What is for dinner tonight?

[mom2one]

I am so in need of some ideas of things to cook for dinner. I made Rachel Rays Spicy Peanut Chicken from Mondays show Tuesday night, so good if anyone is looking for idea. She calls it make your own takeout. So a new day, fresh out ideas, thanks for any help.

[DebbieJ]

Any old standby....this is easy because I always have these ingredients on hand. It's also easy to improvise on this one. I don't always have the seasoned tomatoes, so I'll use regular canned tomatoes and add Italian seasoning. And you can use any kind of pasta--it doesn't have to be shells. I've used rotini and penne (and whole wheat at that) and it still comes out fine. You just have to watch the liquid and may need to add/subtract a few minutes of cooking time.

Ingredients



1 pound ground sirloin beef
1 can (14.5 oz each) Hunt's Diced Tomatoes with Basil, Garlic & Oregano, undrained
1 can (8 oz each) Hunt's Tomato Sauce
1 1/4 cups hot water
1 cup frozen mixed vegetables
6 ounces dry large shell pasta, uncooked
1/2 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese (1/2 cup = 2 oz)


Preparation

Hands On: 10 minutes
Total: 30 minutes

1. Brown ground beef in large skillet over medium heat until no longer pink; drain.

2. Stir in remaining ingredients except cheese. Bring to a boil.

3. Reduce heat; cover and simmer 15 minutes or until pasta is tender. Sprinkle with cheese.

[boolady]

Well, it's leftovers (from Sunday:)) that only I will be eating since DH will be at work and DD doesn't like it, but we had guests for brunch on Sunday and this was the best strata I've ever had. DD will have scrambled eggs, whole wheat toast, and fruit.

From smittenkitchen.com:

Spinach and Cheese Strata
Adapted from Gourmet (sniffle), February 2003

Serves 6 to 8

1 (10 ounce) package frozen spinach, thawed, squeeze of all excess liquid, and chopped
1 1/2 cups finely chopped onion (1 large)
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
8 cups cubed French or Italian bread in 1-inch cubes (1/2 lb)
6 ounces coarsely grated Gruyère (2 cups)
2 ounces finely grated parmesan (1 cup)
2 3/4 cups milk
9 large eggs
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

Sauté onion in butter in a large, heavy skillet over medium heat until soft, about 5 minutes. Add 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper and nutmeg and continue cooking for one minute. Stir in spinach, remove from heat and set aside.

Spread one third of the bread cubes in a well-buttered 3-quart gratin dish or other ceramic baking dish. Top with one-third of bread cubes,one-third of spinach mixture and one-third of each cheese. Repeat layering twice with remaining bread, spinach and cheese.

Whisk eggs, milk, mustard and remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper together in a large bowl and pour evenly over strata. Cover with plastic wrap and chill strata for eat least 8 hours or up to a day.

The next day, let it stand at room temperature for 30 minutes while preheating the oven to 350°F. Bake strata, uncovered, in middle of oven until puffed, golden brown, and cooked through, 45 to 55 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

[oneplustwo]

Well, it's leftovers (from Sunday:)) that only I will be eating since DH will be at work and DD doesn't like it, but we had guests for brunch on Sunday and this was the best strata I've ever had. DD will have scrambled eggs, whole wheat toast, and fruit.

From smittenkitchen.com:

Spinach and Cheese Strata
Adapted from Gourmet (sniffle), February 2003

Serves 6 to 8

1 (10 ounce) package frozen spinach, thawed, squeeze of all excess liquid, and chopped
1 1/2 cups finely chopped onion (1 large)
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
8 cups cubed French or Italian bread in 1-inch cubes (1/2 lb)
6 ounces coarsely grated Gruyère (2 cups)
2 ounces finely grated parmesan (1 cup)
2 3/4 cups milk
9 large eggs
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

Sauté onion in butter in a large, heavy skillet over medium heat until soft, about 5 minutes. Add 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper and nutmeg and continue cooking for one minute. Stir in spinach, remove from heat and set aside.

