Easy Family Dinners

Skillet fried chicken the paper bag way: pieces dipped in milk beaten with an egg, shaken in a brown paper grocery bag with seasoned flour, and fried in cast iron with the lid on for the first side and off for the second.

Old-fashioned chicken pot pie with a single crust on top: chicken, carrots, potatoes, onion and peas in a gravy of butter, flour, broth and milk, baked at 400°F for 35 to 40 minutes. Why there is no bottom crust, and the case for the peas.

The classic potluck chicken and rice casserole: cooked chicken, white rice, cream of chicken and cream of mushroom soup, sour cream and cheddar, baked under a cheese and cracker top. Feeds ten, freezes whole, and it is what gets carried to new mothers and to families in a hard week.

The classic Southern poppy seed chicken casserole: pulled chicken in a creamy sauce, a snow of poppy seeds and a thick crust of hand-crushed butter crackers. Fifteen minutes to assemble, 30 minutes at 350°F.

The American family shepherd's pie: ground beef with onion, carrots and peas in a thick brown gravy, under stiff mashed potatoes dragged with a fork so the ridges bake brown and crisp, with a handful of cheddar. Cups and grams.

Old-fashioned American Sunday spaghetti: a thick ground beef meat sauce simmered an hour and a half with a teaspoon of sugar, then the noodles stirred right into the pot and left ten minutes with the lid on.

The classic Minnesota tater tot hotdish: seasoned ground beef, cream of mushroom soup, green beans and cheddar under a top of frozen tater tots standing in tight rows, baked until golden and bubbling. A 9x13 pan, 15 minutes of work, dinner for eight.

Homemade sloppy joes from scratch in 25 minutes: ground beef with onion and green pepper in a sweet and tangy tomato sauce made from ketchup, brown sugar, mustard and Worcestershire, on toasted buns. It tastes like the can, only more. Cups and grams.

Homemade Salisbury steak in twenty minutes: seasoned ground beef patties browned in a skillet, then simmered in a mushroom and onion gravy that soaks into mashed potatoes. The from-scratch version of the TV dinner, in cups and grams.

This easy taco bake casserole is the weeknight dinner that makes everyone cheer. It’s cheesy, crunchy, and packed with all the taco flavors you crave — without standing over a…

These healthy turkey and quinoa stuffed peppers are the kind of meal that rescues a busy weeknight — colorful, filling, and made in one pan. My kid, who usually picks around…