Life sometimes seems to be too short on time. Our lives are so rushed in the modern world, you sometimes don’t know if you’re coming or going. You rise early in the morning, get coffee and maybe a hurried breakfast. Get the kids off to school and then you’re off to work.
By the time you get home, you may have little starch left in you to whip up a gourmet dinner for the family. You want to serve something tasty and nutritious, but you just don’t have the time to spend hours in the kitchen. Your budget probably doesn’t allow for take-out every night. So what can you do?
Here are a few secrets of the savvy cook, allowing you to put together a quick dinner recipe, from inception to the table in less than half an hour and even without a recipe!
The quick dinner recipe is at your fingertips, so long as your pantry is properly stocked.
A properly stocked pantry includes a selection of pasta, rice and potatoes, canned, fresh or frozen vegetables, chicken or beef bouillon, leftover or fresh meat and a handful of herbs and spices. With just these provisions, you’ve got a quick dinner recipe waiting to happen.
The basic ingredients of a one-dish quick dinner recipe are found in a selection from the basic food groups. Grains and pasta are the foundation of many a quick dinner recipe. All you need to add are vegetables, a bit of meat, a tasty sauce and seasonings to make a dish your family will enjoy and that doesn’t take all night. You know what foods your family enjoys. Your dish needn’t be complicated to be a success.
Knowing how to make a sauce will ensure a gourmet touch to simple ingredients, earning you a reputation of a “good cook”. The French roux is a case in point. Melt one half cup of butter in a saucepan at low heat. When the butter is melted, add an equal amount of flour to the melted butter, stirring with a wire whisk until the mixture thickens.
Add some bouillon, whisking all the time. If cheese goes well with the taste of your concoction, grate some in to your sauce. Add your vegetables, meat and seasonings and voila! You’ve got your own culinary creation, a quick dinner recipe, sure to please. All you need to round out the dinner is some garlic bread or fresh dinner rolls.
Everyone’s happy and you’re the hero or heroine of the quick dinner recipe. Just stock up on pantry basics, use your imagination and mix it up. You’ll find it’s rather easy to be a quick dinner recipe expert!
