Cooking at Home

Kraft Deluxe Macaroni & Cheese Dinner

Meatloaf, pasta, salads (not really cooking). Egg dishes.

Beans and rice. Pasta with steamed vegetables. Spicy peanut noodles.

Hamburger Helper - Cheesy Mac

Cooking is for the birds.

Crêpes Suzette

Capellini tossed with butter and freshly ground pepper. Grated Parmigiano Reggiano makes it even better.

Toast.

Premium saltine crackers and water

Fried bologna sandwiches

Chicken Francaise.

Easy.

This guy is a Chef, I like his recipes.

Soups.

R12 that’s classic old man food

A second for soup. Easy

Steak. Just cook it in a cast-iron skillet and let it rest. Steam some broccoli in microwave, open up a package of Simply Potatoes mashed potatoes & microwave. Voila! Dinner is served!

Soups can be fast and easy, especially with well stocked pantry. I love Better Than Bouillon.

Marcella Hazan's really easy, really delicious tomato-butter-onion sauce for pasta. You don't even have to dice the onion: just cut it in half. I use canned whole tomatoes from Cento, which I pulse with a stick blender. And have some Parmigiano-Reggiano for grating.

Actually r8, I've cooked and eaten more than my share of Stone Soup.

Now that I have a real job (with benefits), I've met The 🐔Colonel, and Mickey 🍔 D.

I'm also enjoying Little Caesar's Deep Dish Pizza Lunch Special, with the 20 oz ice cold Coca Cola.

Get a rotisserie chicken.

Make quesadillas.

Here's one I make often that delicious but you don't have to use all these ingredients. Simple chicken/cheese/drained can of Rotel tomatoes will do in a pinch.

Stovetop stuffing

Bear Creek Soup Mixes. Really tastes like homemade, cooks in 15-20 minutes.

On the now famous Stouffer's Lasagna thread recently someone suggested Stouffer's Stuffed Green Peppers over mashed potatoes.

For some inexplicable reason I fancied this idea and got myself a family size Stouffer's Green Peppers and Bob Evan's refrigerated mashed potatoes (only decent premade mashed potatoes in my opinion). It was a tasty comfort food meal. I'll make it again.

I had stuffed peppers left over and the next day heated them up in the air fryer without sauce and they crisped up and browned nicely and made for a delicious sandwich. I preferred the peppers after they had been reheated in the air fryer without sauce. Too soft straight out of the oven and drenched in sauce but good over the taters.

Hamburgers.

Baked potato topped with canned chili, cheese and onions

Omelets

Is R22's meal of reheated frozen foods really "cooking at home"? Greg would simply DIE!

North Star veggie burger plain with a cup of room temperature tap water

Microwave-cooked filet mignon!

R22 but have you tried Simply Potatoes mashed potatoes?

5 fruits and vegetables a day mixed with everything else in a different order everyday. and water

Fried rice and/or stir fry

I like a stir-fry with Thai rice noodles.

French toast could not be easier or more delish.

Both are the essence of YUMMO!

I always have flour tortillas and jack cheese, a quesadilla takes minutes. Ripe avocados on my tree a bonus.

Munchies based on what’s on hand:

1.Fried egg on toast with tomato slices

2. Hot tea with chunk of cheese and apples

3 Pancakes with peanut butter and banana

Munchies requiring a two block walk:

1. Sardines in mustard on saltines

2. Bagel with cream cheese, olives, salami, tomato, and bullshit lettuce

3. Cheapest frozen pizza topped with stir-fried vegetables and good cheese.

Microwaved hot dogs. Make sure to wrap them in a damp paper towel to get a steamed hot dog cart experience.

Ham and cheese sandwich.

If you feel like washing a pan, grilled ham and cheese.

Roasted bone-in chicken breasts are a mainstay.

Easy, fast and versatile.

When you want to eat but don't want to cook:

Throw chicken thighs in a crockpot with BBQ sauce of your choice. Spice it up a bit. Turn it on low and cook for a long time, 4-5 hours. Pick whatever vegetables you want, cook them separately. Bake a potato or make some rice if you want a starch.

Get pork tenderloin (not a pork loin roast), usually comes in packages of two. Cook them both. Remove whatever that tough bit is with a sharp knife (takes a couple of minutes no big deal - see youtube). Quickly brown on stovetop in an oven safe pan. Throw pan in oven and finish at 375 for ten minutes or so. Make some vegetables, bake a potato or some rice if you feel like it.

Get a couple of salmon fillets with the skin on the bottom. Cook in a teflon pan until you can see their about half way done (the flesh of the fish will show it cooking upwards). Flip the salmon, cook for barely a minute and it's done. Mix mustard, dill and sour cream in a bowl, maybe with some chives - it's a sauce. Cook the obligatory vegetables and baked potato or rice.

Casseroles are your friend. Pick one or two that you like, cook large ones on a day you feel like cooking. Put most of them in the freezer, wrapped in whatever serving size you will want later. Defrost and microwave them whenever. You can do the same thing with a homemade tomato sauce, keep it in the freezer. All it takes is boiling pasta and microwaving or cooking the sauce in a pan.

Spaghetti aglio i olio

Egg fried rice

Ramen with soft boiled egg

Chilaques

Wok- learn how to stir fry. You require a protein, veggies (carrots, celery, onions or anything else you like), a sauce (buy or make) and toppings like basil, scallions, peanuts. Air fryer-grilled cheese, french toast, bacon, fries, wings, onion rings, egg rolls, samosas, empanadas, reheated pizza. Most of this is prepared. Costco and Trader Joes are your friends. Microwave--rice, popcorn, vegetables, pasta. grains, oatmeal, baked potatoes (finish them in the air fryer.) Vitamix-puree veggies and stock into delicious soups, milk shakes and smoothies (duh). Hummius. Sauces. Easy and on the cheap- omelettes, frozen pierogi, frozen ravioli. frozen potato pancakes, pancakes, quiches with prepared crust, pizzas with prepared crusts. Burritos with rotisserie chicken. Egg drop soup. .

[quote]Easy, fast and versatile.

Just like you?

R22- You sound like a FAT WHORE.

My favorite easy snack is King Oscar Brisling Sardines in Olive Oil sprinkled with freshly ground pepper and fresh lemon juice if available eaten with Carr's Table Water Biscuits or on toast.

[quote]Cooking at Home

I prefer to do all of my cooking at 53rd and Madison.

