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Share your favorite easy-peasy recipe

In an attempt to distract myself from ever growing LIW-itis... (I think it's happening anytime between next week, my birthday, and May, our anniversary) I thought it would be fun to share some of our favorite simple recipes. What do you like to throw in the crock pot? What do you make when you just need to throw things together quickly?

I love taco soup!

1 lb ground beef
1 packet taco seasoning
2 cans corn (no salt added)
2-3 cans chili ready tomatoes
1 can green chilis
1 can black beans
1 packet dry ranch dressing
cilantro

I brown the ground beef and season it with the taco seasoning... And then literally just dump it all together. It's so tasty! I often make it with ground turkey because it tastes the same but is leaner. Yum yum!

So come on ladies, share your secrets.
 

confusedaisy

Shiny_Rock
Joined
Jan 4, 2011
Messages
362
Taco's, in general for me, is the quickest dinner I can make- 20 minutes and it's done. I've also made fish taco's with frozen and fresh fish and those are equally as quick- I just make a tartar sauce to go on top instead of salsa (or sometimes a mango salsa...)

Another SUPER quick meal is something like a tandoori/tikka masala chicken. I bought tikka paste at the super market and I mix 2 tbsp with 2 tbsp of greek yogurt and coat the chicken with it in a plastic bag. Then I grill the chicken and serve with brown or basmati rice and sauteed red peppers and onions. It's seriously a 30 minute dinner and its so tasty. it takes as long as the rice takes to make to be cooked and my bf goes crazy over it. I wish I had some chicken down because I could go for that tonight...
 

OUpearlgirl

Ideal_Rock
Joined
Jun 26, 2007
Messages
3,081
Yum! What do you put in your tacos? And I've never made tartar sauce.. what recipe do you use?
 

mousey

Shiny_Rock
Joined
Feb 9, 2009
Messages
430
Both those sound yummy.
Mine- pesto
lots of basil
garlic
pine nuts
parmesan
olive oil
salt pepper
all into a food processor (you could toast the pine nuts if you like first).
whizz whizz
make pasta, coat with pesto, eat.

OUPgirl- I LOVE the ring in your avatar- gorgeous! :love:
 

MayFlowers

Brilliant_Rock
Joined
Dec 13, 2009
Messages
944
First of all crockpot=my best friend! I love cooking with that thing! My favorite to cook in the crock pot and that is really super easy to make is vegetable soup.

Ingredients:

1lb stew meat or diced beef (stew meat is easier because it is already cut up)
1 can tomato sauce (standard size about 14 oz. I think)
1 can diced tomatoes
1 potato cut into cubes
1 bag mixed frozen veggies
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper

To make:

Put the meat into the crock pot. Next pour water into the crock pot until the meat is just barely covered by the water (I never use an exact amount of water since the pounds of meat available usually varies). Then add the rest of the ingredients and stir.

Salt and pepper can be changed to taste. I also tweak things depending on my mood. Sometimes I want it less "soupy" and so I put less water in. Other times I want more corn and less carrots. So, I will buy the frozen veggies separate instead of just the "mixed" bag. It's very easy to make and even easier to change to your own tastes.

Takes about 8-9 hours to cook on low setting. Or about 3-4 hours on high setting.
 

wwmd8118

Shiny_Rock
Joined
Feb 24, 2011
Messages
146
MayFlowers|1299707394|2868396 said:
First of all crockpot=my best friend! I love cooking with that thing!

I could not agree more!! I just discovered my crock pot a couple months ago, and I have only used the oven once since! I do EVERYTHING in my crock pot now. I only have a second now so I'll be back later with a recipe, but I just wanted to also comment on how much I love that this thread was started - I'm so trying to distract myself from LIW-itis, too, and this is a great distraction. Keep the good ideas coming! :bigsmile:
 

amc80

Ideal_Rock
Joined
Jun 18, 2010
Messages
5,765
If you like chicken and dumplings-

Cut chicken breast into small pieces. Mix cream of (whatever) soup with enough water or chicken broth to fully cover chicken (yes, it seems like a lot of liquid). Mix in a packet of onion soup mix. Cook for 6 hours (or until you happen to get home from work). Then, you take one package/round tube thing of Pillsbury biscuit dough and cut that into pieces (maybe the size of a half dollar or so, not huge but not itty bitty). Place those in the crock put, spaced out over the entire dish. Continue cooking for an hour.

