You're pretty much looking at my Tuesday. Except for the fact that I'd never be caught dead in that shade of blue and that anything as delicate as that pitcher would have bitten the dust eons ago in my house, this is a fair representation of my lovely day off. Every time I sat down I dozed off, and it felt pretty darn good, although I think I scared the hell out of the little old lady crossing in front of my car in the grocery parking lot. I don't think she gives her reflexes the credit she should.
For variety, once or twice I actually laid down on a real bed and looked like this.
Mercifully, the shadows cover the drool. At least I hope they do.
Today it starts again, but I've got a second wind. Part of my perkiness is that something unheard of happened in my house around dinner time. I had been doing my usual "what in the world can I make that will fit around the soccer carpool and that everyone will eat and is relatively healthy and cheap and fast" routine. When I was talking to my mom on the phone, I asked if she had any ideas and lo and behold, she did. She told me about a chicken, broccoli, mushroom soup and parmesan pasta thing she had tried recently and said she and Stu had both loved it. I made it (with soy chicken for Gumby) and everyone scarfed it down and said they loved it. And I have enough for lunches tomorrow to boot. Home run, Mom. Thank you!
Do any of you out there have fast, easy meals that you keep on standby for crazy days? Do tell. I need ideas and I need them bad. This whole thing was done in the time it took the pasta to cook, so it was perfect.
Bam!
Wednesday, April 30, 2008
sleep and eat
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17 comments:
Glad you had a good day!! You deserve it.
I'll e-mail you some quick and easy dinners.
sounds fab - more details on the recipe please, my lot would love it. My standard standby is tomato pasta sauce with feta. Sauce made from large onion fried till soft in olive oil, two tins of tomatoes, large squirt of tomato puree (lemon rind and bay leaf for added flavour if I have any) simmered till thick, mix with piles of pasta and then crumble a pack of feta cheese over it. Quick, easy and surprisingly good :o)
a dish I havent done for ages is to layer uncooked rice on bottom of large dish. On top of that put tin of tuna, tin of beans, tin of tomatoes. Grate cheese on top and put in oven for about half an hour. It tastes much better than it sounds!
That sounds pretty tasty. I'm starving. Hope you don't work too hard this week and I hope you don't have any repeat vicodin seeking visitors;-)
Here's one: an old family fav my mother used to make when we were watching the pennies, but which is delicious. She calls it Mazetti - though I have no idea if that is just a made up name...
Cook enough dried pasta for everyone (I allow 100g per person for grown-ups). Meanwhile cook up some minced beef (or lamb, or chicken, whatever you fancy), around 50g - 75g per person depending on appetites. Season, and add whatever chopped veg you want (I use onion, celery or courgette, and grated carrot), again enough to bulk up to whatever you need. Then add 1 undiluted can Campbell Condensed Tomato Soup per 3 people , mix together with the meat and veg, and then stir in the cooked pasta. Put in the oven in a dish at 180 deg C, with grated cheddar or parmesan on the top, for around 15 - 20 minutes.
Serve, and watch it disappear. There SHOULD be leftovers - but there usually aren't.
You can also make this up to the oven part and then put in the fridge till later when you need it.
hey! i LOVE that shade of blue!
fajitas take about ten minutes.
also, beans and rice. we buy the prepackaged kind and they cook for 20 minutes.
also, canned soup and grilled cheese sandwiches.
Cooked macaroni (farfalle, mini-penne whatever) tossed with good olive oil and freshly ground pepper. Parmesan on top. Salad and bread on the side. That's it.
This is good as is but can be a pasta base for your imaginative additions.
This is quick and oh so easy:
take some mahi mahi or tilapia (tilapia is cheaper) and
marinate in teriyaki sauce in baking dish; place a cup and a quarter of water with a cup of orange juice, 1/2 teaspoon thyme, 1 teaspoon salt, and two sliced green onions into a pan and bring just to a boil; add 1 cup rice, lower to a simmer and cover; put fish into 350F degree oven; cook both for 20 minutes
I usually toss some carrots in olive oil, salt and pepper and roast them at the same time, but you can just nuke whatever frozen veggie your bunch likes. Quick, easy, nutritious and low in fat and calories. It's yummy. Even my 9 year old likes it.
my two cents - I'm waiting for that email!
belle - it's a really simple recipe. (and if I remember this wrong, hopefully my mom will catch it). Cook a pound of linguine or fettucine and when it's almost done throw in a bunch of broccoli and cook until it's done the way you like it. Meanwhile, put two cans of mushroom soup, a cup of grated parmesan, a cup of milk and some black pepper into a pan and heat it through. Cook some chicken strips in butter while this is all going on. When the pasta is done combine it all and toss. (Or if you have vegetarians, put the chicken on top for whoever wants it). My kids LOVED it, and it was really pretty darn good.
Your pasta sounds wonderful and I'll have to try it. I adore feta.
flowerpot - I'm assuming you put all the liquid from the cans into the dish? And what kind of beans do you use?
rudee - cross your fingers on the drug seekers. I've hit overload.
