Simple & Easy Recipes

Try heavenlyhomemakers.com

It is a really great website written by a mom of 4 boys (I think). Anyway, she posts her menu plan and recipes for the week. She makes everything from scratch but you could cut corners buy using box if you wanted. Her meals are very simple and normal.

Yesterday I made a great pasta dish using veggies I had at home. I boiled penne pasta and while it was cooking I sauteed some onions, bell pepper, fresh basil, garlic and zucchini in some olive oil and right before the pasta was done I added some spinach. Then I added the pasta to the skillet with the veggies and put in some butter and a little garlic salt. It was really delicious. Basically you could use any veggies you have that you need to use up. You could even add some chicken or pork.

"Sam Stern's Real Food, Real Fast" is a fabulous cookbook with easy, healthy and yummy recipes that both kids and grown-ups will love. This is my review for amazon.

"I am an avid collector of cookbooks and especially love children's cookbooks - meals are usually tasty and easy to prepare. But this book really floored me - written by a teenager for kids his age, how good could it be? Absolutely excellent! It rivals anything Martha Stewart could make and is so much easier!

You'll find an amazing assortment of easy to prepare meals that can be made in 5-30 minutes, all using easy-to-find ingredients.

* 5 minute meals include little plates that can easily pass for hors do'ouvres: bread, olive oil & olives; prosciutto & mozzarella with special dressing; light meals using salmon, avocado and shrimp, with simple but tasty dressings. Fruit, yogurt and assorted toppings that make for simple yet elegant breakfasts. Eight smoothies and shakes using fruit and milk. Plus all seven toppings for toast - from cinnamon sugar butter to tomato and garlic.

* 10 minute meals include sandwiches such as greek salad pita, Portobello arugula and balsamic, French toast with hot fruit, spreads and dips (hummus, guacamole), assorted salads, omelettes.

* 15 minute meals include steak with four variations (pepper, teriyaki, lemon and rosemary, chili mustard), sautéed chicken breasts with different sauces (salsa verde, middle eastern style), grilled fish and sauces, roasted vegetables, noodle dishes, couscous, tabouli, and fruit crepes.

* 20 minute meals include all types of burgers (beef, chicken, pork, vegetarian), an amazingly easy but complex-tasting Bolognese sauce, mashed potatoes with variations, stir fries, granola bars and cookies.

* 30 minute meals include two soups (lentil and tomato, cheese and watercress), pizza (basic, thin crust, deep crust), kebabs (meat, chicken, vegetarian), tex mex meals (homemade tortillas, chicken fajitas, tosatadas, quesadillas), risottos, chicen kiev, salmon fish cakes, cassoulet, cheese soufflés, savory crepes (chicken, ham and cheese, spinach, mushroom, etc), assorted curries, and desserts (molten chocolate cake, fruit crumble, among others).

* Finally, there is a section on "Leftovers" which surprisingly is for making them: recipes for making roast beast, roast chicken and ham roast, for when you have loads of time.

You can't go wrong with this cookbook, if you're looking for a gift for a young beginner cook, a college student living on their own, or for healthy, tasty meals to make for your own kids."

I love to cook, but who has the time (or the money) for all those fancy ingredients?!? I try to cook dinner most days of the week, leaving one day usually for takeout or we eat at my MIL's house. Here are some things that are on regular rotation...

Pork chops (I use oven fry or shake'n'bake, 20 minutes and they're done!)
Chicken fajitas
Pot Roast (I use McCormick's pot roast bag, so simple)
Hamburger helper
Spaghetti
Lasagna
Chili
Italian chicken with sauteed veggies and white rice
Baked BBQ chicken

Dinner doesn't have to be a masterpiece. I use a lot of help from seasoning mixes. Just think of things that you like and type a search for a recipe, you'll have to sift through the results until you find one that suits your tastes. Remember, a recipe is never written in stone, you can always add and subtract based on your personal tastes, just make sure you write it down so if it turns out good you can replicate it!!

I also watch a lot of cooking shows and subscribe to their email lists.

One "kid approved" recipe is this...Brown a pound of burger. Drain. Add about 2 T of flour and maybe a half cup of spaghetti sauce...stir and heat through. Then take a roll of refrig. cresent dough and lay half of it in a pan. Add meat...cover with the other half and bake according to instructions on package. Last five min... I add sliced cheese on top and viola!

This is a super easy pasta dish that is fabulous. Very kid approved.

