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A Good Cook Sometime

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General fitness, health and nutrition
Published
26 March 2006
Last activity
28 March 2006
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Believer
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  1. Hello All,

    First, let me introduce myself since I am a long-time lurker but first
    time poster to this group. My name is Robert, and I live in Topeka, KS
    where I work as a computer programmer/prepress graphics artists. One
    of my great passions in life is cooking -- I have something like 70
    cook-books!

    Now, for several years I've endeavored to hone my culinary skills, and
    I think I've been fairly successful in this regard, but there is always
    still much to be learnt and perfected. Some of my more recent
    endeavors have been oven fried chicken (the *real* thing -- not shake
    and bake), home-made potato salad, Corn Beef and cabbage, tamales,
    peanut butter cups....
    (BTW, if anyone wants the recipes to these, then let me know -- they
    all turned out delicious.)
    So, I figure I'm pretty versatile in what I'm able to make and am
    getting my techniques and recipes a little better over time.

    The thing is that cooking takes time, and a combination of busyness
    (and laziness) often precludes any meaningful cooking ventures at the
    end of the day. During the work-week, I will often subsist on such
    things as canned raviolis, pre-packaged flavored rice, home-made
    hamburgers, etc. Although such items provide nurishment, they do
    little to widen my knowledge or increase my culinary repertoire.

    So, my question is two-fold. First, am I the only one who is a good
    cook sometimes -- i.e. mainly on the weekends? Second, does anyone
    have any advice on how someone can still have the convenience during
    the week of fast meals while simultenously exercising some degree of
    sophistication and skill in their preparation?

    Anyway, hi to all. Say hi back and tell me about yourself.

    Believer

  2. Believer said:


    So, my question is two-fold. First, am I the only one who is a good
    cook sometimes -- i.e. mainly on the weekends?

    No, you're describing a great many people.

    Quoted message said:

    Second, does anyone
    have any advice on how someone can still have the convenience during
    the week of fast meals while simultenously exercising some degree of
    sophistication and skill in their preparation?

    One thing you can do is prep things when you get home from shopping,
    eliminating as much as possible of the work you'd ordinarily do as part
    of a meal prep. That would include portion-sizing meats and other
    things as well as cleaning vegetables, tipping green beans, stringing
    snowpeas, scrubbing carrots or zucchini, etc. Then during the week you
    are taking things out of the fridge that are all ready to go, except
    probably for slicing.

    A second thing is to plan for good leftovers when you make your longer
    efforts on the weekend. When I was busier than now I used to make
    stews and braises and pots of beans and roast chicken and poached
    chicken on the weekends and eat them during the week.

    A third thing, if you're interested, is to learn the how-to's of stir
    frying. A pot of rice only takes a half hour or so to cook and in that
    time you can make a lot of great stirfry dishes.

    Somebody will no doubt suggest a crock pot, but I don't think that fits
    with your stated desire to continue learning how to cook well.

    -aem

  3. G'day Robert and welcome to our group!
    I'm a sometimes poster from Down Under (Oz) who loves
    good food and cooking.
    I have plenty of time to cook, but can still cook good food fast when I
    need to!
    I'll gladly pass tips along as I think of them.

    Cheers
    Bronwyn

  4. Believer said:

    Hello All,

    First, let me introduce myself since I am a long-time lurker but first
    time poster to this group. My name is Robert, and I live in Topeka, KS
    where I work as a computer programmer/prepress graphics artists. One
    of my great passions in life is cooking -- I have something like 70
    cook-books!

    Now, for several years I've endeavored to hone my culinary skills, and
    I think I've been fairly successful in this regard, but there is always
    still much to be learnt and perfected. Some of my more recent
    endeavors have been oven fried chicken (the *real* thing -- not shake
    and bake), home-made potato salad, Corn Beef and cabbage, tamales,
    peanut butter cups....
    (BTW, if anyone wants the recipes to these, then let me know -- they
    all turned out delicious.)
    So, I figure I'm pretty versatile in what I'm able to make and am
    getting my techniques and recipes a little better over time.

