Anything other than chicken...

[Allison L]

I can do almost anything chicken, but I really want to expand my family's dinner options.  We do fish from time to time, but mostly just pan fried with a little lemon juice.  What are your favorite dinnertime meals that will help me get out of my "chicken box"?

[Trinity Bauer]

I learned this one from my boyfriend. Baked Spaghetti. He uses ground beef and sliced sausages (the long links conecuh is his favorite brand.) Cook up the spaghettie noodles as the directions on the box say, brown the ground beef like you normally would (we usually do at least 2 lbs.) Drain the ground beef and return that to the same pan. Add your favorite (or your kids favorite) spaghetti sauce (we do meat flavored or traditional Prego it tastes better to me than Ragu.) This is where he also adds in the conecuh sausage sliced real thin. You may or may not want to cut up all the sausage depending on how much you want in your spaghetti. Heat the sauce/meat mixture until warmed all the way through over medium heat (covering it helps it heat quicker. Add as much sauce as you want to to get the consistancy you like for your spaghetti try not to go to thin though. Preheat the oven to 375. Drain the noodles and place them in the bottom of a 13" glass baking dish. Pour the sauce/meat mixture evenly over the noodles. Top that with shredded cheese (we use the blended shredded cheese. we use a large bag or 2 small bags because we just love cheese haha) pop the pan in the oven until the cheese has melted all the way through. Once you take it out, let it cool until the cheese is mostly cooled off (for cutting/serving purposes.) I hope it works out good for you! Try with some green beans and garlic toast (love TEXAS brand garlic toast that you heat in the oven its quick and delicious soo light and fluffy for any bread, def. not what i expected from frozen bread.)

[Sarah Gielow]

We like to do boneless pork chops pan fried in apple juice with a little salt and pepper. These work with whatever sides you like. When I can get fresh basil I like to make homemade pesto by blending the basil with some garlic and pine nuts and a splash of olive oil until it reaches the texture I want. Toss the pesto with some pasta and top with shrimp sauted in garlic and butter and it's a great meal. On the weekends I also make a lot of one pot dishes like soup, chili, and mac and cheese. These work great for dinner and because they make such large amounts I end up freezing half for use on nights I am too tired or busy to cook. Homemade pizza is also a big hit in our house. We buy the pre made pizza crusts, some spaghetti sauce, cheese, and whatever toppings each person wants. Paired with a small salad it makes a great meal.

[Monique - Resident Mom]

You could try having taco night. It is easy and fun. All you need to do is brown some ground meat and add taco seasoning. Set out some heated taco shells and tortillas along with cheese, tomatoes, lettuce, sour cream and whatever else you may like. Let your family make their own taco creations. They will enjoy it. Don't forget the hot sauce!