Home-cooked Meal Ideas

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  • I'm a big fan of chili in the crock pot, myself. You can make it every other/every 2 days and make it taste different enough that it's still fucking delicious. Then again, I'm one of those people who more or less just eats for fuel, so as long as something isn't shellfish, penicillin, and doesn't noticeably taste like ass...I'm probably going to eat it.

  • edited March 2017
    Aesgar said:
    Examples that come to mind are various pastas, burrito/tacos, B.L.Ts, etcetera. Just figured I throw it out there to see if anybody had some genius ideas I could mix it up with.
    Quick stir fry:

    1. Get a wok.
    2. Coat wok with olive oil.
    3. Slice up some chicken breast (about 500g should do it), and brown that.
    4. Add cracked peppercorns when they're browned, stir until fragrant. Shouldn't take long.
    5. Add in sliced green capsicum (or red), red onion (sliced coarsely), and toss until they're soft.
    6. Add in two tablespoons of oyster sauce and a teaspoon of soy sauce. Add a teaspoon of brown sugar.
    7. Light dash of water if you'd like more sauce, otherwise can ignore.
    8. Once it's all cooked up, serve on a bed of steamed rice.

    Quick chicken skewers:

    1. Dice up a red capsicum, yellow capsicum, and onion. Reasonable chunks. Also get about 800g of chicken breast, dice it up (bite sized). Put it into a shallow bowl.
    2. Mix together some lemon rind and juice (about 1 should do it), add in a finely chopped red chilli, teaspoon of smoked paprika, a dash of olive oil, chopped and dried oregano, and 2-3 garlic cloves. Make sure you get a good stir going on it, this is your seasoning.
    3. Pour the seasoning over the chicken, toss it to ensure it's nice and fully coated.
    4. Thread the chicken onto the skewers (metal or wood, doesn't matter except if you're using wood then you might want to soak them underwater the night before so they don't char/catch fire), alternating with the onion and capsicum.
    5. Cook them under a medium-hot grill for about 5 minutes on each side or until the chicken is cooked through.
    6. Serve with lemon wedges. You should get enough for 7-8 skewers worth.

    Both of these recipes use capsicum, but I've admittedly been using a lot of that lately. I also have a Caribbean stew, but that's a lot more involved, and my chilli con carne is an hour or two. For a non-capsicum recipe, however, here's a soup:

    1. Sesame oil (this is important, you must use sesame oil, olive oil completely changes the flavour), coat the bottom of a pot. Heat it up.
    2. Put in a teaspoon of garlic, a teaspoon of ginger, and a teaspoon or two of chilli. Stir it together.
    3. Dice up some chicken (can be done with beef, I guess, but takes longer to cook beef) and brown it in the mixture.
    4. When it's nicely browned, put in two cups of chicken stock + water, maybe some more water if you think you need more broth.
    5. Add in a splash of Chinese rice wine vinegar, a generous dollop of mirin, beans, peas, and various other vegetables.
    6. Bring it to the boil, put the lid on it, and let it simmer until fully cooked (takes chicken about 20 minutes on my stove, couldn't speak to yours).
    7. A couple of minutes before you serve it, put in a packet of udon noodles. You can't put them in with the rest because they'll disintegrate, so they only need a few minutes.
    8. Serve in bowls. Use chopsticks unless you're a philistine.
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  • edited March 2017
    If you're already doing a lot of pasta, one thing that I find is pretty good and healthy:

    - cook a bunch of penne (use whole wheat, has more flavour when cold)
    - while that's boiling, split a carton of cherry/grape tomatoes in half, throw into a mixing bowl with extra virgin olive oil, minced garlic, basil leaves (both thai and italian are fine, roll them before you cut them and they won't bruise as much), and a nut of your choice (I love pine nuts but they're pricey, almonds are good for calcium + weight loss, cashews are pretty tasty in this too).
    - Drain/cool pasta, toss in bowl with the rest of the stuff. Eat right away or fridge for later, easy to do a large portion and keeps pretty well! Plus you just need to put plastic wrap on top and you're done in terms of storage (just wait for it to be room temp before you wrap it and put it in fridge so less bacterial breeding)

    Olive oil is great for heart health, and it's a good way to get some veggies in raw! Plus the protein in the nuts can help make you feel a bit more full, and no need to heat if you're lazy. Only real cost you have is how expensive are the nuts you like, but you can do bacon instead.

