[amanda_p]

Ok guys, I need help. I am not a cook at all. I pretty much know how to make spaghetti and thats it. I just need some more things to make. Does anybody have anything that they make that the prep time doesnt take too long but that is just really good?

[kretzklan]

I'm totally with you...not a cook at all. A few things that we do which are quick and the kids like:
Taco Rings
Spread out crescent rolls in a circular pattern (connecting the triangular corners).
Brown ground beef with taco seasoning.
Put the beef and cheese and whatever else you like on tacos in the crescent rolls and close them toward the center.
Bake for about 12 minutes (whatever it takes to cook the crescent rolls).
Slice with a pizza roller and serve with taco sauce for dipping.

Also we eat a lot of chicken breast. The best way we have found that isn't grilling.
Place the chicken in a baking dish. Put a can of cream of chicken (or cream of mushroom) soup and spread evenly. Pour in some chicken broth (life the chicken to let the broth underneath)...bake for 35-40 minutes at 400. When the meat is cooked through, sprinkle your favorite shredded cheese and top and put back in to melt and brown (about 5 minutes). The chicken is very tender and yummy!

Good luck...I'm looking forward to other responses.

[ddahl]

Time to gas up the old crock pot! Someone either posted these or emailed me... I can't be sure and I can't take the credit but they are good and yummy!

CROCKPOT LASAGNA

Ingredients
1) 12 Lasagna noodles, uncooked
2) 1 lb of ground beef, browned and drained
3) 1 tsp of Italian seasoning (I usually add a little more)
4) 1 jar (28 oz) spagetti sauce
5) 1/4 cup water
6) 1 carton (16 oz) ricotta cheese (or cottage cheese)
7) 2 cups of grated mozzarella cheese (I use more)

Break noodles in half. Place half in the bottom of a greased 4qt slow cooker. Stir Italian seasoning into meat and spread half over the noodles already in the cooker. Then layer half of the sause and water, half of the ricotta cheese and half of the mozzarella cheese over beef. Repeat layers. Cover and cook on low heat
4-5 hrs. Do not cook more than 5 hrs. Makes 6-8 servings.





BURRITOS

1) 1lb ground beef (cooked and drained)
2) 2 cans (16oz each) refried beans
3) 1 envelope of taco seasoning
4) 1 can (8oz) tomato sauce
5) 1/2 cup water
6) flour tortillas

Combine all ingredients except tortillas in greased 3 1/2 to 5qt slow cooker. Cover and cook on low heat 6-10 hrs. (I usually add cheese on top for the last 30 minutes or so) Spread hot bean mixture on flour tortillas. Fill with favorite burrito toppings. Fold and enjoy! Recipe says it makes 4-6 servings but I think it makes a lot more thann that!)

Toppings may include tomatoes, whole kernel corn, green onions, cheese, guacamole, carmalized onions and red or green salsa.


SHEPARD'S PIE

1lb ground beef, browned and drained)
1 can (15oz) whole kernel corn
1 can (10 3/4oz) tomato soup (condensed)
1 can (15oz) French cut green beans (drained)
2 cups of instant mashed potatoes (prepared). (I usually make like 8 servings of the mashed potatoes..it goes farther and we LOVE mashed potatoes!)
2 cups of grated cheddar cheese
1/2 tsp dried basil

In a separate bowl, combine beef, tomato soup, beans, corn and basil. Pour mixture into the bottom of a greased 3 1/2-5qt slow cooker. Spread mashed potatoes on top. Cover and cook on low heat 5-6 hrs. The last hour of cooking sprinkle cheese on top of potatoes. Makes 4-6 servings..(but plenty more if you use more mashed potatoes)


FAVORITE BBQ CHICKEN

4-6 boneless, skinless chicken breast
1 bottle of BBQ sauce

Put chicken in a greased 3 1/2-5qt slow cooker. Pour favorite bbq sauce over top. Cover and cook on high heat 4-6 hrs or on low 8-10 hrs. Makes 4-6 servings.

(We tear it up with a fork after cooking..that is how tender it is..and make BBQ sandwiches)


__________________

[britfish]

kraftfoods.com has great easy recipes and you can also sign up for a free magazine w/ recipes.
This is a great one from that site:

GARLIC STEAK W/ ONIONS
1 boneless beef sirloin steak (1 lb.)
1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1 large onion, cut into thin slices
2 tsp. minced garlic
1/4 cup KRAFT Sun-Dried Tomato Dressing
2 Tbsp. KRAFT 100% Grated Parmesan Cheese
3 cups broccoli florets, steamed

HEAT large nonstick skillet sprayed with cooking spray on medium heat. Add steak; sprinkle with pepper. Cook steak 5 to 6 min. on each side or until medium doneness (160ºF). Remove from skillet, reserving drippings in skillet. Place steak on cutting board; cover loosely with foil.

ADD onions and garlic to skillet. Stir in dressing; cover with lid. Cook 5 min.; stir. Cook, uncovered, an additional 4 to 5 min. or until onions are tender, stirring occasionally. Meanwhile, cut steak across the grain into thin slices; place on serving platter.

