Super Quick and Easy Tomato Based Pasta Sauce

 Folks-

This is a very versatile base recipe. I've been using it for maybe 18 months now, and I don't think I've ever made it the same way twice. I don't remember exactly where I learned it, but I think it was a YouTube video. I'll include things I've tried that worked well in notes at the end, but believe me, it's super easy and versatile, and it's quick enough that you can start it when you set the water for the pasta on the stovetop to boil!

Here it is!

Base ingredients:

2 tbsp olive oil

About 1/3 of a medium onion, diced finely 

2-5 cloves of garlic, minced

A dash of a good salt

10-18 oz small fresh tomatoes, like grape, cherry, or constellation 

A ladle or two of your pasta water

Heat the olive oil in the bottom of a pan and sautee the diced onion with the salt just until it starts to turn glassy, then stir in the minced garlic and tomatoes. Cover and allow the tomatoes to steam until the skins just start to wrinkle a bit in spots, then mash them thoroughly with a potato masher or wooden spoon. Allow to simmer uncovered and stirring frequently until a rubber spatula pushed through it leaves a trail to the bottom of the pan, then add pasta water and continue to simmer until you again get a trail from your spatula. Turn off the heat and serve!

Additions that have worked: Tonight it was 1 tbsp Italian seasoning, 1 tsp balsamic vinegar, 1/4 cup sliced Kalamata olives, 1/4 tsp black pepper, and 1/4 cup chopped Italian Parsley. I added everything except the Parsley right after mashing the tomatoes, and I added half of the parsley right about the same time I added the pasta water, then the rest I put on top of the sauce in the serving bowl. In the past I've used zucchini slices, best added after the tomatoes have been mashed, carrot slivers added with the onions, diced celery, diced yellow squash, and other fresh veggies. I've also successfully used Creole Seasoning, crushed red peppers, Herbs de Province, garden fresh Thyme, Basil, Sage, and Lavender, and other seasonings. I suspect a good barbecue seasoning might work in certain cases.

8-2-2026: Garden fresh tomatoes are best in this recipe, but if you don't have those, you can throw in a tablespoon of brown sugar to offset the acid from the tomatoes. Don't limit yourself to one kind of basalmic vinegar. Any kind will do. White, red, pink, raspberry pineapple, have all tested well.

6-14-2025: Tonight I added fresh diced asparagus after mashing the tomatoes, and only added french herbs de province and balsamic vinegar, covered the sauce and used it to steam the asparagus. After the asparagus was al-dente, I uncovered it and allowed to thicken as usual. This worked better than the zucchini or yellow squash.

Things that didn't: I don't recommend adding meat directly to this recipe. It just doesn't work for some reason. Meats tend to soak up the liquid and dominate the flavor in a negative way. I've tried crumbled hamburger, crumbled sausage, shredded chicken, and meatballs. If you want meat on your pasta, keep it separate until serving, then place it on top of the pasta and sauce on the plate. Same for cheeses.

Note: (8-2-26) If you want a sauce that is more like what you're used to from a jar or American restaurant, start with a bigger tomato like a Roma or San Marzano, or large salad tomatoes. Before everything else,cut a little cross just barely into the skin at the point opposite the stem, blanch in boiling water for about 15-20 seconds and plunge them into an ice bath. Peel them, cut them into cherry-tomato sized chunks, and continue with the recipe. Instead of hitting them with a potato masher, use an immersion blender to puree them, and continue with the recipe.

Onion Flower and Lentil Soup

My dad used to try to grow onions in his garden from seed, but he had a problem: before growing a good bulb, they would flower, and when an onion flowers, the bulb becomes fibrous and inedible.

His solution was to make onion flower salsa.

I'd forgotten about this until recently. My mother-in-law planted some onions that had sprouted, and they were flowering in my backyard. Around this time, someone on Reddit posted a question on a gardening thread about what to do if their onions flowered. I told them to eat them. They asked how they tasted, and, well, I decided to find out that night. I fixed a baked potato with Icelandic yogurt instead of sour cream, and used scissors to sprinkle the top with onion blossoms.

It was freaking fantastic. Best potato ever. I shared with my family and ended up making several more!

