What do you make for dinner (besides eating out or ordering in) ...

I totally agree with CathyZ and Karen about having a well stocked pantry...

In the winter I always have several soup choices frozen, there is always a box or two of pasta around, some cheeses, usually a pizza crust, assorted canned goods and leftovers.

Sunday when I had a whole day of work to do and we got 12" of snow there was oven roasted tomato soup and grilled cheese (rosemary olive oil bread with grueyre (?) cheese-YUM!) and it was wonderful. I made a boatload of the soup in August when you could buy 25 lbs of tomatoes for $10 at the farmers market.

Pasta is so easy and works with whatever you have on hand. As someone else mentioned, left over dips make great pasta sauces or there is always plenty of pesto from the summers bounty of basil or a can of Muir Glen tomatoes simmered up with some spices/onions/garlic. Then throw in whatever sounds good to you. Last week guests left some sort of cheesy dip from appetizers. It was turned into pasta sauce with the addition of a little smashed roasted garlic (always a jar in the fridge), some left over roasted broccoli, a few pine nuts, some oven dried tomatoes (again made last August and frozen by the zillions) and a gracious topping of grated parmesan cheese.

You don't need a recipe per say, just look in the fridge and see what needs to be used up! (You get the picture--think I've rambled on enough!)

 
I agree, stir-fries, quesadillas, blts, and....

When I make things like roast chicken I slice the leftovers very thin and freeze for quesadillas or stir-fry, or tacos, etc. I also buy extra chicken breasts and flank steak and slice them before freezing since they will thaw so fast. I also have shrimp in the freezer so am usally good to go.

Sometimes I make pasta by cooking angel hair or linguine and while it cooks, just sauteeing garlic, dried red chilies, maybe some shallots, and green onions in butter and tossing it with the pasta with some freshly grated parm. cheese.

I usually have some chicken/turkey precooked/smoked sausages on hand from TJ's...especially the spicy ones and they go into everything...pasta, quesadillas, in omeletes, or along side steamed or sauteed red potatoes and a veggie. They are lean enough to eat guilt free.

The sausages make great sandwiches on crusty bread, maybe with some sauteed onions and peppers or in a grilled cheese sandwich. They last a long time in the fridge and can also be frozen individually and take no time to defrost.

 
I usually make a quick caprese-ish pasta if I'm pressed for time>>>

In the time it takes the pasta to cook I can put together the rest of the ingredients. Presto - dinner in 11 minutes (a little longer when you calculate in bringing water to a boil time)

I don't have a recipe exactly.
Pasta (our favorite for this is bow-tie)
Our favorite vinaigrette
Chopped fresh mozarella (8 oz.)
Quartered campari tomatoes
Fresh basil (or spinach if basil isn't in the house)

Toss together when pasta is hot so the mozarella melts onto it. Yum. My kids like this one a lot too, so we eat it frequently.

 
REC: Jimmy Stewart's Favorite Pork Chops

Not exactly in a hurry but easy to pick-up chops from store and seconds to prep. Thank you Ron - these have become a go to staple!

Jimmy Stewart's Favorite Pork Chops
From: Ron in Worcester

Pork chops
Ketchup
Brown sugar
Lemon slices
Onion slices

Here's yet another one of those recipes that I came across on the Internet before I'd developed the smarts required to note just WHERE the heck I'd found it. It's a recipe that'll drive some folks nuts: there are absolutely NO measurements. I've made it a number of times and, regardless of the quantity of ingredients I've used, it's always come out great.

The author's note read: "I have absolutely no idea whether these were really Jimmy Stewart's favorite, but I KNOW they are MY husband's! This is the nicest recipe, you can make any amount, and it’s extremely easy and delicious too! ;~)"

Preheat oven to 350º F. In casserole or pan, place pork chops. Top each with 1 tablespoon ketchup, 1 tablespoon brown sugar, 1 slice onion, and 1 slice lemon. Bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour, depending on thickness of the pork chops.

 
Oh yes..I forgot about chicken marsala! One of my favorite quickies...

along with pork tenderloin with madeira sauce which is prepared similarly to the chicken. Assuming I've had time to go to the store or remembered to take the meat out of the freezer.

 
Pierogies!

While the potato cheese pierogies are cooking in the boiling water, I stir fry thinly sliced onions and 3-4 different colored bell peppers (usually red, yellow and orange) in butter. We make a lot, so I use a whole pepper of each color, and at the minimum for us, 1 1/2 sticks of BUTTER - not margarine. The well-drained pierogies are added to the skillet and tossed with the butter/bell peppers/onions mixture. We serve the dish with good dairy sour cream and unsweetened applesauce on the side.

PEASANT FOOD ROCKS! Well, that's what my kids call it. LOLOLOLOLOLOLO

 
Buckwheat noodles with a Thai peanut or cashew sauce and...

either some leftover roast chicken - or - I grill a chicken breast or strips - or some shrimp. The noodles cook in just minutes (less than 8 start-to-finish from boiling the water to draining the noodles), I either make a typical peanut sauce or sub cashew butter (made in about 3 minutes in a food processor), and the chicken or shrimp are quick & easy. Once the noodles are in the pot, I top the pot with a steam basket, and add some veggies. It's the one meal I can produce in less than 10 minutes that I find completely & utterly satisfying (and it sure beats a mediocre $25 pizza delivery!).

But the best tip I think: setup your prep area so you're not moving far (if at all) to get your knives, cutting board, equipment or ingredients. It really does make a difference in how quickly you can make/serve dinner.

 
Love this Ruth - also good over jasmine rice.

With or without broccoli and red pepper strips (but then I guess you are getting into some longer/more involved cooking).

 
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