Hey MSSouthernGirl i can pass along some ideas for ya. and heck yes i get big time busy durning the week as well. But here is a few recipes i love to make and my wife loves to make as well.

Beef Daube Provençal <—- Thats a GOOD hearty soup. This is what u need. i'll copy paste i have it written on my note pad

Ingredients

• 2  teaspoons  olive oil
• 12  garlic cloves, crushed
• 1  (2-pound) boneless chuck roast, trimmed and cut into 2-inch cubes
• 1 1/2  teaspoons  salt, divided
• 1/2  teaspoon  freshly ground black pepper, divided
• 1  cup  red wine
• 2  cups  chopped carrot
• 1 1/2  cups  chopped onion
• 1/2  cup  less-sodium beef broth
• 1  tablespoon  tomato paste
• 1  teaspoon  chopped fresh rosemary
• 1  teaspoon  chopped fresh thyme
• Dash of ground cloves
• 1  (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes, undrained
• 1  bay leaf
• 3  cups  hot cooked medium egg noodles (about 4 cups uncooked noodles)
• Chopped fresh thyme (optional)

Preparation

Preheat oven to 300°.

Heat olive oil in a small Dutch oven over low heat. Add garlic to pan; cook for 5 minutes or until garlic is fragrant, stirring occasionally. Remove garlic with a slotted spoon; set aside. Increase heat to medium-high. Add beef to pan. Sprinkle beef with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper. Cook 5 minutes, browning on all sides. Remove beef from pan. Add wine to pan, and bring to a boil, scraping pan to loosen browned bits. Add garlic, beef, remaining 1 teaspoon salt, remaining 1/4 teaspoon pepper, carrot, and next 8 ingredients (through bay leaf) to pan; bring to a boil.

Cover and bake at 300° for 2 1/2 hours or until beef is tender. Discard bay leaf. Serve over noodles. Garnish with chopped fresh thyme, if desired.

Note: To make in a slow cooker, prepare through Step 2. Place beef mixture in an electric slow cooker. Cover and cook on HIGH for 5 hours.

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Cornflake-Crusted Halibut with Chile-Cilantro Aioli <—- thats a great dinner item it fills u up fast and it awsome if u have guests over

Ingredients

• Aioli:
• 2  tablespoons  minced fresh cilantro
• 3  tablespoons  fat-free mayonnaise
• 1  serrano chile, seeded and minced
• 1  garlic clove, minced
• Fish:
• 1  cup  fat-free milk
• 1  large egg white, lightly beaten
• 2  cups  cornflakes, finely crushed
• 1/4  cup  all-purpose flour (about 1 ounce)
• 1/2  teaspoon  salt
• 1/4  teaspoon  black pepper
• 2  tablespoons  olive oil
• 4  (6-ounce) halibut fillets
• 4  lemon wedges

Preparation

To prepare aioli, combine cilantro, mayonnaise, serrano, and minced garlic, stirring well.

To prepare fish, combine milk and egg white in a shallow dish, stirring well with a whisk. Combine cornflakes, flour, salt, and black pepper in another shallow dish.

Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Dip fish in milk mixture, and dredge in cornflake mixture. Add fish to pan, and cook 4 minutes on each side or until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork or until desired degree of doneness. Serve fish with aioli and lemon wedges.

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Roasted Chicken with Onions, Potatoes, and Gravy <—- This dish is so mouth watering you will be going back for seconds i promise..

Ingredients

• 1  (4-pound) roasting chicken
• 1 1/4  teaspoons  salt, divided
• 3/4  teaspoon  freshly ground black pepper, divided
• 4  oregano sprigs
• 1  lemon, quartered
• 1  celery stalk, cut into 2-inch pieces
• Cooking spray
• 2  tablespoons  butter, melted
• 2  pounds  medium yellow onions, peeled and each cut into 8 wedges
• 2  pounds  small red potatoes, cut into (1-inch) wedges
• 1/4  cup  all-purpose flour (about 1 ounce)
• 1  (14-ounce) can fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth, divided

Preparation

Preheat oven to 425°.