Baked Ravioli

1 bag of frozen cheese ravioli (I like the Aldi brand and Meijer brand)
1 jar of pasta sauce
*I add a can of diced tomatoes because I like a chunky sauce
1 lb. ground turkey or beef (you could leave this out, but we love it added)
2 cups shredded mozz cheese

You brown the meat and add the sauce and tomatoes. Spread a little sauce in a baking dish (either 9x11 or 9x13 depending on how big you want it and how much ravioli you want to use). Put a layer of ravioli (still frozen) in the dish. Spread more sauce on top. Sprinkle with cheese. Put another layer of ravioli, then more sauce. Bake at 400 for 45 min or until hot and bubbly. Top with remaining cheese and bake until melted.

Another easy pasta dish with a mexican theme:

Taco Bake

1 lb. ground turkey or beef
packet of taco seasoning
3/4 cup water
1 box Kraft Deluxe Mac n Cheese
3/4 cup sour cream
1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar (or mex. blend cheese)
salsa - optional

Brown meat, drain. Add seasoning and water. Simmer for 5 min. Make mac n cheese according to box, then add sour cream. Spread half of the mac into a medium baking dish (8x8, 9x9, etc). Spread the meat over the mac, then top with 1/2 of cheese. Top with the rest of the mac. Bake at 400 for 15 min. Top with rest of cheese and bake until melted. Can serve w salsa if desired.

I love Turkey Pita Raps. I buy Jennie O ground trukey and sometimes I cook it loose and at times I make patties. When I make patties out of the meat I usually broil it.
I firt heat the pita break in the oven with with a slice of peperjack cheese. then top it with the meat , tomatoes (sometimes I top it with salsa) onions. Then I rap it up. This is my favorite lunch.

there is a cookbook that has either 3 or 4 ingredients in all the recipies! I found it in the library one day.

I like to put a beef roast in the crock pot with a little water and an envelop of onion soup mix! Delicious!!!!! eat like it is or on a bun!

Meatloaf is great when you mix the same onion soup mix into it with some water and ketchup.

I bake fish in the oven ... after I put miracle whip on it and bread crumbs... then season as you like w/o salt. I usually use paprika or parsley and pepper.

brown some onions then add butter/margarine and put over boiled potatoes (cut up in bite size pieces)

I have so many recipies and ideas but not enough time to share them all... let me know if you want more ideas.

ANOTHER SIMPLE one put some chicken in a roaster sprinkle with italian ressing put the lid on and bake!

put a pork roast in the crock pot with alil water..let cook all day (bout 8 hrs on low) til its falls apart with a fork, drain water, pull all pork apart , add b-b-q sauce, eat as is or on buns...pulled pork sandwich.
goes great with kraft mac and cheese..or Homemade mac
cook pasta acording to directions..drain..cube up bout 2-3 inch slab of velveeta cheese, put in same pan you cooked pasta in, on low heat, add bout 4 TBS butter, stir til melted, add alil milk, just want to cream it, stir til all melted, add pasta, stir and serve. very tastey :)

How easy? Something that has only 5 ingredients? A good reference is the food channel & their cookbooks.

It's only as hard as opening up a bag of ramen noodles & adding meat & veggies! Beef, chicken, turkey or your favorite fish. Pizza can be just as easy. A slice of your favority bread; add your favorite jar sauce, meat, veggies, & cheese; place in your toaster oven or big oven & bake until cheese is melted & if you like, slightly brown.

Now soups/stews can be a little more intense. My favorite right now is "Taco Chili". Brown 1to2 pounds of hamburger [use 85/15 blend or leaner & yes you can use turkey or chicken or even groung pork], add a small to medium onion to the meat as it browns. Once this is done, add in a can [each] of drained whole corn, tomatoes with chilis, crushed tomatoes [i've used stewed & it worked just fine], kidney beans, pinto beans & 2 packages of taco seasoning. Almost forgot the squirt of catsup!!!! Once its put together, you can put it in the crock pot to simmer all day. Or eat after you've let it simmer for a little bit; but it is better if left to set a least overnight & warmed up the next day.

There are hundreds of quick & easy recipes out there. Just think of what you like to eat when you go out & think of all of the ingredients that you might have on hand. You may have it in the pantry/freezer & just don't know it!!! Good luck & have some fun with creating your own quick meals.

BBQ Burgers are so simple to make: Combine lean ground beef with 2 tblsp BBQ sauce and 1 tblsp Worcestshire sauce. Form into patties and brown both sides with a little butter (or Pam spray) in a saucepan. The whole process takes like 15-20 minutes. Top with anything you like (avocado, cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, onions)

Another tip is to have frozen veggies on hand to add to pasta, omlettes, or just as a side dish w/ butter.