20-minute (or so) recipes from gamers

[keyclone]

ok.. so i saw a thread with a suggestion for non-cooks to use tv dinners for an occasion.
i thought about this, and figured i would toss in a fairly simple, fairly cheap, dinner recipe that will make you look like Emeril

so.. here is my suggestion: chicken alfredo (spicy: 2/5 .. controllable)

first step... all ingredients bought fresh from the store/produce stand ... choose your own quanties

chicken breast (we're going to end up dicing the chicken... get it however you wish, already cleaned is easier)
onion
green & red peppers
alfredo sauce (go from scratch if you want... this is meant to be quick & very tasty)
pasta (you choose the pasta... not too thick.. personally, i like the shells)
various spices (garlic salt, salt, crushed red pepper, black pepper, oregano, cayenne pepper)
garlic oil (or vegetable oil with chopped garlic cloves)
chicken bouillon cubes (or chicken broth)
butter

1. get big pot for pasta... fill 1/2 way with water and turn on stove
2. add garlic oil to water (5-6 drops)
3. peel 3 chicken bouillon cubes and place in the pot
4. add spices liberally to the water .. (i emphasize the oregano)
4a. the spices in the water will be absorbed into the pasta and will enhance its flavor

switch gears to chicken & onion while you wait for boil
5. unwrap / clean chicken .. cut off any fat
6. cube chicken .. not too small, chicken will shrink a little as it cooks.. place in bowl
7. slice up onion
8. get a fry pan, add garlic oil and butter, place on medium heat (don't burn butter)
9. immediately add onion.. add salt & black pepper
10. stir to keep from burning.. if too hot, reduce heat

about this time the water is boiling...

11. add pasta to the water and turn down to medium heat or less
12. turn down the heat on the onions to low, add the chopped up green and red peppers.. stir & cover

now cook chicken
13. get fry pan, place on stove
14. add garlic oil (the size of a quarter.. swish around to cover bottom of pan) & butter (1/2 scope from tablespoon)
15. medium heat or a bit more
16. add chicken.. stir as you add.. evenly space across the pan
17. add spices liberally (garlic salt, crushed red pepper, black pepper, oregano, cayenne pepper)
17a. careful with the cayenne, this is the heat. adjust accordingly
17b. take a moment to stir the pasta... sticky pasta is bad
18. stir/move the chicken to keep it from burning... add a little butter to keep it tender & juicy (not too much)
19. as the chicken is starting to cook, add a tablespoon of the alfredo into the chicken pan... it'll give some flavor
20. heat the rest of the alfredo (microwave or small pot)
21. the chicken is done when it is completely white throughout... but you want to avoid it drying out (this is where the butter comes in)

once the chicken is cooked, your pasta should also be done.
22. get a big serving dish (big!)
22. drain pasta .. do not rinse
23. add the onion & peppers to the pasta pot
24. add chicken to pot (only the chicken chunks)
25. add alfredo to pasta pot
26. mix (careful not to mash anything)
27. pour it all into the big serving dish

serve with salad, maybe some garlic bread, and white wine... and you're good to go

i may have gone overboard on the step-by-step... but the intended target was the guy that doesn't really know how to cook or the process around it. i'm no master chef, but i have been paid to cook (ok.. it was short order and many moons ago..)

when you are putting in the ingredients.. don't freak out about the amounts... use common sense as to what would taste good

pro tip here:
--
take that special someone with you to the store...
shop together...
get the ingredients...
go home...
pop the wine...

then cook it together :thumbsup:

good luck and enjoy!

[Kicksome]

Awesome, thanks. I'll take a stab at this. I'm kinda sick of eating out every night.

[Skuggomann]

Hers a good one:




1. start boiling whater
2. put pasta in whater

--

3.fry shrooms on a pan
4.ptu some ham on the ban too (cube size)
5.poure souer cream on the pan (around 300g)
6.grind pepper chease, and throw it in there!
7.grind pepper over it all

--
8.W8 for it all to melt and become brownishwhite
--
9.put pasta on plate
10.poure sauce on pasta
--
11. get fork and aggro your mout! NOM NOM NOM NOM

http://images.hugi.is/humor/129197.jpg








 

[aNiMaL]

1. turn on stove
Aaah..
I burned myself..

Screw this, we're having pizza.


(maybe if i find the motivation to cook any time soon i'll give it a go, thanks for sharing)

[Vyndree]

My cooking bible:
http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/519D1Q0Q0NL._SL160_AA115_.jpg ('http://www.amazon.com/Boil-Water-Food-Network-Kitchens/dp/0696226863/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1215551155&sr=8-1')

Suvega insists that I am somehow a natural at cooking steaks.

And I can make some tasty vietnamese food, but sometimes it's hard to find the ingredients.
For example, vietnamese sandwiches ('http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vietnamese_sandwich') are made with a processed pork that I only know from the name I called it as a child "Circle meat" because you'd slice it into circular shapes. Not exactly easy to find now that I'm older and don't know the real vietnamese name for it. >.< EDIT: Noir is my hero and PM'ed me the name - Cha-lua ('http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cha-lua').
And, of course there are Summer rolls ('http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Summer_roll') or if you can't find the rice paper or are too lazy to wrap it just throw it all in a bowl and make a salad, aka "Bun thit", with nuoc cham ('http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/N%C6%B0%E1%BB%9Bc_ch%E1%BA%A5m') dressing/dipping sauce.
Pho ('http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pho') is relatively simple too, since all you do is simmer it for a day. When you get hungry, boil some noodles in the broth using a sieve, throw it in a bowl, and ladle more broth/meats in.
Vietnamese stir fries are also very tasty and quite forgiving -- if you have the ingredients for the above you already have the ingredients for stir fry (typically lemongrass, thai basil, fish sauce, cilantro, mint, lime, etc).


