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Category: Easy Dinners

  • Easy Chicken Tortilla Soup

    Easy Chicken Tortilla Soup

    This chicken tortilla soup is really tasty. It has been a favorite for a long time. It works as an evening meal or a weekend meal when we don’t feel like doing a ton of cooking. The only work is pulling the meat from a deli chicken and sautéing some onions. The soup can either be pulled together in 30 minutes.

    We got the idea from a recipe that I found in Cooking Light. I can’t find the recipe that we started with on their site. Looking at it now I am a bit surprised that I printed the recipe we started with in 2002. Luckily it has been in plastic. Over time we adjusted the spices to our taste, and in this case we actually doubled them compared to the original. That doesn’t mean that our version is overpowering. It is just more interesting.

    This soup is kid compatible in our house. We do give him a bit more sour cream if he wants it.

     

    Notes

    A cooked deli chicken makes about 3 cups of shredded chicken.

    We use a slow cooker that has a a cast aluminum insert. That way we don’t have to use one pan for the onions, the insert just moves from the stove to the slow cooker.

    Print Recipe
     Easy Chicken Tortilla Soup
    This easy chicken tortilla soup recipe is really tasty. It is a favorite evening meal, or weekend meal when we don’t feel like doing a ton of cooking.
    easy chicken tortilla soup
    Prep Time 10 minutes
    Cook Time 20 minutes
    Servings
    people
    Ingredients
    Optional for Heat
    Accompaniments
    Prep Time 10 minutes
    Cook Time 20 minutes
    Servings
    people
    Ingredients
    Optional for Heat
    Accompaniments
    easy chicken tortilla soup
    Instructions
    1. Heat a pan to medium, add olive oil and sauté onions until translucent, about 5 minutes
    2. Add garlic, chili powder, cumin, Worcestershire sauce, and simmer for about a minute.
    3. Add chicken stock, chicken, tomatoes, and simmer for 20 minutes.
      slow cooker taking over
    4. Optionally, if you prefer your soup spicy, add chipotle chili powder. Test the flavors and add a quarter teaspoon at a time.
    5. Serve with sour cream, green onions, and tortilla chips
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  • Pasta with Creamy Tomato Sauce

    Pasta with Creamy Tomato Sauce

    This creamy tomato sauce recipe is a favorite cold weather comfort food at our house. It tastes great and makes the whole house smell amazing. We like to make it as a week night meal. If you have large enough pots, it is great option for a family style dinner too. Rigatoni or a wide noodle like pappardelle work well with this sauce.

    My inspiration for the dish came from St Francis winery. If you are in their wine club, their chef sends you recipe cards for dishes that pair with their wines. We got a recipe card with one of our shipments and tried it out. Their dish used fettuccini, sausage, and a lot of cream. The oregano, sage and pepper were really nice together. We really liked the flavors, and their dish really does pair nicely with red wines like merlot and zinfandel.

    Over time I made a few changes. I found that we prefer less cream than they used. Originally the recipe called for a pound of sausage. Out of necessity I had to substitute bacon when we didn’t have sausage, and now have settled on a mix of the two. A smoked bacon adds some great depth. Lastly I use a variety of noodles. This mezzo rigatoni is a short rigatoni. It holds the sauce nicely. We do use the sauce with regular rigatoni, and other wide noodles like pappardelle too.

    It is important to use really nice bacon and tomatoes since they are the bedrock of the sauce. We get a thick cut smoked bacon from our butcher. If you use a lower quality bacon, it would work, but you will want to drain off the extra fat that it will render. For tomatoes we use the San Marzano type which aren’t too sweet. Many times the tomatoes come whole and peeled in sauce. It speeds things along if you crush the tomatoes with your hands as you add them to the dish.

