Recipes
 

My husband rags on me constantly because I don't know how to cook anything. I definitely take after my mother...she can't cook either. My dad and stepdad always did the cooking.

Can anyone help me out? Does anyone have any simple recipes that they can share that don't require a lot of time and effort?

go to www.foodnetwork.com

try starting with some of the recipes from the show '30 minute meals'

i never thought i knew how to cook..but now i get all of my recipes from there, and i seriously amaze myself every time i make something :)

Back in the days when I was an undergrad, I couldn't cook to save my life, 'cept for the occasional box of mac 'n cheese. When I dropped out of college and enlisted in the Air Farce, they assigned me to become a cook and taught me the trade in cook's school.

After I got out, I hung up my apron and cook's hat; nowadays I'll cook for myself or for family and small groups of friends. But I won't go back to institutional cooking anymore.

Gotta recommend those 30-minute meals from Food Network... quick and almost painless to prepare. And if you're really in a hurry, most supermarkets sell ready-prepared dinners, all you gotta do is 'heat and eat.'

Try this recipe on for size -- looks at first to be a pain in the a** to prepare, but it's pretty simple (translated from a Spanish cookbook and converted to English units instead of metric):

POLLO FIESTA MAYOR (Festival Chicken)

INGREDIENTS

8 boneless and skinless chicken breasts
4 cling peaches cut in small cubes
150 grams (approx. 5-1/2 oz.) seedless raspberry marmalade
glass of red wine (approx. 4-6 oz.)
1/2 cup vegetable or olive oil (whatever your preference)
salt and pepper to taste

PREPARATION

Season chicken breasts with salt and pepper to taste. Fry chicken breasts until golden brown; set them aside. In a saucepan, cook the raspberry marmalade, peaches and wine until reduced (when it begins to thicken into a sauce).

Place chicken breasts on plate, then put the sauce on them. Serves 4.

The boneless and skinless chicken can be obtained fresh at the supermarket, no fuss or muss getting it prepared. A small can of cling peaches will work as well.

You can also grill the chicken breasts on a barbecue; just prepare the sauce in the kitchen.

Sorry to hear he gets on your case. Does he cook? If not, I'd tell him where to go. But in the meantime, here's an awesome recipie that's so easy and it's yummy yummy.

Enchilada Casserole
2 boxes of Rice-a-Roni Spanish Rice
1 can of refried beans (not the small one, the one larger than that)
1 package of shredded sharp cheddar or mexican/taco cheese
1 cup of salsa any type
1 lb of ground beef (I'd recommend not using the ultra lean; hamburger meat is fine)
1 package of taco seasoning mix

Directions:
mix the meat with the taco seasoning mix and cook in a skillet til the meat is brown. set aside and then cook the rice according to the directions on the box. Take a 9x13 casserole dish and layer the bottom w/ the entire can of refried beans. Next layer the meat and then the rice. Top w/ salsa and then cheese and bake for 20 minutes at 325 degrees. You can use vegetarian substitutes as desired and it will still be good even without meat or cheese. It'll last you for days and you can serve it w/ chips and guac. Good luck!!

And for dessert, I can recommend my 5 minute banana pudding...
ingredients:
1 box of Nilla Wafers
3 or 4 bananas
1 large box of Jello Instant Vanilla Pudding
1 small tub of Cool Whip

prepare the pudding as directed, then mix in all but one of the bananas (sliced) and about 3/4 of the box of nilla wafers. then spread the entire package of cool whip on top of the pudding/wafer/banana mix, then top with one sliced banana and the rest of the wafers. It's soooo good!

If you want some more "advanced" recipies, just PM me!

I suggest buying the "Barefoot Contessa" cookbook (the first one)... the food is delectable and it's all pretty easy to do (just remember the servings are huge, so throw a dinner party). I recommend the lemon chicken salad with the bell peppers or the guacamole with chips.

Some easy recipes...

Honey/Mustard/Lime Chicken
Combine equal parts honey, lime juice, and good mustard (no French's) in a bowl. Pour over boneless, skinless chicken breasts and let stand for about 30 minutes. Cook in a skillet. GOOD STUFF!

