There’s little better (or more American!) than grilled cheese and tomato soup, and when that was the menu for a movie night dinner party, I decided to fancy it up with four-cheese paninis and my own “almost homemade” tomato soup. This recipe is super quick and ultra-impressive!
INGREDIENTS

2 cans of stewed or diced tomatoes with [...]

Mmmm, homemade alfredo sauce that’s flawed, but delicious.

Some folks turn to Hamburger Helper for quick meals. Well, I do too time and again, but there are other, more interesting options out there. Some of my favorites come from Kitchens of India.
As easy to use as any ready-made sauce, their curries and other dishes bring the taste of our favorite Indian buffet home [...]

A quick recipe and techniques for making an easy pasta dish that’s great for large impromptu groups of guests!

Tonight’s great big salad was courtesy of my employer! There were a bunch of great big salad bowls leftover after today’s “sorry we’re laying you all off, but here’s some pizza” luncheon, and when they were still there at the end of the day, I decided to take one home for dinner.
I added some ripe [...]

Homemade Naan? That’s right, I made this from scratch!
I can’t take all the credit; my husband was kind enough to start the bread machine going to make the dough before I got home from work. We used this recipe but modified it based on some of the reviewers’ feedback. We used only 3.5 cups of [...]

TOO MANY PUMPKINS! A friend of a friend had a fall wedding and left my friend, the maid of honor, with dozens of pumpkin gourd favors left by guests. She decorated her home with them and wondered what to do with them. I didn’t actually believe I’d do anything with them, but I shocked myself [...]

This super-simple glaze adds a really unique kick to pork chops or chicken. To make the glaze, I mixed 3 tbsp honey with 1 tbsp water and chopped up 3 chipotle peppers (seeds removed). That’s it. Seriously.
I made it with Near East brand Curry Rice, one of my favorite quick-side-dish brands. With a wide variety [...]

CONFESSION: I kind of love Hamburger Helper. Hamburger Helper, Chicken Helper, Tuna Helper… I kind of love them all.
Personally, I think the helper line of products made simply per the package directions is bland, over-salted, boring and virtually inedible. It is, however, a brilliant springboard for creativity. By adding your own vegetables (absolutely necessary) [...]

This is one dinner with SOUL! I love making soul food once in awhile, and this dinner was a true test of the term “non-perishable food item”. After doing inventory of my pantry, in the back I found two cans of crabmeat that were at least 3–5 years old. Scary stuff, but still worth a [...]

This favorite recipe is modified from a pretty well-known basic recipe using Lipton Onion Soup Mix, but it’s an easy winner when you want a comforting stew and you didn’t prepare things ahead of time.
I served this over some mashed purple potatoes acquired at the Oak Park Farmer’s Market. The result is a bit [...]

Awhile back a woman on Freecycle was giving away “a bunch” of Patak’s curry pastes. Why not, I said, that stuff’s expensive! So I picked up all 7 jars and they have lived at the back of my pantry because I’ve been, simply, afraid.
After nearly 6 months I finally decided it was time to step [...]