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Making pizza at home with store bought dough is one of my favorite things to do. It’s easy once you get the hang of the dough and I found a few tricks along the way which help make it easier. The real trick to the dough is letting it rise and come to room temperature. If you try to work with cold dough out of the fridge it won’t work . You will need a rimmed sheet pan as well. I keep some dough in the freezer and take it out the night before and let it defrost in the fridge and the next day about 4 hours before I am using I place it on the counter ( in the sun even better) and let it rise and come to room temperature. There are many places to buy dough and you’ll have to find the best one by your home. I buy in Whole Foods when I am in Colorado and in NY Trader Joes , Whole Foods and your local pizza place or bakery will probably be happy to sell you a ball of dough. .Dough will need at least 3 – 4 hours to rise outside of the fridge. Nothing will happen to it so just set it out on the counter — I open the bag and let it rise away. My ingredients are simple and if you follow instructions you should be fine. Don’t be discouraged if the first few times it doesn’t come out perfectly — it took me a few times with the dough to really get the hang of it. Give it a try!

This is what I do and these are my instructions:

Ingredients:

1 bag Pizza Dough — for 4 people I make for 2 and we always have extra slices

16 oz. Pizza Sauce — if I have homemade I use that if not I always have a jar of Raos Arrabiata or Marinara on hand

Italian Seasonings — dry app. 2 tsp. you’ll have to eyeball it

flour for stretching dough — this is a must

Olive Oil Spray for spraying baking sheet — I like this better than using olive oil — either one will work on baking sheet

Parmesan Cheese

Shredded Mozzarella — app. 8 oz. more or less

Directions:

Let dough rise. Read notes above. Keeping the store bought dough on a counter for at least 3 hours or more. It will keep rising in the bag so I usually open the bag to give it room to rise. If you’re defrosting it do so overnight in fridge and then take it out the next day. You’ll notice it rising in fridge ( at least it should)

Pre-heat oven to 450 degrees — very important to get oven hot so make sure you’re oven is pre-heated

Spray baking sheet with Olive Oil Cooking Spray or using a brush lightly coat bottom of baking sheet with Olive Oil . I use a 12x 17 rimmed baking sheet . You don’t need a pizza stone.

Stretch the dough. On a clean surface ( counter top ) I put down a light amount of flour (enough for both sides) and you can always add more , the flour will help to expand the dough. Place raw dough on top of flour, coating each side. Begin stretching the dough by pinching the outside in a circular motion to spread it out. I put my fists under the dough to stretch ( you don’t need a rolling pin) You can alternate between pinching the dough with your finger, pressing it out on your work surface, and using your knuckles to pull the dough from underneath in circular motions. Usually a few motions will get the dough stretching. When it’s large enough gently transfer to the prepared sheet pan. I spread it out thin in center and more dough around perimeter ( crust) if there are holes in your dough pinch together dough or fold over the dough in that spot and get rid of them . I spread it out all the way to cover entire baking sheet . Don’t worry about your dough being a perfect shape. All pizza is delicious and beautiful.

Bake the naked pizza dough in the oven at 450 degrees for 7 minutes. During this time prep your toppings. I am sort of a purist so it’s sauce, cheese , and seasoning. Never add the toppings to raw pizza dough.

After par-baking the pizza dough, remove from oven and raise temperature of oven to 500 degrees. ( make sure it gets to 500) I add my sauce — spreading it out on dough, I leave a little room around perimeter ( see photo) , dried Italian seasoning ( if you’re using) parmesan cheese and mozzarella cheese . Obviously if you have other toppings you want to use this is the time to add.

Bake the pizza at 500 for another 10 minutes — all ovens vary so check on it after 7 minutes.

I like my cheese fully melted and a little brown in spots. Let it cool off for a few minutes before slicing .

I use a pizza cutter and get 8 slices .

Let me know how this comes out — tag me on Instagram story — I would love that.

these are some photos from current pizzas and past pizzas–sometimes they come out better looking than other times but they always taste incredible! No such thing as an ugly pizza in my book.

