Dinner Quickies

[Jennie Ann]

I work long hours, to include weekends. One thing I try to do every evening is provide one good meal. It's every man for himself during the day, but, in the evening, I like to have a nice meal, dag nab it!

I know every member of this forum may have some favorite dinner quickies, requiring little work. I want to know what yours are, so I can have some new treats to look forward to.

Here's one of my favorite dinner quickies. I boil water and cook DeBoles organic garlic and parsley angel hair pasta for seven minutes. DeBoles organic pasta is a low-calorie treat for pasta lovers, made with Jerusalem artichoke flour. I like this pasta so much that I bought two cases of it from Amazon.

After the pasta is finished boiling, I drain it and then divide it up evenly into my pasta bowls. I add one tablespoon of pesto sauce in each pasta bowl. Any kind of pesto sauce will do. I usually get the cheap kind that comes in a little jar. I stir and blend the pasta and pesto sauce.

Then I sprinkle the top of each pasta bowl with goat cheese. Goat cheese is low in sodium and lower in calories than the other cheeses. Voila, an ambrosial dinner in less than 10 minutes. Best of all, it doesn't generate a lot of dirty dishes either.

If you are a pasta lover like me and have never tried the DeBoles organic pasta, give is a try. It sure is tasty!

Please share some of your dinner quickies, so I can enhance my menu! :)

[Jina Soto]

Oh, I wanted to add that I keep meaning to research on the Internet Hidden Valley Ranch dressing recipes so that I can make this with fewer additives, just the herbs. If I do find it, I will let you all know!

[Jina Soto]

I love slow cookers -- crock pot recipes. There is a site -- cafemom.com -- with a lot of different groups. You don't have to be a mom. Anyway, in the crockpot group they list a five-day menu on Friday nights. There is a shopping list and directions. I haven't utilized this menu because my kids are very picky, actually so is my husband. They do have one that is on my menu weekly. It is called the Three Envelope Chicken or Beef. It doesn't have to be any certain cut -- whole, breasts, thighs, legs, cut up roaster. I haven't tried it with any beef. I did try pork chops but that wasn't good. Spray the crockpot with an oil spray for easy cleaning.

The three envelopes are:
Italian salad dressing
Hidden Valley Ranch dressing
Country or any kind of gravey envelope

Mix together in one to two cups of water and pour over the chicken. Cover and cook on low all day while you are at your job. You will come home to a delicious aroma and meal! You can put this over rice, noodles, a baked potato or just as it is. You can add a tablespoon or so of corn starch to thicken the gravey if you like. Some people have said that the Italian is too spicy, and so they just add a bunch of Italian herbs. I do that.

I also put fresh broccoli dotted with "I Can't Believe It's Not Butter" on a plate with a bowl over it to create a seal and microwave on high for about five minutes. Broccoli is bright green,and cooked through. Add a touch of fresh-ground sea salt and Enjoy!

[April McMillan, CRR, RPR, CSR]

V, I think our taste buds are sisters! I've been enjoying that grish (grilled dish) since I was a girl. My mom would sometimes toss raw hamburger meat in w/all the veggies, wrap in foil and toss on the grill. That was before we knew about bad food bacterias. But, boy, was it good :)

[April McMillan, CRR, RPR, CSR]

Thanks, Jennie. I love to hear new ideas for quick and tasty homemade meals :)