Spread one third of the bread cubes in a well-buttered 3-quart gratin dish or other ceramic baking dish. Top with one-third of bread cubes,one-third of spinach mixture and one-third of each cheese. Repeat layering twice with remaining bread, spinach and cheese.

Whisk eggs, milk, mustard and remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper together in a large bowl and pour evenly over strata. Cover with plastic wrap and chill strata for eat least 8 hours or up to a day.

The next day, let it stand at room temperature for 30 minutes while preheating the oven to 350°F. Bake strata, uncovered, in middle of oven until puffed, golden brown, and cooked through, 45 to 55 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

I made this for our New Year's Day brunch! It was fabulous. I borrowed a bit from the Cook's Illustrated version (Spinach and Gruyere strata) -- used a combo of shallots and onion, sliced the bread instead of cubing it, used a bit more spinach (a 16 oz. bag). Yum yum yum.

[WatchingThemGrow]

Sam's Club Pizza or CFA!

I'm doing OAMC- Family Favorites, cycle B today!:cheerleader1:
The first batch lasted us just shy of 3 mos, so I'm psyched to cook today! The meals look tasty, and the housecleaner agreed to come Sat. morning once I've put everything away.

[happymom]

Any old standby....this is easy because I always have these ingredients on hand. It's also easy to improvise on this one. I don't always have the seasoned tomatoes, so I'll use regular canned tomatoes and add Italian seasoning. And you can use any kind of pasta--it doesn't have to be shells. I've used rotini and penne (and whole wheat at that) and it still comes out fine. You just have to watch the liquid and may need to add/subtract a few minutes of cooking time.

Ingredients



1 pound ground sirloin beef
1 can (14.5 oz each) Hunt's Diced Tomatoes with Basil, Garlic & Oregano, undrained
1 can (8 oz each) Hunt's Tomato Sauce
1 1/4 cups hot water
1 cup frozen mixed vegetables
6 ounces dry large shell pasta, uncooked
1/2 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese (1/2 cup = 2 oz)

Preparation

Hands On: 10 minutes
Total: 30 minutes

1. Brown ground beef in large skillet over medium heat until no longer pink; drain.

2. Stir in remaining ingredients except cheese. Bring to a boil.

3. Reduce heat; cover and simmer 15 minutes or until pasta is tender. Sprinkle with cheese.


Ooooh, this sounds yummy and easy...I've been looking for some new recipes with ground beef. I feel like I'm always making meatloaf, haburgers, meatballs etc etc. Although DH just informed me last night that he doesnt love ground beef/pasta dishes. Still gonna try it though. I'll have to leave out the cheese (kosher) but I think it should still be good. What kind of frozen veggies do you put in?

[carolinamama]

I'm doing OAMC- Family Favorites, cycle B today!:cheerleader1:
The first batch lasted us just shy of 3 mos, so I'm psyched to cook today! The meals look tasty, and the housecleaner agreed to come Sat. morning once I've put everything away.

What is this? My resolution for this year is to be better about cooking for our family and trying to do meal planning or cooking ahead. I am curious about how everyone does it.

Thanks!

[fauve01]

last night we had chicken noodle soup, beer bread, and a salad.

tonight I'm thinking maybe Salsa Chicken in the crickpot.

Chicken breasts, can of drained black beans, can of drained corn, jar of your favorite salsa. cook all day on low or half a day on high. Serve in bowls with garnish of shredded cheese and sour cream. or shred and mix together before serving with tortillas.

[happymom]

We're having leftovers of last night's dinner- not the healthiest, but a yummy comfort food for a cold night. Its kind of like shepherd's pie-

Ground beef (1-2 lbs)
1 can mushroom soup
1 can mushrooms
3 Tbsp. soy sauce

1/2 bag potatoes- peeled and sliced in thin rounds
1 medium onion- sliced in thin rounds
salt
pepper
oil

Brown beef in skillet. Drain excess liquid. Add mushroom soup , mushrooms, and soy sauce and warm over medium flame.

