Chicken wings – Aldi easy

Whole chicken wings from Aldi.

sweet and savory dry rub from Aldi

Trim the wings. If you want to turn them into flats and drums, bend them to find the place to cut.

Sprinkle generously with sweet and savory dry rub

20 minutes at 400°

Uncle Andy shared the recipe

Mosquito repellent

A 10 to 15 drops of vanilla extract into a spray bottle and fill the rest with water!

One-Pan Sun-dried Tomato Pasta

  • Optional 4 chicken breast – cooked with salt, pepper, garlic and onion powder
  • tablespoons butter
  • 3 cloves garlic minced
  • 2 cups chicken stock or bone broth for extra protein
  • 1/2 cup half and half or whole milk room temperature
  • 1-8 oz jar sun-dried tomatoes in oil, oil drained
  • 8 oz angel hair pasta*
  • 1/3 cup parmesan cheese grated
  • 2 tablespoons optional – softened cream cheese for extra creaminess

Seasonings

  • 1 tsp Italian seasoning
  • 1/2 tsp freshly cracked pepper
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • optional – 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

Instructions

In a large skillet over medium-low, add butter and garlic to a pan, saute about 1 minute or until fragrant. Pour in the chicken stock, sun-dried tomatoes, and seasonings. Slowly pour in the half and half then bring to a gentle boil.

Add the pasta in, allowing it to sit for 30 seconds until you can maneuver it down into the liquid without breaking the pasta.

Let pasta cook submerged in simmering liquid for about 5 minutes. Reduce heat to simmer (and add cream cheese now if using, letting it melt into the sauce). Continue to cook until pasta is al dente.

Add shredded cooked chicken, sprinkle over the parmesan and add more salt and pepper if needed. You can add a splash more chicken stock or half and half if needed to add a little more liquidity to your pasta if it absorbs all the pan sauce.

 

Watermelon Sorbet Recipe – TO TRY

Ingredients

  • 1 lb frozen watermelon pieces (seedless, cut into chunks before freezing)
  • 1–2 tbsp honey, maple syrup, or sweetener of choice (optional, depending on sweetness of watermelon)
  • 1–2 tbsp lemon or lime juice (optional, for brightness and balance)

Method

  1. Add the frozen watermelon chunks to a high-powered blender or food processor.
  2. Blend until smooth, stopping to scrape down the sides or adding a splash of water if needed to help it along.
  3. Taste and adjust: add sweetener or citrus juice if desired, then blend again briefly to combine.
  4. Serve immediately for a soft-serve texture, or transfer to a container and freeze for 1–2 hours for a firmer scoopable sorbet.
  5. Garnish with mint, lime zest, or fresh fruit if you’re feeling fancy. A hit of chili salt or Tajin boosts it to another level!

Pasta – Baked Feta Tomato Pasta (Gina’s)

  • 8 ounces pasta of choice like cavatappi
  • 2 pints cherry tomatoes
  • 8 ounce block of feta (Gina buys at Aldi, can substitute crumbled feta)
  • 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1/4 tsp black pepper
  • 2 garlic cloves minced
  • 1/4 cup fresh basil packed and chopped plus more for serving

INSTRUCTIONS

  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Place the cherry tomatoes in an oven-safe baking dish. Pour the olive oil on the top and season with salt and pepper. Toss to combine.
  2. Place the feta block in the middle of the baking dish surrounded by the cherry tomatoes, and flip a couple of times to coat it with the olive oil and seasoning.
  3. Bake in the preheated oven for 35 minutes, until the cherry tomatoes burst, and the feta cheese melts.
  4. While that is baking, cook the pasta in a pot of salted water until al dente. Drain, reserving 1/2 cup of the cooking liquid in case you want to toss it in.
  5. When you take the tomatoes/feta out of the oven, immediately add the minced garlic and fresh basil to combine.  Then add the cooked pasta.  Garnish with more fresh basil and serve.

