How hard is it to cook a stellar dinner? For some, for me, it’s tough.
There are a million resources at our finger tips but how can we know that the recipe we’re picking is a good one?
Because I said so.
Here’s the way this is going to work. I’m going to list 5 of my favorite tried and true family favorites and then you’re going to give back one or more of your own.
Let’s make dinner easier this week, shall we?
*Important note: These are not my recipes. I am not a chef.*
1) Barbecued Brisket
(needs to marinate overnight)
Recipe from Taste of Home Magazine years ago
1 bottle (10 oz soy sauce)
2 tsp pepper
2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp garlic salt
1 tsp onion salt
1 tsp celery salt
1 fresh beef brisket (about 5 lbs - fresh not corned)
BBQ Sauce:
1 bottle (14 oz) ketchup - (I use 7oz ketchup & 7oz Head Country bbq sauce- the best ever)
1 to 2 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp cider vinegar
1.5 tsp prepared mustard
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp soy sauce
In a large ziplock bag, combine the first 6 ingredients and add the brisket. Seal bag and turn to coat. Refrigerate overnight.
Drain and chuck marinade. Place brisket on large sheet of heavy duty foil and seal tightly. Place in baking pan coated with nonstick cooking spray. Bake at 325 degrees for 4 hours or until meat is tender. (I don’t usually cook it that long - may be 3 hours.)
Remove brisket and let stand for 20 min. Thinly slice across grain. Place in ungreased baking dish. Combine sauce ingredients and pour over meat. Cover and bake for 1 hour or until heated through.
2) Hash Brown Casserole
(Goes great with barbecued anything)
Got this from a lady I used to know in Oklahoma
1 Bag of Frozen Cube Hashbrown (2lbs) - thawed
1 pint sour cream
2 cups cheddar cheese - shredded
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 can of cream of chicken soup
1 stick of butter - melted
Topping:
2 cups crushed corn flakes
1/2 stick of butter - melted
Mix first 6 ingredients in large bowl. Add salt & pepper to taste. Pour into 9×12 baking dish. Bake covered at 350 for 30 minutes. Add topping and bake uncovered for 15 minutes or until bubbly. Test to make sure it is heated thoroughly. This dish kicks ass when it done and sucks when it’s not.
Lindsay’s Deluxe Pot Roast
Lindsay does beef beautifully. She makes a mean stuffing too.
1 (4-5 lb) boneless chuck roast
2 large cloves of garlic, sliced
12 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/4 cup flour
1/3 cup olive oil
1 medium onion, sliced
1 cup dry red wine (I just use cooking red wine usually)
1 8-oz can tomato sauce
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon prepared horseradish
1 teaspoon prepared mustard
1 bay leaf
8 small red potatoes, peeled
6 carrots, scraped and quartered
Make small slits in top of roast. Insert garlic slice into each slit. Rub roast with salt and pepper, dredge in flour. Brown roast on all sides in a dutch oven or skillet. Add onion and wine to roast in Dutch oven.
Combine tomato sauce and next five ingredients, stir well. Pour over roast. Bring liquid in Dutch oven to a boil, cover, reduce heat and simmer 1 1/2 hours. Add potatoes, carrots, cover and simmer 1 more hour or until roast and vegetables are tender.
Transfer roast to a serving platter, spoon vegetables around roast, using a slotted spoon. Discard bay leaf. Spoon any remaining pan drippings over roast and vegetables. Garnish with fresh oregano sprigs if desired.
Easy Baked Tilapia
(This recipe makes plain old fish taste like crab. Yum.)
Recipe from Allrecipes.com
4 (4 oz) tilapia fillets
2 tsp butter
1/4 tsp Old Bay (or to taste - I like more)
1/2 tsp garlic salt (or to taste - I like more)
1 lemon sliced (or lemon juice)
1 (16 oz) package frozen broccoli & cauliflower
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease 9 x 13 baking dish.
Place tilapia fillets in bottom of baking dish and dot with butter. Season with Old Bay and garlic salt. Top each with a slice or two of lemon (or squirt of lemon juice). Arrange the frozen veggie mixture around fish and season lightly with salt and pepper.
Cover dish and bake for 25 - 30 minutes until vegetables are tender and fish flakes easily with a fork.
Angel Chicken Pasta
Recipe from Allrecipes.com - brought to my attention by Sarcomical and I thank her again.
4-6 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
1/4 cup butter
1 package dry Italian-style salad dressing mix
1/2 cup white wine
1 can Amy’s brand CREAM of mushroom soup
4 ounces cream cheese with chives
1 pound angel hair pasta
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. In a large saucepan, melt butter over low heat. Stir in the package of dressing mix. Blend in wine and golden mushroom soup. Mix in cream cheese, and stir until smooth. Heat through, but do not boil. Arrange chicken breasts in a single layer in a 9×13 inch baking dish. Pour sauce over.
