Painless Home Cooking

Looking for quick and easy to prepare recipes that not only taste awesome but give the perception that you spent a lot of thought and effort creating the dish? Here are several dishes that are extremely easy, but extremely tasty.

Oriental Stir Fry

One of the simplest recipes that are incredibly satisfying is Oriental stir fry. You can make an Oriental stir fry with chicken, pork, beef or without any meat. Using one simple frying pan or wok, a variety of vegetables (fresh, canned or frozen), some stir fry sauces and a side of rice- you’ve got a great dinner.

Oriental Chicken Stir Fry

Ingredients:

1 pound of chicken breast (cut into cubes or strips)

2 cans of oriental style vegetables (usually includes water chestnuts, green beans, broccoli, baby corn, carrots, etc)

4 to 8 ounces of stir fry sauce (sweet or salty your choice)

4 servings of rice

Olive Oil

Directions:

Cook boil in bag rice on the side as directed. In an oiled skillet or wok add cut chicken, cook moderately and then add in vegetables. Stir frequently with a wooden spoon adding a few spoonfuls of sauce every few minutes. Cook for about 10 minutes or until cooked completely through. Serve over rice.

Maple Ham Steak

Ham steak is so easy to make and for most families an awesome meal. You can buy individually sliced ham steaks sold in many supermarkets. Or if you prefer, you can buy a large ham and slice it into ½ to ¾ inch thick steaks.

Ingredients:

4 Ham Steaks

4 ounces of brown sugar

8 ounces of maple syrup

4 Yams (sweet potatoes (fresh or canned)

Directions:

Rub 1 oz. of brown sugar on the ham and place in an oven for about 25 to 30 minutes at 400 to 425 degrees F. (or as directed). A few minutes before the ham steak is complete, you can drizzle some maple syrup on top of the ham steak or gently heat up the syrup in a microwave and serve as desired. Ham steaks go great with yams (sweet potatoes). You can prepare them in an oven with your ham steak, starting them about 15 minutes prior to when you begin cooking the ham.

BLT Sandwich

One of my family favorites is the BLT sandwich. While bacon is perhaps not the healthiest food around, you can choose to substitute good old fashioned bacon with turkey bacon or even chicken bacon. These products aren’t as bad as they sound and actually quite flavorful.

Since the BLT sandwich is very easy and only includes bacon, lettuce, tomato, bread and mayo, make sure you buy only top quality ingredients including nice thick bread and fresh lettuce and tomatoes.

Ingredients:

1 Loaf of White or Rye Bread

1 head of lettuce

4 beefsteak tomatoes

1 pound of bacon

Directions:

On a griddle cook one pound of bacon. Pat dry removing any excess grease. Now add mayo to two pieces of bread and add a sliced tomato and some lettuce. Garnish with a pickle, some olives and some pretzels or chips.

Enjoy!