The Lady of the house is always complaining that she does not know what to cook. And is bored with the same old thing week in and week out.
So I am asking my TNF Food Gourmets. If you would post some of you're favorite eats and how to make them.
Please.....I am begging you. No 15 ingredient meals that dirty 7 pots and multiple plates to make one dinner.
I cringe everytime I watch D.D.&D and the Chef is adding things faster than I can pause the DVR and take notes.
I have read some of you're recipes randomly posted, and think that this would be a great idea to spring some of them on her and she might be surprised by some of the creations.
Thanks in advance. And how cool would a Tulsa Now cook book be? :)
What kind of recipes? Both my husband and I work full time and we have two kids, I have tons of simple stuff, pretty yummy . . . I'm happy to share, give me a little guidances and I'll put a few out here. I love to cook and when I have the time (weekends or dinner parties) I go all out, but weekday has to be simple and easy and quick!!
Baked, Pan fry, Boil. Just about anything not BBQ. I got that. Just 2 to 3 item meals. Meat, Veggie, Starch etc. etc. It can be Fish, Chicken, Beef (No Deer)
We both get home late. So something that doesn't require 4 hours during the week. But include those also for possible weekend cooking.
Here's my poor man's French onion soup. Use the cheapest beef you can find. I made it with venison too, but the deer was probably older and tougher than me.
Cheap beef roast - cubed
2 cans beef consomme.
Worchestershire sauce to taste
1-2 coarsely chopped onions
Lemon juice (optional)
Black pepper
Provolone or mozzarella cheese
French or Italian bread
Beer
In a big soup pot, brown the beef in a bit of oil or butter, then remove it. Saute the chopped onion until it's translucent, then return the beef to the pot. Add the consomme and two cans of water, some Worchestershire sauce, and pepper. Lemon is a flavor intensifier, so add a teaspoon or so. Bring it to a boil, then cover and simmer until the beef is tender, usually an hour or so. Go have a beer.
When it's done, ladle the soup into bowls and top with grated cheese. If desired, put the bowls under a broiler to melt the cheese and brown it slightly. Serve with fresh bread and more beer.
I can't have this anymore and you cannot realize how much I want it!
Quick pasta dinner.
This was a favorite for my kids.
Bag of shells or rotini
Sliced pepperoni cut in quarters
Big jar of spaghetti sauce
Shredded mozzarella cheese
Cook the pasta in boiling water until it's al dente -still slightly firm and chewy. Drain. Mix in the spaghetti sauce until the pasta is coated. A bit of extra sauce is OK because the pasta will absorb the moisture. Mix in the pepperoni a little at a time because it tends to clump. Transfer the mixture to a casserole dish. Cover the top with shredded cheese and bake at 350 for about half an hour until the cheese begins to brown. Have a beer while waiting.
Ed I like you're waiting routine.
Quote from: DolfanBob on December 28, 2012, 01:18:38 PM
Ed I like you're waiting routine.
If something took too long to cook, my table manners went downhill rapidly.
Here's another idea that uses an electric fry pan. I think this came out of my old Betty Crocker cookbook. It's an excellent resource for easy-to-prepare meals.
Bacon
Chicken cut in quarters
Red cooking wine
Can of chicken stock
Flour
Salt
Pepper
Bag of frozen vegetables for stew
Cook the bacon and remove it from the pan. Mix flour, salt, and pepper. Dredge the chicken in it, then brown it in the bacon grease. Spoon the grease out of the pan, then add the chicken stock and about half a cup of red cooking wine. Add the vegetables and set the pan to simmer. It's a good idea to add extra potatoes cut in quarters. In our house, there's no such thing as too many potatoes. Cook until the chicken is done, usually 75-90 minutes. That's enough time for 2-3 beers. Mind your table manners. Crumble the cooked bacon over the top when you serve the chicken.
One-pot
This has many ingredients but is easy. We use a 5 qt cast iron kettle / Dutch Oven.
