We’re working out the nursing issues. New ones are orienting. Nights are covered. But during the day it’s just me and the Hero, and lemme tell ya, this kid is a full time job. There isn’t time for anything but keeping this kid going.
Dinners around here have been of the quick and easy variety. It’d be great if a fist full of dining out gift cards magically appeared, but the odds of that are zilch……so I’m working on my 15 minute cheap and easy meal skills.
Quick and Easy Ravioli Lasagna fits the bill.
The original recipe calls for mozzarella and parmesan cheese. I had this three blend of cheese on hand, along with about 1.2 a container of ricotta that needed to be used up, so that’s what I made do with.
The sauce is a .67 bottle of Ragu after sale and coupon. The ravioli is from Costco.
Spread 1 cup of the sauce mixture (sauce mixture is 3 cups sauce and 1/2 cup water) in the baking dish. Top with 1/2 of the ravioli, 3/4 cup mozzarella cheese and 1 cup sauce mixture. Top with the remaining ravioli and sauce mixture. Cover the baking dish. (I used what I had on hand.)
I added a final bit of ricotta to the top and then the mixed blend of cheese.
Cover with foil and into the oven it goes!
Bake at 350 until everything is hot and bubbly.
I served it with sliced cucumbers (quicker than a salad) and garlic bread made with the FREE hotdog buns I got from the day old bread store.
This recipe fed TEN adult appetites easily with enough left over for two of my kids to take for lunch the next day. So while the ravioli was a bit pricey it fed a ton of people with enough for lunches the next day.
What are your go-to meals when things get nuts at your house? I could use some new ideas. I’m gonna need them!
About Tammy and Parker
Twitter: kadiera
says:
Stuff in a Pot:
1 or 2 packages of smoked sausage (like kielbasa or similar)
Lots of veggies (and a few fruits) – whatever you have on hand. apples, potatoes, peppers, cabbage, leeks, onion, carrot, green beans, corn, squash, peas, yams, beets, etc.
garlic (we like lots), pepper, possibly other spices.
Chop everything into bite-sized pieces. Throw it all in a stockpot, mix, and cook until the hard vegetables (like potatoes) are soft.
We usually do this in my biggest stock pot so there are leftovers – it freezes well. This is our, “there are veggies here that need to be eaten this weekend before they go bad, how the heck are we going to do that” sort of a meal.
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I do a variation on that with a white sauce that is easy to make from scratch. I take about 3 tbs of butter melt it on medium heat in a large pot, then I whisk in 3 tbs of flour. Once that is light brown and bubbly I slowly whisk in 2 cups of milk. To that mixture I add 4 oz of cream cheese (this is optional but I like the tang it adds to the sauce), 1/4 cup or so of Parmesan cheese (the real stuff not the powdered stuff) and some Cajun seasoning to taste.
Yum!
Saucy Chicken
8 ounces cream cheese
1 can corn
1 can black beans
1 bag boneless skinless chicken breasts
Dump everything in the crock pot, cook all day
serve over rice
Mexican Chicken
1 bag boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 jar salsa
1 large onion
Dump Everything in the crock pot, cook all day
Serve with rice or in Quesadillas or anything else
White Bean Chili
2 cups Mexican Chicken
2 cans white beans
1 can corn
1 cup spinach
1 large can tomatoes
2 tablespoons chili powder
Dump Everything either in the crock pot or a stew pot, simmer for 30-45 minutes—serve with chips for spoons
Beef Stroganoff
4 -6 servings pasta or rice
In small bag place
1/2 cup sour cream powder
1TBSP Corn Starch
2 TBSP Parsley
1Tsp Pepper
1TBSP Granulated Garlic
2 TBSP Butter Powder
In Large Bag
1 cup Mushrooms
1 cup Cauliflower
1 1/2 cups roast beef
1/2 cup onion
1/2 cup Peas
Dump Contents of Large Bag in Skillet with 6 cups water
Cook for 10 minutes then
Dump Contents of Small bag and stir very well
