Sheet pan Pork and Vegetable dinner

Most Sundays it’s pasta at our house. Today I just didn’t feel like making pasta and I had a nice pork loin that I was contemplating what to do with it so I decided to cut it in small pieces and load it with olive oil, salt, pepper, and garlic and refrigerate until I was going to use.

Now on to my simple recipe.

Approximately two carrots in medium size pieces as well as a medium a size red onion, one sweet potato cut in cubes  about half a cup of small mini potatoes and cubed red beets.

I had roma tomato that I removed the pulp from

And tossed it in as well.  Seasoned all generously and baked 425° for approximately 30 minutes.  Every ten minutes I opened the stove door and with a silicone spatula I moved all of the pork and vegetables to evenly cook.

Prep time about 15 minutes.  30 minutes approximately in oven.

Side salad works well.

Some positive thoughts and a recipe too!!

Here it is September 2026 and the year is going by way too fast.  My year has been a very challenging one and I always try to think positive for the right reasons.  I've met many major goals for which I am grateful for as well as so rewarding.  A few family health obstacles along the way but hubby and I are dealing with them.

  Getting older and now I can call myself old because I have thankfully reached the age of 80. It wa one of my goals.  I have had many health challenges along the way and through the grace of God and good doctors I am blessed to be able to say Life is good.   

The below post is from the archives and since today I'm reflecting on days gone by I thought I'd reshare it.  Enjoy!  Stay healthy, 

safe and most of all work on being in a positive mind.  Hope and faith go a long way so never never give up being positive and sharing your positivity with all those you have contact with.

Always, M. J

From the archives of my blog.

2018 is quickly approaching and although I am still in the holiday cooking mode I wanted to share some positive thoughts and a few helpful hints to help you in your the new year.

First being a great recipe for healthy vegetable soup. Check out the highlighted area below for the link to the recipe.

Vegetable Soup

12/31/15

Next if you decide you would like a sandwich or salad for lunch watch the amount of dressing or condiment.

 A nice light lunch sandwich is one that you would use:

2 slices of reduced calorie bread or even a pita pocket would do
3 oz. of light tuna (packed in water for sure and drained)
2 tablespoons light mayo or miracle whip which I like
1 tsp. pickle relish(optional)
lettuce and tomato
1 small banana or apple


In order to plan a healthy menu you must start off in the right direction and I believe getting your kitchen organized should be the first thing you do. Clear your counter and make sure to leave yourself some easy accessible space to prep your veggies, meats and poultry.  Even if you have limited counter space allow yourself some workable space with a nice cutting/ chopping board.  Preparing food will be much easier if you leave that space open.

Try to buy farm fresh vegetables when you can do so.  An Option is frozen which I use quite a bit in the winter.

Go through your cabinets and make sure you have quick access to spices.  Items you use frequently place close to the end of your shelf.. I find a nice 3 layer shelf works well in my cabinet and I can keep plenty of spices on it.

Get rid of those spices you never use or are outdated.  Fresh is best.  You do not need to  replenish all at once.  Spices are expensive, so use caution..

Organize your cabinet drawers and get rid of those items you don't use and use utensil trays to organize everything.

Place spatulas, tongs, slotted spoons and stirring spoons in a pretty crock on your counter to easy access and make sure to keep measuring cups and spoons close to the area you are working, preferably in a cabinet drawer.

Try not to store cookbooks on the counter.  They take way too much room and allow for clutter.  Find a pretty basket or bookshelf to keep them handy. 

 A few things I do:

I make photo copies of my favorite recipes and keep them in a binder for easy access.

 Buy plastic binder sheets to keep them free from food spills. I work directly from my binder and find it is the best way to follow a specific recipe and not have to work with paper that easily gets food splashed on it or ripped.

You can also bookmark my blog iliketobakeandcook.blogspot. com.  Doing so make all my recipes at your fingertips. 

Hopefully I will inspire, motivate and help you organize your kitchen to make baking and cooking easier.

Happy New Year from my kitchen to yours!! 

12/30/11

1/4/19

reposted with a note . 9/27/26

Baked chicken Rollatini

1. 
   

   This was a very delicious meal that I adapted to my liking.

   I found the chicken was easy to roll as easy I had hoped. I did use toothpicks to secure while baking.  Remember to remove them before serving.

   I seasoned my own breadcrumbs with dried parsley, onion powder and Pecorino Romano cheese.