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     Pasta with Creamy Tomato Sauce
    This pasta with creamy tomato sauce recipe tastes great and makes the whole house smell amazing. We cook this about once a week during the fall and winter.
    Prep Time 5 minutes
    Cook Time 30 minutes
    Servings
    servings
    Ingredients
    Optional
    Prep Time 5 minutes
    Cook Time 30 minutes
    Servings
    servings
    Ingredients
    Optional
    Instructions
    1. In a large pot, bring water to a boil for the pasta.
    2. In a second pot, add bacon, sausage, and onions. Cook 10 minutes until the meats are browned and the onions are translucent. Drain off fat if more than 2 tablespoons remains.
    3. Add garlic, sage, oregano, and fennel. Cook for 2 minutes.
    4. Add tomatoes and simmer for about 20 minutes. The tomatoes should should break down.
    5. Add cream to the tomato sauce and stir to combine.
    6. As the tomato sauce cooks, boil pasta until just done. Reserve 1/2 cup of the cooking water and then drain.
    7. Add pasta and to the sauce. Toss until coated.
    8. Add more pasta cooking water a quarter cup at a time if the pasta seems dry. Some canned tomatoes don’t have much liquid, and even if they do you can cook off the water if the sauce simmers for a while.
    9. Season with salt pepper to suit your taste.
    10. Transfer pasta to a serving bowl and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.
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  • Hearty Tomato Soup

    Hearty Tomato Soup

    This hearty tomato soup is a favorite as an easy lunch or dinner. We adapted this recipe from a few that we have enjoyed. Worcestershire sauce gives it some character, and sour cream takes a bit of the bite out of the tomatoes. It can stay hot on the stove and can feed a crowd. When the weather turns cold, we pull this one out because it is so tasty and versatile.

    The ingredients also store well. Onions and sour cream are the fresh ingredients involved. Both last for a few weeks, so you can stock up and make the soup as you need it.

    If that weren’t enough, the leftovers can be canned and stored for a later time. We usually scale the recipe up. If you want to adjust the recipe below, you can change the servings and the ingredient list updates for you.

    Last weekend we made this hearty tomato soup with grilled cheese for a family party at our house.

    Print Recipe
     Hearty Tomato Soup
    This hearty tomato soup is a favorite for an easy lunch or dinner. It is great cold weather comfort food.
    Prep Time 10 minutes
    Cook Time 25 minutes
    Servings
    cups
    Ingredients
    Prep Time 10 minutes
    Cook Time 25 minutes
    Servings
    cups
    Ingredients
    Instructions
    1. Dice the onion, celery, and carrots. Reserve the celery leaves for a garnish.
    2. Heat oil in a medium sauce pan.
    3. Saute onion, carrots, and celery until soft, about 10 minutes.
    4. Make a space at the bottom of the pan, and add the garlic. Cook for about one minute.
    5. Add tomatoes and stock. Cook for about 15 minutes.
    6. Add sour cream and Worcestershire sauce, and stir to combine.
    7. Optional – Remove pot from the burner and use an immersion blender to smooth the soup.
    8. Check the flavors and add ground pepper and Worcestershire sauce if needed.
    9. Garnish with grated parmesan cheese plus minced chives or celery leaves.
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  • Fettuccine Alfredo

    Fettuccine Alfredo

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     Fettuccine Alfredo
    Cook Time 15 minutes
    Servings
    Ingredients
    Cook Time 15 minutes
    Servings
    Ingredients
    Instructions
    1. Boil water, cook fettuccine noodles to al dente, and drain.
    2. Combine cream and butter in a sauce pan. Heat over medium low until butter is melted.
    3. Add cheese. Stir to combine. Add pepper to taste.
    4. Toss noodles with sauce.
    5. Plate noodles and sprinkle each with a pinch with nutmeg.
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  • Easy Beef Chili

