Quick and Easy Weekday Dinners for Busy Families

[chefcharity]

I am working my way through week 2 (I started with it) on the weekday Dinners-Done! So far, I have made the Easy Tortellini Toss and the Speedy Pork Fried Rice. Both were really good! The Pork Fried Rice is exceptional! Looking forward to leftovers for lunch! LOL!

Tonight is Glazed Teriyaki Meatballs and Noodles.

The shopping list was really easy to follow in the store. I know these are only, what, $5? But what a great selling tool!!

Anyone else try other recipes from the cards yet?

 

[NooraK]

I think they're $6.50. I know ChefAnn was posting recently about a typo she found, so I'm sure she's tried out some of the recipes.

 

[Cherie0925]

I am working through Week 1 and am absolutely thrilled with the shopping list! I could even send my husband to the store and he managed finding (most) everything on the list!
I have made the Turkey Tetrazini and it was delicious. Tonight is the penne with Italian Sausage. Can't wait!!

 

[esavvymom]

I can't believe I forgot about those recipes! I have been putting off my grocery list, but now I realize -It's already done! *hehe*

 

[pamperedlinda]

I made the Morrocan Chicken last night and it was very good.

 

[lmradlein]

I can't wait to get mine!!! How many weeks does it give you?

 

[babywings76]

We had the Penne w/ Sausage and it was SO good! I loved it. I skipped putting in the red pepper flakes, since the sausage was hot sausage. I could make it w/ sweet/mild sausage next time so the kids will like it better. But it was great.

 

[chefcharity]

I can't wait to get mine!!! How many weeks does it give you?

It has 2 weeks worth of dinners! Done in the DCB and on the stovetop. Then, the DCB recipes have a stove top option for those who do not have the DCB. Very cool

 

[Pedey]

I just ordered mine yesterday! That card set is probably the 1 new fall product I am most excited about!! LOL

 

[Gina M]

Just made the Turkey Tetrazini tonight - it was a hit - inhaled by the family and quick to make! Can't wait to try the Parmesan Crusted Chicken tomorrow

 

[pc_jessica]

ohhh i can't wait to get mine in the shipment!!

 

[babywings76]

I made the Parmesan Crusted Chicken from the Week 1 group. DH and I really liked it. Kids wouldn't try it though. But they won't eat anything these days.

 

[ChefBeckyD]

Just made the Turkey Tetrazini tonight - it was a hit - inhaled by the family and quick to make! Can't wait to try the Parmesan Crusted Chicken tomorrow

Good to know! It's what I'm making for our taste testing meeting next Monday!

 

[darlinclem]

I made the Glazed Teriyaki Meatballs and Noodles. I did some serious substituting because I was working with what I had. I did the meatballs as written but did rice (instead of noodles), stir fry sauce (instead of Teriyaki) and snow peas along with colored bell peppers for the frozen vegis. Hubby, who is a fairly picky eater, loved it. I love that I can change a few ingredients around and have a completely different meal. BBQ sauce and rice would work too (hubby mentioned mashed potatoes). Sweet-n-sour with the noodles (chow mein). Love the versatility!

 

[leftymac]

I made the Glazed Teriyaki Meatballs and Noodles. I did some serious substituting because I was working with what I had. I did the meatballs as written but did rice (instead of noodles), stir fry sauce (instead of Teriyaki) and snow peas along with colored bell peppers for the frozen vegis. Hubby, who is a fairly picky eater, loved it. I love that I can change a few ingredients around and have a completely different meal. BBQ sauce and rice would work too (hubby mentioned mashed potatoes). Sweet-n-sour with the noodles (chow mein). Love the versatility!

I like that versatility too, Darlene. Thanks for not bashing a recipe where you changed a million ingredients. It kills me when people do that! You can't review a recipe adequately if you didn't follow it!

 

[chefcharity]

I made the deep dish pizza last night. SOOOO, simple! It was good. I think next time I'll either do alot less mustard or substitute with bbq sauce. Kids wouldn't eat it because of the mustard taste. Think to make it a show recipe we would need to use more products then it calls for.

