This served 2 of us for dinner and several lunches as well.

This is a bit of a blend between a Rachel Ray recipe from Classic 30-Minute Meals: The All-Occasion Cookbook and how I normally make chicken cutlets. I used chicken tenders this time, rather than boneless skinless chicken breasts, but either would work fine. I usually slice the chicken breasts in half to make them thinner but the cutlets were about perfect.

The major areas we differed: Rachel said dip the chicken in lemon juice but I used buttermilk; I left out the red pepper flakes from the bread crumb mixture and from the sauce; and I used ordinary mozzarella because this is part of CheapCooking.com after all.

The chicken was great and the marinara sauce was quite good. The combination was fantastic and the meal completed by a simple tossed salad.

Spaghetti and Marinara Sauce

• 1/2 pound spaghetti
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 Tbs olive oil
• 1 28-oz can tomato puree
• a small handful of fresh basil leaves, chopped
• a pinch of dried oregano
• a small handful of fresh parsley

Put a large pot of water on to boil for the pasta. Cook according to package directions, trying to time it so the pasta is done as the chicken comes out of the oven.

Heat the oil in a pot and cook the garlic a minute or two. Watch it carefully and stir. After it sizzles and smells divine, add the pureed tomatoes and herbs. Bring to a low simmer and let it barely cook while you fix the chicken.

Chicken Parmesan

• 4-5 chicken tenders
• 1/4-1/2 cup buttermilk
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/2 cup bread crumbs
• pepper to taste
• another handful of chopped fresh parsley
• 2 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed but left whole
• 2 Tbs olive oil
• enough slice of mozzarella to cover the chicken pieces

Pour the buttermilk into a shallow dish. (Old pie tins work great.) Put the chicken pieces in there to soak a bit while you fix the breadcrumbs. (You could also do this first and give them a bit more time in the buttermilk.)

Combine the breadcrumbs, cheese, pepper, and parsley in another flat dish.

Heat the oil in a frying pan. Cook the whole crushed garlic cloves just a few minutes to flavor the oil, then remove them. Dip the chicken pieces into the bread crumbs, turning and pressing the crumbs in so they stick. Cook the chicken pieces it the oil until done, about 4 minutes per side.

Spread a bit of sauce on the bottom of an ovenproof dish, then lay the cutlets down. Top each cutlet with a bit more sauce, then a slice of mozzarella. Broil until the cheese is just melted.

Drain the spaghetti, then toss with the remaining sauce.

I don’t normally buy these “dinner kit” type meals but because of the blog I was offered a box for free to try out. The box contained pasta, seasonings, sauce, sun dried tomatoes, and cheese. I supplied a pound of chicken, a bit of butter, and 3/4 cup milk. The box said it served 4. Normally it sells for about $4.79. (You can get a $1 off coupon here but they make you install a coupon printer file.)

I was a bit nervous when I saw how little pasta was included but then I tend to cook for leftovers and am notoriously bad at (over) estimating pasta amounts. I made up about 3/4 of a pound of carrots, cooked a slightly new way, as a side dish so we did eat that as well. The 3 of us had our fill of pasta and chicken and carrots and I have more than a serving left for a nice lunch.

The directions were clear and easy to follow. You’ll need 2 pans (3 if you do the side of carrots). It’s not a one-pot wonder, but it is quite tasty! We all really liked it. And I checked out the nutrition label and see that under 1/3 of the calories are from fat. By serving with a vegetable you’re certainly getting into the realm of decently healthy.

$1.78/serving based on 4 servings

Boneless skinless chicken breasts: $1.99
Box dinner: 4.79 (or $3.79 with coupon)
3/4 cup milk: .30 ($4.79/gallon)
2 Tbs butter: .05 ($3/lb)

Dinner last night was in a rush and I haven’t felt up to snuff in quite a few days so wanted something easy as well as quick. I remembered this pasta recipe from Desperation Dinners and went into the garden for some fresh tomatoes and parsley after I put a large pot of water on for the pasta. Partway through the dinner prep my daughter quietly let me know that her friend who was eating with us didn’t much care for tuna. Hmm… no problem. I just l left the tuna out of the main dish and served it on the side so the rest of us could mix it in.

