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And, I agree with you about it being delicious; however, you need to use sweet onions, so I strongly recommend Vidalias.

6 Vidalia Onions (or as many as you want)
Take off the skins and then cut out a hole in the center of the onion.
Into that hole put: about 1/4 tsp. beef granuales
and tiny chunk of butter

Put the onions in a microwave safe casserole dish with a lid….and microwave until the onions are completely tender.

These are delicious and great with steak…or chicken

They also can be made up the night before and put in the refrigerator; then brought out to room temperature before popping them in the microwave.

Spread out some store bought pizza dough in your pan, prick it with fork, brush dough with olive oil and chopped garlic, spread sliced Roma tomatoes over crust, top each tomato slice with a slice of fresh mozzerella, bake at 450 for 12 minutes or so, sprinkle with fresh chopped basil (I sprinkle with salt also).

Since I just need small ones and since I’m lazy these days, I usually use split pita bread for the crust…it’s actually good, and Roma tomatoes are the only kind I buy for anything anymore. Hard to find a good tomato anymore, even in the summer in the South, and Romas are nearly always good…firm and not mealy.

‘Bye…

I’m a Rachel Ray fan…she cooks fast & easy. Per Rachel, I’ve started roasting asparagus sorta like chall above does green beans…spread asparagus tips over baking sheet, coat with chopped shallot and EVOO (extra virgin olive oil for those who’re not familiar with Rachel Ray), sprinkle with salt & pepper, and roast in oven. She also adds taragon and lemon juice but I don’t bother. Be sure not to overcook…it’s only good IMO if it’s still a bit crunchy.

Another RR goodie is cherry or grape tomatoes tossed in an oven-proof skillet with sauteed garlic & chopped onion and EVOO of course, add a bit of sugar, red pepper flakes, and salt then roast in oven for about 15 minutes or so. She adds sherry but I don’t. Delish.

The way I did potatoes when grilling out was to slice each potato in about 1/4 inch slices, holding it together as good as possible, put a slice of onion and butter between each slice, salt & pepper, wrap tightly in foil…hoping it kept it’s potato shape, and grill until done.

And if you haven’t eaten corn on the cob grilled in the husk, you haven’t lived. Remove some silk, soak in water till the husks are good and wet, put on grill and grill until husks are brown…what a treat. Tortures me to think about it because I can’t eat corn anymore (health issue).

After a long life and a huge collection of great recipes, I could go on forever but I’ve bored you long enough.

Though I was always a cook-from scratch person when I was younger, I’m all for anything possible that’s pre-packaged so go for it, Tori!

Usually we grill EVERYTHING during the summer but our grill ‘gave up the ghost’ a few weeks ago so we’ve ordered another one and it’s not here yet. It’s some weird tile thing that looks sort of like a rocket.The picture shows a small Japanese man standing beside it–I’m hoping he comes with it to do the actual cooking.If it doesn’t work out as well as we hope, we can always run a side business cremating small animals and road kill.
Along with whatever is on the grill I try to provide lots of fruit salads with melons and bananas (to help prevent dehydration as Matt is always in the heat during the summer) and the kinds of vegetables that lend themselves to grilling. There’s also a summer squash–it’s white and shaped like a satellite–very hard to find but has a really good flavor;we like that.
We have my husband’s special smoked Boston Butts (no jokes,please)several times during the summer.

{He’s looking over my shoulder–says he’s gonna bring you one
someday so you can taste how good they are. Seriously, check
your driveway in about 3 hours.}

Those are good later on barbeque sandwiches and in soup and stew.
I just realized how un-creative we are. Have to experiment more this summer.

– To a large package of cooked and drained rigatoni, add ~2 lbs of cooked, ground beef seasoned with a package of Sloppy Joe or Chili seasoning, lots of sliced mushrooms and a couple chopped onions, 1 large can of diced tomatoes, a bottle of pasta sauce, and a bag of frozen chopped peas and carrots, thawed in the microwave. I up the nutrition value by using whole wheat pasta, extra lean ground beef, low-sodium tomatoes, and low-fat pasta sauce. Add a large salad made with mixed greens, grape tomatoes, and english cucumbers, drizzled with a Light Italian dressing, and you’ve got a full meal. Bonus: the recipe fills a dutch oven, so if time is short or it’s too hot to cook, dinner is already prepared for the next few days.