They're gonne need vicodin if they keep it up.
potty mummy - my MIL made something like that and called it (no idea why) slumgullion. I'd forgotten all about that. Thanks for the reminder - I bet it would go over well here, too.
laurie - YOU look good in that shade of blue. I've seen pictures. I didn't say I didn't like it, I said I don't wear it. Olive skin and auburn hair don't go with that color. Trust me. I look like I need a barf bag.
flutterby - what is it about pasta? Is there a soul in the world who doesn't like pasta? I could eat it every day.
kaycie - that sounds good, too. I do a kind of teriyaki tilapia sometimes, but your rice is completely different. I have rice hounds, so I'll give that a shot.
It's called a phone, and you use it by dialing and ordering pizza. They bring it right to your house. If you do this often enough, they will name you Customer of the Year, and you get a freebie, whatever you want on it. It's maybe embarrassing and expensive in the long run, but you're contributing to the economy even as you're going broke yourself. It's a whole greater good thing.
Okay I will compile some of my quick-ish faves and email to you... but for now get 4 packages of Mahatma Spanish rice(I know wally world sells these) cook as per pkg directions brown 2 lbs hamburger or ground turkey add pepper, garlic pwd,chopped dried onions,cumin pwd, chili pwd to taste...a few shakes from each(if you don't have some of these spices don't worry about it..it will still taste yummy)
when rice is done(20 minutes) add to meat, or add meat to rice whichever pan is bigger then add one individual can V8(5.5oz) and a big can of tomato sauce(29oz). Heat up 2 cans green beans in microwave or stove top and serve.
Hey RC, glad you finally got a break and some rest. I have a couple of quick-n-easy recipes:
Garlic Chicken in a sort of Middle Eastern style-
http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=1134058
The only catch with this one is that you have to marinate the meat overnight.
Gnocchi Au Gratin-
http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=1545770
Very delicious. There's a fair bit of stirring, but sure, isn't it Surfer Dude who likes to cook?
Rosemary Chicken Salad-
http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=1041889&top5=yes
OK, this isn't really a dinner recipe I guess, but it's my current absolute favourite lunch recipe. (I've been having it for breakfast and lunch nearly every day!)
Wonderful Veggie tacos
1 can black beans
1 can corn
one tomato diced
one avocado diced
handful of cilantro diced
store bought tortillas
salsa
heat 1-2 tbsp olive oil in a pan and throw in a tortilla. cook each side in the oil for about 2 min. on medium (until each side is browned) then place on a plate and blot excess oil with a paper towel. Do this for each person you are feeding, then let them fill their "shell" with the beans/corn/tomatoes/avocado from above. top with salsa. Delish!
This might not help but my stepdaughter asked me on Sunday if I could get make-your-own sub stuff for dinners this week; talk about easy to please!!
sure. grill or bake chicken. dump on some red sauce and serve over pasta. chicken parmesan. that's a real 'cheater' meal here.
we also do a pizza casserole type of thing, you cook up some ground beef turkey, etc. with onions or what have you, dump it in a 9x13 dish, dump on pizza or spaghetti sauce, add favorite 'toppings', add 2 tubes quartered fridge biscuits (bam biscuits) and bake for 20 minutes at 400 degrees add favorite cheese on top (mozzarella) and bake for 5 minutes or until the cheese melts.
one more, use some tortillas, ground beef or etc, salsa, spices and cheese, along with your favorite 'toppings' --layer on top of the tortillas like a 'mexican' pizza and bake for 8-10 minutes at 400 degrees.
my other suggestion is to make up things in advance like meatballs, sloppy joe, soup, OR make ahead a ham, turkey or roast and slice for sandwiches, or toss in casseroles, and a pork roast would be good to just cook on a sunday afternoon and shred with forks and make into bbq for sandwiches.
you can't beat a grilled ham and cheese with some fries baked in the oven for a teenage kid either, can you?
sorry if i crossed any food/kosher lines? just adapt to your food tastes or beliefs.
That recipe sound great. Fast food - beans on toast!
First, LOL at the old lady in the parking lot and her reflexes.
Second, I'm glad you got some sleep, although I'm sure a lady as classy as you never drools.
And third, thanks to you and all your commentors for such fast & easy recipe ideas. They all look awesome and right up my alley. I should have thought to put out a cooking "call for help" on my blog. I could really use some ideas.
Here's something for you. Lately I've been making a surprisingly delicious and easy recipe that only uses one pan. The prep time is ten minutes, but the downside is it needs to be in the oven for one hour.
I don't have a name for it, but here's the recipe:
Fill the bottom of a roasting pan with various "thinly" sliced roasting vegetables. I usually use carrots, yams, onions, parsnips, potatoes or tunips. (If you don't slice some of the denser veg thinly, they won't cook through.) Throw in a few whole (peeled) cloves of garlic. Sprinkle with sea salt & pepper to taste. Spoon thinly sliced sundried tomoatoes with their oil, all over the veggies and toss. Then (and here's the cheat) toss some chicken pieces in store-bought shake-n-bake and place on top of the veggies & sundried tomatoes. Bake in the oven at 400degreesF for one hour.
I usually add some ground flax seed to the shake-n-bake coating to make it a little healthier. It adds crunch and makes it dee-licious. Also, be generous with the sundried tomatoes. We buy huge jars at Costco for cheap. In my opinion, the sundried tomatoes make the dish.
Hope you like it.
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