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Question

Teenage daughter is home to visit for the summer. Need your quick dinner ideas....I have a 3 yr. old son & full-time job....evening time is limited.

Answer 1

Chicken Stir Fry
Servings: 4

Ingredients
2 tablespoons dark sesame oil, divided
2 garlic cloves, finely minced
2 pounds chicken breasts, skinless and boneless
1 head broccoli, stems removed, broken into florets
1 dozen mushrooms, sliced
3 carrots, peeled and julienned
1/2 cup water chestnuts, sliced
1 head bok choy, chopped
2 to 3 tablespoons teriyaki sauce


Instructions
1. Heat 1 tablespoon dark sesame oil in a sauté pan over medium heat. Add garlic and stir.
2. Place the chicken in the sauté pan and brown 4 minutes on each side. Remove from pan, slice into strips, and set aside.
3. Add remaining tablespoon of oil to your sauté pan and warm over high heat. Add the vegetables and teriyaki sauce. Stir-fry quickly until the vegetables begin to soften.
4. Add the chicken strips, combine well, and continue to cook for 2 to 3 minutes. Serve immediately.



Pepped up Pepper Steak
Servings: 4

Ingredients
1-1/2 lbs sirloin steak, 1/2 inch thick
2 medium white onions, chopped
1 cup beef broth
1 tablespoon soy sauce
2 green peppers, cut into 1-inch pieces
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1/4 cup cold water
2 tomatoes, peeled and cut into eighths (optional)
Cooked rice

Instructions
1. Trim fat and bone from meat; cut meat into 4 to 6 serving pieces.
2. Grease large skillet lightly with fat from meat.
3. Thoroughly brown meat on both sides.
4. Add onions; cook and stir until tender.
5. Mix in beef broth and soy sauce. Cover; simmer for 10 minutes or until meat is tender.
6. Add green peppers. Cover; simmer for 5 minutes.
7. In a small bowl, blend cornstarch and water and gradually stir into skillet. Add tomatoes and heat for one minute. Serve over cooked rice.




Pot Roast with Veggies
Servings: 8

Ingredients
1 (3 to 4 pound) piece beef chuck roast, trimmed of excess fat
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup canned crushed tomatoes
1 cup water
1 lb small red potatoes, quartered
2 red onions, quartered
2 garlic cloves, chopped
8 carrots, sliced
2 celery stalks, sliced
1 cup button mushrooms, stems removed
2 sprigs fresh rosemary
4 sprigs fresh thyme
2 bay leaves

Instructions
1. On a plate, season all sides of the beef with a fair amount of kosher salt and black pepper.
2. In a large Dutch oven or other heavy pot that has a tight-fitting lid, heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil over moderately high heat. Add the beef chuck roast.
3. Brown the meat on all sides, taking the time to get a nice crust on the outside. Pour in the tomatoes and the water.
4. Scatter the potatoes, onions, garlic, carrots, celery, mushrooms, rosemary, thyme, and bay leaves around the pot roast. Season with salt and pepper and drizzle with the remaining tablespoon of oil.
5. Cover the pot and reduce the heat to low. Braise for about 3 hours, basting every 30 minutes with the pan juices, until the beef is fork tender. Discard bay leaves.
6. Slice the pot roast and arrange on a platter surrounded by the vegetables. Serve with the pot juices.



Chicken Tortilla Soup
Servings: 4

Ingredients
2 skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cut into cubes
1/2 teaspoon olive oil
1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
2 (14.5 ounce) cans chicken broth
1 (16 ounce) can black beans, rinsed
1 cup frozen corn kernels
1 cup chopped onion
1 fresh jalapeño pepper, chopped
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 cup chunky salsa
1 cup corn tortilla chips
1/2 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese (optional)
Sour cream

Instructions
1. In a large pot over medium heat, sauté the chicken in the olive oil for 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cumin and mix well.
2. Then add the broth, corn, onion, jalapeño, black beans, chili powder, lemon juice, and salsa. Reduce heat to low and simmer for about 20 to 30 minutes.
3. Break up some tortilla chips into individual bowls and ladle soup over chips. Garnish with cheese, sour cream, and additional broken tortilla chips.



Potato Pancake with Broccoli and Cheddar


One of 14 one-dish dinners

Yields: 4 main-dish servings
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: about 20 minutes





1 tablespoon margarine or butter

1 medium onion, chopped

1 bag (12 ounces) broccoli florets, each cut in half if large

1 teaspoon salt

4 cups refrigerated shredded hash brown potatoes (one 20-ounce bag or about two-thirds 2-pound bag)

1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1 package (4 ounces) shredded sharp Cheddar cheese





1. In nonstick 12-inch skillet, melt margarine over medium heat. Add onion and cook 5 minutes or until browned and tender, stirring frequently. Stir in broccoli, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 2 tablespoons water; cover and cook 3 minutes or until broccoli is tender, stirring once. Transfer broccoli mixture to medium bowl.

2. In large bowl, combine potatoes, pepper, and remaining 3/4 teaspoon salt. In same skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat until hot. Add half the potato mixture, gently patting with rubber spatula to cover bottom of skillet. Leaving 1-inch border, top potatoes with broccoli mixture. Sprinkle Cheddar over broccoli. Cover cheese with remaining potatoes, patting to edge of skillet. Cook 5 minutes or until browned.

3. Place large round platter or cookie sheet upside down over skillet. Grasping platter and skillet firmly together, very carefully and quickly flip skillet over to invert pancake onto platter. Slide pancake back into skillet. Cook 5 minutes longer or until browned.



