.

6. Chop eight garlic cloves. Toss 'em in.

7. Finely chop one onion. Throw it in the mix.

8. Add salt, pepper and dried Italian seasonings.

9. Moosh it all together with your hands. Then form the mixture into balls.

10. Heat oil in a pan on medium high on the stove top and brown meatballs.

11. Plop them in the sauce.

12. Let them cook about an hour and a half.

13. Enjoy!

How is this recipe different from how you make meatballs?

Suzie

PS - For other yummy recipes check out Simply Delicious Sunday.

Carrie's Favorite Cauliflower

This weekend, I catered a birthday for my friend Carrie. When planning the menu she said, "Ooo....can you make some of that awesome cauliflower?"

Why yes, yes I can.

Cauliflower is a totally underated vegetable. Like broccoli, it's a cruciferous vegetable, full of cancer fighting abilities, vitamin C and fiber. We should eat it by the pound.

I know what some of you are thinking. Cauliflower can be bland and watery if you steam it. Fear not. Carrie's Favorite Cauliflower bursts with flavor and crunch.

1. Mix olive oil, a couple chopped garlic cloves, red pepper flakes, some dried Italian seasonings and salt in a bowl.

2. Cut the cauliflower head in half. Cut the core out of each half and break the head into florets.

3. In a gallon sized ziplock bag, mix the cauliflower with the olive oil, garlic and spices.

4. Put the bag in the fridge and let it marinate for at least a half hour.

5. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Then roast the cauliflower for 25 minutes or until golden brown.

By the time I got the camera, the cauliflower was half eaten.

6. Enjoy!

Suzie

Tasty Tomato Sauce

My Granny was an amazing cook. And I had the pleasure of spending lots of time in the kitchen with her. She taught me how to mix and match flavors and confidently toss ingredients in a pot, as if measuring tools didn't exist.

Today I'm making tomato sauce. She, like a lot of Italians, called it "gravy." I'm not making her recipe. It's more like a combo of both of ours. The savory scents from my kitchen are bringing back great memories, so I thought I'd share:

1. Finely chop a large onion, four garlic cloves and two carrots.

2. Heat olive oil in a big heavy bottomed pot on the stove on medium heat.

3. When the oil is hot, toss in the carrots and onion. Let them soften about five minutes. Make sure they don't brown.

NOTE: Some people put sugar in their "gravy." I don't. It's bad for you and those extra calories are a serious waste. Carrots do a great job of naturally sweetening the sauce and balancing the acidity of the tomatoes.

4. Add the garlic. Let it soften a few minutes. Be sure it doesn't brown. (It will taste awful.)

5. Salt and pepper your veggies. Then add dried Italian seasonings and some red pepper flakes.

6. Add four 28 oz cans of crushed tomatoes. Or you can use whole tomatoes and smoosh them up with your hands.

7. Stir it up. Season to taste.

8. Simmer on low heat with the lid cracked for about an hour. Stir occasionally.

9. Pour over pasta.

10. Top with a chopped fresh herb like parsley or basil. (This gives it such a fresh zing!)

Enjoy!

Suzie

Suzie's Caesar

I'm crazy about Caesar Salad. But I'm picky about them. So I tweaked and tweaked until I came up with this:

1. Press one large clove raw garlic into a small bowl.

2. Add four anchovies. (I LOVE anchovies. I add extras into my salad at the end. Four will suffice for a normal person. But if you're scared of anchovies, this is not the recipe for you.)

3. Add kosher salt and ground black pepper.

4. Mash all those ingredients together with a fork.

5. Boil a small pot of water. Drop an egg in it and let it boil for 30 seconds. (You just want to bring it up to room temp.)

6. Crack the egg into the bowl and beat everything.

7. Add a teaspoon of Dijon mustard.

8. Drop in a tablespoon or more of Parmesan cheese.

9. Shake in two squirts of Worcestershire sauce.

10. Squeeze in half a small lemon.

11. Beat the mix with a whisk.

12. When blended, slowly pour in about a quarter cup of olive oil while continuing to whisk. When there's a nice thick consistency, it's done.

