dad needs some help in the kitchen?

Question

my dad is a single parent and often doesn't feel like cooking or doesn't know what to make when he has the time.

what are some simple recipies that can please a few somewhat picky children age 8-12?

Answer 1

Baked Pizza Roll-Ups
1 can (8 oz.) refrigerated crescent roll dough
1/2 cup pizza or pasta sauce
1-3/4 cups (7 oz.) Sargento® Bistro™ Blends Mozzarella & Asiago with Roasted Garlic
1-1/2 tsp. Italian seasoning
2 Tbsp. Sargento® Fancy Parmesan Shredded Cheese

Separate crescent rolls into triangles. Spread thin layer of pizza sauce evenly over each triangle; top with Italian shredded cheese and Italian seasoning. Roll up each crescent triangle, starting at wide end; place on baking sheet coated with non-stick cooking spray. Sprinkle Parmesan cheese over top of each pizza roll-up. Bake in preheated 375°F oven 15 minutes or until golden brown. Substitution: Sargento® 6 Cheese Italian Shredded Cheese may be used in place of Sargento® Italian with Garlic Shredded Cheese.


"Cordon Bleu" Manicotti
1 pkg (12) string cheese snacks
12 slices each deli sliced ham and chicken breast
12 manicotti shells
1 jar pasta sauce
3/4 cup water
shredded parmesan cheese

Roll ham and chicken slices around each string cheese snack and slide into mannicotti shells. Mix water with pasta sauce. Pour a little sauce into bottom of baking dish. Place Manicotti in baking dish and pour remaining sauce over shells. Bake covered with aluminum foil (or if baking with covered dish, cover with lid) bake at 350 for 50 minutes or until pasta is tender. Top with parmesan and serve.



HOT DOG AND HAMBURGER PIE
1 pound lean ground beef
4 hot dogs , cut into 1/4-inch slices
1 (15 ounce) can baked beans
1/2 cup ketchup
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons prepared yellow mustard
2 ounces Cheddar cheese, cubed
1 (1.25 ounce) package taco seasoning mix
4 slices processed American cheese
1 (9 inch) deep dish pie shell

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Bake empty pie shell for 10 minutes. In a large skillet over medium heat, cook ground beef until browned, stirring occasionally to crumble; drain fat. Stir in hot dogs, beans, ketchup, mustard, taco seasoning, and cheese cubes. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes. Spread beef mixture into baked pie shell. Cut American cheese slices into strips, and make a lattice on top of pie. Bake for 5 to 10 minute, or until cheese is slightly melted.


CREAMY CUCUMBER SALAD
3-4 cucumbers, peeled and sliced
1/2 red onion, sliced thin
1-2 Tomatoes, diced
1 ½ cups Ranch or Cucumber Ranch dressing
In large bowl, combine all ingredients, tossing to coat the vegetables. Place in refrigerator and chill before serving.


EASY BEEF ENCHILADAS
1 Lb. ground beef
1 (19-oz.) or 2 (10-oz.) cans Old El Paso Enchilada Sauce
6 oz. (1 1/2 cups) shredded cheese
1 (12-ct.) pkg. Ole El Paso Flour Tortillas for Soft Tacos &
Fajitas

Heat oven to 375*F. Brown ground beef over medium-high heat
until thoroughly cooked; drain. Stir in 3/4 cup Enchilada sauce
and 1 cup cheese. Spoon enchilada filling onto tortillas;
roll-up and place seam-side down in lightly greased 13 x 9 x
2-inch baking dish. Pour remaining enchilada sauce over top;
sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup cheese. Bake at 375*F for 15 to
20 minutes. Makes 12 Enchiladas


Beef Stroganoff Casserole
1lb. hamburger (or ground turkey works as well)
1 pkg. egg noodles or other noodle
1 can sliced mushrooms, drained
1/2 onion, minced
1/2 tsp. minced garlic (about 1 clove)
1 cube beef boullion
1/3 cup water
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 1/2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 cup sour cream
1 cup shredded swiss cheese

In boiling water, cook noodles according to directions. Brown hamburger, drain fat, add the boullion and water, adding onion and garlic to soften. Add soup to meat mixture, mix well as it warms and thins. Add mushrooms, cooked noodles, worcestershire sauce and sour cream. Mix well and pour into casserole dish. Top with swiss cheese and bake 30 minutes or until cheese is bubbly.


TUNA NOODLE CASSEROLE
1 1lb. bag egg noodles
2 tbsp. butter
2 cans water packed tuna, do not drain
1 can cream of mushroom or cream of celery soup
1/2 cup sour cream

Boil noodles according to directions, drain. Add butter, tuna, soup and sour cream, mix well. Store leftovers in freezer.


Chicken Ritz Casserole
5-6 chicken breasts, cooked
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 can cheddar broccoli soup
about 1/4 soup can of milk
1-1/2 c. sour cream
2 c. cooked minute rice (1 c. prior to cooking)
dash salt and pepper
30 to 40 Ritz crackers, crumbled
Butter

Cook chicken and cut up. Place chicken in casserole dish. Mix together remaining ingredients. Pour mixed ingredients over chicken. Top with crushed Ritz crackers; dot with butter. Bake at 350F. for 45 mins



Crockpot Goulash
4 onions, sliced
2 lbs. beef chuck, cubed
6 medium potatoes, scrubbed and sliced
4 cups water
2 tsp. sweet hungarian paprika
2 bay leaves

In crockpot, layer onions, beef and potatoes. Add water, paprika and bay leaves. Turn on low and slow cook 6-8 hours until beef is tender.

