Better Homes - Better Homes and Gardens Quick Homemade

Copyright 2019 by Meredith Corporation, Des Moines, Iowa.

All rights reserved.

For information about permission to reproduce selections from this book, write to or to Permissions, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company, 3 Park Avenue, 18th Floor, New York, NY 10016.

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Title: Better Homes and Gardens quick homemade : fast, fresh meals in 30 minutes.

Description: Boston : Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2019. | Includes index.

Identifiers: LCCN 2019010096 (print) | LCCN 2019016642 (ebook) | ISBN 9781328624413 (ebook) | ISBN 9781328624376 (trade paper)

Subjects: LCSH: Quick and easy cooking.

Classification: LCC TX833.5 (ebook) | LCC TX833.5 .B48824 2019 (print) | DDC 641.5/12dc23

LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2019010096

Book design by Waterbury Publications, Inc., Des Moines, Iowa.

v1.0619

BETTER HOMES & GARDENS QUICK HOMEMADE

Editor: Jessica Christensen

Contributing Project Manager: Shelli McConnell, Purple Pear Publishing, Inc.

Contributing Copy Editor: Terri Fredrickson

Contributing Proofreader: Gretchen Kauffman

Test Kitchen Director: Lynn Blanchard

Test Kitchen Product Supervisor: Colleen Weeden

Test Kitchen Culinary Professionals: Sarah Brekke; Linda Brewer, RD; Heidi Engelhardt; Juli Hale; Paige Havey; Sammy Mila

Contributing Photographers: Jason Donnelly, Andy Lyons, Blaine Moats, Brie Passano

Contributing Stylists: Kelsey Bulat, Greg Luna, Charlie Worthington

Administrative Assistant: Courtney Bush

BETTER HOMES & GARDENS MAGAZINE

Editor in Chief: Stephen Orr

Creative Director: Jennifer D. Madara

Executive Food Editor: Jan Miller

Design Director: Stephanie Hunter

HOUGHTON MIFFLIN HARCOURT

Executive Editor: Anne Ficklen

Managing Editor: Marina Padakis Lowry

Art Director: Tai Blanche

Production Director: Tom Hyland

WATERBURY PUBLICATIONS, INC.

Design Director: Ken Carlson

Editorial Director: Lisa Kingsley

Associate Editorial Director: Tricia Bergman

Associate Design Director: Doug Samuelson

Production Assistant: Mindy Samuelson

Pictured on front cover:

The work week is busywell help you simplify your mealtime strategy so you can get fresh and delicious food on the table fast. Each recipe in this book uses minimally processed ingredients and only takes 30 minutes or less from start to finish. Choose from on-trend recipes with flavors your family cravesnoodle bowls, skillet meals, sheet-pan suppers, sandwiches, salads, breakfasts, and more. Start with to get you and your kitchen ready for streamlined dinner solutions. Look for these other useful icons as you flip through the pages.

We included tags throughout this cookbook, which are located underneath some recipe titles:

INSTANT MEAL Uses a multifunction electric or stove-top pressure cooker. These recipes can be prepped and cooked in under 30 minutes. However, times for bringing the cooker to pressure and releasing pressure will vary by cooker and are not included in calculating times.

HEALTHY Meets criteria for lower calories and fat for healthful eating

SUPER QUICK Recipes can be made in 20 minutes or less

Tips with some recipes indicate the following:

[Speed It Up]

Accelerate the prep of a recipe with a simple strategy or preprepped ingredient.

[Make a Swap]

Trade a recipe ingredient that may use up something from your pantry or better suit your taste.

[Finish with Flavor]

Bump up the flavor of a dish right before serving with a squeeze of this or a sprinkle of that.

Organization and planning are key to preparing meals quickly. Get the right equipment and organize your kitchen and pantry for efficient cooking. Then shop with specific meals in mind so you have what you need when you are ready to cook.

Get the right gear

You may have a fully stocked kitchen, but these tools are what youll use most for quick cooking.

Pots and Pans Use the right size. Food cooks faster when it has enough room. The recipes in this book give specific pan sizes for best results.

Skillets These are quick-cooking workhorses. Have a couple of sizes (large = 10-inch, extra-large = 12-inch). Select skillets that can be used on the stove top as well as in the oven. These are all-metal pansincluding the handle. When in doubt, check with the manufacturer.

Knives A paring knife, chefs knife, and maybe a serrated knife are really all you need. Keep them SHARP so chopping and slicing go faster.

Kitchen Scissors These make short work of chopping fresh herbs and are handy for snipping bits of fat off chicken pieces and cutting up bacon strips.

Gadgets These gadgets are real time-savers in the kitchen: apple corer/slicer, flexible cutting boards, mini food processor, garlic press, rasp-style graters, immersion blender, and a good-quality vegetable peeler.

The Ultimate Gadget Your smart phone can be the best kitchen assistant. Use it to look up recipes, make grocery lists, place grocery orders, play how-to videos, monitor cooking time, take pictures, research ingredients, find ingredient substitutions, and more. Use a search engine to do these tasks or download specific apps to streamline your time in the kitchen.

under pressure

Pressure cookers cook food fast. There are two main types of pressure cookers: electric and stove-top. You can also find electric multifunction cookers, such as an Instant Pot.

ELECTRIC

These models look like slow cookers (and often have multiple functions that include slow cooking). They are easy to set and require no further supervision.

Brown and Saut Most models have a saut function that lets you brown meat and saut veggies without using another pan. Cook in batches to prevent overcrowding, which steams rather than caramelizes.

Everything In! Once the meat is browned, add other ingredients as directed. Lock the lid and adjust the pressure valve to closed position. Select setting and time. The digital display will indicate when the cooker has gotten to pressure (usually about 15 minutes) and the actual cooking time starts to count down.

Let off Steam When cooking time is done, the cooker will begin to depressurize, which is called natural release. This takes about 15 minutes. When pressure has dropped, the indicator will sink and the lid will unlock. If the lid is still locked after 15 minutes or you want to quick release, you can carefully open the pressure valve using long-handled tongs to let out any remaining steam. Follow recipe instructions for natural or quick release to ensure proper doneness.

Open Sesame!