I Need Cold Food/stovetop Recipes

I agree with the crock pot idea, $20 and I LOVE it, I also use a rice cooker, you can cook a TON of things in that too. During the summer months I buy chicken breasts, cook (boil is the fastest) about 6 at a time, then tear them up and use them for chicken wraps (chicken, bacon, lettuce, tomatoes, cheese and ceasar dressing wrapped in a tortilla, kids favorite). Then for dinners I can use the chicken with homemade noodles and mashed potatoes and gravy. I cook the noodles and gravy together then just toss in the already done chicken to heat it through pour over some bread and potatoes. Also great for quick quesedillas!!! Don't forget the Jell-O, fruit, whipped topping for desert =)

Sweet n' Sour Pork is another great family favorite...
(1) 8 oz can pinapple chunks, 1/3 c cider vinegar, 1/3 packed brown sugar, 3 Tbsp Ketchup, 3 Tbsp Cornstarch, 2 Tbls soy sauce, 1/8 tsp pepper3/4 pound pork steak (any kind of porkchop works too boneless)1 medium union, 1 in pieces, 1 med green pepper, sliced, 2 medium carrots, sliced, 1 med tomato chunked (pick and choose veggies to use)

drain pineapple juice into 2 qt casserole dish, set chucks aside. blend vinegar, br sugar, ketchup, cornstarch, soy sauce, garlic powder, and pepper into juice, add pork. Microwave at power 7 for 9 to 12 minutesstirring every3, until pork is cooked. stir in onions, peppers, carrots, cover. Microwave for 6-9 additional minutes, again stirring every 3 minutes. stir in tomatoes and pineapple chuncks. serve with rice.

I do not have a microwave and do this over the stove, much faster on med-high heat. Also i cut my veggies and stuff earlier during the day when the children don't occupy me so it is even faster =).

My oven is rarely on during the summer. Hope this helps!

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My favorite stovetop "hotdish": Brown bite size chicken with some garlic, olive oil, onion and fresh mushrooms. At the same time, boil some of your favorite noodles (the small lasagna looking noodles work great). Get a packet of the Alfredo dry mix - mix it up as directed on the package but add a bit more milk than it asks for. When the alfredo sauce is mixed together and has simmered for a couple of minutes, add about 1/4 - 1/3 cup of fresh parmesean and let that melt into the sauce. Mix it all together in the chicken pan - noodles, sauce and chicken mixture - and enjoy! Even my picky eaters like this one.

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Tacos, burritos, gorditas, chicken/tofu stirfry, sweet and sour chicken,

veggies and pasta (cook some basil and garlic in 2T EVOO add 2C stock of choice (we do mushroom base) and ham, asparagus, peas (or what ever veggie you prefer ~ we like the asparagus barely warmed and still very crunchy). Cook until you are happy w/ the veggies and add some cooked pasta. Very easy and tasty

If you have a crockpot, there are a ton of things you can cook in that. Frech dip sandwiches are easy to make. Breakfast-for-dinner is always a hit at my house. Creamed chipped beef. Homemade soups. Egg salad sandwiches.

H.,
A standard at our house we call it "One Pot Wonder"
Start by pressing 1lb raw hamburger (salt & pepper)in the bottom of a stew pot or large sauce pot. Then layer sliced onions, sliced potatoes, sliced carrots, and chopped celery. (You can add tomatos or mushrooms if you would like.)After each layer sprinkle with Worchestershire Sauce. I usually hit the hamburger layer really well then go every other layer on the vegetables. Cook on medium heat for about 45 minutes or until vegetables are to the consistancy that you like to eat them.
You can use as much or as little worchestershire sauce as you like, the veggies are in bigger pieces for the finicky eaters.
Hope this helps,
A.

I also agree that a crock pot is a great thing to have. If you don't have one already look for one that has a removable pot. That makes it a lot easier to clean. You can also buy disposable liners that make it easier to clean. I love the Fix It and Forget it Crockpot Cookbooks. There are several different versions and they really aren't too expensive. I have several favorite recipes from them that mostly involve dumping ingrediants into the pot, turning it on, and leaving it for 4-8 hours. They even have some bread and dessert recipes in them.

