If you had the time and energy to spend in the kitchen...

[cristeen]

What meal(s) would you make your family? I'm not looking for the uber-expensive dishes, but those demanding dishes that you love but dont get to make very often.

DH has the next week off and i'm drawing a blank on what foods i want to spend the effort on while i dont have to worry about the baby underfoot.

[Jennifer3141]

Lasagna - I have a very elaborate lasagna "recipe" - more like a pattern that I follow. And lasagna leftovers are so good!

So is a big roasted chicken or a small turkey.

Soup simmering on the stove all day and some homemade bread would be nice too.

Shepherd's pie?

Dangit. Now I'm hungry and it's 6:00 a.m.

[velochic]

I like to spend time in the kitchen and I love to make multi-course meals, especially this time of the year when it's getting cool and the kiddo is back in school. I have some favorite mains that take a bit of time, but I think if you have some time, having an appetizer, main, and dessert would be something different if you don't always get to sit down to a long meal (if the babe will let you sit down to a long meal ).

Like the pp said, Shepherd's Pie (or Cottage Pie if using ground beef) might take a bit of time depending on knife skills (I chop leeks, carrots, parsnip, celery, and garlic for mine, but I'm OK with a knife, so it doesn't take too, too long). When I grill a good steak, I like to take the time to make a delicious sauce (such as béarnaise) to go with it and that takes some time to make sure it doesn't break. Indian food usually takes me a bit of time to make (Mataar Paneer and Keema Mataar are two favorites). A roasted turkey is also time consuming. I make my marinara sauce in large batches and freeze, but when I make it, that takes a bit of time. On average, I spend about 2 hours per day in the kitchen and all of these things listed take me about that much time. Something else that takes a bit of time, believe it or not, are chicken quesadillas. Making the tortillas, quesadilla sauce, dry rub on the chicken, then grilled, cooled and sliced, sauteing seasoned onions and peppers, and making the guacamole... all before the quesadillas are assembled and cooked take some time.

Let us know what you end up making!

[caiesmommy]

Perogies, Potato gnocchi, and veggie dumplingsall from scratch. Just no time to do it sadly

[ollyoxenfree]

Cannelloni or manicotti

Braised lamb shanks

Complicated salads with multiple elements that need prep - eg. candied pecans, marinated peaches, salad dressing

Dim sum

Japanese dinner - multiple dishes and courses

[Princess ConsuelaB]

Lasagna or manicotti
stuffed rolled pork or beef roast

lots of roast chicken/turkey type meals with many sides and homemade breads.

I'm making dim sum tomorrow night while dh is home.

[Shantimama]

I spend a fair bit of time cooking anyway but if I had more time I would probably go back to doing a lot of canning and make things like lasagna for the freezer more often.

[newcastlemama]

I really like making longgg simmered beef broth (but that is mostly cooking time and not prepping) and make it into soups

Herb-roasted veggies in the oven to make fancy salads....onions, mushrooms, bell peppers, carrots ect.

Homemade gnocci or pasta and pesto sauce

Twice baked potatoes and a roast

Pizza from scratch

My husband would say homemade apple pie with homemade ice cream and I like flourless chocolate cake.

[californiajenn]

Beef bolognese!

[cristeen]

The funny thing is that many of these things you ladies suggested are things i make during the week regularly.

Although the suggestions for dim sum and japanese did catch my eye. My plan right now is shui mai, piroshki, and lamb shanks. I might can some apple sauce/butter or some jam too, since my dehydrator broke im just swimming in the fruits i normally dry.

[catnip]

I would make double batches of:
Lasanga
Pizza sauce and dough
Black bean/sweet potato enchiladas mole
Spanakopita
Shepherd's Pie
Tamales

And feed my freezer.

[velochic]

Originally Posted by cristeen

The funny thing is that many of these things you ladies suggested are things i make during the week regularly.

Yeah, I do too. That's why I was thinking maybe a multi-course meal. Do you often take the time to make appetizers and desserts, as well? Or maybe feed the freezer? Canning some apple butter is a good idea, too. Have fun!

[BetsyS]

My most time consuming meals are tamales and chile rellenos. Depending, enchiladas can also take some time (I like to roast the chiles for the sauce, and I usually make big batches and freeze so that enchiladas are an easy weeknight meal--but from scratch, it takes a while). Oh, and mole sauce.

Part of this is because I learned to cook Mexican food from Rick Bayless cookbooks, and while his food is awesomely wonderful in many, many ways (and we dearly love it), his recipes are written in a way that takes a while.

[shnitzel]

Homemade ravioli
French onion soup

[JessicaS]

Originally Posted by BetsyS

My most time consuming meals are tamales and chile rellenos. Depending, enchiladas can also take some time (I like to roast the chiles for the sauce, and I usually make big batches and freeze so that enchiladas are an easy weeknight meal--but from scratch, it takes a while). Oh, and mole sauce.

Part of this is because I learned to cook Mexican food from Rick Bayless cookbooks, and while his food is awesomely wonderful in many, many ways (and we dearly love it), his recipes are written in a way that takes a while.

Yes, I have found the same problem. I really love his recipes but they are labor intensive and take time.

There is a recipe in one of his books that is like one great big tamale and I do make that one.

[greeny]

A couple of you mentioned roasting turkeys. I can't figure out what about that is time consuming? Or maybe I'm doing it wrong? I just rinse, salt and pepper, and stick it in the oven! (Is it brining? Is that complicated? I've never done it....)

[Shantimama]

I would also bake more. I try to make sure we always have bread in the house but I know my family would love it if we had other home baked treats more often!

[Princess ConsuelaB]

Originally Posted by greeny

A couple of you mentioned roasting turkeys. I can't figure out what about that is time consuming? Or maybe I'm doing it wrong? I just rinse, salt and pepper, and stick it in the oven! (Is it brining? Is that complicated? I've never done it....)

It's not so much time consuming or complicated but it is fussy to do with a kid underfoot. I brine mine(homemade brine)...and stuff...then roast...and baste periodically in butter...then there's the 5 or six sides I make with it including yeast rolls. That's why I only do it at holidays or if Dh is home for a stretch(which is rare).

I do make many of these things(other than the turkey lol) during a normal week too, but i love to cook and my kids are older now and not underfoot.

I'd also make homemade donuts.

[Shantimama]

Okay, now I am getting really hungry

[noobmom]

I, too, would make dumpling-type things. Ravioli, pot stickers, peirogi. All those things you have to sit down and get your hands dirty for. I would make tons and freeze them.

I also would make some croissants because it's impossible to find a decent one within 500 miles of me.