That sounds good Strawberry, I think I will try that tonight. What did you have as side dishes?

My fastest and most delicious dish is Catalina Pork Tenderloins.

2 pork tenderloins (could use one but great for leftovers)
1 small bottle Catalina Salad Dressing
1 pkg. dry Lipton Onion Soup
1 can whole cranberry sauce

Place pork in baking dish. Mix together the dressing, cranberry sauce and Onion soup. Pour over top of tenderloins. Bake at 350 for about 30 mins until done. You won't believe how tender and good this is.

I can't think of just one dish that I would call the most delicious. But I do have a few that we like and that are relatively quick. Meals that I can have on the table in 30 to 60 minutes after getting home from work.

Pork Tenderloin rubbed with fresh garlic, salt and lots of fresh ground black pepper and roasted in a hot oven for 20 to 25 minutes. Use the pan drippings, add a little chicken broth mixed with a 1/2 to 1 teaspoon of cornstarch and the squeeze in half a lemon. Serve over sliced pork.

Or, cook the pork the same way, but make a mushroom sauce to serve with the pork.

Strawberry....reading that your friend's daughter was one of the victims breaks my heart.

I am so sorry.

ML

Fastest? Most delicious? Men (women) pleasing chicken?

My favorite:

Free-range (true free-range, not cage-free) chicken from an Asian store, sous vide at 151F for an hour.

Dipping sauce: Smoked salt, ginger, scallions and olive oil blended in a small coffee grinder.

Prep. time, 5 minutes?

Basically my version of a very classic recipe of what is known as "White cut chicken" in every Chinese restaurant.

dcarch

Ann T, pork tenderloins are also yummy with a sauce made from pan drippings, basil pesto and cream.

I'm so sorry about Charlotte, it made me cry.

I am going to try those tonight, using the Quorn cutlets. Should be a hit, even with the grandkids.

Thanks

Colleen, I'll try that soon. Like the idea of that combination.

Roast chicken is another "work day" fast meal that we have often. A little three to four pound chicken can be roasted in less than 45 minutes using the high heat method (500�F). Potatoes started just before the chicken comes out of the oven and the other vegetables cooked while the chicken rests. Very little actually kitchen time needed.

Yes, everything about the Sandy Hook murders is heartbreaking. One of the victims and the school's principal, Dawn Hochsprung, was a long-time member of our marina here in Mystic. She and her husband got so much pleasure from relaxing on their 35' sailboat. Dawn had just started a Phd program and was an educator the entire country should be proud of. She loved the kids. There are no words to describe her loss and the loss of her colleagues and those precious 20 little children. We shall grieve her death here for a very long time. We lost one of our own. Let us not allow a one of them to have died in vain.

This is probably our favorite go-to winter dinner. It's quick and delicious New England comfort food.

Shrimp, Crab, & Scallop Bisque Casserole

1/2 pound each shrimp,crabmeat,scallops
1 tablespoon shallots -- chopped
7 tablespoons butter
10 tablespoons sherry
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
3 tablespoons flour
1 1/2 cups milk
bread crumbs
Parmesan cheese

Saute seafood and shallots in 4 tablespoons butter. Cook 5 minutes.

Sprinkle with 6 tablespoons of sherry; salt and pepper.

In another pan melt the remaining 3 tablespoons butter and add flour to make paste.

Add milk and remaining 4 tablespoons sherry; stir until smooth.

Combine sauce and seafood mixture and place in a casserole or individual ramekins.
Top with bread crumbs and Parmesan.
Bake at 400F for 30 minutes.

Serve with rice and a crisp salad.

/tricia

Strawberry and Tricia, my heart aches for both of you and all the families from this horrific tradegy.

Tricia, I think you posted this before and I made it last year at christmas. It was planned for 6 as an appy but they had to cancel so dad and I were "forced" to eat it by ourself. One taste and we were happy that they cancelled!