Oh, and let's not forget Suvega's favorite: Ca Phe Sua Da ('http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ca_Phe_Sua_Da') (Vietnamese iced coffee)

[Zite83]

I can give you tons of recipes from many of the leading restaurants. Best ones I can remember are from Olive Garden, I have all 13 of their sauces memorized. Though I hate cooking now.. I've been doing it since I was 16 and now its time for a change... I just want to cook for friends at home.. make my career something else...Well 3 weeks have past still no new job, but my 5 man team is leveling like crazy :rolleyes:

[entoptic]

I can give you tons of recipes from many of the leading restaurants. Best ones I can remember are from Olive Garden, I have all 13 of their sauces memorized. Though I hate cooking now.. I've been doing it since I was 16 and now its time for a change... I just want to cook for friends at home.. make my career something else...Well 3 weeks have past still no new job, but my 5 man team is leveling like crazy :rolleyes:
break out some OG sauces!!!!

here is a simple one.

1. turn on stove

2. drop whole carrots on pan

3. simmer with chicken broth

4. spice up with cayenne, salt and pepper

5. poke with a fork and when soft but still firm your done!



yumm 5 mins and you got cooked carrots :P

I am a cooking master :P



great guacamole

half onion

1 plum tomatoe gutted

2 avocados

cumin

coriander

lime

cayenne

salt

chop it all up and serve chilled

[noir]

1. Instant Ramen
2. Hot Water
3. Fried Spam
4. Fried Egg
5. Kimchi

Pwn your hunger.

[Biomehanikka]

my friends recipe for cook em and forget em sausages, the point being u have a raid coming up and you know u will be hungry. say u have a raid @ 6pm, start this at 430pm and finish it around 550pm to allow time for u to cook a side of your choice, i like the potatoes from a box which take like 10 mins to make. also french fries are a good choice, throw them in the oven and cook for specified time

supplies:
package of bratwurst or some kind of meaty sausage ie italian sausage, cheedarwurst brats etc etc I go with a 5pack of Johnsonville Brats
2 bottles or cans of beer of your choice(no 40 oz lol regular sizes) I use Newcastle Brown Ale or w/ev is on hand MGD, Heineken works well too
mustard(spicy brown or classic yellow) Store brand works just fine, make sure it is JUST mustard not like some garlic spicy brown or w/ev
frying pan w/ lid

step1: brown sausages on both sides briefly, about 1-2 minutes per side high heat, u want a nice brown strip going
step2: while browning the side that isn't browned yet, apply liberal amounts of your choice of mustard to the tops of the sausages, its roughly 2-3 tablespoons per sausage(i add more cuz i like more sauce at the end)
step3: pour beer on and over sausages it should almost completely cover the sausages(don't make em float), drink what isn't used :P
step4: reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 1-2 hours coming back and flipping them occasionaly. the longer it cooks the more the sausages become tender, i did some for 2 and a half hours and they fell apart when i picked em up, delicious!
step5: when your chosen cooking time is complete, remove lid and raise heat to as high as it will go, its time to cook off any remaining beer. when the "sauce" gets thickened and has greatly reduced in volume(usually it just covers the bottom of the pan) turn off the heat, let it cool for 5-10 mins, plate and spoon some extra sauce on top of em.
step6: enjoy

i use spicy brown mustard myself, and i choose Newcastle Brown Ale, although i have done this recipe with Miller Genuine Draft and classic yellow mustard, i like it with brown but my family loves the classic yellow for some reason. this is my food of choice when i know i wont be able to make a dinner around dinner time, so i "set it and forget it" for around 2 hours, come back to em, make my sides and enjoy a full meal that really only takes 10 mins or so of actualy work :P

id recommend AT LEAST 1 hour cook time, i did some the other day in around 40 mins and they were rather hard(usually i can cut em with a fork, if they even need cutting) and hadn't absorbed much of the beer or mustardyness

[Biomehanikka]

i just remembered one of my favorite sammich fillings! its kind of like a hot pastrami with cheese except im poor and cant afford a real deli setup so heres what i do:

Gather:
Some cheese, cheddar, Swiss, American, any kind that u like get some of it, lots of it, if yer like me and u like cheese yer gonna want a lot of it
Bread; some type that can stand to absorb some grease like rye, sourdough, dutch crust, do not use plain white bread it will be like eating a soggy shoe
Deli meat; i love pastrami however this also works well with ham, turkey, corned beef
mustard of choice
a little bit of mayo(if u want)
other hot sandwich fixins like sauerkraut, onions, etc, no lettuce or tomatoe itll get wiggly and gross


1.cut the meat into smaller pieces, we don't want whole slices of the meat, i usually just tear it into 2 inch or so chunks, less is fine, more isnt really ok but u can do it
2. Slice up cheese into thin pieces, u want enuff to satisfy yerself, i usually slice enuff to cover the meat in the pan and then some
3.In a frying pan take the pastrami or chosen meat and put it in the frying pan(don't burn yourself), medium heat is fine
4.while the meat is heating up prep yer bread, i just use a little bit of mayo and a large amount of mustard. classic yellow supports pastrami and corned beef best, while brown helps to set off ham
5. start moving around the meat, we want it all to get very hot and somewhat browned and more importantly we want any water that came with the meat to be almost gone, you will notice that there is some steam and possibly some water in the pan, cook most if not all of it off
6. add the cheese that u sliced up to the meat, just on top is fine. Now here is an option, some cheese like super sharp cheddars or a swiss take a long time to melt because they have lower fat content than other cheeses, if said cheese is being used you will want to cover the meat to help it to melt.
7. allow cheese to melt once melted and the whole thing is a steaming gooey pile of awesomeness, add it to yer bread, cover with more bread, slice, add doritos and a coke. Enjoy!

this is in no way a healthy meal, the cheese is gonna give off a good amount of grease so for me i usually take some paper towels and gently push it on top of the meat/chesse combo to absorb some of it, dont push too hard or the cheese will stick to the paper towel, which is so not good eats.

