Simple Pierogies with my pantry fancies

Tonight, I had no clue what we were going to have, but decided on a box of frozen periogies. I then realized, they could use some "fancy" added to them. In the sake of time, I looked to my pantry and found a few simple ingredients. So here is what the outcome was: Periogies with red onions, sweet roasted red peppers, and artichoke hearts.

Ingredients:

Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1/2 Red onion chopped into thin strips
1 can of artichoke hearts
1/2 small jar of sweet roasted red peppers which i diced up
1 tablespoon of fresh cilantro
1 frozen box of potatoe and cheese periogies
Paprika
I used my leftover chicken broth in the fridge, but if you don't have any left over, simply open a new can.
Salt & pepper

sour cream: optional

Boil the periogies in a combination of chicken broth and water until they start to float and immediately take them out of the water.

While the boiling is going on, I used my large wok to sautee the onions in a 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil. After they were nice and soft, I sprinkled them with salt, pepper, and paprika. Add the artichoke hearts for aproximatley 2 minutes. Add the periogies. Sautee until the periogies get light brown in color. Add your diced up sweet roasted pepper and cilantro. Serve with a side of sour cream.

Easy to do and I aproximate this meal for 3 people cost me less than $8.00 total.

What's for Dinner tonight?

My daughter and I like to do a lot of cooking together. She loves to pretend she is on a food network show, hosting it of course! So the question is what is for dinner tonight?


Well, tonight we are having a healthy dinner with moderate calorie count. Here is what is on the menu:

Fresh locally caught flounder (2 fillet's for a family of 4 is enough)
Fresh Brussels sprouts (yes, one of my kids will actually eat these!)
Left over asparagus & parmesan cheese risotto from yesterday's lunch
Hawaiian Dinner Rolls (the kids love these!)

I'm keeping it simple because I had to work today!

The plan for the flounder is to lightly sauté the filet's in a mixture of the following:
- Approximately 1 tblspn of olive oil (the extra virgin is more calories, use regular olive oil)
- Approximately 2 tblspn of lemon juice (don't bother buying fresh, use RealLemon in a bottle)
- Salt & Pepper to taste or as a salt alternative feel free to use Mrs. Dash I often do!
- Add Fresh parsley when it's done for extra flavor and color

The plan for the Brussels sprouts is even more easier! Simply put them in your steamer. If you don't have a steamer, you can use boiling water. Cook until tender and serve with freshly squeezed lemon juice from the bottle or my favorite, a light sprinkling of apple cider vinegar.

My left over's will be microwaved and the dinner rolls will be popped into a toaster oven for convenience then served lightly toasted.

The kiddo's can participate in this meal in several ways:
Measure out the lemon juice
Measure out the olive oil
Add the parsley
Add the salt&pepper
Put the rolls in the oven & when warmed, put them in a nice basket with a linen napkin.
Wash the brussells sprouts


The important part is that my daughter and I get to spend quality time together doing something we both love!