    The thing is that cooking takes time, and a combination of busyness
    (and laziness) often precludes any meaningful cooking ventures at the
    end of the day. During the work-week, I will often subsist on such
    things as canned raviolis, pre-packaged flavored rice, home-made
    hamburgers, etc. Although such items provide nurishment, they do
    little to widen my knowledge or increase my culinary repertoire.

    So, my question is two-fold. First, am I the only one who is a good
    cook sometimes -- i.e. mainly on the weekends? Second, does anyone
    have any advice on how someone can still have the convenience during
    the week of fast meals while simultenously exercising some degree of
    sophistication and skill in their preparation?

    Not here. The only time cooking slacks off is if I'm tired which will
    mean something like a one pot meal or if I'm sick then it means
    previously homeprepared meals for the freezer. Sorry but we both
    believe in good food and always have. That aside, welcome.

    Quoted message said:


    Anyway, hi to all. Say hi back and tell me about yourself.

    Believer

  5. Believer said:

    N

    The thing is that cooking takes time, and a combination of busyness
    (and laziness) often precludes any meaningful cooking ventures at the
    end of the day. During the work-week, I will often subsist on such
    things as canned raviolis, pre-packaged flavored rice, home-made
    hamburgers, etc. Although such items provide nurishment, they do
    little to widen my knowledge or increase my culinary repertoire.

    So, my question is two-fold. First, am I the only one who is a good
    cook sometimes -- i.e. mainly on the weekends? Second, does anyone
    have any advice on how someone can still have the convenience during
    the week of fast meals while simultenously exercising some degree of
    sophistication and skill in their preparation?

    Anyway, hi to all. Say hi back and tell me about yourself.

    Since you ask...... I think that you must be trying to pull our legs. I
    don't know how someone who is (claims to be) a good cook on the weekend can
    eat canned ravioli during the week.

    I have no idea why you have so many cookbooks. I have close to 2 dozen and
    could probably get rid of half of them and never miss them. Watch some
    cooking shows and learn techniques, because cooking is more about technique
    than specific recipes.

  6. Believer said:

    So, my question is two-fold. First, am I the only one who is a good
    cook sometimes -- i.e. mainly on the weekends?

    Nah, I think lots of us cook more/better when we're not tired and
    busy.

    Quoted message said:

    Second, does anyone
    have any advice on how someone can still have the convenience during
    the week of fast meals while simultenously exercising some degree of
    sophistication and skill in their preparation?

    How about freezing portions of your weekend meals to have during the
    week?

    serene

  7. Dave Smith said:

    Since you ask...... I think that you must be trying to pull our legs. I
    don't know how someone who is (claims to be) a good cook on the weekend can
    eat canned ravioli during the week.

    I am told I'm an excellent cook. I can still enjoy trashy food from
    time to time. I like the taste of canned ravioli, but I don't eat it
    often because, since I make my own food most of the time, the amount
    of fat and salt makes me feel all logey when I eat stuff like that.

    serene

  8. Dave Smith said:

    I have no idea why you have so many cookbooks. I have close to 2 dozen and
    could probably get rid of half of them and never miss them. Watch some
    cooking shows and learn techniques, because cooking is more about technique
    than specific recipes.

    I have lots and lots of cookbooks. They're my cooking shows -- I
    don't have the cable hooked up, so I don't watch cooking shows (or
    anything else that's not on DVD/VHS).

    serene

  9. Serene said:
    Quoted message said:

    I have no idea why you have so many cookbooks. I have close to 2 dozen and
    could probably get rid of half of them and never miss them. Watch some
    cooking shows and learn techniques, because cooking is more about technique
    than specific recipes.

    I have lots and lots of cookbooks. They're my cooking shows -- I
    don't have the cable hooked up, so I don't watch cooking shows (or
    anything else that's not on DVD/VHS).

    I follow recipes closely when baking. Just about everything else I do is faked
    and is more to do with technique than an actual recipe.

  10. Dave Smith said:
    Serene said:
    Quoted message said:

    I have no idea why you have so many cookbooks. I have close to 2 dozen and
    could probably get rid of half of them and never miss them. Watch some
    cooking shows and learn techniques, because cooking is more about technique
    than specific recipes.

    I have lots and lots of cookbooks. They're my cooking shows -- I
    don't have the cable hooked up, so I don't watch cooking shows (or
    anything else that's not on DVD/VHS).