OK. Pasta: You buy some sauce. I prefer Rao. But you decide. You buy some Rana frozen pasta. Boil water. Heat up the sauce in a saucepan. Gently. Grate some Locatella Romano or Parmesan or a combo. and put some on yourv drained pasta, toss. Then add sauce. Put more cheese on it to taste. Of course you'll use some salt and pepper. (Be careful bcz cheese is salty.) Done. Enjoy.

Pot Roast : Get a nice piece of Chuck roast. 3-4 pounds. Put it in a roasting pan (with a lid) Drizzle olive oil on the meat and into the roasting pan. Not too much. maybe 1/2 cup. Also add water. maybe two t hree inches. Now. Take a yellow onion, cut it up in quarters (After you peel it.) Salt, pepper, garlic powder. Add a few carrots (maybe 3-4...or 5. ) About 40 minutes before you take it out of the oven, you'll add some chunks of white potatoes and or sweet potatoes. You want to cook it, covered, on 325, for two hours or 2 12 hours. Meat should break a part easily. Oh. Add some beef bullion cubes to the liquid. I use Better Than Bullion. About two tablespoons. maybe a little less.

Roasting Chicken: rinse out and clean the cavity. Smear salt and pepper inside. Then stuff it with celery, fresh sage, onions . Slather some olive oil or butter all over it. I use Olive oil. Put it in a roasting pan. Add a little bit of olive oil to the bottm of the roasting pan. add about two inches of water. put a couple of spoonsful of Chicken bullion. (I use Better that Bullion Chicken stock.) 350 for about 2 hours. You'll know if your chicken is done by wiggling the drumstick. If it moves easily or falls off your chicken is cooked. If not cook it for another 10-15 minutes.

Buying take out or prepared foods all the time is not good for you. Sodium. Cholesterol. Sugar. Chemicals that are carcenogens.

[quote]Better that Bullion

NOTHING is better than BULLION, darling.

(And the word you were looking for is bouillon.)

Veal Prince Orloff, dear.

- Sue Ann Nivens

Cooking meals is for LOSERS

Great stuff

I agree with the poster who suggested French toast, and it is wonderful with maple syrup. But it's also good with chunks of goat cheese between each slice in the stack, which melts quickly as you're drizzling a little hot sauce on top.

French toast is so easy to make, and real maple syrup is a must.

Pancakes Barbara!

I don’t like maple syrup - the real stuff I used to buy from Vermont. It’s too sugary and it is THIN.

I like Mrs Butterworth sugar free. It’s rich n thick and isn’t full of sugar.

Anything that can be cooked in an Instant Pot: made duck confit last night in an hour

Lentils and rice.

Things everyone should know how to make by age 21: scrambled eggs, hot chocolate, burgers, pasta and jarred sauce, mac and cheese, grilled cheese, simple sandwiches, broiled chicken, steamed vegetables, broiled salmon, salads, baked potatoes.garlic bread, chili, pancakes. chocolate chip cookies and brownies off the Hershey's box.

If you can't handle these basics, take a class online or off. Then read up on stocking a pantry and basic equipment.

French toast is easy, but it requires stale bread.

R56, you can set slices of fresh bread on the counter overnight and they'll dry out enough to make French toast in the morning. Of course, that requires foresight, which may be even harder to come by than stale bread.

Must use brioche for French toast.

That nice boxed mac & cheese with the cheese powder packets. Yummy!!!!

Boxed Mac & Cheese isgross! HOrible. And there is no brand that makes it palatable. Ugh. I used to eat it as a kid. So during Pandemic quarantine, I bought some. Horrible. Then I tried Velveeta. OMG how could I have ever eaten this and called it cheese!

Mama used to buy boxed Kraft Mac & Cheese, dump a can of tuna into it, then crush some potato chips, and sprinkle them on top, put it in the oven for about 20 minutes and that was tuna noodle casserole.

I can make ice water from a mix if there's a good YouTube video on it.

Things are so easy now , you can get a decent meal together with out having a lot of skills. You can even buy bacon, pork or turkey bacon already cooked and just read the instructions. You can buy biscuits in a damned can, and all you gotta do is fry the egg. How hard can that be! You can buy frozen waffles or pancakes.

I don't like French toast. Not worth all the calories, IMO.

I would eat a Monte Cristo sandwich or a Croque Madame or Croque Monsieur, though.

DLers are allergic to dark green leafy vegetables which should be eaten daily.

R63, I was at Costco's the other day. They sell roasted Brussel Sprouts. THey sell mashed potatoes or roasted potatoes. All frozen. Go to the supermarket. THey sell mixed fresh vegetables in a bag, all washed and ready to steam cook or microwave. YOu can buy a rotisserie chicken and use it for all kinds of chicken dishes. Pot pies, chicken salad, etc.

If they're frozen are they really fresh?

R64, I love a good Monte Cristo, but they are hard to find in restaurants. I make a fake version at home, not deep-fried. The last time I had one at New Orleans Square in Disneyland it wasn't great and $30.

R68, I don't see why a Monte Cristo needs to be deep-fried. It's a sandwich, i.e., two large, flat sides, so it's perfect for cooking in a pan with some butter or oil.

It tastes better fried, just like french fries that are deep-fried versus oven baked.

1). Roast a chicken (stuffed with a cut up lemon, several cloves of garlic, and season with a good amount of salt and pepper - then coat the chicken with olive oil), cook at 400F for about an hour, depending on the size of the bird. Serve with roasted potatoes and a veg. 2). Next day, if you can make a chicken sandwich with slices of chicken or a chicken salad with mayo, salt and pepper, chopped celery and diced onion (optional). If you have chopped dried cranberries or perhaps relish, that might be nice. 3). The leftover chicken can be made with the leftover bones and meat. Simmer the bones for a few hours with salt and some pepper corns, garlic, a couple of bay leaves, and chunks of celery and carrots. Then, after straining, put back into the pot and add nicely sliced carrots, celery, onions (optional) and cook until the vegetables are almost soft and add egg noodles or spaghetti and season with thyme. If you've had enough chicken for the week, you can freeze the remains and make the soup at a later date.

In the end, with very little effort, you have meals that can last you most of the week. Easy and thrifty!

I gained 20 lbs over the past year and a half. Lost 10 lbs this summer but started to put on a couple of lbs this month. I restarted Jenny Craig this week. Tonight is beef teriyaki. It’s really delicious.

Tomato meat sauce for pasta.

Sauté a chopped yellow onion, then add in some garlic when the onion is soft. Don't let the garlic burn. Add ground beef, salt, pepper. Sauté until the beef is browned. Add a 28 ounce can of crushed tomatoes and some tomato paste. Add oregano and basis, dried or fresh, to taste. Or red pepper flakes if you like it spicy. Let simmer for 15-30 minutes.

