What is your family's favorite homecooked dinner?

[Laura Corin]

Currently it's ginger pork. Take as many boneless pork steaks as you have people, dust them with salt and pepper, then sear them quickly in a very hot pan. Put them aside and reduce heat, then saute onion and fresh ginger (to taste) in the same pan until the onion is translucent. Add some flour and cook for a minute, before adding broth slowly to thicken it. Cook the sauce for a few minutes, adding broth as necessary to make the right consistency. Put the pork into the sauce to cook until just done (try not to over cook). Serve with mashed potato and one or two green veggies.

 

Laura

[Mothersweets]

Um, all of them? "Home cooked" is pretty much all they get and, as I point out frequently, I don't make disgusting things. :D

 

Everyone is quite fond of black bean burritos, though. I make a huge crock pot of black beans (2 dry lbs at a time) about once a week (sometimes pintos, just to change things up) with a little garlic, cumin, chili powder and salt. Then I make a pile of flour tortillas (because it offends me that they put HFCS in tortillas when there's no sugar to replace in the first place, and organic are ridiculously expensive) and they have burritos. Sometimes, taco salad, etc.

 

They also love cheese tortellini with pesto (and sometimes tomatoes and fresh mozzarella). I make a signature "Oh Carp! It's 6:00 and I Have No Plans for Dinner" pasta that takes about as long as it takes to boil the noodles: While you're boiling the water for the pasta, melt some butter/olive oil in a skillet, sautee garlic and onions, add herbs as you like. Boil your favorite shape of pasta for 2 minutes less than the minimum time on the package, drain and throw into the skillet. Then add a couple of handfuls of something green (usually spinach, pea shoots, frozen peas, fresh sugar snaps, etc. around here) and pour some milk over it (probably about a cup or so for a pound of pasta) and let it bubble until the whole shebang is thick and the pasta is done, stirring occasionally. It comes out like a creamy, cheesy scampi, but with no cheese. (Of course, you could also sautee some chicken or shrimp in there with the alliums... we're not vegetarian, but we usually eat vegetarian... hmmm. I wonder what that's about? )

 

Almost everything is or comes with salad here.

 

This sounds so yummy and easy! and my kids will eat just about any kind of pasta. Why didn't I think of this? :D

[Mothersweets]

I went back and read through all the posts - I think I will have to print out this entire thread!

 

I am always stumped on what to make for dinner.

 

We have our old tried and true dinners (roast, lasagne, spaghetti, chicken and rice) but we've gotten into a rut lately and I would love to try a few new meals.

 

Thanks for all the great recipes-yum!!

[Denisemomof4]

it depends on the season!

 

Summer: chicken caesar salads, taco salads, Chinese chicken salads, beef and mandarin salads, shrimp platter with sourdough bread and salad/veggie platter

 

fall/winter: chili, my home made spaghetti sauce, lasagna, spaghetti squash casserole

 

anytime: breaded turkey cutlets fried in olive oil, mashed taters, veggie of choice

Chinese fried rice

stirfry

[nuttman]

Country Fried Steak, mashed potatoes, and gravy, fresh balck-eyed peas, fried okra, home grown sliced tomatoes

Fried porkchops, red beans and rice, collard greesn with ham hock

Pepper steak, rice, brocoli, fried cabbage

Roast Beef, rice and gravy, butter beans, corn on the cob

That's just some of them.

[Radish4ever]

tortilla pizzas (tortilla topped with spaghetti sauce or tomato sauce with italian seasonings sprinkled on...topped with mozz and whatever toppings each person likes - baked around 400 for around 5 or so minutes)

 

spaghetti

 

fettucini alfredo

 

crockpot pork chops (frozen chops covered in cream of soup, minced onions....cooked on low all day and throw some carrots and/or potatoes in a few hours before serving time)

 

crockpot fajitas (preseasoned fajita meat and grilled veggies cooked on low all day from frozen - wrapped in tortillas with cheese, sour cream, etc - whatever the person likes)

[mom2denj]

I am so excited to have found this thread. I am also trying to put together a dinner rotation. Thanks so much everyone!!!

[Peri]

My kids just love spaghetti and meatballs.

[hsmom3tn]

Thanks for the ideas and recipes :)

 

My favorite is taco night, especially when we also have the Pampered Chef Touchdown Taco Dip :D

 

This is really good, too. I like to have this for Thanksgiving:

Corn casserole

½ stick of margarine

1 can cream of chicken soup

½ soup can of water

1 can of mexicorn

1 can shoe peg corn

1 can of rotel

1 cup minute rice

Cheese

Melt butter in a casserole dish

Mix soup, water, corn (drain corn), rotel, and rice together in a dish

Bake at 350 for about 20 minutes

Take out and spread cheese over the top

Return to the over long enough to melt the cheese

 

 

 

 

Everyone else loves this stuff that I make that doesn't have a name... we just call it "noodle stuff", LOL.