Simmer for 10 minutes
Drain Pasta and return to pot, Add contents of Skillet, Mix well and serve
Barley Joes
Place 1 cup pearled barley in sandwich bag
In another bag place
1 cup Hamburger
1/2 cup Tomato Powder
1/2 cup onion
1/2 cup cauliflower
Sloppy Joe Seasoning
Put Barley in Skillet with 5 cups water, cook for 25 minutes
Add contents of second bag and simmer for 10 minutes
Serve
Bruschetta Chicken Bake
1 can (14-1/2 oz.) diced tomatoes,Basil and Garlic variety undrained
1 pkg. (6 oz.) Stuffing Mix for Chicken
2 cloves garlic, minced
1-1/2 cups Freeze Dried Chicken
1 cup Freeze Dried Spinach
1 tsp. dried basil leaves
1 cup Freeze Dried Mozzarella Cheese
Dump in a Baking Dish, add 3 cups water
Bake at 350 for 30-35 minutes
Catalina Chicken
1 bag Chicken Breasts
1 Bottle Catalina Dressing
1 can crushed Pineapple
2 cups Freeze Dried Apricots
Dump in Crock Pot and simmer all day
Really good over Rice
Chocolate Pumpkin Muffins
1 can Pumpkin Pie Filling
1 box chocolate Cake Mix
Dump in bowl, Mix together
Bake in Muffin Cups 20-25 minutes
Christine! Thank you! *smooch*
Christine- bless your heart! If I weren’t already happily married, I’d propose to you for that list of crockpot recipes!!
Just posting here to tell you that I can’t get email through to you- have tried several times since yesterday. Not sure why, but let me know if there’s something I can do on my end.
Chris, are your emails to be bouncing back or something? That’s odd. You could try my [email protected] addy. *scratching head*
I forwarded the last returned email to your gmail account last PM so you could see it- did you get it? It makes it sound like an aol issue, but if you’re getting email from everyone else, that wouldn’t make sense. I sent the last one from my phone to make sure it wasn’t an issue w/ my computer.
Hi,
That is very quick cooking time. I hope I could also do the same, but I really dont have that skills to cook very quick.
Lady
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Twitter: sugar_Loco
says:
This sounds so delicious!!
Twitter: reischenk
says:
Chicken breasts frozen or not
1 jar of picante
1jar salsa
I package of taco seasoning
Dump into crock pot let it go on high if the breasts are frozen if not on low let it go all day
Shred chicken before serving
Serve with taco fixings
Side item Mexican rice
Easy lasagna
Lasagna noodles
Ricotta cheese
Mozerella cheese
Parmesan cheese
Prego pasta sauce large jar
In casserole dish layer lasagna noodles Ricotta cheese mozerella cheese
Very last layer top with Parma and mozerella cheese
Bake 350 until nice and golden Brown noodles will cook in the oven presto so easy
Here are a couple of easy ones I use alot:
Hamburger and Hashbrown Casserole
• 1 pound of ground beef
• 1/2 Cup margarine or butter, melted
• 1 can Cream Of Chicken Soup
• 1 large clove of garlic
• Onion Powder ½ tsp
• 3 Cups cheddar cheese, grated
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 1 teaspoon salt
1. Brown beef. Combine soup, onion, melted butter, and seasonings, stir well. Stir in cheese and frozen hash browns. Place in 9×13 dish and bake at 350 for 40 minutes, or until bubbly. *This tastes just like Cracker Barrel’s! Serve with a salad or veggie and bread and you are set.
Tater Tot Casserole
From the Kitchen of Jann Lawler
Preheat oven to 375
Ingredients:
1 -1 ½ lbs ground beef
2 tablespoons minced garlic
1 med bag of Tater Tots
2 cans of cream of chicken or mushroom (you can also use one of each)
2 cups of cheddar cheese, grated (divided)
Brown meat and garlic; add soup, 1 cup of cheese and mix. Spray cooking spray in a 2qt casserole dish layer 1 even layer of tots, then layer meat mixture over tots, then top with tots and spread your remaining cup of cheese across the top. Cover and bake for 30-45 minutes or until tots are done and center is hot. If you must cook longer reduce your heat to 325 and cook until done.
I serve with salad or green beans and bread.