Recipes

[DolfanBob]

The Lady of the house is always complaining that she does not know what to cook. And is bored with the same old thing week in and week out.
So I am asking my TNF Food Gourmets. If you would post some of you're favorite eats and how to make them.
Please.....I am begging you. No 15 ingredient meals that dirty 7 pots and multiple plates to make one dinner.
I cringe everytime I watch D.D.&D and the Chef is adding things faster than I can pause the DVR and take notes.
I have read some of you're recipes randomly posted, and think that this would be a great idea to spring some of them on her and she might be surprised by some of the creations.

Thanks in advance. And how cool would a Tulsa Now cook book be? 

[tulsa_fan]

What kind of recipes?  Both my husband and I work full time and we have two kids, I have tons of simple stuff, pretty yummy . . . I'm happy to share, give me a little guidances and I'll put a few out here.  I love to cook and when I have the time (weekends or dinner parties) I go all out, but weekday has to be simple and easy and quick!! 

[DolfanBob]

Baked, Pan fry, Boil. Just about anything not BBQ. I got that. Just 2 to 3 item meals. Meat, Veggie, Starch etc. etc. It can be Fish, Chicken, Beef (No Deer)
We both get home late. So something that doesn't require 4 hours during the week. But include those also for possible weekend cooking.

[Ed W]

Here's my poor man's French onion soup.  Use the cheapest beef you can find.  I made it with venison too, but the deer was probably older and tougher than me.

Cheap beef roast - cubed
2 cans beef consomme.
Worchestershire sauce to taste
1-2 coarsely chopped onions
Lemon juice (optional)
Black pepper
Provolone or mozzarella cheese
French or Italian bread
Beer

In a big soup pot, brown the beef in a bit of oil or butter, then remove it.  Saute the chopped onion until it's translucent, then return the beef to the pot.  Add the consomme and two cans of water, some Worchestershire sauce, and pepper.  Lemon is a flavor intensifier, so add a teaspoon or so.  Bring it to a boil, then cover and simmer until the beef is tender, usually an hour or so. Go have a beer.

When it's done, ladle the soup into bowls and top with grated cheese.  If desired, put the bowls under a broiler to melt the cheese and brown it slightly.  Serve with fresh bread and more beer.

I can't have this anymore and you cannot realize how much I want it!

[Ed W]

Quick pasta dinner.

This was a favorite for my kids.

Bag of shells or rotini
Sliced pepperoni cut in quarters
Big jar of spaghetti sauce
Shredded mozzarella cheese

Cook the pasta in boiling water until it's al dente -still slightly firm and chewy.  Drain.  Mix in the spaghetti sauce until the pasta is coated.  A bit of extra sauce is OK because the pasta will absorb the moisture.  Mix in the pepperoni a little at a time because it tends to clump.  Transfer the mixture to a casserole dish. Cover the top with shredded cheese and bake at 350 for about half an hour until the cheese begins to brown.  Have a beer while waiting. 

[DolfanBob]

Ed I like you're waiting routine.

[Ed W]

Ed I like you're waiting routine.

If something took too long to cook, my table manners went downhill rapidly.

Here's another idea that uses an electric fry pan.  I think this came out of my old Betty Crocker cookbook.  It's an excellent resource for easy-to-prepare meals.

Bacon
Chicken cut in quarters
Red cooking wine
Can of chicken stock
Flour
Salt
Pepper
Bag of frozen vegetables for stew

Cook the bacon and remove it from the pan.  Mix flour, salt, and pepper.  Dredge the chicken in it, then brown it in the bacon grease.  Spoon the grease out of the pan, then add the chicken stock and about half a cup of red cooking wine.  Add the vegetables and set the pan to simmer.  It's a good idea to add extra potatoes cut in quarters.  In our house, there's no such thing as too many potatoes.  Cook until the chicken is done, usually 75-90 minutes.  That's enough time for 2-3 beers.  Mind your table manners.  Crumble the cooked bacon over the top when you serve the chicken. 

[Red Arrow]

One-pot

This has many ingredients but is easy.  We use a 5 qt cast iron kettle / Dutch Oven.

Meat:  Usually beef.  A roast cut into small cubes or ground beef.  We have also used ground buffalo.  Chicken or pork may work well too.
Onions: chopped
Beans:  We usually use a can each Bush's Black Beans and Pinto beans, rinsed to get rid of the salt and sauce in the can.  A small colander works fine.
Tomato: Usually a can of diced tomatoes, rinsed same as the beans.
Celery or Green Pepper: chopped
Mushrooms:  Small can of pieces and stems, rinsed.
Barley or Rice: About 1/3 cup to soak up some liquid.  Use the long cook type, not the quick cook.  (I recently found Pearled Barley in the Bixby Reasors in the soup section with the dried bean soup kits. The Jenks Reasors has it in the bulk grain section.)
Seasoning:  The easiest is Italian Seasoning with maybe a bit of Ground Cumin, but easy on the Cumin or it will taste like Chili.  Always Garlic, power or fresh but not Garlic Salt since we are low salt here.  Mostly we just pick things that look good that day but include several of: Basil, Thyme, Oregano, Garlic, Chives, Cilantro, Black Pepper.  If you like things warm, add some Cayenne or other hot pepper.  Mom can't handle the hot stuff so I add it later.

