Quick and easy Food thread

[RedjackRyan]

Most of my cooking tends to be labor intensive and lengthy, this year i've decided to try to adapt a lot of my recipes to a more speedy and easy style without sacrificing taste.

I'd love for everyone to add their own quick and easy go-to recipes to this thread, don't be shy!

Here's one to start off with...And yes, Dar.. I will be serving this in august :)


Redjack's Crab Salad


1lb Lump Crab meat - drained and picked over for shells.
1/4 pound popcorn shrimp (tiny shrimp 50-60 count) shelled.
1/2 cup diced green bell pepper
1/2 cup diced Red bell pepper
1 cup diced SWEET onion (Vidalia)
1/4 cup diced yellow onion
4 cloves garlic - chopped
8 salad olives with pimento or 5 Big Cocktail olives...sliced.
1/2 cup tomato sauce
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
1/8 cup oregano
1/2 teaspoon cumin
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 & 1/2 cups dry white wine
salt and pepper
2 tablespoons Habenero based hot sauce


Lime or Lemon wedges for garnish.


In a hot skillet, add oil, onion, peppers, and garlic.. saute' until soft and translucent..about 6 minutes.. Add tomato sauce, cumin, oregano, wine, shrimp, and crab meat... mix gently together being careful not to break up the lump crabmeat.. Lower heat to a simmer and cook covered for 5 minutes.. Remove from heat and add in olives, cilantro and hot sauce to taste (i use about 2-3 tablespoons.. you may want to start at 1/2 tablespoon or 1 tablespoon if you don't like it too spicy. Salt and Pepper to taste ..

Serve hot with rice and beans, or cold over mixed salad greens.

[Dar]

mmmmmmmmmmmmmmm! Ben that sounds FABULOUS!! I love crab and shrimp ANYTHING....I'll even suffer the olives for that!!


This is one of my easiest recipes and is a standard whenever we have company. Friends are disappointed if I don't make it.

Name: Amazingly EZ Hot Crab and Artichoke Dip

2 8 oz packages cream cheese
2 6 oz cans crabmeat
1 small jar artichoke hearts
1 tsp horseradish (more or less to taste)
½ cup grated parmesan (more or less to taste)


Allow cream cheese to soften. Softening in the microwave is fine.
Artichoke hearts, drain thoroughly and chop.
Crabmeat, drain thoroughly.
Mix together cream cheese, crabmeat, artichoke hearts.
Add horseradish to taste.
Add most of the parmesan, saving some to sprinkle on top.
Bake in 350 degree oven, or toaster oven til cheese is browned.
It’s actually good without being baked if you don’t want to bother. But it’s extra yummy, I think, if you let all the cheese melt and serve it warm.

Quantity of horseradish and parmesan is completely to taste. The important ratios are the cream cheese and crabmeat. I even forgot the artichoke hearts one time and it still was a big hit.

I'm partial to buttery crackers with this, but it's really good on any sort of cracker, or toasted sliced baguettes, or bread or anything else you might like to spread something tasty on. ;) I've even used low fat cream cheese to good effect.

[Green Monkey]

Good sounding recipes. :) And RedJack, anyone who uses cilantro is a friend of mine. :p

GM :D

[hoops]

i don't know much about recipes... i know that if you give me a bunch of spices, meat, veggies, fish, fruit and or whatevery else you like and 2 or 3 pots and pans and about 15 mins and i'll make a meal that most people enjoy. nothing fancy and i probably can't repeat it but hey it's food
pax
hoops

[Irish Beth]

6 (6-inch) white pita breads
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
2 teaspoons minced fresh parsley leaves
1/2 teaspoon minced sweet onion
1/4 teaspoon seasoned salt
1 cup finely grated Parmesan

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Cut each pita bread in half horizontally to make 2 rounds. (There will be 12 total rounds.)

In a small bowl, cream the butter with a rubber spatula or wooden spoon. Add the parsley, onion, and salt and mix well. Spread about 1 1/2 teaspoons of the mixture across each pita round. Sprinkle the top of each evenly with 1 heaping tablespoon of the cheese.

Place the rounds on a cutting board and using a pizza wheel, cut each into 5 strips. Transfer to a large baking sheet and bake until golden brown, 8 to 10 minutes at 350 degrees. (The strips will continue to crisp as they cool.)

Serve warm or at room temperature as hors d'oeuvres or snacks, or as accompaniments to soup or salad.

[RedjackRyan]

mmm mmmm Dar! Sounds fabulous, and Beth's little pita nibbles sound like they would be a perfect thing to scoop up that dip with!

Hoops, I'm not giving up on you. Don't tell anyone, but thats how i cook too.


GM, love cilantro, I try to use it whenever i can instead of parsley ..though parsley has its place.. I just like the brightness of the flavor you get with Cilantro. Shall we set an extra place for you in august?? :D

[Dar]

Hoops, that's exactly how I cook! I usually just throw stuff together, or I will review a bunch of recipes for ideas and then assemble them my own way.
I made a gumbo over the weekend that was KILLER, but unfortunately I will never be able to recreate it exactly the same because I was just winging it.
Oh well, maybe the next time will be even better!!


Those strips sound great. They are going to be different lengths though right? Depending on what part of the round the strip is from?