TOP steak with the onion mixture; sprinkle with cheese. Serve with the broccoli.

[ddahl]

Super Easy Chicken Tortilla Soup


Prep and Cook Time – 30 minutes

½ cup onion (chopped)
3 boneless skinless chicken breast halves (about 12 ounces)
1 garlic clove (pressed)
¼ teaspoon chili powder
¼ teaspoon ground cumin
2 cans (14 ½ ounces each) chicken broth
1 can (14 ½ ounces) diced tomatoes (undrained)*
1 can (4 ounces) chopped green chilies (undrained)*
*instead of these 2 ingredients – I like to make it simple and use a can of Rotel – you can choose mild, hot etc depending on personal preference.


For garnish or added flavor -

4 teaspoons fresh cilantro (snipped) ** or again – you can buy Rotel with Cilantro flavoring already added if you cannot find fresh cilantro.

Cheddar cheese, shredded slices of lime (optional)

Tortilla Chips (broken)

Sour Cream



Cut chicken in to ½ inch pieces. Heat 4 qt pot over medium-high heat and spray with cooking spray/oil. Add chicken, cook and stir 3 minutes. Add onions, garlic, chili powder and cumin. Cook and stir 2 minutes. Stir in broth, tomatoes and chilies. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes.



Ladle soup in to bowl and add cheese, tortilla chips, sour cream and cilantro (sprinkle a few sprigs in each bowl or directly in to pot before serving). Garnish bowl with lime.



This makes about 4 nice size servings.

[mcanvasback]

EZ Chicken Parmesan! (the only work is browning the chicken) I don't have proportions, because I just eye it out....

I use chicken tenders, I buy the large packages of prepackaged tenders at BJ's, where there are about 6 pouches with 3 to a pouch and usually use two pouches)
Preheat oven to 350.
Heat 1/4 olive oil in large frying pan (since you are a novice cook, let me say make sure the oil is hot but not too hot - it should sizzle when you drop a little water in it but watch the heat or it will start to smoke!)
Dip tenders in a beaten egg, then in breadcrumbs, then brown 5 minutes in lite olive oil. Turn once. Drain on paper towels

Place tenders in the bottom of a shallow baking pan. Pour 1 large jar of any kind of tomato sauce you want (I just use the cheap stuff - Ragu or Prego and it is good!) I sprinkle some oregano and Parmesan after the sauce, but not necessary.

Take one 8 oz package of mozzarella cheese and spinkle over the top.

Bake at 350 for 1/2 hour or until cheese is melted and starting to slightly brown around the edges.

You can make this up ahead of time and then pop it in the oven when you are ready. The whole thing from starting the oil to table is 35 minutes! YOU can even get away without browning the chicken - it is still good - just increase the baking time to 45 minutes.

Also - have you tried a pork tenderloin? I also buy them at BJ's, you can get two in a pack for about $10. ALL I do is take it out of the package, put it in a pan, and bake it at 350 for one hour. It is really good, and a lean meat. Serve with a package of 90 second microwave rice and a salad or veggie and it's a great dinner.

[CTgirl00]

A quick one in our house - Shake 'N Bake pork -

thin pork cutlets
Shake 'N bake - Pork original
Just shake in bag (DS loves to do this part), lay on a cookie sheet and bake for 15 minutes
Add a veggie and rice and/or applesauce

[mcanvasback]

One more - if you are doing the healthy thing - you can buy a box of frozen Tilapia filets at Walmart really cheap. I put on lemon juice, salt/pepper, garlic powder and a really thin layer of lite mayo. Then broil it for about five minutes (preheated broiler) or until the fish is firm. Again, if the mayonnaise is starting to bubble and brown, it is done.
Microwave rice (is that not the greatest invention???) and a veggie, and there's your healthy dinner!

This is a great thread for ideas, thanks for starting it, Amanda!

[ddahl]

We have not done this in a while but DH and DS love love love it! We call it Taco Party! Get a large serving tray to serve it up on and everyone makes their own taco. We sit around the coffee table and watch a movie on family night. Its fun and DS thinks its awesome:

1 package of ground beef
1 small jar of PACE picante mild salsa
1 package of corn tortillas
small bottle of corn oil/can be olive oil or sunflower oil too

Put ground beef into skillet start to brown it.
Once color turns greyish then add 3 tablespoons of picante sauce to meat-more if desired stir and brown to desired color- I always cook ground beef very well so mine looks darker brown.

Smash it with a spatula to break it up while cooking so it looks like taco meat. Cook on a lower heat so you can get the other stuff ready.

Cut up or buy pre-cut ingredients:

Cheddar cheese
Scallion
Avocado
lettuce

Place these ingredients in piles on the serving tray or in small bowls on the serving tray.

Drain grease off meat and line a mixing bowl with 2 paper towels then scoop meat into the bowl on top of the paper towels. it will get the extra grease out. Put meat in the middle of serving tray.

