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Anybody out there got good recipes? Technique? Advice?

Crepes

I've been using the following recipe for fast easy crepes:

1 egg
2 cups flour
1 cup milk

I mix the ingredients in a large bowl and whisk to homogeneity. It doesn't seem like batter, more like just a liquid.

I heat the pan and spread some oil in it, I've been using vegetable oil.

I was using a 6 ounce ladle filled part way to put the batter in the pan but it was too much. I put enough in to cover the flat part of my skillet, probably just under 1/3 cup. The batter will turn from a glossy appearance to a matte appearance. As the edges go matte, I lift them with a spatula to separate it from the pan. Once the whole thing is matte I make sure all the edges are clear and swish the pan to try to free up the whole thing, helping it with the spatula if necessary.

I've found that once it's free I can swish the pan to keep it moving, and if I swish it to the edge of the pan I can see if the bottom is done without flipping it and potentially tearing it. Once the bottom "looks right" I flip it very carefully.

Flipping the crepe is the best time to ruin it. I swish the pan to get the crepe away from one of the sides, and I slide a spatula all the way under, which will probably be halfway accross. I tilt the pan towards the spatula while pulling it away, causing the free half of the crepe to swing free. With the pan at about a 45 degree angle I can easily catch the uncooked side of the free edge of the crepe and then tilt the pan back to flat, following it with the spatula to place the crepe quickly back on the pan. This sounds tricky, but once you try it you'll see how it works. It requires a little daring and a little coordination. You may have more or less luck flipping them than I did, I tore or ruined my first three or four.

Once the backside of the crepe is done, I slip it onto a waiting plate and get ready for the next one. I've been using a sprinkle of oil between crepes to keep the pan from sticking too much.

Usually the first crepe is too oily to eat.

For filling, I have tried several flavors of yogurt, applesauce, and a mixture of cottage cheese with sugar. Honestly, anything could be put in.

Next time i'll experiment with omelette type fillings, and roll the crepe over them once its done, and try to heat it through. I'll let you know how it goes.

2 tablespoons virgin olive oil
1 can green curry paste
1 can coconut cream/milk/whatever
Dash of chilli powder, salt, fish sauce, red peppers
1 green pepper in moderate size strips
1/2 onion in small strips
8oz mushrooms
1/2 head of cauliflower
2lbs chicken chunks

Cook oil, vegetables, seasonings, curry paste until crisp has gone away. Add Chicken, cook mostly through. Add coconut, add cauliflower, low boil until the cauliflower is soft. Add to rice...

2 cups Basmati rice
1 onion, chopped
2 tablespoons virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons minced garlic
2-3 Cans chicken broth
2 limes

Brown the onions and garlic. Add rice, cook until starts to brown, stirring continuously in large pot. Add broth, cook until rice is done and water is absorbed. Squeeze fresh lime over the rice.

Entire thing will feed you for a week.

Take 5 eggs, and put them in half a pot of water on the stove. Bring the water to a boil, and cover. Keep boiling the eggs for about 10 min. Run the eggs under cold water, and WAHLA! You have 5 hard boiled eggs ready to serve. MMMMMM MMM!

Edit: Voila?
~Staff

Liquidprism wrote:Take 5 eggs, and put them in half a pot of water on the stove. Bring the water to a boil, and cover. Keep boiling the eggs for about 10 min. Run the eggs under cold water, and WAHLA! You have 5 hard boiled eggs ready to serve. MMMMMM MMM!

Edit: Voila?
~Staff

Dice the eggs and mix with mayonaise and pickle relish, and then spread between two slices of white bread.

Egg salad sandwich.

Alternately, add in canned drained tuna or minced chicken.

and apples

2 cups of nicely-ask-my-wife-to-please-make-me-some-homemade-waffles

Mmmmmmm.... waffles!

Crepes! ::is a crepe fiend::

The best way I've found to make sure crepes don't tear is to let the batter sit for a while. I usually let it rest in the fridge for anywhere from half an hour to an hour before cooking. It's crazy but it makes a huge difference (thank you Alton Brown). I also add vanilla and powdered sugar to mine I use butter in the recipe and also instead of oil for greasing the pan, but then again I probably use too much butter in everything . . .

I'm always looking for quick meals that are fast, easy and don't involve feeding a small army. Most of my cooking instruction growing up involved feeding at least 8 people; it took me a long time to get used to cooking for only two.

On top of that, Sean and I have some vastly different likes/dislikes, so most of what I make are pretty middle-of-the-road and inoffensive dishes.

Montreal Seasoning gets used a lot in my kitchen - I use it as everything from a meat rub/marinade base to a soup or stir-fry pick-me-up to just handing it to Sean if he thinks something's a bit bland. He eats the stuff straight-up.



