Planning dinners on working days

Planning dinner on office days is always a bit of a challenge - I arrive home late and want something very light, but DH will have been waiting and is STARVING. So I try to plan things that can be add-ons to make the meal heartier for him. These add-ons can include bread, an extra side "just for him", additional portions, etc. Sometimes, it just means I serve a gooey dessert for him ;)

Last night, since I was home, we had a lovely seafood pasta (recipe follows). But tonight will be a simple salad with some cold slices of steak. How to make it heartier for the DH! Add some extra slices of steak and some cold cooked potatoes, toss in a few garlic croutons, plus some hearty bread and it becomes a filling meal for DH. If he balks at potatoes in his salad, I can stir them with some mayo and minced celery for "instant" classic potato salad!

Seafood pasta

· 1 -2 lbs cooked pasta (linguini is especially nice)

· 2-3 Tbs olive oil
· ½ c minced onion
· 2-4 cloves minced garlic
· 1 Tbs oregano (to taste)
· 1 Tbs minced fresh basil (to taste)
· freshly ground black pepper (to taste)
· approx 2 tsp red pepper flakes (to taste) – finely minced jalapenos or habanero or other hot peppers may be used instead
· 1 large can crushed tomatoes per lb of pasta

· Approximately 2-3 lbs assorted shellfish (I use shrimp, scallops, mussels and clams) – clean and prepare for cooking – I prefer to remove the shrimp shells prior to cooking

· Freshly grated or shredded Parmesan or Romano cheese (topping)

In a large saucepan, sauté the first 3 ingredients together until the onion and garlic are soft and have released their flavors. Add the spices, and then add the tomatoes. Bring to a bubbling simmer. Add the shellfish, cook for approximately 10 minutes or until all shellfish thoroughly cooked. DO NOT OVERCOOK or the shellfish will turn rubbery.

Serve over your cooked pasta with lots of freshly grated Parmesan or Romano cheese.

This is divine in the summer, with fresh fish – but it also works amazingly well using all frozen fish, if you can’t find a good supply of fresh. And be creative! Whatever is on sale will work – crab legs, chunks of halibut, whatever you and your pocketbook like! Just be sure if that the fish you select is hearty enough to not crumble to bits.