Turkey Cobb Sandwiches

June 6th, 2009

Are you looking for a quick yet delicious lunch? A fast and easy dinner? This recipe puts the classic Cobb salad ingredients in a sandwich. Pack them up and take them to the beach or the park to eat them. Delicious!

Turkey Cobb Sandwiches

8 Slices Bread, toasted

2 Tb Mayonnaise

4 Leaves of lettuce

1 Tomato, sliced

1/2 lb Deli sliced Turkey

1 Avocado, peeled and sliced

4 slices of Bacon, cooked

2 eggs, hardboiled and sliced

Spread mayonnaise on the toast and top with lettuce, tomato, turkey, bacon and eggs.

Julie Languille - busy wife and mom, owner

Dinners In A Flash - Easy Dinner Recipes and Online Dinner Planner

Quick and Easy Gazpacho

June 4th, 2009

With bathing suit weather looming, it is time to break out some lean and delicious recipes. This is a go-to recipe for me, and I keep canned tomatoes in the fridge so my gazpacho is already chilled and ready to eat immediately.

Quick and Easy Gazpacho

I can Diced tomatoes - preferably Italian or Mexican style - 14.5 oz

1/2 Englich cucmber, chopped, plus 2 Tb minced for garnish

2 Green onions, chopped, plus 2 Tb minced for garnish

1/4 tsp Salt

2 Tb Cider vinegar

Fresh ground pepper to taste

Add all ingredients (except garnishes) to a blender and whirl until well blended, but not completely smooth. Taste and adjust seasonings if needed. Serve topped with garnishes.

Julie Languille - busy wife and mom, owner

Dinners In A Flash dot com - Easy Dinner Recipes and Dinner Planning

Crispy Two Potato Pancakes with Ricotta Filling

June 2nd, 2009

Not just one potato pancakes, but two potatoes! Sweet potatoes, russets and carrots combine in this savory, sweet, crispy, creamy recipe that is filling, economical and a huge hit with the kids. It is also a great way to get them to eat their vegetables!

Crispy Two Potato Pancakes with Ricotta Filling

Potato and vegetable pancakes fried crispy and golden sandwiched with creamy ricotta. Yum! Frugal, company worthy and kid friendly! Serve these on top of a big salad and you’ve got a complete meal.

Serves 4

1/2 C Flour
3 Eggs, lightly beaten
2 C Potato, grated
1 C Carrots, grated
2 1/2 C Sweet potato or yam, grated
1/2 C Parmesan cheese - grated
2 Tb Parsley - flat leaf, chopped
Salt and pepper, to taste
Vegetable oil - for frying
1 C Ricotta cheese

Heat a skillet with a little oil over medium high heat.

In a bowl add flour and whisk in eggs, Add vegetables, parmesan, parsley and season with salt and pepper. Stir to combine.

Spoon 3 TB piles of the mixture in the pan and flatten slightly. Cook 2 to 3 minutes per side or until golden. Work in batches until all pancakes are cooked. Sandwich together potato pancakes spread with cheese. Serve hot.

Julie Languille - Easy Dinner Recipes and Online Dinner Planning

Mussels Oreganata

May 31st, 2009

We had guests for dinner last night, our neighbors Scott and Christine came over for a visit and dinner. Casting about for an appetiser, my husband suggested I make Mussels Oreganatta, a dish we first had at a local restaurant. Gerry, the chef there was testing appetiser recipes, and being such a foodie he said he knew he could count on us for some feedback. They were delicious!

We started with the Mussels Oreganata, and served grilled streaks, risotto and salad. For dessert we had fresh strawberries over angelfood cake with whipped cream. It was really good.

Mussels Oreganata

1 package mussels - probably about a lb

4 Tb Olive oil, divided

2 Tb Garlic, minced

1/2 Dry white wine

1/2 C Dry breadcrumbs

2 Tb Butter

2 Tsp fresh oregano, or 1/2 tsp dried

1/3 C Parmesan cheese, grated

In a medium skillet over medium heat, warm 2 Tb or olive oil and add garlic. Cook briefly then add the wine and bring to a simmer. Add the mussels, discarding any open ones which do not close when pressed. Steam until the mussels just open then spoon them out of the pan and set aside to cool, reserving the cooking liquid.

