Easy, affordable entertaining recipe - Bruschetta

We had my grandma, aunt and uncle over for dinner last night. I made bruschetta, roasted chicken and a salad.  It was amazingly easy (and cheap and delicious too!). The roasted chicken recipe will be making an appearance in a "what's in Dan's lunch" post soon, so stay tuned!

I took my family up on their offer to bring dessert. In my opinion, it's rarely a bad idea to let your guests bring a dish if they ask; it makes them happy they contributed and saves you some work!

This bruschetta is so delicious, fast and inexpensive that you will never want to order it at a restaurant again.



Classic Bruschetta
Serves ~6

2 T. fresh basil, chopped OR 1/2 to 1 tsp. dried basil
2-3 large tomatoes or 4-6 Roma tomatoes - approx 2 c. diced
2 T. balsamic vinegar
Salt and pepper to taste
1/4 c. olive oil (you can use more or less to taste)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 loaf French baguette (I've used multi-grain but white would be great too. Look first in the day-old bakery rack since you're toasting it anyway)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Note that you can actually use anywhere from 375 to 425 for this if you are cooking anything else in the oven.

Seed and chop tomatoes; seeding just means to scoop out the inside, liquid part with a spoon. Combine in a small bowl with basil and balsamic vinegar and salt and pepper. Set aside.

Thinly slice baguette at a slight angle. Brush with olive oil and sprinkle garlic over the top. Bake bread for 7-9 minutes or until golden brown.

Drain extra liquid from tomatoes before serving. Let people top the bread slices with tomato mixture as you serve; do not top the bread before serving or it will get soggy.

Variation: Cheesy bruschetta
It's not traditional, but I added some sliced fresh mozzarella to half of the baguette halfway through the cooking time and baked until melted. I happened to have fresh mozzarella because I got it on mark-down at the store, but any shredded Italian cheese such as mozzarella or provolone would work. This allowed people to just have cheesy bread if they don't want the tomato mixture, but the cheese bread with the tomato topper was my absolute favorite.

Our favorite chunky guacamole

I first made guacamole only a year or two ago, but we are now hooked! It only takes 10 minutes so it is fast and easy enough for any day of the week. This is a recipe I made up... really chunky and flavorful (almost salsa-ish), which is just the way we like it. It's great with chips of course, but it's also good on top of chicken. Enjoy!

Chunky Guacamole
Makes at least 2 cups

2 medium avocados, or 1 extra-large Florida avocado (that's what I had today)
1 tomato, diced and patted dry with a paper towel (or seeded before cutting)
1/4 c.  red onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 jalapeno, finely chopped, optional (I usually add this but didn't have one today and it was still great.)
2-3 T lemon or lime juice (bottled works just fine for this)
Salt and pepper to taste (1/2-1 t. each)

Cut avocados in half around the pit, and remove pit. Cut the avocado in its peel by carefully running your knife across each half vertically and horizontally so the avocado is diced into ~1/2 in. pieces (this is so much easier than cutting it on a cutting board!). Use a spoon to get the avocado pieces in a bowl. Add all other ingredients and stir well; don't mash unless that's the way you like it. Taste and season more if desired. Serve immediately.

Fast, yummy, nutritious meat + veggie pasta sauce

I made some manicotti today, and it turned out great. I started with a couple of recipes for inspiration, but adapted pretty liberally based on what we had on hand so the end result was an original creation. I will definitely make it again. Manicotti or any baked pasta is a great make-ahead meal, but the dish as a whole is not my fastest or easiest recipe, so I thought I would just share the sauce recipe today.

This will jazz up a simple pasta night in the time it takes to boil and cook pasta! Dinner will be ready in 20 minutes flat.

Stick with lean ground beef or turkey, and serve with whole grain pasta and a salad to keep the meal extra healthy and balanced.

Gina's meat and veggie pasta sauce
Serves 6

3/4 lb. gr. beef, turkey or sausage - I used a combination of turkey and sausage because that is what I had.
1 onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 serrano or jalepeno pepper, minced (optional)
1-2 small zucchini or squash, shredded and patted dry with a paper towel
1 c. kale, blanched for 1-2 min. in boiling water, then thinly sliced. (Or, use a green pepper, diced. I just happened to have kale today)
1 24 oz. jar marinara sauce
1 t. Italian seasoning
Salt and pepper to taste

Brown and crumble meat in a large skillet. Then add vegetables (except kale, if using) until cooked, 3-5 minutes. Add marinara sauce and seasonings, and cook just until heated through; stir in kale if using. Serve with pasta and enjoy!

