From hearty breakfasts to sizzling seafood dinners (and even gooey grilled desserts), these all-in-one meals deliver big flavor with minimal cleanup. Aluminum foil is the secret weapon to stress-free cooking: just wrap, seal and let the heat do its work. Whether you’re meal-prepping at home, feeding a crowd in the backyard or finishing up a day of camping, these recipes can help you get dinner ready — no skillet or sink required.
A flavorful combination of garlic, chipotle hot sauce, beer, butter, and fresh lime juice create a silky sauce that gently cooks shrimp in a foil pack. Pop it on the grill or over your campfire for just a few minutes to allow the sauce to steam. Finish it with a sprinkle of fresh cilantro and a hot scoop of steamed rice.
“Home-style Japanese cooking is demystified in this refreshing and informative cookbook.”—Publishers Weekly
New Jersey girl Amy Kaneko learned the art of Japanese cooking from her mother-in-law and sister-in-law after marrying into a Japanese family. In this cookbook, she shares what she learned, offering recipes for both family favorites and home versions of restaurant dishes. American readers will find a world beyond the familiar foods available in the US, and discover that they don’t need to go to a restaurant to enjoy this healthful, tasty cuisine. They’ll learn how to make home-style offerings like Gyoza and Tempura, as well as recipes that combine Japanese and Western influences such as Omu Rice, an omelet stuffed with tomato-y chicken fried rice.
In a helpful glossary, Kaneko identifies the basic ingredients and equipment needed to recreate these recipes in an average Western kitchen. Chapters devoted to Tofu and Eggs; Vegetables, Fish and Shellfish; Meat and Poultry; and Rice Noodles and Dumplings intersperse recipes with sections highlighting Japanese traditions, plus personal recollections on the author’s time living in Tokyo.
HC 5.0 out of 5 stars A great intermediate-level book Reviewed in the United States on January 27, 2009 Format: Paperback Verified Purchase I just bought a copy of this book because I was so thoroughly pleased with it when I borrowed it from my local library. I spent a school year living in Japan with a host family and a mother that loved to cook. I watched her cook and loved eating her food, and the basics I did not gather from watching her were filled in by this book. The beginning of the book does a GREAT job of explaining how to use and buy ingredients and tools. The photos in the book are really helpful, so much that I wish there were a few more, especially of the finished products. As far as recipes are concerned, I have tried four or five of them and all but one tasted absolutely amazing on the first try. That's far better luck than I have had with translating recipes and attempting them.
I am not sure I would recommend this book to people with absolutely no knowledge of Japanese food, but if you know Japanese food when you see it and want to learn some easy and good Japanese home cooking, this is a great tool.
This Raspberry Coffee Cake deserves your attention if you want to make a crowd-pleasing dessert. With its moist and tender cake, tangy yet sweet raspberry filling, crunchy topping and yummy glaze, this cake is one that people will want again and again. The recipe looks like it contains a lot of steps, but it’s much simpler than it seems. You can also take a few shortcuts to help make the process go faster.
This is a wonderful cake to bring to a party or make when you have company. The filling needs refrigeration, but it stores well and if you have leftovers (emphasis on “if”), they can last for several days. This cake doesn’t take that long to make and uses basic ingredients that are easy to find if they’re not already in your kitchen.
Raspberry Coffee Cake Ingredients
Raspberries: Use unsweetened raspberries for this (in other words, no sweetened purees).
Lemon juice: Lemon juice helps keep the flavor of the raspberry filling nice and light after cooking.
Sugar: Raspberries can be a bit tart, so sugar helps sweeten the mixture. Plus, as the sugar melts, the whole mixture will become more like thick syrup or jam.
Cornstarch: This will thicken the filling.
All-purpose flour: All-purpose has the right protein and gluten level for the cake to have good structure once baked.
Sugar: Sugar in baked goods helps them become more dense or cake-like.
Baking powder and baking soda: Baking powder makes the batter rise. However, here you’ll want to add that extra baking soda to work with the acidity from the sour cream. Using sour cream to flavor and tenderize batter can add too much acid to the mix, which neutralizes the baking soda in the baking powder. So, you add a little more baking soda in addition to the baking powder to help account for that extra acidity.
Cold butter: Cold butter makes dough flakier.
Eggs: These bind the ingredients for the batter.
Sour cream: This makes the cake more moist and rich without adding a lot of extra liquid.
Vanilla extract: This gives the cake a warm vanilla flavor that doesn’t compete with the raspberry filling.
All-purpose flour: This gives streusel topping its crumbly texture.
Sugar: This sweetens the topping.
Butter: Butter binds together the flour and sugar, as well as the nuts.
