Here's a link to my favorite recipe of hers: Cold Chicken Satay Noodles, some yummy Asian-style noodles. I've made it enough that it's now on the list of "banned dinners" at our house. The next time Birch is gone for the evening I'll make it again.
But since Haley was born I haven't had the time to cook like before. Rachael's recipes are good, but let's be honest: a 30-minute meal for her is 45 minutes for the rest of us and up to an hour if you've got kids running around. So I decided to switch teams. Semi-Homemade by Sandra Lee sounded like a great option! Someone on the Food Network publishes recipes that use ready-made ingredients? I'm sold!
But...so far I've been disappointed. I tried three of Sandra Lee's recipes and NONE of them turned out. Then I checked out another cookbook of hers from the library, thinking maybe her newer recipes would be better. But it was the SAME recipes, just a different cover with new pictures inside.
So sorry, Sandra Lee. I won't be following you like I did Rachael. But you did give me some ideas about products to try and what I can buy ready-made at the store rather than making it myself.
Tortellini: Love it!
Frozen meatballs: Good
Refrigerated pie crust: Not the best, but a huge time-saver.
Do you have any favorite ready-made products at the grocery store? Or any you've tried that just didn't cut it?
11 comments:
I think you are a great cook:) I loved those chicken tacos. I will attempt to make them soon, which means that i might email you about them again. I have a Rachel Ray cook book and my dinner wasn't done in 30 minutes either:) But she does have some yummy recipes.
I cannot take Sandra Lee seriously, not after seeing this on Cake Wrecks. The Kwanzaa cake is hilarious, too.
I love Good Housekeeping recipes. They are usually pretty straightforward.
Two Sundays ago I tried the frozen roll dough (Rhodes Rolls, but I used the Kroger brand). I put them out before church and popped them in the oven after-DONE! I have ALWAYS made them from scratch and this was so much easier! :) I also like the frozen burritos cooked in the oven with enchilada sauce and cheese on them for quick, painless enchiladas. I think I've been into quick stuff lately! :)
I wish I enjoyed cooking, but I don't. Not at all. I'm sooo picky when it comes to food that we only eat like 10 different things and I'm not willing to take all the time preparring something new just to find that I don't like it. Luckily Chad doesn't mind it sooo much. From time to time he experiments and makes something new.
bhg.com has 30 minute meals and than they also have a bunch of stuff with 5-7 ingredients and they're really good...boboli pizza crusts are always easy to throw toppings on!
I hate Sandra Lee and I abhore (sp?) Rachael Rae! That is a completely different topic we can discuss later. As for ready made stuff, I can't really think of anything just now but I do know what I don't lie pre-made. Things like whipping cream, avocado dip and bagels. You know, those little bagelful thingies? Ew. Someday we should do a recipe exchange and get together to review each others recipe books. Have you ever tried allrecipes.com? You can find alot of good stuff there. Oh! Sorry this is long but I just remembered. At noon on PBS they do America's Test Kitchen and I really like how they get things down to a science.
I like some of the mccormic packets (they are red) that they sell by the spices in grocery stores. The thick and zesty spagetti seasoning is really good and the swedish meatball is also good.
I've found a couple of things that are basically completely pre-made that I love for dinner. My favorite (although it got on the banned list for a while because I made it too much) is Betty Crocker Complete Meals. I like the stroganoff and the chicken alfredo. You mix them up, add water and bake. It takes about 2 minutes. They only cost about $3 from WalMart and it's enought to feed the whole family--at least one your size. Everything you need, besides water, is in the box. It's not like hamburger helper where you have to cook meat. Plus they taste way better than hamburger helper. I'm a fan. Like Elaine said, I like the McCormic spice packets. I love the Grill Mates one for Chipotle Pepper. You use it as a marinade for chicken and then throw it on the grill. It is soooo yummy and juicy!
I really like the refrigerated pizza dough from trader joes (actually the fresh and easy dough is better but those stores are rare). Making pizza dough is pretty easy but I rarely plan ahead enough to actually make it and the dough in the bags lasts for a few days and works really well.
i love using the frozen stir fry packages from the freezer section. they have different assortments of vegetables and you jsut have to make a pot of rice or noodles to serve with the stuff and a meat. i will defrost a couple of chicken breasts beforehand, season with salt & pepper and mrs dash or asian spices, chop and stir-fry, remove, stir fry the frozen veggie mix, add the meat back ina little before i'm ready to serve, serve over rice with soy or tepanyaki sauce on the side. in less than the time the rice cooks, the meat and veggies can be done.
i also use the rhodes stuff, only i use the whole bread dough balls. i use them for pizza or calzones(fill with yummy stuff, like broccoli and cheese, or pizza inngrdients, cover and seal like an empanada, brush with some beaten egg, and pop in to a hot oven.
ps, congrats on the new bubba!
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