[-silencer-]

Quite quick and very tasty? Try my baked cheese-stuffed chicken parmesan.

Shop for:
1 box of each: Rigatoni & Penne pasta.
1 jar: Newman's Own Italian Sausage pasta sauce.
1 jar: Emeril's Roasted Gahhhrlic pasta sauce.
1 jar: Italian Seasoning (or pick and choose your specific spices, but the mix I buy is perfect and quick)
1 package: Boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 package: Shredded mozzarella cheese (or a mix of cheeses containing mozzarella)
Extra virgin olive oil.
Italian seasoning bread crumbs.
Romaine lettuce & italian vinagarette or Caesar dressing.. Caesar garlic crutons.
Decent red wine. (For under $40, I prefer Kendall Jackson merlot (~$18 ).. if you must go under $10, Yellowtail Shiraz works.

To cook..
Boil rigatoni & penne pasta.

Heat equal parts of Newman's Own Italian Sausage & Emeril's Roasted Gahhhrlic pasta sauces. Mix in some italian seasoning (various mix of salt, pepper, basil, cilantro, and other spices). If using a pint size jar of each pasta sauce, I'll usually add 1/2 a cup to 1 cup of cabernet, merlot, or shiraz - red wine.

From the top, make a cavity inside each chicken breast you want to cook. Hard to describe, but think about taking the top off a pumpkin, but only cut 1/2 of the circumference of the top. Stuff the inside of the chicken breast with shredded mozzarella cheese (or some multi-cheese mix containing mozzarella).

Dip cheese-stuffed chicken breast in extra virgin olive oil to wet, then cover in italian seasoning bread crumbs. Put 'em in a pan in the oven at 400* for ~8-20 minutes. It really depends on how thick the chicken is, and how much cheese you used, so check your chicken every couple minutes until you get used to the time. Expect the cheese to ooze out of the chicken - that's fine.

Fix salads and drink wine while waiting for chicken to cook.

When chicken is done:
Put mixed pasta on plate, with chicken on top, cover with pasta sauce, then top off with grated parmesan and romano cheese.

There you go:
A quick salad while you're waiting, and a killer cheese-stuffed chicken parmesan.
If you use smaller chicken breasts, it's do-able in 20 minutes. The most difficult part of the meal is cutting the chicken just right to contain the most cheese during cooking.. but you could simply slice the chicken in half and put the cheese in the middle - like a chicken/cheese sandwich.

[Bradster]

Friend always talked about his wife's Beer Battered Chicken, he finally sent it to me. My wife and I tried it. Tasted pretty good, bit messy to make but good.


2 large chicken breasts cut into cubes 2 cups of flour 2 eggs 1 teaspoon baking powder 1teaspoon season salt ½ teaspoon garlic salt ½ teaspoon onion salt 1 12-18oz bottle of beer 1 quart of oil Deep fryer, or a deep soup pan
Instructions:
Start buy heating the oil, if using the pan on the stove place over medium high heat. While the oil is heating cut the chicken into cubes or strips which ever you prefer. Set chicken aside. In a medium sized bowl place flour, baking powder, onion salt, garlic salt, season salt, and eggs. Slowly add the beer to the other ingredients while mixing slowly. You won’t need to add the entire beer so make sure to keep checking the thickness of the batter as you add it. It should be thin enough to coat the chicken evenly. Once batter is ready put part of the chicken into the batter and mix it in. If the oil is ready slowly add the chicken from the batter into the hot oil. As the chicken cooks turn it a few times for even browning. Once chicken is evenly golden brown remove it from the oil and place on a cookie sheet or plate covered with paper towels, or a paper bag. (I usually cut one open to ensure that the meat is fully cooked) and put in the oven on warm while wait to finish the next batch. Continue this process until all of the chicken is cooked. __________________________________________________

[Bradster]

Sorry Rob you said FAST to make, umm in that case Behold!

http://www.hibachihouse.com/
“Hibachi House” Microwave Hibachi. This Hibachi still is amazing, and the meat is really high quality and tons of it. Costs 5 bucks and you can’t even eat it all there’s so much. Takes less then 5mins to make.

[Bradster]

Skuggomann ('http://www.dual-boxing.com/forums/index.php?page=User&userID=1950') That pic is great NOM NOM NOM lol

[Bradster]

This takes a while to make, but man is this the most epic Roast beef you’ll ever have. Extremely easy to make I can even make it! It’s also cheap
Requires Crock Pot:
Get a half a pound or pound of sliced thin Roast beef.
Buy decent rolls like you were making a hoggie.
Block of Pepper Jack Cheese.
Buy some Beef Broth (chicken broth works too) the key is to find one you like.

Put a few cans of broth in the Crock Pot. Then place individual slices one at a time in the Crock. This ensures it soaks it all up. If you put it in there as one big block it doesn’t work. Once you’ve quickly placed each indivual slice in there by hand set it on low and come back after three hours. Can cook for 3-5 hours. Three normally does the trick.

Use a spoon (not a fork) to take the roast beef out, it’s really tender and you want the added broth in your sandwich. Stuff a ton in a roll, take the pepper jack and cheese grater and go to town and watch the cheese melt.
You will not eat this sandwich you will devour the thing.

[Biomehanikka]

@ bradster; wow that roast beef sounds amazing!! i will try it after the next time i buy those big ass packs of roast beef from costco!!

@ silencer; damn that sounds tasty, i made some stuffed chicken a while back with sharp white cheddar and bacon and it was alright but this just sounds awe inspiring!

[Kel]

Possibly a bit boring, but practical:

Chicken + Rice
Spray chicken with 1kcal spray oil and then liberally coat with a seasoning mix of your choice (e.g. http://www.schwartz.co.uk/productdetail.cfm?id=5174)
Put on a tray and stick it in the oven (set to 225º)
Important part (which I tend to forget) - set a timer for 30mins minus however long your side dishes take to cook

I tend to go for microwave rice (2 mins nad tasty) with microwave steam veg (3 mins), so I'd set a timer for 25 mins and cook the veg and then the rice.

