In honor of Picasso and my epiphany from the last post, I thought I’d create a brief list of ways I do more with less… in case anyone else out there is looking for time-saving ideas. Eventually, I’ll figure out a way to put this list on the side bar with categories so it’s available all the time. For today that’s a little too technically advanced for me! But look for it soon.
If you have any great “do more with less” suggestions for The Blue List, I’d LOVE to hear them, and will add them to the list as well. For today, I thought I’d post some recipe links here. All the links below are to time-tested recipes I use very regularly in my home. I can say they are all terrific… they either take very little time, can be done well in advance, or use few ingredients. And I think of them all as a little different from some of the regular fare… they are good variety items to have. These are the things that get me through some of the busy days and allow me to finish at the end with some sanity.
RECIPE BOX from THE BLUE LIST (eventually!) *The first three are hyperlinked.
Chicken Curry in a Hurry from RealSimple: Thanks to my friend Charlotte for introducing me to this one. If you add the optional tomatoes and serve over rice, it’s an entire meal in itself. And it’s great on day two as well!
Butternut Squash Soup with Chestnuts from Epicurious: Peeling the squash takes some time, but some stores have it already cut and peeled for you… finding the Chestnuts might require an extra trip, but overall, a very easy soup that feels gourmet. Serve with a salad, or french bread with sliced tomatoes and chedder cheese on top – melted in broiler.
Lamb Gyros from the Herald Mail: I make the meat patties in advance (check on where you can purchase ground lamb… not at every grocery store) – and cook them just the way they say… and serve with the yogurt sauce and pitas. But I do make my own salad to go with them (also in advance) of cucumbers, kalmata olives, tomatoes and red onions tossed with lemon juice, salt and pepper. Buy some store made hummus and load up your pitas with all the ingredients. Fun, easy, do ahead (except for the 8 minutes of broiling the meat) and tasty. Make a big salad, and have the salad with the pitas and hummus for a light lunch the next day.
Sausage and Apples from my MOM! I’m not sure if this is an Irish thing or what… but it couldn’t be any easier, or use fewer ingredients. But some yummy kilbasa or other precooked sausage and some granny smith apples. Slice both (probably about two parts apples to one part sausage), and sautee it in butter in your skillet with brown sugar to sweeten the apples a bit. Serve with French bread and some sliced cheese. Different, easy and good.
BBQ Ribs (also from my mom… maybe somewhere else earlier, but I can’t find this one on the internet anywhere and GREAT for a crowd): Buy a large pack of country style pork ribs. Stick them in your slow cooker. Add hickory style BBQ sauce and orange juice (probably about a ratio of three parts sauce to one part juice). Add enough to cover. Turn it on low in the morning, and enjoy for dinner that night. They will be falling apart and yummy. Serve it with sliced tomatoes and potato salad – my favorite recipe is hyperlinked… but it’s not particulary blue list worthy for time saving quality (though it is delicious!).
PLEASE! Consider adding some of your own tips or recipes in the comments section below for eventual inclusion in the Blue List. The better the list, the better life at my house will be (and yours too if you use it)!
