Men; Recipes and their Kitchens

S

smiley

Senior Member
Location
Australia
Apologies to those men who have turned out to be excellent cooks and excel alongside the lady cooks!! - but I'm not one. Just been snacking for ages and then at long last decided to try a few of my more favourite recipes that I seem to have kept notes on? The first one was straight forward the second involved cleaning the entire kitchen?? - sounds familiar guys? I have been familiar with wok cooking having once lived in HK and one dish involves a wok and the second benefitted more from a stand alone kitchen modern steel fry pan - the ladies will know what I'm talking about - rectangular 10 inches wide and 20 inches long and electric.

One is a stir fry any mincemeat you prefer with added noodles and mixed veggies all from packets - notice that guys?? so easy - gives me at least two days feed!

the second is proper cooking Asian style and involves prawns of course and various special sauces ; runner beans small in size and accompanying rice. I know them well but rusty in practice. At this point I realized that the kitchen and its utensils needed cleaning out and the dog needs feeding so I'll get back to uze all when I've re-prioritized flat hygiene??

ps: dog keeps peering into my bedroom cause his feeding comes before mine and he's wondering why I've changed the order??
 
my week is strangely 'packed full' with a morning of shopping for one including PO visit and three social gatherings at our local OAP 'den - plus keeping a one bedroomed granpa flat tidy and clean is no mean fete?? - tell me about it. Must admit I have often been spoilt by live in MIL's etc so flying solo is boring!!

first dish is quickish and tasty - pick any minced meat you favour and preferred quantity for frying - ideally in a wok of your chosen size? - the only two ingredients are noodles [from a packet] and mixed vegies [from a packet]. I usually soak the noodles briefly in warm water as they come hard and crinkly. the vegies just need zapping in a microwave [old one will do!!] - Cook the mincemeat with minimal oil in frypan or wok and then add soaked noodles after shaking off access fluid and vegies straight from packet - don't burn fingers!!- toss about for a short time - probably no more than 10 mins and plate - sprinkle with salt and favorite sauce if reqd?

the second dish is more complex but very tasty - used to cook it regularly a few years back in a stainless steel skillet - when I found it in the under the sink cupboard it had gone sorta blackened so needed a good clean. Poste this delicious dish soon!! - gotta feed the dog and exercise him and keep up my social functions??
 
For years like so many other guys I was spoiled with my wife doing most of the cooking with I just doing my thing when summer sun and cool drinks dictated that I should light the wood fired BBQ and burn some burgers. With the loss of my wife 7 years ago now I had to expand my skills and menus not a huge undertaking as I always did a little 'indoor' cooking but what to make is more of a challenge, compounded by the fact that I am a vegetarian but my son here at home with me in my dotage is not.
During the winter when on reduced work schedule he does most of the meal prep and is much more creative than I so we have a quite varied menu, come summer when it my turn it will be less so. My thoughts start with Spuds And ….....

Having said all that I will say that my fall back meal is a veggie casserole, go through the fridge to see what 'left overs' need using up, then the freezer and the spud drawer, toss it all in a crock pot with a can of tomato soup and some baked beans and let it cook! That is usually good for 3 meals for both of us.......

Much the same works out on the BBQ come summer except that I do it double boiler style with the veggies in a pot placed inside a larger heavy pot partly filled with water. This is essential to stop thing burning if the fire gets out of hand, it does take longer to cook this way but that allows time to have a few beers whilst waiting, a good excuse to put more wood on the fire and check how things are coming. Which is the excuse for what is the question!!

PS: The dog become very insistent for his supper should either operation take longer than normal and he does not get his meal on time!!
 
Here is "one" of my quick and easy favorites:

INGREDIENTS
• 6 slices bacon chopped
• 1 medium turnip cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• 1/2 cup onion chopped
• 2 cloves garlic minced
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 1 cup heavy whipping cream
• 1 lb shrimp peeled and deveined, tails on or off
• 1/2 tsp Cajun seasoning
• salt
• pepper
• parsley chopped, for garnish

INSTRUCTIONS
1. In a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat, cook the bacon until crisp. Using a slotted spoon, transfer to a paper towel-lined plate to drain, reserving the bacon fat in the pan.
2. Add the turnip and onion to the pan and saute until the onion is tender, about 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook until fragrant, another minute or so. Pour in the chicken broth and simmer until the turnip is tender, about 10 minutes.
3. Stir in the cream and the shrimp and simmer until the shrimp is pink and cooked through, another 3 minutes or so. Add the Cajun seasoning and season to taste with salt and pepper.
4. Garnish with the bacon and chopped parsley upon serving.
Shrimp and bacon.jpg
 
^^^^^
That sounds good, except for my own personal tastes, I would need to substitute diced potato or cauliflower for the turnip.
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Below is something I've taken to group dinners that went over well. It's easy for that purpose since it doesn't have to be heated before serving.

