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My column is dedicated to telling it like it is. I will always give you the best information available to me or the best advice I can. I will be upfront and never hide the truth from you.The one thing I will not do is you homework. I will try and point you towards the answer or help you find the answers you looking for. Ultimately you will have to find the answer yourself.
advice
28 female
I am trying to learn how to cook and I was wanting some suggestions for easy recipes. I have already learned how to make hamburger helper and wanted to learn something new that wouldn't be to difficult. I have also learned how to make pancakes.
I learned to cook watching PBS cooking shows and cooking shows on the cooking cable channels. The most important thing about preparing any dish is preparation. Having all the ingredients from the recipe portioned out and prepared before hand is important as assembling and actually cooking the meal is in the timing of when you add the ingredients and in the proper order.
I know that sounds a bit scary though it really isn't. Every recipe comes with an ingredient list. Get all the ingredients together then portion them out into individual bowls. For the novice cook read through the preparation directions and line the bowls up in the order you are going to need them. It is just that simple
Simple recipe - Chicken Parmesan
Ingredients
1 - pack boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2- Jar Marinara Sauce - Your favorite variety of Spaghetti sauce in Marinara will do.
2 - Eggs Beaten
Flour
Seasoned Bread Crumbs (Italian)
Oil ( I prefer Extra Virgin Olive oil as it is lighter
Directions
take 3 bowls, beat the eggs in on, put 2 to 3 cups of flour in another and an equal amount of bread crumbs in the third.
I like to warm 1 jar of the sauce in a sauce pan. Now would be the time to do that and to put a frying pan on the stove with about a half inch of oil. You will also need a baking dish and you should preheat the oven now to 350 degrees.
Take the chicken breasts and rinse them under clod water then dry them with paper towels. Have a plate ready to hold the dredged breast until your ready to fry them.
Using one hand put each breast first in the beaten egg, thoroughly then into the flower, shake of the excess and then into the bread crumbs. Repeat with each breast.
Heat the oil until it is hot enough to fry. A test for this is to take a few bread crumbs and drop them in the oil. If they start to fry carefully place the breasts in the oil. You just want to brown the chicken so 3 to 5 minutes preside is enough.
While the chicken is browning place a light coating of the Marinara in the baking dish. As each breast finishes browning place it on a paper towel to drain off excess oil then place it in the baking dish.
When all the breasts are finished browning and in the backing dish cover the chicken with the Marinara sauce and place in the oven for about 20 to 30 minutes. The breast should com e to a cooing temperature of about 155 degrees.
While the breast are backing heat up the second jar of Sauce and prepare your favorite type of spaghetti per box instructions.
After the chicken has backed for 230 minutes if you have a meat thermometer check the temperature, if not don't worry. Place the cheese on each breast covering the top of each and place back in the oven to melt the cheese. When the cheese is melted. Dinner is served. Pair with a nice wine
Note: If preparing for guests and they have not arrived by the time you are ready to put the cheese on. Turn the oven down to warm. When your guests arrive and your ready to serve turn the oven back to 350 place the cheese on the chicken and serve when melted. Hold back a ladle of sauce to put over the chicken when plated this will insure it is warm to hot to the mouth.
This may look complicated but it is really easy. It was one of the first dished I made.
Thank you so much . I just moved out of my mom's and the reason I never learned to cook is because my mom wouldn't let me touch the stove because for some reason she was scared that I would burn the house down. I have another question when your trying to make enough I get confused on fractions. When it says use a 1/2 cup full of milk or another ingredient to make enough for 2 people instead of 1 do you just put in a cup full of milk instead of half. Thank you in advance.
When you increase a recipe you increase by the number of people you are cooking for. In most recipes you get on line or a cookbook it will tell you how many people the recipe feeds. So look before you start increasing the recipe.
The recipes I gave you will do 2 diners for 2 or 1 diner for 2 and 2 or 3 lunches.
I have found that most recipes are geared to feed from four to six people. The first time you make a recipe make the full recipe, you can freeze the leftovers. We have a zip lock freeze a meal system we purchased on amazon. We go shopping come home and repackage the meats, fish and poultry we buy into two portion packsages. Them for what ever we cook and how many we cook for we pull out the appropriate packs from the freezer.
We also shop for most all the meats, fish and poultry At Costco. The savings are extradnary but they back age in volume which means we must repackage. We shop once e ery six weeks spend $150 to $175 or a bit more. That works out to $25 to $29 a week for meals you can't buy for that price. If you don't have a Costco, then you might look for a Sam's Club or a BJ's.
