Ok this is not earth-shattering but a staple dinner in our house: fish sandwiches using the frozen panko-crusted tilapia filets from Trader Joe’s. We keep buns in the freezer too, so these have become a very low-effort staple meal. Sometimes I’ll make a homemade tartar sauce or a spicy mayo, other times we’ll just top them with mustard and pickles and lettuce. They come together in 20 minutes and are so good!
We had friends over on Sunday and grilled flank steak & chicken for fajitas. Made a big pot of black beans, sautéed peppers and onions, and rice to go along with. We’ve been eating the leftovers all week and it’s been great to throw together an easy rice bowl or some quick tacos. Not groundbreaking but satisfying & had to take advantage of great grilling weather!
This is nothing groundbreaking but I always make more "taco night" stuff (seasoned ground beef or turkey, black beans, corn, rice) than we need because it's so easy to repurpose them into other things. Burritos, nachos, taco bowls, quesadillas, and taco salads are on regular rotation for lunches or busy night dinners!
I made these teriyaki chicken burgers Tuesday night, and they were a huge hit! https://pinchofyum.com/chicken-teriyaki-burgers It’s a very forgiving recipe - I think I eyeballed almost all the ingredients. We also didn’t have any premade teriyaki sauce, so I improvised with a combo of ketchup, brown sugar, soy sauce, and sesame oil. We are close to overrun with chives, so I added chopped chives to everything, too. My teenager got mad that I took the leftovers for lunch! 😂
These are my favorite! All I ever want to do when I meet new people is to ask what they eat for breakfast - I love a little glimpse into their secret lives. So a week of dinners is my absolute dream!
A fav weeknight staple in my house is gnocchi with brussels sprouts and stewed cannellini beans. The gnocchi is loosely based on a NYT Cooking recipe (chopped lemon zest and a little honey cooked in butter are the stars!) and on the side I fry up onions and peppers and garlic, throw in some chopped tomatoes and a can of cannellini beans, and let it simmer while I make the gnocchi.
I also love hearing about the basic meals people eat. Especially breakfast! It’s the most intimate meal, and the most variable. Agree 100% it is a window into secret lives!
I LOVE Molly Baz's mayo line. My favorite is the hot gardinayo, but the dijonayo is a very close second. Also, if anyone is looking for a good cornbread recipe that's slightly more involved, I recommend Alison Roman's. It's delicious. Though, I have to admit, yours looks just as great (JIFFY!) and super easy.
I made a random tater tot casserole last night, because I had Italian sausage, a bag each of frozen peas and corn, and some frozen tater tots. I needed to use the sausage up before traveling this weekend, so an old school casserole it was! And, you know, it was delicious.
Have you looked at Molly Yeh’s Hot Dish recipes? They’re so creative, delicious, and topped with tater tots! My favorite is the Harissa-Chickpea version with lots of crumbled feta on top.
Every person on this thread who has said, “This is nothing special, but…” then goes on to say something I would hands-down be so thrilled to eat if I came over to your house—I love all of you. 😂
This week is “freezer diving” for me, since I have a truckload of deadlines. I had some leftover chicken tikka masala in the freezer, but I wasn’t in the mood to drag out my Zojirushi and wait for rice to cook. So! I wanted to thicken up the mixture so I could have more of a soup/stew situation—and added a can of Great Northern beans for some fiber and texture. Then! I diced up an avocado I had in the fridge, chopped up some scallions and cilantro, squeezed in some lime and a dollop of sour cream that needed to be used up. I’d totally do that again! Cheaper and quicker than ordering takeout, for sure.
I love today’s list…so like my house. I seriously cook a couple nights a week and the rest is very often a bit of this and a bit of that, along with the last minute things like the frozen sausages, that ends up making a really nice meal.
I missed last month’s; I was traveling out of the country and gave myself a break from news and email and as much of my ordinary life as possible.
I like the dinner recaps! Reminds me that one or two small extras make a huge difference. I made some ground beef for tacos, and have a bunch in the freezer, plus some corn tortillas. I’m inspired to make some tacos for breakfast!