I am so sorry to hear about your friend's daughter, what a terrible tragedy. (sigh)

Like Ann T, I have many recipes that I can have on the table in under half an hour. Anything that starts with a chicken tenderloin, a boneless pork chop or tenderloin or ground meat can usually be pretty quick. One of my favorites is Sol's Caramel Chicken, served with rice. I like brown rice, but white is Ashley's choice.

Chicken in Caramel Sauce

1/2 C packed dark brown sugar
1/4 C water
1/4 C Asian fish sauce
3 T rice vinegar
1 tsp minced garlic
1 tsp soy sauce
1 tsp thinly sliced fresh ginger
1/2 to 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper (1/2 usually enough for me)
2 small chili peppers, fresh or dried, halved (I always use fresh)
1 T canola oil
1 shallot thinly sliced
1 1/2 - 2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breast or thigh meat, cut into bite-size pieces (can use a combo of light and dark meat, if you prefer)

In a small bowl, combine brown sugar, water, fish sauce, vinegar, garlic, soy sauce, ginger, pepper, and chilis, and mix well. Set aside.
Heat oil in a large skillet over high heat (can also use a wok, but I�ve had better luck w/a skillet). Add shallot and cook, stirring, until brown, about 5 minutes. Add chicken and cook, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned on each side but not cooked through, about 5 minutes.
Stir the reserved sauce mixture and add to skillet. Bring mixture to boil, reduce heat to med-low and cook, stirring occasionally, until the liquid is reduced by about half and the chicken is cooked through, about 15 minutes. Remove and discard the chili peppers. Remove pan from heat, set aside until sauce has thickened and cooled slightly, about 3 minutes.

Another very quick dish is this Beef and Broccoli. I make my version with venison instead. Here it is with red rice and an avocado and orange salad:

Beef and Broccoli Stir-Fry
Servings: 4

1/2 cup water, plus 2 tablespoons water, divided
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 lb boneless round steak cut into thin 3-inch strips
2 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
4 cups broccoli florets
1 small onions, cut into wedges
1/3 cup reduced sodium soy sauce
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground ginger
hot cooked rice

In a bowl, combine 2 tablespoons cornstarch, 2 tablespoons water and garlic powder until smooth. Add beef and toss.
In a large skillet or wok over medium high heat, stir-fry beef in 1 tablespoon oil until beef reaches desired doneness; remove and keep warm.

Stir-fry broccoli and onion in remaining oil for 4-5 minutes. Return beef to pan.

Combine soy sauce, brown sugar, ginger and remaining cornstarch and water until smooth; add to the pan.
Cook and stir for 2 minutes.

Serve over rice.

In a real pinch I can whip up a batch of hummus to eat with celery sticks or crackers, or make an omelette.

Annie

THANK YOU, Annie, for the above chicken in caramel sauce and beef and brocilli stir-fry. My Mom made that chicken in caramel sauce when I was young, but I never get the recipe until now. I love this forum, you folks are great.

Thank you, Caminnc, for that saucy recipe of pork tenderloin. Mine are always dry, I would love to try yours. Thank you, dcarch, for that 5-minutes dip for chicken ... I had that in Chinese restaurant with their steamed chicken.

Thank you, Triciae for that seafood casserole, great way to use seafood. Thank you, ann_t, for the gravy ideas over pork tenderloin, and the yummy photos. I feel the same way as pkramer and momj47 about the victims full of love being taken away at Sandy Hook.... which reminds me to give out more love each day to make up for the loss. Cooking good food is a way to show love to my family.

I'm in Chicagoland, zone 5a, 51 yrs. old, stay-home Mom. Before this I worked as a computer programmer. Both my husband and my 10-years old girl are skinny, but picky-eaters. I notice that when I was at my lowest weight, 105 lb. I was cooking and baking the most. I gained a ton by NOT COOKING, eating fast-foods ... so I'm going back to cooking and baking again. It's a great way to stay healthy, save money, and taking care for one's family.

Strawberryhill, welcome to the Cooking Forum.

