Sno,
I am an amateur chef....so here are some 30 minute range to table meals:
1)
Various Pasta dishes: rotini, bowtie, angel hair, etc...choose your favourite, basically boil them in water until to your preference, drain; then in a seperate pot, heat up some kind of pasta sauce..., while that's heating, brown a skillet of your favourite meat....chicken, hamburger, sausage, etc. Then once the meat is cooked add it to the sauce, let it simmer for a couple of minutes.
Then you're basically done..just dish out the pasta, layer the meat sauce on top, add shredded cheese if you like...
Very simple, inexpensive, and very little clean up.
Other variations: You can use the basic steps for stuffed bell peppers: cut out the stem of the pepper, clean out the inside, rinse the inside out with hot water, drain; Then spoon in the meat suace, crown with shredded cheese; Place in center of plate and spoon the pasta around the pepper and then crown the pasta with the remaining meat sauce.
You can serve with crackers, various breads: toasted garlice french bead is best, but that's my preference..
2)
Diced chicken served with mushroom rice: Take chicken filets and marinate them in your favourite marinade- you can do the 24 hr marinade or the 30 minute marinade..either one: empty into a heated greased skillet; cook thoroughly until the inner meat is no longer pink; remove onto chopping block and then dice into small pieces, set aside; Prior to cooking the chicken, you can begin to boil your favourite rice dish, for this recipe I reccomend white rice; once your rice has come to a complete boil, reduce heat and allow to simmer, being careful not to let the bottom part of the rice burn; now add a couple cans of mushroom soup and just regular chopped mushrooms as well; Mix it up thoroughly allowing the rice to thicken with the soup, but not runny, the consistency of the sauce should be thick like a gravy. Now add your chopped chicken; mix up thoroughly, simmering on low heat; now you're ready to serve.
3)
Kids favourite: chili Mac: basic macaroni pasta, ground beef, and tomato sauce. No brainer.
4)
Tuna fish: tuna is a great healthy alternative to alot of meals. I prefer rotini pasta as it is colourful and adds some ambience to the meal. You simply cook the pasta, add the tuna fish, cover with shreded cheeses and there ya go.
5)
Mini Pizzas: Take English muffins and lightly toast just briefly in the oven; remove them and add a thin layer of pasta sauce, then add your favourite toppings; some toppings you might have had to brown like hamburger meat, sausage, bacon, etc; Once you've added your toppings, then place back in your pre-heated oven, usually on "bake" 350 degrees,
until all toppings are melted.
6)
Nachos: No brainer: your favourite chips, browned sausage, turkey, hamburger meat seasoned in taco sauce, and shredded cheeses: place chips on your plate, add a serving of the meat, cover with cheese and then place in microwave to melt the cheese and there ya go...
You can have condiments available such as guacomole, sour cream, etc. You can also use this recipe for making tacos.
7)
Fajitas: Really simple dish: brown your preferred meat: if you like steak meat then I reccommend the breakfast steak filets. they are already thinly sliced. Once they are cooked, then remove to chopping block and cut longways into thin strips. Next choose your favourite veggies: Onions, bell peppers, carrots, etc. slice n dice into thin pieces; now pre heat a skillet and add a thin coating of fajita seasoning..can either be liquid or powderd..no difference; now add all of yor ingredients, simmering and stirring them until cooked to your preference; set aside; now heat up your fajita wraps and serve...
8
Fried Bologna: Really simple meal: Pre-heat a skillet, take thick sliced bologna and add to the skillet on simmer (doesn't take much heat), making sure to make an incision from the center of the meat to the outer edge(bologna will pucker at the center if you don't do this, resulting in an uncooked portion of the meat); now heat up your fav side dishes: whole kernel corn, green beans, broccoli, carrots, etc...
Additions: corn muffins/biscuits to this meal. Those are really simple. Corn muffins are ready mixed packets from the grocery store. All you need is a muffin pan. Make sure you grease the pan and follow the directions on the packet.
You can also add a fruit cup, slice of pear on a wedge of lettuce, peaches with cottage cheese, etc.
Desserts: Think you can't bake a cake ? Cake mixes/boxes too complicated with adding milk, eggs, etc ? No worries..
A blue collar guide to bunt cakes:
Using pre-mixed, ready to go muffin packets like banana bread/nut, blueberry, stawberry, etc. you already have a cake mix available. Factor in the number of people to be served, using a mixing bowl, add the correct number of packets with milk into the bowl; mix thoroughly making sure to dissolve any lumps of mixture. Now take your bunt cake pan, grease thoroughly, especially in the bottom and sides, and pour your mix into the pan only to the halfway point; now insert your pan into your preheated oven,set on bake at 350 degrees, center shelf, and monitor it until cake rises and is a golden brown; remove and set aside allowing it to cool off. Trying to remove the cake while hot may cause it to crumble.
Once the ENTIRE cake has cooled off completely, now turn over upside down and remove it. it should slide right out without any problem. Now place on cake plate and add your preferred icing mix and serve !
Total time ? app. 30-45 minutes.
I could go on and on...but these are just some sample, inexpensive meal ideas....You will find that with a box of pasta, a jar of pasta sauce, and any kind of meat you essentially have a no-brainer 30 minute meal.