    I follow recipes closely when baking. Just about everything else I do is faked
    and is more to do with technique than an actual recipe.

    It depends on my mood. Usually when I cook, I'm a "little of this,
    little of that" kind of person. But when I see a new recipe with
    unfamiliar technique or ingredients, I almost always follow the recipe
    closely (tweaking obvious things, like taking out ingredients I don't
    like) so that I have a baseline.

    serene

  11. Quoted message said:
    Quoted message said:

    I have no idea why you have so many cookbooks. I have close to 2 dozen and


    could probably get rid of half of them and never miss them. Watch some

    cooking shows and learn techniques, because cooking is more about
    technique
    than specific recipes<<

    Cookbooks are a type of teaching tool, same as a cooking show, only
    they last forever, so why worry about that? I have hundreds of
    cookbooks that I refer to from time to time, for various reasons,
    sometimes just to read up on technique for a certain dish, and
    sometimes just to browse for ideas. I love my cookbook collection, and
    I also love watching a good cooking show. At any rate, I understand
    how you might be tired and not interested in cooking in the middle of
    the week, but feel energetic during the weekends...I try to maximize my
    weekend energy by doing all my grocery shopping, and making a few meals
    to eat throughout the week, plus something for the freezer during the
    weekend. Today I made a big pot of ham and bean soup with the
    Christmas ham bone that's been sitting in the freezer (dinner tomorrow,
    and many lunches to come), plus enough oven fried chicken ( a
    combination of Paula Deen and Barefoot Contessa shows I watched this
    past week), mashed taters and roasted asparagus to provide another meal
    or two for the week ahead. I will share that the honey pecan glaze for
    the fried chicken was a huge hit...everyone said they thought it would
    be too sweet, but it really was not. We had neighbors over for dinner,
    and I got extra big kisses and hugs tonight! And I won't be cooking
    for most of the weekdays ahead.

    Good luck,
    Sandy

  12. "Serene" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
    news:[email hidden]...

    Quoted message said:
    Dave Smith said:
    Serene said:

    > I have no idea why you have so many cookbooks. I have close to 2 dozen
    > and
    >could probably get rid of half of them and never miss them. Watch some
    >cooking shows and learn techniques, because cooking is more about
    >technique
    >than specific recipes.

    I have lots and lots of cookbooks. They're my cooking shows -- I
    don't have the cable hooked up, so I don't watch cooking shows (or
    anything else that's not on DVD/VHS).

    I follow recipes closely when baking. Just about everything else I do is
    faked
    and is more to do with technique than an actual recipe.

    It depends on my mood. Usually when I cook, I'm a "little of this,
    little of that" kind of person. But when I see a new recipe with
    unfamiliar technique or ingredients, I almost always follow the recipe
    closely (tweaking obvious things, like taking out ingredients I don't
    like) so that I have a baseline.

    serene

    Me too! Me too! Especially when it's an ethnic dish that I've never done
    before, or using unfamiliar ingredients. Once I've cooked something, and I
    know what it's supposed to end up like, I can get there. But when I'm trying
    something new, it's helpful to follow a recipe. And sometimes it's just fun
    to follow a recipe.

    Donna

  13. "Believer" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
    news:[email hidden]...

    Quoted message said:

    Hello All,

    First, let me introduce myself since I am a long-time lurker but first
    time poster to this group. My name is Robert, and I live in Topeka, KS
    where I work as a computer programmer/prepress graphics artists. One
    of my great passions in life is cooking -- I have something like 70
    cook-books!

    Now, for several years I've endeavored to hone my culinary skills, and
    I think I've been fairly successful in this regard, but there is always
    still much to be learnt and perfected. Some of my more recent
    endeavors have been oven fried chicken (the *real* thing -- not shake
    and bake), home-made potato salad, Corn Beef and cabbage, tamales,
    peanut butter cups....
    (BTW, if anyone wants the recipes to these, then let me know -- they
    all turned out delicious.)
    So, I figure I'm pretty versatile in what I'm able to make and am
    getting my techniques and recipes a little better over time.

