620671 Sun May 17 21:31:50 -0700 2009 273 31 Home Cooking 0 4692937 A couple weeks ago I came home exhausted with a salmon steak, intending to cook it the way I usually do (bake with lemon and dill.) Opened the fridge. I had most of a container of mild fresh salsa left over from the day before. (I live in Massachusetts - brand name of the salsa is La Mexicana and it's really good.) Sprayed a glass pan lightly with canola oil, plopped in the fish and absolutely buried it in the salsa. Baked at 350 for about 28 minutes - the liquid in the salsa kept the fish incredibly moist. Anyone else have recipes they love & make when they're tired? Sun May 17 21:31:50 -0700 2009 14254 pasuga 1 4692959 ok, that sounds delicious, I have to try it! Here's the stupidest easy recipe that I make all the time; in fact this might be too easy to even qualify for this thread: I put some frozen fruit in my magi-mix food processor, process for 5-15 seconds, add some fat-free vanilla yogurt and/or honey and process for another 5 seconds and voila: frozen yogurt! It doesn't freeze well but right out of the magi-mix it has exactly the consistency of frozen yogurt and it's fat free! http://polarbearinourfrigidaire.blogspot.com/ Sun May 17 21:51:10 -0700 2009 4692937 149918 gdaerin 2 4693229 When seafood prices allow (I'm also from MA) mussels steamed in white wine and some sauteed shallots or leeks, steamed clams in a tiny bit of water and the broth they make while cooking, and/ or steamed lobster in a small amount of water. I also soak great northern beans overnight and cook in water with a bit of oil and lots of dried sage, an easy inexpensive yum. Mon May 18 05:26:37 -0700 2009 4692959 51746 chowfamily 3 5159145 steamed chincoteague oysters. pretty stupid easy! boil water, add oysters and cover. when they pop open, they're done. delicious. measuring coffee in the a.m. is harder! i also love this one: shred savoy cabbage and stir in Mae Ploy sweet chili sauce with chopped scallions and fresh parsley / cilantro. Thu Nov 05 14:27:33 -0800 2009 4693229 1101903 lil magill 2 4693945 My husband and I do this exact recipe in the blender all the time and drink it as a smoothie. It's a great weekend lunch substitute when we're busy. We tend to add vanilla-flavored protein powder too, and depending on the fruit, a little cinnamon. Mon May 18 09:42:55 -0700 2009 4692959 125776 jboeke 1 4693211 boxed mac and cheese with browned ground beef scrambled eggs chicken baked with sketti sauce on top topped with some cheese mebbe chicken/pork baked with salsa on top (like you did with the fish above, my husband doesn't like fish) Mon May 18 05:08:52 -0700 2009 4692937 119275 Morganna 2 4735597 I go long periods without eating scrambled eggs (more of a soft boiled or sunny side fried girl), and when I do get around to eating them, I'm always struck anew how good they taste - so creamy, almost sweet. Guess that will be supper tonight... Tue Jun 02 09:03:16 -0700 2009 4693211 10431 Gooseberry 3 5158113 me, too. scrambled eggs are one of those things that, unlike sandwiches, i like best when prepared by me. i guess that goes for all eggs. i'm picky. Thu Nov 05 09:13:57 -0800 2009 4735597 150094 ChristinaMason 2 5159166 yeah! boxed mac & cheese with salsa, side of cottage cheese! Thu Nov 05 14:34:05 -0800 2009 4693211 1101903 lil magill 1 4693227 I do something similar, with chicken tenderloins. Cover them in canned stewed tomatoes (or try the fire-roasted kind!) and bake, covered, until done. It is INCREDIBLY tender due to the acidity in the tomatoes and moisture. Perfect with rice and green beans or some such combo. http://mealplanner.eatrealgood.com/recipes/66 Mon May 18 05:24:52 -0700 2009 4692937 232161 kaaris 2 4700141 In a similar vein - my corner butchershop/deli breads and fries boned and skinned chicken breasts every day. They're usually pretty big - the size of a dinner plate! If I'm feeling lazy but want a hot, cooked meal, I'll pick one up, along with a jar of Rao's marinara sauce or plain, old chopped tomatoes and some fresh mozzarella. Top the chicken with the sauce/tomatoes and sliced cheese and bake in the toaster oven until bubbly. It's a one-casserole, three-ingredient dinner. Just add some salad and a hunk of bread. Wed May 20 07:51:48 -0700 2009 4693227 10787 Deenso 3 4700218 I almost bought a jar of Rao's at the store the other day - is it better than my favorite, Newman's Own Sockarooni Sauce? I know about Rao's, so I think I'll try it. Wed May 20 08:09:04 -0700 2009 4700141 253735 bayoucook 4 4701117 I haven't tried Newman's Own, so I can't say which is better. Suppose I'll have to pick some up and give it a shot. Wed May 20 12:11:43 -0700 2009 4700218 10787 Deenso 5 4701381 Please report back. I think Rao's is great (albeit expensive). Wed May 20 13:21:38 -0700 2009 4701117 16579 gsElsbeth 6 4701546 I know Rao's is expensive, but have seen jfood reference making it at home. Here's a link to the recipe courtesy of Caitlin McGrath (from the ravioli thread): http://www.marthastewart.com/recipe/raos-marinara-sauce Wed May 20 14:05:49 -0700 2009 4701381 249664 kattyeyes 7 4703784 Thanks K. Jfood always has a few jars that he "cans" this sauce in the basement. The major comment on the recipe is that it takes longer than 1 hour. Likewise jfood uses his immersion blender to get to the correct consistency. Thu May 21 10:23:12 -0700 2009 4701546 11290 jfood 7 4703897 Actually, I usually make my own sauce for pasta. It only takes as much time as it does for the water to come to a boil and for the pasta to cook. And, of course, it's much less expensive to do homemade. But I always have a jar of Rao's in the cabinet for the nights when even that little bit of prep is too much to ask of myself. Thu May 21 10:59:28 -0700 2009 4701546 10787 Deenso 8 4731753 I tried the sausage kind and found it to be just ok...which Rao's sauce do you like? Mon Jun 01 05:14:49 -0700 2009 4703897 206111 bythebayov 9 4731833 why is rao's so expensive? btw, if y'all want the recipe for rao's, i've got it bookmarked somewhere, and will find it. Mon Jun 01 06:00:03 -0700 2009 4731753 105717 alkapal 10 4731906 HA HA...I linked to it upthread (above jfood). We really could be twins, couldn't we? ;) I'm with you--why IS it so costly? Mon Jun 01 06:36:05 -0700 2009 4731833 249664 kattyeyes 9 4732639 I haven't tried the sausage, but the marinara is fine when I need something quick. My husband likes the puttanesca, as well. But I only use these in a pinch, when I just don't have time to throw together my own sauce. Mon Jun 01 10:38:48 -0700 2009 4731753 10787 Deenso 1 4693371 Steam a globe artichoke for about 45 minutes to an hour and just mix together some mayo, lemon juice and salt and pull the leaves off and dip them...awesome. Mon May 18 06:54:01 -0700 2009 4692937 41679 Den 2 4694654 I microwave mine for 8-10 minutes then mix mayo and soy sauce for dipping. Mon May 18 12:39:01 -0700 2009 4693371 88544 Ima Wurdibitsch 3 4850330 I make a good vinaigrette with mustard and balsamic vinegar, and herbs if I have them. But I use my whisk attachment on my hand mixer to whisk it so it emulsifies. Love artichoke with vinaigrette! Sat Jul 11 21:23:08 -0700 2009 4694654 45208 somervilleoldtimer 1 4693452 Well this does have 5 ingredients, but always in my fridge but this time I had like 1/4 cup of everything. And no recipe. Everything left over that I didn't want to throw out and wanted to use some how. Well, came how late, took a piece of foil, sprayed with Pam, added like 1/4 cup or so of frozen spinach, a small frozen chicken breast, topped with 1/3 can chopped tomatoes and 2 tablespoons or so of ricotta and the remaining 3 or so tablespoons of mozz. folded up, oh yeah, s/p and I think the tomatoes were Italian diced). Folded up and baked. I did cut open or use one piece of cookware. Baked for 30 minutes and ate. Amazing flavor, great simple no work. Some parm would of been good which I did add as a garnish. I think I used my parsley just to give it flavor and color more than anything but not necessary. I just always garnish my food. We eat with our eyes right. Well mine does have 5 but all leftover easy and you could easily leave out one of the ingredients. But the leftover would of been thrown out otherwise so why not? ------------- Second cream cheese with cocktail sauce, crackers ... I know an old fave, but still good ------------- Desperate, I hate ramen noodles usually, but I had a pack, some left over BBQ chicken from that day, and a roasted onion salad I had made. Almost a relish for the BBQ. Well I made the soup thick, put the chicken in, put the onion relish in Took a leftover roll, melted some cheese on it and ate my soup and dipped the bread. It was great. ---------------- 1 jar of plum sauce, 4 chicken breasts and 1 cup of frozen onions or fresh but I used frozen. Cooked in the oven for 30 minutes. Served over two bags of uncle bens 90 second bagged rice, one was white, one wild. We mixed them. Considering we were cleaning a boat from fishing all day, starved, no food other than frozen chicken, the sauce and rice and well we did have frozen beans which I also heated up. It was either that, toast and splitting a few baby carrots, beer which was good or pizza 90 minutes later. The guy whose place we were at had no idea what plum sauce was. Well he learned. It was great. His spice cabinet consisted of s/p and Italian so s/p it was. I have to admit, for what it was, pretty good. Mon May 18 07:24:21 -0700 2009 4692937 232829 kchurchill5 2 4704898 I don't do ramen either, as a rule- but was REALLY happy with it after I dosed it with some Tiger Sauce a few drops of sesame oil and some chopped scallion. Also love to scramble a raw egg, then pour it in when the water boils- great stuff. Thu May 21 16:24:50 -0700 2009 4693452 110426 Boccone Dolce 3 4731766 I make ramen (make it brothy, not dry) then add in a raw egg at the last second of cooking, mix and add any leftover meat or veggies (I like peas, bean sprouts, carrots, etc) to the broth, the egg thickens the broth and makes it taste like egg drop soup. I then I top it with sweet chilli sauce (big bottle, philipino, I think) ...mmmmmm v. comforting! Mon Jun 01 05:22:28 -0700 2009 4704898 206111 bythebayov 4 4738916 YOu put the chili sauce in the soup? Wed Jun 03 09:40:27 -0700 2009 4731766 132739 lilmomma 5 5158149 Every once in a while, I like to coddle an egg in the broth. I usually add a few drops of sesame oil and some scallions and sriracha, too. Thu Nov 05 09:26:10 -0800 2009 4738916 150094 ChristinaMason 3 5159185 i do ramen. i admit it. i add some tom yam paste -- the base for hot and sour soup -- and sesame oil, whatever veggies i may have. i will add a boiled egg halved sometimes. (i also do cheerios for dinner. just plain with milk.) Thu Nov 05 14:40:58 -0800 2009 4704898 1101903 lil magill 4 5159861 yep, i'll doctor ramen, too -- usually with fish sauce and lime juice with scallions, and toasted sesame oil. i know the sodium is not good FOR me, but sometimes, i just gotta have that little salty noodle fix. Thu Nov 05 19:26:39 -0800 2009 5159185 105717 alkapal 1 4693479 Take some raw shrimp (frozen/defrosted is fine) and wrap each with some prosciutto. Thread on skewers, or stalks of rosemary if you have them, brush with olive oil & a squeeze of lemon. Then grill or broil for about 5 minutes. Serve with more lemon. Delicious, and fancy too. This is a quick easy meal for us, or an impressive appetizer for guests (especially with the rosemary.) Mon May 18 07:33:54 -0700 2009 4692937 14921 Just One Bite 2 4693511 Love to cook but don't love to bake so when my sister told me about this I was so excited to try: Take canned peaches in syrup (add some sliced fresh ones too if in season) place in the bottom of a glass baking dish, pour white cake mix on top (dry... right out of the box) and then place dabs of butter on the top all around. Bake in the oven (350 I guess) until golden and bubbly. Serve over vanilla ice cream and it's instant peach cobbler that people will think you slaved over! It's an awesome, EASY summer dessert crowd pleaser! Mon May 18 07:46:20 -0700 2009 4693479 248640 care11 3 4695506 I'm not much of a baker either - I'm going to have to try this - it sounds good! Mon May 18 17:06:28 -0700 2009 4693511 113652 wolfmonk 3 4696898 this one fascinates me -- do you drain the peaches or use the syrup too? TIA. Tue May 19 08:02:17 -0700 2009 4693511 13756 GretchenS 4 4696988 You add most if not all of the syrup. Also, I recall not using the entire box of cake mix because it was too sweet but I think my sister uses