As I was sorting through my clippings I found one from an old column the LA Times used to run called (I think) Desperation Dinners. The rules were that you had to make a meal in (again, I think) thirty minutes from door to table and you were allowed one quick stop on your way home to shop. Other than those two things you were on your own. Sky's the limit.
I've covered this once in the Thursday Three, but I'm going back to it now. Why? Because who couldn't use a good thirty minute meal that makes everyone happy? And who doesn't benefit from other people's ideas? And because I need help. Badly.
I'll start. And I'll even do something different from the T3 post. My stop at the store would be for fresh shrimp and lemons. As soon as I get home I'll put water on to boil for pasta. In the meantime I'll saute the shrimp in olive oil, garlic and a little butter, adding broth and lemon juice when the shrimp is done. Add Italian seasonings to taste and simmer. Toss in a slug of white wine if you want. Or just drink a glass while you cook. When the pasta is almost done I'll add broccoli florets to the water to cook tender crisp. Drain the pasta and broccoli and toss it with the sauce. Pass fresh parmesan or romano cheese. Add some bread and a salad. Fini. My entire family is content. And quiet.
Okay, people, don't let me down. Tell us all about your desperation dinners, those miraculous saves that you pull out of your hat at the end of a killer day. I want your input. Seriously. It's not just my dinner that's desperate.
18 comments:
My fail-proof menu - pasta al pesto. Basil leaves, olive oil, minced garlic, some parmesan and pine nuts. Everything in the blender while boiling pasta in the pot from 8-10 mins. Apart from the basil leaves which I have to buy fresh, everything else is from the fridge, and I can make this meal in less than 15 mins!! :-)
We almost always have fresh pasta on hand for just this reason. My fave? Cheese ravioli with sundried tomato sauce and a salad on the side. All you have to do is dump a jar of sundried tomato in a food processor or blender, add some basil fresh is good) and some bottled minced garlic. While you do that, the pasta is done in five minutes. Drain the pasta, toss with your new sauce and serve a spinach salad on the side. We just use the prewashed bagged stuff. Top with some parmesan or romano, and you're good to go.
If you want, I've also got a great recipe for spanish fish over rice. I'll email you if you want it!
oh man oh man oh man you had me at "i start with fresh shrimp." i LOVE fresh shrimp and i have no idea how to buy it or cook it. i am intimidated by the deveining part. and frozen always taste rubbery.
here's my husband's desperation dinner: (you'll like the name; he calls it "nurse's cap")
take a tortilla. sprinkle it thickly with grated cheese. fold each side in toward the middle pop in the microwave. eat when melty.
here's mine (a little healthier): take two chicken breasts. stick 'em in a baggie with some bread crumbs and shake until coated. place in pan (without baggie). sprinkle with fresh parmesan cheese. bake for 35 minutes.
during that time, rustle up a veggie. frozen squash is good. don't forget the wine.
Is that 30 mins from work to table? If so, I could never do it as it takes me about an hour to get home from work!!
A quick and easy meal I love is spaghetti carbonara... yum!
Thanks all! I'm getting inspired just reading your ideas.
la bellina mammina - I adore pesto, but never thought to put it in the blender. Great idea.
jen - Pasta...the food of the gods. I will email you for that fish recipe - sounds fab.
laurie - Shrimp is one of the few things every single person in my house will (or can) eat. And we all love it.It really isn't so tricky - you can buy a little deveiner thingie that works really fast. Looks kind of like a crochet hook.
stratford girl - I time thirty minutes from the time I get home until I get food on the table. Otherwise I'd never make it either!
My most popular Super Fast recipe is for pasta with mushrooms. Slice up a pound or so of mushrooms throw them in the pan with sa lot of pre-chopped garlic and sufficient butter/olive oil to saute. While this is going on heat up the pasta water, add pasta and cook. To the mushroom mixture add chicken broth (vegetable broth for vegetarians) and cook while pasta finishes. Serve it up with good quality grated Romano or Pamesan on top. Very yummy! Of course, a lot of kids don't like mushrooms!
make toast. spread tin of tuna on top, grated cheese on top of that. Grill. Serve with salad. Tin of ratatouille is always useful, too.
mmm Ataglow, that sounds great.
I'm a bit of a rubbish cook but a 30 minute desperation dinner would probably be a greek salad.
Just wash the lettuce, cucumber and beef tomatoes and shred/chop into chunks.
Drain the olives and add to the salad. (I prefer black but either is good.)
Drain and dice Feta cheese and sprinkle liberally over salad.
Add sliced red onions and top with oregano.
Serve with warm crusty bread, olive oil and vinegar.
Yum.
Altaglow - I love it when you comment! And now I'll be craving mushrooms and pasta all day. Thanks...
flowerpot - tuna...yum...I do like tuna - a lot.
jo - Greek salad is also a staple here and is always a hit. I would eat feta cheese even if it was stuck to the bottom of my shoe. Altaglow's mushrooms and pasta is my very favorite dish in the entire world, as she well knows since she's my mom. No matter what I do mine doesn't taste like hers. I think she leaves out an ingredient when she passes the recipe on!
RC you have a blogging mum. How cool is that?
i wish i had something to contribute...but i'm a stay-at-home so i have most of the day to plan dinner lol and if worse comes to worse, we have meals the kids can nuke themselves lol
jo - she doesn't actually blog, she just got the name so she could comment. Then, of course, I changed it so anyone could comment. But she's pretty cool anyway!
ciara - I only work part-time myself, but for some reason I put the whole what's for dinner question off until the very last minute. I wish I knew why!!
true desperation dinner: Amy's organic pizza. with broccoli and tomatoes.
Does cereal count? Or pancakes? How about pancakes? Because I sometimes make extra and freeze them then it takes like 30 seconds to reheat in the microwave. It used to take 45 seconds, but I've become a pro, I've got it down.
Maybe I shouldn't be bragging about that.
Yeah, um... I'm going back and reading all the comments to get some better ideas...
That sounds like an excellent meal - thank you for letting us know about it. Except husband is vegetarian and allergic to shell fish - but I like the sound of it and might make it one evening he's out. If I'm in a rush I might do pasta with a tomato sauce - boil down some chopped tomatoes, add basil, brown sugar, balsamic vinegar and allow to simmer for 25 minutes. It's surprisingly good.
ps - is broth what we would call stock?
laurie - I love Amy's pizza, too.
bellevelma - heck, yeah pancakes count, no matter how long you nuke them. But I am impressed that you shaved off fifteen seconds. I'm all about goals.
motheratlarge - yes, broth and stock are pretty much the same. We have a split household, too. One kid and I only eat fish and the other three eat pretty much everything. We eat a boatload of shrimp. Try it and let me know what you think!
Jen...can I have the recipe too? Pretty please?? :-)
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