Marni Katz recently returned to West Bloomfield with her family after 15 years in Chicago and is the recipe developer, photographer and writer behind the blog, Simple Gray T-Shirt. Simple Gray T-Shirt was started to help inspire busy families to get back in the kitchen and get cooking, because you can!
Like her favorite gray T-shirt makes it simple to get dressed each day, she wants the recipes she creates for simple breakfasts, lunches and dinners to make cooking for your family simple, too. Katz shared two easy recipes that are great for the summer months: a simple one-pan pasta dish with summer veggies and a super simple no-churn ice cream, both of which are perfect for busy summer nights or long weekend lunches outdoors.
Follow her on her website simplegraytshirt.com or on Instagram @simplegraytshirt for more simple recipes.
Strawberry No-Churn Ice Cream
+ 2 cups heavy cream
+ 1 can sweetened condensed milk
+ ½ tsp vanilla
+ ½ tsp salt
+ ½ cup strawberry preserves
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, pour in the 2 cups heavy cream. Whisk until stiff peaks form (about 5 minutes, but you'll want to watch it). Gently fold in the sweetened condensed milk and vanilla, transfer to a freezer-safe container (a loaf pan lined with plastic wrap works great). Once it’s in the container, gently stir in the strawberry preserves, so there is a ribbon of it throughout the ice cream and freeze for at least 6 hours.
Pasta Primavera
+ ¼ cup diced onion
+ 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
+ 12 oz pasta (farfalle is a favorite for this dish)
+ 4 cups hot water (more as needed)
+ 1 thinly sliced zucchini
+ 1 cup thinly sliced carrots
+ ½ cup sugar snap peas sliced on diagonal
+ ½ cup frozen peas
+ 1 tablespoons minced garlic or 1 frozen garlic cube
+ ¾ cup grated Parmasean cheese
+ ½ teaspoon coarse kosher salt or to taste
Before you get started, cut up all the vegetables you are using. (You'll want to make them similar in size, so they all cook at the same rate!). Heat a large saute pan over medium heat and add in the butter and onions; saute until the onions are just translucent, then add in the garlic and let it cook for about 30 seconds. To the onions and garlic, add in the pasta, water and salt. Stir well to incorporate and bring to a low boil.
After the pasta cooks for a minute or two, add in the vegetables in the following order, leaving about two minutes between additions: carrots, sugar snap peas, zucchini and sweet peas. The veggies all cook at a slightly different rate, and you want them all to come out perfectly cooked in the end. Once the pasta is cooked and the vegetables are tender (about 15 minutes total), add in the remaining ingredients (Parmesan cheese, butter, salt and pepper to taste) and stir them in to form a light primavera sauce.