Now I know that I’m the same person who just yesterday posted five different ways to clog your arteries during the early morning hours.
But put me in the kitchen past 11 AM? And I am in a major cooking slump. Maaaaajor.
Unprecedented, in fact. At least for me.
Because aside from all the food that I cooked last weekend for our company, I’ve cooked, oh, twice in the last two weeks for our family. At least I think I have. But it might just be once. I’m not kidding.
And so, for supper, we’ve been eating fine fare like oatmeal, grilled cheese, cereal and peanut butter. If it were just D. and me, I wouldn’t worry about it, really – but I’m a little afraid that Alex is going to start to think that Pringles are one of the four major food groups, and I have GOT to do better. Got to.
The problem isn’t that I don’t want to cook. The problem is that I am SO STINKIN’ SICK of all my usual recipes. I just can’t fix another chicken casserole with a Mexican flava, another Italian-esque ground beef delight, another noodle and cream-of-something combo. And I need some new recipes to light my culinary fires, as it were.
So will you help me, internets? If you have a favorite recipe that doesn’t fall under the categories listed above – and especially if you have a great crockpot recipe (anything I can make ahead of time IS MY FRIEND) – would you leave said recipe in the comments? Please? For me and for all the other internets, too?
I’ve gone to all my usual sources for inspiration…but the recipes either look like a variation of everything else I have, or they’re far too complicated to make when I have a four year old begging me to go to the park or play bowling on the Wii or sit in the floor and stare at him while he bounces up and down on a plastic bin that contains all of his size 18-24 month clothes.
Not that all of those activities aren’t absolutely thrilling, of course.
So on behalf of my family, I thank you in advance. I especially thank you on behalf of D., who just ate Fruity Cheerios for the third night in a row. Fruity Cheerios sent to me for bloggy review, by the way.
Because apparently I can’t even muster up the will to, you know, buy food anymore, much less cook it.
Help me.
Throw a 16 ounce sour cream, one package of (powdered) onion mushroom soup mix, and some garlic powder (maybe 1/2 to 1 teaspoon) in the crock pot. Mix well. Put two to four chicken breasts on top and cook for 6 hours on medium.
So tender and yummy!
Knowing that you love shopping at Publix AND that you hate cooking, I thought I’d share 2 very simple meals. They’re easy since they use pre-made ingredients…but they’re healthy & delish, and should appeal to you, hubby and Alex.
Summer Meal #1
Summer Chicken Salad
*1 bag Publix Romaine Lettuce Salad
*1 container of Publix chicken breast tenders (at the deli/cafe area), cut into bite-sized pieces
*Mandarin Oranges
*Slivered Almonds
*Newman’s Own Light Balsamic Vinaigrette (or your favorite salad dressing)
*1 French Bagette from Publix Bakery, sliced & buttered
*Home made iced tea or lemonade
Pour the bag o’ salad into a nice glass bowl. Toss in the chicken tenders, mandarin oranges & almonds. Serve with warmed french bread. That’s it!
Summer Meal #2
(We’re actually having this tonight!)
Gussied Up Pizza with Home-Made Smoothies
*1 DiGiorno’s Rising Crust Cheese Pizza
*Fresh tomatoes
*Fresh green peppers
*Athena’s Feta Cheese
*Choose/Add any fresh toppings that your family prefers
Home-Made Smoothies:
*Frozen Publix blueberries
*Frozen Publix strawberries
*Dannon Vanilla Yogurt
*Any flavor of juice (I prefer fresh pineapple juice)
*2 or 3 fresh bananas
*Redi-Whip Light Whipped Cream
*Straws
Preheat your oven to 400. Chop the tomatoes, green pepper, feta and/or your toppings. Sprinkle over the frozen pizza…place into oven.
Smoothies:
Combine all ingredients (except the whipped cream and straws) into your blender. Pour into tall glasses. Garnish with whipped cream. For fun, add those cute little paper umbrellas and a cherry; most kids love it! Serve with a straw.
