Skillet Spaghetti with Hot Dogs

• 1 1/4 C elbow macaroni
• 1/2 lb hot dogs, sliced into coins
• 2 Tbsp chopped onion
• 1 Tbsp butter
• 2oz (1/2 C) shredded cheddar cheese
• 1/4 C water
• 1/2 C condensed tomato soup (half of a 10.75oz can)

1. Cook pasta according to package instructions. Drain.
2. In large skillet, fry hot dogs with onion and butter over medium heat. Add cheese, water, and soup. Cook until cheese is melted, stirring constantly. Stir in cooked pasta and cook until heated through.


Robyn's notes: this is purely comfort food, I do not claim this as a healthy recipe. Ever since 1981, my family has used this as a go-to meal when everybody is tired or stressed and needs something quick and filling.  See "Using Up Ingredients" at the top of the page for suggestions for using the other half of the can of soup. Originally this recipe called for "sp-o-ghetti rings™" which I've never seen in stores (like the pasta in spaghetti-o's), we really just use whatever small pasta we have on hand. 

**** 4 Stars: Very Good. Enjoyed by us both, I will make this frequently

Lazy Meaty Lasagna

This is based on the recipe for Lazy Lasagna, which was vegetarian. I was cooking this for people who prefer to have meat with every meal, so I added the ground turkey. Follow the above link for the meatless version.

• 1 1/2 C wide noodles
• 1/2 lb lean ground turkey
• 1 C spaghetti sauce
• 1/2 C cottage cheese
• 3/4 C shredded mozzarella cheese
• 2 Tbsp grated Parmesan cheese

1. Cook pasta according to package directions. Meanwhile, crumble turkey into a large skillet. Cook over medium heat until no longer pink; drain. Stir in the spaghetti sauce, cottage cheese and mozzarella. Fold in the noodles. Pour into two greased 2-cup casserole dishes. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.
2. Bake, uncovered, at 375°F for 20 minutes or until bubbly.

Robyn's notes: very simple recipe. I had shredded Parmesan in the house, so used that instead of the grated and I think it was better. As far as "greasing" the casserole dishes, I sprayed them with Pam cooking spray. I've made the meatless version in the past using lasagna noodles that I broke in half before cooking. Made this again, for my sister, June 14, 2011, using ground beef instead of turkey. Came out very well.

**** 4 Stars: Very Good. Enjoyed by us both, I will make this frequently

Processed Dinners For Two

Sometimes, I'm just too ill or too exhausted to cook a full meal. But we do need to eat, and I don't like leftovers or tv dinners, so when I can't cook for whatever reason, I try to stick with items marketed specifically for two servings. Some are pretty good, some are pretty awful, some are fine but a waste of money.

Barilla Three Cheese Tortellini 8oz package



I've walked past this on the shelf a few times and it never grabbed me, so I never grabbed it. But last time I went shopping it was on sale, so I decided to give it a try. The sale price was 2 for $6 (I bought only one) and regular price $3.49.

Pros: definitely enough pasta for two people, possibly even a bit more than we'd normally have. Very few of the tortellinis opened in cooking/draining, so very little filling spilled out. Easy prep. Tasted good. Shelf stable.

Cons: Apparent typo on package instructions. Package advertising not strictly accurate.

Details: the packaging attracted me because it's labelled as "Dinner for 2 in 10 Minutes". It is not, however, a 10 minute prep time. There was very little information on the packaging, and the instructions were nearly on the bottom (it's bag-shaped, so a curved base, which means it was somewhat back, somewhat bottom), but it says "Bring 3-4 quarts of water to a rolling boil". This annoyed me, frankly, because while I do own a pan large enough to boil 3-4 quarts of water, it's my stockpot, which is not often used, and it takes forever to bring that much water to a boil. Since the pasta had to cook for an additional 10-11 minutes after the water came to a boil, obviously it's not "dinner in 10 minutes". The product description on my grocery store's website says "Total Time 20 minutes" but that is not anywhere on the packaging. The same website includes the instructions for the product, which state "bring 2-3 quarts of water to a rolling boil". This sounds much more accurate for the amount of pasta being cooked, so I can only assume that there's an error at the package printing site, and that the instructions for the 12oz size were printed on what is definitely an 8oz bag.

I plated the pasta with two separate toppings, as I didn't have any pasta sauce in the house. I sprinkled a shredded cheese combination over the top on one plate, and it was acceptable. On the other, I tossed the pasta with butter and Parmesan cheese. Better than the other plate but still not exciting, though it's what the packaging suggested.

