home cooking blog...brainstorming!

[MaDMaN_26]

Originally Posted by JerzeeGirl

My mom always had it in her chili (the recipe I totally ripped off) and it really is a nice contrast to the spice from the chili powder/flakes/hot sauce. It sounds wierd but I've had nothing but positive reviews when taking it to potlucks at work or with friends.

My dad used to make one with a can of peaches... I'm gonna have to that again...

blinding pain from spices, peach, blinding pain from spice... good times

[LChoy]

For Toaster Oven: (Wait, you'll need a rice cooker as well)

Poor Man's Unagi Don (Japanese BBQ Eel on Rice)

1. Make rice (best using rice cooker since you just plug it in)
2. Place cooked rice in Toaster oven proof container
3. From T&T or China town, you can get cans of Chinese BBQ eel, usually about $3. Open can and lay on bed of rice. Make sure all the sauce gets on the rice
4. Also from Asian shops, buy a small bottle of Unagi sauce. It's like a thick and sweet soy sauce. Drizzle over rice and eel
5. Bake in Toaster oven under broil for 5 min (lowest rack so it doesn't burn)
6. Eat

If you have a microwave, get a cup of frozen veggies and microwave in a bowl of water for 5 min. Place in dish before broiling.

[czure32]

Originally Posted by sadora

Basically what I'm aiming for is to make things a little bit easier around the kitchen for those who just aren't that used to cooking...like say, young people who have just moved out.

Is it really necessary to create a blog on how to make KD?!?!
I kid, I kid
i dont particularly have anything useful to add, as I try to avoid doing anything that resembles cooking after I left the hospitality industry so many years ago
but for young people that have just moved out, the main staples are probably going to be pasta and rice

[Boblobla]

Originally Posted by sadora

Whenever I've asked my friends and family this question they always say the same thing. Give us more vegie recipes. Everyone wants to be eating healthier these days and vegie dishes are a good choice. Just a question though, what kind of vegetables do you prefer? or rather, are there any vegetables that you don't like?

I am looking for anything. From easy to complicated. Roasted, steamed, fried or raw. I just want suggestions of how to spice up the veggie side.

[NSFL]

Originally Posted by 4X4

Pasta. The many faces of pasta.

I completely second that. For a good couple semesters when I was really low on cash, I had pasta every single bloody day. I was desperate for new quick and easy recipes.

And then I found bisquick:
http://www.bettycrocker.com/search/s...ck&Tab=Recipes

Bisquick is your friend. This is the recipe that got me onto bisquick:
http://www.bettycrocker.com/recipes/...archResultPage (turns out better if you half cook the macaroni first)

[Eastern Girl]

I can't cook to save my life. Anything you put up on your blog, I am sure I will find an oh so special way of screwing up. Either way, I look forward to seeing it. It's a cool idea.

What would I want to see on it? It would be nice to see simple recipes, that don't require ingredients that wouldn't be readily available in the average persons pantry. I subscribed to a recipe site once and all the recipes required ingredients from specialty stores or the like. It was infuriating.

Specifically, I am big on pasta salads, so anything that you could suggest in that realm would be great.

[Caged Great]

I like to prepare a Chicken vegetable stirfry on a bed of rice (this may be a little confusing)

1/3 of a Red pepper
2 inches of a zucchini quartered and sliced in about 1 cm lengths
5 mushrooms quartered
a few (typically 5 or so) florets of broccoli
1 chicken breast
1/3 a cup of rice
1/2 cup of teriyaki sauce
2 cloves of garlic
2 tablespoons of Oil

put the 1/3 a cup of rice in a bowl, and put some water in it, and stir it around till the water gets cloudy. Repeat 4 or 5 times till the water doesn't get cloudy. Let sit for 1/2 hour

Slice the red pepper in 1 cm widths vertically from the top to bottom and then cut them in half horizontally

Do the rest of the prep work during the half hour you have to wait for the rice to soften

when the time is up.

Have a steamer, boil some water for the broccoli

At the same time put 1/2 cup of water in a pot with a pinch of salt, cover and let boil. drain the water from the rice bowl in the sink and add the rice to the water. Cover again, and let sit for 1 min. Lift lid, stir, put the lid on and remove from heat. let 10 minutes go by and turn the heat back on low for a minute or two and turn off again.

about two minutes after you start the rice, put the broccoli in the steamer and let it stay in there for about 5 or so minutes, you'll have to tweak this a bit. Once that's done, remove it and put it with the other ingredients for the time being.

after you put the broccoli in the steamer, pan fry the chicken, or put it on a grill if you have one. When it's finished cooking, chop it up into about 1 inch cubes or so, you don't have to be precise.

About 14 minutes after you started the rice, put the oil and garlic into a fry pan or wok if you have one. (Mince the garlic)

Turn it on high heat for the duration, but leave it for 1 minute or so without adding anything else to it. Then add the broccoli, red pepper, and zucchini. Stir for 2 minutes. Add the mushrooms and Chicken. Stir for 1 minute. Add the Teriyaki sauce. Stir for 2 minutes.

