"Dinner is better when we eat together."
I have many fond memories of gathering around the family's small kitchen table and eating dinner with everyone when I was very young. We would ask each other how our days were, what did we do at school, how was our extracurricular activities, and what our plans were for the following day. As we grew older, we moved to the bigger dining room table to eat dinner. Soon though, it was harder and harder to come together during the week due to college classes and work. I worked various jobs to support myself and help pay for school after my university classes, my brothers had their own things going on in their lives and my parents had their own jobs. Now, my younger brother is living near the campus of his university, and I am here living in Spain during the school year. When I go home and visit during the summer, I value the time we do get to eat together that much more!
Home Cooked Meals
I remember helping my mom and dad in the kitchen during dinner time or setting the table while they prepped the food. The cooking skills I have today are thanks to my parents teaching me what they know and letting me help them. The foods I will be telling you about are the comfort foods that I crave when I am missing home. Of course, I can cook the dishes for myself, but some of them just don't taste the same as I remember, and it is always better to eat with others, especially family.
Chicken Dishes
I have two favorite chicken dishes from my childhood.
In 5th grade, my class made a recipe book. Inside was a recipe to make Swiss chicken. My dad made it one night for dinner, and since then, it has become a regular dish we like to make. It has a base of Vermouth mixed with a creamy soup, either cream of chicken or cream of mushroom can be used, with pan-seared breaded chicken topped with Swiss cheese which is then baked in the oven.
Chicken fajitas are an easy dish to make on a busy weekday night. The main ingredients are chicken, peppers (you can use red, green, or yellow), and onion. Once everything is cooked, the seasoning is added to the pan. And, there you have it! You can add any toppings you want such as shredded cheese, sour cream, or avocado.
Beef Dishes
My family makes a lot of dishes involving beef. Below are some dishes my parents made when I was growing up.
My mom would make chili on cold days. It is a great dish to warm you up. The dish is beef mixed with diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, tomato paste, red kidney beans and seasoning. Once the beef is cooked, you put all the ingredients together and cook it until it is the consistency you want!
This is another easy dish to make. It is called Doritos Taco Salad. Beef is cooked in a pan, and then red kidney beans and seasoning is added. You can either mix all the ingredient together before serving or layer the ingredients on your plate and then mix. My family layers our ingredients, and of course we each do it a little differently. I like to start with Doritos at the bottom. Then I add lettuce, the meat and beans, a little more lettuce, tomato, avocado, Thousand Island dressing, sour cream, and shredded cheese.
The meatloaf recipe we use came from my Grandma K. It is a mixture of beef, onion soup mix, breadcrumbs, and an egg to bind the ingredients together. The mixture is then formed into the shape of a loaf and baked in the oven. In the last fifteen minutes of baking, ketchup is drizzled on top of the meat.
My family also received this goulash recipe from my Grandma K. Goulash is like a beefy macaroni dish. It is a mixture of ground beef, elbow noodles, tomato soup, tomato sauce, tomato paste, chopped onion, minced garlic, and seasoning to taste.
I absolutely love my mom's spaghetti sauce! It is part of the reason spaghetti is one of my favorites. Her sauce is slightly sweet with a little bite. The sauce will be cooking all day, filling the house with its delicious smells! The meat is cooked first. Then San Marzano tomatoes, tomato sauce, tomato paste, onions, garlic, olive oil, and sugar are added into the pot. The sauce is then cooked for a couple of hours, letting the sauce boil down and giving the flavors a chance to meld together.
Other favorites
These dishes are some classic foods my family eats on cold days.
Children generally love these cheesy sandwiches, which makes it a win in the food department. Pair it with tomato soup, and there you have an amazing combination! I also personally like to have grilled cheese sandwiches with cream of mushroom soup. The sandwiches are just pieces of bread toasted in a pan with cheese slices put in between. The cheese slowly melts into an ooey gooey deliciousness. You can eat the sandwiches by themselves or dip them in the soup.
My mom would make this minestrone soup during winter time. Minestrone is type of Italian soup made with vegetables and either rice, pasta, or both. Ingredients used in the soup include red kidney beans, celery, carrots, tomatoes, onions, spinach, and stock. This recipe can be tailored in different ways and a variety of ingredients can be included besides the ones listed above.
Tell me about your favorite meal and then send it in to me!
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