Home Help me think of a good wife meal

[basil]

Mr. Basil is coming in a few weeks to visit, and I want to make something special. He always teases me about how when he visit we always end up going out to eat. I can cook, but am usually too busy and always want to spend time with him while he is here rather than spending time in the kitchen. But now we''re married and we have all this new cooking equipment from our registry that I want to try out.

He''s coming in on a Monday night and I have to pick him up after work, so we''ll probably get home kind of late. So I want something that I can make the Sunday before and reheat. Either that or something I can do most of the prep work for beforehand. I want something that''s a kind of traditional comfort food...like something that your wife would make

So what should I make? He likes pretty much everything except chick peas and doesn''t much care for mexican.

 

[CDNinNYC]

Basil, if you and your husband like pasta, this Baked Ziti recipe is really good. My suggestion is to read through the reviews of this dish as many readers made some minor changes to the recipe that improved it.

It''s really simple to make and tastes great as left-overs so I think it would work if you wanted to make it Sunday night for Monday.

With some garlic bread, a caprese salad, and some red wine, you''re all set.

Lemme know if you have any questions.

 

[Sabine]

Ha, I was going to suggest baked ziti as well!

 

[monarch64]

I was thinking pot roast or lasagna, but baked ziti sounds really good, too! You are such a nice wife to go to the trouble of making your hubby a nice meal for his homecoming, I''m sure mr. Basil will appreciate it!

 

[KimberlyH]

Something in the crockpot so there''s little to do when you walk in the door might be good. Perhaps chili, pot roast, or even a steak crocked with a jar of salsa that you can use for tacos/burritos/nachos.

 

[brazen_irish_hussy]

I was also going to suggest baked Ziti, but I highly recomend using italian sausage rather than beef as it gives a lot more flavor

 

[fisherofmengirly]

When I think easy comfort food that my husband just adores and thinks I go to great lengths to make (even though it doesn''t take all that much effort), I think crockpot!!

You could start something Monday morning and put it on low and have it be warm when you pick him up.

Beef stew is FABULOUS in the crockpot, or chicken dumplings. Man, I''m thinkin'' all kinds of Southern things here and I don''t even know where you''re from. But when I think of a meal that a wife would make to welcome her husband home, it''s definitely a crockpot meal, because they seem like you worked for HOURS on them.

I hope you and your husband have a good time when he returns!!

 

[Amandine]

Date: 10/5/2008 2:51:25 PM
Author: fisherofmengirly
When I think easy comfort food that my husband just adores and thinks I go to great lengths to make (even though it doesn''t take all that much effort), I think crockpot!!

You could start something Monday morning and put it on low and have it be warm when you pick him up.

Beef stew is FABULOUS in the crockpot, or chicken dumplings. Man, I''m thinkin'' all kinds of Southern things here and I don''t even know where you''re from. But when I think of a meal that a wife would make to welcome her husband home, it''s definitely a crockpot meal, because they seem like you worked for HOURS on them.

I hope you and your husband have a good time when he returns!!

I love my crockpot! I must have four or five crock pot cook books, and everything is wonderful! Using one is an excellent recommendation. The best part is when you walk in the door, the whole house smells really yummy!

 

[LaurenThePartier]

I think there are loads of ways you can do this, from 5 minutes of prep time, to 10 or so!

I have several of Jamie Oliver's cookbooks, because he's so organic and natural in his cooking.

http://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes

I would even suggest you make one of his chicken dishes where he uses a tinfoil tray (for easy clean up) and a simple risotto - you don't have to stir and stir risotto, just add the proper proportions, leave it covered, then finish with butter and parm.

This one was delicious and SUPER easy!

http://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/meat-recipes/chicken-breast-with-cherry-tomatoes

This one I made with chard instead of leeks, and DH loved it!

http://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/meat-recipes/chicken-breast-with-pancetta-and-leeks

Check out his site because every recipe I've tried of his has been fabulous!

 

[LaraOnline]

Kind of in the same vein as lasagne and baked ziti... beef, lamb, chicken - or, my favourite, eggplant - parmigiana.

Here's a linky

If you choose a meat version, which I guess you would, seeing as this is a 'wifey' meal, and men seem to love meat

- I would definitely pound out the meat first, so that it is quite thin and even. You can also buy pre-crumbed parmigiana chicken fillets from the deli, which saves you most of the trouble - and crumbed lamb cutlets would probably do very nicely as well!

You make up a tomato sauced, cheese on top... and the suggestion to serve with a green salad is great.

Have fun, cooking your 'wifey' meal!!!

 

[bee*]

When I always want to make comfort food for D, I do him a shepherd''s pie or do him peppered steak, mashed potato, turnip, peas and gravy.

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 10/6/2008 4:50:39 AM
Author: bee*
When I always want to make comfort food for D, I do him a shepherd''s pie or do him peppered steak, mashed potato, turnip, peas and gravy.

Mashed neeps with butter and pepper??

 

[vespergirl]

All men love this roast "engagement chicken" - it''s earned that name because if you make it for your boyfriend, he proposes soon after - Glamour magazine publishes the recipe periodically:
http://www.glamour.com/magazine/2006/07/engagement-chicken

 

[bee*]

Date: 10/6/2008 4:51:32 AM
Author: Lorelei

Date: 10/6/2008 4:50:39 AM

Author: bee*

When I always want to make comfort food for D, I do him a shepherd''s pie or do him peppered steak, mashed potato, turnip, peas and gravy.