12" skillet
Classic Batter Bowl
Cutting Board
Knife
Food Chopper for onions
Scraper
measuring cup
Mix n Chop
Pizza Cutter
Large Grooved cutting board to cut pizza on

add
rotary grater on cheese
Mandoline on tomatoes
Could snip some fresh Basil in the prep bowls with the kitchen shears too
Just some thoughts...

VERY quick recipe too!

 

[floccies]

Made the Rush Hour Chicken Fajitas.

Easy -- Good

Could all be prepped in the DCB in the fridge ready for when you get home.

Next time I will only use 1/2 the recommended Chipotle Rub. (Not too spicy for the adults -- but better for kids if it was just a bit more on the mild side)

 

[chefann]

I posted a review last week of the Parmesan Crusted Chicken with creamy risotto. YUM!! And it reheated well, too. That's always a factor around here, where there are only 2 of us and most recipes make 4-6 servings. I posted a couple of small changes I'll make when I prepare that recipe in the future, but they're personal preference type changes (add more zucchini, more garlic, etc.).

 

[pcchefjane]

We have made the Savory Salisbury Steaks on Monday and loved them. My DD & SIL don't like garlic or onions in their meals so what we have done is to use Onion Soup Mix (1/2 packet) and about 1 teaspoon of our Crushed Peppercorn and Garlic Rub. Even the almost 3 yo and 1 yo old ate the meat! My SIL also said that it reheated well in the microwave for his lunch yesterday. Could use a vegetable or mashed potatoes added to the meal. Also made the Parmesan-Crusted Chicken with Creamy Risotto. We loved them as well. The baby loved the rice! It is hilarious to watch her eat it! We had 2 servings left on it. I love the recipe cards because as we were saying last night, we would not be eating these recipes just to pick out of a cookbook but the card set "makes us" eat some new choices. We also tried the Candied Cookies from the new Cookie Sheet Use & Care Sheet! They were yummy! We didn't add the extra M&Ms on the top either because we didn't think we needed so much chocolate in them with "little people" eating them! Again got a big thumbs up from everyone! We are working our way through Week 1 of the recipe cards this week! My DD said the shopping was really easy with the shopping list and she also got the things on the Well Stocked Pantry List!

 

[chefcharity]

I added the Thai Peanut Sauce to my left over Speedy Fried Pork Rice and it was really good like that!!

 

[esavvymom]

I made the Parmesan Crusted Chicken from the Week 1 group. DH and I really liked it. Kids wouldn't try it though. But they won't eat anything these days.

Made this last night also. But my kids loved it! Took some coaxing to get them to try the rice, but one son requested it for lunch with "lots of that YUMMY rice" .

I had cut the chicken up into tenders, and the kids dipped those in sauce of their choice like Chicken Nuggets/strips that they liked.

DH and I enjoyed the dish with a nice glass of wine. Yum! (the dish..although the wine was delicious too!)

Going to try the Salisbury Steaks tonight.

 

[chefann]

I just picked up the ingredients for Week 1, including several of the pantry staples that were running low in my cupboard. There were some other items in my cart, too. But my estimate is that the ingredients for the week ran about $50. That's without the chicken or beef, though, since I have those in the freezer already. And many of the staples will last for more than 1 week's rotation of recipes. That's not bad for 5 meals that serve 6 each.

 

[cyberdonna31]

Salisbury Steak- Weekday Dinners Done Recipe Collection
Rating- Mine was not good. Not a quick and easy meal to make and took a lot of time. I made the patties too thick and grilled them which I shouldn’t have done. They ended up char grilled and I never could tell if they were done or not because the recipe called for tomato paste and it made the meat look red even when done.
Next time I would make very thin patties and cook them in the skillet. But because of the time it takes to prepare I will not make again. Not good for a quick show.

 

[chefann]

I didn't like the Salisbury Steaks. They tasted like plain ground beef. Not very good.

 

[ChefBeckyD]

I didn't like the Salisbury Steaks. They tasted like plain ground beef. Not very good.

