My family and I are trying some new things when it comes to preparing our evening meals. There's a couple reasons for this:
1. I want my kids to be able to prepare their own meals. I don't mean being able to make Mac and Cheese from the box - I mean be able to cook from scratch.
2. I also want them to be able to buy food. I don't mean pick the thing that influences them the most based on TV commercials, I mean understanding what is a good, balanced meal.
The way we do this is my wife and I take turns cooking at home. We also switch each week so that my daughter and son take turns with mom or dad each week. If you're not cooking then you are cleaning the kitchen after supper. I don't mind this because I really do like to cook. I like to try new recipes, new cooking methods, and different ethnic foods.
Last night I tried a recipe for Mediterranean Penne Pasta that I found at The Delicious Life. It got thumbs up from everyone. Even my daughter, who is pretty hard to please, thought this one was pretty good. I changed the recipe a bit to suit a family of four, and added a few things, but it really did turn out great:
Prepare 16 oz of Penne Pasta.
Mix 1/2 cup Olive Oil and 6 TB Balsamic Vinegrette. I added some Greek seasoning to this mix, but some fresh spices would probably enhance it considerably.
I used a package of prepared, Romaine salad mix that you can get at the grocery store. I added some shredded Mozzarella, American and Monterey Jack cheese and some crumbled Feta Cheese. I also threw in some crumbled bacon bits.
Mix the pasta and the vinegar/olive oil mix until the pasta is well coated. Blend it into the salad mix and . . . Voila!
It takes about 12 - 20 minutes to prepare and we had about a serving and a half leftover. We probably could have served about six people. What's more, if you already have some of the ingredients around the kitchen, this meal would be pretty cheap to prepare.
Enjoy
1. I want my kids to be able to prepare their own meals. I don't mean being able to make Mac and Cheese from the box - I mean be able to cook from scratch.
2. I also want them to be able to buy food. I don't mean pick the thing that influences them the most based on TV commercials, I mean understanding what is a good, balanced meal.
The way we do this is my wife and I take turns cooking at home. We also switch each week so that my daughter and son take turns with mom or dad each week. If you're not cooking then you are cleaning the kitchen after supper. I don't mind this because I really do like to cook. I like to try new recipes, new cooking methods, and different ethnic foods.
Last night I tried a recipe for Mediterranean Penne Pasta that I found at The Delicious Life. It got thumbs up from everyone. Even my daughter, who is pretty hard to please, thought this one was pretty good. I changed the recipe a bit to suit a family of four, and added a few things, but it really did turn out great:
Prepare 16 oz of Penne Pasta.
Mix 1/2 cup Olive Oil and 6 TB Balsamic Vinegrette. I added some Greek seasoning to this mix, but some fresh spices would probably enhance it considerably.
I used a package of prepared, Romaine salad mix that you can get at the grocery store. I added some shredded Mozzarella, American and Monterey Jack cheese and some crumbled Feta Cheese. I also threw in some crumbled bacon bits.
Mix the pasta and the vinegar/olive oil mix until the pasta is well coated. Blend it into the salad mix and . . . Voila!
It takes about 12 - 20 minutes to prepare and we had about a serving and a half leftover. We probably could have served about six people. What's more, if you already have some of the ingredients around the kitchen, this meal would be pretty cheap to prepare.
Enjoy
glad that the recipe served as inspiration! though i think with all your delicious mods, technically you've created your won recipe! chow! ciao!