20 January 2010

quick & easy


Sometimes, I don't feel like cooking. Shocking. Occasionally, there's just not enough time in the day to put effort into a meal. Now, if it were just the kids and me, we could do pb&j or scrambled eggs for dinner, but Hubs likes dinner to be dinner.

That's why I keep my pantry and freezer stocked with quick and easy meals. Everyone I know does it, I would guess that all of you do, too. This one, pictured above, is one of our favorite quick & easys, purchased from our not-so-local IKEA. Yep, you can buy just about everything you need for this meal right alongside your $199 couch and your $10 coffee table. Awesome. They sell the meatballs, gravy mix, and lingonberry sauce. You supply a potato or two and some water/milk/cream* for the gravy. Love it. The kids think it's really fun to have IKEA meatballs at home.

*Note: The gravy mix actually calls for cream and water, I believe. The first time I made it, I happened to have cream in the fridge (I never, ever have cream, except this once), so I used it, but only half of the amount suggested. Turned out fine. The second time I made it, the cream was gone, and we only have skim milk in our house, so I made it with the milk and a little less water. It was very similar to the previous batch. So I say skip the cream!