Favorite 30 Minute {or Less} Meals

Wow, Vegas was a whirlwind and I have to say, I was definitely ready to come home! It was a fun trip but we tried to do way too much in not enough time. Joel and I always seem to do this when we have a little getaway without Noah. When I go somewhere for the first time (and if I’m not sure I’ll be going back again) I like to see and do everything possible…which translates into a packed vacation that lacks relaxation. After this trip, we vowed to not do that again. But I really can’t make any promises.

Plus, I had a whole airport fiasco that ended up in my being stuck in the Vegas airport for over 7 hours before I finally got to board a flight (and not my original). The flight I was supposed to be on got delayed almost 2 hours because of strong winds in Phoenix which would have meant I would miss my connection and be stuck there overnight. I kept being told that I would make the connection and they had me board then right before leaving the gate they called my name and pulled me off the flight saying that I wouldn’t make the connection…no way, the flight didn’t board until 6:40 and my connection was to take off at 7:20. Sooo, they put me on a direct flight at 8:20. I had to wait a little longer but at least I wouldn’t be stuck somewhere overnight. Once I got to my new gate, I found out it was delayed until 10:10 meaning I wouldn’t get home until 3 a.m. Luckily, my bag made it and I eventually got to my parents around 3:30. I got about 3 hours of sleep before Noah woke up and we had to drive the hour home so that Joel could get to work. It was a rough day to say the least.

I’m sure many of you out there get to the end of the day exhausted and needing to whip up a quick and easy dinner so today I’m sharing some of my favorite 30 minutes (or less) main dishes that I have featured here. Many of these are regular rotations for us during the week.

Veggie Stirfry, Skinny Bang Bang Shrimp, Ultimate Grilled Cheese, Oven Tacos

Stovetop Mac-n-Cheese, Honey Mustard Pork Burgers, Catalina Taco Salad, BBQ Chicken Quesadillas

Steak Bites, Sesame Noodles, Buffalo Sloppy Joes, Salt and Pepper Pork Chops

Turkey Avocado Wraps

These turkey avocado wraps, also known as my new favorite lunch, are the best! Noah is so incredibly busy so I am always looking for quick and easy lunches to throw together that are still relatively healthy. The salt and crunchiness of the bacon is soo good with the creamy guacamole. And who doesn’t love turkey and cheese? These are just perfect in my book!

Turkey Avocado Wraps

1 whole wheat tortilla
3 slices deli turkey
1 slice of bacon, cooked crisp
1 slice cheddar cheese
3 Tbsp. guacamole

Spread guacamole over tortilla then layer with turkey, bacon and cheese. Roll up and slice in half.

Dinner Roll Sandwiches

You can only eat leftover turkey and ham for so long before you revolt. Or go crazy. Don’t get me wrong, I love Thanksgiving and all the food that comes along with it but I just can’t stand leftovers. I suck it up for a day or two but then I just can’t take it. We did a Thanksgiving meal with my in-laws on Sunday and real Thanksgiving with my family so I am totally over Thanksgiving food in its original form. I have been eating turkey slathered in gravy for almost a whole week people. Me? A week of leftovers? I think not. I have been in a constant daze this whole time because of all the Tryptophan. It has to stop.

Thankfully, I recently found a great use for leftovers from the holidays over at Jane Deere (one of my favorite food blogs) and I just couldn’t wait to try it and of course share with you all! It still contains turkey (or ham if that’s your thing) but in a totally different presentation…therefore, making it acceptable. And I always love me a sandwich.

It starts with Hawaiian Sweet Rolls (um, yeah!). Then it gets layered with turkey, cheese, an amazing buttery sauce, the tops of the rolls and more sauce. I also love me some sauce.

Throw it in the oven for a crispy, melty masterpiece of leftover glory!

Dinner Roll Sandwiches
recipe from Jane Deere

2 packs Hawaiian Sweet Rolls
1 lb shaved ham or turkey
½ pound shredded mozzarella cheese
½ pound shredded Swiss cheese

Sauce:

2 sticks melted butter

2 Tbsp. mustard

1 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce

1 tsp. dry onion

2 Tbsp. poppy seeds

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  Slice rolls horizontally as a unit – don’t break apart into individual rolls.  Put the bottoms in a 9×13 dish.  Lay meat on top.  Cover with cheese.  Pour 2/3-3/4 of sauce on top of cheese.  Place tops of rolls on top.  Pour remaining mixture over tops of rolls and spread evenly.  Bake for 15-20 minutes.  Watch closely – if the tops begin to brown too much, place a sheet of foil over the top.

Recipe linked to Mangia Monday, Tasty Tuesday, Totally Tasty Tuesday, Tempt My Tummy Tuesday, What I Whipped Up Wednesday and Full Plate Thursday.

