Quick Recipes - Cincinnati,OH

Take a box of scalloped poatatoes and cook as directed-10 minutes before they are done dice up ham or spam add in and a can of peas -heat 10 minutes and serve-My kids love it.
Also another casserole
Boil egg noodles and while they are boiling warm a can of cream of chicken soup-when they noodles are done mix together and add a bag of mixed veg(i usually cooked the veg prior also) mix all together warm in oven and the last 5 minutes top with some cheddar cheese-MY KIDS LOVE this tooo!
L.:)

I have a few. Try a chili in your crockpot, it won't burn since it's more liquid. I dreamed up this one and my fam loves it:

This is for a 6qt. crock pot so alter as needed

huge can dark red kidney beans (huge - like the ones on the bottom shelf at the supermarket)
2 lb. browned ground beef
1/2 onion, diced
2-3 tbsp minced garlic
1/2 green bell pepper chopped
1 lg. can diced tomatos
1 reg can tomato sauce
1 sm can tomato paste
1 x-sm can chopped chilis (found in the mex food aisle)
1/2 cup of water
season with salt, pepper, seasoned salt, little bit of crushed red peppers, little bit of chili powder.

cook in crock pot on low for 8 hours. When you get home, all you have to do is cook up some macaroni noodles real quick to throw in to the chili with some sour cream and grated cheese. I love this recipe for the winter and I swear that it keeps my family healthier. (garlic is great for fending off colds and other infections and all of the protein makes the body strong). Also, it feeds us all dinner for three days. Just make enough noodles the first night to last through three nights and heat everything up on nights #2 & #3.

Another is Chicken Poop (gross sounding, but I have boys and they think it's hilarious)

If you have a rice steamer, get it set up and started, if not, then cook some rice on the stove
brown some bite sized pieces of chicken breast on the stove
while the chicken in browning throw together the sauce as follows:
one can cream of chicken soup
one can cream of mushroom soup
1/2 cup to 1 cup of mayo (depending on how rich your fam likes it)
2-4 tsp curry powder to taste
garlic salt to taste
2-3 tbsp lemon juice

Stir together and pour into pan with chicken when browned **Edit: turn heat down to just above low before putting sauce in the pan**, dish is done when sauce has changed colors to a darker brown (from the curry)

In the meantime throw a "Steamers" pack of veggies (we like brussels sprouts and broccoli) into the microwave. Garnish veggies with a little bit of butter and garlic salt to make kids eat it. Serve "chicken poop" over a bed of rice with veggies on the side. This is my standby meal and takes about 40 miutes from start to finish.

Also don't be afraid to use Hamburger Helper and Homestyle Bakes. Both are super quick and easy and are favorites in my household even though I often cook much more elaborate meals. (I'm a SAHM and I love to cook and try new things).

You might also try cooking a few dinners on Sunday and freezing them for reheating during the week (casseroles and Kuchen recipes are great for this, but with the Kuchen, just freeze before baking, then pull them out and add about 10 minutes to the original cook time in the oven). This way you get all of your prep dishes done on Sunday and only have the casserole dish (or whatever) and the actual plates, silverware etc. to clean up afterward.

Here's a week's worth:

Pene Alfredo w Chicken & Broccoli (15-20 minutes)
GrownUp Grilled Cheese & Tomato Soup (20 min)
Killer French Dip (5 min) + steak fries (15min) + watermelon slices
Chili Cornbread Bake (15 - 30 min)
Pesto Pasta (11-15 minutes)
BBQ Chicken Quesodillas (15-20 min)
Breakfast for Dinner (mmmm.... pancakes)

Pene Alfredo w Chicken & Broccoli (15-20 minutes)
(or sub any kind of shrimp)

- Box of pene noodles boiled until al dente (about 11 minutes)
- couple heads of broccoli blanched (about 2 minutes, aka bright green)
- rotisserie chicken from the store, or any other form of chicken (baked, grilled, foreman'd, whatever you like), chopped into bite sized pieces
- Your favorite jarred alfredo sauce
- chopped tomatoes to sprinkle on top
- big pinches or scoops from goatcheese log IF you feel like it

