All-in-together Dinner

I love to cook.  It's the cleaning up afterward that gets to me.  And when you've got somewhere to go after dinner, the last thing you want when you get home is a pile of dirty pots and pans waiting for your attention.  With a little planning ahead, you can get a dinner together that not only requires little cleanup, but all cooks in the oven at the same temperature.

Last week I made Maple-Mustard Chicken Thighs, Roasted Potatoes, and Colie's Roasted Carrots recipe.  I lined all my pans with foil so I wouldn't have messy dishes to wash later.  Here's the BEFORE:

And AFTER:

Tonight I've got Tandoori Chicken, Roasted Old Bay Potatoes and those delicious Roasted Carrots again!  (I did find that the roasted carrots, if you're using baby carrots, take longer than the 20 minutes listed in the recipe.  I'm putting them in at the same time as everything else tonight.)

Roasted potatoes in general are fairly flexible.  If your main dish cooks anywhere between 400 and 450 degrees, you can do roasted potatoes alongside.  Just adjust baking time accordingly.

The best part?  Dinner is cooking right now, and I'm sitting here in the living room.  All the dishes from dinner prep are done.  When dinner's over, we'll load the dishwasher and walk out of the kitchen with no more work waiting for us!

Don't forget to enter my Church Cookbook Giveaway through Thursday, November 17!

French Dip Sandwiches (Slow Cooker)

This is a perfect busy-day recipe. You put it together in just a few minutes, then let it cook all day. 

1 bottom-round roast, about 3 pounds
2 cups beef broth or consomme
Seasoning: freshly-ground black pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, kosher salt

Season the meat on all sides. Place in slow cooker and pour broth over it. Cook on HIGH for 1 hour, then turn down to LOW for about 7 to 8 hours.

Trim fat off the meat and cut into a few chunks, then shred with 2 forks OR if you have a stand mixer, try this really easy way: Put chunks of meat into the mixer. Using the paddle attachment, spin it a few times on LOW. Rearrange the contents of the bowl and spin a few more times. Watch carefully as there's a fine line between shredded and pureed.

(Hat tip to Gluten Free Homemaker for the stand-mixer idea! It really works!)

Serve on Italian rolls with the juice from the crockpot for dipping.

Tasty Tuesday: Blueberry Coffee Cake

This is an easy cake to make: "from scratch" hardly takes longer than "from a mix." Don't be afraid to get your hands right into that topping--it's the only way to mix it properly. I get a lot of repeat requests for this cake.

1 1/4 cups flour
1/3 cup sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
pinch salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
4 tablespoons butter or margarine
2/3 cup milk
1 egg
1 cup blueberries

TOPPING
6 tablespoons flour
4 tablespoons butter or margarine
8 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon

This cake can be prepared a day ahead. Just cover the cake with Saran wrap and refrigerate. Take it out of refrigerator about 1 hour before baking.

Sift dry ingredients. Cut in shortening. Add milk, egg, and vanilla. Fold in fruit. Pour into greased pan, 8" square or round.
Mix topping ingredients until crumbly. Sprinkle topping over batter. Bake 25 minutes at 400.

Makes 6 to 8 servings.

You can substitute about a cup of ANY fruit (sliced apples work great)!

Visit the other Tasty Tuesday participants for more delicious recipes.

Spaghetti Sauce with Meatballs

Makes about 4 dozen meatballs and plenty of sauce!! I like to make this in a big batch. I freeze it in "meal size" containers (enough meatballs for one meal plus about 2 cups of sauce in each container).

Get the recipe with photos and nutrition facts at Cook and Count.