I agree, cooking is a good way to be healthy, save money and take care of your family. If you cook from scratch you can control the fat, the sodium, the chemicals that go into your family's food, something you can't do with boxes and cans of already prepared stuff or with fast food. It's much less expensive, far more healthy and it doesn't really take that much more time.

As a full time working single mom at one point in my life, I understand the nights when you are too tired to even think about what to make for supper that doesn't cost a fortune and that your kids will eat. Those were pancake nights in my house. Thankfully, my very small town has no take out and we didn't get fast food until after my girls were grown up. Now we have a pizza joint and a Subway. I've ordered pizza twice for the Grandkids and I've been in the Subway once. They've been open for four years, LOL.

Annie

I'm actually at a loss for words when it comes to the tragedy at Sandy Hook. I'm so sorry for your loss just doesn't seem to do justice. For those of you that knew the victims, all I can say is my heart is with you.

What I've been doing this winter is making quick soups out of leftovers, or even out of fresh ingredients, in the morning to take for my lunch. I usually don't take more than 10 or 15 minutes tops to make one of my soups. The other day I quickly chopped up a little onion and garlic and sauteed them a couple of minutes in a little butter, then added a couple of chopped up potatoes and some water. I let them simmer while I got ready for work. After it was cooked down a little, I added some milk and seasoning. Walla, I had cream of potato soup for my lunch.

I made pumpkin lasagna for Christmas Eve dinner, and we've got a lot of leftover. I heated some up with some left over canned tomatoes, which were already part of the dish, and made a delicious soup for my lunch another day. It's cold where I work, so I enjoy a good hot soup in the winter for my lunch.

Sally

I haven't made it in awhile, but you can't get much quicker than poached cod in milk, and there's something wonderful about what it does to make the fish melt in your mouth....

Here is a link that might be useful: Pierre Franey Poached Cod

I forget to thank Colleen who mentioned pesto on pork chops, that's a great idea. My kid when she was 3, broke my Cusinart food processor when I let her push the button. We made the mistake of putting hard chunks of parmesan, walnuts and basil into the food processor. Looking back, I should had chopped the hard parmesan into smaller bits on a cutting board.

Thank you, Annie for the warm welcome. My dental hygienist lost 50 lbs. when she stopped eating fast food and made healthy dinners like Tilapia and salads ... she looks 10 years younger. Thank you, Sally and AnnieDeigh for those quick dishes.

I learned how to make 'fried' chicken thighs from a recipe by Jacques Pepin. The full recipe is at the link, but it calls for making a sauce. The thighs are delicious without it. If you need to make a lot of tasty food quickly for a lot of hungry mouths, it's worth learning this technique. Only special equipment needed is a nonstick skillet, and a cover that fits it. I find that the 14" nonstick aluminum skillet from Sams Club (around $27) will hold a five pound value pack of chicken thighs (usually less than $6). I would imagine a household with a few teenage boys would make this recipe regularly, and would justify the purchase of a big nonstick skillet.

1. Take a chicken thigh, skin on, and place it skin side down on a cutting board. Trim away any excess skin flaps, but don't be terribly aggressive about it. Make incisions about a half inch away from the bone, about a half inch deep, parallel to the bone, on either side of the bone. This flattens the piece of meat somewhat.

2. Repeat for as many thighs as you are cooking; I'll often cook up a 5 pound value pack just for the two of us, because leftover chicken will keep fine for a few days.

3. Sprinkle the flesh side of the chicken with seasonings. Be generous. Pepin uses salt & pepper, and that's fine; you can experiment, though, with whatever you want. I've used chipotle powder in addition to or instead of the pepper, Penzeys' granulated garlic, Montreal Chicken spice mix, lemon pepper (Penzeys' salt free lemon pepper blend, 'Sunny Spain', is excellent) and what's really terrific is Penzey's southwest seasoning 'Arizona Dreaming'. A heavy handed shake of Arizona Dreaming with some additional granulated garlic--great stuff. But it's really a blank slate: put what seasonings you like on it. Pat the seasonings onto the meat.

