Tag Archives: dinner

Eggplant and Tomato with or without Pasta

Posted on August 12, 2026 | Leave a comment

photo 5 (11) photo 5 (12) photo 4 (12) photo 3 (16) photo 5 (13)Another wonderful inspiration from Jessica Seinfeld’s cookbook “The Can’t Cookbook”,  even though I can cook there are so many great and easy recipes in this book. This was certainly one of them. I served over pasta (see photos) and it is so easy! Everyone gets nervous about cooking eggplant and I really am not sure why that is, well this will cure you of that fear if you have it. You can just make this as a side dish without the pasta but any reason to eat pasta in this house is a good one.

Eggplants should be smooth-skinned, evenly firm and without soft spots. I bought organic ,  when  I’m eating the peel or the skin I  try to buy organic.

Ingredients:

1 large eggplant or 2 small ones

4 cloves garlic

1 pint cherry or grape type tomatoes

6 sprigs fresh thyme

1/3 cup olive oil

3/4 teaspoon kosher salt

*1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper ( optional )

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Wash the eggplant and the tomatoes. Cut off and discard the stem. Cut the eggplant into 1 inch thick round pieces. Stack 2 rounds, then slice  rounds 2 x and 2x across to make 1″ cubes. ( see photos). Smash the 4 garlic cloves with the back of large knife. Prepare baking dish by spraying lightly with Pam spray.

Place the eggplant , garlic, tomatoes, and thyme in baking dish.  Sprinkle salt , pepper and crushed red pepper if you’re using it. With clean hands toss together until the eggplant is coated with olive oil and don’t worry if it’s over-crowded. It will break down and there will be plenty of room.

Roast until the eggplant is really soft and tender. I roasted for an hour and gave it a stir and was good to go.

I served over pasta but you certainly don’t have to have pasta,  you can eat this just as is. If you’re serving over pasta you may want to drizzle a little more olive oil into the eggplant and tomato mixture–just for a little more saucier consistency.

Thanks again Jessica .

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Summer Chicken Marinade made on repeat — marinade and throw on the grill

Posted on July 30, 2026 | 1 comment

These grilled chicken breasts are always a good idea. I keep a few packages in the freezer of thin chicken breasts , but you can do this marinade with a thicker breast , or use boneless skinless chicken thighs.

Marinade is simple ingredients that can be usually found in one’s pantry but if not easily obtainable. I made the thin breasts and marinated them for about 31/2 hours. At least 40 minutes but no more than 4 hours because they start to break down the fibers of the chicken . You’ll want chicken pieces to be even sometimes I use a rolling pin or the flat side of a meat mallet.

Awesome served for dinner with some spinach and some corn on the cob but obviously very delicious the next day or day of in a salad.

And really delicious the next day cold out of fridge, perfect for a picnic.

Enjoy!

Ingredients:

I used about 2 lbs. thin chicken breasts, this marinade will be good for up to 4 lbs.

1/3 cup olive oil

1/4 cup apple cider vinegar or red wine vinegar

3 Tablespoons Worcestershire Sauce

2 heaping Tbsp. Dijon Mustard

2 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice –probably juice of 1 juicy lemon

2 Tablespoons Italian Seasonings — dried and available in every supermarket

2 teaspoons kosher salt

1 teaspoon black pepper

1 teaspoon granulated sugar ( it’s just a teaspoon and it makes a difference)

Directions:

I like to combine all marinade ingredients in a large measuring cup. I whisk it up and then combine chicken and marinade in a large plastic freezer bag and up to 4 hours marinate them if I can. If not at least 40 minutes.

Preheat grill to medium heat — I spray my grill with Pam Grill Spray bring it to medium high heat and add chicken, allowing any excess to drip off . Discard the remaining marinade , this is why I love the baggie. Place chicken on the grill for 7-8 minutesI watch it carefully the very thin pieces barely need 7-8 minutes, just watch them — no one likes to eat burnt chicken. Flip chicken over and it should be done in another 7 minutes depending on the size of the chicken pieces.

Transfer to a plate and let rest before slicing.

Your welcome for this delicious marinade recipe that I promise you you will cook over and over again.

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Easy Peasy Chicken Caprese

Posted on July 27, 2026 | Leave a comment

This is one of those recipes that I make that is so super easy. Very few ingredients and other than cutting tomatoes and mozzarella balls, there is very little prep. You gotta love meals like this, especially in the summer when these beautiful heirloom tomatoes are abundant. I really only make this in the summer . It is light and delicious and makes for a beautiful salad as well and you can serve it at room temperature. I made this last night with burnt brussel sprouts on the side . You’re not going to believe how easy this is. It’s amazing!

