9 Dinner Shortcuts To Try This Week

Whether you enjoy cooking or not, not everyone has the time to spend the day in the kitchen. Most parents are too busy working, taking care of household chores and keeping an eye on their children. 

If you’re in the same boat, you need as many shortcuts as possible to get a home-cooked meal on time.

Here are nine dinner shortcuts you can try out yourself.

 

Grab the Crockpot

Make the most of your crockpot when creating an effortless meal. Most people love the crockpot since all you do is dump your ingredients into the pot and let it cook for you.

However, you should avoid waiting until dinner time is here. While some recipes only take three hours to cook. Other recipes take up to eight hours to make. 

One quick tip is to gather all the ingredients in the morning. Throw it into the slow cooker and let it simmer all day until it’s time to eat. 

 

Use a Mixer for Shredded Chicken

Instead of using your hands to shred chicken manually, why not try a mixer? Whether you have a hand mixer or stand mixer, these cooking devices save you time shredding chicken.

Before you start the shredding process, boil your chicken first. Then while it’s still hot, add the chicken to a bowl and use your mixer to shred.

It’s so easy that you won’t ever go back to manual shredding again.

 

Use Parchment Paper

Parchment paper will always be a life-saver when it comes to cleaning. 

Consider lining the pan with parchment paper when you bake or roast your meal. Using this to line your pans will save you from having to scrub them during clean-up time.

Parchment paper is oven-safe. Plus, it makes your meals easier to transfer into a container if you need to save the rest for later.

 

Grab Takeout

One of the most obvious dinner shortcuts is to save yourself the hassle and grab takeout.

Yes, you might be spending extra money. However, you have no reason to feel guilty about it, especially when cooking for a family is always challenging.

Whether you love savory Asian cuisine meals or want to keep it simple and order a pizza, there’s no shame. It’s better than standing in front of the fridge for twenty minutes trying to figure out what to cook for dinner.

 

Batch Cook and Freeze

Batch cooking and freezing are perfect for those meals that take a good while to cook. For instance, quinoa takes around 25 minutes to cook fully.

You can save time by cooking large batches and placing them in the freezer. This is the perfect dinner shortcut if you have limited time and little energy like many others. 

Now you won’t have to consider what to make for dinner. You have quinoa ready to cook in the microwave.

Make Salads

The easiest way to save time on dinner is to go with a simple salad. Salads are quick and easy to make. Plus, if you need to add some protein, here’s a quick tip.

On Sundays, cook a batch of chicken on the grill. That way, you have healthy and delicious-tasting chicken salads for the entire week. 

 

Buy Prepped Packs of Veggies

Freshly chopped veggies are great and everything. However, sometimes it’s worth it to buy the prepped vegetables that come in a package. 

If you go to your local grocery store, they should have packaged veggies washed and chopped near the produce section. 

You can also get the same packages that have ready-to-cook meats. For example, they have cooked, frozen chicken strips ready to heat up. You can practically make an instant stir-fry by mixing the two types of packages.

 

Marinate Meat and Freeze

Have you ever grabbed chicken out of the fridge and realized it needs to marinate for several hours beforehand? 

Whenever you freeze your chicken or any other meat, make sure to freeze it with the marinade. While it’s thawing, you save a step in the process.

Plus, the meat marinating while freezing and defrosting will still taste just as good as marinating in the fridge.

 

Buy a Rotisserie Chicken

Rotisserie chickens are perfect because they’re already made. They taste delicious and you get a ton of meat cheaper than an entire meal at McDonald’s.

Once you get home, grab a fork and shred the chicken. As soon as you have your shredded chicken, you can use it as a base protein for practically any meal. 

For example, you can make shredded chicken tacos in such a small amount of time.

 

Make Cooking Dinner Easy

Your schedule is busy, and who has the time to make dinner every night these days? Instead of wasting precious time cooking an entire meal, use these tricks above to cook your favorite meals fast.

Start by planning your meals first, so you’re not stuck figuring out what’s for dinner.

 

About The Author

Ava Roman (she/her) is the Managing Editor of Revivalist, a women’s lifestyle magazine that empowers women to live their most authentic life. When Ava is not writing you’ll find her in a yoga class, advocating for body positivity, whipping up something delicious in the kitchen, or smashing the patriarchy. 

7 Amazing First Date Dinner Recipes

Needs some dinner recipes for your next date? If you’re sick of the standard “dinner and a movie” date night, why not make your next first date something very special with an experience that’s just a little more intimate? There’s nothing better than a home-made meal cooked with your special pans to show your date that you’re wife or husband material, after all.

