One Pot Meals | onedadskitchen

School Has Started! Time to Find Easy Dinners – Sheet Pan Sausage Supper

School started here last week for us so it was pretty busy as every tried to get back onto their routines of getting up early and starting the day, especially Sean. It is no easy task getting a 15-year old up and out of bed before 6 AM to get ready for school, but so far it has worked out just fine. Just as Sean gets back into his routine, it means that I have to try to get back into one myself. It means trying to get all my work done in the early part of the day so I can have more time to do things around the house, including getting dinner prepared each day. That’s why September (or really any month of the school year) is a great time to start pulling out those one dish meals. I have been making a lot of sheet pan suppers lately. They are easy to do, give you everything you want all in one pan, and make clean up a real breeze so I don’t have to spend a lot of time cleaning afterwards. Sheet pan suppers are ideal for just about anything – beef, chicken, fish, pork, turkey or even just vegetables – and it really all is a matter of timing everything right and chopping everything to a uniform size so all the ingredients cook at the same rate and are done at the same time. I came across this recipe from Food Network for a sausage sheet pan supper from Ree Drummond and thought I would give it a try.

Sheet Pan Sausage Dinner

1 pound trimmed whole Brussels sprouts
3 parsnips, cut into 1/4-inch slices
3 sweet potatoes, cut into wedges
2 red onions, cut into quarters
3 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon dried sage
Sprinkle of kosher salt
Sprinkle of freshly ground black pepper
12 Italian sausages

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Add the Brussels sprouts, parsnips, sweet potatoes and onions to a baking sheet. Add the olive oil, sage, salt and pepper and toss all of the vegetables together so they are well coated with the oil and the spices. Prick the sausages with a fork and then put the sausages in and around the vegetables on the sheet pan.
Bake the mixture in the oven until the sausages are cooked through and the vegetables are tender and nicely roasted, about 40 to 45 minutes, turning the sausages about half way through the cooking process. Serve together on a platter.

That’s all there is to this recipe. I find pricking the sausages works well so that they don’t burst in the casings and let some of the fat run out to flavor the vegetables a bit more. While turning them half way through cooking might seem unnecessary, I like to do it so the sausages get nicely browned all over. You can also mix up the vegetables a bit at the same time you turn the sausages so you can get more even browning on them as well. Roasting vegetables is my favorite way to prepare them since I think they get better flavor this way. You can vary the mix of vegetables if you like, but you may want to stick to items that are a little bit thicker if you are cooking everything together so that the vegetables do not overcook and burn before the meat is done. Carrots would work pretty well here, along with vegetables like cauliflower, squash, fennel or beets.I actually used a couple of carrots in my recipe.

That’s all I have for today. Check back next time for another recipe. Until then, enjoy the rest of your day and enjoy your meal!

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Posted by MikeG on September 12, 2016 in Dinner, One Pot Meals, Produce, Sausage, Vegetables

Tags: food network, one pan sausage and vegetables, one pot meal, Ree Drummond, Ree Drummond sheet pan sausage dinner, sheet pan dinners, sheet pan sausage supper

A Simple Side Dish for Any Time – Homemade Fried Rice

30 Jul

Most people love getting takeout Chinese food for dinner once in a while. I know we do it about once a month and there are always standard favorites that we like to get with the meal. Egg rolls are always a given and Michelle and Sean love to get wonton soup, but one thing the whole family loves is the fried rice you can get. While I like all of the fried rice I am always partial to pork fried rice myself. There is something about the taste of the rice with the bits of pork that is just perfect for a Chinese food meal. I have made fried rice before at home and while it never quite comes out just like takeout, it gets pretty close. Of course I don’t have a commercial kitchen, stove and overhead vents to do everything they can do, so I have to make do with what I have. When we had some leftover pork from dinner the other night I decided to use a piece and try this fried rice recipe from Sam Sifton at New York Times Cooking. Of course, this recipe doesn’t have any pork in it originally, but it also doesn’t have some of the other vegetables I added to it to make it a well-rounded dish of vegetables and rice.

