Tag Archives: easy dinner ideas

Quick Easy Dinner Recipes That You, Your Family and Friends Will Love

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Some foods are just crowd pleasers, in spite of their simplicity. You could spend almost a hundred dollars on the perfect cut of smoked salmon for canapes, garnished divinely with crème fraiche, and your guests may not subsequently remark upon the dish. Often, people prefer a quick and easy dinner of simple, favorite elements and this can be far more memorable and much less expensive. The National Restaurant Association reported that, although the “culinary compass points mainly toward ethnic cuisines,” 66% of people just want a plain ol’ American dish, like a burger and fries. If you want to throw a dinner party that will keep people eating with delight all night long, your best bet is to stick to the classics and avoid “controversial” ingredients.

Easy Dinner Foods That Everyone Will Love

So what should we present at a dinner party that everyone will love? As the National Restaurant Association told us, the best way to go is with the classics. Try grilling up some juicy burgers and dressing them up with a homemade sauce, like horseradish or chili. You can never go wrong with a BBQ if you’re trying to impress your family and friends’ taste buds. Marinate your rack of baby back ribs in brown sugar, black pepper, onion powder, garlic, salt, and something spicy, like jalapenos and cayenne pepper. Chili, pizza, mac n’ cheese, and fried chicken are other classics that are bound to be a smash hit among family and friends. Keep in mind that certain ingredients also tend to be people-pleasers. Bread, garlic, butter, and cheese are all ingredients that people generally gravitate towards. The most successful ingredient of all? You guessed it: bacon. This food’s already incredible popularity has even increased by 26.5% since 2005, according to Mintel’s Menu Insights database. You can add bacon to basically anything and people will generally jump up and down with delight.

Foods to Avoid

If you want to make a recipe that everyone will love, try to avoid these ingredients in your cooking:

  • Cilantro: Famous cilantrophobe Julia Child once said that she would never order something with cilantro and that she would “pick it out if [she] saw it and throw it on the floor.” Turns out, these rather strong opinions about the green herb have scientific grounds. According to the New York Times, “Flavor chemists have found that cilantro aroma is created by a half-dozen or so substances, and most of these are modified fragments of fat molecules called aldehydes. The same or similar aldehydes are also found in soaps and lotions and the bug family of insects.” As a result, many people find that cilantro tastes like soap.
  • Beets: Whether it’s their moderate-to-loud flavor, unusual slipperiness or surprising sweetness, some people don’t quite know what to make of beets. We recommend leaving this food out of your dinner party.
  • Oysters: Some people are disgusted by the slimy texture of oysters, which is a shame considering that they’re an excellent source of iron and B12.
  • Blue cheese: Some folks just can’t get past blue cheese’s distinct odor, which some accuse of smelling like “stinky feet.”
  • Tofu: Colleen Patrick-Goudreau, cooking teacher and author of The 30-Day Vegan Challenge, says people can be turned off by tofu’s occasionally slimy texture.
  • Cauliflower: Cauliflower acquires a sulfury taste when cooked too long, which has prompted many people to develop a fierce loathing for the vegetable.

So, blue cheese is out of the question, cilantro tastes like soap, tofu is too slimy and cauliflower is sulfurous! Knowing that the masses are disgusted by some foods, be careful when planning a menu for your dinner party. Whatever quick, easy recipe you decide on, avoid these ingredients (even if you love them).  To be sure to please – stick to the classics, like burgers, bacon, and pizza.

Easy Dinner Ideas: Freezing Strategies

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We’re all guilty of food waste. In fact, Americans dump about 40% of their food in the trash, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). Instead of throwing almost half of your food in the trash, why not use your freezer? Freezing your food can also help you cook up nearly completed dinners by simply thawing a plastic container. If you want some easy dinner ideas, take a peek at these tricks to freezing your food so that next time you have leftovers you can not only cut back on food waste, but also have next week’s dinner ready for action, just waiting in the fridge.

