Low Budget Cooking for the Average Geek

CrossBuster · August 2005

Ok, this is cheap, quick, and easy.

I can't take credit for it, though. It was revealed to me on an edition of Gamespotting.

What you need:

Corn chips (crushed)
Canned chili
Baked beans
Kraft Easy Mac (2 packages)
Grated cheese of your choice

1. Prepare the Easy Mac, set aside
2. Cover the bottom of a casserole dish with the corn chips, add layers of chili, beans, macaroni, with a thin layer of chips in between each one. Repeat until you run out of stuff or the dish is full.
3. Top with grated cheese.
4. Put the whole thing in the microwave until it's heated through and the cheese is melted (5-8 minutes).

You definetly can get creative, adding or omitting any ingredients that you see fit.

Be warned, however, that if you eat this too often, you'll begin to feel like white trash.

MasterDebater · August 2005

Chicken Parmesean

WHAT YOU NEED

Boneless, skinless chicken breast
Tomato sauce
Mozzerella cheese
Seasonings (optional)

Thaw the chicken. Get a casserole dish and insert the chicken. Cook until the chicken is almost ready. Take it out of the oven (carefully) and pour some tomato sauce and mozzerella cheese over it. Reinsert into the oven and cook until the cheese is melted (chicken should be ready, but you might want to make sure). Sprinkle some seasonings (parmesean cheese is good, as is garlic, oregano, etc). Pasta goes really well with it.

Podly · August 2005

Don't know if anyone's mentioned this, but Omelettes are great at any time of day. A simple cheese omelet (I like swiss) can be made in a matter of minutes, and with some toast (always go wheat - even if it's more expensive. White bread is death) an omelet can be very filling.

Good toppings:
Peppers
Red Onion
Bacon
Andouille Sausage
Scallion
Ham
Crab (OK, $$$$. But so delicious.)

Dog · September 2005

Pre-Note: Most of these recipes make a lot of sauce/spread, etc, so divide the ingredient amounts in whichever way best serves your needs. Get everything out and look at it all together before you open it or wash it and cut it.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Blender Arts
-----------------------------------------------------------------------


Spaghetti Sauce
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Basic Ingredients:
------------------

- Tomatoes      - 6 Med. (no larger than a common fist)
- Bell Pepper   - 1 Lg. (big fist) or 2 Med.
- Onion         - 1 Med-Lg. (add more as desired, but start with the basics)
- Garlic        - 1 Full Clove
- Basil         - 1 Med. handful
- Oregano       - 1 Sm. handful
- Parsley       - 1 Sm. handful -- Italian parsley works best
- Olive oil     - 1 Tbsp. to 1/2 Cup, or more depending on your tastes -- experiment with it
- Salt          - 1+ Tsp. -- 1/4 Tsp. per cup of wet mix*
- Black Pepper  - 1/2+ Tsp. -- 1/8 Tsp. per cup of wet mix*

*Note: "wet mix" is the final product minus salt and any ground/powdered spices such as ground black pepper. Ground or powdered spices should always be added last unless you know with some accuracy how they will turn out.


Optional ingredients:
---------------------

- Carrots       - 3-4 Med. (2 small fingers wide, and as long as a hand)
- Spinach       - 1 Lg. handful
- Cilantro      - 1 Med. handful
- Mushrooms     - 1/2 to 1 Cup
- Olives        - 1/2 to 1 Cup
- Ground Beef   - 1/4 to 1 Cup

- Anchovies     - as you please -- salty, so be careful -- as with smoked items
- Fish/seafood  - Crab may serve well here, but I have little experience with that
- Butter or cream, etc. as you please
- Ground/Powdered Hot Pepper, ie. chile, jalepeno, habenero, cayenne (hot sauce is fine, too)
- Rosemary, Thyme, Savory, Sage -- I haven't experimented with these very much, but they are not main spices for this sort of pasta sauce, so be very careful if you use them
- Chives -- I've never used them as-is, so I can't help with that one

Note: Carrots, like mushrooms and Bell Peppers, tend to add a very nice flavour/texture when pureed or thoroughly cooked in.


