Quick & Fancy Dinner Ideas for Two

[housewife]

Hurry up ladies
This thread could save your time and energy to prepare big meals .
you don't have to, if you work and don't have enough time to cook,
You could still enjoy the traditional and fancy dinners that look and taste better than restaurant's nasty food


Turkey & Stuffing for Two



Makes 2 servings
ACTIVE TIME: 40 minutes
TOTAL TIME: 1 hour
EASE OF PREPARATION: Moderate


2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
2 teaspoons butter, divided
1 small shallot, chopped
1 stalk celery, chopped
1/2 teaspoon dried rubbed sage
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
2 3- to 4-ounce skinless turkey breast cutlets
1 day-old low-fat corn muffin (5-6 ounces), crumbled, or 4 slices stale whole-wheat bread, crusts removed, torn into bite-size pieces
2 tablespoons plus 1/4 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1/4 cup apple juice


1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
2. Heat 1 teaspoon oil and 1 teaspoon butter in a medium nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add shallot and celery; cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, 2 minutes. Transfer the mixture to a medium bowl, stir in sage and thyme; let cool for 5 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, place cutlets between sheets of plastic wrap and pound with the smooth side of a meat mallet or a heavy skillet until 8 to 10 inches wide and less than 1/4 inch thick. Be careful not to tear the meat. Remove the top sheet.


4. Add muffin crumbles (or bread) to the celery mixture. Stir in 2 tablespoons broth, salt and pepper. Place half the stuffing mixture in the middle of one of the pounded cutlets; compress the stuffing into a log. Fold and roll the meat over the stuffing. Tie in three places with kitchen string. Repeat with the remaining stuffing and the second cutlet.
5. Heat the remaining 1 teaspoon oil and 1 teaspoon butter in a medium ovenproof skillet over medium heat. When the butter melts, add the turkey rolls and brown on all sides, turning occasionally, about 4 minutes.
6. Transfer the skillet to the oven and bake until the turkey is cooked through, about 30 minutes. Transfer the rolls to a serving plate; tent with foil to keep warm.
7. Return the skillet to medium-high heat (take care, the handle will still be hot); 1/4 cup of water . Cook until dark and almost completely evaporated, scraping up any browned bits, about 2 minutes. Add the remaining 1/4 cup apple juice ; cook for 1 minute, just to reduce slightly. Remove the string from the turkey; cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices, if desired, and spoon half the sauce over each portion. Serve warm.





MAKE AHEAD TIP: Prepare turkey rolls through Step 4, cover and refrigerate for up to 2 days. | Equipment: Kitchen string

[housewife]

Turkey and Cranberry Ravioli Recipe courtesy Giada De Laurentiis





Ravioli:
1/4 pound ground turkey, preferably dark meat
2 tablespoons cranberry sauce
2 tablespoons grated Romano
1 tablespoon bread crumbs
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley leaves
1 egg
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
20 store-bought wonton wrappers Gravy:
3 tablespoons butter
1 shallot, chopped
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1/2 cup chicken broth
2 tablespoons heavy cream
1 tablespoon chopped parsley leaves
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
To make the ravioli: in a medium bowl, stir together the turkey, cranberry sauce, cheese, bread crumbs, parsley, egg, salt, and pepper. Place 10 wonton wrappers on a work surface. Brush lightly with water using a pastry brush. Place 1 tablespoon of the turkey mixture on each of the wonton wrappers. Top with another wonton wrapper. Push out any air bubbles and press the edges tightly to seal. To make the gravy: in a medium, heavy skillet, heat the butter over medium heat. Add the shallots and cook until tender, about 5 minutes. Add the flour and stir until cooked, about 1 minute. Slowly add the chicken broth, stirring quickly to avoid lumps. Add the cream, parley, salt, and pepper and cook, without boiling, for 2 minutes, stirring often.
Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the ravioli and cook until tender but still firm to the bite and the turkey is cooked, stirring occasionally, about 3 minutes. Drain the ravioli into the gravy and stir to coat. Serve immediately in individual dishes, drizzled with the remaining gravy.

