Someone asked me today if I was bored? Nope, no way. I am surrounded by family and there is always something that needs to be done, i.e. preparing a meal, cleaning a closet, calling a friend, typing an email, reading a book. It’s there, it’s just whether we ‘choose’ to dive into the work or pleasure, right?
When my husband, Ervin, went to the store, for milk and bread, he noticed only one area that was pretty much empty, ramen noodle packets! Isn’t that a hoot! At the moment I don’t have any on hand, but I’m sure for many it makes a good meal.
Our son, Phillip, also made my day today when he told me, after breakfast/brunch, how much he appreciated the way I keep a home stocked. I took the opportunity to reiterate that no matter what the age, all of us should have food items on hand. Be ready to sustain ourselves, for at least 3 months.
At this writing I haven’t been to the store in about a week. I’m staying at home and doing projects as indicated, in the first paragraph. I’ve been thinking about my readers all week long. Wondering what would hold the most appeal for the cooks. My thoughts were as follows: ‘Hm, some have been cooking 14-21 meals this week, and they don’t want to spend all their time, in the kitchen.’ I too am wanting something fast so I’m not looking at 3-4 hours, on meal time. Some days when I’ve been able to work outside, I’ve wished I had started the evening meal earlier in the day.
So, I went to cookbook #1, and looked at the Italian Bake. Play around with this recipe adding ingredients and substituting items that may be vacant from your local stores. Because the meat is encased you can even wait until late to mid-afternoon to start the dish in the crockpot or oven. Make a full recipe for a 2nd meal later in the week. Prepare spaghetti or linguini to accompany making this is a full meal within itself.
As I pen my column I want to encourage everyone to stay connected by phone, texts, email or face timing. Call and check on older friends, see if they need anything delivered, to their front door. Seriously, this is a huge thing that we need to be doing for those in their mature years. In Lewis County, where my parents reside, they have to drive at least 20 minutes to acquire groceries. They gloved and masked up this week to get a few groceries, much to my demise. Here in Branson West I can place a grocery order and pick it up without stepping inside the store. This is good, even though I do enjoy shopping.
Enjoy this easy/quick recipe, I’ll wrap up today with a quote by Desmond Tutu: “Hope is being able to see that there is light despite all the darkness.”
Simply Yours, The Covered Dish. www.thecovereddish.com
Italian Sausage Bake
1-2 peppers, quartered into chunks
1 small zucchini, sliced and halved
1 medium-large onion, cut into chunks
Mushrooms, if desired
2 teaspoons, chopped garlic
1 can/jar regular spaghetti sauce
1 can/jar mild salsa
12 Italian sausages, do not cut, leave whole
Place everything in a large stockpot with a lid and bake at 350 degrees for 2 hours. With everything in the sauce there is no need to add salt or pepper to the recipe. Toss up a great salad and add French bread, it doesn’t get much simpler. I like to open the lid and stir after the first hour. Remember, you can also put this in the crockpot. Serves 6-8 persons.
