If I eat one more plate of grilled chicken with a side of broccoli, I think I just might scream.
I'm in a total dinner rut. It's gotten so bad that I'm tempted to cook up the Tater Tot Casserole recipe I found in the book by the family with 18 kids (I'm oddly enamored with them, but I don't think I'd fit in my jeans next week if left alone with a pan of tater tots baked with cheese and cream of mushroom soup...)
Can you help? If you have a favorite recipe that doesn't involve eggplant or scallops (0r tater tots), could you PLEASE post it in the comments below?
Thanks in advance. Until then, I'm off to grill more chicken...
16 comments:
These are my two faves currently.
Sweet and Sour Aloha ChickenArtichoke Chicken CurryGood luck!
xox
Trish, ok its not a sexy pick but being in the Southern Tier now you need to get in touch with Speedies immediately! It's pretty much the best grilling marinade known to man, just head on down to your local Wegmans a pickup some Lupos or Salamida sauce!
Girl, I'm going to send you an email with a few of my favorite (and easy) recipes. I just had this very conversation with a stay-at-home dad friend of mine. So we traded "boring dinner lists" to get some ideas.
oh...so many good recipes...I was going to post a chicken curry recipe, but I see that heidikins already did that... instead of just one recipe, here's a blog that I often read for recipe inspiration...http://jessieheaviland.blogspot.com/
her recipe for pumpkin enchiladas is one of my alltime favorites!
There are a ton of really good-tasting, good-for-you recipes on the blog cheaphealthygood.blogspot.com. Some of them are even easy to cook!
Dave Robinson's Salmon
-
1-2 tbsp butter
Baby dill
Parsley
Sweet basil
Salt
Pepper
Garlic powder
Sweet white or blush wine (my fav is Pink Catawba, which you can get at Northside liquors (which is on the South side of Ithaca, don't ask me why) and I can't get at all in Boston ;)
Salmon (some visible fat makes a huge difference in the taste)
I make this up to taste with just some basic guidelines. Pop the butter in a cup of the wine (about as much as a normal glass of wine would be). Mix in the dill (best if it's fresh) and use about 3 times as much dill as parsley or basil. A few tbsp should do. Add a little garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Microwave for 30-second bursts until the butter is melted. Add ingredients to taste, then let it stew for 20 minutes or so.
Drink Pink Catawba while you wait.
Preheat oven to 275 or so. Pour sauce into a glass pan, put the salmon on skin-down, and spoon some sauce on top. Leave it in there until it cooks fairly well (when some of the fat will show white). Then, spoon some more sauce on and turn the oven to broil: leave it until the top of the salmon turns a nice brown. Spoon a little more sauce on, leave another couple minutes, then take it out and serve with the (chilled) wine.
Dunno what it's like for calories-- probably depends a lot on how much butter and what kind of salmon you use. But I usually end up with most of the sauce still in the pan or burned off, so I think it remains pretty good for you. Either way, it's dang tasty.
I've made a variation of this recipe and it's really tasty:
http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Sukis-Spinach-and-Feta-Pasta/Detail.aspx
And I haven't tried this one (yet), but it looks so good:
http://www.101cookbooks.com/archives/sushi-bowl-recipe.html
Hope that breaks you of the chicken blues! :)
I don't cook but I have seen many episodes of the Duggars eating tatar tot casserole and I think "ohhh that looks yummy" until I actually think about what it is.
I could give you a million recipes, here are a few of my favorites, ones I've made over and over again. Two are from my own neglected food blog. :)
A Beef Recipe, using either Short Ribs or Brisket, super easy, just 5 ingredients, and flavor is to die for. Great to make ahead and reheat next day. From Epicurious,
http://tinyurl.com/47psmv
A Lobster recipe, and a family favorite, super easy and delicious.
Lazy Lobster Casserole,
http://tinyurl.com/5tau6q
Chicken Stew, Comfort food. This one is my take on the more complicated Coq Au Vin...I use White Wine and Chicken breasts cut into bite sized pieces. Easy and light and delicious.
http://tinyurl.com/5tu235
This last recipe is from the Orangette blog, which is so popular and gorgeously written that she now does a column for Bon Appetit and just released a memor/cookbook.
I've made this fresh tomato soup several times already and sometimes will add shrimp or haddock or even chicken for protein.
http://orangette.blogspot.com/2008/10/your-work-is-done.html
Enjoy!
~Pam
Here's one more....a recent new favorite and healthy too. My friend Jen's recipe. What makes this one so good is that unlike most meatloaf recipes that have a brown sugar/ketchup glaze on top, this one has it inside as well, which gives a hint of sweetness that is fantastic. You can mix up the veggies that you use too, to get rid of any leftovers you have on hand....this calls for Broccoli stems because that's what she had, and I liked it, so kept it in!
Enjoy!
Turkey Meatloaf
A pound or little more of ground turkey
One small onion, minced
1 ½ -2 tablespoons minced garlic
¼ of a green or red pepper, minced (I used red, Jen used green, both good!)
1 carrot, grated
2 broccolli stems, chopped
¼ cup brown sugar
¼ cup ketchup
½ cup breadcrumbs
1 egg
5 good dashes of Worcestershire sauce
Heat oven to 350. In large bowl, beat egg, add rest of ingredients and mix well. Add a little salt and pepper. Line a loaf pan with tin foil, spray lightly, dump meatloaf mix in. Squirt a little ketchup over top (I added a dash or two of hot sauce, optional), spread so it coats top lightly. Bake for about 45 minutes. Let rest for 10-15 minutes before slicing. There may be juices in the bottom when you cut it, but when you refrige overnight, they will retreat into the mix and set up.