Homemade Fried Rice

3 tablespoons neutral oil, like canola or grapeseed

1 medium onion, peeled and roughly chopped

1 red bell pepper, stemmed, cored and roughly chopped

2 carrots, peeled and finely minced

1 tablespoon minced garlic, or to taste

1 cup peas (defrost if frozen)

1 tablespoon minced ginger, or to taste

3 to 4 cups cooked white rice, cooled

2 eggs, lightly beaten

¼ cup Shaoxing wine, or water

2 tablespoons soy sauce

1 tablespoon sesame oil

Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

½ cup minced cilantro or scallions

Put 1 tablespoon of the oil in a wok or a large skillet, and turn the heat to high. When the oil begins to shimmer, add the onion, pepper and carrots and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are softened and beginning to brown, about 5 to 10 minutes. With a slotted spoon, remove the vegetables to a bowl.

Drain the peas if necessary and add them to skillet; cook, shaking the pan, for about a minute, or until the peas are hot. Remove them to the bowl with the other vegetables.

Put the remaining oil in the skillet, followed by the garlic and ginger. When the mixture is fragrant, about 15 seconds later, add the rice, breaking up any clumps with a spoon as you go along and tossing it with oil. When the rice is well coated, make a well in the center and break the eggs into it. Scramble the eggs, then stir them into the rice.

Return the vegetables to the skillet and stir everything together to integrate it all well. Add the wine or water and cook, stirring, for approximately 1 minute. Add the soy sauce and sesame oil, then taste and add salt and pepper if necessary. Turn off the heat, stir in the cilantro or scallions and serve.

I added some pork into the dish after the vegetables were done and before the rice, cooked to heat it through for 2 or 3 minutes since it was already cooked, and then removed it from the pan and continued the steps. You could just as easily do the same with chicken, beef, shrimp or anything else that you like. I added in some leftover veggies as well like corn and broccoli because it helped to make the side dish one that was then filled with vegetables and rice, meaning I just needed a protein to make the meal. I loved all of the great flavors from the dish with the eggs mixed in and the sesame oil seems to add the perfect touch right at the end to the rice. This is a great way to make use of all of those leftovers you may have in the fridge and just aren’t sure what to do with them. I served this with some steak for a complete meal but really, if you add enough chicken, pork, shrimp or other protein to the rice it can be a one dish dinner all on its own.

That’s all I have for today. Check back next time for another recipe. until then, enjoy the rest of your day and enjoy your meal!

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Posted by MikeG on July 30, 2016 in Cooking, Dinner, Leftovers, Lunch, One Pot Meals, Rice, Stir Fry, Vegetables

Tags: fried rice, fried rice recipe, homemade fried rice, NYT Cooking fried rice, Sam Sifton, takeout Chinese food, takeout fried rice made at home

Put Some Zing in Your Shrimp – Bloody Mary Shrimp

27 Jul

I just got back from a great vacation in the Outer Banks with my brothers and sisters, nieces and nephews. We had a lot of fun, spent times by the pool, had some great local beer and craft beers and even got to try out a couple of new recipes along the way. One thing that we enjoyed during the trip was having Bloody Marys by the pool in the morning. If you like a Bloody Mary then you love the taste of tomato juice, spices and vodka over ice. We used a Bloody Mary mix called Zing Zang, which has some great flavor and a spicy kick to it that made the drinks fantastic. My brother and I got to thinking since the Zing Zang was so good, I bet it would taste great on some of the fresh local shrimp from one of the nearby fish stores. We headed down to Whalebone Seafood where we got a few pounds of fresh shrimp (and some great fresh clams as well) and then set about finding a recipe for the shrimp. We came upon this one from AllRecipes.com for Bloody Mary Shrimp and gave it a try.

Bloody Mary Shrimp

2 pounds cooked medium shrimp, shelled and deveined

1 (32 ounce) bottle bottled Bloody Mary mix (such as Zing Zang), or as needed

1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and finely chopped

1 large sweet onion, finely chopped

1 cup finely chopped jicama

4 limes, juiced

2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

1 avocado, peeled and chopped, or more to taste

In a large bowl, gently combine the shrimp, Bloody Mary mix, jalapeno pepper, onion, jicama, lime juice, and Worcestershire sauce until all of the ingredients are thoroughly mixed. Cover and chill the mixture for at least 3 hours to allow flavors to blend (overnight is even better if you can). Gently stir in the avocado, then chill the mixture for 1 more hour before serving.

