I have been in a dinner idea slump of gargantuan proportions. Since about, oh, February. Yes, I know it's October. That's a l-o-n-g time for my poor family to suffer for my lack of dinner genius. Even the Food Network hasn't revived my creativity.
Out of love for my dear family, and because we are sick of repeatedly eating pancakes and/or oatmeal for every meal, I am pleased to announce the first tRcg Dinner Recipe Contest!!
Here are the rules:
1. Write your favorite quick go-to meal in the comments.
2. Somewhere included in the meal there must be a vegetable or salad.
3. Recipes which include the following ingredients will promptly be disqualified: liver, brussel sprouts, pig's feet, tongue, and anchovies.
4. It has to be a recipe that YOU actually like and make.
5. All entries must be submitted by Sunday, October 12, 11pm MST.
Winners will be chosen in the following two ways:
1. All contestants will have their names put into a hat, and one winner will be chosen at random. (I promise there will be no peeking.)
2. After my family has had a chance to try the recipes, my family will vote on its favorite recipe, and that contestant will also win a prize. (This phase of the contest will take a bit longer, of course. But I promise that there will be a second winner, and they WILL receive a prize.)
The winner chosen at random will receive a $10 gift card to Target!
The winner for the best recipe (as determined by the taste buds of my family) will receive a $25 gift card to Target!
Tips: I love quick, one-dish meals. (Your recipe doesn't HAVE to be a one-dish meal. I do make non-one-dish meals too!) James REALLY loves FLAVOR.
Family pic 2020
2 months ago
18 comments:
Here's what we had for dinner tonight and it's always flavorful, healthy and most importantly easy.
-Veggies of your choice, we use: zucchini, bell peppers (tonight I even cheated and used frozen julienned peppers-they were just as good), tomatoes (sometimes I used canned), spinach and olives.
-Ziti pasta
-your favorite marinara, ours is Newmans Marinara
-crushed garlic, onion powder and salt and pepper
-grated mozzarella
I boil the noodles to al dente while chopping the veggies. Spray a 13X9 with PAM. Saute the zucchini and peppers until cooked but crisp. Toss all ingredients (except the cheese) in a bowl, pour into pan, top with mozzarella and bake until cheese is crisp. I usually end up broiling it for a minute to really give the cheese a golden brown flavorful crisp.
Sometimes we add chili flakes for some kick and sometimes we add freshly grated parmesan.
Maybe you'll like it. Maybe you won't.
Oh man, I'm in UT visiting family and my flavorful recipes are at home in Ohio....'til the 14th!
Yipee! Target Gift Cards!
OK, here's my favorite (self-thought-up, no less) recipe:
Balsamic Chicken with Noodles and Feta
In a saucepan, stir 1 cup balsamic vinegar and 1 and 1/2 cups of sugar. Stir well over medium high heat and bring to a boil. Let it boil for a few minutes before removing it from the heat. It will begin to thicken. This is your yummy syrup. If you like it thicker or sweeter, just add more sugar.
Saute 1 lb of chicken breasts or chicken tenders in olive oil and season with salt, pepper, garlic, and basil. I even add some orange zest if I have it around.
While you're doing all of this, boil the noodles of your choice (I usually use spaghetti, but bowties are fun for the kids).
Right before your chicken is fully cooked, add a couple of spoonfuls of your syrup to the chicken and stir it around.
To serve, place the noodles on a plate, put your chicken on top and douse with your yummy syrup. Add feta cheese crumbles to the top and you're set!
(If you don't like feta, you can use goat cheese.)
Serve with a green salad and bread!
Ross, that sounds yummy!! Thanks for entering the contest!
Shaylene, the Contest Rules Committee has met and made a decision concerning your extenuating circumstances. How about you write the name of the recipe, and some of the key ingredients by the contest deadline. Then, when you return home, you can submit the real thing. Your name would then be entered in the drawing.
Wow! Self-thought-up, huh, Tiff? Way to go! Thanks for entering!