I have a really good, quick, and easy recipe for Salisbury Steaks. When I looked at the PC recipe, I thought right away that the one I have looks better. I think it came from an old TOH magazine.

 

[babywings76]

Maybe it's just me, but a lot of these recipes are taking me a while to prepare. I'm not able to do them in 30 minutes or less (except the fajitas). But sometimes I'm like that the first time I do a recipe. For some reason it takes me a while to do things cause I'm double and triple checking each step making sure I'm following things right. But so far, I've enjoyed most of the recipes.What's everyone's take on the Turkey Tetrazzini? Mine was good, but I wish that the whole box of pasta could've been done in there. Only half a box, to me, is not enough for 6 servings. When I did this recipe, too, I had some chicken broth come out somehow and there was a puddle on my turnaround in the microwave. Not sure if it foamed and spilled out through the space between the baker and the lid or what.

 

[ChefBeckyD]

Maybe it's just me, but a lot of these recipes are taking me a while to prepare. I'm not able to do them in 30 minutes or less (except the fajitas). But sometimes I'm like that the first time I do a recipe. For some reason it takes me a while to do things cause I'm double and triple checking each step making sure I'm following things right.

But so far, I've enjoyed most of the recipes.

What's everyone's take on the Turkey Tetrazzini? Mine was good, but I wish that the whole box of pasta could've been done in there. Only half a box, to me, is not enough for 6 servings. When I did this recipe, too, I had some chicken broth come out somehow and there was a puddle on my turnaround in the microwave. Not sure if it foamed and spilled out through the space between the baker and the lid or what.

Hmmm, for the Turkey Tetrazzini, I made a double batch, and put half in the Baker, and half in the 12" skillet. I was making it to take to our recipe tasting meeting, and also made it for DH & DS.

I thought there was plenty of pasta. There were about 16 women at the meeting, and I took about one serving home with me (we had lots of other food too). I left the skillet full for DH, and he and DS loved it. There were enough leftovers for DH and I to have for lunch for the next two days...

I didn't have any problem with mine overflowing....did you stir it halfway through?

 

[babywings76]

Hmmm, for the Turkey Tetrazzini, I made a double batch, and put half in the Baker, and half in the 12" skillet. I was making it to take to our recipe tasting meeting, and also made it for DH & DS.

I thought there was plenty of pasta. There were about 16 women at the meeting, and I took about one serving home with me (we had lots of other food too). I left the skillet full for DH, and he and DS loved it. There were enough leftovers for DH and I to have for lunch for the next two days...

I didn't have any problem with mine overflowing....did you stir it halfway through?

Yeah, I stirred it halfway through. Maybe I didn't grab exactly half of the pasta from the 16oz box, so maybe I was a little short of the 8 oz? We had enough for 4 adult servings.

 

[BadGirl]

Yuck.

Last night I made the Turkey Tetrezzini and was not impressed at all. I'm gonna tear up the card and won't ever have to worry about making it again.

Tonight I made the Savory Salisbury Steak. Again, not very good, and I'll not make it again. I will fall back to my delicious no-fail salisbury steak recipe from Rachel Ray.

I plan on making the Moroccan Chicken tomorrow night. It better be good, or I'm tossing all of my recipe cards in the trash.

And trust me, I LOVE to eat. I LOVE food. I'm not sure why I'm not all aflutter with these recipe cards, but I'm not.

 

[pamperedlinda]

......I plan on making the Moroccan Chicken tomorrow night. It better be good, or I'm tossing all of my recipe cards in the trash.

And trust me, I LOVE to eat. I LOVE food. I'm not sure why I'm not all aflutter with these recipe cards, but I'm not.

mmm I loved the Moroccan Chicken recipe (that's the only one I've made). I hope you do too

 

[byrd1956]

I have a really good, quick, and easy recipe for Salisbury Steaks. When I looked at the PC recipe, I thought right away that the one I have looks better. I think it came from an old TOH magazine.

Can you share??

