To the wives and mothers: recipes

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Lady_Kikyo

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JMJ

Hey ladies,

I’m getting married in 2 weeks and was hoping for some help. Do any of you have a recipe(s) that have earned you big points at home with your husband? My fiance’s a “meat-and-potatoes” kind of guy, (takes a sick liking to salt gag), and has a sweet tooth. Anything you have to offer would be much appreciated. Thank you.

To any men who happen to read this…would you get the recipe(s) you love from your wives and post them please?

(prayers are even more appreciated…I’m a little nervous about…you know…the whole, uh, beginning:blushing:)
 
My husband is SUCH a meat and potatoes guy! He’s only now, after seven years of marraige, starting to eat veggies and/or be adventurous 🙂

My advice is to go to Barnes and Noble, and look through the clearance books-- there are ALWAYS tons of cookbooks up there! Leaf through them and pick one that has several meat recipes you think he’ll like/try.

Some things that have worked well for me: spinach and cheese frittata (for the friday nights!)

meatballs-- make a bunch and freeze them

sweet potato corn bread-- buy a corn bread mix, add some honey and 1 pureed sweet potato (bake the potato first so it purees easier).

chicken breasts rubbed in Seasoning Salt (brand: Season All) and baked in the oven (this one is SUPER easy! it is literally a five minute recipe but it tastes delish!)

Oven homefries-- cut up white potatoes into smallish cubes. toss with Olive oil and Season All. Back until soft-- DELISH!!!

I’ve had luck with the Rachel Ray cookbooks-- but theres always a TON of things in there we would never eat-- for example we dont eat seafood at all. Her section on “homecookin’” is pretty good tho. Also, you cant go wrong with the Betty Crocker bookbook-- it’s a classic!

Also, try visiting foodnetwork.com. You search for recipies based on what ingredients you want to use! I’ve found a TON of good ideas there! Good luck-- it will be fine! My first year of marraige we were destitute college students and we subsisted on ramen noodles and easy mac-- and he didnt leave me 🙂 You’ll get through it!
 
Easy meal…and great for a meat/potatoes/salt lover.

Kielbas/perogies/sourkrout
pre-cooked Kielbasa, boil in a frying pan and then when warm drain water add a bit of oil and fry (fry is optional)
pre-cooked Perogies…boil…optional fry in butter
sour krout…warm in sauce-pan

we sometimes add canned beans to stretch it for a few more servings…espceally when my brothers were in the “eating out of house and home” phaze
 
Taste of Home magazine is an excellent subscription to have. They usually have many basic meals that your guy will love, plus a few desserts he’s sure to eat up.

Here is an easy dish that most people like.

4- 6 boneless chicken breasts
1 Can whole cranberry sauce
8 oz Catalina light dressing (regular is fine too)
1 envelope of Onion Soup mix

Place chicken in dish. Mix cranberries, soup mix and dressing together. Pour over chicken and soak approximately 1 hr. Bake at 350* for 20-30 minutes, until juices run clear.

***Now, here is a piece of newly wed advice. Start out as you mean to go on.

If you want your husband to expect a home cooked meal prepared by just you every night, then do so every night. If you expect him to help you in the kitchen on busy evenings, get him to help you from the start. Many newly weds start out being so kind and serving, and then start to get upset that the other isn’t helping. Being gracious is virtuous, but don’t let unrealistic standards lead to latter resentment. Be yourself, and the man that loves you will love what you cook!! Ask him to help you prepare a weekly or monthly menu. This way you are both happy with what is served.

Congratulations on your upcoming marriage!
 
Lady_Kikyo said:
JMJ

Hey ladies,

I’m getting married in 2 weeks and was hoping for some help. Do any of you have a recipe(s) that have earned you big points at home with your husband? My fiance’s a “meat-and-potatoes” kind of guy, (takes a sick liking to salt gag), and has a sweet tooth. Anything you have to offer would be much appreciated. Thank you.

To any men who happen to read this…would you get the recipe(s) you love from your wives and post them please?

(prayers are even more appreciated…I’m a little nervous about…you know…the whole, uh, beginning:blushing:)
Click to expand...
Prayers for you on your upcoming wedding.:flowers:
:signofcross:Bless us oh Lord (…and these Thy gifts…) One tip: remember to say meal prayers together!

