Easy Meal For The Whole Family Ideas??
This Question From Family Ideas | 12 Answers
THE POST:
Does anyone know of any easy meals I can make for a younger family.
It is my turn to make a meal for my family. The only problem is I am out of ideas and I have younger siblings who don’t like many foods. Anything works except pizza cause my brother ordered that last night.
Thank You
12 Comments so far
Lobster Fried Rice.
Water
Juice from 2 lobsters
1 tsp. salt
1 c. uncooked rice
1/4 c. butter
1/4 – 1/2 c. chopped celery
Meat from 2 lobsters
1 can Chinese style vegetables, drained
Early in day, use water and juice of lobster to make 2 cups. Bring to boil with salt. Add rice. Cover and simmer. Do not peek at rice and keep tightly covered. Simmer for 20 minutes and remove from heat, without removing lid. In 10 minutes, fluff with fork. Cover and put in refrigerator.
Put in fry pan butter and celery, simmering until celery is half cooked. Add lobster meat and fry. Add rice and stir all together. Add more butter if dry. Add 1 can of Chinese style vegetables. Stir it all up and heat through.
If your siblings like pizza, maybe they would like the following:
Tostadas or tortilla chips
Pimento cheese– the good kind like Price’s pimento cheese
cooked ground beef with pinto beans, onions, and chili powder to taste
shredded cabbage ( you can get it preshredded packages or thinly shred it yourself)
Spread pimento cheese on the tortilla chips or tostadas. Spread the cooked ground beef mixture on top of that. Top with shredded cabbage. You can cook the shredded cabbage for a little bit if it tastes too strong raw.
OR
if your siblings like chicken, cook some chicken nuggets. Then, cook some broccoli with cheese sauce to cover up the broccoli taste.
CHICKEN ALFREDO
2 lbs boneless chicken breasts
4 tablespoons oil
1/4 cup butter
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
3/4 cup heavy cream
salt and pepper, to taste
1 lb fettucine
Heat oil in a 10 inch skillet. Cut chicken breast into strips. Add salt and pepper. Fry on medium heat until cooked through.
Sauce:
Melt butter in saucepan; add cream and cheese. cook over low heat, stirring constantly. Do not boil.
Cook fettucine in 3 quarts boiling water. Mix chicken and Alfredo sauce together. Drain noodles. Put sauce and chicken over noodles.
6 servings.
Hamburger Helper. All you need is a box of helper (because it comes with the packet mix) and a pound of hamburger. Follow instructions, very simple. You could also do Tacos but you’ll need a Taco kit.
You should buy a bag of Doritos, brown hamburger meat, make rice, use ranch style beans, cut lettuce and tomatoes and avocados, and cheese, and then put sour cream on top and then you have a taco salad.
Baked potato with amendments – shredded cheese, sour cream, bacon bits, scallions, broccoli, peas, canned chili. To mix and match.
Apparently they like cheese and tomato! Cook up some macaroni noodles….drain….then add a can of diced tomatoes and some colby/jack cheese. Filling and tasty!
chicken or spaghetti
spaghetti with meatballs and garlic bread and ceaser salad
Go with meatloaf.
Unforgettable Chicken Casserole
3 cups chopped deli-roasted chicken (or other cooked, diced chicken meat)
2 cups finely chopped celery
1 cup (4 ounces) grated Cheddar cheese
1/2 cup slivered almonds
1/2 cup light sour cream
1/2 cup light mayonaisse
1 can reduced-sodium cream of chicken soup
1 (4-ounce) can water chestnuts, drained and chopped
1½ cups French fried onion rings
Stir together first 8 ingredients in a large bowl. Spoon into a lightly greased 11×7” baking dish.
Bake at 350ºF for 40 minutes; sprinkle onion rings evenly over top. Bake 5 more minutes or until bubbly around edges. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.
