My focused work on Monday afternoon was preparing our tax returns. There didn't seem to be a logical breaking point until after 5 PM, and I still had to make dinner for the family. The afternoon had really gotten away from me. I briefly considered getting take-out. Then I decided I could probably make something with what we had on hand that would satisfy all, not require a lot of my energy or time, and not break the bank.
For a main dish I chose hot dogs in toasted bread wraps. I had hot dogs and a loaf of soft wheat bread in the freezer. The bread needs to be both soft in the interior as well as have a soft crust (for flexibility when forming into wraps).
For each hot dog wrap, I used 1 hot dog and 1 slice of bread. I put the bread into a plastic bag and microwaved it briefly to soften up the slices.
I then buttered one side of each slice of bread. I also buttered the inside of a square pyrex baking dish.
I placed a hot dog on the diagonal of a slice of bread on the unbuttered side. Buttering the bread helps the exterior of the wrap crisp up. The bread-wrapped hot dogs were placed side by side in the buttered baking dish. I baked the batch at 375 degrees F for 25 minutes.
At this point, the outsides of each wrap were crispy, toasted, and buttery. As you can see, they hold their folded shape after baking.
One of the side dishes I chose for this dinner was equally easy, honey-mustard carrots. Simply a can of carrots heated through in a saucepan with a squirt of mustard, a spoonful of honey, a blob of butter, a dash of salt, and a tablespoon or two of water. This is a favorite side dish of mine because it's so easy, yet very tasty.
An easy-to-make dinner that was also easy on the budget. What more could I ask on my busy day?!
What are your go-to, easy-to-make dinners that don't break the bank for busy days that get away from you?