 

[pampchefrhondab]

I liked the Salisbury Steaks and the Turkey Tetrezzini; however, neither one had mushrooms since I'm allergic to them. I used cream of celery soup for the Turkey. I thought it smelled terrible, but I loved the taste. I couldn't believe how strong the garlic was though for only 2 cloves. These are the only two I have tried - I'm on week one as you can tell.

I do love the shopping list. My DH and DS went to the store and got everything for me.

I agree the Salisbury steak took a long time to make. It was about 50 minutes for me. I had to thaw my meat in the microwave though which took extra time.

 

[meganmcg]

I made the Turkey Tetrezzini last night and DH and I both loved it! It's cool that it can be so versatile as well, use different veggies or leftover chicken in place of the turkey.

We really liked the Salisbury Steaks, too. Just thought it needed more salt and pepper, which I find with a lot of the PC recipes.

 

[chefsteph07]

Yuck.

Last night I made the Turkey Tetrezzini and was not impressed at all. I'm gonna tear up the card and won't ever have to worry about making it again.

Tonight I made the Savory Salisbury Steak. Again, not very good, and I'll not make it again. I will fall back to my delicious no-fail salisbury steak recipe from Rachel Ray.

I plan on making the Moroccan Chicken tomorrow night. It better be good, or I'm tossing all of my recipe cards in the trash.

And trust me, I LOVE to eat. I LOVE food. I'm not sure why I'm not all aflutter with these recipe cards, but I'm not.

Can you share the salsbury steak from Rachel that you make?

 

[kam]

Can you share the salsbury steak from Rachel that you make?

Heehee - I was going to ask too!

 

[pampchefrhondab]

I forgot to mention I made the Turkey Tetrezzini with low fat cream of celery soup, low fat sour cream and 1% milk and it turned out great! So if you want less fat, give it a try.

 

[kristina16marie]

I've finished both weeks of recipes and loved almost every one. The one that got the lowest rating was the deep dish pizza. DH isn't ready to give up on it yet, maybe with some tweaking he'll give it a thumbs up. I was just so happy to not have to worry about what was for dinner. In fact, I went through the new Season's Best & made up an extra weeks worth of dinners with a shopping list because I liked the idea so much! And next week, I'm going to do the same with the current SB!

 

[BadGirl]

Can you share the salsbury steak from Rachel that you make?

Heehee - I was going to ask too!

For anyone looking for an awesome salisbury steak recipe, this comes from Rachel Ray. I swear by it....it's flavorful, zesty, and is always a hit.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/rachael-ray/meatloaf-patties-and-pan-gravy-recipe/index.html

Ingredients
1 1/3 pounds ground sirloin, 90 percent lean ground beef
1 slice white bread, spread with softened butter, then cut into small cubes
1/8 cup (a splash) milk
1 egg
2 teaspoons grill seasoning blend (Montreal Steak Seasoning), or coarse salt and black pepper combined
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1 rounded tablespoon tomato paste
1 medium onion, finely chopped, reserve 1/4 amount


3-Condiment Pan Gravy:
2 tablespoons butter
1/4 medium onion, finely chopped, reserved from meatloaf mixture
2 tablespoons (a handful) all-purpose flour
1 to 1 1/2 cups beef stock
1 tablespoon ketchup
1 rounded teaspoon spicy brown mustard
1 tablespoon steak sauce (A-1)

Directions
Place meat in a large mixing bowl and create a well in the center of the meat. Fill the well with the bread cubes and dampen them with a splash of milk. Pour 1 beaten egg over bread and add seasoning or salt and pepper, allspice, tomato paste and onion to the bowl.

Combine the meat, bread and grill seasoning or salt and pepper and form mixture into 4 large oval patties 3/4-inch thick. Pan fry meatloaf patties in a nonstick skillet over medium high heat 7 minutes on each side under a loose tin foil tent. The tent will reflect heat and allow the steam to escape the pan.

