Assembled ingredients ready to cook: Sliced carrot and celery in olive oil, chicken broth, green and yellow beans, and shredded cooked chicken.

Making chicken stock from our weekly roast chicken yielded two of these ingredients: the broth, and the shredded chicken.  After carving the chicken to serve for dinner, I simmered the remaing untouched bones and the attached meat in a stockpot of water during dinner.  After dinner I removed the bones and collected the cooled chicken from the bones.  I added the unserved pan drippings from the roasting pan to the broth.  Then I and refrigerated the broth and chicken seperately.

Today I am sauteeing in olive oil, one sliced carrot and one stalk of celery.  I am adding a portion of whole green beans.  These had been frozen but will be nearly thawed by the time the carrot celery mix is ready.  I combine all the ingredients, pouring enough broth over the top sufficient for two bowls of soup.  I add a dozen whole wheat linguine, broken to short lengths, and simmer until the pasta is done.

15 minute chicken soup for our afternoon "snack."

Happy 4 year old, Happy Mama.

We tried it

Prviously frozen spinach 1 pkg

Fennel wedges frozen a week ago

mozzarella, two handfuls of cheese purchased shredded

splash of milk

hickory salt

(should have made a roux to make a better sauce, but didn't)

stirred aborio rice in 1 Tablespoon olive oil

added diced red onion

when grains were slighly toasted, added 1 cup of water.

Cooked on medium low, eventually adding 1 more cup of water and three ice cubes of chicken broth (belatedly, could have used all chicken broth, but didn't)

added reamining fresh herbs at end, rosemary and thyme, bit of lemon pepper

Finally decided on a meat.

Three inexpensive pork chops seared in a pan with 2 teaspoons of olive oil.

very light salting and turned when beginning to brown underneath.

Added purchased seasoning blend, Montreal chicken.

Partially covered skillet with lid, cooked on medium untiil all three dishes were fully cooked.

Added a bit of champagne vinegar and scraped pan of pork.

Served at 6pm.  (started, idealess, at 5pm)

Thomas brand whole grain english muffins

One fried egg each

One slice of sharp cheddar cheese each (no substitutes)

Jelly (many many substitutes and choices here!)

Maple flavored bacon (this violates everything I usually think about food)

The bacon is first, fried in a pan. The pan is lightly wiped out and the eggs cracked into tha pan.  While the eggs are face up in the pan, the muffins are toasted.  The eggs are flipped as early as possible and the cheese is sliced.  The cheese must go on a hot muffin, and the plate of these goes into the warming drawer.  The jelly selections are put on the table.

Eggs and Bacon are added to the cheesy halves of the muffins.  All is served, and the jelly is individually selected and added to the other side of the muffin.  We smash into a runny sandwich.

The toddler eats everything seperate, but usually "makes a sandwich" out of two muffins and something completely unsandwich-like.  Like crackers, or just butter, or another piece of muffin.

Good times.

Leftover peas (these would have started fresh, and been simmered until they absorbed enough water to no longer be covered in water)

Stir together.

Spread a thin layer of mayonnaise over this (why is this in my house? We just had a party that's why)

Add chopped onion and parmesan.

Crumble up spare toast that has been saved in the refridgerator for a few days. (Odd number in family, even number of slots in toaster)

Top with these new breadcrumbs and spray crumbs with cooking oil spray (wierd but effective)

Heat in oven alongside actual dinner.

and the comment - I don't like this.  Pointing to the mayonnaise.

It's like butter, baby.

Unconvinced toddler.

It was eaten though.

It involves eggplant and zucchini and robust tomatoes and herbes de Provence...and I take it to every family gathering I attend - my own or otherwise. It's unbelievable and we've made it so many times my husband now can make it from memory (but of course he opens the book, carefully reads, carefully measures.  I open the book and stare at their signatures.  They're real.  Hey did you see this? They're real. Oh, did you want me to chop something?  Hey, come see this....look who signed this)

And this is my recipe.  I don't peel anything.

Chop 2 zucchini.

Chop an eggplant.  Maybe even one I bought and forgot to cook. (when did that happen...)

Maybe add Roma tomatoes, halved lengthwise.

Maybe add yellow squash.

Maybe add onion

or not,

whatever.

Throw cut up vegetables in baking dish (ie. brownie pan)

Drizzle with 1 Tablespoon of olive oil

Sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon of salt

Dump on 1 Tablespoon of Italian seasoning - any kind - This is very much a pre-made store bought thing.

Toss, stir about.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees - yes, only getting around to pre-heating after I've done all the work.

Again,

whatever.

I go ahead and put it in the oven anyway.

I set a timer for 20 minutes, probably will ignore it.

Ready when hungry, anytime 5 to 35 minutes into this...

But a family dinner version?

Here.

This was created with three pans, meaning one large skillet and two 2 qt saucepans, plus a very large mixing bowl.

The inital skillet is a slow browning of onion, pork sausage (here still cooking), and sliced carrot.

In saucepan one, the beans and greens.  Here I used Kale and unsalted dark red kidney beans, unsalted because of the seasoning added to the pasta in saucepan two.