Bake for 60 minutes in the preheated oven. Twenty minutes before the chicken is done, bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a rolling boil. Cook pasta until al dente, about 5 minutes. Drain. Serve chicken and sauce over pasta.
Note: Double the sauce because it is the very best part.
Okay - I’ve given you five. Now what have you got for me?
That hashbrown recipe is delicious!! It’s one of our Christmas morning favorites.
Okay…it’s not a dinner recipe, but this is one that I (and everyone who has ever made it) have been asked to share repeatedly.
Black Bean Feta Dip
2 cans of black beans (drained)
2 cans white shoepeg corn (drained)
2 packages of feta (crumbled)
2 bunches of green onions (chopped)
Mix all of these in a big bowl.
In a separate bowl, mix the following:
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup extra light olive oil (not extra virgin–it won’t taste good)
1/2 cup apple cider vingar
garlic salt to taste
Pour the dressing over the ingredients in the first bowl and serve with Frito or Tostito Scoops. It makes quite a bit. You can half the recipe for a smaller group.
Warning: It’s addictive and easy. People will usually take a look at it and wonder about the combo, but it’s so good once you start eating it you can’t stop!!!
Errr…do you like cheese on toast?
Great recipes! thanks for sharing them. That Hash brown casserole is a nice version of a family favorite here too!
Well, there’s the ever-ready Tuna Noodle Casserole:
2 cans white albacore tuna in water
2 cans cream of mushroom soup
egg noodles
cheese
corn flakes (optional…I hate them, Nick loves them)
Boil noodles, Mix tuna and soup in a casserole dish. Drain noodles and mix in casserole dish. Top with cheese. Bake in 350 degree oven until cheese is melted and bubbling. If desired, add corn flakes near end of baking.
Also, my kids love this one. And it’s easy to make.
1 tbsp olive oil
fresh chopped garlic, to taste
1 bunch asparagus
1/2 - 1 lb shrimp, peeled and deveined
2 tsp italian seasoning
1/2 c chicken broth
1/2 c heavy cream
1 c orzo pasta
Cook orzo pasta according to directions. Lightly sautee garlic and italian seasoning in olive oil. Add rinsed and cut asparagus to pan and sautee until bright green. Add shrimp and cook until pink. Add chicken broth and heavy cream and bring to low boil. Drain orzo pasta and add to sautee pan. Cook until sauce has thickened slightly.
This one is easy and my kids get in a green vegetable!
Um yeah, I don’t cook. I gave it up for Lent that time and never went back.
I’m actually not too bad at it, but I just don’t like it.
Let me be honest–I don’t like the cleanup. I don’t have a dishwasher (except ME), and I don’t like a dirty sink, AND I don’t like to do dishes…so I don’t cook.
My ex-boyfriends all liked my “Italian” chicken…
Get some chicken breasts (BONE IN).
Put ‘em in a baking pan, cover ‘em AAAAALLLL over with lots of Zesty Italian dressing.
Stick ‘em in the fridge overnight.
Next day, add a little more Zesty Italian, bake them COVERED IN FOIL for about 25-30 minutes at 350º (maybe a little more or less, depending on the size of your breasts)(teehee!)
Then remove the foil, cover (the chicken)breasts in mozarella cheese and bake UNCOVERED for another 10 minutes or so until the cheese is light brown & all melty goodness.
I usually serve ‘em with baked taters because I can bake them both at the same time, and salad.
Knock on wood *taptap*, it’s never ever been dry. Always juicy and delicious, the way breasts should be. *teehee! I’m having far too much fun with this recipe*
I’ve got our family favorite for you…two of them, actually.
CHICKEN DIVAN (everyone has one, let’s see if mine’s special?)
Whole chicken, baked and pieced
(OR) grocery store chicken, pieced. (almost as cheap!)
3 cups fresh broccoli crowns, half-cooked (2 mins micro’d)
2 cans cream of chicken soup (or one family size)
1 cup mayo
1 cup milk
1 cup grated cheddar cheese
2 tbsp lemon juice
Preheat oven to 400. In a 9×13 dish, layer pieces of chicken and broccoli.
Mix remaining ingredients together and pour over chicken & broccoli. Bake until the center bubbles. Serve over rice. You can also add sauteed bread crumbs to the top if you like that sort of thing.
CHILI SKILLET
1 package hot dogs (healthy kind if possible…if they exist) cut up
2 cans Hormel chili & beans (or your fav)
2/3 cup grated cheddar cheese
hot dog buns or bread
Sautee hot dogs in a SKILLET (thus the name) until heated. Add chili and simmer 5 min. Remove from heat and add cheese. Serve on buns or bread. VERY fast meal! I like to add fresh onions to mine. Mmmmmm.