Mashed neeps with butter and pepper??

Yep you gotta have the butter and pepper

I did that for him last night for dinner and I''ve just gone and bought some more turnip as I''ve been craving it all day.

 

[brgirl]

I definitely agree with anything the crockpot - pot roast with potatoes and carrots, small roasting chicken with veggies, or potato soup.
This is my easy potato soup recipe:
Onions, Diced
Potatoes, peeled and chopped into squares
1 Large can mushrooms (or fresh)
2-3 cans cream of chicken/potato/mushroom soup (whichever flavor you prefer/have on hand, and # depends on the size of the crockpot)
Salt + Pepper to taste
1 C Milk or creamer/half-half for each can used
Optional: shredded cheese and/or chives

Add everything to the crockpot except the milk. Let it cook for about 8 hours on low. About an hour so before serving, add the milk and stir.
Serve with cheese and/or chives sprinkled on top.
You can also had diced ham if you''re like my dad and want meat.

Or, my MIL just made ''Jessica Simpsons Chicken & Dumplings'' for me for my bday, and it was yummy!

http://www.rachaelrayshow.com/food/recipes/jessica-simpsons-chicken-dumplings/print/

 

[CDNinNYC]

Date: 10/5/2008 1:52:41 PM
Author: brazen_irish_hussy
I was also going to suggest baked Ziti, but I highly recomend using italian sausage rather than beef as it gives a lot more flavor

Mmmmm, sounds good; I''ll have to try that.

 

[Elmorton]

A must get: Giada De Laurentis'' Everyday Italian. Whenever I want to make a romantic meal for DH, that''s what I go back to. Everything in that book is fabulous and DH is obsessed with her vodka sauce (I usually half the vodka though - hers is kinda boozy). Even has awesome deserts like grilled pineapple with nutella drizzle. Yum.

 

[Octavia]

FI and I aren't married quite yet, but I still feel super "wifey" whenever I roast a chicken. It's so easy -- I made one last night and it's similar to the "engagement chicken" posted above. All I did was toss the chicken in a pan, drizzle it with a bit of olive oil, sprinkle it with some Italian seasoning from Whole Foods with a bit of extra rosemary (I think the seasoning has basil, oregano, thyme, sage, rosemary, and possibly some other herbs), and toss it into the oven at 425 deg.F. After 20 minutes, turn the heat down to 350 and baste. Baste again every 20 minutes or so to keep the skin nice and crispy. When it was done, I tortured FI by making him wait another 10 minutes for the juices to settle, which is totally worth it

.

For a 3 lb chicken, it took about 1 hour 20 minutes, so probably not the best meal for the day you go to pick your DH up, but IMO it's one of the ultimates in wifey meals. Add a green salad, rice pilaf, some sort of steamed veggie, a couple slices of crusty bread, and a decent wine and you're good to go!

 

[:)]

Yum, Ziti!!

Basil, this is one of my favorite sites for when I am looking for ideas, esp if I have an ingredient in mind ahead of time. I love that people rate the recipes and give suggestions.
Perhaps you will find this site helpful now or in the future!
http://allrecipes.com/


ETA: Oh!! Almost forgot - make him some chocolate chip cookies for desert - you can make those ahead of time!

 

[pjean]

I definitely second the suggestion of a roast chicken for some time when you want to blow his socks off without actually working very hard. But for reheating? Beef stew. 100%. Throw in some red wine, and he''ll think you''re the best cook ever.

(At least, it works on my FI!

)

Is there any equipment in particular you''re dying to use? ''cause I bet this group can come up with a good way to use it.

 

[Hudson_Hawk]

I 100% agree with the roast chicken/beef stew ideas. My good wife meal of the weekend is the following (which is cooking as I type)

Broiled rib-eye steaks just dusted with salt and pepper
roasted red bliss potatoes
steamed asparagus

and for dessert-peach cobbler

 

[JulieN]

Alright, I put in my "good wife" meal yesterday. The recipe is from Sunday Suppers at Lucques, by Suzanne Goin. It was braised short ribs (braising liquid was beef stock, red wine, and porto,) with mashed potatoes (he made sauteed zuchinni to go with it) and then I made banana bread for next morning''s breakfast.

 

[CDNinNYC]

Hey basil, did you make a decision on what you wanted to make for your dh?

 

[basil]

Hey, CDN!

I think I am going to make a pot roast, if I can find a good cut of meat. I figure I can roast it the day before, then while it is reheating I''ll make mashed potatoes and gravy. And asparagus, cause Mr. Basil loves that

And a bottle of red wine...

I haven''t decided what to do for dessert yet. Thinking of something simple like brownie sundaes, but then he requested tapioca pudding (!!?!). So I might have to make that instead...

 

[CDNinNYC]

I''ve never made pot roast; let us know how it goes. It sounds great!

 

[FireGoddess]

The cola in this pot roast recipe sounds odd, but I''ve made it several times and it''s fantastic. Can''t go wrong with Emeril either.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/emeril-lagasse/cola-braised-pot-roast-recipe/index.html

 

[mrssalvo]

pot roast is always yummy and I love how it makes the house smell when it''s cooking.

my hubby loves a chicken potpie that I make. you can make it the day before and cook it right before you eat it. I serve it with asparagus that I saute in garlic and olive oil and a salad. it''s super easy too. let me know if you''d want the recipe for a future wife meal.