I've had one for a couple of years now. Damn I love that thing... no need to thaw anything anymore... but then I'm not too picky about the how my food is cooked, either.
crockpot. you can get one for cheap at target or walmart (under $30). you can put almost anything in it (beef or pork roast, chicken etc). in 4 to 10 hours (depending on how you set it) you got a good main course with almost no effort. pot roast (get a beef roast - almost any big piece of beef), some potatoes, onions, carrots. throw it in with some salt and pepper (whole garlic if you like) and there you go. dirty rice - throw in a large package of ground beef with a box of tony cachere's (sp?) dirty rice mix and in about an hour there you go. there are a ton of sites with recipes and you'll find nothing easier to use.
Actually, no. She likes to cook and usually does. I'd just like to mix it up once and awhile and try it out. LIke some of you, I have the feeling I could enjoy it. Great tips, guys, thanks. Even the cooking class ones....though that would have been more helpful a year ago. Bernie, I wouldnt mind getting some of your recipes. (And anyone else who might have a favorite or two)
I think this is a fantastic idea. also... I like this recipe for Chicken Cacciatore from Rachel Ray http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recipe/0,,FOOD_9936_19902,00.html ================ Quick Chicken Cacciatore 1 1/4 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breast (3 pieces) or, 1 package boneless, skinless chicken thighs, if you prefer dark meat Salt and freshly ground black pepper 2 tablespoons (2 turns around the pan) extra-virgin olive oil 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes 2 portobello mushroom caps, halved crosswise and thinly sliced 4 cloves garlic, crushed and minced 1/2 cup beef broth or stock 1 (28-ounces) can crushed tomatoes A handful flat-leaf parsley, chopped 1 pound egg ribbons or egg fettuccini, cooked to al dente Crusty bread and grated Parmigiano or Romano, for passing Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium high heat. Add half of the extra-virgin olive oil and brown chicken breasts or thighs for 3 or 4 minutes on each side. Remove chicken from pan and season with salt and pepper. Return pan to stove, reduce heat to medium and add the remaining. Add crushed pepper, sliced mushrooms, and garlic. Season with salt (salt is a magnet for drawing out liquid). Cover and cook mushrooms 5 minutes or until mushrooms are dark, tender and have given off their juices. Add about 1/2 cup of beef broth to intensify the wild mushroom flavor, then stir in the tomatoes and parsley. Cut the chicken into bite-size chunks or slices and add to sauce. Simmer sauce 5 minutes to finish cooking chicken pieces and to allow the flavors to combine. Toss pasta with cacciatore and serve with crusty bread and grated cheese. Tidbits: Beef broth and stock is now available in resealable paper containers, which can be found on the soup aisle of your market. These paper containers make storage of remaining broth easier; keep some on hand in your refrigerator. Beef broth is used instead of chicken broth in this recipe because it pairs better with the beefy taste of portobello mushrooms. The broth will make your cacciatore taste as if it simmered all day because it accents the mushroom taste well. Depending on your brand, 1 large can of tomatoes can vary in weight from 28 to 32 ounces. Use your favorite, but check to make sure the product is sugar free. ================ I use regular fettucini noodles, I use frozen chicken breasts that I buy in bulk from Cosco, and if you don't have red pepper flakes, you can get a small packet of 'em for free from your local pizza place. For the mushrooms, I just grab a pack of sliced mushrooms at Kroger. Instead of beef broth or stock, I dissolve a cube of beef boullion in a 1/2 cup of water. These tips make the recipe easier and less expensive to cook, and the flavor is fantastic
Good idea. You start it, since you thought it up. If you don't want to do it, let me know. Start the way every recipe book does: Soup and Salad Appetizers Egg dishes Poultry Dishes Beef Dishes Pork dishes Barbeque ideas Desserts Breakfast ideas Or you could get creative, and include: Breakfast recipes Lunch idea recipes 30 minutes or less recipes Mexican recipes Italian recipes Greek Recipes French Recipes British recipes Middle Eastern recipes American recipes New American recipes South and Central American recipes Chinese recipes Japanese recipes Jamaican recipes Cajun recipes Soul food recipes, etc. That's the way I'd go
OK. I'll do it. Would that be too many threads? I think people would get sick of this after som many threads. I think we should combine some so it doesnt last for ever. How about one thread for: 1) Breakfast 2) Soup and Salad 4) lunch ideas 5) Appetizers 6) Meat - poultry, beef, pork 6) Barbeque ideas 8) Regional 9) International 10) Desserts Sound good? Did i miss something or should it be in a different order? Vegetarian dishes, Drinks?
If it's too many threads, then I suggest opening a new Hangout forum just for recipes. Rokkit, I like to cook as cheap as possible, here's an easy recipe to prepare bad cuts of beef... First of all you need to marinate the meat, here's the mixture: 2 Tablespoon of Corn Starch 1/2 Teaspoon of Baking Soda 1 Teaspoon of Sesame Oil (I think Olive Oil would work too) 1 Teaspoon of Pepper 6 Tablespoon of Water Pour Light Soy Sauce into the mixture until you get a golden brown color. Place coarsely sliced beef into the marinade. If there isn't enough marinade, just follow the same ratio of the recipe. Then place the mixture in the fridge for 30 minutes. Pan fry the mixture with a little bit of cannola oil on Mid-High Heat for about 7 minutes. Take the meat and gravy and pour it on a dish. This dish generally goes well with either Bak Choi or Mustard Greens. Wash them and pan fry them until them until ready (Bak Choi stem becomes slightly transparent after it's well-done, Mustard Green is done when there is a glaze on the green). Mix the meat and gravy with the veggies and fry for another minute. There's a lot of variations to this recipe, you can add more water content or broth and add more starch, potatoes and carrots to make a stew. You can use less soy sauce and mix in Satay sauce. If you like spicy, then I'd add some Thai crushed peppers. Experiment with it, this happens to be 3-4 of my "go-to" recipes. The key to the recipe is that the baking soda in the marinade makes the beef nice and tender. However, too much baking soda would give it an awful taste.
Here is a link to the recipe threads: http://bbs.clutchfans.net/search.php?searchid=42311 Maybe one day I will actually make a pdf out of them, like the original idea... crap I posted in the wrong thread.
Of course it is. Let me get this straight. The guy is moving in with a girlfriend and is worrying that HE doesn't know how to cook? What a shame. Seriously - dude you may want to reconsider that move. Sounds like you got a dud.
I haven't been using the BBS too much for pimping my wife's business (besides the sig), but since you pretty much asked for it, my wife runs a business called Urban Chef that does cooking classes, much like Central Market. Not to dog her competitors too much, but they don't really provide enough kitchen and personal attention to allow people to learn by doing. She normally teaches up to 8 people at a time in her space, and she has 16 burners and 4 ovens to accomodate everyone. Anyway, if you're interested, check out her website: http://urbanchefhouston.com/. I believe her calendar only runs through August right now, but should be updated this week. Also, being a smaller operation, she can be open to course suggestions, special dates and the like, not to mention she has a lot more flexibility in accomodating different people and their skill levels. As for the hotties-factor, my wife will always be there. But, if you hit on her, I'll kill you. Otherwise, for those who are interested, she has been considering doing some kind of singles night, but I don't know if it has been scheduled or anything.
