I second (or third or fourth!) carbonara. My husband's favourite. It is rich for sure, so usually make small portions and have a big salad along side. If you have good paremesan, cacio e pepe (cheese and pepper pasta), is also great and even easier and not as rich.

Wow, what a great thread. I will have to try.....everything!!!

Pink, orange julius was a favorite treat from my childhood. First tasted them at our county fair - there was a booth there and later on we had a shop in the big city. I've made them myself and now i'm probably going to want one! LOL

No problems with typing.

Great thread! I made sure to add a couple of cans of San Marzano tomatoes to my cart yesterday.

Love carbonara. My recipe calls for a large chopped tomato to be sauteed with the garlic for a minute or two. I like the bit of acid it provides to cut the creaminess.

My shortcut is that I found this pre-chopped pancetta. I keep a couple bags in the freezer at all times to add to things like carbonara, omelettes, etc. Not sure if it is widely available, but I found it at Safeway with the specialty pre-packaged sandwich meats.

BBstx, are you using an iPhone or iPad to post?

ARG!!!! Please DO NOT EVER put links here that can't be accessed w/o signing up!!!

Arcy, what r u looking for, maybe i can help? Most places that require subscriptions allow a few free articles each mo.

It's the NYT's link and yes, you can sign up free. You can even log in with facebook and other options. No big deal. Arcy, many of us appreciate these links. Each one here is free to follow through with the link, or not.

This is what I posted, from the NYT

Orange Julius! When the first shopping mall opened in my area (late 1960s) they had an Orange Julius shop. Don't what used to be the bigger thrill as a kid, going to the new mall or getting an Orange Julius. I haven't had one since the 70s. I know you can still get them at Dairy Queen (another place I have not been to in years). BTW, Orange Julius has an interesting history, per Wikipedia.

Mmm, I remember getting Orange Julius at the mall, too. :)

If you have milk and oj in your fridge, you can still have all the thrills . . .

Another one of my easy peasy recipes is a can or two of of stewed tomatoes (depending on how many people you are planning on serving) and then chop it up and add cream cheese to taste for a creamy tomato sauce. It makes a very delicious sauce, similar to the Hazan trick with the butter. Season with Italian or even Mexican or Greek seasoning. I add a can of beans of one type or another, and then serve over rice or pasta topped with parmesean cheese or use cheddar cheese instead of the parmesean for Mexican, or feta cheese to top for the Greek version. I guess you could use chicken or sausages instead of beans, but that recipe is one of my famous "vegetarian quickies" so that's how I make it, with beans, usually dark red kidney but occasionally canellini. If I'm feeling ambitious I add canned zucchinis or some fresh sauteed thing. Also occasionally a handful of frozen or fresh spinach or kale. You can almost always have the canned ingredients on hand if you need to whip something up quick for a vegetarian guest. I use minute brown rice if I'm doing this last minute.

Although it is not the same as something long-simmered, some boneless chicken poached in boxed chicken broth, chopped up, add canned or frozen mixed vegetables, some dashes of "Mrs Dash Garlic and Herb" seasoning, and then serve over cooked egg noodles. Almost instant comforting chicken soup and with the vegetables, very healthy. Again, can throw in frozen or chopped raw onions that cook in the broth, and some frozen chopped spinach or fresh spinach or cabbage.

Use precooked sausages, chicken broth mixed with some chopped canned stewed tomatoes, a dash or caraway and/or dill, some garlic, and braise some cabbage in that. Very good. Add boiled potatoes, carrots, chopped onion, whatever. Add more broth for soup. My secret ingredient to add to a tomato based soup is a small can of low salt V8 juice. Add a dash of cider vinegar at the end to punch it up. Serve with sour cream dollop to guild the lily. Skip the sour cream, add some sauerkraut, put some biscuit dumplings on top for a stodgy yet super easy delicious filling and inexpensive meal.

Daisy, I also buy diced pancetta from our grocery but in 4 oz packages and keep them in the freezer.

Similar to Jinx’s foil packets, we do sheet pan dinners about once a week. You can cook almost anything this way. We really like chicken sausage (cut up) with potatoes, carrots, onions, whatever veggies we’ve got. Easy and yummy. All I do is toss everything with some olive oil, sprinkle on whatever spices make sense, and bake for roughly 20 min on 375 or 400 depending on ingredients. In summer we did a variety of meats with red peppers, green peppers, onion, zucchini, etc. There are lots of ideas online. This is pretty much how I cook all veggies these days.

We also have a super easy salsa chicken meatloaf that IMO doesn’t look appealing but it’s yummy. Everyone in our family loves it.

Ignore my DH’s notes. Inside family joke. 🙄 I do not “top with remaining salsa” because I personally think it’s too much salsa.

