Easy recipes

[Godless Dave]

Sure, if I'm cooking for someone else I enjoy making something elaborate and impressive. But who has time to do that every day, especially when I'm just cooking for myself? Who wants to spend two hours preparing something you will only spend ten minutes eating?

In an attempt to reduce my fast food consumption I'm going to compile a list of the things I know how to cook that meet two criteria: they don't take very long to prep or cook and they result in a minimum number of dirty dishes. I also like to include a lot of substitutions for ingredients, mostly for variety's sake.

I'm not trying to insult anyone's cooking abilities here. These are intended for people who aren't gourmet cooks or who just want to be able to whip something up quickly.

Here's my first and easiest recipe:

Baked quesadillas

package of 8 soft tortillas
4 cups of shredded cheese (buy it preshredded in the bag, you know you want to)
salsa
sour cream
optional: canned cooked chicken; canned tuna; raw chicken; ground beef; ground Mexican sausage; refried beans; Spanish rice; chopped onions; chopped bell peppers; guacamole

Preheat oven to 350 F.
Brown optional beef, chicken, or sausage on the stove
Place one tortilla on a cookie sheet or pizza pan.
Spread cheese on the tortilla
Add optional meat, onions, rice, and/or veggies
Spread a little salsa or hot sauce on top
Place another tortilla on top. Press down to smush the ingredients sort of evenly
Repeat with remaining tortillas
Bake quesadillas for about 15 minutes, or until cheese is melted or tops start to burn

If you can't fit all the quesadillas in the oven at once, cook them one or two at a time and put the cooked ones on a plate covered by a cloth towel to keep them warm.

Cut into wedges like a pizza and serve with salsa, sour cream, and guacamole.

Possible side dishes: green salad; Spanish or Mexican rice; refried beans

[Godless Dave]

This one I got off of a Stove Top Stuffing box. I really like it because by changing ingredients you can make a bunch of different dishes. It's probably my favorite thing to cook for myself even though it gets too many dishes dirty.

Baked Chicken Casserole

6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (substitute: boneless, skinless chicken thighs; boneless pork chops; beef steaks; venison steaks)
1 can cream of mushroom soup (substitute: cream of onion soup; cream of celery soup; you get the idea)
1 cup sour cream (substitute: plain yogurt)
1 box (about 3 cups) Stove Top stuffing, any variety
1 tbsp butter or oil

Preheat oven to 375 F.
Lay chicken breasts out in a baking dish
Mix soup and sour cream together in a bowl.
Spread soup/sour cream mixture over chicken breasts.
In the same bowl, mix up the stuffing with 1 tbsp butter and 1/4 very hot water.
Spread stuffing over the soup mixture.
Bake for 40 minutes or until juices run clear and meat is no longer pink.


Cream of onion soup works especially well with pork chops. This week I'm going to try Stove Top Mushroom and Wild Rice stuffing with cream of mushroom soup and chicken.

[livius drusus]

I think this one may violate the minimum number of dirty dishes standard, but it's fast and yummy.

Potato Pancake with Broccoli and Cheddar

1 tablespoon butter
1 medium onion, chopped
1 12 oz. bag broccoli florets (cut in half if large)
1 teaspoon salt
4 cups refrigerated shredded hash brown potatoes (ca. one 20 oz. bag)
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 4 oz. package shredded sharp Cheddar cheese


In nonstick 12-inch skillet, melt butter over medium heat. Add onion and cook 5 minutes or until browned and tender, stirring frequently. Stir in broccoli, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 2 tablespoons water; cover and cook 3 minutes or until broccoli is tender, stirring once. Transfer broccoli mixture to medium bowl.

In large bowl, combine potatoes, pepper, and remaining 3/4 teaspoon salt. In the same skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat until hot. Add half the potato mixture, gently patting with rubber spatula to cover bottom of skillet. Leaving 1-inch border, top potatoes with broccoli mixture. Sprinkle Cheddar over broccoli. Cover cheese with remaining potatoes, patting to edge of skillet. Cook 5 minutes or until browned.

Place large round platter or cookie sheet upside down over skillet. Grasping platter and skillet firmly together, very carefully and quickly flip skillet over to invert pancake onto platter. Slide pancake back into skillet. Cook 5 minutes longer or until browned.

