Don’t you think that if you presented this heart toast to your kids on Monday morning then you could check off the how-to-make-this-day-special box on your Good Parent List and be done with it? Anyway, I think we have the girls covered, but what about you guys? I’m loving the comment boards these days (thank you to anyone and everyone who has weighed in) and decided that it may be time for another giveaway. Perhaps you are in the market for some modern furniture? Some table linens for the dinner table? Some sleek Alessi glassware from which you may sip your Manhattans a la Andy? Allmodern.com has graciously offered DALS readers the chance to win a $75 gift certificate to their site. All you have to do is send me one of your tried-and-true go-to weeknight family dinner recipes — the dinner that is so easy you can tell me how to make it in just about the same amount of words as a tweet. The reader who turns in a recipe that passes the litmus test (i.e. one my daughters select and — here’s the hard part — enjoy the most) wins. As always, you can send me the recipe in the comment fields below, post on the DALS facebook page (please start your post there with “CONTEST ENTRY”) or email me directly (jenny AT dinneralovestory DOT com.). Winner and recipe to be announced on March 2. Thanks all and Happy Valentine’s Day!
Another reason I love Trader Joe’s! Their Canadian White Bread practically comes in a heart shape. All you have to do is cut off the sides. No cursed cookie cutter required.
I love everyone’s ideas! I needed some quick meal ideas for the next couple weeks – we are moving so we’ll be low on time!
Here is my submission for the Contest:
1 head cauliflower
2 tablespoons Olive Oil
1 shallot
½ box spaghetti noodles
1 can cannellini beans,drained (or other white bean)
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
½ cup shredded parmesan
(You could also use a can of garbanzo bean and roast them with the cauliflower to mix it up – roasted garbanzos are good!)
Coat the cauliflower olive oil, sprinkle salt and pepper. Roast in a 450° oven for about 15 minutes.
Meanwhile cook spaghetti noodles according to the package directions, reserve 1 1/2 cups of the pasta water when you drain the noodles.
Put 2T. Olive oil in the pot and sauté the shallots for 2 minutes. Add the roasted cauliflower, beans, noodles, pasta water, chopped parsley and stir to coat the pasta
Serve with Parmesan
saute chard in olive oil with onions or shallots, maybe a little white wine if it’s already open. Chop up kalamata olives and add. Toss with pasta and plenty of parmesan. The kids eat this because of the olives, but they eat it.
Thai Pork and Noodles
1 lb of ground pork/ turkey/ chicken
1 chopped red onion
1 cup frozen peas
1 red pepper diced
Cook onion with a little olive oil, add peppers and peas until soft. Remove vegetables from pan. Add ground meat and cook thoroughly. I like it browned. Prepare sauce: 3 tablespoons fish sauce, 1 tbsp brown sugar, juice of one or two limes. Mix vegies and meat and sauce in a bowl. Garnish with cilantro and serve over white rice, brown rice, or rice noodles.
Crock pot beef
Just mix stew beef, 2-3cans beef broth, 1 pack dry onion soup, 1 can cream of mushroom soup, 1pack sliced mushrooms. Cook on low for 5 hours. Blend in 1/2 cup of sour cream just before serving. Serve over rice or egg noodles, or in a bowl like soup.
Salmon with Tropical Guacamole
Ingredients:
2 salmon filets
1 avacados. chopped
½ mango, chopped
½ golden delicious apple (or jicama)
2 T red onion, minced
2 T fresh lemon juice
1/8 tsp. salt (or more, to taste)
Directions:
Coat the salmon with a little olive oil. Broil until done.
Meanwhile, chop everything up and mix together.
Pour over salmon.
Slightly mash a can of black beans with a teaspoon of cumin. Spread some of this into a flour tortilla, fold it in half and cook like a quesadilla. THEN, pry that baby open and fill it with a quick slaw made from shredded cabbage, green onion, lime juice, and grated carrot if you feel up to it. The best part: plenty of crumbled feta cheese. You may recognize this as an old SmittenKitchen recipe, I confess, but it is still so delicious every time I make it, regardless of the ridiculously quick prep time.
