These are a favorite of mine, because there are so many ways to serve them, it really stretches the meat and the leftovers are fabulous. Each half pound of meat will serve 3-4 (~12 meatballs/3 meatballs per serving)

For each 1/2 lb of ground beef, you will need…

• 1 egg
• 3-4 slices of white bread or 1 cup breadcrumbs
• 1 half onion, minced
• 3 tbsp garlic
• 1/4 Parmesan cheese
• 1/2 tsp oregano

(more…)

Here’s a cheap, easy and fun one that can easily go in a packed lunch. If you can’t find Kecap Manis, you can make your own, it will keep for a bit. Serves 2.

• 1 packet instant ramen
• 1 cup shredded, cooked chicken (yay, leftovers)
• 1 small cucumber, cut into matchsticks
• 1 small carrot, cut into matchsticks
• 1 small red pepper, cut into matchsticks
• 2 tbsp kecap manis

1. Boil the ramen according to directions, discard flavor packet.
2. Place all ingredients in bowl and mix well.

Of course, all the vegetables/chicken can be substituted for whatever you want.

Read my Recipe Manifesto

Today I am making Garlic and Ginger Beef with Sugar Snap Peas, but just about any kind of thinly sliced meat and quick cooking veggie can be used. Other good choices are chicken and asparagus with bok choy, beef and broccoli, and pork and green beans.

The most important thing to remember with a stir fry is to keep freakin’ stirring. Stir fries use very little oil and high heat; if you stop stirring, things WILL stick.

As usual, the measurements are all vague and approximate. Serves 2-4

(more…)

I love hummus so freakin’ much. I love it on my sandwiches, I love it as a dip for pita wedges or veggies, I pretty much love it any way you serve it. And it’s so stupidly easy to make too.

Hummus

• 16oz can chickpeas/garbanzo beans
• 1/4 liquid from beans
• 1.5 tbsp tahini (optional)
• 2-3 tsp lemon juice (optional)
• 2 tsp minced garlic
• salt to taste

Whirl all ingredients in blender until smooth. Will keep for 2 or 3 days in fridge or about 1 month in the freezer.

Other things to add: olive oil, roasted red peppers, spinach, more garlic…

Read my recipe manifesto

These are so easy, but so yummy as a party food. You could deep fry these, but I find these are just as tasty without the added fat.

• Ravioli, any filling - Fresh or Frozen (thawed)
• Bread Crumbs
• Egg(s)
• Garlic Salt
• Basil
• Oregano
• Parmesan cheese (grated)
• Prepared tomato sauce (out of a can works fine here)

(more…)

Most baked ziti at buffets and potlucks tend to be an overcooked, mushy mass of tasteless pasta and sauce. Not this one. People never fail to beg for this recipe.

The title of this recipe is a lie. We will be using penne, because it holds its shape and texture better.

This recipe will make two 9×11 pans, which will feed about 6 hungry people each. I recommend using disposable pans, because likely you will need to freeze one pan unless you are really feeding a crowd. Heavy-duty is a must because the weight of all these tasty things will actually collapse cheap pans.

Ingredients

• ~1lb dry penne
• ~1lb lean ground beef (I use 90% or above)
• 2 26.5 oz cans Hunts Traditional Spaghetti Sauce (or plain spaghetti sauce)
• 1 8oz can plain tomato sauce
• 1 medium onion
• ~2lb part-skim mozzarella
• ~1 large tub ricotta
• ~2 eggs
• ~garlic (taste as you go. I use almost 1/2 c in this recipe)
• ~oregano (1-2 tsp generally)
• ~basil (1 tsp generally)
• ~olive oil

(more…)

Now that I’ve gotten two requests for this stupidly simple recipe, well, I’ll share publicly. The one issue is that not all hot dogs are packaged with the same number of dogs. 1 tube of rolls will cover 4 hot dogs (or 8 if you like less roll to dog,) so make sure you have an equal number of rolls to hot dog.

• 1 package hot dogs (I use Boar’s Head or Hebrew National, I won’t touch non-beef dogs)
• 1-2 tubes crescent refrigerated crescent rolls
• Condiments

• Wash your hands!
• Preheat your oven to whatever the directions on the rolls say, also make note of cooking time.
• Poke some holes in the hotdog packaging, put on microwave safe plate and nuke for about 1 minute.
• Open your tubes and separate the contents into rectangles made of two triangular rolls.
• Dry your hotdogs off (the rolls won’t stick if their still wet with juices) and wrap the rolls around the dogs. You’ll probably have to stretch the rolls a bit.
• Place on ungreased cookie sheet and bake for however long the crescent roll package recommends (the package is destroyed now, I hope you followed Step 2! The average is 10-12 minutes.)
• The dogs are done when the rolls are a nice golden brown.

If you’re truly lazy like me, serve these with a package salad (you know, the kind that comes in a bag) and you have a full meal.

The Recipe Manifesto.

This is for a category that hasn’t quite popped into existence yet

Manifesto

• I don’t normally measure things exactly, unless there is a chemical reaction involved. This is not because I think I am Rachel Ray, it is because I find it easier to taste things as I go.
• I don’t believe in “healthy cooking,” I believe in portion control and moderation. I don’t purposely do “low-fat” or “low-calorie” foods unless they happen to taste fantastic. Some of my recipes are full of butter, bacon, dressings, drippings, “white” carbs, sugar and other “bad” foods. The secret is to eat only small portions of these foods and only eat them occasionally.
• I do follow the federal guidelines for portion/serving sizes. This means 3-4 oz. of meat is a serving, as is 1/2 c. rice, 1/2 c. veggies, etc. If you want larger servings, my recipes will feed less people.
• My cooking times are very loose. My stove and oven are quite uncooperative and the times vary greatly. Please watch what you are cooking and use a thermometer to make sure meats are cooked to the appropriate level of doneness.
• I like a LOT of garlic and other seasonings. Don’t be afraid to tone down some of the seasonings. On the other hand, I rarely cook with salt, as I prefer to add it at the table. (I also cheat and use prepared garlic, ginger, etc. packed in water.)

(more…)