Hey H.!
Sorry to hear about the oven, but I guess it's time to be creative. Immediately I thought about Breakfast for Dinner. When I was little every now and then we'd have pancakes or waffles or french toast for dinner. It was always a fun treat for us. I noticed you said Eggs which makes me think of the slices of bread with the holes cut out and an egg in the middle. We called them birds in a nest but I think they have about 100 names. If your thinking of more stove top recipies - Stir frys are a great way to go (fun, fast and good for you). And finally, since it's summer, incorporate the grill if you can. Fast, relatively easy and gets you out in the sunny weather!
Hope this has helped!
Best of Luck!

H.,

Some ideas a chicken or tuna macaroni salad - those are great and go a long way. What about a cobb or chef salad. Tacos, fajitas, pasta, homeade egg mc muffins (ham, egg and cheese on a bagel or english muffin). Zatarans has a really yummy jumbalaya rice mix. I usually just cut up some polish sausage or ham or shrimp or whatever I have on hand and throw that in. I also add some sour cream once it is done so it is not so spicy. Now that summer is here - you can use your grill for cooking too.

I love the Kraft.com website and also the magazines (you can sign up for that off the website). They have a TON of easy and very reasonably priced recipees.

Good Luck and have fun getting creative.

How about good old fashioned soup. My daughter is 2 and really likes the Healthy Choice chicken and dumplings. Also try chicken tortellini with peas bacon bits and cream cheese. It is really yummy or the cheese tortellini will work also.

Pick up a rotisserie chicken at the store (costco & sams are $5) - chicken wraps or chicken tacos! I love doing those in the summer months - less time in the kitchen!

"Meat-N-Macaroni" as we call it:

1 lb ground beef
2 12 oz packages Stouffers frozen macaroni and cheese
1/2 packet of taco seasoning

Put both containers of macaroni and cheese in the microwave according to time on box, meanwhile, brown the beef and chop into little pieces, drain meat, stir in 1/2 packet of taco seasoning, stir in macaroni and cheese, and you are all set!

Taco Salad

1 1b ground beef
1/2 packet of taco seasoning
shredded lettuce
shredded cheese
cut up tomatoes
cut up black olives

Brown the meat, stir in the taco seasoning, pour desired amount into separate bowls and add remaining ingredients.

Meatballs

1 package frozen meatballs (usually 50-60)
1 can of Ocean spray Jellied Cranberry Sauce
1 18 oz can of Sweet Baby Rays Honey BBQ Sauce

In a 12 inch frying pan (preferrably one with high walls) melt the cranberry sauce and BBQ sauce together stirring frequently. Once it's melted add the meatballs. Heat about 15 -20 minutes untill heated through stirring frequently.

There are tons of frozen foods that are great for the stovetop and microwave also. Stouffers Skillets are great and only take about 20 minutes on the stovetop.

if you dont already have a crock pot/ slow cooker maybe you should invest in one they aren't to badly priced and they are worth it. they are easy to use easy to clean, and take a lot of time off dinner prep. I cooked a whole small chicken in mine and i had enough meat for dinner and enough left over to create 2 more meals later on. if you want a chnage up on the usual pasta dishes you can make a sauce form 1 head of cauliflower, some spinach, cream cheese or sour cream, garlic pwder, parm cheese, salt, pepper, and crushed red pepper. boil cal and spinach til tender then put in blender with everything else. put it over pasta, or use as dipping sauce for other things.

Easy Skillet Chicken Parmesan
6 Tbs. Parmesan Cheese
1 1/2 C. Pasta Sauce (recipe says Prego but I use Ragu)
6 small boneless chicken breasts halves
1 1/2 C. shredded mozzarella cheese

Stir 4 Tbs. Parmesan cheese into pasta sauce
Spray skillet with cooking spray and heat. ADd chicken and cook until browned; drain.
Pour pasta sauce over chicken, turn breats over to coat both sides with sauce. Cover and cook over med heat 10 min. OR until done.
Top with mozzarella and ermaining parmesan. Let stand 5 min. or until cheese is melted.

note: browns faster when chicken is of same thickness - I use a rolling pin to 'hit' chicken and make sure same thickness.

I am no cook and I like this. It is SUPER easy and cooks well (tastes good too.)

Good luck!

