Looking for an easy, fast and inexpensive way to get dinner on the table fast? Why not designate one night a week as Pasta Night? Pasta is the consummate comfort food – rich, warm and satisfying. It’s easy to get into the food rut of only fixing macaroni and cheese or spaghetti with tomato sauce, but pasta is so versatile that you could make a different pasta recipe every week for a year without repeating one. And all of the variations can be on the table in 30 minutes or less. Just serve with a green salad and a hunk of crusty bread and you’ve got dinner made.

Pasta is wonderful because it makes it easy to pull together a meal when you feel like there is nothing in the house to eat. If you have some long noodles, a chunk of parmesan cheese, some olive oil and freshly ground black pepper, you can create a great meal. Add in some steamed vegetables or browned meat and you have a whole other dish. Pasta is also a great way to use up leftovers. Noodles can be a nice side dish next to Tuesday’s baked chicken or you can pull the chicken off the bone and toss it into your noodles for a completely different taste. Let your imagination and the contents of your fridge guide you.

Here are 2 pasta recipes that are easy, delicious and a breeze to adapt to whatever you have in the cupboard.

Linguine with Cheese and Pepper

½ cup finely grated Parmesan-Reggiano or Pecorino-Romano cheese

½ pound dried linguine

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon coarsely ground black pepper

Bring a pot of salted water to a boil and cook the linguine until tender. Drain, reserving ½ cup of the cooking water. Return the linguine to the pot. Add butter, olive oil and ½ tablespoon pepper, stirring to combine. Add ¼ cup reserved pasta water. Place pot over medium high heat. Cook for a minute to emulsify the butter and oil, adding the remaining water if necessary. Remove from heat and toss in half of the cheese. Serve in bowls with remaining cheese and pepper.

Tortellini in Broth

1 12 oz. package dried or frozen tortellini

32 oz. broth

1 tablespoon fresh or 1 teaspoon dried parsley

Bring a pot of salted water to a boil and cook the tortellini until tender. Meanwhile, heat the broth and the parsley in a medium saucepan. When the tortellini is done, drain and add to the broth. Serve.

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By: Julie

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Tddler Bed

r you need a pick-me-up after a rough day or you want to celebrate a good one, you might find yourself rummaging around the kitchen for some good ole’ fashioned comfort food. For many of us, comfort foods are simple in nature and often times remind us of pleasant childhood times. Some people might associate good childhood memories with apple pie and ice cream, eggs and bacon arranged in the shape of a smiley face, or peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. If you aren’t sure which comfort food YOU are in the mood for, I encourage you to read through the following recipes of popular comfort food favorites.

Green Bean Casserole

Ingredients:
4 cups of cooked, cut green beans
1 can of cream of mushroom soup
1 1/3 cup of French fried onions
1/2 cup of milk
1 tsp of soy sauce
a bit of black pepper

Directions:
In a large casserole dish, mix together the green beans, milk, cream of mushroom soup, soy sauce, pepper, and 2/3 cup of the French fried onions. Bake for 25 minutes at 350 degrees F (or until it starts to bubble). Remove from the oven and stir the beans well. Sprinkle the remaining French fried onions on top and put back in the oven for an additional 5 minutes or until the onions start to brown.

Macaroni and Cheese

Ingredients:
1/2 lb of Velveeta cheese
2 1/2 cups of uncooked macaroni noodles
3 tbsp of butter
1 qt of milk

Directions:
Melt the butter and pour into a baking dish with the macaroni noodles. Stir well until the butter coats all of the noodles. Cut the Velveeta cheese into chunks and add to the milk and macaroni mixture. Bake for about a half an hour at 325 degrees F.

Chicken and Dumplings

Ingredients:
4 cups of boneless, skinless chicken chunks
2 1/2 cups of chicken broth (add more if you like yours very soupy)
1 cup of sliced carrots
1 1/2 cups of chopped potatoes
salt and pepper to taste
1 bay leaf (optional, but nice!)

Directions:
In a large stew pot, simmer the chicken in the broth with salt and pepper on a low heat for about thirty minutes. Add the bay leaf, chopped carrots, and potatoes and increase to medium heat. Cook for 30 minutes, or until the potatoes have softened. Make sure not to overcook as the potatoes will turn mushy.

Dumplings:
1 cups of flour
2 tsp of butter
4 tsp of baking powder
1/2 tsp of salt
3/4 cup of milk

Combine the flour, baking powder, and salt together. Slowly add in the milk and butter, then mix thoroughly. If you prefer, you can add a teaspoon or two of parsley flakes. Drop by the spoonful on top of the chicken and broth during the last 15 minutes of cooking and cover.

Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

Ingredients:
3 cups of uncooked oats
1 1/2 cups of raisins
1 cup chopped walnuts (optional)
1 1/2 cups of flour
1/2 cup of granulated sugar
1 cup firmly-packed brown sugar
1 cup of softened butter
2 eggs
1 tsp of baking soda
1/2 tsp of salt
1 tsp of cinnamon
1 tsp of vanilla

Directions:
In a large bowl, beat together the granulated and brown sugars with the butter until it turns creamy. Mix in the eggs and vanilla. Stir in the flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. When this is well mixed, add the oats, raisins, and walnuts. Stir well, then drop by the spoonful onto un-greased cookie sheets. Bake for about 12 minutes at 350 degrees F. Allow the cookies to cool on the cookie sheet a few minutes before removing them to wire racks to cool completely.

By: Patrick Carpen

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Soap Operas

The thought of creating a disaster preparedness plan with your family can seem like a daunting task. Too many people overlook the necessity of being ready for anything. Whether it is a natural disaster, loss of work or some other monumental reason for using your emergency storage supplies, you must be ready. When beginning the task, it really becomes apparent how many things we utilize every day that we take for granted. From toilet paper to macaroni and everything in between, it’s hard to imagine having enough in case of a disaster. There are tools and supplies every person prepared for a disaster should have.

How do you begin the overwhelming process of creating a disaster preparedness plan? The first thing you should do is create a checklist of essentials for every member of your family. This list should include everything from toilet paper, blankets, firewood and clothing to food and water. When putting food on the list, remember that everything that will last during a disaster should be nonperishable or even dehydrated foods. Once you create the list, start the process of purchasing items. Set aside a reasonable amount every month, perhaps $100, and begin making purchases: emergency blankets, bulk stores of toilet paper, bundles of firewood, warm clothing and dehydrated food products. Foods like eggs, butter and milk can even be purchased dried and packaged in storage containers.

When deciding what things to purchase first for your disaster preparedness plan, consider what you use the most. If your family eats macaroni and cheese four days a week, buy large packages in bulk to cut down on costs. Secondhand stores are great sources for finding inexpensive clothing items like heavy coats, shoes and sweaters. Another item that should be at the top of your list of things to purchase is a water purifier, obviously something non-electric. Emergency preparedness stores also carry large barrels of clean water. These take up a lot of space, but if there is no water around to purify, you will have a store of fresh water available to drink.

Many people have not even considered the level of attention everyone should give to having a disaster preparedness plan. You and your family can rest safely with the knowledge that you are prepared for almost anything that could happen. Obtain your storage items, tools and supplies today to provide safety for your family tomorrow. Visit http://www.safetyplaza.info for more information about starting your disaster preparedness plan today.



By: James Williams

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