[lisarea]

This is from before I had a houseboy to do all the dishes for me. It dirties up one pot, one wooden spoon, a cutting board, a peeler, and a knife. I think that's it.

Green Chile Stew

EVOO
Garlic
Chicken breasts (uhh, three, maybe four?)
Roasted green chiles (maybe two of those big cans)
Chicken broth or water
Potatoes, peeled and diced
Spices (white or black pepper, salt, cumin, and a bay leaf)


In a dutch oven or large saucepan, brown the minced or crushed garlic in EVOO. (I have a confession: I buy those big jars of pre-chopped garlic over to the Costco because it is a PITA to clean garlic presses, and I am super lazy.)

Add the frozen chicken breasts to the pan, with just enough water/chicken broth or combination thereof to cover. Simmer at a relatively high heat for about 20 minutes or so, until the chicken is defrosted and cooked through, or nearly so. Remove the chicken breasts and dice them into about 1" cubes or so. Drain all but maybe 2 cups of the water/broth. Add diced potatoes and the green chiles. If they're too spicy, you can remove some of the seeds and membranes, but you shouldn't have to if you get the mild kind. Add white pepper (or black, if you don't have white), salt, cumin, and a bay leaf. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer until the potatoes are cooked through. Correct seasoning and eat with store-boughten tortillas.

[livius drusus]

(I have a confession: I buy those big jars of pre-chopped garlic over to the Costco because it is a PITA to clean garlic presses, and I am super lazy.)

Vade retro satanas! Or alternatively, you could just get a mezzaluna.

[lisarea]

(I have a confession: I buy those big jars of pre-chopped garlic over to the Costco because it is a PITA to clean garlic presses, and I am super lazy.)

Vade retro satanas!

And of course, I will be happy to do so, as long as you're up in front there chopping the garlic.


Or alternatively, you could just get a mezzaluna.

So then:

1. Find garlic
2. Get out the garlic
3. Take off the right amount
4. Put the rest of the garlic back
5. Peel garlic
6. Find mezzaluna
7. Get mezzaluna out
8. Find cutting board
9. Get cutting board out
10. Put cutting board down on a flat surface
11. Find mezzaluna again
12. Find those garlics I peeled
13. Put garlic on cutting board
14. Pick up mezzaluna
15. Adjust grip on mezzaluna
16. Roll mezzaluna over garlic
17. Accidentally knock garlic onto floor
18. Find garlic
19. Pick up garlic
20. Turn on faucet
21. Clean off garlic under faucet
22. Place garlic back on cutting board
23. Roll mezzaluna over garlic
24. Repeat 23 some insane number of times
25. Get knife or something to scrape up garlic offa the cutting board
26. Slice off tiny shred of skin with said knife, and be unable to distinguish missing skin from chopped garlic
27. Go to 1

Which would be all well and good, had I not DIED FROM BOREDOM somewhere up there around 10.

Hey. Wait! I just thought of something! Maybe I could chop the garlic with a GUN!

[Godless Dave]

I stopped using a garlic press years ago, and recently I learned this little trick from a Julia Child show:

peel the garlic cloves (lots easier if you chop the ends off first)

place a piece of wax paper on a cutting board or countertop

place peeled garlic on the wax paper

fold the paper over

crush garlic with your biggest, widest knife. a rubber mallet works too

[lisarea]

I actually used something like the Julia Child method for a while after I got mad at the press, but with no wax paper. I would just smash the garlic by pounding my fist down on the side of the knife. Also:

peel the garlic cloves (lots easier if you chop the ends off first)

Actually, if you just rub the cloves between your hands really fast, the skin will come right off. It hurts a little, but it's quick and easy. And it hurts a little less if you chop the ends off.

It's still not as easy as opening a jar and glopping out a spoonful of pre-chopped garlic, though. I will even admit that it's substandard, but I really am that lazy sometimes.

[Godless Dave]

Hey, I'm not judging you. I buy cheese already shredded because cleaning cheese graters is a PITA.

[livius drusus]

Vade retro satanas!