Optional Toppings:
------------------

- Parmesan cheese: grated as you like or store-bought
- Any other cheese you might want (grated--test with a small amount of sauce, first)
- Chilli powder


Substitutions:
--------------

- Tomatoes: 28 fl oz (796 mL) of Canned Tomatoes
- Garlic: garlic powder
- Basil, Oregano, Parsley, Cilantro, and misc. spices: dry ground/powdered forms
- Miscellaneous frozen vegetables: eyeball the measurements; it shouldn't be difficult


Preparation: (the fast way)
------------

- For this, you need a blender or food-processor
- once each ingredient is ready, drop it in the blender/food-processor

- Onion: Peel it, quarter it, and chop the ends off.
- Carrots: Scrub them or skin them as you please, then chop the ends off. If the carrots are more than half as tall as your blender, cut each carrot into two shorter pieces.
- Tomatoes: Core the top parts where they were attached to the stems, then quarter each one.
- Pepper (Red/Yellow, pref.): Quarter it, then remove the seeds and stem section.
- Spinach, Basil, Oregano, Cilantro, and Parsley: Rinse as necessary, then remove any brown areas. Fold the rest in on itself, then slice it into a few bunches.
- Garlic: Peel each piece, then cut off any brown spots.

- Add other optional ingredients as you like; check them for bad spots when necessary

- Once those are all in the blender with at least a little room to spare, toss the lid on and switch the machine on low for 5-10 seconds, then turn it up to high until it's all liquefied
- Measure the mix, then add the salt and pepper and stir them in.
- Taste, then add further amounts of any ingredient (blending each time) as you feel is necessary.

// The sauce is done, now, so you may heat it or serve it as-is--either way works fine

- sprinkle any grated cheeses onto your pasta, then quickly ladle the sauce overtop -- add powder-type parmesan after the sauce



-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Dips and Spreads
----------------


Chickpea-tomato-carrot-pepper: (Chictocap)
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Basic Ingredients:
------------------

- Chickpeas     - 1 Cup soaked in water for 12 or more hours
- Tomatoes      - 2 Med. (no larger than a common fist)
- Carrots       - 2 Med. (2 small fingers wide, and as long as a hand)
- Bell Pepper   - 1-2 Lg. (big fist) or 2-4 Med.
- Onion         - 1 Med or 1/2 Lg.
- Garlic        - 1 Full Clove
- Basil         - A few leaves (a dash, I suppose)
- Parsley       - As above
- Cilantro      - 1 Med. handful
- Chilli powder - Use liberally
- Olive oil     - 1 Tbsp. to 1/2 Cup -- experiment with it
- Salt          - under 1 Tsp. -- 1/4 Tsp. per cup of wet mix*
- Black Pepper  - 1/2+ Tsp. -- 1/8 Tsp. per cup of wet mix*
- Cumin powder  - 1/2 Tsp
- Curry Powder  - 1/2 Tsp
- Hot peppers   - as desidered


Mexican-flavoured:
-----------------------------------

- Remove the Chickpeas, parsley, curry powder, and cumin powder
- Add two cans of pre-cooked Black, Pinto, or Anasazi Beans
- Add Jalepeno Peppers for flavour (and the seeds for more spice)
- Also add Corn** (1+ Cups)
- Cheese, of course--cheddar or colby are probably your best bets
- Broccoli can add a nice flavour

** Onion does not work very well with Corn as-is, but the tomatoes and beans are effective balancing agents.


For use with Rice:
-----------------------------------
1:
- Remove the Chickpeas, parsley, curry powder, and cumin powder
- Add one each more tomatoes and carrots
- Add corn
- use only small or medium-sized onion

2: Mexican-flavoured as above.



Basic Pesto:
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Basic Ingredients:
------------------

- Basil         - 1 Lg. handful
- Garlic        - 1 Full Clove
- Olive oil     - 1 Tbsp. to 1/2 Cup -- start small, then move up as desired
- Salt          - 1/2 Tsp. or less
- Black Pepper  - 1/2 Tsp.

