Posts
4511
Joined
12/26/2007
Location
Syracuse, NY
US
Edited Date/Time
1/24/2012 3:14pm
i find random ways to cook some decent food for my boys, sometimes just standing and staring at the fridge while they destroy countless dirt bike toys in the next room over. Sometimes, theyre just easy ways to cook sandwiches and burgers and what not while juggling parentla duties, sometimes i find myself a good little hit.
Tonight I cooked some awesome Texas Toast and eggs.Please mind you ive never opened a cook book, or looked online, just thought, "hey, that would taste good".. I made somesunny side up eggs (or whatever you call it when the yolks not broke and cooked mostly from one side), made some texas toast, eggs on top followed by a little bit of cheese, salt and pepper, and bam! it was awesome.
Also took some Grands Biscuits, Meat flavored Ragu, and Mozz cheese, and made the boys some mini pizzas, those are awesome and very entertaining for the little guys.
If anyone has any suggestions, id love to hear!
Tonight I cooked some awesome Texas Toast and eggs.Please mind you ive never opened a cook book, or looked online, just thought, "hey, that would taste good".. I made somesunny side up eggs (or whatever you call it when the yolks not broke and cooked mostly from one side), made some texas toast, eggs on top followed by a little bit of cheese, salt and pepper, and bam! it was awesome.
Also took some Grands Biscuits, Meat flavored Ragu, and Mozz cheese, and made the boys some mini pizzas, those are awesome and very entertaining for the little guys.
If anyone has any suggestions, id love to hear!
Egg in a basket - Next time take a regular piece of bread, use a small glass to cut a hole in the center, place in pan and slightly brown with butter (med heat), then crack an egg into the center hole and let firm, flip and toast and firm other side. I have done this with all kinds of variations, even down to making a cheese omelette as the egg.
Easy cheat, go get a large can of Campbell's chunky soup, cook on stove as usual but pour over some rice or my favorite, mashed potatoes.
Think of menus in this simple manner
Protein, starch, veggie.....follow this and you can't really go wrong
Proteins are meats...beef, chicken, pork, eggs...stuff like that
Starches are potatoes, rice, pasta, breads
Veggies are pretty simple
Think of variations using that simple three piece formula and you're good.
By the way, do yourself a favor and buy a small crockpot. Put in some beef or pork in the morning on low with some water, let cook all day while at work...make a starch and veggie, you're golden
Cook all the below at the same time:
Cut chicken and cook in a skillet till done
Cook alfredo noodles
Melt 1/2 stick of butter in skillet
Add 1 cup of heavy cream.
slowly bring to a light boil and simmer for 5 minutes
add 1 1/2 cups of parmesan cheese and stir until completely melted.
Combine everything, chicken, noodles and sauce.
Eat and enjoy.
Dave - I actually made some pretty good soup over mashed potatoes with Progresso Steak soup. My youngest loved it, oldest wanted nothing to do with it, haha. But I do want to get a crock pot and give that a shot.
I definitely know my way around a bike better than a stove, so im working on it
The Shop
In morning, put in some beef, like a london broil (top round is same thing, just cut thinner) or an eye round.
There's this stuff in a jar called "Better than bouillon" put a spoon in and some water and let cook a few hours.
When you have a few hours to go, cut a couple (washed) potatoes into it, some carrots (peel the carrot) and let go a few more hours and you're done. Total work time of maybe 20 minutes.
At the races in Germany, every team has a crockpot going and they eat out of it all day
I don't know your situation, but when I got divorced, I got the kids. Full time. I knew nothing about cooking. I learned and actually had fun learning. It's all a challenge for a single Dad but it can be rewarding. My kids and I had no idea what to do but we figured it out. They make fun of me now but the challenge brought us closer.
Good Camp food i learned too: pillsbury crescents on a stick, cinnamon and sugar sprinkled and roast: every kid at the track came running for these things
I like making "egg pie" because it freezes really well too.
Line the bottom of a ceramic casserole with hashed browns, sprinkle with cooked bacon ( I like lots of pepper bacon), then cover with shredded cheddar. Lastly pour about a dozen beaten eggs over the mixture. Bake covered for about 40 minutes at 350.
I slice it into 8 pieces and freeze them individually for breakfasts, snacks, etc.
Be prepared to throw shit out, it happens. Even the best chefs have failed dishes.
I always suggest this, take all the spices/herbs out of your cabinet and get a glass of water (if you do not have spices/herbs, go buy one of those sets to start) and sit down.
Sprinkle a little of each in your hand and taste it, big taste and ask yourself "what does this taste like? Italian? Mexican? Salt? Hot? Sweet?" and remember it, make a little cheat sheet if necessary.
Example -
Oregano, basil = Italian
Cumin, cilantro = spanish/mexican
See what I mean?
Taste each one and make a mental note of what turn that herb makes to a dish.
