Mid-Week Meals LOCKED

wow alot of good receipes, I enjoy making eggplant parmisian, i slice the eggplant then dip it in flour, egg and breadcrumb then fry them after there done lay them on a cookie sheet and put some suace on it and mozzarella cheese and parmisian cheese on it and put them in oven on broiler for a few min till cheese melts. eat it with some spaghetti and garlic bread. mmmmm good

Chicken Cordon Bleu

Fast, Easy, Tasty

Get thin sliced chicken breast (or reg. thickness and pound thin)
Layer 1 slice deli ham and 1 slice swiss cheese. Roll up in the chicken breast; secure with a toothpick. Dredge chicken roll 1st in flour then 1 beaten egg then breadcrumbs.

Place in a glass baking dish with a little melted butter or olive oil on the bottom. Drizzle a little on top of the rolls as well.

Bake at 375 for 45mins.

Last night I made wild mushroom pesto. I reconstituted mixed wild dried mushrooms in hot water for about 20 minutes, toasted 4 oz of pine nuts in a dry pan for about 3 minutes, until fragrant and lightly browned. In a food processor, combine the pine nuts, as much garlic as you want (I used 3 cloves), the softened mushrooms, a cup of parsley, 1/2 cup grated parm cheese, salt & pepper and about 1/2 cup of olive oil until it formed a paste. At the same time, boil water for pasta (I used papardelle, but linguine would work well). Put the pesto in a large pan and saute lightly for about a minute, just to get the raw garlic taste out. Add the cooked pasta directly to the pesto pan and toss to coat. Serve with extra grated parm or cubed fresh mozzarella. A good pantry dinner.

Oh man this is a fun thread. I just found out about the food forum, I Loves it!.

After a while i get tired of comeing up with something to eat every night 7 nights a week, sometimes 6, sometimes 5 nights a week, but still.

I like to try new recipies as long as it is not to rich, cheesey, or gross, ha ha.& gross to me could really be anything, I am a picky eater to a point.

One quick recipe I love that i make once in a while is pan seared tuna.
All i do is coat the tuna in white & black sesame seeds, a little corriander & parsley,some salt & pepper and sear it JUST so the out side is white and crusty & the inside is red. WE like to eat it mostly raw, but of you must make sure it is sushi grade tuna. otherwise just cook it all the way through.Then i eat with sticky rice, and snap peas or green beans.

I made this great simple pasta the other night:

Finely slice 3 or 4 shallots (equaling about 1/4 total), mince 3-4 cloves of garlic, to your preference. At the same time, boil a pot of water for pasta. (if you start chopping and mincing when the water is about at a simmer, your timing will be perfect). Add 2 T. butter and olive oil to a large, deep saute pan and saute the shallots and garlic for a minute or two, until they're both softened but not browned (add some salt to keep them from browning). When the water is boiling, put in a handful of salt and a box of angelhair pasta (I think it'll work the best). Add 1/4 - 1/3 cup of your favorite red wine to the saute pan (I used cabernet) and add the angelhair, very undercooked, directly to the saute pan. Add about 4-5 ladelfuls (maybe 2 cups) of pasta water to the pan, checking for doneness and adding more water as necessary. Top with fresh parm cheese. It's even better the next day!

My new favorite thing is meat rubs. It is more flavorful than marinating, and you don't have to think about it ahead of time. You just rub the meat right before you grill/broil it. And what's great is you just use whatever combination of spices you like. Dried parsley, rosemary, thyme, black pepper, salt. Yummy. I just mix a little water/wine/citrus in with it, to apply it better. I did a garlic citrus rub on chicken breast & broiled it. It was really tasty.

And it works with all meat: chicken, beef, pork, fish, etc.

I love these forums to post recipes, because so often I forget recipes I've made or come up with. It's the perfect chronicle.

Chicken Pot Pie. I cheated majorly with this last night. But it's still really tasty, and low fat.

1 store bought rotisserie chicken. You need about 3-4 cups of meat. (I only use the white meat) Cut into large bite size pieces.

1 8oz package mixed veggies. (I then also add in an extra cup of frozen corn kernels)

1 cup of frozen pearl onions

Roast mixed veggies in 400degree oven for about 15 mins til lightly browned. (with plenty of salt & pepper)

1 can cream of chicken soup and equal amount chicken broth. (Microwave about 3 mins and whisk together until smooth)

Put all ingredients into a casserole dish.

Top with thawed/rolled out puffed pastry.

Bake for about 15 mins til golden brown & bubbly.

One of my favorite grilled meals is sausage and peppers. First, put your favorite sausage on the grill at about medium high flame. Next, slice peppers and onions and toss them with olive oil, salt and pepper. Put them on the grill. They take about 15 minutes, cooking together, depending on the type of grill you use. Serve with a sprinkle of fresh lemon, crusty bread (for the option of sandwiches) and a big salad. That's what I'm having tonight!

I made split pea soup last night. Perfect for a cold evening.

I sauted 2 large carots, 3 stalks celery & one whole medium onion. Cut into small pieces. (In about 3 tbs of olive oil) Sautee until fragrent.

Add in your ham; about 3 cups, cut up into bite size pieces, Plus the ham bone. Add in your package of split peas (1 package is 1 lb) Then add 6-8 cups chicken stock or water..(I did half & half) Just until everything is covered. Simmer for about 1 hour. Til a nice thick consistancy. Serve with a little parm & black pepper.

I think tomorrow, I'll teach Donovan to make a panzanella salad.