Place sliced potatoes and onions into ziploc bag. Add a bit of oil (maybe 2 Tbsp?) and shake to coat. Add spices and shake to coat again.

Grease 9x13 pan. Place half of the potatoes/onions on the bottom. Add all the meat on top of that. Place rest of potatoes/onions on top. Sprinkle paprika (cuz it looks pretty :) ). Cover and bake at 400 for 45 minutes. Uncover and bake additional 30 minutes.


DH loves this supper- he loves that the bottom potatoes are soft and gravy-y and the top ones are crispy.

[Mom to Brandon and 2 cats]

Today is spaghetti w/ Costco turkey meatballs and a side of canned corn.

Tomorrow, because we're getting low on "real" food, we're having breakfast for dinner. Waffles, sausage, and eggs. :)

[kristenk]

We're having leftover Mediterranean Roast Turkey and sweet potato casserole. The sweet potato casserole does not really work all that well with the mediterranean turkey, but DD ill eat it and it's sooo tasty. The roast turkey is a slow cooker recipe and it's delicious.

Here's the cooking light link for the turkey (with a photo and reviews): http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=1160644

but here's the recipe for those who don't want to click over:

Mediterranean Roast Turkey - in the slow cooker

Serve this slow cooker roast with mashed potatoes and garnish with fresh thyme sprigs, if desired.

Yield: 8 servings (serving size: about 4 ounces turkey and about 1/3 cup onion mixture)

2 cups chopped onion (about 1 large)
1/2 cup pitted kalamata olives
1/2 cup julienne-cut drained oil-packed sun-dried tomato halves
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 1/2 teaspoons bottled minced garlic
1 teaspoon Greek seasoning mix (such as McCormick's)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 (4-pound) boneless turkey breast, trimmed
1/2 cup fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth, divided
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour


Combine first 9 ingredients in an electric slow cooker. Add 1/4 cup chicken broth. Cover and cook on low for 7 hours.

Combine remaining 1/4 cup broth and flour in a small bowl; stir with a whisk until smooth. Add broth mixture to slow cooker. Cover and cook on low for 30 minutes. Cut turkey into slices.

Here's the link for the sweet potato casserole:
http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Gourmet-Sweet-Potato-Classic/Detail.aspx

I modify the sweet potato recipe quite a bit. I don't add any sugar to the sweet potato mixture at all. I bit in half the amount of butter, if that and use whatever milk (most likely skim) we have in the house. We usually don't use nuts in the topping and I cut the whole topping recipe down by about 1/3 - 1/2 b/c it makes a whole lot more topping than we need to cover the dish adequately.

[Twoboos]

Crock pot spagetti & meatballs. (Well, the pasta doesn't go in the crock pot.)

Boring, but we are out until dinner time so I need to be able to come home and feed everyone asap.

[BelleoftheBallFlagstaff]

Acorn squash (on sale for .99/lb. and organic) stuffed with stuffing (on sale for $1.49 and organic),vegetarian "Italian Sausage", and fresh sauteed spinach.

I make what is on sale. That is what my parents did, and it works!

[DebbieJ]

What kind of frozen veggies do you put in?

Whatever I have in the freezer. :) Usually corn and peas. I bought a can of mixed veggies yesterday, so I'm just going to stir those in towards the end so they get heated through.

[boolady]

Mediterranean Roast Turkey - in the slow cooker

Serve this slow cooker roast with mashed potatoes and garnish with fresh thyme sprigs, if desired.