    The thing is that cooking takes time, and a combination of busyness
    (and laziness) often precludes any meaningful cooking ventures at the
    end of the day. During the work-week, I will often subsist on such
    things as canned raviolis, pre-packaged flavored rice, home-made
    hamburgers, etc. Although such items provide nurishment, they do
    little to widen my knowledge or increase my culinary repertoire.

    So, my question is two-fold. First, am I the only one who is a good
    cook sometimes -- i.e. mainly on the weekends? Second, does anyone
    have any advice on how someone can still have the convenience during
    the week of fast meals while simultenously exercising some degree of
    sophistication and skill in their preparation?

    Anyway, hi to all. Say hi back and tell me about yourself.

    Believer

    There are lots of things that can be cooked pretty quickly. Sometimes it
    helps to have some of the prep work done ahead of time, but depending on
    what else is going on, sometimes that doesn't matter. I can cut an onion in
    less time than it takes to heat a pan to cooking temp, so cutting an onion
    ahead of time (for example) isn't going to save me much.

    There are lots of pasta sauces that can be done in just a few
    minutes...about the same time it takes pasta to cook. Fish cooks fast. Or
    you can stir-fry thin/small pieces of meat. And stir-fry doesn't necessarily
    mean you're cooking Asian. Beef, peppers, onions, some tortillas and sauce,
    and you've got dinner. Shrimp cooks fast, too.

    There are also plenty of creative things you can do with leftovers, if you
    plan it right. Heck, there are times around here that the leftovers are the
    real plan, and the original roast or whatever is just a way to get there.

    There are also things that you can throw together and put in the oven or let
    simmer for a while. Unless of course, your plan is to eat almost as soon as
    you get in the door. but most people have a few things they do before
    they're ready to sit down and eat. So if you have everything poised to go
    and you just have to assemble it in a pot/pan and if you can leave it baking
    or simmering by itself, you can do a few other things while you wait for
    whatever it is to heat up.

    There are also some things you can use prepared instead of doing the whole
    meal from scratch. Like with the tacos, you can buy jarred salsa, canned
    refried beans, and shredded cheese. Heck, the grocers are stocking pre-cut
    veggies around here. I haven't looked to close, but they probably have
    peppers that are cut, and I know they sell beef and chicken that's sliced.
    Hot oil, toss it in a pan, and it would be cooked in about the same time
    your canned beans are out of the microwave.

  14. Quoted message said:
    Quoted message said:

    So, my question is two-fold. First, am I the only one who is a good


    cook sometimes -- i.e. mainly on the weekends? Second, does anyone
    have any advice on how someone can still have the convenience during
    the week of fast meals while simultenously exercising some degree of
    sophistication and skill in their preparation? <<

    Hi there. Of course almost everybody learns their technique in their
    spare time. What you are missing out on is the training of your
    tastebuds during your non-cooking times. Eating what you say you eat
    will teach you nothing and you won't develop your ability to figure out
    what's in things you like or don't like. If you think this could be an
    important thing in your life, you need to eat better consistently.
    Since you like books, get a couple of books dedicated to eating well
    while cooking a short time. Nigel Slater has written at least two that
    allow you to spend 30 minutes or less and still eat great food.
    Obviously someone who works long enough to eat tinned ravioli doesn't
    have time to watch TV enough to get on with cooking. But there are
    fresh and frozen ravioli, too! And all the other things you mention
    eating can be done with no packaged help. Most Italian housewives make
    fast pastas in the time it takes to heat the water, cook the pasta and
    serve it. Day to day sauces are not cooked for hours, but for minutes.
    Many Asian recipes can be done in the time it takes to boil rice.
    It's a bit like the physician's oath "First do no harm." The cook's
    oath could be "First taste no bad food."
    I applaud your dedication. One day you will add this and that and come
    up with your own, but there's a learning curve as to what works and
    what doesn't and many who do that too fast end up using the same fave
    ingredients and producing things that taste the same, only varying
    according to the meat or fish used or whether it is served with this
    starch or that one. It explains why so much ethnic food in the US is
    so vague and American. (Which I find happens in other countries, too.
    Italian Mexican is vile.)

  15. Dave Smith said:
    Serene said:


    Quoted message said:

    I have no idea why you have so many cookbooks. I have close to 2 dozen and
    could probably get rid of half of them and never miss them. Watch some
    cooking shows and learn techniques, because cooking is more about technique
    than specific recipes.

