Off Topic Easy Dinners!

[Beth]

Anybody out there working lonnnnng hours, then have to go home and make dinner?? Ugghhh... I know.. probably MOST of you!

This is totally off topic, but I just ran across these great slow cooker recipes on Martha's site. I printed several... they look yummmmmy!

http://www.marthastewart.com/photog...od&lpgStart=1&currentslide=1&currentChapter=1

I started out looking for her New York Crumb Cake recipe. I used to make it every couple of weeks, and it is so easy, and so good!

http://www.marthastewart.com/recipe/new-york-crumb-cake

 

[aileen_c]

Hey Beth,

I know an easy one. You might know it already. It's Campbell's chicken rice dinner. Just sooo easy. Throw in some rice, can of cream of chicken, any kind of boneless chicken(they call for breasts but I've used other kinds) and vegetables all in one roasting pan. It takes about 40 mins. to cook and you've got dinner. Soooo good! look it up on their site!

 

[Beth]

I've made that! My problem with that recipe is I like brown rice. That stuff takes 50 min. to cook in a pot on the stove. I found out the hard way that cooking it in the casserole in the oven takes like 90 min! LOL Dinner was wayyyyy late that night. lol

 

[aileen_c]

brown rice..hmm..haven't tried that. I've been tempted to use rice-a-roni...haven't done it. Yeah I had a dinner like that once where it took so long and STILL didn't come out right...so we went out. I was bummed but my tummy was happy and so I got over it. I made a KILLER steak last night though....sooo juicy and yummy!

 

[Beth]

My hubby does all the steaks (thank goodness). I made the veggies and potatoes last night.

Tonight I think he's planning to make his grandma's Slovenian beef and barley soup. Can't wait!

He doesn't cook a lot, but he's good at what he does cook. He spoils me by making breakfast about 5 days a week.. eggs, bacon or sausage, toast/waffles/hash browns. Jeez, no wonder I gained all my 25 lost pounds back! Waaahh! :-(

 

[aileen_c]

I know I'm gonna miss the hubby making breakfast on the weekends. He's been doing that now for a couple years. Odd thing, he just started doing it one day. Plus he'll make dinner when he can tell it's been one of those days fo rme...he'll make his famous concoction dinner- any available pasta, a whole or half chunk of whatever cheese we got(usually colby jack or cheddar) spaghetti sauce and ground beef. He cooks the beef, cooks the past, drains it and throws the beef, cheese, sauce al in the pot while it's hot. Then everything gets stirred up. It looks ok but tastes GREAT!

 

[Beth]

Sounds awesome!

 

[aileen_c]

Ok now I'm hungry!! I think I may just make that! I was going to make burgers....but that sounds better to me right now.

 

[avenuegardensflorist]

...



.... a friend took a few cans of dinty moore stew and warmed it up. Then took one of those round things of bread and cut out the top (like they do when they put dip into this breadbowl) and warmed the bread up.. Then she poured the warmed dinty moore stew into the bread bowl. I was skeptical at first, but hey when you be hungry........
pretty quick, huh?


and if you want more nutrition cut up some fresh broccoli and add to the cans of the stew.


But what do I know?

 

[hangglidegirl]

I am a HUGE fan of Rachael Ray's "30 Minute Meals". Literally 30 minutes from starting to putting the food on the table. I usually have the ingredients on hand (live on a mini-farm so we have a well-stocked pantry and freezer) and recipes are simple enough that our 16 year old can help out if needed. Gotta love that!

 

[rsef]

I hate cooking ANYTHING that takes longer than 30 minutes! Or that I have to specifically shop for. Here are 3 easy ones:

chicken pot pie
premade pie crust from the refrigerated section - the kind you unroll or unfold.
boil 2 or 3 boneless chicken breasts
when cooked, cut into bite size pieces (scissors are the fastest)
mix:
1 can cream of anything soup
8oz plain yogurt
1/2 bag frozen veggies
cut up chicken
salt & pepper to taste
unroll bottom crust into pie pan
poor mix into bottom crust.
cover with top crust
cook at 400deg until crust is brown

my other favorite for winter is soup.
start with a can of veggie anything (beef, chicken, pasta)
add a can of extra dices tomatoes--the ones with garlic or spice are good
add spices to taste. garlic, salt, pepper etc
add bite size pieces of polish, Italian, or other sausage. you only need about 1/3 of the sausage link.
cook for about 20 minutes

I also make a dump soup--5 or 6 or so cans of whatever is in the pantry (tomatoes, okra, any beans, corn, asparagus, beans, etc). don't drain; use the liquid as stock. cut up some sausage, & cook it all together. if you have time, cook it slow, but if not, about 20 min will do.

enjoy!
--RSEF
ps-I only cook about once a week.

