Quick dinner recipes for busy people!

One of the best parts of Christmas dinner is the leftovers. The food always seen to taste better the second or third time you eat it.  And, let’s be honest, the best quick dinner recipe is the one that you don’t have to cook!  Here are some hints for handling Christmas dinner leftovers.

1. Clean out the refrigerator prior to dinner. You’ll need room for all of those platters and bowls of leftovers. Anything that can be removed should be removed to make room for the remnants of the Christmas dinner.
2. Buy plastic storage bags and containers. Storing food in the original pot or dish isn’t a great idea. For one, it takes up way too much space in the refrigerator.  Also, it leaves too much dead space for liquid to collect. Food keeps better and longer in containers where the leftovers are packed tightly.
3. Never pack up warm foods. Wait until the meats and side dishes are completely cool before placing them containers to go in the refrigerator. This is another reason why it is better to serve food in bowls on the Christmas dinner table or have everyone heat their own plates at dinner time.
4. Slice any meat off of the bone before storing. It is easier to handle and produces less mess. The turkey carcass and the ham bone can be frozen for later use in soups and stews. Turkey legs and thigh meat can be sliced off the bone and diced up for turkey salad. Add a little chopped celery, seasonings, and mayonnaise for a lunch treat on bread or crackers.
5. Create a casserole dish with leftover Christmas dinner rice. Whether it is white rice or wild rice, add some chopped chicken or turkey, a can of cream of mushroom soup, and some shredded cheese. Bake at 325 degrees for about twenty minutes or until soup is bubbly and you have dinner for the next night.
6. Buy sectioned plate containers and fix meals. This avoids people dipping into leftover bowls over and over. Label each container with the type of food inside. If someone wants turkey and potatoes, they can grab that plate and heat it up without bothering any other leftovers.  This also makes it easy to take leftovers to work for lunch.
7. Avoid wrapping any leftovers in aluminum foil. Foil is good for cooking but for Christmas dinner leftovers, it will begin to break down as it is opened and reopened by hungry people. If you must wrap something in foil, purchase heavy duty foil for that purpose.

Leftovers are great. They can be used for soups, sandwiches, dips, and more throughout the Christmas holiday. Remember that leftovers in the refrigerator should not be eaten after the fourth day. If you want to keep something longer, freeze it. These are only a few of the ideas and tips that can be used when working with Christmas dinner leftovers.

Take a break from cooking and enjoy those leftovers!

{ 1 comment }

I hope you have a wonderful Christmas and that you are spending it with those who are special to you.

I don’t know about you, but I’ve been running around like a chicken with its head cut off for the past few days.  Between work, last minute Christmas shopping, and preparing to head out of town for Christmas, I’ve barely had time to stop and catch my breath.  Thankfully, I found this great quick dinner recipe over at Family Meal Plan.  You’ll need these ingredients:

• 1  can  of cream of mushroom soup
• 1 pound of lean ground beef
• 1/3 cup of dry bread crumbs
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 Tbsp. of vegetable oil
• 1 .5 cups of sliced mushrooms

Start by mixing 1/4 of the soup, the ground beef, the bread crumbs, the chopped onion and the beaten egg in a large mixing bowl. It might be a little messy, but I found that the best way was to knead it all together with my bare hands.  Once it is well mixed, shape it firmly into about 6 patties.

Heat the vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat, and then add the patties to the skillet.  Cook the patties long enough to just brown them on each side.  Remove them from the skillet and keep them on a plate nearby.  Drain away the fat from the skillet, return it to the stove, and combine the remianing soup and mushrooms.  Once the soup is boiling, return patties to skillet. Reduce the heat to low, cover and cook for about 20 minutes (or until patties are cooked all the way through) while stirring the sauce occasionally.

This meal will go great with some of the sides that you stocked up on after reading my post on planning ahead and should serve 2-4 people, depending on how hungry you are.  You’d better fill your plate early, because this is a tasty recipe and it will go fast!

Enjoy!

{ 2 comments }

In my last post, I talked about always keeping a few basic items on hand to make last minute meal preparation easy.  Well, just so you don’t think I’m all talk and no action, let me tell you about my dinner last night.

I had planned to stop off at the grocery store on my way home from work, but after a very trying day at the office, I decided to just head home and rely on whatever I had in the house for dinner.  My pantry was (and still is) pretty bare, but with the staples I had on hand, I was able to throw together my first original quick dinner recipe!  I’m calling it On-the-fly Pork Chops (for obvious reasons) and here’s what you need to make them:

• 4 thinly-sliced pork chops
• 1 can Campbell’s French Onion soup
• 1 7-oz. can of mushroom stems and pieces (I buy the store brand)
• 1 bag of boil-in-bag rice

Why did I choose this assortment of ingredients, you ask?  Well:

1. As I already mentioned, I didn’t have much to choose from.
2. I like each of these things individually, so why not try them together?

Anyhow, on with the recipe!  First, I unwrapped the pork chops and thawed them in my microwave, just like I mentioned in the last post.  Once thawed, I placed them in a large non-stick skillet over medium heat.  Next I added the soup and the mushrooms to the skillet.  I covered the skillet and let it all simmer.

While things were simmering, I started a pot of water boiling.  Once it reached a boil, I added in the bag of rice and let it cook.

After about 7-10 minutes, I flipped the pork chops over, stirring the soup and mushrooms a bit before recovering the skillet and letting them simmer for another 5-7 minutes until the pork chops were cooked and the soup thickened up.

By now the rice and the pork chops were ready.  I spooned about half of the soup and mushrooms over the rice and served two pork chops on the side (I saved the other two pork chops for another meal). I finished it off with a side of canned green beans that I warmed up in the microwave while the rice and pork chops were cooking.

I know, it’s nothing fancy for sure, but it really was a delicious meal!  And the best part was that I was able to prepare it in less than 30 minutes with what I had on hand in the kitchen.  Give it a try.  If I can do it, you can too.  It’s got to be better than another burger from the drive-through, right?

Now, I still need to head to the store and replensh my pantry so that the next time I return home after a long day, I can still be sure that even if I haven’t planned for dinner, I’ll still be prepared for dinner.

{ 1 comment }