Pasta with Egg and Parmesan (aka I'll Get My Kid to Eat Some Protein if it is the Last Thing I do Spaghetti)

This serves 2

Ingredients[b]
Two eggs
4 oz. uncooked spaghetti
2 tsp butter
Fresh grated Parmesan to taste

1 cups shredded spinach, kale or swiss chard (optional)

Directions[u]

1. Boil spaghetti in water with salt. (You'll want to add a big pinch* of kosher salt for each 4 oz (1/2 that for table salt). Get the water to a full boil before adding pasta. Take the spaghetti and dip one end in the water. As it softens, coil it until submerged, then start your timing. Cook, uncovered, at a full "rolling" boil, until the pasta is al dente, which means "firm to the bite" -- not so soft that a someone without teeth could eat it. Stir the pasta occasionally to prevent sticking. Cook for 8-15 minutes testing for to see if it is at the consistency you like at 8 minutes. Drain in a colander giving it a few good shakes to get rid of the water. Do not rinse the pasta with water).

2. Once you get the spaghetti going, it is time to fry those eggs sunny-side up. If you break the yolk, you need to start over -- sorry. The yolk has to be runny/soft so don't over cook it.

3 While the spaghetti is still warm place it in a bowl, add the butter and Parmesan to taste and toss (I like to add one or two grinds of fresh pepper as well).

Then option A:

4. Plate the spaghetti and place the egg on top.

5. Let the diner break the yolk and cut-up the egg and toss into the pasta. The butter, cheese ans yolk will make a smooth and flavorful sauce.

Then option B:

4. Add the fried eggs to the spaghetti in the bowl, break the yolk and cut up the egg and toss into the pasta. Plate and serve.


Add some iron to that?

1. Shred (cut into thin short ribbon) the spinach or other greens.

2. Peal a clove of garlic and using the side of a knife press down to crush the garlic. Take the garlic and rub it in the bottom of the pan you are going to use. Discard the garlic. This will give it just a taste of garlic

3. Warm a little bit of olive oil in a frying pan for 2-3 minutes. Just enough oil to barely cover the bottom of the pan, you just don't want the spinach to stick. If your stove temp goes from 1 to 9, you want it on 3 or 4.

3. Add the spinach to the oil. You do not want to crowd the pan, if you do, the water from the spinach will cause it to steam not sautee. When in doubt, do this in small batches.

4. Use tong to toss the spinach as it cooks. Add a 1/2 to 1 small pinch of kosher salt to the spinach. In my opinion, when it gets bright green it is done. Some people like to cook it longer. Keep in mind that it will cook for a bit longer while it cools out side of the pan.

5. Add to pasta.



* A big pinch is one that you do using four fingers, a small pinch uses three fingers.

Week Day High Heat Roasted Chicken and Potatoes
Inspired by a Cooks Illustrated recipe

Brine Ingredients:

1 cup kosher salt - or - 1/2 cup table salt
1/2 cup granulated sugar

Chicken and Potatoes:

1 cut-up chicken, 3 1/2 to 4 lbs

5 medium Russet or Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and sliced 1/8 to 1/4 inch thick and quartered.

2 to 3 tablespoons olive oil

Salt and black pepper


INSTRUCTIONS

First, create the brine (this is not required, but it helps keep the chicken moist) by dissolving the salt and sugar in 2 quarts cold water in a large container. Place the chicken in the water so that all pieces are submerged and refrigerate from 1 hour to all day. I place the chicken in the brine before work.

Second, adjust your oven rack to the second from the bottom level and preheat the oven to 500 degrees.

While the oven is heating do the following:

1. Line bottom of a broiler pan with foil.

2. In a bowl, toss the potatoes with 1 tablespoon of olive oil and salt/pepper to taste (you can also can add a dash of paprika for color and garlic powder or crushed garlic for taste).

3. Spread the potatoes in the bottom of the broiler pan and place the top piece (the grate) onto the pan.

4. Remove chicken from brine and rinse thoroughly under cold running water. Then pat dry with paper towels.

5. Rub chicken with 1 ½ - 2 tablespoons of oil and sprinkle with pepper and a little bit of salt if you brined the chicken, a tad more salt if you did not brine.

6. Place the chicken onto the top of the broiler pan and place in the over.

7. Roast chicken for 20 minutes (the skin should be spotty brown). Rotate the pan and continue to roast for approximately 20 – 25 minutes more. The chicken is done when the skin is crisp and brown (and the thickest part of the breasts is 160 degrees when tested with an instant-read thermometer).

