Your Favorite Quick Meal

I'll start off with a big "Ooops." You can see I'm new at this. Last week I said on Mondays I would announce the theme for the week. I forgot to do that yesterday. So here goes now: Let's talk this week about our FAVORITE QUICK MEALS. Do you have one you like to fix (that the family likes) or do you remember one your mom fixed when you were a kid? Please share...

I have one for you, but I hesitate to tell you about it because it's not the healthiest. Healthy probably should be part of our criteria, but favorites aren't favorites by accident. My family would die and go to heaven over this one: mashed potato-stuffed hotdogs. Whether it was leftover mashed potatoes from Sunday dinner or instant, didn't matter.

I'd slit the dogs lengthwise, load in a healthy scoop of spuds, sprinkle the top with shredded cheese, and place on a cookie sheet. I'd bake them for about 10 min. at 400 degrees then broil for about 2 minutes. All told, assembling, baking/broiling, took about 20 minutes to produce. I'd round it out with a salad and steamed veggie. I remember well: I NEVER made enough of these.

Speaking of never making enough of what the family loved: The kids were always bartering their food to get out of dish duty. (We didn't have a dishwasher.) When they knew the meal was a winner, they'd offer to turn over some of their portion if the eager receiver would do their dishes for them. This little ploy worked every time.

Now let's hear from you. What were some of the favorite quick meals you fixed, currently serve, or remember from your youth (healthy or otherwise)? And until next time, here's to making family dinner hour possible!