13. Adjust the taste. If you want more anchovies or pepper or lemon or whatever, add it.

14. Toss it with romaine lettuce, croutons and freshly grated Parmesan cheese.

NOTE: I like to make my own croutons. Not so sure what's in the boxed kind, you know? Just thinly slice a baguette, spread the pieces on a cookie sheet. Sprinkle them with olive oil, salt and pepper and bake them at 350 for about 8 minutes.



Enjoy!

Suzie

Pan Roasted Chicken Breast

I love chicken. Maybe because as a kid, my stepfather would roast chicken on Sundays and make the best gravy on the planet and serve it up with roasted onions and mashed potatoes. It was the ultimate Sunday dinner.

When I want a quick and dirty version of his delicious baked chicken, I go for a bone in, skin on, chicken breast. I sear it, skin down, for the ultimate savory crunch, toss in some mushrooms, quartered onion, fresh herbs and shove it in the oven.

This is a great one pan meal for one person. You can also add as you go, get a bigger pan and add a chicken breast per person.

Here's what you do:

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

2. Salt and pepper both sides of your chicken breast, a handful of mushrooms and half a quartered onion. (Add more onion and mushrooms if you're making more than one chicken breast.)

3. Coat the bottom of a metal handled pan with olive oil. Heat it on medium high.

4. When the oil is hot, sear your chicken breast, skin side down. This should take about five to eight minutes. Make sure it's nice and golden brown.

5. Once it's brown, turn off the flame.

6. Drop the mushrooms, onion and a fresh woody herb like parsely or thyme in the pan.

7. Put the pan in the oven for anywhere from 15 to 25 minutes, depending on the size of the breast. For smaller chicken breasts, check after 15 minutes. If juices run clear and meat is firm to the touch, take it out. Check large chicken breasts around 22 minutes.

NOTE: The more chicken breasts you make, the longer they'll take in the oven. For example, if you put two breasts in the pan you may want to cook them about 30 minutes.

8. Remove pan from oven. Plate food and let it rest for 5 minutes so the juices can redistribute.

And that's it. Sunday dinner in less than a half hour. Easy, right?

Suzie

Holy Guacamole!

All right, maybe it's not holy, but it's the best guacamole I've ever had. Hands down.

1. Halve, peel and pit four avocaodos. Put them in a bowl.

NOTE: The easist way to peel avocados is to halve them and then scoop the fruit out with a spoon.

Add the following to the bowl:

• Half a small chopped onion


• 3 cloves minced garlic


• 1 chopped jalapeno


• 1/2 a lime's worth of juice


• Salt


• Chopped cilantro

2. Cut it all up into chunks. Mix it all together. Then mash with a potato masher.

3. Taste it. If you want it hotter, add more jalapeno. Saltier? Toss in some more salt. Need a little more zing? Squeeze in the other half of that lime. You get the idea..

4. Enjoy the heavenly guac with chips, or have it as a side dish with chicken or fish.

Let me know how it goes!

Suzie

Crunchy Organic Carrots

Look what I picked today! The first carrots of the season. Straight from the garden. Organic, delicious and made by me.

Growing your own veggies is great for a lot of reasons:

1. It's a fantastic way to save money. The package of carrot seeds I grew these from cost $1.99. They will keep me crunching carrots for the next two months.

2. You know where your food comes from. When I plant my own veggies, I know that they're grown in organic soil, fed organic fertilizer and that they're not sprayed with pesticides. It gives me great peace of mind to know that I'm not eating all kinds of scary chemicals. I'm eating pure, organic carrots.

3. It's so much fun! When you plant your own food you get to watch it grow. Every morning something new pops up. Vines grow a little longer, zucchinis get bigger, tomatoes get redder. It's amazing to watch the metamorphosis.

4. It's easy. All you need are some seeds, organic soil and sunlight. If you don't have a big backyard, you can plant veggies in pots. On my deck, potted parsley is scattered amongst gerbers, rose topiaries, aloe and mandevillas. People probably think they're just plants, but they're food!