Easy Dinner Freezer Tips and Tricks

  • How do you store your pre-cooked meats or leftovers? Place your already cooked chicken breasts on a cookie sheet and popping them in the freezer. Once they’re frozen, simply put them in a Ziploc bag, and remove the excess air. The best way to freeze these items is to wrap them in aluminum foil first, then placing them in freezer bags. You’ll never have to deal with freezer burn again!  And this is a great way to cook ahead and make easy dinners later.
  • Berries and other small “squishable” items such as hors d’oeuvres, meatballs, cooked ravioli can be frozen similar to your already cooked chicken breasts. Just spread ‘em on a cookie sheet, then transfer them to a freezer bag. That way, your smaller items won’t clump together as they freeze. When you’re ready to use them, just defrost your raviolis, heat them up, and serve for the easiest dinner ever.
  • If you have a Sunday afternoon free, make some chicken stock, soup or sauce and freeze it up in Ziploc bags, then stack the bags horizontally. Any soup or sauce can be made ahead and stacked in your fridge, which saves space. Making stock ahead of time will give you the perfect base for a crock pot stew or soup, which can be assembled in minutes after you’ve defrosted your stock. Having tomato sauces frozen on hand will also allow you to make dinner in minutes. Thaw your sauce overnight, boil some spaghetti, serve warmed sauce over spaghetti for an easy dinner that won’t disappoint.
  • When using Ziploc bags, squeeze all of the air out from the bag. One trick? Suck the air out of a bag with a straw to make your bag completely airtight.  Alternatively, you can use a specialized vacuum sealer – these make storage a cinch!
  • If you want to freeze a complete meal, like a casserole, make sure to freeze them in small portions so that your main course is faster to thaw. If you freeze an entire meal for four in one big container, it will take ages to defrost!
  • Another tip for complete meals is instead of leaving your casserole dish in the freezer for a month, line the dish with foil, then put the meal in it. Wrap it, freeze until it solidifies, then lift out the foil and the contents inside. Your casserole will be ready, dish-free, until you’re ready to heat up another dinner time meal.
  • For a great, easy breakfast meal, freeze waffles and pancakes, then defrost them the night before you are planning on serving them. For optimal freezing, let your pancakes and waffles cool after making them. Then, layer them on wax paper and freeze in a Ziploc bag. Next time you’re in the mood for some waffles, just defrost, heat, and serve for an effortless breakfast to start out the day.   Some waffles will even go frozen into a toaster (if you have the large slot type).  You can have fresh Belgian Waffles in minutes!  No de-frosting required.

Knowing the ins and outs of freezing can help you bring full entrees with little to no effort. Just keep these easy dinner ideas in mind and you’ll be whipping up dinner by simply thawing and serving. A dinner that requires no effort? Now, that’s delicious.

Creating Great Meal Ideas for Dinner

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We all know the typical, mealtime song and dance. Chicken goes with pasta, hamburgers go with fries, soups go with bread and butter, etc., etc., etc. So what if you want to get a little creative and stray from these typical meals? It’s incredibly easy to come up with great meal ideas for dinner if you know the basic building blocks for a meal.

#1 Meat or Protein: A protein is typically the main part of any dish. Yes, there are the exceptions, like in pasta dishes and stir frys, but generally a main course is a portion of protein accompanied with sides. This protein serving can be anything from chicken to lobster. If your main protein is an expensive cut of meat, try not to drown it out with a heavy sauce. Instead, let the flavors speak for themselves. Pick your protein wisely, as it will dictate the rest of your meal.

#2 Vegetable: Next comes the veggies. While vegetables aren’t critical to every meal, they do contribute to a healthy and wholesome diet and should be considered as you’re preparing meals for your family. Lobster pairs well with lighter-colored vegetables, like squash and zucchini, while a filet or steak is strong enough to bolster something a bit heavier, like grilled onions and mushrooms, or grilled asparagus. The grilled vegetables go well with the smoked tastes of a steak hot off the grill.

Another contributing factor to your vegetable selection could be the season. Pick vegetables that are in season for your meals so that you can get the freshest produce at the supermarket. There are plenty of info graphics online that can tell you what’s in season in your area.

#3 Starch: You can add further depth to your dish by contributing a starch to accompany your vegetable and protein. Corn tastes great with a lobster dish, jasmine rice looks elegant next to a cod or mahi mahi, and chicken goes with, well, basically anything. Shorter pastas, like penne, are versitle and can be sauced or spiced to go with nearly any main dish.

#4 Sweet: You can’t end a meal on a sour note. Instead, pick a sweet and lovely dessert to end your perfectly balanced meal. You can analyze the characteristics of your protein to decide on an adequate dessert. For example, if you’re dining on a filet mignon, you’ll want to end with something equally rich, like a chocolate-based dessert. If you’re preparing an American-style chicken, like one marinated in a honey-dijon sauce, you can follow it with an equally American dessert, like apple pie with some vanilla ice cream. For a main dish marinated or complimented with citrus, like seafood, a dessert with citrus, like a sorbet or a lemon merengue could be perfect.

There are several other factors you should keep in mind when you’re creating a meal. For example, color is crucial to any dish, so make your meal look appetizing by adding color through vibrant vegetables or garnishes. A well-arranged dish is also more appetizing than a dish that is haphazardly assembled. Try not to get too messy in the kitchen! Also remember that a salad or bread served before the main course may not necessarily account for your vegetable and starch, so serve all three factors (protein, veggie, and starch) all on the same plate, even if you’ve already served a preliminary course. You don’t want your protein to be lonely on the plate, all by itself. When in doubt, look to the category of the main dish’s preparation (American, Italian, Indian, Chinese, etc.) and choose your side dishes from there. You can’t go wrong.

5 Delicious Easy Dinner Recipes for Family with 5 Ingredients

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We always see cookbooks with names like “Easy Recipes” or “Simple Cooking.” What makes a recipe easy, exactly? Is there a recipe for making an easy recipe? The truth is, it’s not only time but the amount of ingredients that go into a meal that makes the meal “easy” or “simple” to prepare and serve. Not only can you make a meal with a small amount of items in the pantry, but you don’t have to juggle scores of ingredients, either. At least that’s what Claire Robinson of the show “5 Ingredient Fix” says, explaining, “People get angry when they see 27 ingredients in a recipe and they’re trying to learn to cook,” the TV chef says. “I don’t have 27 ingredients in my kitchen right now and I’m a chef!” Instead of juggling huge numbers of ingredients, minimize the amount of ingredients you use in each meal to maximize your cooking time.