- Add Bell Pepper if desired



Preparation:
------------

- For these, you need a blender or food-processor

- prepare the ingredients as described in the first recipe, then toss them into the blender/processor
- add salt and spices, blend again, then serve when it tastes right to you




Chilli Soy-Sauce: (CSS for Chefs)
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
- no blender required
- use a small spoon for this mix
- need a fine grater

Basic Stuff:
------------

- Olive Oil     - 3/4 Cup or less
- Soy Sauce     - 1/4 Cup
- Chilli Powder - 1/4 Cup or less
- Garlic        - 2 Buds -- fine grate them

- that's it -- just put it all together in a small bowl or use a sealed container
- the mix settles quickly, so stir it before each use

This mix works great with rice or pasta--heat some Frozen Corn and Broccoli to put on the rice for a nice dish.


Garlic Olive Oil: (GOO. Heh. This one's a fairly well-known bread dip.)
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
- no blender required
- need a fine grater

Basic Stuff:
------------

- Olive Oil     - 3/4 Cup or less
- Garlic        - 1 Full Clove -- fine grate it
- Salt          - dash
- Black Pepper  - pinch

- that's it -- just put it all together in a small bowl or use a sealed container




Note: Good stuff to use with non-sweet meal grain-stuff (rice, pasta, bread):

Garlic-Chilli Flax Oil Blend
--- (by Omega Nutrition -- find it at health food stores; it's small and expensive, but strong, so you don't need much at a time -- keep it in the fridge) -takes me months to finish a bottle-

-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Drinks
----------------


Summer Smoothie:
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Basic Ingredients:
------------------

-your favourite fruits-
I use these:

- Strawberries  - Double handful
- Peaches       - 2-3 Med. to Lg.
- Plums         - 2-4
- Bananas       - 1 Lg. or 2 Sm./Med.
- Apple Juice   - 3/4 Cup
- Milk/Cream    - 1/2 Cup -- Just about any kind of milk works (Almond, Soy, Goat, Cow)
- Vanilla       - 1 Tsp.
- Cinnamon      - dash (more than a pinch)
- Cloves        - pinch (sprinkle it on; don't actually pinch it)
- Nutmeg        - pinch
- Cardamon      - pinch

-- The milk adds a creamy flavour-texture, and softens the sharpness of the mix.
-- Avoid Rice Milk for this, as it not very effective

-- Alternatively, use less Strawberries and Peaches, but replace what you take away with Blueberries.
-- Add Raspberries or Blackberries to just about any fruit/berry mix
-- If you want some extra bite, add a pinch of cayenne powder


Preparation:
------------

- blender or food processor required

- drop the ingredients in starting with those at the the top of the list and ending with those at the bottom
- blend, taste, then serve when ready




Frothy Coffee Choco-heaven: (Frocochoc)
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Basic Ingredients:
------------------
- Coffee        - 1+ Cup (black -- cream and sugar come later)
- Cocoa Powder  - 1 Tbsp.
- Sugar         - 1 - 2 Tbsp.
- Cardamon      - Pinch
- Cream/Milk    - 1/3 Cup (Unless you prefer it black)
- Vanilla       - 1 Tsp.
- Brandy or Rum - Dollop (experiment with the flavour--see how much or how little works for you)


Preparation:
------------

- blender or food processor useful

- toss them in from starting with ingredients at the the top of the list and ending with those at the bottom
- blend lightly, pour and serve


- For greater thickness, use Ice Cream or Whipped Cream instead of standard Milk Cream
- For a little extra spice, add a pinch of cayenne or jalepeno powder

Notes:
- try to find naturally-processed, unrefined cane sugar, if possible--it really does taste better than that white crap, though it's more expensive -- don't bother or worry about it if it's too costly, though
- same deal with coffee: higher quality equals better flavour, but more money burned -- instant stuff will work in a snap

- Coffee, Chocolate, and Black Tea all have flavour issues with Soy, so beware (I'm not sure about almond or other nut milks, but they should work)

- you don't actually have to use a blender for this one, but it does improve the texture a little, and the froth is just plain neat

End note: if you're sick, don't cook for anyone but yourself unless you absolutely must, and are extremely critical about sanitary procedures--stick to pre-formatted recipes which you know well, and won't need to taste.