VEGETABLE SALAD

Ingredients:
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup vinegar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 can sliced carrots
1 can French style green beans
1 can white whole kernel corn (yellow is okay)
1 cup chopped bell pepper
1 cup chopped onion
1 small to medium size tomato (chopped)

Directions:
Heat first 3 ingredients until sugar is dissolved; set aside.
Drain the canned ingredients.
Pour sugar, vinegar, and oil mixture over the vegetables, stir, and refrigerate overnight to marinate. Serve cold the next day.
[Will keep in refrigerator for up to 3 days.]
 
We always eat at least two meat free meals a week, Stroganoff is a favourite of my lady, I love to treat her.
Mushroom Stroganoff
1 tbsp Olive Oil
1 small onion, finely chopped
4 cloves garlic, crushed
1lb of mushrooms, cleaned, peeled and sliced.
1 tsp paprika, plus a pinch to serve
6 fluid ounces of vegetable stock
3 tbsp Soured Cream
A generous bunch of parsley, leaves only, finely chopped.
I half pound pack cooked long grain rice, to serve
  1. Heat the Olive Oil in a large pan over a low-medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook until the onion is softened, but not browned, about 5-7 minutes.
  2. Add the mushrooms, increase the heat to medium-high and stir fry for about 5 minutes, until they release most of their moisture..
  3. Add the paprika and and stir, then pour in the stock and let it simmer for 2 minutes more until reduced a little. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the soured cream and most of the parsley.
  4. Cook the rice according to pack instructions. Serve the stroganoff over the rice, with the reserved parsley and a pinch of paprika sprinkled on top.
 
When I entered the Buddhist Monastery one major activity was preparing meals for the monks. I was not a good cook but the monks were very good. I learned to make hundreds of meals. We used about half of the vegetables from our gardens for the recipes that includes fruits also. I am a good cook now, never an excellent one, at least I don't remember too many meals the monks refused to eat. :)
 
CAKE MIX COOKIES

Ingredients:
One cake mix, size 15.25 ounce (this is a standard cake mix)
2 eggs
1/2 cup vegetable oil

Directions:
Mix the above ingredients, shape into cookie size pieces and place onto baking pan, bake about 10 minutes in oven that has been preheated to 350 degrees.

Makes about a dozen medium size cookies.
 
MACKTEXAS said:
CAKE MIX COOKIES

Ingredients:
One cake mix, size 15.25 ounce (this is a standard cake mix)
2 eggs
1/2 cup vegetable oil

Directions:
Mix the above ingredients and spoon onto baking pan, bake about 10 minutes in oven that has been preheated to 350 degrees.

Makes about a dozen medium size cookies.
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That sounds good.. I hope I can remember it the next time I go to the grocery store.. thanks for posting!
 
Hmm had forgotten how many competent men there are out there and how many thousands of recipes!!

Here's the second dish I mentioned not sure if it has a title - "prawns/runner beans and rice side dish with bechalan sauce!! - got a kick like a mule - if you've lived in Asia for a while you'll have been tuned up for them!

bechalan flavored shrimp and runner bean dish with rice to go!!

I think it's the bechalan paste that gives it that wow factor??

ps: see of us men are not exactly useless!!
 
My man has turned out to be a great cook. Since we’ve both retired he does most of the cooking and he’s fabulous at it. When we had our in-laws over for a week, he cooked most of the meals and my sister in law and I did most of the cleaning up. It worked out great.
 
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I became a single father of three when I was 25, which naturally made me chief cook for a family of 4. Because I worked full-time, my mom gave me a cookbook that year. In it, she'd circled all the dinner recipes titled either time-saving or simple. Most of them were casseroles and one-pot, aka "dump" dinners.

I used some of those recipes so often, they're memorized. Plus, they're really simple, so not a whole lot to memorize.