[housewife]

Pressed Herbs and Spices Turkey Breast,Pumpkin-Zucchini Muffin Stuffin' with Chipotle Gravy Recipe courtesy Rachael Ray




Heads up: you need a couple of bricks covered in foil to press these breasts
3 tablespoons grill seasoning 3 palm fulls
1 tablespoon ground cumin, a palm full
1 tablespoon smoked sweet paprika, a palm full
1 tablespoon coriander, a palm full
4 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves, 8 sprigs, stripped off stems
Cilantro leaves, 2 handfuls or 1/2 cup basil leaves
1 cup loosely packed flat-leaf parsley, 4 handfuls
1 cup shelled natural pistachios
Extra-virgin olive oil, for generous drizzling
2 boneless halved turkey breasts, about 3 pounds each
1 stick butter, divided
1 fresh or dried bay leaf
6 ribs celery from the heart, shopped with greens
2 to 3 McIntosh apples, seeded and chopped
2 medium onions, chopped, divided
1 medium zucchini, chopped
Salt and pepper
6 pumpkin muffins, crumbled
1/2 cup sunflower seeds
2 tablespoons poultry seasoning
6 cups chicken stock, divided
2 slightly rounded tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 chipotles in adobo, finely chopped, plus 2 to 3 tablespoonfuls adobo sauce




Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Preheat a 14-inch skillet or medium roasting pan over medium heat on your largest burner.



Mix grill seasoning, cumin, paprika and coriander together. Place the thyme, cilantro or basil, parsley and pistachios in the food processor and process into a paste. Remove bowl from processor and remove blade from bowl. Have a rubber spatula on hand.



Drizzle extra-virgin olive oil generously over the breasts to coat the skin. Loosen skin of the breasts with a small sharp knife. Divide the herb and nut paste between the flesh and skin on each breast. Use your hands to move the paste around under the skin to evenly distribute the mixture. Coat the extra-virgin olive oil coated skin with the spice mixture. Set the coated breasts into the large skillet or roasting pan.



Wash hands. Set a second slightly smaller skillet or pan on top of the breasts and weight down with a couple of bricks covered in foil. Crisp the skin 8 to 10 minutes then transfer meat to oven and roast 35 to 40 minutes, until an instant-read meat thermometer registers 165 to 170 degrees F.
While turkey roasts, heat a second large, deep skillet over medium to medium-high heat with 5 tablespoons butter, cut into pieces. To melted butter, add bay, celery, apple, 1/2 of the onion and zucchini. Season the vegetables liberally with salt and pepper. Cook 10 minutes or until softened. Add crumbled muffins and sunflower seeds to the pan and combine with the vegetables. Season the stuffing with poultry seasoning then adjust salt and pepper. Dampen the stuffing with 1 1/2 to 2 cups of stock. Pile the stuffing into a serving dish. Place in oven to just crisp up the top along with turkey or, if the pan does not fit, when the turkey comes out, switch on the broiler and crisp the top of stuffing - it should only take a couple of minutes, tops.


In a sauce pot, melt remaining 3 tablespoons butter over medium heat and add the finely chopped remaining 1/2 of the onion. Sweat the onion out 5 to 6 minutes to make it nice and sweet. Add the flour to the skillet and whisk 1 minute. Add in the chipotles and their sauce then whisk in 4 to 4 1/2 cups chicken stock. Thicken the gravy 2 to 3 minutes then season with salt, to taste.
Let turkey rest to distribute juices then thinly slice and serve with mounds of stuffing and gravy.


Tidbit: An ice cream scoop is an easy way to portion out stuffing on dinner plates.

