good weeknight rainy day food

[smile81]

I didn't think ahead so I will need to go to the grocery store after work before making dinner, so I'll be left with little simmer time. whats a great 1 hour or less rainy, stormy night dinner?

[pantsless]

Lentil soup, rice (cooked with chicken stock and garlic), and roasted vegetables are popular at my house. I'm a big fan of garlic mashed potatoes, too.

[Chocolatechipkt]

This is also good--and it tastes like you spent a LOT more time on it. :)

From Fine Cooking, coriander-crusted pork loin with rice pilaf and sweet and spicy roasted vegetables.

http://areyouhungryyet.blogspot.com/2...

[Will Owen]

Well, it's not rainy now, but it will be tomorrow, so I'm about to go downstairs and start some gumbo (since I make enough for a week anyway!). I just remembered a recipe sent by a friend - description, actually, since we cook pretty much alike - who makes it from one of Emeril's recipes, wherein you begin by frying your chicken. And I have eight big thighs just waiting for me to do that. YEEE ha!

[Will Owen]

Follow-up: Yes, it did rain almost all weekend, and we still have about three nights' worth of gumbo left. Lucky us it turned out to be the BEST gumbo I'd made so far. Thighs seasoned (heavily), floured and fried, kept warm. About a half-cup of roux is made, then chopped celery and onion fried therein (we don't do bell pepper in this house). Okra cooked in broth, then other frozen veges, all combined with roux and chopped-up sausage, simmered until yummy then chicken taken off the bone and added in chunks and shreds. Tossed in some frozen cooked shrimp, too, and a can of Hatch green chiles with tomato. Ladled over steamed rice, yum yum. About twelve bucks for the pot full and we get maybe six suppers for two out of it. Let it snow, let it snow (fat chance around here!).

[c oliver]

So do you add the shrimp with each reheat so they don't become really overdone? I've always questioned myself about using shrimp that get cooked more than three minutes or so.

[Will Owen]

They do get overdone; EVERYTHING gets overdone when the pot's been reheated five times or so. The trick is just to reheat, not re-cook - it sits over medium flame on an iron flame-tamer until it just starts to get simmery around the edges, then a stir or two and onto the hot tray. Yeah, those shrimp are now a bit chewy, but they're still tasty. Old gumbo is very different from fresh gumbo, but not necessarily inferior.

[NYCkaren]

Risotto can be made in half an hour and is very comforting on a cold day.

[Uncle Bob]

An hour or less?? Scrambled Eggs, Bacon/Sausage, Grits, (with cheese if ya wanna) Hot biscuits, and pear preserves...

[blue room]

Yes, Uncle Bob, breakfast for dinner is quick, and usually delights.

[Uncle Bob]

It's them Buttermilk biscuits that does it...;) If they don't "delight" you...then you're in a heap of twouble!! :))

[cassoulady]

I love this recipe for Tarragon Chicken Fricasse, I often make it with just bone in skin on thighs http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/foo...

[Chocolatechipkt]

I faced this the other day -- and ended up with something I love. Roast chicken thighs with cut up Yukon gold (or other) potatoes and artichoke hearts (and any other veg., really), along with smoked paprika, whole garlic, lemon zest, oregano, and salt and pepper. All goes in one pan and roasts away til done. :)

http://areyouhungryyet.blogspot.com/2...

[masha]

There are lots of dishes that can be cooked in under one hour. We rarely make do-ahead dishes and eat home virtually every night, with the whole thing prepared in one hour or less. Here are some recent things we've done that are rainy day suitable (we use the grill a lot, weather permitting):

1. Broiled pork chops, mashed potatoes (or potatoe pancakes - use the food processor to quickly grate the potatoes & onions), apple sauce (from a jar, not homemade, with added cinammon), and mixed salad (greens, apples, craisins, goat cheese, vinaigrette).

2. tacos

3. Rissoto, with steamed brocolli crowns (or chopped asparagus) & steamed shrimp.

4. "Mexican Chicken soup," which uses canned chicken broth (or homemade if you've got some handy). I can give you the whole recipe, but it involves sauteeing onions, jalapeno peppers & garlic, adding cubed potatoes, frozen corn, canned black beans, and shredded pieces of chicken breasts (broiled), plus cilantro & seasonings. This takes 45 minutes flat once you've made it a couple of times.