Onion flowers taste strongly of onions, but are also sweet. You can sautee them and used them as a garnish on steaks, mix them raw into salads, or dang near anything you would put sliced or green onions into.

I got curious about recipes out there, and didn't find many. I guess not many people know about onion flowers being edible. One I decided to try was an Onion Flower and Lentil Soup. Really, I hated the recipe the minute I read it, so I changed it a lot before even making it. There are elements of it still in here, but this is functionally a new recipe.

Here it is! My Onion Flower and Lentil Soup!

Ingredients

4 Tbsp olive oil

4 tsb minced garlic

1 sausage, sliced, bratwurst, Italian sausage, or similar (optional)

1-2 onion flowers, blossoms sheared off, or about 1/2 cup chopped green onion

4 celery stalks, finely sliced

1 cup sliced carrots

1 bell pepper, cored and chopped, reserve half for serving

4 tsp minced garlic

1/2 Tsp ground paprika

1/2 Tsp ground black pepper

1/4 Tsp ground white pepper

1/4 Tsp turmeric

32 oz broth (any)

3 Tbsp balsamic vinegar

1 cup dry lentils, washed

Drizzle the olive oil into the bottom of a medium sized pot and sautee the sausage until cooked through. Add the onion flower, celery, carrots, garlic, and seasoning and stir-fry until tender. Add the broth and bring to a boil. Add the lentils and vinegar and simmer for 20 minutes. Good served with a dollop of sour cream or Greek yogurt, avocado chunks, and/or chopped bell peppers.

Sally's Chicago Style Deep Dish Pizza

Folks-

This last week I decided to try to make Chicago Style Deep Dish Pizza for dinner on Thursday. Never having even tried a pizza of that style, I was taking a risk, but I figured it was the only way I would ever get to try it. I found a recipe on Sally's Baking Addiction, and decided to make one tiny change, and then also make it over two days. I made the dough and sauce on day one, leaving it in the refrigerator overnight, and assembled them the next day.

I'm going to mention that I thought the original recipe wouldn't make enough for my family of six adults, and I was quite wrong. I doubled the recipe unnecessarily. The sauce doubles well, and I just made the crust recipe twice, but it was actually far too much. We barely started in on it the night I made it.

My kids did say that it needs to be our standard homemade pizza recipe though!

Here it is!

Pizza Crust (makes 2)

3 and 1/4 cups (406g) all-purpose flour (spoon & leveled)

1/2 cup (60g) yellow cornmeal

1 and 1/4 teaspoons salt

1 Tablespoon (12g) granulated sugar

2 and 1/4 teaspoons (7g) Platinum Yeast from Red Star instant yeast (1 standard packet)*

1 and 1/4 cups (300ml) slightly warm water

1/2 cup (115g) unsalted butter, divided (1/4 cup melted, 1/4 cup softened to room temperature)

olive oil for coating

Tomato Sauce for Both Pizzas

2 Tablespoons (30g) unsalted butter

1 small onion, grated (about 1/3 cup)*

3/4 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (optional, but recommended)

3 garlic cloves, minced

one 28-ounce can (794g) crushed tomatoes*

1 sprig of fresh basil, whole

1/4 teaspoon granulated sugar

Toppings for Both Pizzas

4 cups (about 16 oz) shredded mozzarella cheese*

1/2 cup (45g) grated parmesan cheese

optional: 1/2 cup sliced pepperoni

optional: 4 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled

Instructions

For best results and ease of mind, read through the recipe completely before beginning. You will need two deep dish 9×2 inch round cake pans if you are making both pizzas at the same time. You can also use 9 inch springform pans.

For the crust: Combine the flour, cornmeal, salt, sugar, and yeast in the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with a dough hook attachment. If you do not have a stand mixer, use your hand mixer and a very very large bowl. If you do not have any mixer, you will do this all by hand. Again, use a very large bowl. Give those ingredients a quick toss with your mixer on low or with a large wooden spoon. Add the warm water and 1/4 cup of melted butter. The warm water should be around 90°F (32°C). Make sure it is not very, very hot or it will kill the yeast. Likewise, make sure the butter isn’t boiling hot. If you melt it in the microwave, let it sit for 5 minutes before adding. On low speed, beat (or stir) the dough ingredients until everything begins to be moistened. Continuing on low speed (or remove from the bowl and knead by hand if you do not own a mixer), beat the dough until it is soft and supple and gently pulls away from the sides of the bowl and falls off of the dough hook- about 4-5 minutes. If the dough is too hard (it will be textured from the cornmeal), but if it feels too tough, beat in 1 teaspoon of warm water. Alternatively, if it feels too soft, beat in 1 Tablespoon of flour.