   I also substituted shredded Virginia baked ham for the prosciutto. I did not use wine.  With my substitutions the meal was delicious. Baked potatoes and applesauce as our sides.

   
   

   Topping the rollatini with butter was superb.  It made this dish so flavorful. I highly recommend doing this.

   

 

 

• 6 chicken cutlets

• 1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste

• 3/4 teaspoon ground black pepper, plus more to taste

• 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil

• 1 cup Italian seasoned breadcrumbs (or combination of breadcrumbs and panko)

• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese( I used pecorino Romano)

• 6 slices provolone cheese

• 6 slices ham or prosciutto( I used Virginia ham)

• 3 tablespoons softened butter

• 1 cup chicken broth

• 1/2 cup white wine( I didn’t use any wine)

Ingredients

Keep Screen Awake

1/2X

1X

2X

Original recipe (1X) yields 6 servings

• 6 chicken cutlets

• 1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste

• 3/4 teaspoon ground black pepper, plus more to taste

• 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil

• 1 cup Italian seasoned breadcrumbs (or combination of breadcrumbs and panko)

• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

• 6 slices provolone cheese

• 6 slices ham or prosciutto

• 3 tablespoons softened butter

• 1 cup chicken broth

• 1/2 cup white wine

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Lightly grease a 9x13-inch casserole dish. Pound chicken between 2 pieces of plastic to an even thickness of 1/4 inch. Season cutlets on one side evenly with salt and pepper.

1. Pour oil into a shallow dish.

    Stir breadcrumbs seasoning and Parmesan cheese together in a separate shallow dish. 

2. Dip each cutlet in olive oil to coat both sides and allow any excess to drip off. Coat cutlet in breadcrumb mixture, pressing lightly to adhere crumbs if necessary.

3. Place one slice of provolone cheese on each cutlet and top with a slice of ham. Roll cutlets tightly and secure with a toothpick.  Place cutlets in the prepared pan. Sprinkle each cutlet with 2 to 3 teaspoons of leftover breadcrumb mixture and top with a half tablespoon butter over the toothpick. Pour broth and wine around the cutlets.

4. Bake  in the preheated oven until crisp and golden brown and saucy is bubbling around the edges, 35 to 40 minutes. Remove toothpicks and serve chicken with pan sauce.

From

My kitchen to yours, 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Stove top Macaroni and cheese

A very easy to make recipe for Homemade Macaroni and cheese using little ingredients and not very time consuming.

Enjoy!

Let the above set covered about 1/2 hour. It will thicken to be slightly creamy.

It’s ready to serve!

8 oz. Dry  farfalle cooked a’dente or pasta of choice ( do not overcook)

Pinch salt

3 1/2  cups whole milk

1/2 lb. American cheese

1/4 lb. Shredded mild cheddar cheese

Stewed tomatoes if desired.

Cook pasta in lightly salted water.  Drain and

Set aside . In same pot add 2 tablespoons butter . When butter melts add  3 + cups whole milk. Cook over medium heat slowly stirring.  Once milk is heated add both cheese have melted.  Keep stirring until cheese blends into milk. Add cooked pasta and cook slowly on low heat for a few minutes. Take off heat and cover. It will thicken within a half hour.

Serve with a salad or you can top with stewed tomatoes as I did.  Enjoy!

 

 

Peeled and simmered tomato sauce

Potato Tomato…I love both and making a light tomato sauce is as easy as saying those two words.

Roma tomatoes or any tomatoes you want to use.  Today I had a container of sweet salad tomatoes I need to use.

Bring a pot of water to a boil place tomatoes in boiling water, remove from heat and watch the skin start to lift.

Drain, remove skin and cool and remove skin.  It’s easy!  Especially with Roma tomatoes.

In a pot place about 1/4 + cup olive oil and 2 minced or sliced garlic. You can add more.  Simmer very slowly.

While garlic is simmering place a fine colander over a bowl.  With a potato masher keep mashing skinned tomatoes continuously until all is left are seeds.  I do have a specific gadget which is the best way to save time.( Food Mill). Amazon has them or any kitchen store.

NOTE: if you have a FOOD mill it definitely is much quicker.

Simmer sauce about 1/2 hour adding salt and pepper to your liking.  A few fresh basil leaves about 5 minutes before serving.  Toss with angel hair.  I think it’s the best pasta for this sauce. ( save some pasta water) . You may need it for a creamier pasta when tossed. Enjoy!  Pecorino please for extra flavor! 