While I really love stuffed shells ( see recipe ) sometimes I just don’t feel like futzing with stuffing those big shells. This was delicious and had all the flavor of the stuffed shells I usually make without all the work. This is a great family meal and made as is should serve 6-8 depending on your eaters and what else you serve with it. No hassle and delicious and of course you can substitute ground turkey or ground chicken , I like ground beef and use the 85/15 version because I like a little fat in the sauce but lean ground beef is fine. Turkey can be very dry so try and get dark meat or at least 85/15 .

Prep Time was about 1/2 hour all in and cooking time another 45 minutes app. Serve with a nice green salad and you’re good to go.

You can prepare the dish, according to the directions, cover with foil and refrigerate for up to 24 hours. Bake the following day according to the directions. I don’t add mozzarella on top till I am baking.

Leftovers can be left up to 3 days in the refrigerator and I promise they’ll be gone by then.

Enjoy!

Ingredients:

1 Tablespoon Olive Oil

1 small yellow onion — diced small

1 pound ground beef — use whatever you’d like see note above

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 24 oz. jar marinara sauce — or homemade sauce if you have it on hand I personally love Raos Arrabiata which has a slight kick or you can use just plain Marinara — whatever brand you like and whatever type you like

16 oz. shell pasta , uncooked usually 1 bag or 1 box

1 8 oz. block cream cheese, room temperature and that’s important because you’ll need to mix with other ingredients — leave it our for a few hours

1 cup Ricotta — I use part skim just not fat free

1/2 cup grated Parmesan Cheese

1 egg, whisked

1 teaspoon Italian Seasoning

app.1- 2 teaspoons Kosher salt — for meat sauce and for cheese — divided I added about 1/2 teaspoon to sauce and 1/2 teaspoon to cheese — you can taste both for salt and pepper and add or decrease to your own taste

1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper — a little for sauce and a little for cheese mixture

1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper

app. 2 cups grated low moisture mozzarella cheese — part skim is fine just not fat free

Directions:

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees if you’re baking now. Spray 9×13 Baking Dish with non stick spray. Set aside

Meat Sauce Assembly:

Add the olive oil to a large skillet over medium heat. Add in the onions and cook for about 5 minutes till soft and translucent. Add in the meat and cook till no longer pink, I sprinkled some kosher salt and black pepper here as well. Just a little because you’ll add more to the cheese. Taste sauce for Salt and Pepper when finished. Add in the minced garlic and cook for a few more minutes. Drain any excess fat or liquid from the pan and place back onto the heat. Add in the marinara sauce and stir to combine. Turn the heat to low and let it simmer while you do the next steps.

Pasta:

Prepare Pasta al dente according to the package directions and allow to drain thoroughly

Cheese Mixture:

In a large bowl stir together the cream cheese, Ricotta Cheese, Parmesan Cheese, egg, Italian Seasoning, salt , black pepper and crushed red pepper. Add 1/2 teaspoon salt and taste for salt here as well. Next add the cooked cooled drained pasta to the bowl and stir until evenly combined. If pasta is too hot when you add it the cheese will start to melt so let pasta just be cooled down enough.

Assembly:

Spread half of the meat sauce in the bottom of the prepared pan. Top with pasta mixture and then spread on the remaining meat sauce. Sprinkle the mozzarella cheese on top, cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the foil from the top of the dish and bake for an additional 10 – 15 minutes till cheese is slightly browned and casserole is bubbling .

*if not browning quickly you can place under broiler for a quick few minutes but be careful –you wouldn’t want to burn it so keep an eye on it

Enjoy!

I was bringing this casserole to someone so made it in an aluminum tin usually a large pyrex is perfect .

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I have been experimenting with a lot of Indian style food recently . You’ve all seen some of my favorites so far. This one was so delicious and I just love the curry flavor. Obviously not everyone is into the curry flavor but if you are and are looking for something new and fairly easy to make — this one’s for you.

I did it over rice and you can use any type of rice you like or any grain would also be pretty delicious. I also use Spicy Curry which isn’t so spicy but I like it a lot. You can use any curry powder you’d like. The chick peas added a delicious layer of flavor and we love cilantro but feel free to omit if you don’t like.

This would be most perfect served with some warm Naan Bread as well but we didn’t have any in the house so we passed on that. This recipe is for 4 people and honestly the prep was quick and cooking time was about 1/2 hour all in. I cut whole recipe in 1/2 for the two of us and had a little salmon left over which I ate cold for lunch the next day and it was outstanding.