Here's your winner (one dish AND flavorful!) :)
DILLED CHICKEN FRICASSEE
1/3 c. all-purpose flour
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. paprika
2 tbsp. vegetable oil
4 chicken breasts
1 tbsp. lemon juice, or to taste
2 c. chicken broth
1/4 c. fresh dill, chopped (I use bottled)
8 (12 oz.) sm. new potatoes
12 oz. fresh asparagus, ends trimmed
Mix flour, salt, and paprika in a medium-size bowl. Heat oil in a deep 12 inch skillet over medium-high heat. While oil heats, coat chicken with flour. Shake off excess. Add chicken and brown well. Remove to plate with slotted spoon. Meanwhile, pour broth into flour mixture remaining in bowl. Whisk until smooth. Drain fat from skillet. Add chicken broth mixture and 2 tablespoons dill. Stir to mix. Add chicken, skin side up, and potatoes. Bring to a boil over high heat, reduce heat, cover and simmer 20 minutes. Add asparagus, cover and simmer 10 minutes longer or until chicken and vegetables are tender. Remove from heat. Sprinkle with lemon juice and remaining 2 tablespoons dill.
I'm sending two, but you can count it as one...The first one is too easy to count as a real recipe...
Recipe 1: Frozen meatballs from Sam's Club (or where ever). Microwave about 15 meatballs for 3 minutes. Chop up a little with some scissors or a chopper. Stir in one can cream of mushroom soup, use can to measure milk (about 1/2 can or to desired consistency), and a little sour cream if you have it. Stir, microwave about 4 more minutes. Serve over rice, potatoes, toast, noodles, or whatever! We always have this with green beans. I don't know why, but we do.
Recipe 2: (I should say that once every couple of months I cut up 10 pounds of chicken in bite size pieces and boil it, then freeze it in 2 cup portions)
Chicken's Quesadilla's (my nickname was chicken my whole life!)
2 cups shredded chicken
1/2 cup Italian dressing (I use the good season's packets made up)
1 teaspoon lime juice
hot sauce to taste
small onion chopped
Stir together.
Lightly butter one side of tortilla and place on griddle. sprinkle your favorite mexican cheese, spread some chicken mixture over top, then add a little more cheese (were these supposed to be healthy recipes???) and top with another tortilla. Cook until cheese is melted and tortillas are golden brown. We like this with avocado salsa: 2 chopped avocados, 4 fresh tomatoes, 1/2 bag frozen corn, 1 can black beans (drained and rinsed), small chopped onion, 1/2 bunch cilantro, and a little italian dressing. Enjoy!
Okay here's my submission (but I cannot take credit for the recipe, I got it from my neighbor.)
Chicken Stroganoff
2 - 3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/3 c. margarine, melted
1 packet Italian dressing mix
8 oz. cream cheese, softened
1 c. milk
1 small can cream of mushroom soup
Combine chicken, margarine, and dressing packet in a slow cooker. Cook on high for 2 1/2 hours. Mix cream cheese, milk, and soup in a bowl. Take chicken out and shred or cut up. Put back in slow cooker. Pour cream cheese mixture over chicken. Stir. Cook for additional 30 minutes.
Serve over rice or pasta, with a side of green beans.
(this is what we had for dinner tonight and we eat this often, as this is one dinner that EVERYONE in my family loves!)
Spaghetti lasagna
Cook 1 lb (more or less depending on fam. size) spaghetti... drain.
While spaghetti is cooking...saute' diced onions and green peppers, reserve, in same pan brown 1 lb ground turkey (hamburger if you like) once browned add onions and peppers and your favorite spaghetti/marinara sauce to meat.
beat two egg whites adding about 1/4 cup of Parmesan cheese.
Add egg white mixture to spaghetti coating well. Place spagheti in bottom of 9x13 pan. spread 8 oz of cottage cheese over spaghetti mixture.