In a big saute pan or the pot you boiled the noodles in combine noodles, broccoli, chicken, and alfredo sauce and heat on medlow until everything is warm (about 3-5 mintes). Dish. Sprinkle over tomatoes. Finis.
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GrownUp Grilled Cheese & Tomato Soup (20 min)

- baguette sliced up
- your fav cheese(s) ... (pepperjack, jarlsburg, smokey blue, mozz whatever)
- olive oil
- Can(s) o' campbells tomato soup
- Milk
- Can of chopped tomatoes (plain, fire roasted, italian, whatever looks yummy)
- Minced Basil (fresh is better, but dried is okay)
- Optional : Pinch of garam masala

Tomato soup ((I always do up 2 pans if I'm making grownup soup. One plain for the kids and one this way)):
- 2 cans of soup : 1 can of milk : 1 can of chopped tomatoes : big pinch of minced basil
- Heat soup on med low so the milk doesn't burn

While the soup is heating... make the sammies:

You've got 2 options on the grilled cheese. A) is a panini press. B) is a cookie sheet or baking dish and your broiler

Pour some olive oil in a dish. Dunk one side of each baguette slice in the olive oil, just enough to get it "wet", not soaked. Layer your cheese on the non-oiled side and place another slice on top (I find with baguette, most adults like between 3-5 of the sammies). Put the built sandwiches in the press or on a sheet under the broiler. Cook until cheese starts melting out the sides and the baguette is crispy. About 2 minutes under the broiler or 4-5 minutes in the press. When they come out, grind some fresh pepper on the top.

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Killer French Dip (5 min) + steak fries (15min) + watermelon slices

Make French Dip the way you ordinarily would... but use Arugula Mayo (handful of peppery arugula lettuce chopped up and swirled into small bowl of mayo), and thick crusty bread instead of rolls.

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Chili Cornbread Bake (15 - 30 min)

- Your favorite Chili
- Your favorite Cornbread BATTER
- A glass baking dish

Fill baking dish (any size, your choice) 2/3s full with chilli. Then pour cornbread batter over the top of it in one big smooth layer. Bake until cornbread is done (typically about 1/2 the time the recipe calls for, because it's a thinner layer). It's done when a toothpick comes out with only chili on it and no batter.

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Pesto Pasta (11-15 minutes)

- Angelhair pasta
- Small jar of pesto
- protein if you like

Cook pasta until done. Pour out most of the cooking water, but save a bit. Add a few big globs of pesto. Stir until coated. If you're on the carnivorous side of omnivory... this is a great way to use up leftovers (like chicken or a roast or grilled shrimp (ha, who has those left over, I would like to know?), or whatever. Just put a few slices over the top of the pasta and serve.
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BBQ Chicken Quesodillas (10-20 min)

- Tortillas
- BBQ sauce
- Shredded Cheese (like a bag'o'mexi 3 cheese)
- Rotisseri Chicken (or any other kind of chicken cut up)
- Green Onions
- Cillantro

Turn your broiler on high. On a baking sheet line up as many tortillas as you can make fit. Dollop and swirl bbq sauce on 1/2 of tortilla. Smother that same half with cheese. Add chicken slices. Sprinkle green onion and cillantro. Pop under the broiler for about 60 seconds. Pull out when cheese is ooey gooey. Fold tortilla in half. Use pizza wheel to cut into 3 triangles.

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Breakfast for dinner.

Self explanatory. From pancakes to waffles, "toad in a hole" to fried eggs, biscuts and jam to omlettes. Whatever you love for brunch.