I do almost all my cooking in the microwave. If you have a steamer or a larger microwavable container you can a lot. Chicken can be cooked at 6 minutes per pound in any microwavable container. I cut up 1lb chicken brests into small pieces, mix with 6 cups cooked rice and 1 family size can of cream of chicken(mushroon, etc.) soup and microwave for 10 minutes. I also make 1 pkg cheese and shells with 1lb ground beef and one bag of frozen veggies, add some extra shredded cheese on top and you are done. You can also make cakes and desserts in the microwave. If you have a larger microwavable container, I know Tupperware makes a bunch, all you need is one box of cake mix and one can of soda, mix the two together and microwave for 10-12 minutes for an awesome cake. Or do one box of cake mix, one can of pie filling and 3 eggs. Microwave 10 minutes as well. Good combinations are chocolate cake with cherry pie filling and spice cake with apple or pumpkin pie filling. If you want more recipes, let me know.

Do you have a microwave or a crockpot. You can make lots in it. There is a veggie pepperoni salad. It has chopped pepperoni (summer sausage), chopped broccoli and cauliflower, cubed cheese, thinly sliced carrots, black olives and italian dressing.

I do most of my cooking on the stove,especially in the summer when you really don't want to be heating the house with the oven.
We do a lot of chicken in a frying pan cooked in a little bit of olive oil. You can chop it up or do whole breasts. Add it to pasta or rice with sauce and veggies, or use it to top soups or salads.
You can marinate the chicken overnight first in Italian dressing (serve with mashed potatoes or rice), or soy sauce with garlic and ginger (eat with rice or chop up and serve in a salad with Asian Sesame Dressing).
Pasta & chicken Alfredo is super easy with the pasta of your choice, chicken, and prepared Alfredo sauce.
One dish my family loves is pesto chicken. Cook bite-size pieces of chicken in olive oil, stirring frequently. Add frozen veggies (corn, peas, carrots, broccoli- whatever you like) and a few spoonfuls of prepared pesto. Cover and simmer over med-low heat, stirring occasionally. In a large pot, cook pasta of your choice. Drain, return to pot, stir in a few more spoonfuls of pesto, and stir in the chicken/veggie mixture. Sprinkle with parmesan or mozzarella cheese.
We had taco salad for dinner tonight. I just combine a couple cups of rice, can of drained and rinsed black beans, a jar of salsa, a cup of frozen corn (or a can of corn), 1 cup of water, and 2/3 package of taco seasoning. You can also cook up a pound of hamburger first and add that to the mix. Cover and simmer over medium, stirring frequently, until everything is heated through. Serve over chips and top with grated cheese.
My boys (6 and 2) love couscous. It makes a great side if you prepare it with chicken broth instead of just water, or mix it with sun-dried tomato pesto. Ive also made it a main dish by adding mixed vegetables and shredding chicken into it.
My boys also love the Ragu cheese sauce, so I do the same thing with rice, shredded chicken, mixed veggies, and cheese sauce.
Another easy one is cooked pasta, tuna, cooked peas, and a can of cream of celery soup. Just mix, heat, and serve.
Of course, you can always do hot dogs, hamburgers, microwave baked potatoes, Hamburger/Chicken/Tuna Helper, and there are the complete meals that you get in the freezer section and just heat on the stove.
Good luck!

What about stir fry?
Its easy and an easy way to get veggies into your meal.

H.,
Do you have a microwave? I have some great recipes you can make using the Pampered Chef Deep Covered Baker. Email me and I can send you the recipes. They are easie and delicious. You can even make a whole chicken in the microwave!
B.

I pan-fry my steaks and chicken (unless we're grilling) and we love stir-fry. We have all of these with rice. You can make yummy fried potatoes in the skillet. I like to steam them first sometimes (saw it done on a cooking show in the microwave, too) so that they don't take forever or have to be sliced so thin. I make a couple of casserole-type dinners where you brown the meat and onion, then add tomato juice, seasonings and elbow mac and put the lid on for about 20 min. A little cheese sprinkled on top while it's hot and, presto... And then there's soup--tons of different kinds and we never get tired of them.

I'm a HUGE fan of "breakfast" dinners -- pancakes, french toast, waffles (if you have a waffle maker). My son loves them, too. And really, so do my husband and I. I also have cast iron pans and use them a LOT for cooking meat.