Man this is so simple and you get such great flavor from the dish. I have to admit, having super fresh shrimp really made this recipe standout for me, but I think it could be just as good with any cooked shrimp that you can get for yourself. The dish had great combinations of the sweetness of the shrimp with the spice of the Zing Zang and jalapeno and the addition of the lime juice was just perfect. We couldn’t find any jicama down where we were so we left it out, but I can see where it would add some really nice crunch to round out the dish. We served this as a side dish to go along with the steaks we were having that night but it would be great for any type of appetizer before a meal or as the main dish for your dinner when you want a cold meal. I could see serving this with just a side salad and some crusty bread and you are good to go. You could really spice things up and add a little vodka to the dish as well to get the full Bloody Mary experience, though we left it out since the kids were having some too. Overall it was a great dish to make.

That’s all I have for today. Check back next time for another recipe. Until then, enjoy the rest of your day and enjoy your meal!

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Posted by MikeG on July 27, 2016 in Appetizers, Beverages, Breakfast, Brunch, Cooking, Dinner, One Pot Meals, Seafood, Side Dishes

Tags: allrecipes.com, Bloody Mary, Bloody Mary Shrimp, shrimp recipes, Zing Zang, Zing Zang Bloody Mary Mix

50 Easy Weeknight Summer Dinners, So You Can Relax – Bon Appétit

22 Jul

It’s summer and it’s hot out so avoiding the elaborate dinner becomes almost a necessity for most of us. Bon Appetit is here to help you out with 50 easy weeknight summer dinners so you don’t have to slave in the kitchen to have a good meal. Check it out!

Source: 50 Easy Weeknight Summer Dinners, So You Can Relax – Bon Appétit

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Posted by MikeG on July 22, 2016 in Beef, Cooking, Cooking Websites, Dinner, Grilling, One Pot Meals, Pasta, Picnic Fare, Pork, Potatoes, Poultry, Produce, Rice, Salad, Sandwiches, Sausage, Seafood, Slow Cooker Meals, Stir Fry, Vegetables

Tags: 50 easy weeknight summer dinners, Bo Appetit 50 easy weeknight summer dinners, bon appetit, dinners to make when it's hot, easy weeknight summer dinners, summertime easy dinners

Our 20 Most Popular Shrimp Recipes Right Now – Recipes from NYT Cooking

21 Jul

Summertime and seafood go together really well and there’s nothing better than making use of shrimp for one of your weeknight meals. Shrimp is easy to make, very versatile and just takes a few minutes to cook so you can have a great meal on the table in no time at all. NYT Cooking has 20 great shrimp recipes you can try for all kinds of occasions to make something fun, different and delicious with your shrimp. Check it out!

Source: Our 20 Most Popular Shrimp Recipes Right Now – Recipes from NYT Cooking

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Posted by MikeG on July 21, 2016 in Appetizers, Cooking, Cooking Websites, Dinner, Grilling, Lunch, One Pot Meals, Pasta, Rice, Sandwiches, Seafood

Checking In with Pan-Seared Chicken Thighs with Potatoes and Chorizo

23 Jun

Chicken thighs are pretty much a staple in our house when it comes to dinners. They have great flavor, are versatile and are almost always on sale somewhere. You can get them as they are or boneless and skinless (though they are very easy to bone and remove the skin and can save you money if you just buy them as is) and can use them in nearly any way. They make a great substitute for the typical boneless chicken breasts that you see, cost less and, in my opinion, taste better. I always have some in the freezer available to use for a dinner and this particular dinner, from Cook’s Country, was the one I chose to make. It is for pan-seared chicken thighs with potatoes and chorizo so you get a great mix of flavors here.