In the past I've several times served Buitoni refrigerated Three Cheese Tortellini in the 9oz package and liked it. Comparing the two it's basically a draw. The Buitoni fridge pasta tastes a bit better to me, but has to be eaten or frozen within a certain number of days, it's more pasta than we need for two people, and it's $1 more expensive at my grocery store. The Barilla wasn't quite as good, seemed a bit lower quality, but can sit on the shelf for months just like canned foods, and is the less expensive option. Both should be served with a pasta sauce for best results, whether fresh or in a jar, which drops both products down a notch for me because it doubles the price of the meal and means leftover sauce that has to be used or tossed (as pasta sauce is not generally available in sizes serving 2).

*** 3 Stars: Good. At least one of us liked this enough for me to make it again, but not often

Oven Ranch Chicken

• 1/3 C bread crumbs
• 1 (0.4 oz) package buttermilk ranch salad dressing mix
• 1/3 C light sour cream
• 2 boneless skinless chicken breast halves

1. Heat oven to 375°F. Spray cookie sheet with nonstick cooking spray.
2. In shallow dish or pie pan, combine bread crumbs and salad dressing mix; mix well. Place sour cream in another shallow dish or pie pan.
3. Dip chicken in sour cream, coating well. Roll coated chicken in bread crumb mixture. Place chicken on sprayed cookie sheet. If desired, spray chicken with nonstick cooking spray. Discard any remaining bread crumb mixture and sour cream.
4. Bake at 375°F for 30 to 35 minutes or until chicken is fork-tender and juices run clear.

Robyn's notes: I used Progresso bread crumbs. This recipe keeps the chicken nicely juicy, and it's very quick to make. Not visually exciting, but quite good.

**** 4 Stars: Very Good. Enjoyed by us both, I will make this frequently

Mediterranean Vegetable Medley

• 1/2 onion
• 1 clove garlic
• 1 medium tomato
• 1/2 eggplant
• 1/2 zucchini
• 1/2 yellow pepper
• 1 C mushrooms
• black pepper
• juice of 1/2 lemon
• 1 Tbsp soy sauce

1. Chop & salt eggplant, let stand 15 minutes.
2. Chop remaining vegetables.
3. Fry onion and garlic until soft.
4. Add yellow pepper and zucchini, fry for 5 minutes.
5. Rinse eggplant and squeeze to remove water and juice, add to frying pan with mushrooms and black pepper, fry for 10 minutes.
6. Add tomatoes to the pan with lemon juice and soy sauce, fry until tomatoes are soft.

Robyn's notes: this was meant to be placed on Foccacia or Ciabatta bread and topped with cheese, but I didn't have any bread in the house, so I simply served it as a side as shown below. Because this called for 1/2 each of several vegetables, I prepped two meals at once so as not to waste the other half.

Mini Cottage Pies

• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 pound ground turkey
• 1/4 C chopped onion
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 1 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1 1/2 tsp minced garlic
• 1 Tbsp all-purpose flour
• 1/4 C beef stock
• 1/2 C frozen peas and carrots
• 1 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley leaves
• 1 1/2 tsp chopped fresh rosemary leaves
• 1 C leftover mashed potatoes
• 1 1/2 tsp granulated garlic powder
• 1 Tbsp granulated onion powder
• 1 C shredded Cheddar

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
2. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add ground turkey and brown.
3. Stir in the onions, salt, pepper and garlic and allow to cook together for a couple of minutes.
4. Mix flour into the meat mixture and stir until a paste consistency is reached. Add beef stock to pan and stir in vegetables and herbs, the last few minutes, until combined.
5. Reheat mashed potatoes in a microwave for 5 to 6 minutes. Stir in granulated garlic and onion powder.
6. Spoon equal amounts of turkey mixture into two ramekins. Top with equal amounts of warm potatoes. Finally top with equal amounts of cheese. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes until cheese is melted and browned. Remove from oven and allow to cool slightly before serving.

Robyn's notes: I was using four-cheese mashed potatoes, so didn't add the garlic powder or onion powder to them. Because I can't have onions, garlic, peas, or carrots, I made half this recipe twice. First the version I could eat, omitting those steps, then as written above for my sweetheart. The photo below isn't the best, but he was hungry so I had to take it quickly.