Follow me on Instagram @cookingwithcandi

Ingredients:

1 container marinated bocconcini ( mozzarella balls) you will need the oil from the container to marinate chicken ( it comes in an olive oil marinade with spices)

4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves , I buy them pounded thin or use chicken tenderloins –you just don’t want them too too thick — or just pound them yourself- a good mallet helps but buy thin if you can

Kosher Salt and Freshly Ground Black Pepper

1 pint heirloom ( if you can get them) cherry or grape tomatoes, halved

*a little cut up basil is always a good idea!

Directions:

Take bocconcini balls out of the marinade. Cut bocconcini balls in quarters. Transfer about 1/2 of the marinade from bocconcini to a medium size baking dish , add the chicken , salt and pepper the chicken and let it sit at room temperature for about an hour before cooking. If you’d like you can refrigerate , and take out and bring to room temperature before grilling.

Put cheese in a bowl, add the remaining oil marinade and add the cut tomatoes to this bowl. Salt and Pepper to taste, give it a good stir and put in refrigerator till you’re ready to cook chicken. I removed from fridge about 1/2 hour before I cooked the chicken. Just bring it to room temperature.

Grill the chicken over medium high heat , till you get nice grill marks, probably about 8 minutes. You can cut the chicken into smaller pieces and mix with tomatoes and cheese. I just plated up the chicken and put tomato/cheese mixture on the plate. Perfect summer meal.

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Chicken Fajitas on the Grill

Posted on July 12, 2026 | Leave a comment

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IMG_5593.JPG Wow–Fajitas on the Grill and the best part is there were no pots and pans to clean up! Cooked in Aluminum Foil Packs right on the grill! They’re called Hobo Packs. This is so easy to make and so delicious to eat. Definitely one of our favorite go to meals in the summer. If you don’t have a grill you can make in the oven on a large rimmed baking sheet.

Very quick prep and delicious ingredients. Feel free to substitute whatever peppers you would prefer. This is what I did.

You’ll need heavy-duty aluminum foil for the grill.

  • If you double up the recipe you’ll need more hobo packs and feel free to experiment with the ingredients. 

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Ingredients:

1 lb. chicken tenders–I cut them in 1/2 so they’re still thick enough that they don’t over-cook in the 15 minutes it takes to cook. If the pieces are too too thin they’ll over-cook. 

1 medium red onion, halved and sliced 1/4 inch thick (approximately)

1 poblano chile or serrano chile whatever you can get. Stemmed and cut lengthwise into 1/2 inch strips. I used both .

1 Red Bell Pepper–cut into strips lengthwise

1 Yellow Bell Pepper –cut into strips lengthwise

*you can really use any peppers that you’d like–these are the ones I used Shishito Peppers would be wonderful as well.

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1 1/2 tsp. cumin seeds

Kosher Salt and Freshly Ground Black Pepper- you’ll need to be fairly generous with the salt –I used about 1 1/2 teaspoons of salt and a few grinds of the pepper mill.

4 -6 fresh oregano sprigs–at least 1 in each packet–I used 2 in each packet. This is an optional option if no oregano– I like the flavor. 

1 lime, thinly sliced crosswise

Warm flour or corn tortillas, sour cream , guacamole and salsa and some hot sauce for serving. I used small tortillas but any kind will work out nicely. This is a very easy Summer Meal. I also like to serve with rice and beans.

Directions:

Cut up all the veggies, onions and chicken and light the grill, I had the grill turned up high , it should be medium to high. I put it to high to pre-heat and then lowered to a more medium – high, if you are unable to do this step just check on them after 12 minutes to make sure the bottom isn’t burning.

In a large bowl, toss the chicken, onion and all the peppers with the olive oil and cumin seeds. Season generously with salt and pepper and toss again. I like it to sit for about 15 minutes while grill is heating up. 

Arrange 4 14 inch sheets of heavy duty foil on a work surface ( see pics) app. 14 inches don’t get the ruler out you can   eyeball it, it needs to fit a pile of veggies and chicken. Last night I increased the chicken so we had about 6 packs.

Pile the chicken and veggies evenly on one 1/2 of each foil sheet and top with the oregano and lime slices. Fold the foil over the ingredients and pinch the edges to seal.

Place the foil packets on the grill, close the lid and cook over moderately high heat until the chicken is cooked through, anywhere from 12 to 15 minutes.