Remove the dough from the bowl and form into a ball. Lightly grease a large mixing bowl with olive oil and place the dough inside, turning it around so that all sides of the dough are coated in the oil. Cover the bowl tightly with aluminum foil and allow to rise in a warm environment for 1-2 hours or until double in size.

Once the dough is ready, lightly flour a large work surface. Remove dough from the bowl, set the bowl and aluminum foil aside (to use later). Gently punch down the dough to remove any air bubbles and roll the dough into a large 15×12 inch rectangle. Spread 1/4 cup of softened butter on top of the dough. Roll it up lengthwise. Cut the dough log in half. Form the two pieces of dough into balls and place back into your greased bowl. Cover with aluminum foil and allow to rise in the refrigerator (not in a warm place) for 1 hour until they are puffy as you make the sauce.

For the sauce: Place butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat and allow it to melt. Once melted, add the grated onion, salt, oregano, and red pepper flakes. Once the onion has slightly browned after about 5 minutes, add the garlic, tomatoes, sprig of fresh basil, and sugar. Turn the heat down to low-medium and allow it to simmer until it’s hearty, fragrant, and thick- about 30 minutes. You’ll have about 2 and 1/2 cups of sauce at this point. If you have more than that, keep simmering until the amount has reduced. Remove from heat and set aside until ready to be used. You may store the sauce in a tightly covered container in the refrigerator for up to 2 days if planning to make the pizza another day. You may freeze this sauce for up to 2 months as well.

Preheat oven to 425°F (218°C).

Assemble the pizzas: After the dough balls have risen in the refrigerator, they should be puffy. Keep one ball of dough in the refrigerator as you work with the first one. Roll it out on a lightly floured work surface, working it into a 12-inch circle. Using your rolling pin as a guide, place over a 9×2 inch deep dish cake pan. Using your fingers, press the dough into the cake pan. Make sure it is nice and tight fitting inside the pan. Trim any excess dough off the edges with a small knife. Repeat with 2nd dough ball. Brush the top edges of the dough with a little olive oil, which gives the crust a beautiful sheen. Fill each pizza with 1/2 of the cheese, then the pepperoni and bacon or your desired toppings. Pour about 1 and 1/4 cups (300ml) of sauce evenly on top of each. If you do not like that much sauce, you can reduce to 3/4 cup (180ml) per pizza and have leftover sauce. Sprinkle each with 1/4 cup (22g) of grated parmesan cheese.

Place the cake pans on top of a large baking sheet, which will catch anything potentially spilling over the sides of the pans. (Nothing usually does.) Bake for 20-28 minutes or until the crust is golden brown. Feel free to loosely cover the pizzas with aluminum foil after the 15 minute mark to prevent any heavy browning and uneven baking. Remove the pizzas from the oven and allow to cool in the pans placed on a wire rack for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, slice, serve, and enjoy. Place any leftover pizza in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 5 days. Reheat leftovers in a 300°F (149°C) oven for 15-20 minutes or until hot.

Crab Rolls

Folks-

I've been watching too many eating/travel shows lately. Specifically Somebody Feed Phil on Netflix.

As a result, I created a completely experimental dinner tonight. I fixed my own Crab Rolls with chips (as in fries) and homemade blueberry soda. The fries were experimental in that I cut the potatoes into chunks and boiled them, drained them, let them cool, then fried them.

The Crab Rolls in this case are sandwiches with warm crab and Cole slaw.

I'm going to post the Blueberry Soda recipe next. Here's my homemade Crab Rolls!