Sue, we too, love sheet pan dinners, so easy and good! A stupid question about your meatloaf recipe. Is “one package” of ground chicken equal to one pound?

Yes, seems like it’s usually packaged at about 1 pound. We actually often double the recipe because the leftovers are good too!

Yes, ground chicken comes in only 1lb. I use it to make samosas. To make them simple we don't wrap them up. We put the wonton wrappers in muffin tins (no need to butter them btw) in the oven @375 for 5 minutes or so, and then fill those with the seasoned meat.

https://www.weightwatchers.com/us/recipe/chicken-samosa-triangles-1/5626a626a6d5b39610700ebb

Sue's recipe reminded me of a super simple meal. Saute skinless boneless chicken tenders till done. Add to the pan equal parts sour cream and salsa. Heat through and serve over rice.

One more easy one, this time w ground turkey.

You guys are killing this vegetarian with all your easy peasy dinners!!!!!

Bestyears, the packet dinners are great using all veggies ... I make myself a veggie one often, and serve with rice pilaf.

Potatoes are really good this way. Baking them with sauce in the foil gives them such a wonderful flavor ... they soak it up. I cube them fairly small (or thinly slice), as they take a bit longer than the other veggies to cook.

I came across this recently and can’t wait to try it:

https://juliasalbum.com/linguine-with-spinach-and-sun-dried-tomato-cream-sauce/

Here's a link to a nice blog article by "Orangette" about braising as a deliciously easy and simple way to do greens. I mentioned cabbage, but kale and collards take nicely to this technique as well. She gets her inspiration from chef Molly Stevens, who specializes in farm to table kinds of meals. As for vegetarian, this is one of my "go to" vegetarian meals, as I eat it often with fake sausage. But also, add tomatoes or some kind of broth, and any type of braise becomes an easy stew to poach and egg in, which brings me to the other easy dish, eggs poached in tomato sauce, which can be called huevos rancheros or shakshuka or "eggs in purgatory" in Italian, and I believe a similar dish is found in Chinese culture although I think in that case the eggs are scrambled/stir fried with tomato sauce.

http://orangette.net/2006/01/tender-is-the-cabbage/

This is one of my “go to“ meals in the summer - I make my own zoodles but this would be super easy if you buy them already spiralized.

Shrimp w/Zoodles and Avocado Pesto

pinkmountain, it's crazy the way the universe aligns sometime. Last night, just before heading to bed, I noticed Molly Wizenberg's book, A Homemade Life, amongst my cookbooks, and thought for the first time in years, hmmm, I wonder what she's up to these days. And then this morning, there is your post!

I made my own easy meal last night so I could enjoy it when I finish my poll watching shift today (voting in runoff elections in Georgia, I’ve been doing 8 hour shifts every other day since 12/14. We’re volunteers but still can’t have or use our phones when we are in “the enclosed space” in the polling location. I’m on my officially mandated break and posting out on the parking lot. I don’t really have much to do on these breaks except check the internet and FaceTime DD to see little Andrew if he’s up)

Anyway this is my beans and tomatoes and kale dish. Not a soup and not a free, either.

No idea why this is sideways!

I just made this tonight. Super easy.

Turkey or Chicken Piccata

2 to 3 lbs thin sliced chicken or turkey

1/2 tsp each garlic powder, pepper and dry basil (. I double the garlic and basil)

Flour to dredge

2TBS butter

2TBS olive oil

1 cup regular strength beef broth

3TBS fresh lemon juice

1 lemon thinly sliced

2 TBS drained capers

In a small bowl combine the spices. Rub into the cutlets.

Dredge with flour.

Heat oil and butter in large pan. Cook until lightly browned.

Lift out and set aside.

Add the broth and lemon juice to pan. Cook 1 minute. Return to pan.

Put lemon slice on top of the cutlets.

Cover and simmer about 3 minutes. Sprinkle with capers

I made the mistake of adding the capers during cooking time. DH likes them this way, so that’s how I keep it up.

Oh Yum. Is it really beef broth; I would not have guessed that.

Yes, seems odd but it works!

Good to know, I've tried to make it and it always seemed a little blah; that might be it.

That braising post is pretty old. But a classic, IMHO. It inspired me to finally use my braising pan properly!

Rotisserie chicken carcass covered in water, with smashed garlic cloves, yellow onion quartered, carrots broken in half, poultry seasoning, and pepper corns. Simmer on low all night. Strain broth and return meat to broth. Salt to taste and add cooked egg noodles. Top with grated parm.

KSWL, Thank you!!! and for the recipe too.

I also wanted to thank Kswl. I know that volunteering in that position makes for long days but it is so necessary. Hope you are busy, with lots of turn out, in the location you are working.