I know this may sound weird but I am 28 years old and I don't know how to cook and I really want to leaden because eating out is getting exspensive and I am tired of eating sandwhiches all the time.
What are some easy recipies that I can start with?
I learned to cook by watching TV chefs on PBS and the cooking channels. If you can read and follow directions you can cook. The scariest parts of cooking are some of the terms used. Go to the book store or search the net for information on cooking terms. While the terms sound confusing they are really not once you understand their meaning.
Get a cookbook for beginners these cookbooks generally have step by step instructions along with pictures of how to prepare what you are making. One of the easiest meals I know to cook is spaghetti and meat sauce.
The spaghetti is placed in boiling salted water as per package directions. The package doesn't say how much salt so I suggest about a table spoon full. For the meat sauce you by a pound of ground beef an onion and a jar of Spaghetti Sauce.
Take have the onion and dice it, this means to chop it finely. In the gadget food store you can find a food chopper that will do this very well for you. Then in a sauce pan, looks a little like a fry pan but it has sides about 2 to 3 inches high, put a small amount of oil, vegetable or olive oil, I like olive oil and lightly brown the onions for about a minute on medium heat. You smell the onion smell within this time this is when you put the chop meat into the sauce pan to brown. To brown is exactly what it means. The meat is red you want it not to be red on the outside. Stir it around in the pan until all is a brown color or not red.
While you are browning the meat it is time to season it. I use salt, pepper and garlic powder. Seasoning is to taste so I can’t advise you hear other than to say go easy on the salt and pepper as you can add those at the table I you need more. I cook to a low salt diet so for 1 jar of sauce I would suggest 1/4 teaspoon of salt, 1/2 teaspoon of pepper and up to a full teaspoon of garlic powder depending on how much you like garlic. Stir the spices into the meat.
Once the meat is browned stir in the jar of sauce, cover turn the heat to low or simmer and let it simmer for 45 minutes. Now is the time to put your water on to boil for the pasta and follow package directions. Cook up the pasta about 15 minutes before the sauce is ready.
Even simpler is hamburgers. Same seasonings and I add a packet of dry French onion soup mix for flavor. Mix everything together and form into patties. One pound of ground beef will make four to six patties. Put them in a fry pan and cook them until well done which is 165 degrees on a meat thermometer. A meat thermometer is an essential for anyone who cooks as you do not what to under cook or over cook you meat.
Good luck and if I can cook anyone can. There are meals I make that only I make and my family requests them all the time.
Note: If a recipe doesn't come out right the first time, pour tomato sauce over it and call it Italian. That's what I did and no one complained.
My gf and I got a new roommate because our apartment has an extra bedroom and it makes rent easier on us. He's a really nice guy that works in the area. He loves to cook. Since he moved in 8 months ago he has made breakfast, lunch, dinner and desserts EVERY day. He said cookings a hobby for him and its great the tastes are really rich. My gf and I both think it would be rude to refuse what he makes for us so we're eating all the time. He always insists that he'll take care of things like cleaning shopping and other errands if we try one of his cakes or pies or something. We both feel lazier and sit around a lot more now. Cant help but feel lethargic and we both agree the foods so good. And we've put on about 30 lbs each and we have to wear stretchy pants now. Even close friends and family have asked if we're alright...
I agree with Razhie; you have no one to blame but yourself. I think its wonderful you now have a live-in chef willing to do the menu planning, shopping, cooking and washing up. But it is not rude of you to sit at the table and refuse the high calorie deserts or other offerings. In fact after all this time it would be very right of you to say something to the effect, \"Jim we love your cooking but it is way too rich we need some lower calorie meals in our weekly menu.\"
I taught myself to coo and I love cooking. My wife and cook together at times. When we do we turn out some really rich food. We have or I should say I now spend my time looking for just as tasty, just as fancy lower calorie meals to make. IF your roommate is the cook you say he is he should be able to do this as well.
You really have only two choices here. You either talk to him about making lower calorie meals. There is a method to making those same meals you have grown to like, through substitution of lower calorie ingredients, or you join a gym to work off those calories.