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Creamy Chicken & Rice Casserole
2 celery ribs, chopped
1 small onion, chopped
1 Tbsp. butter or margarine
1 cup mayonnaise
1 (10.75 oz) can condensed cream of chicken soup, undiluted
1 cup frozen peas
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon salt
3 cups cubed cooked chicken
2 cups cooked rice
1 cup crushed potato chips or crushed Ritz crackers
In a small skillet, saute celery and onion in butter until crisp-tender. Place in a bowl; add the mayonnaise, soup, peas, lemon juice and salt. Stir in chicken and rice. Transfer to a greased 11-in. x 7-in. x 2-in. baking dish. Sprinkle with potato chips. Bake, uncovered, at 350ºF for 25-30 minutes or until heated through.
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Beef With Red Wine Sauce
3 pounds boneless beef chuck roast, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 medium onion, sliced
1 pound fresh mushrooms, sliced
1 (1.61-ounce) package brown gravy mix
1 (10 1/2-ounce) can beef broth
1 cup red wine
2 Tbsp. tomato paste
1 bay leaf
Hot cooked egg noodles or rice
Garnish: chopped fresh parsley
Place first 3 ingredients in a 6-quart slow cooker.
Whisk together gravy mix and next 3 ingredients; pour evenly over beef and vegetables. Add bay leaf.
Cover and cook on HIGH 6 hours, or LOW for 9 hours. Remove and discard bay leaf. Serve over noodles. Garnish, if desired.
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Swiss Steak
1 round or cube steak, (approximately 1½lbs), see note
1 teaspoon garlic powder
Salt and pepper
All-purpose flour, for dusting
1/3 cup vegetable oil
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 (14-1/2 oz) can diced tomatoes
1 medium onion, cut into strips
1 medium bell pepper, cut into strips
Cut steak into serving-size pieces. Season, to taste, with garlic powder and salt and pepper. Dust meat with flour. In heavy skillet, brown both sides of meat in vegetable oil. Transfer to Dutch oven. Combine garlic, tomatoes, onion, bell pepper, and 1 tomato-can measure of water. Pour over steak and simmer over low heat until meat is tender, about 1½ hours adding water, if necessary to keep meat partially covered. Season, to taste, with additional salt and pepper.
Hint: Cook this in a slow-cooker on low for a most fabulous dinner. Low heat on a slow cooker is about 200 degrees F and high heat on a slow cooker is about 300 ºF.
Note: to ensure tenderness, it is necessary to have the butcher run the round steak through a cuber
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Chili Sauced Pork Chops
1/4 cup apricot jam or preserves
1/4 cup chili sauce
1 tablespoon sweet-hot mustard or brown mustard
1 tablespoon water
4 boneless pork top loin chops, 1 inch thick (about 1-1/2 pounds total)
Directions
1. For glaze, cut up any large pieces in apricot jam or preserves. In a small saucepan combine jam or preserves, chili sauce, mustard, and water. Cook and stir over medium-low heat until heated through and well blended. Remove from heat.
2. Trim excess fat from pork chops. Place chops on unheated rack of broiler pan. Broil 4 to 5 inches from heat for 8 minutes.
3. Turn pork chops; brush generously with glaze. Broil 8 to 12 minutes more or until juices run clear. Spoon any remaining glaze over meat before serving.
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Creamy Ziti with Sausage
8 ounces dried pasta such as ziti, tagliati, rigatoni, or mostaccioli
12 ounces fresh Italian sausage links, sliced
1 2-1/2 cup portion Basic Italian Sauce, thawed or 1, 27- to 30-ounce jar meatless spaghetti sauce
1/3 cup whipping cream, half-and-half, or light cream
Shredded Parmesan cheese (optional)
Directions
1. Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain; keep warm. Meanwhile, in a 2-quart saucepan cook sliced sausage over medium heat until cooked through, turning frequently. Drain well.
2. Add thawed Basic Italian sauce to saucepan with sausage; bring to boiling. Stir in cream; heat through. Toss with hot pasta; sprinkle with Parmesan cheese, if desired
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Baked Macaroni & Cheese
1 lb. macaroni, boiled al dente, according to pkg. directions
2 cups white sauce** (recipe below)
2 c ups yellow cheddar
2 cups Muenster cheese
Add cheese to white sauce and stir. (Save a bit of cheese for the topping.) Stir sauce into macaroni and place in a buttered casserole dish. Place in 350° oven until slightly brown and bubbly on top — 25-30 minutes.