Speaking of pasta, super easy and people will think you're a fucking chef...
Go to store and buy some FRESH basil...be in the produce
Cut up (dice) some chicken and brown in a pan with some olive oil, salt and pepper, nothing more
Cook some pasta, like penne (little tubes). Remember, it's not supposed to be mushy, should be a little firm. Drain and drizzle with olive oil and stir/toss.
Take the leaves off the stems of the basil and chop to medium size pieces.
When pasta and chicken are done, add to pasta with chopped basil and some more olive oil, toss/stir and let sit just a few minutes.
Plate and lightly salt
Serve
People will think you're a genius in the kitchen
I posted this on another site to help some guys out, this is a lot easier than people think...
Save for a date night or something, almost too good for little ones.
But can also give you some cooking ideas and an idea of how easy good cooking can be
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Been awhile, I know, but thought I would teach something new. While it sounds super complicated and tastes super rich, it's actually not that difficult to make, and as with anything, the more you do it, the easier it gets.
Today's menu is Boeuf Bourguignon....also called Beef Burgundy, and Boeuf à la Bourguignonne
It's a simple braising of beef in red wine with vegetables and herbs.
First, get some nice marbled stewing beef and make sure you trim off any silver skin or sinew (tough ligaments and such). Fat or marbling is ok because it will melt away and add flavor.
You will need a good dutch over (pot), I prefer ceramic coated cast iron.
Take about 6 slices of smoked bacon and slice into 1/4" pieces, these in French are referred to as "lardons" (where we got the term "lard"). In the pot, you're going to render down (cook) the bacon to light brown, extracting the fat from the bacon. When near done, add in a few cloves of fresh chopped garlic to flavor the oil (grease). Remove and save.
In the meantime, pat dry the beef, then dredge in flour (wet beef does not brown as well).
Place several pieces of beef at a time in the pot. Do not crowd the beef.
Lightly brown, turn and then remove, then add more beef. YOU ARE ONLY BROWNING THEM, NOT COOKING THEM.
While the beef is browning, bind and tie some sprigs of rosemary, dice some celery, blanch and peel (or buy ready to go) pearl/baby onions
Once you brown the beef, you'll wind up with a crust on the bottom of the pot, this is good....
Now you are going to deglaze the pan by using some of your wine. Speaking of which, you do not need an expensive wine, but NEVER cook with a "cooking wine," that's shit. If it's not good enough to drink, it's not good enough to cook with.
I use this simple Cabernet. Remember, when you cook with alcohol, the alcohol itself cooks off...so no problem for the little ones or non-drinkers
Deglazing...while the pot is warm/hot, pour in your wine and with a firm wooden spoon or spatula, gently scrub off the crust
Once you deglaze the pan, put the beef and all other ingredients back into the pot....beef on bottom, then all else with rosemary on top.
Pour in wine to at least cover the beef. The vegies and everything else will collapse onto it.
Cover with the lid, make sure it's a tight fitting lid and place in oven....
250oF
Let cook for about 2.5 - 3 hours
You can add carrots if you wish, those you put in later to avoid over cooking, depending on size and cut. If you want to impress, buy cleaned trimmed whole baby carrots (look like regular miniature carrots) and give them about 1.5 hrs to cook.
As you near finishing time, you can sprinkle on and stir in some flour if necessary to thicken the mixture, as well as any salt or pepper as desired.
and you're done!
I will serve this with some garlic pureed potatoes, but can also be served over rice or egg noodles (really good on noodles)
thats the kind of pot you cooked that in?
Mine is a Martha Stewart
Excellent pot
Pit Row
At that point pull the pan out of the oven and cover the breasts with some piquante sauce (salsa) and then enough cheddar cheese to cover the sauce and return it to the oven for another 10-20 minutes or until the cheese is melted.
If you have a toaster oven this work really well in those for smaller amounts. You can add some cut up potatoes to surround the chicken and cook at the same time to. Steam some veggies in the microwave or stove top and it's a quick and easy well balanced meal.
But anyway, you're getting some excellent suggestions. My point would be not to fall into the trap of "cooking down" to your young kids. Feed them varied flavors and textures, don't be afraid of ethnic flavors, and don't stay away from seasoning and spices. All that stuff about "kid friendly" food is garbage. It creates adults who won't eat anything but the same old thing and fast food and pizza. Kids who grow up having two or three different vegetables and fruits at every meal will grow up craving that kind of diet as adults. That's what you want to build. And spice is the variety of life....
He ate nothing but chicken nuggets and hot dogs at home, but when he ate at my house (him and my son were buddies), he ate what ever I cooked.
His mom came by one time and about shit her pants when she saw him eating lasagna and Italian sausage.
I've been hooked on grilled cheese sandwiches lately. Throw some jarred sweet peppers on top - shiz is DELICIOUS and takes like 10 minutes to make.
