Dinner Fast Five| Pad Patter 1.5

1. Are you the cook in your house? Yes!

2. Do you own a pressure cooker? (Instapot?) Nope.

3. Has MOC affected your dinner plans? Nope.

4. Do you have to do the dishes too? I do whatever everyone "forgets" to do.

5. What's your favorite easy recipe? ( I need a stash!) Takeout!

 

1. Are you the cook in your house? I cook during the week (Mon-Thur), hubby cooks on the weekends
2. Do you own a pressure cooker? (Instapot?) No, but I keep thinking I should get one.
3. Has MOC affected your dinner plans? unfortunately, I'm not participating this year
4. Do you have to do the dishes too? I do the dishes, but the fam does the rest of the kitchen chores (putting away the clean dishes, unloading the dishwasher, cleaning off the table).
5. What's your favorite easy recipe? ( I need a stash!) Hamburger Rice Hotdish...brown some hamburger with salt, pepper, and onion or garlic (if desired), cook 2 cups of Minute Rice, mix together with a can of Cream of Chicken soup and some peas. Microwave or bake in a casserole dish until heated through.

 

1. I married a guy with his chef's papers. I plan meals. Whoever gets home first, cooks.
2. I have an InstantPot. BUT, I don't recommend it for vegetarians. It hasn't saved me enough time in the kitchen to warrant the price tag.
3. Um... I'm not MOC'ing this year. BUT, I've been getting my album set up for the year, and have even started working on the substantive pages. Very happy to be getting back to scrapping.
4. Jesse does most of the hand washing. We have a rule for the dishwasher: dishes go directly into the machine. If you get there and put the last dish in (or cannot find a spot for your dish), you run the dishwasher. If you arrive to a sparkly clean dishwasher. Tag, your it! You put everything away.
5. I love this salad as an antidote to Christmas overload. It is "January" to me. The pomegranate seeds can be a little time consuming, but if you quarter the pomegranate, a kid will likely be happy to take over from there. https://toriavey.com/toris-kitchen/citrus-avocado-salad-with-poppy-seed-dressing/

 

1. Are you the cook in your house?
Lord yes. We've been together 12 years, and I can count on two hands the number of times he's cooked a meal for the family.

2. Do you own a pressure cooker? (Instapot?)
I got one for Christmas! I haven't used it yet, though.

3. Has MOC affected your dinner plans?
Nah. I don't scrap until after the kids go to bed.

4. Do you have to do the dishes too?
Yup & the house we've lived in the last 3 years doesn't have a dishwasher, either.

5. What's your favorite easy recipe? ( I need a stash!)
Dump raw chicken tenderloins, 1 jar salsa, 1 can drained black beans, & corn (don't measure -- just however much you want!) into crockpot and cook on low 5-6 hours. 30 minutes before you want to eat, dump in 1/2 to 1 full stick of cream cheese. Stir.

We eat this over rice but you could eat it by itself, in tortilla shells, etc.

 

1. Are you the cook in your house? No, my husband cooks. I think about it, but not enough to actually do any of it.

2. Do you own a pressure cooker? (Instapot?) I have an InstantPot, but have not used it much yet. I would like to learn to cook meat in it (my biggest cooking hurdle) but haven't found anything I want to try yet. Instead, I have made soup and three pasta dishes. LOL

3. Has MOC affected your dinner plans? No, mostly because I have not started my MOC yet. Robotics affects our dinner plans more, as I have kids in three levels and my husband is the head coach. (During competition seasons -- August - November, September - December, and January - April, the teams meet four times a week to work on their robots. We eat out a lot because we both get home too late those nights to do any cooking.)

4. Do you have to do the dishes too? I always do the dishes, unless my husband needs something that hasn't been washed yet, which happens very rarely.

5. What's your favorite easy recipe? ( I need a stash!) Barbecue chicken sandwiches in the slow cooker but I haven't figured out quantities yet, so I only make it for potluck. LOL

Bonus question: are you having fun yet? It's always fun, as long as I don't have to cook!

 

Speaking of IntantPots...I just got the pot - don't laugh and it's called weed these days fyi - and saw a reference somewhere to an Indian IP cookbook. I got it and plan to try much of those out. @Juliestcyr If you're into grains/paneer/tofu etc there are quite a few dishes you'd probably like and lots of recipes that include the sauces that can take grains up a notch.

 

1. Are you the cook in your house? Only if my husband isn't cooking
2. Do you own a pressure cooker? (Instapot?) Yes, we've used it twice in two years
3. Has MOC affected your dinner plans? Nope
4. Do you have to do the dishes too? We both do the dishes
5. What's your favorite easy recipe? ( I need a stash!) Just your standard spaghetti - meat sauce and noodles

Bonus question: are you having fun yet?

 

1. Are you the cook in your house? yes, the only cook (my hubs can't cook at all)
2. Do you own a pressure cooker? (Instapot?) yes
3. Has MOC affected your dinner plans? no
4. Do you have to do the dishes too? mostly me but hubs will load the dishwasher occasionally
5. What's your favorite easy recipe? ( I need a stash!) see below

I'm all about fast and easy. I often make our protein dish and then different side dishes for hubs and me b/c I'm low carb and he isn't. I use the crockpot and IP a lot.

• instant pot white rice, plain or with chopped peppers/onion/celery and a bit of tomato paste. I put single servings in baggies (cheap ones from dollar store) and then stack them into one extra large freezer baggie.
• creole spiced ground beef/chicken (bagged as the rice above).
• throw a chicken into crockpot with spices for 4 hrs on high and shred. I use garlic and onion salt, paprika and herbes de provence (bagged as above).

