Okay, so, for the last three months this has been my working kitchen. One burner, my lovely toaster oven, my cuisinart, and me; in my living room, I might add. I have learned quite a bit, about timing, planning, and deferred gratification. Happily, however, this spigot-for-a-dishwasher bad dream is nearly over, and I hope to be in a new, though evolving, kitchen next week, and bringing you more than one-pan plans as I continue to build my dream cookbook right here on Nomnoshery.com.

Meatballs

Meatballs

2/3 c (2 slices) fresh breadcrumbs,

 Seasoned with:

1 tsp seasoned salt

1/2 tsp oregano

1/4 tsp paprika

1/4 tsp red or black pepper

2 cloves minced or pressed garlic

1/4 c minced onion

1/2 lb ground beef

1 egg

1 tsp worcestershire sauce

In food processor, make and season breadcrumbs; remove these to large bowl before tossing onion and garlic into the food processor to mince, then reintroducing breadcrumbs; pulse to combine.

Mash all ingredients together by hand in large bowl, then form superball-sized balls and (non-stick) pan fry in a bit of olive oil, turning each meatball at least 3 times for browning. Simmer in marinara sauce for flavor.

Serve over spaghetti noodles, or on hoagie rolls (with cheeese) for a meatball sub. 

Sweet Tea

Sweet Tea

11 Lipton regular tea bags

1 3/4 cup sugar

1 gallon good water

Add tea bags to 4c boiling water off the heat, stir and brew for 10 min. Then dissolve sugar into hot tea concentrate before    adding back into the remainder of the gallon of water. Stir if in rubbermaid pitcher, shake if using the water jug.

Pasta Alfredo with Blackened Chicken

Pasta Alfredo with Blackened Chicken

(Creamy-without-the-cream and fortified with broccoli and tomatoes, this classic restaurant-indulgence dish just became your weeknight backup, it's so easy!)

Put salted pasta water on to boil, readying

1 lb mezze penne, or your preferred pasta

Heat a grill pan or iron skillet on med high, and ventilate cooking area.

Filet 2 chicken breasts into cutlets (time saving, spicier) and season each side with some of the blackening spice mixture:

2 tsp Old Bay or seasoned salt

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp paprika

1 tsp mixed dried herbs such as rosemary, thyme, oregano

1/2 tsp black pepper

1/4-1/2 tsp cayenne

Drizzle the chicken breasts with olive oil before searing about 2 min. each side, cooking to 165f..

4 large cloves garlic, pressed or minced

2 Tbsp butter

2 Tbsp flour

2 cups milk

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp black pepper (for the taste of it)

1/3 cup italian-blend shredded cheese

2/3 cup grated or shredded parmesan

Add garlic to melting butter in a large non-stick skillet, and with your silicone-covered whisk (don't tear up your skillet), whisk in the flour, and cook this garlicky roux until golden over medium heat. Whisk in milk gradually, eliminating lumps as you go. (Put pasta on to boil) Season sauce and let thicken while stirring frequently. When sauce is gravy-like, remove from heat and add cheese, stirring to melt. Finally, mix into sauce:

3 Tbsp diced sun-dried tomatoes (start with packaged julienned sun-dried tomatoes for ease)

Stir into boiling pasta at t-minus 2 min:

1 head of fresh broccoli, trimmed

Drain pasta and broccoli well before combining with sauce. Slice chicken breasts against the grain just before serving.

Bacon and Shrimp Egg Rolls with Duck Sauce

Bacon-Shrimp Egg Rolls & Duck Sauce

(I serve these with a side of General Tso's chicken.)

20 egg roll wrappers

20 large raw shrimp, thawed, cleaned, and butterflied lengthwise for length

4 slices bacon, cut into bits

1/4 cup julienned carrot

(2 bags) finely sliced cabbage

6 green onions, sliced (of course no tops)

2 medium cloves garlic, same amount of fresh ginger, garlic-pressed (or minced)

2 Tbsp seasoned rice vinegar

1 Tbsp mirin (more if rice vinegar isn't seasoned)

1 Tbsp soy sauce

1/2 tsp+ sriracha

1/4 tsp black pepper

1 tsp toasted sesame oil

This happens fast, so get it all ready first.

Fry bacon bits in large non-reactive skillet that has a lid for it. Remove cooked bacon bits from pan, reserving grease. Toss in carrots, then mound of cabbage, aromatics on top, then pour on seasonings, top with lid, and cut the heat. Stir 2 min after adding cabbage, and take off heat in no more than 4 min, with cabbage just translucent in the thin parts.

