Comment from Sheila at Dodging Raindrops
Time: March 4, 2008, 11:03 pm

I don’t do a lot of traditional casseroles but I love one-pot meals. A great recipe book is Desperation Dinners. Most meals in it can be made in 20 to 30 minutes.

I also like Kraft’s free magazine Food and Family. You can sign up for it on their website and they send it to you regularly.

You can look at my recipe site but it is woefully small. I have a lot more recipes to add to it.
http://sheilasrecipes.blogspot.com

Organizing Junkie has a Menu Plan Monday where you can get some great ideas.

Comment from Totallyscrappy
Time: March 4, 2008, 11:05 pm

Breakfast! Whip up some pancakes, french toast or waffles with a side greasy breakfast meat. Omlettes are popular at my house. Muffins and fruit always go well with breakfast. And if all else fails, I can give you some tasty breakfast recipes…

Comment from Tamara
Time: March 4, 2008, 11:10 pm

Tacos! That is what we had for dinner tonight. Each child selected which toppings he wanted on his. And some were eaten on the side as well for those who did not want to mix certain foods.

Comment from Kristy
Time: March 5, 2008, 12:23 am

I agree that Kraft’s free magazine (and their website) contains lots of great ideas.

Here’s one of my favorites: I marinate chicken breasts in McCormick’s tomato basil marinade mix (I’ve also used Italian dressing, and it works great), then broil them. I mix up a can of diced tomatoes, dried basil, mozzarella cheese, and a little olive oil and top the chicken breasts, then broil for about 5 minutes longer.

Comment from Suzanne
Time: March 5, 2008, 2:51 am

I’ve posted quiet a few dinner recipes that might help . . .

Comment from Chrissy
Time: March 5, 2008, 6:20 am

Cheese Tortellini with marinara (jar) sauce, a side of green beans or broccoli, salad and garlic bread. It doesn’t take long and everyone likes it.
Baked Potato with lots of stuff, and salad. No meat but still filling and a favorite.
What about stews? Put it in the crockpot and forget about it until dinner.
I know what you mean about the same old, we get stuck in it.

Comment from Martha
Time: March 5, 2008, 7:00 am

Dude. I’ll be checking back in your comment section later on today…there are some good ideas here!

Do I have a good idea for you? No.

Well…you know what I made the other day that the family liked? I know this may not be exciting to you, but we never think to have this: Hamburgers, OreIda french fries (I think this was the exciting part for noodle), cut up veggies and dip and milk shakes. I’m the only one who has a milk shake, though - if you can believe that.
What kind of sicko doesn’t like a freakin’ milkshake? I ask you! My picky family is making dinner time hellacious.

Comment from ValleyGirl
Time: March 5, 2008, 7:11 am

I highly recommend you check out Recipezaar.com! (or you can follow the link to my page there from my blog) You will never need another recipe book and you can search for any type of side dish or salad or whatever! You can search through menus that other people have come up with — maybe you’re thinking of having a French seafood dinner or a Scandanavian brunch — or cookbooks that others have compiled. You can avoid recipes that no one else has tried or rated and you can select ones where hundreds of people have tested it and found it to be delicious. Do I sound like a salesperson?! I came across that site almost two years ago and almost instantly paid for a premium membership. I told myself I wasn’t allowed to buy any more cookbooks or magazines and I thought that would be hard for me, but I haven’t missed it at all!

My favourite feature is being able to sift through recipes by ingredient. Like, if you happen to have a couple of leftover pork chops, a half-cup of whipping cream that really needs to get used up and an open tin of tomato paste, you just type that in and voila! A list of recipes using those ingredients!!

Whether you love cooking or view it as a necessary evil, you will fall in love with Recipezaar!! (and no, I’m not a paid rep!!)

Comment from JanMary, N Ireland
Time: March 5, 2008, 7:21 am

Here are our regular evening meal favs.

Roast Chicken, potatoes and veg
Sweet & Sour Chicken and rice
Irish stew (sorry - bit of a casserole, but no cheese or cream)
Spaghetti Bolognese
Mango Chicken, potato and veg
Shepherds Pie (mince and carrots, topped with potato)
Mexican Chicken Fajitas

PS your digi-scrap LO nearly there!

Comment from Britni
Time: March 5, 2008, 7:34 am

One of my favorite sides is Cranberry and Almond Toasted Couscous. It’s a little different than the typical potatoes or pasta.