And of course, I will be happy to do so, as long as you're up in front there chopping the garlic.

A little too Demi Moore-Patrick Swayze for my tastes, but who am I to judge?

Which would be all well and good, had I not DIED FROM BOREDOM somewhere up there around 10.

Jesus. It's like the dinner scene in The Miracle Worker or something. Somebody needs to spell water on your hand and fast.

Hey. Wait! I just thought of something! Maybe I could chop the garlic with a GUN!

Off to the great ideas thread with ye.

[Ex-zombie]

Is it just me or does anyone else think lisarea should look into becoming a demolition expert?

[Godless Wonder]

Here's one that dirties only a knife and fork if you are careful, and a plate if you aren't. Get a fillet of some kind of fish you like. Get some potatoes, and an onion, and maybe a squash, if you like. Get some aluminum foil, and PAM spray, salt and pepper.

Slice up the oinon how you like but I do it so I end up with pieces about an inch and a half long. Slice up the potatoes and/or squash into thin slices, maybe 1/4th inch thick. Spray some PAM on a big piece of aluminum foil and put the onions, potatoes and/or squach on it, salt and pepper to taste, and wrap it up into a flat packet, sealed on all sides, so use quite a bit of foil. Make a similar PAM sprayed packet for the fish add whatever seasonings you like. Puncture the foil a few times with a fork to let steam out.

Throw the veggie packet onto a barbecue grill, (or into the coals of a campfire) and cook on each side, maybe 20 minutes per side, (basically until the potatoes are done.) Do the same with the fish, but for less time, maybe 7 to 10 minutes a side? I always forget how much time it takes, but it's definitely less than the potatoes take.

You can slice open the foil containers and eat directly from them, though they're hot, and not very stiff, so a plate (or table you don't care about) underneath helps.

I suppose you could make this in an oven, but I've never tried that.

Edit: About peeling garlic, I just whack it lightly with the side of a knife, and the skin comes right off, and to mince it, I just smash my fist down on the side of the kinfe, like lisarea. Just make sure the handle protrudes over the side of the cutting board so the knife can lay flat against the board (with completely smashed garlic layer between.)

[Godless Dave]

Mm, aluminum foil cooking! I did that once on a camping trip with ground beef, onions, and peppers. I was told it was a boy scout technique.

[Dingfod]

Who needs a BBQ grill, a campfire, or an oven for that aluminium foil cuisine? Just load a couple layers of foil up with what you want to cook, potatoes, meat, veggies, etc., wire them to the exhaust manifold of your vehicle and drive to your destination. When that delicious aroma wafts into the cabin as you come to a stop, it will remind you "Hey, it's time for lunch." -- Oilfield Operator's Manual, Page 713.

[RevDahlia]

This one I adapted from MFK Fisher. It definitely qualifies as Kind Of Gross, But Good. It requires three ingredients and one implement. Its only drawback is that it must be watched closely.

Eggs In Hell

Preheat oven to 425. Take an ovenproof glass or Pyrex bowl with a lid, or a smallish saucepan with a glass lid, and dump in some prepared salsa. How much depends on how hungry you are; for four eggs I use about one cup. Carefully break as many eggs as you want all over the surface of the salsa, then sprinkle them with grated cheese. Cover the bowl and pop the whole arrangement in the oven, and get ready to hover for ten, maybe fifteen minutes, depending on how firm you like your eggs. This is a bit of an exacting process -- the eggs will go from totally raw to rubbery in what seems like seconds. Do not hesitate to prod them frequently. When the eggs are done and the salsa is hot and bubbly, eat with corn tortillas. Sour cream is very nice on top. We usually eat this for brunch, but it is also a nice supper.

Slightly more involved but still good (after you cut everything up, you can pretty much forget about it) is

Fake Ratatouille

Cut up an onion, a small eggplant, a zucchini, and garlic (I like lots.) Soften onion and garlic in a little olive oil over medium heat until onion is limp and starting to brown. Throw in the vegetables and half a large can of crushed tomatoes, a bay leaf and some thyme. I always put in dried pepper flakes too. Lower the heat to a simmer, cover the pot and go away for a little while. The vegetables should be unfashionably well-done. When they are, take the lid off and kick up the heat, and let it cook down until it is no longer soupy. Stir often. There you go. This wants vast quantities of Parmesan on top, and fresh basil if you have any. It is very good with plain yogurt mixed in. It could probably become a curry, if you skipped the thyme and bay and added curry powder and garam masala.