    Easy Beef Chili

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     Easy Beef Chili
    This easy beef chili has a nice slow heat that warms everyone up. By chili rules it isn’t a traditional recipe. It is always a hit at our fall and winter parties.
    Course Main Dish
    Prep Time 10 minutes
    Cook Time 90 minutes
    Servings
    people
    Ingredients
    Course Main Dish
    Prep Time 10 minutes
    Cook Time 90 minutes
    Servings
    people
    Ingredients
    Instructions
    1. Add oil and onions to a large pot. Cook until the onions become translucent about 10 minutes.
    2. Move the onions so you have a space at the bottom of the pan. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds until it becomes fragrant.
    3. Add ground chuck and stir until browned, about 10 minutes. Pour off any extra fat.
    4. Add remaining ingredients except for the beans. Cook for 40 minutes.
    5. Optional: Remove from heat. Refrigerate overnight.
    6. Rinse the beans and then add them and warm over medium heat at least 30 minutes before your guests arrive.
    7. Serve with your preference of minced green onions, shredded cheddar cheese, sour cream, corn bread, and sour dough bread.
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  • Smoked Gouda Mac and Cheese

    Smoked Gouda Mac and Cheese

    Print Recipe
     Smoked Gouda Mac and Cheese
    Course Main Dish
    Prep Time 5 minutes
    Cook Time 20 minutes
    Servings
    people
    Ingredients
    Course Main Dish
    Prep Time 5 minutes
    Cook Time 20 minutes
    Servings
    people
    Ingredients
    Instructions
    1. Bring water to a boil in a large pot. Once the water boils, add salt.
    2. Shred the cheese
    3. Melt butter in a sauce pan over medium low heat. Add flour, whisk to combine, and allow mixture to bubble
    4. Add milk and whisk to combine. Continue to heat on low heat until the sauce thickens.
    5. Add pasta and cook to al dente.
    6. Reserve half a cup of the water in case you need to thin out the cheese sauce. Then strain the pasta.
    7. Remove sauce from heat. Add the cheese and whisk to combine. Then add noodles.
    8. Add a handful of fresh spinach leaves and stir.
    9. Optional – Pour into a 9×13 pan, sprinkle with breadcrumbs. Cover and refrigerate. Warm in a 350F over for 20 minutes.
    10. Plate to serve. Green veggies make a nice compliment.
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  • Oven Roasted Chicken with Lemon and Oregano

    Oven Roasted Chicken with Lemon and Oregano

    A Greek restaurant in our neighborhood makes an outstanding lemon and oregano chicken. I have been trying to replicate it for a while, trying a variety of recipes. This is the best. It is also super easy.

    This one is based on an Ina Garten recipe. She has several roasted chicken recipes. I like her method in this skillet roasted recipe. She has different spices, and I don’t use as much olive oil, but this was my starting point.

    One key to this recipe is a butterflied chicken (also called spatchcocked chicken). We have our butcher do this, which speeds up the prep time. It isn’t too tough to do at home though. Butterflying means cutting the backbone out of the chicken. Lay the chicken on a cutting board with the breast side down, and use a chef’s knife to make cuts along both sides of backbone. Pull the backbone out, flip the cut side down, and press the bird into the cutting board. This flattens the chicken which is key to cooking quickly and evenly. A whole roasted chicken would take about 75 minutes to cook, so this saves about 25-30 minutes.

    If you want to change things up, this recipe can work with thyme instead of oregano. Adding carrots cut to 2 inch chunks to the pan and/or a sliced bulb of fennel and works well with the thyme too.

    Print Recipe
     Oven Roasted Chicken with Lemon and Oregano
    Prep Time 5 minutes
    Cook Time 50 minutes
    Passive Time 10 minutes
    Servings
    people
    Ingredients
    Prep Time 5 minutes
    Cook Time 50 minutes
    Passive Time 10 minutes
    Servings
    people
    Ingredients
    Instructions
    1. Preheat oven to 425F.
    2. Cut onion and lemon into slices and spread onto the bottom of a cast iron skillet.
    3. Poke holes in the skin with a fork. Pat dry on all sides with paper towels.
    4. Combine olive oil and oregano, and spread mixture over the cut side of the chicken.
    5. Turn chicken breast side up. pat skin spread olive oil mixture over the top.
    6. Roast chicken for 40 minutes. Pour wine into the pan, avoid pouring over the chicken though.
    7. After about 10 more minutes, the internal temperature of the chicken should read 165F.
    8. Remove chicken from the oven. Sprinkle with salt. Rest for 10 minutes.
    9. Cut into quarters for serving.
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  • Chicken and Dumplings

