Men; Recipes and their Kitchens

[smiley]

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??

 

[smiley]

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??

 

[IrishEyes]

Are you collecting kitchen gadgets yet @smiley ?

 

[RuralKanuck]

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!!

 

[Gardenlover]

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.

 

[MACKTEXAS]

^^^^^
That sounds good, except for my own personal tastes, I would need to substitute diced potato or cauliflower for the turnip.
____________________________

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.]

 

[horseless carriage]

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.

 

[Paco Dennis]

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.