People are just too lazy to cook. That's all there is to it. Most people don't even bother to learn how to cook. Pasta is like the cheapest thing in the world and there's so much you can do with it. Frozen vegetables aren't expensive either; people just aren't used to having flavor added to their vegetables with spices. No one knows what the hell they're doing when all they have to do is watch youtube videos and go to recipe sites and see what they can do with stuff they have in their pantry. Too many people go straight to the frozen food isle or canned food isle. It's pure laziness.

I'm a breast man. But chicken breasts are outrageous if it's not on sale. I usually just get beef if chicken ain't on sale.

 

Go to Findlay Market to get them. 

^Well for those of us whose metabolism bailed a few years back, it's a little more than THREE extra minutes on the elliptical.

 

And I don't get this "bad economy = crappy food" mentality. Am I the only person who *didn't* live off ramen noodles or other such nutritional styrofoam in college? 

 

I know.  If only I could find a way to inject caffeine into my system without the side affects.

while I mentioned price, it has nothing to do with that. I would pay more for thighs than breasts, and trimmed up, the calories are not that much different. You do not need to add any fat to make them taste great. Chicken breasts have no flavor. Name any chef that is using them.  No I am not a ramen person, never was even when poor. When I was in school, I believed in working a second job or third over taking out student loans, having a roommate, not having A/c (I lived in FL) and drinking something other than top shelf liquor or bad eating bad food.

while I mentioned price, it has nothing to do with that. I would pay more for thighs than breasts, and trimmed up, the calories are not that much different. You do not need to add any fat to make them taste great. Chicken breasts have no flavor. Name any chef that is using them. 

 

To me, thighs taste like salty blood. I can make anything taste good with the right spices , gravies, glazes, etc. I look at the meat as just a base. Just like Pasta is just a base.

 

I know what you're saying though. People do prefer thighs for the reasons you mentioned. It makes sense. I'm not saying you're wrong; I just personally don't like it.

 

GOOP: a multifaceted Mexican substance

 

1 lb. ground beef or substitute

1 package taco seasoning

1 can refried beans

 

Make taco meat as directed. Dump in beans, and cut up hot peppers if you want, fry a little more. Use as dip or filling or salad fixture or just as goop.

 

***

 

You can dump in a can of Spanish rice with that, too. It helps lighten up the texture a little bit. It works as a casserole, too; put it in the oven just long enough to make sure it's hot all the way through, and then top it with shredded cheese of your choice.

 

 

In my experience, every recipe can be made better with the addition of alcohol. My amaretto banana bread is fantastic.

 

Either that or I'm a lush.

In my experience, every recipe can be made better with the addition of alcohol. My amaretto banana bread is fantastic.

 

Either that or I'm a lush.

Ditto that - the improvement part, that is.

 

When I make baked apples I stuff them with a mix of raisins and black walnut pieces, after soaking the raisins in rum (Bacardi Gold) for at least 24 hours. Not your mother's baked apples. The heat of baking probably evaporates the alcohol, but the rum flavor blends well with the cinnamon, brown sugar, and butter in the syrup.

Damn that sounds good!

It's time for a midwestern farm-country fat-food recipe! This one has always gone over well for me at potlucks; with the right crowd, you'll likely take home an empty cake carrier. If you make it for home, a hefty slice in a bowl, drowned in whole milk, makes a heck of a breakfast. If you get all hung up about fat and sugar and make substitutions, don't try to blame me for the results. :wink:

 

Chocolate Cake

1-3/4 Cups Sugar

2/3 cup Shortening

2 Eggs

1 Teaspoon Vanilla

2-1/2 Cups Sifted Cake Flour

1-1/2 Teaspoons Baking Soda

1/2 Teaspoon Salt

1 Cup Buttermilk

1/2 Cup Hershey's Cocoa (not the drink mix, the baking stuff)

1/2 Cup Boiling Water

 

Preheat oven to 350F

Grease and flour two 9-inch layer cake pans.