Remove meat loaf patties to a platter and return pan to heat. Reduce heat to medium and add butter and onion to your skillet. Cook the onion 2 minutes and sprinkle pan with flour. Cook flour 1 minute and whisk in 1 cup beef stock. Bring broth to a bubble. If gravy is too thick, thin with additional stock. Stir in condiments and remove gravy from heat.

Slice meatloaf patties and drizzle with gravy. Serve meatloaf with smashed potatoes and baby carrots, or with a tossed salad dressed with oil and vinegar.

 

[BadGirl]

mmm I loved the Moroccan Chicken recipe (that's the only one I've made). I hope you do too

Not bad. Not bad at all.

The chicken was very tender and moist.

I'd probably make this again.

 

[kam]

For anyone looking for an awesome salisbury steak recipe, this comes from Rachel Ray. I swear by it....it's flavorful, zesty, and is always a hit.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/rachael-ray/meatloaf-patties-and-pan-gravy-recipe/index.html

Ingredients
1 1/3 pounds ground sirloin, 90 percent lean ground beef
1 slice white bread, spread with softened butter, then cut into small cubes
1/8 cup (a splash) milk
1 egg
2 teaspoons grill seasoning blend (Montreal Steak Seasoning), or coarse salt and black pepper combined
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1 rounded tablespoon tomato paste
1 medium onion, finely chopped, reserve 1/4 amount


3-Condiment Pan Gravy:
2 tablespoons butter
1/4 medium onion, finely chopped, reserved from meatloaf mixture
2 tablespoons (a handful) all-purpose flour
1 to 1 1/2 cups beef stock
1 tablespoon ketchup
1 rounded teaspoon spicy brown mustard
1 tablespoon steak sauce (A-1)

Directions
Place meat in a large mixing bowl and create a well in the center of the meat. Fill the well with the bread cubes and dampen them with a splash of milk. Pour 1 beaten egg over bread and add seasoning or salt and pepper, allspice, tomato paste and onion to the bowl.

Combine the meat, bread and grill seasoning or salt and pepper and form mixture into 4 large oval patties 3/4-inch thick. Pan fry meatloaf patties in a nonstick skillet over medium high heat 7 minutes on each side under a loose tin foil tent. The tent will reflect heat and allow the steam to escape the pan.

Remove meat loaf patties to a platter and return pan to heat. Reduce heat to medium and add butter and onion to your skillet. Cook the onion 2 minutes and sprinkle pan with flour. Cook flour 1 minute and whisk in 1 cup beef stock. Bring broth to a bubble. If gravy is too thick, thin with additional stock. Stir in condiments and remove gravy from heat.

Slice meatloaf patties and drizzle with gravy. Serve meatloaf with smashed potatoes and baby carrots, or with a tossed salad dressed with oil and vinegar.

THANK YOU! Looks like pretty basic ingredients. DH will probably LOVE this.

 

[pampchefrhondab]

Well night 3 for me. I made the Parmesan Crusted Chicken with creamy risotto and did not like it! The chicken was good, but could not stand the creamy risotto!! Even my son who loves everything (so we thought) didn't eat it. It didn't surprise me I didn't like it since I don't like tomato soup, but my son does.

Oh well, won't be making that again. I might do the chicken w/some traditional pasta and sauce.

 

[kam]

We made the Turkey Tetrazzini tonight for dinner. We thought it was awesome. DH is very picky - so I wasn't sure what he'd think. But it was a hit.

I did not add the Green Beans (we are not green bean fans).

I also used some cooked chicken instead of the deli turkey this time (cheaper I thought). The deli turkey was $7.99/lb (store brand) and the boneless chicken is only $4.99/lb - and even though I cooked a little more chicken so it would cook down to the 1/2 lb - I still think it was cheaper. The only way I would do the deli turkey is if it was on sale.

It was slightly watery - and I was heavy-handed with the pasta - so I expected it to be drier rather than moister. When I was just microwaving the pasta with the broth for the first step - I had some liquid still in the baker that the pasta did not absorb.

Did everyone else have excess broth at this step - should I have cooked the spaghetti longer to make sure all the liquid was absorbed?