Meat: Usually beef. A roast cut into small cubes or ground beef. We have also used ground buffalo. Chicken or pork may work well too.
Onions: chopped
Beans: We usually use a can each Bush's Black Beans and Pinto beans, rinsed to get rid of the salt and sauce in the can. A small colander works fine.
Tomato: Usually a can of diced tomatoes, rinsed same as the beans.
Celery or Green Pepper: chopped
Mushrooms: Small can of pieces and stems, rinsed.
Barley or Rice: About 1/3 cup to soak up some liquid. Use the long cook type, not the quick cook. (I recently found Pearled Barley in the Bixby Reasors in the soup section with the dried bean soup kits. The Jenks Reasors has it in the bulk grain section.)
Seasoning: The easiest is Italian Seasoning with maybe a bit of Ground Cumin, but easy on the Cumin or it will taste like Chili. Always Garlic, power or fresh but not Garlic Salt since we are low salt here. Mostly we just pick things that look good that day but include several of: Basil, Thyme, Oregano, Garlic, Chives, Cilantro, Black Pepper. If you like things warm, add some Cayenne or other hot pepper. Mom can't handle the hot stuff so I add it later.
Start the meat with some olive or other cooking oil (no motor oil please) in the bottom of the pot. After some browning, drain off excess grease if desired. Add the onions (and some more oil if the grease was drained) to give them a start. When the onions are starting to get translucent, add the rest of the stuff and enough water to almost cover everything. Stir everything up. Bring it all to a boil then back off to a simmer, stirring occasionally, until the barley or rice is done which is usually within an hour.
Depending on how much water you boil off, serve in a bowl on on a plate. Add some grated Parmesan Cheese on top and maybe some crushed red peppers.
It's different every time since we don't use a "fixed" recipe. You should also see plenty of opportunity to customize this to your own tastes.
Put bread in toaster.
Push button down and wait till it comes back up.
Remove toast.
Add butter and or jelly as desired.
Quote from: RecycleMichael on December 28, 2012, 02:48:32 PM
Put bread in toaster.
Connect toaster to source of power ;D
Push button down and wait till it comes back up.
Remove toast.
Add butter and or jelly as desired.
Quote from: RecycleMichael on December 28, 2012, 02:48:32 PM
Put bread in toaster.
Push button down and wait till it comes back up.
Remove toast.
Add butter and or jelly as desired.
(https://encrypted-tbn1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQku1cD461h0g0KY9An_eKWhFe275HV0mFL3a59rVveWZpw_uvEdw)
Mike. You're so simple. ;D
Pulled pork shoulder. You can use this for any number of other recipes during the week, breakfast, lunch, or dinner.
7 to 8 pound pork shoulder, bone in
1 cup red wine
sea salt
white pepper
fresh ground black pepper
chile powder
cumin (or if you use a prepared "chili" powder, it likely has cumin in it, we always cook with 100% pure Hatch chile powder we bring back from New Mexico every year)
All the dry ingredients, start with 1 TBSP each. To be honest, I never measure them, I just add about equal amounts and it seems I get it right every time.
1/2 white or yellow onion chopped into large cubes
1/2 to 3/4 head of garlic, shelled and chopped
4-5 bay leaves
Add water to cover roast, set crock pot on low and go to work. If the kids get home mid-afternoon you might have them check and add more water to the pot if it's evaporating around the lid. You can set it on high if you have six or less hours to let it cook. The meat is incredibly fall apart tender every time. You can use it for tacos, burritos, pizza topping, pulled pork sandwiches, make a modified eggs benedict recipe, green chile stew, etc.
That's one way MC and I economize cooking time during the week is often doing a large batch of proteins on the weekend. If I fire up the grill for Saturday dinner, I usually throw on several other items to re-heat during the week. That helps give you some better variety having protein on hand and already cooked. MC is the master of going through the fridge and piecing together an amazing meal in very little time. I'm truly a blessed man!