Another tip: As far as most “meat and potato” people, keep the main course and side dishes simple. That’s the kind of thing that makes usually pleases them most. Save the fussy recipes for desserts. (It’s hard to go too wrong when combining butter, sugar, vanilla into most anything dessert-like. Even if it flops, most desserts are still edible and enjoyable.:)) Find out what meat they prefer, what cuts of meat they like best, how they like their meat (rare, medium, well-done?) and then figure out how to cook it. Practice makes perfect, and for the meat& potato types you can practice a lot with what might look like the same thing over and over and over again. Learn how to make gravy, either from a gravy mix or meat drippings.

Here’s a very easy recipe for Crock Pot Roast that my husband and family love:

Beef Chuck Roast
Lipton Onion Soup Mix (dry)
1/2 cup water

**Place chuck roast in the Crock Pot. Cook on low all day. (Or on high half a day.) **

The meat will usually fall apart when served.

Juices left in the crock pot make great gravy. Stir in a small amount of the juice or water into flour to get the lumps out. Cook on stove top with the rest of the meat juices unitl thick. (check a cook book for the liquid to flour content for gravy, usually about a 2 tablespoons flour to 1 cup liquid ratio.)

Serve with baked potatoes. Or mashed potatoes. Or boiled potatoes. Or even noodles. Or tortillas for shredded beef tacos–our favorite way to use the left-overs, (if there are any left-overs.) Serve with a salad and bread, and the meal is complete. I often add carrots, potatoes, celery and other vegetables when cooking this–that changes the amount of juice for gravy.) I often add other spices and herbs, but it doesn’t really need them.

I love cooking with herbs, but when you’re trying to learn the basics and figure out what you and your new husband likes, keep it really simple and only use a few ingredients. You can get more experimental with your cooking once you have the basics down. Over time you can learn what spices, herbs and flavors go well together. Some don’t mix well at all, so by keeping it simple and trying one or two new things you’re less likely to end up with something neither of you enjoy.
 
What, guys can’t have good recipes? :mad:

I’m teasing some, I hope you won’t mind a guy contributing… I have a really great marinade for grilled chicken, but ::checks email:: doh, it’s on my laptop at home. I’ll post it after work
 
none, sorry, my family hated it when I tried to cook from scratch, they turned up their nose at homemade pot pie, mac & cheese and so forth, they wanted it from a box or the freezer case.
 
Really easy chili recipe that makes a ton and freezes well…and you can add whatever you want to it, like corn or other things…😉

2lbs of ground chuck
2 cans of diced tomatoes
2 cans of kidney beans
2 packets of chili powder packets(whatever spicy level you like) ( usually found with the gravy and other packets of spices)

Shredded cheese of your liking.

Cook meat with some garlic if wanted until brown, add in chili packets, stir until cooked, add cans of tomatoes and beans as well as any other ingredients, simmer for about five minutes…serve over pasta or corn chips, sprinkle with cheese…

This is a double recipe I came up with, not expensive and lasts a while…🙂
 
Get real familiar with the slow cooker you will almost certainly receive as a wedding gift - it’s a lifesaver!

Here is an absolutely wonderful pork chop recipe from allrecipes.com (wonderful site!)

6 boneless pork chops (nice and thick and lean)
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 tsp ground ginger
1/2 cup low sodium soy sauce
1/4 cup ketchup (or plain tomato sauce)
2 cloves garlic, crushed (take each clove and smash it with the flat side of a wide knife; it’s then easy to peel)
pepper to taste (there’s enough salt in the soy sauce)

Put the pork chops in the crockpot or slow cooker. Mix together all the other ingredients and pour over the chops. Set the slow cooker on low and cook for at least 6 hours (make sure the internal temperature of the chops has reached 160 degrees)

The meat will be incredibly tender. This makes a sort of gravy. We like this with homemade applesauce, mashed potatoes and carrots. Yummy! It makes enough for at least 2 meals.

Cooks.com is another great website for recipes; you can google just about anything and find plenty of recipes. Best wishes and good luck!
 