3. Put the thighs skin side down in a cold nonstick skillet. Cover the skillet and turn the heat to high. When the meat starts to sizzle, turn the heat to medium to medium high. After about 5 minutes, check to see that the skin on the thighs aren't browning too quickly, and move them all a little to make sure nothing's sticking. Cover and continue cooking for about a total of 16 to 18 minutes. From a food science standpoint what you're doing is rendering fat from the skin and frying the skin side in that; the liberated vapors are steaming the flesh side.

4. If after 18 minutes the flesh side still looks not quite done, flip the thighs and fry them flesh side down for a minute or two. Remove from fat and serve.

That's it. About 30 seconds to prep each thigh and about 20 minutes to cook them. You have tasty 'fried' chicken without a batter and a lot less oil. While it isn't exactly light diet food, it's got to be better than regular fried chicken--just look at all the oil that remains in the skillet. If I've forgotten to thaw something for supper, I'll often stop at the market and pick up a bunch of chicken thighs and have some tasty fried chicken about a half hour after arriving home. Bon Appetit!

Here is a link that might be useful: jacques pepin crispy chicken thighs in mushroom sauce

This qualifies as one of the easiest and tasty in cold weather. I bake in a straight sided 'crock' pottery bowl. Never tried it in a pastry crust but think that would be good.

Tuna mixture for pie (serves 2)

1 can soup - 10 oz. (cream of celery)
2 eggs
1 can albacore tuna - 6 oz.
1/2 c. shredded cheddar cheese

Mix & place in small greased ovenproof bowl.
Bake at 350 F. 20 - 30 min. or till golden and pulling away from edges of bowl.

(I guessed at oven temp. & time -- 325 F. may be better??)

Thank you Arley and Iris_gal for very economical dishes. I appreciate both recipes. My 10-years old likes tuna and chicken. Yesterday we had frozen "Michelangelo chicken Piccata" from Walmart. My family complained loudly how bad that frozen entree was. It had tons of garlic, plus tough artichokes ... hommade meals always taste better than frozen entree.

My family likes the fast tuna-melt I make, so I'll make more tuna dishes.

Here's a fast and delicious dessert that I discovered this fall. In honor of Charlotte...

Warm Caramel Pears

4 Large, Firm Pears, peeled, cored, and cut into eighths
2 Tablespoons Butter, melted
4 Tablespoons Brown Sugar
3 Tablespoons Heavy Cream
1-2 Tablespoons Amaretto (optional)

Preheat oven to 450F. Mix all ingredients and pour into glass baking dish Bake until it starts to turn a darker caramel color and pears are cooked through, about 8 to 12 minutes. Serve warm. Top with a little mascarpone cheese mixed with some amaretto, or ice cream.

~Katie, Fall 2012. This is my version of a recipe from an old Texas Monthly magazine:

Here is a link that might be useful: Warm Caramel Pears

A week ago my wife had invited a friend over to watch the season premiere of Downton Abbey, with dinner before hand. At about 4:30 in the afternoon she reminded me that her friend is a vegetarian, since we had just returned from Christmas/New Years I didn't have much in the house. I thought of Indian, but had no cauliflower, or chick peas, or potatoes, or spinach in the house.

I did however have two packets of "Truly Indian Delhi Dal Makhani" and two of "Tasty Bite Bombay Potatoes" and decided to forge on, and the results turned out better than I could have hoped.

I made "Indian Rice", Dal, a vegetable curry and some tandoori chicken for the non-vegetarians.

The Dal was the easiest, since I chopped an onion, sauteed it, and just added the pre-made packets, and simmered.

The Rice was Basmati Rice with a pinch of tumeric and several whole cloves, tossed in the rice cooker.

The vegetable curry was the real winner.

