Robin Miller demonstrates how to make a 5 ingredient Lemon Pepper Salmon, making extra to use for a second meal: Salmon Salad with Chickpeas over Mirin Rice.

Editor-in-Chief of Cook’s Illustrated magazine Chris Kimball shares some easy, healthy, quick, and affordable meals with The Early Show hosts.

Make a bed of the asparagus and place the salmon on top. Add 1 cup of water and salt and pepper. Cover the pan and simmer for 8 minutes. Reduce the sauce down and add 1/2 cup of white wine and butter and chives to make a sauce.

They finish off the meal with a Lemon Skillet Souffle for dessert.

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Sometimes, busy family life demands dinner solutions that are quick and easy. This is a quick and easy family meal that goes from raw ingredients to steaming hot dishes in 30 minutes or less.

Tortellini Alfredo with Spinach & Ham

• 1 1/2 cups milk
• 1 Tbsp butter or margarine
• 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1 pkg Knorr Alfredo Pasta Sauce Mix
• 2 1/2 cups spinach, chopped
• 3/4 cup ham, thinly sliced
• 1/2 lb frozen cheese tortellini, cooked and drained

Knorr quick meals tortellini alfredo spinach ham Food Gourmet how-to recipe cooking recipes flavour instructions Foods

Quick and Easy Chicken Tikka, Photo by Matt Ryall

In the summer, thread the chicken on skewers and grill it in the park for a nice, quick evening picnic.

Chicken Tikka Recipe

Marinade:

3/4 c. yogurt
4 crushed garlic cloves
1 1/2 inch fresh ginger, peeled & chopped
1 sm. onion, grated
1 1/2 tsp. chili powder
1 tbsp. ground coriander
1 tsp. salt
4 chicken breasts, skinned, boned and cubed
1 lg. onion, thinly sliced into rings
2 lg. tomatoes, sliced
2 tbsp. coriander leaves
Combine marinade ingredients and set aside. Cut chicken into 1 inch cubes. Add to marinade, mix well, cover and chill for 6 hours or overnight.

Heat broiler. Put chicken on skewers (optional) or in broiler pan and broil (or grill) 5 to 8 minutes, turning occasionally until cooked through.
Garnish with onion rings, tomatoes, and coriander leaves and serve. 4 servings.

These chicken drumsticks are easy to make and put together pretty quickly. Just dip and bake. The hot sauces gives just a little kick, not really hot. Serve them with a side of prepared Ranch dressing for dipping.

Ranch Chicken Drumsticks Recipe
20 chicken drumsticks or wings
1/4 c. butter, melted
1 tbsp. hot pepper sauce
2 tbsp. vinegar
1 pkg. Hidden Valley dressing mix
Paprika
Celery sticks
Prepared Hidden Valley Dressing

Mix the melted butter, pepper sauce and vinegar.

Dip the chicken in the mixture . Put in baking pan. Sprinkle with 1 package dry dressing mix.

Bake 30 minutes at 350 degrees or until browned. Sprinkle with paprika. Serve with celery sticks and prepared Hidden Valley dressing mix as dip.

tags: easy, quick chicken recipe,

Quick and Easy Quiche

This quiche is quick and easy to put together, but it does take 40-45 minutes in the oven.

5 large Eggs
1 cup milk
1/2 c Buttermilk  baking mix
2 tb Grated Fresh Parmesan Cheese
1/2 teaspoon Dry Mustard
1/4 teaspoon Hot Sauce
1 c  Cheddar Cheese; shredded
3/4 c  Ham; Diced
1/2 c Chopped Green Onions
Vegetable Cooking Spray
Cherry Tomatoes; Optional
Green Onion Slices

Preheat oven to 350.  Place first 8 ingredients in a food processor, and process 1 minute or until smooth.

Combine the eggs, cheddar cheese, ham, and green onions in a medium bowl; stir well.

Pour mixture into 9-inch pie plate coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350  for 40 minutes or until set. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

Garnish with green onion slices and cherry tomatoes, if desired.

Easy Baked Macaroni and Cheese, photo by ffg

Most mac and cheese recipes call for making a white sauce with flour and milk, which takes time. Not so with this recipe. Just boil the mac, add the rest and bake. The rich result is easy to cut into squares because it’s not soupy. The hot sauce puts a little zing in all that richness.

To make ahead: Bake, cool, cover and refrigerate up to 1 day in advance; reheat covered in a 325-degree oven until heated through.