Fudgy Peanut Butter Ice Cream Mini Pies

• ½ C chocolate graham cracker crumbs¹—abt 3 whole crackers
• 2 tsp sugar
• 2 tsp egg substitute (OR 2 tsp egg white)
• 2 tsp butter, melted
• 1 -1/3 C fat-free vanilla frozen yogurt, softened²
• 8 miniature chocolate peanut butter cups, coarsely chopped
• ¼ C hot fudge ice cream topping—at room temperature

1. In a small bowl, combine cracker crumbs and sugar, stir in egg white and butter.
2. Press onto the bottom and up the sides of two oven-safe custard cups or ramekins coated with cooking spray (crumb mix will not reach tops of custard cups).



3. Place custard cups or ramekins on a shallow baking pan or cookie sheet and bake at 325F for 6-8 minutes or until set. Cool completely on a wire rack.

4. Spread 1/3C of frozen yogurt into each crust. Sprinkle each with one-fourth of the peanut butter cup bits; drizzle with one-fourth of hot fudge.



5. Repeat with remaining yogurt, peanut butter cups, and fudge³. Cover and freeze for 6 hours or overnight. Remove from the freezer 10 minutes before serving.

¹Don't have a food processor to make your crumbs, or don't want to pull out all the pieces (and later have to clean them) just to crush a few graham crackers into crumbs? Put crackers into a ziploc bag (make sure to seal it!), and crush with a rolling pin. If you don't have a rolling pin, you can use a mallet, or your fingers. Even a double pointed knitting needle will suffice as a roller to crush the crackers down to bits. It is possible to purchase graham crackers that have already been smashed for you, but in my opinion the extra expense is simply not worth it. You'll only save 2 or 3 minutes when you're crushing such a small amount of crackers. While I usually get the name brand graham crackers if I'm using them whole, when I'm buying crackers specifically for crushing I always get the store brand. I cannot tell any taste difference, they crush just as easily, and there is no visible difference in the crumbs.

²Often, when a recipe says “softened”, you can get away without doing so. For this one, if the frozen yogurt hasn't softened for several minutes, it will be nearly impossible to get it to spread into the crust and all that will happen is you'll have a firm blob of frozen yogurt stuck to your spoon, with graham cracker crumb crust clinging to it all over. Just take the frozen yogurt container out of the freezer when you put the crust cups into the oven and it should be softened enough by the time they've baked and cooled.

³Alternate option: do not add fudge to the top. Freeze as directed. Just before serving, heat remaining hot fudge and drizzle over the top of each mini-pie.

Robyn's notes: Approximating how much fudge is being drizzled on is fine, really, it's not like that stuff comes out of the bottle easily. To make it easier on myself, when I chopped the mini peanut butter cups, I chopped two at a time into four separate piles. Then, when it came time to sprinkle one-fourth of the total onto the pie, one of those piles was exactly the amount I needed. This is obviously not a "healthy" recipe, but it is made somewhat better for you in terms of calories through the use of egg substitute and frozen yogurt.

Sharpen Your Knives

This blog has been a long time neglected. First I was too sick to keep it updated. Then I was too sick to cook. Then I was too sick to cook or to bring it at least to the most current. Then it got to be too much of a pain to log in and out of my different gmail addresses all the time. So I've switched it over to this gmail address, where two of my other blogs are, and left my locked up blogs on the other gmail address, since I only post on them for me and therefore it matters less whether I get around to it regularly.

Now that it's here I've switched it from Blogger's Template format (to which I had done a lot of tweaking) to the Layout format. I think I've maintained all the basic and important personalizations, but there may still be some changes and/or additions as I discover I've forgotten something.

There are a handful of recipes from 2008 that still need to be added to the archives, but I did not keep track of my 2009 daily recipes as I did in the time previous, so there will be a huge jump between the old and the new. I am not healthy enough to cook on a regular basis anymore, so there will likely be fewer posts, but hopefully that will be made up for by the fact that I now have a camera (secondhand, but still! gift from my folks) and a pressure canner (gift from my sweetheart), so I intend to include more photos of the meals and to have preserved dishes as well as complete meals. My sweetheart has begun hunting again, which trips I enjoy accompanying him on, so at some point there should be recipes for game animals and birds, also. We'll see what truly happens in the end.

Deviled Tilapia

• 2 (5oz each) tilapia fillets
• 2 tsp mayonnaise
• 1 Tbsp Dijon mustard
• 2 Tbsp dry vermouth or lemon juice
• paprika to taste
• salt and pepper to taste

1. Preheat the broiler
2. Line a small baking pan with foil, then lay the tilapia on the foil, skin side down.
3. In a small bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, mustard and vermouth or lemon juice. Spread the sauce evenly over the tilapia. Sprinkle with the paprika, salt and pepper.
4. Broil 6" from the heat for 8 to 10 minutes, or until the tilapia is firm and the topping is well-browned.

