Cooking? What's That?

So as you can see, I've been a bit slow with the posting lately. In fact, I haven't cooked anything new in the past three weeks. I just haven't had the time or energy. Kevin and I have made Taco Soup twice, Taco Salad a couple times, and I'm embarrassed to say that I've consumed far too many Three Cheese & Chicken Quesadilla Lean Pockets than I care to admit. I've replaced cooking with working out at the gym at least 4 times a week. There just doesn't seem to be room for both, at least not at the moment. I'm hoping to get back on the bandwagon soon and start whipping out a few new quick and healthy weeknight dinners. I need to find a few more standards to add to the list that I know I can turn to when I'm swamped and only have 30 minutes to make a meal before I crash on the sofa in a comatose state.

So I want to hear from you. When life is rushing by you at full throttle, what quick and easy dinner recipes do you turn to? As I've already mentioned, Taco Soup is a big hit in our house. (The leftovers are also great for lunch.) We also make lots of pasta with plain old pasta sauce. And I've been making chicken stir-fry using chicken that has been marinated in Yoshida's Gourmet Sauce and a package of frozen veggies. I just dump it all in a frying pan and cook it until it's done, adding more sauce as needed. Served over rice, it's a great one-dish meal. In fact, that's what we're having for dinner tonight. So how about you? What are your week night standards?

Lemon Spaghetti

1 pound spaghetti
2/3 cup olive oil
2/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice (about three lemons)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon lemon zest
1/3 cup chopped fresh basil leaves

Cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 8 minutes. Meanwhile, whisk the oil, Parmesan, and lemon juice in a large bowl to blend.

Drain the pasta, reserving 1 cup of the cooking liquid. Toss the pasta with the lemon sauce, and the reserved cooking liquid, adding 1/4 cup at a time as needed to moisten. Season with salt and pepper. Garnish with lemon zest and chopped basil.

Makes 6 servings.

Notes: I'd heard so many great reviews of this recipe, I had to try it for myself. I forgot to reserve a cup of the cooking liquid, so although the pasta was still moist enough, it was way too overpowering for me. Maybe the cooking liquid would have cut the bite. I also used a bit more than 1/2 a cup of lemon juice, so maybe that made a difference in the outcome. Kevin didn't seem to mind the tart flavor as much as I did, and he even went back for a second serving. I think we'll try it again, but use a bit less lemon juice, and remember to add some cooking liquid. The best part about the recipe...it took less than 20 minutes start to finish to make it!

Recipe from Giada De Laurentiis of the Food Network

Cheeseburger Macaroni

1 cup mostaccioli or elbow macaroni, uncooked (I used almost two cups of penne instead.)
1 pound ground beef (I used ground turkey breast.)
1 medium onion, chopped
1 can (14 oz) diced tomatoes with basil, garlic and oregano
1/4 cup tomato ketchup
1 cup (4 oz) shredded cheddar cheese
(I also added more dried oregano and basil to the sauce.)

Cook pasta according to package directions, drain.

Brown meat with onion in large skillet; drain. Season with salt and pepper, if desired. Stir in undrained tomatoes, ketchup and pasta; heat through.

Top with cheese. Garnish if desired.

Makes 4 servings.

Notes: This recipe is from The Cookbook Junkie, who I know I can always turn to when I need a great quick and easy meal idea. This one was no exception. Kevin and I made this on Friday night when we both didn't feel like cooking, and it was very good. When we aren't in the mood to cook we usually make pasta with a jar of spaghetti sauce, sometimes with ground turkey mixed it. Very boring. This recipe is just as easy, but definitely more interesting. Because I used the super lean ground turkey breast, the meat didn't have a whole lot of flavor. Next time I'll try adding more seasoning while I'm cooking the meat instead of adding it to the sauce at the end. Obviously this recipe can be tweaked to suit your own taste. When buying the tomatoes, I saw that they also had varieties with jalapenos or garlic. Lots of room for variation. Kevin liked it so much that we're making it again this week, and he bought a second set of ingredients to make it again in the near future. Apparently that makes this a winner.