The problem?

I'm usually cooking dinner for two, just me and Mr. Food Aisle. And we can barely put a dent in the smallest ham.  What's a ham-loving party of two to do? 

I've developed a collection of perfect leftover recipes. It's the best way to turn that delicious ham into the meal that keeps on giving ... for two to three more days of new hammy dishes. The best part? These are all super easy. 

Leftovers don't have to be dry, boring and unappetizing! And these all involve eggs and/or cheese, so who could complain? Click below to view the full recipes.

 1. Creamy Quiche Lorraine                  2. Savory Ham & Egg Scramble                  3. Hawaiian Pizza

It's comfort food at its best: pasta, sauce, veggies and hamburger. Here in New England, the dish is known as American chop suey.

I make it when plain ole' pasta and sauce sounds convenient but boring. Or when we have a motley assortment of vegetables to use up: onions, peppers, carrots, eggplant, zucchini, you name it. But at its most basic, all you need is about a half pound of ground beef or lean turkey. 

Here's my recipe:

TOOLS

• Saute pan
• Pasta pot

INGREDIENTS (Serves 4-5, or 2 with next-day leftovers)

• 1 lb. box of pasta (I use fusilli but classic versions use macaroni)
• 2 cups of marinara sauce, your own recipe or favorite store brand
• 1/2 lb. ground beef or lean turkey
• 1 onion, diced
• 1 green pepper, diced
• 2 cloves minced garlic
• 1 TB tomato paste
• Grated parmesan, to taste
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• When in season, chopped, fresh basil is a must addition. In winter, I substitute a tsp. dried oregano. 

* NOTE: You can dress up this basic recipe by adding any veggies from your kitchen: chop up half a zucchini or a carrot or two. 

 DIRECTIONS 

1. Saute the onion and green pepper in olive oil for 3-4 minutes to soften, then add the ground meat and garlic. Using a wooden spoon or spatula, break up large chunks of the meat so it cooks as small crumbles. 
2. When meat is cooked through, add the marinara sauce. Add salt and pepper to taste, as well as any basil or oregano. 
3. Stir in the tomato paste. Cover and let simmer over medium heat to thicken. 
4. Meanwhile, bring salted water to boil in pasta pot and cook pasta according to box directions. 
5. Drain pasta and return to pasta pot. Add the sauce and combine. 
6. Serve with freshly-grated parmesan cheese on top. 

Blackberry sorbet served with fresh berries and a sprig of mint

In France, sorbets are often used as palette cleansers in between courses because they are so light and refreshing.  That's also what makes it a perfect dessert after a heavy meal on a warm evening. There have been times when I've panicked as my guests talk about being "stuffed" after the main course at a dinner party, and meanwhile I have some elaborate dessert waiting in the kitchen. If you serve sorbet, you can still end the night on a sweet note, and your guests won't waddle home. 

Serve it with something fun, like a pink champagne or sweet dessert wine, like moscato. Click below to check out the recipe I used. 

When I made this goat cheese salad for a July dinner party, my friends raved more about the leafy appetizer than the entree that followed.

Then I learned my lesson. A salad this good can stand on its own as a satisfying main course. 

To make it, I top a peppery spring mix with fresh goat cheese crumbles, dried cranberries, candied walnuts and green apple slices. Check out the step-by-step recipe here. 

I serve this sweetened salad with my Tangy Pomegranate Vinaigrette. They pair together perfectly. 

I recently served my goat cheese salad as a casual summer lunch (left) with a crusty baguette, brie and sheep's milk cheese, fresh strawberries and some sparkling cider.  

Typical lazy summer meal: hamburgers and sausages (with grilled peppers and onions for topping) and a side salad to make it feel healthier.

And so this summer we made a lot of hamburgers. A lot. But our efforts paid off with a winning combination: Introducing the Food Aisle Hamburger. Try it out next time you grill!

After years of happily making grilled cheese sandwiches in a frying pan, I wasn't sure if a panini maker was just another superfluous kitchen gadget. After a few uses, I quickly realized that it wasn't. After all, you can't make a sandwich towering this high in a fry pan. 

Paninis are a great way to use up leftovers. We had pizza and salad one night and then created this Italian panini recipe the next day. 

Please, don't be alarmed. There's no need for an intervention to save my cholesterol levels. That's not butter in the photo above! It's a yogurt-herb dip, and it was delicious.

Mr. Food Aisle and I eat corn on the cob about once a week. This habit requires us to buy extra dental floss from June to September.  If you want the best-tasting corn that's never soggy or loses its sweetness, then put aside the stock pot. Please stop boiling your corn! Grilling it is so quick and easy.

That was until this summer, when my discovery of lamb ribs altered this image of classic Americana. You wouldn't want to smother these ribs in a heavy marinade.

Above, caramelized lamb chunks, ready for the stew. Browning the meat first in sugar keeps them tender and helps thicken the stew.

The lamb chunks are rolled in salt and pepper, then coated in flour, then tossed in a hot fry pan and sprinkled generously with sugar.The best step in making Julia Child's lamb stew wasn't necessarily eating it. At the beginning, the lamb chunks are coated in sugar and then browned on the stove top. The aroma of the meat sizzling is so amazingly sweet,  that it will kill you to toss the caramelized chunks into a stew. But it IS worth it.