Today I made chicken cutlets as our protein addition.

 

 

 

Fall 2026

I really downsized my fall decor last year.  It was time.

I have had little storage for 20 years and kept way too much now and after having several homes in my married years it was really time to get a grip on what I needed to keep and what was needed to be pitched also donating a lot.

I like to repurpose items so I remake many of my centerpieces.  That’s all good but bags and bags of leaves, berries, vines and flowers and yes pumpkins must go.

Here is what I kept and once Fall goes I can replace my items with my winter, then spring and summer items. I have room now and wont feel as overwhelmed by too much stuff!!!

Does anyone remember these?

I’ve had these glass grapes forever.  Love them and lots of memories so I won’t donate.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

L

Mama Mia Maria Biscotti with adjustments

I’m trying another Biscotti recipe with no shortening in this recipe.

Note: these biscotti were very difficult to work without a bit of a challenge.  The first recipe I tried was extremely soft and there wasn't anyway I could roll them without having to add flour.

Recently I tried the recipe once again with adjustments.

I used 2 1/2 cups of all purpose flour which made the dough more workable and as always I use large tablespoons in a row to place on my sprayed with baking spray on aluminum foil.  Much easier thicker dough and removes easily from cookie sheet to cool.

Below I'll show you how I do this recipe to make the dough and process so much easier. Make sure to seal edges and top.  You'll find you can do this method with all biscotti recipes.  So much easier for sure.  Enjoy!

****Adapted to my liking.

2 1/2 cups flour , 1 1/4 baking powder and I used either anise, orange or vanilla butternut extract.  I also added mini semi chocolate chips to this recipe.  Baking time was the same.

If you are cutting fat from your diet this may be a nice alternative. Also you can cut back on the sugar as well.  1/2 cup is fine.  A hint of sweetness with a favorable exact can easily compliment  your morning cup of coffee or tea.  Enjoy!

The thoughts are if you are cutting back of fat in a biscotti recipe you may like this recipe.

The biscotti were a little chewer than mine and the consistency was different . The flavor was anise extract so you may like it or substitute orange extract and rind of the orange or maybe butternut extract. It’s easy and quick to make but time didn’t matter for me because my recipe is easy too but is way more favorable because it has butter which changes the game for me.  All my recipes for Biscotti, my aunts, mine and my variations have butter in them so try hers you may like them. I'll stick to the family favorites which include butter in the ingredients.  .

I’m interested in what your opinion is of these biscotti. Try and rate them. IMO Mine are a 10. Id rate these a 6 .

 

Crockpot loaded chicken

So our weekend has come and gone and yes here is the question once again.  What's for dinner tonight?

Yay a new recipe I'll be giving a try today.  

Here is the beginning of the recipe. I’ve made a few changes as noted with***

• 1/2 cup chicken broth

• 3 1/2 tablespoon ranch dressing mix***i used liquid ranch dressing.

• 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts

• 1 1/2 pounds yellow baby new potatoes( ***tiny potatoes) 

• 2 tablespoons olive oil

• 1 teaspoon kosher salt

• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

• 6 ounces cream cheese, cubed at room temperature

• 1/4 cup ranch dressing

• 2 cups shredded sharp Cheddar*** ( I used grated white sharp cheddarcheese),divided, plus more for garnish

• cooked and crumbled bacon to taste( I did not garnish) only orange mild cheddar a pinch to the top of dish.  I’m sure the bacon would really be tasty.

• thinly sliced scallions for garnish

  
  

  Stir together chicken broth and ranch dressing mix in the bottom of a 5-quart slow cooker until combined. Add chicken breasts in an even layer over broth mixture, followed by an even layer of potatoes. Drizzle with oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.

  
  

  
  

Cover and cook until chicken is cooked through and potatoes are fork tender, about 2 hours and 45 minutes on HIGH or about 3 hours and 45 minutes on LOW.

Remove chicken breasts from the slow cooker and place them on a cutting board. Let them cool slightly for 5 minutes. Coarsely shred the chicken using 2 forks.

Add cream cheese, ranch dressing, and 1 1/2 cups of the shredded cheese to slow cooker. Cover and cook on HIGH until cheeses begin to melt and potatoes are fully tender, about 10 minutes. Uncover and stir cheese mixture until just about fully combined.

Serve in bowls and top with shredded cheese   Chopped scallions and bacon bits.

Enjoy!

Allrecipes.com