Chicken Divan, stews, curries, beef olives, spaghetti sauce, macaroni cheese with extras, porcupine meatballs, really anything in a sauce works.

Thanks, Colleen. If the person cooking knew how to make that stuff we wouldn't have a problem. I need specific recipes!

Pillog: Not sure the skill level- are you wanting very simple recipes or more complex?

Make ahead and reheat?

Chicken (or beef) enchiladas. I make mine in small batches. (Think 4 at a time) because it's just two of us.

I don't have amounts but my chicken enchiladas contain just cooked shredded chicken, seasoned with chili powder and cumin, and smothered in a homemade cheese sauce. Its your basic roux based cream sauce,made with Monterey Jack cheese. I served them with green onions and tomatoes on top.

My beef enchiladas are ground beef, cooked with jarred salsa and taco seasoning,covered in red enchilada sauce and cheddar. I do sometimes use the canned sauce. Its FINE!

Cottage pie. Ground beef,onions,peas and carrots,seasoned with whatever to taste,worcheshire sauce. Add a little flour to the juices to make a roux,stir in some beef stock to make the gravy. Top with mashed potatoes and cheese!!!!

Pasta with meat sauce,layered like lasagne with cheese. I use campanelle pasta. It holds the sauce and is easy to eat. Sometimes I'll use medium shells if the store doesn't have that. My sauce has ground beef,Italian sausage(1 pound each) chopped onion and red bell pepper, a lot of fresh garlic, a whole tube of that pureed Italian herbs that's in the produce section, some dried oregano,pepper,a 28 oz can of crushed tomatoes and (gasp) a can of cream of mushroom soup. Scoff if you wanna, its GOOD. I mix the pasta into the sauce and layer (usually 2 layers) it with mozzerella cheese and bake it. It's really good reheated too. I often freeze it in individual portions.

Sometimes I'll do a gnocchi bake. The gnocchi, cooked chicken, spinach, homemade alfredo sauce. Topped with mozzarella and baked. Add a salad and done!

Make the filling for a chicken pot pie, and put the crust on right before you wanna eat it, bake it and done. I use crescent roll dough,because SO really likes it. I am sure proper pastry will work just as well.

There is always the standby chicken,broccoli, rice and cheese casserole......

I like genius kitchen for recipes. Its irritating trying to find what you are looking for sometimes but there are a lot of recipes.

I have seen that Ina Garten has a cookbook dedicated to make ahead cooking. But. I havent read it,so cannot recommend it in good conscience. But I have had success with her other books......

https://www.geniuskitchen.com/recipe?ref=nav

https://www.geniuskitchen.com/search/Casserole

Lizbeth asked about skill level. Good question. The dish shouldn't take more than 3-4 hours to make (preferably less), but any skill level is possible. The problem here isn't ability to cook, but rather inability to cook without a recipe and a whole lack of imagination, combined with a lack of understanding of flavors and how to put them together. But the actual skill set, given detailed instructions, is very good.

Does the non-cook have a computer...or a smart phone? the internet if full of recipes for this sort of occasion....search for chicken divan...or pasta with meat sauce, or chicken and rice.....and there will be a million recipes. as an aside I have volunteered to go to the Salvation Army and teach people who come to the food bank how to cook fresh foods....like beans that are not canned and chicken that isn't nuggets.

Yeah, that's what's happening now. Recipes from the 'net. Not great ones. As I said, good cooking skills with direction, bad sense of flavor and food. Doesn't know how to read a recipe and tell whether it'll be good or not. And I don't use recipes. I was hoping for recipes or books from people who'd made them and pronounced them good.

lasagna is pretty straight forward. you can turn spaghetti into baked spaghetti. simple casserole with burger on the bottom and layers of veggies/noodles and a can of soup ... soup over mashed potatoes ... I must be missing the point. I am a starchoholic.

edited from original to add:

you could always work with the relative to make a bunch of individual one meal lasagnas that could be frozen and popped into the oven. the little foil meat loaf pans are good for that, or you could put them in a bread loaf pan to freeze... and have planned overs.

America's test kitchen cookbook is excellent (heavy too) with T&T recipes galore. It is pricey, but half off on line. I think it is superior to my BC 80s cookbook, which I use a lot because there are blank pages in the back to add your own recipes.

ATK cookbook TV show link 19.95

dave

I've had success with recipes from Taste of Home, particularly highly rated and many reviews, and they have homey recipes that might be a good place to look.

The Internet is great for a person such as you described, Plllog. Here's an example from The Kitchn. Step-by-step instructions, very clear and orderly. All you need to do is obey. I did, though obedience isn't one of my virtues, and was amply rewarded with a great dish.

