Slow-Simmered Curried Chicken

1 1/2 cups chopped onions

1 medium green bell pepper, chopped

1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces

1 cup salsa

2 tsp grated fresh ginger

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

1 tsp sugar

1 tsp curry powder

3/4 tsp salt

Place onions and bell pepper in crock-pot, place chicken on top.

Combine salsa, ginger, garlic powder and red pepper flakes in a small bowl; spoon over chicken. Cover; cook on low 5-6 hours or until chicken is tender.

Combine cilantro, sugar, curry powder and salt in small bowl. add to crock-pot and stir in. Cover; and continue cooking 15 more minutes or until hot. Serve over white rice.

*Recipe from Crock-Pot Slow Cooker Best-Loved Recipes, pg 179

Baked Spaghetti

Pasta is a food group in our home and this is our #1 favorite! Super easy, this quick meal can be done in just around 30 minutes.

1 lb box of spaghetti (I prefer angel hair pasta)
1 jar favorite pasta sauce
3/4 lb ground beef, browned & drained
1 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese

Preheat oven to 350. Boil pasta according to box directions. Drain well, return to pot. Make sure the pot is big enough to toss with the sauce. In a sauce pan, combine sauce and ground beef; simmer. (If there are ingedients like onion, green peppers or another favorite that you normally add to your sauce, now it the time to do it). Toss pasta with sauce. Pour pasta into a greased 9x13 pan. Bake for 25 minutes; add cheese and continue baking for another 5 minutes, or until cheese is melted. Enjoy!

TIP: When I buy ground beef, I brown off a couple of pounds and then freeze it. I always have some ready to go when I'm running short on time. Just pull it out, defrost in the microwave (if you're like me and forget to pull it out early enough to thaw), and it's ready to add to any recipe.

Greek-Style Chicken

6 boneless,,skinless chicken thighs
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 cup chicken broth
1 lemon, thinly sliced
1/4 cup pitted kalamata olives
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 tsp dried oregano


Remove and discard visible fat from chicken. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Heat oil in large skillet over medium-high heat until hot. Brown chicken on all sides. Transfer to your crock-pot.

Add broth, lemon, olives, garlic and oregano. Cover. Cook on low for 5-6 hours or until chicken is tender. Serve over hot rice or orzo.

*Recipe from Crock-Pot Slow Cooker Best-Loved Recipes, pg 188

Parmesan Roasted Asparagus

I love Ina Garten (Barefoot Contessa). Her food always looks and tastes amazing! This is from her Family Style cookbook. It has become my go-to recipe for asparagus as a side dish. Enjoy!

2 1/2 lb fresh asparagus (I only use 1 lb for our family of 4)
Olive oil
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
lemons cut into wedges, for serving


*The ingredient amounts are based on the use of 2.5 lbs of asparagus. As I said, I only use 1 lb for my family. I don't measure the rest of the ingredients. I just sprinkle and drizzle.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

If the stalks of asparagus are thick, peel the bottom half of each. Lay them in a single layer on a sheet pan and drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast for 15-20 minutes, until tender. This will depend on how thick your asparagus is. Thinner stalks will not take as long. So keep an eye on them as cooking time may vary. You don't want to over cook them, as they will turn mushy. Sprinkle with the Parmesan cheese and return to the oven for another minute (just to melt the cheese). Serve with lemon wedges.

Fried Ravioli

1 bag frozen ravioli (I prefer meat)

2 cups Italian breadcrumbs
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp Italian seasoning
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
pinch of salt
1/8 tsp pepper
2 eggs
1 Tbsp milk
Vegetable Oil for frying
Favorite pasta sauce, heated for dipping


Boil the ravioli according to the bag directions; drain. Lay them out so they don't overlap and stick together while they cool. (I like to use a clean dishtowel for this).

In a bowl, wisk the egg, milk, salt & pepper together. In a separate bowl, mix the breadcrumbs, Italian seasoning, garlic powder and Parmesan cheese. Once ravioli is cooled enough to handle, dip them in the egg wash and then into the breadcrumb mixture.

When oil is hot, fry the breaded ravioli in batches for 3-4 minutes until golden brown, turning once. Using a slotted spoon, transfer ravioli to a paper towel to drain. Heat dipping sauce and serve along side. Enjoy!