TUESDAY

as always, i am jennifer from ohio. and todd, it would
be a mega honor to know you tried something i
suggested. im going to explain how to make it and just
put ingredients in ALL CAPS.

Chicken Tortellini "Salad"

take a JAR OF PESTO [found with spaghetti sauce at the
store] and put like half of it (at least 3 huge
glops)in a frying pan over medium heat. you might need
to add a little extra OLIVE OIL along the way
depending on how runny a brand you use. once the oil
in the pesto gets hot, throw in some STRIPS OR CHUNKS
OF PRECOOKED CHICKEN and fry those until they start
getting all golden, then toss in at least one handful
of PINE NUTS [i promise they have these at the grocery
store, but sometimes they are with produce and
sometimes with stuff like chopped nuts]. in the
meantime, youre following the package directions on
FRESH TORTELLINI [usually found in the a refrigerated
section near ready made pizza crust] and trying your
best not to overcook them. when they are finished
boiling and drained, toss them into your
chicken/pesto/pinenut frying pan, until spots and
edges on them turn golden-fried. turn heat off and
toss in some FETA CHEESE [found in the deli near fancy
cheeses usually]. give it all a stir to mix up the
melty cheese and then serve next to or on top of
GREENS and GREEK SALAD DRESSING if you want to be
fancy or just eat it like a yummy chicken pasta.

Cherry (or any other fruit) Crisp

take one stick of BUTTER/MARGERINE which should be 1/2
cup straight out of the fridge and put it in the
mixing bowl. then take 1/2 cup of FLOUR and toss it
in. then 1/2 cup of SUGAR. smush it all together with
a pasty blender or two knifes or a big fork or your
hands until you have it mostly mixed up but it is
still crumbly (and even if the texture misses the mark
it will still taste good). then take one can CHERRY OR
OTHER FRUIT PIE FILLING and dump it into your baking
dish. then take one similarly sized can of the same
type of FRUIT PACKED IN WATER or juice, drain it, and
dump it in the baking dish. then dump all of your
flour/sugar/butter mixture on top and make sure the
layer is relatively evenly spread out. bake at 350
until the top is goldenish and crisp.

i will look through my recipe file and send in some
more easy meals soon. i love tuesday recipes!
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Hey tOdd, these 2 super easy recipes require a crock pot. Seriously GET ONE!

You will amaze and astound yourself and everyone around you with your kitchen panache. Buy a tall one (say 12" high) to make big batches of the recipes. You chop up all your items, bung 'em in the pot, add your spices and walk away, go to the park, get stuff, go out, snooze, whatevah. Total doof proof. Return to a hot cooked yummy dinner with tons left over to freeze or keep in the fridge. You will wonder why you never got one years ago.

The other cool thing is that cheaper cuts of meat turn out really tender due to the slow-cook method.

k, ready?

Simple beef stew

-2 lbs stewing beef

-6 carrots, cut into 1" pieces

-few stalks of celery cut up into 1/2" pieces

-1 large onion, sliced

(here you can toss in peas, corn if you want to)

-1 clove garlic

-1 28 oz can of tomatoes (I omit this as I find it waters things down too much)
-1 bay leaf

-1/2 cup water

-1/2 tsp pepper

My secret ingredient at this point, is a few tablespoons of instant gravy mix to thicken it up, add colour and flavour.

~Toss everything into pot. Cook on low 10-12 hrs, or high 5 hrs, or auto for 6. You will have enough for about 5 meals.

Chicken Cacciatore

-I prefer boneless chicken breasts cut up (use 2-3), but you can use thighs and drumsticks also

-3 medium onions

-2 cloves garlic, minced

-1 can tomatoes

-1 can tomato paste

-1 8 oz can tomato sauce

-1/3 cup chopped green pepper

(I also add mushrooms)

-2 tsp oregano

-1/2 tsp basil

-1/2 tsp pepper

-1 bay leaf

add some red wine if you have some

(if you don't have all those spices, fear not, just make sure the tomato sauce you add has some spice in it)

~Bung it all into the pot. Cook on low 6-8 hrs, or high 3-4. Serve with pasta. I sprinkle shredded Kraft Italian cheese over the top for melty goodness. Makes for about 8 - 10 meals.

Enjoy!

hamilton, ontario

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I like this because it's snacky, and crunchy, but not as bad for you as
chips and stuff.

Bacon Wrapped Bread Sticks

1 cup grated Parmesan (good stuff, not that canned shit!)
2 teaspoons garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
12 slices bacon
24 (4 1/2-inch) long sesame breadsticks (1 package)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
In a mixing bowl, combine the Parmesan with garlic and salt and set
aside. Cut the bacon slices in half so they are approximately 5-inches
long. Wrap each bread stick with 1 slice of bacon, starting at 1 end and
ending at the other. Place wrapped bread sticks on a cookie sheet lined
with parchment paper, and bake for 15 minutes or until bacon is browned.
Remove from oven and immediately roll bread sticks in cheese mixture.
Let cool and serve at room temperature.

Matthew K
Saint Paul, MN

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