Add to favorite pasta. (It's really okay to drain pasta.)

Done.

[quote]DLers are allergic to dark green leafy vegetables which should be eaten daily.

So should my ass, so what's your point?

The stuff I saw at Costco's was frozen. The stuff I saw at the supermarket was fresh. As in not frozen. I was looking at fresh produce and they had these small bags with maybe 3 or 4 servings of vegetables and it was a mix of cauliflower, broccoli florets and baby carrots. There were other mixed bags too. All f resh, washed and ready to steam in the bag and serve.

[quote]Add oregano and basil, dried or fresh.

Do not add dried basil to anything. Vile substance. Fresh basil or no basil.

OP You should subscribe to a food service. Something like Blue Apron or Hello Fresh. A couple of them give you cooked foods you re- heat but other send you fresh ingredients with detailed instructions and just the right amount of everything for one serving, including seasonings and sauces.

I get refrigerated pizza dough, so all I need to do for a great homemade pizza is spread the dough on a pan (I have a 16" round pan with holes so the crust gets crisper) and add toppings. I make my own sauce with crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, and pizza seasoning.

Very easy and since I usually have just one slice of pizza with salad, it makes several meals. It's nice to come home and just pop a frozen slice of homemade pizza in the oven for dinner. Much cheaper and healthier than takeout.

No cook meals. Melon, Italian ham, olives, bread, greek or Italian cheese, tapenade or capers or roasted red peppers or artichoke hearts from a jar, hard boiled eggs, wine eat it all at a cool or near room temperature. have a piece of your favorite chocolate for dessert.

Homemade pizza is shit.

Better than Boullion is garlicky swill. Knorr is a bit on the salty side, but it is so much better.

If I lived alone and didn't feel ashamed, I could probably subside on El Monterey frozen burritos. It's first-class stoner food, it's cheap, and stays consistent. Throw it in the microwave and done. A lot of air fryer du jour as well.

Oven fried potatoes….preheat oven to 375. Slice up potatoes as if they were thick French fries. Throw on cookie sheet or flat pan with olive oil but don’t crowd. Check in 25 minutes and turn them with a spatula. Add some salt. Continue cooking until they’re crispy… You’ll know when they’re done. Great with Tabasco sauce.

Cooking is for losers

R46 don't forget Pancakes Barbara.

[quote] Cooking is for losers.

What an odd sentiment, R84 & R47.

R80, bullshit. I can make a pizza better than frozen or chains, but no pizza oven so I can't complete with the really good pizza places. I use my gas grill.

I got tired of paying 40-70 bucks for a mediocre pizza, I make an awesome homemade pizza.

I generally eat bar snacks for dinner post-Covid. Now they just give you the entire bowl. Pair it with a Rusty Nail.

It all comes down to planning. Rotisserie chicken is an excellent bang for your buck. Shred it and make a lovely chicken salad or just gnaw on the bones like a caveman, it's good and budget friendly either way.

In other words, Day One is rotisserie chicken. Day Two is chicken salad or tacos. Day Three is stock--chicken vegetable soup or risotto.

OP doesn't care. He's just trolling.

American Goulash. It was a frequent dinner growing up - it was a simple and quick one-pot meal for a working mother of 5 kids. It made a big pot of food and it was comforting and filling. Even a kid could make it - only about 6 ingredients: ground beef/turkey, canned tomatoes, elbow macaroni, maybe some chopped onion and bell pepper if you felt like it.

I saw a recipe for this last year and it got me all nostalgic so I made some after not eating it for decades and it was good as I remember.

Cereal. With milk and a banana, if you’re feeling fancy.

[quote]R49 I agree with the poster who suggested French toast, and it is wonderful with maple syrup. But it's also good with chunks of goat cheese

I pare a small-ish apple (1 per person), cut it into chunks, and microwave those in a bowl for 1 1/2 minutes.

It is my belief that this adds a dash of elegance to my French toast with maple syrup.

If you have an asian grocery store in your town, go to the Thai section. You can get a jar of Tom Kha concentrate. I'm linking one version of a number available below. (It's made with coconut milk, garlic, ginger, salt, sugar). You boil a cup or so of water, add a few tablespoons of concentrate, then add cut up chicken breast or raw peeled and deveined shrimp. It is delicious and can be served with some jasmine rice on the side. If you want a deluxe gourmet version of same, add a can of coconut milk, some sliced up lemon grass, some button mushrooms, and some fresh Thai basil. Trust me that this is exactly what you are getting in a normal street Thai restaurant when you order Tom Kha Gai. I wouldn't eat it every day because of the sodium levels but YUM.

Sloppy Joes are good and easy.

Opening a container of seedless grapes is much easier than peeling a banana. Plus, you don't have to eat the whole container, whereas leftover bananas don't keep very well.

Sloppy holes are good and easy.

In college we made a lot of fried rice. Eggs, rice, onion are all you really need.

r97 Yeah, but you don't have to wash bananas.

Bananas should definitely be washed.

Many of you don't know what cooking means.

r101=uncircumcised

Chili. Specifically, I use French's Chili-O (which is kind of hard to find these days for some reason). It's only 4 ingredients, 1lb of ground beef, the seasoning packet, canned diced tomatoes and canned kidney beans, liquid and all. You can certainly use the extra lean ground beef to keep it a bit healthier.

I like to make a "copycat" Wendy's taco salad with it, or make chili mac serving it over spaghetti with some shredded cheese.

Bananas only have a two-day window for me. And even then, you can peel them and get an unpleasant surprise.

Who the hell washes their bananas? 53 years I've lived on this planet and i've never, ever heard of one person washing their damn bananas.

brick ramen with soft boiled egg and onions -boil in the pan with the noodles , drain and add butter/oil of your choice, seasonings and/or toppings

grilled cheese

Kraft or Annie's or Kraft Deluxe Mac and Cheese

Hot dogs

Hamburgers

Spaghetti with "doctored" jarred sauce - add to sweated garlic & onions, seasonings, add cooked ground beef, top with parm

crock pot chili, beef tips, soups, grape jelly meatballs, lipton soup chicken pieces with veggies

baked bone-in chicken breasts in oven with baked potatoes -set at 400 for hr , season, set and forget till the timer goes off