Meanwhile, toast the breadcrumbs in the butter and the oil, and add the oregano and cheese. Add enough reserved mussel cooking liquid to form a moist but still crumbly mixture.

When mussels are cool enough to handle, open them all the way, removing and reserving half the shell and loosen the mussel in the remaining shell so it is disconnected. Top the shells with the mussels with a spoonful of the breadcrumb mixture pressing to form a mound. Place mussels in a shallow, rimmed pan or baking dish.

If you are making these ahead, they may be refrigerated at this point.

Preheat a broiler (or a toaster oven) and toast the mussels until heated through and golden brown and serve immediately.

Julie Languille - busy wife and mom, owner

Dinners In A Flash - Easy Dinner Recipes and Online Dinner Planning

Easy Recipe for Cream of Any Vegetable Soup

May 29th, 2009

I love universal recipes that work in a variety of seasons with a variety of ingredients. If you learn 10 recipes by heart that can each be made 10 different ways, that is 100 recipes. Adapt them to the season and the ingredients will be the best and your soup will be amazing!

Cream of Any Vegetable Soup

Serves 4 - 6

1 Onion, chopped

2 Leeks, white part only, washed and chopped

2 Tb Butter

2 Tb Flour

3 C Milk

3 C Vegetables (your choice) - onions, asparagus (save the tips to garnish), cauliflower, etc.

1/2 C Cream

Salt and Pepper to taste

Cook the onion and leeks in butter until softened. Add the flour and cook over medium heat for a minute. Add milk and the vegetables and simmer until vegetables until tender, 5 - 20 minutes. Stir in cream and bring back to a simmer. Transfer to a blender and puree. Season to taste and serve.If it is too thick, thin with a bit of milk or water. If to chunky for your taste, you can press it through a strainer.

Julie Languille - Busy wife and mom and owner

Dinners In a Flash (dot com) - Easy Dinner Recipes and Dinner Planning

Note: An emersion blender works really well here.

Convenient Conversions for Easy Recipes

May 28th, 2009

Have you ever happened across a recipe from a cookbook from the UK you were dying to make, but the measurements were Metric? Well here is a conversion chart. It also decodes the gas marks for ovens.

Liquid Measures

Volume             Metric

1/4 tsp             1.25 ml

1/2 tsp             2.5 ml

1 tsp                 5 ml

1/2 TB              7.5 ml

1 TB                  15 ml

1/4 C                60 ml

1/3 C                75 ml

1/2 C               125 ml

2/3 C               150 ml

3/4 C               175 ml

1 C                   250 ml

1 1/4 C            300 ml

1 1/2 C            350 ml

1 pint               500 ml

Solids

Flour  1 C = 160 g

Sugar  1 C = 200 g

Brown Sugar 1 C = 175 g

Powdered Sugar 1 C = 130 g

Butter 1 TB = 15 g, 1 stick = 115 g

Gas Marks

1/2 - 1 = 250 - 275 degrees Fahrenheit

2 = 300 degrees Fahrenheit

3 = 325 degrees Fahrenheit

4 = 350 degrees Fahrenheit

5-6 = 375-400 degrees Fahrenheit

7 = 400 degrees Fahrenheit

8-9 = 450-475 degreed Fahrenheit

Julie Languille - busy wife and mom, owner of

Dinners In A Flash dot com - Easy Dinner Recipes and Online Dinner Planning

Easy Recipe - Crab Cakes with Lemon Aioli

May 27th, 2009

Crab cakes make a simple, fast and easy yet elegant dinner. Serve them over lightly dressed greens. The succulence of the crab is simply delicious and very satifying. This recipe is not one of those that is overwhelmed with too many binding ingredients. The crab is really the star and the simple dipping sauce lets the crab flavor shine through. Make extra and pop some in your freezer. When you’re ready to cook them, they go straight into the saute pan without needing to thaw them.

Crab Cakes with Lemon Aioli

1 lb Lump crab, picked over and squeeze dry of excess water
1/2 C Bread crumbs
1/2 C Mayonnaise
2 Green onions, sliced
2 Tb  Butter
2  Tb Olive oil
1/2 C  Mayonnaise
1 Tb Lemon juice
2 Tsp Grainy mustard

Combine crab meat and other ingredients gently. Separate into 8 patties pressing them firmly to hold together. May be frozen at this point or sautéed in butter and olive oil until lightly browned on both sides and heated through.