    My favourite thing lately if I want to be decadent but also lazy

    - Find berebere spice - it's an Ethiopian spice blend, a bit of heat but really fragrant
    - Olive oil into a pan, dust it with berebere, let it sit and infuse for a little bit while you split/pit an avaocado
    - two slices of bread into the pain, keep the pan hot enough to brown but not burn, the oil will seep into the bread and fry it. Fry both sides while you slice up the avocado halves
    - bread out and onto a plate, two eggs into the pain, you can turn down the heat if you like them runny, residual heat is usually enough to finish off the eggs
    - lay your avocado on the bread, pop the eggs on top once you're done

    Takes like 5 minutes, and tastes amazing.

    Other tips
    - Go to asian supermarkets for meat/fish, it tends to be way cheaper (fish especially)
    - A lot of cheap cuts of meat are really tasty but take a longer time to cook, if you look up how to prep them you'll save money but be just as satisfied
    - Always keep lemon and butter in your fridge - if you're feeling lazy, pretty much anything cooked at med-high heat with butter and lemon will taste good


  • Sarathai said:
    Aesgar said:
    Examples that come to mind are various pastas, burrito/tacos, B.L.Ts, etcetera. Just figured I throw it out there to see if anybody had some genius ideas I could mix it up with.
    Quick stir fry:

    1. Get a wok.
    2. Coat wok with olive oil.
    3. Slice up some chicken breast (about 500g should do it), and brown that.
    4. Add cracked peppercorns when they're browned, stir until fragrant. Shouldn't take long.
    5. Add in sliced green capsicum (or red), red onion (sliced coarsely), and toss until they're soft.
    6. Add in two tablespoons of oyster sauce and a teaspoon of soy sauce. Add a teaspoon of brown sugar.
    7. Light dash of water if you'd like more sauce, otherwise can ignore.
    8. Once it's all cooked up, serve on a bed of steamed rice.

    Quick chicken skewers:

    1. Dice up a red capsicum, yellow capsicum, and onion. Reasonable chunks. Also get about 800g of chicken breast, dice it up (bite sized). Put it into a shallow bowl.
    2. Mix together some lemon rind and juice (about 1 should do it), add in a finely chopped red chilli, teaspoon of smoked paprika, a dash of olive oil, chopped and dried oregano, and 2-3 garlic cloves. Make sure you get a good stir going on it, this is your seasoning.
    3. Pour the seasoning over the chicken, toss it to ensure it's nice and fully coated.
    4. Thread the chicken onto the skewers (metal or wood, doesn't matter except if you're using wood then you might want to soak them underwater the night before so they don't char/catch fire), alternating with the onion and capsicum.
    5. Cook them under a medium-hot grill for about 5 minutes on each side or until the chicken is cooked through.
    6. Serve with lemon wedges. You should get enough for 7-8 skewers worth.

    Both of these recipes use capsicum, but I've admittedly been using a lot of that lately. I also have a Caribbean stew, but that's a lot more involved, and my chilli con carne is an hour or two. For a non-capsicum recipe, however, here's a soup:

    1. Sesame oil (this is important, you must use sesame oil, olive oil completely changes the flavour), coat the bottom of a pot. Heat it up.
    2. Put in a teaspoon of garlic, a teaspoon of ginger, and a teaspoon or two of chilli. Stir it together.
    3. Dice up some chicken (can be done with beef, I guess, but takes longer to cook beef) and brown it in the mixture.
    4. When it's nicely browned, put in two cups of chicken stock + water, maybe some more water if you think you need more broth.
    5. Add in a splash of Chinese rice wine vinegar, a generous dollop of mirin, beans, peas, and various other vegetables.
    6. Bring it to the boil, put the lid on it, and let it simmer until fully cooked (takes chicken about 20 minutes on my stove, couldn't speak to yours).
    7. A couple of minutes before you serve it, put in a packet of udon noodles. You can't put them in with the rest because they'll disintegrate, so they only need a few minutes.
    8. Serve in bowls. Use chopsticks unless you're a philistine.
    Capsicum is a wide range of stuff. Any specifics?

  • Looks like he means bell peppers, since he later mentions chilis specifically.
  • KryptonKrypton shi-Khurena
    That's what it's called in Australia, yes.
  • Good to know!