Dinner’s ready in about 20 minutes.
VERY easy, VERY delish!
I just posted some of my favorites on my blog – here are the links:
http://laundryandlullabies.blogspot.com/2007/05/chicken-and-cheesy-potatoes.html
http://laundryandlullabies.blogspot.com/2007/05/mexican-bowl-recipe.html
http://laundryandlullabies.blogspot.com/2007/04/crock-pot-meatball-stew.html
http://laundryandlullabies.blogspot.com/2007/04/recipes-chilaquiles.html
I hope a few of them work out for you!
Oh my gosh, ask and you shall receive or what? I’ve been in a cooking slump too, so I’m so glad you asked for recipes. I get tired of thumbing through Rachel Ray cookbooks cause there are so many ingredients to her recipes and they are NOT 30 minute meals even though she claims so! Anyway, so many to choose from now thanks to your desperate plea!
Just in case you need more in a year or so, cooks.com is a decent site.
Here is a YUMMY crock-pot recipe we have lots of around here!
Brown 1 lb ground beef and one onion (chopped)
Dump in crock pot along with all of the following:
1 large can hominy
2 cans ranch style beans
1 large can diced tomatoes
1 can Rotel (we prefer mild)
1 packet Ranch Dressing Powder Mix
1 packet taco seasoning (we use mild here too)
Simmer all afternoon…then serve. We like it over chips sometimes, and sometimes just as a taco-type soup with cornbread or crackers. Always better with grated cheese sprinkled on top!
Enjoy…EASY and YUMMY!
I have a couple recipes you might enjoy so I’ll send those via email. I don’t want to take up too much space in the comment section!
I’ve posted several recipes on my blog lately. They’re delicious casseroles, but they’re different from my usuals as well. Enjoy!!
Chicken Spaghetti, Shrimp & Rice Casserole and Chicken Spinach Pasta Bake
http://kirkkrew.blogspot.com
I really want to share a great recipe for Chicken Poppy Seed Casserole, but you don’t want cream of soups stuff, but BOY are you missing out!
Ok, so how about some french dip?
Easy way, but I make my own bread, is to use crescent rolls and make a triangle out of two, layering them so that they form a line of triangles overlapping.
Carmelize 1/2 an onion, sweet preferably, fry some sort of sliced beef, like stir fry meat, in with the onions and add cumin to taste. (I would say 2 Tbls, really!) Mix in some water/flour to make it a bit thicker.
Put the meat mixture on top of the crescents and top with shredded monterey Jack cheese. Then fold the sides of the crescent rolls up together, twist, lay flat, next crescent, same thing, until you have a braided look with meat showing through in spots.
Bake until crescents are done. 15 minutes or so.
Dollop with plain yogurt or sour cream. Dip in au jouis. Die a little inside that you can’t eat it for every meal.
I have a LARGE family, so I don’t know the portion size that you would need, and I really don’t measure. I taste the meat until I can taste the cumin, its a lot of cumin.
If you want, I can find a similar recipe online and show you the how to make the bread look.
I also do this with ground beef. Sometimes we make spaghetti with beef and cheese and eat it in the bread.
Stop by my blog for a great Mother’s Day video, everyone!
We enjoy the occasional bowl of cereal ourselves. I’m not much of a meal planner (brings on a bit of anxiety, actually), and don’t usually decide what to make for dinner until my husband calls to tell me he’s leaving the office (20 minute drive home). Somehow there’s always something on the table when he gets home!
Here are some of our faves:
Chicken Lasagna
No-cook lasagna noodles
1 can cream of chicken soup
1/2 cup sour cream
2 cans chicken in water (or cook your own chicken breast and cut in pieces – about 2 cups)
1 container Ricotta cheese
1/2 tsp garlic powder
parmesan cheese
grated mozzarella and cheddar cheese
Combine soup, sour cream, chicken, garlic powder, 1/2 – 1 c. parmesan. Layer sauce, noodles, ricotta, sauce, cheese, noodles, etc.