the whole box sprinkled evenly over the top. And last, as is usually the case, the more butter the better! It really is SOOO good! Tue May 19 08:28:34 -0700 2009 4696898 248640 care11 3 4696906 My kids used to do this on Boy Scout camping trips in a dutch oven over a fire. No ice cream, of course, but they loved it. Tue May 19 08:04:10 -0700 2009 4693511 12789 pcdarnell 4 4704909 Some people call it a 'Dump Cake' - my Mom used to call it a 'Panic Cake' (as in: unexpected company and no dessert? don't panic- you can make this cake!) You can do it with any canned fruit and cake mix. I always chicken out of using the ENTIRE stick of butter, so mine stays dry and burns around the edges, but it's really sweet, gooshy and horrible for you (so you know it's tasty!) Thu May 21 16:28:32 -0700 2009 4696906 110426 Boccone Dolce 5 4712131 Friend taught me this one, uses crushed pinepple, 2 cans, uses all the syrup, whole stick butter. calls it pineapple slop. it's nuclear when you pull it out of the oven, tho, so be careful! Sun May 24 22:58:56 -0700 2009 4704909 44619 mariacarmen 6 4712923 my best friend made this once (with the peaches, brown sugar and butter) and it was still gooey when we ate it - best cake we ever had, we ate the whole thing! :) Mon May 25 10:17:33 -0700 2009 4712131 65780 jujuthomas 3 4709028 Interesting recipe care11! I also hate to bake....Makes such a mess. How large is the can of peaches? Sat May 23 10:28:40 -0700 2009 4693511 223833 joaniesl 4 4709253 I am thinking it's one of the large cans in syrup...but it really depends on the size of your baking dish. Just a nice layer of peaches...nice ratio of cake mix and then a lot of butter! :) Sat May 23 12:46:51 -0700 2009 4709028 248640 care11 5 4710682 Thanks! Gotta try this one!! Sun May 24 09:42:39 -0700 2009 4709253 223833 joaniesl 6 4731770 do you prep the mix according to the instructions or do you pour it dry? Mon Jun 01 05:24:55 -0700 2009 4710682 206111 bythebayov 3 4719204 I wonder if that recipe could be savory using canned creamed corn and boxed cornbread mix, with butter of course??? I don't believe I actually thought of that.....not that I'd ever try it, you understand. Wed May 27 11:37:28 -0700 2009 4693511 75332 Gio 3 4731244 An easy way to make super gooey, low-cal fat-free cupcakes (for desperate dieters) is to just add a can of diet coke to a box of chocolate cake or brownie mix and bake. Can't believe it works but it does and they're good, too Sun May 31 19:28:04 -0700 2009 4693511 242801 CoryKatherine 4 4731327 Holy s^*t, you be d' spawn o' d' debble. I'm going to try that out of pure perversion next I'm someplace where mixes are available. Sun May 31 20:07:40 -0700 2009 4731244 36661 Sam Fujisaka 4 4731693 I use this trick frequently to make cakes - any mix, any can of diet soda. if you google diet soda cake there are TONS of combinations listed out there. People never know the diff. :) Mon Jun 01 03:57:38 -0700 2009 4731244 65780 jujuthomas 4 4731810 Reminds me of my brewski muffins. 3 cups Bisquick (the kind with buttermilk powder in it.) a can of beer. makes 12 in a regular muffin pan. Mon Jun 01 05:45:40 -0700 2009 4731244 13619 Sharuf 5 4731841 oooh, sharuf, i wonder if you could doctor those up, a la red lobster "cheddar bay biscuit" style -- with garlic and cheese? mmmmmmmmmmmm. Mon Jun 01 06:03:14 -0700 2009 4731810 105717 alkapal 6 4734189 Hi, I found a copycat recipe on the internet for those Red Lobster Cheddar bay biscuits, its so easy and really close 2 1/4 cups of Bisquick, 2/3 cup half and half and fresh herbs, 1 cup cheese I use sharp cheddar and garlic powder there to die for and so easy. Mon Jun 01 18:50:16 -0700 2009 4731841 143241 tidecreek 7 4734883 There is a secret to the biscuits. A friend works there and they are dipped in butter top and bottom to give them that extra flavor. Then they are also kept in a steamer which gives that the extra moist flavor. And the herbs are really key. They are a favorite of just about everyone. How could you not like them. Tue Jun 02 04:42:47 -0700 2009 4734189 232829 kchurchill5 7 4735424 I've used a copycat recipe where you brush them with butter mixed with dry salad dressing mix. Any flavour of mix that has a lot of garlic like Italian or caesar. Tue Jun 02 08:20:44 -0700 2009 4734189 15832 sharonanne 5 4734884 I make beer bread all the time. All purpose flour, a little sugar and beer. The secret is good beer and then I like to add fresh herbs, grated onion, cheese. You can't get much better and it is great bread. Tue Jun 02 04:44:23 -0700 2009 4731810 232829 kchurchill5 4 4738130 I too use this trick from WW's. I use 10 oz of club soda to avoid the after taste that a diet cola can create. Wed Jun 03 04:29:55 -0700 2009 4731244 15231 synergy 4 4738925 Thats it....TWO ingredients? Must try! Wed Jun 03 09:41:53 -0700 2009 4731244 132739 lilmomma 4 5158159 you can do something similar with spice or chocolate cake mix and pumpkin puree (replaces oil and egg): http://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/food-talk-fabulous-finds/126418-can-pumpkin-box-o-cake-mix-divine-muffins.html they are not bad, considering. still not health food though. Thu Nov 05 09:30:28 -0800 2009 4731244 150094 ChristinaMason 5 5159863 the lady used 2 eggs, but omitted butter, she says in that post. you tried it with just the puree? was it delicious? i'm willing to give that a go! Thu Nov 05 19:29:32 -0800 2009 5158159 105717 alkapal 6 5162898 Yep, I've done it with just puree. It was fine. Not amazing, but still pretty good. And so easy! I think I actually added it to carrot cake mix. I made cupcakes/"muffins", btw. Here's another "recipe" without eggs: http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Easy-Pumpkin-Muffins/Detail.aspx Sat Nov 07 05:06:25 -0800 2009 5159863 150094 ChristinaMason 3 4737089 Just made this for dessert. I used canned cherries in heavy syrup (16oz can) and poured dry Duncan Hines cake mix (Devils Food) on top. Dot with butter. Baked it at 350. Very yummy! Especially topped with vanilla ice cream!!!!! Tue Jun 02 16:14:04 -0700 2009 4693511 223833 joaniesl 3 4772505 Thanks so much for this recipe. I made it for my fiancee earlier today and it was a hit. Sun Jun 14 16:44:12 -0700 2009 4693511 121349 kmarlyse64 1 4693541 I do chicken with salsa in the crockpot, and roll it up in a tortilla when I get home. Also, an egg scrambled with salsa, maybe a little cheese -- if I'm really feeling lazy I make this in a mug in the microwave, stirring every 20-30 seconds until it's done. Also in a tortilla (I always have a stack of corn tortillas in the fridge.) 1 can of stewed tomatoes, chopped zucchini and onion, maybe bell pepper (large chunks are fine). Sprinkle with cheese and breadcrumbs and bake for about 20-25 minutes at 350. Tastes like ratatouille with about 5 minutes of prep time. Mon May 18 07:56:44 -0700 2009 4692937 12233 Pia 1 4693559 An absolutely delicious side dish with canned corn (I only like Trader Joe's canned corn, but I suppose it would work with other brands): Put about 2 T butter in a saute pan, and let it brown a little (not burn, just lightly brown). Add corn and fresh basil that has been cut in ribbons. Serve and devour. BTW, while this dish is great with canned corn, it's heavenly with fresh corn that has been cut off the cob. Mon May 18 08:01:59 -0700 2009 4692937 11028 DanaB 2 5158167 I agree, corn with basil is pretty tasty. It's really nice with some halved cherry tomatoes thrown in along with the basil, too. Thu Nov 05 09:32:34 -0800 2009 4693559 150094 ChristinaMason 3 5159870 and with the fresh corn, i'll use the basil, some scallions, minced red bell pepper, a little apple cider vinegar and a wee bit of oil for a cold "confetti salad." it's so tasty, i stand there and eat it with a big spoon (even though it's better if it sits for a bit). Thu Nov 05 19:32:01 -0800 2009 5158167 105717 alkapal 1 4693703 Cucumber salad - peeled, cored cucumbers, cut into "C" shapes, tossed with chili sesame oil, rice vinegar, minced garlic, salt and a little sugar Mon May 18 08:36:47 -0700 2009 4692937 149565 RealMenJulienne 2 4704913 I love this stuff and eat it as often as I can. My Aunt Ginny (an AMAZING cook) used to take raw zucchini, slice it RAZOR thin, marinate in olive oil, chopped garlic, crushed red pepper flakes and serve- I don't remember any vinegar taste but it may have been involved. It is so good. I should call her and find out. Thu May 21 16:31:12 -0700 2009 4693703 110426 Boccone Dolce 3 4711161 If you do find out, report back. It sounds delicious. I like finding new ways to serve zucchini. Sun May 24 14:01:23 -0700 2009 4704913 176556 Steamed Dumpling 1 4693752 Hamburger "Stroganoff" - sauté chopped onions and mushrooms in butter, add ground beef and some minced garlic, and brown. Add a Tbsp of flour or so to the meat/veggie mix, and continue "browning" a bit. Then add a can of condensed cream of mushroom soup (yeah, I *know*!) and some wine (red wine makes it kind of light purply-pinkish - but it's just me eating it so I don't care), and some ground pepper and salt (if needed). Towards the end (about 10-15 minutes?) add a cup or less of sour cream after removing from the heat. Serve over egg noodles with peas on top. Mon May 18 08:52:22 -0700 2009 4692937 10532 LindaWhit 2 4694490 I do this, too, as a takeoff on a recipe my mom clipped from the newspaper in the 70s, entitled "Simply Elegant Steak and Rice!" But I, too, make it over egg noodles (not rice) and use sherry. I don't eat much condensed soup, either, but I have always made it just as you describe--it hasn't killed me yet and is such a tasty dish! However, I did find a sub for condensed soup (super easy) if you are interested. In fact, I'll just post it--it's a handy thing to have in one's recipe files. http://www.grouprecipes.com/36004/condensed-cream-of-mushroom-soup-substitute.html I used it about a month ago in a spinach casserole I made. Yum, yum! Mon May 18 12:00:28 -0700 2009 4693752 249664 kattyeyes 3 4694537 I like this - pretty easy to make ahead and use when you need it soon after - thanks! Mon May 18 12:13:40 -0700 2009 4694490 10532 LindaWhit 2 4698909 I too make hamburger "Stroganoff". I have no recollection of where I found the recipe but I started making it about 15 yrs. ago before I fell in love with cooking and quality food. I tweeked it to my tastes so it's a bit different. I still crave this once in awhile and only make it when hubby is on the road because he's not a big fan. I slice a whole med onion (vadalia or sweet) and sweat them in a large skillet with only enough water to cover the bottom (replenished as needed) until soft and translucent but with still a bit of bite. Remove those and then brown ground chuck which I season with a TON of garlic salt., enough that it would put most people off tasting a morsel but it is just right in the end. I do it to taste but it might be around a tsp. more or less. I then add the onions back to the beef and a can of cream of mushroom (no whole mushroom's because I can't take their texture but have learned to like the flavor). A little bit of milk to help loosen the soup, cook a little bit to meld and then add about a 1/2 C. of sour cream. Simmer to heat through and serve over egg noodles. My sister absolutely loves this as a comfort food when I make it and claims i have some magic touch because she can't duplicate it exactly, as simple as it is. I think it's because of the amount of garlic salt I use and her fear of using as much as I say. It was funny, for some get together about 5 yrs. ago she made it but decided to do the meat in the crock-pot to cut down on cooking time. It turned out really funky tasting because the meat turned out tasting like steak (not a bad thing if you're eating steak!). She kept apologizing during dinner to everyone that my recipe is usually much better! For such a low-brow meal, it really cracked me up. Tue May 19 18:28:38 -0700 2009 4693752 282257 Alicat24 3 4699087 Oh, I remember where I got my recipe - it's from the old 1971 General Mills recipe cards! Yes, I had the lime green box with over 100 recipe cards! (Note: the definitive word in that sentence is HAD <g>). http://www.mv.com/ipusers/garbanzo/betty-crocker/images/box-open.jpg Tue May 19 19:34:26 -0700 2009 4698909 10532 LindaWhit 4 4699112 "You've come a long way, baby!" ;) Tue May 19 19:40:17 -0700 2009 4699087 249664 kattyeyes 5 4699850 Who says you can't learn and grow as you get older? ;-) (I'm thankful for small favors!) Wed May 20 06:20:46 -0700 2009 4699112 10532 LindaWhit 4 4699649 OMG, jfood used to see these in