Dept. of Screwups. If you didn't notice that everything was wonky yesterday....great. It was hell trying to post with certain posts dissappearing and others not showing up. We hope that our problems will not continue today....
That said, this week is still Kitchen Month and we plan to scoop out all the good kitchen ideas that we can before Friday.
If you have any good resources that we haven't mentioned, drop us a comment below or an email. One good, genuine recommendation is all we need to get something into our Store's Guide, where it can accrue others, pros and cons (ps. if this look familiar, it is. We wrote this yesterday and it got zapped...). MGR
And by the way, there is an amazing issue of Saveur this month (April) entirely about CHEESE. There's a fried cheese recipe, macaroni and cheese, this pungent cheese spread that looks divine, their top 50 American cheeses, and on and on. They also mentioned my local cheese shop on Bedford!
15 bonus points for the use of the always-delightful "wonky".
I'm sending out bonus points for all those who responded 3-4 or (gasp) 5 or more. Kudos to you all!
Hey there! Cooking dinner is not hard, most days. Our house has a 15-minute dinner rule. I think we should submit dinner recipes. Here is tonight's dinner in our house
saute salmon (steaks or fillets) in nonstick pan for 4 minutes each side, season with s&p, top with Stonewall Kitchen Dried Tomato & Olive Relish
Boil water, make Near East couscous (5 min). We like the lentil & tomato one.
Nuke string beans in microwave, toss with butter, salt & pepper
Garnish plate with cherry or grape tomatoes. Mom always said to eat your veggies.
OK, I'm game. I had 'scraps in a pot' night last night and it turned out really good in about 10 minutes...
Boiled whole wheat spaghetti (8 minutes)
Tossed a leftover handful of canned chopped artichoke hearts, a leftover handful of sliced fresh mushrooms and a half cup of white beans I'd cooked over the weekend with olive oil and fresh herbs from my herb pots into a saute pan, then threw in a glug of white wine. Let it cook off for a minute and added a half cup of store-bought red pasta sauce.
Pasta was ready then, so I tossed the whole thing together and topped with fresh parmesan.
Nummy!
(then again, some nights, it's soup from a can.)
Hopefully you're including frozen dinners in the cooking dinner at home category since you're including leftovers. Often my dinners at home consist of microwaved frozen meals such as Amy's plus veggies that I make (usually...)
I cook every night if you include microwaving or baking prepared frozen meals.
Seldom use a pan/pot or baking dish. I lived in one apartment for three years and never once used the oven.
Can you tell I live alone?
I'm not a thrilling cook, but I just can't imagine *always* eating out and ordering in. My kitchen has been out of commission for three weeks, and I'm dying for ramen, of all things... I ignore the soup and make it with Thai peanut sauce and slices of those little green onions. I sneak in tiny chunks of tofu when I feel like I haven't eaten healthily that day.
Here's something fast and healthy (even if it's not my dinner tonight). Pour some boiling water over some whole wheat couscous, cover, and let sit for 5 minutes. Drain and rinse a can of chickpeas, and chop up some scallions and tomatoes. Season with salt, pepper, and hot sauce. So good and so fast! I used to do this for lunch at work--just bring the chickpeas, etc, in tupperware, and make the couscous there.
Since the maintenance on our co-op has gone up 15.5% in the last 8 months, I am making every effort to cook dinner at least 3-4 nights a week. All it takes is to look at out Amex bill and see how much is spent on restaurants! It's hard when every NYC publication has a section on newly opened establishments. We're trying to keep dining out to once or twice a week. Lord, give me strength!!! So I would like to share my favorite way to prepare salmon.
I try to always buy wild salmon fillets, but farmed will work as well. Preheat oven to 350. Heat a heavy (cast iron) skillet and add oil (I prefer to use olive oil). Finely chop fresh rosemary. Mix it with dijon mustard. Set aside. Loosely chop pecans. Sear the fillets skinside down. Smear the top of each with the rosemary-dijon mixture. Sprinkle the top with chopped pecans. Once seared, place skillet in oven and continue to cook for 10 - 15 minutes, depending on desired doneness. Fabulous!
I like making a big, slow-cooked batch of soup during cold weather, partly out of laziness for the days I don't feel like cooking, and partly because I was just sick of takeout. I divide the leftovers into single serving sizes, freeze them in small ziplocs, and write up labels for the type of soup so they don't become the weird mystery bags in the freezer. This way I always have a nice selection of something tasty to eat with bread, a glass of wine, and a bit of cheese (I will definitely look for Saveur this month, sara a.).
Also, Italian rustic cuisine makes an art of the humble leftover, like with ribollita. The first night it's a white bean and vegetable soup (with kale, chard, sage, rosemary, carrots, etc.). The second night you pour the soup into a baking dish, layer some sliced country bread on top, bake it for half an hour, then scoop it into a bowl with a drizzle of olive oil. This dish switches from spoon to fork-friendly, especially on the third day, when you can throw the whole mixture into a pot and boil it. Seriously addictive!
French bistro and Italian rustic recipes are my favorite, and I've unintentionally lost weight eating this way.
quick good dinner--(good grape tomatoes required)
just halve a container (a little work, but have a friend help) squeeze out seeds. drop in bowl and mix in 3 TB olive oil, 1 TB good balsamic vinegar and 1 TB red wine vin. salt pepp and a handful chopped basil. let marinate 1/2 hr. boil spaghetti until al dente, drain add to mix. good at room temp or cool. sounds like work, but pretty simple. good wine a must-
lh - I like doing the same thing with soup! So handy. Anthony Bourdain's mushroom soup recipe (on Epicurious) is my favorite. Also, I've been making this oat/dried fruit clafoutis from chocolateandzucchini.com and cutting it into serving sizes to freeze. Left overnight in the fridge to thaw, a piece is a great breakfast - especially pre-workout.
A favorite quick dinner is broiled lamb chops or tilapia with lemon and butter. I think that cooking at home is such a good way to relax from work, something that is physical and mental at the same time. I really enjoy it. And while I do cook almost every night, my one fast and easy indulgence is a bowl of those frozen Chinese dumplings from the Asian grocery... Pork and leek dumplings with a little soy sace - yum...
Since I'm only partially employed at the moment, I enjoy making dinners for my boyfriend & myself. Last night was poached salmon, mixed frozen veggies from Whole Foods, rice pilaf & salad. 2 nights ago I made linguini with a sauteed chicken pieces, brown mushrooms & peas in a marinara sauce with a bit of cream... Breakfast I make protein shakes & lunch I always make a vegetable juice
5-10 minute spicy sausage and penne
Saute 2 Trader Joe's Jalepeno Chicken Sausage cut up into little pieces in some olive oil in a skillet, while boiling whole wheat (or regular) penne in another pot. Then I sprinkle crushed red pepper (I like it spicy!) and oregano over the sausage pieces while they are cooking. They come precooked so this step doesn't take long.
Meanwhile, take frozen mix of sliced red/yellow/green peppers (I like them so use 2-3 cups) in a bowl and microwave 2 min until hot and the water has come out of them - do not discard the water!!
put the whole cooked peppers (water and all) in the skillet with the sausage and let the whole mixture simmer until the pasta is done and then toss the pasta in.
best thing is then grate real parmesan over the top. Makes 2 servings.
this is even better with real pork hot italian sausage but I don't eat pork anymore...