Yield: 8 servings (serving size: about 4 ounces turkey and about 1/3 cup onion mixture)

2 cups chopped onion (about 1 large)
1/2 cup pitted kalamata olives
1/2 cup julienne-cut drained oil-packed sun-dried tomato halves
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 1/2 teaspoons bottled minced garlic
1 teaspoon Greek seasoning mix (such as McCormick's)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 (4-pound) boneless turkey breast, trimmed
1/2 cup fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth, divided
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour


Combine first 9 ingredients in an electric slow cooker. Add 1/4 cup chicken broth. Cover and cook on low for 7 hours.

Combine remaining 1/4 cup broth and flour in a small bowl; stir with a whisk until smooth. Add broth mixture to slow cooker. Cover and cook on low for 30 minutes. Cut turkey into slices.


This sounds delicious, and it's slow cooker! We'll be having this soon, I think.

[infomama]

Just finished prepping Pioneer Woman's lasagna. I bet it's going to be SO good!! Oh and we are eating off the 'good dishes' tonight!!

[viba424]

Gosh, if I had my way it, would be crab rangoons and sesame chicken from ben pao. Yum!

[GaPeach_in_Ca]

It looks like we're going out. We forgot to buy a critical ingredient for our last menu item when we were out shopping this weekend (salmon for honey/mustard crusted salmon). Oops. I thought we had enough other items, but I think we're pretty much out of food after winter break.

[newg]

I think we may be doing pizza tonight...........but an easy one I just did is a spaghetti caserole...........

1 jar of spaghetti sauce
1 cup of water
Ground meat/tofu
spaghetti noodles
parmasean cheese and mottzerella cheese to flavor

cook meat, drain........add jar of spaghetti sauce and 1 cup of water.........break spaghetti noodles and mix in.............cover and cook (simmer) 15 min, 'till noodles are cooked..................add cheese and cover 'till cheese is melted.
Enjoy!

[alien_host]

I bought a rotisserie chicken from Costco. So chicken, rice and a veggie...

And two nights from now we'll likely have chicken enchilladas with the leftovers

[carolinamama]

tonight I'm thinking maybe Salsa Chicken in the crickpot.

Chicken breasts, can of drained black beans, can of drained corn, jar of your favorite salsa. cook all day on low or half a day on high. Serve in bowls with garnish of shredded cheese and sour cream. or shred and mix together before serving with tortillas.

This is my go to crockpot meal. Love it and it is so easy.

[crl]

Last night was French toast (made from homemade oatmeal honey bread) and grapes.

Tonight will be ham (frozen Thanksgiving leftovers that I pulled out to thaw yesterday), cous cous, green beans and pineapple.

Catherine

[Kymberley]

Just finished prepping Pioneer Woman's lasagna. I bet it's going to be SO good!! Oh and we are eating off the 'good dishes' tonight!!

Best. Lasagna. Ever.

[mommyp]

Crockpot chicken cacciatore! It's from Not Your Mother's slow cooker cookbook, which I got for Christmas so haven't tried the recipe before. It went with my new 6 qt oval crockpot which I really like!

[wellyes]

Spinach - feta pasta the lazy way (frozen spinach).

[MamaMolly]

I'm boiling the chicken bones etc. from the roasted chicken we had last week (I froze the bones) right now. Last night I made chicken pot pie from the Joy of Cooking. With flaky pie crust. It was really good but was only enough for dinner last night and 2 lunches for DH.

I'm debating about the chicken broth. I might make soup but DH hasn't been in a 'soup mood' lately. Maybe cause I've made it about once a week. :bag Last week was turkey and rice soup. I made broth last night and froze it....I dunno. Maybe chicken and dumplings? But that is a LOT like chicken pot pie, just wetter ;).

I'm thawing out frozen bananas so hopefully I'll be able to make banana bread that we can eat tonight. In the last 2 weeks I've fallen in love with my bread machine, but it is an older one and kind of persnickity about the recipes. If you try to modify it at all the bread turns out really weird, so I'm just going through the recipes in the book and counting my blessings. Plus it gives me something to do with the dagum 3 million frozen bananas I've accumulated. I'm having to work on my timing. This week I've been getting the bread started just in time for us to go to bed when we are done.