Whisk together mayonnaise, lemon juice and mustard to serve with cakes as a dipping sauce.

Julie Languille, busy wife and mom and owner

Dinners In A Flash dot com - Easy Dinner Recipes and Online Dinner Planning

Unexpected Asparagus

May 26th, 2009

Have you ever eaten asparagus raw? If you can’t imagine crunching down on a stalk, imaging tasting in sliced crosswise into cross section about the size of a pea. They are surprisingly sweet, and delightfully crunchy. I tossed them in with my salad tonight and they were wonderful.

Easy Unexpected Asparagus Salad

1/2 bundle Aspagus, pencil thin

3 cups Lettuce

1/2 C Pecans, toasted

1/2 C Grapes, halved if large

2 tsp Stone ground mustard

3 Tb Olive oil

1 Tb Lemon juice (if fresh or vinegar)

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp Pepper

Cut away two to four inches of the asparagus stems depending on how fresh they are and cut them crosswise in quarter inch slices. Combine vegetables and toss to combine. Whisk together mustard, lemon, salt and pepper and then drizzle in the oil whisking briskly to emulsify. Toss with the salad and serve.

Easy Recipe for Crepes

May 24th, 2009

Yum. Thin, delicious crepes, hot out of the pan and filled with delicious toppings. We made these fresh for breakfast this morning and they were delicious. Crepes are also a great easy dinner recipe filled with savory fillings like sauted spinach, mushrooms and cheeses.

For breakfast we topped them with powdered sugar, lemon juice, butter and jam.Also try them with peanut butter, brown sugar, and/or nutella. Beyond delicious!

Here’s the easy recipe:

Crepes

2 eggs

1/2 C Milk

1/2 C Water

1/4 tsp Salt

2 Tb Sugar

1 C Flour

2 Tb melted mutter, plus more for oiling the pan.

Whisk together the eggs, milk, water, sugar and salt. Stir in the flour and whisk until smooth., then add the melted butter. Heat an 8 or 10 inch skillet over high heat, add butter and swirl to caot the pan. Add about 1/3 cup of batter, let set for a moment, then swirl to coat the pan, tilting the pan so the batter spreads. Cook until set on one side then flip over. Cook for a brief minute more, then flip out onto a plate. Top as you like, roll or fold according to your preference and serve.

Julie Languille, busy wife and mother and owner

Dinners In A Flash Dot Com - Easy Dinner Recipes and Dinner Planning

Easy Recipes for Prosciutto Appetisers

May 22nd, 2009

My friend Agustina is finally going to come over this weekend to see my house and try out our new deck. This will be our first time entertaining in our new home and I am excited that they are coming. I was thinking what to serve and thought might do three simple appetisers made with prociutto; Prosciutto with Grissini, Prosciutto Wrapped Melon and Dates with Goat Cheese and Prosciutto. Thy these and let me know what you think. As a fourth choice, you migh consider prosciutto wrapped asparagus.

Prosciutto with Grissini

Grissini are Italian breadsticks. Thin and crispy, the breadsticks really highlight the buttery flavor of the prociutto.

12 Grissini

6 Slices Prosciutto, halved crosswise.

Wrap prosciutto around one end of each breadstick, overlapping to make it stick and leaving the over half of the breadstick exposed to work as a convenient handle. Stack on a platter until serving time.

Prosciutto Wrapped Melon

1/2 Cantloupe, cut into 1 inch cubes

3 oz Prosciutto, sliced paper thin

Wrap melon chunks in prosciutto and chill until serving time.

Dates with Goat Cheese and Prosciutto

12 Medjool dates

3 oz Prosciutto, sliced paper thin and halved crosswise

3 oz Goat cheese

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Pit the dates, slice them open and stuff each with 1 TB goat cheese. Close the dates, wrap it with prosciutto, securing with a toothpick. Place on a rimmed baking sheet lined with foil and bake until heated through and prosciutto is crispy - about 8 minutes.

Julie Languille, busy wife and mom, owner

Dinners In A Flash dot com - Easy Dinners Recipes and Dinner Planning

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