I serve this with polenta, but polenta is a bit of a PITA to make and takes forever; Fake Ratatouille is fine on its own, and very good for you.

Last, here's something I'm stealing verbatim from Nigel Slater, but it's OK because I can't believe he even bothered writing it down to begin with. It's that easy.

Stinky Cheese Pasta

Find a hunk of extremely ripe, runny cheese, like Gorgonzola or Camembert, something like that. Very ripe and very runny is the name of the game. Boil some pasta -- bowtie, rotelli or penne; long thin pastas don't work with this. While the pasta is boiling, steam some broccoli or spinach over the pot. Throw the cheese into a prewarmed bowl, then dump in the still-piping-hot pasta and the vegetables. Stir it around. The cheese will melt. Eat.

[seebs]

Potato cakes: Done well, this is a two-dish meal.

Ingredients:
* Instant mashed potatoes
* butter
* milk
* water
* breadcrumbs
* eggs
* seasonings, especially oregano and garlic salt
* olive oil

1. Make some instant mashed potatoes. Once they're done, add butter to them, and then add breadcrumbs to that mix until it's a little dry. Make sure it's cool enough not to cook eggs. (BTW, milk and water are just for use in this part of the process. Exact amounts vary.) I generally use about a 2-1 potatoes-breadcrumbs mix.
2. Add eggs, and lots of seasonings. In particular, it is very hard to have too much oregano; more general "italian seasonings" help, but you want LOTS of oregano, and a fair bit of basil. Also garlic salt.
3. Once you have a fairly stiff mix of potato-goop (should be stiff enough to make patties out of, like hamburger), you're done making mix.

You now have a pot of pancake mix. Or, you could mix the components in a bowl. I tend to just use one of our large cooking pots.

Now, whenever you want potato cakes:

1. Heat olive oil in pan.
2. Make thin potato cake patties. (under 1/2" thick. It should stick together okay; if not, you needed another egg.)
3. Fry potato cakes. You want them at least golden-brown on both sides. A little more is good, too much more is bad.

Depending on taste, you may or may not want to add more garlic salt to these when they're done.

What I like about this is you can get a couple-few days worth of easy food (cooking these takes only a couple of minutes) for a single big-batch prep job... And you really are only using the one pot to make the mix!

[godfry n. glad]

Here's one of my quick an easy favorites:

Good godfry Coucous Vegetable Salad

1-1/2 cups couscous
1/2 cup raisins (I like to use golden raisins...dunno why)
1 teaspoon tumeric
2 cups boiling water
2/3 cup sliced almonds (buy 'em in the bag already sliced)
2 cups chickpeas (1 15-oz. can garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained - same thing)
3 scallions thinly cross-sliced
2 medium tomatoes, halved, seeded and diced

..............................................

1/3 cup fresh lemon juice (bottled lemon juice will do for cheaters)
1/3 cup olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced (I have no problem with my press)
2 tablespoons minced fresh basil or 2 teaspoons dried
1/2 teaspoon salt
freshly ground black pepper to taste - I like lots!

Firstly - Place couscous, raisins, and tumeric in a large bowl, then pour the boiling water over them and stir well. Cover with foil or a large plate and let sit 5 minutes. Fluff with fork, cover again, and let sit 10 minutes longer.

Secondlike - Stir in the almonds, chick-peas (them are garbanzo beans at my grocery store), scallions, and tomatoes.

Thirdsome - Combine the lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, basil, salt, pepper and rind, if you have it, and beat to a blend. Pour over the couscous mixture and toss. Cover and chill at least 30 minutes, or up to 24 hours, before serving.

Serve chilled and fluffed.

--------------------------------------

The original recipe from Jeanne Lemlin's Quick Vegetarian Pleasures (pg. 74) calls for the grated rine of one orange. I despise oranges, so this was early to disappear from the Good godfry version. That original also called for green-leaf lettuce, upon which to "show" the saffron colored couscous salad. I think it superfluous, but for those who go for "presentation", that's the recommended manner.

