Hello friends! In today's day and age, we're always on the go and looking for something quick. I've gathered my four favorite quick recipes to share with you, all tried and true, and I'll list them in the *approximate* amounts of time they take to make, starting with the quickest one. Also, none of these recipes have exact measurements, because if you're in a rush, who has the time to measure?
- Garlic Noodles (5 minutes)
- Ingredients: Udon (or similar) noodles, low-sodium soy sauce, sesame oil, black pepper, cornstarch, crushed garlic, green onions (scallions)
- Instructions: Boil water in a large pot and cook the pasta according to package directions (mine took 4 minutes). While water is boiling, mix about 1/4 cup soy sauce, 1 tsp. sesame oil, 1 tbsp. cornstarch, and pepper to taste in a measuring cup (to help with estimated measurements). In a hot pan, pour sauce, garlic, and green onion and cook 30 seconds. Add noodles and stir. Enjoy!
- English Muffin Pizzas (7 minutes)
- Ingredients: Whole grain English muffin (halved), sauce, cheese, and toppings of choice (my favorites are pesto, mozzarella, and leftover grilled chicken)
- Instructions: Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Assemble pizzas on a foil-lined cookie sheet. Bake 5-7 minutes or until warmed. Enjoy!
- Oven Quesadillas (7 minutes)
- Ingredients: Large tortilla, fillings of choice (I like to do hot sauce, some sort of cheese blend, grilled chicken, and green onion // Chihuahua cheese, chorizo, and green onion // scrambled egg, crumbled bacon, some sort of cheese blend, green onion, and hot sauce)
- Instructions: Assemble ingredients on 1/2 of tortilla. Fold other 1/2 over and weave a toothpick through (up then down through both sides of tortilla). Bake 5-7 minutes until warmed through and tortilla is slightly crisp. Enjoy!
- Spinach Artichoke Rice (15-20 minutes)
- Ingredients: Rice pilaf, frozen spinach artichoke dip (Trader Joe's is my favorite)
- Instructions: Prepare rice according to package directions. (If you can find frozen rice pilaf, that will drastically cut down the prep time of this recipe, but I haven't come across any yet.) While rice is cooking, microwave dip according to package directions. Mix desired amount with finished rice (I use about 1/3-1/2 of the TJ's dip for a whole box of rice pilaf). Enjoy!
What are your favorite quick recipes? Tell me in the comments below!
I wish you all the best,
Erin
Hello friends! As many of you know, I'm always in the kitchen trying new recipes and figuring out how to make things work best for me. I've collected a few hacks and tips to share, and please let me know if you'd like to see more posts like this in the comments.
- Premade Crescent Rolls - These are a fridge staple at my house, and they're good for more than you may think. Some of our favorite uses are:
- Crescent Rings: You can look up Pillsbury's Taco Ring to get the specifics on how to make it, but we like to switch up the fillings, too. The taco version is great, and other popular variations include breakfast (scrambled eggs, crumbled turkey sausage, shredded cheese, green onion, etc.) and chicken pot pie (shredded chicken, cream of chicken soup, peas, carrots, etc.). We also like to use the reduced-fat crescents, just to make it a smidgen better for us.
- Nutella Croissants: These are ridiculously easy. Before you roll up the crescents as you normally would, spread Nutella all over the side that will be the inside, leaving the end (about 1/2 in.) plain so it sticks to itself. Bake as directed, and end up with either a decadent weekend breakfast or an impressive dessert that took you no time to make.
- Breakfast Pigs in Blankets: Similar to the Nutella croissants, just roll (or fold)your fillings into the crescents and bake. Some of our favorites are sausage links with cheese, turkey and pesto, and turkey pepperoni, mozzarella, and tomato sauce. These also make great snacks or appetizers.
- Leftover Barley Soup - This is the easiest soup I've ever made, and one of the tastiest ways to get rid of leftovers. Any time we have something like pot roast and veggies, Swiss steak, or roasted chicken or turkey, I make sure I pack up the leftovers. To make the soup, chop up the meat and any veggies, and throw them in a large pot with any gravy you may have. Add another 6-8 cups of liquid (either chicken stock, beef stock, or water) and 2 bay leaves, and bring to a boil. Add 2/3 cup of barley and simmer for 30 minutes, adding frozen veggies at the end if you like. Take out the bay leaves and enjoy!
- Easy Frosting - Personally, I hate it when traditional buttercream begins to harden and almost crust over as it sets. To solve that, I always make my frosting with 2 sticks of butter, 1 stick of shortening, a splash of vanilla, and 3 cups of powdered sugar. This frosting also takes really well to other flavors, so feel free to add coffee, reduced wine, salted caramel, any kind of nut or cookie butter, or just plain melted chocolate. All the flavor without the crust.
- Drying Herbs - Whether I'm picking herbs from my garden or buying a pack of herbs from the store, I always have more than I can use before they go bad. I like to dry anything that I don't want to waste by tying them in bundles with rubber bands or twine (inside paper bags for tiny herbs like thyme so the leave don't fall everywhere), and tie them to a coat hanger. I let them hang out until they're dry, them take the dried leaves off the stems for storing.
- Leftover Frittata - Another great way to get rid of leftovers is by making a frittata. At my house, we call this "Friday Dump Frittata," because we take a bunch of leftovers and dump them in a pan, then make a frittata out of them. To make a basic frittata, put your ingredients, seasonings, and 6 scrambled eggs in an oven-safe skillet and bake for 20-25 minutes at 350 degrees Fahrenheit until the eggs are set. Some of our favorites are:
- Buffalo Chicken: Shredded chicken, hot sauce, diced potatoes seasoned with ranch powdered dressing mix, green onion, and topped with cheese.
- Taco: Taco meat of any variety, green onion, bell peppers, diced potatoes, shredded cheese, and topped with your favorite taco toppings.
- Classic Breakfast: Crumbled sausage or bacon, peppers and onions, potatoes, cheese, topped with hot sauce.
I wish you all the best,
Erin