    This is a variation on a Rachel Ray recipe that we liked. We use our own drop biscuit recipe. If we are traveling we use store bought poultry seasoning, but if we are at home we mix that ourselves with this poultry seasoning recipe.

     

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     Chicken and Dumplings
    Prep Time 15
    Cook Time 25
    Servings
    Ingredients
    Prep Time 15
    Cook Time 25
    Servings
    Ingredients
    Instructions
    1. Add olive oil and butter to a stock pot. Heat over medium heat until butter has melted.
    2. Add flour and poultry seasoning. Whisk together.
    3. Add potato carrots, and celery. Cook until starting to soften, about 10 minutes.
    4. Add chicken broth and chicken.
    5. Spoon drop biscuit mix onto the top of broth. Cover and cook for 10 minutes. Larger sized biscuits work best as they will break up as you stir in the peas in the next step.
    6. Remove from heat and stir peas into the chicken and dumplings.
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  • Meatball Appetizer Recipe

    Meatball Appetizer Recipe

    This meatball appetizer recipe has been a hit at our parties. It combines the best of recipes I have tried. Some recipes don’t have very many spices for flavor. If you were using them in a dish with other flavors, I can see how you wouldn’t want to add spices that would compete. In this case meatballs are the dish, and I like this mix of spices. I also like to use a combination of beef and pork. That adds great flavors too.

    One of the reasons these are popular at our house is that they can easily be served warm from a slow cooker. So they don’t need to be heated in the oven on party day like some other appetizers do. Whenever guests arrive they can serve themselves. Everyone wins.

    No one needs to know, but these are really easy to make. It takes about 30 minutes to pull them together. We have two ovens, so I can put a few sheets in at a time. It may take a bit longer if you need to run a few baking sheets through the same oven. Still that isn’t bad. I make these a day before a party. They could be made even earlier. They definitely won’t keep you from spending time with your guests.

    Bonus… if for some reason you have extra meatballs, they can be cooled, divided up into meal sized portions, and frozen. They are a great add to a weeknight spaghetti.

     

    Meatball Appetizer Recipe

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     Meatball Appetizers
    This tasty meatball appetizer recipe is a favorite because it is easy to make, they stay warm in a slow cooker, and extras are perfect for spaghetti.
    meatball appetizer recipe | yeadadshome.com
    Course Dinner, Main Dish, Side Dish
    Cuisine Italian
    Prep Time 10 minutes
    Cook Time 15 minutes
    Servings
    appetizers
    Ingredients
    Course Dinner, Main Dish, Side Dish
    Cuisine Italian
    Prep Time 10 minutes
    Cook Time 15 minutes
    Servings
    appetizers
    Ingredients
    meatball appetizer recipe | yeadadshome.com
    Instructions
    1. Heat oven to 350F and assemble ingredients.
    2. Remove crusts from bread and cut or tear it into 1 inch pieces.
      meatball appetizer recipe | yeadadshome.com
    3. Combine bread and milking a bowl and mash into a paste
      meatball appetizers | yeadadshome.com
    4. Mix the bread with the onion, cheese, garlic, seasoning, Woccester sauce, and chili powder. I like to do this before adding the meat because the seasoning is best if it is evenly mixed. One time I added everything all at once and I had bites with lots of chili powder and bites with no chili powder.
      meatball appetizer ingredients
    5. Gently combine the meats with the bread mixture and form into 1 inch balls. A #40 ice cream scoop works as a nice guide so that you are consistent.
    6. Line a baking sheet with either aluminum foil or a silpat to make clean up easier, and line up the meatballs. I had mine in a nice row. They just need space around them so they cook evenly.
      meatball appetizers
    7. Cook in the oven for 15 minutes or until the center reads 160F. Cool and refrigerate until the party, or put them straight into the slow cooker and add marinara.
      Meatball-Appetizers-Recipe | yeadadshome.com
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    Meatball References