his mom's kitchen still in their plastic wrap in the box. Guess she did not want to get them dirty. Thx for the memories Wed May 20 04:38:02 -0700 2009 4699087 11290 jfood 5 4699848 ROFL! Sure that was a "thanks for the memories" moment, jfood, or "Gahhhh! That nightmare is back? I thought I had buried that deep in my subconscious!" ;-) Wed May 20 06:20:12 -0700 2009 4699649 10532 LindaWhit 4 4703280 Yes!! That has to be where I found it! My mom had the card set when I was a kid in the 70's and my sister picked up a lime green and a yellow set for the both of us at a garage sale. I didn't think I ever cooked anything from mine but apparently there was at least one recipe! Thanks for reminding me, and I still HAVE mine buried somewhere in the basement. Thu May 21 08:03:32 -0700 2009 4699087 282257 Alicat24 5 4703343 The Betty Crocker Recipe File! I sneakily ordered these cards when I was a kid and hid them in my room away from Mom's prying eyes!! They were my treasures, and I would pore over them! I wish I had them today, just for the weird retro-ness of it. I'm always keeping my eye open in thrift stores - that garish photography on the cards is priceless! "Saucy Steak Skillet" with cube steaks was my "specialty! It's was pretty good, at least with the seasoning of memory. Cay Thu May 21 08:21:09 -0700 2009 4703280 49525 cayjohan 6 4703485 LOL, as soon as I read "garish photography", it reminded me of some of the weird or funny recipes and specifically the "Crown Roast" of hotdogs! I Googled it and sure enough the first hit shows the card. I cannot picture someone with a flourish bringing that thing to the table! It's strange though, it's says "Weight Watchers" at the bottom of the card and I know my set wasn't from them. Maybe that was one of the catagories? I'm feeling the urge to go search the basement for mine now... Thu May 21 09:03:01 -0700 2009 4703343 282257 Alicat24 7 4703564 <snort! guffaw! choke!> "Crown Roast of Hot Dogs!?!?" I'm losing it! It certainly does fill the bill for "Stupid Easy Recipes", no? I've gotta see this. Heck, I'm very tempted to make it! So *conceptual* you know... Cay Thu May 21 09:21:25 -0700 2009 4703485 49525 cayjohan 8 4703599 http://www.aldenteblog.com/2009/03/five-vintage-hot-dog-horrors.html Oh. My. Gawd. I am soooo making this! It's like 70's meta-Martha! Thu May 21 09:30:00 -0700 2009 4703564 49525 cayjohan 9 4703871 Oh. My. GAWD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Since WHEN was Shamdra Lee creating recipes for Weight Watchers' cards????? That's as bad (if not WORSE!) than the Kwanzaa Kake! Thu May 21 10:50:15 -0700 2009 4703599 10532 LindaWhit 9 4850416 OMG-the "bacon wrapped sandwich" has me completely cracking up. How horrible I thought WTF.....bacon on the outside? Thankfully me parents never made stuff like that. My parents would make spanokopita, eggplant salad, roasted peppers, sandwiches w rye bread and salami and butter....... Sat Jul 11 22:35:32 -0700 2009 4703599 1092138 MiriamOttawa 7 4706450 Oh, man!!!!!!!! I hope you guys laughed as hard at the "Crown Roast" et al, as your responses made me. I have tears rolling down my face! I *heart* you guys. And mackerel pudding? There goes breakfast.........!!!!!!!!!!!!! edit: Weird, I don't know how this didn't post at the end of the chain. Fri May 22 08:50:01 -0700 2009 4703485 282257 Alicat24 8 4706486 Actually, the real name is "fluffy mackerel pudding". Does that not sound like the best breakfast you ever had? '-D Fri May 22 09:00:09 -0700 2009 4706450 116513 linguafood 5 4705262 I lost 30 pounds on Weight Watchers but one of the worst (and most hysterical) set of recipes/pictures I've ever seen shows the WW suggestions for 1974. It's gag-errific. http://www.candyboots.com/wwcards.html Thu May 21 19:04:52 -0700 2009 4703280 88544 Ima Wurdibitsch 6 4705825 The mackerel pudding is a true classic. Yumm-uh-oh '-) Fri May 22 04:15:33 -0700 2009 4705262 116513 linguafood 6 4731279 omg that website is a RIOT Sun May 31 19:41:47 -0700 2009 4705262 242801 CoryKatherine 7 4732819 I LOVE the Mexican Shrimp Orange Salad and the comments about the ceramic animals gathered around staring at the meal. Hysterical!! Mon Jun 01 11:24:29 -0700 2009 4731279 95489 mschow 4 4711102 I have both of those, the green and the yellow. I've made a few of the recipes and they weren't bad at all. I keep them around for inspiration when I need a creative boost in my kitchen. Sun May 24 13:36:55 -0700 2009 4699087 78897 alliedawn_98 3 4700813 My mother invented "Bean Stroganoff" which I still make and which contains sauteed ground beef with onions and garlic, a little beef broth, canned black beans (or soaked and cooked dried beans) and sour cream. It's actually quite tasty. Wed May 20 10:54:35 -0700 2009 4698909 10245 oakjoan 1 4693765 Put four cloves of garlic through a garlic press or finely chop the garlic. Add it to extra virgin olive oil. Set it aside. In a large bowl, toss together cold (i.e., leftover) spaghetti, fresh basil leaves, dried basil, and chopped, salted walnuts straight out of a package. Add the garlic and oil to the spaghetti mixture and toss again. Sprinkle Kraft grated parmesan cheese (green box) on top in large quantities, along with salt and freshly ground pepper. Toss the mixture again and serve it. I call this "Poor Man's Deconstructed Pesto Sauce With Spaghetti." Mon May 18 08:56:41 -0700 2009 4692937 22427 gfr1111 1 4693987 My number one lazy recipe is a fritatta with whichever veggies I've got, eggs, ricotta or mozzarella and sometimes I add beans or leftover rice to it as well. I generally cook it in the oven as I don't need to tend to it but if I'm in a hurry to eat, I'll do it in the pan and under the broiler for the last 5-10 minutes. Mon May 18 09:55:21 -0700 2009 4692937 240789 Paula76 1 4694112 1) Mix a can of drained canned corn with a can of drained and rinsed and drained again black beans together. Moisten with ranch dressing. Add toasted sunflower kernels. delicious. Do not make too moist. 2) Marinate chicken pieces overnight in 1/2 soy sauce and 1/2 italian dressing. bake in oven. TDF Mon May 18 10:21:24 -0700 2009 4692937 109905 laliz 2 4694153 Similar to your chicken, marinate chicken in 1/2 cup of soy sauce and 1/2 of cup honey. Or use boneless turkey breast, works well too. Mon May 18 10:29:29 -0700 2009 4694112 10205 valerie 1 4694147 This works for shrimp, fish or chix: Season the whatever w/ S&P, dunk into mayo (or Miracle-Wip...) to coat, smash into a dish of panko/matzo meal/homemade crumbs, etc. Place on rack over sheet pan and bake @ 350-375 till done (15 min. for shrimp, temp. of 165-170 for chix.) No turning needed. You can broil at the end to really crisp them up. adam Mon May 18 10:28:45 -0700 2009 4692937 154787 adamshoe 2 4694593 I like a variation of this: dip chicken parts in garlic butter (melted butter + minced garlic), then roll in breadcrumbs + grated parmesan and bake. Mon May 18 12:25:20 -0700 2009 4694147 10074 Caitlin McGrath 1 4694213 About 10 minutes to fix - Shigimchi Namul (Seasoned Bunch Spinach) -------------- Servings: 4 ------------- Cooking Times: Preparation Time: 8 minutes Cooking Time: 1 minute Total Time: 10 minutes ---------------- Ingredients 8 ounces bunches fresh bunch spinach(stem & leaf, not the bagged leaves) 2 small green onion, chopped 3 cloves garlic 1 teaspoon kkaesoogeum (sesame salt) 1 teaspoon toasted sesame seed ---------------- Optional: 1 teaspoon sesame oil (or to taste) 1/2 teaspoon Sogogi Dashida (powdered beef soup stock) instead of salt* *(or substitute your favorite powdered soup mix or bullion) 1 teaspoon Coarse ground chili pepper (Chili flakes) ---------------------- Procedure Wash spinach thoroughly in cold water. Peel garlic. Mince one of the garlic cloves Sliver the other cloves In a soup pot, bring 4 cups of water to full boil. Completely immerse spinach in the boiling water. Remove from heat after about 30 seconds and rinse immediately in cold water. Squeeze excess water from spinach. Place spinach in a medium mixing bowl then add all ingredients and mix well. ________________________ hannaone http://www.hannaone.com/Recipe/ Mon May 18 10:47:45 -0700 2009 4692937 93805 hannaone 1 4694276 I roast 1/2 of a chicken with olive oil, oregano, lemon for 1 hour and serve with rice pilaf. Piccata or chick' Marsala is very easy. Noodle bowls that start with ramen. fruit smoothies with frozen fruit for breakfast or dinner if I'm really tired. quesadillas Mon May 18 11:06:10 -0700 2009 4692937 22220 Kelli2006 1 4694575 Marinade some salmon in a bit of toasted sesame oil and couple splashes of soy sauce. Cook a pot of rice. Wash and trim an artichoke; and microwave for five minutes; microwave the fish for one minute and thirty seconds. Mix some powdered Coleman's mustard or wasabe in home made yogurt for a dip for the artichoke. Serve all together. Total prep time 6 minutes. Mon May 18 12:21:28 -0700 2009 4692937 36661 Sam Fujisaka 2 4741984 Any chance I can get some additional details on how to microwave the artichoke? I just read in a Bittman article that you can do this, but there were no details. Thanks!! Thu Jun 04 08:52:37 -0700 2009 4694575 67100 DMW 3 4742075 Not much more to it: Select artichokes by stem diameter - the larger the diameter, the more meat you get. Clean by cutting off about an inch and a bit from the pointed end (you need a sturdy knife and some muscle), Peel away the toughest petals - one or two deep - and discard. Peel the exposed stem, getting rid of the green pithy layer; and slice a thin layer off the bottom of the stem to get a clean cut. Run the whole thing under running water and drop into a glass bowel stem up. The remaining moisture is enough to steam the choke. Cover with plastic wrap or glass cover. Microwave on high for 4 -5 minutes depending on size. Make your fave dip. When you finish eating the meat from the petals, you'll get to the choke - remove and discard with a spoon. Slice up the heart and have that with the rest of your dipping sauce. Thu Jun 04 09:14:00 -0700 2009 4741984 36661 Sam Fujisaka 4 4742396 Thanks! We love artichokes, but the long steam time always seems like too much hassle. Can't wait to try microwaving. Thu Jun 04 10:39:44 -0700 2009 4742075 67100 DMW 5 4755333 I second the microwave technique! I put a half inch of water in the bottom of the bowl, but sounds like I don't need to. Mon Jun 08 22:23:51 -0700 2009 4742396 123480 scuzzo 4 4755716 Exactly how I do mine ... except ... I add 1 lemon cut in 4 pieces in the bowl. No browning and adds a little flavor. With them covered they don't brown but I love the little bit of flavor it adds But so easy to micro them I do them all the time this way. I do love the baby ones, already peeled. I get them in bags and my regular grocery store and eat them often. Great for dips, roasted is amazing. Sometimes I will steam and served with pancetta and creamy green goddess dip Tue Jun 09 06:13:20 -0700 2009 4742075 232829 kchurchill5 1 4694619 roasted chicken thighs: plop skin-side up in a baking dish so there's some room between. Pull skin back and put a splort of dijon mustard on each thigh and spread around. Season with S&P, dried thyme, sage and garlic powder. Pull skin back over and season top of skin with same plus a bit of cayenne pepper. Throw in hot (425) oven for about 45 minutes to 1 hour (depending on how big your thighs are) until skin is pulled up and crackling crisp. Mon May 18 12:31:40 -0700 2009 4692937 50613 weezycom 2 4694669 What do the size of my thighs have to do with how long I cook chicken for? ;-) Mon May 18 12:41:44 -0700 2009 4694619 10532 LindaWhit 3 4695763 I was waiting for someone to chomp at THAT bait.... adam Mon May 18 18:42:42 -0700 2009 4694669 154787 adamshoe 1 4694857 I often take whatever left-over canned tomato we have in the fridge - crushed, diced etc. I put a dollop into a glass custard dish, add a few chopped scallions, chives or onions along with whatever herbs take my fancy, sprinkle generously with parmesan and nuke it on high for 75 seconds. While that's happening my bread is toasting. Bingo, I'm out the door in under 5 minutes - 4 if I leave the dishes for my wife. Variation - lose the cheese, put the other stuff into a small sauce pan and poach an egg on top with the lid on. Adds about 2 minutes to the process. Mon May 18 13:27:52 -0700 2009 4692937 55318 DockPotato 2 4695386 Brown off some chicken...add 3 cups of water, a can of stewed tomatoes, and a package of Vigo yellow rice mix. Green or black olives are good too. Bring to a boil, cover, bake at 350 for 30 minutes or so. Makes a very