Comment from sheila
Time: March 5, 2008, 7:41 am

we make lots of beans- the dried pinto kind cooked up with some carrots and spices and corn bread on the side. its so good for you even though it doesn’t sound that good it is. also we eat speghetti. and another good easy on is to buy a turkey breast at costco just stick it in the oven and its done in no time with some potatoes on the side and a salad.or you could do blt’s with a can of chick noodle soup…

Comment from Sister Honey Bunch
Time: March 5, 2008, 7:46 am

I tried a new recipe Sunday and it was soooo good. We’ve been eating it all week.

It’s Turkey Chili Cornbread Casserole. Basically chili with cornbread batter thrown on top and baked in the oven.

I will get the recipe and post it for you.

Comment from Tiffany
Time: March 5, 2008, 8:33 am

OK, I put recipes or links with my Menu Plan Monday with comments about how we like them if they are new. One of our favorites is Kikkoman Chicken. You can find the recipe here: http://tdlough.blogspot.com/2007/10/menu-plan-monday_15.html

I also like the blog What’s for Dinner at http://thematzats.blogspot.com/. She really has some great recipes!

The biggest advice I can give is to just try a lot of new things and see how they work. I try to make one new dish each week. If we like it, I add it to my repertoire. If we don’t like it, I scratch it off my list. If it is really bad, I keep a frozen pizza handy! I hope that helps.

Comment from Jan
Time: March 5, 2008, 9:08 am

I have a *small* recipe blog. You could give it a look. http://prytzrecipes.blogspot.com/

When we were young and broke, my salvation at dinner was to take a calendar and plan ahead for a month. No repeats, and very little leftovers, my husband hates leftovers, still after 43 years. I did all my shopping at once and that really saved a lot of money. You didn’t say money was a factor, but saving money is good, then you can go on a cruise and not worry about cooking.

Comment from Khaki
Time: March 5, 2008, 9:14 am

Check out my new fav recipe site http://www.supercook.com/. You may use it to match up recipes with ingredients that you have in your pantry, or you can use ingredients from sales cirulars to figure out how to cook up those low priced items. Personally I had a jar of yucky marmalade that I hated on toast, but worked great as an ingredient when I found recipes on this website. Go ahead, dig way in the back of the cupboard and clean out those seldom used ingredients!

Comment from Queen B
Time: March 5, 2008, 9:37 am

I’m kind of a one dish gal myself.

I also love the Kraft mag and I love Simple & Delicious magazine for meal ideas.

Comment from Becky @ Boys Rule My Life
Time: March 5, 2008, 10:37 am

Oh, I’m a big casserole person! However with the whole dairy-free thing I’ve had to reduce the number of casseroles because of the whole cheese and cream of something soups.

How about crock pots? It’s cold weather, do you guys like soups and stews? My favorite stew (which I actually do on the stove) I received from my MIL:
http://mustfollowrecipes.blogspot.com/2007/11/grandmothers-chicken-stew-dairy-free.html

If you guys like cauliflower, this one is absolutely delicious and a different spin on a side dish:
http://mustfollowrecipes.blogspot.com/2008/02/faux-tatoes.html

Something fun for us is breakfast for supper… the whole shebang: eggs, sausage, bacon, pancakes, chocolate milk, fruit. Different and fun.

Maybe you’ll find something else you like on my recipe blog. Don’t let the “Dairy free” stuff scare you. If it’s listed as dairy free and I use soy milk - just substitute regular milk 1 for 1. No biggy.

http://www.mustfollowrecipes.blogspot.com

Oh, I FINALLY got my giveaway up! My computer was down all day yesterday and I’m playing bloggy catch-up *not ketchup* today. Although, Nathan could make a meal out of ketchup… maybe you should try that! LOL!

Have a great day!

Comment from Cindy
Time: March 5, 2008, 10:40 am

Yes, a hunk of meat and two sides is common here!

How about aiming for a variety each week like one time each:
*breakfast for dinner
*casserole
*hunk o’meat with sides
*soup and salad
*pasta meal
*baked potato bar
*crock pot meal
*fancy sandwiches (and by fancy I mean something hot or something that isn’t pbj. THAT’S fancy to me)

Comment from Wifey
Time: March 5, 2008, 10:46 am

Here’s one of my family’s favorites.