    I have lots and lots of cookbooks. They're my cooking shows -- I
    don't have the cable hooked up, so I don't watch cooking shows (or
    anything else that's not on DVD/VHS).

    I follow recipes closely when baking. Just about everything else I do is faked
    and is more to do with technique than an actual recipe.

    I have a lot of cookbooks but not as many as some here. Only 4 are used
    and referred to on a very regular basis - 3 are canning books the other
    is bread recipes. The cookbook I turn to most often is Betty Crocker
    followed by the Company's Coming recipe books. That's usually when I
    need a specific recipe or method. My main recipe book is a collection
    of my own recipes along with those from family and friends. I still buy
    cookbooks occasionally even though I know I likely won't use them for
    other than a little inspiration.

  16. "Believer" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
    news:[email hidden]...

    Quoted message said:

    Hello All,

    First, let me introduce myself since I am a long-time lurker but first
    time poster to this group. My name is Robert, and I live in Topeka, KS
    where I work as a computer programmer/prepress graphics artists. One
    of my great passions in life is cooking -- I have something like 70
    cook-books!

    Now, for several years I've endeavored to hone my culinary skills, and
    I think I've been fairly successful in this regard, but there is always
    still much to be learnt and perfected. Some of my more recent
    endeavors have been oven fried chicken (the *real* thing -- not shake
    and bake), home-made potato salad, Corn Beef and cabbage, tamales,
    peanut butter cups....
    (BTW, if anyone wants the recipes to these, then let me know -- they
    all turned out delicious.)
    So, I figure I'm pretty versatile in what I'm able to make and am
    getting my techniques and recipes a little better over time.

    The thing is that cooking takes time, and a combination of busyness
    (and laziness) often precludes any meaningful cooking ventures at the
    end of the day. During the work-week, I will often subsist on such
    things as canned raviolis, pre-packaged flavored rice, home-made
    hamburgers, etc. Although such items provide nurishment, they do
    little to widen my knowledge or increase my culinary repertoire.

    So, my question is two-fold. First, am I the only one who is a good
    cook sometimes -- i.e. mainly on the weekends? Second, does anyone
    have any advice on how someone can still have the convenience during
    the week of fast meals while simultenously exercising some degree of
    sophistication and skill in their preparation?

    Anyway, hi to all. Say hi back and tell me about yourself.

    Believer

    Believer in...?

    Like most suggestions, one of mine is to try to put together one or two
    dishes over the weekend or when you have normal down-time, and reheat them
    during the busy week.

    I cook for one. There are two things I do. First, I always consider the
    quantity in terms of how many times do I want to eat the dish. I only have a
    fridge-top freezer so anything I make I may be eating for a few days --after
    the second day your desire has waned. So I make half-recipes a lot. Try not
    to make dishes you cannot vary when you reheat. Otherwise, if you only cook
    for yourself you'll be wasting time and food.

    Second, keep on hand lots of garnish-type foods. I keep olives, cranberry
    sauce, walnuts, peanuts, pickles, cheeses, jars of sauces, grapes and cut-up
    fruit, etc. in containers ready to either munch or to use as part of dinner
    or whatever. If you get home late from work, you can grill a chicken breast
    or reheat a previously made chop from a recipe, pull out your tray of
    garnishes, and you have a balanced meal. Or if you need a quick lunch fast,
    you pull out the tray and graze along with some wheat crackers, and finish
    with a banana you peel on the way out the door. That also helps with
    leftovers because you can take a bit of what you've previously prepared, and
    with different garnishes end up with a totally different dinner each time.

    I also have a ton of cookbooks. I don't care what anyone says, even though I
    am a master at internet research, I have cookbooks that I know the page
    numbers for stuff I have cooked over the years, and then I love
    books --there is no comparison --you can't take your monitor to your
    easy-chair and curl up with it and a cup of coffee.