Pan-Seared Chicken Thighs with Potatoes and Chorizo

8 (5- to 7-ounce) bone-in chicken thighs

Salt and Pepper

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra for drizzling

1 1/2 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes, unpeeled, cut into 1/2-inch chunks

4 ounces chorizo sausage, halved lengthwise and sliced crosswise

8 ounces (8 cups) baby spinach

Smoked paprika

Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 375 degrees. Pat the chicken dry with paper towels and then season the chicken with salt and pepper. Heat the olive oil in a large nonstick skillet set over medium-high heat until the oil is just smoking. Add the chicken pieces, skin side down, and cook until the skin is well-browned, about 7 to 10 minutes. Transfer the chicken, skin side up, to a rimmed baking sheet and roast the chicken until the meat registers 175 degrees on instant-read thermometer inserted into one of the chicken pieces, about 15 to 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, add the potatoes to the now-empty skillet and cook, covered, over medium heat until lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Add the chorizo and cook, uncovered, until the potatoes are tender, about 5 minutes longer. Add the spinach and cook until the spinach is just wilted and the liquid has evaporated, about 2 minutes. Serve the chicken with the potato mixture, sprinkled with the smoked paprika.

You have plenty of options here if you want to change things up along the way. If you and your family prefer white meat you could always substitute boneless chicken breasts or even bone-in chicken breasts. Just adjust the time accordingly so that the chicken is cooked through and not dry. If you prefer a milder sausage, you could always use Italian sausage or even kielbasa with this dish instead, though I liked the spice the chorizo added to the dish with the potatoes. I served the spinach on the side instead of putting it right into the dish with the potatoes, but you could certainly do either. In the end, you end up with some nice crispy chicken pieces that blend well with the potatoes, chorizo and spinach and you get to make a meal that only takes about 30 minutes to do.

That’s all I have for today. Check back next time for another new recipe to try. until then, enjoy the rest of your day and enjoy your meal!

1 Comment

Posted by MikeG on June 23, 2016 in Cooking, Dinner, One Pot Meals, Poultry, Sausage, Uncategorized, Vegetables

Tags: chicken dinner, chicken thighs, chorizo and chicken, Cook's Country, Cook's Country pan-seared chicken thighs, one pot meals, pan-seared chicken thighs, pan-seared chicken thighs with potatoes and chorizo

Say It’s Simple with Sheet Pan Shrimp and Vegetables

22 Jun

So it’s been way too long since I have done any blog posting at all and I came to the decision yesterday that I need to start making more time to do it, so here I am. Since my last original post I have made lots of great things so I have all kinds of fun recipes to share. Some I have pictures for and some I do not since I had to switch phones in the midst and lost some photos along the way, but I will do my best to keep up with everything.

For the first recipe upon return, we have an easy sheet pan shrimp and vegetables recipe I picked up from the Tasting Table. Sheet pan dinners are just as good as skillet dinners since you can do everything in just one pan for easy clean up and if you use aluminum foil on the bottom of the pan the clean up gets even easier for you. This recipe is a nice combination of shrimp and vegetables and has an Italian/Mediterranean flair to it with a great dressing for the vegetables. It is very much like a panzanella salad meal you might make. Best of all, you can put it all together pretty quickly and have dinner on the table in about 20 to 30 minutes.

Sheet Pan Shrimp and Vegetables

INGREDIENTS

For the Shrimp:

1 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined

3 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons lemon juice

½ teaspoon lemon zest

2 garlic cloves, minced

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

For the Dressing:

¼ cup balsamic vinegar

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

2 teaspoons honey

¼ cup olive oil

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

For the Salad:

8 ounces asparagus, cut into 2-inch pieces

½ cup marinated artichokes hearts

½ cup pitted Castelvetrano olives, halved

½ red onion, large dice

¼ cup (10 each) sun-dried tomatoes, thinly sliced

Dressing

4 cups roughly torn sourdough bread

For Assembly:

½ cup (6 ounces) small mozzarella balls, halved

¼ cup parsley leaves

¼ cup basil leaves, torn

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Prepare the shrimp: Preheat the oven to 450 degrees and line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. In a medium bowl, toss all of the shrimp ingredients together and place the shrimp in the center of the sheet tray.

