<p>When you really do not have time, and have nothing like frozen meatballs to pull out of the freezer you can make meat sauce very quickly to go over pasta. I always made my own meatballs and it never occurred to me to just make meat sauce until one of my sons went to a friend’s home and there were 3-5 kids there. The parents invited them all for an impromptu dinner. They served pasta with meat sauce. I am sure they had some other things, but this rang a bell as a quick dinner. My family prefers that I make meatballs (of course), but they like meat sauce on occasion.</p>
<p>My grandmother always had canned foods on hand. She was the famous one in the household for putting together salmon cakes when we did not shop in advance and we needed to make something quickly. We ate it, but my family wouldn’t touch something like that.</p>
<p>I find fish fillets and/or already cleaned/devained shrimp a very quick dish.</p>
<p>Well, I just made the filled Rhodes Rolls (meat pies for the boys, spinach and ricotta for the grown-ups). Excellent,easy and economical. I don’t remember whose idea it was, but thank you.</p>
<p>I am really scratching the bottom of the barrel tonight. Hebrew National hot dogs, Bush’s canned vegetarian baked beans and a salad with bottle dressing.</p>
<p>I did buy the items to make the Stuffed Shells that someone mentioned earlier in this thread. They sound delicious.</p>
<p>you can buy the frozen biscuits and have these on hand to just pop in the oven. sam’s club sells a gravy mix that is easy to make in a hurry.</p>
<p>worrywart…go to sam’s club recipe center (online). there’s a recipe using the busy’s beans…called “Slow Cooked BARBECUE Ribs with spicy baked beans.”</p>
<p>i made the beans and they are pretty good…you might want to add some brown sugar though if you like them a little sweeter. it’s interesting that the recipe calls for pimento stuffed olives (mario’s brand). i would have never thought to add stuffed olives to baked beans.</p>
<p>yes but not overly salty…certainly an interesting combination. maybe that’s why my family said to add some brown sugar next time…i had used the vegetarian beans rather than the original ones and that’s probably why the family said to add the brown sugar.</p>
<p>Just tried this dish, posted by corranged. It is so easy, and was very satisfying. I had little time and little energy since I have been a bit under the weather. This was perfect, so corranged thanks for posting. I added a can of low salt peas to the mix. I used bagged fresh baby carrots rather than chopping my own. Prep time is so quick, and this is so easy to prepare!</p>
<p>Cut up chicken, potatoes, and carrots into small, comparably-sized pieces. Dice onion. Combine it all in a large ziplock bag with olive oil (about 2 tbs, depending on size of meal, of course). Mix. Add onion soup mix and any other desired seasoning into the bag and mix it well. Dump the bag into a large roasting pan and bake at 375 for 40-50 minutes, stirring occasionally.</p>
<p>northeastmom: my family actually prefers their spaghetti with meat sauce instead of meat balls. As in brown the ground beef instead of rolling it into balls. So much easier!</p>
<p>3bm103, that is good for you. My family prefers meatballs, but they are happy with meat sauce. I try to make a double portion of meatballs so that I can get 2 dinners out of the effort. My problem is that if I don’t freeze half right away, someone in my family will eat more late in the evening which ruins my plans for getting 2 dinners out of them.</p>
<p>Try this crockpot recipe. It is easy, rich and creamy. The angel hair pasta cooks quickly or you can cook penne pasta the night before, put in ziplock bag with a little olive oil and microwave the next day and then add sauce. I do this for team pasta parties when I need mega amounts of food and can’t make enough fresh pasta in time.</p>
<p>Italian Cream Cheese Crock Pot Chicken</p>
<p>4 boneless skinless chicken breasts (whole or cut up)
1/2 stick butter
1 package dry Italian salad dressing mix
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 8 oz package of cream cheese (room temp)</p>
<p>Melt butter and pour over chicken in crock pot. Sprinkle packet of
Italian dressing mix over chicken. Cook on high for 4 hours.
Mix cream of chicken soup and cream cheese together. Stir into
chicken. Cook an additional 1/2 hour. Serve over angel hair pasta.</p>
<p>(it sounds fattening but I used Healthy Request soup and Light cream
cheese so it wasn’t <em>too</em> bad)</p>
<p>I made the stuffed shells suggested by 3bm103 earlier in this thread. I use mozarella cheese instead of jack. They were delicious and easy to make. </p>
<p>A problem I run into often is that each family member has items they will absolutely not eat. These are often not the same items. It makes cooking difficult unless it is something basic like grilled chicken. Or something like tacos or burritos where you add the additions at time of serving.