[egoldber]

DH is out of town. The kids are having homemade pizza (dough is defrosting in the refrigerator) and I am having leftover chili.

Tomorrow night may be the same thing. ;)

[Puddy73]

Maple glazed pork chops and Ina Garten's butternut squash and apple soup. It is COLD here today!

[trentsmom]

Venison chops and gravy. I've never made this before, so I hope it's tasty. DH is a hunter, so I've got to find some way to cook what's in the freezer!

[bubbaray]

Slow cooker butter chicken, will add veggies towards the end of cooking (possibly cauliflower and frozen peas/carrots mix), with basmati rice. DH has cooked 3 meals in a row this week without complaint, I have some catching up!

That Salsa chicken in the crockpot sounds yummy! Might do that tomorrow.

[mom2one]

Thanks for all the great recipes everyone. They all sound so good. I will be printing them out and making a shopping list later today. I realized that I did not list my recipe, so here it is if anyone would like it.

Spicy Peanut Chicken, by Rachel Ray

Ingredients
•1 cup brown or white rice made to package directions
•3 tablespoons vegetable or other high temperature cooking oil
•1 1/2 pounds boneless chicken thighs, diced into small bite-sized pieces
•1 red bell pepper, diced into 1/2 inch pieces
•Salt and pepper
•1 inch ginger root, grated or minced
•4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
•1/4 cup creamy peanut butter or reduced sugar peanut butter
•1/4 cup Tamari sauce or reduced sodium soy sauce
•1/2 cup chicken stock
•1 tablespoon chili paste
•2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
•1 can sliced water chestnuts (8 ounces), drained
•1 bunch scallions, whites and greens chopped on angle into 1-inch pieces
•cup unsalted, dry roasted peanuts

PreparationStart brown or white rice and 10 minutes before it is done begin your stir fry.

Heat a tablespoon of vegetable oil over high heat in a large skillet. Add chicken and stir fry for 2-3 minutes, add bell peppers and stir fry 2 minutes more. Remove chicken and peppers to a plate and add 2 tablespoons more oil to the pan. Add ginger and garlic and stir fry 15 seconds then add in peanut butter, soy, stock, chili paste and sesame oil and stir to combine into sauce. Add chestnuts and scallions and toss 1 minute, add chicken and peppers back to pan with peanuts and turn to coat in sauce. Serve over rice.

[boltfam]

I am so in need of some ideas of things to cook for dinner. I made Rachel Rays Spicy Peanut Chicken from Mondays show Tuesday night, so good if anyone is looking for idea. She calls it make your own takeout. So a new day, fresh out ideas, thanks for any help.

That looks delicious! I'm going to give that a try next week after I go grocery shopping. Thanks for the recommendation!

[gatorsmom]

Split pea soup. I had a ton of leftover ham from Christmas brunch (because we were snowed in and didn't have guests) and so I made my favorite split pea soup recipe. I doubled the recipe and froze a bunch of it. Even thawed, it is incredible.

I'm serving that with Take n Bake ciabotta rolls and a salad. Yum!!

[fauve01]

This is my go to crockpot meal. Love it and it is so easy.

it's my go to meal too! super duper easy and super duper delicious!
Anne

[fauve01]

Split pea soup. I had a ton of leftover ham from Christmas brunch (because we were snowed in and didn't have guests) and so I made my favorite split pea soup recipe. I doubled the recipe and froze a bunch of it. Even thawed, it is incredible.

I'm serving that with Take n Bake ciabotta rolls and a salad. Yum!!

Will you please please please post your split pea recipe? it is my favorite!

:bowdown::bowdown::bowdown::bowdown::bowdown:

anne

[trentsmom]

Will you please please please post your split pea recipe? it is my favorite!

:bowdown::bowdown::bowdown::bowdown::bowdown:

anne

Yes, please!! I love split pea soup!