Robyn's notes: the original recipe called for mackerel. This would go well with new potatoes or coleslaw.

Mexican Lasagna

• 1 green onion
• 1 C canned diced tomatoes (with juice)
• 1 Tbsp finely chopped fresh cilantro (optional)
• 1 tsp chili powder
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 6 corn tortillas
• 3/4 C rinsed and drained canned pinto or kidney beans
• 1/2 C coarsely shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1/4 C nonfat plain yogurt
• 1/4 C coarsely shredded Cheddar cheese

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F.
2. Thinly slice the green onions, including the tender green part. Place the green onions in a small bowl or glass measure. Add the tomatoes (with juice), cilantro (if using), chili powder, cumin and garlic.
3. Spread half the mixture evenly in an 8" pie pan. Top with half the tortillas and all the beans. Sprinkle with the mozzarella. Top with the remaining tortillas and tomato mixture. Whisk the yogurt briefly and spread it over the tomato mixture. Sprinkle the Cheddar over the top.
4. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the casserole is bubbling hot throughout and the cheese is melted. Let stand for 5 to 10 minutes before cutting and serving.

Robyn's notes: the recipe says that the casserole can also be microwaved on high for 2 minutes, but I can't speak to that. It's easily double-able if made in an 11"x7" baking pan instead of pie pan.

Braised Broccoli With Whole Wheat Spaghetti

• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 4 C coarsely chopped broccoli
• 1/2 C dry white wine or water
• salt and pepper to taste
• 6oz whole wheat spaghetti

1. In a heavy, 10" nonstick skillet over medium heat, saute the garlic in the oil for 1 to 2 minutes, or until the garlic begins to colour. Stir in the broccoli, wine or water, salt and pepper. Bring the liquid quickly to a boil, then reduce the heat to low. Cover the skillet and cook, stirring occasionally, for 10 to 15 minutes, or until the broccoli is tender (if necessary to prevent sticking, add a little water from time to time).
2. Meanwhile, cook the spaghetti according to the directions on the package but without salt. Drain and toss with the broccoli. Serve hot.

Robyn's notes: easy, quick. Good way to measure spaghetti is to keep a string in the kitchen marked off like a ruler. Wrap the string around the bundle of spaghetti. Two ounces of dry spaghetti = 2.25 inches circumference.

Madras Chicken and Broccoli Salad

• 8oz boneless, skinless chicken breast, trimmed of fat
• 1/3 C nonfat plain yogurt
• 1 Tbsp prepared mango chutney
• 1 tsp hot Madras curry powder
• 2 Tbsp chopped fresh cilantro
• 2 C finely chopped broccoli
• 1/4 C finely chopped red onion
• 1/4 C chopped cashews

1. Place chicken in a small skillet or saucepan and add enough water to cover; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat to low and simmer gently until the chicken is cooked through and no longer pink in the middle, 10 to 12 minutes. Transfer to a cutting board, cut into 1/2 inch cubes and cool to room temperature.
2. Meanwhile, whisk yogurt, chutney, curry and cilantro in a medium bowl until thoroughly combined. Add broccoli, onion, cashews and the cooked chicken; toss to coat.

Robyn's notes: I used regular curry powder. GFers: doublecheck the chutney when you buy it, most brands are GF. To use up leftover mango chutney, whisk with yogurt for a quick dressing, dip or marinade; serve alongside grilled meat, fish or chicken; blend with reduced-fat cream cheese for a spread. This was easy and quick to make.

Salmon Sizzler with Late Summer Veggies

• 1 large tomato
• 6-8 leaves fresh basil (optional)
• 2 (5oz each) salmon fillets or steaks
• 1 tsp olive or canola oil
• 2 small yellow squash or zucchini, thinly sliced
• 2 green onions, thinly sliced
• salt and pepper to taste

1. Preheat the oven to 450°F.
2. Core the tomato and cut it in half crosswise; gently squeeze the seeds from each half and cube the halves.
3. Stack the basil leaves (if using), roll them into a cylinder and slice across to make thin strips.
4. Brush the salmon with the oil; arrange each fillet on a 12" square of heavy foil. Top with the squash or zucchini, tomatoes, green onions and basil. Sprinkle with the salt and pepper. Fold the foil diagonally over the fish to form a triangle and seal it tightly by folding and crimping the edges.
5. Set a heavy, 10" cast-iron skillet in the oven to heat for 5 minutes.
6. Lay the foil packets in the skillet and bake for 10-15 minutes, or until the salmon is opaque at the thickest part and the vegetables are crisp-tender. Transfer the packets to dinner plates and serve.