No Boil Baked Ziti
1 jar (1 lb. 10 oz.) Ragu pasta sauce (I use roasted garlic)
1-1/2 cups water
1 container (15 oz.) ricotta cheese
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese (about 8 oz.)
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
8 ounces uncooked ziti pasta
Mix together sauce, water and ricotta until no lumps remain. Stir in 1 cup mozzarella, parmesan and pasta and pour into a greased 9×13 baking dish. Cover tightly with foil and bake at 400*F for 55 minutes or until pasta is tender. Uncover and top with remaining cheese, then bake until cheese is melted, 5 minutes.

Comment from Kelly @ Love Well
Time: March 5, 2008, 11:00 am

We eat a lot of stews and soups in the winter, so we’re right with you on this one. (SO READY FOR SPRING!)

But once we get into summer, our meals switch more to meat-side-veggie. (Much to our kiddos relief. They aren’t crazy about all that inter-mixing of foods, like yours.)

I’ve got a few recipes on my menu this week that aren’t one dish: pineapple chicken, rice, broccoli for one night, pork chops primavera and mashed potatoes another. Let me know if you want the recipes.

Comment from Ames
Time: March 5, 2008, 11:37 am

Personally I’m a food mixer, but my guy definitely is not. We eat a variety of meat-veg-side dishes, frequently with a roast made in the slow cooker (he’s always in charge of the gravy). Other than that, you can try pasta (all varieties with all kinds of sauces), tacos or fajitas, a big ‘ole fancy salad with lots of veggies and some grilled meat, curry on rice, stir fry on rice, chili with cornbread or noodles or rice, french dip sandwiches or cheesesteaks, and homemade pizza or calzones.

Comment from Christie
Time: March 5, 2008, 12:41 pm

My new thing has been to make my kids try a new vegetable every week, as all they had been exposed to was frozen corn. Our new favorite is sweet potatoe fries. You take a sweet potato, peel it, and put it on a greased cookie sheet. Sprinkle it with sea salt and a little bit of olive oil (not much). Bake at 400 for about an hour (more or less, depending on how crunchy you want them). They are the best things EVER.

I’m with you on the casserole thing. Easy peasy.

Comment from Tara
Time: March 5, 2008, 3:58 pm

I love to baked cornish game hens with wild and white rice… Rub your little hens down with butter and season per your taste. Bake in a covered roaster for about an hour. Take the lid off to let brown at the end. Make up a pkg. of Uncle Bens wild rice. (I make up another cup of plain white rice to mix in with this after it’s cooked). Take the hens out of the roaster and mix the rice (both kinds) in with the drippings. Place the hens back on top of the rice and serve. Soooo easy and really delicious. Almost fancy but still great for a weeknight. (Two Tyson cornish hens feeds my family of five) I serve this with sweet potatoes and green beans.

Comment from Heidi
Time: March 5, 2008, 5:57 pm

Some friends and I went away for a scrapbooking weekend recently. We wanted no-fuss meals so we wouldn’t lose any time. Someone made these yummy sandwiches:

Foccacia bread (sliced into a top & bottom)
mayo and pesto spread on the bread
turkey and ham deli meat on top of the sauce
sprinkle loads of shredded colby jack on top of that
put the top of the bread on
brush a little oil on bread, sprinkle parmesan cheese
bake at 400 until cheese is melted and it’s warmed through (20 minutes?)

now, this was delicious. It served at least 8, but hearty eaters will take more than one portion. She also used sun-dried tomato in hers, but I omitted that and it tasted fine. The pesto and mayo combo really needs to be tinkered with so the sandwich isn’t too dry.

I’m not very creative, so this was fun for me to try.

Comment from jen
Time: March 5, 2008, 5:58 pm

I have a ton of recipes I could send you if you want…email me.

Comment from The (Almost) Amazing Mommarino
Time: March 5, 2008, 9:15 pm

Some of my faves:

Citrus Grilled Chicken

1/2 cup lime or lemon juice
4 T olive oil or canola oil
1 ½ tsp seasoned salt
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon dried basil
½ teaspoon dried thyme
4 (4 ounce) skinless, boneless chicken breast halves

In a bowl, combine the first seven ingredients; mix well. Pour 1/4 C. marinade into a resealable plastic bag. Cover and refrigerate remaining marinade; add chicken to the bag. Seal bag and turn to coat; refrigerate for at least 3 hours or overnight. Drain and discard marinade. Grill, uncovered, over medium heat or broil 6 in. from heat for 5-7 minutes on each side or until juices run clear; basting occasionally with reserved marinade.