    Also, when I consider making an attempt at a new dish, I often take down a
    few cookbooks and read about how the same recipe is treated from, say,
    Southern Cooking to Le Guide, then come up with unique blends that sound
    good to my personal tastes. The best cookbook to keep is one that offers all
    of the basics, for reference --once you have the fundamentals handy you can
    do just about any recipe.
    --
    Lefty

    Life is for learning
    The worst I ever had was wonderful

    Quoted message said:
  17. Lefty wrote:

    I also have a ton of cookbooks. I don't care what anyone says, even
    though I

    Quoted message said:

    am a master at internet research, I have cookbooks that I know the page
    numbers for stuff I have cooked over the years, and then I love
    books --there is no comparison --you can't take your monitor to your
    easy-chair and curl up with it and a cup of coffee.

    Also, when I consider making an attempt at a new dish, I often take down a
    few cookbooks and read about how the same recipe is treated from, say,
    Southern Cooking to Le Guide, then come up with unique blends that sound
    good to my personal tastes. The best cookbook to keep is one that offers all
    of the basics, for reference --once you have the fundamentals handy you can
    do just about any recipe.
    --


    Agree with this. I have almost 12 shelf-feet of cookbooks, or actually
    books about food and wine. Some are recipe books, some are reference
    works, some entwine stories around the food, some have marvellously
    inscrutable old recipes like this:

    Cheese Patina: Measure out enough milk for your pan, mix with honey as
    for other milk dishes, add five eggs. Mix them in the milk until they
    make one mass, strain into a dish from Cuma, and cook over a slow fire.
    When it is ready, sprinkle with pepper and serve.
    -- from Apicius, first few centuries CE.

    I cook a main meal for the two of us each day and don't find it
    inordiately time-consuming. The freezer is your friend in this, for
    example I can cook a big pot of chilli in an hour or so of labor and
    have meals for several days. And if you have a good piece of meat or
    fish it takes little time to cook. I usually avoid very complex
    recipes or meals that require a lot of different dishes (Thanksgiving
    is a good example) and leave these to restaurants to prepare.

  18. Believer said:

    Hello All,

    First, let me introduce myself since I am a long-time lurker but first
    time poster to this group. My name is Robert, and I live in Topeka, KS
    where I work as a computer programmer/prepress graphics artists. One
    of my great passions in life is cooking -- I have something like 70
    cook-books!

    Now, for several years I've endeavored to hone my culinary skills, and
    I think I've been fairly successful in this regard, but there is always
    still much to be learnt and perfected. Some of my more recent
    endeavors have been oven fried chicken (the *real* thing -- not shake
    and bake), home-made potato salad, Corn Beef and cabbage, tamales,
    peanut butter cups....
    (BTW, if anyone wants the recipes to these, then let me know -- they
    all turned out delicious.)
    So, I figure I'm pretty versatile in what I'm able to make and am
    getting my techniques and recipes a little better over time.

    The thing is that cooking takes time, and a combination of busyness
    (and laziness) often precludes any meaningful cooking ventures at the
    end of the day. During the work-week, I will often subsist on such
    things as canned raviolis, pre-packaged flavored rice, home-made
    hamburgers, etc. Although such items provide nurishment, they do
    little to widen my knowledge or increase my culinary repertoire.

    Make extra on the weekend and get creative with leftovers.

    Sometimes I'll get three different meals out of a London Broil. First,
    it is a London Broil, then any leftovers can be sliced for a quick beef
    and broccoli srit fry. If there are still leftovers, then I slice thin
    and have roast beef sandwhiches.

    Chiken can be added on top of a green salad for a quick meal, or you
    can make chicken salad. Also, you can chop it up, toss it in a tortilla
    with some salsa, chesse, and/or hot sauce and have a buritto or
    enchilada. Refried beans become a good dip or filling with a little
    salsa and cheese added. Spice it up with cumin and fresh cilanto and it
    still doesn't take long. Maybe a taco salad ? Just everything on come
    tortilla chips instead of buying or making the shell bowls.

    Corned beef can become a ruebben sandwich in record time. Toss the beef
    in a hot pan with some kraut, butter some rye bread, while the beef and
    kraut reheat, then toss in the bread (same pan) and cook until toasted
    on one side, flip, then start putting the sandwhich together while the
    other side cooks. By the time the cheese starts to melt, the bread
    should be done, and you are ready to eat.

    Pasta sauces and such can be frozen in daily size containers or bags.
    Pasta and rice are both quick and can stand a day or two in the fridge.

    Many leftovers can be made into soup which will last a few days, and
    can also be frozen.

