The Ranch Kitchen's Dinner for Two & Shrimp Parmesan

As our girls grow older and they are off to their own lives or activities, sometimes it's just my husband and I.  We realize that all too soon, it will just be us and 'dinner for two' will have a whole new meaning.  It's hard when you are used to cooking for a crowd or just for a family of five to begin to convert that cooking in to smaller batches. 

 

 
Last night while our youngest was at church, I quickly created this easy Shrimp Parmesan that we really enjoyed.  I used precooked shrimp that I thawed quickly in the sink in a colander and along with some squash cooked in 1/4 cup Zesty Italian Salad Dressing and water from last year's garden  we had a impressive looking dinner that didn't cause me to spend too much time in the kitchen.  On weeknights and especially when I get to spend some quality adult time with my husband, I would rather not be over a hot stove.

 

 

So whether you're cooking for one, two or even three because last minute Audrey just had to have some when she got in from church . . . this meal is a snap to throw together!  It's also easy enough for the newest cook to make to impress that boyfriend or husband! Hint, hint!

And remember, who said cooking had to be hard?

Alise - The Ranch Kitchen!

Zesty Italian Vegetables

My resolution for the new year is to organize my recipe pictures from the last seven years!  This is a huge task that I started this weekend on our 7 hour drive taking our middle daughter Bethany to graduate school at Texas Tech University.

If you know me, I love to take pictures and with the thousands I've taken my recipe one are scatted throughout them all. Ughhhh....  It's what you might call a 'gaudy goal' that may not be attainable...but I put a good stab at it this weekend and am feeling accomplished.

The Zesty Italian Vegetables is a recipe I forgot that there was a picture of.  It shows you the vegetables before they were cooked in the picture below, but you get the idea. 

This recipe is the only way my husband will eat green beans now and being creative I placed in some yellow squash along with the potatoes.   More times than I can count we've cooked our green beans this way with Zesty Italian Dressing.

If you want an entire meal from this dish, just add uncooked chicken thighs or breast or even pork chops in the center and cook.  It's a 'Ranchman Approved' recipe at our house and so simply that several of my daughter's friends cook saying it's the first dish of The Ranch Kitchen site they ever made.  That makes me the most proud when new cooks use my recipes. 

Click here for the recipe for Zesty Italian Vegetables

Stay warm, safe and enjoy this cold wintery weather.  Now I have to decide what to cook for dinner and this may just be the ticket!

Enjoy! 

Alise - The Ranch Kitchen

Black-eyed Pea Salsa

In the south we are all about our black-eyed peas.  Anytime of the year is a good time to eat them cooked fresh, from out of the freezer, or out of the can.  Above is a recipe I threw together trying to mimic a good friends 'Black-eyed Pea Salsa'.  If you read my blog often, you know I am all about easy cooking recipes.  I work a full time job and run girls around the country...so what I fix usually takes minimal time and ingredients.  Hope you enjoy my rendition.

Black-eyed Pea Salsa

2 cans black-eyed peas with jalapenos, drained
1 bell pepper, chopped fine
1 sweet onion, chopped fine
1 16 ounce bottle of Kraft Zesty Italian Dressing
1 4 ounce jar of pimentos, drained
2 tablespoons granulated sugar or 2 packets of Splenda
Salt and pepper to taste

Drain black-eyed peas.  Add bell pepper, sweet onion (I love the 1015's onions), and pimentos.  Add bottle of Zesty Italian Dressing.  Stir well.  Add 2 tablespoons of sugar (less if you are watching your sugar and you can substitute Splenda).  Add salt and pepper to taste.  Place in a gallon size Ziploc bag a chill in the refrigerator for 2 to 23 hours.  Serve as a side with dinner or with tortilla chips.  This is always a favorite at New Year's eve or anytime.  This salsa gets better the longer it marinates in the refrigerator.