Lemon rind zips it up for me.

It's almost all chop and mix. Only the water has to be cooked. Not much to burn as a result. It's also better the second day, as it marinates in the lemon/oil marinade. Other things can also be added. Finely minced sweet peppers, dried apricots, pine nuts, artichoke hearts, or sliced spanish olives can change the nature of the salad.

It goes exceedingly well with pita, hummus and baba ganooj. It's a great addition to almost any potluck, year 'round.

It's festively colored.

It's filling. It's a carbo with vegetables.


godfry

[Godless Wonder]

Somewhere, and I had thought it was this thread, but now I'm not seeing it, someone posted a recipe for pasta, that consisted of boiled pasta (e.g. spaghetti) olive oil, garlic, parmesan cheese, and pepper, (all ingredients that keep well...) I think that was it. Anyway I made such a thing a few days ago, and I'm making it again right now, and just wanted to say "thanks" to whoever posted that recipe, because it was quite good, and very easy, and I'm looking forward to having this batch in a few minutes.

Edit: Oh, it was seebs. (http://www.freethought-forum.com/forum/showpost.php?p=1432&postcount=54). Thanks seebs.

[seebs]

Glad to be of service!

My strategy is to make a large batch with everything but the cheese in it, then split it up into sandwich containers; a small sandwich container (maybe a pint?) is a good full-sized meal. I mean, it's not a HEALTHY meal, but as long as it's in rotation with other foods, it's okay. Then a meal is as simple as "reheat the pasta, add the cheese". I wish I had more foods I could do this with, although I can generally talk my wife into making a large pot of spaghetti sauce. With thai dragon peppers.

One caveat; the pepper isn't as strong after it's been soaking into the pasta for a day or so, so you may want to make it a little too strong, and have one strong batch and two weak batches.

Also, if you don't mind the extra expense, this is one of the pasta dishes which, IMHO, benefits a lot from whole wheat pasta.

By the way, the instructions I posted omitted the use of "italian seasoning", which is a sort of cheap mix of oregano and basil and who knows what else. Makes the sauce a bit... uhm. More that. Greener?

[livius drusus]

My strategy is to make a large batch with everything but the cheese in it, then split it up into sandwich containers; a small sandwich container (maybe a pint?) is a good full-sized meal. I mean, it's not a HEALTHY meal, but as long as it's in rotation with other foods, it's okay. Then a meal is as simple as "reheat the pasta, add the cheese".

But, but... Pasta doesn't like to be reheated. It gets all mad and makes you pay in crappy texture.

I wish I had more foods I could do this with, although I can generally talk my wife into making a large pot of spaghetti sauce. With thai dragon peppers.

One caveat; the pepper isn't as strong after it's been soaking into the pasta for a day or so, so you may want to make it a little too strong, and have one strong batch and two weak batches.

Have you considered blending the sauce once it's through cooking? It distributes the heat so evenly that it stays perfectly hot for a week, at least. That's the trick to Arrabiata sauce with peperoncini, anyway, so I'm guessing the thai dragons will work much the same way.

Also, if you don't mind the extra expense, this is one of the pasta dishes which, IMHO, benefits a lot from whole wheat pasta.

You think? I love whole wheat pasta and in fact use it by default for most things, but generally speaking I find long pastas are not well suited to whole wheat. Penne, otoh, are just dreamy good. Particularly with a mushroom garlic sauce.

[Shake]

When I saw Rev's Eggs in Hell, it just reminded me of this:Die Eier von Satan
Eine halbe Tasse Staubzucker
Ein Viertel Teelöffel Salz
Eine Messerspitze türkisches Haschisch
Ein halbes Pfund Butter
Ein Teelöffel Vanillenzucker
Ein halbes Pfund Mehl
Einhundertfünfzig Gramm gemahlene Nüsse
Ein wenig extra Staubzucker
... und keine Eier

In eine Schüssel geben
Butter einrühren
Gemahlene Nüsse zugeben und
Den Teig verkneten

Augenballgroße Stücke vom Teig formen
Im Staubzucker wälzen und
Sagt die Zauberwörter
Simsalbimbamba Saladu Saladim

Auf ein gefettetes Backblech legen und
Bei zweihundert Grad für fünfzehn Minuten backen und
KEINE EIER

Bei zweihundert Grad für fünfzehn Minuten backen und
Keine Eier ..