Layer with spaghetti/marinara sauce, top with your fav. cheese ( I use mozzarella or cheddar) and bake in oven @ 375 for 20-25 minutes
serve with salad and bread if you like :D
Oh, this is sooo fun!! You are inspiring me! And saving my poor family!!
Thank you for your entries!!
Keep 'em comin'!!
I have two easy ones that we go to a lot. We serve either one with salad.
We ate this one a lot when I was growing up in the Bowers' household.
Meat Macaroni
1 lb ground beef
1 c. chopped onion
1 clove garlic, minced
1 t. salt
1/2 t. pepper
1 T. parsley flakes
1/4 t. basil flakes
1 t. chili powder
2 8 oz. cans tomato sauce
2 T. Parmesan cheese
1 8 oz. pkg. curly roni pasta
Cook ground beef, onion & garlic. Drain and rinse under hot water to remove grease. Add remaining ingredients except cheese and pasta. Add 3 cups water, bring to boil, add uncooked pasta. Stir, return to boil, cover & cook over med. heat 15 mins. Stirring frequently. Add cheese; stir well, cover, turn off heat & let stay on burner 30 mins. Stir occasionally. Reheat if necessary. (Really yummy the next day. Serve with garlic bread).
This next recipe we call Homemaking Chicken, I had to make this for Homemaking (when it was called that) and it's so yum!
3 c. cooked chicken, chopped
1 c. minute rice
10 oz. frozen broccoli, thawed
8 oz. cheese whiz, reduced fat
3 t. butter
1/2 c. milk
1/4 c. onion, chopped
1 can cream of chicken soup, reduced fat
Melt butter & cook onion until soft. Add soup cheese whiz and milk. Stir and heat. Add broccoli and chicken to pot. Place rice in a 9 x 13 pan. Pour cheese mixture over rice. Bake for 45 mins. at 350.
Ooh, I have one more. We love this one too, and it's almost the right time of year for it! The Richards' make it a lot now and so does Heather's mother-in-law. All thanks go to Rita, it's her recipe. Just an FYI, it used to be a clam chowder recipe, but she changed it to ham when we were little so we would eat it.
Ham Chowder
2 c. diced potatoes
1 c. diced celery
1 c. chopped onion
1 lb. ham, diced (my mom likes shaved, but I don't)
1 1/2 t. salt
3/4 c. butter
3/4 c. flour
4 c. milk
pepper or seasoning salt to taste
Put all veggies in a saucepan, cover with water (can add 2 chicken boullion cubes), simmer until veggies are tender. Melt butter, add flour, salt & milk adn whisk. When thick add drained cooked veggies (can add some of veggie water to thin soup). Add ham and heat. Do not boil. Season as desired.
Dad's famous Chilli
2 cans pinto beans
2 cans kidney beans
2 cans red beans
2 cans black beans
2 cans northern white beans
2 cans of crushed or diced or stewed tomatoes
1 quart of regular V-8 juice
1 med size onion
6 large sticks of celery
1 lb hamberger
c
Chop up onion and celery. Save 1/3 of celery for latter. Saute onion and 2/3 celery in some olive oil until some of the onion starts to turn a little brown. Take the onion and celery out of frying pan leaving all of the oil in the frying pan. Now add the hamberger to the oil and season with salt and pepper and chilli powder use plenty because this will be seasoning the whole pot. Brown the meat and then add back in the onions and celery and then add a can of tomatoes and half of the V-8 juice. Let this simmer while you put the beans with all their juice and tomatoes and the rest of the V-8 and some more chilli powder in a big pot and start it heating. Stir occassionally making sure it doesn't stick or burn on the bottom. When the pot of beans is hot add the meat and stir in and let simmer for a while.
To serve put a handful of Frito's in the bottom of a bowl and then add the chilli and some uncooked celery and eat up.
Because you have made such a big pot you can freeze it and it is really good latter.
You can also use this to make the best Navaho taco. Get some Rhode's rolls and put a dozen on a plate (not touching) and put in the microwave for a minute to minute and a half. Then stretch as large as you can and deep fry. Put this on your plate and then put the chilli on and cover with cheese and then put a green salad on top and add a little Catalina salad dressing and enjoy.
