2 slices multi grain bread
2 thin pieces grilled chicken breast
1-2 strips roasted red pepper
2-3 slices mozzarella cheese
fresh basil, to taste
drizzle balsamic vinegar
salt, pepper

Preheat your panini press. Assemble your sandwich using all the ingredients listed. Place in panini press and grill for about 4 minutes or until the bread is toasted and the cheese starts to melt.

Serves 1

1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 (28−ounce. can) plum tomatoes
3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
salt & black pepper to taste
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
1/2 lb. angel hair pasta, (uncooked)

Place the tomatoes, salt & pepper, basil and balsamic vinegar in a glass bowl and set aside for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Boil salted water for pasta. Just before you put the pasta in the water, drain tomatoes and reserve the juice. Put the angel hair pasta in the water to cook according to the package directions. In a large skillet, saute the garlic in olive oil until lightly browned. Do not burn! Add the drained tomatoes and toss briefly to heat.
Toss the pasta and tomato mixture together and serve with freshly grated Parmesan cheese.

1 pound ground chuck beef
4 ounces Italian seasoned bread crumbs
4 eggs
4 ounces whole milk
6 ounces grated Pecorino-Romano
3 ounces grated onion
2 ounces minced garlic
1 tablespoon finely chopped Italian parsley leaves
1 tablespoon basil

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a baking sheet with olive oil. Mix all ingredients thoroughly in large bowl. If mixture is too wet, add more bread crumbs.

Roll meatballs loosely about the size of a golf ball and place on baking sheet. Bake in the oven for approximately 35 minutes. Turn the meatballs over half way though.

Serves 6

1 large eggplant
3 cups Italian seasoned bread crumbs
3 eggs + 1/2 cup water
3-4 cups tomato sauce
2 cups ricotta cheese
3-4 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
oil, for frying

Peel the eggplant and then slice it thin. Beat together the eggs and water in a shallow dish. Dip the eggplant slices in the egg and then into the breadcrumbs and coat evenly. Heat the oil over medium heat in a heavy pan. Fry the eggplant slices until lightly browned. Coat the bottom of a baking dish with some of the tomato sauce. Make a layer of eggplant over the sauce. Spread some of the Ricotta cheese over the layer of eggplant. Top with some more sauce. Repeat these layers until you use all of the eggplant. Spread the mozzarella cheese over the top. Bake in a 350 degrees F oven for about 30 minutes.

Serves 6-8

1 pound ground chuck
3/4 cup dried bread crumbs
4 large eggs
1/2 cup whole milk
3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup grated Spanish onion
1/4 cup finely diced fresh garlic
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh basil leaves
1/2 tablespoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray.

Mix all ingredients thoroughly in large bowl. Add more bread crumbs if the mixture seems too loose.

Roll meatballs loosely about the size of a golf ball and place on baking sheet. Bake in the oven for approximately 35 to 40 minutes.

2 medium eggplants, peeled
18 oz Ricotta cheese
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cups tomato sauce
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
Peel eggplant and slice into 12 pieces, 1/4-inch thick. Slice from top to bottom. Lay slices on a paper towel and sprinkle salt on them to allow water to drain from the slices.
In skillet, cook eggplant slices with olive oil. Lay on paper towel to let the oil drain. Roll 1-1/2 ounce of Ricotta cheese in each slice. Pour tomato sauce in casserole and neatly place manicotti in rows on top of the sauce.
Bake in oven at 400 degrees F until hot all the way through. Remove manicotti from pan onto serving dish.
SAUCE: Put pan of tomato sauce on stove and add heavy cream until the sauce is pink. Simmer 2 or 3 minutes. Pour sauce over manicotti and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

I prepared this eggplant dish last night using the homemade tomato sauce recipe I posted earlier this week.

2 medium eggplants, peeled
18 oz Ricotta cheese
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cups tomato sauce
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
Peel eggplant and slice into 12 pieces, 1/4-inch thick. Slice from top to bottom. Lay slices on a paper towel and sprinkle salt on them to allow water to drain from the slices.
In skillet, cook eggplant slices with olive oil. Lay on paper towel to let the oil drain. Meanwhile, prepare the sauce by placing a pot of tomato sauce on stove and add heavy cream until the sauce is pink. Simmer 2 or 3 minutes.  Roll 1-1/2 ounce of Ricotta cheese in each slice of eggplant to make the “manicotti”.  Pour tomato sauce in the bottom of a casserole dish and neatly place manicotti in rows on top of the sauce.  Pour some more sauce over the eggplant manicotti and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.
Bake in oven at 400 degrees F until hot all the way through. Remove eggplant manicotti from pan and transfer onto a serving dish.

Servings: 6

1 (28-oz.) can crushed tomatoes
3 (6-oz.) cans tomato paste
3/4 lb plum tomatoes, chopped
1 1/2 cups water
3/4 cup dry red wine
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 large garlic cloves, minced
1/2 tablespoon crushed dried oregano
1/2 tablespoon basil
2 large bay leaves
1/2 tsp freshly-ground black pepper
Salt, to taste

To make the sauce: In a large heavy pot, combine all of the sauce ingredients. Bring to a boil over high heat; reduce heat to a slow simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, for 30 minutes.
Discard bay leaves. Divide sauce in half. Use each half as directed in recipes or transfer into 2-cup plastic freezer containers. Label and freeze until firm.

Makes 2 quarts.

One of my readers requested an easy pizza recipe….so here you go…

2 cups white flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp sugar
1 tsp yeast
1 tsp oil
3/4 cup warm water, not hot
2 cups canned tomatoes, drained, crushed
2/3 tsp basil
2/3 tsp freshly-ground black pepper
1/2 tsp garlic powder
2 cups mozzarella cheese from skim milk

Combine the flour, salt, sugar and yeast in a large bowl. Add the oil and warm water and mix well. Turn onto floured work surface. Knead the dough for 1 minute. If dough is too sticky add flour a teaspoon at a time. Cover dough with plastic wrap and let rest 10-15 minutes.
Spray pizza pan or cookie sheet with nonstick spray. Press dough onto pan. Mix tomato, herbs and spices. Spread over dough. Top with cheese. Bake at 375 degrees for 10 to 20 minutes or until dough is browned and cheese bubbly. Crust will be thin style, not thick.

Servings: 4

A simple pasta dish packed with flavor!

1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 (28?ounce) can plum tomatoes
3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
salt & pepper to taste
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
1/2 pound angel hair pasta, uncooked

In a large skillet, saute the garlic in olive oil until lightly browned. Do not burn! Leave garlic in skillet.
Place tomatoes, salt & pepper, basil and balsamic vinegar in a non?reactive bowl and set aside for 10 minutes, stirring occassionally.
Boil salted water for pasta.
Just before you put the pasta in the water, drain tomatoes and reserve the juice that runs off. Put the angel hair pasta in the water to cook for the recommended amount of time.
Heat your garlic skillet and toss drained tomatoes briefly just to heat.
The pasta should finish cooking for about 5 minutes.
Toss the pasta and tomato mixture together and serve with freshly grated parmesan cheese.