Maybe Matilda: 5 Dinner Winners

Wednesday, September 19, 2012

5 Dinner Winners

I love trying new dinner recipes. So much, in fact, that I only repeat dinners if they are beyond amazing, because I’d rather try something new than re-make something that’s merely okay or pretty good. Here are some dinner winners that I’ve made recently that have earned a highly-coveted position on my ‘repeatable dinner’ list by being quick to make, delicious, and family- and budget-friendly:

Kung Pao Ramen Noodles from Mel’s Kitchen CafĂ©

Any recipe that starts out with a few packets of Ramen is sure to be a favorite for Forrest. But this was very adult-friendly, too . . . it’s flavorful and delicious, plus it’s quick and simple and very inexpensive to pull together. It’s going down in history as a new family favorite over here.

Banana Chocolate Chip Pancakes with Peanut Butter Syrup from Our Best Bites

Breakfast for dinner is always a hit at our house, and these pancakes were wildly tasty. I almost didn’t bother making the peanut butter syrup (this off-putting and very challenging portion of the recipe includes a daunting list of 2 ingredients and the exhausting effort of mixing those 2 ingredients together), but oh it was delicious. I could have (read: did) slurped it alone. Yum.

Taco Pizza from Newly Woodwards

I’m having blogja vu with this one—maybe I’ve mentioned this recipe already?—but we love and regularly repeat this recipe for Taco Pizza, a knockoff of a popular dish at Happy Joe’s, a Midwest institution that we, sadly, never visited in the years we lived in Iowa, mostly because I thought Taco Pizza just sounded obnoxious (be tacos or be pizza, do not be both). But I humbly renounce my snobby monogamistic recipe ways and with open arms welcome this bicurious dish to my dinner table. It’s delicious and different.

Mexican Chicken Corn Chowder from AllRecipes

I love and regularly crave this tasty, slightly spicy, mega-delicious soup. I’ve made it dozens of times (a true rarity for any dish in my house), and recommend the following simple changes:

- make 1 or 2 cups of white rice while you’re working on the soup and toss it in before serving . . . it adds a little much-needed substance to make this feel like more of a hearty meal.

- if you’re feeling real crazy (WOOOO, I KNOW I AM!), swap out the chicken for tilapia. I tried it once, simply because I had tilapia in the freezer that I didn’t know what to do with, and now I actually prefer it that way and haven’t made it with chicken since. And I’m not a fish lover, so don’t worry about it being too intensely fishy.

Thai Curry from Everyday Reading

This dish has the most delicious Thai coconut flavor, and it’s a fantastic recipe to have on hand because it’s so easily adaptable. Whatever vegetables you happen to have on hand work perfectly, so I love making it when I have random veggie odds and ends in my fridge that I don’t have a plan for. Personally, I prefer it with less (or no) fish sauce, but either way, this recipe is scrumptious. We rarely have leftovers of this one.

10 comments :

  1. HI Rachel! I'm having trouble wiht one of your patterns and sent a message on etsy! Can you help me out please!

    thanks!

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  2. ummm, I just pinned all of these. Now if someone would just come make them for me, that would be great.

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  3. Those pancakes look like you're eating dessert for breakfast for dinner. Yum!

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    1. That's not far off. They tasted like dessert for breakfast for dinner . . . that's a win in my book :-)

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  4. Do you even know how special I feel to have made this post. Especially because I do not consider myself much of a cook. Patting myeslf on the back over here.

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  5. SO happy you liked that Thai Curry. In fact, I'm making it tonight. . . .

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  6. thanks for the recipes! pinning them all :)

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  7. Kung Pao RAMEN noodles? Yum! Thanks for sharing these, they all sound great. Taco Pizza from Happy Joe's is definitely one of our favorites...well....I'm not going to lie, we MAINLY just go there because they have a play area for the kiddo. :) Can't wait to give these a try!

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  8. I'm totally going to use these. Dinner sucks when you can't think of what to make…or you make something fabulous and your husband comes home with no appetite…or you make something fabulous and your kids think it's gross. Maybe dinner just sucks all around.

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  9. Can't wait to try this tomorrow. I needed something quick and easy to make for lunch that wouldn't cost much.This is going to be awesome!
    Thanks for great stuff!

    essay methodology

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Thanks for commenting!

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