Dad
This is my absolute favorite thing to eat (besides pizza)! Serve it with some fresh green beans, grilled chicken (we still grill even in the winter), and garlic bread. Deee-lish!
Lemon Linguine
1 lb. linguine
1/2 C. olive oil
zest from 1 lemon
juice from 2 lemons
1/2 c. chopped green onion
1/4 c. chopped fresh parsley (I usually omit this - but wanted to add it because it is part of the recipe)
salt & freshly ground pepper (I like to use kosher salt)
lots of fresh parmesan cheese
Cook linguine. Drain well. While linguine is cooking, combine next 5 ingredients in a large serving bowl. Add pasta & toss well. Sprinkle with salt & pepper. Toss in parmesan to taste.
Enjoy!
Here is my recipe for the grilled chicken I use with Lemon Linguine.
Lemony Garlic Chicken
½ C. vegetable oil
½ - ¾ tsp. garlic powder
2/3 C. lemon juice
½ tsp. onion powder
1 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
about 6 chicken breasts or
15-20 chicken tenders (depending on the amount of people you are cooking for)
Stir together first 5 ingredients (these measurements are approximations – I don’t usually measure them out). Then add chicken breasts. Let marinate for 1 hour.
Put chicken on grill or BBQ until done.
Here's a favorite because it's tasty and it's fast and easy....
Chicken(or Steak) Tomato Pasta Stuff
-Cooked chicken or steak cut up into bite-size pieces.
-Tomatoes cut into bite-sized pieces.
-Pasta (any shape you like) cooked and rinsed in cold water.
- Throw it all together in a big bowl and add lots of basil, garlic salt, some oregano, and pepper. (We use the keep-adding-until-it-tastes-good measuring method.)
Then you add some balsamic vinegar and olive oil as the dressing. Very tasty. The proportions of the meat, pasta, and tomatoes are up to you based on what your family likes. We like to have an equal portion of meat and tomatoes to about a double-that portion of pasta. This is a great dish for using leftover pot roast, chicken, steaks, etc.
Hope you like it. :)
Heres for Simple and Good
Sweedish Meatballs
1.5 Pd hamburger
1 8 oz can evap milk
1 c. oatmeal
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1 egg 1/2 c chopped onion
1 tsp salt
1 tsp chili powder
mix and shape into 2" balls make 1 layer in 9x13 pan
Sauce
1 c. catsup
1 can tomato sauce
3/4 cup brown sugar
1.5 tsp liquid smoke
pour over meatballs cook 1 hour 350and serve with rice
People love this
I do love that Ham chowder corrie submitted. You know I have to add some mexican type stuff because I love it so.
Taco Soup
1lb ground beef
1 med. onion chopped
1 package mild taco seasoning mix
1 16oz can cut corn
1 16 oz can kidney beans, drained/rinsed
1 28oz can stewed tomatoes
1 8oz can tomato sauce
Tortilla chips
Grated cheese
Brown beef and drain. Sautee onion and add to beef. Stir in taco seasoning,corn,kidney beans,stewed tomatoes, and tomato sauce. Simmer for 20-30min.Top with grated cheese. Serve with chips.
also
Chicken Taco Pie
3 cups chicken diced
1 cup chopped onions
2T cooking oil
2T taco seasoning
1 3/4 tsp chili powder
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
3 cans cream of mushroom soup
6-8 tortillas
1 cup cheese
1 1/2 cups sour cream
Cook chicken and onions in oil. Add seasonings cream of mushroom and sour cream, heat, and stir till smooth and warm.
Oil a 2-3 quart casserole and cover w/torn oiled tortillas. Spread half of mixture over tortillas. Top w/additional tortillas when cover w/remaining mix. Sprinkle w/cheese. Bake at 350F until hot and bubbly(10-15min).
Enjoy!!
Post a Comment