• 8 ounces twisty pasta
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 1/2 cups chopped fresh tomatoes (although I’d use canned in a pinch)
• 1/2 cup fresh parsley, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 of a 15 oz can of olives, sliced (served the rest separately)
• 2 Tbs capers
• 12 oz tuna (I used a smaller can last night)
• salt and pepper to taste
• 3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Put the water onto boil for the pasta while you mix up the sauce.

Pour the oil in a large bowl. Cut the tomatoes into strips and add to the oil. Add the chopped parsley, minced garlic, olives, and capers. Flake the tuna up a bit so it spread out and add it, then mix everything together and let stand until the pasta is done.

Cook the pasta and drain, then add to the tomatoes et al and mix together. Add salt and pepper to taste then mix in the cheese and serve.

NOTE: If you don’t grow parsley, you can keep the stuff from the grocery store fresh longer by standing the stems in a glass of water and keeping that in your refrigerator until needed.

Hmmm. cost breakdown. All this came of my pantry so I don’t have receipts handy. And some of it was from my garden, which I count as nearly free. I mean, I’d be growing SOMETHING there and watering it so the plant or seed costs are pretty minimal. And garlic really is the crop that keeps giving. Plant it once and save your biggest heads to plant the next year!

I’ll try to calculate it later and add it back if I remember.

4-6 servings.

My neighbors returned from Italy with a package of pasta and some good olive oil for me. What a treat! I used them both in this recipe.

2 Tbs olive oil
1 pound chicken breasts or tenders, cut in bite sized pieces
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup white wine
salt and pepper to taste
1 15-oz can artichoke quarters, rinsed, drained, and chopped
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped or a few Tbs of dried
12 ounces corkscrew or similarly-shaped pasta

Cook the pasta according to directions.

Heat the oil in a large skillet on medium-high. Add the chicken and cook 2-3 minutes, until browned. Add the garlic and cook another minute. Add wine, salt, pepper, and artichokes. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook about 5-8 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through. The sauce will thicken a bit as it cooks.

Turn the heat off and stir in the cheese and basil. Serve over the cooked pasta or toss it all together if you’d rather.

Last night was one of those nights where I started with one idea and for various reasons it morphed into something else entirely. First, I was going to make shrimp kebobs with mushrooms and peppers and a mango dipping sauce that I saw in an old Cooking Light book. I had the shrimp out to thaw but circumstances conspired such that I never made it to the store for mushrooms or mango chutney that I needed. I would have normally just gone ahead and made up something else but was somehow not in the mood to stand there skewering shrimp anyway.

My sister had sent me a recipe a long time ago for shrimp and pasta that called for a packet of Knorr’s Newburg sauce, which I could never find at the store. I thought perhaps I could adapt it a bit though. I saw something that sounded good in the same Cooking Light book and started down that trail. The directions were unclear however. It had you cooking the pasta and shrimp in 1 cup of water and 2 cups of chicken broth and then draining it or perhaps mixing that broth with the white sauce base… I switched gears moderately again and ended up with this, an Alfredo like sauce with shrimp, red peppers, and snap peas. It was pretty to look at and delicious!

2 Tbs butter
2 Tbs flour
1/2 cup half and half
1 1/2 cups milk
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp dried parsley
1 tsp dried basil
2-3 Tbs Parmesan cheese, grated
salt and pepper to taste
a dash of Worcestershire
a dash of Tabasco
1 red pepper, cut in 1/2″ strips
a cup of snap or snow peas (in the pod)
1 pound shrimp
1/2 – 3/4 pound pasta

Put a big pot of water on to boil for your pasta.

Put a smaller pot of water on to boil for your shrimp and vegetables. Since I had the idea of cooking the shrimp in chicken broth I added a bit of chicken bouillon to my water for flavor.

Melt the butter and stir in the flour. Cook a minute or two stirring constantly. Slowly add the milk and cream, stirring to incorporate so you don’t get lumps. Bring to a low simmer, stirring a lot, then cook a few minutes to thicken. Stir in the garlic, Parmesan, salt, pepper, Worcestershire, and Tabasco. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and keep warm until everything else is ready. Stir now and then.

Cook the pasta in your big pot and add the shrimp and vegetables to the smaller pot. You could, I realize, probably cook this all together in one pot if you timed it good so that everything was done at the same time. Cook the shrimp and vegetables just until the shrimp is done, about 3-4 minutes. Drain (and drain the pasta when done too, of course).

Mix the shrimp and vegetables with the sauce and serve over pasta.

