Good/quick recipes?!
Answers: my mom is a horrible cook (thank God she's not on YA), and there wasn't anyone else to teach me any simple recipes. i'm a housewife, so i do most of the cooking, but it seems like i'm always cooking the same thing. does anyone have any quick and simple recipes that taste good and don't require unusual ingredients?
Hamburger Hash
2 pounds hamburger
5 cleaned peeled potatoes
1/2 white onion
Brown the hamburger first. While the hamburger is browning, dice the potatoes and add them to the browning hamburger, and then dice a half an onion and add it to the hamburger and the potatoes. Serve with Worchestershire sauce and you're good to go.
Cottage Pie
1lb Ground Beef
1 yellow onion
Vegetable Cube
Corn-starch
A handful of peas (can be frozen)
6 large baking potatoes
Browning and seasoning sauce (I use Kitchen Bouquet)
Peel and chop up the potatoes into large chunks and put on too boil in a pot. This will take about 20 minutes. While the potatoes are cooking, you can start cooking the meat.
Chop up the onion and fry in a pan until almost golden brown. Add the ground beef and break it all up and cook until no longer red in colour. Turn on the oven and preheat a deep baking dish in there.
Add the vegetable cube and make sure it is broken up and mixed in.
Throw in the peas - even if they're frozen and mix them into the meat and continue to simmer. At this point, you can add a teaspoon or two of "Kitchen Bouquet" to the meat, and tip in some of the water from the potatoes. Keep simmering the meat in the pan.
The potatoes should be almost cooked - you can test them by sticking a knife into them. If the knife sinks in easily, they're done. Pour off the water and save some of it in case you need more for the meat / sauce.
Mix up two tablespoons of corn-starch (corn-flour) with two tablespoons of cold water in a saucer. When it's all mixed into a white liquid, pour this into the meat and stir in quickly. The water in the dish will thicken, continue to simmer and stir occasionally to make sure the corn-starch is cooked through.
Mash the potatoes with a little milk and butter. Take the baking dish out of the oven, and pour in the meat. It will make a satisfying sizzle. Spoon the mashed potatoes on top of the meat until they fill the baking dish to the top. Use a folk to make ridges all along the top of the potatoes.
Put the dish back under the grill and brown the top of the potatoes.
Remove from grill and enjoy
Don't know what you always make but Shepherd's pie is good, cheap and easy.\
Fry 1 lb. hamburger with diced onions.
Drain and put in a casserole dish.
Add a can of creamed corn on top.
On top of that put about 6 cooked and mashed potatoes. Sprinkle with paprika.
Bake at 350 for 45 min.
Since you gotta have dessert..this is easy and the whole family will love these cookies: Peanut Butter Surprise
Makes 36.
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup packed light-brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup granulated sugar, for rolling dough
36 mini peanut butter cups, chilled and unwrapped
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Using an electric mixer, cream peanut butter and butter in a mixing bowl until smooth. Add brown sugar; beat until combined, scraping down bowl as needed. Add eggs and vanilla, and beat until incorporated.
In a small bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt. With mixer on low speed, gradually beat in flour mixture in two batches.
Scoop off dough by the tablespoon; roll into balls. Place granulated sugar on a plate; roll balls in sugar, coating completely. Place 2 inches apart on a nonstick insulated baking sheet.
Bake until cookies begin to puff up slightly, about 7 minutes. Remove from oven. Press one peanut butter cup in center of each cookie. Return to oven; continue baking until cookies are golden brown and chocolate has begun to melt, about 6 minutes more. Let cool at least 10 minutes on baking sheet before transferring cookies to rack to cool completely.
Here is my easiest, best recipe:
1 lb ground meat (I like a mix of turkey and pork, but anything works)
5 Tablespoons pesto from a jar
4 oz mozzarella
Mix the meat and pesto, and form 8 thin patties
put 1 oz cheese in between each pair of patties and seal the edges around the cheese.
Fry.
Enjoy (I like a little mayonnaise with this, but it really doesn't need it).
If you have a Trader Joes near you, get their Mojito Sauce (a cuban sauce). Cook onions in some oil, add one can of black beans, one can of corn, the jar of Mojito Sauce, the onion, salt and pepper to taste. Simmer for half of an hour or until thicker. Delicious with garlic bread.
I like cooking things in one pan to avoid a messy clean up! lol
Pan steamed Pork Chops
thin cut cook easier and faster
2 T butter
1 T crushed garlic
1 T worcestshire sauce
3 or 4 T cranberry Orange marmalade (or just orange if you don't have cranberry-orange)
melt all the above into a covered skillet
add pork chops and turn to coat both sides
cover and cook on med-low for about 7 minutes then flip over for an additional 3 minutes
Pour skillet contents over rice or egg noodles
**remember that pork continues to cook after you remove from heat. SO, be careful that you do not overcook the pork or it will dry out.
fry ground beef put it in a baking pan layer american cheese over top and pour bisquick ( already mixed) over it and bake for 20 or so minutes and it is good. you can season the meat while it is cooking i use a little garlic salt and onion flakes.
Go to kraftfoods.com and look on their site then order their quartly FREE mag. They always have great ideas, for "semi-home made" type recipes. Or I use their ideas and then make my own homemade items, such as gravies, stuffing, breading etc... But use their stuuf first then venture out on your own more and more.