You’ve had some excellent recipes. My family likes this one:

Boneless chicken breasts either 2 whole, or else 4 halves
Bottled Italian dressing
Parmesan cheese.

Drizzle some Italian dressing on the bottom of a 13 x 9 x 2 pan. Place breasts in the pan, turn so that breasts are coated on both sides. Allow to sit, covered, in refrigerator 1 hour. preheat oven to 375. Take chicken from fridge, sprinkle liberally with parmesan cheese, and cook 25-35 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink and juices run clear when pricked with fork. While it’s cooking there’s usually time to put on a boxed rice pilaf and some nice veggies.

NOW. . .regarding that salt thing. Don’t laugh. I was crazy anemic for many years, and a big indicator of the anemia was my craving for salt. I could literally eat it by the handful (and wound up having to be transfused 3 units of blood by the time the MDs finally noticed). So have your hubby to be get tested as he could be anemic (yes, it can happen to men) or need potassium or vitamin K (that can manifest as craving too).
 
Tantum_ergo said:
You’ve had some excellent recipes. My family likes this one:

Boneless chicken breasts either 2 whole, or else 4 halves
Bottled Italian dressing
Parmesan cheese.

Drizzle some Italian dressing on the bottom of a 13 x 9 x 2 pan. Place breasts in the pan, turn so that breasts are coated on both sides. Allow to sit, covered, in refrigerator 1 hour. preheat oven to 375. Take chicken from fridge, sprinkle liberally with parmesan cheese, and cook 25-35 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink and juices run clear when pricked with fork. While it’s cooking there’s usually time to put on a boxed rice pilaf and some nice veggies.

NOW. . .regarding that salt thing. Don’t laugh. I was crazy anemic for many years, and a big indicator of the anemia was my craving for salt. I could literally eat it by the handful (and wound up having to be transfused 3 units of blood by the time the MDs finally noticed). So have your hubby to be get tested as he could be anemic (yes, it can happen to men) or need potassium or vitamin K (that can manifest as craving too).
Click to expand...
Love this chicken! ~

And yes to the anemia part…I am an anemic for going on four years, and I crave salt like crazy…I used to like to eat soy sauce…by itself!
Sorry about your situation, luckily my mother is a nurse and put my “blue blood” and salt craving together and had me tested…🙂
 
I wanted to second allrecipes.com - GREAT website! Use the ingredient search frequently when you don’t know what to make with what you have on hand!

Epicurious.com is good too, but tends to be fancier recipes with more expensive ingredients.
 
Can’t go wrong with “Taste of Home”… website, magazine subscription, books chock full of the best recipes! I’ve never made one the family didn’t love!
 
This recipe might look a little long, but really is easy:

Title: Country Fried Steak with Vidalia Onion Gravy

Description:
There are a lot of different ways to “chicken fry”
a steak. I like this way when I am in a hurry
because it is quick and doesn’t make a big
mess. The seasoning in this recipe is nice
too, and the gravy is an interesting change of
pace from the typical cream gravy.

This would be great served with mashed
potatoes and green beans.

Ingredients:
4 pieces of round steak, 1/2 lb each, trimmed
of visible fat (or just get a tenderized cube
steak since it is all ready to go)
1 cup flour
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 Vidalia or other sweet onions, thinly sliced
2 cups beef stock
1 cup milk

Directions:
  1. Using a meat pounder, pound the steaks
    until slightly flattened and uniform thickness –
    you can skip this step if you are using cube
    steaks.
  2. In a large zip-loc bag, combine the flour,
    cornstarch, onion popwder, garlic powder,
    salt, black pepper, and cayenne pepper.Seal
    closed and shake the bag to mix. Remove 1/3
    cup of the season flour and set aside. Add the
    pounded steaks one at a time to the bag.
    Seal and shake the bag to coat the steaks
    evenly.
  3. In a large frying pan over medium-high heat
    , melt the butter with the olive oil. Reduce the
    heat to medium, add the steaks, and cook,
    turning once, until well browned, about 4
    minutes per side. Transfer to a plate.
  4. Add the onions to the pan over medium
    heat and cook, stirring often, until the onions
    begin to soften. Stir in the reserved 1/3 cup of
    flour and cook, stirring often, for about a
    minute. Add the beef stock and milk, bring
    quickly to a boil, stirring constantly, and
    deglaze the pan (scrape with a wooden spoon
    to release the stuck on browned bits from the
    bottom of the pan.) Reduce the heat to low,
    stir in any accumulated juices from the resting
    steaks, and nestle meat into the simmering
    gravy.
  5. Cover and simmer over low heat until the
    gravy is thickened.
  6. Transfer to a plate and serve at once
Number Of Servings:4
 