Lemon Herb Chicken

1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 tablespoon dried thyme
2 tablespoons dried basil
1 tablespoon dried parsley
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon garlic powder
4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
1/4 cup butter
1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of mushroom (OR cream of chicken) soup
1 (10.5 ounce) can condensed chicken broth
1/4 cup dry white wine (chicken broth may be substituted)
1 lemon, juiced (or 2 T lemon juice)

In a shallow dish or bowl, combine the flour, thyme, basil, parsley, paprika, salt, ground black pepper, and garlic powder. Dredge chicken in the mixture to coat, patting off any excess flour. Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat, and cook chicken, turning until lightly browned on both sides. In a medium bowl, mix together the soup, chicken broth, wine, and lemon juice; pour over chicken. Cover skillet, and simmer 20 minutes, or until chicken is no longer pink and juices run clear.

I like to double the sauce and serve over egg noodles or rice.

Mom’s Creamy Jello

1 small pkg. Jello, any flavor
1 C boiling water
2 C (1 pint) vanilla ice cream
1 C fruit (optional; do not use fresh pineapple or kiwi, or Jello will not set)
Cool Whip (optional)

Stir Jello into boiling water until completely dissolved. Stir in ice cream until completely melted. Chill until set. (If desired, stir in fruit when partially set, about 30 minutes.) Top with Cool Whip, if desired.

This is also delicious made with sugar free Jello and ice cream. I use Edy’s sugar free vanilla.

Loaded Potato Casserole

1 can cheddar cheese soup
1/3 C sour cream or plain yogurt
1 or 2 green onions, chopped
2 T bacon bits
Dash pepper
3 C stiff, unseasoned mashed potatoes

Topping:
4 T dry bread crumbs
1/4 tsp paprika
2 T butter, melted

Preheat oven to 350°. In a medium bowl, combine soup, sour cream, green onions, bacon bits and pepper. Stir in potatoes. Transfer to a greased 1 ½ quart casserole. In a small bowl combine breadcrumbs and paprika. Stir in butter and sprinkle over potato mixture. Bake at 350° for 30 minutes or until hot.

I often skip the breadcrumb mixture and top with shredded cheddar cheese and extra bacon bits.

Enjoy!!!!

Comment from Nicole@On The Run
Time: March 5, 2008, 11:02 pm

Enchiladas are my standby because they are GOOD and also they are DELICIOUS.

It’s the best of both worlds: tehcnically NOT a casserole, but still a one dish wonder.

Plus, the side is chips and salsa. There’s no going wrong with that!

Let me know if you want the recipe…and happy eating. I’m officially hungry now.

Comment from Kim N
Time: March 6, 2008, 1:27 am

I am a big fan of soups and stews. They are pretty easy to make, generally, you can get your veggie requirements all in one, and they make great leftovers. As a kid we always had “three hours stew”. My mom would put it in the crockpot before church and three hours later when we got home it was done. It was basically stew meat, french onion soup, potatoes, onion, carrots, and green beans and sometimes frozen corn added for the last few minutes of cooking. Yum! My other favorite is all the many variations my husband and I have come up with for chicken tortilla soup. It is a little different each time, but always good!

Comment from Emily
Time: March 6, 2008, 8:05 am

My husband LOVES this rice dish, and my picky 2 yr old “yikes” it too. It’s a variation of an Alton Brown/Food Network dish, and it is super-easy…
Baked Brown Rice
2.5 cups of water
1.5 cups of brown rice (not intant)
1 T of butter
1 t of salt
my additions:
Half a medium onion, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 t butter
1 t of thyme
1-2 bay leaves

Preheat oven to 375.
Pour uncooked rice into a 8×8 pyrex dish.
Saute the onions and garlic in butter.
Combine water, butter, and salt in a saucepan and bring to a rapid boil.
Pour boiling water mixture in the rice, mix, add the sauted onions, garlic, and herbs. Cover with heavy duty aluminum foil. Bake at 375 for 1 hour.
It smells so good while it’s cooking too. (we may have some tonight!)