Look. you do not have to be a rocket scientist to make chili or sloppy Joes. If it's chili: Chop up an onion. A yellow onion. (some people also like to chop up carrots and celery. I do not.) Set it aside. Now. Get about 1 pound (or 2) of ground beef. Turn yourv heat on medium high, and in a saucepan, that has about 1/4 cup of oil. Vegetable oil is fine. Now, gently saute the beef until it is cooked. How will you know? It will change color. When the red raw color is gone...it's cooked. Add the onion, and keep sauteeing it on medium heat (Yes, that means you turn down the heat slightly. ) Now you add garlic powder salt and pepper. Chili powder is good. Put some chili powder in too. Remember. It is easy to add more seasonings. It is impossible to subtract too much seasoning. So be careful. Now stirr your meat onions and seasonings, then pour a can of tomato sauce into it. Here's a thing to know. You can go to the spices section in your supermarket, and buy McKormick's packets of seasoning. They have seasoning for chili. Buy some. They have seasoning f or sloppy Joes. Anyway, About 15 oz of tomatoe sauce should do it. Then fill the can with 3/4 water and add that. Turn your heat down to medium low. Now open a can of red kidney beans. pour them into a strainer and rinse the slimey brine off of them, then add them to your chili. If you want hot chili add crushed red pepper. Or hot sauce. Or Cayenne pepper. OTOH, you can go to You Tube and search:How to cook Chili. Watch a few videos. You'll figure it out.

Scrambled eggs with cheese.

Hardboiled eggs are easier and you don't have any pan or utensils to clean up.

I'm kind of hungry but really tired/lazy and undecided what to eat. So i'm waiting for someone to suggest something that 1) sounds good, 2) i have the ingredients for and (the most important one) 3) is EASY to make.

Keep the suggestions coming LOL

R111, get a bag of Kettle brand potato chips and a container of sour cream.

r112 - i gave up waiting and made a half turkey sandwich with avocado, sprouts, lettuce, tomato and lemon cucumber. A few blue corn chips and a small crisp dill pickle on the side. Feeling better.

r111 How are we supposed to know what ingredients you have?

r114 - nevermind. See what I ended up settling on at r113.

I just had some Hummus and multigrain crackers and a few sllices of smoked trukey. I'm good for a couple hours.

Fuck cooking!

Bread and water

R84 and R47, if "cooking is for losers", how do you guys eat? Have your food prepared by others (frozen/packaged food, in/from restaurants, at hosts' homes), or strictly raw food? Or do you have housemates or servants who cook for you (and therefore must be losers)?

R119 I do not cook. I do not have any desire to cook. It’s not my thing. I may chop up a salad and if I’m bored during the Christmas season, I might bake something. That’s it.

R88, where are you eating that a pizza is $70? I've never paid anywhere near that at the best spots in SoCal.

Here in NorCal, you will pay upwards of $35 or more for a large pizza. It's criminal.

I knew this thread would quickly fill up with Maiden Aunts showing off their "showcase dishes" rather than answering OP

Scramble some eggs OP.

You don't even need to scramble them before you put then in the pan.

If you are feeling particularly creative you can put some spinach in with the eggs too. And/or shredded cheese

I get the frozen cauliflower pizzas at Costco. The ones with meat. Then I add mushrooms cherry tomatoes, and red bell peppers, and grated Parm and Romano. I throw a bit of garlic powder on and a very light drizzle of olive oil and put it oven for 18 minutes at 405 and it is wonderful. My point is getting frozen pizzas is a hell of a lot cheaper and you can doctor it up. It's worth it, IMo.

$35 or more still isn't $70 for a pizza.

A cheese omelette with whole wheat toast has everything you need. Have an apple for dessert. All for less than a $1.

Frittatas are so easy, I make one with six eggs, add in veggies, cheese. To make it more filling, I slice a cooked potato into 1/4 inch slices, and brown them in the frittata pan which has been lightly oiled with olive oil. I season them, once browned I add the beaten eggs, then layer in the veggies, top with cheese. I finish it in the oven, 350-375 degrees, for about 20 minutes. The potatoes form a crust. I usually get one dinner with enough left for a slice for breakfast and lunch. Sometimes I throw together a green salad, or have some olives with a bit of cheese on the side. Great with a glass of wine and italian bread

Another favorite dinner is a sweet and savory plate. Some chunks of my favorite cheese, olives, sliced tomato, some type of cured sausage,garlic bread. A fruit plate with figs and prosciutto, grapes. Some wine.

Chicken parts are easier and more economical than a whole chicken.

Season a couple boneless pork chops really well and throw them into the oven for 15 minutes at 375. While those are in the oven, make one of those side dishes that come in packages (noodles, flavored rice) or some instant mashed potatoes. Voila!

Get a couple packages of chicken ramen. As you boil the water for the noodles, add seasoning packets to bowl of water along with a big pinch of garlic powder and pepper - there's plenty of salt in the seasoning packets. Cut a carrot and a celery stalk and add them to the bowl. Now, microwave a 4-5 inch piece of frozen kielbasa for 90 seconds. Slice thin on the diagonal. Add to bowl. Microwave four minutes. Your noodles are done soon. Drain and add to bowl. Extremely easy. Surprisingly tasty. Great for atumn and winter.

You can eat really well by just having a nice selection of pastas, jarred condiments, and a 20.00 block of Regiano Parmagano from Costco.

[quote]Regiano Parmagano

O, Madonn'

[quote]$35 or more still isn't $70 for a pizza.

It is if you eat two of them, like r88 does.

Kwanzaa Cake and Baked Potato Iced Cream!

For homemade goodness, I like roasted chicken thighs and roasted vegetables. Marinate or season the chicken with lemon juice, salt, pepper and curry powder. Toss the vegetables (broccoli, cauliflower, potatoes, carrots, whatever you have) with olive oil, salt and pepper. You can line your baking pans with foil so there is no cleanup. Roast at 400 degrees for 45 minutes. Done. You can roast salmon as well in a similar fashion but it only needs to cook for 10 minutes. Easy and no clean up.

If you want, you can make a salad (even a pasta salad) or mashed potatoes while the chicken is cooking. Or couscous or rice.

Heat a length of kielbasa in the boiling water along with a pound of whatever pasta you like to eat it with. Saves a step.

Make quesadillas.

Flour tortillas.

Grated cheddar cheese.

Salsa (from the refrigerated section).

Sour cream.

Put your tortilla in a pan. No oil necessary. Sprinkle some cheese on half of it. Fold. Let it get toasty and a little brown. Flip it (toast / brown the other side). (Cheese should be melted by this point.) Serve with salsa and sour cream.

^^currently eating a burrito made with canned chili, sour cream, avo and sprouts. flour tortilla. very quick and easy.

BEANS!!!!! So versatile. So tasty. So cheap. And nothing is easier than Lentils.

