Pasta with tuna alla puttanesca

Ingredients

250g pasta

1 tablespoon olive oil

Two cans tuna packed in olive oil

4 garlic cloves, chopped

1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

3 tablespoons capers

1/2 cup of kalamata olives, pitted and chopped

One can diced Italian tomatoes

Preparation

 In a skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat.  Add the tuna, flaking it with a wooden spoon.  Add the garlic and pepper flakes cook for 4 minutes.  Add the capers and olives cook for about 1 minute.  Add diced tomatoes lower heat to a medium low and cook for 5-10 minutes. Season lightly with salt.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Salt the water, add the pasta and cook until al dente.

Can you freeze that?

When my family and I moved into our home about 2 years ago, we bought a brand new upright freezer thinking we would have so much to freeze.  Truth be  told, it's been practically empty until I've researched things I can freeze that make it easy  to unfreeze and cook up a meal.  Here is a mini list I've made up of food items that I believe freeze and unfreeze well:

Diced Vegetables:  

Just wash, dry, dice and quickly bag them up.  Flatten the freezer bags to make space in your freezer.  When you flatten the freezer bags it makes it easier for foods  to unfreeze.

Soups and Broth:  

Cool leftover soup completely and transfer to freezer friendly food containers OR mason jars.  When your freezing liquids like broth, be sure to leave room for expansion (about 1 cup should do).  The night before you are ready to eat soup, you can thaw the soup or broth in the fridge, reheat and serve.

Pesto:  

Make or buy pesto sauce.  Put the sauce into freezer friendly containers or mason jars and directly into the freezer. Now you can have pesto whenever the mood strikes!!

Homemade or Store Bought Pizza Dough:  

You can freeze pizza dough as it is, so stock up when they are on sale!!

Marinated Meat:   

Place meat in a freezer bag pour in the marinade and freeze.

Homemade Lasagna:  

when you are preparing lasagna, be sure to prepare more than one lasagna tray.  You can freeze lasagna in the dish it is in.  Bake directly from frozen.  **I don't cook then freeze my lasagna, I prepare and freeze uncooked**

Herbs:  

You can easily freeze just about any herb.  Many freeze herbs using ice cube trays and water (I don't).  I wash, let dry chop and freeze in freezer bags.

What do you freeze?

Bacon Wrapped Green Beans

Very easy side dish to prepare.  You can prep the green bean bundles ahead of time and roast them later just before serving.

Ingredients:

737g green beans, ends trimmed
4 slices of bacon - cut in half
pinch of salt
olive oil spray

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line and spray a baking sheet with olive oil.

Blanch the green beans for 3 minutes then strain and let them cool.

Once cooled, make 8 even bundles and wrap in one half slice of bacon.

Place the bundles seam side down on baking sheet, spray olive oil over the tops of the bundles and season with salt.  Bake for 14-16 minutes.

Mozzarella in Carrozza

Mozzarella in Carrozza refers to the classic grilled cheese, Italian style. 

Here is my version

Ingredients:

8 slices toast bread, crusts removed
1 mozzarella di buffalo
2-3 tbsp canola oil
3 large eggs
1 cup milk

Directions:

Combine the eggs and milk, whisk together.  In a medium sized frying pan add the 2-3 table spoons of canola oil.  While the oil is heating, place the mozzarella between the bread. Dip the sandwich into the egg and milk mixture make sure both sides of the bread are coated.  Place in frying pan and fry until bread is golden brown.