One easy meal / snack that is a standby is sweet potatoes with black beans and cheddar, originally a NYTImes cooking idea. But most of the time I have a bunch of roast cut up sweet potatoes (always add Aleppo pepper and either onions or shallots) in the fridge for salads and whatnot, then top w Trader Joe’s Cowboy Caviar and some cheddar. Ready in 3 min, which is sometimes a requirement.
I’ve been down with covid this week but in a bleary state, I made some of the gluten free Miso Chocolate Chip cookies (also NYTimes Cooking) as they seemed easy. Basically brown sugar, miso, nut butter, an egg, choc chips, and vanilla. Sugar bombs, yes—but wowza! Absolutely delicious, with amazing texture. I used up some bulk tahini that I found too bitter, and have decided this is my new go-to emergency dessert!
I believe you have convinced me to investigate an air fryer. Space is an issue...but I'm going to see what's available in terms of size. Thanks, as always, for sharing so many great ideas with your favorite people, your readers!
Ok it was my wife’s night to cook last night and dinner fully slapped! She made a watermelon feta salad with pepitas and cilantro and baked some chickpeas and sweet potato chunks. The chickpeas didn’t get crispy they were just warmer and they were super satisfying!
The other was this excellent egg number from Molly Yeh - https://www.thekitchn.com/molly-yeh-feta-and-zatar-omelet-roll-ups-23457860. I didn't have the ingredients for the salad (which is so good, worth including if you can!), so it was literally just the oil, za'atar, eggs, feta, and tortilla, with some sauerkraut and olives on the side, and it was absolutely delicious. I used two eggs per tortilla, and I flipped the thing over a few times so that both sides browned. Loved it.
I love these posts about actual weeks of dinner, or breakfast! So inspiring and so are the notes.
Now that grilling season is upon us in the Northeast I'll be back to my staple at least one night a week. Make a dressing of equal parts olive oil and fresh squeezed lime juice, with generous amounts of crushed garlic and s&p added. Add as many cloves of garlic as you can stand.
Throw a little of this dressing onto chicken breasts and onto fresh green beans. Grill both of these items on the grill next to each other. Take them off the grill once the green beans are charred and the chicken is cooked through. Dice the chicken. Make a pot of rice in the rice cooker.
Assemble bowls with rice on bottom, grilled chicken and green beans on top and the most generous glug of that dressing, which is completely addicting!
I bought one of those little grill plates at Marshall’s that has vent holes but not big enough for veggies to fall through. Love it! In the absence of one I’ve also used a disposable aluminum foil tray.
One of our favorite household dinners that we have about once a week is "cheater" Chicken Caesar Salad-- a double batch of Julia's Caesar dressing from Small Victories, baked from frozen chicken nuggets, store bought croutons, crunchy romaine, and shaved parmesan. A win for the moms because it's super delicious, and a win for our 5 yo who will eat a pile of lettuce, a pile of cheese, a pile of croutons, and a pile of chicken (but not all together... hahaha). Also easy to make enough for an additional lunch or two!
i love these soooo much!!!!!
Agreed!!
xo!
awww thanks!
Ok this is not earth-shattering but a staple dinner in our house: fish sandwiches using the frozen panko-crusted tilapia filets from Trader Joe’s. We keep buns in the freezer too, so these have become a very low-effort staple meal. Sometimes I’ll make a homemade tartar sauce or a spicy mayo, other times we’ll just top them with mustard and pickles and lettuce. They come together in 20 minutes and are so good!
sounds EXCELLENT! how do you heat the fish filets?
I bake them in the oven on a wire rack on top of a cookie sheet so they crisp, 425* for 20 mins total and I flip halfway through!
We had friends over on Sunday and grilled flank steak & chicken for fajitas. Made a big pot of black beans, sautéed peppers and onions, and rice to go along with. We’ve been eating the leftovers all week and it’s been great to throw together an easy rice bowl or some quick tacos. Not groundbreaking but satisfying & had to take advantage of great grilling weather!
love this — grilling a bunch of stuff is such a great way to batch cook...
This is nothing groundbreaking but I always make more "taco night" stuff (seasoned ground beef or turkey, black beans, corn, rice) than we need because it's so easy to repurpose them into other things. Burritos, nachos, taco bowls, quesadillas, and taco salads are on regular rotation for lunches or busy night dinners!
yes!!!!
