Dancing With Fruitcake

Tag: oven meals

  • Oven Salisbury Steak with Carrots and Potatoes

    A plate of hamburger steak topped with gravy, served with mashed potatoes and carrots, set against a warm, cozy background with a flickering fireplace.

    Last night, I cooked Salisbury steak in the oven.

    Don’t judge me too harshly, but I have a comfy loveseat in the kitchen next to a glass door that leads to a patio. I like to stick an easy one-pot dinner into the oven and then sit and look out the door at the beautiful canna lillies my late-ex-husband planted in the backyard. Today is the sixth anniversary of his death, so he’s on my mind more than usual this morning.

    A close-up view of vibrant red canna lilies blooming amidst lush green foliage, set against a wooden fence.

    Anyway, back to the recipe.

    Salisbury Steak with Carrots and Potatoes

    Serving Size:
    4
    Time:
    Prep time 5 minutes
    Cook time 2 hours
    Difficulty:
    Easy

    Ingredients

    • 4 Hamburger patties
    • Beef gravy mix packet – I use Pioneer or McCormick
    • Frozen pearl onions
    • Frozen carrots, 1 bag
    • Frozen Ore-Ida Homestyle Steam ‘n Mash potatoes, one bag

    Directions

    1. Place hamburger patties into Dutch oven.
    2. Top with gravy mixed with water according to package.
    3. Add pearl onions – however many you want.
    4. Add bag of frozen potatoes.
    5. Add bag of frozen carrots.
    6. Put lid on Dutch oven and cook in 350 degree oven for 2 hours.

  • Turmeric Chicken with Potatoes and Green Beans

    A bowl of chicken and vegetable stew featuring tender chicken pieces, potatoes, and green beans in a savory sauce.

    Turmeric chicken is something I had no idea I needed in my life until this week. I heard turmeric was good for inflammation. It’s not something I’ve ever included in my diet other than the occasional restaurant meal. I wasn’t even sure I would like it. I’ve been working on a Daily Om course that teaches how to decrease inflammation with foods. They suggested three daily drinks, two of them with turmeric. Oh my goodness…the drinks were nasty. This pure nastiness made me decide to eat the turmeric instead of drinking it.

    I came up with this recipe, and let me tell you it’s one of the best meals I’ve ever had…and I had it again the next day.

    I must warn you that everything I cook is fast, easy, and generally has as few ingredients as possible. I do a lot of oven meals using frozen ingredients that I don’t thaw ahead of time. I like meals that I can put in a low-heat oven and cook a couple of hours. Of course, you can use foods that are not frozen and drastically reduce the oven time.

    I was gifted a beautiful Le Creuset Dutch oven by my employer, but they are super expensive and any Dutch oven will work fine.

    Turmeric Chicken with Potatoes and Green Beans

    Serving Size:
    6 servings
    Time:
    5 minutes prep time, 2 hours in the oven
    Difficulty:
    Super Easy

    Ingredients

    • 1-1/2 lbs chicken thighs or breasts, frozen
    • 4 tsp cumin
    • 2 tsp sea salt
    • 2-1/2 tsp turmeric
    • 1-1/4 tsp garlic powder
    • 1 tsp ground ginger
    • 1/2 tsp black pepper
    • 1 T olive oil or avocado oil
    • 1 pkg Ore-Ida Steam and Mash potatoes, frozen
    • 1 pkg of green beans, frozen
    • Fresh lemon juice to taste

    Directions

    1. Mix all the pieces together in a small bowl.
    2. Add olive oil to a Dutch oven pan and add frozen chicken pieces.
    3. Sprinkle spices over the chicken. Even though it looks like a lot, use all of it.
    4. Top with the whole bag of frozen potatoes.
    5. Top with the whole bag of frozen green beans.
    6. Put the lid on the pan and bake for 2 hours at 350 degrees. You don’t need to add liquid because the moisture from the frozen foods is enough.