Open the packets and serve with warm flour fajitas, sour cream , guacamole, salsa and hot sauce.

*Packets can be made a night ahead of time and kept in the refrigerator.

I usually place all ingredients after cooking in a large serving dish/bowl and let everyone help themselves.

Enjoy!

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15 Minute Marinara Sauce and Shrimp Marinara

Posted on June 29, 2026 | Leave a comment

Sometimes you just can’t wait for the two to three hours slow simmering sauce as delicious as it is and wonderful tasting it’s just sometimes not possible. The other night I wanted to make Shrimp Marinara but I didn’t want to use a jarred sauce and believe me I love Raos and Carbone sauces and this shrimp would have been just fine using one of them which I know and encourage you to use if you don’t want to make your own.

This is my recipe for a quick sauce for spaghetti and meatballs, anything marinara when I don’t want to make my slow sauce.

Enjoy! and this is what I did.

15 minute Marinara Sauce

Ingredients:

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes we like it spicy so I use 1 1/2 if you hate spicy omit it all together

1/2 -1 teaspoon kosher salt

3 medium cloves of garlic, minced or finely chopped

1 28oz can crushed red tomatoes, not pureed, not whole not diced

Directions:

Combine the olive oil, red pepper flakes, salt and garlic in a cold saucepan. Stir while you heat the pan to medium high heat. Saute till fragrant , try and avoid burning the garlic don’t let it get brown . Stir in the tomatoes and heat to a gentle simmer, this will take a few minutes.

I added a little additional salt, and a little additional water. Also I use the pasta water from spaghetti so it got to the right consistency , just add a little water at a time. My sauce was sitting in pan while I prepped shrimp and pasta so it got thicker than I wanted. Easy to thin out , use the pasta water it will help sauce to stick to spaghetti.

Shrimp:

Prepare the pasta– follow directions on packaging for al dente.

Clean Shrimp, pat dry with paper towels and lay out and sprinkle with salt and pepper

I bring sauce to a boil and add the shrimp , the shrimp will start to curl as they cook , stir the shrimp through the sauce a few time and depending on the size of your shrimp they should cook in about 10 -12 minutes , smaller shrimp will cook faster.

Don’t over cook shrimp no body likes rubber shrimp.

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Once shrimp is cooked turn off the heat, finish the pasta , take some pasta water and incorporate into sauce. ( about 1/2 cup) but if you need more use more.

Plate it up and it’s done. Delicious homemade sauce with shrimp or meatballs.

Enjoy!

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Summer Salad

Posted on June 26, 2026 | Leave a comment

I made this salad the other night and it came together so beautifully and it was very very tasty if I do say so myself. I made it with grilled chicken and bacon but if you want to keep it vegetarian you can . You can also serve chicken and bacon on the side if you’d like. It’s a yummy chopped up salad with lots of tasty items that I love together. The lemon vinaigrette dressing has a bit of kick but you can easily leave out the crushed red pepper. I used fresh butter lettuce but any lettuce will do .

Enjoy!

*this served 4

Salad Ingredients:

8 slices bacon — I used microwave bacon and cooked for 3 minutes and cooled it off and crumbled it. Of course you can use any type of bacon or omit — up to you

app. 1 /2 -1 pint blueberries

1/2 cup crumbled Feta or Goat Cheese — I hate blue cheese but if you love it use that

1 handful small cut up basil leaves

app. 4 cups farmers market lettuce or any lettuce you like — I used a soft butter lettuce this time–I tore it into small pieces

3 corn on the cobs kernels removed — leave it raw — it’s sweet and delicious

1-2 avocados — depending on the size of your avocados — I used 2 small ones

Grilled Chicken:

I used about 4 chicken breasts — small ones and brushed some olive oil and salt and pepper and a little dried oregano and grilled them on the grill for a few minutes on each side till done and set aside with aluminum till ready to serve salad and then cut up chicken into small pieces.

Lemon Vinaigrette Dressing:

I made salad dressing in my mini chopper — Perfect and easy if no mini chopper just mince garlic by hand and whisk all ingredients together adding olive oil in last slowly.

3 garlic cloves, finely minced

2 Tablespoons Dijon Mustard

1/4 cup Champagne Vinegar

3 Tablespoons fresh Lemon Juice

2 Tablespoons Honey

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt — more to taste — didn’t need it

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

I used my mini chopper and started with the garlic and put all other ingredients and added the olive at the end slowly.

Taste for salt and pepper but it was fine by me.