This is great and also I love that you mentioned your “first breakfast.” I, too, eat two breakfasts — or at least more than one haha
hahaha yes 100%!!
I made these teriyaki chicken burgers Tuesday night, and they were a huge hit! https://pinchofyum.com/chicken-teriyaki-burgers It’s a very forgiving recipe - I think I eyeballed almost all the ingredients. We also didn’t have any premade teriyaki sauce, so I improvised with a combo of ketchup, brown sugar, soy sauce, and sesame oil. We are close to overrun with chives, so I added chopped chives to everything, too. My teenager got mad that I took the leftovers for lunch! 😂
Talk about something I’d never think of, but would absolutely make! Thank you for sharing this, I’m tucking it in my back pocket.
Truly a recipe where the final product transcends the sum of its parts!
these sound so good!
These are my favorite! All I ever want to do when I meet new people is to ask what they eat for breakfast - I love a little glimpse into their secret lives. So a week of dinners is my absolute dream!
A fav weeknight staple in my house is gnocchi with brussels sprouts and stewed cannellini beans. The gnocchi is loosely based on a NYT Cooking recipe (chopped lemon zest and a little honey cooked in butter are the stars!) and on the side I fry up onions and peppers and garlic, throw in some chopped tomatoes and a can of cannellini beans, and let it simmer while I make the gnocchi.
I know that NYT Cooking recipe, and it's absolutely killer.
I make that recipe all the time but with cauliflower! Even better :)
I also love hearing about the basic meals people eat. Especially breakfast! It’s the most intimate meal, and the most variable. Agree 100% it is a window into secret lives!
yes!!!
YUMMMMM
I LOVE Molly Baz's mayo line. My favorite is the hot gardinayo, but the dijonayo is a very close second. Also, if anyone is looking for a good cornbread recipe that's slightly more involved, I recommend Alison Roman's. It's delicious. Though, I have to admit, yours looks just as great (JIFFY!) and super easy.
I made a random tater tot casserole last night, because I had Italian sausage, a bag each of frozen peas and corn, and some frozen tater tots. I needed to use the sausage up before traveling this weekend, so an old school casserole it was! And, you know, it was delicious.
TATER TOT CASSEROLE SIGN ME UP!!!!!
Eating the leftovers for lunch now!
Have you looked at Molly Yeh’s Hot Dish recipes? They’re so creative, delicious, and topped with tater tots! My favorite is the Harissa-Chickpea version with lots of crumbled feta on top.
I've never made any of them, but I absolutely love her. She's just so fun.
There’s a entire chapter of Hot Dish recipes in Home is Where the Eggs Are.
100%
YES!!
Every person on this thread who has said, “This is nothing special, but…” then goes on to say something I would hands-down be so thrilled to eat if I came over to your house—I love all of you. 😂
This week is “freezer diving” for me, since I have a truckload of deadlines. I had some leftover chicken tikka masala in the freezer, but I wasn’t in the mood to drag out my Zojirushi and wait for rice to cook. So! I wanted to thicken up the mixture so I could have more of a soup/stew situation—and added a can of Great Northern beans for some fiber and texture. Then! I diced up an avocado I had in the fridge, chopped up some scallions and cilantro, squeezed in some lime and a dollop of sour cream that needed to be used up. I’d totally do that again! Cheaper and quicker than ordering takeout, for sure.
yes I noticed that, too!!! it all sounds so good — no disclaimers needed! your tikka masala stew situation sounds fab
I love today’s list…so like my house. I seriously cook a couple nights a week and the rest is very often a bit of this and a bit of that, along with the last minute things like the frozen sausages, that ends up making a really nice meal.
I missed last month’s; I was traveling out of the country and gave myself a break from news and email and as much of my ordinary life as possible.
love a news/email break — fully support!
I like the dinner recaps! Reminds me that one or two small extras make a huge difference. I made some ground beef for tacos, and have a bunch in the freezer, plus some corn tortillas. I’m inspired to make some tacos for breakfast!