good chicken and rice, I've made it for a years and it's never failed. Mon May 18 16:19:13 -0700 2009 4694857 243172 Samalicious 3 5158232 I tried something similar to this once but ended up with soggy rice. I'd like to try your method. Questions: 1) bone-in chicken? white/dark meat? 2) what size package of rice? (I think there's a "family" size) thx! Thu Nov 05 09:55:40 -0800 2009 4695386 150094 ChristinaMason 1 4695470 Just this weekend I revived a very easy recipe: take one tin of fruit cocktail, add one teaspoon of curry powder and heat gently. This fruity sauce will take a plain grilled chicken breast and rice to new heights, especially with a garnish of fresh coriander. Mon May 18 16:53:04 -0700 2009 4692937 24738 LJS 1 4695525 Sautee onion Add bag of frozen corn Add can of black beans If on hand add any combination of cilantro, tomatoes, garlic, jalapeno Great in salads, over rice, in a tortilla, stuffed in a pepper, over a baked potato...you get the idea :) Mon May 18 17:13:24 -0700 2009 4692937 73756 enbell 1 4695688 Mix cooked pasta with peas and sour cream - sounds off but really good. Mon May 18 18:11:26 -0700 2009 4692937 178869 juliewong 1 4695895 Salmon fillet or steak. Turn oven to 400 degrees. Go to fridge and look in veggie drawer. take out a handful of a combination of the following...onions, peppers, mushrooms, brussel sprouts, cauliflower, broccoli, etc. Cut veggies to size. Bring a pan (jfood uses an oval but cast iron also really good here) to high hot over a high flame and add some olive oil. place the fish in the pan an cook on high for 3-4 minutes until seared. Flip fish. Toss veggies around fish. Place some lemon juice and white wine in pan and place in oven until cooked to desired doneness. Mon May 18 19:38:45 -0700 2009 4692937 11290 jfood 2 4699835 I've been steaming salmon fillets using a method I learned in one of the Vietnamese books we did for COTM. You put the salmon fillets on a plate, and then steam in a covered wok (on a flat steamer insert). It takes about 8 minutes. The Vietnamese recipe has a sauce with garlic, ginger, oyster sauce etc., and scallions. I used the technique last night by pouring a little olive oil on the fillets, strewing on some garlic chives and regular chives and then some white wine on top. You can add sliced vegetables as well - last time I sliced up some zucchini and put it on the plate when there was about 5 minutes left for cooking the salmon. The salmon is incredibly moist. Wed May 20 06:16:31 -0700 2009 4695895 10985 MMRuth 3 4699977 MM Did you try the honey lime hoisin from Fish Without a Doubt. It is five ingredients, five minutes, and the flavors are beyond extraordinary. Wed May 20 07:09:41 -0700 2009 4699835 11290 jfood 4 4700104 I didn't, but I'll make a note to try it, particularly since I now have a decent Hoisin sauce on hand. Wed May 20 07:44:10 -0700 2009 4699977 10985 MMRuth 5 4700833 I just saw an Eric Ripert video yesterday (somehow linked through some Chowhound thread I can't remember) where he fried a piece of cod ...oh I remember now, it was in the Wondra thread. He first coated it with Wondra. Then he made a simple sauce of broth, ginger and some other stuff (the Wondra thread has a link) and served it with cooked pea shoots. Sounded lovely. The best part though was that he couldn't say "shoots" and called them "pea shots". At first I thought he was saying some French word "pichottes"... Anyway, I can't wait to try this. Wed May 20 10:58:08 -0700 2009 4700104 10245 oakjoan 5 4701574 Do you have a particular Hoisin sauce that you recommend? Edit: I just looked below, thanks! Wed May 20 14:15:43 -0700 2009 4700104 75862 newfoodie 4 4700301 Fish, honey, lime and hosin.....C'mon, what's the fifth? Wed May 20 08:33:32 -0700 2009 4699977 156990 Robin Joy 5 4700325 Here is the ingredient list: 2 T hoisin Juice of 1/2 lime 1 t honey 1 small garlic clove, minced 1 T minced fresh cilantro Salt to taste keeps for 3 days in fridge. Wed May 20 08:40:51 -0700 2009 4700301 10985 MMRuth 6 4700404 Well, that settles supper on Saturday! Thanks. (I assume marinate for a while, then grill/fry/bake until done?) Wed May 20 09:00:56 -0700 2009 4700325 156990 Robin Joy 7 4700421 I don't know if there is more than one recipe in the book that uses it, but the one I'm looking at just says to add the glaze after you grill the fish. ETA - there is another recipe that sautees char, and then again adds the glaze after cooking. Wed May 20 09:05:40 -0700 2009 4700404 10985 MMRuth 8 4703798 jfood made the Char recipe with thewasabi and glaze. Yes it goes on at plating versus on the grill. Can't wait to see your take on this. Thu May 21 10:27:05 -0700 2009 4700421 11290 jfood 9 4704912 We just had this for dinner - same recipe, but I used striped bass, and no wasabi butter. Happened to have planned to have bok choy with it before seeing that the recipe called for it. Absolutely loved it. So easy - and I really liked his method of sauteeing the filets. I have a new fishmonger (well, new to me) who delivers for free, and so I'm quite excited to have fish more often than we have been. My husband raved about the dish, and I didn't tell him about the wasabi butter, but since he likes both butter and wasabi, I'll make it for him as a surprise next time! Thu May 21 16:30:43 -0700 2009 4703798 10985 MMRuth 10 4705861 on round 2 jfood did not use the wasabi butter either. jfood used the butter on top method on round 1 (saw a chef do this method a couple of months ago in Minneapolis). on round 2 he prepared the fish on the grill. Stiil great. Striper is a great idea. Jfood making a batch of sauce tomorrow morning and into a squirt bottle for the weekend. Have a great weekend. Jfood has the Fish book to read while he is delayed on his flight home tonight. Have a great weekend. Fri May 22 04:44:37 -0700 2009 4704912 11290 jfood 6 4700944 That sounds very good. Just wondering, I think I saw you mention it elsewhere but what kind of hoisin do you use? I generally buy the same one -- Lee Kum Kee -- and it's fine, but I wouldn't know a good hoisin from a bad hoisin unless I have something to compare it too Thanks. Wed May 20 11:28:05 -0700 2009 4700325 10205 valerie 7 4701133 The brand I bought most recently is Koon Chun, which is the only one I've had so far that tasted like the Hoisin sauce that I've had in restauraunts. I bought it at Hong Kong Supermarket in Chinatown in Manhattan (the one that just had the fire). I think I've tried the brand you use (from looking at a photo of the bottle on line) but I can't swear to it. The Koon Chun looks darker than other ones that I've bought. Wed May 20 12:17:33 -0700 2009 4700944 10985 MMRuth 8 4701306 Thanks. We live in Westchester now and although I still work in the city, I don't get to Chinatown all that often. We do, however, have a large Asian grocery store near us, so I will have to check it out to see what other brands they have. I look forward to trying that recipe! Wed May 20 13:01:13 -0700 2009 4701133 10205 valerie 9 4701318 I look forward to trying it too - maybe tomorrow night. Wed May 20 13:02:37 -0700 2009 4701306 10985 MMRuth 4 4738948 Recipe Please!!!! Five ingredients and five minutes!!! Must try!!! Wed Jun 03 09:46:15 -0700 2009 4699977 132739 lilmomma 1 4696864 Mom always made this and I loved it... Measure uncooked rice and water according to package, add to casserole pan, top with whole polish sausage, cover and bake. The sausage flavors the rice nicely! Tue May 19 07:53:06 -0700 2009 4692937 123480 scuzzo 2 4700558 I love doing this with the chinese liver sausages! Wed May 20 09:44:52 -0700 2009 4696864 166743 pinkprimp 1 4696940 For a side dish that I can throw in the oven when I get home I do roasted potatoes. Take any amount of small red potatoes, fingerlings or Yukon Golds, or cut the larger ones into chunks about 1" or so, toss with some whole, unpeeled garlic cloves and olive oil. Sprinkle with kosher salt and ground pepper and put in an appropriately sized pan so they are in one layer. Roast at 375 for 45 minutes or until tender. Meanwhile you can be preparing whatever simple grilled meat, toss up a quick salad, and you have a nice meal in under an hour, without alot of effort. Sometimes I put in chunks of red onion or chippoline onions instead of the garlic. Last night I threw some chunks of carrots in the mix. Tue May 19 08:15:35 -0700 2009 4692937 12789 pcdarnell 1 4697087 Just melt 8oz of Gorgonzola in half a pint (or maybe a little less) of heavy cream to make a great pasta sauce for four servings. Hardly any fat or calories. Tue May 19 08:52:24 -0700 2009 4692937 156990 Robin Joy 2 4697232 "Hardly any fat or calories." ~~~~~~ :-D Tue May 19 09:30:39 -0700 2009 4697087 10532 LindaWhit 2 4699024 I also appreciate your logic! My mom would say (since it's four servings' worth), "Well, we're not going to eat the whole THING!" That which has no caloric label cannot fatten me. ;) Tue May 19 19:11:04 -0700 2009 4697087 249664 kattyeyes 3 4699386 No logic Katty, just a little joke. Seriously though, it's a beaut, and can convert blue cheese deniers (like my teenage sons). Boy does it need a plain green salad! Tue May 19 22:01:12 -0700 2009 4699024 156990 Robin Joy 1 4697225 Bread, peanut butter, jam/jelly optional. Spread on peanut butter on bread. Spread on jam/jelly over peanut butter. Put together bread peices. Pour glass of milk. Eat & drink. About as easy as it gets! Tue May 19 09:27:53 -0700 2009 4692937 141261 crt 1 4697229 "Idaho Sunrise" from Marion Cunnningham's "The Supper Book." Bake a nice large potato. Cut a thin slice off lengthwise, and use a spoon to scoop the flesh into a bowl, being careful not to puncture the skin. Fluff the flesh with butter, salt, and pepper. Stuff it back into the skin, making a fairly deep depression to turn it into a bowl. Place it in a small baking dish. Break an egg into the depression and carefuly place into the still-hot oven. Bake until the white is set, but the yolk is still somewhat liquid (think "perfect poached egg") so the yolk will make a nice sauce for the potato. You can vary this greatly. Add shredded cheese -- cheddar, swiss, parmesan, whatever -- to the flesh along with the butter. Or sprinkle the cheese over the egg for the last few minutes of cooking. Or stuff the potato with creamed spinach and then add the egg. Or use olive oil instead of butter. You can't break this; you can only make it your own. Tue May 19 09:29:04 -0700 2009 4692937 113176 jmckee 2 4775578 That sounds good. About how many minutes should the egg bake? Mon Jun 15 16:39:59 -0700 2009 4697229 14974 BeaN 1 4697269 Toss fresh or frozen berries in a little sugar and put into baking dish. In same bowl the berries were just in, mix about equal parts brown sugar, rolled oats, melted butter, and a little AP flour. Put topping on berries and bake till bubbly and brown. Soo good. About 3 min prep and only one bowl and one spatula to wash. Tue May 19 09:41:55 -0700 2009 4692937 136906 lucygoosey 1 4697445 Simple and easy, but not quick, fry canned corned beef hash until nearly done, make wells and crack eggs into wells, cover until set. I like to get the hash nice and crispy before adding the eggs. Makes me think of Dad... Tue May 19 10:27:42 -0700 2009 4692937 123480 scuzzo 2 4699031 Some of our best meals are memories! Tue May 19 19:14:14 -0700 2009 4697445 249664 kattyeyes 3 4699651 That is a brilliant line. Wed May 20 04:39:04 -0700 2009 4699031 11290 jfood 4 4699815 Thank you. If only I did needlepoint as my grandmother and mom both did, I would commit it to stitches and hang it in the sunroom where we usually eat. Wed May 20 06:08:06 -0700 2009 4699651 249664 kattyeyes 5 4717830 it *is* a great line. make a pattern, and sell it! (don't forget a trademark and copyright!) on your behalf, i entered it over on the "best food quotes" thread: http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/375349#4717837 Wed May 27 03:31:25 -0700 2009 4699815 105717 alkapal 6 4720432 You are too kind, my friend. I need a new revenue stream right about now. ;) Thank you! Wed May 27 18:12:24 -0700 2009 4717830 249664 kattyeyes 1 4697753 big fat plain bagels split in half douse with leftover tomato sauce, or marinara sauce add a great big ol shaking of dried basil left over bits of pepperoni left over cheeses - fontina, mozz, monterey- melting cheeses or use whatever you have red pepper flakes bake in the toaster oven for 10 minutes at 350 til cheese is melted and the bread is golden. - YUM. Tue May 19 12:03:38 -0700 2009 4692937 50431 chef chicklet 2 4697811 I love a combo that my father "invented" years