Cream the sugar and shortening together until light and fluffy.

Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.

Add Vanilla.

Sift together flour, baking soda, and salt; add alternately with the buttermilk.

Make a heavy, smooth paste of the cocoa and boiling water; cool slightly; add and blend well.

Pour into prepared pans and bake for about 35 minutes or until done.

 

Cocoa Frosting

3/4 Cup Hershey's Cocoa (again, not drink mix, use the baking stuff)

4 Cups Confectioners' Sugar

1/2 Cup (1 stick) Butter, Softened

1 Teaspoon Vanilla

1/2 Cup Evaporated Milk

 

Mix cocoa and sugar.

Cream part of the cocoa-sugar mixture with the butter.

Blend in the vanilla and half the milk.

Add the remaining cocoa-sugar mixture and blend well.

Add remaining milk and beat to desired spreading consistency. Additional milk may be added if required.

It's time for a midwestern farm-country fat-food recipe! This one has always gone over well for me at potlucks; with the right crowd, you'll likely take home an empty cake carrier. If you make it for home, a hefty slice in a bowl, drowned in whole milk, makes a heck of a breakfast. If you get all hung up about fat and sugar and make substitutions, don't try to blame me for the results. :wink:

 

Chocolate Cake

1-3/4 Cups Sugar

2/3 cup Shortening

2 Eggs

1 Teaspoon Vanilla

2-1/2 Cups Sifted Cake Flour

1-1/2 Teaspoons Baking Soda

1/2 Teaspoon Salt

1 Cup Buttermilk

1/2 Cup Hershey's Cocoa (not the drink mix, the baking stuff)

1/2 Cup Boiling Water

 

Preheat oven to 350F

Grease and flour two 9-inch layer cake pans.

Cream the sugar and shortening together until light and fluffy.

Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.

Add Vanilla.

Sift together flour, baking soda, and salt; add alternately with the buttermilk.

Make a heavy, smooth paste of the cocoa and boiling water; cool slightly; add and blend well.

Pour into prepared pans and bake for about 35 minutes or until done.

 

Cocoa Frosting

3/4 Cup Hershey's Cocoa (again, not drink mix, use the baking stuff)

4 Cups Confectioners' Sugar

1/2 Cup (1 stick) Butter, Softened

1 Teaspoon Vanilla

1/2 Cup Evaporated Milk

 

Mix cocoa and sugar.

Cream part of the cocoa-sugar mixture with the butter.

Blend in the vanilla and half the milk.

Add the remaining cocoa-sugar mixture and blend well.

Add remaining milk and beat to desired spreading consistency. Additional milk may be added if required.

 

um sounds yummy.  I love chocolate!

Assuming that you guys like to cook at home, what are your favorite meals to make?  Not just for special occasions, but meals that you prepare regularly, like, once or twice a week.

 

For me (us), it's tacos.  Cannot get enough of our tacos.  If I could make them every other day, I would.  Being vegetarians, the lady and I use Smart Ground Original.  Heated over the stove and with some chili, garlic and onion powders, it's as close to beef as I've found.  The kicker for me is the gaucamole.  Ripe avocados, sea salt, fresh lime juice and minced garlic does the trick for me.

 

God, now I'm so hungry.  :(

Check this thread

http://www.urbanohio.com/forum2/index.php/topic,15132.0.html

I don't care about recipes, damn it!  I want to talk food.  Tell me your secrets!

I don't care about recipes, damn it!  I want to talk food.  Tell me your secrets!

My secrets.  Domestic Staff & dining out!

Domestic staff?  HOW DO I GET ONE OF THOSE?

Domestic staff?  HOW DO I GET ONE OF THOSE?

 

honey, let your fingers do the walking.  I'm quite sure they have "domestics" in Cinci.

Domestic staff? HOW DO I GET ONE OF THOSE?