  • Durian said:
    Seriously though, crockpot meals take little prep time and are some of my favorite meals to eat. You can get a pretty decent crockpot for around 40-50 bucks.
    For sure.  Easiest thing in the world, and super tender and moist proteins.

  • KresslackKresslack Florida, United States
    Home-made chicken noodle soup is always a great, easy meal that will last a couple of days. Boil some chicken breasts or entire quarter pieces. After chicken is boiled through, take it out, separate from bone and gristle. Dump egg noodles into the now boiling broth to cook, bring to a simmer when noodles are done and add in the shredded chicken, chopped onion and celery, season to taste then ladle that goodness into a bowl.

    I don't tend to get sick but really about once a year (around March, as it were) and this is my go to remedy each time. Works like a charm. Drink lots of the broth.


  • Kresslack said:
    Home-made chicken noodle soup is always a great, easy meal that will last a couple of days. Boil some chicken breasts or entire quarter pieces. After chicken is boiled through, take it out, separate from bone and gristle. Dump egg noodles into the now boiling broth to cook, bring to a simmer when noodles are done and add in the shredded chicken, chopped onion and celery, season to taste then ladle that goodness into a bowl.

    I don't tend to get sick but really about once a year (around March, as it were) and this is my go to remedy each time. Works like a charm. Drink lots of the broth.
    Your March is my October apparently. It's the worst. 100.5+ Fever, killer sore throat and cold. Ugh, every October...
  • KresslackKresslack Florida, United States
    edited April 2017
    Aesgar said:
    Kresslack said:
    Home-made chicken noodle soup is always a great, easy meal that will last a couple of days. Boil some chicken breasts or entire quarter pieces. After chicken is boiled through, take it out, separate from bone and gristle. Dump egg noodles into the now boiling broth to cook, bring to a simmer when noodles are done and add in the shredded chicken, chopped onion and celery, season to taste then ladle that goodness into a bowl.

    I don't tend to get sick but really about once a year (around March, as it were) and this is my go to remedy each time. Works like a charm. Drink lots of the broth.
    Your March is my October apparently. It's the worst. 100.5+ Fever, killer sore throat and cold. Ugh, every October...
    Where do you live? I'm in Florida and March is pretty much like that for me because that's when Spring typically starts and all the pollen is floating around.


  • Kresslack said:
    Aesgar said:
    Kresslack said:
    Home-made chicken noodle soup is always a great, easy meal that will last a couple of days. Boil some chicken breasts or entire quarter pieces. After chicken is boiled through, take it out, separate from bone and gristle. Dump egg noodles into the now boiling broth to cook, bring to a simmer when noodles are done and add in the shredded chicken, chopped onion and celery, season to taste then ladle that goodness into a bowl.

    I don't tend to get sick but really about once a year (around March, as it were) and this is my go to remedy each time. Works like a charm. Drink lots of the broth.
    Your March is my October apparently. It's the worst. 100.5+ Fever, killer sore throat and cold. Ugh, every October...
    Where do you live? I'm in Florida and March is pretty much like that for me because that's when Spring typically starts and all the pollen is floating around.

    Montana. It's usually when the cold is setting in
  • KresslackKresslack Florida, United States
    Sounds about right. Seasonal shifts seem to be a common cause of suffering.


  • SkyeSkye The Duchess Bellatere
    I somehow dodged my first quarter seasonal flu this year. Somehow. I had a really bad one last year and lost my voice the year before that. I feel like I'm not out of the woods yet though. Still have a lot of parents calling in to say their kids are sick.


  • edited April 2017
    The last couple of days I've made this:
    https://www.buzzfeed.com/bexv123/impress-your-dinner-guests-with-this-roasted-veggie-salad?utm_term=.vlEEd22oq&bffbtasty#.ru1rDkkEy

    It's really easy and tasty.  I'm not a huge fan of avocado at the best of times, but the dressing was really good.

    We made a few changes, but it still turned out great.  Instead of brussel sprouts, we swapped it out for broccoli.  Our supermarket ran out of butternut pumpkin, so we used sweet potatoes and they worked just as well.  I absolutely love roasted eggplant, so I added that too.  Once made up, we added some tuna.

    On the second attempt, we changed the tuna for smoked salmon, added some feta and some quinoa.