Start the meat with some olive or other cooking oil (no motor oil please) in the bottom of the pot.  After some browning, drain off excess grease if desired.  Add the onions (and some more oil if the grease was drained) to give them a start. When the onions are starting to get translucent, add the rest of the stuff and enough water to almost cover everything.  Stir everything up. Bring it all to a boil then back off to a simmer, stirring occasionally, until the barley or rice is done which is usually within an hour.  

Depending on how much water you boil off, serve in a bowl on on a plate.  Add some grated Parmesan Cheese on top and maybe some crushed red peppers.

It's different every time since we don't use a "fixed" recipe.  You should also see plenty of opportunity to customize this to your own tastes.

[RecycleMichael]

Put bread in toaster.
Push button down and wait till it comes back up.
Remove toast.
Add butter and or jelly as desired.

[Red Arrow]

Put bread in toaster.
Connect toaster to source of power 
Push button down and wait till it comes back up.
Remove toast.
Add butter and or jelly as desired.

[Ed W]

Put bread in toaster.
Push button down and wait till it comes back up.
Remove toast.
Add butter and or jelly as desired.

[DolfanBob]

Mike. You're so simple. 

[Conan71]

Pulled pork shoulder.  You can use this for any number of other recipes during the week, breakfast, lunch, or dinner.

7 to 8 pound pork shoulder, bone in
1 cup red wine
sea salt
white pepper
fresh ground black pepper
chile powder
cumin (or if you use a prepared "chili" powder, it likely has cumin in it, we always cook with 100% pure Hatch chile powder we bring back from New Mexico every year)
All the dry ingredients, start with 1 TBSP each.  To be honest, I never measure them, I just add about equal amounts and it seems I get it right every time.
1/2 white or yellow onion chopped into large cubes
1/2 to 3/4 head of garlic, shelled and chopped
4-5 bay leaves

Add water to cover roast, set crock pot on low and go to work.  If the kids get home mid-afternoon you might have them check and add more water to the pot if it's evaporating around the lid.  You can set it on high if you have six or less hours to let it cook.  The meat is incredibly fall apart tender every time.  You can use it for tacos, burritos, pizza topping, pulled pork sandwiches, make a modified eggs benedict recipe, green chile stew, etc.

That's one way MC and I economize cooking time during the week is often doing a large batch of proteins on the weekend.  If I fire up the grill for Saturday dinner, I usually throw on several other items to re-heat during the week.  That helps give you some better variety having protein on hand and already cooked.  MC is the master of going through the fridge and piecing together an amazing meal in very little time.  I'm truly a blessed man!

[guido911]

Put bread in toaster.
Push button down and wait till it comes back up.
Remove toast.
Add butter and or jelly as desired.

Whoa, slow down.

[Gaspar]

Quick Beef Wellington


•   a 3 1/2-pound fillet of beef tied with thin sheets of larding fat at room temperature
•   3/4 pound mushrooms, chopped fine
•   2 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter
•   1/2 pound pâté de foie gras (available at Petty's) at room temperature
•   1 pound puff paste or thawed frozen puff pastry plus additional for garnish if desired
•   1 large egg white beaten
•   an egg wash made by beating 1 large egg yolk with 1 teaspoon of water
•   1/2 cup Sercial Madeira
•   2 teaspoons arrowroot dissolved in 1 teaspoon cold water
•   1/2 cup beef broth
•   2 tablespoons finely chopped black truffles (from the Périgord
    region of France).
•   watercress for garnish if desired



In a roasting pan roast the beef in the middle of a preheated 400°F oven for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the thermometer registers 120°F. Let the fillet cool completely and discard the larding fat and the strings. Skim the fat from the pan juices and reserve the pan juices.

In a heavy skillet cook the mushrooms in the butter over moderately low heat, stirring, until all the liquid they give off is evaporated and the mixture is dry, season them with salt and pepper, and let them cool completely. Spread the fillet evenly with the pâté de foie gras, covering the top and sides, and spread the mushrooms evenly over the pâté de foie gras. On a floured surface roll 1 pound of the puff paste into a rectangle about 20- by 12- inches, or large enough to enclose the fillet completely, invert the coated fillet carefully under the middle of the dough, and fold up the long sides of the dough to enclose the fillet brushing the edges of the dough with some of the egg white to seal them. Fold ends of the dough over the fillet and seal them with the remaining egg white.

Transfer the fillet, seam side down to a shallow roasting pan and brush the dough with some of the egg wash. Roll out the additional dough and cut into decorative elm and maple leaf shapes. Use the back of the knife to imprint veining into the pastry leaves. Arrange the cutouts on the dough decoratively, brush them with the remaining egg wash, and chill the fillet for at least 1 hour and up to 2 hours.

Bake the fillet in the middle of a preheated 400°F oven for 30 minutes, reduce the heat to 350°, and bake the fillet for 5 to 10 minutes more, or until the meat thermometer registers 130°F. for medium-rare meat and the pastry is cooked through. Let the fillet stand for 15 minutes.

In a saucepan boil the reserved pan juices and the Madeira until the mixture is reduced by one fourth. Add the arrowroot mixture, the broth, the truffles, and salt and pepper to taste and cook the sauce over moderate heat, stirring, being careful not to let it boil, for 5 minutes, or until it is thickened. Loosen the fillet from the pan, transfer it with two spatulas to a heated platter, and garnish it with watercress. Serve the fillet, cut into 3/4-inch-thick slices, with the sauce.