What's in Dan's lunch... Buffalo Chicken Salad

I hope you all like this theme as it will likely become a regular feature... It was honestly a few years before I realized Dan's (usually leftover) lunches often got comments from his colleagues. =)

These should give you 2 for 1; a dinner idea and a leftover idea. For the record, I often have the same lunch even though these posts will be named for my dear hubby.

Buffalo Chicken is an all-time favorite. Really easy - Dan made it tonight! - and MUCH healthier than chicken wings because it is baked and has no breading... not to mention faster and less messy too! Of course, this is another inexpensive recipe. The whole meal is basically the cost of the chicken (make sure to only buy chicken when it's on sale and stock up!); I can often get Frank's Buffalo sauce for pennies to nothing with a coupon, and it's hard to get cheaper than salad dressing, carrots and celery!


Buffalo Chicken Salad

Leftover Buffalo Chicken (see below)
Romaine lettuce
Celery, chopped
Baby carrots
Other vegetables of choice: today I included tomato, green pepper, banana pepper, cucumbers & red onion
Cheese (optional)
Dressing - we usually use blue cheese

* Packing and reheating notes: You need 3 containers: 1 for the salad, 1 for the chicken (add ~1T water so it doesn't try out), 1 for the dressing. Heat the chicken when ready to serve, if desired, then top salad with chicken and dressing. Enjoy!

To Make the Buffalo Chicken

Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast (we usually use ~1lb, but you can make as much or as little as you want)
Buffalo Sauce to taste, likely at least 1/2 c.
Pepper and garlic powder to taste

This is so simple it is hardly a recipe. Slice the raw chicken breast into desired thickness, ~1/2 inch slices. Season with garlic powder and black pepper. Bake at 375 degrees for about 7 minutes. Add desired amount of buffalo sauce to fully coat chicken. Baked ~3 more minutes or until fully cooked through.

We usually serve with carrots and celery and blue cheese dressing to dip.

Variations: If you or someone in your household doesn't like Buffalo sauce, you could use this same method with Barbecue sauce or even Dijon or Honey Mustard.

This might just be the most versatile recipe ever - Zucchini Casserole

I wanted to share this one while zucchini is still very prolific. This is a fabulous recipe if you have a garden, know someone with a garden, or just want to take advantage of zucchini while it is cheap and delicious!  This dish calls for 6 cups zucchini - for perspective, zucchini bread usually calls for 1-2 cups.

This is a really yummy, inexpensive dinner (it costs me ~$6 for the whole pan). It can also be pretty healthy, depending what ingredients you use. This recipe is a wonderful way to use up whatever you have on hand... aside from the zucchini, you can substitute the other ingredients with whatever meat, vegetables and seasonings your family likes and what you have available.


Zucchini Casserole
Serves 6

1 lb hamburger (I used 92% lean) or sausage - I am sure it would also be great with chicken but I haven't    tried it yet
1 medium onion, diced
1 package seasoning (I have used taco), OR 1-2T of the seasonings of your choice
1-3 cloves garlic, minced
1 green pepper, diced
4 oz. can mushrooms
6 cups shredded zucchini
1 can cream of mushroom or cream of chicken soup (I even used 1 1/2c. marinara sauce once for the liquid instead of the soup - you can be creative!)
Salt and pepper to taste (I only use pepper because the seasoning is very salty)
8 oz. shredded cheese - any flavor

Brown meat with onion in a skillet; then add seasoning packet. Once meat is cooked, layer everything in order listed in a 9x13 baking dish. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes, or until casserole is cooked through and cheese is browned.

* Note: this recipe was heavily inspired by a recipe I saw in the newspaper by Lovina Eicher (aka: The Amish Cook)

And so it begins...

After months of thought and prodding from my dear hubby and others, I am finally starting a food blog. Anyone reading at this point probably knows me, and thus knows that I've always been really interested in food. I have increasingly been finding myself adjusting or dreaming up recipes to make them easier, healthier, or to match what I have on hand. Plus, I was frugal before it was en vogue. =) Because of all of this, I and at least a few others think I have tips to share.

I hope you like my blog and find it helpful! Assuming you do, please follow my blog, post questions, and pass my blog on to friends or family you think may like it - it's an open blog so all can enjoy.

My plan is to post once or twice a week for now. Let me know what you think and give me any suggestions in the comments section!