 

honey, let your fingers do the walking. I'm quite sure they have "domestics" in Cinci.

 

Okay, now I'm not sure what you're saying at all.

Domestic staff?  HOW DO I GET ONE OF THOSE?

 

honey, let your fingers do the walking.  I'm quite sure they have "domestics" in Cinci.

 

Okay, now I'm not sure what you're saying at all.

 

oh lawd.  Domestic Staff meaning I have a maid, I don't want to cook!  Let someone else do it for you, unless you enjoy cooking!  You folks in SW Ohio can be a lil slow sometimes.  he he he he he he  :-P :-D

"domestics" = servants, butlers, maids, "the help"

DH and I actually got into an argument (discussion?) last night about whether or not we would have a personal chef if we won the big lottery.  We both LOVE to cook and are both pretty good cooks, but even if we don't formally "cook" something, we do eat at home most of the time simply because the food is better (and better for you) than most of what we get out.  So he was all, chef, we have a chef (pointing to his chest - he cooked for years in restaurants by the way) and I'm like yeah, but we will have much better things to do with our time if we're rich.  I mean, we can cook for pleasure, when we want to, in a decked out kitchen, but just think if we were traveling, we could have a chef come with us, rent out big suites in a hotel and have them prepare all our meals so we wouldn't have to eat off a hotel buffet or whatever. 

 

Our go-to items during the week are things that are quick or things we have pre-made and can heat and eat. For example, this morning I browned and seasoned a pork roast and put it in the crock pot on the lowest temp setting.  Tonight we'll make some mashed and a veg to go with - it will only take about 30 mins and we'll be eating a yummy meal, and have leftover pork to take for lunches the next day as well.

 

Tuna salad with capers, mayo, lemon juice, celery and a dash of mustard with water crackers, mixed olives and crudite is another go-to meal for during the week.

 

We also do bison burgers fairly frequently, usually with homemade french fries - we fry them in the wok. 

 

I also make Greek style lemon potatoes about once every other week. They go with everything.

 

We do a pork tenderloin fairly frequently as well as they take almost no time to cook.  Just season with s&p and rosemary and garlic and broil.

The whole "let your fingers do the walking" thing threw me off.  Probably because it doesn't make a lick of sense in the context of the conversation.

 

Anyway, I'm not--ahem--privileged enough to have a maid.  I have to wipe my own ass and stuff.

R&R

 

Your tuna salad sounds yummy.

R&R

 

Your tuna salad sounds yummy.

 

The Bison burger sounds good!

I made eggplant parmesan last night; turned out quite nicely. Tonight it's kabobs with grilled veggies, round steak, and haloumi cheese (the cheese that grills - drooooool...).

OH! I have a great salad for halloumi, which I love, you might want to try it:

 

Arugula, red, seedless grapes (halved), coarse chopped walnuts, large green olives (like you get at a deli, not the ones in the jars - pitted and halved or quartered).  Get salad ingredients together, make dressing - cider vinegar, EVOO, honey (I use local honey), fresh or dried dill, salt and pepper.  Grill halloumi slices and then chop coarsely into bits.  Put on salad, add dressing and toss. Serve immediately.  TASTY.

^I'm thinking that sounds like a great recipe for a winter salad :-)

 

Another one I've picked up - one of the easiest things to make, the hubby loves it for snacking with chips:

 

Salsa Verde

 

Everything with a * just needs to be chopped into large chunks so they fit into a food processor:

*8 to 10 tomatillos - husked and cored

*1 half of a red onion

*2-3 jalapeño peppers

*2-3 fresno peppers

*2 avocados (skin and seed removed, obviously)

1 handful of fresh cilantro (remove stems)

 

Chuck it all into the processor until desired salsa texture, throw it in a bowl, get chips, eat.

 

 

DH and I actually got into an argument (discussion?) last night about whether or not we would have a personal chef if we won the big lottery.

 

haha we have that discussion too. You can only have one: Chef, housekeeper, driver, or masseuse? I am talking full time, not drop in.

