Does anyone have some quick and easy recipes for REAL food?

I am sick of eating macaroni and cheese, frozen dinners, chicken fingers, fries and instant mashed potatoes.





(I know how to make pasta so anything but that...)Does anyone have some quick and easy recipes for REAL food?
Here are a few of our personal easy favorites. I assume you want main dishes, but here are some sides, etc. also:





Great appetizer:





This is the best and easiest dip recipe, and people always rave! I tell them it鈥檚 really hard to make (lol):





Cream Cheese Dip





2 large blocks of cream cheese


1 large jar Pace picante (medium)-use most of the jar





Soften cream cheese and mix with hand mixer until smooth. Add picante and mix with hand mixer. Leave in frig for a few hours to blend flavors. Serve with chips.





I know it seems too simple to be great, but it is!





Great sides for pasta:





Homemade garlic bread:





1 cube real butter


3-4 cloves garlic, minced





Saute together about 5 minutes.


Spread on fresh sliced french bread with a pastry brush. Heat under the broiler until light brown. Yummy!!





Caesar Coleslaw





1 pkg pre-made coleslaw


1/4-1/2 cup shredded parmesean cheese


1/2 pkg caesar croutons


1 bottle creamy caesar dressing





Toss first three ingredients together. Add enough dressing to coat. It's even good the next day!





My favorite naughty sandwich:





Grilled Cream cheese sandwiches:





Cut very fresh french bread into 1/2 inch slices. Butter one side of each, put one side on pan. Cut a chunk of cream cheese to taste (mine are about 1/4 in to 1/2 inch thick). Spread on the bread. Top with the best tomatoes you can find. Salt and pepper. Add the other slice of bread, buttered side up. Grill one side until brown. Flip over, grill the other side until brown.


MMMMMmmmmm.





Want Mexican? This is the best burrito recipe from my wonderful hunk of a husband:





Best Burritos Ever鈥?br>

1 lb. hamburger


1 can refried beans with lime


4 little cans chopped green chilis


1 Tbsp. Cumin


Sharp cheddar cheese


1 pkg flour torillas


Sour cream (optional)


Salsa (optional)





Brown the hamburger. Drain the grease. Combine the beans, chilis and cumin. Cook until hot. Put 1/4 cup cheese in tortilla and microwave for 20 seconds. Fill with meat mixure and sour cream and salsa. Fold. Enjoy.





This is really fun:


Beer Boil





2 pounds of large shrimp (don't shell them)


2-3 cans beer (any kind)


water


1 pound kielbasa sausage


crab (king crab is best)


shrimp and crab boil (in any supermarket)





Slice the kielbasa into serving pieces. Wash the shrimp in cold water.





In a large pot, bring to a boil the beer, shrimp boil, and enough water to cover shrimp, etc.


Add crab and sausage. Cook 5 minutes. Add shrimp and cook until shrimp turns pink. Dump into a big pot. Use your fingers!!! Serve with melted butter, Gold Dipt cocktail sauce, and spicy mustard. Add frozen corn with the shrimp, if you like corn.





Great side for a simple meat, like steak:





Best Fancy Mashed Potatoes


5 lb mashed potatoes peeled, cooked


1 stick real butter


8 oz cream cheese


8 oz sour cream


Half and half


salt and pepper


1/2 to 1 cup shredded sharp cheese





Mash potatoes with the butter and a little half and half. Add the rest of ingredients, except cheese, and continue to mash until cream cheese is melted and potatoes are fluffy. Put in casserole dish and cover with sharp cheese. Bake at 350 until cheese is melted and heated through.





Very rich, but wonderful!!





Comfort food:





Chicken Fried Steak:


2 tbsp. sugar


1/2 tsp. salt


2 eggs


1 tbsp. baking powder


1 c. half and half





Mix the first four ingredients with half the milk and stir until smooth. Add remainder of milk and mix well.





TO PREPARE THE GRAVY:





In pan where you fried the steak, gradually add one cup of flour and approximately 1/2 stick of butter. Slowly add up to 8 cups milk, stirring constantly until desired thickness is obtained. Remove from heat and add salt and pepper to taste. Serve Chicken Fried Steak with mashed potatoes and biscuits.





Crockpot:


This is so easy, and you can't believe how tasty!





Swiss Steak


1 round steak


2 cans stewed tomatoes


Egg noodles, cooked.





Sear the steak on both sides.


Put in crock pot and sprinkle with a good seasoned salt.


Add the two cans of tomatoes.


Cook all day (8 hours or so).


Serve over cooked and buttered egg noodles.


Yummy!





CROCK POT ENCHILADAS


1 lb. hamburger


1 onion, chopped


1 sm. can chilies


1 sm. can mild enchilada sauce


1 can golden mushroom soup, undiluted


1 can cheddar cheese soup, undiluted


1 can cream of mushroom soup, undiluted


1 can cream of celery soup, undiluted


1 lg. pkg. Dorito chips


Brown hamburger and chopped onion, pour off grease. Put all ingredients in crock pot except Dorito chips. Mix and cook low 4 to 6 hours. Last 15 minutes before you are ready to eat, add Dorito chips and stir.





These are so easy and wonderful. You can鈥檛 believe it!





BBQ Ribs





Country Style Ribs


Onion


Bottled BBQ Sauce (any kind you like)





Sear ribs on all sides to seal in juices. Place in crock pot. Cover with sliced onions and BBQ sauce. Cook on low 8-10 hours. Yummy!!!





Serve with baked beans, cornbread鈥?br>




Creamy Crockpot Chicken





1 envelope dry onion soup mix


2 cups sour cream


1 can cream mushroom soup


Salt and pepper to taste


6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts





Combine first 4 ingredients. Pour over chicken in crockpot. Cook on low 8 hours. Serve over noodles or rice.