Enjoy! and please let me know how this comes out if you try it and like it. By the way Joel ate his whole bowl and didn’t even pick out the chickpeas which sort of amazed me.

Ingredients:

Salmon Ingredients:

1 1/2 lbs. Salmon — I had a little leftover and ate it for lunch the next day so add a little extra salmon

2 Tbsp. Curry Powder — I used Spicy Curry Powder but any Curry Powder will do

2 Tablespoons Olive Oil

Sauce and Rice Bowls:

1 Tablespoon Olive Oil

1 yellow onion thinly sliced

1 bell pepper ( I used red but any color will do)

6 cloves garlic, minced

2 Tablespoons freshly chopped ginger

Kosher Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

2 Tablespoons Curry Powder

1 14oz. can Chickpeas, rinsed and drained

1 14 oz. can full fat coconut milk

1 lime, juiced

1 handful chopped fresh cilantro if you like

Steamed White Rice or Brown Rice or Jasmine or any grain you’d prefer

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 475 degrees. Line a baking sheet with foil or just spray with cooking spray.

Place one of the oven racks as close to the top as possible – about 6 ” from the heat source

Place the salmon skin side down on the baking sheet. Combine the curry powder and olive oil to make a paste. Rub the paste liberally over the top part of the salmon. Bake for about 10 minutes depending on the thickness of your salmon ( maybe a little more or less). When cooked remove from the oven and set aside. ( salmon will continue to cook a bit so don’t over cook)

Heat a large skillet over medium heat and add the olive oil. Once it’s hot add in the sliced onions and chopped bell pepper and cook until softened — about 5 minutes. Add the minced garlic and ginger and season with some kosher salt and coarse black pepper. Add in the Curry Powder as well ( 2 Tablespoons) Cook for a few minutes. Stir in the drained , rinsed chickpeas and the coconut milk and lime juice. Stir and bring to a simmer. Simmer for about 5 minutes. Stir in the fresh cilantro if you’re using.

I flaked pieces of the salmon and put over the rice and spooned the curry sauce over it — so delicious.

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This recipe has hit the internet and gone viral to the point that you can’t find a block of feta in the market. The reaction has been crazy. There are many versions of this recipe and I chose to go with Melissa Clark’s version because I think she’s just one of the best chefs out there and hers was the one pot version which is always a win win in my book. It couldn’t possibly be easier to make and ingredients are usually readily available, I had to hit 3 stores to find the feta ! Assuming you can get the feta this is a wonderful recipe and Joel gave it a 10. Perfectly vegetarian and perfectly yummy.

It is probably one of the richest pastas ever but the flavors were amazing. You will be using the pasta dry so no need to cook that separately .

Enjoy and Thanks to Melissa Clark @nytimescooking

Ingredients:

1 8 oz. block of feta cheese

2 pints cherry tomatoes (leave whole)

5 cloves garlic, peeled and left whole — use 5 nice size cloves or a few more if small

Fresh Rosemary and Thyme– I used a few sprigs of thyme and a few sprigs of Rosemary — the Rosemary I removed from the stem the thyme I used sprigs. These are pretty strong herbs so you don’t want to use too much. Just enough to give it that wonderful flavor ( see photos) 12 ounces dried pasta–I used Orecchiette but any type of pasta will do — Farfalle pasta would also be perfect

Olive Oil– see Directions

3 cups boiling water

Kosher Salt — app. 1 teaspoon

*Crushed Red Pepper

Directions:

Heat oven to 400 degrees

I sprayed a large baking dish with cooking spray first, then place feta, tomatoes, garlic and herbs in baking dish and I drizzled olive oil over cheese and tomatoes — just enough to lightly glaze the tomatoes and a little on the feta itself ( see photo)

Bake for 40 minutes till tomatoes and feta break down.

After 40 minutes, I removed from the oven and very carefully added the box of pasta , boiling water, teaspoon salt, and a few pinches of crushed red pepper* which of course is optional. Cover tightly with aluminum foil and return to oven for 18 minutes.

Remove from oven after 18 minutes, stir, then cover again and let sit for at least 10 minutes. I probably let it sit for 20 minutes because some of my pasta was still very hard. By the end of the 20 minutes it was perfect al dente and I mean perfect. It could be that I am at altitude so after 10 minutes check for the doneness of the pasta it should be al dente ( have some bite ) Also be careful of eating the whole garlic cloves unless you want to .