After viewing a video on Instant Pot beef stew, I am inspired to surprise my partner with it for dinner. Because I am a fat whore, I ordered most of the ingredients from Amazon Fresh. The only real effort is assembling the ingredients, chopping the meat and veggies, and sauteing the meat and garlic. A good Saturday night dinner if you have a slow cooker and start early.

The cooking bug comes and goes. When it's gone, feast on whatever you can shove into an airfryer. When it returns, celebrate.

R97 It must be USA where grapes come in containers?

R137 that quesadilla recipe sounds pretty easy to do. I’ll try it.

I made fluffy scrambled eggs this morning. I learned that you shouldn't pour the eggs in a very hot pan, and should cook them low and slow and not stir them too much. They weren't the fluffiest I've ever had, but better than what I usually make.

Use a bain marie for scrambled eggs [italic]à la française[/italic].

R143, the stirring part (scrambled eggs) depends on what size curds you want. There's a trend for almost no curds, i.e., stirring constantly. I think Gordon Ramsey makes his scrambled eggs like that. I prefer medium-sized curds.

I love to watch YOu Tube cooking videos. But honestly, I have so much food prepared in my freezer I don't have to do anything but do some sides...if I want. I have Lasagna bolongnese, I and Chicken Parm. I have three or four batches of tomato sauce and frozen totellini. I have Thai Basil chicken. I have salmon I have panko breaded cod fish. Some I made myself the rest I bought. I'm all set for probably a month.

So start eating it, already, r146.

She's watching her figure. A size large caftan is her limit.

Aren’t ya gonna eat me???

Make egg salad. Great for sandwiches on wheat toast.

Grilled cheese sandwiches.

Homemade soup.

Grilled cheese sandwiches

*tomato* soup.

Campbell's tomato soup. NOT homemade.

Del Real makes some really good premade Mexican food. For the pork carnitas I add a little oil to a cast-iron skillet and add the pork, and season it with a little bit of taco seasoning. Let it crisp up and serve it anyway you like. You can make tacos, burritos, a rice bowl, etc…..

Last month, I bought some lamb shanks at Costco. They were in the prepared foods section. Braised Lamb shanks. You get two separately packaged, and they're quite large so I got two meals from each one. They were delicious! I threw in a few mushrooms, and roasted some vegetables and had a feast. Nothing could be easier.

I love making quiche for dinner. Use the Pillsbury refrigerated pie crust. Serve with a salad. Yum!

grits with cheese

Stouffer's lasagna! I can't get enough.

R158 have you ever tried Rao’s lasagna?

Yes R159 and I love it. Right now I have a pot roast in the oven. So damned easy. The smell of the onions a garlic and meat roasting is intoxicating. It will be ready in about another 40 minutes. I put some potatoes and carrots in abut 15 minutes ago.

R160 here. I had a wonderful pot roast dinner...then, after it cooled, I made servings for four freezer bags, and put them in my freezer.

R159, yes- I love it. Was just joking about Stouffer's.

Cailles à la ficelle. The trussed quail spin on a string (ficelle) over an open fire. Try it!

I make those at least once a month, R163.

Okay you home cooks...do those vegetable choppers work? I'm thinking of the ones that give a dice. I know it's silly, but I hate dicing.

R165, I feel you. las week I was cooking nd it took two fucking hours to chop and diced.

I like dicing and chopping and peeling vegetables. But my hands are in pretty good shape, no arthritis, no carpal tunnel syndrome. I have pretty good knives, as well. (Just two knives, a large one and a small one).

I've bought tons of those chopping devices. Most of them are worthless and too much trouble to clean--especially the ones that have a grid (or multiple grids) that you press the vegetable on. Another option is a mandoline with various settings but then you need to run things through twice. I even have a Cuisinart food processor with a Dicing Kit--it's useless too. I rarely use any of them unless I'm chopping a LOT of stuff, but for just one onion--no. If you're not fussy about the uniformity of your dicing/chopping/mincing (cue The Anal Retentive Chef!), you can always use a regular or mini-food processor.

That said, this type of device works OK for small quantities--it's pretty good for chopping nuts.

Beans on toast.

Avocado on toast.

Cheese on toast.

Etc.

The veggie choppers that cut dice by slamming the top down, which forces the vegetables through a grid, does work. It has different inserts. Don't know who make mine.

Yes, this is it. Works well and you can just put it in the dishwasher.

Why cook? Just eat my juicy ass.

R155 - I've used those lamb shanks to make a great sauce for pasta. I use some reduced stock and red wine, mushrooms and onions. It makes a ton and freezes well.

Cooking is for losers

Are R174, R84, and R47 all the same poster, or are there 3 people here who feel this way (and express it without originality)?

Why not a stuffed crown roast of lamb?

We had some kind of crowned roast of pork over Christmas one year, and OMG it was delicious.

a pot of coffee on the percolator--strong, dark, coffee, the best! a meal in itself

popcorn with olive oil, spices, and nutritional yeast is a fine meal

hun, it's not healthy to heat olive oil so hot. If you must, use refined olive oil not extra virgin.

OK, R180 brings up a question. Which oils are good cooking oils that don't overheat and smoke and get ugly? My sister in law swears grapeseed oil is best.

There are tons of charts online R181. here's one:

I stick with peanut oil. Or porc fat.

There are bad vegetable oils, according to the latest thinking:

Corn, Canola (also called rapeseed) oil, Cottonseed, Soy, Sunflower, Safflower, Grapeseed, Rice bran

Avocado oil has the highest smoke point among commonly used cooking fats.

I like a homemade pizza in a pinch. Making the crust is a lot of work, so I just have a Pillsbury canned crust on hand most of the time. Jarred sauce and whatever toppings I have around (olives, onions, pepperoni, cheese, etc). Quick and easy! Maybe almost faster than delivery.

R184, gitchu some Kirkland cauliflower supreme at Costco. Two large for about $13. Best deal and best pizza I've had lately.

R184, I keep a couple TJ's pizza dough in the freezer- the plain, not the herb flavor. It's only $1.49. and better than Pillsbury.

What are people cooking that you need such a high smoke point? I use EV olive oil for just about everything. Or avocado oil, which is really nice and clear and neutral.

^Agree, I have never had any issues with burning. I just use EVOO to roast veg at 450º. Never a problem.

Air fryer deliciousness: Scrub and cut in half baby red potatoes. Dry thoroughly. Whisk dijon mustard, olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic paste or powder, thyme or your herb of choice with a little water to help blend. Pour over potatoes in bowl and place potatoes sliced side down in air fryer heated to 400 degrees. Flip after ten minutes and roast for ten more. Remove from air fryer, adjust seasons and serve as side.