The dough cooks and soaks up all of the remaining liquid, and basically becomes a dumpling. Super easy, and one of my bf's favorites.

Tonight I'm making a BBQ Chicken bowl, inspired by a dish at Rubio's (which is a mexican place, sort of like Baja Fresh). Cook spanish rice and put in a dish. Cover with cooked black beans, followed but chopped up chicken breast, jack cheese, and fresh cilantro. Use bbq sauce as a dressing. You can even add salso or pico de gallo. So easy and relatively healthy.
 

confusedaisy

Shiny_Rock
Joined
Jan 4, 2011
Messages
362
amc80|1299711382|2868458 said:
If you like chicken and dumplings-

Cut chicken breast into small pieces. Mix cream of (whatever) soup with enough water or chicken broth to fully cover chicken (yes, it seems like a lot of liquid). Mix in a packet of onion soup mix. Cook for 6 hours (or until you happen to get home from work). Then, you take one package/round tube thing of Pillsbury biscuit dough and cut that into pieces (maybe the size of a half dollar or so, not huge but not itty bitty). Place those in the crock put, spaced out over the entire dish. Continue cooking for an hour.

The dough cooks and soaks up all of the remaining liquid, and basically becomes a dumpling. Super easy, and one of my bf's favorites.

Tonight I'm making a BBQ Chicken bowl, inspired by a dish at Rubio's (which is a mexican place, sort of like Baja Fresh). Cook spanish rice and put in a dish. Cover with cooked black beans, followed but chopped up chicken breast, jack cheese, and fresh cilantro. Use bbq sauce as a dressing. You can even add salso or pico de gallo. So easy and relatively healthy.

That sounds amazing and I've been looking for a Chicken and Dumplings recipe. Thanks!! :appl:
 

blacksand

Brilliant_Rock
Joined
Mar 31, 2010
Messages
889
I made a roast in the crock pot the other day and it was fabulous. Basically you stick meat in there and dinner's ready when you come home. I used cheap chuck roast, about 2.5 lbs., onion powder and garlic. I seared in on the stovetop, then dumped it in the crockpot with beef bouillon and about 4 cups of water (it doesn't have to be covered in liquid). I cooked mine for about 7 hours, then added some chopped onion and cooked for another hour (someone told me onions absorb too much of the flavor of the dish if you add them earlier, but I have no idea if that's really necessary). I tossed baby carrots and red potatoes into the crock pot too (at the beginning). And a little wine, because wine is tasty. But none of that is necessary. I also made gravy with all the liquid by adding corn starch and reducing it, but that's not necessary, either. Basically stick it in the pot with some liquid and seasonings and then eat it. Comes out tender and tasty. Just like grandma used to make.
 

OUpearlgirl

Ideal_Rock
Joined
Jun 26, 2007
Messages
3,081
Yum, yum, yum! I can't wait to try some of these dishes.

Keep them coming ladies!

Another totally easy but delicious recipe I have is for a night when you're willing to splurge on the calories. :lol:

1 lb raw, unshelled shrimp
1 stick of butter
1 bottle of italian salad dressing
French bread

In a casserole dish, throw the shrimp, entire stick of butter, and entire bottle of dressing together. Cook for 30 minutes at 350 degrees, stirring once.

Eat the shrimp, and dip your bread in the sauce you just made.

I've always loved this recipe and was FLOORED when I found out how simple it was.
 

Glitz

Shiny_Rock
Joined
Jun 28, 2010
Messages
292
This one is for my thirsty friends ;))

1 (750 milliliter) bottle dry white wine
1 cup peach flavored vodka
1/2 can frozen lemonade concentrate, thawed (pink lemonade looks pretty)
1/4 cup white sugar
1 pound white peaches, pitted and sliced
3/4 cup seedless red grapes, halved
3/4 cup seedless green grapes, halved

Just mix all these ingredients into a juice jug and let their flavours blend overnight. I like to add raspberries and use mangos instead of peaches, but just have fun with it. Serve in a punch bowl over ice and enjoy!
 
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