Here’s one we love, Eggs in Tomato Sauce, that I’ve adapted from a Smitten Kitchen recipe. It’s fairly quick and easy, and my kids (2 and 4) love to help me “paint” the olive oil on the baguette slices.
1 32 oz. can crushed tomatoes
2 Tbsp olive-oil, plus more for bread
4 cloves of garlic, minced
A couple pinches of sugar
Salt and pepper
2 – 3 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
6 – 8 large eggs
Loaf of crusty bread
Freshly grated Parmesan
Preheat broiler.
In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add garlic and cook, stirring, about 1 minute. Add crushed tomatoes and bring to a boil; season with sugar, salt and pepper. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook for 10 to 15 minutes. Add balsamic vinegar and simmer for a few more minutes.
While sauce simmers, slice baguette and brush with olive oil. Broil until lightly toasted on each side, or if you’re like me and always burn your bread under the broiler, you can saute it in a separate skillet.
When the tomato sauce is done, gently crack eggs into it, cover, and let cook 5 minutes. Remove lid and place skillet under broiler for 2 – 5 minutes, or until tops of the eggs are set to your liking.
For each serving, place 3 – 4 pieces of toasted bread on plate, top with tomato sauce and 1 – 2 eggs. Sprinkle with cheese.
1. Pasta-whatever’s on hand, cook a batch
2. Heat butter, olive oil, and garlic, toss with pasta
3. Add in protein (personal favorite-Trader Joe’s langostinos)
4. If you’re feeling fancy, toss in some peas or leftover veggies
5. Top with parmesan
I get two dinners out of this recipe (adopted from Jamie Oliver – Jamie at Home).
Day 1 – Sausage and tomato bake
Day 2 – sausage & tomato pasta
Drizzle extra virgin olive oil on bottom of pan (I use 9×9 or 8×11 – depending on how much I’m making). Cover bottom of pan with grape or cherry tomatoes. Throw in a few peeled garlic cloves, a few sprigs of fresh thyme or rosemary, then place several fresh sausage links on top of the tomatoes (I use sweet italian but you can use brats, hot italian, chicken, turkey, -whatever you have on hand). Pierce the sausages with a knife so they don’t explode while baking. Bake in the oven at 375 until done (juices run clear). remove and discard herbs. Serve with crusty bread or mashed potatoes.
Day 2 (leftovers) — slice sausage and reheat with remaining tomatoes in a pan. Toss with cooked pasta – you can use some leftover pasta water to loosen and thin out the sauce. Sprinkle with fresh parsley and/or parmesan cheese.
Ok, totally keeping these comments as my meal-planning go-to the next few weeks…
Tempeh tacos: Browned tempeh, pinto beans, taco seasoning. Chopped fresh tomatoes, avocado, red peppers. Grated cheddar cheese. Bowl of salsa. Awesome hard corn shells from Trader Joe’s. Tons of bowls, tons of choice, kids will love!
Cook tortellini, add sauce. Put into baking dish. Mix in cut vegetables of choice (broccoli, carrots, etc.) Cover with grated cheese. Slide it in the oven.
Serve.
Two of our go-to dinners:
– “Smorgasboard” – any and all leftover veggies, cheeses, and meats, cut and arranged on our big cutting board with pita pockets, crackers or tortillas, little piles of nuts and any other pickings we can pull from the pantry. The kids think it’s so cool to put their own dinner together off the spread. Even better if we lay it on the floor and do it picnic-style.
– Green beans, tossed in balsamic vinaigrette, with sauted red onions, bacon, and hard-boiled eggs. Surprisingly filling for the adults – especially with crusty bread and a glass of wine. The kids like it “deconstructed” – all separate without the onions and dressing.
Roasted Veggie Pizza
Roast bite sized pieces of sweet potato, butternut squash, carrots, red onion, potato medley (from tjs) and garlic with a little olive oil and s&p.
Roll out tjs whole wheat pizza dough and cover with mozzeralla, then the roasted veggies, dollops of ricotta and a little more mozzeralla. Bake for 25mins and enjoy! Tastes like candy and it’s veggies!!!