[seebs]

But, but... Pasta doesn't like to be reheated. It gets all mad and makes you pay in crappy texture.

My current theory is that pasta thoroughly covered in olive oil is at least partially immune to this.

Have you considered blending the sauce once it's through cooking? It distributes the heat so evenly that it stays perfectly hot for a week, at least.

Blending? Like, with a blender?

You think? I love whole wheat pasta and in fact use it by default for most things, but generally speaking I find long pastas are not well suited to whole wheat. Penne, otoh, are just dreamy good. Particularly with a mushroom garlic sauce.

Bleah! Mushrooms! Anyway, I just found that it works well for this; haven't tried that many other whole wheat pastas.

[livius drusus]

But, but... Pasta doesn't like to be reheated. It gets all mad and makes you pay in crappy texture.

My current theory is that pasta thoroughly covered in olive oil is at least partially immune to this.

I might buy that if it's pan reheated. Otherwise, Holmes, I'm going to have to squint at you very suspiciously. :susp2:

Have you considered blending the sauce once it's through cooking? It distributes the heat so evenly that it stays perfectly hot for a week, at least.

Blending? Like, with a blender?

Or a food mill, yessir. I assure you, it does something to hot peppers in tomato sauce that is ineffably wonderful.

Bleah! Mushrooms! Anyway, I just found that it works well for this; haven't tried that many other whole wheat pastas.

You don't like mushrooms? I'm so sorry for your loss. :comfort:

I like lots of whole grain pastas, actually. Maybe I should start a new thread on the subject.

[Godless Dave]

I like lots of whole grain pastas, actually. Maybe I should start a new thread on the subject.

If so, can you tell me how to identify whole grain pasta as such? I want to eat it for health reasons but haven't found any pasta actually labeled "whole grain". Usually they mention what kind of wheat their made of but that's it.

[seebs]

I like lots of whole grain pastas, actually. Maybe I should start a new thread on the subject.

If so, can you tell me how to identify whole grain pasta as such? I want to eat it for health reasons but haven't found any pasta actually labeled "whole grain". Usually they mention what kind of wheat their made of but that's it.

You have to look around, it may be in the "organic" section, and some grocery stores won't carry it at all. Larger grocery stores generally have it. So, say, Cub Foods has it in the "natural foods" section.

[Godless Dave]

I was sure Mississippi Market would have it but I must not have read the labels attentively. I'll check there or Cub's "natural foods" section.

[RevDahlia]

Performing thread necromancy to add a recipe I came up with recently. It satisfies the need for "real food", is comprised entirely of kitchen staples (except maybe the mushrooms, but you can pick them up along with a bottle of Chardonnay on the way home from work,) and only gets four implements dirty. Besides, it is good.

Quick Chicken and Gravy (quantities given are for one hungry person or two not-so-hungry people)

Ingredients:
3 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
Half a large onion
Half a package of regular white button mushrooms
1 cup lowfat, low salt chicken broth (a reputable brand is essential -- I like Swanson's)
4 tbsps butter
2 tbsps flour
Pinch of dried thyme

S&P

Parsley, chopped (optional)

Dirty implements: One large knife, one wooden spoon, one cutting board and one fairly deep skillet

Chop up onions and mushrooms. Melt half the butter in the bottom of skillet, over medium-low heat. Fling in onions, mushrooms and a generous pinch of dried thyme. Cook until they've thrown off most of their liquid, stirring occasionally -- this will take maybe ten minutes.

Meanwhile, slice the chicken breasts into smallish pieces.

Once vegetables are done, put the chicken broth in a microwaveable container and nuke it for 3 minutes. While it is nuking, put the rest of the butter in skillet, sprinkle in the flour, kick the heat up a little and stir everything around until microwave pings. Then, throw in chicken broth and chopped-up chicken, and simmer it all together until chicken is done, stirring occasionally. Add S&P to taste. Garnish with parsley.

