Here’s another great easy and quick recipe. There’s great flexibility, too, such as using chicken instead of beef or not putting in any meat at all. Makes a ton, and freezes well.
Cook and drain:
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 onion, diced
1 28-oz can Mexican tomatoes
1 large can pinto beans, drained
1 large can kidney beans, drained
2 cans of corn, with the juice
2 cups salsa
2 cans sliced black olives
2 cans beef broth
OK, this one you’re just going to laugh at. It isn’t a recipe per se- more of a “how to put it together”. Is there a name for that?
Ravioli Casserole
-Double package of ravioli from Costco, any kind. We love the spinach and cheese. For those of you without a Costco, a double package contains 2 lbs of ravioli.
-One jar of your favorite marinara or spaghetti sauce. I use a box of Pomi marinara with a splash of red wine and fresh herbs or garlic I might have one hand.
-Mozzerella and Parmesan cheeses, enough to cover the top of a 9 x 13 pan.
Boil the ravioli until al dente. Spread it all out in a 9 x 13 pan, cover with sauce, and sprinkle with cheeses. Heat through at about 350 degrees until cheese is thoroughly melted.
How’s that for easy???
Cinnamon Biscuits are purely a mom-and-kid breakfast around here. My husband is allergic to whatever it is they put in what we call "whack biscuits"- the kind you whack on the counter and then they pop to open the can- and so we cannot serve them to him. Good thing. Besides the whatever-it-is that causes him to become nauseatingly ill, this recipe isn't health food. But man oh man, it's good. Pair them with some fresh fruit and scrambled eggs and by golly, you might be able to call it a well-rounded meal.
Cinnamon Biscuits
2 cans “whack biscuits” (or Pillsbury Grands, if you must know)
probably one stick of butter, melted
maybe ½ c sugar and 2 T cinnamon, mixed together
Whack open the can of biscuits and roll each one in melted butter. Swirl the biscuit in the cinnamon sugar until coated and place the biscuits tightly together in a pie plate or round cake pan. Bake as directed on the biscuit can.
Along with zero-hour recipes, I have a few quick tricks up my sleeve in the kitchen. Dehydrated onions are one- no chopping, no burning eyes, no work except popping open the top. I use these in recipes like Pizza-Topped Meatloaf where a freshly cut onion wouldn't even be noticed.
Despite my culinary school experience, despite my love for fine cuisine and the joy I find in baking, there just isn't time anymore. I rely heavily on my crockpot and "zero-hour" recipes- recipes I can produce and serve in about 30 minutes. From time to time I'll post our very favorite zero-hour recipes.
Pizza-Topped Meatloaf
Takes about 40 minutes, start to finish. We double ours to feed two adults, one teenager, and five under age twelve.
2 lbs ground beef
1/2 c each milk and Saltine crumbs
2 eggs, slightly beaten
1/2 c finely chopped onions
1/2 t each salt, garlic powder, oregano, basil
1 10 1/2-oz can pizza sauce
1 c shredded mozzerella or jack cheese
1/2 c grated Parmesan
Combine ground beef, milk, cracker crumbs, eggs, onion, and spices. Mix well until blended, then lightly pat into an 11x7 pan.
Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes. Remove from oven, drain off fat, and spread pizza sauce on top. Sprinkle with cheeses. Put back in oven for about 10 more minutes, until cheese is bubbly. Cut into squares and serve.
♥Muffin Tins filled with an assortment of anything they love. Our favorites around here are dry cereals like Cheerios, mini pretzels, raisins, craisins, diced apples, and banana chips.
♥Quarter an apple (core it, too). Spread natural peanut butter on the cut sides and then dip it in flax seeds. We have to make several apples' worth of these because we all love them so much.
♥Freeze yogurt in little sandwich bags. You could also buy Go-Gurts and do the same thing, but the big tubs are much cheaper. Just measure the amount you want for each bag and then pop them into the freezer.
♥Cheese sticks, cheese sticks, and, um, cheese sticks. Standard answer to "What can I have for a snack?" around here is cheese sticks and fresh fruit. Buy them in bulk at Costco or Sam's.
♥In the fall I buy 50 pound boxes of apples from a patient of my husband's and then go to work making applesauce (I use Turbinado sugar bought in bulk from Azure Standard), dried apples rings in the dehydrator, and apple pie filling.
♥On a baking binge when I am not in my first or third trimesters, I like to make mini muffins and freeze them. They are super easy to take out of the freezer and thaw quickly.
♥And for bigger people, I try to keep a big bowl of pistachios or almonds on the kitchen island. They are a good price at Costco, and I don't care if they snack from it all day long. By the way, the almond crop in California was severely damaged by our weird spring weather, so they might be cost-prohibitive this year.