    Dean G.

  19. "Anthony" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
    news:[email hidden]...

    Quoted message said:


    Lefty wrote:

    I also have a ton of cookbooks. I don't care what anyone says, even
    though I

    Quoted message said:

    am a master at internet research, I have cookbooks that I know the page
    numbers for stuff I have cooked over the years, and then I love
    books --there is no comparison --you can't take your monitor to your
    easy-chair and curl up with it and a cup of coffee.

    Also, when I consider making an attempt at a new dish, I often take down


    a

    Quoted message said:
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    few cookbooks and read about how the same recipe is treated from, say,
    Southern Cooking to Le Guide, then come up with unique blends that sound
    good to my personal tastes. The best cookbook to keep is one that offers


    all

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    of the basics, for reference --once you have the fundamentals handy you


    can

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    do just about any recipe.
    --


    Agree with this. I have almost 12 shelf-feet of cookbooks, or actually
    books about food and wine. Some are recipe books, some are reference
    works, some entwine stories around the food, some have marvellously
    inscrutable old recipes like this:

    Cheese Patina: Measure out enough milk for your pan, mix with honey as
    for other milk dishes, add five eggs. Mix them in the milk until they
    make one mass, strain into a dish from Cuma, and cook over a slow fire.
    When it is ready, sprinkle with pepper and serve.
    -- from Apicius, first few centuries CE.

    Nice! Have you seen the webpage with recipes through the ages? I'm
    wondering if it is still there. Now you've reminded me of an odd book I have
    that contains a recipe the author claims was Mary's favorite dish ( Mary,
    mother of Jesus). I will have to dig it out when I get home.
    --
    Lefty

    Life is for learning
    The worst I ever had was wonderful

  20. "Dean G." <[email hidden]> wrote in message
    news:[email hidden]...

    Quoted message said:


    Believer said:

    Hello All,

    First, let me introduce myself since I am a long-time lurker but first
    time poster to this group. My name is Robert, and I live in Topeka, KS
    where I work as a computer programmer/prepress graphics artists. One
    of my great passions in life is cooking -- I have something like 70
    cook-books!

    Now, for several years I've endeavored to hone my culinary skills, and
    I think I've been fairly successful in this regard, but there is always
    still much to be learnt and perfected. Some of my more recent
    endeavors have been oven fried chicken (the *real* thing -- not shake
    and bake), home-made potato salad, Corn Beef and cabbage, tamales,
    peanut butter cups....
    (BTW, if anyone wants the recipes to these, then let me know -- they
    all turned out delicious.)
    So, I figure I'm pretty versatile in what I'm able to make and am
    getting my techniques and recipes a little better over time.

    The thing is that cooking takes time, and a combination of busyness
    (and laziness) often precludes any meaningful cooking ventures at the
    end of the day. During the work-week, I will often subsist on such
    things as canned raviolis, pre-packaged flavored rice, home-made
    hamburgers, etc. Although such items provide nurishment, they do
    little to widen my knowledge or increase my culinary repertoire.

    Make extra on the weekend and get creative with leftovers.

    Sometimes I'll get three different meals out of a London Broil. First,
    it is a London Broil, then any leftovers can be sliced for a quick beef
    and broccoli srit fry. If there are still leftovers, then I slice thin
    and have roast beef sandwhiches.

    Chiken can be added on top of a green salad for a quick meal, or you
    can make chicken salad. Also, you can chop it up, toss it in a tortilla
    with some salsa, chesse, and/or hot sauce and have a buritto or
    enchilada. Refried beans become a good dip or filling with a little
    salsa and cheese added. Spice it up with cumin and fresh cilanto and it
    still doesn't take long. Maybe a taco salad ? Just everything on come
    tortilla chips instead of buying or making the shell bowls.

    Dean G.

    Yes. I was given a Quesadilla maker and it is very handy for the above. You
    plug it in, pile stuff on tortilla 1, cover with tortilla 2, slide it on and
    close like a waffle iron. Five minutes.

    I then pull out my ever-ready tray of garnishes, sauces, and fillings to add
    to the plate and it's a balanced meal.
    --
    Lefty

    Life is for learning
    The worst I ever had was wonderful

    Quoted message said:

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