Put rice on plate, put stirfry ingredients on rice, and you have a good meal. The amount of veggies and other things have to be tweaked to suit you but it's pretty good.

PS, The rice is for 1 person, just double everything for 2 etc etc.

[Tyler]

Originally Posted by I_H8_Crawford

http://www.cookbookcooks.com/classes/index.html

I'm going in a few weeks, will let you know how it is if you like.

Awesome - please let me know!

[SeeGeeWhy]

http://www.cookingfortherushed.com

Has nice recipies and the best part is that it breaks down a meal plan for a 5 day week and even GIVES YOU THE GROCERY LIST that you will need for that week.

Has honestly been the best thing that ever happened to my stomach.

[Dion]

Originally Posted by Boblobla

Veggie recipies are good. I find I have no trouble with meat but sometimes I find the veggies I make with my dishes to be bland. Also some recipes for some homemade salad dressings and salads.

I always use grated parmesian cheese on my veggies. If your doing a stir fry of just veggies then add some teriyaki sauce at the end.

[Dion]

Originally Posted by Boblobla

I am looking for anything. From easy to complicated. Roasted, steamed, fried or raw. I just want suggestions of how to spice up the veggie side.

I like to saute oinons and mushrooms in a teriyaki sauce. Caramelise the onions first then add fresh diced mushrooms, add some teriyaki sauce and let simmer for 10 minutes. Goes great with BQ steak.

Also a good rice dish that goes with steak. Dice up a small walla walla oinion in a skillet and slighty brown. Set aside until the wild rice is cooked. Add the wild rice to the skillet plus some fresh diced mushrooms. Let cook for 10 minutes.

[AvsJerk]

I often times try to shop and cook with left-overs in mind. Pot-roast can be used for sandwiches or burritos...chili is great again as chili-dogs or taco salad etc. Yes, I fart alot.

[stuck_in_chuk]

A good idea would be suggestions on how to keep leftovers interesting. For example, I generally make up a big pot of chili and have lots of leftovers. Uses for leftover chili include:
- serve it on toast
- put a couple spoonfuls in a grilled cheese
- topping for nachos
- filling for burritos
- add some rice and cheese to make rice and beans

Another suggestion - I love Indian food, and have a few recipes that work for me, but have found that the Parampara spice mixtures are pretty good when you are in a rush. Curry in a hurry.

[JerzeeGirl]

Originally Posted by Tyler

Awesome - please let me know!

I've gone to a couple of their hands-on classes (Soups & Stews and An Italian Menu) and had a really good time overall. Can be a little crazy at points as there isn't as much instruction as you might want on some things, and you dont' get to try making all the items but you do get an awesome meal at the end and some great pointers overall. The chefs & staff there were excellent as for both times I went.

[Bend it like Bourgeois]

My wife and I went to the cookbook co classes.

I don't think we'd go back. It was fun, but we didn't really learn anything and for the dough could have more fun. (the wine store there is the best in town though)

We have a tonne of cookbooks and I've always liked to cook. The one I always come back to is America's test kitchen. Awesome cook book because it's not just recipes but stuff to help make sense of the recipes.

IMO the best info is the basics. eg alfredo sauce. It's not hard, and pretty easy to make low fat, or vary in different ways. Or how to cook fish without drying it out, or how to raost a chicken (and then use it to make 2 more meals) ...stuff like that.

[BlackArcher101]

Hmmm, where to begin.

A sandwhich maker is a godsend when young and starting out. Grilled cheese, peanut butter and jelly were the two most common creations. I would also use it to make "pies" by using canned apple filling or other assorted fruits. Similar to a camping iron.

How about a blurb on how to make Risotto be quick and painless?

[Torture]

Originally Posted by Boblobla

I am looking for anything. From easy to complicated. Roasted, steamed, fried or raw. I just want suggestions of how to spice up the veggie side.

Veggies always taste better if you BBQ them.

[chid]

In regards to veggies, I LOVE asparagus but can never seem to find a good mix of seasoning and cooking techniques to make them taste amazing!
So for me, Im definitely interested in just some asparagus dishes, cooking techniques, suggested seasonings etc.

[Dion]

Originally Posted by chid

In regards to veggies, I LOVE asparagus but can never seem to find a good mix of seasoning and cooking techniques to make them taste amazing!
So for me, Im definitely interested in just some asparagus dishes, cooking techniques, suggested seasonings etc.

I cook asparagus in the microwave. Put them in a dish and cover with a paper towel. Micro on high for a few minutes and it's ready to eat. Sprinkle grated parmesian on top.

[sadora]

Thanks for all the great ideas. Here is the link, I finally got it up and running, and though it's only two recipes at the moment, I definitely want to include a lot of the ideas thrown out here like vegie options and toaster oven meals for those looking for a quick fix.

http://onhomecooking.blogspot.com/

Thanks again!