Saspanda's blog: "My Recipes"

Summer Salad Tuscan style ( serves about 4 ) 1 small loaf of coarse day old Italian bread 1/4 cup Extra virgin olive oil 3 tabs balsamic vinegar 1 clove garlic, crushed 1 teas salt 1 teas Tabasco sauce 3 large ripe tomatoes, cut into large chunks 1 large red onion, cut in half and sliced 1 large cucumber, cut into large chunks 1 large red pepper, seeded and cut into large pieces 1 large yellow pepper, seeded and cut into large pieces 1 cup arugula leaves 1/2 cup chopped fresh basil leaves 1/2 cup sliced black olives 1 tabs capers Tear bread into large pieces to make about 4 cups. Combine olive oil, balsamic vinegar, garlic, salt and TABASCO sauce in bowl. Add remain ingredients, toss to mix well. let stand 30 mins before serving.

Zucchini Tomato Bake ( makes about 5 to 6 servings) 1 pound eggplant, coarsely chopped 2 cups zucchini slices 2 cups mushroom slices 3 sheets ( 18 x 12 inches) heavy duty foil, lightly sprayed with nonstick cooking spray 2 teas Extra virgin olive oil 1/2 cup chopped onion 1/2 cup chopped fresh fennel (optional) 2 cloves garlic , minced 1 can (14 1/2 oz) whole tomatoes, undrained 1 tabs tomato paste 2 teas dried basil leaves 1 teas sugar Preheat overn to 400 degrees. Divide eggplant, zucchini and mushrooms into 3 portions. Arrange each portion on foil sheet. Heat oil in small skillet over medium heat. Add onions, fennel, if desired, and garlic. Cook and stir 3 to 4 minutes or until onions are tender. Add tomatoes with juice, tomato paste, basil and sugar. Cook and stir about 4 minutes or until sauce thickens. Pour sauce over eggplant mixture. Double fold sides and end of foil to seal packets, leaving head space for heat circulation. Place on baking sheet. Bake 30 minutes. Remove from oven. Carefully open on end of each packet to allow steam to escape. Open and transfer contents to serving dish.

Ok I know some will curl their nose at spinach but I really like this. So I hope you will try it before passing judgement. lol Creamy Spinach Italiano (serves around 4) 1 cup ricotta cheese 3/4 cup half and half or milk 2 packages ( 10 oz each) frozen chopped spinach thawed and squeezed dry ( a coffee filter works good to squeeze out excess liquid) 1 1/3 cup French's French Fried onions , divided 1/2 cup roasted red pepper 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese 1 teas garlic powder 1/4 teas salt Preheat over 350 degrees. Whisk together ricotta cheese and half and half in large bowl until well blended . Stir in spinach, 2/3 cup French onions, red pepper, basil, Parmesan, garlic powder and salt. Pour mixture into greased deep dish 9 inch pie plate. Bake for 25 minutes or until heated through; stir. Sprinkle with remaining 2/3 cup onions. Bake for 5 minutes or until onions are golden.

Spaghetti with Tomatoes and Olives (serves around 6 to 8) 2 tab extra virgin olive oil (evoo) 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped 1 1/2 pounds of fresh ripe tomatoes, seeded and chopped ( about 3 cups) 1 tab tomato paste 1 teas dried oregano 1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper 1/2 cup pitted brine cured black olives, coarsley chopped 2 tabs capers salt and pepper 1 package (16 oz Barilla Thin Spaghetti) Grated Parmesan cheese Heat Evoo and garlic in large skillet over low heat until garlic begins to sizzle. Add tomatoes, tomato paste, oregano and red pepper; simmer, uncovered, until sauce is thickened, about 15 mins. Add olives, capers and salt and pepper to taste. Meanwhile, cook spaghetti according to package directions; drain. Toss spaghetti with sauce. Sprinkle with cheese before serving. I like to serve with a side toss salad.

INGREDIENTS 1 1/2 cups water 1 cup distilled white vinegar 4 tablespoons soy sauce 1 teaspoon whole peppercorns 4 cloves garlic, crushed 2 tablespoons salt 1 (2 to 3 pound) whole chicken, cut into pieces 2 tablespoons vegetable oil In a large pot, combine the water, vinegar, soy sauce, peppercorns, garlic and salt. Mix together, add chicken pieces and simmer over low heat (uncovered) until chicken is cooked through and tender (25 to 35 minutes). Remove chicken from pot and brown in oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Return chicken, with oil/juices, back to pot with reserved sauce. Cover and simmer over medium heat until desired amount of sauce is yielded.

Chicken curry Serves around 10 to 12 ( may cut recipe in half for 5 to 6 people) 2 tab butter 2 cup finely chopped pared apple 2 cup sliced celery 1 cup chopped onion 2 glove garlic, minced 4 tab cornstarch 4 to 6 teas.curry powder ( if you are not familiar with curry I might use less then 6 teas its more a matter of taste) 1 1/2 cup cold chicken broth 4 cups milk 4 cups diced cooked chicken 2 3oz can sliced mushrooms, drained (about 1 cup) 1 1/2 teas salt Condiments: raisins, shredded coconut, chopped peanuts, chutney , pineapple walnuts, etc. In sauce pan melt butter, add apple celery , onion, and garlic. Cook till onion is tender. Combine cornstarch, curry, 1 1/2 teas salt, and broth. Stir into onion mixture; add milk. Cook and stir till mixture thickens and bubbles. Stir in chicken and mushrooms. Heat throughly. Serve over Hot cooked rice and have on table these toppings that each guest may put what they like, Raisins, shredded coconut, chopped peanuts and chutney, Pineapple, walnuts etc. ( what ever you like)

12 pounds of chopped tomatoes (peeled and stems removed and cored, measures about 24 cups of tomatoes) 2 tab sugar 1 tab dried oregano, crushed 1 tab dried thyme, crushed 1 tab salt 1/2 teas.pepper 2 bay leaves 1 pound ground beef 2 cups chopped onion 1 cup chopped green pepper 2 cloves of garlic, minced Place chopped tomatoes in a colander for few minutes to drain off excess liquid. In 8 to 10 quart kettle or dutch oven, combine drained chopped tomatoes, sugar, oregano, thyme, salt, pepper and bay leaves. Boil tomato mixture gently uncovered, about 1 hour. Strain through a food mill or if you dont have a food mill you can use a blender on puree.Add puree back to pot and boil gently uncovered about another hour or till mixture is of desired consistency. While that is cooking, in a skillet place ground beef chopped onion, green pepper and garlic till meat is browned and onion and green pepper is tender. Drain off excess fat. Add meat to puree in pot and simmer. I make this a can it in jars. Pack hot meat sauce into hot jars, leaving about 1 inch of headspace. If you dont can, then you can freeze this too. When serving over spaghetti you can also make meat balls My family loves this sauce, I hope you do too.