 

Melt 2 sticks of margarine in a large sauce pan, stir in a chopped onion. Then add round steak (cut into small pieces/cubes) or stew meat. We like a lot of meat so we usually have at least 2 pounds of steak in there, but you don't have to use that much. (Get the round steak tenderized if possible. If it's not tenderized, it can be tough and you don't want to use meat tenderizer because it makes it too salty.) I add pepper, minced garlic, and a bit of worcestershire sauce (not sure if I spelled that right, LOL), then let it cook until the meat is brown. Meanwhile, mix up 24 oz. of sour cream, 3 packets of brown gravy mix, and 2 cups of water. (Each packet of gravy mix calls for one cup of water, but if you use 3 it will be too runny). Pour the gravy mixture in with the meat and let it simmer until thick. Add a bag of cooked, wide egg noodles. We usually just have some sort of dinner rolls with this. Not healthy, but yummy and filling :D

[hsmom3tn]

Here's another one that we like:

 

Baked Spaghetti

 

8 oz. Spaghetti

2 tbls. Butter

1 cup Grated Parmesan Cheese

1 container Ricotta Cheese (suggests 24 oz, but I use the smallest

container)

1 pound Ground Beef

1 jar (about 28oz) chunky garden-style pasta sauce

1 8 oz. pkg Mozzarella Cheese

 

 

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

 

Combine hot cooked spaghetti with butter; stir until butter melts and coats

spaghetti. Add 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese; stir to coat. Arrange spaghetti in

an even layer in foil-lined pan. Spread ricotta cheese over spaghetti.

Sprinkle with 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese. Brown ground beef, drain; add pasta

sauce and heat until bubbly. Spoon over cheeses. Top with Mozzarella

cheese and remaining Parmesan cheese.

 

Cover with foil. Bake 30 minutes. Remove foil cover and continue baking 15

minutes or until cheese is lightly browned. Let stand 10 minutes before

serving.

[Jenn in Mo]

Baked Fish ( I cook lots )

 

Fish tacos (the next night with leftovers)

 

Sloppy Joes (I make lots)

 

Sloppy Joe pizza (leftovers)

 

Sloppy Joe sauce over rice

 

 

 

Chicken Enchiladas with white sauce

 

Beef Enchiladas

 

 

 

Roast (again, lots)

 

shredded roast with liquid smoke & Dale's or Soy sauce & worcestershire wrapped in tortillas with sour cream

 

shredded roast stroganoff (same seasonings as above with cream of mushroom and noodles and sour cream)

 

Tacos (extra meat)

Taco Pizza

Mexican Shepherd's Pie

 

Adding veggies to meals has always been my weakest point in the kitchen. Well, that and clean-up. I've started adding zucchini, chopped or pureed, into a LOT of these dishes and no one has noticed.

[DawnM]

Here are some regulars:

 

Sloppy Joes (I make the sauce myself, WAY cheaper!)

 

Brown 1 pound meat

add in 1 can tomato paste

add 1 can of water

brown sugar or honey to taste

onion flakes

garlic powder

chili powder

salt

pepper

 

(all to taste....fresh of the above is tastier....I just rarely do that anymore.)

 

Meatballs with any red sauce in the crockpot with hoagie rolls

 

Chicken curry. I vary this.....the easiest is a can of coconut milk with some curry, onion, garlic, chili pepper, and ginger in the crockpot! The more more involved recipe is too much to type out.

 

Sub sandwiches

 

Bagel pizzas- plain bagels with spag or pizza sauce, pepperoni, and mozzerella cooked like pizza.

[Imprimis]

One of my family's favorite meals ever is from a recipe I got from these boards when they were the old boards :001_smile:---long before I started posting!

I make these quite often, and EVERYONE here loves them.

Belated thanks to the poster who shared this recipe some years ago!

 

Italian Sandwiches

 

3-4 lb boneless beef chuck roast (or other cut)

can of beef broth

12 oz.jar of pepperoncini peppers

envelope of Good Seasons Italian dressing

hoagie rolls

sliced mozzarella cheese

 

I brown the beef on all sides before throwing it into the crockpot. Pour the beef broth, and 1/2 jar (or more if your family likes spicy) of the pepperoncinis and liquid over the roast. Sprinkle with the packet of italian dressing. Cook on low 7-8 hours. I usually start it on high for the first hour. Shred beef, place on hoagie rolls, top with mozzarella cheese, pop sandwiches under the broiler until cheese is bubbly and delicious. Serve with a side of the beef juice to dip sandwiches into. SO. very. yummy!

[MistyJ]

Yum! I'm making that tonight.......

[Tea Time]

For all you clever people using curry...

If you just add it to the crock pot with the coconut milk and other spices, will it cook well? I thought you needed to cook the curry in hot oil to "engage" the flavor, but that is always a bit too much work when I am trying to use it. I'd LOVE a good curry chicken recipe for the crock pot or other easy way if I knew it worked well. I love curry!

 

Our family favorite is probably roasted chicken with lemon & garlic & fresh rosemary. I use lots of lemons, and the drippings are so tasty that we pour them over the rice and even the salad that we serve with the meal. Makes great leftovers for chicken salad or soup, too. It seems to work best cooked in a dutch oven with some olive oil rubbed on the chicken before you add the seasoning.

 

This is the bestest ever WTM thread! Thanks for all the wonderful ideas everyone!

[EKS]

They like stroganoff. A lot!

[savedbygrace]

Pizza and nachos

[Oakblossoms]

I always make curry in my crockpot. That way it has tons of time to meld the flavors.

 

If I have the time I preheat the pot and add some oil, spices, onion, and garlic. Stir and put on the lid. Let cook till fragrant and add the rest of the stuff.

[Tea Time]

I always make curry in my crockpot. That way it has tons of time to meld the flavors.

 

If I have the time I preheat the pot and add some oil, spices, onion, and garlic. Stir and put on the lid. Let cook till fragrant and add the rest of the stuff.

 

Good to know it works that way! I'll try it. Thanks!