  • 1/2 teaspoon or more or less crushed red pepper flakes –we like kick and so did our guests so you may or may not want to use this which is fine

In a large salad bowl add in lettuce, chicken , blueberries, cheese, basil leaves, crumbled bacon, avocado and corn. Drizzle with the vinaigrette or serve salad and let your guests dress their own — up to you. Once salad is dressed serve immediately. I

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Simple Cole Slaw

Posted on June 17, 2026 | Leave a comment

I love Cole Slaw and it is such a simple thing to make to add to any bbq or meal. It is especially good in the summer when we all love cold salads. I like it all year round. It’s a great side dish to almost any meat and I really like it with roast chicken.

It’s super easy if you buy the bags of pre -shredded cole slaw. If you want to do it yourself you can just cut a whole cabbage in half and remove the core, wash , drain, dry and shred in the food processor or by hand. I just picked up 2 bags of Cole Slaw available everywhere in the produce section. You’ll need about 8 cups. I used 2 bags about 16 ounces.

This is what I did.

Ingredients:

For app. 8 cups of cabbage/cole slaw mix use 16 oz. app 2 bags of pre shredded Coleslaw mix or cut in 1/2 and use 1 bag

1/2 cup mayo

2 Tablespoons Apple CiderVinegar

1/4 cup Dijon Mustard– I love Dijon so I do 1/4 cup

1/2 tsp. Kosher Salt and more to taste

1/4 tsp. Freshly Ground Black Pepper and more to taste

Mix dressing in a bowl with a whisk is best.

Start slowly adding dressing to coleslaw mix in a large enough bowl to continue tossing. I added a little bit at a time and kept mixing till it was completely saturated with the dressing.

It’s always best if it gets to sit for awhile so if you have the time make ahead. I make ahead so if I need a little more dijon, or salt and pepper it’s easy. You’ll probably be good on mayo and dijon but everyone has different tastes . Enjoy!

Then I refrigerated it till we were ready to eat and gave it a good toss and tasted for Salt and Pepper before serving!

Enjoy!

 

 

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Sheet Pan Chicken –Honey Balsamic with Veggies

Posted on June 15, 2026 | Leave a comment

This is a very easy and delicious meal. The most work came from cutting up the vegetables and you can really use any veggies you’d like . This time I used a mix of red pepper, mushrooms, carrots and string beans. I would recommend adding a red onion but I didn’t have one in the house so didn’t use it. The onion would add a nice layer of flavor.

Also I used Chicken Thighs and again the timing on this recipe was for thighs –Chicken Breasts would be different as they cook much faster than thighs so not 100% about how that would work out but by all means give it a try and just keep an eye on them because they tend to dry out.

I like thighs because they can take the heat and my opinion is they are tastier.

Please follow me on Instagram @cookingwithcandi thanks and Enjoy!

Ingredients:

This is for the Honey Balsamic Chicken:

6 Bone in , skin on Chicken Thighs —

1/2 cup Balsamic Vinegar

1/4 cup Honey

1 Tablespoon minced Fresh Garlic

1 Tablespoon Dried Oregano

1 Teaspoon Chili Powder

1/4 cup Olive Oil

2 Tablespoons Whole Grain Mustard

Kosher Salt to taste–1 Teaspoon to start

Sheet Pan Vegetables:

I used about 1/2 lb. String Beans

2 Carrots peeled and sliced into strips (see photo)

Mushrooms–8 oz. Box –sliced

Bell Peppers–I used a Red Pepper cut into 6 long slices

You can use Sweet Potatoes, Broccoli, Red Onion, and really any veggies you like

2 Tablespoons Garlic Powder

3 Tablespoons Olive Oil

Salt and Pepper to taste

Directions:

Pre-heat oven to 425 degrees

Mix together in a bowl all the ingredients under Honey Balsamic Chicken — put in a ziplock bag along with the chicken thighs. Set aside for about 15 minutes while you prepare the vegetables.

*Marinate the chicken for at least 15 minutes or up to an hour but no more than this. Do not let chicken marinate for more than an hour because the vinegar acids start to break down the tissue in the meat and can make the chicken tougher .

Then I cut up all the veggies and put on a sheet pan that has been sprayed with Cooking Spray. ( I use a very large Sheet pan) and toss the veggies with the Olive Oil , Garlic Powder and some Salt and Pepper and spread them out on the Baking Sheet.

After the initial 15 minutes of marinating you then place the chicken thighs on top of the veggies and bake for 30-35 minutes — you can check the internal temperature of chicken with a meat thermometer and it should read 165 degrees if they are done.