    Also, at 200 degrees C, the vegies DO NOT need 40 minutes in the oven.  They were done in 20.
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    Krenim: Hounds? How cliche.
    Janeway: Tuvok! *clapclap* Release my rape gorilla!
    Krenim: ...We'll show ourselves out.
  • I love making pizza because you can cover all the food groups if you try hard enough, it's quick to prep, and cooks fast!

    The recipe I tend to run with is:

    - 2 1/2 Cups Flour
    - 2 tbsp Sugar
    - 1 tbsp Kosher Salt
    - 1 tbsp Olive Oil
    - 1/2 tbsp yeast (or a pack if you have em)
    - 1 Cup Warm Water

    Mix that all up in a large bowl, transfer onto a lightly floured counter, and knead the dough for a couple minutes.

    Place in a lightly oiled bowl (make sure the dough gets some of this oil so it doesn't dry out) and wrap a piece of plastic wrap over the top.

    Let the dough rise for about 2 hours. Rising time may vary based on what yeast you use. If you're in a big hurry, you can also place the bowl in an over or microwave with boiling water near or underneath it.

    When the dough rises a bit, roll it out, place on an oiled pan, and dress it with your preferred sauce and toppings!

    If you're feeling really frisky, you might even blend together a nice combo of olive oil, garlic, garlic salt, and italian herbs for a quick crust dressing to be brushed on the top. Or you can also use butter (more of a garlic butter approach).

    --------------

    For Christmas I got a pizza steel (bottom two pizzas were cooked on it, transferred on a regular pan to cut) so I've been using that, alongside a pizza sauce recipe I've been tinkering with. Love the char you can get with the steel! I've also used my cast iron square pan for a more Detroit Style type crust--same ingredients, just a different pan!


  • edited January 2018
    Also for a quick meal, sometimes I'll take the Tyson breaded chicken patties and cook them in the oven for about 20 minutes. 

    Then I'll take some marinara sauce and spoon that on top, followed by Mozzarella and some Parmesan.

    Let that cook for another 5 minutes and BAM--quick chicken parm! Great with pasta or on a warmed bun/roll.
  • Xias said:
    I love making pizza because you can cover all the food groups if you try hard enough, it's quick to prep, and cooks fast!

    The recipe I tend to run with is:

    - 2 1/2 Cups Flour
    - 2 tbsp Sugar
    - 1 tbsp Kosher Salt
    - 1 tbsp Olive Oil
    - 1/2 tbsp yeast (or a pack if you have em)
    - 1 Cup Warm Water

    Mix that all up in a large bowl, transfer onto a lightly floured counter, and knead the dough for a couple minutes.

    Place in a lightly oiled bowl (make sure the dough gets some of this oil so it doesn't dry out) and wrap a piece of plastic wrap over the top.

    Let the dough rise for about 2 hours. Rising time may vary based on what yeast you use. If you're in a big hurry, you can also place the bowl in an over or microwave with boiling water near or underneath it.

    When the dough rises a bit, roll it out, place on an oiled pan, and dress it with your preferred sauce and toppings!

    If you're feeling really frisky, you might even blend together a nice combo of olive oil, garlic, garlic salt, and italian herbs for a quick crust dressing to be brushed on the top. Or you can also use butter (more of a garlic butter approach).

    --------------

    For Christmas I got a pizza steel (bottom two pizzas were cooked on it, transferred on a regular pan to cut) so I've been using that, alongside a pizza sauce recipe I've been tinkering with. Love the char you can get with the steel! I've also used my cast iron square pan for a more Detroit Style type crust--same ingredients, just a different pan!


    I love making pizza too.  However, in a pinch, a super quick pizza dough can be made from a starting point of 1 cup of self raising flour and 1 cup of natural, unflavoured, greek yogurt.  I say starting point because it may or may not require additional flour to make it more of a dough and less sticky.  I tend to run toward the 1 and a half cups of flour.  Once mixed, kneed for about 10 minutes and then roll out.

    I call it my cheat pizza dough.  While it won't give you a super phenominal pizza crust, it's great for a real quick fix.  Plus, you don't need to leave it for 2 hours to rise.
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    Krenim: Hounds? How cliche.
    Janeway: Tuvok! *clapclap* Release my rape gorilla!
    Krenim: ...We'll show ourselves out.
  • Get an instant pot. Can cook all the things. (Including cheesecake! :open_mouth:)


    Tecton-Today at 6:17 PM

    teehee b.u.t.t. pirates
  • Xias said:
     I've also used my cast iron square pan for a more Detroit Style type crust--same ingredients, just a different pan!