Here's some recipes for crockpot and instant pot that I like.

https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/153615037276155410/
https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/AUR6jDUhI1ZGZTCnTMffnjUrOzbgN6YQIbu3QtrqHZAHkA5YMyl7yWo/
https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/153615037276280660/
https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/153615037276058028/
https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/153615037276058843/

 

1. Are you the cook in your house? Yes, though the kids cook too sometimes depending on if they want something I'm not making.
2. Do you own a pressure cooker? (Instapot?) Nope, but I wish I did.
3. Has MOC affected your dinner plans? Not really. Honestly, during the week I never do fancy things because all my kids like different stuff!
4. Do you have to do the dishes too? Everyone in my house washes their own dishes (no dishwasher). The rule is if you dirty it, you clean it. The only time we kind of compromise is if someone is making a special meal or treat for everyone else, sometimes others will pitch in with the cleanup.
5. What's your favorite easy recipe? ( I need a stash!) My fave thing is jasmine rice with lots of veggies in it, a little vegetarian broth. Then when I serve, I top with shredded lettuce, a fresh sliced tomato, and a scoop of garlic hummus. So good!

Bonus question: are you having fun yet? Absolutely!

 

1. Are you the cook in your house? Nope
2. Do you own a pressure cooker? (Instapot?) No just a crockpot
3. Has MOC affected your dinner plans? Not really, we eat late anyway for a few reasons - my mum works til 8pm four days a week and it’s too hot to eat early
4. Do you have to do the dishes too? Depends
5. What's your favorite easy recipe? ( I need a stash!) ummm.....does hummus and crackers, grilled cheese, pre prepared soups or frozen/fresh pizza from the grocery store count as recipes. We do cook maybe 3 times a week but generally December through end of February home cooking goes out the window for easy, quick and limited cooking options

 

1. Are you the cook in your house? Yes, unless we grill
2. Do you own a pressure cooker? (Instapot?) Yes, works really well to cook/steam tamales
3. Has MOC affected your dinner plans? No, I scrap in the early morning (5:30) while my husband works out (He tries to be quiet but I wake up anyway)
4. Do you have to do the dishes too? If I cook, he cleans and puts away leftovers....that is how I know if he liked it, if he didn't, he "forgets" to put it away
5. What's your favorite easy recipe? ( I need a stash!)

Meatloaf....2 lbs hamburger, 1 lb Italian sausage, 2 eggs, 2 cups breadcrumbs, 1 tsp garlic, 16 oz tomato sauce....mix together, shape into "hoagie" shape. Cook at 350 for 1 hour covered...take off cover and cook for another 30 minutes.

Dinner 1 - Meatloaf Sandwiches with smokey provolone cheese and marinara sauce, Dinner 2 - chop up 2 cups and add it to your favorite spaghetti sauce and serve over noodles, Dinner 3 - meatloaf served with your favorite side (cook once, eat 3 times)

Monte Cristo Sliders - https://www.yellowblissroad.com/monte-cristo-sliders/ (I put the mustard on the side)

Grilled Chicken/Pineapple Quesadillas - https://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/grilled-chicken-pineapple-quesadillas/ (Not as quick, but easy)

Pulled Pork Sandwiches - https://www.the-girl-who-ate-everything.com/root-beer-pulled-pork-sandwiches

Crockpot Chicken & Gravy - https://www.themagicalslowcooker.com/slow-cooker-chicken-and-gravy/ (I am sure you can adapt for an instant pot)

One skillet Mac & Cheese - https://www.melskitchencafe.com/skillet-creamy-macaroni-and-cheese/ (tastes great and easy clean up)

This is making me hungry!

 

1. Are you the cook in your house? I am... though if they don't like what I'm making, they cook their own!
2. Do you own a pressure cooker? (Instapot?) YES! And I love it! Got it for Christmas.
3. Has MOC affected your dinner plans? Not at all... my IP affected my dinner plans - I actually cook!
4. Do you have to do the dishes too? Yes... I'm the only one who can load the dishwasher properly.
5. What's your favorite easy recipe? ( I need a stash!) Tonight I made Zuppa Tuscona like from Olive Garden - it was yummy!

Bonus question: are you having fun yet? Absolutely YES!!!

 

1. Are you the cook in your house? about 95% of the time, yep
2. Do you own a pressure cooker? (Instapot?) - does slow cooker count?! then, yes - it's one of my most treasured possessions and frequently used kitchen gadgets
3. Has MOC affected your dinner plans? - MOC plus school holidays have both affected it - and summer, less slowcooker in general in summer, more salads but todays not hot so i'm doing a variation of swedish meatballs (it's in a dijon gravy with grated zucchini and onion in the minced meat) & sweet potato mash
4. Do you have to do the dishes too? - yep (although DH did them a few times in Dec and i was thrilled!) and constantly remind ppl to put their stuff in the dishwasher and then, repack the dishwasher because it's apparently a highly specialised skill to place plates far enough apart that the water can get to them - my kids are booksmart but far out i think i'd prefer they had common sense and did basics well!
5. What's your favorite easy recipe? ( I need a stash!)

Macaroni Pasta Salad is a quick go-to in summer (i know you're in winter but does Vegas really have winter?)

• 1/2 packet of macaroni or spirals or penne (anything really - half packet here is 250 grams dried pasta and serves 4 when we make this) - cook and drain pasta
• While it's cooking, dice some veggies - red onion, capsium (bellpeppers), celery
• Shred spinach, grate carrot, drain small tin of corn
• Add all to a big bowl and combine.
• Serve and add salad dressing to each person's bowl to taste. (I use French Dressing mostly but i think we've used Balsamic before, DD has it plain witha sprinke of grated cheese, sometimes DS mixes some mayo in ... it works in a few different ways)

 

this is great for MOC!