What quick and easy dinner recipes should I try?

[MiketheGrinder]

We're a small crew of two. I can find meal ideas for two, but most require some elaborate skills or fancy equipment. i can handle the basics and own the usual pots and pans, but not much more. I'm looking for quick meals that can be tackled after work. What fits the bill?

 

[Sophia]

Do you own a slow cooker? If so there are tons of recipes that are quick and easy. Place some seasoned chicken in the cooker in the morning. Let cook on the slowest setting while you're at work. When you walk in the house, you meat is done and all you have to do is add a salad and bake a potato in the microwave. If there's chicken left over then you can do sandwiches the next night.

 

[MiketheGrinder]

I don't have a slow cooker at the moment, but can pick one up since they don't seem pricey. Is there a certain brand I should buy or stay away from? What size works best for two servings plus leftovers?

 

[Keri35]

Slow cookers are awesome! You can make so many things. One of my favorite is a pork or beef roast. Second night you tear the leftover meat up and it's pulled pork or BBQ beef.

I also love this pork chop recipe. You layer a glass baking dish with Apple pie filling, then boneless pork chops and top with stuffing mix. Bake it and it's delicious!

 

[Impaired]

Pepper steak over jasmine rice.

You can use sirloin or any other steak up to filet. Cut the steak as thin as you can, trim it nicely and coat each piece in corn starch. Then add soy sauce (Golden Mountain Season Sauce is the best) until each piece that was white with corn starch is now gooey brown.

Cut peppers (red, green, whatever) into strips and fry in vegetable oil of your choice.

Right before they are done, take then out and fry the steak in the pepper flavored oil. They gluey mass of steak separates easily in the oil.

When the pink is just about gone from the meat, throw the peppers back in. Serve over jasmine rice.

I like jasmine rice because it goes into the water cold, bring it to a boil, cover and simmer for 20 minutes and then let it sit for 5. Fluff with a fork, perfect rice.

PS - this also works with chicken or any other protein.

 

[Sophia]

I don't have a slow cooker at the moment, but can pick one up since they don't seem pricey. Is there a certain brand I should buy or stay away from? What size works best for two servings plus leftovers?

Go to Wal-mart or Target and look at the ones they offer. There are many brands that are good. Rival, GE, etc. There are also huge ones, medium ones and small ones. I would get the medium one. That should be big enough o hold dinner for the two of you and have leftovers as well.

 

[Impaired]

Fireman's casserole:
1 bag of thin egg noodles
1 medium jar of tomato sauce (ragu, whatever)
1 pound of cheddar cheese
1 pound of hamburger (or ground chicken, whatever)
Minced onion and diced pepper to taste

Cook the noodles but take them out before they are totally finished.
Grate the cheese
Fry the burger and drain off the fat add onions and peppers
Add sauce

Combine mostly cooked noodles and the sauce/beef and 3/4s of the cheese in a casserole dish

Top with the rest of the cheese

Bake at 400 until golden brown

 

[MiketheGrinder]

I've never been able to make rice. It turns out either sticky or burnt all to heck. Thank you all for the tips. I'm heading to Target tomorrow to get a slow cooker. I can pull off that Fireman's casserole. About what size dish should I use? Basically, how thick do I layer this thing. The recipe sounds filling, cheap, and should last for dinner and lunch for both of us. You all are sharing much better recipes than Bon Appetite's fussy stuff.

 

[Impaired]

I've never been able to make rice. It turns out either sticky or burnt all to heck. Thank you all for the tips. I'm heading to Target tomorrow to get a slow cooker. I can pull off that Fireman's casserole. About what size dish should I use? Basically, how thick do I layer this thing. The recipe sounds filling, cheap, and should last for dinner and lunch for both of us. You all are sharing much better recipes than Bon Appetite's fussy stuff.

Jasmine rice is easy because it all goes in at once. Try it.

The casserole isn't layered, but all mixed together with cheese on top. Any dish that will hold a pound of pasta. The sauce and cheese fills in the empty spaces.

 

[MiketheGrinder]

I also love this pork chop recipe. You layer a glass baking dish with Apple pie filling, then boneless pork chops and top with stuffing mix. Bake it and it's delicious!

This one sounds doable too. When you say apple pie filling, do you mean those Lucky Leaf cans of caramelized apples? How many do I need to buy? How many stuffing boxes do I need to get too? We have several of those glass pans, so I can do most any size. At what temperature should I bake it and for how long? Do the pork chops go in raw? Sorry for so many questions. This could be a classier meal to learn now then make over the holidays for guests. Sadly, the two of us aren't good at improvising when it comes to cooking and I'm unable to find a detailed recipe online with what you've already mentioned.