Cover & bake for approx. 30 min at 375. Uncover & bake an additional 5-10 min.
I don’t usually even measure stuff out. I just wing it and use whatever I have on hand — cr. of mushroom soup instead of cr. of chx…no ricotta if I don’t have it, etc.
Impossible Quiche
6 slices bacon, cooked & crumbled
1 c. shredded cheese
chopped onion
2 c. milk
1/2 c. baking mix
4 eggs
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
Grease 9″ pie plate. Preheat oven to 350. Sprinkle bacon, cheese, & onion evenly over bottom of pie plate. Place remaining ingredients in blender. Blend at high speed for 1 min. Pour into pie plate. Bake 50-55 minutes.
I usually serve with some toast and fresh fruit.
Mexican Pork
Coat 1 lb. cubed pork with taco seasoning. Brown in oil. Add 8 oz. salsa & 4 T. peach preserves. Cover & lower heat. Simmer 20 min. Serve w/rice.
I have a few others but don’t want to take up too much more room here. Email me if you’d like the recipe for Chicken Florentine Panini (YUM! – Pillsbury Bake-off winner), Cheesy Chicken Cresent Strips (kids love this), or Chicken Stuffed Green Peppers.
Bon Apetit!
Apparently, I am going to have to weed through our comments to find some inspiration. Seriously, you sound like me. If I actually cook a meal, I think my hubby (David, by the way) will drop to the floor. It is very sad. My children think that chicken nuggets and fries are a staple.
Please post any good recipes. Good meaning in taste and in amount of work involved. The shorter the amount of time the better!!
I know I am a little late on this, But check out http://www.kraftfoods.com There are hundreds of recipes, and pilsbury too. So far the kraft foods is awesome, they have great bbq ribs that you do in the slow cooker, fall off the bone good. YUMMMMM just thinking about them makes me want some. I will say, 2 lbs. chicken, broccoli however much to feed your family, and velveeta the last 10-15 mins., in a 9×13 casserole dish in your oven at 375 for as long as the chicken takes to cook, is fast and yummy.
EASY SLOPPY JOES
Brown 1 1/2 pounds ground beef with one onion, chopped.
Drain.
Add one bottle of Heinz Chili sauce and 3/4 bottle water.
Let simmer for 15-20 minutes.
Serve on buns. Enjoy!
Oops. Had the wrong link to my kitchen blog. . .
This is my first time commenting on your site, but I have two words for you Social Suppers or Meal Makers or whatever place that is near you. I go to Social Suppers, but I think it might be regional and I’m not sure where you live. You go to the store, preare your meals there (they have everything ready and it is super easy). You leave the mess there and take your meals home to your freezer. I cannot tell you how impressed I’ve been with this program. The website for Social Supper is http://www.socialsuppers.com. I can personally attest to the quality, taste, value of this food. I know there are several other programs, too, Meal Makers is one. Anyway, try it, YOU WILL NOT BE SORRY!!
I didn’t read through the comments, so I don’t know if you have a recipe like this one, but it’s good so I thought I’d share.
Cream Cheese Chicken
4-6 chicken breast pieces
2 Tablespoons melted butter or margarine
Salt and pepper to taste
2 Tablespoons Dry Italian salad dressing
1 Can condensed mushroom soup
6 Ounces cream cheese — cut in 1″ cubes
1/2 Cup white wine or sherry (you can substitute another liquid if you want to leave out the alcohol)
1 Tablespoon onion–minced
Brush chicken with butter and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Place in a crock pot and spinkle the dry italian dressing mix all over.
Cook and cover on low for 5-6 hours.
About 45 minutes before done, mix the mushroom soup, cream cheese, wine and onion in a small sauce pan.
Cook until smooth.
Pour over chicken and cover and cook for another 45 minutes.
Serve with remaining sauce.
This is good served with rice or mashed potatoes. Let me know if you try it and like it. :)