Post by UnderProtest on Jul 30, 2014 10:13:46 GMT -5
I'm in a complete dinner rut. Please helps with some easy dinner ideas/recipes. I don't like the beef here so we generally avoid it unless its really seasoned. And my husband isn't a huge vegetable fan, but I'm starting not to care about that so much. My son will eat any vegetable and almost anything, but my daughter is also picky. We tend to eat a lot of chicken and potatoes and quesadillas, but its getting old.
Post by lasagnasshole on Jul 30, 2014 10:28:01 GMT -5
Fancy sammiches!
Last night, I made these awesome sliders. I briefly marinated boneless chicken thighs in a champagne salad dressing and balsamic vinegar. Grilled them and also grilled some sliced eggplant. Spread goat cheese on these mini pitas we had and put the chicken and eggplant in there. Super tasty! Served with a simple salad of farmers market tomatoes, dressed with balsamic vinegar and salt. NOM NOM NOM.
Cheese plates are nice in the summer. Our Whole Foods puts out a little basket of small cuts of cheese for about $1-3 each, so we pick a few and then get crusty bread, an apple or grapes, crackers, and some fancy mustard or another kind of spread.
The slow cooker hasn't been doing it for me lately. Last night I made chicken thighs with ~40 cloves of garlic, but it just didn't taste very good. The polenta I made along with it was nice, though. Quinoa is a nice alternative to potatoes.
We have a lot of chicken left over, so tonight I'm going to make a chicken pot pie with it. I buy the freezer bags of mixed vegetables to keep it simple. I stock up on frozen steamer bags of veggies when they're on sale, for nights when it's too hot to use the stove or where I want a quick vegetable. I love the Brussels sprouts.
I may do a cranberry pot roast (beef roast + can of whole berry cranberry sauce + sliced onions + splash of soy sauce) in the crockpot next week - you can also use a pork roast if you don't like beef. It makes its own gravy and tastes wonderful with mashed potatoes.
Flat iron steak is a MM cut, and it tastes best if you marinate it a while and then grill it - maybe you'd like it since it's got lots of flavor. You can use the leftovers for enchiladas or quesadillas, or a steak salad.
Carbonara is a quick spaghetti dish.
I love the frozen gnocchi sorentina from Trader Joe's - very filling meal when you add salad and bread, and I also add fresh spinach to the pan if I have it. For a family of four, you may need two or even three bags, but they're only a few bucks each: savorlifesflavors.files.wordpress.com/2012/12/imag4210.jpg
Post by countthestars on Jul 30, 2014 10:41:12 GMT -5
Oh, and we've started doing salsa chicken lately - crock pot with chicken breasts and a whole jar of salsa - cook on low all day. We eat it in tortillas or over rice. Super good and easy (and you could make homemade salsa if you were looking for something less processed).
Post by UnderProtest on Jul 30, 2014 10:48:07 GMT -5
You guys are killing me!!!! I don't have a crockpot or Trader Joe's!!! Is it worth investing in a new crockpot??? I had one in the States but didn't use it much. Of course, I didn't cook much before kids.
Anyone have any good pasta recipes? I have a good spaghetti carbonara one, but could use some variety.
Anyone have any good pasta recipes? I have a good spaghetti carbonara one, but could use some variety.
I chop and sautee some garlic, toss in a few peeled shrimp (I slide the tails off and cook them whole), deglaze with some white wine and maybe a little chicken broth, add a squeeze of fresh lemon and a couple pats of butter, and reduce it a bit until it's somewhat thick. Then I pour the whole thing over cooked spaghetti, although you could use any kind of pasta. Very easy and quick, and you could also use thin boneless chicken breasts or thighs.
If you want it francaise-style, then dip the shrimp/chicken in flour, salt, and pepper; shake lightly to remove the excess flour; dip into a bowl of beaten egg; and pan-fry it until the batter is crispy and golden. Remove to a plate (it's OK if they're not fully cooked through yet - shrimp will obviously cook faster than chicken cutlets). Follow the same steps as above with the garlic, white wine, broth, lemon, and butter. Whisk in a little flour or cornstarch to thicken. Then add the shrimp/chicken back in to the sauce and cook it on low until the meat is cooked through. It's great when served over pasta, but you can also serve it with potatoes (either mashed or herb-roasted).
Would your family eat loaded baked potatoes? Cheese, bacon, green onions, chili, sour cream, etc.
