I second Dill with roasted chicken. I can eat it every day. I was going to say braised beef short ribs, but then re-read that you wanted 'simple'. Then I saw Ann_T's post on Lamb shanks and figured it couldn't hurt to add it. So here it is followed by some real quick meals to prepare. BEEF SHORT RIBS I am totally in love with beef short ribs. What an amazing taste - absolutely heavenly. Doesn't fit well into my low-fat diet, but it's ok every once in a while. This is one of those dishes you can add/change the ingredients to suit your taste. Here's the one I used last: BRAISED SHORT RIBS OF BEEF Serves 4 3 T. Flour 2 t. Salt Pepper to taste 2 t. Rosemary 4 lbs. Beef short ribs, rinsed and dried Vegetable oil 1 C. Chopped onions ¾ C Chopped celery 2 C. Chicken stock boiling (can substitute chicken broth) Preheat oven to 300°. Combine flour, salt, pepper, and rosemary. Dredge ribs in seasoned flour. In skillet, heat 2 T. oil and add onions and celery, sauté for 5 minutes. Transfer vegetables to heavy Dutch oven with lid. Add 2 T. oil to skillet and brown ribs on all sides. Add extra oil as needed. Transfer ribs to Dutch oven. Add boiling chicken stock to ribs and cover tightly. *Bake 2.5 hours. Skim off excess fat and reduce gravy until thickened. *Alternatively: Simmer ribs slowly on stove top. Baked Flounder Coat a cookie sheet (jelly roll pan) with a thin coating of oil. Place in pre-heated, 400° oven for 5-8 minutes. Dredge the fish in flour, then beaten egg white, then a mixture of fresh (or store bought) breadcrumbs, panko (Japanese breadcrumbs), garlic and onion powders, a pinch of cayenne pepper, salt, and fresh grated parm cheese. Press crumb mixture so that it sticks to the fish. Lay fish on heated cookie sheet, top with a spritz of oil, and bake for 15 minutes, or until the fish is golden brown. Stuffed Chicken Cutlets For each serving, pound a chicken cutlet to even thickness. Layer with salt, pepper, Swiss cheese (I like Jarlesburg), ham, and optionally, a stalk of asparagus. Roll up and tie with string at each 1" interval (make sure the ends are tied tight so that the filling doesn't ooze out during cooking) and dip into beaten egg whites, then seasoned breadcrumbs. Place in a baking dish to which you add 1 cup or so of chicken broth. Bake at 350° for 45 minutes. ======= This is fast a very flavorful: GIANFRANCO'S PASTA 16 Oz. Pasta (Penne, Rigatoni, and bowties work well) 4 Links Sweet sausage 10 Oz Mushrooms, sliced 1.5 C Grated Parmesan-Reggiano cheese Prepare pasta according to directions (Penne, Rigatoni, and bowties work well here)- make sure not to overcook. Meanwhile, remove sweet sausage from casing and saute in a fry pan, breaking it up as it cooks. Slice mushrooms and add to cooking sausage until they are both well cooked - keep warm. When pasta is done, drain (reserve some pasta water) and toss with sausage/mushroom mixture and grated cheese. Add some of the reserved cooking water if pasta seems dry. Just one more then I'll shut up: Grilled Pork Tenderloin I buy pork tenderloins at Costco. They come two packages to a pack. Each package contains 2 tenerloins. For 3 people, I make 2 tenderloins. Just rub with your favorite dry rub (or marinate in your favorite sauce) and put on a hot grill for about 25-30 mintues. I take them off when the internal temp reaches about 150°-155°.

My favorite asparagus recipe: Mustard-Dressed Asparagus Cooking Light, April 1998 4 lbs asparagus (I used 1 bunch) 2 Tablespoons Dijon mustard 2 Tablespoons lemon juice 1/4 teaspoon salt 1 Tablespoon mustard seeds Snap off tough ends of asparagus. Bring 4 qts water to a boil in an 8 qt stockpot. Add half of asparagus; cook 3 minutes. Remove asparagus from stockpot. Rinse with cold water; drain and pat dry. Repeat procedure with remaining asparagus. Combine the Dijon mustard, lemon juice, and salt in a small bowl. Place a large nonstick skillet over medium heat until hot. Add mustard seeds; cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Add asparagus and mustard mixture, and cook 2 minutes of until thoroughly heated. Yield: 8 servings

Rice patties are easy. I usually make a version with quinoa but the other day we were craving them and we were out of quinoa and used brown rice instead and they turned out great. Dice an onion or a couple of leeks. Dice a clove or two of garlic. Finely chop a veggie or veggies of your choice. We always have broccoli around and that's our go to veggie for these patties. Carrots, cauliflower and zucchini will all work well. Cook a cup or two of rice (depends on how many people you want to feed). Let cool slightly or you can make it ahead of time. Saute the onion/leek. Add the finely chopped veggie and saute until soft. Add the garlic and saute another 30-60 sec. Add herbs/spices of choice. Add veggies to the rice. Using 2 eggs/person, mix eggs well in a bowl and add to the rice and mix everything very well. Add 1/3-1/2 cup parmesan cheese (cheddar works well too). Add 1/2-1 cup bread crumbs (optional) You want the mixture moist but you want it to hold together when you form small patties in your hand. In a large saute pan, heat, add oil, and add 4-5 patties. Cook until golden brown on the bottom. Flip and cook until the other side is golden brown also. We eat them plain, but one of my kids likes them with soy sauce.

Meatloaf, mashed potatoes (both with some gravy) and green beans (or peas). Dad had it last night as his hospital meal and raved about it. Ours is sauteed chicken breast with some kind of pan sauce, brown rice and steamed broccoli.