Food For Thought

February 4, 2010

A Week of Half Hour Meals Part 2

Filed under: Member recipes, Quick Meal Tips — Tags: , , — Anne Coleman @ 8:56 am

garlicbread 026Last week I posted about making meals for my family completely from Half Hour Meals, and I did. Not only was everyone satisfied, I had no naysayers at all and we’ve added a few recipes to our usual nightly repertoire as well.

Here’s what we had, in no specific order:

Carbonara Pizza – This one went over hugely here. Not only were there no leftovers, I’ve already had requests for more. I used the cheaper bacon alternative, but other than that there were no changes made and it was perfect.

Arroz on Pollo – Another hit with returns for seconds (and thirds for some!) and one more added to the family recipe pile.

Grandma Nucci’s Meatballs – (pictured) This is now my go-to meatball for pasta dishes. This was the most delicious meatball I’ve had, hands-down! Bursting with flavor and a mere 5 ingredients, it doesn’t get any simpler or tastier.

Penne Pasta with Pesto – Two of my absolute favorites together – and the pesto recipe was perfecto! The kids loved it as well and it’s gone into our rotation, too.

Sticky Lemon Chicken – So good! Yet another go-to for a quick chicken recipe and one that everyone liked. Any side dish would go well with this, but we made the recommended mashed potatoes and peas & carrots.

Barbecue Bacon Burgers – OK, so I’ve been doing things like adding potato chips to my sandwich for years, but who’da thunk to add them to a burger? I’ve been asked to ‘please only make this burger from now on’ , and I think I’ll oblige! Very tasty and something you can serve for family or company.

That was our week  - and next time we’ll do meals from appetizer through dessert and report on that, as well. Please give one or two of these a try, they’re very worth it!

January 7, 2010

Super Easy (and fast!) Chicken

Filed under: Quick Meal Tips — Tags: , — Anne Coleman @ 5:00 am

1_06_2010 042It’s no secret that the most searched-for recipes on the internet are chicken based. Not only is chicken healthier than its meat counterparts, but it generally cooks quicker, too.

This recipe serves up delicious chicken and a sauce on the side – all in one pan and in under 20 minutes!

Our entire dinner this evening (except the bread) was very quick and simple, but so good that all of the kids asked for seconds. I served this chicken with steamed Brussels sprouts and orzo (which the kids can never get enough of) and there were clean plates all around.

The versatility of this is another reason I like it so much. Change up the liquid to just about anything, wine, stock, juice – and you can change the flavor of the entire dish very easily and still have great results. I made a sauce with an Asian influence tonight, but often I use orange juice in place of the soy sauce and add a bit of white wine. Use your imagination with this one.

Super Easy (and fast!) Chicken
Hands-On Time: 20 minutes
Ready In: 20 minutes
Serves: 4

4 chicken breast halves, pounded to an even thickness or butterflied and cut the whole way through
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon granulated garlic
4 Tablespoons cooking oil
2 cups chicken stock
1/2 cup soy sauce
2 Tablespoons Mirin

1. Stir together flour, salt and garlic in a resealable bag. Toss chicken in the bag and seal. Shake the bag to coat the chicken pieces well.
2. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken and cook until golden brown on both sides – about 5 minutes for each side.
3. Remove chicken from pan and keep warm.
4. Add stock, soy and mirin to pan and stirr up all the browned bits. Continue stirring until sauce is slightly thickened (the flour from the chicken will do this well) and add the chicken back into the sauce. Coat each piece and cook for a minute or two before serving.

December 28, 2009

Easy Hashbrown and Ham Casserole

Filed under: Quick Meal Tips, holidays, leftovers — Tags: , , , — Anne Coleman @ 6:00 am

hashbrowns 004After the feast, or feasts, of the Holiday season there are always leftovers. At our home this year we had turkey, but we often have a more traditional ham and there’s never a shortage of ham left behind to use up. The usual here seems to be sandwiches and soups, but melding one of our favorite hashbrown recipes with our overabundance of pork product is a real crowd-pleaser.

Most hashbrown casseroles call for melted butter to be added, but with all that sour cream and cheese, I never feel the need for it. You can use lower fat dairy alternatives and this will still come out tasting fantastic. Just don’t use the fat free cheese, it won’t melt the same.

Easy Hashbrown and Ham Casserole

3 pounds frozen shredded hash browns
16 ounces sour cream
1 cup milk
1/2 cup sliced green onion
2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese
salt & pepper to taste
2 cups cubed cooked ham

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
Empty hashbrowns into a large bowl.
Blend together sour cream and milk.
Pour over hashbrowns and add 1 1/2 cups Cheddar, onion, ham (if using) and salt and pepper.
Toss until well combined and pour into a well greased 9×13 baking dish.
Top with remaining 1/2 cup Cheddar and bake 30 minutes until bubbly and browned.

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