 For pasta I used Hodgeson Mill's whole wheat spaghetti.  The seasoning is Montreal Chicken, a purchased blend. Cooked in saucepan two the pasta is now in a large mixing bowl.

 The beans and greens are added to the pasta, tossed and all are combined in the large skillet.

I could have added broth for a soup, or added celery back at the beginning, but for us, for dinner, this was the finished dish.

And the toddler ate some of all the parts.

(yes, the sum of all the parts too)

1/2 cup frozen berries

1/2 cup granola

Open freezer.

Remove bag of frozen berries with one hand.

Open cabinet.

Remove microwavable small glass bowl with other hand.

Set bowl on counter.

Smack berries on counter. (to loosen them!)

Dispense about 1/2 cup of frozen berries (very visually measured, very approximate) into glass bowl.

Re-seal bag of berries and return them to freezer.

IMPORTANT! Close freezer door.

Microwave berries for exactly 44 seconds.

and

Retrieve larger bowl from still open cabinet.

Find clean spoon in drawer.

Retrieve open and, using clean spoon, dispense yogurt.

Return yogurt to refrigerator and close door.

Your 44 seconds are up.

Open pantry.

Retreive granola and potholder.

Add granola to top of yogurt.

Reseal granola.

Use potholder to retrieve berries.

Use yogurty spoon to add berries to bowl.  They are now not frozen, but not hot. Have given off a bit of juice but not too much.  They are cool, but not mushy.  They are perfect.

Close cabinet (optional).

Eat already, this has taken almost 3 minutes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Happiness by 4:35 am.

10 -12 fresh brussel sprouts

1 Tablespoon of mustard

1/2 teaspoon whole dill seed

1/2 teaspoon dried chervil

sprinkle of celery salt to taste

Earlier in the afternoon, I baked the unpeeled potato, in foil at 400 degrees. 

At dinner time, I washed and quatered the brussel sprouts, cutting the end off of each one.  This separated many of the pieces into small loose leaves. 

In a small baking dish I steamed the brussel sprout pieces.  This time I added about an inch of water and steamed them in the microwave for 3 minutes, until the brussel sprouts turned bright lime green.

While the brussel sprouts were steaming, Ichopped the potato including the skin into large cubes.

I added these baked potato chunks to the steamed and drained brussel srpouts.

This time I used a plain yellow mustard, and added the dill seed, chervil and celery salt, using less than a 1/4 teaspoon of the salt.

I stirred it together and served it immediatley.  We had servings for 2 adults and 1 child (who was not fond of the little seeds).  Not including the baked potato, this was a 5-10 minute dish. 

This was a first try flavor mix for us, and we were really pleased. I will do this again when we have extra baked potatos.  I usually cook twice as much as we need and refrigerate the extras.  Next time I might try a different kind of mustard, but this was already really good with just plain yellow. I will probably also make a seed chervil mix on the side as a "sprinkle" for the toddler, but I will stir it into ours.

1 onion, I used a vidalia onion

2 cloves of garlic

1/2 teaspoon of garlic salt

less than a tablespoon of olive oil

I drizzle some olive oil into a stock pot with tall sides, and turn on medium heat.  I chop the onion into large pieces and heat it in the stockpot. 

I chop fresh garlic into slices, I am aiming for the size and thickness of dimes, and add these to the cooking onions.

The bunch of collard greens has a twist tie and I cut just above this to cut away the stems.  I rinse the remaining greens in a colander, and while doing so tear the greens into pieces about the size of my hand. 

When the onion is glassy and begins to brown, I shake the water from the greens and add them to the stock pot.  There is still water on the greens and this creates the steam.  I put the lid on the stock pot.

While I do occasionally lift the lid and stir the greens about using a wooden spoon, and I do add some garlic salt, I mostly do nothing else to them.  I cook the greens for 8 - 10 minutes or so.  I often just cook them for as long at it takes to finish the rest of what I am making for dinner.

If we add more salt, it is at the table. 

For us, 1 bunch of greens serves two and now, at 3 years old, the toddler.

1 mango, sliced and peeled.

1 teaspoon of red curry powder

Halved cherry tomatoes

(started water boiling for side dish of corn on the cob)

In a large skillet, I seared the chicken on medium high heat.  The opened up boneless portions fit 3 to a pan.  At first the chicken sticks to the pan, but after a few minutes leaving it alone and not scraping it, the chicken releases.  The chicken thighs produce plenty of cooking liquid, so I used no olive oil.

Once there was dark browning beginning on the chicken, I turned the portions over and added large chunks of mango.  Then I added the curry powder for flavor, but 1 teaspoon does not add any noticeable “heat.”  We happened to have a few cherry tomatoes, so I used them here.

After an additional 2-3 minutes cooking the second side, I served a portion to each person topped with mango garnish.  This was a first try, thus the few ingredients.  The toddler portion gave us enough for two meals.  A will have the second half of hers tomorrow night, when friends are over and we are ordering out.

This was served with sweet corn on the cob with no salt and no butter, because it just didn’t need any, and mixed greens salad with roasted unsalted sunflower seeds.  The corn was simmering  for the same 2-3 minutes while the turned chicken cooked. Altogether maybe 15 minutes start to finish for cooking dinner.