Use those leftovers for pasta

Ok, now that you've tried the pesto pizza, you may have some pesto and feta cheese left over. Why not use it up later in the week with some easy pasta? I personally love pasta, not only for the taste, but because you can do so many different things with it.

If you want to add some fiber, get a whole wheat or whole grain pasta. I actually don't really like the texture of most of those kinds of pasta, but I've found the Ronzoni brand has very close to the same consistency as regular pasta. I usually cook pasta in less time than the package directions, which I think is often too mushy. Better to cook pasta al dente, or "to the tooth"- tender but firm.

Pesto Pasta

1/2 c. pasta of your choice, cooked al dente
1/4 c. diced yellow onion, if desired
About 1/4 c. pesto
1-2 large tomatoes, diced or 1 can diced tomatoes, drained
Feta cheese

Saute onion in a small amount of olive oil until soft. Add pesto and tomatoes and heat through. Add to cooked, drained pasta. Serve pasta and top with cheese.

Pesto pizza

This is one of my current favorites. I was visiting Chicago with a friend and her mother-in-law and we came up with this simple pizza. We had some fruit and deli salads with it and it made a wonderful meal. You can certainly make your own pizza crust; however, using store-bought is much quicker and easier. I haven't been too crazy for store-bought until I found some at Whole Foods Market. If you have one close, they're good and they're relatively inexpensive.

Pesto Pizza

1 pizza crust
A few tablespoons of prepared pesto, to your taste
About a cup of shredded mozzarella
About 2 oz. of feta cheese

Preheat the oven according to the pizza crust instructions. Spread on the pesto, sprinke with mozzarella and then feta cheese. Follow the crust instructions for baking. The cheese will be melted and the crust should be at least a bit golden. It works best on a pizza pan with holes in it or a metal rack so it crisps up.

Welcome!

I was watching an old episode of "Baking with Julia" and her guest happened to be Martha Stewart. She was demonstrating how to make a beautiful wedding cake that was "very easy to do!" Of course, it takes at least two days to make and includes several layers, gobs of marzipan made to look like fruit, decorating with a piping tube ... While perhaps Martha is an extreme case, especially in her younger days, it seems to be that all of the cooking shows, cookbooks, guests on TV shows, etc. set such a high standard for cooking that most people just aren't going to strive for.

And why should we? I'm personally sick of the 'perfection expectation'. Cooking should be enjoyable, not anxiety-producing, or so complicated that there's no motivation to even get started. Many people could and should save a lot of money by cooking more often, and it doesn't have to be such a big deal. It doesn't need to be pretty. It's ok to be messy; to cut stuff unevenly; to not be picture-perfect.

So my goal is to share some easy recipes, especially for those times you really don't feel like cooking, and maybe a few that take more time but are worth it. I'll add some good tips on how to be efficient in the kitchen so that you save time as well as money.

Anyone can cook. It's really just following directions, and the more you cook, the more you'll feel confident to be a bit creative and get a feel for it.

Most importantly, have fun! But let's stick with reality. :-)