Remove and discard giblets and neck from chicken. Trim excess fat. Starting at neck cavity, loosen skin from breast and drumsticks by inserting fingers, gently pushing between skin and meat. Combine 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper; rub under loosened skin and over breast and drumsticks. Place oregano sprigs, quartered lemon, and celery pieces into body cavity. Lift wing tips up and over back; tuck under chicken. Tie legs together with string. Place chicken, breast side up, on the rack of a broiler pan coated with cooking spray.

Combine 1/2 teaspoon salt, remaining 1/4 teaspoon pepper, melted butter, onions, and potatoes in a large bowl, and toss well to coat. Arrange onion mixture around chicken on rack. Place rack in pan. Bake at 425° for 20 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 325° (do not remove pan from oven); bake an additional 1 hour and 10 minutes or until onions and potatoes are tender and a thermometer inserted into meaty part of chicken thigh registers 165°. Set chicken, onions, and potatoes aside; cover and keep warm.

Place a zip-top plastic bag inside a 2-cup glass measure. Pour pan drippings into bag; let stand 10 minutes (fat will rise to the top). Seal bag; carefully snip off 1 bottom corner of bag. Drain drippings into a small saucepan, stopping before fat layer reaches opening; discard fat. Combine remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt, flour, and 1/2 cup chicken broth in a small bowl, stirring with a whisk. Add flour mixture and remaining chicken broth to saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium; cook 5 minutes or until gravy thickens, stirring frequently with a whisk. Carve chicken; serve with gravy and onion mixture. Garnish with lemon wedges and oregano sprigs, if desired.

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And for a good after dinner dessert i suggest this: Almond Joy Cheesecake <—– Best cheesecake you will ever have!!

Ingredients

• Crust:
• 1 1/4  cups  chocolate graham cracker crumbs
• 1/2  cup  sliced almonds
• 1/4  teaspoon  salt
• 4  tablespoons  unsalted butter, melted
• Filling:
• 2  8-oz. packages cream cheese, at room temperature
• 1/2  cup  sugar
• 3  large eggs, at room temperature
• 1/2  teaspoon  vanilla extract
• 1  cup  canned cream of coconut
• 1/2  teaspoon  salt
• Topping (optional):
• 1/2  cup  canned cream of coconut
• 1/2  cup  heavy cream
• 12  ounces  semisweet chocolate, chopped
• Toasted coconut
• Sliced almonds

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 350ºF. Make crust: In a bowl, mix graham cracker crumbs, almonds and salt with a flexible spatula. Stir in melted butter until dry ingredients are lightly moistened. Press mixture into bottom of a 9-inch springform pan. Wrap outside of pan tightly with two layers of aluminum foil. Bake for 10 minutes. Cool on a wire rack. Leave foil on.

2. Make filling: Using an electric mixer on medium speed, beat cream cheese and sugar until well combined and light, about 2 minutes. Scrape down sides and bottom of bowl and beat again until smooth. Beat in eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Scrape down bowl again. Beat in vanilla, cream of coconut and salt. (Pour remaining cream of coconut into a small bowl, cover it with plastic and refrigerate to use later in topping.) Pour filling onto crust. Transfer springform pan to a roasting pan; fill roasting pan with hot tap water until it reaches 1 inch up sides of springform pan.

3. Bake for 1 hour, until filling is set but still a bit jiggly in center (it will firm up as it cools). Take springform pan out of roasting pan and remove foil. Let cake cool on a wire rack for 1 hour.

4. Lightly cover cheesecake with plastic wrap and refrigerate until cold and firm, at least 6 hours.

5. Make topping: Pour cream of coconut and heavy cream into a saucepan and warm over medium-low heat until mixture is just simmering. In a bowl, pour mixture over chocolate and whisk until melted and mixture is smooth. Let it cool. Pour 1/2 cup to 1 cup topping over cheesecake, spreading with an offset spatula. Garnish with toasted coconut and sliced almonds, if desired. Chill until chocolate mixture has set, about 10 minutes. Run a sharp paring knife around inside of pan; release sides. Slice and serve.

I hope this helps you MSSouthernGirl =) and to anyone else i hope i helped in menu ideas for future dinners an desserts..