CrossBuster · October 2005

How to make an incredibly good burger.

Take some ground beef (not too lean), form into largeish patties. Take some worcestershire, chili powder, garlic powder, onion powder, mixed spices, or whatever dry spice you want to use, and sprinkle on top of the patties.

Pour the worcestershire sauce on top of the patties, set aside.

Meanwhile, cut a large red onion into rings, and fry in some butter until soft and transparent, add some red wine, simmer for a few minutes.

Grill the patties to taste, top with the sauteed onions, and whatever else you like on a burger (I suggest sweet/spicy mustard, ketchup, mayo, hot sauce, avocado, lettuce, and tomato)

leaf · October 2005

Parmesan Chicken

Need:

Chicken Breast (hehe...chicken)
Olive Oil
Oregano/Basil
Parmesan (like for your spaghetti)
Bread Crumbs (you should be able to figure out how to make this)
A clove of chopped Garlic

1) Get two bowls. In one bowl, add roughly enough olive oil to just cover however many chicken breasts you're making. (for two, add just enough to cover the bottom of the bowl) and throw in your finely diced garlic.
In the other bowl, pour in about a cup of bread crumbs, and a teaspood of each basil and oregano. Also sprinkle in as much parmesan as you would like, if any.
2) Take one chicken and put it into the garlic/olive oil, and make a fist to press it down. You're just trying to flatten it to make it easy to roll later on. Once it's covered in olive oil and the garlic bits cling to it, press it in and coat it with the bread crumbs/basil/oregano from the second bowl.
3) Roll the chicken into little loaf sized things, and place onto a tinfoil covered tray. Bake for 30-50 minutes (depends on how thick you rolled the chicken) at 350 degrees until you see them browning nicely.

Very quick to make in about 15 minutes of prep with 30-50 of cooktime, the rest of which you can go play doubledash.

BushidoGamer · November 2005

Out of all the ramen I've had in the past fourteen years, I find that the Wai Wai brand is considered to be the best tasting. The ramen is made in Thailand and all of my Cambodian relatives (who consist of about fifty cousins alone) have this as a staple in the kitchen right up there with rice. Keep in mind that Cambodians don't get along with Thais because of their constant looting of artifacts from the Angkor Wat, our national monument, and past wars so take that however you see it.

Wai Wai ramen has an extremely crispy texture and smokey flavor, when raw, which is perfect for a quick chex/trail mix type snack. When wet, it will soak up every delicious flavor that in its path that threatens its existence.

You can find it at most asian supermarkets, local markets and even some small liquor/grocery hybrid stores. Best of all, it's cheaper than usual because they don't charge sales tax at most stores. Wai Wai normally goes between one to five dollars (pricing depends on how remote of an area you're at), thirty ramen packs per case.

This is the only pic I can find on it which is labeled chicken based in the bottom left hand corner.
IMPORTANT: Go for the Palm Oil based ones (completely vegan) which should be labeled in English on the back and ALWAYS throw out the flavor packets because they are full of MSG. They taste too salty anyway, bleh.

Onto the recipes (Tweak for your needs):
Ever been to a Asian restaurant and ordered Orange Chicken (or anything similar) and loved it? Now you can make your own restaurant style sauce in less than ten minutes. ^_^

Orange Sauce

Required:
Genuine non-stick pan
2/3 c Orange Juice (You can skip this if you have a juicer/blender)
1/3 c Water
1 Clean Whole Orange (Best With an fragrant rind/peel)
2 tbps. of Corn Syrup (You can substitute this with Brown Sugar)

Optional:
Oil (Almost any will bring out the flavor)
1 Whole Chili Pepper (If ya want to tone down the spiciness take out the seeds. To look like a pro, do it anyway.)