Thanks to the wide selection of easy to prepare meal recipes, you don’t need to be a professional chef to create a truly amazing meal. Here are 7 first date dinner recipes that are sure to make anyone fall in love with you.

1.    Paprika Steak and Lentils

Unless you’re cooking for a vegan or vegetarian, steak dinner recipes are very difficult to under-impress. Here is a fabulous recipe for paprika steak and lentils that is sure to impress with a beautiful selection of colors and flavors – including just a touch of dry white wine. You can always swap the steak for eggplant if you prefer to go the vegetarian route.

2.    Kale Risotto

Speaking of going veggie for your first date – why not do something super chic with kale? Most green foods are so nutritious and delicious, and they are a great way to show your date that you’re into healthy eating. The beauty of this risotto is that it’s baked. So you won’t need to stand around and stir a pan for a very long time. Alternatively, store-bought pesto is also an option if you don’t think that you will have time to make your own.

3.    Smoky Beef Tacos

Food that you can eat with your hands is always fun for a first date. These smoky beef tacos aren’t just delicious; they’re also a fantastic opportunity to laugh with your date over the mess that you both will make. You will also be able to dress your tacos up however you like with shredded cabbage, jalapenos, and more.

4.    Seared Scallops and Butter

Scallops are a super-fast and easy option for a first date meal. If you want to spend more time with your crush, and less time in the kitchen, then you can rely on a scallop recipe. You’ll even be able to cook this meal while your date is watching if you want to be extra impressive. Get the recipe for your amazing seared scallops here.

5.    Rigatoni with Broccoli and Chicken

Chicken is always a comforting ingredient to have in any meal. It’s the kind of meal that will remind your date of home – so it’s definitely a good choice if you want them to feel comfortable with you. This delicious take on chicken and broccoli is sure to get you both in the mood for cuddling on the couch. There’s plenty of rich flavors to enjoy too.

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6.    Roasted Sweet Potatoes

Another tasty vegetarian recipe for people who’d rather stay away from the meat; this roasted sweet potato recipe has a mixture of tomatoes, chickpeas, and herb sauce. You can pretend that it’s your very own recipe if you like – and no-one will tell your date any different. Get the fabulous recipe here.

7.    Chicken Piccata

Finally, this is a meal that’s going to make it look like you’ve spent hours in the kitchen when really, you’ve whipped it up just before your date arrived. If you’re looking to truly wow your date, then this could be just the meal for you. Serve this Chicken piccata fresh and watch your date’s eyes light up.

Home cooking your first meal is one of the easiest ways to impress your date, instantly. You can be certain that you will delight anyone with these amazing meals. In fact, you may have a bigger chance of getting a second date using one of these recipes. And you can keep your kitchen well organized with these tips. 

Eight Simple Oven Recipes to Impress Your Other Half

If you’re anything like my partner and I, you probably love going out to a fancy dinner on date night. As for the lofty price tags on these menus…not so much. But what if I told you you could impress your other half just as easily with these simple oven recipes from home as you could with a sophisticated restaurant? I challenge you to test out one of these eight recipes on your next date night – and soon, you’ll see for yourself the wonders that a simple, home-cooked meal can work on an already-strong relationship!

Chicken Parmesan  Meatballs with Creamy Polenta

What could be more romantic or inviting than sharing a meatball with your partner? Silly as it may sound, the thought of love always calls to mind the iconic scene in the Disney film Lady and the Tramp, where the two amorous dogs take turns nudging the last meatball toward each other in a touching display of affection. While you may not want to stick your nose in these meatballs, you and your partner will want to savor their taste all night long.  

Easy Baked Gnocchi  with Tomatoes and Mozzarella

In my experience, the best way to impress your man (or woman) is with creamy comfort food that reminds them of their childhood. If your other half grew up in an Italian household like I did, they probably already have a love for gnocchi, a type of small, round potato dumplings often served like pasta. Naturally, baking it with sweet tomatoes and stretchy mozzarella can only make this nostalgic classic even better!

Sheet Pan Lemon  Parmesan Garlic Chicken & Veggies

Can you believe that this sophisticated date night dinner can be made in a single pan? That’s right: coat your chicken, pop it on a pan with some veggies and roast for a delicious date night meal that’s sure to satisfy. If you’re pressed for time, you might even consider using a halogen oven to speed up your baking time. Check out some of the best halogen ovens on CookBakeEat if you haven’t got one.

Medjool Date Apple  Bacon Pizza with Fontina Cheese and Arugula

Next time you’re tempted to have a lazy date night and order a delivery pizza, I dare you to buy the ingredients for this medjool date apple bacon pizza instead. Pizza making is a bonding activity that you and your partner will love – not to mention, the sophisticated depth of flavor in this particular pizza makes it a particularly stunning suggestion for date night.