My favorites are called Rice and Broccoli Steamer, Hearty Chicken-Veggie Soup, and Chicken-Vegetable Bake. Fortunately, my wife likes those, too, because I still cook them frequently.

I also learned early that you gotta clean as you go. When you've got 3 kids under age 9 and you've already put in 8 to10 hours at work, there's zero motivation left for a major clean-up after dinner, especially when your tummy is full of comfort food and you've got a toddler to bathe.
 
smiley said:
OK back to kitchdn cleaning duties - how do cupboards with constant closed does get dirty?? - spiders beetles crocs?
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Well they aren't constantly closed, are they. And they don't seal shut. Check it out; there's a small gap around every cabinet door.

To keep out most bugs, crush up a bay leaf or two and sprinkle it on each shelf. That'll keep bugs away for years. But it has no effect on crocs. You're on your own there, but you might want to look up crocodile recipes.
 
Cooking is so easy peasy.

Tonights dinner
12 oz Frozen Kale microwaved
1 bag Uncle Bens Brown Rice microwaved
Olive Oil
Garlic Powder
Onion Powder
Salt
in the big bowl and stir. 🧑‍🍳👨‍🍳👩‍🍳
 
Murrmurr said:
Well they aren't constantly closed, are they. And they don't seal shut. Check it out; there's a small gap around every cabinet door.

To keep out most bugs, crush up a bay leaf or two and sprinkle it on each shelf. That'll keep bugs away for years. But it has no effect on crocs. You're on your own there, but you might want to look up crocodile recipes.
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before I've cleaned them or after??
 
This is wot the bechalan with runner beans and prawns should sorta look like - I cut corners this am and mine just turned out absolutely black - edible but not really tastey - yes I know there are many many good male chefs around the world but I don't wanna do the course!! - but being a capricorn I don't give up too easily so will try the 'bechalan' recipe again soon and report back??

bechalan and shrimp dish
 
horseless carriage said:
We always eat at least two meat free meals a week, Stroganoff is a favourite of my lady, I love to treat her.
Mushroom Stroganoff
1 tbsp Olive Oil
1 small onion, finely chopped
4 cloves garlic, crushed
1lb of mushrooms, cleaned, peeled and sliced.
1 tsp paprika, plus a pinch to serve
6 fluid ounces of vegetable stock
3 tbsp Soured Cream
A generous bunch of parsley, leaves only, finely chopped.
I half pound pack cooked long grain rice, to serve
  1. Heat the Olive Oil in a large pan over a low-medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook until the onion is softened, but not browned, about 5-7 minutes.
  2. Add the mushrooms, increase the heat to medium-high and stir fry for about 5 minutes, until they release most of their moisture..
  3. Add the paprika and and stir, then pour in the stock and let it simmer for 2 minutes more until reduced a little. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the soured cream and most of the parsley.
  4. Cook the rice according to pack instructions. Serve the stroganoff over the rice, with the reserved parsley and a pinch of paprika sprinkled on top.
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@horseless carriage, you’ve mentioned this dish and I’m delighted to see the recipe! Saving this for Fridays in Lent
 
I'm on my phone, let's see how this copy n paste goes:
Chicken Yakisoba

Ingredients
Sauce
2 Tbsp soy sauce
2 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
2 Tbsp ketchup
2 Tbsp packed light brown sugar
1 Tbsp oyster sauce
1/2 tsp sesame oil

Stir-Fry
1 lb chicken breasts, sliced into bite size strips
2 �5.9 oz.) pks. refrigerated yakisoba noodles, (seasoning packets discarded)*
Salt, if needed
1/2 cup chopped green onions, white and light portions only
1 1/2 Tbsp Gourmet Garden Chunky Garlic Stir-In Paste
1 Tbsp Gourmet Garden Ginger Stir-In Paste
2 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 red bell pepper, cored and sliced into 2-inch fairly thin strips
5 oz. button mushrooms, sliced
3 cups shredded green cabbage
1 cup matchstick carrots
2/3 cup 2-inch strip sliced green onions, green portion only
1/2 cup chopped peanuts and sriracha to taste,
for serving (optional)
 
I'm a good cook, but I hate to cook. My son probably cooks as much as I do. I rarely cook for him because we eat differently. I'll say this...I love a man in the kitchen Smiley. Keep doing your thing.
 
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