Quote from: RecycleMichael on December 28, 2012, 02:48:32 PM
Put bread in toaster.
Push button down and wait till it comes back up.
Remove toast.
Add butter and or jelly as desired.
Whoa, slow down.
Quick Beef Wellington
• a 3 1/2-pound fillet of beef tied with thin sheets of larding fat at room temperature
• 3/4 pound mushrooms, chopped fine
• 2 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1/2 pound pâté de foie gras (available at Petty's) at room temperature
• 1 pound puff paste or thawed frozen puff pastry plus additional for garnish if desired
• 1 large egg white beaten
• an egg wash made by beating 1 large egg yolk with 1 teaspoon of water
• 1/2 cup Sercial Madeira
• 2 teaspoons arrowroot dissolved in 1 teaspoon cold water
• 1/2 cup beef broth
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped black truffles (from the Périgord
region of France).
• watercress for garnish if desired
In a roasting pan roast the beef in the middle of a preheated 400°F oven for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the thermometer registers 120°F. Let the fillet cool completely and discard the larding fat and the strings. Skim the fat from the pan juices and reserve the pan juices.
In a heavy skillet cook the mushrooms in the butter over moderately low heat, stirring, until all the liquid they give off is evaporated and the mixture is dry, season them with salt and pepper, and let them cool completely. Spread the fillet evenly with the pâté de foie gras, covering the top and sides, and spread the mushrooms evenly over the pâté de foie gras. On a floured surface roll 1 pound of the puff paste into a rectangle about 20- by 12- inches, or large enough to enclose the fillet completely, invert the coated fillet carefully under the middle of the dough, and fold up the long sides of the dough to enclose the fillet brushing the edges of the dough with some of the egg white to seal them. Fold ends of the dough over the fillet and seal them with the remaining egg white.
Transfer the fillet, seam side down to a shallow roasting pan and brush the dough with some of the egg wash. Roll out the additional dough and cut into decorative elm and maple leaf shapes. Use the back of the knife to imprint veining into the pastry leaves. Arrange the cutouts on the dough decoratively, brush them with the remaining egg wash, and chill the fillet for at least 1 hour and up to 2 hours.
Bake the fillet in the middle of a preheated 400°F oven for 30 minutes, reduce the heat to 350°, and bake the fillet for 5 to 10 minutes more, or until the meat thermometer registers 130°F. for medium-rare meat and the pastry is cooked through. Let the fillet stand for 15 minutes.
In a saucepan boil the reserved pan juices and the Madeira until the mixture is reduced by one fourth. Add the arrowroot mixture, the broth, the truffles, and salt and pepper to taste and cook the sauce over moderate heat, stirring, being careful not to let it boil, for 5 minutes, or until it is thickened. Loosen the fillet from the pan, transfer it with two spatulas to a heated platter, and garnish it with watercress. Serve the fillet, cut into 3/4-inch-thick slices, with the sauce.
Quote from: Conan71 on December 28, 2012, 04:34:14 PM
Pulled pork shoulder. You can use this for any number of other recipes during the week, breakfast, lunch, or dinner.
You said "pulled pork" and "bone in".
Sorry, it's New Years' eve.
Southern Comfort Slow Cooker Pork Roast
INGREDIENTS:
2 1/2 pound pork roast
1 cup yellow mustard
2 teaspoons ground cayenne pepper
2 teaspoons white pepper
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon salt
2 Bay Leaves
3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1/4 cup Southern Comfort whiskey (I sometimes use ½ cup)
8 to 10 cloves of garlic depending on size
4 cups low sodium beef broth
2 cups water
1 small red onion diced
1 20oz bottle of barbecue sauce
DIRECTIONS:
1. Remove the roast from packaging and rub all over with yellow mustard. Set roast aside to let the mustard dry until the next step is completed.