Vegetable Curry

1 Tbsp oil
1 large onion (chopped)
1 large Sweet potato (3/4" cubes)
1 Tbsp Curry powder
1 15oz can diced tomatoes (drained)
1 Tbsp Mild Curry Paste
2 packets "Tasty Bite Bombay Potatoes"
1/3 cup frozen peas

Saute the onion in oil, and boil the sweet potato cubes in water, for about 8 minutes. Drain the sweet potatoes and add them to the onion, add the curry powder and saute another 5 minutes.

Next add the tomatoes, the curry paste, the Bombay potato packets, and the peas. Bring to a low simmer for 10 to 20 minutes. Serve with rice and Dal.

(I was going to title the recipe, POOF Vegetable Curry using the acronym that sometimes used here for "Pulled-Out-Of-Fridge" but realized that except for the peas, everything was Pulled-Out-Of-Pantry and that acronym really doesn't work.)

I'm really sorry to hear about your friend's daughter as well. We visited my wife's sister and her husband for Christmas, and he works as an elementary school teacher literally in the "next-town-over" from Newtown. He was quite shaken by the events, and even more so a couple of days later when his school administrators announced an emergency lockdown for his school, which turned out to be because "someone reported that they thought they saw someone with a gun at the train station" which is 10 mile away.

Thank you, Bob, for that easy vege. curry and the info. on Indian packets. My husband loves Indian food.

Thank you, Katie, for the pears recipes. We have 2 pear trees in our backyard that won't go to waste in the future.

There's this fast recipe with Bok Choy. I was going through the cashier at Meijers and he remarked that his friend's mom makes the most delicious Bok Choy soup. Yes, I make that soup every month for my kid: Fry diced onions, add diced pork (tenderloin or loin) until brown. Add 1 1/2 cup of water. Add diced carrots and firm tofu. Cook for 15 minutes. Add diced Bok choy, cook for another 15 or until tender. Add 1 quart of chicken broth before serving with rice.

I can understand how that recipe will be a warm reminder of your friend, you must have been in shock when you found out it was her. Thanks for posting that.

We love Pasta Puttanesca. If I have some feta cheese, I add it and it makes a wonderful addition.

Spaghetti alla Puttanesca

1/4 cup olive oil
4 large garlic cloves, finely chopped
28-oz can whole tomatoes
1/2 cup kalamata olives, pitted and halved
3 anchovy fillets, chopped (I squeeze in some paste)
1 1/2 tbsp capers, rinsed and drained
1 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
3/4 lb spaghetti
2 tbsp chopped parsley for garnish

Heat oil in large skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and saute until fragrant, 1 minute. Add tomatoes, olives, anchovies, capers, oregano and red pepper flakes.

Simmer over medium-low heat until thickened, breaking up tomatoes with wooden spoon, 15 minutes.

Meanwhile cook pasta, drain and add to sauce. Combine until coated. Serve topped with parsley.

Thank you, Jasdip, for that pasta recipe. I made that with shrimp and it was addictive! The Kalamata olives is MUCH BETTER than black olive. Trader's Joe has Kalamata olives cheaper. I highly recommend Jasdip's recipe.

Strawberryhill, I'm so sorry for you and your friends loss of a sweet child.

I've cooked AnnT's Pork Tenderloins and Annies Chicken in Carmel Sauce. Both are very good and remain favorites as a go to meal. Looking forward to jasdips Pata Puttanesca! Thank you!

I definitely have to try the Catalina dressing recipe. That sounds so good. One of our easiest recipes is the aluminum foil and chicken in the crock pot recipe. Just ball up several pieces of foil and place them in the bottom of your crock pot. They take a whole chicken, rubbed down with whatever spices you like, and place them on top of the foil. Heat on HIGH for one hour only. Then low for appr. 8 hours. Cooks the chicken beautifully and when I get home I can make whatever sounds good with the nice tender chicken.

Here is a link that might be useful: Baked Slow Cooker Chicken

Thank you, Katefisher, for a great tip! I learn so much from this forum .... I was a bit discouraged when my kid has a flu this week and doesn't eat much. I feel like a failure as a cook. Hopefully she regains her appetite so I try some new cooking.

