I have tons of cookbooks and I know there are great recipe sites out there. I am sure many of us are in the same boat, but I thought we could also share one great and quick recipe that is fail-proof for our families. I know this would make my life much easier.

Here's my contribution - this roast chicken is easy, tasty, and both my daughter and my husband love it (note - I don't use fennel).

http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recipe/0,1 977,FOOD_9936_21404,00.html

What about you?

Chinese Peppered Pork Chops (Food Network Kitchens cookbook)
These are a super easy dinner.
1/3 cup soy sauce
2 tsp sugar
4 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp salt
2 cloves garlic, minced
6 1/4 inch pork chops (about 1/2 lbs)
Mix first five ingredients and marinate chops for 30 minutes. Heat oil in pan and cook turning once about 6 minutes. Repeat until all chops are done.

Note: I have marinated them longer and they are great. I usually bake mine at 350 for 30-45 minutes depending on the thickness of the chops.

Christine - this is so timely, I was just at the store last night and bought some pork chops, thinking I'll find a recipe. Thanks!

Okay this is gonna sound weird, but something quick that I do is make ramen with steamed tofu and vegetables.

Ramen noodles (throw out the flavor package though)
vegetable of your choice
cubed tofu
finely chopped ginger
lemon juice
soy sauce

I make the ramen noodles according to the package. While the water is coming to a boil I will steam a vegetable (I usually use zucchini) and cubes of tofu. I don't use the flavor packet that comes with the noodles. Then when the noodles are ready I add the vegetables, and tofu and then about a teaspoon of finely chopped ginger. I add lemon juice and soy sauce to taste...simple but good.

mamajama! that sounds SO GOOD! i think i may have to do that tomorrow. i do basically the same thing wiht rice and always forget about raman noodles! you can of course use fake frozen chicken instead of tofu (or meat eaters use real meat LOL)

OK all you busy moms out there. I would love to help you out when it comes to dinners and making your lives easier. I am "Chef Mama" and our goal is to do just that, help out busy moms. I will do my best to assist you all.

oh chef mama - will you come over and make dinner?

tonight is night out (wegmans is awesome if you dont have one - grocery store AND yummy place to eat! i am so in love it's not right!)

but this weekend, hopeing for somethign more inspiring than grilled cheese, tuna salad, pasta with sauce, or stirfry - this is pretty much my entire recipee collection.

kinda sad once i typed it out. LOL

Try this for friday fish night.
Crush Ritz Crackers
fish filets (we used cat fish)
eggs or egg beaters
flour

Dredge fish in eggs than flour than eggs again and finally ritz crackers, bake, fry however you like it.

I would love to be able to cook you dinner! I am originally from Upstate NY and actually worked at Wegmans when it opened there! I miss it so much and go everytime I go home to visit.

Tell me what you all need the most help with.

I made this last night, and it was a hit. I got the idea from another recipe I saw lately, and modified it for what I had in the kitchen...

3-4 pork chops (I used thin sliced ones)
garlic salt
pepper
1/2 c onion diced
1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes
1/2 c sour cream
3-4 c cooked rice

Season pork chops with garlic salt and black pepper. Brown both sides in a little olive oil or other cooking oil, along with the diced onions. Add canned tomatoes and simmer until pork chops are tender. Remove pork chops from pan. Add sour cream to tomatoes and stir over low heat until well combined.

Put pork chop over rice and top with tomato and sour cream sauce.

Took about 20 mins and the pork chops were still partially frozen when I started. I used my electric skillet for this because it's easier than the stove for maintaining the temp while I step away to chase the kids...!

I saw this recipe on Rachael Ray last week and made it with my Spanish class last night. It was AWESOME!!!! and super easy!....well it was really easy with lots of helpers anyway. Even a picky nine year old loved it

http://www.rachaelrayshow.com/food/recipes/easy-ch eesy-enchiladas/

Here's a favorite in our house... and it's gluten, soy, egg, and dairy free, too.

Super fast super chicken

Honey-ginger chicken


bone-in chicken legs and thighs (doesn’t matter how many)
2 tablespoons lemon juice
4 tablespoons honey (approximately)
1 tablespoon fresh ginger, minced
1 tablespoon apple cider vinager
salt to taste
pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Pull off loose chicken skin and any gobs of thick, yellow fat. Rinse chicken pieces in cold water, sprinkle with lemon juice, and rub to clean. Rinse again. Pat chicken dry, season with a little salt and pepper. Set aside.

Drizzle honey into a large non-stick (or lightly greased) roasting pan -- enough to thinly coat the bottom of the pan. Place seasoned chicken into pan.

In a small bowl, stir together the rest of the honey with the fresh ginger and the apple cider vinager. Drizzle this over the chicken.

Bake chicken for about 30 minutes, or until meat is pulling away from the bone. All of the juice will have run out and created a sticky sauce in the pan.

To serve: Remove chicken from bones, return chicken to pan, stir to coat with sauce. Serve with cut up regular and sweet potatoes that you roasted while the chicken was cooking.

While-the-chicken-is-cooking roasted potatoes

regular potatoes
sweet potatoes
salt
pepper
mixed herbs (Basil, thyme, rosemary)
minced garlic
olive oil

Scrub and peel potatoes, then cut into bite-size pieces. Place in a bowl, drizzle with olive oil, then season with salt, pepper, herbs, and garlic (about 1 tsp. minced garlic per 5 potatoes). Toss to coat. Dump the potatoes into a roasting pan, and slide into the oven along with the honey mustard chicken. Stir them once in a while to prevent sticking and burning. They’re ready when they can be easily pierced with a fork.

Nicu101 Hi,
the only way my mom ever baked pork chops growing up was baking them in the oven with tomatoes and onions...................yummy makes me think about mommas kitchen.

Since the snow is falling hard and fast in Ohio today, I thought I'd share my easy beef stew recipe. For those vegetarians out there, I'm sure you could use a substitute or add another vegetable. This recipe is easy, and once it goes into the oven you ignore it for 5 hours, no stirring required. The spices give it a little more lively flavor than traditional beef stews, but not so lively as to turn off young palates.
1-2 lbs. stew meat
3-4 potatoes
3-4 carrots
2 ribs celery
3 small onions
1-28 oz. can of stewed tomatoes
1/4 cup of water
5 tbsp. Minute Tapioca
2 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 Tbsp. brown sugar
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1/2 tsp. ground allspice
1/4 tsp. dried marjoram
1/4 tsp. dried thyme
1 bay leaf

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Cut meat in to bite sized pieces. Cut vegetables in pieces slightly larger than the meat. Combine everything in a large heavy roasting pan with a lid or a dutch oven. Bake, covered for 5 hours without stirring.

I know you are not suppose to advertise....but you can join ChefMama and get recipes every week with a grocery list....go on www.chefmama.com before the end of this month and put in the code 'LOVE' and you can join free...only for my moms on The Busy Chef though....I hope this helps!