Chopped pecans: These add some crunch to the streusel topping.
Confectioner’s sugar: This creates a smooth, white glaze that stands out on the streusel topping. Use confectioner’s sugar because the cornstarch it contains will prevent the glaze from dissolving into the warm cake.
Milk: This turns the sugar into a drizzly glaze without making it too watery.
Vanilla extract: This adds flavor to the glaze that’s warmer than that of just “sugar.”
It’s summertime and the lunching is easy. Or at least it should be! Thankfully, these 45 easy summer lunch recipe ideas are so quick and simple, they’ll get you back in the pool/in the ocean/to your pickle ball game, etc. (you’ll see where we’re going here ASAP). Summer is just not the time to wait in line at the beach snack bar, settle with a mushy sandwich, or deal with lukewarm takeout; these easy salads, bowls, sandwiches, and BBQ-friendly lunch ideas all require very little time in the kitchen, so you can spend that time working on your base tan instead. Just promise us you’ll wait 30 minutes after chowing down on a chicken salad sandwich before doing that cannonball. 😉
When a winter chill hits the air, there is nothing more cozy, comforting, and warming than a big pot of chili simmering on the stove (plus, it also makes your kitchen smell amazing at the same time!). While there are an endless variety of chili recipes to choose from, I always come back to the classic beef and bean chili. This tried-and-true recipe is flavored with onion, garlic, tomatoes, and warm spices — and even better, it cooks in just an hour.
What Beans Go in Chili?
Kidney beans are the classic bean of choice for chili. For ease and convenience, this recipe calls for drained and rinsed canned kidney beans. But if you happen to have a couple of cans of black beans or any variety of white beans in your pantry, they’ll work just fine. And if you’re strongly opposed to beans in chili, then Texas chili — made with cubed beef chuck roast and absolutely no beans — will be right up your alley.
How Do I Add More Flavor to Chili?
The secret to packing your pot of chili with tons of flavor has to do with both ingredient choice and the cooking process.
Here are some tips for making the most flavorful chili.
Use ground beef with a higher fat content. Fat equals flavor, so 80% to 85% lean ground beef are good choices for chili.
Cook the tomato paste. This is the key to really getting flavor from tomato paste. Plan to cook the tomato paste until it takes on a deep red flavor and is fragrant; the process takes just a few minutes.
Bloom the spices. Same goes for the spices. After adding to the pot, stir to coat the meat with the spices and cook for at least a full minute, at which point the mixture will be very fragrant.
Include unsweetened cocoa powder. A tablespoon of this pantry ingredient adds a deep, rich flavor to chili.
Finish with a spoonful of apple cider vinegar. A teaspoon is all you need. If you find that your chili tastes flat, a little bit of acidity really brightens up and rounds out the flavor.
If you’re firing up the grill this weekend, why not make it count? Whether you’re already a backyard pitmaster or just ready to level up beyond burgers and basic grilled chicken, these next-level grilling recipes are worth the time and effort. These aren’t your average weeknight grill recipes — they’re the kind of dishes that make you excited to tend the coals, try a new technique or tackle that longer cook time. So stock up on charcoal, prep your meat thermometer and get ready to turn your next cookout into something unforgettable.
Save money while making quick, easy, and delicious meals in your air fryer with these 175 low-cost, healthy recipes that are good for you and your wallet.
The “I Love My Air Fryer” Affordable Meals Recipe Book provides budget-friendly meals that are quick, easy, and delicious using only one kitchen appliance—your air fryer. Inside you’ll find 175 fool-proof air fryer recipes that cost less than $3 dollars per serving. Each recipe contains a cost estimate so you can easily stay on budget and manage food costs. You’ll also find beautiful photos, a guide to getting the most out of your air fryer, and practical, easy-to-follow ways to spend less and save big at the grocery store.
Kindle Customer 4.0 out of 5 stars Good ideas and many challenges Reviewed in the United States on September 7, 2022 Format: Kindle Verified Purchase I am just a beginner with using an air fryer so reading all these recipes has given me lots of ideas and challenges! Since I'll need to covert everything to gluten, dairy, and sugar free, I will have to experiment with substitute ingredients and hopefully, I'll be able to achieve good results! I was disappointed that several of the recipes used refrigerated biscuit dough? Haven't seen any gluten free subs so will have to try subbing; wish me luck!
If there was a prize for the breakfast that delivers the highest reward for the least amount of effort, overnight oats would be the clear winner. Stir a few ingredients together, let them mix and mingle in the fridge while you sleep, and come morning you have a satisfying breakfast all ready to go.