I like to bread chicken tenders in panko bread crumbs, fry/bake them, and serve with a homemade honey mustard sauce or honey maple sauce ... honey, Dijon mustard or maple syrup, and a little apple cider vinegar whisked together. Or coat the chicken (without the breading) in either of the sauces and then grill or bake them.
Bone-in chicken pieces stay really juicy if you marinate them overnight in buttermilk, then sprinkle with salt, pepper, and paprika and then roast or grill them.
If you like garlic, then try this chicken in garlic sauce recipe. You can use boneless or bone-in pieces. I serve it alongside of potatoes that I slice really thin on a mandolin and then fry in oil until they're like potato chips. Spanish and Portuguese restaurants in my area serve this dish and it's REALLY good: 4plates2table.com/2011/08/18/the-food-of-spain/
This beef and broccoli recipe tastes just like Chinese takeout. I cut back on the flour/cornstarch measurements, though, because when I followed it exactly the beef came out way too gummy. You could probably sub chicken or shrimp for the beef, or just Google for alternate recipes: rainydaygal.com/2011/02/03/beef-with-broccoli/
And with that beef (or alternate protein) and broccoli recipe above, you'd probably get great results if you diced the meat small and sauteed it with diced peppers, onions, finely diced carrots, and chopped cashews, and then used the same sauce recipe. I've never made it myself, but I've had that dish in restaurants and I can't imagine that the sauce would be bad on that combination. I had a great version recently that used chicken and shrimp together with the diced vegetables - I should make it myself next week.
Seafood is nice in the summer. You could do shrimp kabobs over rice pilaf/couscous/quinoa. Bake some fish filets in foil packets in the oven and serve over rice or with a vegetable side, like asparagus or a caprese salad.
A quick meal I like is whole wheat or rice noodles, served chilled with tons of raw veggies (even a "stir fry" veggie mix from the grocery store), a quick homemade peanut sauce, and topped with peanuts or sesame seeds. You can also add some grilled shrimp. You can leave out whatever veggies your family doesn't like. A quick peanut sauce recipe is about 1/4 cup PB, 1 tablespoon lime juice, 1-2 tablespoons soy sauce, 1-2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar, 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil, 1 tablespoon brown sugar or honey, 1 clove of minced garlic, and sriracha to taste. I keep all of those ingredients on hand.
Grilled, sliced polenta (available in tubes at grocery stores, so really easy), topped with onions, peppers, mushrooms and bolognaise sauce.
Breakfast for dinner?
Frittatas? You can use whatever you like - bacon/ham, cheese, veggies your husband will eat. I serve this with salad, but you can use another side dish.
Last night, I made these awesome sliders. I briefly marinated boneless chicken thighs in a champagne salad dressing and balsamic vinegar. Grilled them and also grilled some sliced eggplant. Spread goat cheese on these mini pitas we had and put the chicken and eggplant in there. Super tasty! Served with a simple salad of farmers market tomatoes, dressed with balsamic vinegar and salt. NOM NOM NOM.
Will you please come cook for me? Every time you post about what you're making, I want to invite myself over for dinner.
Anyone have any good pasta recipes? I have a good spaghetti carbonara one, but could use some variety.
I chop and sautee some garlic, toss in a few peeled shrimp (I slide the tails off and cook them whole), deglaze with some white wine and maybe a little chicken broth, add a squeeze of fresh lemon and a couple pats of butter, and reduce it a bit until it's somewhat thick. Then I pour the whole thing over cooked spaghetti, although you could use any kind of pasta. Very easy and quick, and you could also use thin boneless chicken breasts or thighs.
If you want it francaise-style, then dip the shrimp/chicken in flour, salt, and pepper; shake lightly to remove the excess flour; dip into a bowl of beaten egg; and pan-fry it until the batter is crispy and golden. Remove to a plate (it's OK if they're not fully cooked through yet - shrimp will obviously cook faster than chicken cutlets). Follow the same steps as above with the garlic, white wine, broth, lemon, and butter. Whisk in a little flour or cornstarch to thicken. Then add the shrimp/chicken back in to the sauce and cook it on low until the meat is cooked through. It's great when served over pasta, but you can also serve it with potatoes (either mashed or herb-roasted).
Would your family eat loaded baked potatoes? Cheese, bacon, green onions, chili, sour cream, etc.
I like to bread chicken tenders in panko bread crumbs, fry/bake them, and serve with a homemade honey mustard sauce or honey maple sauce ... honey, Dijon mustard or maple syrup, and a little apple cider vinegar whisked together. Or coat the chicken (without the breading) in either of the sauces and then grill or bake them.