[housewife]

Turkey Cutlets with Mushroom and Water Chestnut Stuffing and Pan Gravy Recipe courtesy Rachael Ray

6 slices marble rye bread
4 tablespoons softened butter, divided
2 1/2 pounds turkey breast cutlets
Salt and pepper
3 teaspoons poultry seasoning, divided
4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
2 tablespoons flour
1 quart turkey broth (recommended: College Inn brand) or, chicken stock (recommended: Kitchen Basics in a re-sealable paper box)
1 pound button mushrooms, chopped
2 ribs celery, from the heart, chopped with leafy green tops
1 cup water chestnuts, 1 small can, drained, chopped
1/2 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
3 scallions, chopped
2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme leaves
2 tablespoons chopped flat leaf parsleyTurn the broiler to high and toast the bread on both sides. Butter the toasted bread liberally with softened butter. Switch oven to bake and preheat to 375 degrees F. Season the turkey cutlets with salt, pepper and 2 teaspoons poultry seasoning ? just eyeball it. In a large skillet, brown turkey cutlets on each side over medium-high heat in 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil. Transfer the cutlets to a shallow baking dish and add 1 cup broth to keep meat moist. Transfer cutlets to oven, loosely tented with foil, to continue cooking through. To skillet that you browned the cutlets in, add 2 tablespoons butter and melt it over medium heat. Add flour to butter and cook a minute or two more. Whisk in about 2 cups turkey broth or chicken stock and allow it to thicken up, 5 minutes. Season the gravy with salt and pepper and poultry seasoning, to your taste.
Preheat a second skillet, over medium high heat and 2 tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil, 2 turns of the pan. Add chopped mushrooms and brown 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Season mushrooms with salt and pepper. Add celery, water chestnuts and bell pepper as you get them chopped. Continue to cook until veggies are all tender, another 5 minutes. Add scallions and herbs. Cut bread into cubes and add. Moisten stuffing with 1 cup broth or stock. Transfer to a serving dish. Use an ice cream scoop to portion out the stuffing at the table. Top mounds of stuffing with turkey cutlets and gravy, serve with sugar snap peas and brown rice or other vegetable side dishes of your choice.

[housewife]

PREP TIME 5 Min READY IN 30 Min

INGREDIENTS

• 1/4 cup KRAFT Sun-Dried Tomato Vinaigrette Dressing, divided
• 4 small skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
• 1 medium tomato, finely chopped
• 1/2 cup KRAFT Low-Moisture Part-Skim Mozzarella Cheese
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil

INGREDIENTS

• 1/4 cup KRAFT Sun-Dried Tomato Vinaigrette Dressing, divided
• 4 small skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
• 1 medium tomato, finely chopped
• 1/2 cup KRAFT Low-Moisture Part-Skim Mozzarella Cheese
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil

DIRECTIONS

1. Place large sheet of heavy-duty foil over half of grill grate; preheat grill to medium heat. Pour 2 Tbsp. of the dressing over chicken in resealable plastic bag; seal bag. Turn bag over several times to evenly coat chicken with the dressing. Refrigerate 10 min. to marinate. Remove chicken from marinade; discard bag and marinade.
2. Grill chicken on uncovered side of grill 6 min. Meanwhile, combine tomatoes, cheese, basil and remaining 2 Tbsp. dressing.
3. Turn chicken over; place, cooked-side up, on foil on grill. Top evenly with tomato mixture. Close lid. Grill an additional 8 min. or until chicken is cooked through (170 degrees F).

[housewife]

INGREDIENTS

• 6 cups chicken broth, divided
• 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 1 pound portobello mushrooms, thinly sliced
• 1 pound white mushrooms, thinly sliced
• 2 shallots, diced
• 1 1/2 cups Arborio rice
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• sea salt to taste
• freshly ground black pepper to taste
• 3 tablespoons finely chopped chives
• 4 tablespoons butter
• 1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

DIRECTIONS

1. In a saucepan, warm the broth over low heat.
2. Warm 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Stir in the mushrooms, and cook until soft, about 3 minutes. Remove mushrooms and their liquid, and set aside.
3. Add 1 tablespoon olive oil to skillet, and stir in the shallots. Cook 1 minute. Add rice, stirring to coat with oil, about 2 minutes. When the rice has taken on a pale, golden color, pour in wine, stirring constantly until the wine is fully absorbed. Add 1/2 cup broth to the rice, and stir until the broth is absorbed. Continue adding broth 1/2 cup at a time, stirring continuously, until the liquid is absorbed and the rice is al dente, about 15 to 20 minutes.
4. Remove from heat, and stir in mushrooms with their liquid, butter, chives, and parmesan. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