This is one of my favorite dinners in the summer, when I can walk out in the garden and pick the tomatoes just before dinner. My girls won’t eat it with the onions so I only put them in when they’re gone. I’m not sure about measurements since I just chop enough tomatoes and cook enough pasta that will feed as many as I’m feeding, plus an extra portion for my lunch the next day. I use either mozzarella or Cheddar cheese, depending on what I have handy.

If you want to seed the tomatoes first, cut them in half horizontally. This exposes the seeds and you can just squeeze them gently over the sink or your compost bowl or scoop out the seeds a bit with your thumb while you’re squeezing.

Here are my best guesses on measurements for two portions:

2 cups chopped fresh tomatoes
a few leaves chopped fresh basil
1/4 cup chopped onion (optional)
1 large clove garlic, minced
1/4 cup olive oil
salt to taste
1/4 – 1/2 cup cheese, grated or cubed
1/2 package of fettucini or whatever you have on hand

Preferably about an hour before you want to eat, chop the tomatoes and mix with the basil, onion, garlic, olive oil, salt, and cheese. Stir well and let sit.

Cook the pasta. Drain. Mix with the tomatoes. Eat.

I play around a bit with various meat sauces, browned ground beef then cooked with tomato sauce and herbs. I have to admit I don’t think I’ve ever had a bad recipe. Maybe that’s because I taste and adjust as I go if the recipe starts out wrong. In a generic recipe, I’ll often add a bit of red wine, or some more herbs, or a pinch more sugar or salt depending… But here’s one of my favorites:

1 pound ground beef or a mixture of ground beef, pork, and veal
1 chopped onion
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 tsp dried basil or 2 tsp fresh, chopped
1 tsp dried oregano or 2 tsp fresh, chopped
1/2 tsp dried savory
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 28 ounce can pureed tomatoes (if you like chunky sauce, use chopped or diced or tomatoes in puree)
1 8 ounce can tomato paste
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley or 1/8 cup dried

Brown the meat with the onion and garlic over medium, stirring and breaking up the clumps. Cook until the meat is no longer pink at all. Drain off the excess fat.

Note to beginning cooks: I always keep a rinsed out can under the sink to drain fat into. Do not pour excess grease or fat down your sink as it will harden and clog your drains. Bacon grease you can keep in the frig and cook with. I throw away everything else or sweeten the dog’s dinner with a bit. If you really want to get rid of as much fat as possible, you can put your browned ground beef into a colander and then rinse it with hot water after draining off as much fat as possible.

Stir in the herbs (basil, oregano, savory, parsley, salt and pepper) and cook for another minute or so. Add the pureed tomatoes and stir, then cook 10 minutes or so, until it reaches the consistency you like.

Ah, here’s another tip I figured out after cooking for a while. I think the hardest part of learning to cook a whole meal is the timing of everything. If you finish this meat sauce and mistimed the pasta or your vegetable, just keep this on very low heat and watch it. If it gets looking a little dry, add some red or white wine, some water, or some broth. It’s pretty flexible. A little more cooking time won’t hurt it and might even make it better.

Sometimes I make meatballs. Sometimes I buy those frozen meatballs. They periodically go on sale for a price that rivals the cost per pound for ground beef. But sometimes I also just make a meat sauce with loose browned ground beef. I vary the canned tomato products depending on what I have around. There’s almost always a chopped onion, a few cloves of garlic minced up, some parsley, oregano, and basil. I suppose you could use those pre-mixed Italian seasonings but you have to find a brand you like. I’ve had some really bad ones so tend to just use some mix of my own dried or fresh herbs, depending on the season.

Sometimes I use a large can of pureed tomatoes and an 8 or 16 ounce can of tomato sauce, sometimes a large can of tomato sauce and a small can of tomato paste, etc. You could even use a large can of whole tomatoes in puree if you like your sauce chunky. Just break up the tomatoes a bit with a wooden spoon. Usually I add a bit of red or white wine, whichever’s open. If nothing’s open or you don’t cook with alcohol, just skip this step. I’ll serve the sauce over various shapes of pasta, but did the old fashioned spaghetti tonight–always a hit!

1 pound ground beef
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp dried oregano
1/4 cup dried parsley
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
28 ounce can pureed tomatoes
15 ounce can tomato sauce
1/4 cup white wine (didn’t actually measure)

This came out fantastic!