Answer 2

Can opener Chopping boards ( at least one for raw meat and one for other things) Large chopping knife (very large and sharp, see also chinese chopper) Bread Knife (large and serrated) Small Peeling knife (small and very sharp) Boning knife (narrow and sharp) A Knife sharpener (sharp knives are essential, cooks are not just doing it all the time because it looks good) A flat bottomed wok (sometimes they are called stir fry pans) (can double up as a frying pan, this would be my No.1 smart item) A giant suce pan with metal handles (so it can go in the oven like a casserole dish) A large saucepan A medium sauce pan A 14" diameter by 2" deep, round, Pyrex glass oven dish (you can get small chicken in there or a big pie, or homemade bread if you're feeling adventurous) A flat baking sheet (for pizza or oven chips/fries, wedges etc) Scales. A large mixing bowl Some smaller glass mixing bowls half a dozen, maybe (good for the microwave) Spatula, fish slice, slotted spoon and ladle A pair of tongs (saves a hundred burned fingers) Sieve, or collander An electric kettle Keep plenty of tin foil and kitchen roll and greaseproof paper handy, (these are very convenient and are disposable) I hate kitchen gadgets, they are usually more about the designer than the user, if I had to though, I would recommend a powerful blender, if you are going to make cakes and soups and smoothies and cream desserts and the like, if you are not, get a decent coffee percolator. A cookery book? Not for me, the best kind of cookery book for a novice is the kind they give to kids taking home economics courses, skills for life are more important than learning to cook a few fancy dishes

Answer 3

Meat--Fry some hamburger patties until almost done or done--Put in baking dish. Cover with Golden Mushroom Soup (dilute some but not total.) Or any favorite soup--Cream of celery soup??
Buy some chicken breasts--boneless. Cut into 4-6 strips--roll in flour or not--fry (chicken fingers)
Meat loaf was mentioned. Fix night before, put in casserole -ready to stick in oven when home from work When I make a meat loaf, I cut up potatoes, carrots, onion and celery and put around meat loaf--like a roast--a meal in one dish.

Potatoes--Baked--can be done in microwave (a child could do that.
Boil some potatoes night before-refrigerate- cook to a little more than half done. Next night-peel, slice and fry (maybe put some raw onion in with the potatoes). Doesn't take as long if partially cooked.

Fry 3/4 to 1 pound hamburger with some onion--add a jar of spaghetti sauce. Meanwhile, boil about 2/3-3/4 cup dry macaroni to done and mix. Put in casserole dish. Top with graded cheese. Bake.

Answer 4

Preheat oven to 350. Get some good hot-dogs (the polish sausage kind). Slice them longways & put them in a casorol dish. Make some instant mashed potatos. Stuff the hotdogs with the potatos & line the casorol dish with the extra mash potatos. Sprinkle shreded cheese (I like alot) over the top. Pop it in the oven for 20 min. Heat up some canned corn for the side of the plate.

Yum yum.. dinner in 30 min

Answer 5

Any type pork chop in baking dish
l Can Cream of Mushroom Soup

Bake 1 - 1 1/2 Hrs. at 350 degrees covered

Answer 6

Tacos are fun, he could brown the meat and cut up the veggies but then you guys could all make up your own tacos after that.

Pizzas are fun. He could thaw frozen bread dough out and just roll it with a rolling pin into shape. Put toppings on and bake at 400 degrees for about 15 minutes. Or you guys could do personal pizzas and use pita breads for your crust. That would make it even faster.

We sometimes have a breakfast night at our house too where we eat pancakes or french toast and meat.

And hamburgers and hotdogs with fries and things are easy to do any night of the week. They make stovetop inside grills that are inexpensive. And I live in cold Minnesota and we use our gas grill outside even in the winter.

Good luck to you.

Answer 7

Get some chicken tenders and cut them into bite sized chunks. Dip them in some beaten egg and them into breadcrumbs. Fry them in a skillet until done, you may have to do this in batches so you don't overcrowd the skillet. Toss some frozen fries in the oven while you are cooking the chicken. What kid doesn't like chicken nuggets and fries?

Answer 8

My kids have always loved my shephards pie in a pot, mashed potatoes, ground beef and corn................I peel my own potatoes and mash them but instant can be used (my hubby does) I throw in a can of frozen corn (cooks by hot potatoes) and a pound of cooked burger drained................my kids go nuts whenever they know I am going to make it and if instant potatoes are used take only about 10 minutes to make, also easy for the kids to help............also try homemade pizza, buy the dough add sauce cheese and toppings...........so many more such little time.

Answer 9

why dont you guys write down what you like and then pick which day of the week you are having it. i do this with my whole family. it makes grocery shopping and meal prep. so much easier because i know in advance what im making. sometimes we need to change things from one day to another if something comes up like a long meeting for me or a school function. I have even down a whole month in advance and again i can rotate days if i need too.

Answer 10

How about the children pitching in to help Dad with making the meals?

Answer 11

PORK ADOBO
Marinate cube pork to vinegar, chopped garlic, soy sauce, pepper corn, chopped onions for about 2-3 hrs.
After marinating, cooked for about 30-45mins until meat becomes tender.