Prep time is short and it only takes a couple of mins (if that) to dish up.

I also like to cook up chocolate cake for special occasions, but that takes >40 mins and is fairly labour intensive at the start and end of the cooking process.

[keyclone]

ok.. now i'm hungry

i've never done anything in a crock pot.. i think i'll go get one this weekend and try bradsters roast beef sandwich
(are there better brands of crock pots? what should i be wary of?)

here's a thought. what do you think about having a gamer-recipe-of-the-month kind of thing?

[Vyndree]

Requires Crock Pot:
Get a half a pound or pound of sliced thin Roast beef.
Buy decent rolls like you were making a hoggie.
Block of Pepper Jack Cheese.
Buy some Beef Broth (chicken broth works too) the key is to find one you like.

Put a few cans of broth in the Crock Pot. Then place individual slices one at a time in the Crock. This ensures it soaks it all up. If you put it in there as one big block it doesn’t work. Once you’ve quickly placed each indivual slice in there by hand set it on low and come back after three hours. Can cook for 3-5 hours. Three normally does the trick.

Use a spoon (not a fork) to take the roast beef out, it’s really tender and you want the added broth in your sandwich. Stuff a ton in a roll, take the pepper jack and cheese grater and go to town and watch the cheese melt.

I might have to try this -- are you talking about the roast beef you get from the deli? Or are you saying I should get a beef roast and slice it myself?

[Bradster]

We get out roast beef from a deli in the Grocery store.

Called my wife but she didn’t answer, trying to figure out the correct name and spelling of the broth we use. It sounds like “Hey Jew” but it has a different spelling. If you can find that broth, that’s the type we always use. I tried many brands but that was the most tasty.
Remember beef broth > Chicken broth for this sandwich

[Bradster]

ok.. now i'm hungry

i've never done anything in a crock pot.. i think i'll go get one this weekend and try bradsters roast beef sandwich
(are there better brands of crock pots? what should i be wary of?)

here's a thought. what do you think about having a gamer-recipe-of-the-month kind of thing? Don’t know of any good brands. I’m not much of a cook. I only know how to make a few things.

I now present to you what I call “The Artery clogging special” or “Kill me nom nom nom”
Requires: Frying pan.
List:
Pepper jack cheese
Steam’ems (any minute steak or chipped steak)
Eggs
Bacon (if you want a hospital visit faster)

Cook minute steaks, place temporarily on a plate.
Cook eggs, spam, scrapple (pick your poison) add that on to the place.
Now scramble some eggs and add the poison of your choice, add the minute steaks and mix it all together. You now have something, which not only tastes good but puts a fast restaurant to shame on being unhealthy.


Edit: Do not buy cheap Steak-em's, It will leave for feeling like you just gorged yourself on candy

[Bradster]

For my last Recipe I present to you “ZOMG FRENCH TOAST”


Step 1: get a pan and put it on a burner. Set the burner to about 3/4 of it's maximum temp.

Step 2: get all of your ingredients together. You will need: Milk, one egg, two slices of bread, cinnamon, brown sugar, and the MOST IMPORTANT INGREDIENT - real vanilla flavoring. Don't even consider using imitation vanilla flavoring, your french toast will taste horrible.

Step 3: Get a square-ish bowl-type dish and put the egg and some milk in there. About twice as much milk as there is egg.

Step 4: Add the cinnamon, brown sugar and vanilla flavoring. Once again, I'm not one for measurements, just eyeball it. Finding the right amount of each to add is really a trial by fire ordeal. I recommend about a tablespoon of each as a base. Now mix everything together.

Step 5: start toasting your bread. Traditionally, people left their bread out over night so it would be stale and soak up more of the mixture. I prefer toasting. Either way, you can't just use bread untoasted, or unstaled because it won't soak up anything and taste like crap. You wanna toast the bread to a nice, golden brown.

Step 6: Put the toast in the mixture.Take a spatula and flip the toast a couple of times to make sure both sides start to soak up the mixture. Once bits start breaking off throw it in the pan.


Step 7: Cook it. Remember that we're using two pieces of toast, so just repeat step 6 twice. Once everything is good and cooked, and there's no more runny-ness to the French Toast, take it out and put it on a plate. You may cover the French toast generously in powdered sugar. Then put some syrup on that and enjoy!

[Sarduci]

Here's some advise on crock pots: (I've got more of them than I do computers)

Get one that has at least 4 settings:
High for 4 and 6 hours
Low for 8 and 12 hours
+ optional "warming" setting

This is my favorite one that I own. Nobody gets to use this one except me.http://www.dual-boxing.com/forums/../forum/images/smilies/love.png
http://www.amazon.com/Rival-SCVP600-W-6-Quart-Smart-Pot-Crock-Pot/dp/B000BVXQAE/ref=pd_sim_hg_6

Beef roast, 3 to 4 lbs
Chicken stock, canned, low sodium x2
Beef broth, canned, low sodium x 2

Carrots, potatoes and onions, cubed about the width of your thumb (this is the longest part, takes me about 5 minutes max)

Toss in veggies THEN the beef roast. Cover with chicken and beefy flavored goodness. Set to low for 8+ hours and go to work. Most crock pots will go to a warming setting when it's done cooking for the 8 hours.

****DO NOT LIFT THE LID EVER ON THE CROCK POT OR IT WILL NOT COOK PROPERLY ON THE LOW SETTING**** It can take up to 2 hours to return to the correct cooking temp and will not cook the food the right way.

Take beef out of the cooker, put it on a serving plate and rest it for 30 minutes covered in tin foil. If you don't do this, feel free to eat your dry meat instead of a juicy roast.

