Can't seem to get dinner on the table? Get professional help

YAKIMA, Wash. -- As a busy sales representative for a cellular company, Toni Benetti-Flabretich worked 50 hours a week, covering a territory that covered all of Eastern Washington. But at night she still had dinner on the table for her husband and child.

It's a feat that can leave any working parent with activity-driven kids in awe. But for Benetti-Flabretich, it was just life.

"When we were kids, there wasn't an option that we weren't sitting at that dinner table," she said.

That lesson stuck with her when she left the telecommunications world several years ago to start her own business helping Yakima Valley families eat a good meal every night.

Her business -- 2 Busy 2 Cook, at 6002 Summitview Ave. -- offers precooked, homemade meals for busy families. Customers can select from a handful of options in the to-go freezer -- including raviolis and sauces --or choose from a larger menu if they order at least 24 hours ahead, she said. The business also has a licensed catering arm -- Catering Creations by Toni -- and will be expanding into private parties and wine tastings later this year.

2 Busy 2 Cook began as a personal chef service, in which Benetti-Flabretich would go to a customer's home and cook two weeks' worth of meals a time. But the work wasn't her passion.

"What I really wanted to do is fresh dinners -- you preorder your dinners, we cook them," she said.

Now, with a staff of four full- and two part-time employees, the business makes food to order. The minimum 24-hour window allows the 2 Busy 2 Cook chefs enough time to make the meal and then safely cool and package it. The customer then takes it home, reheats and serves. Benetti-Flabretich says she can do some customization, including gluten-free and vegan, and is willing to work with customers.

Benetti-Flabretich said the business sees lots of gift certificates for cancer patients or others who are unable to cook.

"If there's something that you're looking for, we'll be happy to make it for you," she said.

The cost isn't any more expensive than eating out, she said, and the quality is often higher.

"We care what our food tastes like," she said. "We have chefs in here that have worked in restaurants."

Like most parents, Benetti-Flabretich's training is all experience. She's never worked in a restaurant or trained as a chef. Instead, she just has a passion for helping busy people eat well.

"We've always been interested in cooking," she said. "I've always managed to have dinner on the table."

The key, she said, is in the planning. When families wait until they're hungry to decide on dinner, that's not time effective.

"(Dinner) is just not planned anymore. It's so last minute," she said. "When we were raised, my mom planned out the week. That just stuck with me."

Planning at least a week ahead is key to successfully getting a meal on the table, she said. She and husband Dennis Flabretich -- who works at Del Monte Foods in Toppenish as well as making most of the dressings and sauces for 2 Busy 2 Cook -- would sit down on Sunday nights with their son and a pile of magazines and everyone would get to pick one recipe to cook. It was a family activity that kept her son interested in the meals.

"He'd pick a recipe, and we'd cook it," she said.

At first, all that planning can feel time consuming and dull, but makes a big difference in the long run, she said.

"It seems monotonous at first, but when you get home, it's ready and it's done," she said.

Her other tip? Keep it simple.

The most popular dishes at 2 Busy 2 Cook -- such as Benetti-Flabretich's traditional lasagna -- are just simple, hearty recipes.

Stick with "The basics that taste really good rather than try to come up with out of-the-box" recipes, she said. "Marinades work really well when you're on a time-crunch."

Another key is to use recipes that are flexible, such as the following recipe for Alder Smoked Chicken Rigatoni from 2 Busy 2 Cook chef Greg Keeton. It's a very versatile recipe, Benetti-Flabretich said. It can be made in large batches and enjoyed throughout the week, or the sauce can be made separately and used in different ways.

"You can even take the sauce and put it with pasta, and then take it and put it over a chicken breast," she said.

Alder Smoked Chicken Rigatoni

By Chef Greg Keeton

Six 6-ounce smoked chicken breasts, cut into 1/2-inch cubes

8 ounces of cranberry chutney (recipe follows)

Sauce:

1 medium onion, finely chopped

6 ounces olive oil

4 ounces coarsely chopped fresh spinach

1 whole bulb of chopped garlic (approximately 16 cloves)

4 ounces champagne

4 ounces grated parmesan cheese

6 ounces roasted hazelnuts, coarsely chopped

1 quart of heavy cream

11/2 ounces chopped basil

1/2 ounces of chopped cilantro

1 ounces of rosemary (stems removed and chopped finely)

1/2 bunch of chopped parsley

4 ounces cooked rigatoni

For sauce: In sauce pan, add half of the chopped garlic and half of the olive oil. Saut until tender, add basil, rosemary, cilantro and parsley, cook until limp. Add the cream and reduce by 1/3, careful not to scorch the cream.

For chicken: Heat the olive oil in sauce pan. Add the chicken, remaining garlic and spinach and cook until spinach is wilted. Add the cranberry chutney and champagne, reduce by half.

Add rigatoni noodles, sauce and bring to a boil. Add the parmesan cheese, reduce to a simmer and cook until cheese is incorporated. Top with roasted hazelnuts and serve.

Cranberry Chutney

8 ounces dried cranberries

4 ounces each of Apple juice, orange juice, cranberry juice

1 onion, finely chopped

11/2 ounce chopped basil

1/2 ounce chopped cilantro

1 ounce chopped rosemary

1/2 bunch chopped parsley

Mix altogether.

2 Busy 2 Cook

See the menus online at http://2busy2cook.com or call 509-969-0048. There is also a rotating menu with seasonal recipes. Orders for meals must be placed by 9 a.m. a day in advance. A selection of frozen meals, including sauces and handmade raviolis, can be picked up from 4-6 p.m. Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday at 6002 Summitview Ave. in Yakima.