As a whole western society is one that loves to eat; for the most part we have grown so accustom to the abundance that we have grown seriously obese as well. It doesn\'t have to be this way. We can in a sense have our cake and eat it too if we do so sensibly. As I said we cook meals that are every bit as tasty and look as good as the ones he is cooking or you get in fine dining establishments, just made with lower calories ingredients. Another way to keep the calories of is to stop being a couch potato and get some exercise to work of those calories.
You have those same choices given your present situation. Don\'t blame the cook for something you can control yourself if you want to.
can anyone tell me why the fuck is it everytime i cook it ends up on fire or blown up in my face i mean oce i even set my poptart on fire wtf?
Your probably cooking at to high a temperature. Experienced cooks and chefs can cook over high heat though it requires their constant attention.
Cooking is not something we are naturally born too, it is a learned experience. When we cook, even if it is putting a Pop Tart in a toaster you are playing with fire. Be it a gas or electric stove the heating elements are hot enough to ignite things and cause a fire so you must keep a constant eye on what is cooking.
Try cooking at lower temperatures, use meat thermometers to judge when meats are done. As for the Pop Tart use a lower setting on the Toaster. If the tart is not done when it pops out put it back in again and monitor it. You can manually pop it from the toaster if you think it is going to start burning.
Food cooks better at lower temperatures. Higher heat is generally used to sear meats so as to retain juices. Once the meat is seared you reduce the flame under the pan or put the meat in an oven safe dish and roast it in the oven.
When I first started cooking I burned a lot of food as I tried to copy the chefs on TV. Today I can cook like the chefs on TV but it has taken many years to prefect my techniques. When I am cooking, especially on the stove top, I never leave the stove unattended.
There are two reasons for this. First I have learned why not too. Second: as a firefighter I have had to extinguish more kitchen fires than I can count. Each and every kitchen fire has been the result of unattended food cooking on the stove.
The moral of this is: If your going to cook something, even if it is a Pop Tart. Make sure you have the time to be in the kitchen and watch what is cooking.
Ever since my child was critically ill, she can't have anything with gluten/wheat anymore. It is really hard to tell a 5 year old child that she can't eat basically anything her friends eat or that she sees people eat on TV. Her little face... :( Do you know of any good child friendly foods I can make that contains no gluten? Bless you if you can help me!
You might try a site called "Pin It." This site has a variety of different areas to it among them are different types of recipes. In the programs search box type in Gluten free or gluten free meals. You will be taken to an area where there are recipes others have found and pinned or developed on their own. Once you find something you like you can pin the recipe to your own board to retrieve when needed.
Need an idea for a meal, try pin it. Type in the type of meal or main ingredient in the search box and see what comes back. Having a party and want some fresh ideas, type in party snacks.
I needed and Idea of a meal I could make for my wife for Valentine’s Day. I needed a one pot meal as I am disabled and the pain of my disability was really bothering me and standing at the stove for any amount of time was not going to happen. Pin It to the rescue. A meal it took five minutes to prep and fifteen minutes to cook.
In the past I have been able to make two, three or even four course meals for my wife on Valentine’s day. This year wasn't possible. Pin It made it possible to maintain a tradition I started long ago. Try it I think it will be very helpful.
Where can I find coupons? I am looking to save a ton of money this year. I have watched "Extreme Couponing" and was wondering where I can find manufacturing coupons without expiration dates?
Their are tons of places to find coupons. You can search on the web, in you local newspapers. Write different manufacturers with compliments or complaints. They generally will write you in return and include coupons and put you on their mailing list.
Go on the web and search for couponing. This will return a number of different sites to explore along with sites with suggestions for successful couponing.
I cook my chicken pan fried with a light amount of oil on medium heat, half covered. I cook the thighs for 30 min, they come out perfect. I cook the winglettes for 20 min, perfect. But... the drums and the drummets always seem to come out rubbery and tough. I cook the drums for 30 min and the drummets for 20. What am I doing wrong with the drums and drummets?
There are two things I can suggest.
1. Do not cover the pan when frying ever. This reduces the amount of steam that is escaping causing it to return to the oil. This not only cools the oil but can cause splattering and injure you or cause a fire . If you are concerned there are splatter guards you can purchase to fit over the pan that will allow the steam to escape. The oil will also remain at the proper cooking temperature.
2. Not knowing what order you cook the different pieces in. Make sure the oil has returned to a proper frying temperature before you put the fresh pieces in the pan. You want your oil at 350 degrees for proper frying. If it is not the chicken pieces will absorb some oil and you will get some rubbery chicken. Do not over crowed the pan.