Uncover, slice across the grain of the meat (yes, cutting it will affect the final product) or use two normal forks and shred the meat into chunks without cutting the roast.

Ta da! Sliced or shreaded beef with veggies. 20 minutes tops of actual work.

If you get sparky, put the juice from the crock pot into a stock pot on the stove. Turn up the heat until it starts to boil. Add a teaspoon of all purpose flour to thicken. Whisk like the hounds of hell are chasing you and the only thing that can save you is on your stove. Keep adding little bits of flour until it is a bit more runny than you want it to be. Congrats, you now have gravy for your meat and 'taters. Feel free to put into containers and freeze so you don't have to make gravy next time.


I'll see if I can dig up my own beef and cheese nacho dip, if I'm at the grocery store I can wander down the isles and pick everything I need out. Unfortunately I can't do it off the top of my head.

[Sarduci]

For my last Recipe I present to you “ZOMG FRENCH TOAST”

Let me add my version to this:

4 eggs (scale up or down to how many pieces you want)
dash of milk, half count to all you bartenders out there
pinch of salt and pepper
loaf of bread

Preheat non-stick pan on medium heat. Mix up eggs, milk and salt/pepper in a wide dish. Color should be a bright yellow, should froth a bit if you mix it hard. Toss bread into the mix, give it a 3 count, flip, give it a three count and toss it in the pan. Depending on your pan and how hot it is, give it about 30 seconds and flip. If the top is a light brown color and it came away clean from the pan you are right on track. Adjust longer if it was hard to get off the pan, shorter if it was too brown and turn down the heat a bit. I'm all for flavoring after you cook it. Sugar, cinnamon, powder sugar, whip cream, berries, real or fake maple syurp or ice cream added to taste. (don't ask me, ice cream is a bit weird but people do it) I prefer it with a bit of butter and some home made maple syrup.

[Elili]

This is my favorite one that I own. Nobody gets to use this one except me.http://www.dual-boxing.com/forums/../forum/images/smilies/love.png
http://www.amazon.com/Rival-SCVP600-W-6-Quart-Smart-Pot-Crock-Pot/dp/B000BVXQAE/ref=pd_sim_hg_6
I have that crock pot! =P

Oh, fair warning "Holy shit wall of text"

Alright so I'm game on this one. I'll start with Chicken Fried Steak because, well it's good stuff, (I did want to be a chef, but then I grew a brain and realized I didn't want to work 16 hour days 6 to 7 days a week and get paid almost nothing, all the while being victim to the people that eat at restaurants and expect to be treated like kings. I mean, I love cooking, Just not that much)

Start out with picking some good sides, personally i'm going to go for Mashed spuds, and creamed spinach (But since this is a 20 minute meal, we will do from a box, Green Giant makes good creamed spinach really).

Shopping List

Steaks, obviously. Now there's a few different ways you can go on this. Cubed steak is the obvious first choice for chicken fried steak, but there is something to be said for the flavor of getting a good steak and Cubing it yourself. For those that have the time, find a good steak, without bones, that's about half an inch thick. I reccomend getting bottom round, trimming it of excess fat, and slicing it, with the grain about 1/2 Inch thick steaks. Once sliced, take a fork and begin the cubing process. The idea behind cubing is to break up the tough fibers and connective tissue in meat, this makes it much more tender when cooked, to the point where you can easily slice it with a fork. Since we are working with bottom round, which is a part of the cow which is worked hard in it's life, it's very tough, but full of good flavor. So take your fork, and pierce each steak, up and down, just go in a line, trying to get as many little stabs into it as you can. Go each direction, then flip it over and repeat.

If all that seems like too much work, simply purchase "Cubed Steak". Try to find "Cubed Steak Special" if you can, it will be of a higher quality. There is no rare in the world of chicken fried steak, so it will be cooked through.

Potatoes. I go with red. about 3 small red potatoes should be good per person. 2 medium, 1 large.
Sour Cream (I never said healthy.)
Salt, Pepper
Flour
Unsalted Butter
Vegetable Oil - I personally prefer peanut oil. It has a higher smoke point, allowing you to cook at higher temperatures. If there is a problem with allergies use Sunflower oil. Similar smoke point, and good flavor too. You could use any oil, except Olive oil. It will burn.
Eggs This will depend on how many your feeding. I use 1 egg for every two steaks.
Milk
Chives (optional, if you can't find them, don't fear)
Creamed Spinach, if going with the Green Giant boxes, each box should feed 3 people.
Form of bread. Anything you like, I like to go with a fresh loaf of Rye bread from a local bakery, or a good French loaf. This is optional of course, but really, it's not a meal without bread.


Alright, this is actually a really simple meal. Start out by placing a pot of water large enough for your potatoes on to boil. I generally make more then I need, since potatoes are cheap.

Wash each potato, just a good scrub with your hand under running water. If you don't like the skins, peel them, I like to peel half of them and leave half the skins.

Slice each potato into cubes, about inch. The best way to do this is to cut a small slice off the bottom of each (Think of it as a foot) so they sit stable. Slice them in half, the same direction as the first slice you took off, then place it on it's flat bottom, and slice it into thirds, lengthwise so it looks like your cutting french fries, (Or half if it's small), now come back across and cut it into cubes. Practice doing it the same on each one, and it looks like you know what your doing when your cooking for someone =D. You can drop these straight into the water (Even if it's not boiling).

Now onto the cubed steak. Start by seasoning both sides with cracked black pepper, and salt.

Scramble your eggs, and place them on a tray / plate. Something you can fit your entire steak on to coat it with egg.

Setup two plates with flour, something again that you can fit your entire steak into. Place one on each side of the plate with egg. (You can do this with one plate of flour, but it will be messy.)