Served with a green salad and it got a 10 from Joel.

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For something a little different I put together this recipe. It wasn’t difficult at all and looked rather lovely on the plate when finished. You really don’t need much accompaniment to these lovely peppers as there is rice in them and the pepper is your veggie. We had a green salad on the side which rounded out this meal perfectly.

I just love this recipe which was so delicious and nutritious loaded with seasoned ground beef, rice and tomatoes. I finished them off with mozzarella cheese and baked until perfectly tender.

Ingredients:

2/3 cup white rice — yes you can use brown I just used white

Kosher Salt and Coarse Ground Black Pepper

6 Bell Peppers , use any color you like –use medium to large sized and check that they will be able to sit up straight in pan

1 Tbsp. Olive Oil

1 lb. ground beef — use lean or 80/20 and an option here is to used ground turkey ( 85-90% lean) ground chicken will probably be too dry. I myself like the ground beef flavor but that being said I am sure turkey would be just fine , just don’t use the lean kind and if you can get ground dark meat that is most preferable

1 small yellow onion, finely chopped app. 1 cup

3 garlic cloves minced, app. 1 Tbsp.

1 15 oz. can petite diced tomatoes, drained

1 8 oz. can tomato sauce

2 tsp. Italian Seasoning

app. 1 cup shredded Mozzarella

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cook rice according to package directions

Trim about 1/4 inch from tops of bell peppers and then remove stems, ribs and seeds. Fill a baking dish large enought to fit peppers with about 1/2 ” of water

Place Peppers upside down in water, cover with foil and bake for about 20 mins.

In a large skillet ( if not non-stick spray with cooking spray) over medium high heat. Add onion and saute till translucent and very soft app 4-5 minutes. Move onions to one side of the skillet and add beef season with some Salt and Pepper and let it sear until browned and then start to move it around so it cooks on both sides — app. 4-5 mins. Breaking up the beef and stir the onions in and continue to cook for a few mins. ,add the garlic and continue to cook until beef is cooked through , about another few minutes. Remove from heat and if there is any fat you can drain at this point.

Stir in the tomatoes ( drained), half of the can of tomato sauce ( 1/2 cup) app. cooked rice, Italian Seasoning, and season to taste with Salt and Pepper

Remove peppers from the oven and turn oven down to 350 degrees. Turn peppers upright, sprinkle inside lightly with some salt and fill with beef filling. Pour a little tomato sauce over the top of peppers. Cover with foil and continue to bake for 20 minutes.

Remove from oven after 20 minutes, sprinkle with some shredded mozzarella, return to oven and bake uncovered until cheese is melted and peppers will have reached the desired tenderness, about 10 – 20 more minutes. Serve warm

In a long line of dinners it’s tough to come up with new and different ideas for dinner but this was what I made last night and it’s a big thumbs up for a little Un-orthodox chicken parmesan but really delicious! I would describe it as a de-constructed version of Chicken Parmesan with no frying ( which is the part I hate the most ) . Yesterday I took out a package of thin sliced chicken breasts from the freezer and at around 5 p.m. started to think about what I would do with them. At 6 I started my prep and we sat down to this delicious dinner at 6:45 ! Quick and easy one pan recipe that went from stove-top to oven to table in app. 1/2 hour. You can’t beat that.

I usually have home-made tomato sauce in the freezer but since there was no planning on my part I used Raos Arrabiata Sauce which I love and always have on hand. ( their Marinara is also a house staple) I used regular Panko Bread Crumbs because I didn’t have the Italian flavored ones in the house ( and it was perfect) For Pasta I used whatever I had in the house and felt like having , spaghetti would be perfect or any macaroni type. I used Penne this time but any pasta will do or no pasta if you prefer. A vegetable would be fine here as well. We had a green salad and the chicken and we were both pretty happy with the results.

Enjoy!