I might also suggest if you do a lot of frying you consider purchasing a countertop deep fryer. For Christmas my son gave us a Fry Daddy (a Large one). My wife and I immediately noticed the difference in everything we fried from potatoes to chicken. Everything was less greasy and the chicken is much crisper.
The difference I see is the oil is at the proper temperature as we now can see the temperature of the oil. We also use the basket to drain the oil from the item being fried before turning it out on the paper towel. It was immediately noticeable on the towel that there was much less oil on the food.
I/we had never given this any thought before. Know knowing the difference I would have saved up for the deep fryer if I had needed to. My wife and I have decided that regardless of how little we may have to fry we will use the fryer. wW also believe it is healthier than pan frying.
One other thing food cooks in less time in the fryer because it is at the proper temperature so you will have to adjust your cooking times so not to over cook things.
Until you decide to purchase a deep fryer:
1. Do not cover your pan, buy a splatter guard if you want to protect you and your stove from grease splatters. They are inexpensive and can be found in the grocery store.
2. Make sure your oil is at least 350 degrees before placing food in the pan.
3. Try reducing the cooking time by 5 minutes. If the oil is at the right temperature you food will cook faster. This will also depend on the thickness of the food being cooked so you will have to adjust the time for thicker legs.
(Yes I'm aware this isn't a "food" site but this is really my only option. Sorry if this question offends/bothers anyone in any way.)
Hello, so I'm a new vegan and I don't really know what to eat... I know to avoid animal products such as meat, milk, etc., but I'm finding it very hard to find foods.
I'm not really much of a "cook" person, but I suppose I can be. Can you all help me with some recipes, vegan name brands, and stuff to eat? I already eat fruits and things. Thanks :)
When my niece was your age she decided to go Vegan because of things she learned in school. She didn't stay vegan for too long for several reasons.
1) Like you at the time she wasn't a cooking type person. My brother in-law who does all the cooking said he would teach her how to cook the food she wanted but he would not cook a separate make just for her. It was not right of her to ask for a special meal since there was no medical reason for it. This was simply her choice.
2) True vegan meals if not properly cooked can be very tasteless. Flavor additives are needed to bring out tastes in such things as Tofu which is a protein replacement. Vegetables need to be properly seasoned and prepared to bring out the taste and texture you want. A properly prepared vegan burger tastes burger tastes very close to hamburger. But you have a lot of prep work to get that taste and texture.
30 Some of the more exotic vegetables and things Vegans eat are way more expensive than regular items as they are almost all organically grown as well.
While I understand your desire to follow the vegan diet. Understand you are asking a lot of mom and dad from the aspect of meal preparation for you and the cost of your food. It would be a lot easier on them and you if you eased into this by going vegetarian first. This gives you much more leeway in things you can eat and is a lot less expensive for mom and dad on their food budget. It also means they won't always have to make a special meal for you. At some point in meal preparation they can separate a portion for you and finish it vegetarian instead of with the protein meat they all are having.
To answer your question directly: There are many good books on the subject of Vegan meals and diets at your local Library and bookstore.
I am 19, and a female working FULL TIME and in college FULL TIME. I live with my boyfriend and three roommates. It is a decision through our house that we don't eat each others' food or share food.
With that said, I usually eat a lot of fast food. And I mean way too much. It hit me the other day when I bought breakfast at McDonalds- 5$, lunch at Tropical Smoothie- 9$ and finally dinner for my boyfriend and I at Taco Bell 12$
Talk about a heart attack.
So now I'm trying to change my ways, save money, and feel better but I have one major problem: I don't know how to grocery shop, plan meals, or even cook. Of course we go to the grocery store but we end up buying junk and microwavable meals that my stomach is now telling my brain it's right their next to puppy chow.
I have realized that I cant google how to do change my fast food habits, I have to make a lifestyle change.
Oh, I just wanna throw this out their that my boyfriend doesn't cook but maybe once a week, if that and its pretty much a can of green beans and then some random meat with some more random spices and that gets old real quick.
Please just give me any advice you have on how you eat healthy and plan meals.
I need a system that requires very little actual cooking and can apply for breakfast lunch and dinner. (I don't always eat fast food for breakfast- I eat cereal if we have the milk to go with it. And sometimes ill bring a sandwich for lunch but both those options are plain and boring and not really nutritious, either.