You'll need a resting place for the meat once it's coated. A wire rack is a great solution (Sitting ontop of a cookie sheet or baking pan)

Begin, by taking one steak at a time, and coating it with flour, shake off the excess, and then coat it with egg, make sure the excess drips off, then coat it with flour in the last plate/container, and shake off the excess again. Now place this in your resting place, and repeat for each steak.

Place a frying pan on the stove, fill it with about a quarter of an inch of oil and put it on medium high heat. Make sure this is large enough to hold the number of steaks your cooking, or at the very least half of them (If your preparing for a large party)

Now you want to wait, for 15 minutes. (Sucks). You need your oil to warm up, as well as allowing the flour / egg coating to thicken on the steak. This way when you cook it, it won't slide off, it will stay on the steak.

During this process be sure to check on your potatoes occasionally. The best indicator is if they are done is "fork tender" take a fork and try to pierce a piece of potato. When your fork goes in with little resistance, and the potato just about splits in half when you stab it, it's time to pull them out. Drain them into a colander. If you don't have a colander, the best method is to take a lid that fits the pot, hold it onto the top, and let a small area of it open, to have water pour out, but not large enough for the potatoes to fall out. This method can become dangerous (Boiling water, heavy objects, not safe) I do this, but I'm also an idiot.

After draining your potatoes place them back into the pot, and begin to mash them. I use an actual potato masher, if you don't have one, a large fork, or beaters, work just as well. You don't want them to become smooth. After you've busted up all the potatoes a bit, add the sour cream. The amount you want to use will vary depending on the number of potatoes, so start with a little (Fourth of a cup or so) and add more until you reach the consistency, and flavor, you want. Dice up some of the chives, add salt, pepper, chives, and butter (A couple tablespoons of butter), all to taste. You can use full chives as a decoration, just take a few and slide them into the middle of the serving bowl of potatoes, with a pat of butter under them. I also take a few of the diced chives, and spread them around top.

After you've waited 15 minutes, place each steak into the hot oil. It will take about 4 minutes per side until each is browned, after about 4 minutes, flip it over, and wait another 4 minutes. When they are finished, place them back on the wire rack, cover them with an aluminum foil tent (Just make sure it isn't touching the meat).

If your using frozen sides, such as creamed spinach, now is the best time to throw it in the microwave.

Drain the oil from the pan into a bowl, place the pan back on the heat, add 3 tablespoons of oil, and 3 tablespoons of flour left from the dredging. This process is to make what's called a Roux. A roux is used to thicken sauces, and it's the basis of what are the three "mother sauces" in french cooking. We are making something similar to a bechamel sauce, Flour, Butter, and Milk, but not to offend the French we won't call it that.

Whisk the flour and oil together completely, and begin to add milk, while whisking. Add about 3/4's of a cup of milk, continue whisking at a medium high heat until it just looks like it's starting to boil, drop the temperature to low, whisk for the next minute or so and it should become much thicker. If it's too thick for your taste, add more milk. Whisk occasionally for the next 4 or 5 minutes, while you prepare the plates.

After about 4 or 5 minutes, add salt and pepper to the sauce to taste, pour some of the sauce on each steak, and the mashed potatoes if you like.

Overall this should only take about 30 - 35 minutes to prepare, Granted I've done it enough to get used to it. Not quite 20 minutes, but it's a great meal.

[Mac]

dinner recipe that will make you look like Emeril
I don't cook what I can't BBQ or Microwave, what is an Emeril?

[Ughmahedhurtz]

Emeril is a famous creole chef from the New Orleans, Louisiana area. He had a show on Food Network ('http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/show_em') for quite a while.

[Mac]

ah, ty. I don't watch TV. My sis watches that channel though, I guess which is why I go over there for meals when I can :)

Its not that I wouldn't like to cook, but when I was married my ex and I evolved into a routine where she did the cooking and I did the clean up. Both of us in the kitchen at the same time just didn't work, which is pretty telling in retrospect. Keyclone's pro-tip is right on the money. There's a lot you can tell about a person and how compatibable you might be if you can enjoy shopping, cooking and eating together.

When I get home, sometimes I'm hungry but most of the time not. I just want a snack and start working on my crew. Cooking and eating and cleaning up after is just not something I want to do when I get home.

[Biomehanikka]

to offset the fattier recipes i posted earlier and to go along with what yesh said heres my low cal chicken meal that i use when i diet.

Gather:
boneless, skinless chickenbreasts. i use costco brand cuz it comes individually wrapped and protects from freezer burn, thaw however many u need
Chicken broth; any brand i used the boxed kind, canned works just fine too
broccoli or some vegetable u absolutely love this will be used as a filler the more of this u eat the better, for me its broccoli, asparagus, green beans and thats about it lol
rice; white brown long grain short doesnt matter microwavable is fine

1. Since everything that i listed has pretty much the same cooking time(20 mins) u can start it all at the same time; cut broccoli into more managable chunks or just use the flourettes, put into a steamer/strainer u have. i have a collapsable one i put inside the pan and put the broccoli into and i fill it with water to just at the bottom of the steamer/strainer. bring to high boil, cover, and cook for ~20mins
2. in a large pan add broth and chicken, the chicken should be floating or damn close to it in the broth. boil for 20 mins high heat and cover it
3. follow directions for your rice, my rice comes free from a farmer friend i have and its directions are 1.5 cups of water to 1 cup of rice for 20 mins or until all water is gone. follow directions to the letter and u will get some damn fine rice(microwavable works too)

bada bing u got yerself a whole, healthy meal in ~20 mins. if u honestly dont know how to steam veggies like broccoli i would recommend buying the frozen kind that steams in the bag in the microwave or the veggies that come in little bags in the produce section at most supermarkets(it has a french name on it i think its hericot vers or sumtin like that) and follow the directions. this is an incredibly low calorie dinner, broccoli is around 50 cals per cup rice is like 180 per cup(cooked) and a chicken breats is about 200 cals depending on size, it should also be noted that a baked potato(with mild toppings not a whole stick of butter) is around 100 calories so u could make that too

edit: o and the chicken broth is to enhance the chicken flavor, as bradster showed anything stewed in its own juices is absolutely delicious, and if plain veggies dont suit u, add some grated cheese, but dont go overkill, this is low cal, but that doesnt mean it is low flavor, i love this recipe and have it at least twice a week