Even with the shells. I made two bowls of fillings before stuffing. One with spinach included, one without.
I have never cooked using canned soup as an ingredient. I try to use fresh produce as much as possible. But some of these recipes sound so easy that I might have to change my ways at least on occasion. Another problem with only using fresh is that I find myself going to the grocery store several times a week. I even hesitated between buying the frozen spinach for the stuffed shells or using fresh. I did do the frozen but it was a hard step for me. It is all really silly.
Also I have to state that my husband is as picky as my children. He won’t eat any seafood, only will order fish out, absolutely can not have a mushroom in anything. Also won’t eat pork except bacon or sausage, lamb and only will eat beef occasionally. He was a vegetarian for years and he will now eat beef and chicken.</p>
<pre><code> Turkey legs, brown rice and Knorr leek soup…add the water you would use to make the soup or the rice, but not both, just the higher amount. Put the turkey legs in last, after stirring together the other things. Cook on high for an hour, low for remainder. Or just on low if you’ll be gone six hours. Add carrots or golden raisins or whatever. Those peeled baby carrots we all love, I would add for the final hour. When legs are done cooking, I let them cool off and remove the bones. Stir the rice. Put the turkey meat back in and serve. Great leftover, too.
</code></pre>
<p>You may want to add salt, pepper or other spice to your own taste. On chilly days, this is wonderful. You could also use more water or stock and call it soup.</p>
<p>mom60: the only vegetables I don’t insist on using fresh are frozen spinach, canned niblet corn and frozen brussel sprouts. My kids wouldn’t eat a canned green bean. </p>
<p>Another family favorite for cold evenings: Shepherds Pie (the only english recipe I brought home with me)</p>
<p>Fry in a little oil, chopped onions, celery and carrots. A lot of them. Add ground beef and seasoning. Put in a casserole dish and top with mashed potatoes. Brown and serve. Since returning, I have added corn the the ground beef and shredded cheese to the top of the mashed potatoes. It was a way to get little kids to eat vegetables because they were too lazy to pick them out.</p>
<p>mom60, I have the same problems with picky eaters. My H won’t eat meat/chicken that is attached to a bone as a general rule. If he finds a fish bone in his fillet, he doesn’t finish his dish. I have one son who really dislikes most veggies, and both dislike cheese unless it is on pizza. My sons won’t eat lamb, veal, fish or shellfish either. These combinations really limit the menu.</p>
<p>northeastmom- I have the same problem with my husband. He won’t eat anything on a bone. So even with chicken he likes boneless. He also prefers to only eat the white meat.
3btm103- The only canned vegetable I use is also niblet corn. No one in my house would touch a brussel sprout. Last week I had tomatillos in a bag and my youngest went into a panic that I had dared to bring a brussel sprout into the house. She was confused.
When my oldest is home I have the added problem of she is allergic to so many things. Carrots, celery, most fruits.
I have never made Shepard’s pie but that might be worth trying.</p>
<p>Fruit Crisp
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup flour
1 cup oats
1/4 teas baking powder
1/4 tea baking soda
1 stick butter</p>
<p>Melt butter in microwave
mix together all in bowl with fork or fingers
Place half the mix in bottom of either 9x9 square or 8 x11 dish
Add fruit-
I have had fresh peaches sprinkled with frozen blueberries
top with other half of topping
bake 350 for 30 minutes</p>
<p>The amount of fruit depends on how thick you want it.</p>
<p>I experimented last night and used fresh picked green apples. I sprinkled the apples with cinnamon, nutmeg and a bit of clove. (The clove was an accident since I could have sworn the label said nutmeg) It still tasted good. With the apples I baked it longer. It was really good.
The crust bakes up almost like a cookie. The crust assembles in just minutes. The crisp can cook while you are eating. I have assembled the whole thing in less then 10 minutes.</p>
<p>I have done a shepherds pie using ground turkey, carrots, onions and mashed sweet potatoes. I cheat and use cream of mushroom soup to thicken the meat mixture
yum</p>