Sorry if this is too long, I just felt everything is pretty important to include in order to get the advice I'm looking for. Thanks in advance for the advice.
P.s....please don't just warn me of the health risks associated with my current diet. Thanks.
Okay the first thing you need to do is plan ahead and cook ahead. It is hard to come home from school and face making dinner with homework and whatever else has to be done. Most working couples face the same problem. So the real problem is time management.
You need to set aside time in your week to do a proper grocery shopping and time to cook ahead. Assuming you and your boyfriend will do this together. Time management is going to have to be a priority.
You start by sitting down with your boyfriend and a weekly planner/calendar. Write in your classes and work schedules. Then look at what time is left open for studying, cooking and shopping. This is going to have to be a joint effort to be successful for you both.
Meals that can be cooked ahead frozen and then reheated or put in the microwave are going to be better for you and more inexpensive than fast food. They also will generally provide leftovers that can be taken for lunches.
Meals such as meatloaf, hamburgers, chicken are inexpensive and good evening meal, generally provide leftovers and easy to make. Shopping at warehouse stores such as Costco, Wal-Mart, BJ's and Sam's Club will stretch your buying Dollar.
A Breakfast of cereal, fruit, an occasional Yogurt is great. Yogurt is high in sodium and should not be eaten as part of a regular diet.
Lunches: Unfortunately lunches can be boring if you try to stick to the generally accepted bag lunch of a sandwich and chips. You can purchase some plastic containers in various sizes. In these you can put together various types of salads just be carful about refrigeration needs for things contain mayonnaise. You can take a piece of chicken and some fruit or fruit salad. The leftover meatloaf is good. If you purchase a cooler pouch with a cool pack the types of things you can take for lunch become endless.
We already spoke of some dinners above. What you need to do is find out each others cooking skills and plan your meals around them.
In shopping for you food you first plan for your evening meals. From this you will see how many meals they will provide and what if any leftovers can be had for lunches. This may be a little hit and miss at first but you will learn .
Then you plan on the type of lunches you would want and list the items you need. Breakfast is almost a staple of things though you still go over the items you want. Then check and make sure you have the staples you need milk, eggs, butter and so forth.
As part of your time management plan you may or should divide the workload. For instance whoever shops this week the other cooks. Next week you reverse the workload.
Time management is the most important tool you will need to conquer in the adult world. If you can learn to control your time now you will forever be in control of your time. This is something employers value almost or even more than the ability to do a job. They can teach you to do the work. Teaching someone time management is the hardest thing an employer has to do and many a time they fail to do it right.
what is awesome to cook im bored with what i usually cook (mostly Italian food,spaghetti,mostacholi,linguini)and was wondering if anyone had any good food ideas.:]
This is a great question though it does depend on individual tastes. I love to cook, in fact it is something my wife and I do together on weekends when it is cool enough.
We have the same tastes in food so that is not a problem. I like to experiment with recipes and my wife is more reserved when it comes to looking at a recipe and deciding to try it. I can look at a recipes ingredients and tell if they are ones we like or if I can substitute one or more for ones we like.
One of the things I love to do is to go to a restaurant have a meal and try to identify the ingredients then try to make it at home. I've become pretty good at doing this. At the moment we are working on a creamed cauliflower or mashed cauliflower we had once. We have the taste right but we need to stiffen it up as at the moment it is more like soup.
Japanese cooking is easy to do if you have a recipe and you do not need a wok. Most of the taste is in the prep and the way you prepare the (cutting) of the vegetables. German food is also easy to do, though it can be kind of heavy. French food is nice though some sauces can be tricky as they can break if the timing is off.
I learned to do most of what I cook by watching TV cooks on PBS and some of the food channels. There are also some very inexpensive cookbooks out there for beginners and intermediate cooks.
Recently my wife and I took a dive into baking. We made rolls, breads, both Italian and French. Then we decided to make Bagels. The first time with the Bagels was some what funny as they turned out to be mini-Bagels. We did better the second time.
Italian cooking is something I like to do and consider it my specialty.
Here's my version of chicken nuggets I made up on the fly many years ago.
Chicken breasts, boned and skinned
Bread crumbs, seasoned or not is fine
Flour
egg
milk oil
salt
pepper
paprika
garlic powder
Cut chicken breasts in to nuggets
season bread Crumbs with salt, pepper, garlic and paprika. Do so even if using a seasoned bread crumb. Season to taste.