            

  • Aralaya said:
    Get an instant pot. Can cook all the things. (Including cheesecake! :open_mouth:)

    Just got one for Christmas! Time to start cooking all the things! First thing that caught my eye was crème brulee in ten minutes. :D
  • Cailin said:
    Aralaya said:
    Get an instant pot. Can cook all the things. (Including cheesecake! :open_mouth:)

    Just got one for Christmas! Time to start cooking all the things! First thing that caught my eye was crème brulee in ten minutes. :D
    A note about the times that come with recipes for the instant pot. That's the time inside the pot after coming to pressure. The pot still has to pressurize which takes longer


    Tecton-Today at 6:17 PM

    teehee b.u.t.t. pirates
  • Artichoke in a pressure cooker isn't too slow
  • But artiechokes get you every time





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  • Nouilles très délicieuses
    • packet of ramen
    • 3 eggs
    • spinach leaves
    1. Open the packet of ramen and put it in a microwaveable bowl. 
    2. Pour water in the bowl, make sure the water level covers the ramen. 
    3. Crack 3 eggs into the bowl. 
    4. Microwave for 2.5 minutes.
    5. Pour in seasoning (1/4th the packet)
    6. Cover with spinach leaves.
    7. Audition for Iron chef

    [ SnB PvP Guide | Link ]

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  • Nouilles très délicieuses
    • packet of ramen
    • 3 eggs
    • spinach leaves
    1. Open the packet of ramen and put it in a microwaveable bowl. 
    2. Pour water in the bowl, make sure the water level covers the ramen. 
    3. Crack 3 eggs into the bowl. 
    4. Microwave for 2.5 minutes.
    5. Pour in seasoning (1/4th the packet)
    6. Cover with spinach leaves.
    7. Audition for Iron chef
    Yeah you lost me, too long.
  • KyrraKyrra Australia
    Minifie said:
    Nouilles très délicieuses
    • packet of ramen
    • 3 eggs
    • spinach leaves
    1. Open the packet of ramen and put it in a microwaveable bowl. 
    2. Pour water in the bowl, make sure the water level covers the ramen. 
    3. Crack 3 eggs into the bowl. 
    4. Microwave for 2.5 minutes.
    5. Pour in seasoning (1/4th the packet)
    6. Cover with spinach leaves.
    7. Audition for Iron chef
    Yeah you lost me, too long.
    Basically two-minute noodles Asian style.
    (D.M.A.): Cooper says, "Kyrra is either the most innocent person in the world, or the girl who uses the most innuendo seemingly unintentionally but really on purpose."

  • You lost me at eggs in the microwave
    :angry:


    Tecton-Today at 6:17 PM

    teehee b.u.t.t. pirates
  • I have a few recipes that I do when I'm trying to get food out in a hurry.  I'm a good cook but I have two children and an impatient wife so sometimes I have to try to produce a great meal quickly.  Some of my favourites are:


    Brown rice and beef 'stir fry'

    not a real stir fry but essentially you cook some brown rice, then brown -lean- ground beef with garlic powder, cayenne pepper, and then whatever hot sauce you can handle or like.  I personally use mad dog 357.  Get some vegetables (whatever you need to use or get a frozen pack) and mix them all together in the pan that you made the beef in.  The low amount of fat in the beef that has cooked off will soak into the rice, giving it a great flavour.  Also a very healthy meal and can pretty much be done and dusted within 30 minutes.  


    Traditional pizza


    I will make pizza dough from scratch, the yeast can be found in almost all supermarkets.  All that's really required is warm water and flour.  Let that proof while you prep your toppings.  I like to do a Margarita with olive oil instead of marinara as the sauce. I'll slice some fresh mozzarella and wash the basil leaves, then once my dough is proofed put it on a baking tray after rolling it out pretty thin and punching holes in it with a fork.  Olive oil down for the sauce, then cheese and basil and sliced tomatoes and you've got a nice, thin crust.  



    I have like a million more and I'll be posting them as I think of them, if anyone's interested.





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