Tired Of Turkey Or Ham? Are Vegetarian? Try Changing It Up And Go Italian!!

This time of year, we all focus on the turkey and the ham and all the trimmings. If vegetarian, we focus on the veggie dishes and so forth. I, for one, like the ham and turkey, but with turkey, a leftover sandwich the next day, then I am over it. With ham, the next couple days I can have a western or ham and eggs or French toast and am over it. Then I start wanting something entirely different and Italian being my favorite foods, that is where my mind wanders. Today was no exception, and I headed to my pantry and freezer to create, and this is what satisfied my craving today!

First, I took out a quart of fresh tomatoes I froze this summer, defrosted and my sauce was started, added spices, added a container of white beans from my freezer (1 1/2 cups)

Then I headed to my pantry which of course, contains many pastas, types and shapes. Then I saw a can of whole artichokes(8) packed in water I sliced in half lengthwise and grilled while my pasta was cooking. Next, I found a package of sundried tomatoes I plumped up in some warm water for 5 minutes and sliced in pieces., tossed them in the sauce, then my fridge produced a jar of green olives, 1/4 full (don't know about you, but a large container with a little in it drives me nuts) so tossed those in. Now my artichokes were done to my liking, my pasta was finished cooking, and I had utilized items on hand.

I plated my pasta, added my sauce creation, topped with some parm cheese and was good to go! With that being said, I will now be ready to tackle some more of that ham, for at least a day or two!!

I hope you get the idea, just go with what you have on hand, and use a little imagination. Sometimes the best recipes are created by accident!

Have a wonderful holiday everyone, and be safe!! Will see you in the New Year!