Another good pasta one: Green pasta sauce! Steam some broccoli, throw in a food processor with olive oil and a bit of garlic. You can also use cauliflower if you don't need it to be green.
Another good pasta one: Green pasta sauce! Steam some broccoli, throw in a food processor with olive oil and a bit of garlic. You can also use cauliflower if you don't need it to be green.
mndsm wrote: Kids will always eat pasta. Traditional alfredo is 2 ingredients. Butter and parmesean. Boil pasta til al dente. Reserve a small bit of pasta water. In separate pan, melt butter. I usuallu start with half a stick. Throw pasta back in pan, add parmesean. The real ish, not that powder junk. Mix til cheese melts. Add a small amt of pasta water to help emulsion and keep from getting too sticky. Add cooked chicken, bacon, whatever. Peas and broccoli work well. Consume.
Came back to say that this is perfect. Of course, I did it a little differently, but whatever. I plopped 2 whole cloves of garlic in with the butter as it was melting, and threw some pre-shaved cheese mix (because I'm lazy tonight) in the pan of butter while the pasta was cooking. Drained the pasta, threw it in the sauce, and voila.
Reviving this one cause it's in the oven right now. Stuffed bell peppers.
Browned an onion, a pound of hamburger, and some spicy sausage but most any ground meat will do. Made some rice while that was browning. Cut the tops off 5 big peppers and washed them. Mixed rice and meat. Spooned mixture into peppers, topped with shredded Colby jack cheese and poured a can (or two) of tomato sauce over the whole thing. Just for giggles I sprinkled some Italian seasoned bread crumbs on that. Baking at 350 until everyone get here so we can eat.
Yum yum
This
No I am not kidding. Get the low salt version if you must. There are about 10,000 ways to cook this. Everything from alfredo to the grill to deep fried spam chips.. . . Ok maybe the chips should not be made a meal. . . 
Spam is not an everyday thing for sure but there is always a can or three in my house. Ok yes, I have made deep fried spam chips for dinner. Dam tasty!!! Kind of like eating bacon. We call it Spacon in our house... Spaken lettuce and tomato dagwoods are a fine piece of American quizean. 
OMG.
I have to do some research now if all these are in fact real products.
Sorry for the thread hijack.. .
Cut wieners into 1" long chunks, poke a few strands of spaghetti through the chunks the long way.
Boil until the pasta is cooked.
Weird out your kids by serving them hairy wieners.
Here's a few of my usual weekly picks for making dinner. I prefer to use as little pots and pans per meal to make cleanup quicker.
The first is any pasta dish, spaghetti, ziti, whatever. I just use ragu, ground turkey, a little extra Italian seasoning, boil the noodles first, dump the noodles into a strainer, brown the meat in the same pot, add the sauce, heat till boiling, add the noodles back and serve. One pot to clean.
Turkey enchiladas. Preheat oven to 425. Brown ground turkey with taco seasoning in a pan. Add taco sauce once browned. Heat a can of refried beans in the microwave. Take the beans and meat and apply equal amounts to 9" tortillas. Roll up, place in a greased glass casserole dish and cover with more taco sauce and cheese. Bake in the oven for 15 minutes till cheese gets bubbley.
Pizza. I buy the Kroger prepackaged crust mix. Add water let sit, spread some parchment paper out, press out the dough with some olive oil greased hands. Spread your sauce (again, Kroger brand) top however you like. I prefer turkey pepperoni and mushrooms.
dean1484 wrote: I have to do some research now if all these are in fact real products.
I can say that the only one I haven't seen is the one on the top left in the pouch. SWMBO got me a SPAM variety pack for Christmas... but, she won't eat it so I fix it when she isn't around. I usually mix it in with a box of Kraft mac'n cheese or shredded hash browns with eggs.
In reply to dean1484:
I will confirm Bacon, hot & spicy, and turkey exist. I saw and ate them in california but have not seen anything but regular and low sodium in PA like ever.
If you're not in the mood for the Spam Spam Bacon & Spam platter, try this Mexican Chicken Bake.
Get a plain rotisserie chicken off the hot bar. Separate into bite sized bits, devour skin, discard carcass. Melt some queso mexican cheese dip on the stovetop and dilute with chicken broth. Layer in a shallow casserole or brownie pan: chicken, black beans (canned, drained), fresh or pickled jalapenos, canned green chilis, and shredded mozzarella. Crush up some corn tortilla chips or fritos and sprinkle on top, spoon the queso mix on top of that and shake some taco seasoning on it right out of the pouch. Try to squeeze two layers of all of this in the pan and use plenty of chips. Think lasagne assembly here. Top with more chips, taco seasoning and mozz. Bake @ 350 for 20-25.