Cornish Hens with  Cherry Sauce

This simple meal is perfect for the cook who is anything but adventurous, yet still wants to impress his or her other half! All you need to do to create this restaurant-worthy meal is roast the cornish hens (as you would a rotisserie chicken) and simmer the cherries over the stove for a delicious dinner your partner won’t believe is homemade. The recipe is so foolproof, even the worst cook could conquer it.

Garlicky Baked Shrimp

When you and your partner are both busy with work and other commitments, it can be difficult to make time for date night. Luckily, this recipe takes just 20 minutes of your time, so you can whip it together before your other half even gets home from work. Albeit speedy, the flavors in this meal are delicious and impressive, and I promise your partner will appreciate the effort to slow down and catch up after spending so much of your days apart.

Honey Mustard Salmon  in Foil

“Mustard” is a word that might stir up fear in some of the pickier eaters on this side of the globe, but trust me when I say that this recipe uses mustard in a creative and delicious way. This honey mustard sauce-covered salmon is the perfect recipe for impressing the seafood lover in your life who’s always looking to try new things and experiment with bold flavors. Especially if you’re someone who tends to walk on the cautious side of life, your adventurous partner will surely appreciate the effort to join him or her outside your comfort zone.

Triple Chocolate  Skillet Brownie

What date night would ever be complete without dessert? The brownie is a classic childhood dessert, but baking and serving it in a cast-iron skillet elevates it to a first-class treat at the end of a long day. Your favorite chocaholic will love savoring the sweet, melty chocolate and cold, creamy vanilla ice cream with you as you both ride off into the sunset.

These eight recipes may sound simple, but they’re more than enough to win over your other half on date night. Keep it up and you might just find yourself craving more and more date nights in the kitchen instead of the local restaurant.

Woman Gets Dumped On Valentine’s Day After Treating The Waitress Poorly

From a very young age, my grandmother told me to pay close attention to how my significant other treats waitstaff when we’re out at a restaurant. For some, it’s a way to see someone else’s “true colors” to see how they treat those who are there to “serve them.” For others, it’s not a huge deal. In my mind—if you treat a server poorly, you’re a complete piece of sh*t and I’m not going to go out with you again. Apparently, I’m not alone in feeling this way.

Reddit user lustfulspiritanimal shared a story on the subreddit “Tales From Your Server” about one couple’s Valentine’s Day date that went horribly, horribly wrong.

Last night I was taking care of a party of 16 and a few other tables of just couples. The party of 16 was needy, but they were aware of it and remained friendly…except “Angie”…

The first incident with “Angie” was not taking her order first. I went around the table, got to her, and she let out a “jfc, about time. People are thirsty.” I continued with drink orders, walking around the table to place coasters, started walking away and heard “excuse me miss, but where is my drink???” I tell her “I haven’t left the table yet. It will be here shorty.” Her boyfriend, “Luis,” apologizes for her and I carry on with my routine.

The second incident was when Angie ate Rebecca’s appetizer (which was dropped off by a food runner). Angie’s excuse (which she uses again later on…) “How am I supposed to know what I ordered?”

Luis: “Babe, you didnt even order an appetizer.”

Angie (looking right at me): “Well this dumb bitch shouldn’t have put it in front of me if it wasn’t mine.”

Once again, apologies from Luis on Angie’s behalf.

Things like this continue to happen throughout the night. But the group is fun and I ignore it. Everyone is in conversation when I bring the checks. Luis tells me to put them next to him and he will pass them out.

I’m having a conversation with a lovely couple on their first date when Angie walks over to the table and starts yelling. “You’re so fucking lazy that you can’t even hand our checks to us. You just throw them on the fucking table. How are we supposed to know what we ordered??? You need to get our ass back to our table and quit talking to your friends and do your fucking job!!!”

The guy from the table I was talking to just looked at her like “wtf? This crazy bitch.” I’m looking at him like “I know, right?”

I tell her that I’ll get a manager and she can speak with them. I tell my manager everything and she just gets this wonderfully evil smile on her face. She tells me not to return to the table and to give the interrupted couple the employee discount and a dessert.

As I’m doing this, I look over and see Angie and Luis talking to my manager. Angie is waving her arms around like a wacky inflatable man. My manager is still smiling like a creep. Luis is rolling his eyes. Everyone signs their checks and leaves. I pick them up and see that the tips on all of them have been scratched out. I walk outside and see Rebecca #2, ask her about it, and she gets visibly pissed, and has the entire part resign copies of their checks. Luis and his brother come up to me, apologize again, and hand me $40 cash.