ago. It's store-bought tamales covered in no bean canned chili and topped with sharp chedder cheese, chopped Hebrew National Reduced Fat hot dogs (yeah right, this makes it low-fat!) and lots of sliced green onions (also topped with more uncooked green onions just before serving. The one snooty thing about this recipe is that I usually use Primavera brand tamales. They're freshly made and all veg. If I'm in a market that doesn't carry them, I look for turkey tamales in the freezer section. The jack cheese, chile and corn ones are great for this. Just stick the whole dish in the oven and heat until bubbling and cheese is melted. Stupid? Gross? YES, but also reallly good. Tue May 19 12:19:53 -0700 2009 4697753 10245 oakjoan 1 4698078 Mucky-Gutchy 1 cup elbow macaroni, cooked 1 lb ground round 1 can tomato soup S&P to taste Directions: Fry up beef in large fry pan, add tom soup and cooked pasta and season to taste. BTW, this recipe is infinitely variable: my kids taught an entire generation of university students how to "cook" by sponsoring the most inventive variation on this theme. The winner? bow-tie pasta, ground turkey and cheddar cheese soup with hot chili flakes. Tue May 19 13:35:29 -0700 2009 4692937 24738 LJS 1 4699057 My hat is off to all you energetic people who actually cook when you're tired---I head for the freezer where I ALWAYS have stuff. a) I freeze my leftovers eg sliced roast meat in gravy, portions of mashed potatoes, the rest of the Green Bean Casserole or the Cauliflower au Gratin, portions of cooked rice, chicken & noodles, beef curry, homemade applesauce, a couple of pieces of raspberry pie, some brownies, etc etc. b) Some things I just make a lot of and freeze in the first place. Tue May 19 19:23:11 -0700 2009 4692937 15521 Querencia 2 4699097 I do the same thing, Querencia - I dove into the freezer last Friday night when I got home from the Brimfield Antique Show - my nose was very sunburned and my feet were aching - I wasn't going to stand to do anything for dinner! Frozen beef stew was slowly defrosted on top of a flame tamer, and the potatoes and carrots were peeled and cut up sitting at the table. :-) Tue May 19 19:37:02 -0700 2009 4699057 10532 LindaWhit 2 4699655 you should buy a bag sucker. Jfood's freezer is full of "pasta bricks" (aka lasagne), short ribs, CPP, etc. Long day, freezer grab, MV for 20 minutes while a quick change and a perfect meal. Wed May 20 04:41:05 -0700 2009 4699057 11290 jfood 3 4699854 A "bag sucker" - now there's a new description for a Food Saver I've not yet heard! LOL Wed May 20 06:22:03 -0700 2009 4699655 10532 LindaWhit 3 4755210 ' you should buy a bag sucker.' Imagine jfood feeding that line to a person reading the thread listed below. I'd just stand back and watch the verbiage fly. : ) Link --> http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/620884 Mon Jun 08 21:03:42 -0700 2009 4699655 10609 Cheese Boy 4 4769068 Oh the power of a "comma". But jfood thinks Alanbarnes' avatar would get much more response the jfood's old dog. Sat Jun 13 05:11:34 -0700 2009 4755210 11290 jfood 1 4699917 pasta salad - cook pasta, add desired veggies at the appropriate boil time (for example the frozen peas get tossed in for the last 5 minutes) and drain, then toss with ranch dressing and if desired leftover meat pesto chicken and pasta - sort of self explanatory. cook some chicken and pasta in your desired manner, going nuts with the pesto jar. hot pasta tossed with ricotta mixed with an egg, pesto, and a dallop of tomato paste Wed May 20 06:50:05 -0700 2009 4692937 285186 Popkin 1 4700287 Here's one I used to live on for a few days in a row: toast a nice hearty slice of whole-wheat bread. Cover evenly with thick slices of gouda. Nuke for 1 min till nicely melted. Add some sliced onion rings or scallions, paprika powder, and a few slices of tomato. Fastest "pizza" in the world. Not healthy, but awesome. Wed May 20 08:29:18 -0700 2009 4692937 116513 linguafood 2 4700371 Salmon, lemon, dill, spinach, garlic. Layout a piece of plastic wrap. Top with frozen spinach (note when buying frozen spinach, 1 always split the box in 2-3 small baggies. Perfect single servings), minced garlic (I also keep some in the jar for emergencies), top with the salmon, drizzle with olive oil, a little lemon juice and dill, wrap and micro for 4 minutes approximately. Easy quick, simple and healthy. You can always add more veggies, but this is perfect. A chunk of bread and dinner. Wed May 20 08:55:08 -0700 2009 4700287 232829 kchurchill5 1 4700557 Yet another advocate of the "dump-salsa-over-it" approach. I use boneless county pork ribs - what a great cut of meat to have around - and La Costeña medium green salsa (I'm in MN). That's it. Pork was succulent and perfectly flavored. Great with MW'd corn-on-the-cob. But it gets lazier. After the pork, there was still plenty of sauce left over. Saved it in the covered casserole and the next day threw in a couple of pounds of (still frozen) venison and a little more salsa. Into the oven covered until the meat was cooked through (venison is nice for this, as it's lean and there's no fat the drain off). Broke up the meat, seasoned up with a tiny bit of honey and some pimenton and a bit of garlic. This made delicious sandwiches with some peperoncini. And über-lazy. Cay Wed May 20 09:44:38 -0700 2009 4692937 49525 cayjohan 2 4704885 For me it's not 'dump-salsa' but 'saute in olive oil, garlic, fresh lemon' - I swear, my husband knows I'm REALLY tired when I do this too many times in a row. It's just SO easy, ALWAYS tasty and you can do it with, fish, chicken, shrimp, veggies- whatever. I'll boil pasta, quick cook veggies and toss with olive oil, garlic, and a squirt of lemon It's my 'go-to' thing I guess... Thu May 21 16:18:14 -0700 2009 4700557 110426 Boccone Dolce 3 4731994 Surprise him -- use white wine instead of lemon. Mon Jun 01 07:06:16 -0700 2009 4704885 13619 Sharuf 1 4700617 Another suggestion - and hardly a recipe, but when I want something delicious and easy, I stick a chicken in the oven to roast, make a salad, and serve the chicken with one or more condiments that I keep on hand: Plum chutney (made by a friend) Green Pepper Jelly, Red Pepper Jelly, Horseradish Jelly - all from Berkshire Berries at the Union Square farmers' market Wine jellies - http://www.liviopesle.com/ - I've had the Balsamic one, and the Hippocraticum - purchase both at Di Palo. Wed May 20 10:02:51 -0700 2009 4692937 10985 MMRuth 2 4709040 I agree, I forgot that I love to just makea simple roasted chicken and the sauce, or etc. vary. The other night I de-spined (?) a chicken, layed it flat in a dish, and then took a little veg oil, and a couple of fresh lemons (juice) and just covered it with that, garlic powder, and salt and pepper. Oh and paprika. about an hour later, awesome chicken! I love lemon on chicken, a perfect match. You can then slice and serve over fresh spinach or an herb salad for a very yummy semi healthy meal. Sat May 23 10:32:58 -0700 2009 4700617 50431 chef chicklet 1 4700642 - Warm rice mixed with pesto and cubed smoked gouda (or some other cheese) so cheese gets all gooey. Grate parmesan and grind pepper on top. Eat. - Squish a bunch of baby tomatoes in a bowl so juice and seeds pop out -- add olive oil, salt, pepper. Eat with crusty bread or pita. Hummus too if it's around. Wed May 20 10:08:37 -0700 2009 4692937 78552 bite bite 1 4700803 nobody will every know how stupid easy this is. mix equal parts soy sauce and lemon juice with a tbsp of olive oil. rub over a salmon filet. bake at 375 for 15 minutes. sprinkle with sesame seeds. bob's your uncle. looks like you put some serious time into it. hee. Wed May 20 10:49:58 -0700 2009 4692937 294532 how2heroes 1 4706025 let's see - I have a 1 pot tuna casserole recipe that takes ~20 minutes, using cream-o-chicken soup... i know... evil, but SO easy and DH love it. salsa chicken in the crock pot - frozen chicken breasts, jar salsa, packet of taco seasoning. cook, shred, eat. yum baking-wise, a box cake mix and a can of diet soda makes a surprisingly good, moist cake (diet cola and chocolate, diet lemon-lime and a lemon cake... many combos), with no added fat. similarly, a spice cake mix and a can of pumpkin make very lite, delicate pumpkin muffins. Fri May 22 06:19:16 -0700 2009 4692937 65780 jujuthomas 2 4706556 I love all these ideas! Fri May 22 09:20:01 -0700 2009 4706025 132739 lilmomma 2 4708365 the tuna casserole sounds like something my SO would like...can u give the details of ur recipe? thanks! Fri May 22 23:30:20 -0700 2009 4706025 91772 liveloveat34 3 4708810 1 pot tuna casserole 3 cups water 8 oz egg noodles (I use whole grain) 1 5 oz can tuna 1 can cream-o-whatever soup - I use chicken 1 cup frozen veg of your choice spices to taste - I use garlic powder, pepper, salt and thyme. in a 3q sauce pan bring the water to a boil. add noodles, turn to low and simmer covered for 5 minutes. stirring a couple times. add frozen veg, simmer another 5 minutes. stir in soup, tuna and spices, turn up to med-low and simmer another 5 minutes, then let sit until any extra liquid is absorbed. I've made this with ham, turkey, chicken leftovers (DH likes it with smoked chicken). It also doubles nicely - but only use 5 cups water not 6. OH, and you can use rotini or elbows but simmer an extra minute or 2 in the beginning. very flexible, very easy. love it. :) Sat May 23 08:18:25 -0700 2009 4708365 65780 jujuthomas 4 4708872 thanks a bunch! we have a ton of ham leftover n this would be a great way to use some. Sat May 23 08:52:33 -0700 2009 4708810 91772 liveloveat34 5 4708976 you are very welcome, i hope you enjoy. :) it's great with ham & peas! Sat May 23 10:02:53 -0700 2009 4708872 65780 jujuthomas 1 4708911 Spaghetti carbonara. Sounds complicated, but is probably the easiest pasta imaginable. All you really need besides pasta is (bacon, pancetta or guanciale), eggs and some butter.. Sat May 23 09:18:01 -0700 2009 4692937 25251 hankstramm 2 4709372 Grate zucchini with large grate and saute in olive oil over med high heat. Add garlic, salt, pepper and cook for maybe 3 minutes till tender. Throw in parm cheese and stir till melted. This is so easy and delicious. Sat May 23 13:52:28 -0700 2009 4708911 22620 DaisyM 3 4728704 My mom's rendition of carbonara was pasta, bacon, eggs, pesto, tomato paste (both always hanging around the kitchen), served with parmasan Sat May 30 17:44:30 -0700 2009 4709372 285186 Popkin 4 4728707 I've never heard of it with pesto and tomato paste, but I see how it could be a tasty dish. Sat May 30 17:46:14 -0700 2009 4728704 10985 MMRuth 5 4740821 Spaghetti carbonara is my go-to dish too - so quick and easy, and very comforting. I also usually have some bags of veal ravioli in the freezer - straight into boiling water for a few minutes until cooked, while I heat a good jar of commercial tomato pasta sauce, with a splash of cream mixed in to give it some richness. Dinner in under ten minutes - not fancy, but it gets dinner in your tummy fast!! Wed Jun 03 19:26:18 -0700 2009 4728707 261734 AussieBeth 6 4740975 I love meat ravioli with just plain butter and pecorino cheese sprinkled over the top. It doesn't get a whole lot easier than that--and it's not just a time-saver, I really prefer the taste of meat ravs with butter instead of sauce. Wed Jun 03 20:26:04 -0700 2009 4740821 249664 kattyeyes 1 4711277 Adapted (simplified!) from Cooks Illustrated. Spread a salmon fillet with dijon mustard, sprinkle with panko or any kind of breadcrumbs and bake until the salmon is cooked. If you want browner crumbs you can toast them in a pan with or without a little oil before putting on the salmon. The original called for dill which I find we can't taste over the dijon but I don't find dried dill very tasty enyway. I need to try it with fresh some time. The original also called for some strange 2 step cooking process. Not necessary, throw it in the oven at 400-425 for about 10 mins. If the fish is a little frozen can take up to 20 mins. Sun May 24 14:46:09 -0700 2009 4692937 15832 sharonanne 1 4717832 warm up a large bone-in ham slice (or a ham steak) in a skillet, then add water and grits according to package ratios, cover and cook till done. Wed May 27 03:32:52 -0700 2009 4692937 105717 alkapal 1 4718732 The best pick-me-up: 1. Melt equal portions of dark chocolate and a nut butter in the microwave in a small cup 2. Toss in some cereal, dried fruit, nuts, or pretzels 3. Stir in powdered sugar or cocoa (for a dark dark chocolate coating) Wed May 27 09:32:11 -0700 2009 4692937 230289 xcskier20 1 