Bone-in chicken pieces stay really juicy if you marinate them overnight in buttermilk, then sprinkle with salt, pepper, and paprika and then roast or grill them.
If you like garlic, then try this chicken in garlic sauce recipe. You can use boneless or bone-in pieces. I serve it alongside of potatoes that I slice really thin on a mandolin and then fry in oil until they're like potato chips. Spanish and Portuguese restaurants in my area serve this dish and it's REALLY good: 4plates2table.com/2011/08/18/the-food-of-spain/
This beef and broccoli recipe tastes just like Chinese takeout. I cut back on the flour/cornstarch measurements, though, because when I followed it exactly the beef came out way too gummy. You could probably sub chicken or shrimp for the beef, or just Google for alternate recipes: rainydaygal.com/2011/02/03/beef-with-broccoli/
And with that beef (or alternate protein) and broccoli recipe above, you'd probably get great results if you diced the meat small and sauteed it with diced peppers, onions, finely diced carrots, and chopped cashews, and then used the same sauce recipe. I've never made it myself, but I've had that dish in restaurants and I can't imagine that the sauce would be bad on that combination. I had a great version recently that used chicken and shrimp together with the diced vegetables - I should make it myself next week.
Oooh, the pasta one sounds yummy. I am so uncreative in the kitchen. I grew up on weird casseroles and meat and potato type food.
Last night, I made these awesome sliders. I briefly marinated boneless chicken thighs in a champagne salad dressing and balsamic vinegar. Grilled them and also grilled some sliced eggplant. Spread goat cheese on these mini pitas we had and put the chicken and eggplant in there. Super tasty! Served with a simple salad of farmers market tomatoes, dressed with balsamic vinegar and salt. NOM NOM NOM.
Will you please come cook for me? Every time you post about what you're making, I want to invite myself over for dinner.
Oooh, the pasta one sounds yummy. I am so uncreative in the kitchen. I grew up on weird casseroles and meat and potato type food.
So did I! Once I moved out, I learned how to cook and kept experimenting with different recipes because my mom was a terrible cook and we ate the same bland things all the time.
I don't think I had anything with fresh garlic in it until I was in college.
Oooh, the pasta one sounds yummy. I am so uncreative in the kitchen. I grew up on weird casseroles and meat and potato type food.
So did I! Once I moved out, I learned how to cook and kept experimenting with different recipes because my mom was a terrible cook and we ate the same bland things all the time.
I don't think I had anything with fresh garlic in it until I was in college.
So did I! Once I moved out, I learned how to cook and kept experimenting with different recipes because my mom was a terrible cook and we ate the same bland things all the time.
I don't think I had anything with fresh garlic in it until I was in college.
I made breaded halibut last night and was surprised at how yummy it was. I think the key was the quantity of butter and cutting the fish into smaller pieces so there was more coating per unit fish.
I just cut the fish into strips about 1"x1"x3", rolled in melted butter, and then rolled into breading made up of equal parts Italian-style bread crumbs and grated parmesan cheese. Baked at 450 for ~15 min (until the fish started to flake).
We had baked sweet potatoes on the side because we had some I wanted to use up, but I think it would have been especially good with sauteed asparagus.
During the week, I keep things simple. I go to ethnic markets to get interesting spice rubs for pennies. Dinner more often than not is some piece of meat pulled from the freezer, tossed in random spice rub du jour, and thrown on the grill. Side salad or grilled or roasted vegetables.
When I used to eat more carbs with dinner, we often just kept a sliced baguette in the freezer, and pulled out a couple pieces at a time.
If you are looking for new ways to eat pasta, google for pesto recipes that sound good to you (or buy prepared pesto). Pesto freezes well, and it makes for a super easy dinner one pot dinner that can be varied all the time. Cook the pasta, and if you want to add vegetables to it, like asparagus or peas, you can throw them in the water with the pasta during the last couple minutes. Toss in the pesto with a few tablespoons of reserved pasta water to heat it up, and toss it on the hot pasta. To this, you can also add things like cubed chicken breast, cooked sausage, cubed salami, olives, artichoke hearts, fresh tomatoes, dried tomatoes, more cheese or nuts, chickpeas or white beans, etc etc.
I think these are some of our more recent easy go-to meals:
Skinny Taste's chicken enchiladas: www.skinnytaste.com/2010/02/chicken-enchiladas.html#uds-search-results I usually just throw the chicken into a crockpot with the water, tomato sauce, her spices, and then the spices from Alton Brown's Taco Potion #19 and shred it all at the end.