Roast cherry tomatoes with olive oil, salt & pepper (bcz I don't like raw tomatoes) and at the same time cube day-old crusty bread, toss it with olive oil and a little garlic, and bake it all on a baking sheet. Cube cucumber. Toss the croutons, tomatoes and cucumber with a little basil and top with a light lemon vinaigrette (lemon juice, olive oil, pinch of salt & pepper).

uhh boston market?

Donovan's cooking tonight: Balsamic roasted chicken salad. Basically, you roast bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts with olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt, pepper and thyme for like half an hour (the good part here is that you can do other stuff while it's roasting). Let it rest for like 10 minutes, pull the meat off the bones and serve over a salad of baby greens with balsamic vinaigrette. It's also good over rice with fennel.

something i make often...

pan sear thin cicken cutlets in a little olive oil, with basil & garlic

cut up cucumbers, peppers, and red onions. throw 'em in a bowl with some yogurt or whatever you want, mix some dill in! perfect little salad.

since i make or buy a 100% of the food i eat, this easy little meal is quick and satisfying for me.

i mix it up and experiment with different marinades and vedgies too.

I thought I invented this recipe, and come to find out...Rachael Ray did it too...

But this is really good & quick

1 pound curly short cut pasta (recommended: campanelle by Barilla, fusilli or cavatappi
Coarse salt
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, 2 turns of the pan
1 pound ground sirloin
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes,
1/2 cup dry red wine
1/2 cup beef stock
1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
1 1/2 cups part-skim ricotta cheese
1 cup fresh basil, about 20 leaves
1/2 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano

Heat a large pot of water to boil for pasta. Salt water and cook pasta to al dente. Heads up: you will need a ladle of the starchy cooking water to help form sauce before draining.
Heat a deep nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add extra-virgin olive oil. Add the meat and break it up into small bits as it caramelizes. Once meat has good color to it, 4 to 5 minutes, add garlic, onions and red pepper flakes and season with salt, pepper. Cook another 5 minutes, deglaze the meat and onions with red wine, cook off a minute, then combine about 1/2 cup of stock into the meat. Stir in the tomatoes and bring to a bubble. Reduce heat to medium low and simmer 5 minutes.

Place ricotta cheese in the bottom of a shallow bowl. Add a ladleful of boiling, starchy pasta water to the ricotta and stir to combine. Add a couple of handfuls of grated Parmesan to the ricotta and mix it in.

Drain pasta. Toss hot pasta with cheeses. Add half the thick meat sauce to the pasta bowl and combine. Tear or shred the basil and add to the meat and pasta, toss again. Taste to adjust salt and pepper. Serve bowlfuls of Not-sagna with extra sauce on top and more grated Parmesan to pass at the table.

I didn't use the wine or beef stock with mine and I didn't use a can of tomatos, i used tomato sauce. (The can may be easier if you don't have any on hand) Mine was really good, and this recipe sounds good too.

Grill...anything. It's quick & delish. If I'm planning on grilling, i try to marinate the meat/veggies the night before.

I make mexican, a lot. My favorite quick mexican dish I make is Nachos...1 lb ground turkey, chili powder, cumin, salt & pepper...mix in a can of black beans.

Pico de Gallo-tomatos, red onion, TONS of fresh cilantro (Cilantro is my favorite herb so I always have it) Garlic, olive oil.

The cheese sauce is chedder (or whatever spicy cheese you have on hand...pepper jack, etc.) You just melt about a tbs butter, add 2tbs flour, let it heat through, to lose the flour taste...add your shredded cheese...2-3 cups...add milk just until it looks "pour-able".

Assemble everything on to some Tortila Chips. Love it.

The whole thing takes maybe 20 mins.

I love "One Dish" meals...meat, veggies, starch all together...especially during the week.

One of my favorite dishes is "Manestra". In Italian, I think it literally means "meat soup" and usually refers to a soup with tons of pasta. My Greek grandmother, though, made it with just orzo, no meat. The classic way to make it is to roast orzo with tomato puree, salt, pepper and chicken pieces until both the orzo and the chicken are cooked through. The juices and fat from the chicken get into the orzo and blend with the tomato to make it mouthwatering.

My weeknight version:

Saute 1 onion, chopped very finely, in plenty of olive oil, with salt and pepper, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add 3 cloves of garlic (or as much as you like), finely minced, and saute for another 1-2 minutes, or until very fragrant.

Add 1 lb. of good quality orzo (I'll use barilla white flour orzo in a pinch, but there are italian and greek brands that make it from semolina, which is not only healthier and more filling, but cooks better too.) and toast the orzo for about 5-7 minutes, or until lightly browned and fragrant.

Add 1 large can of tomato puree (I usually get the whole plum tomatoes and use an immersion blender to break them up; you could use your hands to do this too) and stir well. The mixture will bubble up quite a bit.

At the same time, boil about 3 cups of water in a small sauce pan. Add the boiling water to the orzo mixture as necessary; depending on how dry the orzo is that you're using, you might need the whole 3 cups, or you might need less. Be sure to let the liquid absorb into the orzo before adding more, like risotto. The final product should be very thick, not soupy.

Cover and let simmer, stirring every minute or so, adding water as necessary, for about 7-8 minutes, or until tender to your taste.

Top with freshly grated pecorino or parm cheese and serve.

This dish usually takes about 20 minutes from start to finish, and it's one of my absolute favorite weeknight meals. Served with a salad, it's very balanced. Although roasting it with chicken tastes a lot better, the stove top version is a good substitute for the days you want something quick, warm and satisfying, and don't feel like waiting an hour for it to roast in the oven.