One of my "ridiculously simple quick an' easy meal ideas that generally don't suck":


BBQ Chicken Bits - 10 minute meal

Chicken Breast, cut into bite-sized pieces
BBQ sauce

Using medium or medium-high heat, cook chicken in a shallow pan (preferably non-stick) with the sauce. Cooking time will vary by the size of the chicken bits but shouldn't take very long. Add more sauce after cooking if you want, but actually cooking the sauce along with the chicken gives a nicer flavor so it's best to be quite liberal with it in the beginning.

This is a meat dish that cooks VERY quickly and pairs well with nearly any side. I usually do instant rice, stuffing, or some other quick carb like mac and cheese (gotta get the kind with character shapes!) and a green frozen vegetable like broccoli or green beans.



Also, never underestimate the power of a good beef roast - unless, of course, you're Temple and violently allergic. I'll make a decently-sized one and have a basic hot roast beef dinner (gravy, 'tatos, salad, veggie) the first night and then use it in various dishes for the rest of the week.

Stuff to do with a roast:

- Stroganoff (simplest form is bits of beef + cream of mushroom soup + cooked egg noodles, can be "spruced up" with other things)
- Hot/Cold sandwiches, especially toasted with a nice cheese, or open-faced with leftover gravy
- Stir-fry
- Beef-based soups
- Just gnaw on a chunk cold from the fridge because roast beef is AWESOME!

This is a recipe that I use for spaghetti; if you stop and serve at the end of 'spaghetti' you get a tangy, mildly spiced spaghetti sauce. If you continue you get what I have dubbed armaghetti, which is spaghetti spicy enough to herald the apocalypse.

You need:
Ragu or prego meat sauce
Pasta
1+ lbs beef
2-3 roma tomatoes
1 yellow onion
Garlic salt
Chili oil
Red pepper
Pepper

Spaghetti:
Chop onion and tomatoes and put in while browning the beef.
Brown beef and vegetables with about a tablespoon of red pepper, liberal garlic salt and pepper, and a dash of chili oil.
Once cooked add in the spaghetti sauce.
End spaghetti recipe – boil noodles and serve

Armaghetti
Take the spaghetti sauce above, add in a table spoon of red pepper and chili oil. Add more pepper.
Simmer on low for about an hour add a bit more red pepper as it simmers.
(It is important to taste this while cooking, the spice will increase as it simmers)
For even more spice leave refrigerated overnight, otherwise you’re done.
End armaghetti – boil noodles and serve.

Sweet Chili Recipe

2lbs Ground Beef
1lbs Italian Pork Sausage
1 Green Pepper, Chopped
2 Onion, Chopped
1 ½ tbsp Chili Powder
1 tbsp Cumin
¼ tsp Salt
½ cup Brown Sugar
½ tsp Italian Seasoning
3 cans Kidney Beans, Drained
2 cans Pinto Beans, Drained
2 cans Diced Tomato, Drained
1 small can Tomato Paste

Combine ingredients from Ground Beef through Italian Seasoning
Brown 8-10 minutes
Add other ingredients, cook for 1 hour

Last Night's dinner

Chicken and Rice

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees
In a large, oven safe, pot, place the following:

2 cups rice, any type, dry and uncooked.

Desired chicken. I put 8 thighs, having skinned roughly half of them to reduce fat content of the meal but not compromise hydration of rice.

Pour over the top two cans of cream of mushroom soup, or one can of cream of mushroom soup and one can of cream of onion soup.

Add one or two cans of water. I would probably do one can next time rather than two, as it got more mushy than I prefer.

Cover and cook at 350 for one hour. Check for doneness by inspecting the chicken for clear juices and taste the rice for al dente.

Remove from the oven carefully, so as to not burn the holy fuck out of your hand, and then serve to your friends piping hot so that they can burn the shit out of themselves if desired.


Gideon's "More please" Yellow Squash

Select yellow squash (and zucchini if desired) that when thumped sound hollow and are free of mold or large blemishes.

Slice the squash into pieces of any width and even thicknesses. Discard the cap and base.

In a frying pan, saute the squash in your choice of cooking oils and seasonings until a gently inserted fork passes through the center flesh freely. I used margarine for cooking oil (it has a higher smoke point than butter and browns later as well) and a generous helping of Cavender's All-Purpose Greek Seasoning.


Salad

2 hearts of romaine, rinsed and then sliced from end to end. I don't tear up lettuce, I slice it straight of the head or heart. Discard the solid parts at the end.

Tomatos, your choice, I used grape tomatoes.

That's basically it. Cheese and other garnishes optional.