Dinner
Snacks & Appetizers
Lunch
Lunch
Lunch
Breakfast
Dinner
Lunch
Dinner
Dinner
1Dinner
2Dinner
3Dinner
4Dinner
5Dinner
6Snacks & Appetizers
7Dinner
8Snacks & Appetizers
9Dinner
10Dinner
DinnerStuffed onion bombs are a four-serving grilled meal I prepare in a single batch to use leftovers for another meal. I assemble the onion shells and beef filling in advance while preheating the grill. Stuffed grilled onions with sharp cheddar and bacon have a strong flavor.
Snacks & AppetizersPink coconut snowball cake bars are a prepared-ahead baked dessert made in a 9x13-inch pan and stored in the refrigerator. The cake bars can be divided into 16 servings of snowball cake bars with chewy coconut. Marshmallow frosting gives this cake its snowball cake bar texture. Pink frosting is not necessary.
LunchThese shrimp and crab biscuit melts are easy make-ahead dishes to prepare for days when you'll be at home. You can make the shrimp and crab filling ahead of time. To serve, fill half of the biscuit shells with the filling. Broil before serving. Shrimp with seared edges and cheese topping over the crab filling work well for lunch and dinner (I enjoy the browned cheese topping).
LunchThis cottage cheese and chickpea salad recipe is one of several recipes in a meal plan to prepare lunches for four days a week without cooking during the week. Half of the chickpeas in this recipe are mashed to thicken the chickpea and cottage cheese mixture. This recipe includes canned chickpeas. Chopped celery and red onion add texture to the cold salad.
LunchThis dill pickle chicken kebab recipe is convenient for meal planning. You can marinate the chicken ahead of time and make ranch with fresh dill on the side to offer to diners. Dill pickle juice provides tangy flavor to the chicken, and cooking in an air fryer gives it crispy edges and ranch on the side for dipping.
BreakfastFor a brunch dish, soak chicken in buttermilk for 30 minutes before cooking it, and cook the French toast while the chicken rests. Assemble the sandwiches by adding fried chicken on top of cinnamon French toast and a drizzle of maple syrup that will run into the layers when the sandwich is cut.
DinnerBaking at 400°F is one option for cooking meatballs without a frying pan. Adding breadcrumbs and milk to the meatball mixture can help ensure a soft center and browned outside when baked. There is no need to clean a frying pan after cooking. I bake meatballs for use on spaghetti and sandwiches.
LunchBuy thawed frozen puff pastry. Choose puff pastry sheets that don't fall apart. Add a layer of deli ham and melted Swiss cheese sprinkled with black poppy seeds and parsley to puff pastry sheets. The baked topping features a shiny crust with a speckled and crunchy texture. You can see the black poppy seeds on the baked pastry.
DinnerPurchase boneless, skinless chicken breasts to sauté in a skillet. Brown them before the honey and black pepper glaze goes in. Honey pepper chicken mac and cheese is a dish I serve when I want to eat macaroni and cheese with chicken cooked in a honey and black pepper sauce. You can detect black pepper flavor in this dish.
DinnerThin chicken cutlets, sliced or pounded to a thickness of about 1/4 inch, keep the Romano-Parmesan coating from burning. Thinner chicken will keep Romano-Parmesan from cooking more quickly than the chicken. Lemon Chicken Romano is one recipe that features chicken with a Romano-Parmesan coating and lemon butter sauce to complement the Romano-Parmesan topping.
DinnerThis garlic shrimp recipe involves cooking one layer of shrimp for a short time and using browned bits in the sauce, which includes cream. Some of the shrimp are removed from the pan to cook and returned to the pan for the sauce. Shrimp are cooked until pink and just opaque and then returned to the pan to heat through in the sauce. Lemon juice added to the Parmesan sauce helps avoid a rich taste.
DessertsI make this upside-down pineapple cheesecake ahead of time to serve as a chilled dessert. I like the look of chilled slices with yellow cake and white cheesecake layers contrasted by dark brown sugar.
DessertsOn a baking prep day, this chocolate pudding frosting is made in one batch while set aside for cake assembly later, used on cake layers or cupcakes, along with acting as a filling for chocolate eclairs at the time of readiness. It whips into a light brown frosting that forms soft peaks with deep swirls of flavor. The pudding foundation produces a mousse-like texture.
DinnerFor planned dinners, cook all four pan-seared halibut fillets simultaneously while spooning on the lemon-dill sauce just before serving. The fish gets a golden-brown crust in the skillet, while the yogurt sauce stays cool alongside the warm fillet, a contrast I like on this one.
LunchRotisserie chicken that easily pulls apart is what I choose for this tzatziki chicken salad, as it holds onto the cool yogurt sauce without getting broken up into pieces. English cucumber provides it with a crisp bite, while dill combined with lemon juice imparts Greek-style flavor, along with garlic in the yogurt as well.
DinnerPurchase sharp orange cheddar for this bacon cheeseburger pasta, as well as seek a solid block of uniform color. It reduces to a thick sauce that clings to the rotini spirals, while dark red bacon pieces with browned 85/15 beef provide that familiar burger flavor (the block is easier to grate).
BreakfastThese make-ahead egg muffins are a 12-muffin breakfast batch I bake for when I want breakfast ready to grab for during the week, without standing over a skillet in the early morning. I layer spinach, bacon, and cheddar in the cups first, then pour in the seasoned eggs, while they bake in a soft center of texture.
BreakfastThese cottage cheese bagels make four at once, a useful batch for breakfast or snacks, and you can prepare the dough in advance before you shape and bake. I blend the cottage cheese with until smooth, then bake the bagels until their tops are golden brown while their centers are cooked through (I like the smoother crumb).
DinnerCowboy butter steak achieves its dark crust from a hot cast iron pan and a dry surface, while the thick center remains pink at a medium-rare temperature. I usually make it for a weekend dinner when a craving for steak with rich glossy garlic butter arises, alongside tomatoes that are blistered in the pan nearby.
DinnerSirloin steak ensures these garlic butter steak bites become a quick 15-minute dinner, and I purchase pieces measuring 1 to 1.5 inches thick featuring fine streaks of fat. Once cubed as well as seared, the beef develops a deep brown crust while the center remains tender, with garlic butter surrounding the edges.
DessertsFresh strawberries need to be quite firm enough to dice cleanly (the firm ones are much easier to cut), while I specifically use a full pound in this strawberry pound cake, with puree included in the glaze. The berries blend into the butter as well as sour cream batter, leaving fruit in each slice together with a pink drizzle above.
BreakfastPlease go ahead and purchase frozen shredded hash browns and then allow them to completely thaw prior to cooking. They expertly bake within a crisp potato shell that effectively holds the sausage plus the eggs, while sharp cheddar cheese melts beautifully over the top beside around the edges (my favorite part). I prepare these delicious hash brown breakfast bowls at any time I have a strong desire for a hot and satisfying breakfast. This option does not need to include toast on the side.
DinnerA gentle simmer thickens the flour-based broth without splitting the half-and-half and cream, while folding in the crab last keeps the lump pieces whole. It's a warm, rich stew built around sweet crab, with Old Bay along with dry sherry in the background (the sherry shouldn't take over).
LunchSelect large bakery croissants featuring visible airy layers and a deep golden-brown crust, as they support the stacked chicken and dressed romaine without collapsing. This chicken Caesar croissant sandwich layers warm seared chicken, peppery Caesar greens, along with shaved aged parmesan within buttery pastry. I also enjoy the greens with all that pastry.
