Spinach Pesto and Vegetable Pizza

Spinach Pesto and Vegetable Pizza:
Store bought pizza dough (I like the refrigerated thin crust that you find near the crescent rolls)
Mushrooms
Onions
Shredded Mozzarella
Roasted Grape tomatoes
        -Sprinkle 1 pint with salt, pepper, olive oil, and balsamic vinegar. Bake at 400 until burst and wrinkled.
Spinach Pesto
        -Blend together 2 cups spinach with 5 basil leaves, a pinch of salt, pepper, nutmeg, and about 1/4 cup olive oil until smooth.

Roll pizza dough to spread out just a little, top with spinach pesto, then cheese, then vegetables. Drizzle lightly with olive oil and bake at 375 for 20-25 minutes until cheese bubbles and crust is browned.

Salmon Wellington

Salmon Wellington:
2 ( 6oz) salmon filets, skin removed
1/2 pint baby portabella mushrooms
1 garlic glove
1/3 a sheet of puff pastry
salt and pepper
Olive oil

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Finely chop mushrooms and garlic glove (i used a food processor). Cook the mixture with a drizzle of olive oil and a pinch of salt and pepper in a saute pan for about 10 minutes.

Sprinkle salmon with salt and pepper.

Cut your puff pastry in half crosswise. Use a rolling pin to spread out enough to wrap around your salmon.

Lay your pastry on a cooking sheet, spread the mushrooms evenly on each piece, lay salmon bottom side up, and pull the pastry around. Flip fish right side up and bake for 25 minutes until pastry is golden brown.

Drizzle a little olive oil over top before baking.  

Carbonara (ish) Pasta

This was a really simple recipe I found in a weight watchers cookbook. They didn't call it carbonara, but it pretty much is. I added shrimp to mine, but you could add chicken, or have it as a side to anything. Sorry, I forgot to take a picture.


1/2 lbs pasta
1 garlic glove
1/4 cup white wine
3/4 cup chicken stock
2 large eggs
2 tbs fresh grated parmesan cheese
1 tbs oliv oil

Cook pasta, drain, and set aside. Heat olive oil and garlic glove in the pasta pot. Once starting to brown add wine and let boil just a few seconds. Add chicken stock and let boil about 1 minute. Meanwhile, whish two eggs until well combined. Mix with cheese, pinch of salt and pepper. Quickly Whisk eggs while adding 1/2 cup of liquid from the pan. This is called tempering the eggs, as not to have scrambles eggs with your pasta.

Add pasta to the pot, then pour in egg mixture. Remove from heat and fold together until thick sauce forms and sticks to pasta.

Ready to Eat!

If you want to add a protein, Brown the chicken or shrimp while cooking the pasta and add to the sauce at the same time.

Iced Coffee

I love coffee every morning, but during the summer a hot drink just isn't what I want. This iced coffee is awesome with out lots of sugar or cream.

Iced Coffee:
1/2 cup strong brewed coffee (3tbs ground to 1/2 cup water)
1/4 cup 2% milk (whatever you like)
1 tbs unsweetened cocoa
2 tbs honey
2 cups ice cubes.

Put all ingredients in a blender and blend till smooth.

Ribs, Corn on the Cob, Baked Beans

I recently had family over for dinner for a layed back summer meal. I choose to cook ribs, corn on the cob, and baked beans. The only thing I had to prepare was the dry rub for the ribs, soooo easy and delicious!

Baby Back Ribs: (one pack (3 racks) from Sam's feeds 6-8)
I told you I come from a family of cooks and my cousin is one of them. She has an amazing recipe for baby back ribs and everyone at my dinner agreed.
Check it out here

Corn on the Cob:
It is in season now so your can get a dozen ears for around $3, that is a cheap side dish. I removed the husk slathered on some butter and sprinkled with salt and pepper. Wrap in aluminum foil and cook in the oven (350 degrees) or grill for 35 minutes. (You can boil on the stove too and add the seasoning once its done) The trick to good corn is cooking it long enough for the sugars to develop.

Baked Beans:
Definitely from the can, I can't do it better than Bush's. I just think it takes a little more than heating in a pot on the stove. I like to dump mine in a baking dish and bake for about 1 hour on 350 degrees until it gets really thick and condenses a little.

It can be sooo easy and affordable to entertain. This whole meal fed 6 adults with left overs for $33.