Bottom line: I loved it and I am going to add it to my list of recipes for the fall. I think it demo's just as much stuff as some of the other dinner recipes. I love the Microplane - so I will always try to pick recipes that use it - and this one does. Plus, I can let each guest try it by adding Parm to their own dish. AND, there is a stovetop option for those hosts that don't have microwaves large enough!

 

[nancyk325]

I have tried the Rush Hour Chicken Fajitas. They were really good and easy. I love the idea of the week night dinners. My husband has celiac's disease so it is not as easy to cook even the quick easy PC recipes. So I am now trying to see how easy it would be to turn them into gluten free recipes.

 

[Christascafe]

I made the Turkey Tetrazini with cooked chicken that I had on hand....my family loved it, even my picky 4 year old!!

 

[aslion]

Made the Moroccan Chicken tonight, everyone liked it. I used chicken thighs instead of breasts and long grain rice instead of instant even my 14 month old liked it!

 

[quiverfull7]

I've finished both weeks of recipes and loved almost every one. The one that got the lowest rating was the deep dish pizza. DH isn't ready to give up on it yet, maybe with some tweaking he'll give it a thumbs up. I was just so happy to not have to worry about what was for dinner. In fact, I went through the new Season's Best & made up an extra weeks worth of dinners with a shopping list because I liked the idea so much! And next week, I'm going to do the same with the current SB!

Any chance you made up that SB list on the computer and could share it with all of us who want a week 3? pretty please?

 

[ChefBeckyD]

We made the Turkey Tetrazzini tonight for dinner. We thought it was awesome. DH is very picky - so I wasn't sure what he'd think. But it was a hit.

I did not add the Green Beans (we are not green bean fans).

I also used some cooked chicken instead of the deli turkey this time (cheaper I thought). The deli turkey was $7.99/lb (store brand) and the boneless chicken is only $4.99/lb - and even though I cooked a little more chicken so it would cook down to the 1/2 lb - I still think it was cheaper. The only way I would do the deli turkey is if it was on sale.

It was slightly watery - and I was heavy-handed with the pasta - so I expected it to be drier rather than moister. When I was just microwaving the pasta with the broth for the first step - I had some liquid still in the baker that the pasta did not absorb.

Did everyone else have excess broth at this step - should I have cooked the spaghetti longer to make sure all the liquid was absorbed?

Bottom line: I loved it and I am going to add it to my list of recipes for the fall. I think it demo's just as much stuff as some of the other dinner recipes. I love the Microplane - so I will always try to pick recipes that use it - and this one does. Plus, I can let each guest try it by adding Parm to their own dish. AND, there is a stovetop option for those hosts that don't have microwaves large enough!

I was making this for my cluster meeting, so I also made it for my family. I made it in the DCB for the meeting, while simultaneously making it in the skillet for my family.

It's actually a little easier to make in the skillet, IMO. I also used chicken breast in place of the deli turkey. I cooked the chicken in the DCB first, with a little parmesan-garlic seasoning on it.

Next time, I would leave out the beans, and just serve them on the side. Very easy to steam them while you are making the Tetrazzini.
We did like this though, and I'd definitely make it again! I think this will be a skillet dinner for me though.

 

[pc_jessica]

i also made this in my skillet and thought it was super easy to do! instead of the deli turkey, because ours was $8.99/lb i used turkey ham it was only $2.89/lb and i thought it was great!!! my husband keeps asking that i make this now at least once a week!!!

 

[AmyDare]

Would the Easy Tortellini Toss work well with Turkey instead of ham? I have one guy in my household who is a non ham eater.
?

 

[jenniferm]

The one thing that is great about these recipes is that you can make subsitutions easily and still have a great meal. My kids are picky eaters and I did both weeks and they loved just about everthing. The Pronto Sausage, I added hot dogs for the kids and I had the sausage. I hope to see more recipe card sets like this...another set and we can have a whole month of dinners...and maybe they need to come out with a weekend version or something. Boy that would make it so much easier to shop in our busy lives today.