How To Cook Pot Roast

SERVES 6 to 8

INGREDIENTS

For the pot roast:

3 pounds boneless beef chuck roast

2 teaspoons kosher salt, divided

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more for serving

4 tablespoons all-purpose flour, divided

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 large onions, thinly sliced (about 2 cups)

1 cup red wine, such as Malbec or Côtes-du-Rhône

2 cups unsalted beef broth

3 large cloves garlic, smashed

3 fresh thyme sprigs

2 bay leaves

1 fresh rosemary sprig

1 tablespoon tomato paste

4 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce

6 medium carrots, peeled and cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces

4 medium Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and cut into 1 1/2-inch
pieces

1 teaspoon malt vinegar

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature

For serving:

Buttered egg noodles or crusty bread

Leaves from 8 sprigs fresh thyme, finely chopped

Leaves from 2 sprigs fresh rosemary, finely chopped

EQUIPMENT

7-quart Dutch oven

Tongs

Wooden spoon

Cutting board

Chef's knife

Large plate

Spatula

Small bowl

2 forks

INSTRUCTIONS

Heat the oven. Arrange a rack in the middle of the oven
and heat to 325°F.

Season the roast and coat in flour. Season the roast
with 1 1/2 teaspoons of the salt and the pepper. Sprinkle 2 tablespoons of the
flour over the entire roast until evenly coated.

Sear the roast. Heat the oil in a 7-quart Dutch oven
over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add the roast and brown on all sides,
including the ends, until you have a deep golden sear, about 5 minutes per
side. Transfer the roast to a large plate and set aside.

Sauté the onion. Reduce the heat to medium and add the
onions and remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt. Sauté until softened and beginning to
brown around the edges, about 4 minutes.

Deglaze. Add the wine and scrape up the beautiful
browned bits from the bottom of the pan.

Add flavorings and roast to the pot. Stir in the beef
broth, garlic, thyme sprigs, bay leaves, rosemary sprig, tomato paste, and
Worcestershire sauce. Return the meat and any juices to the pot.

Cover and braise. Bring to a simmer, then cover and
place in the oven. Braise for 1 hour and 45 minutes. The meat should appear
tender, but will not be falling apart yet.

Add the root vegetables. Uncover and nestle the carrots
and potatoes into the braising liquid around the roast. Cover again, return to
the oven, and braise until the roast pulls apart easily and the vegetables are
tender but not mushy, 1 1/2 to 2 hours more.

Shred the meat. Remove the pot from the oven and set
over low heat. Transfer the roast to a large bowl and shred into large pieces
with 2 forks; set aside. Remove and discard the herb stems and bay leaves.

Prepare a butter and flour paste. Smash the remaining 2
tablespoons of flour with the butter together in a small bowl with a spatula
until it forms a thick paste.

Thicken the gravy. Stir the butter-flour paste into the
pot and cook for 3 minutes to remove raw flour taste and thicken the gravy,
making sure the liquid does not boil. Stir in the vinegar.

Add the meat back to pot. Return the shredded pieces of
meat to the pot and gently stir to coat in the gravy.

Serve the pot roast. Serve the pot roast over buttered
egg noodles or with crusty bread. Top with a few grinds of black pepper and
chopped thyme and rosemary.

RECIPE NOTES

Storage: Leftovers can be stored in an airtight
container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Reheat over low heat on the
stovetop until warmed through.

Link to The Kitchn site:

https://www.thekitchn.com/how-to-cook-pot-roast-242522

My favorite casserole and dead easy:

CHICKEN WILD RICE
CASSEROLE

3 CUPS COOKED CHICKEN (OR
3 LARGE CANS OF CANNED CHICKEN)

1 PACKAGE UNCLE BEN'S LONG
GRAIN AND WILD RICE, COOKED

1 CAN CREAM OF CELERY
SOUP, UNDILUTED

1 SMALL JAR PIMENTOS,
CHOPPED

1 CUP MAYONNAISE

1 MEDIUM ONION, CHOPPED

1 CAN FRENCH STYLE GREEN
BEANS, DRAINED

1 CAN WATER CHESTNUTS,
CHOPPED

SALT AND PEPPER TO TASTE

Mix and spread in a 3
quart or 9 x13 container.

TOPPING:

1 SLEEVE RITZ CRACKERS,
CRUSHED

2 TABLESPOONS BUTTER,
SOFTENED

Mix crackers and butter
and spread on top of casserole.

Bake at 350 degrees for 30
minutes.

Makes a large casserole.
Freezes well.