[Negativ1337]

I got something VERY tasty if you're in a "sweet" mood. Its a 12oclock meal

Put milk on a plate,
Put egg on a plate (raw egg juice, out the egg)
Put bread in milk (both sides)
Put bread with milk in egg (both sides)
Put butter in the pan
Put it in the pan
When its brown, turn it around (i like to flip it around that increases my cook skill irl)
When the other side is brown, flip/turn it around.
Put it on a plate
Throw sugar over it

and OM NOM NOM NOM
3 Plates in dishwasher, 1 pan to clean by hands.
Taste and not much trashmobs.

Edit: GG Bradster, you ninja'ed my artifact cooking recipe! :P

-Negativ1337

[keyclone]

Keyclone's pro-tip is right on the money. There's a lot you can tell about a person and how compatibable you might be if you can enjoy shopping, cooking and eating together.my rule of thumb: if you can't make dinner, then you probably won't be able to make a relationship either.

people don't realize that making dinner with 2 people is a bit of work. how the decisions are made (negotiations & delegations) tell a lot about how 2 people fit together. it might not be perfect and the meal might turn out like crap... but that doesn't matter. it's how the 2 of you handled the process that matters.

and yea... i don't really cook often for myself. if i did, then this place would quickly turn into solitary confinement... as i would have no reason to go out (gawd, that sounds depressing... sux to have my friends scattered around the world... which is the result of being a road warrior since 1995.. i've been pushing to change that since getting home in december)

[Bradster]

Keyclone's pro-tip is right on the money. There's a lot you can tell about a person and how compatibable you might be if you can enjoy shopping, cooking and eating together. which is the result of being a road warrior since 1995..
http://i168.photobucket.com/albums/u171/bradster__/robkeyclone.jpg

[Ðeceased]

1 Piece of salmon per person (fillet) some pesto. Smear pesto on the top. shove it under the grill for 10 mins (or until the salmon is done - depending on how good the grill is) and voilà.

Sprinkle fine bread crumbs over it too if you like (before grilling). serves well with couscous and or most veg of your choosing

or if you have 25mins :) or have a second pair of gamer hands :)

Thai Sea Bass

Thai Paste
2 large bunches fresh coriander, leaves picked and stalks reserved
2 thumb sized pieces of fresh ginger, peeled
3 cloves of garlic, peeled
2 fresh red chillies, halved and deseeded
2 tsp sesame oil
6tbsp soy sauce
Juice and zest of two limes
1x400ml tin of coconut milk

400g/14oz basmati rice
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
4x170g/6oz sea bass fillets, pinboned and skin scored
A handful of sugar snap peas or mangetouts
A bunch of spring onions, outer leaves discarded, trimmed and finely sliced
1-2 fresh chillies, deseeded and finely sliced
1 lime, quartered

Preheat the oven to 200c/400f
To make the Paste, whiz up the coriander stalks, half the coriander leaves, the ginger, garlic, halved chillies, sesame oil, soy sauce, lime juice and zest, and the coconut milk in a food processor.

Cook your rice in salted boiling water till it’s just undercooked, then drain it in a colander. Scoop in into a high sided roasting tray. Pour the thai paste over the rice and mix it in well, then shake it out flat. Lay the sea bass fillets on top, scatter over the snap peas or mangetouts, then cover the dish tightly with foil, and put it in the preheated oven for around 15 minutes. Remove the foil and sprinkle over the spring onions, the sliced chili, and the other half of the coriander leaves. Divide between your plates with a wedge of lime.

will be longer the first time you try it.. but I've got it down to around 25mins easy peasy :) just make sure you have all your ingredients and start cooking the rise first so you can concentrate on the paste etc :)

[RadicalPi]

Spam Fried Rice

3 cups jasmine rice from yesterday, chunks broken up so grains are loose & separate
1/2 can of Spam, cut into small dice
2 eggs, beaten
2 stalks green onion, finely minced
2 cups fresh spinach leaves, finely chopped
1 tablespoon Shaoxing wine (or dry sherry)
1 teaspoon soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon ground pepper cooking oil
freshly ground black pepper

1. Heat cooking oil in wok or large, wide saute pan over medium high heat. When oil is hot, add eggs and gently stir to cook eggs. When eggs are about 80% done (still a little runny), remove from pan and set aside.

2. Turn heat to high. Add a little more cooking oil to pan. When hot, add diced Spam to the pan. Cook until spam is browned. Add green onions, fry until fragrant. Add spinach, fry until softened. Add rice and the cooked eggs and toss to incorporate all ingredients throughout rice.

3. Let it all just sit still in the pan so that the grains of rice have a chance to heat up, about 1 minute. Toss so that the rice that is on the top now is on the bottom. Add cooking wine and soy sauce and stir again. Season with ground pepper. Is every grain of rice hot? If not, cook longer.

4. Taste…salty enough? If not, add a little more soy sauce. But since the spam is salty already, you might want to go light on the fish sauce.

One of my favorite recipes from one of my favorite websites: http://steamykitchen.com/blog/

[Kel]

'Cabonara' that I used to make as a student (wouldn't recommend it for a fancy dinner though):

Pasta (any variety except something like lasagne)
Pre-cooked sliced ham (the stuff you put in sandwiches), alternatively if you have a few extra mins at the hob and don't mind fat content you could do bacon instead of ham.
Soft/cream cheese - I use the extra light stuff, but go with whichever you prefer. About 35g is good for a single portion.
Pepper to taste (a couple of shakes/grinds is good)

Boil pasta on the hob according to instructions (I tend to guess at a serving size, add liberal amounts of water and then boil for 10-15mins until it's cooked or I'm bored).
Cube or slice ham
If you are having bacon fry it a few mins before you expect the pasta to be ready
Drain pasta well and rinse if you want to (I tend not to bother, but I'm an unfussy eater)
Add cheese, ham/bacon and pepper to pasta and stir until the ingrediants are evenly mixed.
Heat for 30 secs-1min on the hob (stop before it starts burning) and then serve.