    Americas Test Kitchen

    Their recipe uses buttermilk and a blend of meats. I like a bit more pork. I like to have some other seasonings too. You may have to have a login to see the recipe.

     https://www.americastestkitchen.com/recipes/6218-classic-spaghetti-and-meatballs-for-a-crowd

     

    Meatball Nirvana

    Love the name. Also really like some of their spicing. I like a mix of beef and pork though.

    http://allrecipes.com/recipe/meatball-nirvana

     

    Tools

    These are affiliate links, so I might get paid a bit if you buy through these.

    1. This Thermapen thermometer works really well..very fast: Splash-Proof Super-Fast Thermapen (Gray) Instant Read Thermometer, Perfect for Barbecue, Home and Professional Cooking. I use this a lot. It helps ensure that you get meat cooked to a safe temperature, and prevents over cooking.
    2. Cuisinart makes a newer version of the slow cooker we use: Cuisinart MSC-600 3-In-1 Cook Central 6-Quart Multi-Cooker: Slow Cooker, Brown/Saute, Steamer. We like the kind that can be heated on the stove for browning, or at least keeping the number of pans down to a minimum.

     

  • Easy Chicken Enchiladas

    Easy Chicken Enchiladas

    Print Recipe
     Easy Chicken Enchiladas
    Enchiladas
    Prep Time 15 minutes
    Cook Time 30 minutes
    Passive Time 15 minutes
    Servings
    people
    Ingredients
    Chicken
    Enchilada Filling
    Garnish
    Prep Time 15 minutes
    Cook Time 30 minutes
    Passive Time 15 minutes
    Servings
    people
    Ingredients
    Chicken
    Enchilada Filling
    Garnish
    Enchiladas
    Instructions
    Prepare Chicken
    1. If the chicken has the thin tenderloins attached, cut them off. They will cook a lot faster than the thicker breast pieces.
    2. Poke chicken all over with a fork to tenderize them. Sprinkle with paprika and chili powder.
      Chicken for enchaladas
    3. Cook to an internal temperature of 165 F.
    4. Let the chicken cool and then shred it.
    Assemble the dish
    1. Warm the tortillas. We wrap them in a kitchen towel and microwave them for 1 minute. You can also heat them individually in a skillet or over a gas stove burner.
      Tortillas
    2. Pour the cooking sauce into the bottom of a 9×13 baking pan. Then dip each tortilla in the sauce and stack them on a plate.
      Sauce in the baking dish
    3. For each tortilla sprinkle it with cheese, add some chicken, and then a bit of tomatillo salsa.
      Assembling enchiladas
    4. Roll each up into a tube shape, and arrange in the baking dish.
    5. Once the dish is filled, sprinkle the remaining cheese over the top.
    6. Cook at 350 F for 30 minutes.
    7. Let cool for 15 minutes so that things stay together.
      Cooling to set things up
    8. Serve with extra tomatillo salsa on the plate, and a bit of sour cream and minced cilantro on the top.
      Enchiladas
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  • Pumpkin Apple and Bacon Soup

