Cheater Chinese Chicken, Egg Rolls, Rice 15 Minute Meal 50s Prime Time Meatloaf, Mashed Potatoes, Green Beans Garlic Pepper Chicken and Broccoli with Parmesan Pasta Red Eye BBQ Ribs, Mashed Cauliflower, Green Beans Slow Cooker or Instant Pot Chipped Beef Gravy over Cornbread, Roasted Carrots Crockpot Beef Fajitas, Corn Tortillas, Chips and Guacamole Slow Cooker or Instant Pot Lemon Pineapple Cake Mix Cookies with Pineapple Glaze PRODUCE Onion 1 +½ cup diced +6 Tbsp. chopped +1 Broccoli 2-3 cups chopped +1-1 ½ lbs. Garlic clove 1 +4 {+2} Chinese cabbage 1 head Green onions 1 bunch Red pepper ¼ cup diced Green pepper ¼ cup diced {Potatoes 3-4 large} {Baby carrots 2 lbs.} {Avocados 2 ripe} Bell peppers in a variety of colors 3 CANNED/DRY General Tso s sauce 1-2 cups {Brown rice 2-3 cups} Seasoned bread crumbs 1 cup Worcestershire sauce 2 Tbsp. Ketchup 1 cup Brown sugar 1 Tbsp. + ¼ cup Chicken broth 1 cup Angel hair pasta 1 lb. Coffee 1/3 ½ cup Barbecue sauce 1 ½ cups Flour 6 Tbsp. {+¾ cup} +2 Tbsp. Dry chipped beef 2 jars {Cornmeal 1 ½ cups} Fajita seasoning 1 packet Diced tomatoes with green chiles 1 can IP {Tortilla chips 1 bag} Lemon cake mix 1 box Crushed pineapple 8 oz. can Powdered sugar 1 ½ cups DAIRY Eggs 4 {+1} +2 {Butter several Tbsp.} +4 Tbsp. +2 Tbsp. +6 Tbsp. +1 stick {Milk several Tbsp.} Shredded parmesan cheese ½ cup Heavy whipping cream Cream cheese 3 oz. Milk 4 cups {+1 cup} MEAT Boneless skinless chicken breasts or thighs 1 ½ - 2 lbs. Ground beef 2 lbs. Ground pork 1 lb. Boneless chicken tenders 1 ½ lbs. Country style ribs 3 lbs. Thin sliced beef 1 ½ - 2 lbs. BREAD Flour tortillas 1 package ITEMS TO HAVE IN PANTRY/FRIDGE Sesame seeds optional Dijon mustard 1 tsp. Nutmeg 1/8 tsp. Cornstarch 1 Tbsp. Paprika ½ tsp. {Baking powder 1 Tbsp.} {Lemon or lime juice to taste} Lemon extract 1 tsp. Olive Oil Salt Pepper FROZEN {Egg Rolls 1 package} {Green Beans 1 bag} +1 bag {Cauliflower florets 1 lb. bag}
Cheater Chinese Chicken, Egg Rolls, Rice Total Time Needed: 15 Minutes Olive Oil 1 onion chopped 1 clove garlic - minced 2-3 cups broccoli (or any veggies you have on hand!) 1 ½ - 2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs - cooked and cut into bite-size chunks 1-2 cups General Tso s Sauce 1 head Chinese cabbage (Napa or your preference) toasted sesame seeds (optional) green onions (for serving) Place a little olive oil in your skillet. Heat on medium heat. Add onion to pan and saute until translucent. Add garlic & broccoli. Give it a good stir. Add cooked chicken and sauce. Bring to a simmer. When sauce begins to thicken, add Chinese cabbage - go ahead and fill the pan, b/c the cabbage will wilt and reduce in size (a lot!) Carefully mix cabbage into the sauce/chicken/veggies. It only takes a few minutes for the cabbage to begin to wilt. Garnish with toasted sesame seeds and green onions if desired. Serving Suggestion: Brown Rice and Egg Rolls
50s Prime Time Meatloaf, Mashed Potatoes, Green Beans Time: 15 Minutes Hands On, 2 Hours Cook Time 2 lbs. ground beef 1 lb. ground pork 4 eggs 1 cup seasoned bread crumbs (I tossed some salt, pepper, garlic powder, oregano and basil into plain bread crumbs) ½ cup diced onions ¼ cup diced red pepper ¼ cup diced green pepper 2 Tbs. worcestershire sauce freshly ground pepper and kosher salt, to taste ½ cup ketchup 1 Tbs. brown sugar 1 tsp. dijon mustard For the glaze ½ cup ketchup ¼ cup brown sugar ⅛ tsp. nutmeg Mix all the ingredients together. Form into 1 or 2 loaves. I formed this into 2 loaves. One I put in a 9 13 foil lined pan, covered it with foil and baked it about 2 hours at 350 degrees. The other meatloaf I wrapped in heavy-duty foil and popped in the freezer. When the meatloaf is done, remove the top foil and let it brown a minute in the oven. Pull it out again and glaze it with a mixture of ½ cup ketchup, ¼ cup brown sugar and a shake of nutmeg.