4718789 Honey Balsamic Glazed Salmon is simple. Mix honey, balsamic, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Spoon over salmon filets and brown. Can sub Maple syrup for the honey and balsamic and add cayenne. Also good. Serve with rice, pasta, couscous, whatever you can muster. PS: line your baking sheet. The honey/ maple will make a mess. Wed May 27 09:48:51 -0700 2009 4692937 157661 hollyd 1 4719054 A real quick avacado dip. Take a couple avacados, add coarse salt, pepper, garlic powder, and a little cumin and mash it all together with a fork. Season with additional dashes of each to taste. Maybe finish with a squeze of lime if you have it. Really tastey and super easy. Wed May 27 10:59:52 -0700 2009 4692937 108111 gatorfoodie 1 4720622 Not a recipe, per se. But, I love to take a tortilla, put in some refried beans and cheese, add veggies as appropriate except lettuce), heat in micro, dump salsa on top (how come this thread always comes back to salsa?) and lettuce - yum.... Also, for a different kind of tired...when I'm entertaining a bunch and have no energy but want to serve guests a good app, everyone loves this dip: large Vidalia onion finely chopped. Mix with 2 cups grated swiss cheese and 1 3/4 c mayo. Put in greased casserole, top with bread crumbs (or crushed up crackers, or goldfish or nothing - definitely don't run to the store!), bake 30 min at 350. Serve with whatever's around. Great with crackers, but can do chips, veggies, et al. Heaven! Wed May 27 19:22:05 -0700 2009 4692937 49086 amyvc 2 4720750 My original recipe calls for a Vidalia but I've found any kind of onion works. Also, because the cheese and mayo tend to leave a lot of oil I've taken to mixing equal amounts of chopped onion and grated cheese and adding just enough mayo to make it hold together. It STILL works. Seems like this recipe is invincible. Wed May 27 20:15:12 -0700 2009 4720622 15832 sharonanne 2 4727454 I decided I hate refried beans. I used to buy cans of them- whatever brand- Goya I guess it was, and when I would try and make them into a dip or something they just didn't make me happy. Wonder what I'm doing wrong... Sat May 30 06:31:39 -0700 2009 4720622 110426 Boccone Dolce 3 4730995 You either love refried beans or you hate them. No middle ground on that, I'm afraid. I just love the flavor and then you put some melty cheese on and the tortila is warm and chewy...but, I could eat refried warm, plain. So, love 'em or hate 'em... Sun May 31 18:09:07 -0700 2009 4727454 49086 amyvc 3 4731380 Try making them from dried beans. They are very easy and much better. Basically, prepare dried pinto beans as per the package (i.e. soak overnight, or do a quick soak by bringing to a boil, then removing from heat and let sit for an hour). Then drain, re-cover with water, and add a couple of tablespoons of lard or bacon fat (or oil or butter), and a diced onion, and simmer until tender. Season with salt. Cool. Next day, reheat and then mash your beans in the pot with the pot licquor. Or, more traditionally, heat some lard in a frying pan, add a couple of scoopfuls of beans to the hot fat, fry for a bit and mash. Canned refried beans are generally not that good -- I think of them as an unfortunate substitute for the real thing. You can even do WAY better by heating and mashing a can of whole pintos, even if you don't add fat, than you will get with any brand of canned refried beans. Well-made refried beans are a joy and a pleasure. Sun May 31 20:36:11 -0700 2009 4727454 11028 DanaB 4 4732073 I like Trader Joe's canned black beans for refried bean purposes. Just heat 'em and mash 'em. The amount of liquid in the can works out just right, but you can save off a little and then add back as needed. Better and cheaper than buying TJ's canned refried beans. Mon Jun 01 07:38:53 -0700 2009 4731380 13619 Sharuf 5 4732091 I added some grated onion, a little salsa (not the chunky kind) and cumin to my black beans and mash. Still cheaper. I don't have TJ's but Sams and still I use this all the time for when I use refried beans. I love the extra flavor. Mon Jun 01 07:44:30 -0700 2009 4732073 232829 kchurchill5 4 5162439 I concur, once you try scratch you never go back :-) Mine is a bit simpler. 1lb dry beans picked and rinsed and into the crock pot, add 2 1/2 parts water, fat of choice (I like pork), 1Tbsp onion powder, 2 tsp granulated garlic, 2 tsp pepper, 1-2 tsp cumin cook on low 6+ hours. If it looks too liquidy scoop some out and set aside. Crank to high add 1Tbsp salt and blend with a stick blender adding liquid if necessary. Fri Nov 06 18:12:05 -0800 2009 4731380 279577 just_M 1 4725871 This biscuit recipe was in one of Fran McCullough's Best American Recipe collections (I've also heard you can do it with Self Rising flour and beer but I haven't tried it): Easy biscuits 1 cup self-rising flour 1 cup sour cream Adjust the rack to the upper third and preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Grease a baking sheet. Blend the flour and sour cream with a fork until the dough just comes together. On a well-floured board, roll out the dough to a 3/4-inch thickness. Using a floured 1-inch biscuit cutter, cut out 12 rounds, reworking the dough as little as possible. Place the biscuits on the sheet and bake for 12 to 15 minutes, until lightly browned. Serve right away. Fri May 29 13:18:53 -0700 2009 4692937 42547 mr99203 2 4726361 mr99203, that is really novel. what do the biscuits taste and look like? fluffy? soft? crunchy outside? flaky? Fri May 29 15:48:58 -0700 2009 4725871 105717 alkapal 3 4727518 They certainly aren't flaky, probably more fluffy. More like a cream biscuit than one with butter or shortening. They're not the best textured biscuits you've ever eaten, but when you just want something quick to go with dinner, they're quite good. Sat May 30 07:16:07 -0700 2009 4726361 42547 mr99203 2 4727490 Beer, self rising flour and a little sugar, s/p makes amazing beer bread, no rising, just mix and bake. You can also make small biscuits too. Great hearty flavor. You can add dill, herbs, also some cheese, pretty much anything. Wonderful easy bread. Sat May 30 06:53:34 -0700 2009 4725871 232829 kchurchill5 3 4727507 Checky-checky: http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Beer-Bread-I/Detail.aspx I have some beer I'd rather eat than drink. I may have to give this a try in the near future. Thanks mr99203 and Kim! :) Sat May 30 07:05:32 -0700 2009 4727490 249664 kattyeyes 4 4727522 My all time favorite, a simple fresh roasted tomato soup or a roasted potato soup and a good slice of beer bread. It is a match made in heaven. My go to recipes. Roast fennel, tomatoes or potaoes (peeled), and then saute garlic and onion. Add the chopped either tomatoes or potatoes to the pan the fennel, then add broth or stock a little sherry wine and use the immersion to smooth. Then add cream, s/p, and thyme. I love to top with fresh parsley and shredded cheese for both. To me, a perfect summer meal. Light and easy. Use all the fresh summer tomatoes. Sat May 30 07:17:50 -0700 2009 4727507 232829 kchurchill5 4 4733082 kattyeyes, beer and flour is only the beginning! check out this thread full of ideas for beer bread: http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/466159 Mon Jun 01 12:43:38 -0700 2009 4727507 10074 Caitlin McGrath 5 4734062 Holy cow--thanks, Caitlin! I've marked that as a favorite to review when I want to do bread on tap. So many creative variations! Mon Jun 01 18:06:17 -0700 2009 4733082 249664 kattyeyes 1 4727476 Saute 1 small onion and 1 clove of garlic until softened, add 1 x 14 oz can of crushed or stewed tomatos add some Italian spices and pepper flakes if desired. Let simmer for 10-15 minutes, then add 2 whole eggs and poach in the tomato mixture until set. Fast and light. Sat May 30 06:46:53 -0700 2009 4692937 155855 MARISKANY 2 4727695 That's a Neapolitan dish called Eggs in Purgatory. Sat May 30 08:47:28 -0700 2009 4727476 75332 Gio 1 4728895 chicken breasts covered in ranch dressing and swiss cheese and baked flank steak fajitas/tacos Sat May 30 19:19:44 -0700 2009 4692937 249283 mumlikeyum 1 4728974 This recipe is from one of the Chicago newspapers. When I want something sweet and I haven't gone to the grocery store I make this recipe. Microwave Chocolate Mug Brownie http://www.recipezaar.com/Microwave-Chocolate-Mug-Brownie-349246 Sat May 30 20:08:49 -0700 2009 4692937 126101 Antilope 2 4729239 Should I assume that the melted butter in the list of ingredients is actually the oil called for in the directions? Sat May 30 23:01:43 -0700 2009 4728974 15832 sharonanne 3 4729335 Yes. That's a typo. "Oil" should be "butter". Sun May 31 02:25:25 -0700 2009 4729239 126101 Antilope 1 4731866 Here are 3 I do when I'm lazy: 1. Dump 1 or 2 tins of pork and beans into a pyrex baking dish (depends on how many pork chops you're cooking)...slice some onions over the top of the beans, "paint" pork chops with your favourite BBQ sauce, put on top of beans/onions...bake at 325 for about 45 minutes (depends on thickness of chops). 2. Make up a box of stuffing mix. Mound it on a pyrex baking dish..."paint" a ham slice with dijon mustard and lay it over the stuffing. Heat in a 325 oven for 25 to 30 minutes. 3. Cook up some spaghettini, drain, put in ask much "store bought" pesto sauce as you like, add as much grated parmesan as you like...serve...if I'm ambitious I add some "protein" like leftover meat/fish or shrimp. Mon Jun 01 06:16:23 -0700 2009 4692937 113420 tochowchick 1 4732148 Magic Creamed Spinach. Cook, and quickly drain frozen chopped spinach. Return it to the still-hot pot (burner now turned off). Bury pieces of cream cheese under the hot spinach and add any seasonings or enhancements you would normally do. Cover and let rest until dinnertime. Take a wooden spoon and beat it all together until well-blended. One 3-oz square of cream cheese will do one pkg spinach generously, or two packages in a more austere manner. Mon Jun 01 08:05:47 -0700 2009 4692937 13619 Sharuf 1 4732442 Just about anything in a crock pot can qualify here, but my absolute favorite is: Chuck roast of beef (other cuts work as well) 1 packet onion soup mix 1 cup water Set it on low in the morning (or night before) and have a great roast for dinner. Works with frozen or thawed meat. Far from gourmet, but tasty and incredibly tender meat. Mon Jun 01 09:37:44 -0700 2009 4692937 150060 BigE 2 4732807 I agree, add a 1/2 bag of frozen pepper slices and 1 or 2 onions cut in half or quarters and a box of whole mushrooms. Make a bag of egg noodles and dinner. Very non chow. But still. It really is good Mon Jun 01 11:21:42 -0700 2009 4732442 232829 kchurchill5 3 4736123 Grilled cheese sandwich. Nothing beats that when I've had a really rough day. I also make a quick veggie chili- saute onions and maybe bell pepper if I have it. Add some chopped tofu or veggie burger crumbles or any veggie meat you have. I add a couple of cans of wahtever beans I have on hand. Some tomato paste and water (I like it tomatoey so not too much water) and some spices. Again, whatever I have. I also started to add a little soy sauce which adds an extra dose of flavor. Simmer. I like this on rice of pasta, or I just sprinkle a little cheese on top and call it dinner. Or, my all time favorite comfort food- canned fruit cocktail with cottage cheese. Tue Jun 02 11:29:14 -0700 2009 4732807 205451 Miri1 1 4736259 adding to the list of things to make with salsa... we make what we call turkey burritos - super easy. 1 pckg ground turkey 1 pckg taco seasoning 1 can corn (not cream style) drained 1 cup salsa 2 cups water 2 cups quick cooking rice sometimes I add a drained can of black beans if I have them brown the turkey. add the rest of the ingredients except the rice. bring to a boil. add rice. cover and simmer until rice is cooked. I think the recipe says 10 minutes, but I don't have it here at work. We serve this on multi-grain tortilla wraps, with the usual toppings - cheese, sour cream, guac if we have it. Tue Jun 02 12:14:02 -0700 2009 4692937 65780 jujuthomas 1 4737174 Sounds weird, but a total nostalgia-saturated dish for me consists of nothing but: Cooked short grain white rice, the scarlet juices from a kim chi jar (napa or "paechu" kim chi in Korean stores), and some butter. Mix the three up and it's like some crazy, spicy-savory, bastardized risotto. That was my comfort food. Of course, you've gotta have the jar of kim chi which I get from time to time at the Korean store. Even saw a jar of it at the supermarket. though, that stuff I would give at least a few weeks in the jar. The funkier the sauce, the better. Maybe on a more practical note, I have a sweet tooth so two ri-dunk-ulously easy recipes I make often: 1.) Whole raspeberries mixed with maple syrup and cocoa powder. Put the berries (about a cup per person) into a bowl (you can use frozen, they'll lose shape, but you'll have more juice) sprinkle about a teaspoon of cocoa powder (I'm Mac Daddying it out with Valrhona) and a tablespoon or so of maple syrup. The real stuff. Stir it round and it's pretty nice over ice cream, Greek yogurt, ricotta cheese, or by its lonesome. 