Make an egg was out of the egg and milk
Dip the chicken in the flour, shake off the excess, then the egg wash and then the bread crumbs.
In a deep frying pan add enough oil to just cover or almost cover the chicken; this will depend on how deep of a fry pan you have. Heat the oil to just below cracking stage, about 350 degrees. Add chicken, don't crowd the pan. Fry until golden brown and remove to a drain cloth. Turn as necessary.
Serve with Duck Sauce and Hot Mustard.
As most schools, my school has some nasty tasting food. My mom told me that it's a waste of her money if I don't even like it. She said to look for some ideas of food to put in my lunch bag because I'm very picky and don't really like ham and turkey sandwiches that much(I'll eat it sometimes though). Any ideas of what she can put in my lunch box???
Lunch does not have to be a sandwich. If you are in to fruits and vegetables your mother can pack you a very healthy lunch along with a leftover of dinner from the night before if it was something you like; say fried chicken or a hamburger.
Also mom could make you a salad: Anything from plain lettuce and tomato to a chef salad with dressing on the side in a plastic container like the salad.
There are some great ideas for school lunches on the web. Just enter school lunch ideas into a search engine.
How do I measure 7/8 cup water? Thanks...
Another way to do this would be to take a 1 cup measure and fill it. Then take an 1/8 of a cup measure and dip it out of the 1 cup measure. They do make 1/8 cup measuring cups.
I would use a 2 cup measuring bowl or cup filled to the one cup line. This way when you dip out the 1q/8 cup you don't lose any more than what you are dipping out.
Can I take a recipe for making rolls by scratch and use bread machine with same recipe?
I would say probably not. Scratch backing uses different amounts of yeast and baking powder than might be proper to use in the bread machine. Having never used a bread machine I am only guessing though.
I would suggest if you really want to use that recipe in your bread machine that you call the customer service line for the manufacture of the machine. They may be able to tell you how to adjust the ingredients for use in their machine.
If you don't have the handbook that came with the machine you can find the number by searching on line.
I broke my parents knife set! The knives are all fine but the block is badly damaged! Where can I buy a wooden knife block online? I mean, they have had this knife set longer than they have had ME so I better have a plan by the time they get home from their trip and I have to tell them what happened. Help!
Look on the one of the knives. There should be some engraving or markings that will tell you who manufactures the knives. Then go on the Internet and search for that name. See if the company has a website and contact information.
Look for a customer service number and call them. Explain what has happened and tell them about the set, number of knives and any accessories. I'm sure if they have any knife blocks that fit that set they will sell you one or they may just send a replacement free of charge depending on how the one you damaged was damaged.
Don't despair too much these things happen. Knife blocks are generally made of wood and over the years the tend to dry out. If dropped for a counter they will crack. If that is what happened to you it could just as well happened to you mom or dad.
So to a search and make a call. If that doesn't work go to the mall and look at knife block sets in stores that sell them and find a set that is similar to the one you have. Then ask the store personnel to help you get a replacement block from that manufacturer.
Does anyone know how to make smothered pork chops so they turn out nice and moist like they do in a restaurant? I don't know what I am doing wrong but mine are always dry! Help! Before my hubby gives up on me! :)
The recipe flare has found for you is a good one. In fact it is how I've made them. One key to cooking is seasoning. The seasonings in this recipe are a little heavy for my family's tastes and I would cut down on them. When following a recipe especially for the first time I will, unless I know for certain that a certain seasoning is to heavy or not to our liking, follow the recipe as written.
After we have eaten my wife and I will discuss the dinner and decide what if any adjustments have to be made to make this recipe ours. Then if I'm the one who cooked the dinner I will make notes on the card and place it in our recipe file.
Recipes such as this one I know for instance that I would need to cut back on the garlic and onion powder. Later I might even experiment with using real garlic and blooming the garlic in the oil then removing the garlic from the oil. This is something for a more experienced cook.
NOTE: With the flour and oil you are making a rue. Be Careful not to burn it. All you need to do when making the rue is cook the raw taste from the flour. This only takes a minute or two.
So... am I the only one who moved into their own place without ever learning how to boil an egg?
I have so far blown up several batches of eggs or had them not be done enough (still runny!) so what am I doing wrong?
Surely someone here knows how to make hard boiled eggs, right?
Help!
Either of the two methods below will work fine. One thing not to do is to use the microwave oven for you can be seriously hurt when you open the door to get the egg.