Make sure potatoes are very fresh.

Cooking at home is for the birds

Make that seasonings

This is my kind of cooking...no fuss and easy. Good thread, OP! Getting ideas...

R186...TJ's pizza? There's a TJ's Pizzeria by me. They sell pizza dough? This is in central NJ. Their pizza is good!

All I ever use is extra virgin olive oil in my cooking, sauteing and salad dressings. I make my own salad dressing.

^^I hate people who think making their own salad dressing makes them better than those who buy commercial dressing.

The easiest for me is cutting up vegetable I like and frying them in oil oil or butter.

Can go with rice or a toast or a egg with cheese on bread.

Generally most recipes aren't too hard, just google what you want to make, and choose the recipe with the best rating and positivist comments. If you don't know how to do a specific part of the recipe (e.g. how to cut an peper) look it up on YouTube.

^^^ oh my good my writing is really a mess today. *positivist=positive -*oil oil= olive oil

^^^ My boyfriend who never cooked before 2020 learned to cook that way in quarantine and now he's a really good cook. He didn't even know how to cut a fucking pepper but now he usually does a better job than I do.

Anything that does not involve baking isn't that hard

r193 I'm pretty sure he meant TRADER JOE'S.

You can buy stake at the store/butcher and just fry it at home and it's so easy and quick. Then I like to cut up potato and fry them in the same pan until they're soft and that's a tasty meal. Can add cut up tomatoes/cherry tomatoes for some raw vegetables. Or add cut up tomatoes when frying and let them get only half fried.

These recipes look good and are very easy. Haven't got around to trying them yet.

Lucky Charms con leche

I've made some if these gay You Tuber's instant pot recipes. Risotto came out well, with no stirring involved.

[quote]You can buy stake at the store/butcher and just fry it at home and it's so easy and quick.

I usually buy my stakes at the garden center.

Stake / steak aside, pan-cooking a steak is underrated. People think they need to go outdoors, own a gas grill, to cook a steak.

I was watching a couple of Youtube videos from people showing how to eat on a budget. They shop at various stores and then come home and cook with they were able to buy on a predetermined amount, starting as low as $5.

One item that intrigued me was canned "chili beans". I grew up in NY/still live here and I have never heard of this item before - they are pre-seasoned beans which the person used to make a pot of chili. I always use canned kidney or black beans when I make chili. For anyone who has used this product, is it seasoned enough that you don't have to add stuff like chili powder, cumin, garlic, etc. and it can produce a flavorful pot of chili?

I think I've used the Bush's "chili beans" (pintos). IMO, you've still got to add your own seasonings to make a tasty chili.

I've been cooking for years and have 3 problems that I can't overcome, and wonder this happens to everyone or just me. 1) I use ground turkey to make meatloaf and I always get this pool of foamy/spongy stuff that forms around the finished product- what makes this stuff form? I assume it's meat juices but I never see this happen on cooking shows where meatloaf is made. I have tried adjusting the ratio of breadcrumbs to meat, thinking that more crumbs will absorb excess juice, but it doesn't seem to help and I end up with either a dry loaf, or one that won't hold together. Any advice?

2) I often buy fresh strawberries, then freeze them for future use. I've tried several recipes from the berries, like jam and strawberry sauce, where I cook them slowly with sugar and lemon juice. Every time, the color leaches from the berries and they end up a sad grayish pink that is very unappetizing. Again, I compare this to what I see on TV and online, where cooked berry dishes look vibrant red and glossy. WTH?

3) I make pudding from scratch, usually chocolate or vanilla. The handful of times I tried to branch out and make butterscotch pudding, it is always a fail... the pudding never gets thick/stays runny. Butterscotch requires brown sugar and I make my own by mixing white sugar and molasses. Could that be the issue? Thanks, DL cooks.

r209, have you tried baking your meatloaf freeform on a cooling rack placed on top of a half-sheet pan?

Also, with the pudding, I'd try using store-bought brown sugar next.

Keeping frozen vegetables in the house is always good. They don’t go bad and are always easy to cook. You can have them with rice or alone.

Pizza pops

I sous vide my steaks. The only way to go. Then you finish them for a minute or two in a skillet or on the grill.

Hot water.

R209, I know you're supposed to able to substitute white sugar and molasses for brown sugar, but that never works for me, it doesn't taste the same. Just buy brown sugar.

Yes, it's Trader Joe's that has the $1.49 pizza dough.

R206 enjoy your gas stove while you still can. They’re prohibited being sold starting g next year in some states.

Fuck cooking!

[quote] Again, I compare this to what I see on TV and online, where cooked berry dishes look vibrant red and glossy. WTH?

Cooked strawberries are going to lose the vibrant red color. You can do one of those flat, custard tarts, where you put raw fruit on after the tart is cooked and cooled. (And then brush with a glaze, eg, apricot jam.) That will give you a vibrant color because the fruit is raw.

R209, I’ve had success with making a quick jam using lemon juice, sugar and fresh strawberries and it retains a beautiful vibrancy. The only difference I can see is that you use strawberries that have been frozen and you cook the jam/compote slowly. Not sure of why heat causes them to leach their color but that is annoying; wish I had a solution for you.

It’s a pain (which is why I rely on quick jams) but have you considered making jam/compotes/toppings using the fresh berries and then canning the results?

Your cooking skills seem greater than mine and I have been watching the response to your post; going to make turkey meatloaf this weekend on a rack.

I roast just about every type of vegetable on a sheet pan after just tossing them with olive oil, salt and pepper. To me, this method makes them tastier than boiling or sauteing. I leave them in the oven until they're a little charred. I never liked brussels sprouts or cauliflower before but now I love them. The only exception is beets. They still taste like dirt no matter how you cook them.

I watched an episode of Pioneer Woman where she made a dessert that included strawberries - think it was a sauce. The assembled dish was gorgeous, but Ree mentioned her secret addition - red food coloring to give the berries a nice red blush.

Whoever suggested “melting” feta cheese between two pancakes has never cooked with feta cheese.

r209 That white stuff you see is coagulated protein. Try substituting oatmeal for the breadcrumbs you usually use. Oats can suck up a lot of moisture/juices, don't use the instant type, the one that requires 3-5 minutes to cook is the one to go with.

The loss of color in the strawberries is because they're cooked, cells burst and color pigments go into solution where they are subjected to heat, and a pH change. As mentioned above, a FEW drops of liquid( be careful if you use the paste type that bakers swear by, as this stuff is EXTREMELY concentrated) food coloring will cover a multitude of sins AND anemic-looking berries. Also, if the berries are not fully-ripe, the white cores will alter the color as well.