5. Meat loaf, baked potatoes (cook in microwave for about 10 min & then finish in the oven with the meat loaf) & steamed green vegetables or salad.

[CocoaNut]

That's why on the weekend - during winter months - I try to cook some inclement weather comfort-style food to freeze - chili (had that last night), stew, bean soup, etc.

But that aside - stewed (canned, diced) tomatoes w/ bell pepper, onions and your favorite sausage over rice is always good. If you like heat, some hot pepper flakes.

Fry the sausage and remove from skillet, add pepper and onion to saute, then pour in tomatoes, add a little water (or white wine) and a splash of Worchestershire, a pinch of sugar to neutralize the acid in the tomatoes, salt and pepper, then "stew" to desired consistency. Add sausage back to heat and serve over rice.

[Diane in Bexley]

The finished roasted chicken at the grocery can be put to use for many things if you discard the skin & bones and shred the meat - stuff into crepes, tetrazzini, enchiladas, a la king, croquettes, chicken salad, etc.

[cheesecake17]

A takeout roasted chicken is a great weeknight meal starter. Did this recently, with baked potatoes and reheated vegetable soup. Not much to clean up either..

[ipsedixit]

Tomato soup (Campbell's canned is just fine in a pinch) paired with grilled cheese sandwich.

[todao]

Tamales -
Spend a day making a few hundred, put them in the freezer and you've got it made.

[Will Owen]

I'm just about to go find a good cheap chuck roast and make either pot roast or stew. After TG I'm over fowl for a while, and we just threw a party with 12 pounds of slow-cooked pork shoulder, so I'm ready for some cow meat. And it's cold and wet and nasty out, which is perfect for this kind of thing...

[care11]

Chickpea Rosemary Soup & a Sandwich. Simple! Instead of the salmon sandwich maybe a Hot Pastrami and Swiss on Rye? Or Pita of some sort...?

http://cookwithcare.blogspot.com/2009...

SOUP STORE LIST:
3 cans Chick Peas
Box of chicken broth (4 cups
)head of garlic
fresh rosemary
A Lemon
red pepper flakes
olive oil

[kattyeyes]

I'll second this--I've made this soup on care11's recommendation and it's VERY tasty! And perfect for a rainy night, esp. with a nice, hot sandwich.

Another good one is pasta e fagiole (PASTA FAZOOL!). And here's a link to how I make it:
http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/6583...

[cheesecake17]

The chickpea soup looks like a great recipe! I always have those ingredients on hand.. I'll make this soon..

[care11]

That's why we love it so much. My huge rosemary plant has never SEEN so much action since we started making this soup! Here's another awesome soup I made tonight. This Black Bean Soups cooking concept is similar to that of the CPR soup w/the canned beans etc., and as equally delicious (and for the OP, if you like soups, perfect for the next cold rainy night... )
http://cookwithcare.blogspot.com/2009...

[cheesecake17]

I actually made this recently from dried beans- but I added one small chopped sweet potato and some cilantro.

Served it with a poached egg on top- nice full meal in a bowl!

[c oliver]

Isn't three cans of garbanzos alot for four cups of broth? Almost seems like a stew rather than a soup.

[care11]

I use 3, 15 oz cans to 4 cups broth. After the chickpeas simmer in the broth for 30 minutes, the whole thing is pureed resulting in a velvety, creamy bean like textured soup.

[c oliver]

Ah, I like garbanzos whole so I missed that.

[Sharuf]

The recipe says to puree a cup of the soup in a blender, return it to the pot, then puree another cup, etc. With this system, there will always be whole beans as well as pureed. I don't think that is what is intended. One should use a hand-held blender or use two containers -- the second one for the already-blended soup.

[normalheightsfoodie]

Mac n Cheese with added chicken. I like to saute the chix with bacon and then mix the it all with the cheese to get that good smokey flavor mixed in.