So why not give green gardening a try?

Suzie

Salsa Worth Salivating Over

This salsa is crazy easy, deliciously spicy, low in calories, high in licopene and vitamin C and super cheap to make.

1. In a blender, combine:

• One 16 oz can diced tomatoes (preferably organic)


• Half a jalapeno pepper
  
• Quarter of an onion
  
• Two garlic cloves
  
• A handful of cilantro
  
• Half a squeezed lime

2. Blend it up!

And there you go! Salsa worth salivating over.

By the way, if you enjoy more of a kick, drop in some more jalapenos. How do you like your salsa? Mild? Spicy? En fuego?

Suzie

Granny's (Super Cheap and Yummy) Chili

All right. You should know by the "Granny" that this one will be good. I catered a party last night and all the guests were gushing about how good the chili was. I giggled to myself knowing that it was ridiculously cheap and easy to make. Let's do the math:


3 lbs ground beef = $11.77
2 28 oz cans red kidney beans = $3.78
2 28 oz cans organic diced tomatoes = $5.78
Total to feed 20 people chili = $21.33

I already had the garlic, onion, olive oil and spices. If you don't have them, it could cost you a few dollars more, but seriously, 20-something bucks is nothing to kickstart a fiesta.

So here's what you do:

1. Cover the bottom of a heavy bottomed pot with olive oil. Heat it at medium.

2. Dice an onion. Toss it in.

3. After onion softens a bit, add three chopped garlic cloves. Let them soften, but be careful that they don't brown.

4. Meanwhile, in another pan, brown your ground beef on high.

5. When it's browned, toss it in with the veggies.

6. Add your diced tomatoes.

7. Slip a couple bay leaves in the mix. Then add cayenne pepper, paprika, chili powder and cumin to taste. If you like extra spice, spike it with some tobasco.

8. Cover it and simmer on low for about an hour.

9. Drain the beans and add them to the chili.

10. Simmer for another 20 minutes or so.

11. Serve and enjoy your guests "Mmming" like crazy.

What do you serve at parties that gives you huge "Mmms" for minimal cost?

Suzie

Crispy Tilapia

Warning: This is not the healthiest way to eat fish. But it's pretty freakin' yummy.

Tilapia is an inexpensive, delicious, flaky fish. The two pieces I made cost about $4. But it's inexpensive because it's farmed. And some farmed fish can have high levels of mercury and other bad stuff in them. It's up to you to google "farmed fish" and make your own judgement on whether or not you want to eat it. My rule is once in a while, why not?

If you choose to skip the tilapia, you can use any other flaky white fish like flounder, red snapper, orange roughy or cod. Simply:

1. Beat one egg and a splash of water in a low bowl.

2. Spread Panko bread crumbs on a plate.

NOTE: Panko bread crumbs are Japanese bread crumbs. They're super flaky and the secret to the crispiest fish. You can get them at any supermarket.

3. Salt and pepper your tilapia.

4. Heat canola oil at medium high in a frying pan.

NOTE: Do not use olive oil. You're going to fry your fish at a high heat and olive oil can burn. Canola oil or vegetable oil can cook at higher temperatures.

5. Dip the tilapia in the egg mixture.

6. Shake off excess egg. Then coat the fish in the Panko bread crumbs.

7. Fry the fish.

8. When the edges start to brown, like in the picture. Flip it.

9. Brown the other side and serve.

It only takes 10 minutes to prepare the whole meal. It's a super cheap and easy way to get your Omega 3s. Plus, it's delicious.

So why not give it a try?

Suzie

Perfect Hash Browns

Sunday morning breakfast is a luxury. Bacon, eggs, and hash browns. That's what's on my menu. And as I cooked it all up this Sunday, I thought about how most people probably have the egg thing down. And taking bacon out of a package and putting it in a pan is definitely not rocket science.