The organizers of my local moms' group have put together a great blog filled with easy and quick recipes. Many of those recipes are great as freezer-meals: you put them together ahead of time, freeze them, and pull them out when you need them. We're also starting to do more "meal-prep" recipes, where we put together a bunch of dry ingredients ahead of time in plastic baggies, and the wet ingredients get added later to make things like pancakes, brownies, pizza dough, soups, etc. Here's a link to the blog: http://momtestedkidapproved.blogspot.com/. You can look up the freezer meals under the labels on the right. My favorite quick recipes are as follows:

Sweet and Sour Chicken (not on the blog)
1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into 1 inch cubes
2 tbsp oil (peanut, vegetable, or canola work best)
1 8 oz can crushed pineapple in it's own juice
1/4 cup Hoisin sauce (found in the Asian cuisine aisle)
1/4 cup apricot preserves
1/4 tsp ground black pepper

1. Heat oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the chicken and cook until golden brown on the outside and cooked through.
2. Add the pineapple, Hoisin sauce, apricot preserves, and black pepper. Increase the heat and allow mixture to come to a boil. Lower the heat, and simmer for 6-8 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until sauce has thickened. Serve over rice or noodles. (There's plenty of extra sauce to use to add to the rice or noodles, as well.)
It's supposed to serve 2 adults, but I've found there's always enough to feed my husband, son, and I with some leftover. It can easily be doubled, as well.

Beef Pita Tacos

1 lb. ground beef
1 8 oz can stewed tomatoes
1 cup salsa
Pita pockets (or tortillas)
Your favorite taco toppings (lettuce, cheese, sour cream, etc.)

1. Brown the ground beef in a skillet. Drain off the excess fat.
2. Add the stewed tomatoes and salsa, breaking up the stewed tomatoes with a spoon as the mixture cooks. Raise the heat to allow the mixture to come to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, for about 6-8 minutes, until the mixture thickens.
You can serve this right away in the pita pockets (or tortillas) and top with your favorite taco toppings, or you can allow the beef mixture to cool and freeze it for a later date.
To warm pita pockets, place on a cookie sheet and put in a 400 degree oven for about 5-6 minutes.

I would love to say this is an old family recipe, but it's not, yet it is sooooo good. It is a whole meal all in one dish, kind of a new twist on a casserol, it's a Three Layer Meatloaf. Obviously there are a million ways to make meatloaf, and feel free to use your own way, but this is how I make it:

first you need a 9x13 pan.

4 potatoes sliced thin
1 cup shredded cheese
2 cans green beans (I use french cut, but use what you like)
1 can condenced cream of mushroom soup
2lbs ground beef
1 medium onion finely chopped
1/2 cup bread or cracker crumbs
2 eggs
(the rest is to taste, sorry there are no measurements)
fresh chopped parsley
Salt and Pepper
(and pretty much what ever spices/seasonings you happen to have on hand)
Ketchup
Brown Sugar
Ground Mustard
Worchestershire sauce

Preheat your oven to 350. In the bottom of the 9x13 place your sliced potatoes in a thin(ish) layer and cover with shredded cheese. (you may find that you need more or less of anything listed. I tend to not measure, so again sorry). open and drain your beans and put them in a seperate bowl, then mix in the can of cream of mushroom soup, then spread on top of the potato cheese layer. in a bowl mix together the ground beef, onion, bread crumbs, parsley, salt & pepper, other seasonings and eggs. form the mixture into patties, and place over the greenbeans. try not to leave gaps.
put it in the oven for about an hour or until the potatoes are done, stick a knife or skewer. (you can cover it, but the meat will take longer to cook and you will need to add a little time) in another small bowl mix the ketchup, brown sugar, ground mustard, and Worchestershire sauce in to a sauce. (if it's too thick add more ketchup or Worchestershire) spread over the cooked meatloaf and put back in the oven for 10-15 minutes. let cool, and dinner and sides are all done in one pan! hope that helps!

I would buy a new crockpot. Be sure you add extra water to whatever you're cooking. Have the setting on low. I found it helpful to cook a lot on Sunday to plan for the week/future. Cook a couple meatloafs and freeze them in a food saver bag for later. Cook ground beef for later as well. It's good for hamburger helper, chili, tacos, etc.

A quick stir fry... no you don't need a wok, you can use a heavy duty frying pan.

I recommend cutting up the meat (beef or chicken) into bite sized pieces the night before and marinating in soy sauce or another type of asian marinade that you like. Of course, no need to marinade.

