Spaghetti and Meatball Soup

This soup was easy and comforting, and the best part is you can make it out of the fixings of spaghetti and meatballs once you've gotten sick of them and somehow end up with something new and different. This recipe makes 1 giant bowl of soup or 2 smaller ones. I ate 2 smaller ones, in quick succession.

Spaghetti and Meatballs

On top of spaghetti all covered with cheese, I lost my poor meatball when somebody sneezed....*cue brokenhearted tears*. It was so sad!! Waaa!!!!  Okay, so technically that never happened. But the meatballs were just SO GOOD that it would have been a real tragedy. This would make a great weeknight dinner because it's easy to put together and doesn't take much time at all. This recipe serves one.

Chunky Tomato Sauce

This tomato sauce was simple and tasty and easy to make. It also has the potential for great versatility. Go ahead: make it instead of buying sauce in a jar. This recipe makes about 4 cups of sauce.

Winter-Spiced Beef with Tomatoes in Rice

I have to say, I've been loving my allspice jar lately. The smell is just so lovely at this time of year, I kind of want to dump it on everything. So I dumped it on some beef. The flavor profile would probably be better in a nice beef stew, but it was still tasty and definitely interesting. I made the rice to go with it mostly because I had a sad looking tomato on the counter that obviously needed a home. This serves 1.

Chicken, Rice and Tomato Mini-Casserole

I made this casserole essentially because I had nothing else in the house but wanted something simple, easy, and warm. I also happened to have these nifty 1-cup casserole dishes I bought with a Christmas-gifted gift certificate to Archambault. This recipe makes 2 casseroles: one for now and one for another day. If you cook it after keeping it in the fridge, add about another 10 minutes to the lid-on cooking time.

Spicy Beef and Bean Chili

If you're looking for a chili so spicy that it curls your hair, this isn't what you're looking for: this has a little heat, but not enough to really fix up your sinuses. It's delicious, simple and hearty. It was also my first time ever using a chili pepper, so I wanted to start small. I tend to make my chili a bit on the liquidy-er side, so if you want yours thicker, try draining the second can of tomatoes before adding it. You can keep the tomato liquid for making soup. Also, sorry for the poor-quality pictures: the chili was steaming up my camera lens, so it was hard to photograph. This recipe makes 6 servings; remember that chili freezes well.

Spicy Tomato Soup with Sausage and Beans

This soup was really easy to make and really good, not to mention spicy. It'll make you breathe right, that's for sure! The sausage had a nice smoky flavor, and the soup was filling without being too heavy. This recipe makes two generous servings.

Chicken and Vegetable Saute with Parmesan Rice

This recipe turned out really well, and I was also really excited about getting to use my new plate. Technically it's a small serving platter, but who wants to quibble about semantics? The point is the chicken and vegetables were simple but delicious, and the rice was creamy with just the right amount of cheese.

Penne with Fresh Tomato, Basil and Garlic

This was so good, perfect for summer since you don't have to stand over a hot stove cooking lots of stuff. The cheese got nice and warm, the tomatoes were tender and the pasta was just so nice in the middle of it all. I urge anyone who actually reads this to make this recipe!

Steamed Flounder with Tomatoes and Peppers

This was actually really good! White fish tends to scare me a bit, but this was delicate and simple and delicious. I'd intended to have leftovers the next day, but that didn't really work out as I ate the whole thing. Ooops. I used a fillet of flounder, but this would work with any white, mild-flavored fish, like tilapia.

Noodles with Hearty Tomato Sauce

Pasta with sauce is kind of my weakness. Well, one of them anyway. This one turned out pretty darn good, although next time I'm going to add more salt and pepper. It's a sauce almost from scratch, so you can feel good about it!

Smoked Salmon and Tomato Salad

This is a perfect light summer salad, and really great on those days when it's just too freaking hot to cook. It's bright and fresh and really just yummy! Who says smoked salmon is just for bagels and cream cheese?

Creamy Tomato Soup

I have to admit, I was pretty disappointed with this soup. I found it, well, bland. Too bland. Bland is not really my favorite flavor when it comes to soups. Anyway, this was probably due to the fact that I couldn't find all the ingredients necessary for this soup, and maybe a bit due to the fact I substituted skim milk for half-and-half. Anyway, the recipe I'm listing is the one from the book after I mutilated it into blandness. This soup is for two servings.

BLT Tortilla Panini

This sandwich is a little messy to eat, especially as you get further along in it, but it is so worth it! The crust comes out delicate and crisp and holds its shape well. All in all, it's a delicious addition to anyone's arsenal of tomato sandwiches!