Roll 'em up: lay wrap in a diamond shape, lay a shrimp horizontally, corner to corner. Use tongs to squeeze a bit of the liquid from the filling as you fill the roll with about 3 Tbsp of cabbage, arranged same as shrimp. Now fold the two short corners over the filling, and rolling one long corner over the filling, tucking just a bit to seal as you fold the filling over onto the remaining long corner, like a burrito. Moisten the last corner with a bit of sauce or water and set aside on a wire rack or parchment paper, 1 in apart. Work quickly, and while you roll up the last few, heat 4 cups of oil in a 4qt pan to 350f. Fry them quickly to a golden brown, allowing the oil to come back to 350 between batches of 4 or 5. Watch and actively turn them gently with tongs to make sure they don't fry on one side only. Oil temp too low= overcooked shrimp. Drain on wire racks, and eat right away (or should I say, "Don't burn yourself!"), serve with sauce.

Duck Saaauce

(It seems like a lot when you make it, but not a lot when you eat it)

Whir in a little food processor:

1 c apricot-pineapple preserves

1/4 tsp sriracha

4 tsp seasoned rice vinegar, OR

1 Tbsp rice vinegar+1 tsp sweet mirin

Easy-Being-Green Lasagne

Green Lasagne

(Simplified and veggie-fied, this noodle stack succeeds at "water management."  Requires side of garlic bread.)

24 oz shredded italian cheese blend

20 oz. garlic alfredo sauce

24 oz ricotta cheese

2 eggs

1 box frozen broccoli florets, thaw and squeeze dry

1 box frozen chopped spinach, thaw and squeeze dry

1 medium zucchini, sliced 1/4 in, salted, towel-dried

Salt + pepper, dash of nutmeg

3+ cloves garlic, minced

1 Tbsp olive oil

1 pkg oven-cook Lasagne noodles

Turn oven on to 375. Oil lasagne pan.

Divide ricotta in half, adding an egg to each half, and seasoning both with salt, pepper, and nutmeg, Add broccoli florets to one half, and chopped spinach to the other.

Mise en place are:

garlic oil

alfredo sauce

oven-ready noodles

sliced+salted zucchini

broccoli+ricotta

spinach+ricotta

shredded cheese

After layering, bake 45 minutes, then let rest for 10 min. before cutting.

First layer: Lay out zucchini circles in a flat layer, brush with minced garlic + olive oil.

Second layer: Oven-ready noodles, can break to fit

Third layer: Spinach-ricotta mixture

Fourth layer: 6 oz. shredded italian cheese blend

Fifth layer: Oven-ready noodles

Sixth layer: Broccoli-ricotta mixture

Seventh layer: 6 oz. shredded italian cheese blend

Eighth layer: Oven-ready noodles

Ninth layer: Garlic alfredo sauce, poured evenly (thin with dairy if it won't pour)

Tenth layer: 6 oz. shredded italian cheese blend

Classic Lasagne

Classic Lasagne

(This is your mother's lasagna.)

4 pkg (32 oz) shredded italian cheese

2 jars, or 4 c homemade, marinara sauce

1/2 lb ground beef

1 pkg Lasagne noodles (20 noodles, or get another brand) 

24 oz ricotta cheese

1 egg

Salt + pepper

3+ cloves of garlic, minced

dried or fresh italian herbs (oregano, basil, thyme, rosemary)

Preheat oven to 375f. Boil water for noodles. Brown ground beef, seasoning with salt+pepper, minced garlic, and herbs at the end. Add one jar of marinara to browned beef. Boil noodles until flexible but not yet al dente, drain; keep from sticking. Meanwhile, stir egg into ricotta cheese and season. Grease 4" deep half-pan, or deep dish 9x13 pan.

Mise en place are:

meat sauce

plain sauce

half-cooked noodles

ricotta mix

shredded cheese

After layering, bake 60 min. Out of oven, let rest 10 more minutes before cutting.

First layer: 1/2 cup plain sauce

Second layer: 4 noodles

Third layer: 1/2 of ricotta mixture

Fourth layer: 3/4 cup shredded cheese

Fifth layer: 4 noodles

Sixth layer: 1/2 of meat sauce

Seventh layer: 3/4 cup shredded cheese

Eighth layer: 4 noodles

Ninth layer: remaining ricotta mix

Tenth layer: 3/4 cup shredded cheese

Eleventh layer: 4 noodles

Twelfth layer: remaining meat sauce

Thirteenth layer: 3/4 cup shredded cheese

Fourteenth layer: last 4 noodles

Fifteenth layer: 1 1/2 cup plain sauce

Sixteenth layer: 1 cup shredded cheese