We sometimes do roast chicken or store rotisserie for dinner, and then use the leftovers for a simple pot pie.
One package of pre made pie crust.
One can cream of chicken soup
One small bag frozen mixed vegetables
Leftover chicken
Place one piece of of crust in pie plate.
Mix chicken, vegetables, and soup together.
Place filling in pie pan with crust, cover with other piece of pie crust, cut 2-3 three in slots in center of top crust and seal the edges.
Bake at 375 for 30 minutes with foil over top, remove foil and bake until crust is cooked (20-30 minutes)
On edit: I try to put it together the night we have the chicken and then cover in fridge. That lets the veggies thaw and it cooks quicker the next day.
EastCoastMojo wrote: If you're not in the mood for the Spam Spam Bacon & Spam platter...blah, blah, blah, healty...
Who isn't in the mood for the "Spam Spam Bacon & Spam platter" with a side of Spam? 
EastCoastMojo wrote: discard carcass.
Actually, stuff carcass and any other leftover bits like skin, bones, cartilage, etc. into a ziplock bag and freeze to use making soup or just go ahead and boil to make chicken stock and then freeze.
Some other good ones:
Quesadillas. They're like a grilled cheese with tortillas in their most basic form. You can fill them with peppers and onions, chicken or beef, beans, chayote, or anything else that comes to mind.
Vaguely German Crock Pot Meal. Put potatoes, sliced onions, and purple cabbage in a crock pot in the morning. Lay German sausages or pot roast on top. Switch on and go to work - you'll have a great dinner ready when you come home.
Get a Crock Pot with a removable Crock. Then you can cut up veggies, starch and a protein the night before, add liquid and pop in the fridge. It marinates overnight, then you drop it in the Pot in the morning to cook. When you get home, stir and serve. You can make beef stew, chicken and dumplings, chili, pork and sauerkraut, pot roast, turkey breast...all kinds of complete meals. You can also use it to make pasta casseroles and tacos.
I am also a fan of microwaveable sticky rice. Stir Frys and other Asian dishes can be whipped up pretty quick, but rice takes forever. They have frozen rice that microwaves and comes out really good, much better than Minute Rice. (PF Changes is one brand.) Don't go for the pre-made Asian dishes, the sodium and other junk is off the charts. Instead, stock up on bottled sauces so you can turn some snow peas and chicken chunks into something yummy.
I'm intrigued by that green pasta sauce, may try that one.
I use the crock pot quite a bit also. My mom gave me this tip: you can put everything in there the night before and then refrigerate it overnight. Then all you have to do in the morning is put the insert in the pot and turn it on. Note: probably works best with the removable crockery thing.
secretariata wrote: Actually, stuff carcass and any other leftover bits like skin, bones, cartilage, etc. into a ziplock bag and freeze to use making soup or just go ahead and boil to make chicken stock and then freeze.
Well, I do actually do that but was not assuming everyone will want to. I also save onion skins in the freezer (in addition to adding actual onions to the stock) as it gives a golden color. Turkey Soup Thread
Spaghetti Carbonara
1 lb Spaghetti
1/4 - 1/2 lb thick sliced good quality bacon
2 cloves garlic
2 large eggs
Black Pepper
1/2 cup parmigiano cheese
Bring a large pot of water to a boil. When it is boiling, throw in the Spaghetti. Most dried spaghetti takes 9 - 10 minutes.
Cut bacon into 1/2 inch wide pieces. Put them in a skillet and cook for about 2 minutes, until fat begins to render.
Add the whole cloves of garlic and cook another 5 minutes, until the edges of the bacon begin to get crisp. Do not overcook, it will not meld with the pasta.
Meanwhile, break the eggs into a bowl you will serve the pasta in and beat them with a fork. Add some black pepper grindings.
Remove the garlic from the pan. If it looks fatty, remove some of the grease.
Drain the cooked pasta but don't rinse, keep it hot. Throw into the egg dish and mix thoroughly. The heat of the spaghetti will cook the eggs and turn them into a sauce. Add the bacon and its fat, toss, add some cheese and serve.
Easy Peasy.