Pasta – Manicotti – Grandma Schubert’s

Batter:

  • 7 Eggs Beaten
  • 1 ½ Cup Water
  • almost 2 Cups flour
  • dash of salt
  1. Beat eggs and water until thoroughly mixed (grandma used the old-fashioned hand mixer)
  2. Add flour with mixing
  3. Add a dash of salt, make sure that there are no lumps in the batter

    Note: if the batter is too soupy add more flour, water if it is too thick
  4. Heat griddle, you generally need low heat around a level 2-4 on our stove depending on how fast the crepes cook
  5. Ladle the crepe onto the griddle, and flip as soon as possible, we aren’t trying to cook the crepes just lightly brown so flip as fast as possible, as they finish you can stack them 

Ricotta Filling:

  • 3 beaten eggs to every 3 lb. Ricotta
  • 3 lb. Lamagna Ricotta cheese drained
  • 1 tsp. salt
  • ⅓ Cup Italian cheese (pecorino romano)
  • 1 tsp. Sugar (I don’t use)
  • chopped parsley so that it is mixed through the filling evenly
  • sprinkle with cinammon (approx ¼ tsp. to ⅛ tsp.) (I don’t use)
  1. Drain Ricotta 
  2. mix all ingredients together with ricotta 
  3. fill crepes to desired size, roll and place on a lightly greased cookie sheet
  4. place in freezer until hard and then you can move them to a plastic bag until you are ready to eat them!
  5. place them in a pan (frozen) and cover with sauce
  6. cook until sauce is bubbling. 350 degrees approximately 30 minutes

 

Portugal Red

Kielbasa Honey Veggie Sheet Pan

  • 1 pack skinless kielbasa sliced into rounds
  • 1/2 pound yukon gold mini potatoes, halved
  • 4 carrots sliced very thin on an angle
  • red onion small sliced
  • 1 head broccoli florets
  • salt
  • pepper
  • honey
  • thyme
  • paprika

You can use any combination of veggies.  It calls for a yam or sweet potato but this time I used carrots. I also added 3 cloves garlic sliced in half, 1 small yellow onion.  Use whatever you have.

Drizzle light olive oil on the bottom of the pan and toss veggies and kielbasa on top.  Drizzle more light olive oil and the seasonings and toss right in the pan.

Bake at 400 degrees for about 20 minutes in a preheated oven.

5-Minute Stir Fry Sauce (easy)

¼ cup low-sodium soy sauce
¼ cup low-sodium vegetable stock, or water
½ teaspoon sesame oil
¼ Tablespoon rice vinegar
1 cloves garlic, minced
½ – 1 teaspoon grated ginger
½ Tablespoon sugar or honey*, up to 2 tablespoons for a more sweet than sour sauce
½ Tablespoon cornstarch
Pinch red pepper flakes, optional

Breaded Zucchini

Coating

  • ½ cup unsweetened almond milk (or any milk)
  • 1 tbsp cornstarch
  • 1 tsp lemon juice or apple cider vinegar (helps it thicken slightly)

Whisk until smooth. It becomes a light, clingy coating—way better than egg for zucchini.

  • 1 cup gluten‑free panko
  • ¼ cup grated parmesan (optional but amazing)
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 tsp onion powder
  • ½ tsp salt
  • ½ tsp black pepper

Steps

  1. Slice zucchini into sticks or rounds.
  2. Dip in your binder.
  3. Press into your coating until fully covered.
  4. Lightly spray with avocado oil or olive oil.
  • 400°F
  • 8–10 minutes, flipping halfway
  • Spray lightly again after flipping for max crunch

You’re looking for deep golden edges and a firm exterior.

⭐ Optional Flavor Ladders (You’ll love these)

🔥 Spicy Ladder

  • Add cayenne or chili crisp to the binder
  • Add crushed red pepper to the coating

🍋 Bright & Herby

  • Add lemon zest + parsley to the coating

🧄 Garlic Bomb

  • Add extra garlic powder + a touch of nutritional yeast

⭐ Dipping Sauces That Pair Perfectly

  • Garlic aioli (mayo + lemon + garlic)
  • Marinara
  • Dairy‑free ranch
  • Sweet chili sauce
  • Yogurt‑tahini dip