Just~One~Donna

This morning, I was thinking forward to the weekend, anticipating spending time with friends and family. I like to be prepared with delicious bites whenever I am entertaining.  This bruschetta recipe is just in time for the weekend.  You'll be wanting one or two of these tasty bites as you unwind at the end of the week, kicking back with a glass of wine in hand. This Roasted Tomato and Brie Bruschetta appetizer is perfect for tomato season when fresh, locally grown tomatoes are available in abundance.  It is also yummy made with the cherry tomatoes you can purchase just about any time of year in your grocery store.  There is no need to wait for tomato season. A Favorite Appetizer-Roasted Tomato and Brie Bruschetta Roasted Tomato and Brie Bruschetta Yes, you can make this recipe any time of year with whatever tomatoes you can find that look ripe and delicious.  I wouldn't wait if I were you.    While I made my roasted tomatoes with cherry tomatoes, feel free to sub

What do you do with bananas that get overripe before they get eaten?  For far too long, I threw those overripe bananas in the trash. I'm one of those people who likes to eat bananas that are firm and barely ripe.  Any brown spots signal that the bananas are getting too ripe for me. A while ago, I learned that bananas could easily be frozen and used in a multitude of recipes.  Just remove the skin and wrap each banana individually in plastic wrap.  Freeze them together in a plastic zip top bag.  So now when bananas start to brown they go into the freezer and wait for me to use them.  No more wasted bananas and you'll always have bananas for the yummy muffins on hand. Banana Walnut Chocolate Chip Muffins-Yum! Chocolate Chip Banana Muffins This recipe for chocolate chip banana muffins is one yummy way to use those frozen bananas.  It starts with my family's favorite banana bread recipe, with the addition of chocolate chips and walnuts. Make them for a weeke

Beef tenderloin can make any dinner special.  This beef tenderloin with a pesto crust recipe is flavorful and easy to prepare. Do you have a special occasion on the horizon?  Are you planning a celebratory dinner, but don't want to spend all day in preparation?  This recipe for pesto-encrusted beef tenderloin may be a perfect solution.  We had this dinner for one of our recent family birthday dinners.  It was delicious and relatively easy to make. Beef Tenderloin for a Special Occasion Four Reasons to Love this Pesto Encrusted Beef Tenderloin Recipe Beef tenderloin is an excellent choice for a special dinner because it is elegant, tasty, and doesn't require constant supervision while cooking.   You can prepare the tenderloin ahead. You can brown the beef, get it prepared with the pesto coating, and set it aside until ready to cook.   The cook time for a beef tenderloin is relatively short as well.   It won't take you hours to have this lovely dinner ready. Beef te

Don't shy away from bringing orchids into your home. Orchids are easy to grow and simple to care for.  Just follow these tips for beautiful orchids that will bloom time and again. Seven Tips for How to Care for Orchids in Your Home A Reblooming Orchid In my opinion, orchids are one of the best values available in flowers and household plants.  You can buy a beautiful orchid full of buds and blooms for less than $20 at grocery stores and garden centers across the United States.  Those flowers will last for about three months of colorful beauty in your home and require minimal care. My Reblooming White Orchid When purchasing your orchid, choose a plant with just a couple of open blooms  and many closed buds. This orchid will give you many months of lovely flowers.  Pass up any orchid that has wilting blossoms or signs that flowers have dropped off the plant. When the blooms fade, don't throw your orchid plant out.  Save the stake that was included,

This recipe is for a copycat pasta dish made with grilled chicken and a parmesan cream sauce. Grilled Chicken with Penne Pasta and Parmesan Cream Sauce Grilled Chicken with Penne Pasta and Parmesan Cream Sauce Pin It For Later:  Cheesy Chicken Penne Pasta One of my favorite meals to order at the Macaroni Grill was the Penne Rustica.  As a result of the Macaroni Grille's closure, it has been a few years since I have been able to have my fix of Penne Rustica.  As a result, I made this Cheesy Penne Pasta and Grilled Chicken. This recipe is easy to make and oh, so delicious.  You can make it in individual servings, or in a casserole dish.  It really doesn't matter.  It tastes the same no matter what dish you make it in.  Just make it.  Really, friends, you must.  Feel free to substitute the pasta of your choice, too.  My second choice of pasta for this dish would be linguini. Cheesy Penne Pasta and Grilled Chicken Printer Friendly Recipe Makes 4-6 s

We try to limit our bread consumption in the Just One Donna house but haven't eliminated it entirely. When we do eat bread, we want it to be good bread.   Occasionally, I like a hearty bread, with a crunchy crust that tastes yummy with a herb-infused dipping oil.  That's when No Knead Bread is my choice. Make No-Knead Bread with My Yummy Dipping Oil Pin It for Later My No Knead Bread No-Knead Bread  became all the rage several years ago.  In case there are still some out there who are unaware of no-knead bread, Mark Bittman and Jim Leahy introduced the world to this no-knead technique in 2006.   Start the night before you want to bake the bread by mixing together three cups of bread flour, 1 1/4 teaspoons of salt, 1/4 teaspoon of rapid-rising yeast with 1 1/2 cups of water.  Just use a wooden spoon to stir the mixture into a dough. The Dough Mixes Simply It really is easy.  All it takes is a couple of turns of the wooden spoon to pull the mixture into a dough.