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Sunday, August 10, 2008

30 minutes meals?

I was shocked hearing this but I was impressed when I saw Rachael Ray doing it for real. I was curious of how she do it so I follow her show to know how she makes her 30 minute meals. I thought she got a secret but I noticed that she prepare what she need right then and there. That's one secret. If you know what you have in the kitchen and where to locate them then that will make it easier for you to just grab them when you need it. After watching Rachael Ray for more than a year and other food network chefs for less than a year, I kind of figure out the trick in making quick and easy meals but delicious ones when finished. I do have lots of different cook books but I don't follow everything especially if I don't have the ingredients needed. I mostly modified the recipe and most of the time the result were acceptable to hubby, some are great and some are okay according to him. There are entrees that I need to eat rice so I cook rice almost everyday when I need to. Then I figured out how to save time for cooking rice. Cooking the rice in the rice cooker only takes 30 minutes and that's good for 2 persons. I cooked 2 cups of jasmine rice which is more than enough for me and hubby and I put the left over in a Ziploc bag and put it in the fridge. The next day, I just heat the rice in the microwave before dinner. In this way I can concentrate in cooking one entree for me and hubby or just for hubby only. As a Filipina, there are foods that are easy to cook but hubby doesn't like to eat. Like the sardines and egg. Others don't know about this so I'm sharing this to everybody.

I mashed the sardines (ligo); add 2 eggs and a little salt. Mix them together with the sauce of sardines and cook in a skillet. No oil needed. Stir the mixture every now and then so the bottom part will not burn. You know that it's cook if it's almost dry. Serve with rice.

If you have left over, put it in a small bowl, cover with plastic wrap and put it in the fridge. You can put the left over also in a microwavable plastic container and the next day you just heat and eat.

Another thing is using the crock pot. I tried this many times and it really works great for me and hubby. You just put the ingredients into the crock pot before going to work then set the timer to cook the food inside for 8 hours. As soon as you come home, the food is ready to serve and still hot.

But if you and your partner are okay to eat foods over and over again then multiply the ingredients so you'll have left over’s for the next day. In that way you just heat and eat the next day and go to bed early.

Another recipe that is quick and easy is making a casserole. I cook tuna casserole for hubby almost every Friday. It's really quick and easy that I noticed I can cook this in 30 minutes. You only need pasta, Campbell’s cream of mushroom soup or other flavors that you like, tuna in a can and cheese for toppings. Cook the pasta according to package instruction and once cooked, drain and pour the tuna and cream of mushroom soup in the same pot, then mix together. Transfer the mixture into the casserole dish then top with shredded cheese. Heat in the microwave until the cheese melts. Serve hot.

If you are into multi-tasking like me then you can cook an entree, a steamed side dish plus rice or steamed potato in just an hour. Want to know more? Ask me. :)

PS.
I'm not an expert but I want to help my friend jenn who's willing to learn the quick and easy meals. Just want to share this to those who are interested to learn what I know and tried.

12 comments:

Lynn said...

I love watching 30 minute meals by Rachael Ray too. Nindot kaayo siya tanawon di ba? Paspas pati paghiwa. Makalaway raba iya gina prepare pirmi. Haay.

Oi, mayo pa ka Mich, daghan bal-an recipe. Thanks for sharing. (",)

Gorgeous MUM said...

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http://kaidensgorgeousmum.blogspot.com/2008/08/dating-101.html#links

Micawatson said...

have a blessed monday!

Twerlyn said...

oi Chelle..naa ko crockpot pero whole chicken lang man ang maluto namo didto oi..tudlui ko unsa recipe maluto sa crockpot please..thank you!

mjsterling said...

Hmm my husband and I loves to watch that show every afternoon... I don't know how she is able to cook for 30 minutes meal... its awesome though

Anonymous said...

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Michelle said...

lynn: yeah, rachael ray inspire me to cook the way she does but she's really a good cook while i'm just a beginner. hehe still, i learn something by just watching her cook the 30 minute meals. i think it's just a matter of how you do the timing for cooking one or two dish at the same time. you're welcome dear. this is our life in US. if we don't cook then we go hungry though we have other choice to just go to the restaurants but paying an expensive dish that makes me and hubby kaboom someday is not my priority. i still like to eat the home cooked meals because i know that i'm cooking healthy foods plus i can save if i cook meals from scratch. :)

sheng: thanks sheng for always remembering me when there are tags around. :)

mica: thanks girl! hope you had a good one. :)

twerlyn: ic. crock pot is actually good for cooking thick meat like beef. any tough kind of meat becomes tender once you cook them in the crock pot for 8 hrs. but don't be surprised if your meat will shrink once cooked coz that's how it work. hehe I'll post some recipes someday. cooking in the crock pot is called "slow cooked meals". i have a cook book for that but haven't tried them yet. i only tried what i saw at the food network but of course i modified the recipes again.

mjsterling: yeah, i never thought about that in the past but watching her cook and applying what i saw made me realized that i can do it too. at first it's difficult but if you get used to it then you can cook the way she does on the show. :)

simplymama: thanks sis. will visit you after this. :)

hailey's beats and bits: thanks for the tag. :)

Insights from the Grocery Cart said...

hi michelle. love rachel ray. don't know if i can do the 30-minute meal with kids around. haha. love sardines with egg, especially on a rainy day. with steamy, hot rice. yummy!

Vigil said...

you sound so expert, michelle. Hmmm.. pa try nga but I too cook too fast. Italian dishes are too fast when you get used to it..pasta and stuffs.. i hope to share some too someday in my posts.

I guess ang sarap mong magluto noh?
Please reply at: WebbieStuffsin case

Michelle said...

carol: well, i don't know the age of your kids but encourage them to help you in cooking. in that way they'll love to cook also when they grow up. kitchen is a good place to bond with families so just make the cooking not a chore but a game. i think that works better than demanding help from kids. :)

weblogstuffs: thanks girl! i agree with you, pasta is a good time saver. my hubby said i'm a good cook but i don't eat all the foods that i cooked. haha i still like pinoy foods than american foods so i sometimes cook just for hubby and i cook pinoy foods for me too. :)

Unknown said...

i really appreciate this post. i am interested with your tuna casserole. is that the whole recipe, mich?

hubby doesnt like sardines too, hehe. last monday i cooked a slow cooker recipe (Italian Beef), and yeah it was so easy, i started it in the morning and it was done by the time we both got home from work.

and yeah soemtimes we would eat leftovers too but we dont usually have much leftovers coz i cook just for the two of us, i know how to estimate now so i dont have much leftovers.

thanks again for this post. :)

Michelle said...

yeah, only four ingredients for the tuna casserole.

well, if you eat left overs then double your ingredients. you can use ziploc for storing left overs and put them in the freezer if you want to eat it again next week. but if you're okay to eat the left over the next day then put them in the fridge. :)