Chicken Fajita Pizza! 1 premade pizza crust, salsa as base, chicken fajita meat, chopped red onion and bell pepper, topped with mozz. cheese, baked until bubbled and golden!
2 cans black beans, drained
1 can corn, drained
1/2 c.-1 c. your family’s favorite salsa (I don’t actually measure it–just dump it in until it looks tasty)
Serve with baked tortilla chips. Other than a spoon for the beans, you don’t even have to set any silverware on the table if you don’t want to!
We’re living abroad this year and miss this super-quick meal, although I guess I could make here it if I made my own salsa and made my own corn tortillas and cooked the black beans from scratch…Nah.
Ceci Soup–here is my all-time favorite easy weeknight meal (a friend who lived in Italy taught it to me). Perfect because all the ingredients can be in your pantry and my three children LOVE it.
In a large soup pot or dutch oven, lightly brown 4-5 cloves of garlic in a little olive oil. Remove garlic and discard.
Add 1 14.5oz can of chopped tomatoes and a dash of rosemary*. Simmer for 10-20 minutes. (*I use Penzey’s powdered rosemary, because my kids don’t like “sticks” in their food!)
Add 2 cans of drained and rinsed chick peas and simmer until heated through (about 5 mins).
From a 48oz can of chicken broth, add 1-2 cups of broth and bring to a simmer. Pull away from the heat, and use an immersion blender to puree the ingredients (you can leave some bits of tomatoes and chick peas for texture if you think your kids can handle it).
Add remaining chicken broth, stir thoroughly, and bring to a boil.
Add approx. 1 cup of pastina and cook per package directions (6-7 mins.), stirring occasionally.
Serve soup with a drizzle of quality olive oil and a healthy sprinkling of parmesan cheese.
Viola! An easy, delicious, healthy soup that is perfect for a cold night. We usually have some form of biscuits or parmesan bread to accompany the soup. This recipe is very forgiving with timing. You can speed it up or slow it down depending on what level of craziness is happening in your house.
Pasta + Greenies
chunk of pancetta (roughly 1/4-1/3 lb)
pasta
greens of any kind (beet, kale, chard – one big bunch)
garlic
1 lb pasta (we adore percatelli, but whatever you have works)
Chop pancetta into rough dice, and cook in a large saute pan until crispy. Start pasta water and clean and slice greens into ribbons while you wait. Smash a few cloves of garlic.
When the pancetta is nice and crispy, remove it from the pan. Drain off some of the rendered fat, if necessary. Saute the smashed garlic cloves for a moment, then add the greens. Cook until tender.
Meanwhile, cook the pasta.
When the pasta is just a touch shy of al dente, drain it and toss it in the pan with the greens to finish cooking for a moment or two. If it seems dry, add a bit of olive oil or pasta water. Toss in the pancetta. Serve with parm for grating over.
It’s my first-grader’s favorite meal.
Soba noodle stir fry:
We have this at least once a week. It’s literally 15 minutes start to finish (esp if you use frozen veggies) and my 3.9yo and 17mo devour it.
1 package of soba noodles (~8oz)
1 package asian-style baked tofu (we like SoyBoy Tofu Lin), cubed
Stir fry-able veggies of your choice (we often use Trader Joe’s frozen Asian veggies but if I have time, I’ll do carrots, snow peas, sugar snaps, asparagus, mushrooms, baby bok choi, etc.)
Boil a pot of water and put the soba noodles in. Swirl around with a fork so they separate. Follow instructions on package (cook minimum amount of time so that they are al dente). Drain in a strainer and rinse with cold water. Drain completely and set aside.
Meanwhile, in a small bowl, whisk together:
2 T toasted sesame oil
2 T honey
2 T rice vinegar
2 T soy sauce
minced ginger (to taste)
minced garlic (optional, if you have time)
Meanwhile, start heating your stir fry pan of choice (I use a Le Creuset braising pan, actually, b/c it gets nice and hot & retains the heat well) until very hot. Add a Tb of vegetable oil, and saute the cubed tofu until brown and crispy on most sides. Remove to a paper towel.
Add veggies to pan and saute, stirring frequently, until crisp-tender.