Quiche Lorraine
Beat 4 eggs with 2 cups half-and-half, 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper, 3/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon sugar, and pour in a pie crust (homemade or store bought). Add 1 cup of grated swiss cheese and broken up bits of bacon (if you eat pork), also add 1/3 cup chopped up onion. Bake 15 minutes at 425 degrees, then reduce heat to 300 and cook about 30 more minutes (be sure o cover the edges of crust with foil if they start to get too dark).

Also, if you make that Appian Way pizza from the box and just put nice toppings on it (artichoke hearts, etc...) it is pretty good.

I have a lot more recipes that are super good, but these were just some simple ideas.

Yes, he cooks but he usually works 10-12 hours a day and he's usually pretty tired when he gets home.

Get this...I made dinner last night and he failed to tell me that he was going to his brothers baseball game...figures...

Thanks for the recipes! Keep them coming!!!!! :D

NOT healthy...just easy.

Soak chicken strips in Wishbone Italian dressing for 30 min-1 hour. (The longer the better.) Sprinkle with red pepper. Stir fry, saute...just cook it quick.
Throw some Rague Alfredo over it and serve with angel hair pasta
garlic bread and salad.

Use Knorr brand sauce mixes...they are great on veggies or meats/fish.

When you cook any meat, cook enough for leftovers the next day.
cut into stips and add to Zatarrains(sp?) dirty rice. Throw in the garlic (from a jar) bell peppers,and onion-serve with garlic bread and salad.
Packaged salad-FRESH brand is really fresh without the packaged smell/taste.
This works with spinach or regular leaf- leftover chicken...can even be Popeye's cut into chunks, small can of Mandarin oranges,
avocado and red onions, walnuts (toasted if you feel like it or not if you don't) salad dressing...THE BEST-Brianna's, red blush vinaigrette from Albertsons. I am soooooo sick of cooking...
Don't forget Taco Salad, use your left-over meat, and serve over scoops or rounds with salsa from the chip section, NOT Pace or the likes, refried beans (add a bit of water for traditional consistency) top these it chopped onion and Velveta or shredded cheese as it warms. Tony's Cachere's Spanish rice using original Rotel Tomatoes instead of regular canned tomatoes.

These are the things that make a difference-
the combo-onion, bell pepper, garlic...sometimes celery
change the taste-Rotel, red pepper
throw chives into ANY rice dish at the very end
Easy steak side dish-saute' in a little butter bell pepper strips, onion slices, mushrooms pour worsteshire(sp?) sauce all over it and let it cook down-get rid of the "juices". It will be very soft. Smother your steak with this mixture.

allrecipes.com is my fav hangout! It has a search engine where you can enter an ingredient (say, rice) and it will come back with the results of all the rice dishes found. You can also sort by appetizer, entree, etc.

I also like that there is a rating system - you can actually see what others think of the recipe, and if you try it, add your own rating. Its really cool.

I'd advise staying AWAY from the Joy of Cooking -- someone bought us that for our wedding and first of all, there is NO Joy in cooking....heehee....secondly, you may get grossed out by a few things in there -- I stopped reading when it told all about preparing a COW'S TONGUE!!! And even further as to how to umm..."work" with the skull. {{don't know how the smilies thing works, but if I did I'd insert the "barf" one here}}

Yum - aren't you glad that I went there ;)

Seriously - check out allrecipes.com and let me know what you think!

Sure then he definitely needs your help!! I hope he does appreciate your new efforts.

Can't believe I'm offering advice on how to cook, but I did have a recipe published in Southern Living in 1988. One of my blood sisters is a caterer, so I get a lot of hints from her. This is my recipe:

Pork chops (I use the thick ones, but any kind will do)
Salt
Lemon pepper
Oregano

I just pan fry them in a nonstick skillet, but you can broil them or grill them, too. Don't forget the applesauce!!!

Do I hear another Brady Bunch fan? :p

I'm bumping this just for Mr. Earp...

Have you ever tried "First" magazines?
My mom reads them but they have awesome recipes in the back. I made "sweet and sour salmon" one night. It was great... even though I almost set the place on fire. (Note: honey on tin foil will burn.)
Anyway, if they have a website, you could probably find recipes archived.