I’m excited that In Good Taste is growing and to provide you with more quality recipes, cooking tips and entertaining inspiration, you’ll be hearing from a few new voices on a semi-regular basis. Esther Reisinger is a food obsessed designer and writer in Chicago who will be here from time to time sharing her own shopping, cooking and dining experiences.

I haven’t been grocery shopping for like two weeks or something. It’s kind of a shame.

Life gets busy, or you’re out of town, or you’re sitting on the couch weighing the options between dallying on Facebook or putting on some decent clothing to go to the store.

Facebook always wins (not unlike Charlie Sheen).

A girl’s gotta eat though. And so does girl’s husband. And both of them are trying to save money. (The key word there is trying). So lately, the routine has been to go stand blankly in front of the fridge or the pantry and try to come up with a super creative dinner using only tortilla chips, spaghetti sauce and brown ‘n’ serve sausages. Gross.

Realistically though, we all have certain things that take up permanent residence in the pantry or fridge. And even more realistically, life doesn’t always allow for last-minute grocery runs, if it allows for grocery runs at all. Therein, it seems like a good idea to have some pantry-friendly options for those nights (or weeks) when fresh or gourmet is out of the question and you’re desperately looking for that big red “Easy” button.

Of course, I am not advocating a grocery store boycott, as I think fresh ingredients are vital and should be used when – and as much – as possible.

So here are some simple and delicious dinner options, that, for the most part, can be made using ingredients that you probably have sitting at home right now (with the possible exception of the meat.)

I can vouch for all of them, having made each one at some point or another, the first two being recipes that I grew up with and still make.

Honey Mustard Chicken
Serves 2-4*

What You Need:

1/3 cup butter
1/3 cup honey
2 T. prepared mustard
1 tsp salt
1 tsp curry powder
2-4 boneless skinless chicken breasts

How-To:

Preheat oven to 350. Combine first five ingredients and baste onto chicken breasts. Bake, basting one or two more times throughout, for 20-25 minutes or until chicken is cooked through, depending on the size of the chicken breasts. I serve it over rice with extra sauce.*

*Using 2 breasts will allow for a nice amount of extra sauce, which can be warmed in the microwave and drizzled over the finished chicken and rice. The sauce is really enough for about 4 breasts though, you just won’t have as much to pour on top.

“Lazy” Lasagna
Serves 6

What You Need:

9 lasagna noodles
1 pound ground beef, cooked and seasoned to taste (and drained of excess grease)
1 quart (4 cups) spaghetti sauce of your choice
1 16 ounce container of cottage cheese
1 cup shredded mozzarella
1/2 cup water

How To:

Preheat oven to 350. Layer the ingredients in a square baking pan, as follows: 3 noodles, beef, 1/2 of spaghetti sauce. Follow with 3 noodles, cottage cheese and 1/2 of mozzarella cheese. On top of that, layer 3 noodles, 1/2 of spaghetti sauce, 1/2 of mozzarella cheese. Gently pour water on top. Cover and cook for about 45 minutes. Uncover and cook about 20 minutes longer.

*Note: You can double the recipe and use a 13×9-inch pan, and cook it for an hour covered and 1/2 hour uncovered.

Crispy Bourbon Glazed Salmon
Photo & Recipe from How Sweet It Is (used with permission)
Serves 4 (1/2 cup glaze)

What You Need:

1 pound fresh salmon
1 tablespoon coarse sea salt
1/2 tablespoon black pepper
3/4 cup bourbon
2/3 cup brown sugar
1 garlic clove, minced
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon honey
1/2 teaspoon ground mustard

Combine the bourbon, sugar, mustard, garlic, honey, vinegar and worcestershire in a small saucepan and whisk. Heat over high heat and allow it to come to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and let simmer for 8-10 minutes, or until mixture reduces by about half. Pour mixture in a bowl and let sit at room temperature while the salmon cooks. The glaze will thicken a bit at this time.

Preheat the broiler in your oven. Make sure the salmon is dry and season it with the coarse salt and pepper on both sides. Lay it on a non-stick baking sheet.  Broil for about 5-6 minutes on each side, until the top develops a crispy crust. If your salmon is very thick, you may need to go a little longer.

Remove the salmon from the oven and brush it with the bourbon glaze. Add as much or as little as you would like. Feel free to use it as a dipping sauce too. The glaze can be stored in the fridge for a week or two – just allow it to come to room temperature (or slightly warm it) before using.

(Disclaimer: I realize that while Jim Beam seems to have made himself comfortable on my pantry shelves due to my rampant pecan pie-making, Bourbon/Whiskey may not really qualify as a pantry staple for everyone).

Tagged as: chicken, easy pasta, glazed salmon, lasagna, weeknight dinner