Turn off heat and add the sauce, which will start to bubble and caramelize a little. Add tofu and noodles back to the pan and toss everything together until everything is coated with the sauce and the noodles are hot.
Serve immediately. Garnishes optional but my family likes pickled ginger, cut into small strips, sprinkled on top.
Quick Healthy Pizzas –
Trader Joes Whole Wheat Naan
Really Good Olive Oil
Shaved Parmesan
Fresh Spinach
Fresh Cracked Pepper
Cherry Tomatoes – halved
Take the naan, brush with olive oil and put under the broiler. when it becomes a bit toasted add the shaved parm and return it to the broiler. When cheese is melted pull it out and add a handful of fresh spinach, fresh cracked pepper, a pinch of sea salt, another splash of olive oil or vinagrette. Cut into strips and serve with a lovely glass of red wine or for the kiddies a slash of white milk. You could also make these into cheese pizzas but my little guys like spinach so we run with that.
We make “whatever noodles” — this is the basic outline, but it varies according to “whatever” we have lurking in the fridge. Bok choy, broccoli, or sprouts are nice additions, when they aren’t neglected and mushy in the fridge.
1 package Asian noodles — ramen, udon, etc.
a splash of sesame oil
a splash of soy sauce
cooked, shredded chicken
shredded carrots
diced apple
Cook noodles according to package directions. Rinse in cold water and drain.
Combine sesame oil and soy sauce in bowl. Add noodles, chicken, carrots, and apple and mix thoroughly.
Love the site- keep it coming!
If you can settle for Minute Rice, this gets on the table in 15 minutes:
Scallops with Citrus Cream Sauce
For the scallops- Saute scallops in olive oil with a little salt and pepper, turning once about 4-5 mins total.
For the sauce- Meanwhile, melt 1 1/2 T butter in a saucepan. Add comparable amount of flour & cook until nutty to make a roux. Add 1/2 t chicken bouillion to 2/3 c water and microwave it to warm it up. Deglaze pan, add a nice glug of white wine and stir. Add juice of 1/2 lemon and 1/2 orange and simmer. Add cream to taste- we did lots- and simmer until you like the consistency. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Pita Pizza
Our go to for guests and easy weeknight dinner. Is to pull out frozen pita bread the thick kind that gyro’s are usually wrapped in. Then spread tomato paste over the top of it. Then sometimes I sprinkle with some herbs or just salt and pepper. Then really anything goes that’s in the fridge. Sometimes it’s cheddar cheese that goes on other times it’s feta, goat, parmesan. Things seen on the top of these are nearly all vegetables, olives, pepperoni, artichoke hearts, leftover grilled vegetables and pineapple and and and.
Then just pop them in the oven on broil for 3 minutes or so.
We had a playdate with a bunch of mom’s the other day and everybody got to make their own and everybody had a great time.
Pregnant Pasta: Get thin spaghetti cooking. Fry garlic & chilli flakes, add a few lumps of frozen chopped spinach and small tin tuna. When pasta is done, toss with the rest and serve with generous glug of lemon juice and loads of parmesan. (Invented when I was pregnant)
Do crockpots count?
1 jar marinara, 1 can 14 oz diced tomatoes, 1 pkg sliced mushrooms, 1/2 pound italian sausage, 1/2 ground beef. Cook 8 hours on low. When you get home, drop in 1-2 9 ounce packages of fresh cheese tortellini. Top with 1 cup mozzarella. The hot sauce cooks the tortellini. We serve with bread and a salad served (with your all-purpose vinegarette)
In a large pan, fry a handful of diced garlic and onions w/ cracked black pepper in olive oil. Dump a tray of ground turkey (you know, the ~1 lb tray from TJ’s) with soy sauce; once cooked, dump 2 bags frozen penne arrabiata pasta and 1/3 of a bag of frozen spinach and succotash (also from TJ’s). Mix, cover, uncover, mix, until cooked. Turn off fire. *Now this is key: grab a handful of cilantro, cut stems into ant sized pieces, followed by coarsely cut leaves. Then squeeze half a lime over the pasta and mix, cover for about a minute. Done.