Simple Tips For A Quick Meal

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The need for speed isn’t reserved only for Tom Cruise. A true talent is the ability to throw together a dinner (that’s not cereal) that people will actually want to eat.

Here are some of our favorite tips to make your life easier:

• Use frozen fish sticks for fish tacos vs. breading and baking/frying the fish yourself. 

• Double a recipe and freeze the leftovers. The night before, put the frozen portion in the refrigerator so it’s ready to go when you get home after work. You can even order an extra pizza on takeout night, put it in the freezer and then reheat it in your oven later. 

• Use what you have for a “kitchen sink” dinner like stir fry or this thai curry. 

• Wash and prep your veggies, etc when you get home from the store to save prep time on weeknights. 

• Your broiler is your BFF. From English muffin pizzas to quick quesadillas to fast-cooking fish, a thin cut will cook quickly without burning. 

• Keep your pantry stocked with the essentials like beans, rice, pasta and canned tomatoes for quick dinners. (Full list here).  

• Invest in a pressure cooker that can have dinner ready in under 30 minutes or a slow cooker where you can toss everything in before work and it’ll be ready when you get home.

Baileys Irish Cream Pancakes

Top o' the Morning to you.

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons (1 1/2 ounces) unsalted butter, melted

• 2 tablespoons granulated sugar

• 3/4 teaspoon salt

• 1 large egg

• 2/3 cup milk

• 1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon Irish cream liquor (such as Baileys)

• 1 3/4 cup (7 ounces) cake flour

• 3 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

• 4 tablespoons butter for cooking pancakes and to garnish

• Maple syrup, for serving

Instructions

1. Whisk butter, sugar, salt, and egg in a medium bowl.

2. Whisk in milk and Irish cream liquor until combined.

3. Add flour and baking powder to the bowl, then stir until just about smooth (see note).

4. Heat 1 tablespoon butter in a large nonstick skillet until melted over medium-low heat. Scoop as many 1/4 cup portions of batter into pan as will fit without crowding, then gently spread out into a disc shape.

5. When bubbles appear on the surface, flip the pancakes over and continue to cook until done, about 1-2 minutes more.

6. Repeat with remaining batter (see note).

7. Serve warm with butter and syrup.

Note: Cake flour can get easily packed if you measure with a cup. For best results, scale-out the flour or gently spoon the flour into the cup. If the first pancake is too thick, gently stir in a tablespoon or two of milk (or Baileys). Avoid over-mixing the dough or else the batter will become too tough—your final batter will contain some lumps. When cooking the subsequent batches of pancakes, you may only need a slight bit, if any, extra butter for the pan.

Thank you to Serious Eats for this recipe. Make sure you check out the original recipe for cooking tips and leads on other amazing recipes.