To make the dressing: In a medium bowl, whisk together the balsamic vinegar, Dijon mustard and honey. While whisking constantly, slowly stream in the olive oil until the mixture is emulsified. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

In a large bowl, toss the asparagus, artichoke hearts, olives, red onion and sun-dried tomatoes with the dressing to coat. Scatter the vegetables around the shrimp, then top the salad with the chunks of sourdough bread. Bake the shrimp and vegetables until the shrimp are cooked and the bread is crisp, about 10 to 12 minutes.

4. Transfer the contents of the baking sheet to a large bowl and toss with the mozzarella balls, parsley leaves and torn basil leaves. Season with salt and pepper to taste, then transfer to a platter and serve.

I did make a couple of slight changes to the recipe. Instead of using sun-dried tomatoes, which I didn’t have on hand, I used grape tomatoes instead. I also added a couple of ears of corn on the cob that I had cut into thirds to roast along with the other vegetables. Personally I liked the way it all turned out this way. I simply served the sheet tray platter on the table for the 3 of us and kept the mozzarella balls on the side for anyone to add if they wanted them. The vinegar dressing went really well with all of the vegetables and left a nice bite on the asparagus, artichoke hearts and red onion. The shrimp was done perfectly. I had used some wild American shrimp I got on sale and they were an ideal size and tasted delicious. The garlic and lemon also worked over to the corn on the sheet to give the corn some great added flavor. The sourdough bread worked nicely as well and was great for sopping up the dressing. It was certainly an easy meal to make and one that you can put together quickly on those busy summer nights.

That’s the recipe for today. I’ll try to be back tomorrow and get on a better routine again to keep things going. Until then, enjoy the rest of your day now that summer is here and enjoy your meal!

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Posted by MikeG on June 22, 2016 in Cooking, Dinner, One Pot Meals, Seafood, Uncategorized, Vegetables

Tags: one pot meals, sheet pan shrimp and vegetables, shrimp dinner, Tasting Table

Shrimp Recipes – Bon Appétit

16 May

Shrimp is always one of my favorites things to cook with. Sean and I both love to have it in different ways, so I am always trying to come up with something new to do with Shrimp to bring out the flavors. Bon Appetit has put together 39 shrimp recipes so you can have appetizers, entrees and sandwiches for any meal. Check it out!

Source: Shrimp Recipes – Bon Appétit

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Posted by MikeG on May 16, 2016 in Appetizers, Cooking, Cooking Websites, Dinner, Lunch, One Pot Meals, Picnic Fare, Sandwiches, Seafood, Soups & Stews, Stir Fry

Tags: 39 shrimp recipes, bon appetit, Bon Appetit 39 shrimp recipes, making shrimp for dinner, shrimp recipes, things to do with shrimp, ways to cook shrimp

Cinco de Mayo Taco Recipes – Bon Appétit

05 May

Tacos make a a great dinner any night of the year. They are full of flavor, use fresh ingredients and are pretty easy to make. You can also use any type of protein you like best or go with just vegetables and still have a great dinner. Since today is Cinco de Mayo, it seems like as good a day as any to check out these 25 taco recipes put together by Bon Appetit. You’ll find everything you need to know or want to try right here so you can have a Cinco de Mayo dinner tonight or just have a good taco recipes on hand any time you feel like one. Check it out!

Source: Cinco de Mayo Taco Recipes – Bon Appétit

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Posted by MikeG on May 5, 2016 in Beans, Beef, Breakfast, Cooking, Cooking Websites, Dinner, Grilling, One Pot Meals, Pork, Potatoes, Poultry, Produce, Rice, Sandwiches, Sausage, Seafood, Turkey, Vegetables

Tags: 25 taco recipes, bon appetit, Bon Appetit 25 taco recipes, Cinco de Mayo recipes, Cinco de Mayo taco recipes, taco recipes, tacos anytime

Favorite St. Patrick’s Day Recipes

13 Mar

St. Patrick’s Day is coming this week, so it is time for you to roll out and try some of your favorite Irish recipes. I already have several posted here on the site that you may want to look out, but Food Network has also put a pretty good list together of everything you need to have a great Irish meal on St. Patrick’s Day or anytime, whether you are Irish or not. Check it out!

Source: Favorite St. Patrick’s Day Recipes