**White Sauce:
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup milk
4 Tbsp butter
3 Tbsp flour
Heat the milk and cream together almost to a boil. Melt butter in saucepan, then add all the flour stirring constantly. Let cook for 4-5 minutes, continuing to stir. Remove from heat and add warm milk and cream while whisking — if sauce is too thick, add a touch more milk.
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Miami Macaroni and Wisconsin Cheese
Ingredients:
2 cups pancetta in 1/4″ dice
3/4 loaf of 12″ x 2″ baguette (dry)
8 ounces unsalted butter
1 1/2 pound rotelli (corkscrew) pasta
1 1/2 quart (6 cups) heavy cream
2 1/2 cups milk
8 ounces (2 cups) Wisconsin Parmesan cheese, finely grated and divided
12 ounces (3 cups) Wisconsin Fontina cheese, cut in 1/4″ cubes and chilled
salt to taste
pepper to taste
Preparation:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
Spread the pancetta on a baking pan and bake for 6 to 8 minutes, or until just crispy. Drain on paper towels and set aside.
Crush and crumble the baguette into semi-fine bread crumbs, using a food processor if you wish. You will have about 2 cups.
In a large sauté pan, melt butter over medium heat. Add crumbs and toss to coat, toasting and stirring frequently until golden brown. Set aside.
Boil the rotelli in boiling salted water until al dente. Drain the pasta and set aside in a large mixing bowl.
Heat a large sauce pan. Add heavy cream and milk. Bring to boil. Simmer until reduced by one-third. Slowly whisk in 1 1/4 cups Parmesan cheese and the reserved pancetta. Continue to simmer and reduce to a thick and creamy consistency.
Add the cream mixture to the pasta along with the Fontina cheese. Toss quickly and season with salt and pepper to taste.
Butter twelve 5- to 6-ounce individual casserole dishes (or one 12″ x 18″ casserole). Fill the dishes with the rotelli. Divide breadcrumbs and remaining Parmesan cheese over the tops. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes (longer if in large pan), or until hot and bubbly. Serve immediately.
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Best mac & cheese
16 ounces macaroni (uncooked)
1/2 cup margarine or butter
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
4 cups milk
14 ounces Velveeta cheese, cut into chunks
salt and pepper
8 slices Velveeta cheese
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Cook macaroni according to directions and drain.
Melt margarine in a large saucepan.
Add flour and whisk together.
Whisk in milk and cook over medium heat until mixture starts to bubble and thickens.
Stir constantly.
Add chunks of Velveeta and allow to melt.
Salt and pepper to taste.
Pour macaroni into a 13×9 oblong baking dish.
Pour sauce over macaroni.
Bake in the oven for 20 minutes, then put extra slices of cheese on top.
Bake for another 5 minutes until cheese melts.
Allow to cool for a few minutes, then serve
Budget Minded Recipes
COLA CHICKEN
(And more variations of recipe)
(My favorite: Wings or Ribs)
4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
1 cup catsup
1 12oz. can cola (pepsi, coke, etc.)
Put chicken in a non-stick pan.
Mix together catsup and cola, pour over chicken.
Bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat and cook 45 minutes.
(turning chicken a few times, while cooking…to prevent from
sticking to pan)
Uncover, turn up the heat and continue to cook until the sauce
becomes thick and adheres to the chicken.
It turns into the most incredible BBQ sauce. Yummmm!
You can double the recipe and use more pieces of
chicken….wings…would be ideal…add some hot
sauce….presto “Hot
Wings”!
I have used Ribs, just as good.
I tried this recipe with ‘meatballs’….was equally
as good…served over rice.
I found another variation…..omit the catsup and add a small
jar of Salsa (any variety).
I have tried using Salsa (omitting the catsup….not).
You’d think a recipe with only ’3′ ingredients couldn’t be
messed up….wouldn’t you??
Well…while I was preparing to fix the ‘Cola Chicken’ recipe
using Salsa…..I was also trying to carry on a conversation with my
husband…(just proves…I can’t do two things at once)….mixed
Salsa & Catsup (before I realized I was supposed to leave out
the catsup) & Cola……..still turned out really tasty (to me)…might
be a little sweeter than some of you like.
