Is Dinner Ready?

My mom was a pretty good cook but once in a while, especially when we really young, there was this dinner that she would make. It was really simple and truthfully we all loved it. In fact, I remember that meal fondly. It was a can of salmon and a can of peas mixed into and warmed up with a can of mushroom soup and served on toast. It doesn't sound like much but we actually loved it. It wasn't until years later when I was a mom of my own that I realized what this dinner was. It was done. Done like dinner. My mom was a working mom for our whole lives and this dinner, unbeknownst at the time, must have been when she either was exhausted from a busy, stressful day at work or the cupboards were bare and this was all she could pull off. It was warm and covered the major food groups and best of all filled our bellies with minimum fuss and muss.

Perspective is everything ... as a child I never had an inkling that money was tight or my mom was stressed. I just remember sitting down as a family over dinner. It was a treat to have toast for dinner. Forty plus years later, thoughts of this dinner still fill me with love but not those of a happy kid blissfully ignorant but from the perspective of a mom, whose had her own stressful days, her own bare cupboards, and they fill me with love for my mom and her ability and desire to shield us from the harsher realities of life. To swallow her own feelings and show us nothing but love.

Anyone with a full pantry and well-stocked fridge can be a gourmet but the real trick to cooking is the ability to take meager offerings and pull a meal together. I hope that some of the recipes that I compile here will help you to do this.

This dinner is 30 minutes to the plate and delicious and most of the ingredients are usually around. I found it on Martha Stewart's website and have tweaked it a tiny bit.

One Pot Pasta
Original recipe by Martha Stewart

Serves 4

12 ounces linguine (basically one box of dried)
12 ounces cherry or grape tomatoes, halved (it's a good way to use slight soft tomatoes)
1 onion, thinly sliced
4 cloves minced garlic (the already chopped garlic works great, esp. from Costco)
1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes (more or less depending on your taste)
2 sprigs basil, minced
2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
Coarse salt and pepper to taste
4 1/2 cups water (I use homemade chicken stock, more on that later)
Freshly grated Parmesan cheese (again I use the fresh grated from Costco)
Chorizo sausage (about 3 sausages) or pre-cooked chicken (about 2 or 3 cups)*

Directions:

• Combine pasta, tomatoes, onion, garlic, red pepper flakes, basil, oil, 2 tsp. salt, 1/4 tsp. pepper, and water or stock into a large pot.
• Bring to a boil over high heat. Boil mixture, stirring and turning pasta frequently with tongs, until pasta is al dente and liquid is nearly evaporated, about 9 minutes.
• Season with salt and pepper and serve with grated Parmesan cheese. Garnish with fresh basil, if desired.

*If using leftover chicken, chop the chicken into bite-sized pieces and add to the pot when you start. The boiling will help give the chicken the flavour and warm it. If using chorizo sausage, chop into bite-size pieces and pan fry the chorizo until cooked, then drain some of the oil off with paper towel.

Final Word: Life's too short to fuss with dinner, I know there are a 100 things I would rather be doing on a week night like watching the kids play soccer, helping with homework, or playing a board game.

Bon Appetit!