1. Preheat the non-stick pan on high heat. (Optional: Add chili and oil here)
2. Slice the orange in half and carefully scoop out the flesh (you can reuse the peel later as a finger bowl for Iron Chef like presentation).
3. Take the orange peel and grate as much zest as you can (preferably). Set aside.
3a. Alternative Tool Tips: If you don't have a grater use a peeler. If you don't even have that, improvise with a sardine can (or something similar) by poking holes diagonally imitating the design of a grater.
4. Take the unused half of the orange and scoop out the flesh again.
5. Slice the peel to your liking if you want. Place peel in pan.
6. Finally, mix everything together thoroughly and add to the pan.
7. Once that's added, switch to medium/low heat and simmer for four/six minutes until it turns into a thick, orange sauce.
7a. Important for those that don't want a sticky mess: Heating sugars cause them to caramelize so watching the sauce during the last minutes is necessary. Do not let the sauce overcook or it will become too dark, thick and unusable.
8. Serve in orange peel bowl separately or pour over your favorite dishes. Garnish with leftover orange flesh and peels for presentation.

I love this sauce because it can made incredibly easy with just a few things, yet it has an enormous outpouring of flavor.

Sauce Tip: You can combine ordinary sauces and spices in a jiff for flavors with more layers. (eg. Mustard with a little bit of soy sauce, hot sauce with lemon/lime, spreading spices onto sandwiches and then grilling them.)

Classic Ramen

Now this is the standard recipe prepared world over (including impoverished nations) so not much is needed or spent. These recipes are handed down from generation to generation but actually it's just made to everyone's liking.

Everything here is dependant on your preference.
Mostly Required:
Pot
Water
Ramen
Sugar
Salt
Lime
A hint of Garlic

Optional:
Various
Vegetables (Bean sprout, lettuce, leek and mint leaves are most common)
Meats
Sauces (Hot and/or Hoisen are popular)
Spices
Others

Ramen is loved by many people. Even in Castlevania: DS, Heart Fiends drop ramen as items. If you're bored with ramen, it's highly flexible and can be used in every type of meal conceivable. Once the Ramen is soft and ready in hot water, the only limit is your imagination. Go the traditional way of adding the most of the above in. Or you could drain the soup stock, saving it for later and adding anything you want to the ramen. Use it in pizzas, omelettes and even deserts. Which brings us to..

Hyperactive Candied Choco-Ramen! (Taken directly from The Official Ramen Homepage)

Submitted By: Rob Loukotka and Brandon Mayotte
Submitted From: Ann Arbor, Michigan, US

1 block of Ramen
Â¼ cup Brown Sugar
Â¼ cup Chocolate Sauce (Hersheyâ€™sâ€¦ or whatever)
Powdered Sugar
Optional: Â½ teaspoon Vanilla
Optional: Whipped Cream

1. Fill pot with 2-3 cups of water, and mix in Â¼ cup of Brown Sugar. Also, if available, a Â½ teaspoon of Vanilla (too much vanilla would make it tastes crazyâ€¦ like Godzillaâ€¦ be careful).
2. Cook Ramen block when sugar-water boils. Cook until soft and quite â€˜noodleyâ€™.
3. Strain Ramen until most water has left the pot and gone down the drain.
4. Pour in a few dashes of Brown Sugar, and Â¼ cup of Chocolate Sauce. Make sure to mix it well, until the noodles are a nice golden-brown color.
5. Dump Choco-Ramen onto a plate, preferably NOT a paper plate. Then sprinkle as much powdered sugar as you desire upon the Choco-Ramen. This makes it look cool, and taste awesomer.
6. If youâ€™re super-fancy, try adding a large mountain of Whipped Cream upon your Choco-Ramen creation.

If you do not have chocolate sauce, melted chocolate chips make a tasty substitute. Also if you donâ€™t like chocolate, try using caramel sauce.