Buy ready made shells or you can place 1 table spoon of oil into a small pan and get some tongs. Heat the oil up and fast dip the shells into the oil. We like our corn tortillas soft here so we dip then and flip them then take them out. I always pre-tear paper towels so I can lay the tortillas onto the paper towel then cover it so I can lay the next one on top of it and so on
Serve on paper plates.

Cook time and prep time 35 minutes.

Put the tray in the middle and let everyone grab and make their own.

You can substitute with shredded chicken or fish (talapia)

[DET62]

We do a lot of homemade Vegetable Beef soup. It's easier than you might think. We take Classico spaghetti sauce, which comes in a jar. Brown a lb. of ground sirloin, add the Classico, plus some water or tomato juice to thin it. Drop in a can of black beans, a can of corn, whatever other canned veggies you like. Heat on low for an hour or two. About 15 minutes before serving, heat it back up and drop in some uncooked pasta, and cook until tender. We like to jazz it up with extra garlic powder, onion powder, black pepper, etc.

Bud's Chicken - Take a package of chicken pieces. Wash them and salt each piece. Set it in the fridge for 15-30 minutes. Take a large carton of half n' half or whipping cream, and a cup of fresh parmesan cheese, and set aside. Get out the chicken breasts. You can either dredge them in flour and brown them in butter, then put in a shallow baking dish, or not. I've done it that way, or just put them in the dish unbrowned. Either way is fine. Pour the cream over the chicken. Add some fresh mushrooms, if you like. Top it with the parmesan. Bake at 350 for an hour, covered.

Eggroll Cabbage - At the store, get a bag of shredded cabbage, like you use for coleslaw. Heat some oil in a skillet. Chop an onion and cook it until browned [or not, it's optional] Dump in the whole bag of cabbage. Cook and stir, adding 1-2 tablespoons of soy sauce, onion powder, fresh pepper, etc. Pull out when it's the desired crispness. Great low fat side dish. My kids love it.

Pork Roast - Get any kind of pork roast, and cover is with salt. Put it in a baking pan, uncovered, and bake at 250 for 4 hours. Pull it out, it will be fork tender, I guarantee. You can then pour some barbeque sauce or bought teriyaki sauce over it, or not. It's great with the cabbage recipe above.

Then there's the tried and true homemade pizza recipe: get a package [or two] of English muffins. Split them in half, and cover with the canned tomato sauce of your choice [we love Classico], plus pepperoni, mozzarella, and whatever other pizza toppings you choose. Run under the broiler of the oven for 5-8 minutes, checking it frequently.

Good luck!
Dee

[MamaChinch]

BBQ Chicken Pizza

Boboli Pizza Shells, we use the small ones for individual ones.
BBQ Sauce
Mozorella Cheese
Shredded Chicken Breast ~ You can either buy the pre-packaged one or cook the chicken youself.
Olives
Cook in oven at about 400 for 10 minutes!
Yummy and FAST!
I sometimes add artichokes or other veggies and you can spice up the sauce with Italian Seasoning and top with Parm Cheese, too.

[StLouisSusan]

Sweep Steak
This recipe was originally in Peg Bracken's I Hate to Cook Book (you might want to get this...a non-cooker's/busy mom's classic)

1 pkg. Round Steak
1 envelope Onion Soup Mix

Place meat on large sheet of heavy duty foil. Sprinkle with soup mix. Fold up and seal foil around steak and place on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake at 300 for three hours or 200 for nine hours, it really doesn't matter (Actually, I usually put it on about 325 for 2 hours or 350 for 1.5) About an hour before you are going to eat, you can open it up and surround with potatoes and carrots, but we usually just steam some veggies and serve some brown rice on the side.

Peg Bracken also has Swoop and Swipe versions of this with Burgundy wine and something else...I love that book and Peg Bracken, may she rest (passed away in '07)


Coca-Cola Roast
4 pounds beef roast (Sirloin, rump, whatever you like that's on sale - even chuck, but this will be fatty)
3 carrots, chopped
3 stalks celery, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 packet dry brown gravy mix
2 tablespoons water
1 package dry onion soup mix
1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of mushroom soup
10 ounces Coca-Cola (not diet!)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Place meat in a roasting pan. Sprinkle carrots, celery and minced garlic around roast.
In a small bowl, combine the brown gravy mix and water, mixing into a smooth paste. Add onion soup mix, cream of mushroom soup and Coca-Cola. Pour over the roast.
Cover pan, and cook 1 hour in the preheated oven.
Reduce oven temperature to 225 degrees, and continue cooking 2 hours. Remove from oven, and turn roast over so that the top is now covered with the gravy. Cover pan, and return to oven for a minimum of 2 hours.
Remove from oven, and let meat rest for 10 minutes before slicing

This is a good one because you can just put it in 5 hours before you want to eat, and only think about it wice in that time, and if you forget to turn it over, it's no big deal, it will still taste great. And don't worry, it's not sweet like soda. Great served with egg noodles, or potatoes, or whatever you like.

Hope you enjoy!
/StLouieSusan

[leah2007]

I subscribe to a magazine called "Quick and Easy." or maybe it's "Simply Delicious?" It is a great resource and has yummy things in it! There is even a section for "kids' stuff."