Salads:





Cucumber Salad





Slice 2 peeled cucumbers. Slice thinly. Add 1 small sliced or chopped red onion. Cover with bottled red wine vinaigrette dressing. Salt and pepper to taste. Best if you let sit in refrigerator for at least an hour.





Bacon Salad





4 slices bacon


1 lg bowl salad greens


陆 chopped red onion


Salt


Pepper


Red Wine Vinegar





In salad bowl, combine the salad and onion. Coat with 录 cup red wine vinegar, salt and pepper. Chop bacon into little pieces. Cook until crispy. (You may need to add a little olive oil if bacon is very lean). Pour bacon and grease over salad.Does anyone have some quick and easy recipes for REAL food?
ok here's a couple of my favs but there are a TON more.





http://www.recipezaar.com/38953





here is a great one for pizza buns that i LOVE:





Ingredients:


small cubes or slices of your favorite kind of meat


grated cheese


pizza or plain tomato sauce


green or red peper pices (small) (optional)


buns or bread





Instructions:


mix the first 4 ingredients together in a bowl and put it on top of the bread or bun halfs. then bake or broil them untill the cheese is melted and the bread/bun is crispy! its so delicios!





I hope these help i personally LOVE both! :-)
the majority of the recipes on here are disgusting. if you want real food dont cook any of that ****. A few chefs to look up for some good food is Gordon Ramsay and Jamie Oliver, Thomas Keller..the list can go on if you want. One advice to give to you is where you get your ingredients. If you buy local food your better off having fresher product so dont go to walmart and buy something. i know its winter and its hard to find some good produce but try your best. The thing with local food is you know where its coming from and its not shipped from thailand and sits in a factory for 2 weeks ripening. Good food usually means simple food. Cooking great things is easy fun and a great way to spend some time with friends. I haven't anything processed in like three years. Such as all of the things youve listed above. Now for the recipes...im a chef so bare with me on the measurements. One super important thing is to taste and adjust. We dont us tablespoons and **** thats for baking....but ill try my best to include it. Another thing is to set up a mise en place, basically have everything chopped and cut and ready to go so when you cook something your meat isnt burning while your chopping the garlic to throw in with it. so make sure your set up..kinda like the guys on tv(ya know with the little glass bowls of stuff and such) Now for the food. If i was cooking a meal for a few friends (jamie oliver recipe)





salad: prosciutto, fresh mozz(usually moist and in the form of a ball) Mint, spring mix, peaches,





spread spring mix on plate top with the ham, rip the mozz, rip the peaches cut up mint on top





the reason why you rip the stuff is to add a really good texture to it. it just adds to it. for dressing just do some good xtra virgin olive oil with equal part lemon juice and salt and pepper.








Main: Salmon with hericovert (french for green bean)





blanch green beans( submerge in boiling water for a few mintues until they get bright green and have a snap to em) throw them in a colander. in one big baking dish add beans to one side then on top add cherry tomatoes, kalamata olives . toss that with basil and olive oil add anchovies on top(adds a great flavor to it) with the salmon you want to have a fresh good clean cut...fillets will work. Season both sides with salt and pepper, skin up...juice of a lemon on top of fish. make sure everything is in the same dish...your going to need a big pan. throw in the oven at 350 for about 10-12 minutes..or until fish flakes apart yeah.





if you want any more or have any more questions feel free to ask. have fun cookin!
Yes you can go on the food network.com
15 min 5 min prep


3 large eggs





1/3 cup skim milk





1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon





1/4 teaspoon salt





1/8 teaspoon black pepper





1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla





1/2 teaspoon sugar substitute (optional)





6 slices bread (more or less)





1. Beat eggs, milk, cinnamon, salt, pepper, vanilla, and sugar substitute in a shallow bowl.


2. Heat a large skillet or griddle over medium and spray with nonstick cooking spray.


3. Dip bread into egg mixture and coat both sides well. Place on hot skillet.


4. The bread is ready to flip when the side is browned and it pulls away from the skillet easily. Cook 2nd side. Repeat until all the egg mixture has been used.


5. Serve with maple syrup, jam, fresh fruit, butter, powdered sugar, peanut butter, etc!
Meatloaf-


2 lbs ground chuck


1 can Manwich Bold


1 green pepper chopped


1 onion chopped


1 cup bread crumbs


1 egg


1 tbsp bbq sauce whatever you have will work


1 tbsp steak sauce





Mix meat with 3/4 of the can of manwich and reserve the rest for later and all other ingredients except the last two.


Shape into a loaf and bake in a 350 degree oven for 1 hour 15 minutes. While baking mix remaining Manwich, bbq sauce and steak sauce and pour over meatloaf during the last 15 minutes. So simple but oh so delicious.


Serve with mashed potatoes and glazed carrots.


Roast how ever much you need


Put roast in a dutch oven season with salt, pepper, garlic, onion powder, salt free seasoning mix.Add one bay leaf as well. Pour a little olive oil over and top with a stick of butter. Put in a 450 degree oven and cook until nice and brown. About 30 minutes. Then transfer to a crock pot with the juices, add 1/2 cup water and set on high for about 3 hours. During the last hour add baby carrots and some red potatoes cut up. You can eat as is if you season it right the juices will be good enough for gravy. If not then you can add a can of cream of mushroom or other cream soup to the juices to make a gravy.
did you know that you can google any type of dish you want and you are likely to get thousands of recipes and variations?


you should try it. i have. then you can compile your fave recipes and make your own unique cookbook. also, if you don't know a specific dish, you can google ';recipes';, then you will find ample amount of sites to find recipes for ';real food';. happy recipe hunting!