Tuna Melt and Salad

Tonight was an easy dinner because of Halloween. Tuna melts to the rescue! I opened and drained three cans of tuna. Then I put it in a bowl with some lowfat mayo, sliced green onions (the green parts), and some sweet relish. I mixed it all together and put some on english muffin halves. I put them in a 400 degree oven for about 15 minutes while I shredded some sharp cheese and made the salad. I took them out of the oven, added some shredded cheese to the top of each muffin half, and popped them back into the oven for another 5 minutes-ish until the cheese melted. These were very good, easy, and filling.

Polenta with Ragu and Mixed Vegetables

I sauteed a pound of mild Italian sausage removed from their casings in about a tablespoon of olive oil. I added one shallot, diced. After the meat was cooked I added about 2 cloves of minced garlic. Then I added one 15 ounce can of diced tomatoes (undrained), one 15 ounce can of kidney beans (drained and rinsed well), and one 28 ounce can of Trader Joe's Sugo di Pomodoro (see previous post). I mixed that all together and added about a teaspoon each of dried oregano and dried basil. I let it simmer for about 45 minutes while I got the rest of the meal together. I heated up the vegetables. Also, I sliced some polenta (the kind already made and formed in a tube). I browned it in a sauté pan with a bit of olive oil.

The whole family was very happy with this meal. The boys had misgivings about the polenta (they have not liked it in the past) but they decided they liked it quite a bit!

I will definitely make this again. Plus, it was so simple.

Fettuccine Alfredo with Chicken and Broccoli

Tonight's dinner was a meal that I love but don't fix it very often for obvious reasons (loads of fat!). I did use a jarred sauce from Trader Joe's for it but it was yummy anyway. I paired it with Costco's garlic bread which is not laden with butter like grocery store garlic bread but, rather, it has pieces of roasted garlic in it. I love it!

Meatloaf, Mashed Potatoes, and Mixed Vegetables

I made Cook's Illustrated version of meatloaf without the bacon and I liked it much more. We had just enough potatoes left to make the right amount of mashed potatoes for the family. Also, I used up some mixed vegetables and the tail end of a bag of green beans.

Fairly uninspired except for the meatloaf, which everyone loved!

Mary and Alex Cook Breakfast

This morning we decided to get creative, it being Sunday morning and all. The Williams-Sonoma Spiced Pecan Pumpkin waffle and pancake mix had been sitting on my counter in its attractive tin for a couple of weeks so we decided to make it.



These were very good!



One batch of the mix made eight waffles. They had just the right amount of sweetness. We all ate them plain; no butter nor syrup. There is a note on the tin that you could have it with a scoop of vanilla ice cream for a dessert. That would be wonderful!