Mashed Potatoes 3-4 large potatoes Several Tbsp. butter Several Tbsp. milk Salt Wash the potatoes. Peel and chop them. Put them in a pan and shake salt over them. Add a dollop of butter and cover them with water. Bring to a boil and cook until very tender. The butter in the water helps keep them from boiling over on the stove. When they re done (fall apart when poked with a fork), drain them. If you have a hand-held mixer, you can mix right in your pan. Otherwise, transfer to the bowl of stand mixer. Add more butter to the potatoes and some salt. Begin to mix them, adding dribbles of milk as you go. It doesn t take much milk, so go easy. Taste to be sure you have the right amount of salt. If you like your potatoes lump-free, cook them a long time to be sure they re tender. Then mash them a bit before mixing. I m not concerned about lumps in my potatoes. I think they re good that way. Serving Suggestion: Mashed Potatoes and Green Beans
Garlic Pepper Chicken and Broccoli with Parmesan Pasta Total Time Needed: 20 Minutes 1½ lb. boneless chicken tenders black pepper, to taste 4 Tbs. butter 4 cloves garlic, crushed 1 cup chicken broth 1-1½ lbs. broccoli, cut 1 lb. angel hair pasta 1-2 cups cooking water from pasta kosher salt to taste ½ cup shredded Parmesan cheese Sprinkle chicken with black pepper. Melt butter in large skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and chicken to skillet. Cook till chicken is done. While chicken cooks, steam broccoli and cook pasta in separate pans. Remove finished chicken from pan. Add 1 cup of broth to skillet, scraping any browned bits from chicken into the sauce. Drain pasta and place back in pot. Toss pasta with contents from skillet and the broccoli. Season with kosher salt. Add extra pasta cooking water, if needed to keep it from being dry. Stir in Parmesan. Serve with chicken. Serving Suggestion: Broccoli and Parmesan Pasta
Red Eye BBQ Ribs, Mashed Cauliflower, Green Beans Yield: 6 Servings Time: 5 Minutes Hands On, 5-8 Hours Cook Time 3 lbs. country style ribs ⅓ - ½ cup strong brewed coffee 1½ cups barbecue sauce 1 Tbs. cornstarch Place ribs in the slow cooker. Stir coffee and barbecue sauce together and pour over ribs. Cook on high 5-6 hours or low 7-8 hours. Remove ribs from crock. Stir several tablespoons of bbq sauce from the crock into the cornstarch until smooth. Pour cornstarch mixture into the rest of the sauce and stir to combine and thicken. Serve sauce with ribs. Red Eye BBQ Ribs Instant Pot Place the ribs in the pressure cooker pot. Stir the coffee and barbecue sauce together and pour over the ribs. Set the cook time to 25 minutes. Do a quick pressure release. Stir several tablespoons of the barbecue sauce with the cornstarch until smooth. Pour the cornstarch mixture into the rest of the sauce and stir to combine and thicken. Serve sauce with the ribs. Mashed Cauliflower 1 pound bag of frozen cauliflower florets 3 oz. package of cream cheese, softened 2 Tbs. butter, softened heavy whipping cream Cook the cauliflower according to the package directions. I use the microwave. If you can find the