This Asian Slow Cooker Beef is an excellent one-dish meal with fork-tender meat and a flavorful sauce. We live in San Francisco and are surrounded by fantastic Asian food, but this crockpot recipe gives our local takeout a run for its money! The first time I made this recipe, I added the vegetables at the start of cooking. The veggies were tasty but very mushy after several hours in the crockpot, so I recommend stirring them in for the last half hour or so while you cook the rice. I checked the ... continue reading...
Cajun Oven Fries: Perfectly crisp baked french fries!
These crispy Cajun Oven Fries use only three ingredients. Find out the trick to getting perfectly browned french fries right out of your oven! In the late 90s, there was a loud woman with short blonde hair who was a fitness and nutrition personality, regularly appearing on QVC. I believe she had lost hundreds of pounds and evangelized about eating healthy and exercising. Do you remember her name? For some reason, I must have actually liked this woman because I bought her cookbook. In ... continue reading...
Easy Weekly Dinner Menu #5 – Craving Casseroles
In the past two weeks, I have found myself at the emergency room with the boys three different times. This is especially amazing to me because I had never been to the ER in six years of parenthood until now. The kids are thankfully both fine, although The Tall One is now nursing a broken bone. All this to say, I have been extra weary lately, but weariness doesn't make me any less hungry for delicious dinners! This week I bring you mostly casseroles and one-dish meals with easy sides, just what ... continue reading...
Cajun Shrimp Boil: Make any day a party with this fun dinner!
Serving up a Cajun shrimp boil is about as easy as boiling water and doesn't take much longer. We have this meal for birthdays and on Christmas Even in our house, and it is always a treat. You can use pre-made cocktail sauce and garlic bread if you want to make it even easier, or use my recipes below. ... continue reading...
Easy Hashbrown Casserole with Ham
You won't regret starting or ending your day with this satisfying and easy hashbrown casserole with ham and cheese!You can make it ahead of time, and it's great leftover. I'm sure it will be a big hit at your house too. I guess this easy hashbrown casserole could be considered a breakfast dish, but I say ham, potatoes, and cheese are welcome at any time of day. I'm not sure why hashbrowns = breakfast and french fries = dinner. I don't need to pigeonhole my potatoes like that. I'll ... continue reading...
Thai Salmon Salad with Oil Free Dressing
This delicious Thai Salmon Salad is quick to prepare and uses a flavorful, oil-free dressing. I don't remember when we started enjoying this salad for dinner, but it was definitely before this blog was born. I absolutely love it. It's one of my very favorite meals! I think the dressing is the best part. It's a little salty, sweet, and spicy all at once, and you can't beat the fact that it is oil free. (Don't worry. You'll get plenty of oil from the salmon.) The dressing contains jalapenos ... continue reading...
Easy Weekly Dinner Menu #4: Quality over Quantity
When I got the idea for The Weary Chef, I was excited to bring you a menu of easy dinners every week, and I still love that mission. Each of my first three weeks, I brought you seven new recipes. I pulled from my tried and true classics and shared new dishes that I tested and loved. What I'm now realizing is that seven new recipes each week is ambitious, especially for a Weary Chef. Bringing you the best quick, easy, and delicious recipes I can find takes trial and error. Every new dish I try ... continue reading...
Easy Chicken Tostadas: A fun taco alternative!
These chicken tostadas are easy to make and a fun alternative to tacos or nachos. Set up a topping bar, and everyone can make their own tostada work of art! This is a favorite dinner at our house. It's amazing how something so simple can make for such a fun meal! The chicken in this recipe can also be used to top taco salad, fill quesadillas, or serve on its own. If you want a really quick dinner, use leftover or canned chicken instead of cooking the meat. These are even better served ... continue reading...
Easy Creamy Mac and Cheese
Today I am excited to bring ย you this delicious, super easy mac and cheese recipe! How often do you eat mac and cheese at your house? I can't say that I eat it as often as I'd like, but my kids are more than familiar with the dish. Since macaroni and cheese is one thing they both love; it makes an appearance on their plates probably three times a week. I'm not afraid to admit that often times it's frozen mac and cheese from TJs or boxed mac and cheese because I'm scrambling to make their ... continue reading...
Lemon Chicken Pasta: A quick, tasty dinner
This quick and easy Lemon Chicken Pasta is a family-friendly dinner that's perfect for busy evenings! This lemon chicken pasta is a tasty, quick dinner. It's great with whole-wheat or gluten-free pasta or whatever you like to use. Add another vegetable if desired, like broccoli florets. (That would never fly in our house because my husband won't touch broccoli, but I wish you better luck). It's shown here with spaghetti because that's what we had in the house. I ... continue reading...
Pan Fried Catfish with Greens
This pan fried catfish dinner with perfect Southern cornbread and greens is not technically quick or easy, but if you hustle you can get it all on the table in 40 minutes following these instructions. Not bad, but you can't do much else but cook during that time. If you ask me, it's worth it for a quality Southern-style meal! Serve this up with some sliced tomatoes on the side and a glass of sweet tea, and I'm sure you will agree! ... continue reading...
Chunky Guacamole Recipe
Need a great bowl of dip in a hurry? I've got you covered with this chunky guacamole recipe! Sometimes you need guacamole, and you don't have a lot of time. This is the case about once a week for me. (Taco Tuesdays and all that...) I almost always have ingredients for this easy guacamole on hand, so I just need less than 10 minutes to get this Mexican dip ready. I stock up on avocados when they are on sale, and fortunately they stay good for quite a while in the fridge. (I think you ... continue reading...