PORK CHOPS & RICE A RONI
6 pork chops (boneless works best)
1 or 2 boxes Rice a Roni fried rice
Butter
Brown pork chops and move to a plate.
Add butter to frying pan and start Rice a Roni according to directions. Once you have browned the rice and added the seasoning and water, add the pork chops, cover and simmer until the liquid is absorped. Let sit 10 min and serve.
Great with green beans!
Hope that helps, those are our fast meals. I have more for ya, if ever you want them.
Boy Scout Specials (VERY easy for week night dinners)
1 lb ground meat (turkey, chicken, beef)
Carrots
Potatoes
Onions
Any other veggies you like to grill or roast
Put ground meat in a bowl and add salt and pepper to your likings. Divide meat into 1/4ths and roll each into a ball. Place on aluminum foil (enough to make a pocket out of to roast the meat/veggies). Cut veggies to small portions and add. I like to add a couple dashes of Worstershier to each one before closing up. Fold aluminum foil up and put in 400 degree oven for 1 hour. Open and enjoy! (Can be cooked on a fire or grill as well)
Jeffrey’s Chili
———————————————
2 lbs. Flank Steak
6-8 oz Beer
2 TBS Brown Sugar
1/4 tsp Ground Cinnamon
2TBS chili powder
Salt to taste
1/2 chopped red onion
1 cup celery
2 (14.5 oz) cans chopped tomatoes (drained)
1 (14.5 oz) cans tomato sauce
2 (14.5 oz) can kidney beans
1 1/2 habanera chilies (seeded & minced) USE GLOVES!!
1 jalapeno chilies (seeded & minced) USE GLOVES!!!
Brown cubed steak
Place all in crock pot for 8-10 hours on low
Enjoy! Let me know if you make this recipe and how you liked it!
This has always been a favorite of my girls growing up:
Chicken Chalupas
12 Flour Tortillas – flour Burrito (I prefer the small ones)
4 large breasts of chicken – cooked and cubed
3 cans – cream of chicken soup
16 + 8 oz of sour cream
3 oz can chopped green chilies (mild)
Small amount of grated green onions
Include some green tops from the onions – diced
¾ - 1 cup grated sharp cheddar
¾ - 1 cup Monterey jack
Combine soup, chilies, grated onion, SOME green onion tops, sour cream, and SOME cheese.
Set aside 1 ¾ to 2 cups of mixture
Add remaining mixture to chicken
Place 5 heaping tablespoons chicken mixture on a tortilla, roll up, fold under ends and place in GREASED 13 X 9 X 2 inch pan.
Pour reserved sauce over tortilla and sprinkle with cheese, green onion and paprika
Bake 350 degrees until bubbling (approximately 1 hour if room temperature)
How about:
Hot Crab Dip
Serve as an appetizer with onion or garlic crackers. Prep Time: approx. 10
Minutes. Cook Time: approx. 30 Minutes. Ready in: approx. 40 Minutes. Makes 5 cups (40 servings).
________________________________________
2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
4 tablespoons mayonnaise
2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese
2 (6 ounce) cans crabmeat(Lump not Special)
1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoons hot sauce
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
paprika, for garnish
Directions
1 Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2 In a medium bowl, mix the cream cheese, mayonnaise, Cheddar cheese,
crabmeat, lemon juice, hot sauce and Worcestershire sauce. Transfer to a shallow 9×13 inch baking dish. Garnish with paprika.
3 Bake in the preheated oven 30 minutes, or until golden brown and bubbly.
DAMN….that makes me SOOOO hungry!!!!!! They all look so yum! You’re a regular Rachel Ray :giggle:
I’m not sure what I’ll try this week….one of those delicious looking meals…knowing me I’ll probably go for the one with the least prep & clean up!
You want me to come over and help with 30 meals for 30 days in your freezer? You know I will.
:yahoo: What an awesome idea! I’m salivating here-you’ve given (and gotten!) some yummy looking recipes!
Here’s mine :
Anne’s Chicken Spaghetti
1 lb dry spaghetti
1 - 20+ oz jar favorite spaghetti sauce
4 chicken breasts, boneless and skinless, cut into one inch dice
3 T olive oil
2 cloves garlic
2 c finely shredded cheddar-room temperature
Cook spaghetti to desired doneness, drain, toss well with olive oil and keep warm.
Heat a skillet over medium high heat and add olive oil until it “shimmers”. Add minced garlic and stir quickly–please don’t let the garlic burn! Immediately add chicken and sautè until cooked through and browned.
Add sauce (I always add a little water to the jar to get all the sauce out) and simmer until heated through.
For serving, either place all the spaghetti into a large shallow bowl and top with sauce and cheddar, or put into individual bowls topping each with a generous sprinkling of cheese.