2. Combine cayenne pepper, white pepper, cumin and salt in a small bowl and mix well.
3. Rub spice mixture over roast and place in slow cooker on low with the Worcestershire sauce, Southern Comfort, beef broth, water, garlic cloves, Bay Leaves and diced onion. Let cook 4 to 5 hours.
4. Remove roast from cooker and drain off 3/4 of the remaining liquid in the slow cooker leaving as much of the diced onion and garlic as you can.
5. With roast on cutting board use two strong forks to shred the roast and then return to slow cooker while stirring in the barbecue sauce. Let cook on low 1 to 2 more hours.
6. Serve on toasted hamburger or hoagie buns
Louisiana Potato Soup
INGREDIENTS:
4 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 sweet onion, diced
5 cloves garlic, minced
2 pounds andouille sausage,
sliced into rounds
6 russet potatoes, peeled and
cut into bite-sized pieces 3 cups chicken broth
1 3/4 cups milk
2 cups heavy cream
1 tablespoon Tony Chachere's Creole seasoning
2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
1 bunch fresh greens (spinach or collard work best), chopped
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
DIRECTIONS:
Heat the butter and oil together in a large stockpot over medium heat. Cook the onion and garlic in the butter and oil until the onions are translucent. Add the sausage slices; cook and stir another 5 minutes or until sausage is browned. Stir in the potatoes; cook and stir 15 minutes. Pour in the chicken broth, milk, heavy cream,Creole seasoning and Italian seasoning. Bring to a simmer and cook 10 to 15 minutes until the potatoes are tender. Mix in the greens. Remove from heat. Top with Parmesan cheese.
get in car
drive to restaurant drive-thru
yell order at speaker
pay
eat while driving
I fixed it for you, Michael:
get in car
drive to restaurant drive-thru
yell order at speaker
pay
eat while driving
arrive at destination with "special" sauce dribbled on your shirt
Here's an easy one for today. Our big Polish family tradition includes pork and sauerkraut for good luck on New Year's day.
Put spare ribs or cubed pork roast in slow cooker.
Cover with cold-packed sauerkraut, maybe some sauteed onion.
Cook all day on low, 4 hours on high.
Serve with mashed potatoes, applesauce, and (obviously) beer.
Quote from: RecycleMichael on January 01, 2013, 02:57:37 PM
get in car
drive to restaurant drive-thru
yell order at speaker
pay
eat while driving
Quick. Easy. I am not sure it really answers the original question though.
QuoteThe Lady of the house is always complaining that she does not know what to cook. And is bored with the same old thing week in and week out.
Also, see Ed's comment about special sauce enhancing your shirt.
Quote from: Ed W on January 01, 2013, 03:29:53 PM
Here's an easy one for today. Our big Polish family tradition includes pork and sauerkraut for good luck on New Year's day.
Put spare ribs or cubed pork roast in slow cooker.
Cover with cold-packed sauerkraut, maybe some sauteed onion.
Cook all day on low, 4 hours on high.
Serve with mashed potatoes, applesauce, and (obviously) beer.
I love that. My grandmother must have known your grandmother. :D
Too much salt for mom though so I haven't had it for many years.
Corned Beef and cabbage with potatoes is another yummy one.
Dad and I used to have all that salty stuff when mom was out of town judging a dog show (obedience).
You can rinse the 'kraut to remove some of the salt, Red, though it also takes away some flavor. I've added half a bottle of beer to it on occasion to mellow the flavor somewhat. Not good beer, mind you, 'cause cheap stuff is better for cooking. The good stuff goes into the cook.
Quote from: Ed W on January 01, 2013, 04:51:27 PM
You can rinse the 'kraut to remove some of the salt, Red, though it also takes away some flavor. I've added half a bottle of beer to it on occasion to mellow the flavor somewhat. Not good beer, mind you, 'cause cheap stuff is better for cooking. The good stuff goes into the cook.
