What I did when I lived in an apartment was

1. Chicken Quesadilla
Chop up chicken and cook it till it's 95% done
add any lawrys marinade (it's a liquid marinade in a bottle) finish cooking the chicken
Melt your favorite cheese on the chicken in a taco folded in half
Brown the shell a bit and cut into thirds
I personally used Caribbean jerk with pepper jack cheese. Clears the sinuses real good.
Takes 10 minutes or so tops, cook it in a pan on the stove top.

2. Steak sandwiches
Cook chopped up steak with salt, pepper and hot sauce (texas pete is good and cheap)
melt your favorite cheese on it
Put it on toasted white bread
Done deal, simple and tasty.
Takes about 10 minutes, stove top in a pan.

I'd also get red baron pizzas, they aren't the best but you can get them on the super cheap at krogers, hard to argue with a pizza that costs $3.50
[Reply]

There's tastier ways to do this, but this works great in a pinch!

1 Pack Johnsonville Hot Italian Sausage Sliced into medallions
1 bag Frozen Bell Pepper Strips
1 yellow onion sliced
1tbs Fennel seed (can do without if you've not got it)
2tbs Mongolian Fire Oil (sprinkle a little cayenne in your regular oil if you don't have this)
Halved mushrooms to suit

Cook all together in a skillet (first sausage, then onion & shrooms, then add pepper strips. they cook quick) and serve up over rice! Still our kids favorite meal. :-)
[Reply]

Lamb or Beef stew...

3lb bone-in stewing beef/lamb (or both) [bone-in neck and shoulder cuts work best, and are generally dirt cheap]
3 large carrots
3 large parsnips
2 large leeks
1 pint beef/lamb stock (beef broth?)
2 large onions
2 cloves garlic
1 can chopped tomatoes
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

Heat oven to 320*F

In a casserole dish, over the hob, heat some oil (olive, vegetable, canola, whatever!). Chop the onions. This is a stew, I like them chunky. Add to the dish, and then mince the garlic and chuck that in too. Fry until the onions start to soften. Add the meat, and fry until browned. While meat is browning, chop the rest of the vegetables. Again, chunky works well. When the meat has browned, sprinkle the flour over and coat everything with it. Add the tomatoes and stock and bring to the boil. Add the rest of the vegetables, and stir in well. Remove from the hob, cover, and put into the pre-heated oven. Leave for 4 hours, checking periodically.

Serve in a big bowl, with fresh, crusty bread and butter on the side.
[Reply]

Creamy Chicken (or Beef) Stew

Onion (diced or chopped)
Garlic (chopped, sliced, crushed, minced, etc.)
1 lb. chicken breasts (or beef)
Flour
Sour Cream
Carrots (optional)
Mushrooms (optional)
Chopped cilantro (optional)

Cut chicken into cubes and season with salt and pepper. Add cubes, onion, and garlic to stock pot. Add enough water or stock to cover plus an inch or so more. Bring to boil, then lower to simmer and cover. (For me, it usually takes about 20 min. around med. heat for it to get done.) When half-done (about 10 min. for me), add carrots, mushrooms, and a few pinches of cilantro. Cover until done. A minute or two before you think it's done, make a simple "roux" of cold water and flour. Combine water and flour until pasty and no lumps. Slowly pour roux into hot stock while stirring to thicken stew to a mild gravy consistency. Stew is done. Portion into bowls. Add a dollop (teaspoon) of sour cream to each portion along with a pinch or two of freshly chopped cilantro. Toasted cracked wheat bread makes a great addition to sop up the stew.

Serves 4-6.
[Reply]