Brined and Roasted Turkey {My 1st Turkey}

I have never, ever made a turkey. I have never eaten a brined turkey but I know about all the hype. So I thought for my first turkey, I would go all out and hope for the best. And it turns out it was pretty simple. The hardest thing was rinsing the turkey and getting all the inards out. I absolutely hate touching raw meat so I may have been a little prissy about the whole process. I’m glad the family was downstairs watching a football game so that they didn’t have to witness my ridiculousness. I may have let out a squeal-y “ewwww” as I stuck my hand in the darned bird.

But oh man was it worth the 30 seconds of disgust. I don’t mean to brag but this was probably the juiciest and tastiest roasted turkey I have ever had. Brining really does make all the difference. Any turkey cooked in my home will always be brined…no question.

Because I’ve never made a turkey before, Joel has never had to carve one so he got a little lesson from his dad.

This turkey seemed like a lot of work…more work than I had time for so I skipped the homemade turkey stock and simply basted the turkey with chicken stock. I also just made a simple pan gravy with the drippings and a cornstarch slurry. If you want to be a total allstar, you can click the source below to get the details.

Brined and Roasted Turkey
recipe from Emeril Lagasse

1 (10 to 12-pound) turkey
Brine, recipe follows
4 tablespoons unsalted butter at room temperature
1 large yellow onion, cut into 8ths
1 large orange, cut into 8ths
1 stalk celery, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 large carrot, cut into 1-inch pieces
2 bay leaves
2 sprigs thyme
1 1/2 to 2 cups chicken or turkey stock, for basting

1. Remove the neck, giblets, and liver from the cavity of the turkey. Rinse the turkey inside and out under cold running water. Soak the turkey in the brine, covered and refrigerated, for at least 4 hours and up to 24 hours.   Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.

2. Remove the turkey from the brine and rinse well under cold running water. Pat dry with paper towels, inside and out. Place breast side down in a large, heavy roasting pan, and rub on all sides with the butter. Season lightly inside and out with salt and pepper. Stuff the turkey with the onion, orange, celery, carrot, bay leaves, and thyme. Loosely tie the drumsticks together with kitchen string.

3. Roast the turkey, uncovered, breast side down for 1 hour. Remove from the oven, turn, and baste with 1/2 cup stock. Continue roasting with the breast side up until an instant-read meat thermometer registers 165 degrees F when inserted into the largest section of thigh (avoiding the bone), about 2 3/4 to 3 hours total cooking time. Baste the turkey once every hour with 1/2 to 3/4 cup chicken or turkey stock.

4. Remove from the oven and place on a platter. Tent with aluminum foil and let rest for 20 minutes before carving.

Brine
1 cup salt
1 cup brown sugar
2 oranges, quartered
2 lemons, quartered
6 sprigs thyme
4 sprigs rosemary

To make the brining solution, dissolve the salt and sugar in 2 gallons of cold water in a non-reactive container (such as a clean bucket or large stockpot, or a clean, heavy-duty, plastic garbage bag.) Add the oranges, lemons, thyme, and rosemary.

Note: if you have a big turkey and need more brine than this, use 1/2 cup salt and 1/2 cup brown sugar for every gallon of water.

Buffalo Sloppy Joes

I love to try Rachael Ray recipes. They may not always be gourmet or fancy but I have never claimed to be either of those things. She creates simple, accessible and yummy recipes that are usually relatively healthy. You can’t beat that. These buffalo sloppy joes were not an exception.

The addition of carrot, celery and onion sneaks in veggies for picky kids (or husbands in my case) without them noticing. I have a hard time finding ground chicken in my grocery store so I substituted ground turkey which was totally delicious. I found the sauce to be a little runny so I simmered the final product for about 10 minutes and it thickened up nicely. They were still very drippy and messy so make sure you have plenty of napkins handy.

I found that 1/4 cup of hot pepper sauce was just right for us but if you like your food with a big kick increase the amount. Joel and I aren’t fans of blue cheese so we topped ours with a drizzle of ranch, pickles and melted provolone. This is definitely a quick and easy meal that has become a new favorite in our home!

Buffalo Sloppy Joes
recipe from Rachael Ray

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 pounds ground chicken or turkey breast
1 carrot, peeled and chopped or grated
2 stalks celery, chopped
1 yellow onion, finely chopped
2 to 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped or grated
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1/4 to 1/3 cup hot sauce (recommended: Frank’s Red Hot)
1 cup tomato sauce
1 cup chicken stock
8 good quality burger rolls, split and toasted
1 cup blue cheese crumbles or provolone slices
2 large dill pickles, chopped
Ranch

1. Heat a large skillet with extra-virgin olive oil over medium-high heat. Add meat and break it up with wooden spoon, cook 5 to 6 minutes. Add in carrots, celery, onions and garlic, season with salt and freshly ground black pepper, cook 7 to 8 minutes more.

2. In a bowl combine the vinegar, sugar, Worcestershire, hot sauce, tomato sauce and stock. Pour into the pan and stir to combine. Simmer a few minutes more (I simmered for about 10 minutes). Pile sloppy buffalo filling onto buns and top with blue cheese and chopped pickles.