I also sometimes put all the spaghetti into a large baking pan, top with the chicken and sauce, sprinkle the cheese on it and then bake in the oven at 350° for about 20 minutes or until the cheese is melted well.
A healthy green salad and fresh, chewy bread round this out well.
This serves about 6 here, maybe 8 in a family that eats less heartily
I make a mean grilled cheese sandwich! Two slices of bread, butter and a slice of american cheese. YUMMY! :yes:
OMG….yesterday I saw these recipes and I thought to myself, if I ate any of this I would weigh so much. I forget how young you guys are and how you can eat anything. Well I can’t and I have a bunch of health conscience meals…….here is one and my family and friends LOVE it.
GREEK CHICKEN AND ORZO
2 cans of chicken broth…..(light and fat free is the best)
1 cup finely chopped onions
3/4 tsp dried oregano leaves
2 cups orzo
1/4 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast diced (best when seasoned)
3 cups of baby spinach leaves
1/2 cup of crumbled feta cheese
In a large skillet, heat broth, onion and oregano to a boil. Add orzo; reduce heat. Cover and simmer for 6 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add chicken; cook 6 minutes longer or until chicken and pasta are cooked. Stir in spinach; heat just until spinach wilts. Remove from heat and top with feta cheese.
Ack…I’m too lazy to type out five recipes.
And to be honest, I might not even have five fool-proof ones.
But if I get motivated, I’ll send you a few.
Oh boy…Umm… I’ve got a phone number and a coupon. No anchovies? Extra cheese?
Here’s an easy one…. we make this all the time!
White Turkey Chili (Serves 6)
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, pressed
3/4 lb ground turkey
salt & pepper to taste
1 can cannellini beans, drained
1 can corn with red and green peppers, drained
1 16-oz jar salsa
1 15-oz can tomatoes with garlic and onion
In a skillet, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic and cook till translucent, add turkey and brown, salting and peppering to taste if you’d like ( I skip this seasoning ). Drain, then blot meat with paper towel to absorb excess grease.
Add the rest of the ingredients and heat till bubbly and completely heated through.
I serve this with a little grated cheddar cheese and tortilla chips.
Mmm! Enjoy!
What a great idea! I went to the store today and I made the Hashbrown Casserole tonight. (Yummy!)
I am making the angel hair chicken dish one night. The Talapia (I am going to try it with Salmon because i have some we need to eat, not sure how it will turn out) and one night I am making the Greek Chicken. Thanks for planning my menu!
Okay, I don’t know who to blame for the fact that I just spent $250 for a dutch oven. Anyway…..
Here is a great breakfast/brunch recipe that is easy and delicious. It can also be dessert. I like to serve it for breakfast when we have overnight guests, espescially when they are here on holiday. It’s great when you have company because some of the cooking can be done ahead of time, and the cooking is done in the oven, so you have your hands free to socialize.
Modification: I like to scrape a vanila bean and put the scrapings into the apple filling, but that can get expensive. I also add an extra egg or two because I like eggy pancake and it adds protein for the kids. I also double the recipe when we have company and heat up a large casserole dish in the oven, instead of using the skillet. I take the casserole out of the oven while hot, add the butter, let it melt, put the batter in and follow the cooking directions.
German Apple Pancake
INGREDIENTS
Pancake:
3 large eggs
3/4 cup milk
3/4 cup white flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 Tbs butter
1/2 cup thin-sliced apples
Filling: 1 lb. tart, fresh apples (pippin are great)
1/4 cup melted butter
1/4 cup sugar
powdered cinnamon and nutmeg
Topping:
2 tbs. melted butter
powdered sugar
Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Beat together the eggs, milk, flour, and salt until very smooth. Add some very thinly sliced apples if desired. In a heavy 12 inch skillet, mlet about 1 1/2 tbs butter. As soon as it is quite hot, pour in the batter and put the skillet in the oven. After 15 minutes, lower the oven temperature to 350 degrees and continue baking for another 10 minutes. The pancake should be light brown and crisp.
During the first 10 or 15 minutes of baking, the pancake may puff up in large bubbles. If it does, pierce it thoroughly with a fork or skewer.
Whilte the pancake is baking prepare the apple filling. Peel and thinly slie a pound of apples. Saute them lightly in 1/4 butter and add 1/4 cup sugar. Season to taste with cinnamon and nutmeg. The apples sould be just tender, not to soft. About 8 to ten minutes of cooking over a medium flame should be plenty.
(The filling can be prepared ahead and reheated just before serving)
When the pancake is rady, slide it onto an oval platter, pour the apple filing over one side, and fold the other side over. A little melted butter can be poured on if you choose and the whole thing carefully sprinkled with powdered sugar through a sieve. Serve it at once, slicing pieces off crosswise.
(From Vegetarian Epicure)
I’m back for the recipe. I can’t find my cookbook and we’re hAving apple pancakes for Father’s Day!!