I love to cook. I really do. But sometimes I hate it too. Can't I just sit there and snack on whatever is around like I use to in college and call it dinner? Well I could, but I have this husband and when I make this suggestion he makes a sad face, and I don't like that. So cooking it is. Every week before I go grocery shopping I make a menu for the week. Sometimes it is just so difficult to think of meals that we will both enjoy and that don't take 5 hours of preparation. So I thought I'd share some of our favorite dinners that see heavy rotation around these parts and some of our go-to meals on nights I don't feel like cooking.
Homemade Pizza.
THIS dough.
THIS sauce. It's awesome. We have this at least once a week. The dough & sauce is enough for 2 pizza's so I always freeze half for another night. And it's really easy, you just have to think ahead. Annies Eats is one my go-to food blogs. She knows what she's doing. And we don't take food lightly in this house. However I can't promise how this recipe will turn out if you don't use a pizza stone. Just buy one, it's worth it. Also, when I make the sauce, I just throw all the ingredients in the blender and it has always turned out spectacular (and saves time!). Just cheese is great. Sometimes we throw artichokes, sometimes some thinly sliced deli ham, just whatever we feel like. I'm also gonna add if you struggle making pizza dough you may also want to read
these tips and tricks first.
Homemade Hamburgers. When it comes to hamburgers I have found that putting in a liiiiitle bit of effort in to make your own patties happens to make an even better burger experience. And they are super easy to make. We just get some ground beef (not too lean), throw in an egg, onions, worcestershire sauce, mix it all up and shape it into patties. The other key to some good hamburgers are some good buns. I'm not fancy enough to make my own (yet), but the bakery section usually has some good ones that are leaps and bounds better than those wonder-bread packaged buns. You know what i'm talking about. And then add some onions, tomatoes, avocados, what have you. Easy, peasy, and delish.
Skillet Lasagna. Who doesn't love lasagna? This is again from Annies Eats. Gives you all the goodness of lasagna and saves you hours of work. We love it.
Chili & Cornbread. This is a great one for those night you don't want to cook. Just throw some ingredients in the pot, heat it up and bam! Well, the cornbread takes a little longer, but it's worth it! We've tried a few chili recipes and Duke's favorites are these two:
one.
two. And the best cornbread, in our opinion, is this
one. The cornbread recipe calls for 1 cup of buttermilk. I find myself in a pinch often and don't have buttermilk on hand. Not to fear- you can make it easy.
This site is a great resource for making your own buttermilk. Did you know there was a difference between real buttermilk & cultured buttermilk? I did not!
Avocado Quesadillas. This one is our ultimate go-to. And probably one of my favorite meals. HEB sells fresh made tortillas which make these 10x's better, but if you don't have access to fresh made tortillas then I suggest going with the ones you cook in the pan. It's just so much better this way. And I modify this recipe by just mixing all the ingredients in a bowl, heating the tortilla with cheese in a pan, then adding the mixture on top. Sometimes I eat it taco style, or even like a dip with chips. The possibilites are endless!
Nachos. Another easy go-to. No recipe, just do as you please. We like to get an 8x8 square pan, put in our favorite chips add, cheese, black beans, salsa, corn, whatever we have on had that works, then broil for a min or two. Then we top with lime juice, avocado, maybe some cilantro if we are feeling fancy. It gets the job done people.
Cheesy Chicken & Rice Bake. Duke LOVES this one. I like it too. And it's super easy. Just follow the instructions!
Roasted Tomato & Asparagus Tortellini. Easy and Delicious. We love this one. Just follow the recipe!
I would kind of really love it if you peoples reading this did this too, because I reallllly can always use ideas! Sometimes Pinterest just takes too long to look through, plus tried and true is always a great way to go!