I then remove the chicken to a plate and continue cooking vegetables for another 5 minutes, then I added back the chicken and turned oven to broil and probably 3-5 minutes is all you need to get everything nice and crispy! You’ll have to watch your oven but start with 3 minutes and check on it.

I added Brown Rice and had a most tasty delicious meal!

 

This is how it looked before cooking–take note of the size of the vegetables

 

 

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Chili Crunch Salmon

Posted on June 4, 2026 | Leave a comment

I made this for dinner the other night and gotta say it was pretty delicious , served alongside some rice and asparagus which are so delicious this time of year. A quick and easy meal made with salmon fillets and some Momofuko chili crisp ( available on Amazon) but make sure you get the mild one , the hot one is pretty hot even for me who likes hot , it’s also delicious on soba noodles or linguine, check it out -see photo of it below.

Enjoy!

Ingredients:

3-4 boneless salmon fillets

3 Tbsp. Mayonnaise — full fat kind please

2 Tbsp. chili crisp–you will use oil and crunchy bits and as I said I love Momofuko brand and available on Amazon -there are a few different ones and they’re all delicious

2 Tbsp. Soy Sauce

1 Tbsp. Honey — if using mild chili crisp you can try Hot Honey

1 tsp. Rice vinegar

1 tsp. toasted sesame oil

2 cloves garlic -minced

1/2 tsp. freshly grated ginger — there is no substitute for fresh

and if you’d like you can finish with a sprinkle of sesame seeds, sliced scallions, lime wedges, or some extra chili crisp which I always do

Directions:

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees

I used a pyrex glass baking dish which I sprayed with Pam cooking spray –I also drizzled just a little olive oil on the bottom of the pan

Whisk together all the other ingredients until smooth, it should be spreadable , not runny.

Mayo, chili crisp, soy sauce, honey, rice vinegar, sesame oil , garlic and ginger

Pat the salmon dry and place skin side down in the prepared baking dish

spoon or brush some of the chili crisp mayo combo over the salmon, don’t use it all save a little for the table for serving

Bake for app. 8-10 minutes and then broil for a few minutes , salmon thickness varies so be careful, I also like my salmon a little undercooked so don’t cook for as long , up to you. Use your best judgment knowing that it will finish cooking while it sits out of the oven .

Once finished you can spread more of the glaze on top and finish with any toppings you like.

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Lime-Garlic and Ginger Chicken —

Posted on June 1, 2026 | Leave a comment

Vm I made this recipe for dinner last night and it was just delicious. It elevated the weeknight bbq chicken for sure . The only thing is this recipe is best left to marinade for at least 6 hours. After breakfast I made the marinade and let it sit all day. This chicken can sit in the marinade for up to 8 hours–just let it come to room temperature before cooking. Not so tough to do and worth the results. If you don’t have an outdoor grill use a grill pan on medium-high . I plan on making this chicken all year round. Not a lot of ingredients at all and very easy to put together.

This can easily be doubled.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 to 2 pounds of boneless, skinless chicken thighs which is what I used but feel free to use chicken breasts

Kosher Salt and Freshly Ground Black Pepper

1/3 cup Mayonnaise — now I don’t use diet mayonnaise and the mayo burns off so you won’t be tasting it -the mayo makes it moist and yummy

1 Tablespoon Lime Zest — app. 2 limes and save the lime to squeeze over the chicken

1 Tablespoon finely grated fresh ginger — if no fresh ginger use about 1/8 of a teaspoon of powdered ginger –1/8 to 1/4 of powder is equivalent to 1 Tablespoon Fresh

2 garlic cloves finely minced — I always put my garlic in my mini processor for a fine mince . If you don’t have a mini processor you can just mince by hand but it’s a great little machine to own.

Directions:

Pat the chicken dry with some paper towels.

In a large enough bowl to add the chicken stir together the mayonnaise, lime zest, garlic, ginger and 1 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt and about 1/2 teaspoon black pepper. Add the chicken to the mayo mixture and stir to coat. I put my chicken in the fridge for the whole day and removed it about an hour before cooking to bring to room temperature.

To grill: Heat your grill to medium high and grill the chicken till cooked through I cooked for about 5 minutes per side and they were perfect. Breasts will cook up faster so just watch them . They’re finished when juices run clear. Turn as necessary to avoid burning them.

If cooking inside the house with a skillet/grill pan cook over medium-high heat also about 5 minutes per side.

I squeezed the fresh lime over before serving and they were just delicious.

Enjoy!!! Simple and Delicious!

 

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