2.) Chocolate crostini. The key here is using a chocolate bar that's the right thickness. Typically, I find that Bernard Castelain and the new Valrhona bars are perfect. You need a warm oven, not a hot one. So if you have the oven on, great, if not turn it up to 250 and when it reaches temp, turn it off. On a baking sheet, line with baguette slices. Top with a square of dark chocolate. Stick the sheet in the oven just until the chocolate is glossy and holding it's shape, not melting all over the place. Then remove the sheet from the oven. Immediately, lightly drizzle your best bottle of extra-virgin olive oil over each crostini and sprinkle each with coarse sea salt. Sounds odd, but by god, it satisfies. A link to it below. http://shecraves.typepad.com/my_weblog/2005/11/chocolate_crost.html Tue Jun 02 16:46:52 -0700 2009 4692937 20572 wasabi 2 4739385 Wow, you learn something new everyday here! I am going to try that chocolate crostini with friends that ALWAYS know about the latest thing...I bet they haven't thought of this... Wed Jun 03 11:41:23 -0700 2009 4737174 24738 LJS 3 4740818 I agree the chocolate crostini is new to me and sounds pretty good!! Wed Jun 03 19:25:07 -0700 2009 4739385 242801 CoryKatherine 2 4744374 wasabi, really liked the blog and added it to my favorites pg-) Keep up the good work! Fri Jun 05 04:58:34 -0700 2009 4737174 206111 bythebayov 1 4741585 Boursin Chicken- pound boneless skinless chicken breasts until thin, spread generously with Boursin, layer fresh spinach leaves on top, roll up, slice into 1 1/2" rounds. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, put in a baking dish and bake at 375˚ for about 20 minutes. Not only is this stupid-easy, it's ridiculously delicious. I'll usually put a pan of carrots in to roast at the same time. Thu Jun 04 06:58:52 -0700 2009 4692937 261368 Caffeine826 2 4744372 sounds amazing! Im def going to try this recipe...might add prosciutto as well...mmmm Fri Jun 05 04:57:26 -0700 2009 4741585 206111 bythebayov 2 4745508 Yum! You can also do exactly as Caffeine826 says, THEN roll the roll-ups in egg, then breadcrumbs. I remember this variation from long ago in one of my mom's cookbooks (The Everyday Gourmet). :) Oh, and right there with you on the prosciutto, bythebayov! Fri Jun 05 10:28:30 -0700 2009 4741585 249664 kattyeyes 2 4754319 Gotta tell you....I made this and served it with grilled asparagus and some good bread to some friends the other night and they adored it! I love this one.... Mon Jun 08 16:18:03 -0700 2009 4741585 1081665 calliopethree 3 4794099 Hooray! I love when people love the things I love. I had never thought about the prosciutto, but it sounds like an amazing idea. My mom used to do butter and breadcrumbs- I feel like her recipe came from a Tupperware cookbook (???). I'm just too lazy for the extra step. Mon Jun 22 06:02:31 -0700 2009 4754319 261368 Caffeine826 1 4742437 I throw together a quick corn salad and serve with whatever meat I have thawed out: 2 cans yellow corn, drained 2 cans white corn, drained handful of grape tomatos cut in half 1/2 cucumber cut in quarter slices zesty italian dressing mix in a big bowl Thu Jun 04 10:58:33 -0700 2009 4692937 211939 baccimi 1 4744382 sesame crusted tuna: 2 med sized tuna fillets (sushi grade) 1/4 c toasted or black sesame seeds wasabi paste brush wasabi over the tuna on each side then press into the sesame seads. heat up a med sautee pan and dry sautee each side for about 2 min for rare (depends on the thickness of your tuna). Take out of pan and slice. I like to serve it over steamed sushi or basmati rice and a cucmber sunomono salad (seasoned rice wine vinegar, soy sauce, cucumbers and thinly sliced sweet onions)...My husband wouldn't eat sushi or rare tuna until he tried this dish...ridiculously easy! I like to make a sauce using wasabi paste and mayo or siracha, mayo and ricewine vinegar to top the tuna! Fri Jun 05 05:07:01 -0700 2009 4692937 206111 bythebayov 2 4748242 How much wasabi do you use and is it really spicy? Id love to make this but my son cant handle too much heat! Sat Jun 06 10:32:12 -0700 2009 4744382 132739 lilmomma 3 4753075 just enough to make the seeds stick to the tuna and you can barely taste it but you could prob use teriyaki sauce instead to if your son can't handle any heat...if you like more heat, add wasabi to the sauce (mayo wasabi or soy, wasabi, teriyaki). Hope you like it! Mon Jun 08 10:14:02 -0700 2009 4748242 206111 bythebayov 3 4753214 I've made something similar with salmon cut into cubes crusted with sesame seeds and served with a bottled ginger lime sauce as an appy. No wasabi though it does sound good and the seeds stick without it. I just rolled the cubes in sesame and pressed a bit. Mon Jun 08 10:52:04 -0700 2009 4748242 15832 sharonanne 4 4759099 is it cooked or raw? Wed Jun 10 05:05:57 -0700 2009 4753214 206111 bythebayov 5 4762696 Raw, then seared. Thu Jun 11 06:50:16 -0700 2009 4759099 15832 sharonanne 1 4745851 One thing that is so easy but that I LOVE is this easy tuna pasta (takes less than 30 min). Boil a box of pasta...meanwhile, in a pan warm up some olive oil, minced garlic, red pepper flakes, s/p, and 2 cans of tuna canned in olive oil. Drain the pasta and throw in a bag of arugula to wilt, then dump in the tuna mixture. Top with fresh lemon juice. Also I tried this once and it was easy and a hit: pound out some chicken breasts, sprinkle with s/p, then spread a layer of olive tapenade. Top that with feta cheese (and I meant to add spinach but I forgot...) and roll up. Coat with a mixture of olive oil, minced garlic, and dried oregano and bake. Only did it once, but it turned out really well! Fri Jun 05 11:49:30 -0700 2009 4692937 741718 somelikeithaute 1 4745903 i'm a baker, so i always have extra pastry dough in my fridge. on nights when i want comfort after a long day at the office but need something that can be made quickly, i make a crab bake. it tastes so good and feels so right. grease an oven safe dish and put pastry in to pre-bake for 15 minutes on 350 F. olive oil in hot skillet, half diced onion, diced celery, chopped fresh parsley and red pepper flakes. then when onion is translucent put 1/2 cup cream in skillet and stir. add about 1/4 cup of flour and stir. add 2 egg yolks and stir (should be a lumpy mess by now). add a can of lump or claw crab meat and some sharp chedder cheese and mix well. put the whole concotion in the pastry shell and cook on 375 F for 10 minutes and broil for 5 minutes. it takes about 35 minutes to make it and with a nice chilled white merlot my evening is off to a good start. Fri Jun 05 12:04:59 -0700 2009 4692937 729068 cookieluvntasha 2 4747560 Can I live at your house? Fri Jun 05 23:53:39 -0700 2009 4745903 15832 sharonanne 1 4747084 I have a lot of sea salt because i buy the cheap korean kind in bulk. I bury potatoes in a mound of it with water, 400 in the oven for 45-60 minutes. Effortless. Roasted chicken breast with tons of garlic. I just slide sliced garlic undearneath the chicken skins and rub it all with butter and olive oil and salt. Roast in oven. I love using my oven. Fri Jun 05 18:25:56 -0700 2009 4692937 14348 tissue 1 4747409 Here are a couple that are really delicious and don't take much energy. I make a soup with 4 or 5 cups of vegetable or chicken broth or water (you do not need your flavorful homemade chicken stock here, you want a light-tasting base), a couple tablespoons each of soy sauce and rice vinegar, some minced garlic and ginger (if feeling lazy, I use Ginger People ginger juice), and chopped or sliced mushrooms. Simmer until mushrooms are tender, and add chopped spinach leaves (or baby spinach), sliced scallions, and cubed tofu (or raw shrimp). Simmer just until spinach wilts and tofu warms/shrimp cooks through, a couple of minutes. Stir in a bit of toasted sesame oil. To make it heartier I've added soba noodles with the mushrooms. During the summer tomato season, I'll chunk up some mushrooms and tomatoes (or use cherry tomatoes, for less cutting) and fresh mozzarella, tear up some basil leaves, and put it all with some capers and olive oil, generously salted and peppered. Leave it marinate for a while. Then put some pasta water on, cook a short pasta shape (rotini, shells, etc.) and mix the hot pasta into the rest. The mozzarella gets melty, the ripe tomatoes just warm, the mushrooms are a meaty bite, the capers give a little zing. When I have a chocolate craving and nothing around (and am trying for something not too unhealthful), I stir cocoa, some sugar or brown sugar, and vanilla or a little liqueur (like amaretto or kahlua) into Greek yogurt. I have also just used the Ghirardelli Sweet Ground Chocolate and Cocoa for this instead of cocoa and sugar. Fri Jun 05 21:13:55 -0700 2009 4692937 10074 Caitlin McGrath 2 4779479 a recipe i pirated from giada de laurentis - mascarpone and pasta. its as simple as preparing an pound of pasta al dente sauteeing onion and garlic about 1/2 - 1 lbs of fresh sausage (meal or side dish) -add to softened veg until browned 1 tub of mascarpone into veg/sausage mix drain pasta and reserve about 1/2 cup of cooking liquid add pasta to veg/sausage and liquid for desire consistency i dont recall the original recipe - i think it may have been just sausage? - but bell pepper mixed in is really good, as well as smoked sausage (vs fresh), brocolli rabe, zucchini, sundried tomatos...you could put pretty much anything in the mix and it would be creamy and delicious. i also add a nice grating of parm and romano... Tue Jun 16 17:28:14 -0700 2009 4747409 257352 bflobear 1 4747739 Bread salad, you do have to chop a few things but I love it cuz you can just clean out your veggie drawer, leftover bread and a simple vinaigrette, even bottled if you don't want to make it. Even through in some left over proscuitto or even roasted chicken and it is fantastic. Dinner with very little work and not set recipe. Just clean house !! Sat Jun 06 05:55:09 -0700 2009 4692937 232829 kchurchill5 2 4747794 italian bread salad is superb with those overripe summer juice bombs called tomatoes. with great bread and a quality olive oil, it is just about the "perfect" food for summer. i like mine a little "wetter" than this photo: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/12/health/nutrition/12recipehealth-1.html this recipe also adds cukes and tuna: http://www.italianfoodnet.com/ricetta.php?id=978 Sat Jun 06 06:40:25 -0700 2009 4747739 105717 alkapal 3 4748118 Love the tuna, sad to say never used it yet for that, used leftover chic. but Love tuna, especially with artichokes and olives. Bread somewhat replaces the pasta. It is a great alternative and great salad, protein or not. I like mine more dry, but either or it is still great anyway you serve it. It is a great salad which is sort of forgotten I think Next time tuna, thx! I have 2 pieces still frozen, hated to freeze it, but way too much fish, 4 nights and I needed a break. Sat Jun 06 09:30:57 -0700 2009 4747794 232829 kchurchill5 4 4748147 i've never had it with tuna either. that's a gussied up version. ;-). Sat Jun 06 09:41:28 -0700 2009 4748118 105717 alkapal 5 4748250 Keep the recipes coming! yummy! Sat Jun 06 10:34:52 -0700 2009 4748147 132739 lilmomma 1 4754349 German sundae....fry up some good bacon, drain on paper towels and chop coarsely. In the bacon grease saute some chopped boiled potatoes and a little onion. Add the bacon back in and combine. Put in bowls, layer with warm sauerkraut, shredded sharp cheddar, sour cream and top with a green olive or two....really good. Mon Jun 08 16:28:41 -0700 2009 4692937 1081665 calliopethree 2 4760588 ooohhhhh! that does sound good. my husband would hate it, but i grew up around germans and hungarians and this sound like a meal i'll make when he's working late! thanks! i think i'll fry sliced potato though or make a quick potato pancake if i have leftover mashed in the fridge. Wed Jun 10 12:52:50 -0700 2009 4754349 729068 cookieluvntasha 1 4767793 My grandmother used to make something called "mish mash" which is one of my favorites for tired nights. Chop up an onion or shallot and a garlic glove or three, throw 'em in a pan with some olive oil, add ground beef, break it up and cook til brown, then dump a bag of spinach on top and let it wilt for a minute or two. Stir it all up, serve it with dollops of sour cream. Easy, yummy, somewhat healthy. Fri Jun 12 14:28:50 -0700 2009 4692937 251320 Sasayra 2 4768940 Scramble an egg or two into this, and you have the San Francisco favorite -- Joe's Special! (Leave off the sour cream.) Sat Jun 13 00:11:05 -0700 2009 4767793 13619 Sharuf 1 4774769 My super easy go to dinner is this take chicken breasts, pound thin, add filler ( I like fresh spinach and feta but you could use anything you have around, season with s/p/garlic powder. Fold chicken breast in half, coat in bread crumbs, and saute in olive oil until the bread crumbs are browned and the chicken is cooked through. I usually serve it with a box of parmesaen flavor couscous and I steam sugar snap peas or green beans in the micro.. dinner in under 30 min...deeeelicious! Mon Jun 15 12:38:10 -0700 2009 4692937 129035 ma_bell_deve 1 4775980 You're a genius. When you're not weak from hunger, blenderize the salsa and use half to marinate chicken. Roast the chicken. Mix a big dollop of honey into the marinade + other half of the salsa & brush often to glaze the chickie during the last half hour of roasting. If you're a gravy type, boil the leftover glaze for a table sauce. PS the late, great James Beard's favorite pasta was spaghetti with a can of salsa (he didn't specify which brand, but from his description it was pureed tomato, onion & chiles). I like to use Herdez or El Pato. Picante! Mon Jun 15 18:33:39 -0700 2009 4692937 287097 meowzebub 1 4776029 Unfortunately for me, "tired" usually also means HONgry! So I couldn't wait the 28+ minutes. I've been known to lean against the doorway to my apartment to eat tofu & hot sauce out of the grocery bag (pathetic I know). If I have to cook something: pasta + a bag of frozen veg. While pasta cooks in my beautiful wok, I toast spices (usually curry powder or baharat), maybe stir in 2 -3 Tbls tasty fat (butter? usually olive oil) or sometimes add 3/4 cup water & bouillon cube. Before pasta is done, add the veg to steam 3-4 minutes. Toss all with spicy-ness and wolf down. Mon Jun 15 18:47:35 -0700 2009 4692937 287097 meowzebub 1 4778638 Here's some of my favorites. Kimchi Reuben sandwich. Replace the sauerkraut with kimchi and the Thousand Island with regular mayo. Simple yumminess Tue Jun 16 13:13:41 -0700 2009 4692937 262418 bugmenot 1 4794366 I make an easy stew consisting of lentil soup, chicken broth, diced tomatoes (canned or fresh - depending on what I have on had) and pre-cooked chicken sausage. I basically add whatever additional spices and vegetables I have on hand - like jalapenos, crushed red pepper, yellow onions, garlic, mustard powder, etc. It is a hearty stew and takes like 20 minutes to make with little to no prep. Mon Jun 22 07:34:33 -0700 2009 4692937 429926 CreativeFoodie42 2 4850463 I made a stupid easy recipe last night. I found it on Recipezaar, here at http://www.recipezaar.com/Easy-Really-Quick-Parmesan-Garlic-Chicken-Or-Fish-285471 It's just chicken, grated parmesan, a package of Italian Dressing, and garlic powder. Mix the parm and seasonings (I used shaved parm and whirred it till grated), coat the chicken with, and bake. It was OMG good. I don't know why, but the chicken was exceptionally moist. Sat Jul 11 23:51:51 -0700 2009 4794366 1092168 Tea_annie 1 5126223 Have some mushrooms but don't know what to do with them? Well, you should. They're mushrooms, for crying out loud. But if you want to try something new, just saute them with a little chicken broth and a half a bottle of Goose Island 312 (or some other wheat beer). Outrageously good. Fri Oct 23 15:20:53 -0700 2009 4692937 1118674 WhoIsTheDrizzle 1 5126266 sauce for asparagus (especailly good on roasted) brown butter in skillet, add splash of balsamic & splash of soy sauce--pour over asparagus &sprinkle w/fleur de sel another dessert one: split banana down middle (keep in skin) stuff nutella in banana, sprinkle w/ chopped hazelnuts & mini marshmallows. wrap in foil & put on grill for a few minutes until marshmallows melt...open foil & eat! Fri Oct 23 15:40:45 -0700 2009 4692937 1099702 sparkareno 2 5126537 hmmm, sparkareno, i'll remember that one: butter, balsamic & soy. i'll bet that'd be good on broccoli, too. Fri Oct 23 18:25:07 -0700 2009 5126266 105717 alkapal 3 5158376 Yes--so simple but an amazing combo of sweet, salty & nutty. I got the recipe from cooking light. I do put it on broccolli but my fav. is grilled asparagus. Thu Nov 05 10:33:06 -0800 2009 5126537 1099702 sparkareno 4 5158520 That same combo, butter/balsamic/soy, is terrific as a marinade and/or basting sauce for wings! Thu Nov 05 11:17:11 -0800 2009 5158376 75332 Gio 1 5126654 Pasta with pesto from the freezer (although this year I left the basil too long in the garden so I won't have any pesto!) Other choice is baked beans on toast. My parents learned of this war-time food when they travelled in English. No one else in the world eats it, although it shows up in british mysteries from time to time. Fri Oct 23 19:34:32 -0700 2009 4692937 45208 somervilleoldtimer 1 5157622 When I make Sloppy Joes (with lean ground turkey), I always freeze some in small containers. When I'm tired, I can pull some out and add to a few canned items like pasta sauce to kick it up a level. My favorite food since high school (1965!) is Gold Rush Stew and can literally make it in 5 mins.. The S-Joe mix plus kidney beans, tomatoes and corn, plus McCormick's chili spice mix, is my Favorite Comfort Food. Haven't the foggiest notion why I love it so much, but I make it all the time. Thu Nov 05 06:27:11 -0800 2009 4692937 1121910 Anitra313 1 5157890 Mine is chicken thighs, bone-in and skin on. Hot oven, about 425. Put the thighs in a roasting pan so they're not crowded, pull the skin back but not off. Put a dollop of dijon mustard on each one and spread around. sprinkle with S&P, garlic powder and thyme (and sage, if you have it), pull the skin back over and sprinkle the skin with all the dried seasonings plus a bit of cayenne powder (can omit if you don't like heat). Put in the over for about 45 minutes until skin is crackly-crisp. Since the oven is going, you can roast some veggies in there too, or just steam some up in the mike to go with. Thu Nov 05 07:58:32 -0800 2009 4692937 50613 weezycom 1 5158131 Cheesy spinach noodles. One package of frozen spinach, butter, a little milk (could be "fancy" by making a true creamed spinach), half package of egg noodles, and 1.5 cups of cheddar cheese. My bf and I can eat bowls of it and it is something that he can cook w/out any help from me :). Thu Nov 05 09:22:06 -0800 2009 4692937 14495 viperlush 2 5162642 I do this with frozen petite peas and parm, so very go and quick! Sometimes I do rice instead (using less liquid) then add the peas and sometimes meat for the last five minutes of cooking. Spinach is my doi moment. :-} can't wait to try it. Fri Nov 06 20:42:15 -0800 2009 5158131 279577 just_M 1 5158509 I make potato leek soup- chop a few leeks, saute in olive oil, add six cups of chicken stock (I use water and Orrington Farms or Better than Bullion most of the time), bring to a boil and add a packet of Good Earth instant mashed potatoes. Thu Nov 05 11:13:17 -0800 2009 4692937 97825 Coconuts 1 5159162 my mom came home from a tour of Alaska's coast years ago and i watched her slather mayo on a block of frozen fish, probably whiting. i asked her if she realized what she was doing because she was talking..... then i decided, "well, dear old mom is finally loosing it." But the mayo bubbled up and browned so nicely! and if you think of it, crab imperial is pretty much the same thing! seafood broiled in mayo with some other stuff. I would add smoked paprika. I just discovered smoked paprika! Thu Nov 05 14:32:41 -0800 2009 4692937 1101903 lil magill 2 5173193 That's funny - I used to use the "mayo on frozen block of fish" recipe when I was in college and had my first apartment - I had forgotten about that! Wed Nov 11 11:31:46 -0800 2009 5159162 57152 amyatkendall 1 5159352 A can of sardines and a few artichokes, red pepper, capers, olives (I usually have something from the olive bar in my fridge) or tapenade and lots of lemon juice and salt. I put all of it in a mini food processor with some salt, and voila.... high protein and very tasty spread for crackers or bread. Takes no more than 5 minutes and is perfect for those nights when you're exhausted, but not all that hungry. Thu Nov 05 15:40:13 -0800 2009 4692937 192069 suby 2 5159881 what brand of sardines do you like? Thu Nov 05 19:34:59 -0800 2009 5159352 105717 alkapal 2 5162835 I'm guessing that those aren't whole, fresh artichokes. Canned hearts? Sat Nov 07 01:51:33 -0800 2009 5159352 36661 Sam Fujisaka 3 5163420 Sorry for the slow response, but I just saw your questions... Alkapal: I usually get my sardines from Trader Joes. I like skinless, boneless... I'm too squeamish to be a sardine expert! If you know of a better brand that sells skinless/boneless, please let me know. Sam: Yes, canned artichoke hearts. I've also used the Trader Joe's artichoke pesto and it works great. Sat Nov 07 10:56:57 -0800 2009 5162835 192069 suby 2 5169459 Suby -- is the red pepper roasted or raw? Maybe if green pepper were used, and green olives as well, you might get a better color? Tue Nov 10 04:43:58 -0800 2009 5159352 13619 Sharuf 1 5159405 This makes a really smooth and creamy polenta and really quick. (This is my recipe in my own words and not copied from any source). Microwave Velveeta Polenta Cooking time: 12-minutes total on high (1100-watts) Ingredients: 4 cups cold water 1 cup cornmeal 1 Tbs chicken bullion powder 1 tsp granulated garlic powder 1 tsp onion powder dash pepper to taste 1 egg, beaten 3 Tbs butter or margarine, melted 1/3 to 1/2 cup Velveeta cheese, cubed 1. In an 2 qt covered casserole dish, whisk together the water, cornmeal, chicken bullion powder, garlic powder, onion powder and pepper. Mix well. 2. Now whisk in the beaten egg, mix well. 3. Whisk in the melted butter, mix well. 4. Cover and microwave 4-minutes on high. 5. Whisk well, stir to bottom and mix until polenta is uniform without lumps. 6. Stir in cubed Velveeta cheese. Mix well. 7. Cover and microwave 4-minutes more on high. 8. Whisk well, stir to bottom and mix until polenta is uniform with out lumps. 9. Cover and microwave a final 4-minutes more on high. 10. Whisk well, stir to bottom and mix until polenta is uniform with out lumps. 11. Serve warm. Thu Nov 05 16:02:15 -0800 2009 4692937 126101 Antilope 1 5167303 Tortilla chipa and queso dip! I take a stack of about five or six corn (MUST be corn) totillas and cut them into sixths (like a pizza). Fry in hot (350 degree) oil for a few minutes, agitating frequently. Remove from oil to a paper towel covered plate and sprinkle with kosher salt or seasoned salt right away. Queso dip is a block of melted Velveeta and a can of Ro-Tel tomoatoes w/chiles (drained) stirred in. Awesome! Add some leftover chili, or even canned chili if you want to add a meaty factor. Mon Nov 09 10:18:07 -0800 2009 4692937 287602 DigitalVelvet 1 5167679 was younger i found a "recipe" in seventeen magazine and have used it ever since - basic concept is put some olive oil, seasoning (garlic, S/P, whatever) and 2 veggies and cook it on low heat while you boil water for pasta, cook the pasta and dump in the cooked pasta. my norm is saute oil, garlic, onion, tomato (sometimes add a few mushrooms) and italian seasoning - soooo good and easy. i agree its completely common sense but its a bit fancier - feel free to throw in some protein and grated parm. Mon Nov 09 12:17:18 -0800 2009 4692937 192154 pie22 1 5174296 My favorite comfort food: Noodles and Pot cheese.Kinda like periogi's only faster. Carmelize lg sliced onion in butter. Cook 12-16z wide egg noodles-undercook a bit. Butter noodles add to pan with onion medium heat till hot. Hard to find pot cheese so add 12z container of large curd cottage cheese stir until cheese just starts to melt,plate,salt and lots of black pepper. dc Wed Nov 11 17:36:04 -0800 2009 4692937 73130 don515 1 5208530 I can't resist. 3-ingredient peanut butter cookies. One cup of peanut putter, one cup of white sugar, one egg. Rather crumbly, but delicious. I've been making them since I was 10. Wed Nov 25 15:07:25 -0800 2009 4692937 1127454 iseabal