But the perfect hash browns? Well, they're a little tricky. So here goes:

1. Peel your potatoes. One large russet potato should cover one medium skillet and feed two people.

2. Shred them using the large holes on a box grater.

3. Heat vegetable oil on medium high heat in a pan on the stove.

NOTE: Vegetable oil can be heated it at higher temperatures than olive oil. Since you're frying the potatoes, you don't want to use olive oil. It may burn, and frankly, it's a little too olivey for hashbrowns.

4. Add a pat of butter to the oil. The butter gives them a buttery taste and the oil prevents the butter from burning.

5. Squeeze all of the liquid out of your potatoes using paper towels. The secret is to get them as dry as possible. Wet potatoes = soggy hash browns.

6. Salt and pepper potatoes.

7. Drop the hash browns in the pan. Spread them out so they look like a pancake.

8. Brown the first side. Then flip them.

9. When they're done, slide them out of the pan and enjoy!

What's your favorite Sunday morning breakfast treat?

Suzie

Short Ribs - In Short

I had a couple friends over for short ribs the other night. It wasn't raining, but I was in the mood to braise. We needed comfort food and there's nothing more comforting than meat falling off the bone with mashed potatoes.

So here's how you make comfort on a plate:

1. Salt and pepper the short ribs.

2. Pour flour in a shallow dish. Add lots of salt and pepper to it.

3. Toss the short ribs in the flour until they're covered. Tap off extra flour. You're looking for a light coat.

4. Heat olive oil on medium high in a pan on the stove top.

5. When oil is hot, brown the short ribs on all sides.

6. Remove them from your pan and set aside.

7. Lower heat.

8. Chop onions, celery and smash two or three garlic cloves. Add onions and celery to the pan.

9. When onions begin to soften, add garlic to the pan.

10. Saute for a few minutes. Then add one 28 oz. can diced tomatoes.

11. Add some red wine. About half a bottle of anything you'd enjoy drinking will do.

12. Stir it all together.

13. Put the short ribs in the liquid. Cover. Let them cook on low heat for 2 1/2 hours.

14. After 2 1/2 hours, add carrots and brussel sprouts to pan. Let them cook for about 30 minutes. (To make sure they're done, fork them. If the carrots and brussel sprouts fall off the fork, you're good to go.)

15. Enjoy!

Naturally, the ultimate comfort requires mashed potatoes. Here's how to make simple smashies:

1. Peel potatoes and cut them into chunks that are all about the same size.

2. Submerge them in a pot of salted cold water.

NOTE:

Potatoes cook evenly in cold water. If you put them in hot water, the outside cooks faster than the inside.

3. Boil for about 15 minutes. (Use the fork test. If your tater slides off the fork, it's done!)

4. Meanwhile, heat some milk and butter in a separate pot. Don't boil it, just heat it.

NOTE: Cold milk makes "pastatoes."

5. When the potatoes are done, add the milk and butter and mash them up.

6. Salt and pepper to taste.

In the end, you should have a fabulous meal of comfort food that looks like this:

The meat will fall apart in your mouth. And the flour you coated the ribs in helps to thicken the wine and tomato mixture into a heavenly gravy.

I recommend drinking the remainder of the wine with your meal. Red wine and beef are a beautiful couple.

Let me know how it turns out!

Suzie

Chicken Salad

I'm a chicken salad freak. When I was growing up, there was this mall nearby, and I worked at Contempo Casuals. (How 80's is THAT?) Every day, I ordered a chicken salad sandwich from the deli in the foodcourt. I don't know what they put in it, but sometimes, 20 years later, I still crave that chicken salad.

In an attempt to match it, here's what I've come up with:

1. Cube up your leftover roasted chicken. Put it in a bowl.

2. Chop celery and add it to the chicken.

3. Add some fresh chopped parsley.

4. Mix in equal parts mayonnaise and dijon mustard.

5. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Eat with greens or put on bread -- whatever you like. Enjoy!

And there you have it. Three meals out of one chicken. Can you think of other ways to enjoy leftovers without them tasting like leftovers?

Suzie

Mixed Greens with Chicken

Now that you have leftover chicken, you may be wondering what to do with it. My favorite way to enjoy leftover chicken is to put it in a salad.

