To all you gals out there who think you can't cook, or don't have time, here are a few meals fit to serve your buddies (or to impress your sweethearts) any day of the week.
My first recommendation to any woman on the go is to BUY A CROCKPOT! (The BIGGER, the BETTER) Crockpots are easy to use, make your food taste great and are easy to clean. One thing to keep in mind though ... any leftovers you cook in the crock pot must be cold stored right away after serving, it won't keep for long at room temperature and should be stored in an airtight container in the fridge as soon as it has cooled. Leftovers are good for up to 3 days ... after that, I wouldn't feed it to the dawgs. Oh yeah, make sure when you cook with a crockpot that the lid is on good and tight.
Ingredients:
Place a really big sheet of foil on the counter, then cross over it making a "T" with another big sheet of foil. Place the roast smack dab in the middle of the foil. Mix all the ingredients except for the onions and carrots, and spread it evenly over the top of the roast. Surround the roast with the carrots and onions, then fold the foil over the whole shebang as air-tightly as possible ... you don't want to lose too much of the juices in the cooking process. Pop that sucker in the crockpot and cook it on HIGH for 5-6 hours or on LOW for 9-10 hours. Serve it with mashed taters (see recipe below) . The gravy is ready made and is wonderful spooned over the taters.
(serves 6)
Ingredients:
Peel the taters and boil them until they are soft (usually takes about 15 minutes tops) Drain the taters in a colander and return immediately to the pot you boiled them in. Add the ingredients and mash away. If you like them fluffy, whip them on medium speed with a hand mixer ... but plain ol' lumpy taters will let your guests know that they are HOMEMADE and not the nasty instant kind.
Here's one that the younguns really love ...
Ingredients:
Lay the roast on foil (like you did for the pot roast) and spread the rest of the ingredients over it evenly. Fold the foil over it and seal it as well as you can. Cook it in the crock pot on HIGH for 5-6 hours or LOW for around 9 hours. Serve it with the taters ... your taste buds won't believe that YOU cooked this!
Ok. So you're sweetheart or pals are health freaks and won't eat red meat. Here's a simple solution. Cook a turkey breast. YES, YOU CAN! In fact, this recipe for Turkey is the simplest recipe I own! Watch this:
Get a big frozen Turkey Breast and thaw that bird booby in the sink, or for two days in the fridge. When it's thawed, wash it real good. Then rub it with some chopped garlic and put a handful in the chest cavity. Sprinkle on some of your favorite spices (we like sage on poultry ... dill is good too). Put the turkey in the crock pot and make sure the lid is on properly! Cook on HIGH for 5-6 hours. Serve with salad and the mashed taters ... your guests will never leave (unless you run out of food).
That oughta hold ya for a week or so ... keep checkin' in for more painless recipes. Keep in mind that some of the recipes I am giving are for really lazy cooks, or people who are intimidated by their kitchens. But ... it’s ALL good. I'll search my recipe boxes for some quick and healthy recipes for next week ... until then, go make friends with your kitchen! And for God's sake, buy a crockpot!
Got a recipe? Share it in our guestbook! or write me and I’ll try it out!