20-minute (or so) recipes from gamers

[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..

[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.....