I fixed chicken wings, (using the above recipe)
but…I added the spices from a MILD (I don’t care for “HOT”) Buffalo Wings packet…(the kind you get to bake in the oven)…..I thought it was really good…..(but you/I can’t find a ‘bad’ way to fix chicken).
Finally….!! I fixed the ‘SALSA’ chicken……that’s good , too.
Another (bright)idea…..I thought of trying……replace the
catsup with a bottle of Shrimp Cocktail Sauce…and add a bag of (pop corn) shrimp…..!
Fixed the shrimp with cocktail sauce……eh…wasn’t all that
great…was OK…probably won’t be fixing it again.
Also tried beef stew cuts……that was pretty good…..I can see
myself making this again.
Served both over rice…..think the stew cuts would have been just as
good over noodles.
How about using the little cocktail weiners/sausages?
CRUNCHY ONION CHICKEN
1 1/3 cups French’s Original French Fried Onions
4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves
1 egg, beaten
LIGHTLY CRUSH:
Onions in a plastic bag.
DIP:
Chicken in egg
COVER:
With onion crumbs, press firmly to adhere to chicken.
BAKE:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Place chicken on lightly greased baking pan.
Sprinkle with additional onion crumbs, if desired.
Bake for 20 minutes or until no longer pink in center.
Mushroom Chicken
4 boneless/skinless chicken breast (or any pieces you like)
1 can cream of mushroom soup.
1 can water
Place chicken in crock pot (or sauce pan for stove top cooking)
mix soup & 1 can of water together
pour over chicken
cook on medium heat until boiling then reduce heat and cook until chicken is really tender & falling apart.
Serve over noodles or rice or dressing….or???
CHILLI DOG CASSEROLE
1 pkg. (8) hot dog buns
1 pkg. (8) hot dogs (use more if you like)
1 can Chilli (15 oz. without beans, use more if you want)
1 small onion (chopped)
2 cups shredded cheese
mustard
DIRECTIONS: Pre-heat oven 350 degrees
In a 9″ x 13″ baking pan, break up hot dog buns (bite size) and spread in pan.
Cut up hot dogs (about 1/2″ size) spread over buns.
Spoon/spread chilli over hot dog/buns.
Sprinkle onions over all.
Squirt mustard over entire mixture (don’t spread…just make a few lines both ways across mixture)
Cover with shredded cheese.
Bake until cheese is melted and bubbly.
(Hint: If using extra hot dogs & chilli, don’t add extra buns.)
“Canned Soup”.
(My Way!)
Whatever cans of veggies I have, that I like, in cabinet it goes in the pot…..along with all the juices in the cans.
Cook on stove top or Crock pot.
Enjoy!
Canned:
corn
peas
carrots
gr.beans (any variety)
lima beans
wax beans
tomato (any variety)
potatoes (whole or sliced…or both whatever you like)
You get the idea….lol.
Also add a package of shredded cabbage (cole slaw mix).
You can even add a package of onion soup mix.
If it gets to dry and needs more liquids….add tomato juice…V-8…etc.
(I’ve not made this one yet)
EASY BEEF STROGANOFF
Ingredients:
3/4 lb lean ground beef
1 jar Heinz HomeStyle Savory Beef Gravy (12 oz Jar)
1 can mushrooms, drained (7 oz can)
1/2 cup sour cream
4-6 cups hot cooked noodles
salt & pepper, to taste
Instructions:
In a medium skillet, cook ground beef over medium heat until browned and thoroughly cooked. Carefully drain liquids and return to stovetop. Stir in Gravy and mushrooms, and bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and stir in sour cream, until thoroughly combined. Add salt and pepper, to taste, and serve immediately over hot noodles.
Preparation Time: 1-15 minutes
Cook Time: 25+ minutes
“Corny Beanie Weenies.”
(from a country preacher in Mississippi…wife & 2 teenage sons)
Mix one can of good baked beans
We use a good sized can of beans (14-16 ounces, I think) and
get a kind that we like (maybe with brown sugar, onion, and bacon).