This takes twenty-five minutes, tops. It is good with rice, or mashed potatoes if you're feeling enterprising, and a side of microwaved frozen corn.

[livius drusus]

That looks kickass, Rev. Definitely on the will try list. Swanson's is Cook's Illustrated's favorite chicken broth too, btw, and they're always right.

[Listener]

Better late than never :D

Once every couple of weeks I make a "sort of Kedgeree" for two...

Kedgeree is normally made like this (http://thefoody.com/fish/kedgeree.html)

My recipé calls for smoked mackerel not haddock ...

INGREDIENTS

2/3 cup long grain rice

1 Pkt smoked mackerel (Dunno about the U.S. but most British supermarkets do a 3 fillet pack - I use the peppered one :hammock:)

3 fresh eggs

1/2 oz butter

1 tablespoon vinegar

Black pepper to taste

METHOD

1) Boil the rice until tender, strain and set aside to serve plain with the kedgeree.

2) Heat a small saucepan of water to near boiling and add the vinegar.

3) Break the eggs into the hot vinegar water and simmer until the yolks look "hard boiled". (Poaching saves peeling hard boiled eggs! :hammock:

4) Chop up the mackerel into a pyrex bowl

5) Chop the poached eggs in with the mackerel

6) Add the butter and any supplementary black pepper and bring to serving temperature in the microwave.

7) Mix thoroughly and serve alongside the rice

:dindate:

[roastelk]

grilled cheese sandwiches with canned soup is about the easiest thing I cook.

however there are times when im too lazy to cook or even ordor out food, like tongiht...I believe I will be having a bowl or two of Cheerios and milk for supper, washed down with an after dinner beer.

[lisarea]

Has this been in here yet? It's from Cook's Illustrated, so prolly liv done put it somewhere, but this is super easy and it's like the best thing in the universe.

Roasted cauliflower

Line a baking sheet with tinfoil, and heat the oven to 475(!!!).

Cut a cauliflower into eight even wedges, and lay them flat. Drizzle olive oil over them, then sprinkle with kosher salt and cracked black pepper. Turn them over and repeat the olive oil and S&P.

Cover tightly with another piece of foil, and put them on the very bottom rack for 8-12 minutes. Take off the foil, then cook another 8-12. Turn them over, cook for a final 8-12. They should be crisp and toasty around the edges. (Maybe a few blackened areas on the outlying parts.) Eat them with your face.

This stuff is so good it's stupid. I'm not kidding.

(They had some recipes for sauces, but I was all like, "Whatevs." And then I said "LOL." I can go find them if anybody wants, though.)

[Awareness]

Spinach! (Fresh and lots of it, and certainly not a hand full)

This you eat at best, with soft cooked rice.

Onion, about one will do, not a golfball but more of a little apple size.

Garlic, if you like it, and meat.

chicken, or pig-meat, about a handfull of sliced small pieces.
Salt and pepper, that is all, maybe a little soya sause, but just a teaspoon,
so to speak.
Cause I want to taste the slimy spinach!

Fry this, about two minutes, then throw the fresh washed spinach on top of it.( uncut!)
You wait a minute or two, then stir carefully, then wait alittle more, then stir again.

You will have to stay, until the spinach "shrinks" and gets a little soft.

So , do not "fry" it for a long time, about 5 minutes.
The spinach, has still to be a little crispy, and soft.

It goes with a good beer, and fried "cookies", corn, etc.


That's it, until next time. Bon appetite!

[mickthinks]

This is so bad, Hugo Holbling had to 'moderate' it for the good of The Galilean Library!

Delice du Matin

Croisants (buttered to taste)
Chocolate Spread
1 orange

Take a warmed croissant from the oven.
Open and spread with as much chocolate spread as you can countenance. Insert one or more segments of orange and fold back into shape.
Eat , in as few large mouthfuls as possible.

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I found some bite-sized croissants in my corner shop which were ideal for this. My chocolate spread had added hazelnuts, which worked well. Experiment with slicing the orange segments in thin halves. There's no kitchen chemistry involved, so the ingredients and quantities can all be played with as your taste buds dictate.