Make some rice, while its cooking. Cut up and saute an onion, add the meat and cook until done, add a package of frozen stir fry type veggies and heat throughly. Mix in a few tablespoons of the marinade for some flavor.

Hi,

usually I hear that recipes in the crockpot are too soupy!

Make sure you put enough liquid in , and that the lid stays on so steam (water) does not escape during cooking. Also cook on low.

We buy the on-sale packs of chicken breasts or tenders, then just put them in a microwaveable casserole straight from the freezer. Add about a half-inch of water to the casserole and seasoning of choice (garlic salt, seasoned salt, lemon, onion, whatever), cover and microwave on high until no longer pink in center. Turn once or more during cooking. Usually takes 10-12 min for us. Would be shorter if we let chicken thaw in fridge during the day.

Chili is quick too--1 lb ground beef (browned, drain fat), onions (can saute while browning the meat), 1 can (or more) kidney beans, garlic and chili powder to taste.

On the "breakfast for dinner " idea--you can make pancake batter the night before and store in fridge. Then just heat oil in pan and cook.

Good luck and have fun!

K. Z.

Hi J.. I work full time outside the home so I feel for ya! I brown about 5-6 pounds of hamburger at a time with onions, put in quart size zipper bags and freeze. Then I don't even thaw them, just throw it in the pan with whatever sauce and use for pasta dishes, spaghetti, tacos, nachos, etc. Same thing for skinless/boneless chicken breasts. I put a bunch in the crockpot with powdered taco seasoning and cook on LOW all day. Then dice up and use for anything, tacos, enchiladas, pastas, sandwiches w/ bbq sauces, nachos, etc.

Also, not so healthy, but my husband and kids love it and it's so fast: Chili Mac: make 2 boxes of mac and cheese. add 2 cans of your favorite chili. Heat up and serve with veggie and biscuits. Good luck!

This is DELICIOUS! Even my husband, who doesn't like sweet potatoes and usually wants meat in his meal, likes them. You can double the recipe and freeze 1/2 of the filling for another night.

VEGETARIAN BURRITOS
2 cups sweet potatoes, diced ½” cubes
1 cup frozen corn
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. oregano
1 tsp. cumin
1 – 14 oz. can black beans, drained
1 green pepper, diced
1 ½ cups salsa
1 Tblsp. Lime juice
6 – 8” inch flour tortillas

1. Place sweet potatoes and corn in steamer. Steam until potatoes are soft, about 10 minutes. Transfer to bowl.
2. Add remaining ingredients to sweet potatoes and corn.
3. Place about 1 cup of mixture on each tortilla (use whole wheat to make it extra healthy.). ** You can add shredded cheddar at this point if you choose.
4. Fold “burrito style” and place in a 9x13 pan sprayed with cooking spray. Sprinkle with cheddar cheese, if desired. Cover with foil.
5. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.
6. You can serve with all the traditional burrito toppings that you like!

It can be hard to make quick dinners, but here is one my kids like.

1 lb ground beef browned.
2 cans of tomato soup
1 box Kraft mac n cheese

make the noodles from the mac n cheese.
add the tomato soup and powdered cheese to browned ground beef.
once the noodles are cooked add to the meat and simmer for about 15 minutes.

quick and easy! hope your family likes it!!

I can't say I've ever burnt anything in a crock pot. Are you putting enough liquid in it? I frequently throw a roast (pork or beef) in the crock pot before going to bed the night before and cook it on low until I get home around 5 pm. My husband always raves (and he is VERY picky!), and we have leftovers that we put on a salad to take to work the next day. Or there is hot beef sandwiches as a quick dinner the next night. I have two crock pots - a smaller cheap one and a larger nice one. The larger one is programmable, so I can put my roast in in the morning on high for 5 or 6 hours, and then it stays at "keep warm" until we turn it off. I would highly recommend investing in a programmable crock pot. I know you can get them for about $40. To season I pretty much wing it. An example might be: I put my roast in the crock pot (I've even put it in frozen and it comes out fine if you cook it over night), I top the roast with salt and pepper, dried minced onions, fresh chopped garlic or garlic powder, maybe some sage, Italian seasoning or steak seasoning, maybe a cup or two of water, and put the lid on and turn it on. Sometimes I add potatoes and carrots to cook with it. I don't ever use a recipe. I know my mom would cook it a similar way except she just used the dry onion soup mix and water, and that turns out great, too.