[housewife]

INGREDIENTS

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• 8 sweet potatoes, sliced lengthwise into quarters

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Spray a baking sheet with cooking spay or vegetable oil.
2. In a large bowl, mix oil and paprika. Add potato sticks, and stir by hand to coat. Place on the prepared baking sheet.
3. Bake 40 minutes in the preheated oven. Best eaten at room temperature.

[housewife]

PREP TIME 10 Min READY IN 10 Min










DiREDIENTS

• 2 bunches spinach, rinsed and torn into bite-size pieces
• 4 cups sliced strawberries
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1/4 cup white wine vinegar
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon paprika
• 2 tablespoons sesame seeds
• 1 tablespoon poppy seeds

DIRECTIONS

1. In a large bowl, toss together the spinach and strawberries.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the oil, vinegar, sugar, paprika, sesame seeds, and poppy seeds. Pour over the spinach and strawberries, and toss to coat.

[housewife]

Easy Skillet Lasagna




Ingredients

• 1 lb burger
• 1 jar spaghetti sauce (I like "Ragu- Mushroom, Green Pepper")
• 1 16oz tub of lowfat cottage cheese
• grated parmesian cheese
• 1 1/2 cup grated mozzerella
• 1 lb package of pasta (I like rotini, but any variety of short pasta will do)
• 1 Tbsp salt
• 5 quarts water

Directions

1. Add salt to water in and 8 qt pot, bring to a boil on high heat, cook until tender, drain
2. Once water is on the stove, brown burger in large skillet, drain fat
3. On med-high heat, in same skillet, add sauce to meat
4. Heat, stirring frequently
5. Once hot, add cottage cheese, sprinkle with a generous amount of parmesian
6. Add pasta to mixture, continue stirring over medium heat until heated through
7. Turn off heat, cover with grated mozzerella, let stand until melted
8. Serve and Enjoy!

[housewife]

Topping:

1/2 cup (70 grams) all purpose flour

1/4 cup (50 grams) granulated white sugar

1/4 cup (55 grams) light brown sugar

3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon fresh or ground nutmeg

1/8 teaspoon salt

6 tablespoons (84 grams) unsalted butter, cut into pieces

1/3 cup old-fashioned rolled oats

1/4 cup (30 grams) chopped walnuts or pecans

Filling:

2 1/2 pounds (1.2 kg) or 6 cups peeled and sliced Granny Smith Apples or other firm, tart-tasting apple

1 cup fresh blackberries or raspberries (optional)

Zest of 1 lemon (optional)

1/4 cup (55 grams) light brown sugar

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) and place rack in the center of the oven. Butter or spray with a cooking spray a 9 inch (23 cm) deep dish pie plate or an 8 x 8 x 2 inch (20 x 20 x 5 cm) dish (Can also make 8 individual ramekins.) Set aside.

For Topping: Place all the topping ingredients (flour, sugars, spices, butter, oats and nuts) in a food processor and process until the mixture is crumbly (looks like coarse meal) and there are no large pieces of butter visible. (This can also be done with two knives or your fingertips.) Set aside while you prepare the filling.

For Filling:Peel, core, and slice the apples into 1/4 inch (.7 cm) thick pieces. Place in a large bowl, along with the berries and lemon zest (if using), and add the brown sugar. Gently combine and then transfer to your prepared baking dish Spread the topping evenly over the apples.

Bake for approximately 35-45 minutes (25 - 30 minutes for individual ramekins) or until the topping is golden brown. Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool for about 30 minutes before serving.

Serve with softly whipped cream or vanilla ice cream. Refrigerate leftovers and reheat before serving.

Makes 4 servings.