DINNER IN MINUTES

Linda Gassenheimer
Linda Gassenheimer has been writing for the Herald since 1987. Her column, Dinner in Minutes, features quick and easy dinners using foods bought in one stop at the supermarket. Her Helpful Hints and Shopping List make getting dinner on the table a no-brainer event. Linda is the author of fourteen cookbooks. Her newest books are The Portion Plan: How to Eat the Foods You Love and Still Lose Weight and Prevention's Fit and Fast Meals in Minutes. You can hear Linda on WLRN 91.3 FM every Thursday 1:30-2 p.m. Visit Linda's Web site, DinnerInMinutes.com, for quick and easy recipes.

Email Linda at lgassenheimer@miamiherald.com.

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Dinner in Minutes

Add fireworks to your holiday meal with Buffalo-style shrimp

Fiery Buffalo Shrimp with Celery Sticks and Corn on the Cob

There will be fireworks at your table when you serve these sautéed shrimp cooked Buffalo-style. Buffalo wings originated at a bar in the New York city of the same name. The amount of hot pepper is up to your taste.

Dinner in minutes

Dinner’s a wrap with salmon and vegetable packets

Fresh salmon topped with vegetables and dill are cooked in a parcel to make a light summer supper. Steamed in its own juices, the fish is succulent and the vegetables are cooked just right.
Dinner in minutes

Pepper flakes perk up shrimp and pasta

Pasta is dressed up with shrimp, zucchini and red bell pepper in this 15-minute meal. The vegetables cook for a couple of minutes in a skillet, white wine is added, and shrimp cooks for a few more minutes in the white wine sauce. The shrimp remain juicy and tender this way.
Dinner in minutes

One-pan pork salad makes it a holiday for the cook, too

Try this quick and easy barbecue pork salad for Memorial Day weekend. It has a barbecue flavor without heating up the grill. This is a one-pot meal that’s great for two, or increase the recipe for a crowd.
Dinner in Minutes

Make Mom’s day with easy pasta salad

Make this quick Roasted Chicken Pasta Salad for Mom on her day and enjoy a family meal at home. It uses only one pot, won’t heat up your kitchen and takes only 20 minutes to make.
Dinner in minutes

Crusty scallops bed down on spinach

Chopped peanuts and flaked coconut form a savory-sweet crust for fresh scallops. Sauté the scallops and serve them on a bed of sautéed spinach flavored with coconut milk. Rice microwaved for a minute, tossed with shredded carrots and also flavored with coconut milk makes a quick side dish. The carrots get slightly cooked in the heat of the cooked rice.
Dinner in minutes

Juicy chicken gets zippy, crunchy coating

Horseradish mixed with mayonnaise gives zip to boneless, skinless chicken thighs, while panko bread crumbs form a golden crust. Chicken thighs have great flavor and remain juicy when sautéed.
Dinner in minutes

Lamb steaks make festive dinner for two

Lamb steaks drizzled with mint pesto sauce is a perfect dish for this holiday weekend or any weeknight dinner. Slices of lamb are cut from the leg to make a steak 3/4- to 1-inch thick with a round bone in the center. They are sometimes displayed in the meat case, or you can ask the butcher to cut them for you. They make juicy and tender steaks.
Dinner in minutes

Welcome spring with salmon and asparagus

Salmon with olive tapenade served with fettuccini and asparagus is a great harbinger of spring. Pan-searing the salmon makes it crisp on the outside and tender and moist inside. The salmon takes only a few minutes to cook this way.
Dinner in minutes

A wine-spiked bath yields moist, flavorful salmon

Poaching salmon in white wine produces a moist, flavorful result. Broccoli and carrots, poached with the salmon, add to the flavor and the resulting sauce. Sautéed grape tomatoes complete the dish.
Dinner in minutes

Baked shrimp are juicy and flavorful

Baked Shrimp and a Love Apple side dish is a 15-minute dinner that’s perfect for Valentine’s Day or any day. The cooking method leaves the shrimp juicy, firm and flavorful.
Dinner in minutes

Soup is a comforting meal in a bowl

Known as Pasta e Fagioli, this soup may be one of Italy’s most famous soups. The combination of pasta and beans is heart-warming, and can be served for two or a crowd. It’s perfect to serve to friends during Super Bowl. Leave the pot on the stove for everyone to help themselves.
Dinner in minutes

Tangy mustard sauce flavors lean pork

A tangy, Dijon mustard sauce flavors juicy, tender pork for this French-style dinner. Red peppers and tomatoes tossed with pasta complete this quick meal.