Baked Macaroni With Cheese

8 servings

• 2 cups uncooked elbow macaroni
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• 4 tablespoons ( 1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
• 1 1/2 cups (12-ounce can) evaporated milk
• 1/2 cup cream (either heavy or half-and-half)
• 1 tablespoon hot sauce, such as Louisiana Crystal sauce or Tabasco sauce, to taste
• About 3 cups ( 3/4 pound) sharp cheddar cheese, grated
• Sweet paprika

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Lightly grease a 9-inch square baking dish (or 2-quart casserole) with nonstick spray oil.
2. Fill a large pot with water and place over high heat. When the water comes to a boil, add 1 tablespoon salt and gradually add the macaroni so the water continues to boil. Cook, uncovered, for 8 to 9 minutes.
3. Drain the macaroni in a colander, then rinse under cold running water for a few seconds. Transfer to the prepared baking dish.
4. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine the eggs and the melted butter, then add the milk, cream and hot sauce, stirring to combine. Add about 2 cups of the grated cheddar.
5. Add the milk- cheese mixture to the macaroni and mix until just combined. Top with the remaining cheese and sprinkle with paprika.
6. Bake for 30 minutes or until lightly browned. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Chicken and Pasta

Healthy dinner meals don’t need to take all night to prepare. This quick dinner recipe combines quick cooking pieces of chicken with fresh vegetables and lots of flavor. Served over angel hair pasta, this is a sure hit on a busy night.

Angel hair pasta cooks very quickly, so don’t start it too soon. Put your water on to heat when you start the dish and then cook the pasta at the last minute. Serve this with a nice crusty piece of good bread.

Chicken and Vegetables Over Angel Hair Pasta

1 tablespoon olive oil
2 teaspoons butter
3 boneless chicken breast halves cut into 1-inch cubes
1 carrot, sliced on diagonal into 1/4-inch thick pieces
1 1/2 cups frozen broccoli florets, thawed
2 cloves garlic, minced
12 ounces angel hair pasta
2/3 cup chicken broth
1 teaspoon dried leaf basil
salt and pepper, to taste
3 tablespoons Parmesan cheese

Heat 2 teaspoons olive oil and 1 teaspoon butter in skillet over medium heat; add chicken. Cook chicken, stirring, until chicken is cooked through, about 5 to 7 minutes. Remove chicken with slotted spoon to paper towels.

Add remaining 1 teaspoon oil and 1 teaspoon butter to skillet; add carrot and cook, stirring, for 5 minutes. Add broccoli and garlic to the skillet and cook, stirring for about 2 minutes longer.

Cook pasta according to package directions. To the skillet add chicken broth, basil, and Parmesan cheese; stir to blend. Reduce heat; simmer 4 minutes. Drain pasta well; arrange in a serving dish and top with the chicken and vegetable mixture.
Serves 4

Easy Dessert- Blueberry Dump Cake, Photo by CBertel

This is a quick dessert that is easy to make with no mixing and no bowls to wash. Dump it in the pan and bake for 30 minutes.  Enjoy!

BLUEBERRY DUMP CAKE

Ingredients:

• 1 (18.25 ounce) box yellow cake mix
• 4 cups fresh blueberries, or frozen, thawed
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup butter or margarine, melted
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Mix blueberries, sugar and cinnamon in the bottom of a 13 x 9-inch pan. Cover blueberries with dry cake mix. Pour butter over cake mix, but do not stir.
3. Bake for 30 minutes or until light brown. Serve warm or cold, topped with ice cream.

Hash covered in cheese. Photo by Adactio

This quick and easy family meal recipe dates back to my days in south Texas, when the children were small. My kids discovered spicy foods and there was no looking back. I went from owning the same bottle of Tabasco sauce my whole life, to buying the stuff by the gallon. In my opinion, giving a two year old the hot salsa constitutes child abuse, but my son begged for the stuff. He still puts hot sauce on everything I cook.

This recipe is very mild- mainly because I like it mild and I’m the cook. Those who like spice can add some hot sauce or use a hot salsa.

Using frozen hash brown potatoes makes this a quick and easy family meal. All the chopping is done, and you can even use frozen chopped onion if you like to make it even easier.

Serve this hash with corn, flour tortillas and a simple salad. Or try a wedge of cornbread and some ranch beans (more hot sauce on those). I like to sprinkle it with cheese sometimes, too.

Southwestern Beef Hash

1 lb Lean Ground Beef
1 small Onion, chopped
3 cups Frozen Potatoes Obrien
salt and pepper to taste
1 cup Salsa
Sliced Green Onions, optional
Sliced Black Olives, optional

1. Brown the ground beef and onion in large skillet over medium heat until it is no longer pink. Drain away as much grease as possible.
2. Stir in the Potatoes Obrien, salt, and pepper. Increase heat to medium-high and cook 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
3. Stir in the salsa. Cook 8 to 10 minutes more until potatoes are lightly browned, stirring occasionally.
4. Garnish with green onions and black olives, if desired.