We love meatloaf. Since there’s only the two of us since the kids moved out, I make it in mini loaf pans unbaked and freeze until we want them and just put them in frozen and bake along with a couple of potatoes. This is basically how I do it.

1 lb of ground beef

1 lb of lean ground pork

1 large white onion chopped

1 pkg onion soup mix

salt and pepper

about a cup of dry bread crumbs moistened with milk and a large egg

About a tbsp of Worcester sauce.

after packing it into pans, I top with ketchup before baking.

not really a recipe but pretty hard to screw up.

Louise

Thanks for the recipes!

Dave, did you mean you've tested the ATK recipes for yourself? I haven't been impressed with many of the ones I've seen, but I haven't looked at the book.

There are some fabulous recipe websites. Lasagne always seems a very elaborate and time consuming dish to make, with 3 different sauces etc. There are many much easier pasta dishes.

https://www.greatitalianchefs.com/features/traditional-italian-pasta-dishes

Then there are the comfort ones like toad in the hole.....well its comfort food it your British lol

Bake your favourite sausages in a tray until starting to get some colour.

Take 3 glasses. Break an an egg into one, then to the others, put an equal measure of plain flour in one and milk in the other to the same height. Whisk these together, add salt and pepper, pour over your " toads" and bake for 30 minutes or so till the Yorkshire pudding is risen and brown. Serve with onion gravy or ketchup.

P. I like ATK Cookbook a lot. We cook something different each time the kids come back. Seems to be a winner here. Got a copy for the newlyweds, and they seem to like it. They also do the hello fresh meals, of which I am dubious, at best.

I also have the ATK Cookbook, and with the reduced price, it is a real bargain. It has over 1,000 pages and is somewhat encyclopedic. I use their recipes for meatloaf and meatballs, and they have good information about using ground turkey. I often tweak their recipes to my taste, but they are a good starting point. Their dessert recipes are generally good, especially the chocolate crinkle cookies

I don't make casserole dishes very often, except perhaps for grits, and I consider that a breakfast meal instead of dinner.
Here's my recipe for Mushroom Chicken with Noodles:

1/3 cup (2/3 stick) butter
2 tbsp olive oil
1/2 cup minced onion (about 1/4 – 1/3 of a large onion)
3-4 shallots, minced
8 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup minced fresh thyme (stems removed) (You can substitute 1 tbsp dried thyme)
1/3 cup flour
4 cups chicken stock
1/2 cup dry white wine (Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Grigio, or Chardonnay)
3-4 tsp mushroom soup base or 2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp white pepper
1-1/2 tbsp freshly ground black pepper
3 cups chopped or sliced white or brown mushrooms
1-1/2 pounds chopped cooked chicken meat
1/2 pound Dutch egg noodles (or similar wide noodles)
chopped Italian parsley, for garnish

Chop or mince all ingredients ahead but do not combine together.

Heat the butter and olive oil in a large sauce/soup pan until butter is melted.

Add onion and cook at medium heat for about 2 or 3 minutes, just until onions barely begin to become translucent.

Add shallots and garlic and cook for about 2 more minutes. They will not be done at the point but will cook more when flour is added.

Add the thyme and cook about half a minute more, stirring to combine.

Add the flour and raise the heat slightly. Cook the flour into a roux (which could be done separately, if you prefer, dividing the butter in oil into two halves, one for the onion mixture, and one for the roux). This will take about 5 minutes, stirring constantly.

Add the two cups of the stock, one at a time, stirring to blend.

Add the wine and stir.

Add white pepper and black pepper and stir to blend.

Add one more cup of stock and stir.

Add the mushrooms, chicken, and the remaining stock, as needed, and bring to a boil.

Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 25 minutes.

Boil water for the egg noodles and cook according to package instructions

Serve the sauce over cooked egg noodles and garnish with chopped fresh Italian parsley, or add the noodles to the sauce.

You can buy mushroom stock at a restaurant supply store. Otherwise, to make mushroom stock, you can soak dried porcini mushrooms in hot water for 1 hour. Then remove the mushrooms (Save them for the soup, in place of some of the white mushrooms), and let the water sit to allow the sand to settle. Then pour most of it off and strain the remaining water through a large sieve with a coffee filter in it. This will catch the last of the sand. Wash and rinse the mushrooms two or three times more to remove the rest of the sand before using. Add salt to taste if you do not use soup base, about 2 tsp.

If you don’t use shallots, you can increase the onions to 1/3 cup and increase the garlic by 1-2 cloves.

I would be curious to know what is failing in her current recipes. You may have to go and be a guinea pig LOL.

I realize that her cooking abilities are not good but she is doing some cooking and finding it a fail so it would be nice to at least give that a thought as well. It's nice to start from recipes that she is semi knowledgeable about.