Ingredients:

I used about 1/2 a box of pasta for the 2 of us — for more use the whole box –any type pasta you prefer will work

1 Tablespoon Italian Seasoning — always have this on hand for my sauce– available in almost all spice aisles in the supermarket

1/4 Teaspoon Kosher Salt

1/4 Teaspoon coarse black pepper or freshly ground

1/4 cup Panko Bread Crumbs — I used regular Panko and it was just fine . Italian style would work here as well

1/4 cup Grated Parmesan Cheese

You’ll need 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil to cook chicken and 1 Tablespoon for bread crumbs

1 package of thin-sliced boneless , skinless chicken breasts

12 ounce jar of Marinara or Arrabiata Sauce — I prefer Raos — any one you like or use your own

App. 1/2 cup Shredded Mozzarella — that’s what I had in the house of course you can use fresh or sliced Mozzarella as well

Directions:

Pre-heat oven to 475 degrees

Prepare Pasta according to directions while you’re prepping the chicken

In a very small bowl combine the salt, pepper and Italian Seasonings and set aside

In a small bowl, combine the Panko, Parmesan Cheese and 1 Tablespoon of Olive Oil and mix well and set aside

Coat the bottom of a large deep oven-proof skillet with about 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil ( if you need more add a little more) Heat oil over medium high heat . I placed chicken in pan and sprinkled with some of the spice mixture cooked for 3 mins. on 1 side and then flipped and sprinkled more spice mixture to the other side. You can also do this first — sprinkle one side place that side down and then sprinkle the other raw side . Up to you whatever works.

After another 3 minutes — you want chicken browned but not over cooked — these are thin breasts. Turn off heat and then pour the sauce in the pan around the chicken and a little on the top of each piece. Top each piece with mozzarella and sprinkle the panko mixture over the top.

Transfer the skillet to the pre-heated oven and bake un-covered for about 10 minutes but all ovens are different so keep an eye out. You’ll want cheese melted and Panko topping is browned. Serve over cooked pasta and enjoy!

This was a delicious twist on chicken meatballs. The meatballs were so amazingly moist and tasty and I served over Jasmine Rice and it was just perfect. The original recipe is from Bon Appetit and I took a few liberties with it. We like spicy food so I used some Sriracha along with the ketchup — you can make this as spicy as you like or not spicy at all depending on how much or how little Sriracha you use or use none at all. If you’re in the mood for something a little different this one’s for you. We just love meatballs and we’ll eat them any which way. Have fun with this one. And you all know that my husband absolutely still refuses to eat broccoli so it was his loss because it was delicious.

*a little note I use my mini chopper to chop ginger and garlic and I use it for onions as well . It gets it finely minced. If you don’t have one of these mini choppers I highly recommend it’s use to get garlic, ginger and onions and other vegetables finely grated when recipe calls for that.

Enjoy!

Ingredients: Sauce

2/3 cup Ketchup — I decreased the ketchup and added about 1/3 Sriracha – and it was very spicy but we like very spicy . So please either keep it 2/3 of ketchup for totally not spicy or decrease a little ketchup and add a little Sriracha.

1/4 cup Worcestershire Sauce

2 Tbsp. Water

2 Tbsp. Honey

4 tsp. Soy Sauce

1/2 inch piece of ginger, peeled and finely grated

1 garlic clove — finely grated — see note above about finely grating

1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

Ingredients: Meatballs and Broccoli

app. 1 lb. of Broccoli — you just want florets so if you’re starting with a head of broccoli you’ll have to trim and cut etc. I just bought a 1 lb. package of broccoli florets available in most grocery stores these days. ( not frozen)

2 Tbsp. Vegetable Oil divided — 1 for broccoli and 1 for Meatballs

2 1/2 tsp. Kosher Salt divided — 1 1/2 for Broccoli and 1 for Meatballs

* a pinch of Crushed red Pepper which is also optional

1 lb. ground chicken– I try to use 85/15 chicken the 90/10 tends to be very dry and really the best is ground dark meat if you can find it

1 large egg beaten to blend

4 scallions , thinly sliced

2 garlic cloved, finely grated

1 ” small piece of ginger , finely grated

1/3 cup Panko ( Japanese Breadcrumbs)

1 Tbsp. Sesame Oil — I use regular Sesame Oil but you can use Toasted as well

1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

Rice for Serving any kind you like , I used Jasmine this time but any kind will do

Directions:

Mix ketchup, Sriracha ( if you’re using) , Worcestershire Sauce, water, honey, soy sauce, grated ginger, and pepper in a small saucepan. I measured out about 1/4 cup mixture into a small bowl for glazing meatballs, later. Bring remaining mixture to a simmer over medium high heat stirring occasionally and reducing heat if necessary, let sauce thicken , about 5 minutes. Transfer sauce to a small bowl or leave in pan and remove from heat.