As for the pudding, have you tried upping the thickening agent you use? If using flour, makes sure you cook it for a few minutes before adding any liquid( you're basically making a roux) If you're not using eggs then make a slurry with flour and water, cook it for 2 or 3 minutes before proceeding with the rest of the recipe. Cornstarch may solve your problem, but its thickening power is twice that of flour. Beat the cornstarch with the eggs, before adding liquid. This is the technique pastry chefs use to make pastry cream. Again, if not using eggs, make the slurry et al.

Let us know how all this troubleshooting goes towards solving your kitchen woes.👨‍🍳

Take your favorite frozen burritos, or even taquitos, put them in a baking dish and pour a can of enchilada sauce (I use mild, and it's still quite spicy) - top with shredded Mexican cheese and bake at 350 till warmed through and cheese is melted - about 40 minutes - you will be absolutely surprised how fantastic these are. Cut up some avocado with lime juice and salt, add a few taco chips and maybe open a can of refried beans, and it's really a great meal.

The Rick Bayless Frontera sauces are great. I rarely make anything from scratch now.

I open up a can of Naomi Campbell whoop-ass

Thanks R224 for the reply. For the meatloaf issue, I tried oatmeal and it was disgusting. I've never liked the texture of oatmeal -- it reminds me of barley, another grain that is on my NOPE list but decided to give it a shot, thinking when cooked it would "dissolve" into the meat. Nope - it was very noticeable, each grain chewy and obnoxious. I should have explained that the meatloaf with breadcrumbs is mostly fine, but I always wondered why I get that goo puddle, which I never see on cooking shows.

As with the meatloaf, the strawberry jam and sauce were palatable, it's just the color is off-putting. As the saying goes, we eat with our eyes first and gray/pink is not an appetizing color. I doubt if I'll do the food color option, as I just cook for myself, so I can deal.

I make pudding with cornstarch, milk, sugar, vanilla extract, adding cocoa powder when making chocolate. I don't use eggs. In 10 years, I've never had a problem with this method until I tried to make butterscotch. At this point, I hardly ever need brown sugar, so buying a box is not on the horizon. I'll just pick up some Jello or Snack Pack butterscotch when a craving hits.

I made sort of a chicken piccata last night and roasted potatoes on the side. I filled a plate with the leftover chicken and potatoes, poured the leftover sauce over everything. I just heated it for lunch and it was insanely delicious. I think next time I'll roast some lemons with the potatoes and just add them to the piccata, all in the same dish. I love lemons and capers.

I use panko now instead of breadcrumbs, it makes a lighter meatloaf.

Crockpot chicken and stuffing: 3 chicken breasts on the bottom of a crockpot, sprinkle them with some Lipton French Onion soup mix, then lay dry stuffing, cream of chicken soup, and some chicken broth on it. Can put some veggies in, sometimes I throw some green beans in with it. Cook on high for 4 hours.

One pot Mac & Cheese - boil elbow macaroni and drain, put in evaporated milk and shredded mild cheddar and stir.

Meatballs in crock pot - package of Armour frozen meatballs, 1 container of Heinz chili sauce and 1 container of Ocean Spray jellied cranberry sauce. Turn crock pot to high, put in chili sauce and cranberry sauce and stir until they are smooth. Add meatballs and cook on high 4 hours. If it's a big package of meatballs I use 2 chili sauce and 2 cranberry sauce. I used to bring these to work potlucks and they would be gone immediately, they are good and really easy.

If I am feeling lazy - omelet or grilled cheese are my go to

RANT AHEAD -- I used to buy ground beef but I stopped because it became nauseating how many times I ended up having to spit out a mystery chunk. What are they throwing in with beef to create their ground beef mixes? I shudder to think.

Once my brain picks up that there's something unusual (gristle, hard fat, connective tissue. bone fragment) in a mouthful of burger, meatloaf, meatball, anything with ground beef, I have to expel it ASAP. Some people would keep chewing, do an "oh well" and swallow, but I can't. I tried premium beef, like Angus and packages with less fat, but those damn chunks were legion. I ordered a small, manual meat grinder and bought cuts of beef that I could grind myself and know what I'm working with, but that ended when ith the supermarket near me stopped carrying cuts that were useful. Now I stick to ground turkey, which is not 100% but I hardly ever have those mystery bits.

Also, I'm so glad that poultry companies have seemed to have solved that problem with "woody chicken breasts" that was such a headache about 2-4 years ago. Thankfully, I have not had to toss any rubbery chicken away for quite a while.

r228, stay content with your Jello butterscotch pudding, and excuse the fuck out of us for trying to help you.

For everyone else, here's Chef John's recipe for Butterscotch Budino. It's wonderful.

R233, have you actually made Chef John's recipe?

When I don't feel like cooking, I've been keeping frozen pasta and jarred sauce on hand as they are quick and easy comfort meal on a chilly fall/winter night. I recently tried Nature's Promise (Stop & Shop brand) stuffed shells. They were decent, but the shells were still a little al dente even after cooking 40 minutes in sauce. Later tonight I'm trying NP frozen cheese tortellini, with jarred sauce which I will be adding browned ground turkey. Just wish I had some mozzarella to throw on it to jazz it up.

Bag of quality frozen unseasoned vegetables - thawed for an hour. Jar of some tasty sauce from India or Thailand, etc. Maybe a bit of meat. Brown meat quickly then remove. Then sauté onions until soft and a bit brown - not too - add frozen vegetables on high heat. try to get them to brown a bit. then dump in sauce, turn down heat, add meat, simmer til you have your starch ready. The starch can be rice, noodles, nan, potato. I will eat with just a bit of crusty bread, to keep down the starch calories. If the sauce is REALLY spicy you can tame it with some yogurt added to your serving bowl/plate. Don't mix in the yogurt but just ad a bit to your spoon when you spoon up a bite. This will cut the pepper heat if it's getting too hot. Or buy less spicy sauce. I like spicy though. If you have fresh herbs, chop some and add at the last minute. Cilantro for example. Or flat parsley finely minced.

Many frozen Italian cheesy dished can be improved by adding quality frozen vegetables and some extra sauce. For example a single or double serving size of frozen lasagna bolognese often has little meat but it's actually enough meat to give the meat flavor profile. But the meal is concentrated in fat and often sodium. So split the slightly thawed lasagna or the Fresh non-frozen lasagna, and add a layer of two of quality frozen vegetables - for example Italian greens, or just spinach or the grilled frozen vegetable mix. You can top it off with some béchamel from a little carton or a bit of pasta sauce that isn't too salty. It rebalances the meal with enough vegetables and brings down the fat and sodium. But it ends up very tasty nevertheless.