Ingredients:

4-6 sandwich rolls or 8 hot dog rolls

16-24 oz cooked crab meat

14 oz thin sliced cabbage or a package of angel hair Cole slaw 

3/4 cup mayonnaise

2 tablespoons white sugar

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1-1/2 tablespoons vinegar (white or apple cider)

3/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

1/4 teaspoon salt

Cut a flat side on the top and bottom of the sandwich rolls, slather them outside and in with mayonnaise, and grill them inside and out. Mix the mayo, sugar, lemon juice, vinegar, black pepper and salt together and reserve 1/4 cup. Mix the cabbage into the rest of the dressing. Stir-fry the crab meat in butter just until hot. Drain off the juices,then add the reserved dressing to the warm crab. Serve a roll by covering half of a sandwich roll with Cole slaw, and the other with chunks of crab.

Stuffed Bell Peppers

 I’ve been searching for a good recipe for Stuffed Bell Peppers, and finally had to wave the white flag. Nobody has a good recipe. Until I created one today.

I feel like everyone else’s recipe are too bland. Hamburger? Nah. We’re not making cheeseburgers here! We’re stuffing bell peppers!

Yep, this is my recipe, tested on my family. At least one of my kids was upset that it didn’t make more.

So here’s my recipe for Stuffed Bell Peppers:

Stuffed Bell Peppers

Ingredients 

4 large bell peppers, any color

1 lb ground mild Italian sausage

1-1/2 cups chopped Roma tomatoes 

3/4 cups peeled and chopped summer squash or zucchini 

3-4 cloves garlic, minced

1/4 cup onion, chopped 

1 tbsp Italian seasonings 

2 tbsp balsamic vinegar 

2-4 tbsp olive oil 

1 cup grated cheddar jack

1 cup white rice, cooked

1/4 cup Parmesan cheese 

8 slices fresh mozzarella 

Brown and crumble the Italian sausage. While it’s cooking, cut the bell peppers in half and remove the ribs and seeds. Finely chop the Roma tomatoes, squash, onion, and peel the garlic. Once the sausage is browned and crumbled, transfer to a bowl, and caramelize the onion in the same pan that the you cooked the sausage in. Add the tomatoes and squash. Allow to simmer and add the garlic and Italian seasonings, adding olive oil if the sausage fat is absorbed quickly. Reduce the temperature and allow to thicken and reduce. Add the balsamic vinegar and simmer for another minute. Turn off the heat and add the rice, sausage, cheddar jack, and Parmesan cheeses and mix thoroughly. Place the peppers into a casserole dish just big enough to hold them, and fill each half with the mixture. Add up to 1-1/2 cups of water to the dish around the peppers, then cover with aluminum foil and bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes. Uncover, place a slice of mozzarella on each, and return to the oven for another 10 minutes.

Remove from heat and allow to cool for 5-10 minutes before serving.

Chicken or Turkey Alfredo Lasagna

After Thanksgiving this year, I wanted something different to do with all of the leftover turkey. After a suggestion from a coworker, I looked up a Chicken Alfredo Lasagna recipe, and found a simple one on the Pilsbury website.
Repeat after me: “I modified it...” tested it on my family, and this is the result. It works just fine with either turkey or chicken, and in fact, might be the recipe most forgiving of changes or substitutions that I have on this site.

Chicken or Turkey Alfredo Lasagna

1 container (16 oz) ricotta cheese or small curd cottage cheese

1/4 cup shredded Parmesan, Romano and Asiago cheese blend (3 oz)

1/2 teaspoon garlic salt with parsley

1 cup chopped or thinly sliced onion

1/2 package (4 oz) sliced fresh baby portabella mushrooms or 1/2 7oz can mushroom stems and parts, drained

3 cups shredded deli rotisserie chicken (from 2-lb chicken) or Turkey breast meat, cooked and shredded

1/2 cups roasted red bell peppers (from a 12-oz jar), drained, cut into 1/2-inch strips

2-1/2 jars (15 oz each) four-cheese Alfredo pasta sauce

9 sheets rectangular instant lasagna noodles (7 1/8 x 3 1/2 inches)

2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese (8 oz)

• Heat oven to 350°F. Spray 13x9- inch (3-quart) glass baking dish with cooking spray. In medium bowl, mix ricotta or cottage cheese, cheese blend and garlic salt; set aside. 