– For potlucks, nothing beats a stir fry for a quick meal. I cut boneless, skinless chicken breasts into bite-sized pieces and cook in olive oil. Then add a couple packages of frozen stir-fry vegetables (the more exotic, the better) and let steam until done. Just before serving, I season with salt and pepper, and drizzle with Teriaki Sauce and Lime Juice, tossing to coat. Also works well for a family dinner, served with a large salad and whole wheat rolls.

– Finally, when we’re in the mood to barbecue, I like to cook *everything* outside. Marinated steaks, a (metal) pan of sliced bell peppers (red, green, yellow and orange), chopped onions, and sliced mushrooms, tossed in olive oil and covered with tinfoil, and a couple potatoes wrapped in tinfoil, partially cooked in the microwave, sliced and seasoned with margarine, salt and pepper. I serve this with a large salad and whole wheat rolls. Best part about this one is clean-up is a breeze!

Now I’ve made myself hungry, so am heading for my afternoon snack of grapes and low-fat cheese.

I like fresh tomatoes sliced and drizzled with a little balsamic vinegar (and garlic olive oil, but it’s not necessary) with chopped basil and salt/pepper.

Green beans (even the frozen kind) are simply addicting if you trim and wash, then pat dry. Toss with olive oil (I like the garlic kind but you can use regular and add garlic if you don’t have it…fresh chopped is better but powdered will do) and salt/pepper. Then spread out in an even layer in a shallow pan and roast at 500 degrees for 10-15 minutes…until they turn a little brown and wilt a bit. I like them better when cooled off a bit.

Strawberries, and pretty much any kind fruit, are awesome tossed with a little orange blossom honey (found at Whole foods here). Sometimes I add a bit of water if I want a saucy version. You know, to drizzle over pound cake or shortbread!

Another fav is a Mexican type dip mixture. Corn, black beans, pintos (or white northern), tomatoes, chopped onion, chopped green pepper and hominy. One great thing about this..you can use any combo of fresh, frozen or canned that you have and use more or less of whatever you have on hand. I rinse the beans if they are canned and gently combine. Then juice a couple of limes, add some honey, salt/pepper and fresh chopped cilantro (you can also use dried) to taste. Toss and let it sit for at least an hour to let the flavors meld. (personally, I like it best the next day) Sometimes I put it over tacos but mostly I eat it with tortilla chips. If you REALLY want to be healthy you could use (gag) baked chips.

LindaB– Yeah, I had you in mind the whole time I was writing this… Thought you might like some new recipes, too. The cannellini beans are a very good idea, love that.

I’m still new at this, so I don’t have any fantastic health-enhancing recipes. I’m anxious to hear some from other readers, though. I absolutely love the pasta pomodoro—-we’ve had that before, sometimes with cannelli beans thrown in for extra protein. It’s easy to make and delicious.

OK. So what do the husband and I do now that it is just us two? We eat a big lunch at work, then snack and graze at home. So I have to have some snacking and grazing foods available, some of which are:

~Weight Watchers 0 points spaghetti sauce (I make a big pot and freeze it. We should be OK thru 2010). Put this on whole wheat pasta.
~Grilled chicken w/Sweet Baby Ray’s BQ sauce.
~Salad stuff
~Jell-O “No Sugar, No Fat” chocolate pudding (cook ‘n serve, not instant). Top this off with Cool Whip “Free”.
~Chicken & Peppers – a long time favorite. Cut chicken into bite size pieces; saute in OO (olive oil); add chopped peppers & onions (I now use frozen); drain; salt with Lowry’s Seasoned Salt; add cooking sherry (1/2 – 1C or as much as you want!). Heat thru and serve on whole wheat rice (Uncle Ben’s 90 second stuff is good). Sometimes I add itty-bitty bits of carrots.
~Dijon potatoes – bit-sized red potatoes with a Dijon, OO, tyme mixture; baked for 30 minutes. Yummo! (Rachel Ray expression).
~Baked potatoes – with any kind of topping.

And…TA DA…our most favorite thing of all – SKINNY COWS!!!! (We LOVE the Cookies ‘n Cream ones. Such indulgence).

I’m not a whole heckuv a lot of help to you am I!? Your food looks so much prettier…