Comment from Emily
Time: March 6, 2008, 8:19 am

Another side dish that’s good and super-easy…
Pesto Orzo:
8 oz of Orzo Pasta (looks like rice)
2 T of bottled, prepared Pesto sauce.
half a medium onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 T of olive oil or butter
1 Roma tomato, chopped or a few slices of sundried tomatoes, chopped
1/4 c of sliced black olives
1/4 c of Feta or goat cheese

Cook orzo according to pkg directions. While the orzo is cooking, saute the onion and garlic in 1 T of olive oil or butter. Drain Orzo, and mix all ingredients in a medium bowl. Serve.

This recipe is good both warm and cold. My sister likes to add pine nuts and a protein like chicken or shrimp.

I like to use orzo instead of spaghetti noodles when I fix speghetti. They are so much easier for my 2 year old to eat, and the rest of the family likes it too!

Comment from Traceytreasure
Time: March 6, 2008, 4:37 pm

I hate to cook! I love, love, love Taco Bell!

Comment from Jdude
Time: March 7, 2008, 7:16 am

It was my son’s birthday this week and he always requests the same thing. Funny, every one of my kids has requested this for their birthday dinner this year. I think I’m onto something - but truthfully I didn’t make it up - its from the Rhodes bake and serve bread company. I call it pizza braid and it is pretty much pizza but it is in different form and so it seems like you’ve fed your kids something more than just pizza. I think your family will enjoy it. And, by the way, I always make 2 for my family of 6 but often I will make 3, then before I let it rise before baking I wrap it up tight and stick it in the freezer for another night’s meal - just pull out of th freezer - thaw to a good rise and then back like usual. It also makes a great meal for a sick friend’s family when you want to take something but you know they won’t like CASSEROLE!!! (Easy as we all know it to be.)

So, thaw and raise two white loaves of the Rhoades bread dough - available in thef freezer section - on a greased plate with plastic wrap tightly over. (I usually do this around 11 in the morning.) When they are nice and plump and “risen” - about 4-5:00 - I roll them on the counter top into a nice long rectangle. Fill a pile of pizza toppings (my kids love just plain browned sausage and cheese in their braid but my husband and I love pepperoni, sausage, mushrooms, etc…) Top with cheese and then make cuts along the sides of the dough (remember your toppings are only running down the middle)and then criss cross those dough pieces across the middle part over the toppings - a two sided “braid”. Seal the ends and place on a greased cookie sheet to raise for about 20 - 30 minutes (this is where you can freeze it if you like) and then bake at 375 for about 20 minutes until browned nicely. Let sit for a few minutes so the cheese doesn’t run all over when you cut it like a loaf of bread. We then serve it with a pile of warmed spaghetti sauce for dipping. My husband likes to ladle sauce over the top and eat with a fork but I like to eat with hands and dip in the sauce. This is a great dish to ‘hide’ veggies in. Also, a nice green salad on the side is much easier to eat when accompanied by something the kids LOVE.

I’m new to your blog - found you through STIE, a good friend. Let me know if you like it if you decide to try.

Bon Appetit’

Comment from Amy
Time: March 7, 2008, 10:57 am

This is great…lots of good ideas. We also get in a rut. My kids don’t like casseroles (or hot dish as we say here in MN) we have to keep things separate!

In a week we usually have pasta one night, pizza one night, and a sandwich one night (BBQ chicken, sloppy joes, burgers) and the rest of the time is meat and sides. I try to slip in a casserole every once in awhile. My oldest (6) is slowly coming around! Other than the usual rice, veggies and potatoes, here are some sides we like with our hunk of meat…
Corn bread
Mashed sweet potatoes
Wild Rice
Orzo
Couscous
Homemade “slaw” - I take carrots, broccoli, and cabbage, shred in food processor and add Jimmy’s pineapple slaw dressing. The kids love it.
Baked apples

Also, one night a week is “kid’s choice”. They choose and it is usually pizza (imagine that!), sloppy joes, tomato soup, or spaghetti. You can’t choose the same thing two weeks in a row.

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Time: March 22, 2008, 11:52 am

[...] Set with white rings Repr Vintage Yellowware Yellow Ware Green Pitchertyron.hawkins.blogdns.comWorks For Me Wednesday, Backwards Edition! It has been brought to my attention that I am making too many casseroles.? My husband is not of [...]