I keep a jar of home made shake n bake. Makes making dinner super easy...use on fish, pork or chicken.

If anyone is looking for a super simple "cookie" recipe, this is a huge hit! OK so all you do is buy an angel food cake and slice it into squares that are about 1 1/2 inches or however large you want. You roll that into a powdered sugar icing, you know the kind that you thin with milk or water and add a flavoring to that if you like such as vanilla or lemon etc. Then roll that in coconut and that's it. Of course you need to put these on some plastic wrap or parchment paper and allow to dry. Everyone goes nuts for these things!!!!!

This is a super easy and really tasty soup made from stuff you probably already have in the pantry.

Fast White Bean Stew

YIELD Makes 4 servings

• 2 large garlic cloves, chopped

• 1/4 cup plus 1/2 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 (14- to 15-ounce) can diced tomatoes
• 1 3/4 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
• 2 (19-ounce) cans cannellini beans, rinsed and drained (3 cups)
• 1 (1/2-pound) piece baked ham (1/2 to 3/4 inch thick), cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• About 6 ounces of baby spinach

1. 1. Cook garlic in 1/4 cup oil in a 3 1/2- to 4 1/2-quart heavy pot over moderately high heat, stirring, until golden, 1 to 2 minutes. Add tomatoes (with juice) to garlic in oil. Stir in broth, beans, ham, and pepper and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, 5 minutes. Stir in spinach and cook until wilted, about 1 minute.

@User, I use an iPad almost exclusively, mainly because I have it in a keyboard case. The problem shows up when you are typing along and realize you’ve misspelled a word. You backspace to the incorrect letter within the word, then type in the correct letter and continue with the following letters. However, the incorrect letter and following letters do not spell a word (they aren’t supposed to, they are just the end of the word). Houzz autocorrect will change that group of letters to an actual word.

Modebate ly high heat. Here is an example. I wrote “mocerately high heat”. I then moved my cursor back to the end of “mocerately”, deleted all but “mo”, typed “derately“, and you can see what it changed it to. It does not recognize that the “mo” is there. Is this what yours is doing?

Back to the topic at hand, I have diced prosciutto in my fridge right now. I never thought to freeze it in smaller portions. I’m going to do that now.

I also have 4 lbs of onions caramelizing in the crockpot. It takes 12 hours. And stinks up the house, but it is worth it. I freeze them in ice cube trays in order to have caramelized onions quickly anytime I want them.

Yes that is exactly what happens and really only here for some reason. And I also make caramelised onions in my crockpot!

“I also have 4 lbs of onions caramelizing in the crockpot. It takes 12 hours. And stinks up the house, but it is worth it.”

Outside! I crock my onions on the back porch, or in the garage. French onion soup is sounding good this morning.

Last night‘s dinner. Conserving my energy for holiday cooking! I made pearled couscous according to directions on the box. I don’t like typical couscous much but we all love the pearl! I cut up the veggies we happened to have, carrots and onions, and roasted them in the toaster oven. Meanwhile found peas in the freezer and cooked them too. When the couscous was done, I threw all the veggies in the pot and mixed it together. Done. I was expecting complaints but everyone liked it.

Czar my husband likes white beans. I'm going to have to try that stew.

We had one of our favorite simple dishes last night. I made a frittata with sausage crumbles (turkey), red bell pepper, onions and cheese. Oven roasted red potato slices and add some bread - perfect meal. We love frittata and you can put anything in them. Sometimes I do all veggie, sometimes ham, sometimes sausage, etc. adding whatever veggies and cheese you have on hand. I keep the sausage crumbles on hand. There is also a bisquick "pie" recipe I like - again using whatever meat and veggies plus cheese. You add milk and egg to the bisquick (I use the lite version) and pour over it. I have a veggie version from a church cookbook using zucchini that i really good. Has a homemade batter rather than bisquick.

Tina, can you share how you make your frittata? Tried and true are always the best.

Eld, I learned to cook from my grandmother and she was one that used a pinch of this and a scooch of that. Unless baking, I rarely measure. For a deep dish pie plate, I used 8 eggs. For the veggies I use as much as you want - last night it was red pepper and onion. I probably used a half a red pepper, not as much onion. I beat my eggs with a fork, add in milk (last night it was half and half as I had some I needed to use), again I don't measure probably about 1/3 cup. I added my salt and pepper to that. Sometimes I will use italian seasoning. I used about 3/4 of the bag of Jimmy Dean turkey sausage crumbles (the bag is 9.6 oz). Probably a half cup of sharp cheddar cheese. I just stir the veggies/meat/cheese into the egg mixture. I cooked at 400 as I had roasted the potatoes on that temp. Can cook at 350 also. Watch and don't let top get too brown but make sure center is set. Hope that helps!!