8. Transfer chicken to a plate or cutting board and cover with foil.

9. Remove the broiler pan top and use a turkey baster or several sheets of paper towels to remove excess grease from around the potatoes. If you want the potatoes to be a bit crispier, place the pan under the broiler for a minute or two (watch them like a hawk).

10. Line a plate or bowl with paper towels and remove the potatoes to plate or bowl. If the potatoes look too greasy, use additional paper towels to pat off the remaining grease.

Plate the chicken and potatoes and serve with vegetable.

Anonymous wrote:OP here. The ideas have been so helpful!! And I'm proud to say that two nights in a row I've cooked recipes listed here and while my kids hardly ate as it wasn't mac n cheese or chicken nuggets, I figure they won't starve (there were veggie and fruit sides "acceptable" to them) and the more I cook real meals, the more likely it is that they will actually enjoy them. So, to answer Bakersman's questions--what an incredibly generous offer:


OP -

I'm willing to accept this challenge.

1. I'd say we are a 7. We buy mostly organic produce, dairy, meat, seafood, etc. And I don't want to serve beef more than one time a week...However, I've got a "meat and potatoes" type of husband and I don't actually like tofu and other meat-substitutes.

2. As for time, I think I've got an hour between the time I start cooking and the time dinner needs to be ready. My concern is actually a bit less the prep time but rather that I can't get to the grocery store more than about two times a week so I need to "buy in advance" for several of the meals.

3. No allergies.

4. Favorite food for me is seafood, but not for hubby and kids. They probably prefer chicken or beef.

5. I am intimidated by cooking as I never was taught it at home growing up and I have always leaned on take-out or VERY basic meals (pasta w/ red sauce, etc.) I'm ready to do more, as long as the steps and ingredients are limited. I figure the more comfortable I become in the kitchen (especially with timing, where I seem to fail most often) the more likely I am to branch out and take risks and try more interesting recipes.

THANK YOU!!!

Got it. Your family profile is similar to ours.

OP here. The ideas have been so helpful!! And I'm proud to say that two nights in a row I've cooked recipes listed here and while my kids hardly ate as it wasn't mac n cheese or chicken nuggets, I figure they won't starve (there were veggie and fruit sides "acceptable" to them) and the more I cook real meals, the more likely it is that they will actually enjoy them. So, to answer Bakersman's questions--what an incredibly generous offer:


OP -

I'm willing to accept this challenge.

1. I'd say we are a 7. We buy mostly organic produce, dairy, meat, seafood, etc. And I don't want to serve beef more than one time a week...However, I've got a "meat and potatoes" type of husband and I don't actually like tofu and other meat-substitutes.

2. As for time, I think I've got an hour between the time I start cooking and the time dinner needs to be ready. My concern is actually a bit less the prep time but rather that I can't get to the grocery store more than about two times a week so I need to "buy in advance" for several of the meals.

3. No allergies.

4. Favorite food for me is seafood, but not for hubby and kids. They probably prefer chicken or beef.

5. I am intimidated by cooking as I never was taught it at home growing up and I have always leaned on take-out or VERY basic meals (pasta w/ red sauce, etc.) I'm ready to do more, as long as the steps and ingredients are limited. I figure the more comfortable I become in the kitchen (especially with timing, where I seem to fail most often) the more likely I am to branch out and take risks and try more interesting recipes.

THANK YOU!!!

OP -

I'm willing to accept this challenge.

1. How health conscious are you on a scale of 1-10, 1 being I'd eat McDonalds ever day if given the choice and think Cheese Whiz can make anything taste better and 10 being I only fruit and vegetable that are so organic I can taste the dirt and I would never consider eating anything fried.

2. How much time do you have to prepare dinner? It would be helpful to know how much time you can dedicate to actively preparing the meal and the amount of time that can pass between when you get home and you need to get something on the table before the family begins fighting the dog for kibble.

3. Any allergies?

4. Anything a particular favorite foods?

5. Do you like cooking or is it something you do so everyone doesn't starve to death.

If you will answer these questions, I will try to give you 5-7 recipes that will meet your needs.

Fish tacos -- google "Bobby Flay fish tacos with ancho" awesome.

Steak and roasted potatoes

Spaghetti (I make a vat of sauce and freeze it in ziploc bags)

Chicken sauteed with just about anything -- mushrooms, artichoke hearts, spinach/chard -- with rice

Roasted salmon

Tacos. Cook up meat, use with taco kit as mentioned above. Chop up lettuce, tomatoes, cheese, serve with sour cream and salsa and chips and if you're really into it, corn on the cob or beans as a side. Make guac if you're up for it (smash two avocados, mix with minced onion, half a lime, salt, and cilantro and/or jalapeno and/or cumin to make it really good).