• In a large bowl, combine Alfredo Sauce, chicken, onions, muchrooms, and roasted peppers. Spoon about 2 1/3 cups chicken mixture in baking dish. Layer with 3 noodles, half of cottage cheese or Ricotta mixture and 1/2 cup of the mozzarella cheese. Repeat layers. Top with remaining 3 noodles, 2 1/3 cups chicken mixture and 1 cup mozzarella cheese. 

• Bake uncovered 50 minutes or until golden brown around edges. Let stand 15 minutes before serving.

Modified From: https://www.pillsbury.com/recipes/chicken-alfredo-lasagna/41f5c4fc-9779-4c36-a1f9-d01406c6183e

New Fried Chicken Recipe

Folks-
A few months ago, a newspaper published what they believed to be the original recipe for "Colonel" Sanders' Kentucky Fried Chicken. I tried it, and, you guessed it, changed it. In some ways, this is just a tad easier.
I guess I'll call it "Edly Fried Chicken."

Edly Fried Chicken

2-Cups Flour
2/3-Tsp Salt
1-1/2-Tsp Italian Seasonings
1-Tsp Celery Salt
1-Tsp Black Pepper
1-Tsp Dried Mustard
4-Tsp Paprika
2-Tsp Garlic Salt
1-Tsp Ground Ginger
3-Tsp White Pepper
1-Tsp Turmeric
1/2-Tsp Chili Powder
1/2-Tsp Garlic Powder
1-Tsp Chicken Bouillon
3-Eggs
2-Tbsp Milk
Chicken cut into parts
Enough cooking oil to fill a large frying pan 1/2" deep

Beat the eggs and milk together. Throw all of the dry ingredients into a gallon-sized plastic bag and shake them together until they are thoroughly mixed. Rinse and pat dry the chicken parts. Throw the chicken parts a couple at a time into the bag, and shake it to coat them. After coating the chicken parts in the dry ingredients, dredge them through the egg mixture, recoat them in the dry mixture, and set them aside for at least a half-hour in the refrigerator. Once the chicken parts look like they are coated in batter instead of powder, fry them at medium heat in a large skillet with at least a half-inch of oil in the bottom. Turn them over after at least twenty minutes and continue to fry until all pieces reach an internal temperature of 165 degrees.

Note: Omit the chili powder, garlic powder, turmeric, and powdered chicken bouillon to essentially copy the KFC recipe. For an even more faithful version, use 1/2 Tsp Thyme, 1/2 Tsp Basil, and 1/3 Tsp Oregano instead of Italian Seasonings, and add about 1 Tsp MSG for the modern version.

Simple Savory Pork Loin Roast

Here it is, time for my annual update. Costco had a sale on pork tenderloin roasts recently, and after fixing a couple in the slow-cooker covered in barbecue sauce for sandwiches, I decided to look for a different recipe to mix things up.
I found one over at AllRecipes.com that we all liked, and of course I modified it. Here's my version of the Simple Savory Pork Loin Roast from AllRecipes.com:

1-1/2 Tbsp Fresh snipped Rosemary
2 Tsp Garlic Salt
1/2 Tsp Italian Seasoning
1/4 Tsp Fresh Ground Pepper
1 3 lb Pork Tenderloin Roast

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Mix all seasonings into a large zippered plastic bag, a gallon-sized freezer bag works well. Throw in the thawed roast and shake the bag thoroughly to coat. Transfer the roast to a medium baking dish, cover, and bake for 1 to 1-1/4 hours. Uncover and bake for another 30 minutes to an internal temperature of 145.

If you find that the seasoning runs out without thoroughly covering the roast, don't be afraid to shake some garlic salt and pepper on the uncoated parts.

Ham and Cheese Soup

Folks-
I decided late last year that I needed a new ham soup recipe. I found a good one online at "A Taste of Home," and as usual, spent time modifying it until it was perfect from my families perspective.
By 2017, my daughter had convinced me to try chopped broccoli instead of the shredded carrots. She's right, it's better. I'm including that variation here.
Pro tip: make this using two pots that are much larger than you expect you'll need. It seems to somehow end up being a much larger recipe than you'll think it will.