This one is sweet and simple. It’s dotted with juicy blueberries, crunchy walnuts, and protein-rich chia seeds, and can be made with either regular milk or dairy-free milk. It’s easy to make, easy to carry with you to work or school in the morning, and even easier to eat: Just grab a spoon, give it a stir, and dig right in.
A Quick & Simple Formula for a Feel-Good Breakfast
You’ll love how how adaptable this recipe is. The berry and nut formula can be mixed and matched depending on your mood or what’s in your kitchen. Swap in raspberries or chopped strawberries for blueberries, opt for pecans or almonds instead of walnuts, and even try flax seeds in place of chia seeds. Regardless of how you assemble it, the result is a satisfying breakfast that will give you the energy you need to get through the morning and take you to lunchtime without having your stomach grumble at 10 a.m.
On May 13th of this year, my life changed forever. My dearly loved husband of 48 years passed away in his sleep. He’d spent 7 weeks in the hospital before they sent him home. He kept me company for 3 more weeks before passing. I’d had the time and forethought to prepare myself for the many impacts his passing would bring, but I forgot one very important impact. I was suddenly cooking only for one person.
Becoming an “empty nester” is something that all parents face at some point in their lives. Among all the other changes in your lives, you find yourself cooking for just the two of you. So, if you’re at all like me, you start either downsizing your recipes or you look for ones that are already sized for two. You find that the large pans, crockpots, etc., are too big now. So, you downsize your appliances.
Cooking for One now!
I have two different friends who have each lost their spouse in the last few years. Not surprisingly, neither one cooks any more. One woman who lost her spouse just last year, has her son living nearby so they frequently bring meals over to her or invite her to their house. It works well for them.
My second friend lost her husband during COVID pandemic. He’d had Parkinson’s Disease and things just didn’t go well with the isolation. Mona has taken on a number of volunteer activities that she enjoys, including helping in the kitchen for our church’s Christian School. This allows her to bring meals home from work that she can eat later.
Me, I wanted to do something different. I still enjoy cooking, just not every night. To be honest, while my husband was in the hospital, I spent the mornings with him, ran home and threw hamburgers or hot dogs in the Air Fryer and made some kind of frozen potatoes to go with. Dinner would end up being a bowl of salad that I picked up premade from the grocery store. Not exactly healthy or economically sustainable! My doctor had been urging me to change my diet for years so now seems like the best time to do that.
Meal Prepping revisited
My youngest daughter gave me this idea when she came down after her daddy’s passing. She takes one day, and meal preps her dinners for the week. I wanted to do a head slap, why hadn’t I thought of that! I’d previously thought of chopping all the different veggies up and freezing them. So, why not just do that for a week at a time? Duh!
That takes planning, and folks, I can be great at planning. I have a freezer full of meats that have been packaged for two people. So why not start with them?
So, what does all this mean for You?
Going forward from here, you can expect more books that focus on meals for one person, meal prepping for the week, and even some menu planning. I still want to include individual recipes, recipe lists, etc. So, if you find yourself cooking for just one person, hang in there, I’m bring more recipes and ideas for you and me both!
Think fast! Imagine all yourfavorite summer foods. Ever wonder why they’re all seemingly served on a stick? Popsicles and corn dogs are cool and all, but grilled skewers and kebabs steal our heart (and plate space) every year. Next time you’re at the store picking up BBQ supplies, pick up an extra pack of grill skewers. They’re a cookout MUST for a few reasons: They turn average ingredients into something spectacular, make grilling extra easy (especially for those of us who aren’t a grill master), and cleanup is a breeze when dinner is served on a stick. Check out our list of 50 easy grill skewer recipes to see what we mean—it’s kebab time!
You may think that skewering your food is a total no-brainer activity, and while you’d mostly be right, we DO have a couple tips to make sure your kebab experience goes off completely without a hitch. Most importantly, you gotta pick the best grill skewers. Right off the bat, we can tell you that the secret to stopping your ingredients from just spinning around and falling off your stick is using a pointy flat or two-pronged skewer—sorry round toothpicks and blunt dowels, you’re out! For smaller, appetizer-type options, like our Greek salad skewers or our melon prosciutto skewers, use a smaller flat wooden option. For bigger, heavier ingredients, like in our bánh mì kebabs or our grilled chicken kebabs, we prefer to use a metal option, two-pronged if you can manage it. If you do go with something wooden, don’t forget to soak your skewers in water for at least 30 minutes before putting them on your grill—otherwise, they might catch on fire, and you don’t need that. Here’s our best order of operations: Cut your meat and veggies into uniform pieces (bigger than your grill grates); marinate or season everything (for at least a half an hour is best); pat your ingredients dry as much as possible (it will help create that charred crust you want); and lastly, skewer!
Good Food, Good Meat, Good God, Let's Eat! 