There are several kinds of good baked beans.
and a package of Oscar Meier Weiners (all sliced up).
with a can of whole kernel corn (drained)
Any way, heat up these three ingredients, and serve with brown bread
(maybe toasted ?) and a glass of milk.
It doesn’t get any easier than this, and is suprisingly good!
P.S…..Might put ingredients in a casserole dish and top with corn muffin mix.
POT ROAST
Your choice of beef (to fit crock-pot)
1 pkg. dry Ranch dressing mix
1 pkg. dry Italian dressing mix
1 pkg. dry Brown Gravy mix
1 cup water
Put beef in pot.
Mix together all the dry mixes….then add water …pour over meat and cover & cook on high 4-6 hours.
Until meat is tender.
The first time I mad it I didn’t have the Italian Dressing mix….so I added a pkg. of Onion Soup Mix….I have to say I liked that better.
If you use more water you might want to add more Brown Gravy mix….to make a thicker sauce. Was gonna add
potatoes and carrots…but never got around to it.
E-Z Cake Recipes
NO EGGS, NO OIL, NO WATER …….JUST 1 12oz.SODA AND MIX.
WHITE CAKE MIX………………………………..7-UP OR STRAWBERRY SODA
CHOCOLATE CAKE MIX…….CHERRY SODA (BLACK FOREST)
ORANGE CAKE MIX….ORANGE SODA
PINEAPPLE MIX….PINEAPPLE SODA
SPICE MIX…..ROOT BEER SODA ETC
POUR CAKE MIX IN BOWL
ADD SODA USE LOAF CAKE PAN
BAKE 350 DEGREES AS BOX SAYS.
(PREPARE PAN WITH SPRAY)
Your choice of frostings or use cool whip.
E-Z Candy
(All recipes are mixed the same.)
Melt ingredients, seperately in microwave until runny.
Mix together and pour into serving dish.
Chill until firm, cut & serve.
Chocolate Fudge:
16 oz. container of Fudge Frosting
1 bag of Chocolate Chips (any flavor you like)
Peanut Butter Fudge #1:
1 small jar Peanut Butter (18 oz.)
2 bags of Peanut Butter Chips
Peanut Butter Fudge #2:
1 small jar Peanut Butter (18oz.)
16 oz. container of White Frosting
Marshmallow Nougat:
1 small jr Marshmallow Creme
1 bag White Chocolate Chips
1 tsp. Almond Flavoring
1 small bag Chopped Nuts
(I’ve made this without the flavoring & nuts….I want to try
rolling
into balls and dipping in a chocolate coating….sounds good to
me.)
I’ve doubled all the above recipes. The Marshmallow Nougat
recipe…doubled and added a container of white frosting (had an
extra one….so thought….why not!)
I use a double boiler..(prefer the double
boiler)…add chips in first …then rest of
ingredients…..saving
nuts and flavorings for last.
CAKE MIX COOKIES
White Cake Mix
2 Tablespoons water
2 eggs
1/2 cup cooking oil
1 teaspoon almond extract
1/2 cup chopped nuts
powdered sugar
Mix all ingredients, except powdered sugar.
Drop batter (about a teaspoon per cookie) into a bowl of powdered sugar.
Roll in sugar until it is an approximate shape of a ball.
Place ion a lightly greased cookie sheet.
Bake at 350 degrees about 18 minutes, until lightly browned.
Cool on wire racks. Makes about 4 dozen cookies.
(Use any flavoring or cake mix you desire.)
Kreamy Kool-Aid Pie
1-(6 g) package un sweetened Kool-Aid powdered drink mix
1-(14 oz.)can sweetened condensed milk
1-(8 oz)container Cool Whip frozen whipped topping, thawed.
1-(9 inch) Graham Cracker Pie Crust (or Cookie crust)
Cool Whip for top (optional)
1. In a medium bowl mix Kool-Aid and condensed milk, thoroughly.
2. Fold in Cool Whip.
4. If desired, spread more Cool Whip on top.
5. Chill for a minimum of 4 hours.
I’ve used: Strawberry…Cherry…Lemon-lime (Key-Lime Pie)….Lemonade (Lemon Pie…might add some yellow food coloring for a more lemony look.)