Here's my version:

Ham and Cheese Soup

2 Cups peeled diced potatoes

2 Cups water

3/4 Cup shredded carrots or 3/4 to 1 cup chopped broccoli, frozen or fresh

1/3 Cup chopped onion

1/4 Cup cubed butter

1/4 Cup flour

2 Cups milk

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

2 Cups shredded cheese (cheddar, sharp cheddar, jack, or a blend)

2 Cups cubed fully cooked ham

In a pot, combine water, potatoes, carrots and/or broccoli, and onions. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 10-15 minutes or until tender. After covering the potato mixture, melt the butter in a large saucepan. Add the flour and stir until smooth. Gradually add the milk, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil, and stir for two minutes or until thickened. Stir in cheese until melted. Add cheese mixture to undrained potato mixture. Add ham and heat through.

Modified from a recipe at:http://www.tasteofhome.com/Recipes/Cheddar-Ham-Soup

Chicken Soup

Folks-
I finally sat down and wrote out my chicken soup recipe, the one I first mentioned when I posted my moms egg noodle recipe. There are a bunch of variations that I have come up with that I'll mention after the main recipe.
Here it is! Enjoy!

Chicken soup

1 lb raw skinned chicken, diced

1 batch noodles (or 1 package egg noodles)

3 carrots, sliced

3 celery stalks, sliced

2 T olive oil

1/4 onion, diced

1 Tablespoon Italian seasoning

1 clove garlic, crushed or minced

8 cups water and 8 teaspoons (or 8 cubes) chicken bouillon, or 8 cups chicken stock

In a large pot, sauté the chicken and garlic in the olive oil until the chicken is cooked thoroughly. Add the vegetables and stir-fry until tender. Throw in the Italian seasoning, then add the water and bouillon and bring to a boil. Turn heat down to medium, add noodles and simmer for 20 minutes. Serve warm.

Variations: You can use commercial dry egg noodles instead of the homemade noodles if time is an issue, but you run the risk of the soup tasting a lot like a commercial soup. I recommend frozen noodles over dry. Frozen noodles can be found in many supermarket frozen food sections by the frozen breads or pastas. Look for frozen ravioli, it'll probably be on the bottom shelf if they carry them. You may need two bags. Experiment and have fun!

You can use already cooked chicken, such as rotisserie chicken (yay Costco!), leftover fried chicken, or canned chunk chicken breast, or leftover turkey. Simply skip the step of browning the chicken and stir-fry the veggies instead.

I usually don't make a single batch of this soup. Usually I buy enough eggs, chicken, celery, and carrots for at least two batches, cut it up, and freeze the veggies in a ziplock bag, freeze the chicken in another (smaller) bag, and the noodles in another bag, and put the seasonings in a sandwich bag. I end up putting the various bags together in the freezer and then up to a month later, stir-fry the chicken and veggies, add the water and seasonings, bring to a boil and add the noodles and boil 10 minutes for a quick dinner.

Dublin Coddle

Folks-
I guess it's time for my annual post!

I discovered recently that the link I had to Meemo's Kitchen for the Mrs. Knott's Biscuits has gone dark. As a result, you may see me converting some of my bookmarks into posts here. After all, there's little chance that Google will dump Blogger since they still have their RSS reader (right?) ;)

Well, all kidding aside, with St. Patrick's day so recently passed, I figured I'd post the recipe I make annually this time of year. Not Corned Beef and Cabbage, I don't do that. I make a nice, hearty soup popular in pubs around Dublin. I first had it there over 20 years ago. It's called Dublin Coddle, and here's my variation:

Dublin Coddle

1 lb Breakfast Sausage, Sliced

1-1/2 lb Sliced Bacon, Cut into pieces

2 lbs Potatoes, Peeled and Diced

1-1/2 Large Onion, Diced

4 C water

1/2 tsp Ground Black Pepper

Chopped Parsley

Place all ingredients except parsley into a large pot. Bring to a boil over high heat, reduce to a simmer and cook for 1 to 1-1/2 hours. Serve in a bowl garnished with the parsley.