Maybe I'll make it the regular way the next time mom goes to visit my sister.
Quote from: Conan71 on December 28, 2012, 04:34:14 PM
Pulled pork shoulder. You can use this for any number of other recipes during the week, breakfast, lunch, or dinner.
We made this today. It turned out absolutely delicious.
Be advised that an 8 lb pork shoulder will just barely fit in a 7 qt (the big oval one) crock pot.
All of the commercial "chile powder" in our cabinet and WalMart, Reasor's etc that I found did have cumin in it. Other ingredients included salt, oregano, other spices, and silicon dioxide (sand) to prevent caking. I just happened to have some New Mexico style chiles that I grew and dried this year. I ground up some of my dried chile pods using a mortar and pestle. I have seen dried chiles in both WalMart and Reasor's but haven't checked to see if they have the Anaheim/New Mex type. Mecca Coffee has a big selection of spices but they were closed yesterday. Another option might be the Hispanic grocery stores.
I also substituted 1/2 cup of red wine vinegar (Conan's substitution suggestion) for the cup of red wine at my mother's request.
Good stuff, give it a try.
Edit:
Looking at the model number our Crock Pot may be 6 qt but the model number doesn't show on the Crock Pot web site. I guess I'll have to take a tape measure to WalMart.
Quote from: RecycleMichael on December 28, 2012, 02:48:32 PM
Put bread in toaster.
Push button down and wait till it comes back up.
Remove toast.
Add butter and or jelly as desired.
Ah...another Heywood Banks fan!!
Yay, toast!!
Quote from: Ed W on January 01, 2013, 03:29:53 PM
Here's an easy one for today. Our big Polish family tradition includes pork and sauerkraut for good luck on New Year's day.
Put spare ribs or cubed pork roast in slow cooker.
Cover with cold-packed sauerkraut, maybe some sauteed onion.
Cook all day on low, 4 hours on high.
Serve with mashed potatoes, applesauce, and (obviously) beer.
That's what I did today for lunch. Excellent! Fall apart good!
With black eyed peas instead of the mashed potatoes. And cornbread. With lots of butter and honey!
Quote from: Red Arrow on January 01, 2013, 08:04:30 PM
We made this today. It turned out absolutely delicious.
Be advised that an 8 lb pork shoulder will just barely fit in a 7 qt (the big oval one) crock pot.
All of the commercial "chile powder" in our cabinet and WalMart, Reasor's etc that I found did have cumin in it. Other ingredients included salt, oregano, other spices, and silicon dioxide (sand) to prevent caking. I just happened to have some New Mexico style chiles that I grew and dried this year. I ground up some of my dried chile pods using a mortar and pestle. I have seen dried chiles in both WalMart and Reasor's but haven't checked to see if they have the Anaheim/New Mex type. Mecca Coffee has a big selection of spices but they were closed yesterday. Another option might be the Hispanic grocery stores.
I also substituted 1/2 cup of red wine vinegar (Conan's substitution suggestion) for the cup of red wine at my mother's request.
Good stuff, give it a try.
Edit:
Looking at the model number our Crock Pot may be 6 qt but the model number doesn't show on the Crock Pot web site. I guess I'll have to take a tape measure to WalMart.
Yep, should just barely cover the roast. I usually do put cumin in there, it's just that Cain's or other "prepared" chili powders are not the same as chile powder which has that pure, earthy flavor that is the reason you crave real chile after you've had it a time or two ;)
We do posole for New Year's Day now as our tradition.
-Soak hominy corn for 48 hours in water, rinse, rinse, and rinse again. You can use canned hominy if you don't want to soak.
-Place in crock pot with 1 quart of home-made chicken stock, or Swanson's chicken broth or chicken stock in the cardboard container. Do NOT use chicken bouillon, it's nothing but a salt lick!
-One 2-3 pound boneless pork shoulder roast cut into 1" cubes or thereabout. Be careful to remove any stringy connective tissue. Fat is good, fat is flavor!