Add some tomato soup and you've got yourself a good meal.
Super easy, super rich, super good
How can you go wrong if bacon is in it?
Praise the Lard!!
Tater Tot Casserole (very easy)
(10 min prep time; 45 min cook time)
You will need:
- 8in x 8in casserole dish
- 1lb. ground beef
- 1 can cream of mushroom soup (or cream of chicken if you want)
- 1/2 bag frozen tater tots
- shredded cheese
- salt and pepper
- (optional: onion powder and garlic powder)
Directions:
- brown beef in large pan, season with salt and pepper and drain fat
- In caserole dish, add soup and browned beef
- top with tater tots and shredded cheese
Cook at 375*F for 35-45 min (enough to cook tots)
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Apple Crumble Desert (very easy)
(15 min prep time; 45 min cook time)
You will need:
- 8x8 caserole dish or pan (glass or metal)
- 4 or 5 red apples
- 1 cup flour
- 1/2 cup of white or brown sugar (I use 1/4 cup each)
- 1/4 cup butter (room temperature or softened in microwave)
- cinnamon (about 1 Tablespoon, but I usually add way more)
Directions:
- Peel, core, and cut apples into wedges
- Mix flour, sugar, butter and cinnamon by hand in a bowl (it should be loosly mixed, a bit doughey and a bit crumbly at the same time)
- Place apple wedges haphazardly in 8x8 caserole dish
- cover with crumble mixture
Cook at 375*F for 40-45 minutes
Awesome with a scoop of vanilla ice cream!
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Chicken Cream Cheese Enchiladas (Easy)
(Makes about 10 fairly large ehchiladas)
(20 min in prep time; 20 min cooking time)
You will need:
- 2 Large caserole dishes 8in x 12in (glass or metal)
- 1 package boneless/skinless chicken breast (about 1lb.)
- 1 8oz. package cream cheese
- 2 small cans of Green Chilli's (or 1 large can)
- 1 small white onion
- chili powder
- medium sized tortillas (10-12) (or 14-16 smaller tortillas)
- 1 large can red enchilada sauce (this is easy to make also)
- shredded cheese
Directions:
- boil chicken breasts with a bit of chili powerder
- drain and shred chicken
- dice onion
- put shredded chicken, diced onion, green chilis and cream cheese in a large bowl and mix together (add a little seasoning)
- roll mixture in tortillas
- put a bit of sauce in the bottom of baking dish
- place rolled enchiladas in baking dish (you will need 2)
- cover with more sauce
Cook at 350*F until hot (15-30 min, depending on if they are cold out of the fridge) (chicken is already cooked, so you need really only need to get it hot enough to eat)
- I like to put the shredded cheese on about 5 minutes before they are done so it doesn't melt away.
You can make these the night before, and cook (heat) when ready. Save some sauce for in the can for later as it tends to dry up in the fridge.
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A few other easy favorites of mine are:
- Grilled chicken fajitas
- Spaghetti (real hearty, not from a jar)
- Crock pot chicken tacos
- Baked mac 'n' cheese
- Spicy chicken strips (clone of Wendy's spicy chicken) (oven baked or deep fried)
- Nachos
- Homemade applesauce (soooo good!)
- Pancakes (Bisquik mix, nothing fancy but I still love pancakes for dinner!)
A few tips:
- Veggies: You can usually use half in one meal now, half in another meal later. I always keep a few these hand (onion, garlic, red/green peppers). Make meat spaghetti one night and grilled chicken fajitas another night with one purchase of veggies.
- Burger and chicken is good to keep on hand in the freezer. If you forget to thaw it ahead of time, it's ok to quick thaw in the sink, or just start cooking frozen because it needs to be cooked all the way through anyway.
- Cooking is fun and easy. Clean up is not. It helps to "clean as you go".
Cream of Chicken noodle soup.
Buy a can of cream of chicken, (you can use cream of mushroom, cream of celery as well).
Boil noodle of choice, shells, linguini, spirrel ect.
Strain knoodles, and cream them up by melting butter in them.
add can of cream of chicken noodle soup and milk and stir to right texture.
Let sit a few minutes and noodles will warm the cream of chicken
Very good, very easy. Also goes good with fried Spam. I like fried Spam sandwiches on white bread with mustard.
Dish number two:
Pesto.
Buy a can of Pesto. It comes in a clear Jar. A jar will last for several meals
Boil noodle of choice, Angel hair spaghetti works well with this dish.
Strain noodles, stir the noodles with extra virgin olive oil. enough to coat them and make them creamy
add a table spoon to spoon and half depending on how much noodles of pesto
Let sit a minute to warm pesto.
serve and top with parmesan cheese like you would spaghetti.
Very quick and easy and one of my favorites.
eat with a can of corn in a pot with melted butter in it.
some cook and serve chocolate pudding poured evenly into how ever many bowels for people eating.
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