Tuesday, September 1, 2009

Help In The Kitchen

September always promises to be a busy month. School is starting. Companies are revving up again after a slow and sleepy summer. This means that dinner won't always be on time or that there may be a lot of take out. What to do? get help in the kitchen. By help I mean teens. tweens and the occasional husband or partner.

Simple meals are the best way to go. Forget the microwave dishes. Those will turn out either over nuked or under. Think about real pasta dishes with real sauces. Showing the kids how to make pasta is easy. it;s just boiling spaghetti or fettuccine and served with a quick sauce. Here you can teach the kids how to throw together tomatoes and tomato paste alongwith cooked or fresh tomatoes some garlic and oil. Have them make enough so that's there can be leftovers for th e next night. Another easy dish anyone can make is French bread or English muffin pizza. All this requires is sliced Frenchor Italian bread or English muffins. Drizzle some oil, and then layer on pizza sauce, mozzarella and topping sand you have a fun but filling dinner. Another quick dinner is a hot roast beef or turkey sandwich, Just buy sliced meat, ready to heat gravy and some kaiser rolls. and then serve as a hot , satisfying sandwich on those chillier days.

Looking to lose the carbs then think of a quick salad Nicoise or a chef's salad. The firs ti s just adding a can of tuna fish , some hard boiled eggs, capers and tomatoes to mixed greens and toss with a simple vinaigrette. The chef salad is easy to create as well. Add some sliced ham , roast beef, salami along with American cheese . Toss some tomatoes too and top with a favorite dressing. Another quick salad is grilled chicken , You can buy the meat already grilled at your local supermarket and then just top over a simple salad. Another plus is that salads are the safest kind of meal kids can create. There;s no fear of burning or scalding.

Evening meals don't have to be a big production if you get the family to help you. There will be no worries about feeding them if you're running late. Just stick to simple meals that everyone can make and can enjoy.

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