Just tonight I made another dish that tastes great for how easy (and how cheap) it is. I needed a side dish to go with the Broiled Mahi Mahi Remoulade I was making and realized that didn't have enough time to make rice.

"Asian noodles"

2 packages Ramen noodles
1 Tbsp teriyaki sauce
1 Tbsp peanut sauce
2 Tbsp Ginger Miso salad dressing

Discard Ramen flavor packets. Lightly crush noodles into boiling water. Cook for about 3 minutes. Drain. Add sauces and mix.

Thank you, Bob, that's a great combo of teriyaki sauce and Ginger Miso salad dressing. One time I stir-fry boiled whole wheat spaghetti with soy sauce, brocolli, and beef ... it was good, but a bit dry. Next time I try your approach.

Jasdip, you may wish to google the etymology of the word 'Puttanesca'.

It's appropriate; it's quick and easy. I like it too.

Strawberry, the sadness of Newtown is still very much with us. I'm so sorry about Charlotte. What can I say.

So, I made a fast and very delicious dinner tonight. I made Chicken Piccata and roasted brussels sprouts. I bet you all know how to make these already but it sure was delicious tonight. I just pounded some chicken tenders thin, dipped in egg and milk, then bread crumbs and browned them in butter and olive oil. After they were done I deglazed the pan with lemon juice (didn't have any wine)and poured the sauce over the tenders. It was absolutely delicious.

For the brussels sprouts (10 ounces), I just cut off the stem end, cut each one in half, put them in a bowl, stirred them up with a tablespoon of olive oil and some kosher salt and baked on a pan for 20 minutes. Honestly, they taste like candy.

Anyway, that was my fastest and most delicious meal this year.

Tricia, my heart aches for your loss and that of the other Newtown parents, siblings, grandparents, cousins, and friends. Strawberry, thanks for posting in memory of Charlotte.

Here is my "go-to" comfort food which was passed down from my mother, herself a dedicated sixth grade school teacher (who, when the Memphis school bus companies refused to pick up the school children one afternoon in the wake of violence and tensions surrounding the assassination of MLK, personally drove students to their homes - right into the housing projects as close to their door as she could get, when needed, even when one of her students warned her to simply drop her off a long way away.)
Tuna Casserole:

Boil 12 oz. of wide egg noodles for 7 minutes. Meanwhile, throw together 2 cans of drained tuna in water, 1-2 cans of cream of mushroom soup - with 1/3 can of milk. Place a bit of the sauce in an 11 x 7 casserole dish, add the drained noodles, and pour the rest of the mixture on top. Top with shredded cheddar to taste (I use most of a two cup pkg.) Bake at 325 for 25 min. I serve with black-eyed peas and a toss salad. Kids and adults usually rave over this simple dish.

This post was edited by jubileej on Fri, Jan 18, 13 at 9:02

Fastest? Delicious? This is my favorite. A few tablespoons of EVOO added to frying pan. Slice pork tenderloin or chicken breast in thin slices, add to pan and quickly brown until almost fully cooked. About 2 minutes. Then add 3 or more heaping tablespoons of hot pepper jelly. Combine all as jelly melts and clings to meat slices. About 1 minute. Serve hot and sizzling. Sorry, no exact recipe. A 'do by feel' recipe which I urge you to try with a rice dish on the side.

Pssst, Strawberry, Mitch is a woman!

Thank you, dedtired, much appreciated!

Maybe not the fastest, but I learned to improve my potato salad that I make all the time. I put 2 T sweet blush wine in for a potato salad that serves 8 people. There's something about the wine that makes it really good. you don't need very much at all. I like sweet onions in it as well.

My fastest meal has always been french toast with fresh fruit. I could eat that anytime. I like to use different breads.

Hi Kitty: That sounds yummy, I'll going to look up Sweet Blush wine. I have never made French toast in my life... will try that!