new packages that allow you steam the vegetables in the bag, all the better. Add the cream cheese and butter to a large bowl. Drain the cauliflower very well and pour it right on top. Allow the florets to sit for a minute or two on top of the cheese and butter to help soften it even more. Using a potato masher, hand held mixer or food processor, mash/mix/process the mixture until smooth. Use a bit of cream if you need some extra moisture to get things moving. Salt and pepper to taste. Serve. Serving Suggestion: Mashed Cauliflower and Green Beans
Chipped Beef Gravy over Cornbread, Roasted Carrots Yield: 6 Servings Time: 10 Minutes Hands On, 20 Minutes Cook Time 6 Tbs. butter 6 Tbs. chopped onion 6 Tbs. flour 4 cups hot milk 2 jars of beef (you know the kind from the canned meat section that you use for cheese balls) 1/2 tsp paprika pepper and salt to taste Rinse the meat under running water to remove a bit of the salt and then chop it up. In a sauce pan melt the butter and sauté the onion until it s clear. Stir in the flour with a whisk and then add the hot milk, stirring until the mixture thickens. Add the remaining ingredients. Serve over Cornbread. Cornbread 1½ cups cornmeal ¾ cups flour heaping TBS baking powder salt 1 egg enough milk to make a batter (about 1 cup) Heat the oven to 425 degrees. Put the skillet in the oven to heat (mine is 10¼ inches). Stir together the dry ingredients. Add the egg and milk and stir till well blended. Pull the hot skillet from the oven and add oil or spray with cooking spray. Pour in the batter and bake for 15-20 minutes. Serving Suggestion: Roasted Carrots For carrots, toss 2 pounds baby carrots with 1-2 Tbs. olive oil; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast on baking sheet at 425 degrees for about 25 minutes.
Crockpot Beef Fajitas, Corn Tortillas, Chips and Guacamole Time: 10 Minutes Hands On, 5-8 Hours Cook Time 1 large onion, sliced 3 bell peppers in variety of colors 1 ½ - 2 lbs thin sliced beef, cut in strips 1 packet fajita seasoning Place onions and peppers in crockpot. Place sliced beef on top of peppers and onions. Sprinkle fajita seasoning over beef. Cook on high for 5-6 hours or low for 7-8 hours. Serve in tortillas with any fixings you like. Beef Fajitas Instant Pot Add 1 can diced tomatoes with green chilies. Add all ingredients to the pressure cooker pot. Set for 15 minutes cook time. Do a quick pressure release. Guacamole 2 ripe avocados 2 cloves garlic, pressed or minced lemon or lime juice to taste salt and red pepper to taste Slice the avocados in half and take out the pit. Mash them together with the other ingredients. I put everything in the stand mixer to do this. Adjust the seasonings as needed. Serving Suggestion: Chips and Guacamole
Lemon Pineapple Cake Mix Cookies with Pineapple Glaze Time: 15 Minutes Hands On, 10 Minutes Bake Time For the Cookies: Lemon cake mix 1 stick butter, softened 2 eggs 1 tsp. lemon extract 8 oz crushed pineapple, drained well, juice reserved 2 Tbs. flour For glaze: 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar reserved juice from pineapple Mix all the ingredients for the cookies with an electric mixer. Drop by teaspoons onto a baking stone or cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes. Cool a bit before icing with the glaze. To make the glaze, stir a few tablespoons of juice into the powdered sugar until it reaches a spreadable consistency. It should be a bit thinner than regular frosting, but not too thin.