Meatball and Broccoli Assembly:

Place a rack in upper third of the oven; pre-heat to 450 degrees. I sprayed a sheet pan with cooking spray and lined it with aluminum foil. In a separate bowl I tossed florets with 1 Tablespoon Vegetable Oil, 1 1/2 tsp. Kosher Salt, and a few pinches of crushed red pepper ( optional) I brushed the sheet pan with the remaining 1 Tbsp. of Vegetable Oil and then placed broccoli florets on the edges of the baking sheet to create space for my meatballs.

Mix chicken, egg, scallions, garlic, ginger, panko, sesame oil, pepper , 1 1/2 tsp. Kosher Salt, and 4 Tbsp. Water in a medium bowl and mixed all ingredients together till just combined — don’t overmix

Using wet hands form into 12 meatballs — Probably 2 inches apiece though I didn’t measure but I got 12 beautiful sized meatballs. Arrange on baking sheet; brush with some of the reserved glaze ( 1/4 cup) ( see photo) Bake until meatballs are cooked through, about 15-20 minutes. Remove from oven; heat broiler. Brush meatballs again with glazing mixture; broil until broccoli is charred and meatballs are browned in spots, app. 5 minutes but keep an eye on them. At the end of 5 minutes if you’re meatballs look ready but your broccoli isn’t charred enough, remove meatballs and continue to broil broccoli till it’s charred enough.

Spoon meatballs and broccoli over rice in a bowl. Drizzle with sauce and there you go!

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This vegetable soup is a delicious blend of different vegetables brought together in a delightful tomato broth. Very easy to make and you can freeze a few containers and have wonderful soup whenever you’d like it. Of course you can change any of the vegetables for veggies you may have in the house and want to use. If you don’t have a russet potato use a different one. You can add beans such as kidney, chickpea or my personal favorite cannellini beans — just rinse a can of beans and dump it in. Or add some pasta , 1/2 cup would be fine just make sure there is enough broth at the end of cooking bring to a boil add the pasta and cook for about 15 more minutes or till pasta is done, you may have to add water/broth before or after you add the pasta. You can add some spinach, kale, Swiss chard or escarole as well. Many many different variations. I make the basic soup and when I defrost I usually add something new like beans or pasta or kale. It’s a very delicious soup and very hearty and very healthy.

*Slow Cooker Directions:

If you’d like you can also make this in the slow cooker. I would saute the onions, carrots and celery in olive oil first though. Then place in the slow cooker along with garlic, salt, pepper, canned tomatoes, tomato sauce, Italian seasoning, vegetable broth and potatoes. Low heat for 4 hours. Then add the corn and green beans cook for about 10 more minutes and serve. At the end check for liquid before adding the corn and green beans you may need to add some water or broth.

Ingredients:

1 Tablespoon Olive Oil

1/2 cup finely diced onion– yellow or white onion

3 carrots , peeled , halved lengthwise and sliced

3 stalks celery, thinly sliced and then cut in about 3 inch pieces

2 teaspoons minced garlic

Kosher Salt and Coarsely Ground Black Pepper to taste

20 oz. can of diced tomatoes– Do Not Drain

8 oz. can Tomato Sauce

1 1/4 teaspoons Italian Seasoning

6 cups Vegetable Broth — and you may need more or add water if too thick at the end — I added about 1/2 cup of water

1 large Russet Potato peeled and cut into 1/2 ” cubes

3/4 cup frozen corn

3/4 cup cut up frozen green beans or fresh

*extra liquid — you can use water or broth if you still have on hand

Directions:

Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion , carrots and celery to the pot.

Cook for about 5 minutes till veggies are softened. Add the minced garlic and cook for another minute or so. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Add the tomatoes, tomato sauce, Italian seasoning, broth and potato to the pot and bring to a simmer.

Cook for about 1/2 hour at a low simmer or until potatoes are tender. Taste and add salt and pepper . Soup will probably be ready in 1/2 hour but I let it simmer for a full hour. I added some liquid as a lot of the liquid evaporates and gets absorbed the longer it cooks.