My shops also now sell quite good frozen grain and vegetable mixes. there's quinoa, lentil, and bean. So you just open the bag and put it in a skillet or microwave and its very healthy. lots of vegetables, whole grains, and low in fat.

You can buy low priced everyday mushrooms and sautéed them or even just nuke them and add them to a prepared meal such as frozen entrees or prepared soups. Its give a punch of umami flavor, and that can substitute for meat, too. This works well with big ramen/miso cups - the ones that come dried and you just add water. So add in your mushrooms and maybe some fresh chopped greens. Be sure to add the mushroom water - especially if you nuke the mushrooms. There's a pool of water in the bowl that comes out of the mushroom. At that to you prepared dish.

R221 - the Swiss are masters at simple beets. First of all, they really know how to grow them and make a lot of sugar out of sugar beets. The deep red eating beets are sold, peeled whole, steamed to a beautiful, consistent texture, not hard, not mushy. You just need a slice or two, then slivered. and tossed with endives and walnuts and light dressing. Maybe a sliced boiled egg. Beets are good this way. but a little goes a long way. I like beet juice mixes and I like borscht, too.

Always keep a wedge of parm in the fridge. It adds flavor to so many things and almost no calories.

Cheese is very calorie-dense, actually.

Not so much hard cheeses, and you need hardly any. It's also salty, so you can cut back on that as well.

A tablespoon of parm is a whopping 22 calories.

Not sure if these are a regional thing (I'm in NE Ohio) but these are hot Banana peppers packed in oil with garlic and oregano. I don't see anything particularly similar on Amazon, just stuff like antipasto or chili peppers in oil, or giardiniera. They're very commonly offered at local Italian restaurants around here.

Lately I've been making my own personal "white" pizzas with these on some Stonefire brand Naan bread, with some sliced black olives, a shredded Mozzarella and Provolone blend, and some grated fresh Romano. Super simple to make and it only takes a few minutes to bake in the oven.

So true on the mushrooms easy to doin microwave. Mushrooms are cheaper, usually, sold loose than in the boxes. I also bake mushrooms with peppers and onions in some olive oil to put on pizzas or for a stir fry.

Microwaved welsh rarebit: put slices of cheese on a slice of bread. Microwave for thirty seconds or until cheese is melted.

Fondue! Easy. Every Datalounger has gruyere, emmenthaler, white wine, garlic, cornstarch and a baguette in the pantry!

r228 I don't mind the texture of oatmeal in meatloaf so I use them as is. You might want to try buzzing some in a food processor until it becomes pulverized. It will retain its thickening ability, just be invisible to your eye and tongue.

I used this oat flour when I was making muffins that called for an entire box of raisin bran. It worked a treat as the substitute for part of the A-P flour in the recipe.

[quote]A tablespoon of parm is a whopping 22 calories.

Not something you dump into a recipe by the bowlful.

Two keys to making oatmeal disappear into meatloaf. First, add a little too much liquid and let the meatloaf hydrate in your fridge for at least 20 minutes. Second, do not use a loaf pan, which will steam your meatloaf. Form a loaf and let it roast in your oven. Roasting rather than steaming seems to help absorb the oats. I don 't know why but it works. And you can always use a mixer and grind it into oat flour. to get a smoother consistency.

Another tip: Those tubes of garlic, ginger and basil pastes are lifesavers when you haven't planned ahead.

Freshly cut pineapple is always appreciated as a light midnight snack.

This isn't about food, but someone here might be able to answer my nagging question about baking. I use PAM in a spray can -- how come the outside of the can always gets sticky after I've used it a few times? No matter how I hold it at whatever angle. It makes no sense to me and it's just highly annoying!

r253 Some of the aerosol allows the fat to adhere to the outside of the can. When you buy another one, cover the can in plastic wrap and change it when it becomes too sticky.

You can also wipe the sprayer head when you're done using it. It always seems to be clogged after sitting on the pantry shelf awhile. Before you put it away, hold the can upside down and spray for 5-10 seconds(into the sink to catch what comes out) This will clear the plastic tube within the can as well as the sprayer head. It's the same thing you should do after using spray paint.

Thanks very much, R254. I will wrap the can as you suggest, so that the sticky surface can be removed and discarded. And that's a good tip about the upside down final squirt -- I don't use spray paint & wasn't aware of the issue.

You say that "Some of the aerosol allows the fat to adhere to the outside of the can" -- do you understand why that happens?

r253 Stop using it as lube or wipe your cum off the can afterward.

Bronze Age Gay continues to be a wealth of knowledge on this thread. I love your posts!

Yes, R257. Nice, helpful posters like R254 make up for the immature time-wasters like R256.

r255 Some of what comes out of the sprayer head is directed backwards because the opening on the nozzle is clogged. It sprays out in all directions, rather than a concentrated stream/cone away from the can. Cleaning out the nozzle, as I noted above, should minimize the problem.

r257/r258 Merci! 👨‍🎨

R245, Stonefire makes pizza crusts as well.

I love Bronzie, too. He really knows his food and is such a pleasant counterpoint to the hatred often expressed on DL.

That makes sense, R259 -- clogging never occurred to me. Many thanks!

Low fat cottage cheese with canned sliced cling peach slices.

I know people snicker at avocado toast, but it's highly versatile and I really like my current version. Spread toasted sourdough bread with a miso sauce that includes garlic and ginger (like the one at the link), smash the avocado on the toast, and top that with some chopped red onions that have turned bright pink from being marinated in lime juice. Beautiful colors and good sharp flavors -- piquant, actually.

[quote]I love a good Monte Cristo, but they are hard to find in restaurants.

I love Monte Cristos. One time a friend cooked dinner at my place and left all the leftovers with me. She had made pan seared duck breasts, something with prosciutto and something with fresh mozzarella, and she had made a homemade raspberry coulis. The next day, I sliced the duck thin, layered it with prosciutto and mozzarella and made duck money cristos with powdered sugar and the coulis. Best leftovers ever.

I also second the Monterrey frozen burrito for its incredible versatility. Microwave them about halfway, then drop them in a skillet and crisp up the outside. Pull them out, then in the skillet add about 1/2 cup of cream, half a cup of a jarred salsa verde, and a little chicken bouillon and bring it to a bubble. Put that on top of the frozen burritos with a little cilantro, avocado, and it's not a half bad meal from cheap ass frozen burritos.

I can't eat like that anymore, though. I've always been lactose intolerant but suddenly it went from being a nuisance to being downright nauseating. No real dairy anymore. ☹️