    Pumpkin Apple and Bacon Soup

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     Pumpkin Apple and Bacon Soup
    Petoskey brewing serves a pumpkin soup with apple and bacon. It is awesome, especially with a good beer. We recreated it at home, and this is a pumpkin soup recipe for our version. Great comfort food for a cold day.
    pumpkin apple bacon soup
    Course Side Dish
    Prep Time 20 minutes
    Cook Time 10 minutes
    Servings
    servings
    Ingredients
    Course Side Dish
    Prep Time 20 minutes
    Cook Time 10 minutes
    Servings
    servings
    Ingredients
    pumpkin apple bacon soup
    Instructions
    1. Cook bacon until firm, but not super crisp.
      pumpkin apple bacon soup-6
    2. Peel, core, and cut apple into 1/4 inch dice.
      pumpkin apple bacon soup-2
    3. Saute apple in butter until softened, about 5 minutes.
      pumpkin apple bacon soup-4
    4. Chop bacon into 1/2 inch dice
    5. Stir in bacon, pumpkin, chicken broth, cream, spice, maple syrup. Warm over medium low for 5 minutes.
    6. To make it pretty, I cut up an extra apple, and a bit of extra bacon to garnish each bowl. I also like to serve the soup with pretzel rolls. It wasn’t garnished at the restaurant, but as I said, Petoskey Brewing has really good beer. They also had pretzel rolls. I love pretzel rolls. At home we like to serve the soup with these Pretzilla mini buns. They are really good. Sometimes we eat this pumpkin soup as dinner. It also works as a side dish with grilled cheese, hamburgers, or pork chops. It makes great comfort food for a cold day.
      pumpkin apple bacon soup | yeadadshome.com
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  • Gnocchi with Tomato Cream Sauce

    Gnocchi with Tomato Cream Sauce

    This gnocchi with tomato cream sauce recipe is similar to the gnocchi della nonna dish served at Nando Milano, a favorite local restaurant. It is creamy and cheesy, so definitely a comfort food. It also turns out to be super easy to prepare.

    To make it easy, We often use the refrigerated gnocchi. That makes for a quick weekday meal. Someday we will make gnocchi from scratch. I need to get a potato ricer. That is one tool we don’t have in our kitchen.

     

    Quick notes

    I really like the parmesan cheese to have a bit of texture. That is one of the things I liked about this dish in the restaurant. Adding the cheese at the very end seems to do that. My cream sauce is similar to one that I like from The Pasta Bible cookbook. I prefer to cut the cream by half though.

     

    Variations

    Half portions work well as a side dish.

     

    Tools

    This stick blender works well: Cuisinart CSB-75BC Smart Stick 2-Speed Immersion Hand Blender. We just got this in late 2013 after our old one which was a Williams Sonoma one stopped working. Prices have come down a lot since we bought the previous one unless you get the multifunction kind. They make stick blenders with whisk attachments and choppers. I didn’t need those functions. I would use the food processor or a stand mixer for those things, so I got this basic one. It is only a blender.

     

    Print Recipe
     Gnocchi with Tomato Cream Sauce
    This gnocchi with tomato cream sauce recipe is similar to the gnocchi della nonna dish served at Nando Milano, a favorite local restaurant. It is creamy and cheesy, so definitely a comfort food. It also turns out to be super easy to prepare.
    Gnocchi with Tomato Cream Sauce | yeadadshome.com
    Prep Time 5 minutes
    Cook Time 15 minutes
    Servings
    people
    Ingredients
    Prep Time 5 minutes
    Cook Time 15 minutes
    Servings
    people
    Ingredients
    Gnocchi with Tomato Cream Sauce | yeadadshome.com
    Instructions
    Sauce
    1. Combine tomatoes and wine in a saucepan and simmer for 10 minutes.
    2. Add cream to sauce and reduce heat to low as you cook the Gnocchi.
    Gnocchi
    1. Fill a large pot with water and bring to a boil then add a few teaspoons of salt.
    2. Boil gnocchi as the package describes, about 3-4 minutes. Keep a half cup of pasta water just in case you need it, then strain off the water.
    3. If sauce is lumpy, use a stick blender to smooth it out.
    4. Add pasta water a quarter cup at a time if sauce seems thick.
    5. Just before serving, gently combine gnocchi and parmesan cheese in the sauce.
    6. Portion into bowls and garnish with the basil.
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