For what it is worth a simple go to make-ahead recipe that I use a lot is spaghetti and meatballs sauce with parmesan over top. I heat up everything in the oven in a casserole all mixed together. I broil it topped with fresh parmesan for a few minutes once everything is heated through.

I make extra noodles and use them in other recipes or double everything and freeze the rest of my spaghetti and meatballs recipe.

My recipe is

two 375 g packages of spaghetti noodles.

and I used to use

one Jar either of spaghetti or marinara sauce or half a jar of each for variety when the kids got older

with some mozzarella mixed through like 1/4 of a cup

and

any meatballs, frozen or fresh and cooked.

I would serve that with a big salad with the dressing of each person's choice.

My kids gobbled that up with a side of prehistoric tree broccoli and the song I lost my poor meatball when someone sneezed.

Now I make my own everything except for the whole grain whole wheat noodles.

I like this blog. Elise is the original one and I like all her recipes.

https://www.simplyrecipes.com/

This one is very easy and good. Heats up well.

https://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/arroz_con_pollo/

Yeonassky asked what was failing with the current recipes. I think it's just the recipes. The results are very hit and miss. The prep and cooking are fine. The skills really are there. The outcome, however, is wildly uneven, usually down to flavor. Or so says the elderly relative who is doing the eating. I've eaten the cook's cooking and it really is competent....except when it doesn't taste good. Since I was asked by this cook for recipes (I think the word gets back that I'm the "good" cook), and I don't have recipes for basic things, I turned to you all whose taste I trust.

I appreciate both Dave's and Lars's options on the ATK book. And the problem is that the cook in question won't know how to tweak a recipe or skip the Tex-Mex (without being told). I'll keep it in mind and see if it's wanted.

I looked for Ina's make ahead book, suggested by Amylou, and on Googling I found a couple of websites extolling these kinds of her recipes. I will pass the links on with a warning about the salt. (Following instructions isn't the problem, even if it's a salt warning. Knowing not to use that much salt in the first place, might be.) If those work out, we can get the book.

Thanks for the recipes, everybody, and the blog recommends. I too have some favorite blogs for recipes, though they're more odd stuff than dinners, so I know how useful they can be.

Tigereye, that arroz con pollo recipe looks good. My mother used to make a Panamanian one which looks on paper like a very straightforward, easy recipe. It's an ordeal which doesn't get easier with practice. :)

I like the ATK book, but I find their recipe instructions very wordy and not in the order I would do them. I made their "Chop Suey" (page 367, "The New Family Cookbook") It is a hit with everyone. I call it Hamburger Macaroni and do it completely on the stove top in a 12" skillet.

2 tablespoons oil, I like olive oil

1 onion chopped fine, 1/2 cup

1 red bell pepper, chopped fine

1 stalk celery. chopped fine

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder, some don't like fresh garlic (2 cloves, minced)

1 lb extra lean ground beef

1 15 oz can tomato sauce

1 14.5 oz can petite diced tomatoes

1 14.5 oz can reduced salt chicken broth (1 1/2 cups)

8 oz elbow macaroni (2 cups before cooking)

I like to use Pam, but omit if you don't, and just spread the oil well. Add onion, bell pepper, and celery to pan and cook over medium high,until soft, about 5 to 7 minutes.

Add ground beef and cook until no longer pink.

Add garlic powder, tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, and chicken broth. Still well. Add macaroni, stir and reduce heat to medium low. Cover, cook until pasta is tender, stirring occasionally.

Serve, and top with grated mild cheddar cheese if wanted.

It is even better the second day. Heats well in microwave or oven. Freezes well.

I don't add salt while cooking. We add to taste at the table.

plllog, just wanted to say I have Ina's 'Make It Ahead' that was suggested. Definitely worth checking out.

Lars' Algerian Chicken is easy, delicious and just as good cold or at room temperature as it is hot. It's good reheated or made into sandwiches or chicken salad too. I like it a lot. However, here in the sticks I can't often pick up the more unusual ingredients, and I never have fenugreek so I leave it out. You pretty much HAVE to have the sumac, though, so I got some from Penzey's and it lasts for several chickens. I don't always have whole chickens either, and I've just used chicken pieces successfully. And, of course, I never grill, so I do mine in the oven at 350F, works just fine although it would probably be much better on the grill.

