Cooking with Diane: Part 2

arturo.jpgI think I'm taking this cooking business a little more seriously than I thought I would.  You may not actually call it cooking.  Its more Sandra Lee than, say, Ina Garten.  But I think I am truly more Sandra Lee than Ina Garten.  In the days when my kids were actually kids, I got a meal on the table every night.  Sometimes I did a complicated dish, but mainly it was throw together.  And they loved it.  To this day, when asked, any of the three of them will point to my tuna casserole as the finest of meals.

Noodles, canned tuna, canned peas, parmesan cheese, buttered dish.  Who couldn't turn that baby out.  In my present circumstance, cooking for one but cooking lots of it for "later", kind of rules out the fabled tuna casserole.  So I'm turning to some of the other family favorite standbys, that actually also involve cans.

Did you know, for example, that a truly delicious way to make sweet and sour meatballs involves simmering a can of  Sauce Arturo with a can of whole cranberry sauce and then dropping meatballs of your liking in, and cooking, is foolproof.  If only there were canned rice.

Another old standby that I'm loving again involves sauteing tons of fresh vegetables – mushrooms, broccoli, carrots, onions, snap peas is what I've been up to – then pushing them to the side and adding diced chicken breast,  and when the chicken is cooked, add salt, pepper, sugar, a splash of worcestershire and half a jar of Rao's marinara sauce – cover – cook for thirty minutes – and feast for days.

I'm so loving my kitchen again.  I even used the dishwasher last week.  Can't let those woks pile up.

Read Part 1