These are a few I made recently that were good...
http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Chicken-with-Sauteed-Pears-and-Rosemary-Sauce-5845
http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Coconut-Curried-Tofu-with-Green-Jasmine-Rice-107640
(at least if you like tofu-- I usually throw in some broccoli too)
http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Linguine-with-Pancetta-and-Sauteed-Cherry-Tomatoes-233152
Trish,
I write a blog as a companion to the fresh spice and seasoning blends that I make and sell at http://emburke.etsy.com; the blog features recipes that you might be interested in and you can find it at http://mountainofspices.blogspot.com.
Be forewarned: I love marjoram and use it frequently in my cooking.
Trish - here's a marinade that works for anything (fish, chicken, steak, pork) and you can even freeze meat in the marinade - soo easy!
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1/8 cup olive oil (more if meat is super lean)
garlic & herbs to taste
I sometimes whisk in mustard, especially with beef.
Hope it helps!
Cook brown rice. Heat 1/2 can organic black beans. Cook frozen corn kernels. Pile on plate w/ salsa. I eat this all the time. Easy, healthy, good.
Here are some soups that are easy to make:
Tortilla Soup (Columbus Dispatch March 18, 2009)
1 can (16 oz) Refried Beans
1 can (14.5 oz.) Chicken Broth ,low sodium
1 can (16 oz.) Whole Kernel Corn (white or yellow)
1 can (16 oz.) Black Beans, rinsed, drained
¾ cup Chunky Salsa
1 can (10 oz.) Chicken
1 CUP Shredded Cheddar cheese (I used ‘sharp’)
Garnish hot soup with :
Sour Cream, Hot sauce (optional), and additional cheese and tortilla chips.
Combine refried beans, broth, corn with liquid, black beans, salsa, chicken and 1 cup cheese in a pan. Heat until hot. Ladle into bowls. Garnish with additional cheese, sour cream, hot sauce and tortilla chips. Delicious and prep time is 10 minutes.
Squash Soup
1 butternut squash
1 large onion
2 cloves of garlic
3 tbs butter
1 tsp cinnamon
3-4 cups chicken/vegetable stock
1 tbsp maple syrum
1/4 tsp salt
1/3 tsp pepper
peel squash
chop squash
chop onion
chop garlic
melt butter in the pot, then onions, then garlic. then cinnamon
put in the squash and the stock
cover and cook 25 min
ladle out and puree (careful to let out steam)
condiment
( i tried adding ginger, curry powder & nutmeg and two potatoes)
Microwave Clam Chowder
PREP TIME 15 Min
COOK TIME 15 Min
READY IN 30 Min
SERVINGS 4
INGREDIENTS
* 4 slices bacon, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
* 2 (6.5 ounce) cans chopped clams
* 1 1/2 cups diced peeled raw potatoes
* 1/3 cup chopped onion
* 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
* 1 1/2 cups milk, divided
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 1 pinch pepper
* 1 teaspoon butter or margarine
* Minced fresh parsley
(i added corn)
DIRECTIONS
1. In covered 2-qt. microwave-safe dish, cook bacon on high for 4-5 minutes or until crisp. Remove with slotted spoon to drain; set aside. Drain clam juice into the drippings. Stir in potatoes and onion. Cover and cook on high for 8-10 minutes or until potatoes are tender, stirring once or twice. Stir flour into 1/4 cup of milk; add to potato mixture. Stir in salt, pepper and remaining milk. Cover and cook on medium for 6 minutes, stirring once or twice. Let stand for 3-5 minutes. Stir in clams and butter. Garnish with bacon and parsley.
(I made it without bacon and it turned out really yummy anyways)
First, what kinds of food do you and Steve like? (NOT chicken and broccoli.) I myself am an easy-cook and one-pot girl myself, so I find my crockpot and oven broiler indispensible.
This is admittedly not the usual crockpot season, but it is as easy as dinner comes short of Domino's: throw stuff in in the morning, dinner at 6pm. These two from Epicurious.com are favorites (can be stovetop or crockpot):
http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Mahogany-Beef-Stew-with-Red-Wine-and-Hoisin-Sauce-106212
http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Fast-White-Bean-Stew-236946
Couple other things. Roasted veggies are AMAZING. It brings out this gorgeous caramelization that converts even confirmed veggie-haters. Just slice 'em up, toss in a little olive oil, salt and pepper, and roast on baking sheet at about 350-375 till tender. All these are good:
All winter squash (butternut, Kabocha, etc.)
Tomatoes
Green beans
Onions, garlic
Asparagus
Third, try random mixtures of grains and beans. Brown rice and pintos with salsa (Newman's mango salsa is fabulous). Red lentils cooked in broth and a bit of curry powder till they're nice and creamy (no fat!). Garbanzo beans with cucumber, cilantro, tomatoes and whatever random dressing you have around.
Last in this missive...when in doubt, doctor up canned soups. Progresso's lentil or beef veggie with leftover ground beef and some frozen peas and carrots, with baguette on the side. When I simply must have something creamy and childhood-like and nothing else will do, I'll do Campbell's cream of chicken with leftover roasted or rotisserie chicken pieces, frozen peas, steamed broccoli if I have it, and some leftover rice. Mommy in a bowl.
I hope this helps! And btw, epicurious.com is your friend.
Blessings,
Kristi from Cambridge :)
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