On The Side: Rosemary Peas 'n' Squash

Vegetables are not exactly a fan-favorite in our household but one veggie we can all agree on is the workhorse of the squash family - zucchini. Like chicken, we eat so much zucchini that it becomes a chore thinking up new ways to prepare it. Working once again from the Taste of Home Cookbook, I paired this tasty side of summer squash and sugar snap peas with the Baked Lemon Chicken I spoke of in the previous post. The sprinkling of rosemary on the veggies was a perfect complement to the tangyness of the lemon in the chicken.

Rosemary Peas 'n' Squash
Prep/Total Time: 15 min.

1 tbsp. butter
1 medium yellow summer or pattypan squash, cut into 1-inch chunks
1 medium zucchini, cut into 1-inch chunks
1/4 pound fresh or frozen sugar snap peas
1 tbsp. minced fresh rosemary or 1 tsp. dried rosemary, crushed (note when using dry herbs it takes much less to achieve the same amount of flavor as fresh. I don't have a mortar and pestle for crushing herbs so I just rubbed the rosemary in my hands as I sprinkled it over the veggies.)
Salt and pepper to taste

1. In a large skillet, melt butter. Saute squash, peas, and rosemary for 5 minutes or until vegetables are crisp-tender. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Yield: 4 servings

Baked Lemon Chicken

If there is one thing we eat a great deal of in this family, it's chicken. It's a wonder none of us has sprouted feathers and a beak. Needless to say, we are always on the hunt for new ways to prepare this dietary staple. When I came across a recipe in the Taste of Home Cookbook for baked lemon chicken, I decided to give it a try even though I am not the biggest fan of lemon-flavored anything and I wasn't sure how it would be accepted by the picky-eaters who call themselves my children. But, I was looking for a way to keep things fresh and interesting so I bought the necessary ingredients and prayed it would turn out well. I needn't have worried. The kids adored it (in fact, I prepared plain baked chicken for them just in case and it went untouched!) and I found it very refreshing to my lemon-challenged pallette. It came out unbelievably moist and tender and the bread crumb coating lends itself to a nice crunchy exterior. And, it's a snap to make!

Baked Lemon Chicken
Prep: 10 min.
Bake: 25 min.

3 tbsp. butter, melted
2 tbsp. lemon juice
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/2 cup seasoned bread crumbs (If you have a food processor and can make your own, even better!)
4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves (about 4 oz. each)

1. In a shallow bowl, combine butter, lemon juice, garlic, salt, and pepper. Place bread crumbs in another bowl.

2. Dip chicken in butter mixture, then coat with crumbs. Place in a greased 13-in. x 9-in. x 2-in. baking dish. Drizzle with the remaining butter mixture.

3. Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes or until juices run clear.

Yield: 4 servings

Baked Ziti

Anyone who knows me knows that I am a big fan of Italian food. Give me a good pasta and wonderfully rich and meaty sauce and I am a happy camper. My typical birthday dinner request year after year is lasagna. There are few things in life as pleasurable as mopping up the last bits of marinara sauce from the plate with a crusty piece of italian bread. I am salivating at the thought of it.

So, when The Beauty (the nickname I have for my lovely wife of 19 years) and I sat down to plan our dinner menu last week (more later on how we go through that process), I decided that a baked ziti would be a nice switch from the usual spaghetti and fulfill my weekly need for pasta and sauce.

The following recipe is from the Taste of Home Cookbook and just explodes with flavor and cheesy goodness! My personal thoughts and observations appear in bold print.

Prep Time: 20 minutes + simmering time
Bake: 1 hour

1/2 pound lean ground beef (an 80-85% lean will give you the best flavor)
1 medium onion, chopped (we left this out as I am not a big fan of onion)
2 garlic cloves, minced
1-3/4 cups meatless spaghetti sauce
1 can (14-1/2 oz.) diced tomatoes, undrained
1 can (6 oz.) tomato paste
6 tablespoons water
1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley
1-1/2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon dried basil
3/4 teaspoon dried oregano, divided
8 oz. uncooked ziti
1 cup part-skim ricotta cheese
1 cup (4 oz.) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese, divided
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper

1. In a large saucepan, cook the beef, onion, and garlic over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain. Stir in spaghetti sauce, tomatoes, tomato paste, water, parsley, Worcestershire sauce, basil, and 1/2 teaspoon oregano.

2. Cover and simmer meat sauce for 3 hours, stirring occasionally. (The night I decided to make this dish, I did not have time to simmer for 3 hours and simmered for 1-1/2 hours instead which produced a wonderfully flavorful sauce. The key is to simmer long enough over a low heat to allow the flavors of the sauce to blend and the spices to become infused.) Cook pasta according to package directions; drain. (I recommend you cook it to just shy of al dente as it will continue to cook and soften when the sauce is added and it bakes). In a bowl, combine the ricotta, mozzarella, 2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese, egg, salt, and pepper.

3. In a greased 13-in. x 9-in. x 2-in. baking dish, spread 1 cup of meat sauce. Layer with half of the pasta, a third of the meat sauce, and half of the cheese mixture. Repeat layers. (Just like you're building a lasagna!).

4. Top with remaining meat sauce. Sprinkle with remaining Parmesan cheese and oregano. Cover and bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour or until heated through. (If you love cheese as much as we do, you can sprinkle another cup or so of shredded mozzarella on the top before baking. Remove cover with about 20 minutes to go for a nice, cheesy crust on the top!)

Yield: 6 servings (We easily doubled the recipe to feed our hungry brood of 5 and still have leftovers for lunch the next day)

While it isn't the healthiest dish (a 1-1/3 cup serving has 431 calories, 14g of fat, and 50g of carb) it is high in protein and fiber and, when paired with a nice green salad and some good crusty bread, is a meal that invokes all the best in Italian cooking in terms of sight, smell, and flavor!