One easy meal / snack that is a standby is sweet potatoes with black beans and cheddar, originally a NYTImes cooking idea. But most of the time I have a bunch of roast cut up sweet potatoes (always add Aleppo pepper and either onions or shallots) in the fridge for salads and whatnot, then top w Trader Joe’s Cowboy Caviar and some cheddar. Ready in 3 min, which is sometimes a requirement.
I’ve been down with covid this week but in a bleary state, I made some of the gluten free Miso Chocolate Chip cookies (also NYTimes Cooking) as they seemed easy. Basically brown sugar, miso, nut butter, an egg, choc chips, and vanilla. Sugar bombs, yes—but wowza! Absolutely delicious, with amazing texture. I used up some bulk tahini that I found too bitter, and have decided this is my new go-to emergency dessert!
feel better!!!!!!!!!!!!
LOL at "emergency dessert." I felt that.
I believe you have convinced me to investigate an air fryer. Space is an issue...but I'm going to see what's available in terms of size. Thanks, as always, for sharing so many great ideas with your favorite people, your readers!
awww thanks Pam! and if you haven't read it, this post might be useful: https://juliaturshen.substack.com/p/an-ode-to-my-air-fryer
Ok it was my wife’s night to cook last night and dinner fully slapped! She made a watermelon feta salad with pepitas and cilantro and baked some chickpeas and sweet potato chunks. The chickpeas didn’t get crispy they were just warmer and they were super satisfying!
sounds so good!!!
Heck yes watermelon feta salad!!! So refreshing and satisfying!
I love these posts - and it's so fun to read about everyone's delicious-sounding, easy meals. I'm very inspired.
I made two dinners in the past few days that were so easy but also made me say "Wow, that's super yummy and satisfying for very little effort."
The first was a variation on Lidey Heuck's NYT sheet pan salmon and broccoli with sesame, ginger, and scallions (here's the unlocked recipe: https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1020765-sheet-pan-salmon-and-broccoli-with-sesame-and-ginger?unlocked_article_code=1.Fk8.L5lg.z4f8pZrWErF5&smid=share-url) - but I used green beans instead of broccoli. The roasted scallions were awesome - I'd say buy/use a whole bunch! I served it over a bed of Trader Joe's Harvest blend tossed with a little soy sauce, and it was fantastic.
The other was this excellent egg number from Molly Yeh - https://www.thekitchn.com/molly-yeh-feta-and-zatar-omelet-roll-ups-23457860. I didn't have the ingredients for the salad (which is so good, worth including if you can!), so it was literally just the oil, za'atar, eggs, feta, and tortilla, with some sauerkraut and olives on the side, and it was absolutely delicious. I used two eggs per tortilla, and I flipped the thing over a few times so that both sides browned. Loved it.
wow these both sounds so delicious! i'm so glad you shared!!
I love these posts about actual weeks of dinner, or breakfast! So inspiring and so are the notes.
Now that grilling season is upon us in the Northeast I'll be back to my staple at least one night a week. Make a dressing of equal parts olive oil and fresh squeezed lime juice, with generous amounts of crushed garlic and s&p added. Add as many cloves of garlic as you can stand.
Throw a little of this dressing onto chicken breasts and onto fresh green beans. Grill both of these items on the grill next to each other. Take them off the grill once the green beans are charred and the chicken is cooked through. Dice the chicken. Make a pot of rice in the rice cooker.
Assemble bowls with rice on bottom, grilled chicken and green beans on top and the most generous glug of that dressing, which is completely addicting!
this sounds absolutely delicious. how do you keep the green beans from falling through the grates? asking for a friend (...it's me)
I bought one of those little grill plates at Marshall’s that has vent holes but not big enough for veggies to fall through. Love it! In the absence of one I’ve also used a disposable aluminum foil tray.
excellent!
One of our favorite household dinners that we have about once a week is "cheater" Chicken Caesar Salad-- a double batch of Julia's Caesar dressing from Small Victories, baked from frozen chicken nuggets, store bought croutons, crunchy romaine, and shaved parmesan. A win for the moms because it's super delicious, and a win for our 5 yo who will eat a pile of lettuce, a pile of cheese, a pile of croutons, and a pile of chicken (but not all together... hahaha). Also easy to make enough for an additional lunch or two!
PERFECT! And I would not describe anything here at cheating...just totally perfect.