good cooks and other food snobs - share your shortcuts?

[Anonymous]

WOHM here, full time, stressed to the max like everyone else. I love the helpful posts about how people simplify to make things manageable; I love diapers.com, have a cleaning service, etc. The one thing I cant seem to really simplify is food. The problem is, I am a good cook. For the 10 years DH and I were together before having kids, I always cooked, and we enjoyed eating well and having a glass of wine. I'm not saying I made souffles all the time or anything, but whole, fresh ingredients seasoned by me. I have 5 or 6 recipes that can be done in 1/2 hr, but I need more. I'm always disappointed in prepared, frozen or canned foods, even from Trader Joes or Whole Foods. Anyone have any shortcuts that still result in high quality food?

[Anonymous]

Just a little one, but it makes a huge difference in my kitchen - I cook huge batches of brown rice, quinoa, wheatberries, sturdy whole grains like that and freeze them in freezer bags. Then they can be steamed or boiled in the bag while you toss together a quick entree. I can saute chunks of chicken in a mango (purchased or homemade) mango chutney in no time and have it over rice with salad.

[Anonymous]

If you like souffles, you may like making frittatas for your family. I make a green onion, prosciutto frittata for dinner at least every 8 days...with a fresh salad, it is delicious and easy!

[Anonymous]

Here are mine:

Butcher, portion, marinate and freeze chicken ahead of time - I do this once every 2 weeks. Take out in the morning, let thaw in the fridge and roast in the evening.

Sample mixes for marinades:

Rosemary/thyme/tarragon/lemon/oil

Chile powder/honey or maple syrup/oil/lime

Curry powder/cumin/brown sugar/ginger/oil enough to make a paste

Roast chicken in the same container with cut-up potatoes, onions, baby carrots, other root vegetables to make a complete meal. Pour/shake rest of marinade over the vegetables, add some oil/salt/pepper and toss. You can set the table, prepare a salad and do whatnot while it cooks.

All of the above marinades can be done with salmon or steelhead trout. Marinate 24 hrs in the fridge - or don't. Bake for 20 minutes at 400 degrees.

Have vegetable stock, canned chickpeas, diced peeled canned tomatoes, whole grains on hand. Instant couscous, quick-cook bulgur, freekah. Cooks under 30 mins, you can add all kinds of toppings to make a meal out of it: chopped red peppers, bunches of herbs chopped in food processor, nuts, sauteed onions, currants, raisins, feta cheese (when cooled).

Cut, boil/steam and refrigerate vegetables for a week. Broccoli, asparagus, green beans, brussel sprouts are all amenable to this treatment. Take out, warm and season for a nice side dish.

Bake sweet potatoes in bulk (takes 1 1/2 hour but you don't have to watch them). Keep in the fridge for a week, take out and either mash or cut with different spices for a healthy side dish.

Bake eggplant till it collapses (usually an hour for a big one). Peel and mash; it takes all kinds of seasoning very well. Garlic, sour cream, yogurt, ginger, curry..Can keep in the fridge for a few days before seasoning.

Have no shame with cutting corners. Store-bought stock, plain tomato sauces, etc.

Do not create expectations of a three-course gourmet meal EVERY SINGLE TIME. People get used to this sort of thing. It's OK to scrounge a day or two a week. A salad and a cheese sandwich is a fine dinner once a week. Ask your husband to cook one day, make next day a takeout. That's two days off your plate.

Does your family care for soups? I have a few quick soup fixes that cook in 30-45 mins. Let me know if you want recipes.

[Anonymous]

In the cooler months I use a Crockpot all the time. I just adapt the recipes that I used to make when I was single with time to spare, such as Thai green curry, chili, beef/lamb stew, goulash, etc etc. It is easy to prepare the foods the night before and then just assemble in the morning.

In the summer we eat lots of grilled fish and salads. I either shop for fresh fish and freeze it myself, or buy frozen. Then I just take it out of the freezer that morning and make a quick salad when I get in. I've also got an Aerogarden so that I have fresh herbs on hand. That way, if I've only got time to make a quick tomato sauce at least I'll have fresh basil. And I've also started making my own bread using the "Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes a Day book".

[Anonymous]

Get used to leftovers - I think that is the key. When you make something, make huge portions and you will have dinners for 2-3 nights. There are some things that freeze really well. Invest in a food saver and stuff can stay really sealed in the freezer. We aim for cooking 1-2 times a week, which gets us 3-5 meals depending on what we make, and then supplementing with a few quick recipes we've learned to get us through the rest of the week, or pulling stuff we've made out of the freezer.

Plan ahead - you should have menu laid out on Sunday before you hit the store or whenever your big grocery shop is. Things fall apart when you come home after work and think, "what are we having for dinner?" The more you do the plan ahead and freezing or making big portions, the easier it becomes. Then you have a system.

[Anonymous]

Penzey's spices.

Herbs in the garden.