Robyn's notes: Not having an entirely oven-safe skillet, I used a glass (pyrex) dish.

Salad Bar Pasta Primavera

• 6oz linguine or fettuccine
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 C broccoli or cauliflower florets
• 1/2 C sliced zucchini or yellow summer squash
• 1/2 C sliced mushrooms
• 1/4 C thinly sliced carrots
• 1/4 C thinly sliced red or yellow onions
• 1/4 C sliced red or green peppers
• 1/4 C sliced celery
• 1 tsp minced garlic
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1/2 C dry white wine or chicken broth
• 3 C spinach leaves, loosely packed
• 1/4 C frozen green peas, thawed
• 1/4 C grated Parmesan or Romano cheese

1. Cook the linguine or fettuccine according to the directions on the package but without salt.
2. While the pasta is cooking, place a heavy, 10" nonstick skillet over medium heat for 1 minute. Add the oil and stir in the broccoli or cauliflower, zucchini or squash, mushrooms, carrots, red or yellow onions, red or green peppers and celery.
3. Cook the vegetables, stirring frequently, for 3 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook for 1 minute longer. Sprinkle with the salt and pepper, then add the wine or broth. Stir in the spinach and peas, cover the skillet and cook for 1 minute, or just until the spinach is wilted.
4. Drain the pasta well. Serve topped with the vegetables and sprinkled with the Parmesan or Romano.

Robyn's Notes: used chicken broth, not white wine. My version of "thawing" the frozen peas was to scoop them into the quarter measuring cup before doing anything else, and letting them sit on top of the stove near the burner I was using. To make it vegetarian, use vegetable broth or the white wine, not chicken broth.

Turkey Florentine

• 8oz boneless turkey breast cutlets (1/4inch thick)
• salt and pepper to taste
• 2 tsp butter or margarine
• 4 tsp minced shallots or onions
• 1/4 C dry white wine or apple juice
• 8 C spinach, loosely packed
• 1/8 tsp grated nutmeg (optional)

1. Dry the turkey pieces with a paper towel, then sprinkle them with the salt and pepper.
2. Place a heavy, 8" nonstick skillet over high heat for 1 minute. Swirl in the butter or margarine and add the turkey. Cook, turning as necessary, for 3 minutes, or until the turkey is browned and firm to the touch, with no trace of pink in the center. Transfer to a plate and keep warm.
3. To the skillet, add the shallots or onions, wine or apple juice and spinach. Reduce the heat to medium and cook for 1 minute, or until the spinach is barely wilted. Sprinkle with the nutmeg (if using). Place the spinach on a serving plate, top with the turkey and serve.

Robyn's notes: used onion not shallot and apple juice not wine. This recipe went over very well taste-wise, but it was kind of a pain for me. It was difficult to find a store that had turkey breast cutlets in stock (several normally carried them but didn't have any when I was there, don't know why), and I always have minor issues with "transfer to a plate and keep warm". No matter where I put the item on the plate (inside microwave often, to keep it off the counter and out of my way) or how I cover it (often covered with a second plate upside down), the meat never stays as warm as I'd like it to.

Vermicelli with Herbed Mushrooms

• 6 oz vermicelli
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 6 C sliced mushrooms
• 1/4 C minced shallots or onions
• 1 lemon
• 1/4 C chopped fresh parsley or cilantro
• salt and pepper to taste

1. Cook the vermicelli according to the directions on the package but without salt.
2. While the pasta cooks, place the oil in a heavy, 10" nonstick skillet and warm it for 1 to 2 minutes over medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms and shallots or onions and cook the mixture, stirring frequently, for 2 to 3 minutes, or just until the mushrooms are piping hot throughout.
3. Squeeze the juice from the lemon and add the juice to the pan along with the parsley or cilantro, salt and pepper.
4. Drain the pasta and place it in a large bowl. Toss the pasta with the mushroom mixture. Serve immediately.

Robyn's notes: this was one of those recipes that I thought wasn't going to be filling enough for a whole meal, but he said it was perfect. It was very quick to make, and since I used a lemon from our tree it was satisfying, too!