We make a variation of the stew that Czarina posted, only with white fish or shellfish instead of the ham. Who knew that the combo of white fish and tomatoes was so delicious and made such a good soup? When I'm making it with fish I add a can of clams and the juice to the soup. It's an almost instant "home made" soup.

Doing onions in the crockpot is another deceptively easy thing to do, because they you have them and can add them to so many things to punch up the flavor . . .

I'll add the "Summer Torte" recipe by Marian Burros as another deceptively easy dessert. It's just cake with fresh fruit on top, but the cake is delicious and fresh fruit is always wonderful. I also like to make "upside down" cakes in my 9 inch cast iron pan. I've done pear, apple, pineapple, plum and lately cranberry versions. You do have to prepare the fruit, but other than that it isn't that difficult, and it makes a beautiful impression for serving, and you didn't have to do that much to create the look.

Years ago I was visiting Great Britain and my friend's mom made stewed dried fruit and served it topped with vanilla pudding and a sprinkle of crumbled gingersnaps or some toasted nuts. Deceptively easy. Just buy a packet of dried fruit, add water and throw in a cinnamon stick and whatever other spices you have on hand (I keep allspice berries, whole nutmegs, cardamom pods, cloves and candied ginger on hand for making mulled cider), cover with water and stew for about 45 min or more. Can guild the lily with dried cherries, golden raisins, currants, etc. Can stew in some cider or apple juice too. I've done it with canned pudding, deli-bought pudding, box pudding and home made. Home made pudding is fab, but not a deceptively easy thing IMHO. It's relatively easy, but does take time and attention. Serve in a cut or pressed glass dish for the glamor. I have a set of small pressed glass dessert dishes with a short pedestal.

I am jealous that you folks can find frozen pancetta bits. I can't even find fresh pancetta.

On the subject of "deceptively easy" it is a well known secret that you don't have to boil lasagna noodles in advance to make the layered noodle dish. The noodles cook in the sauce.

One of my favorite easy but delicious recipes is clafouti. The eggs, milk, butter and flour poured over a bag of frozen fruit and baked should not taste that good for something so easy. Sometimes I put a liquer in to amp it up, but I love it when I want something but do not want to put in the effort. Here is one version: clafouti recipe. I think it falls into the same vein of popovers or German pancakes, just slightly different amounts, but still the eggy-custardy baked goodness.

For those of you trying spaghetti carbonara, definitely try the Hazan recipe some time. She adds white wine to the bacon and it definitely takes the recipe to the next level, IMHO.

Ooh, I thought of another deceptively easy thing. Not sure if it qualifies as a dish, but I often serve it at winter parties but now just have it for myself--mulled wine or glug (with an umlaut). The spices cover a multitude of sins, you can use cheap wine, jazz up with brandies or flavored liqueurs, vodkas or schnaps, thin with cider or other fruit juices . . . and throw some fruit into the mug and stir with a cinnamon stick for a festive presentation. I bought some clear pressed glass mugs at the Dollar store and a mug tree for them, so mulled wine in the crockpot was often my deceptively simple but fun and popular party punch for Christmas. Apple wine is nice too, for this. I usually use one of our favorite table reds, mixed with a bit of cider but lately they have actually been bottling and selling spiced wine for just heating from one of our local vineyards, so that's what solitary-me is doing.

6, 9, and 12 hours in the crockpot. @maddielee, when caramelizing onions, I usually set up the crockpot on the backporch, but it is chilly and rainy here today. I was afraid the crockpot heating element could not overcome the chill in the air. The onions are in the fridge chilling and I’ve got the Lampe Berger going. I know Lampe Berger’s are out of fashion, but it seems to work better than anything else I have to dissipate odors.

You all inspired me with your foil packet ideas, so last night for dinner I made this recipe, (and separately grilled shrimp for my husband) and it was delicious and super easy!

Black Bean and Pineapple Fajitas Recipe

Mmm, saving that, Bestyears, thanks!

An easy side that everyone goes nuts over is one of the easiest ... Cream Cheese Corn. You can use fresh cut-off-the-cob or canned whole corn (drained). However much you need, put in pan and add enough softened cream cheese to make a very creamy consistency. Add chopped green chiles (canned, in the Mexican food aisle). Heat through, let simmer and get thick. It’s so funny, people think it’s this complicated thing. :)

Great as leftovers, too.

I usually make a big batch, but let’s say for one or two people, and will have leftovers:

2 cans corn, drain

1/2 block (possibly more, it’s personal preference) softened cream cheese

1 can chopped green chiles

Heat through.