I taught myself to cook by watching the TV chefs. Cooking is not hard to do. Start with easy things like making fried eggs, Frying or broiling meats and poultry. When cooking poultry and pork it is important they be cooked to a specific temperature so purchase an instant read thermometer and go on line to down load a cooking temperature chart for beef, Poultry and pork.
Honestly if you can read and follow directions you can cook. There are some terms that you may not understand. These terms can be defined by looking on line. A pinch of salt is just that, it is less than the smallest measuring spoon, an amount that you pick up between two fingers. Season to taste: Add salt and pepper to the way you like it to taste, and so on. There is nothing scary about cooking.
Yes I've made a few bad meal while learning to cook. In general I poured tomato sauce over it added a lot of garlic and worcestershire sauce and wine if I had it and in most cases it was edible. I have thrown some meals in the garbage that were not salvageable by this method.
Today my wife and I, especially on cold winter day will go in the kitchen and experiment with baking and new recipe's and yes even as accomplished as we have both become we on occasion will have to throw something out, it happens. The fun is in the process and for us doing it together.
One other thing. The fastest way to a mans heart is through his stomach. My wife was not the greatest cook when I first met her. Though she did cook for me and it meant a lot to me that she did.
Working on a menu for a red, white, and blue party. I have plenty of ideas for red and white foods, but I need some blue foods besides blueberries.
To add to your list you could try
Cup cakes with Blue Icing
Use a white cake mix and ad blue food coloring to make a blue cake then if you want you can use a different shade of blue to ice it with.
There are a number of both alcoholic and non alcoholic beverages that can be made that are blue as well.
Freeze ice cubes with the non alcoholic beverages so as not to water down any of the beverages with plain ice.
My husband to be and I are going on a romantic get away to Gatlinburg, and we're staying in this cute, romantic cabin for a few days.
I want a good tasting wine.
Nothing expensive; but a good price for the great taste.
Any ideas? I've never had any wine before, I'm usually a vodka, or wine cooler kind of woman, so any good ideas would be helpful.
Thanks.
I've always felt that serving a Zinfandel is always a good choice. Be people I am entertaining be experienced wine drinkers, new wine drinkers or have particular tastes in wine a Zinfandel seems to satisfy everyone. It is inexpensive, depending on the maker it should be no more than $14.00.
Most vineyards will produce a blush wine or Zinfandel. My preference in a Zinfandel is Sutter Home.
It's my mums birthday coming up but I don't know what to get her. So, as a little gesture I thought I'd get some ingredients and cook a three course meal for her, my step-dad, myself, and my sister. One problem. I have no idea what to cook! Something with not too much prep and I kinda want the three courses to go together... meat for main maybe? lemony thing for pudding? I don't know. :D Any suggestions welcome... :D
I love to cook and learned to do so watching the different cooks on TV. It is not all that hard just star slow and easy and work your way up.
If you are a beginning cook the basic rule I would suggest is to keep it simple. Plan a meal with the Entree that has minimal ingredients. This will keep the prep time to a minimum as well.
Your mom is going to enjoy whatever you prepare for it is the effort and the gesture she will love.
First: You want to center your meal around your Entree. So go online and type the following phrase into your search engine; "easy recipes for beginning cooks" This will return a number of websites for you to look at. Some will offer only the main course and others will give you an entire meal plan.
Steaks, Chops and Chicken are the easiest to prepare. Just remember with chicken you must cook it until it comes to a proper temperature which depends on what your cooking as to how you tell. If you are cooking a whole chicken you take the temperature at the thigh and it should be 185.
For your first course there are a number of ways to go. Salads are easy to prepare and there are a number of different ways to prepare a salad with any number of different ingredients. Prep time is minimal. Here again ideas can be found on the web by typing in "salad recipes".
You could also go for something like shrimp cocktail using precooked and shelled shrimp purchased at the supermarket. Steamed clams are also easy to prepare.
Soup goes with just about any main course. Soup can be prepared using any variety of canned or prepackaged soups. Lately I have found the the organic offerings or all Natural offerings of soups are more tasty than the condensed or standard variety. They are a bit more expensive though.
Dessert: This course could cause you the most time in the kitchen. If you want to prepare something yourself I would suggest a packaged Brownie mix or if your more adventurous; you could try a packaged cake mix. must follow the directions on the package. It would be a help if you or mom have a mixer of some type should you decide on the cake mix.