[Anonymous]

I love good food, too, and I've been pleased with recipes from the Six O'Clock Scramble website. They all use fresh ingredients and are usually pretty fast. They're not as tasty as a Cooks Illustrated recipe, but they're certainly good enough for a weeknight dinner in our home.

[Anonymous]

OP here, wow, thanks and keep 'em coming. Glad I'm not the only one who just cant get used to the shake-n-bake lifestyle! A couple questions and then I'll share a few of mine. 14:05 - re frozen rice - do you just nuke or warm in water? that is brilliant. I'm always sad I cant do more brown rice b/c it takes an hour, but the Uncle Bens stuff is gross!

14:22, my kinda gal, great suggestions. I've thought about marinating and freezing - you actually freeze in marinade, then just defrost? I would think you could do that for grilling, too (it's hardly roasting weather! or soup for that matter, so maybe I'll repost in the fall). And BTW, tonight is panini night so I'm with you on sandwiches!

OK, here are a few of my recipes that can be done in 1/2 hour and feel like a meal:

shrimp or scallop pasta (frozen ones from WF are really good and defrost overnight): sweat garlic in olive oil and butter, add shrimp or scallops, when they're almost done add white wine and lemon juice, deglaze pan. Mix in a little pasta water and whatever fresh herbs you have (basil, parsley, chives); serve over angel hair.

chicken piccatta - flour chicken cutlets, pan fry in olive oil; take out, deglaze with wine or vermouth, add lemon juice, chicken broth and capers, cook down, add chicken back in for a minute, sprinkle with parsley. I like this with egg noodles and sauteed spinach.

there's a glazed flank steak and asparagus recipe on epicurious that is easy and quick (search flank steak and asparagus).

more please! (especially for the summer - during the winter I do soups and stews and freeze, but that is the last thing I want when it's 90 degrees!)

[Anonymous]

I make a lot of things ahead of time and freeze in portion sizes: spaghetti sauce, beans with andouille sausage, black bean soup, chicken and potato chowder, lasagna, tomato soup, creamy tomato pasta sauce, chili, etc. I also make batches of chicken (lightly floured and sauteed) that I keep in the fridge to use throughout the week in salads, on sandwiches, etc.

[Anonymous]

14:22 here. Yes, I freeze already in marinade. If I have room in the fridge, I will let it sit overnight in the fridge for the marinade to soak, then move to freezer. Then when it thaws, it is already nicely marinated. I think once it is ready to cook, it doesn't matter how you cook it - roast, bake, even pan roast, grill...we live in a small condo so no outdoor grill

Your piccata recipe sounds yummy! Shrimp/scallop too.

I should think for summer all kinds of shrimp sautee dishes are your friends. WP site had a nice recipe for shrimp with chickpeas and spinach. Mussels too if your family cares for them. Marinated chicken cut up in small pieces, threaded on skewers and broiled. Ground chicken mixed with spices and herbs, formed into kebabs and broiled/grilled.

Cool soups for summer - cucumber/yogurt, tomato gazpacho, curried zucchini.

Agree wholeheartedly with the poster who said planning ahead is key. It is completely possible to split prep and cooking into two or three days, and a little bit of time spent planning this will save you time and neuron cells on weeknights.

Natalie Dupree has a great little book called "Great Meals for Busy Days." It's around 20 years old but I swear by it.

Also add roast peppers and anchovies to your always-keep-on hand things. Sexes up all kinds of things!

If your crew is amenable to vegetarian fare two or three days a week, that too will simplify your life. We shop and prep once every two weeks. The rule is every week we have chicken twice, cooked fish twice, three other days are either a) husband cooks, don't care what, b) takeout or c) quick vegetarian/sandwich something (like tuna salad, egg salad, etc.) You sound like you have good knowledge of food and taste, so you will be fine!!

[Anonymous]

Bagged salad is your friend. Wegmans even has washed organic salad greens. I also use a lot of Patak simmer sauces. I have found the brand to be very good tasting. So a few times per week I brown thawed boneless chicken breast that I cut up first, dump the sauce over it, give it a stir, cover it, and turn down the heat to simmer until we are ready to eat. You can use shrimp or tofu with it if you prefer or beef.

In winter, I do chili in the crock pot for one meal. And then I use the chili to fill toritllas and make a sort of enchilada casserole. Or I do tacos for a Sunday dinner and use the leftover meat for the enchilada casserole.

I also love black bean soup and make a lot of that to eat for dinner if I am on my own.

I do not work a lot of different veggies during the week. I focus on green salad with many different lettuces. We also have dramatically reduced the amount of starch we eat. So both of us have a whole grain serving with bfast and lunch, but rarely with dinner.

[Anonymous]

Not, but stuck in a huge food rut and loving this thread! I think my husband might leave me if we have grilled chicken thighs one more time. Keep the ideas coming!

[Anonymous]

Sorry, meant to say "Not the OP".

[Anonymous]

bags of frozen chopped onions and prechopped celery.