Edly Fried Chicken

Folks- it took me a few tries, but I think I got this recipe worked out pretty well. Zhenie loves it, so I recommend giving it a try!
I use a kitchen deep fryer to cook it. Here's the recipe:

Edly Fried chicken
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup seasoned bread crumbs
1 Tbsp Italian seasonings
1 1/2 Tsp Garlic Powder
1 Tsp Paprika
1 Tsp Sage
1/2 Tsp Chili Powder
1/2 Tsp Salt
1/2 Tsp Pepper
2 Eggs, scrambled
Chicken parts

Mix together dry ingredients. coat chicken parts in egg, then dredge through the dry ingredient mixture and fry in 350 degree oil for 20 minutes or until core temperature reaches 170 degrees.

Seafood Chowder

Folks-
This is another "Zap 190 Cookbook" recipe. This one came from my sister, Tammy Barbre. This one is distinct from the Clam Chowder recipe I posted some time ago, so don't confuse the two!

Ingredients:
1 Can Morton's Clam Chowder (for base)
3 Cups Milk or Half and Half
1/2 lb Prawns, any size
1/4 lb small Scallops (optional)
1/2 lb boneless Chicken breast, cut into 1/2" pieces
1/4 lb Ling Cod or Snapper
1 Cup chopped Potatoes
Splash of Soy Sauce
1/4 Cup dried green onions

Saute each of the meats and the potatoes separately, then put the clam chowder, milk, and potatoes in a large pot. Cook on medium heat for a few minutes, then switch to low heat and add all other ingredients. Cook 15 minutes on low heat. Serve with pepper and green onion sprinkled on top.

Broccoli Soup via Zap 190 Cookbook

Folks-
I know you're thinking: What, two posts in as many days? Yep. I noticed I had a couple of recipes from my old "Zap 190 Cookbook" that I had transcribed, but not posted. In case I haven't mentioned it yet, Zap 190 was our interoffice mail address at the old Pacific Western Bank Proof Department where I worked in the late '80's and into the late '90's. My friends, family, and co-workers, as well as those of my mom at Live Oak Elementary School, and one of my dad's at the Pajaro District of the State Department of Parks and Recreation submitted recipes for the thing. I'll be posting them on this site over time, and I'll be sure to give credit where it's due.

This recipe comes from my sister. I haven't tried making it myself, but I do remember it being tasty.

Broccoli Soup- Jocelyn Swenson
Ingredients:
3 Fresh Broccoli Crowns, Chopped
1 Large Onion
1 Cup Chopped Mushrooms
2 Celery Stalks, chopped
2 Cans Cream of Celery Soup
1 Cube Butter
1/2 lb Bacon, cooked and crumbled (Optional)
4-8 Cups Milk

Directions: Mix broccoli, onion, mushrooms, celery and butter in a large saucepan and simmer until vegetables are soft (add water if necessary.) In a large pot, mix together soup and milk. Boil to desired thickness. Mix vegetables in with soup and top with crumbled bacon.

Adult Grilled Cheese

Folks-
One of my kids favorite sandwiches--actually most kids favorite--is the simple Grilled Cheese. I discovered a while ago that you can turn this simple favorite into a more adult meal through just a couple of simple additions.

My version of the Grilled Cheese for Adults is to use whatever hard cheese is available (usually a cheddar, Jack, or mozzarella), using two slices (or a small handfull of the cheese if grated) and before grilling it, I add thin sliced onion and tomato slices.

Give it a try next time you want a hot sandwich at home at lunchtime!

Ingredients:

2 sandwich-sized slices cheddar, sharp cheddar, jack, mozzarella, Swiss, and/or gruyere cheese

2 slices sandwich bread, sourdough works well, but seeded bread is also good

1 slicing tomato, sliced thinly

1 thin slice of onion, red, white, or yellow, preferably red

Cooked bacon slice (optional)

1 tbsp mayonnaise 

Grated parmesan cheese, if available, optional 

Preheat a pan or griddle on the stove to medium heat. Spread half of the mayo and some of the Parmesan cheese on a slice of bread, and place it in the pan, mayo side down. Quickly assemble the sandwich in this order on top of that bread: cheese slice, onion, tomato slices, bacon slice, cheese slice. Smear the other slice of bread with mayo and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Flip when bottom slice of bread is golden brown and grill until the second side matches.

Eat while still hot. Acids in the tomato slices will prevent the cheese from solidifying. These do not keep well for later.

Edited 12/30/2024 to be more specific.