Becky Hansard recalls coming home after school to a house filled with the mouth-watering aromas of dinner cooking in the oven. It's a memory the educator wanted her son to experience even though she might put in 10- to 12-hour days at school.
"I work away from home, but I still wanted my house to smell like 'home and good food' when my son came in from school each day - just like it did when I was little and came home to all kinds of good smells related to cooking," says the headmaster at Silverdale Baptist Academy.
"I used 'dump' recipes for the crockpot so that when Sam came home, he instantly got that aroma of something good waiting for him. The crockpot allowed me to cook while at work."
Dump dishes are a mom's (or dad's) go-to recipes for prepping meals in minutes. They are easy, tasty dishes that don't require a lot of time chopping, slicing, stirring and mixing ingredients - and they can be made in one skillet, dish or crockpot. The recipes are usually built on a handful of ingredients normally kept at home that the cook can literally just dump together.
These recipes are the salvation of time-starved parents who walk in the house after work, ball practices and dance rehearsals, yet still need to get dinner on the table immediately. Dump dishes made in crockpots are as easy as two steps: 1) dump ingredients in the slow cooker before leaving in the morning, 2) set it on low and go.
"My favorite is a taco soup that you don't even have to brown the ground beef," says Jill Cavan, a retired educator. "It's a great go-to - dump it and cook! I can have it loaded and cooking in less than 15 minutes. It feeds plenty and is a hit with my husband, son and daughter-in-law."
Cathy Mitchell gained late-night fame as the television spokeswoman for "As Seen On TV" products such as Pasta Boat, GT Xpress countertop grill and Turbo Cooker. But with the success of her two "Dump" cookbooks, she's doing cooking demos on the "Today" show and "Steve Harvey Show." Her gimmick is pitching recipes that use six or less ingredients.
Her first book, "Quick and Easy Dump Cakes," sold more than 1 million copies, and she followed up with a second, "Quick and Easy Dump Dinners." Both sell on Home Shopping Network and at Walmart.
Contact Susan Pierce at spierce@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6284.
Dump dish recipes
Taco Soup 1 pound ground beef or ground turkey 1 can black beans, rinsed and drained 1 10-ounce can diced tomatoes with green chilies 1 14.5-ounce can diced tomatoes 1 can corn, drained 1 packet taco seasoning 1 packet ranch dressing seasoning mix Salt and pepper, to taste Combine all ingredients in the slow cooker. Cook on high for 4 hours, or on low for approximately 6 hours. Separate the ground beef before serving. May top with fresh cilantro, grated cheese and sour cream. Serve with hot cornbread. - Jill Cavan Chicken Parmigiana 1 egg 1 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon pepper 6 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves 1 cup Italian breadcrumbs 2-4 tablespoons butter 14-ounce jar pizza sauce 6 slices mozzarella cheese Grated Parmesan cheese Beat egg, salt and pepper together. Dip chicken into egg mixture, then coat with bread-crumbs. Sauté chicken in butter in skillet. Arrange chicken in slow cooker. Pour pizza sauce over chicken. Cover and cook on low 6 to 8 hours. Layer mozzarella cheese over top and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Cook an additional 15 minutes. Makes 6 servings. - Becky Hansard Cuppa Cuppa Cuppa Cup of milk Cup of sugar Cup of flour One large can of sliced peaches 1 stick butter Heat oven to 350 degrees. Mix milk, sugar and flour together. Melt the stick of butter in bottom of baking dish. Dump the milk mixture over the butter. Dump can of peaches (juice and all) on top of that. Stir gently or don't stir at all. Bake for 40 minutes. - Becky Hansard Cola Roast 1 pot roast 1 packet dry onion soup mix 1 can Coca-Cola Place pot roast in crockpot. Sprinkle dry onion soup mix over roast. Pour in the soda. Cook on low for 8 hours. - budget101.com Teriyaki Dump Chicken 1 clove garlic, crushed 1/3 cup soy sauce 2 tablespoons rice wine or sherry 1 1/2 tablespoons cider vinegar 1 1/2 tablespoons brown sugar 1/2 tablespoon minced ginger 1 1/2 pounds chicken pieces. Place all ingredients into a 1-gallon freezer bag. Lay flat in freezer. When ready to cook, take bag out of freezer the night before, making sure the freezer bag is completely sealed. Lay bag flat on refrigerator shelf furthest from the freezer to thaw. When bag is thawed, put chicken in the bottom of the crockpot. Dump remaining ingredients over the chicken. Cook on low for 6 to 8 hours, or on high for 4 to 6 hours. - budget101.com Deeply D'lish Pizza 1 can biscuit dough 1 cup marinara sauce Pepperoni slices Sliced black olives 1 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded Heat oven to 325 degrees. Cut each biscuit into six pieces and drop in bottom of glass or ceramic baking pan sprayed with nonstick spray. Cut pepperoni slices into quarters and distribute over biscuits. Add sliced olives. Using one cup marinara sauce, add layer of sauce in dollops across pan. Do not cover entire surface. Sprinkle with layer of cheese. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes. - Cathy Mitchell, "Quick and Easy Dump Dinners" Slow Cooker Cherry Delight 1 21-ounce can cherry pie filling 1/2 cup melted butter 1 package yellow cake mix 1/3 cup chopped walnuts Coat the inside of a crockpot with nonstick cooking spray. Dump pie filling into crockpot In a mixing bowl, stir butter with cake mix. Spread cake mix over pie filling in an even layer. Sprinkle walnuts over cake mixture. Cover and cook on low for 3 to 4 hours, or on high for 90 minutes to 2 hours. -Cathy Mitchell, "Quick and Easy Dump Cakes"