Title: Garlic Mashed Potatoes

Description:
There are a lot of recipes for garlic mashed
potaotes out there, but this is by far the most
decadent and delicious version I’ve ever tried.
My family makes this every year at
Thanksgiving. The flavor is even more intense
the next day when you are eating the leftovers.

Ingredients:
5 lbs. russet potatoes
1 cup peeled garlic cloves
3/4 cup heavy whipping cream or half & half
3 tablespoons butter
salt & pepper

Directions:
  1. Peel potatoes & cut into quarters. Place in
    large pot with enough water to cover. Cover
    pan and bring to a boil over high heat, then
    simmer until potatoes are tender when
    pierced, 15 to 20 minutes.
  2. Meanwhile, in a small pan over low heat
    combine garlic, cream, and butter. Cover and
    simmer over low heat, stirring occasionally.
    Cook until garlic is tender when pierced, about
    10 minutes.
  3. In a blender or food processor, puree garlic
    mixture.
  4. Drain potatoes, return to pan, and add garlic
    puree. Mash with a potato masher or mixer
    until smooth. Add salt & pepper to taste.
 
dixieagle said:
Here is an absolutely wonderful pork chop recipe from allrecipes.com (wonderful site!)

6 boneless pork chops (nice and thick and lean)
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 tsp ground ginger
1/2 cup low sodium soy sauce
1/4 cup ketchup (or plain tomato sauce)
2 cloves garlic, crushed (take each clove and smash it with the flat side of a wide knife; it’s then easy to peel)
pepper to taste (there’s enough salt in the soy sauce)
Click to expand...
THAT SOUNDS GOOOOOOD!

I’ve got a gazillion recipes and have become quite the versatile cook since I got married 4 years ago. The “Cooks Illustrated Family Cookbook” is awesome! It’s big and red just like the Betty Crocker cookbook, but it’s so much better. They have a meatloaf recipe that even my 2-year-old son loves.

As far as a simple dessert goes, you can’t – and I mean CAN’T – go wrong with something we call “Pudding On A Cloud”. It’s easy, easy, easy but soooo good. Didn’t get it from a cookbook – got it from my husband, actually, and then tweaked it.

Pudding On A Cloud

Ingredients:
2 large packages of instant chocolate pudding
Milk
1 whole Angel Food Cake (made from a cake mix is the easiet and best – storebought angel food cake is nasty and trying to make it from scratch is a hassle)
1 large container of Lite Cool Whip
1 or 2 cans of cherry pie filling (optional)

Make the cake, let cool and slice into 1/2 inch slices.
Lay slices slightly leaning on one another in a large sheet cake pan in rows (whatever doesn’t fit goes to the cook!)
Make the pudding according to package directions and pour over top of cake immediately
Top with Cool Whip
(Optionally you can top the pudding with cherry pie filling and then Cool Whip)

So good you won’t believe it. We even serve this to guests at dinner parties. I dress it up by doing it as a layered parfait and putting it in a trifle bowl, but the recipe is still the same and everyone just gobbles it up.

As far as marital advice goes, I think you’ve already gotten some good stuff. Pray together, go to Mass together EVERY SUNDAY AND HOLY DAY – you would not believe the difference it makes in your marriage to get to sit together for a solid hour every week and just be together with Our Lord. It’s amazing. Especially after you have children.

I saw the little “blush” symbol you left about “The Beginning”… So sweet. My best advice: Don’t worry. It’ll be more than fine. And it will probably start out a little awkwardly. Or things might not go just right at first. Don’t get discouraged. Practice makes perfect! 😉 Practice, practice, practice! You’ll see! 🙂
 
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