Crock pot chicken is really easy, too. Throw chicken pieces from a whole chicken (or whatever you want) into the crock pot, add bottled BBQ sauce to coat and leave a decent amount of extra (maybe 1/2 to 1 inch of sauce in the bottom), add maybe 1/2 a can of pop - coke, pepsi, root beer, etc. (I think I've used pepsi and diet Dr. Pepper - the diet pop wasn't as good because it gives the sauce the diet after taste). Let cook on low until you're ready to eat it (probably min. 6 or 8 hours), and serve.

Another really quick meal I really enjoy is stir fry. If the chicken or beef is thawed (or at least close), I cut it into strips, stir fry it in a regular frying pan with a little olive oil, add frozen stir fry veggies when the meat is cooked, and top with a bottled marinade sauce like a Teriaki or Garlic and Herb. While the meat is cooking I start instant rice, and the whole meal is cooked in about 20 minutes or so. My husband doesn't like rice, so he puts the meat in a tortilla, adds some cheese and sour cream and has fajitas.

Another meal that is quick that especially my son loves is the smoked sausage links that come in like a big U. We get the Turkey variety because it's a little healthier, but I just cut it into about 8 pieces, cut each piece length-wise, and fry on our griddle. Add some instant mashed potatoes, instant rice, or mac and cheese on the side and a veggie, and you've got a full dinner in maybe 10 or 15 minutes.

Salmon or talapia is also a quick meal. If it is thawed (if not put in the sink or a bowl with cool water - it will thaw pretty quickly), just pre-heat your oven according to the directions, put the fish in a baking dish, top with salt and pepper, garlic powder or fresh chopped garlic, lemon or lime juice, maybe some dill or rosemary, and top with either parmesan cheese or crushed crackers. Bake according to the directions on the pkg (if you bought it frozen) or around 375 until the fish flakes with a fork (maybe 12-15 min). Serve with a starch and a veggie, and you're done.

We also cook some of our favorites that take more time and then freeze meal-sized containers to thaw and reheat for a quick dinner. My husband cooks up a double batch of his mom's authentic Italian spaghetti sauce (which takes a minimum of 6 hours to cook), and freezes the left overs. Then we put the container in the fridge the night before or in the morning to thaw during the day. When we get home, we cook up the noodles and nuke the sauce. Dinner on the table in the time it takes to cook the noodles. We also do the same with stuffed shells and lasagna. I know there are a lot of other recipes this can be done with, too.

I could go on, but I won't. :) I know it is hard working full time and having to feed a family at a decent time. I hope this helps!

I also don't get home until 6pm from work and we don't eat until 7:30. Here is a quick recipe for apricot chicken that our whole family always enjoys and it is quick!

Ingredients
1/2 cup apricot preserves
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon chicken broth or sherry
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into strips
1 medium green pepper, chopped
1/2 cup salted cashews
Hot cooked rice

Directions
In a large bowl, combine the first seven ingredients. Add chicken and toss to coat. Transfer to a shallow microwave-safe dish. Cover and microwave on high for 3 minutes, stirring once.
Add green pepper and cashews. Cover and microwave on high for 2-4 minutes or until chicken juices run clear, stirring once. Let stand for 3 minutes. Serve with rice.

I have a chilli relleno casserole that is is quick, easy, and really good. 10 beaten eggs, two cans of chopped green chillis, one can of evaporated milk, two cups shredded colby, chedder, or jack cheese, salt and pepper to taste. Put in a gresed caserole dish, bake for 55 minutes or unitl knife comes out clean in center. Serve with flour tortillas and a salad. Meal!

M.