 

[Connie]

Just this morning, I was thinking that I need to find that thread where so many FCers posted recipes for me to use for my staff Valentine's week. I cook lunch, a crockpot-super-easy-open-cans-and-dump-type or 3-4-ingredient-type, every day of that week.

BTW, one of my daughters did that Campbell's Chicken and Rice recipe for us one day (VD week) last year, and it was a huge hit.

 

[Victoria]

I make soup every weekend in the winter. I have lunches for 3 weeks at any given time.

My crock pot is my friend. I make and freeze so all I have to do is heat and enjoy.

I'm not a beef eater and in truth meat in any form is becoming less and less important to me. I need to find tasty veggie crock pot meals.

V

 

[Mikey the Flower Guy]

I just gained ten pounds.......

 

[CRICKETS FLOWERS]

slow cooker

Corn and Shrimp Chowder

Makes 6 servings


2 cans cream of chicken soup

2 cans cream of potato soup

1 tsp garlic powder

2 tbsp minced onion

1 cup half and half

1 cup milk

¼ tsp black pepper

1 cup celery

2 10 ounce cans of clam, undrained
( i use bay scallops instead)

1 tsp creole seasoning

4 medium potatoes, peeled and chopped

1 16 oz package frozen corn

1 pound pre-cooked tail off shrimp
1 pond cod or haddock

Spray crock pot with cooking spray. Combine all ingredients except shrimp, mix well. Cover and cook on low 7-8 hours or high 3-4 hours. Add shrimp, cover and cook on high an additional 30-45 minutes until shrimp is tender.

yummy my husband even brought it to work and came back with nothing, you can make it and re heat it as long as you do not add the milk , or if you want it extra rich cream

Anne@Crickets Flowers
229 Mass Ave
Lexington, Ma 02420

 

[Kristine]

This month has been cook from the freezer and pantry - no groceries except for a few perishables (eggs, milk, salad fixings etc). I think it will continue thru February too.

I had a bunch of organic sauces I bought at Trader Joes in the pantry. Yesterday was Chicken masala over pasta, home baked bread and salad. the hot dish took 20 minutes.

My hubby loves to cook and bake. Every monday is soup night. His pot pies are great. I have to cook on Sunday - his day off. Not my fav thing but I can manage.

Beth care to share the beef and barley recipe???

 

[Dee Dee]

Beth
OMG! Thank you for saying that about the brown rice! I was going to try this one tonight I am not feeling so well and thought OH GREAT an easy one. But we only eat brown rice so it's all i have in the house. I would have been cooking this forever wondering what I did wrong.

 

[Dee Dee]

Beth and all others who looked at Beth's Martha Slow cooker link.

My weight watchers guru here at the shop just went over the Martha slow cooker items I printed. She says "good sounding, but may be higher on the points scale than you might think" So watch the portions carefully she also told me "A good WW person could use subs and drop points off easily" I love her she talks about WW like I talk about FC.

 

[SpringCity]

Love this thread; the slow cooker is my friend. Throw a roast in before work and then the house smells great when you get home. Sometimes we make rice or even easier, those pre-whipped mashed potato things you can get in the frozen section and take a minute to heat in the microwave.

 

[Beth]

Beth
OMG! Thank you for saying that about the brown rice! I was going to try this one tonight I am not feeling so well and thought OH GREAT an easy one. But we only eat brown rice so it's all i have in the house. I would have been cooking this forever wondering what I did wrong.

Dee Dee,

I think you could still make the chicken/soup/rice/cheese recipe if you cook the brown rice first on the stovetop, then put it all together and bake it til the chicken is done thru. I have bought Minute Brown Rice and tried that.. it worked fine, but I prefer the texture of the "real" brown rice to the Minute Rice type.