Herbed Whole-Wheat Couscous

• 3/4 C reduced-sodium chicken broth
• 2 sliced scallions
• 2 Tbsp chopped parsley
• 1/2 C whole-wheat couscous

1. Bring first 3 ingredients to a boil in small saucepan. Add couscous, return to a simmer, cover and remove from heat. Let stand, covered, 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork before serving.

Robyn's notes: he liked this and it went very quickly.

Spiced Turkey with Avocado-Grapefruit Relish

Avocado-Grapefruit Relish:

• 1 large seedless grapefruit
• 1/2 small avocado, peeled, pitted and diced
• 1 small shallot, minced
• 1 Tbsp chopped fresh cilantro
• 1 tsp red-wine vinegar
• 1 tsp honey

Spiced Turkey

• 1 Tbsp chili powder
• 1/2 tsp five-spice powder
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 2 turkey cutlets (8 ounces)
• 1 Tbsp canola oil

1. To prepare relish: Remove the peel and white pith from grapefruit with a sharp knife and discard. Cut the grapefruit segments from the surrounding membrane, letting them drop into a small bowl. Squeeze out remaining juice into the bowl and discard membrane. Add avocado, shallot, cilantro, vinegar and honey. Toss well to combine.
2. To prepare turkey: Combine chili powder, five-spice powder and salt on a plate. Dredge turkey in the spice mixture.
3. Heat oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add the turkey and cook until no longer pink in the middle, about 2 to 3 minutes per side. Serve the turkey with the avocado-grapefruit relish.

Robyn's notes: Served with Herbed Whole-Wheat Couscous and a side of salad greens. This was a slightly more complex meal than usual because it was his birthday, but it still wasn't too complicated and didn't take long, just about a half hour. Was quite good, and was nice to be able to use grapefruit from our own tree.

Spanish Pilaf

• 1 1/2 tsp Olive oil
• 1/3 C chopped onion
• 1/3 C chopped sweet red or green peppers
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/2 C long-grain white rice
• 1 C canned tomatoes (with juice)
• 3/4 C chicken broth or water
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp dried thyme
• 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
• 1 bay leaf

1. Place the oil in a heavy, 8" nonstick skillet over medium heat. Stir in the onions and red or green peppers; cook, stirring frequently, for 3 minutes, or until the vegetables are soft.
2. Stir in the garlic and rice; cook for 1 minute. Use a fork to break up the tomatoes right in the can; add to the skillet (with juice). Stir in the broth or water, salt, thyme, pepper flakes and bay leaf.
3. Bring the rice to a simmer, stir it well and reduce the heat to low. Cover the skillet and cook for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the rice is tender and the liquid is absorbed. During cooking, stir the rice once or twice and add a little extra liquid if necessary to prevent sticking. Remove and discard the bay leaf.

Robyn's notes: I topped this with shredded Cheddar cheese to make it an entree. Another option is to cook some cleaned and de-veined shrimp into it or some roast chicken.

Mini White Breads

Note: Total time approximately 2 3/4 hours

• 1 package (1/4oz) active dry yeast
• 1 Tbsp sugar
• 1/3 C warm water (110F to 115F)
• 2 1/4 to 2 1/2 C all-purpose flour (divided)
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 C milk
• 2 tsp butter or margarine, melted
• additional melted butter or margarine

1. Combine yeast, sugar and water in a large mixing bowl. Add 1 1/2 C flour, salt, milk, and butter.
2. Mix for 3 minutes on medium speed. Add enough remaining flour to form a soft dough. Turn onto a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, about 6-8 minutes.
3. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 45 minutes. Punch dough down. Divide in half; shape into two loaves and place in greased 5 3/4inch x 3inch x 2inch pans.
4. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 30 minutes. Bake at 375F for 30 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from pans; cool on wire racks. Brush tops with melted butter.

Robyn's notes: mini loaf pans can be found in the utensil aisle of the grocery store if needed. I have never actually checked the temperature of the warm water, just keeping it warm but not hot. I've made these mini loaves several times over the past 8 years and they're very simple to make. Using these loaves makes for cute mini sandwiches or mini toasts, which may seem less than useful but they're great for smaller households because having two mini sandwiches is similar to having one regular sized sandwich, and then the loaves don't last so long that they get stale.

Nutritional Analysis: One 1/2 inch slice (prepared with margarine) equals 75 calories, 156mg sodium, 0 cholesterol, 14gm carbohydrate, 2gm protein, 1gm fat.
Diabetic Exchange: 1 starch