baked ziti

• 3+ cups of meat sauce
• 1lb ziti noodles
• 1 large container of part skim ricotta cheese
• 1 lb part skim mozzarella cheese, cubed
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Cook ziti in slightly salted water until just done, drain and rinse with cold water. Combine all ingredients in large casserole dish, adjusting the amount of sauce until desired consistency is reached. Baked covered in the oven for 40 minutes (or until done) at 350 degrees.

The dish: Baked ziti is the classic dish to bring to a potluck dinner or to share with friends. This batch was sectioned into individual portions and frozen (using our cool vacuum sealer), then given to my sister-in-law who has had a tough week; her father passed away after a long period of illness. As if that wasn't enough to deal with she's also helping her recently widowed mother and tending to my brother who has a leg that is broken in two places. Oh yeah, and she works for an accountant and it's the final stretch of tax season. She's been artfully dealing with her overflowing plate with an amazing amount of poise and my brother has been more involved and mobile than someone who has a recently implanted titanium rod probably should be. If any two people need a rest and some comfort it's them, and there is probably no greater comfort food than baked ziti. Our thoughts, prayers and baked pasta dishes go out to both of you.

meat sauce

• 1/2 pound of ground beef
• 1/2 pound of ground sausage
• 4 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 2 cans of crushed tomatoes
• 2 cans of diced tomatoes
• 2 cans of tomato paste
• fresh (or dried) oregano, chopped fine
• fresh basil

In large skillet brown meats until done, drain. In large sauce pot over a medium flame, saute garlic and onion in a little olive oil for 3-5 minutes, or until just translucent. Add tomato paste and cook for an additional 3 minutes. Add remainder of tomatoes and browned meat and bring to a simmer. Reduce heat and cook for 2+ hours. Add oregano 1 hour before serving, add basil right as served.

The dish: The above recipe is the advanced version of this classic meat sauce. For total ease you can just throw all the ingredients in your crock pot and cook for 8 hours on low. I actually did a mix of the two- I cooked the sauce as described above and then transferred the mix to my crock pot to cook for a couple of hours. Unless if you're really pinched for time, I'd recommend always browning the meat and the garlic and onion as they have a distinct flavor when sauteed as opposed to slow cooking.

Grand Marnier salmon

• 4 fresh salmon fillets, bones and skin removed
• Grand Marnier
• orange juice

Marinate salmon in the Grand Marnier for 3-24 hours. Preheat a small amount of olive oil in a large skillet over a medium high flame. Add salmon, cook about 3 minute per side depending on thickness of fillet and desired doneness. Remove fish from the pan and add another generous splash of the liqueur (stand back, it's gonna sizzle) and a pour of the oj. Continuously whisk sauce over a high flame for 3-5 minutes. Turn heat off and continue to whisk for another 2 minutes or until slightly thickened. Pour a generous amount of sauce over fish and serve with wild rice made with 1/4 of the water substituted for oj.

The dish: Two recipes does not a kick make, but I'm loving salmon and you can expect to see more of it in the future. We much prefer salmon fillets to steaks, but I'm pretty sure you could use either. I keep a pair of tweezers that I use for nothing else than removing bones that they missed at the store. I'm down with keeping the skin on (I'll even rock out the salmon skin roll every now and again) but Kim is not really a fan so we go naked. For real ease, you can even use unseasoned frozen salmon for these recipes. This recipe is not only easy, but it only uses one pan and absolutely no salt. The prohibitionists can sleep easy because all the alcohol is cooked off.

guacamole

• 2 ripe avocados
• 1/4 of a lemon
• adobo
• fresh cilantro, chopped fine

Cut avocado in half lengthwise, taking care not to cut large pit in center. Remove pit and use spoon to remove green stuff (pulp?), then chop it finely. Place chopped green in bowl, add cilantro, juice of the lemon and a few shakes of adobo, stir until mixture is creamy with a few chunks. If you're not eating it immediately (moot point- who can pass up fresh guacamole?), store covered in the refrigerator with pit placed on top- this will help to keep it from browning.

The dish: There are few problems in life that are as pleasant to happen upon as finding a ripe avocado on your counter that needs to be used right away. We had some leftover cilantro in the fridge so the choice of what to do with our ripe friend was obvious. I'm a bit of a traditionalist when it comes to guacamole, only a few fresh ingredients are really necessary. I've enjoyed it made by other people with everything from tomatoes to jalapeno peppers in it, but I really love the simplicity of the basic recipe. Be careful not to add too much adobo as corn chips are already as salty as Lot's wife and you don't want to instantly redline your blood pressure.

mango, pork and avocado wraps

• 1 cup cooked pork, cubed (I used some boneless pork chops that were on special)
• 2 large mangos, peeled and cubed
• 1 avocado, cubed
• your favorite sandwich wraps
• mayonnaise
• adobo (I've been rocking the light variety)
• fresh cilantro, chopped fine
• half of a lime

In a small bowl combine about 1/4 cup of mayonnaise with cilantro, a few shakes of adobo, and juice of half the lime. Stir together until fully combined. Assemble wrap by spreading mayo mixture on 1 side and placing equal amounts of avocado, mango and pork in center. Wrap it up and enjoy!