Brown the ground beef with the onion and garlic in a large saucepan (thinking ahead to all the tomatoes you’re going to add!), then drain any excess fat. Remember not to dump it down your sink! I always keep a couple of cleaned cans (from easy stuff to clean like tomato sauce) under my sink and pour any fat into there.

Add the basil, oregano, parsley, salt and pepper and stir in, cooking for another minute or so.

Add the tomato puree, tomato sauce, and wine. Stir in and bring to a simmer. Simmer uncovered for 15 minutes or longer. If it simmers a long time, it might get a bit thick. Add some liquid (more wine or just water) to thin it out a bit.

This is a very forgiving recipe. If you’re having company and want to make the sauce ahead of time and let it simmer longer while you visit with friends, just leave it on very low heat and check it now and then. Add more liquid or cover it after 10 minutes or so, then uncover it when you put the pasta in the water. This can also be made a few days ahead and kept in the refrigerator and made a few weeks or months ahead and frozen.

I have very few menus I repeat intact. I have various recipes that I repeat, but it’s not often I repeat whole menus. This, however, goes so well together that I’ve repeated it countless times. Still, for new blog readers, I’ll share it here again! This served 1 adult and 2 hungry teenagers.

Chicken Cutlets
1 frozen boneless, skinless chicken breast, partially defrosted
2 eggs
a dash of milk
1/2 cup (? I didn’t measure) bread crumbs
1/4 cup (?) grated Parmesan cheese
1 tsp Italian seasonings
salt and pepper to taste
oil for frying

Slice the chicken breast into thin pieces, about 1/4″ thick. Alternately, you could pound a chicken breast and it would probably taste better, more tender, but this is the way my ex-MIL taught me.

Heat some oil in a frying pan, about 1/4 to 3/8 of an inch.

Put the eggs and milk in a pie pan or other shallow dish. Put the bread crumbs, cheese, and seasonings in another and mix well.

Use two forks to transfer the chicken pieces into the egg, swirl around to get it wet all over, then move into the bread crumbs, then into the frying pan. Fry until light brown on both sides and cooked through. The first few times you’ll want to cut a few apart to make sure they’re done. With some experience, you can probably poke them with a fork and tell. Drain on paper towels.

Garlic Green Beans

1 pound trimmed green beans
1 Tbs oil and 1 Tbs butter
1-2 cloves garlic, minced
1 chicken bouillon cube
1/2 cup white wine

Heat the oil and butter, then add the green beans and stir until coated. Cook a few minutes, then add the garlic and cook a few more minutes. Add the chicken bouillon and wine and simmer slowly until beans hit the tenderness point you like, probably 5-10 minutes.

Angel Hair Pasta with Alio e Olio

Again, from the ex-MIL. In a small saucepan heat enough olive oil to coat the pasta you’re cooking and a few cloves of garlic. If you like, add anchovy paste. I skip that part and just add some salt. Heat the oil over very low heat. You don’t want to crisp the garlic at all, just flavor the oil and soften the garlic.

Bring a pot of water to boil and cook your pasta, which should only take a few minutes. Drain it and put in a serving bowl. Pour the oil and garlic over it. Serve with grated Parmesan.

We had another family over for dinner this weekend and I decided to make just an easy meat sauce for dinner rather than cooking anything too fancy. I got the sauce started about an hour before they arrived, made up a salad, and got some garlic bread ready to pop under the broiler. This left me plenty of time to sit and visit with my friends, left everyone well-fed and content at the table, and was easy to clean up besides!

2 pounds ground beef
1 onion, diced
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
1 large can (28 ounces) crushed tomatoes
1 can (6 oz?) tomato paste
1 cup red wine
1 cup water
a handful of fresh basil, chopped
a sprig of fresh oregano, chopped
another handful of fresh parsley, chopped
salt and pepper to taste
2 Tbs sugar

Brown the ground beef in a large deep skillet and drain off most of the fat. Add the onion and garlic it and cook gently until softened. Add the rest of the ingredients and simmer an hour or two. Add more water or wine or both if it gets too dry while you’re cooking.

Leftovers taste great the next day and it freezes well, too, if you’d rather not eat the same thing twice in one week.

Substitute dry herbs for fresh if you need to. I personally dislike that combination herbs labeled “Italian seasoning” and prefer to just create my own combination. They always taste too strongly of something I dislike which I can never quite put my finger on.