Cooking thread

[Saga]

Do we have one of these? Been cooking for a few years now, but after graduating a couple years ago it's been a pretty regular habit, usually for dinner. I enjoy cooking, but I have a pretty limited array of things I can make. If you asked me to cook a meal for a group of friends off the top of my head, I'd probably make:

Blackened tilapia
Garlic bread (spanish garlic loaf sliced, lightly basted with garlic butter with shaved parmesan, romano and asiago cheese on top, melts when broiled in the oven)
Spinach salad with walnuts, crumbled feta and balsamic vinaigrette dressing

That's really only for friends. By myself, I'll make pasta, chicken with whatever marinade or spice rub I have lying around, fish, steak, salad, grilled cheese...and not much else, honestly. I'm sure I could cook more things, but I'm curious what other people make relatively quickly (25-30 min total prep/cook time).

Keep in mind I don't eat much, I snack on fruit pretty consistently throughout the day so I'm never dying of hunger. Looking more for smaller meals, just for myself.

[Franzer]

And here when i saw a cooking thread, i just thought we were gonna talk about Lil B.

[Coren]

<3 cooking. Started in college cus I'm a cheapass and I hate spending $8 on something I can make at home for $1.50. Been collecting a bunch of (stolen-and-modified) recipes into a cookbook for the family. Among my favorites are my chicken/andouilli/shrimp gumbo and lasagna with homemade meat sauce. And my family begs me to make icecream every time we get together.

As far as "fast" recipes, I've got a nice "fast chili" that you throw in a bowl with some fritos and cheese. It takes all of about 5 minutes to make. You could also add lettuce and diced tomatoes to make it a little more healthy.

[Amelya]

I have probably 100+ recipes bookmarked that I use but these are sites that I like to pull from.

http://www.melskitchencafe.com/

http://www.howsweeteats.com/

http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/

Pioneer Woman has her own tv show now I believe...some of her stuff I like, but sometimes she has so much butter and cream in the food it's ridiculous. I'm not a health nut but I usually alter her recipes somewhat to make them more healthy lol.

[Coren]

I like melskitchencafe. I just wish I could make some of the bread recipes she's got; yeast kicks my ass on a regular basis. ><

[Francisco]

The extent of my cooking prowess covers heating jarred sauce over boxed pasta, the microwave and a crockpot.

Learning to cook more stuff is actually on my to do list.

[Kerberoz]

Can't cook at all?

www.youtube.com/results?search_query=good+eats Watch it. All of it.

[miokomioko]

I think the last time we had a cooking thread, it turned into a gigantic bitchfest between those defending their taste for well-done meat and those who think it's an atrocity to get a good cut anything more than medium-rare.


Obligatory: Anthony Bourdain's No Reservations "Techniques" Special.

Spoiler: show

[Francisco]

Can't cook at all?

www.youtube.com/results?search_query=good+eats Watch it. All of it.

I can follow instructions and make something - but other than that...

I'll watch the link.

[greenhills]

we have alot of favorites that involve [insert cream of soup flavor] and [insert meat], put in cassarole dish and bake dishes. but this is the standby need a meal in less than 20 min fave in our house:

basically a can of plain sauce and a can of diced tomatoes with whatever turning veggies are in the fridge at the time. simmer for 15 min and pour over whatever. only important parts are cook the garlic in the olive oil first and add the onions last. also works with cream sauce, but my son is too damn picky so red sauce wins the day.