3 easy steps for simple cooking
Does anything beyond reheating a frozen entrée or assembling mac ‘n cheese stress you out? You are not alone. Some of us grew up with parents who didn’t show us the ropes in the kitchen, or maybe we just didn’t pay enough attention. And some of us may not have a desire to put too much effort into the daily dinner. Let’s face it, cooking isn’t for everyone.
That’s okay. You don’t have to be Jamie Oliver or Rachael Ray to feed your family a yummy and nutritious meal in a few minutes. Follow these three easy steps for simple cooking and you’ll feel more confident in the kitchen and deliver a delicious, nutritious meal to your family that everyone, including you, will love. You’ll also start building your confidence with terrific dinner staples that are quick and seamless to make, and will turn out beautifully every time.
Step 1 – Keep it simple
Great food doesn’t have to be complicated. In fact, some of the best dishes are the non-fussy kind that let the quality ingredients shine through. Choose straightforward recipes with a handful of ingredients and just a few steps. If it calls for some kind of tricky technique, forget it. Select basic menus: for example, a protein, starch and veg—as in roasted pork tenderloin, Microwave Ready Garlic Parsley Creamers and steamed broccoli. Done.
Our Little Potatoes don’t need to be peeled or washed, so that’ll save lots of time. And you can cook them any way right out of the bag: microwave (retains more nutrients that way!), boil, roast, sauté or barbecue. The simplest of all are our Microwave Ready trays, which come in their own cooking tray that perfectly steam the potatoes. Pop the tray into the microwave, and it’s ready in five minutes.
Build your confidence with these winning recipes:
- Easy Creamer Potatoes with Roasted Vegetables, a colorful, vegetarian dinner.
- Easy Mexican Flavored Tin Foil Dinner : Goes together in minutes, and clean-up is a breeze
- Easy Cheesy Scalloped Potatoes: milk makes them extra creamy. Watch the video recipe.
- Spanish Tortilla, a veggie-filled omelet for breakfast, brunch or brinner.
- Chicken Cordon Bleu Scalloped Potatoes, a savory meal-in-one.
Step 2 – Choose quality ingredients
Buy fresh, whole foods that are good quality. Fruit stands are good, as are farmers’ markets, or just browse the grocery store produce section for what looks appealing. Look for plump, ripe produce that’s ideally in season (right now that means cherries, tomatoes, berries, peaches, zucchini, squash, cabbage, green beans, carrots, apricots, cucumbers, peppers and salad greens). A watery, bland tomato in December can’t compare to a fragrant, juicy, sweet July tomato ripened in the hot sun and just off the vine.
We harvest our Creamer potatoes when they are fully mature for optimal flavor and they’re naturally buttery tasting, so however prepared, they taste creamy, sweet and pleasantly earthy. Ask the butcher at your grocery store, to recommend the best deal for what’s fresh in poultry, beef or pork, or the catch of the day. Also ask them for tips on how to cook the meat if you are not familiar with it.
Step 3 – Learn, make, repeat
Find 20 recipes you love and are good at making, then rotate throughout the month. Repeat. Double the recipe on Sunday night, and serve that meal again on Tuesday. Easy!
Here are a few to get you started:
WHAT RECIPE HAVE YOU FOUND THAT TURNS OUT GREAT EVERY TIME? SHARE IT!
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