Chicken Parcels
Make a parcel out of tinfoil, this should be big enough for one chicken breast, some veg and a bit of room spare for steam. Fold the edges so that is it water tight, but leave a space to put things into it.
Insert chicken breast into parcel making sure that it doesn't fold at all (as it won't cook properly then)
Add sliced veg of your choice, anything will do but ideally you want things that don't take too long to cook, so I'd steer clear of root vegetables, but things like courgette, aubergine, mange tout or beansprouts are fine.
Add a liquid of your choice (which will flavour the dish), I tend to go for white wine or water with a dash of soy sauce, the parcel shouldn't be full of liquid, just add enough so that it will steam the contents (1-2 tbsp is good).
Fold up the tinfoil parcel to seal it and cook in the oven for 30 mins on 225c (cake is pretty much the only thing I don't cook at this temperature)
Prepare/cook your side dish in time for it to be ready when the chicken is and then you can spoon the chicken and veg out of the parcel and add some of the remainng liquid if you want a sauce.

[Vyndree]

people don't realize that making dinner with 2 people is a bit of work. how the decisions are made (negotiations & delegations) tell a lot about how 2 people fit together. it might not be perfect and the meal might turn out like crap... but that doesn't matter. it's how the 2 of you handled the process that matters.

It's also "fun" to find out what kinds of foods your significant other likes, compared to your own likes/dislikes.

Suvega loves stir fry, hot & sour soup, coffee, and spicy food (he eats wasabi with his fingers)
Suvega hates fish (or anything that smells fishy) except tuna, any sort of shellfish or crustacean, nori, olives, and is allergic to yellow #5.

Vyndree loves angel hair pasta, vegetable soups, gummi candy, fresh bread, corn, milk (zomg MELK), and fish.
Vyndree hates spicy food (chicken nuggets are considered spicy), coffee, tomatoes (incl ketchup), and is extremely unhappy with overcooked pasta.

What does this typically mean? Suvega loves spicy food - I hate it. If we're eating something that involves heavy spices, we put half the spices in, set aside a plate for myself, then add the remaining spices and let Suvega have the more spicy portion. I love fish, but I usually either make it just for myself or use tuna so that Suvega can have it. When we have miso soup, Suvega's bowl gets to avoid all the nori, and I only eat Sushi at work. I also hover around the area when pasta is made, because I hate any pasta that isn't "al dente" and Suvega isn't too keen on watching the clock to take the pasta out at exactly 3 minutes boiled. Vyndree restrains herself when drinking the last bit of milk in the carton when there is the possibility that we may need milk in a recipe before we go to get groceries again.

It's all about compromise. ;)

[keyclone]

It's also "fun"fun? i thought that came after dessert??

[Ughmahedhurtz]

It's also "fun"fun? i thought that came after dessert??Right to the point, eh? :P

[Bradster]

It's also "fun"fun? i thought that came after dessert??All you can eat!!!!!!

[Skuggomann]

Must. Food.. fist... mouth.... choak.....

[Zite83]

Alfredo Sauce!

Ok so I said Ill post some recipes.. Figure I do the main one everyone loves. I cut this recipe in half, double if need more.
By the way, if you can't cook pasta, stop reading now :)

What you need.

1 qrt Heavy Cream (whipping cream) $3
1/2 lb butter (2 sticks) $1
Garlic to taste 1/2 - 1 table spoon (go for minced stuff in jar, save the smell that will linger on your fingers for days ;) ) 50 cents - $2
Parmesan cheese (8-10 ounces by weight) (Read further down to find what is the right type to buy) $5 - $8 most costly part
Salt & Pepper to taste $0.00 ? if you don't have this in your house, you shouldnt cook :pinch:
2qrt sauce pan or bigger
fire (heat)

CHEESE!!!!!!!!
DO NOT, I MEAN DO NOT use that Krap, I man Kraft cheese in a plastic bottle, that is not cheese, it is tiny chemical pellets covered in cheese flavor. Go to you grocery store and find the cheese/deli section. Try to find Parmesan cheese that is not overly aged(dry) and with as much moisture content as possible. Doing so will allow the cheese to blend right with the fat/milk

I've still haven't been able to find a prefect parmesan cheese in my local markets ;( So I mostly fail at this even though when i worked at Olive Garden I could make this stuff just on sight and smell

1. Preheat sauce pan on med heat
2. Add butter (chop up butter to melt faster)
3. Let butter melt till it stops bubbling
4. Add garlic, salt, pepper (do not over cook the garlic, this will cause a bitter flavor)
5. Cook garlic for about 20 seconds
6. Add heavy cream
7. Let heavy cream come to a boil
8. Reduce to med-low heat
9. Add cheese till fully melted (DO NOT let it come back to a boil)

Add to pasta

Things that can go wrong (many) :cursing:
My sauce is too thin - add more cheese or let it cool down a for awhile.
My sauce is too thick - add more heavy cream or milk
My sauce is grainy - to dry of a cheese - over cooked after adding cheese
My sauce has no flavor - add more cheese, garlic, salt, pepper etc..
My suace is burnt - I told you med heat - throw away make new batch
My sauce cost more than the jarred stuff at my local market.. Alfredo sauce isn't cheap :pinch:

[Finges]

1. Instant Ramen
2. Hot Water
3. Fried Spam
4. Fried Egg
5. Kimchi

Pwn your hunger.Is korean or is hawaiian?

Where's the Rice?