Stir in the corn and green beans and cook for another 10 minutes or so. If you’re adding any other ingredients this would be a good time. i.e. beans, kale, pasta etc. See notes above for *slow cooker directions.

• Perfect for freezing — just will have to add some liquid as you heat it up. Broth or water is just fine.

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This is such an amazing way to make this recipe. I love Indian Food but don’t cook it all that often and since I have the time and the inclination I decided to try a few new recipes. I usually save this for take out but that’s not happening where I am right now. I have to say there are a lot of ingredients and spices you may not have in the pantry but if you can obtain the ingredients it’s really worth the effort.

I made the 2 lbs. for the two of us and have a second meal in the freezer. If you’re going through the effort to make you may as well get another meal out of it. I served over Basmati Rice but any rice will do . I also served with toasted Naan Bread on the side.

Enoy!

Ingredients:

2 lbs. boneless , skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1″ pieces — if you must use chicken breasts go ahead I just like the way the thighs hold up to the heat better the breasts will probably be more shredded. Delicious either way!

1 Tablespoon Olive Oil

1/2 cup Whole Milk plain yogurt– Not Greek

1 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt and more for taste

1 large onion, diced

3 – 4 cloves garlic minced

1 Tablespoon peeled and minced fresh ginger

2 teaspoons ground coriander

1 teaspoon cumin

2 teaspoon garam masala

1 teaspoon ground turmeric

*for extra kick you can add some cayenne pepper or chili powder –totally optional

2 Tablespoons tomato paste

1 15 oz. can diced tomatoes, drained

3/4 cup heavy cream or coconut milk — if you don’t have either one of these you can use oat milk which will be thinner and not as tasty but fine

Directions:

Place the cut-up chicken, yogurt and 1 1/2 teaspoon of kosher salt in a 4 qt. or larger slow cooker and stir to combine

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet on the stove-top add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender – maybe 10 minutes. Add the garlic, ginger, coriander, garam masala, cumin and turmeric and cook for another minute or so. Add the tomato paste and cook until darkened in color another minute or so. Add the drained tomatoes and another teaspoon of kosher salt and bring to a simmer, scraping up any brown bits from the bottom of the pan.

Transfer to the slow cooker and stir to combine with the chicken.

Cover and cook on LOW setting for 8 hours or High for 4 hours. After the initial time is over stir in the cream you’re using. If you prefer a thicker sauce leave the slow cooker uncovered and cook on the HIGH setting for another 1/2 hour. If sauce is fine the way it is cover and cook for another 1/2 hour. Taste and season with salt as needed.

I served with Naan Bread and Basmati Rice.

*leftovers can be stored in the freezer for 3 months

This is the most delicious and easiest way to cook a chicken — very little in the way of ingredients , counting the chicken there are 4 ingredients. You will need a cast iron skillet and this is such a worthwhile investment. It’s relatively inexpensive and Lodge makes a great one . I use a 10″ skillet. You can actually buy it on Amazon and can get the 6.5″ as well for $30 for the two. It’s an investment you’ll use forever. I have actually seen Lodge Products in the supermarket — check it out.

In under an hour you’ll have a delicious roast chicken and the beauty of the chicken at least for the two of us is that I can make chicken salad for the next day lunch. Which these days is a win-win.

Enjoy!

Ingredients:

1 whole chicken, app. 4 lbs.

Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Salt and Pepper — Kosher Salt and Course Ground Black Pepper

*if you’d like a little Paprika you can sprinkle as well but for this recipe I just do S and P

Directions:

Put a cast-iron skillet on a low rack in the oven and heat oven to 500 degrees.

I brush my chicken all over with olive oil and sprinkle generously with Salt and Pepper

Once oven and skillet are hot — I leave it in for about 15 minutes, carefully put the chicken in the hot skillet, breast side up. Roast for 15 minutes at 500 degrees, then turn the oven temperature down to 350 degrees. Continue roasting until chicken is golden brown and an instant read thermometer insterted into the meaty part of the thigh reads 165. I cooked for another 40 minutes or so after the initial 15 minutes.

Remove from oven and tip the bird gently to let the inside juice flow into the pan.

Transfer the chicken to a cutting board and let it rest for a few minutes.

Carve and Serve.

A-mazing!