[gatorsmom]

Will you please please please post your split pea recipe? it is my favorite!

:bowdown::bowdown::bowdown::bowdown::bowdown:

anne

no problem!

Split pea soup from Epicurious:

2 tablespoons butter
1 large onion, chopped
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup chopped peeled carrots
1 1/2 pounds smoked pork hocks (I have always used leftover Honey- Baked ham. it's wonderful
2 teaspoons dried leaf marjoram
1 1/2 cups dried green split peas
4 cups water
4 cups low sodium chicken broth

Melt the butter in a heavy large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add onion, celery and carrots. Saute until vegetables begin to soften, about 8 minutes. Add pork and marjoram; stir 1 minute. Add peas, then water/broth, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low. partially cover pot; simmer soup until pork and vegetables are tender, peas are falling apart, stirring often, about 1 hour 10 minutes.

Transfer hocks to bowl. Puree 5 cups soup in batches in blender. return to pot. Cut pork off bones. Dice pork; return pork to soup. Season with salt and pepper. can be made one day ahead. Refrigerate utnil cold, then cover. Rewarm before serving.

[jgenie]

Split pea soup. I had a ton of leftover ham from Christmas brunch (because we were snowed in and didn't have guests) and so I made my favorite split pea soup recipe. I doubled the recipe and froze a bunch of it. Even thawed, it is incredible.

I'm serving that with Take n Bake ciabotta rolls and a salad. Yum!!

Would you mind sharing your recipe for split pea soup? Oops got so excited I didn't read the other threads. Thanks for sharing.

[mommylamb]

We're having veggie fajitas. We're trying to do at least 2 days a week of vegetarian meals for the new year.

[fauve01]

no problem!

Split pea soup from Epicurious:

2 tablespoons butter
1 large onion, chopped
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup chopped peeled carrots
1 1/2 pounds smoked pork hocks (I have always used leftover Honey- Baked ham. it's wonderful
2 teaspoons dried leaf marjoram
1 1/2 cups dried green split peas
4 cups water
4 cups low sodium chicken broth

Melt the butter in a heavy large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add onion, celery and carrots. Saute until vegetables begin to soften, about 8 minutes. Add pork and marjoram; stir 1 minute. Add peas, then water/broth, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low. partially cover pot; simmer soup until pork and vegetables are tender, peas are falling apart, stirring often, about 1 hour 10 minutes.

Transfer hocks to bowl. Puree 5 cups soup in batches in blender. return to pot. Cut pork off bones. Dice pork; return pork to soup. Season with salt and pepper. can be made one day ahead. Refrigerate utnil cold, then cover. Rewarm before serving.

Thank you, Lisa!

[WatchingThemGrow]

What is this? My resolution for this year is to be better about cooking for our family and trying to do meal planning or cooking ahead. I am curious about how everyone does it.

Thanks!
Here's an explanation from the last time I did it http://www.windsorpeak.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=337627&highlight=cooking+family+favorites

Childcare kinda got in the way tonight...taking a break :)

[o_mom]

Black Bean and Chorizo Chili (http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=428085), from the freezer, I make plain macaroni to go with it to make it more kid friendly. Skillet Cornbread (http://www.menus4moms.com/kitchen/weeklymenu/2009/printable/091221.php) (Monday's menu on the link) on the side, leftover from Tuesday.

[billysmommy]

We had bacon, avocado and tomato sandwiches on shepherds bread....yummy :)

[DrSally]

Wow, you guys rock! I made grilled cheese with applewood smoked ham (no nitrates) on potato bread. Also, creamy tomato soup from TJ's for DH and me. The kids don't like soup. Lisa, I'll have to try your split pea soup receipe sometime. I made so much last winter, I still feel kind of burnt out on it.

[giavila]

dh is working late and I'm trying to get the house ready for my mom coming into town tomorrow so we just did Spinach & Mozzarella Ravioli from Costco. Gotta love Costco!