Then the best thing ever happens.. Luis walks downstairs to Angie. I have no idea what he said. But the entire floor heard “YOU’RE GONNA DUMP ME FOR SOME STUPID WAITRESS??? FUCK HER! FUCK YOU! YOU’RE A DUMB BITCH TOO!”

It just goes to show you—being kind goes a long way. Being rude to servers is wrong to begin with, but, who knows—you could end up getting dumped on Valentine’s Day by your boyfriend for being an absolute nightmare of a human being.

h/t: Reddit.

Restaurant Offers To Pay For Your Wedding If You Propose There On Valentine’s Day

For many individuals in the world, they find someone they truly love and begin to plan a future with them. For some, this means the standard “engagement, marriage, kids, family, retirement,” mindset. While finding someone to spend your life with can be difficult as it is, having to pay for a ring and a wedding can be a lot of stress and pressure on an individual.

But, now, there’s a restaurant that is offering to pay for your entire wedding if you propose to your lover at their restaurant—on Valentine’s Day.

Primanti Bros. Restaurant and Bar is offering lucky and lovely couples all over the chance to not only have a delicious proposal—but, also, the ability to have a wedding that’s totally, 100% paid for. According to the details on their website, as long as you drop down on one knee at one of their restaurants in the U.S., they’ll pay for you and your wedding party to have a reception this summer:

This Valentine’s Day, Primanti Bros. Restaurant and Bar is giving you the chance to declare your love AND earn an all-expense-paid group wedding and reception to be held in summer 2019.

All you’ve got to do is get down on one knee, declare your love and ask your sweetheart to marry you on Valentine’s Day, Feb. 14, 2019, at any one of Primanti Bros. locations in Pennsylvania, Indiana, Maryland, Michigan, Ohio or West Virginia.

Additionally, the fine print reads:

The wedding ceremony and reception will be held in summer 2019 at Primanti Bros. original location in Pittsburgh’s Strip District Neighborhood, with the exact date to be determined based upon availability. The ceremony and reception will be held for all participants simultaneously and the total number of allowed guests may be limited. Specific details about the wedding ceremony and reception will be shared with participants after they’ve gotten engaged at Primanti Bros. on February 14, 2019. No purchase is necessary to be eligible.

You don’t even have to buy anything at the restaurant in order to get your free wedding, y’all—just go there and propose! What a treat! What a deal!

Check out more in information on how you can get a free wedding, all expenses paid, here. Happy love-day, y’all!

People Share The Best Way To Split The Bill When Out With Super Rich Friends

When you go out with friends to eat or grab drinks, one of the most awkward and uncomfortable things to deal with has to be when the check comes. Especially, when you’re out with friends who are just a bit richer than you. You often times feel the need to cover the check in order to make yourself feel as though you’re not as broke as people think you are. But, other times, you think your wealthier friends should grab this round. It does leave a bit of confusion to some: what is the right protocol when going out with your wealthy friends?  Does everyone pay just for their own meal and drinks or is the entire bill split evenly. Well, what if I order just a salad? Should I have to pay for some of your steaks. I didn’t eat it! Lucky for us, the people of the Internet have blessed us with tips on how to overcome this uncomfortable issue especially when everyone is wealthy, expect for yourself.

If you invite then you shall pay:

 I recently watched all the episodes of “House of Cards” about wealthy people like the fictional “Raymond Tusk – multi Billionaire” …I found the portrayals very realistic for a change. Their lives are not so different from ordinary middle-class folks. Most don’t drive Lamborghinis, etc. How do I know about rich people? Well, here in Monaco, that is pretty much the only kind of people around: Wealthy people who have moved here and bought a small apartment for a few million Euros…Why? Mainly because their tax savings exceed the apartment costs usually by a wide margin. So most make a million a year or more. I also know a lot of new millionaires from Silicon Valley who live in tax havens like this. They can veer in either direction — big newly rich show-offs who got their lifestyle clues from old movies, or more usually, humble, low-profile guys.

Thus, to answer the question, this is the real “protocol” that usually applies: The person who has invited the other person for lunch at a restaurant pays. Cash or credit card. They don’t have special staff around just to pay bills. I used to always pay the restaurant & bar bill for a prize-winning journalist friend from high school whom I perceived as not having too much dough. Then, years ago, he said “I don’t need you to treat me all the time so we should split the bill from now on.” And that’s what we did after that. Then there was my stock broker and a few others who MADE MONEY from me: They ALWAYS pick up the checks. I never do. I think that is how it works with most wealthy people. If they work for me I pick up the checks. I once had lunch with a guy who must have expected me to pay. I would have — except that he ordered crazy expensive wine at $200 a bottle. When the outrageous “La Addition” arrived, I was not shy & said, “Hey, I invited you, but you can cover the $400 for the wine you ordered.” He actually gave me an argument and claimed to have forgotten his wallet. That was the last time I ever saw that deadbeat schnorrer (i.e. moocher) or wanted to see him.
If invited to dine at somebody’s home, we all bring wine or flowers — usually. That’s what you should do whether wealthy or not. It’s just good manners.