Quick Sausage and Chicken Gumbo




Yields: 4 main-dish servings
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes





1 cup long-grain white rice

3/4 pound hot Italian sausage links, casings removed

3 garlic cloves, chopped

2 celery stalks, chopped

1 medium onion, chopped

1 medium green pepper, chopped

1 can (14 1/2 ounces) diced tomatoes

1 can (14 to 14 1/2 ounces) chicken broth (1 3/4 cups)

1 package (10 ounces) frozen whole okra

3/4 pound skinless, boneless chicken thighs, cut into 1/2-inch pieces

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme





1. Prepare rice as label directs.

2. Meanwhile, in 4-quart saucepan, cook sausage, garlic, celery, onion, and pepper over medium-high heat about 7 minutes or until sausage is browned and vegetables are tender, breaking up sausage with side of spoon.

3. Stir in tomatoes, broth, frozen okra, chicken, and thyme. Cover and cook 15 minutes or until chicken just loses its pink color throughout.

4. To serve, spoon rice into 4 large soup bowls; top with gumbo.



Pepperoni Rigatoni Bake




Yields: 6 main-dish servings
Prep Time: 25 minutes
Cook Time: about 20 minutes





1 package (16 ounces) rigatoni or penne pasta

2 large eggs

1 cup whole milk

1 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese (4 ounces)

1 cup grated Parmesan cheese (3 ounces)

1 container (15 ounces) part-skim ricotta cheese

4 ounces sliced pepperoni, cut into slivers (1 cup)

1 package (10 ounces) frozen peas

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper





1. Heat large covered saucepot of salted water to boiling over high heat. Add rigatoni and cook as label directs.

2. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Grease 3- to 3 1/2-quart casserole (about 2 inches deep) or 13" by 9" glass baking dish.

3. In large bowl, with wire whisk, lightly beat eggs. Stir in milk, mozzarella, Parmesan, ricotta, pepperoni, frozen peas, salt, and pepper until well combined.

4. Drain rigatoni. Add rigatoni to cheese mixture and toss to coat. Transfer rigatoni mixture to prepared casserole. Bake, uncovered, 20 to 25 minutes or until edges are golden and center is almost set. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

Answer 2

cook a large amount of rice and freeze some of it. Before you leave in the morning put a roast, some chicken, beans etc in the crock pot. by the time you get home, it will be done, spoon it over some rice that can quickly be thawed and voila! dinner!
there are tons of quick and easy crock pot recipes. If I know I am going to have an exceptionally busy week, when I have a free day I will cook several meals and put them in individual containers. Then when hubby comes home for lunch or we all get back home too late to make dinner we can pop them out of the fridge or freezer and warm them up really fast. This keeps from having to have the same thing every night and I can make a weeks worth of meals in one evening. - though clean up that evening is a bear but I usually get a lot of help from the kids chipping in and getting things in order.
Make and freeze a bunch of hamburger patties when you have time. that is something easy to pull out of the freezer and cook in a pan while you are preparing the fixins - then everyone can make their own snadwiches.
Another thing I will do if I am in a hurry is put a pot of noodles to boil, when they are done throw in a can or two of tuna, some black olives, cheese and either some steamed broccoli or fresh spinach - my kids love it. Rice and noodles are really versitile and quick- especially if you precook your rice and always have some on hand in the fridge or freezer- you can mix and match just about any meat or vegetable and use any sauce or gravy that can be cooking in a crock pot all day.
My 13 year old does a lot of cooking and helpingo ut in the kitchen. Your teenage daughter should be chipping in to make mealtimes easier for the family.

Answer 3

Crock pot roast:

1 roast
1 Tablespoon steak sauce
1 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 Tablespoon Parsley flakes
2 cans mushroom soup
2 packages of dry onion soup mix

Place the roast in a crock pot. Mix everything else together and place over the roast. Let cook 6-8 hours. Serve with mashed potatoes and salad.

Answer 4

I love pasta- just get the sauce in a jar, boil water add pasta. BAM! you are done.

I like to grill, also. Doesn't take long. Burgers, steak or chicken. It;'s all good. Add quick tossed salad. Sit and enjoy.

If your daughter is willing to help, have her start prepping a few items for you before you get home from work.

Answer 5

Try having a taco night and have everyone help cook it.
Pasta and meat sauce and salad, Grilled chicken breast with baked potatoes, White rice and chicken stir fry (if your pressed for time try the green giant stir fry just add meat), Mac and Cheese and Pork chops, Meatloaf and mashed potatoes

Answer 6

any kind of pasta that cooks in 8-9 minutes, have different kinds of dried sauces ready that only needs you to add water, taco dinner kits, slices of ham, Turkey breast. Ask her to do the salad as she likes. And plenty of icecream.

Answer 7

pasta is easy.

bit of oil, some chicken chunks, a sliced lemon minus the ends, a little bouillion, some chicken broth and a bit of pepper.

Boil it all together in a saute pan until it thickens .Toss in pasta and eat it

Answer 8

Pizza breads. Make small pizzas on pieces of bread. Toast them first, top them, then stick them in the oven at 350 for about 10 minutes. They'll love to top their own!

Answer 9

Broc. and Chix. Alfredo, really easy to make. Just grill your chix or bake, then chop into bite size pieces. Then buy a package of frozen broc. and a jar or 2 of Kraft Alfredo sauce, mix it all together. YUM!~

Answer 10

Buy pita bread, shredded cheese, and pre cut veggies, salmi, and ham slices and let everyone create their own pizza. Oh don't forget the sauce, Hunt's is good.

Answer 11

Salads and Sphagetti