Algerian Roasted Chicken

Lars--based on recipe by Chef Farid Zadi

1 whole chicken
4 cloves of garlic
1-1/2 tbsp Kosher salt
1 teaspoon of sumac
1/2 teaspoon of sesame seeds
1/2 tsp coriander seeds
1/2 tsp fenugreek
3/4 tsp cumin
3 tablespoons of butter, room temperature
1 tbsp minced Thai basil (or 1/2 tsp fennel)
2 lemons
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Freshly ground black pepper
extra herbs, 1 tsp each minced fresh oregano and basil, optional
4-5 sprigs of thyme

Start charcoal for outdoor barbeque, using large chunks of mesquite wood and charcoal. Place the chicken in a roasting pan with a rack. Slide your fingers under the breasts to separate the skin from the meat, turn the chicken over and do the same with the thighs. Mash the garlic with 1-1/2 tablespoons of salt in a mortar and pestle or finely chop the garlic and incorporate the salt into it with the side of your knife or back of a spoon. Add the sumac, sesame seeds, coriander seeds, fenugreek seeds, and cumin and mix to pulverize the seeds. Add butter and basil and combine to mix. Tuck pieces of the butter into the "pockets" under the skin.

Squeeze the juice of one lemon all over the chicken, drizzle with extra virgin olive oil, sprinkle freshly ground black pepper. Season the cavity with pepper, tuck in the lemon halves and more herbs into the cavity if desired. Place the chicken on the barbeque and cover, leaving vents fully open to maintain heat. Baste the chicken every 15 minutes alternating water and pan drippings. Midway through cooking turn the chicken 90 degrees. Continue frequent basting. The cooking time for a 3-1/2 pound bird is about 1-1/2 hours, depending on how hot your fire is. Cook to an internal temperature of 160°, measured in the thigh. Let rest covered about 30 minutes before carving. Squeeze fresh lemon juice into the roasting juices, and pour into a gravy boat. Add salt, if needed.

Annie

I mentioned the books to the cook, who wants the Ina book without even looking at the websites. Okay, but I made a BIG warning about the salt. :)

Thanks for the further comments and suggestions!

well, phooey ... all those wasted words *grin*

^_^

we put an 'X' by the recipes we like, and write the page number in the front

Wasted words? You mean about ATK? That's not ruled out. Just that the targeted make ahead book was right on the nose, so the first one up. Plus the recipes given here and some from the best of CF thread.

Recording the recipes you like in the front of the book is an excellent idea! Especially given how big the book is.

I'm just wondering g about make ahead recipes......make ahead is time consuming in itself....whereas there are more and more books out with really fast recipes. Jamie Oliver's 30 mins or 1 mins, something like fried halloumi with a fresh salad takes 5 minutes, sticky chi Ken and rice...even a sachet of uncle you know who,,,,just cube chicken, cook in a saucepan with garlic, honey, soy sauce and balsamic vinegar and Bob's your uncle.....

It's not about the time, but the timing, and I think usually involves a different person heating it as made it, which is the case here. One person making Friday for another to heat and eat on Sunday. It could be mom making it last night for the babysitter to heat up for the kids today. Or make at home to take with to the vacation home, where it just goes in the oven to reheat while the family is unpacking and getting settled. There are all sorts of scenarios I can think of. It's not so much the time it takes between putting it in the oven and eating, which, as you say, IC, could be equal to many other quick to prep and make meals, but the amount of fiddly prep, spatter, dishes/pots to wash, having to pay attention, etc., and what else you could be doing while the made ahead dish is heating up.

My elderly relatives attendant doesn't cook. She can heat up a dish, and microwave easy prep vegetables (broccoli, green beans) or boil rice.

I couldn't make fried haloumi and a salad in five minutes unless the cheese were presliced and all the veg in the salad were pre-prepped.

Here's 2 of our fave multiple day meals:

I make a big batch of baked meatballs and the sauce separately, then simmer about half the meatballs in the sauce and save the others either in the fridge or freezer. I like to make a batch of polenta and put it in a loaf pan to cool, then slice and bake as needed and warm up the sauce and meatballs to go over it with cheese. I add more meatballs to the sauce if necessary.

I also make a big batch of taco style meat, a big salad, and make taco salad with the warmed up meat, cheese, chips and salsa. I add grated carrots, chopped onion, fresh garlic, corn and sweet peppers to my taco meat, along with the traditional seasonings, so it's pretty satisfying and healthy.

Now that the weather's so hot, I like to make a roast chicken or some steak or roast beef or lamb and use the sliced meat in chef's salads for a couple of days in a row.

For baked meatballs:

Form into 1 1/2" balls (use small cookie dough scoop &/or 2 spoons).

Roll in fine dry breadcrumbs & place on oiled roasting pan or parchment lined baking sheet.

Drizzle each meatball with a small amount of olive oil.

Bake @ 350F, 25 minutes.

Simmer in sauce 20 minutes