Spaghetti and Meatballs

I was originally going to make sweet and sour meatballs but my daughter had the much better suggestion of spaghetti and meatballs.  Growing up, this was a family favourite.  My grandmother’s meatballs were always the best and everyone in my family has a had a crack at trying to duplicate her recipe which has been very difficult since she never wrote it down.  But my grandmother once told me the trick to moist meatballs is milk.  After making them for myself, I have to agree with her.  This recipe isn’t exactly the same as hers but it is close and we really enjoyed this version.

Chicken Cacciatore

Chicken has been on sale a lot lately, and according to CBC my poor female brain can’t resist a good sale.  Especially when it is something useful I don’t even have to justify the purchase.  So now with a freezer full of chicken, it’s time to start cooking but with my family variety is a must.  If I make baked chicken breasts every time we have chicken, I am going to be getting the look of disapproval  ಥ_ಥ.  Traditionally cacciatore is made with mushrooms as it is considered a hunter dish but we don’t like mushrooms so there will be no mushrooms here.

Baked Mac n’ Cheese and Broccoli

Time for some comfort food!  My inspiration for this recipe was partially my grandmother’s baked mac n’ cheese recipe and partially a cheese sauce I made for dinner one night to go on some steamed broccoli.

Chicken & Bacon Ragu Penne

Winter is coming and along with that comes heartier food, which can mean fattier food and bigger meals.  In my house, where pasta is always a favourite, it is time for some heartier pastas and sauces.  I decided to make a leaner ragu sauce using ground chicken instead of beef, and the not-lean-at-all bacon instead of pancetta.  If you really want to cut down on the fat, don’t add the bacon.  Though Matte would argue if you want to stay warm this winter, bacon will help you.  He’s always so helpful.

Lasagna & Garlic Bread

Since just about everyone I know is feeling more health conscious lately, I decided to try making a healthier lasagna.  To make this recipe low-fat reduce the amount of cheese used and omit the lean ground beef or replace with ground chicken.

Prosecco Shrimp & Scallops w/Pasta

Thursday is almost Friday – but not quite.  Its just close enough to the end of the week that you want something fancy for dinner, but completely lack the will to spend an hour on prep.  This was our situation this past week.

Knowing that we had some frozen shrimp and scallops to use, we decided to put them to good use along with some Prosecco Sparkling Wine (unopened, from New Years Eve).

Prosecco Shrimp & Scallops w/Pasta

Pasta w/homemade Tomato-Basil Sauce

Although Jenn and I love to cook, truth be told there are some nights that we just can’t be bothered to do anything too complex or time consuming.  Those are the nights that we hope to god that there are good leftovers (rare), something frozen (more rare), or ridiculously simple meal.

Simple doesn’t mean bad unless you let it.  We didn’t.

Pasta w/Homemade Tomato-Basil sauce

Homemade Pasta with Seared Pork Tenderloin

I should go into this first by saying this was my first attempt.  I’ve not made breads before, and have very little feel for what consistency or texture dough should have.  BUT, overall things went pretty well.  I went for a pairing of Tagliatelle / Linguine, with Seared Pork Tenderloin.