Scrumptious, Simple Dinners

You can easily make a delicious dinner for you and your family with five ingredients or less. Just take a glimpse at these six recipes:

  • Crock pot recipes: If you don’t have a crock pot, get one! This inexpensive cooking tool can save you tons of time and the energy it takes to hover over a stove, boil water, cut and trim, etc. Then, you can create simple crock pot dishes with less than 5 ingredients, like this 4 ingredient crockpot chicken recipe
  • Baked Herbed Salmon with Summer Squash: All it takes is a two pound salmon, sage leaves, cayenne pepper, and summer squash with a squeeze of lemon to make a refreshingly good easy baked herbed salmon dinner.
  •  Burgers: Burgers are satisfying and easy, especially if you like spending time out by the grill. All you need is lean ground beef, chipotle chile pepper, monterey jack cheese, hamburger buns, and salsa for an irresistible southern burger.
  •  Brisket sliders: Get a BBQ spice blend, ground coffee, brown sugar, black pepper, and dinner rolls and have a BBQ on a hot summer day. The bitterness of coffee mixed with the sweet brown sugar combines to make the perfect BBQ rub.
  •  Mac n’ Cheese: Everyone loves mac n’ cheese and all you need to make this dish is just five ingredients: macaroni, dijon mustard, onion, sour cream, cheese.  That’s one gourmet serving of easy mac n cheese.
  •  Sausage and Cheese Casserole: With a little bit of creativity, you can cook a great casserole with only five ingredients. Try a sausage and cheese casserole with ground pork sausage, cheddar cheese, white bread, eggs, and milk for an easy dinner recipe that the whole family will enjoy.

See? Whipping up delicious, easy dinner recipes for your family is a piece of cake and only takes about 5 ingredients. Next time you’re feeling overwhelmed, try and prepare dinner with 5 ingredients to minimize your stress in the kitchen.

Easy Family Recipes with an Exotic Twist

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You make mac ‘n’ cheese. You make easy chicken recipes. You make spaghetti and meatballs. Yawn, isn’t anyone getting bored? It’s time to bring excitement back into the kitchen by cooking up some exotic meals. Meals from other cultures and countries don’t have to be complicated or hard to make to be delicious and fun. Here, we’ve cited some extremely easy family recipes that incorporate exotic cuisine.

Asian Cuisine:

Asian dishes are usually spicy and typically use rice as a base or side. If you’re wanting to whip up some Asian cuisine we recommend having soy sauce, rice, and Asian chili sauce on hand to add to nearly every Asian dish.

  • Stir fry: Stir fry meals allow you to put all of your leftover veggies to work. While a wok is ideal for stir-fry cooking, you can also use a skillet. Mushrooms, spinach, broccoli, carrots, zucchini, and bean sprouts all taste great in stir fries. Just add a protein, like tofu, shrimp, or chicken, and some rice and you’ll have an easy meal that everyone will love.
  • Thai Chicken and Coconut Soup: For anyone who loves coconut, coconut soup is a great way to replenish your nutrients after a long, hard day. You can deviate from the traditional version of Thai soup by adding more sustenance, like chicken and rice. Typical ingredients include Asian fish sauce, lime juice, low sodium chicken broth, lemongrass, ginger, coconut milk, chiles, and cilantro.

Indian Cuisine:

Indian meals often perplex the palate by combining often contradicting tastes, like sweet and salty or creamy and spicy, together flawlessly. Cumin, turmeric, milk, and rice are typical ingredients in Indian cooking.

  • Slow Cooker Indian Stew: If you’re a fan of your slow cooker, try arranging an Indian stew that will be ready for action by dinnertime. Adding curry powder, ground ginger and cayenne pepper to a stew with chicken, onion, garlic, chicken broth, diced tomatoes, lime juice, and spinach make a fantastic dish.
  • Tikka Marsala: Is an Indian favorite.  You can make it with chicken, beef or lamb, in a single pot with various spices including cumin, cayenne and paprika, some tomato puree, a little yoghurt and heavy cream.  Delicious in about an hour.

Greek Cuisine:

Greek cuisine is great for those who have many of the staples already at home. For example, Greek food often uses olive oil, sugar, butter, and salt.

  • Falafel: Chickpea fritters, or falafel, is one of the best things you can make with chickpeas. Put oil in a large saucepan then scoop tablespoons of chickpea batter, made with ground chickpeas, into pan until nicely brown for about 5 minutes. You can serve falafel with lettuce, tzatziki sauce, and pita bread.
  • Chopped Greek Salad with Shallot Vinaigrette: You can easily make a delicious, Greek salad out of Greek staples like feta cheese and black olives. The ingredients combine well with tomatoes, baby greens, endives, cucumber, and shallot vinaigrette to make a refreshing salad that anyone can appreciate.

You don’t have to go out to eat to get some ethnic cuisine. Stay in and have some Indian, Chinese, Thai, or Greek food for a change!