Skinny Taste's quinoa & spinach patties: www.skinnytaste.com/2013/06/quinoa-and-spinach-patties.html We usually half the recipe for two of us, and have an extra couple of patties for lunch the next day. We use fresh spinach, and add about half a can off black beans, plus a teaspoon or so of steak seasoning.
Penne with Spinach & Goat Cheese sauce: www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/giada-de-laurentiis/penne-with-spinach-sauce-recipe.html We follow this one pretty much as is, but we sprinkle spicy salt on top. It's suuuuper good, but the raw garlic can give it a little bit of a bite that kids might not like. Or maybe they would. I haven't a clue because I don't have them.
Turkey burger with olives: www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ellie-krieger/better-burger-with-green-olives-recipe.html This we tried last night, and we both loved them (which was shocking, because husband doesn't generally do olives). We did add extra seasoning - we added some red pepper flakes, oregano, thyme, and basil. And I think we'll try garlic in the future, because they were delicious but missing something.
We also make barley risotto regularly as a meal, and it's super easy to change up based on the kind of alcohol, veggies, and cheese you have (sweeter wine = with sweet potatoes and a little vanilla, red wine = peas & prosciutto, white wine = anything, beer = cheddar cheese and chorizo). Our base is always garlic, shallot, and broth, but after that anything is fair game.
Another thing we make on the fly is olive oil pasta. Sautee a shallot, some veggies (asparagus, peas, whatever) until they're getting soft then toss in some garlic and prosciutto cook until the prosciutto is crispy. Then toss with pasta, drizzle with more olive oil, and sprinkle with parmesan.
Yeah, it's worth having a crockpot. I stupidly put ours (2? 3?) in storage for the move here, and regretted it so much that I went out and bought two new ones... We have to run them on a transformer, but at least the 1kW transformers work for them...
One of the "quick" meals we both like relies on two things: plain yogurt and some Pataks pastes (various indian spice pastes - vindaloo, generic curry, a few others). I can buy the Pataks jars off the shelf in Canada, so likely you can find them locally in England (or order them from amazon, like I do here). Then I mix up some of the spice paste with plain yogurt, and let some pork or chicken marinate in it for 6-24 hours, and then broil or grill the meat until cooked. It's easy, and a nice "different" option.
Post by dancingirl21 on Jul 30, 2014 16:39:10 GMT -5
Our favorite pasta recipe is so simple but delicious.
1 lb ground italian sausage 1 can diced tomatoes (we use the basil, oregano and garlic flavored but you could always add your own spices to plain) 1/4 c heavy cream 1 box penne pasta
Brown italian sausage then add diced tomatoes and stir. Add cream and let cook down until thickened.
Meanwhile, boil pasta.
Throw all together and top with shaved Parmesan cheese.
Lol...I have both strikes against me..no wonder I totally suck at cooking! I never had the grandma or mom showing me how to cook. My mom made hamburger helper and casseroles & not much else!
Lol...I have both strikes against me..no wonder I totally suck at cooking! I never had the grandma or mom showing me how to cook. My mom made hamburger helper and casseroles & not much else!
Yeah, this is kind of where I'm at. Although my mom's side is English and German, but I don't like brats, sausages or the like so I can't even do that type of stuff.
Any easy vegetable ideas? I like most vegetables and so does my son, but I seem to cook only a few basics. It is a step up from the canned stuff my mom used to serve us though.
Lol...I have both strikes against me..no wonder I totally suck at cooking! I never had the grandma or mom showing me how to cook. My mom made hamburger helper and casseroles & not much else!
Yeah, this is kind of where I'm at. Although my mom's side is English and German, but I don't like brats, sausages or the like so I can't even do that type of stuff.
Any easy vegetable ideas? I like most vegetables and so does my son, but I seem to cook only a few basics. It is a step up from the canned stuff my mom used to serve us though.
Absolute easiest thing for me is the frozen steamer vegetables. My supermarket often does $1 sales for the store brand, Pictsweet, and Birds Eye, so I stock up for days when I'm tired or for when it's too hot to use the oven.
Most of my vegetable recipes consist of just slicing them to the appropriate size, coating with olive oil, salt and pepper, and some chopped fresh garlic, and then either satueeing them in a pan, roasting them in the oven, or grilling them outside. Asparagus, broccoli (both great with a squeeze of fresh lemon right before serving), zucchini. I do fresh spinach with garlic in a pan pretty often - it shrinks down quickly, so use more than you think you might need.