Don't Panic--Quick, Easy, and Delicious Meals for Your Family

335 Pages·2012·1.64 MB·English

by  Howell

© 2012 by Susie Martinez, Vanda Howell, and Bonnie Garcia www.dontpanicdinners.com
Published by Revell
a division of Baker Publishing Group P.O. Box 6287, Grand Rapids, MI 49516-6287
www.revellbooks.com
Ebook edition created 2012
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or
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eISBN 978-1-4412-3616-6
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is on file at the Library of Congress, Washington, DC.
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Susie’s Dedication Susie Martinez dedicates this book in loving memory of
Laurel McGilchrist, a beautiful and trusted friend. I am so thankful you
shared your life with me, Laurel. As we navigated our way through life’s joys
and heartaches over the years, you were there to listen, care, and love
magnificently. In your exhausting battle with a disease that would steal like a
thief, you exhibited unfailing faith and trust in God. I saw him walk with you,
hold you, and bring you peace. I watched in complete awe as you touched the
lives of many for his glory. Although time with you was too short, I know that
you are now with God, free from pain and suffering. You were a gracious and
delightful light in my life. I love you, my friend, and even as you live forever in
my heart, I miss you always.
Vanda’s Dedication Vanda Howell dedicates this book to: my husband, Mike,
who is always so grateful for whatever meal I put before him (whether at 6
p.m. or 9 p.m.). To my son, Elliott, who appointed himself as my personal
“food critic”: with your love for food (and superfast metabolism) I have no
doubt that one day you will become a professional food critic. To my mom,
brother, sister, and their families—Flo Kitashima; Tim, Shirlene, and Ani
Kulin (Ani, we waited so long to finally have you here—you are amazing!); and
Bryan, Shari, and Lucca Kitashima (Lucca, even though we are an ocean apart,
I get to see you grow up via your dad’s proud [constant] videos/pics and
emails.): thanks to all of you for always being my encouragement—I love you
all very much!
Bonnie’s Dedication Bonnie would like to dedicate this latest Don’t Panic
project to her family: you have been with me through every step of the
journey. From the time the first Don’t Panic book came into being over
fourteen years ago to now, you have believed in me and cheered me on. Even
when I thought the last book had been written, you encouraged me to keep
cooking and keep writing. Steve, Nathan, Daniel, and Johnny—I love you with
all my heart.
Contents Cover
Title Page
Copyright Page
Dedication
Preface
Acknowledgments
Introduction: Simple and Easy . . . at Last!
Cooking Quick and Easy
Deciphering the Code: A Key to Our Recipe Icons
Recipes
Small Bites and Appetizers
Breakfast, Breads, and Brunch
Soups, Salads, and Sides
Pasta, Pasta
Crockpot Collection
Easy Baked Oven Dishes
Grate Grills and Marinades
Savory Skillets and Quick Sautés
Desserts Divine
Eliminating the Guesswork: Helpful Measurements, Equivalents, Weights, and
Servings
Recipe Index
About the Author
Other Books by Author
Back Ads
Back Cover
Preface
We all need to eat. And someone is generally assigned the job of making sure we
eat. Whoever has this duty eventually becomes exhausted with the endless task
and begins to seek assistance.
The previous two Don’t Panic cookbooks helped you store dinners in your
freezer so they were on hand in a moment’s notice. This book also follows the
concept of readily available meals but approaches the mission in another way.
Here we provide you with recipes that require 30 minutes or less of “hands-on”
preparation time. And the meals are fantastic.
We are so excited about every recipe selection you will find here! When this
book was complete, our families went through mourning because the
anticipation of what new and spectacular savory delight would appear on our
tables each week had come to an end. But for you, the journey is about to begin.
So gather your loved ones around the table tonight and serve them something
quick, delicious, and brand-new for dinner. Your taste buds will think they have
gone somewhere wonderful for vacation. Enjoy!
Acknowledgments Thank you to so many of our dear
friends and readers for your input, comments, and
support over the years. To those of you who contributed
to this book through proofreading, taste testing, and
recipe submissions, we thank you. We would like to
acknowledge the following people whose recipes were
included in this book. In our opinion these recipes are
real “winners”!
Laura Beutler Shirley Burke Alivia Butler Shannon Butler Virginia Cebell Lori
Fox
Beverly Garrison Cathy Healy Jodi Heiser Ruth Holm
Tylene Howell Susan Jones Cassie Martinez Donna Mayberry Heidi Messer
AnnMarie Moseley Paula Rome Jack Sunahara Marcia Sunahara Debbie
White Jeanie Wilking Pam Zundel
Introduction
Simple and Easy . . . at Last!
Many things in life are simple in concept yet not very easy to do. We run into
these things every day. For many of us, cooking at home is like this. It is simple
in concept, but it isn’t easy to pull off. In fact, the task of riffling through recipes
and preparing a meal has been known to drive many women out the front door
and straight to a “chick-flick” at the end of the day . . . leaving behind her
husband, kids, and dog to fend for themselves.
If you are familiar with the previous Don’t Panic cookbooks, then you know
we base our books on a few simple concepts.
First, we provide you with recipes that truly taste good. Most cookbooks
contain a greater volume of recipes than you’ll find in the Don’t Panic
cookbooks. However, in those books you have to kiss a lot of frogs before you
meet your prince. You may find one or two recipes in a book that you like and
your family will eat. Then you put the book away until you make that meal again.
Every recipe in our books tastes great because we work with a recipe until it
meets our highly selective standards. So you can rest assured that you will enjoy
the meal you put your time, energy, and money into preparing.
(One really fun thing in writing this book is we are finally able to share some
of our longtime favorite recipes with you that we left out of our previous books
because they are not suitable for the freezer.)
Second, the ingredients are items you can pronounce and are usually found in
your kitchen. Our recipes do not require a Google search to define or a scavenger
hunt to the next town to locate the ingredients.
Third, we help you simplify meal preparation and get the most out of the
amount of time and energy you invest. Our first two Don’t Panic books are
freezer cookbooks—they teach a simple method of cooking that leaves your
freezer full of wonderful meals.
This book takes a different turn and helps you conserve time and energy by
providing you with delicious recipes that can be prepared in a short amount of
time. So, with this book, we offer you one thing that is truly simple and easy (at
last!). If you have 30 minutes (or less) to devote to preparing a meal, then try one
of the recipes on the pages that follow. Look forward to the adventure . . . your
family, friends, and guests will think that you cooked all day!