Weeks end

We have a dear neighbor who is 91 years old and still plays competitive tennis. She is amazing, and the best part is that she has a great sense of humor.

We invited her over to dinner last night. She lives alone and quite frankly, she is great fun to have around. I made a simple dinner of penne pasta with tomato sauce with ground turkey and mushrooms.

The recipe couldn't be easier. In a pan, add a little olive oil. When it shimmers, add 1 package of ground turkey and 2 cubes of frozen garlic, a pinch of salt and pepper, and a few shakes of Italian Seasoning. Cook for 5-6 minutes or until the turkey is cooked through.

Heat a large pot of water and a healthy pinch of salt. While the water boils add a package of rinsed sliced mushrooms to the ground turkey. Saute for 3-4 minutes. Turn the heat down to medium low and add in a jar of tomato sauce, I like Rao's Marinara, it taste about as close to homemade as I've ever had. Turn the heat down to low and cover.

When the water boils in the pot, add in a box of pasta and cook for 8-10 minutes.

While the pasta cooked, I made a green salad with romaine, hearts of palm, dried cranberries, cucumber, shredded carrots, sunflower seeds, garbanzo beans, and 1 crumbled hard boiled egg.

I made a dressing with 1/4 C. red wine vinegar, a pinch of salt, pepper and sugar and 3/4 C. olive oil. Shake it all together in a jar and serve with the salad. It makes enough for at least a few salads.

We had a great evening of memories from when my friend was young and the girls got to hear about her childhood memories. She is a special woman.

Tonight was grilled boneless skinless chicken thighs and some bakes french fries (McCaines makes ones called 5 Minute Fries that are decent and not outrageouly high in sodium or fat). I've know I've written the recipe for the chicken thighs before; basically it's olive oil, lemon juice, Greek seasoning, salt and pepper. Grill on both sides and finish in a 450 degree oven covered in aluminum foil for 10 more minutes.

We ate outside and listened to the thunder storms roll in.

I've bought pork spareribs to grill tomorrow night, but we have a b-u-s-y day tomorrow and I'm not certain I will want to cook. Maybe we'll save them for Sunday.