If you go to dinner with someone much wealthier than you are, it is good form to say “Let me pay for my share!” Your host will almost always say “No, you are my guest.” But don’t order the most expensive things on the menu or $200 wine if you expect them to pay. When a consulting client and I go to lunch or dinner & he asks me PT type questions, he pays. If it is purely social & I invited him, I pay. Sometimes we split. No special rule.

If we are looking at it from a roaring 20’s, The Great Gatsby perspective:

“The very wealthy, especially old wealth or “old money” as it’s sometimes called, have a set of protocols as second nature to them as splitting the bill is to us. The ones I have glimpsed are as follows: They have an arrangement with the establishment, whether it’s an exclusive restaurant or Harrods. At the restaurant there is no bill. It is just handled.” 

It’s best when there is no fuss or drama over the check:

“I’m not super wealthy, myself, but I have friends who are. And my answer is a little counterintuitive. They usually pay. But it’s not because they’re rich – or, at least, not directly so. It’s that they reach a point where money isn’t a big deal, so they don’t like to waste time and energy on these issues. I.e. “Let’s get the damn thing paid, and let’s get out of here.” Or, by the same token, it’s totally OK if someone else wants to grab the check quickly and without fuss or drama. Just as long as it’s not a Thing. “

When dinner is similar to a business meeting:

“I eat out almost every day. Often twice a day. It’s either that we trade off: I buy one time, the person that I’m meeting with will buy the next. Or…If it’s someone that’s not as well off, even if they are asking for mentoring/advice, I pick the restaurant that I want to meet at, so I almost always pay.”

Or you find the really rich guy with too much pride to take you to dinner.

“Hell No. What kind of cheapskate do you want to be seen as? I figure that I make $2,000 per hour in passive income so as long as dinner for 4 or 8 or 12 isn’t $2,000, I figure it is no big deal. I have my own table at restaurants that I frequent. I have a saying “My table, my rules”. I almost never let anyone who is my guest at my table pay for dinner. I have allowed a few notable exceptions when the person invited me to dinner and they insist for whatever reason. I never split a check, I haven’t done that in 30 years.”

Woman Curses Guy Out After He Refuses To Pay $126 For Her Food On First Date

Deciding who pays on a date can be a little tricky. Historically, men on dates with women tend to pick up the tab for food, drinks, movie, etc. But times are changing, and now it’s not so automatic. A lot of people think the person who did the inviting should be the one to pay, while others are happy to go dutch.

It’s just not a given anymore that a man is going to pay for a woman on a date, which is great, because it’s actually a sexist tradition and one that makes no sense.

Recently, a man going by CuteBananaMuffin on Reddit posted screenshots of his text conversation with a woman who was absolutely furious that he didn’t pay for her very expensive dinner on their first date. He didn’t even know she was mad until he texted her asking for another date, and then she went off on him.


Since she was the one who did the inviting, our buddy CuteBananaMuffin assumed she’d be paying for her own food. Plus, she ordered LOBSTER. I mean, why do that if you’re expecting someone else to pay? That’s a lot of money. And on top of that, as he mentioned, he’s just a student. How could he be expected to afford that?

Wow, she’s living in the past if she thinks the man is ALWAYS going to pay. Come on.

Well, at least he was honest with her!

Speaking to Bored Panda, Mr. Muffin explained,

“The date was fun at first until she started talking about another guy and how much he liked him, but I thought ‘let’s eat, talk and leave’ since she’s into another guy, and it all crumbled when it came to the bill. She was shocked that I let her pay. She didn’t say anything at the time, but from her facial expression, I realized she was furious.

I usually pay for both sides when it comes to the bill, but I’m a student and I work 60 hours a week to pay for food, books etc. so I obviously couldn’t afford to pay 110 euros for her food. I asked her out again to apologize pretty much for the previous time, hoping we can go to a cheaper place so I could make up for it, but as you can see, the result was really bad…”

Reddit users sounded off in the comments and pretty much everybody agreed with Muffin.


Time for this lady to join us here in the present, where women can have jobs and pay for themselves (and even their dates if they want!) when they go out. Also, again: LOBSTER?!

h/t: Bored Panda

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