-6 cloves garlic chopped
-1/2 medium yellow or white onion chopped
-1 Tbsp New Mexican medium red chile powder
-2 TBSP coarse sea salt
-1 tsp white pepper (always brings out the pork flavor!)
-1 tsp ground cumin (I like to start with cumin seed and crush in mortar and pestle)
-1/2 pound green Hatch chiles-mild to medium (you can substitute with anaheim which you can find year round in the store, or dried pasillo chiles)
Note that my measurements are very approximate, I season until I either get a color, taste, or aroma I think is right. I've made a marinara recipe for 25 years that I still don't really have a written recipe for, I just start cooking and it's amazing every time. That's the way cooking should be- a totally organic experience in the kitchen (not necessarily "organic" as it's been popularized into- something that just happens and evolves as you do it is how I'm referring to the term).
Place all ingredients in crock pot on high for 4-6 hours. If you need to do an all day cook, put it on low. Really tender and the hominy is a flavor sponge! Hominy is something most of us don't think to cook with daily, but it's got huge corn taste which really works well with the natural sweetness of pork and the earthiness of chile peppers.
Quote from: Conan71 on January 01, 2013, 11:07:33 PM
Yep, should just barely cover the roast. I usually do put cumin in there, it's just that Cain's or other "prepared" chili powders are not the same as chile powder which has that pure, earthy flavor that is the reason you crave real chile after you've had it a time or two ;)
In our case it almost but didn't quite cover the roast. Worked out fine anyway. Since I had unprepared peppers, I put in a Tbs of ground cumin.
It's amazing what goes into prepared food that we don't think about. It's almost as bad as ordering a bottle of water and getting a soda pop. The thought of buying sand in my food is also repulsive, even if it does prevent caking.
Quote from: Red Arrow on January 01, 2013, 11:32:42 PM
In our case it almost but didn't quite cover the roast. Worked out fine anyway. Since I had unprepared peppers, I put in a Tbs of ground cumin.
It's amazing what goes into prepared food that we don't think about. It's almost as bad as ordering a bottle of water and getting a soda pop. The thought of buying sand in my food is also repulsive, even if it does prevent caking.
I do tend to flip the roast about 1/2 way through just to make sure the juice gets into every nook and cranny ;)
Quote from: Conan71 on January 01, 2013, 11:42:40 PM
I do tend to flip the roast about 1/2 way through just to make sure the juice gets into every nook and cranny ;)
It only missed by about 1/2". It did fine.
Quote from: Red Arrow on January 01, 2013, 11:32:42 PM
In our case it almost but didn't quite cover the roast. Worked out fine anyway. Since I had unprepared peppers, I put in a Tbs of ground cumin.
It's amazing what goes into prepared food that we don't think about. It's almost as bad as ordering a bottle of water and getting a soda pop. The thought of buying sand in my food is also repulsive, even if it does prevent caking.
If you don't buy seasonings with Silicon Dioxide, just buy small quantities. ;-)
Quote from: Gaspar on January 02, 2013, 07:55:11 AM
If you don't buy seasonings with Silicon Dioxide, just buy small quantities. ;-)
When my homemade chile powder mix cakes, I just break it up by shaking or use a spoon in the large storage jar.
Quote from: Red Arrow on January 02, 2013, 08:11:50 AM
When my homemade chile powder mix cakes, I just break it up by shaking or use a spoon in the large storage jar.
How long do you keep it?
Quote from: Gaspar on January 02, 2013, 08:15:21 AM
How long do you keep it?
I keep it until I use it up. I make a really big batch with a couple of years crops so any one year deficiency in a particular kind of pepper doesn't have a noticeable effect. Most of it is stored in wire bale top jars and remains unopened until I need it. Then I transfer some to a normal size spice jar. Even the daily use quantity in the normal spice jar needs a thump occasionally to flow out the shaker top.