 

The Chef is the first eliminated b/c I love to cook and we both seem to like my cooking.  Usually the driver is next eliminated b/c we don't really drive much outside the 'hood, and when we do we like to go by scooter. If we want many cocktails, take a cab. The housekeeper and the masseuse create the biggest quandary.  my house is a mess and our backs hurt.

Best snack ever:

 

 

6" soft taco shell, sprinkling of colby and monterey cheese, two tablespoons mild tomato salsa, 5 reduced fat Wheat Thins (crumbled), and two regular stuffed oreos (crumbled)

^come on, really. I think there should be some guidelines (no foods you think of when stoned). although mixing chocolate with chilis is common in authentic mexican food, so why not? 

The housekeeper and the masseuse create the biggest quandary. my house is a mess and our backs hurt.

 

That's easy!  Get someone to clean your house and spend the time you save massaging each other.

ok, yeah. it does not work exactly like that. I hate to tell you, but at some point strings are attached to couple massage. He/she now has to put the laundry in, or she/she has to do what ever else. when you pay money to a professional, it is very clear. you can relax and not think you will have to be scubbing the tub, or what not,  this saturday b/c you had your back rubbed. 

"My mother said it was simple to keep a man, you must be a maid in the living room, a cook in the kitchen and a whore in the bedroom. I said I'd hire the other two and take care of the bedroom bit."  - Jerry Hall

 

I am definitely not the maid. that's all I am sayin

Make this all the time, it's very easy, and orgasmic if you like goat cheese:

 

4 chicken breasts, skin-on

Small package goat cheese

8 large basil leaves

EVOO

Kosher salt, pepper

 

De-bone the chicken breasts if you can't find boneless skin-on. Form pocket under skin with your fingers and put 1/4 goat cheese package underneath, followed by two basil leaves. Rub liberally with oil, salt and pepper. Bake 35-40 minutes at 375.

 

This is an adaptation of an Ina Garten recipe. It's simple and amazing.

I don't know who the hell this Ina Garten is but that sounds delicious!

What's EVOO?

Extra Virgin Olive Oil. Blame Rachael Ray for that one.

Extra Virgin Olive Oil. Blame Rachael Ray for that one.

 

I find it strange her recipes always call for "EVOO" when you should be using different types of olive oil for different types of cooking.  That being said, I don't think any of her recipes ever taste that good.  If you want good quick meals, try the Williams Sonoma Food Made Fast books - so much more flavor.

"You should be using different types of olive oil for different types of cooking."

 

True - but not everyone has the inclination/money/time to invest in a bunch of different olive oils. (I know, your Mediterranean ancestors are putting the Mal Occhio on me for my blasphemy ;-) ) 

 

I think if you have even mildly adventurous tastebuds, her recipes *as is* are definitely on the tame side. I look at them as more of a jumping-off point, and they're more approachable for people who either didn't grow up with good cooks or might not have easy access to more obscure ingredients. 

"You should be using different types of olive oil for different types of cooking."

 

True - but not everyone has the inclination/money/time to invest in a bunch of different olive oils. (I know, your Mediterranean ancestors are putting the Mal Occhio on me for my blasphemy ;-) )

 

 

Isn't she Italian too?  Her relatives should be crying blasphemy!

Here's a combo we tried tonight with some trepidation but both were amazing:

 

Vegan Chili

 

Ingredients

2 tablespoons canola oil

1 1/2 cups chopped yellow onions

1 cup chopped red bell peppers

2 tablespoons minced garlic

2 to 3 serrano peppers, stemmed, seeded, and minced, depending upon taste

1 medium zucchini, stem ends trimmed and cut into small dice

2 cups fresh corn kernels (about 3 ears)

1 1/2 pounds portobello mushrooms (about 5 large), stemmed, wiped clean and cubed