The dish: My wife is known for many things; her ravishing beauty, her sharp wit, her ivy league education, her irreproachable selection of husbands. One of her lesser known attributes is her ability to roll a wrap like nobody's business. This no doubt stems from her brief stint in the budding moments of the 1990s as a Taco Bell employee. She's a quick learner with great retention and here, many sunsets later, she can construct a wrap that is the envy of all. I am truly covetous of this, as I, someone who has some serious deli cred, can wrap about as well as I can play the accordion (read: not so hot). Working together is the foundation of any solid relationship and I'm proud to say that we get along as well as mango and pork (and avocado and cilantro lime mayo). The personalized plate was a Christmas gift from my mother-in-law and I find it fitting that it is showcased in this recipe which parades one of her daughter's greatest talents.

salmon with lentils

• 3 fresh salmon fillets, skin and bones removed (the ones I used were a little better than 1/3 of a pound each
• 3 carrots, peeled and cubed into small pieces
• 2 shallots, chopped finely
• 3 cups of vegetable stock
• fresh thyme, chopped
• 2 cups of brown lentils (or any kind- I think they all cook up about the same)
• good quality mustard (I used an even mix of Grey Poupon Dijon and spicy brown)
• unsalted butter

Saute carrot and shallots in large pot with a little olive oil over a medium high flame for about 5 minutes. Add lentils, a few sprigs of thyme, vegetable stock and about 1.5 cups of water, bring to boil and then reduce heat and simmer, adding more water as needed, for about 35 minutes or until lentils are cooked (they should be firm but tender). Meanwhile, in a large skillet over medium heat melt about two tablespoons butter and cook salmon for about 5 minutes (or longer, I like mine done on the rare side of medium) turning once. Remove fillet from pan and place on warm plate under tin foil. In same skillet, melt just a little more butter (maybe a tablespoon depending on how much is left in the pan) and whisk in about 4 heaping tablespoons of mustard and some chopped thyme. Turn flame off and continue to whisk until sauce is thick and creamy. Serve salmon over a mound of lentils with sauce spooned over both. We had it with broccoli rabe sauteed with garlic- it basically rocked.

The dish: I think I'm about to go on a salmon kick. It is hands down my favorite cooked fish (tuna winning the raw award) and I've got about 4 or 5 really good, really easy (this is by and large the hardest) recipes that I'll be posting soon. If you haven't tried preparing it at home, I highly recommend it as it tastes great, is easy and versatile and doesn't leave your house smelling like the Fulton Fish Market. It's also packed with Vitamin D and more Omega 3 than just about any other food, just be careful not to make yourself mad as a hatter.

penne with spinach and cannellini beans

• 1 lb penne
• 2 bags of fresh baby spinach
• 2 cans of cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
• crushed red pepper ( I prefer Simply Organic)
• ground nutmeg
• shredded Italian cheese (I had leftover Asiago)

In large pot of lightly salted water, cook pasta according to instructions on box, checking for doneness once a minute beginning 3 minutes before suggested cooking time. While that action is going on the left burner, warm a few swirls of olive oil over a medium high heat on the right burner (really, it doesn't matter what burner you use). Add spinach to oil a handful at a time, tossing every so often, allowing each batch to wilt. When about 3/4 of the way through the spinach, add beans and a little more olive oil to mixture. Season mixture with Kosher salt and fresh pepper and a healthy shake of nutmeg. Spinach mixture will be fully cooked by the time the pasta is al dente. Drain pasta and place serving on plate, drizzle with a little good quality olive oil, add mixture to top and sprinkle asiago cheese and red pepper flakes on top.

The dish: Popeye was right, spinach is something you should eat pretty regularly whether or not you'll be sparring with a brutish sailor thug over your emaciated beau. I can't imagine that I'd want to eat too much right out of the can, but when the fresh stuff is wilted you can eat more than you'd imagine. For a dish like this I count on one full bag per person, when just wilted as a side dish I use about one and a half. Just a point of reference there's about a bags worth on the pasta in the picture. The nutmeg trick is lifted straight from the one and only Rachael Ray; she advises to add a pinch to cooked spinach, and it really does work. The end result is nothing that tastes like Christmas, but rather it gives the spinach a seasoned flavor that plays well off its natural earthiness.