Leafy mixed greens are typically low in calories, low in fat, high in protein per calorie, high in dietary fiber, iron and calcium, and very high in phytochemicals such as vitamin C, carotenoids, lutein and folic acid.

Plus, they're delicious. Toss in your roasted chicken and you add a great source of lean protein. All good reasons to go salad, right?

You can combine any veggies and fruits you happen to have in your kitchen, but my favorite salad with chicken is this:

1. Remove chicken from the refrigerator and let it come to room temperature. It may be leftover, but it doesn't need to be cold.

2. Slice up the chicken into bite sized chunks.

3. Slice half an apple and cut it into chunks.

4. Add chives, green onions or red onion.

5. Top with blue cheese.

6. Dress with a balsamic vinaigrette.

7. Mix it up!

NOTE: I used a bottled dressing. But if you want to do it yourself, an easy way to make a vinaigrette is to use one part balsamic vinaigrette to two parts olive oil. Add salt, pepper and herbs. Toss in a spoonful of dijon mustard and shake it all up.

Remember, you can put whatever you want in your salad. Berries, grapes, carrots, tomatoes, herbs, anything goes. And it's fun to come up with creative combos. This just happens to be my favorite.

What do you like to put in your salads?

Suzie

Chicken, Chicken and More Chicken

A great way to save money and eat healthy is to roast a chicken and use the leftovers for other meals. Sounds boring, I know, but it's not, if you do it right.

For example, today I roasted a chicken. I'll admit, I did not buy this chicken on sale. It was in my freezer and it cost about $8.00. But when you do find them on sale, you can get them for as low as $4.00 and when you consider that you're going to make several meals out of one chicken, you're saving big bucks. Here's how:

1. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.

2. Remove the innards from your chicken. Rinse the chicken inside and out and pat it dry with paper towels.

3. Rub olive oil all over the exerior of the chicken and salt and pepper both the skin and the cavity.

4. Now you need to flavor it. The best way to do this is from the inside out. So I went out to my garden and grabbed a lemon and some rosemary. Then I cut up an onion, smashed some garlic and mixed it all together in a bowl with olive oil, salt and pepper. It looked like this:

I do realize that not everyone has rosemary and lemons in their yards. And that's totally cool because the good thing is, you can flavor your chicken with anything you want. If you don't have a lemon, use an orange or a lime. Or skip the citrus. Simply stuff it with garlic and /or onions and your favorite herb. And any herb will do. Time, Oregano, Sage, Parsley. Whatever - they're all scrumptous.

5. Next, stuff the chicken with whatever you've got going on. Put it in a baking dish, sprinkle some more of the herb of your choice on top and pop it in the oven.

6. Now you have to do a little math. A good rule is to roast chicken about 15 minutes for every pound. Since I had a 5lb bird today, I roasted it for about an hour and 15 minutes. To make sure it was done, I jiggled a leg. If the leg jiggles loosely, take it out. If the leg resists jiggling, keep it in a little longer.

NOTE: Before you put the chicken in the oven, jiggle a leg so you know how it feels when it's not cooked. That way you'll be able to identify what you're not looking for.

7. I set my timer for 45 minutes. When it went off, I tossed some veggies in the pan. I had brussel sprouts, onions and carrots in the fridge, so that's what went in. Again, you can use whatever you have. Got mushrooms? Turnips? Parsnips? Potatoes? Whatever. Toss 'em in.

8. When it's ready, pull the chicken out and let it sit for about 10 minutes to redistribute the juices. (I know you know the whole juice reditribution trick by now, I'm just sticking to the rules.)

It should look like this:

Since I was eating by myself, I cut off the wings and a thigh and drumstick and ate them with the veggies. Then I carved the rest of the chicken (two breasts, a drumstick and thigh) put the leftovers in tupperware and stored them in refrigerator.

I will use some of the chicken in one of my favorite salads tomorrow and post the details here. I've already enjoyed one meal for $8. Can't wait to make it two!