2 tablespoons chili powder

1 tablespooon ground cumin

1 1/4 teaspoons salt

1/4 teaspoon cayenne

4 large tomatoes, peeled, seeded and chopped

3 cups cooked black beans, or canned beans, rinsed and drained

1 (15-ounce) can tomato sauce

1 cup vegetable stock, or water

1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves

Cooked brown rice, accompaniment

Sour cream or strained plain yogurt, garnish

Diced avocado, garnish

Essence, recipe follows, garnish

Chopped green onions, garnish

Directions

In a large, heavy pot, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the onions, bell peppers, garlic, and serrano peppers, and cook, stirring, until soft, about 3 minutes. Add the zucchini, corn, and mushrooms, and cook, stirring, until soft and the vegetables give off their liquid and start to brown around the edges, about 6 minutes. Add the chili powder, cumin, salt and cayenne, and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the tomatoes and stir well. Add the beans, tomato sauce, and vegetable stock, stir well, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring occasionally, for about 20 minutes.

 

Remove from the heat and stir in the cilantro. Adjust the seasoning, to taste.

 

(From Emeril/Food Network)

 

And

 

Cracked Corn Cheese Squares

 

Ingredients

1 (8 1/2-ounce) package corn muffin mix, mixed to package directions

Softened butter, to grease baking dish

1/3 pound Monterey Jack or pepper Jack, cut into 1/4-inch dice

1/2 cup frozen corn kernels

2 scallions, thinly sliced

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Grease an 8-inch square baking dish with butter. Stir cheese, corn, and scallions into packaged mixed corn muffin batter.

 

Pour batter into baking dish and bake at 400 degrees F until golden, 15 to 18 minutes.

 

(From Rachel Ray)

 

 

I've always found Rachel Ray's food to be fairly straightforward, geared towards busy moms, etc. But I can't think of a recipe I've tried that I didn't like. And for the record, I hate that she says "EVOO," but it's easier to type.

"I've always found Rachel Ray's food to be fairly straightforward, geared towards busy moms, etc."

 

Yep. She never set out to be a purist - I think she knows better than to try to massmarket ethnic grandmother food (if it's made in a church basement, it's at its zenith) - you can't improve on perfection, but you can pass along ideas that are inspired by it :-)

"I've always found Rachel Ray's food to be fairly straightforward, geared towards busy moms, etc."

 

Yep. She never set out to be a purist - I think she knows better than to try to massmarket ethnic grandmother food (if it's made in a church basement, it's at its zenith) - you can't improve on perfection, but you can pass along ideas that are inspired by it :-)

 

I don't mind her cooking/recipes, or her bubbly presentation. It's the giant man hands mangling whatever she's preparing that get to me. Yikes...put some gloves on those things, Boris.

Sweet jesus, this turned out really good - of course I might need to eat again - in a week or so...

 

Here was my superbowl menu: pan seared chilean sea bass with a pineapple lime glaze; panco breaded shrimp; crab legs; and mashed potatoes with freshly shredded asiago, sour cream, bacon, and garlic. All ingredients from the world renowned west side market. Beers: old 21 imperial IPA from Brewkettle; Edmund Fitzgerald from the best brewery in all of Ohio, and Founders breakfast stout.

And ya didn't invite us - nice; REAL nice! ;-)

Here was my superbowl menu: pan seared chilean sea bass with a pineapple lime glaze; panco breaded shrimp; crab legs; and mashed potatoes with freshly shredded asiago, sour cream, bacon, and garlic. All ingredients from the world renowned west side market. Beers: old 21 imperial IPA from Brewkettle; Edmund Fitzgerald from the best brewery in all of Ohio, and Founders breakfast stout.

 

Will you marry me?

Sweet jesus, this turned out really good - of course I might need to eat again - in a week or so...

 

 

Based on how this turned out for you, do you think it would be good with tofu or shrimp instead of chicken? It looks really good, but my sister is staying with us for a month and she's on this vegan thing...