Likely too much salt, but tasty (spicey), cheap, quick, easy, and not macaroni and cheese. I don't get to eat this when my wife is home.
Chunk up andouille sausage (andouille sausage should not come from Johnsonville, Wisconsin, but that's what's in the stores here). Brown if you like, or not if you're in a hurry.
Start a package of Zatarain's Red Beans and Rice. Add the sausage once it's simmering. Let finish out per the package instructions.
Eat. Spicy (and salty) enough to be excellent with beer. Drink more beer because wife isn't home. Wups, realized this thread was recipes for "Dad."
Leftovers make great burritos, though mixing Cajun and Mexican foods seems not right in some way. Less not right than Cajun sausage from Wisconsin though.
Tacos
1-2lbs of ground beef or ground turkey.
1/2 an onion, diced, per pound of meat
Caramelize or brown onions in skillet. Add meat and brown tht. Season to taste with Salt, Pepper, Cumin, Oregano, and Chili Powder. Wrap tortillas in foil and warm them in the oven on the lowest setting.
Top it all with choice of lettuce, tomato, cheese, green onion, etc. Grocery store tubs of pico de gallo are the easy button for toppings.
mndsm wrote: Kids will always eat pasta. Traditional alfredo is 2 ingredients. Butter and parmesean. Boil pasta til al dente. Reserve a small bit of pasta water. In separate pan, melt butter. I usuallu start with half a stick. Throw pasta back in pan, add parmesean. The real ish, not that powder junk. Mix til cheese melts. Add a small amt of pasta water to help emulsion and keep from getting too sticky. Add cooked chicken, bacon, whatever. Peas and broccoli work well. Consume.
I just did this tonight. Didn't have much parmesan, but I did have about 1.5 cups of plain Greek yoghurt. Add peas and bacon, and it was the business. Thanks for the tip!
Robbie wrote:mndsm wrote: Kids will always eat pasta. Traditional alfredo is 2 ingredients. Butter and parmesean. Boil pasta til al dente. Reserve a small bit of pasta water. In separate pan, melt butter. I usuallu start with half a stick. Throw pasta back in pan, add parmesean. The real ish, not that powder junk. Mix til cheese melts. Add a small amt of pasta water to help emulsion and keep from getting too sticky. Add cooked chicken, bacon, whatever. Peas and broccoli work well. Consume.I just did this tonight. Didn't have much parmesan, but I did have about 1.5 cups of plain Greek yoghurt. Add peas and bacon, and it was the business. Thanks for the tip!
This one is a workhorse for me. It comes out at least 3 times a month, when I can't be arsed to do anything else. Keep a bag of frozen chicken boobs in the freezer (costco individual wrapped) thaw out a couple, cook off with a smashed garlic, throw in pasta juju with whatever I habe for vegetables (I apparently have to cook for a carrot allergy now...kills my mirpoix but whatever) and it's good every time . I keep a foodservice bag of shredded parm on hand for this reason alone.
Grilled Hot Dogs and Hamburgers
Nacho Night
Pizza Night
Appetizer Night
Breakfast for Dinner
Kabob Night
Night out for Diner
Buy crock pot. Add 3-4 boneless chicken breasts, stick of butter, 32oz chicken broth, 2 cans cream of chicken soup.
Heat low for 6hrs, shred the chicken and add 24oz frozen noodles and/or dumplings. Cook low another 2hrs, eat the hell out of it.
Obviously not a quick prep time but if you set this up in the morning, come home and enjoy...
Karacticus wrote: Likely too much salt, but tasty (spicey), cheap, quick, easy, and not macaroni and cheese. I don't get to eat this when my wife is home. Chunk up andouille sausage (andouille sausage should not come from Johnsonville, Wisconsin, but that's what's in the stores here). Brown if you like, or not if you're in a hurry. Start a package of Zatarain's Red Beans and Rice. Add the sausage once it's simmering. Let finish out per the package instructions. Eat. Spicy (and salty) enough to be excellent with beer. Drink more beer because wife isn't home. Wups, realized this thread was recipes for "Dad." Leftovers make great burritos, though mixing Cajun and Mexican foods seems not right in some way. Less not right than Cajun sausage from Wisconsin though.
FWIW, I was in stuck in traffic behind the Johnsonville "world's largest grill" while driving between Lafayette Louisiana through Baton Rouge last Thursday. Nobody jumped out of the swamp and ran it off.
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