De-Stress, Impress, No Mess – 3 Meals to Cook for Your Family
Family meals are a great way to interact with each other. Families that eat together stay together.
Here are 3 quick recipes for wowing your love ones and making your family happy.
1. Shrimp Scampi
This dinner looks like you’ve slaved over the stove for hours. But it’s easy and done in minutes.
Ingredients
3 to 4 garlic cloves, minced
¼ cup butter, cubed
¼ cup olive oil
1 pound uncooked medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
¼ cup lemon juice
½ tsp pepper
¼ tsp dried oregano, 1/4 parsley
In a large, ovenproof skillet, sauté (fry quickly) garlic in butter and oil until tender. Stir in the shrimp, lemon juice, pepper, and oregano.
Cook until shrimp turns pink, about 2-3 minutes.
Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese, breadcrumbs (optional if not following Phase One of the SP plan) and parsley.
Cook in the oven for 2-3 minutes until topping is golden brown. Serve over your choice of vegetables.
Makes 4 servings.
2. Balsamic Seasoned Steak
This is a quick recipe that will get you rave reviews every time you use it. Simple ingredients and delicious!
Ingredients
1 beef top sirloin steak (1 lb and 3 inches thick)
¼ tsp coarsely ground pepper
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 tsp steak sauce
2 ounces sliced Swiss cheese, cut into strips
Preheat broiler. Place steak on the broiler and sprinkle with pepper. Broil 7 minutes.
Mix vinegar and steak sauce.
Turn the steak after 7 minutes, and drizzle with 1 tablespoon of vinegar mixture.
Broil just until done. For medium-rare, thermometer reads 135 degrees. For medium, 160, approx. 4-6 minutes.
Remove steak to a cutting board and let it sit for 5 minutes.
Cut into ¼ inch slices and return to the broiler, keeping slices close together.
Drizzle slices with remaining vinegar mixture and top with cheese (fat free for Phase One of the SP Plan).
Broil until cheese is melted, 30 to 60 seconds.
Makes 4 servings.
3. Gorgonzola and Orange Chicken Tenders
This is comfort food times ten. The unusual pairing of marmalade (sugar free) and cheese might sound odd, but the combination is delicious.
Ingredients
1 large egg
¼ tsp salt
¾ cup seasoned breadcrumbs (optional if not following Phase One of the SP plan)
1 pound chicken tenderloins
2 tablespoons olive oil, 2 teaspoons of marmalade (sugar free)
¼ cup crumbled Gorgonzola cheese
In a bowl, whisk the egg and salt.
Place breadcrumbs in another bowl.
Dip the chicken in the egg, then the breadcrumbs, patting for the mixture to stick.
In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium heat.
Add the chicken, cooking on each side for 3-4 minutes. Make sure there is no pink showing.
Add marmalade and drizzle with the cheese.
Cover and remove from heat. Let stand until the cheese is melted.
These recipes have the advantage of looking, smelling, and tasting great, but they are actually not too difficult to get right. They don’t take a lot of time to prepare or cook, and your wife will love you for it. Give them a try. 😉