So while we're talking chicken, what are some of your favorite chicken dishes? Are there any you'd like to learn how to make?

Suzie

Grilled Pork Tenderloin

My friend Todd came over to advise me on a little home improvement project yesterday. In return, I made him lunch.

I dug into the freezer and pulled out my favorite standby - pork tenderloin. It's not expensive. Usually about $7 (or less if on sale) a tenderloin. And one will feed three people.

Here's how to make a delicious pork tenderloin every time:

1. Chop two cloves of garlic. Let it sit for 15 minutes to activate its cancer fighting elements.

2. Pour some olive oil in a bowl.

3. Add garlic and a fresh woody herb like rosemary, thyme or sage.

4. Mix up the oil, herbs and garlic.

5. Sprinkle your tenderloin with salt and pepper. Then smother it with the oil mixture.

6. Let it sit for 15 minutes or a half hour or longer if you have it. It looks like this:

7. Heat your grill to medium high and the toss on the tenderloin.

8. Cook it about 10 minutes on each side. You'll know it's ready when you pick it up in the center with tongs and it's not floppy. When you have a solid piece of meat, take it off the grill.

9. Let it sit for 10 minutes so the juices can redistribute.

NOTE: Never cut into a piece of meat right after you take it off the heat. The juices will run everywhere and your meat will be dry. Let it sit for a few minutes so the juices can redistribute evenly.

10. Then cut and serve. (The peas are optional. Todd's a picky veggie guy but he likes peas. Therefore I kept it simple.)

So there you go. Enjoy your pork!

Suzie

Granny's Stew

When it comes to my cooking, my friend Rob says, "If it's got 'Granny' in the name I'm eating it!"

My Granny was an amazing cook. I spent a lot of time in the kitchen with her, watching, washing and cutting. She'd tell me stories as she casually tossed foods together and created amazing dishes.

She never measured and I don't either. So be prepared for that when you see a header with "Granny" in it. But try her recipes. They're easy and they're sooo good.

It's been raining here. So I've been braising meat. When it rains I make pot roasts, soups, stews. Anything I can cook low and slow until the meat falls apart. Braising warms the house and transforms an ugly storm outside into a cozy day inside. And yesterday, I made Granny's Stew.

1. Buy a tough cut of beef. Chuck roast or a seven blade roast. Or purchase stew meat. Sometimes markets will cube it up and sell it in packs. These cuts are inexpensive and the longer you let them cook, the more they fall apart.

2. Cube up your meat. If it's already cubed, liberally apply kosher salt and pepper.

3. Pour olive oil in a heavy bottomed pot. Heat it medium high on the stove.

4. Drop in the meat.

5. Brown it on all sides.

6. Meanwhile dice an onion. They can be big chunks, like the size of the meat.

7. Take the meat out and set it aside.

8. Add a little more olive oil if necessary. Drop the onions in the pot. Scrape the meaty bits off the bottom.

9. When onions start to get soft, add two chopped garlic cloves, salt, pepper and oregano.

10. Make sure garlic does not brown. Just let it soften.

11. Put the meat back in the pot.

12. Add enough diced canned tomatoes to cover the meat.

13. Drop in a bay leaf and some red pepper flakes.

14. Cover and cook on low heat for two hours. Stir once in a while.

15. After two hours, dice up potatoes and carrots. Drop them in the pot. Cover the pot. Let it cook on low for another 45 minutes or until potatoes and carrots slide off a fork when pricked.

16. Turn off heat. Add a can of peas with liquid. Stir and let stew sit for 10 minutes.

17. Serve with crusty bread.

Mmm. Just like Granny's. Next time it rains, give it a try.

NOTE: One pot meals are an excellent way to make a lot of food without spending much money. For example, I made enough stew to feed four people. Roughly, I used $6 worth of stew meat, 3 carrots - maybe $1, one potato - add another buck, one can organic peas - $1.19 and one can organic diced tomatoes - $1.49. So, for $10.68 you could not only warm up your house with the delicious aroma of stew, but feed your family dinner too.

What do you like to cook when it rains?

Suzie