Buy a rotisserie chicken. One night, serve the pulled meat with a big green salad, fresh bread, and baked or mashed potatoes or rice. The second night, use the meat for soup/tacos/sandwiches/whatever.

Put chicken breasts in a crock pot with bbq sauce (add onions, brown sugar, liquid smoke, jalapeno/peach jelly, anything you like for taste, but that's not necessary). After 6 or so hours on high, it'll be pulled chicken. Serve on buns with cole slaw (vinaigrette or mayo based), potato salad (potatoes, celery/peppers/onion/carrot if you like, mayo+sourcream+mustard if you like it+ salt and pepper), baked beans (can of beans + ketchup, mustard, onions, maple syrup, brown sugar, worcestershire, and bacon slices on top baked at 300 for several hours), sliced tomatoes, etc... You'll have leftovers.

Use pulled bbq chicken for salad. Get a big bed of greens, cut up tomatoes, corn, red onion, cucumber, some cheese (monterray jack is good) and put bbq chicken on top of the salad. Use ranch or blue cheese dressing. Serve with garlic bread or texas toast.

Hope that helps!

Do you have an iPad?

My go-to cookbook is Mark Bittman's "How to Cook Everything" and there's an iPad app that goes along with it. It has all the same information as the paper book, is searchable, includes timers for various steps, and lets you make up shopping lists for the ingredients you need. I seriously credit that cookbook and app with turning me from a totally incompetent cook to a fairly decent one, because the big thing is just practice, practice, practice.

I also like Alton Brown's "I'm Just Here for the Food" and Maddhur Jaffrey's "World Vegetarian Cookbook" for when we're fasting.

If I had to pick 5 weekday dinner recipes off the top of my head right now, they would probably be:

black bean/tomato stew (Maddhur Jaffrey) over brown rice -- less than 30 minutes start to finish if you use canned beans
sauteed salmon filet with steamed vegetables (Bittman for cooking times), plus a quick vinaigrette-y sauce to drizzle on them
that skillet gnocchi recipe (http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes/skillet_gnocchi_with_chard_white_beans.html) -- I made it last night with sausage and DH and I argued over who got to have the leftovers for lunch!
Cooks Illustrated chicken tagine -- you cook the chicken partway in the microwave while you do everything else, and it takes about 40-45 minutes all told
pan-seared steak with a mustard/sherry/shallot pan sauce, plus salad

On the box of the trader joe lasagne is a recipe for the very best lasagne ever.

PP here-- in the quiche recipe, I didn't mean "scramble" the eggs as in cook them-- I meant that you should BEAT the eggs.

Chili in a slow cooker

Quiche-- if you use a frozen pie crust, it comes together in about 10 minutes, super easy. Put your favorite meat/veggies in the bottom of the pie crust. Scramble about 5-6 eggs with a little milk and salt and pepper. Add a big handful of shredded cheese of your choice; stir. Pour over meat/veggies in the pie crust. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese and bake in a 350 oven for about 40 minutes.

Baked ziti-- this recipe is really easy:
http://www.food.com/recipe/americas-test-kitchen-skillet-baked-ziti-314560

Also, you can look into a recipe service like Six OClock Scramble.

thank you so much!

the Adobo with the RED top

Meatloaf - but the Lipton Beefy onion packets and follow those directions.

Tacos - Buy ground beef, lettuce, and the El Paso dinner kit (not just the shells!!!)

Stew - buy flour, potatoes, a bag of baby carrots, and stew meat (its already cut up and ready to go) - and buy the McCormick seasoning packet and follow those directions.

Baked Perdue Oven Roaster (the fat one with the white popper thing when it's ready) - rub olive oil on it (after you pull the bag of guts out and rinse it off) - put in a big pan with 1 cup of water, sprinkle with McCormick Lemon Pepper Seasoning Salt (no lemon pepper - has to be the salty one). Follow bag directions for baking till the popper pops. Serve with stovetop stuffing. To get real gourmet, simmer the juice for 3 minutes with 1 spoon of cornstarch mixed with 1/4 cold water (for gravy).

Cook chicken breasts on the stove with olive oil and a lid cover, Goya Adobo seasoning from the hispanic aisle, and some onions (for bone-in breasts, takes about 35 minutes, boneless, maybe 20 minutes - flip once during cooking)

If you were going to choose 5-7 weekday (easy) dinner menu recipes to perfect for your family of 4, what would they be? I'm trying to branch out from Chicken Nuggets and Mac & Cheese but need some help. Thank you!!