Good Dinner Mrs. Mellen

In the winter I like to make hearty, flavorful meals that are quick and easy; especially living in New England where we have harsh winters. When the snow starts to fall, drifting against my front door I go to my pantry looking for pasta. Instead of Lasagna noodles I used Rigatoni to make an easy Baked Rigatoni filled with mushrooms, cheeses and topped with a Bechamel sauce. This is a basic sauce white sauce that anyone can make. Don't let the french name fool you. Make a large salad arranging tomatoes, cucumbers, on endive lettuce. Top with feta cheese. Pour a light light balsamic vinaigrette over the salad. Serve with crisp fresh bread. And don't forget a glass of wine!  Ingredients 1 pound box DeCecco Rigatoni no.24 2 1/2 cups whole milk 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided 1/4 cup all-purpose flour 2 teaspoon sea salt 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 2 teaspoon ground nutmeg 8 ounces portobello mushrooms, sliced three leeks, thinly

TUSCAN CHICKEN WINGS I love my Phillips Air Fryer. Chicken wings made in the air fryer are crispy on outside while remaining moist inside. And the wings are healthily since they are not fried 2 pounds chicken drumettes  or party wings juice of 1/2 lemon, about 1/4 cup 2 tablespoon   olive oil 2 cloves of garlic, peeled and smashed 1 tablespoon dried oregano 2 springs fresh rosemary, stripped and roughly chopped 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper* 2 teaspoons sea   salt   In a large bowl, mix together the lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, oregano, rosemary, pepper and salt. Add chicken wings and toss to coat. Marinate in the refrigerator for an hour or over night. Drain and put chicken in basket of Phillips air fryer. Cook on 375 F for 20 minutes or until browned.   *If you want less spice use 1/2 teaspoon crushed red red pepper. Enjoy! gooddinnermrsmellen.com buzzchomp.com

SPICY ROASTED EDAMAME  At a local restaurant I ordered my first spicy edamame as an appetizer and I was hooked on spicy edamame. I use frozen edamame, season and roast. Easy, delicious, I think even better than the restaurant version!  1 (1-pound) bag frozen edamame, in the pod (green soy beans) 1 tablespoon olive oil 2 thinly sliced garlic cloves 2 teaspoons sea salt 1 teaspoon chili powder 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano Preheat oven to 375 F. Place edamame in large bowel. In a small bowel combine oil, sliced garlic, salt, chili powder, pepper flakes and dried oregano. Pour oil mixture over edamame.   Bake edamame in oven for 12 to 15 minutes until pods begin to brown. Stir once halfway through cooking. Serve warm. Enjoy! gooddinnermrsmellen.com buzzchomp.com

When I was a young girl I loved my mother's baked macaroni and cheese. My mother would fry the leftover mac and cheese in butter for my lunch the next, better in my opinion than the original dish. I sometimes abandon my normal lunch salad and indulge in fried mac and cheese with each bite taking me back to the having lunch on the snack bar in our kitchen so long ago especially cooked for me by my mother. Pure comfort food! Fried Mac and Cheese Heat 4 tablespoons butter in frying pan. Add chopped up leftover macaroni and cheese.  Fry until cheese starts to melt and macaroni is hot. Season with sea salt and pepper to taste. https://gooddinnermrsmellen.com/2015/10/09/three-cheese-baked-mac-and-cheese/ Enjoy! gooddinnermrsmellen.com buzzchomp

There are so many vegetarian chili recipes that make absolutely delicious healthy chili. I love to make my vegetarian chili with loads of beans and I add veggie crumbs for extra protein. My recipe is low in salt making it even extra healthy. If you use flavorful spices salt is not needed.  VEGETARIAN BEAN CHILI 1 tbsp. olive oil 1 each red and green bell pepper, coarsely chopped 1/2 cup chopped onion 2 cloves minced garlic 3 cans (14 1/2 oz. each) no salt added diced tomatoes 2 cans (15.5 oz.) black beans, drained and rinsed 2 can (15.5 oz.) garbanzos beans, drained and rinsed 1 box (32 oz.) unsalted vegetable stock 3 tbsp. tomato paste 2 tsp chili powder 1 teaspoon oregano leaves 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin 1 package (12 oz) Lightlife Smart Ground   Heat oil in a large saucepan on medium heat. Add bel peppers, onion and garlic; cook and stir 8 to 10 minutes or until tender. Stir in remaining ingredients. Bring to boil. Reduce he

I use Bruitoni pasta when I want the taste of fresh pasta but don't have time to go to a speciality store or make the pasta at home. And I love this easy cream cheese pasta sauce for a quick weekend, taste delicious dinner. Don't you just love the bright green asparagus? Lemon and asparagus the perfect springtime combination to add to pasta, so flavorful! Ingredients 9 oz. Bruitoni Fettuccini 1/2 cup cream cheese 2 Tbs. olive oil 1 lemon, juiced and 1 Tbs. zest grated 1/2 cup fresh parmesan cheese 1/2 - 3/4 cup steamed asparagus, lightly steamed Preparation 1. Cook linguine according to package directions in pot of boiling salted water. 2. Warm cream cheese, oil, and 2 Tbs. lemon juice in saucepan over low heat. 3. Drain pasta, reserving 1/2 cup cooking water. Stir reserved cooking water into cream cheese mixture. Add pasta, lemon zest, and parmesan cheese; toss to coat. Add asparagus and lightly toss again. Season with salt and pepper

Scallops are so easy and delicious to make; taking very little time to cook for a fantastic quick dinner. I used a grille pan to sear my scallops; my personal favorite is Le Creuset.  I soaked the scallops in lemon juice and garlic for a hint of a lemony garlic flavor.  1 to 1 1/4 pounds dry sea scallops, approximately 16 juice of one lemon   2 cloves of garlic, minced 2 teaspoons unsalted butter 2 teaspoons olive oil Kosher salt Freshly ground black pepper Rinse scallops with cold water and thoroughly pat dry. Place in bowl and pour lemon juice over scallops. Add garlic.Let set for minutes then drain discarding the lemon juice and garlic.   Add the butter and oil to a 12 to 14-inch saute pan or ridged grill pan on high heat. Salt and pepper the scallops. Once the fat begins to smoke, gently add the scallops, making sure they are not touching each other. Sear the scallops for 2 minutes on each side. The scallops should have a 1/4-inch golden c

Making Guacamole is so easy resulting in a fresh delicious homemade rather than a packaged version. I keep the ingredients on hand so when friends drop by I can serve Guacamole.  3 Haas avocados, halved, seeded and peeled 1 lime, juiced 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin 1/2 teaspoon cayenne 1/2 medium onion, diced 1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced 2 Roma tomatoes, seeded and diced 1 tablespoon chopped cilantro 2 clove garlic, minced In a large bowl place the scooped avocado pulp and lime juice, toss to coat. Drain, and reserve the lime juice, after all of the avocados have been coated. Using a potato masher add the salt, cumin, and cayenne and mash. Then, fold in the onions, tomatoes, cilantro, and garlic. Add 1 tablespoon of the reserved lime juice. Let sit at room temperature for 1 hour and then serve.  Enjoy! gooddinnermrsmellen.com buzzchomp.com