Note: This recipe is extremely sugary and should not be fed to children under 5, because theyâ€™ll stay up all night watching Spongebob.

Gourmet Tip: There's a quick and easy way you can add a touch of class with almost any sauce and a fork. Just spread it around lightly and then use a fork to barely graze the top of the sauce. This causes it to change the look from this ---- into this ^^^^.

For aeolist: For the Poor Man's Salt Flavored Ramen that Hayao Miyazaki made during Spririted Away, this is the best I could do by watching that segment of the Nippon Television Special over and over again. Always wanted to know the recipe for years but I guess the only way is to ask Miyazaki himself.

Poor Man's Salt Flavored Ramen

Required:
Frying Pan
Pot
Water
Shitake Mushrooms
Green Onions
Fish
Ramen
Mysterious Green Flavor Powder (Any ideas on what this could possibly be?)
Eggs

1. Preheat the frying pan on the stove. You don't need to add any oil as the fish takes care of that. Unless you're going for a vegetarian version.
2. Thinly slice the shitake mushrooms into thin strips on a board. Set aside.
3. Handle the green onions by hand and place over where you kept the mushrooms. With a sharp knife cut diagonally, rotating the green onion after every single slice.
4. Combine the shitake mushrooms and green onions with the fish in a frying pan.
5. Boil water in the pot and place ramen in at the boiling point.
6. Add mysterious green flavored powder when ramen is softened up.
7. Whisk all of the eggs.
8. Now this step is crucial, add in the eggs little by little while stirring.
9. Once the vegetables and fish are complete, add to the top of the ramen pot.
10. Then mix everything in and serve.

More to come: Japanese Rice Ball and Sushi Misconception

Edit: Also, never be afraid to go into an ethnic/exotic/specialized grocery store and ask the employees about anything. Keep in mind that they want your money so they'll almost always help you out . :lol:

DeVryGuy · November 2005

Chicken Nugget Parmesean

This was created when I bought the wrong kind of chicken.

What you need:

1 jar o Ragu Marinara Sauce
1 jar o Classico Four Cheese Alfredo
1 Box o Linguini
1 Bag o Tyson Chicken Nuggets
Any herbs or spices that you may want to add to the sauce

Cook the Nuggets in your prefered method. I fry mine in a small deep fryer I got for $15 at Wal Mart.

Once the noodles are cooked to the tenderness you like, drain and add the Alfredo sauce to the noodles. I know the two different sauces is different, but it makes the end product very cheesy and awesome.

Heat the Marinara in a sauce pan and add and spices you like. Once the nuggets to the sauce once they are done.

Serve Marinara Nuggets on top of the Alfredo Noodles. You can try other sauces but these two work VERY well together.

DeVryGuy · November 2005

Pumpkin Cookies for Thanksgiving

3/4 CUP MARAGINE
1 CUP PUMPKIN
1 EGG
2TEASPOONS VANILLA
2 CUPS FLOUR
1 CUP SUGAR
1 TEASPOON BAKING POWDER
1 TEASPOON BAKING SODA
1 TEASPOON CINNAMON

BAKE AT 350 FOR 12 T0 15 MINUTES

Frost with a butter frosting and watch your friends go batshit insane over these cookies.

bam realistic · November 2005

spinach + feta wrapped in pillsbury croissants, then baked in oven - delight

varland · November 2005

The Ultimate meat sauce:

Works well with any pasta, but I prefer spaghetti:

*minced meat
*pasta (spaghetti)
*ketchup
*milk
*flour
*salt, pepper...

Get 500grams of 50/50 mix of pig/cow minced meat and fry it up on medium to high heat, while frying it add black and white pepper, now now, don't be shy. And some salt.

When it's done add some (Heinz) ketchup and stir it in, now add some milk (a deciliter or so) and then some flour and mix it together, too runny consistency? Add more flour. Too thick? Add more milk. Not enough taste? Add more ketchup.

The varland super noodle meal turbo deluxe:
*3-4 eggs
*pack of instant ramen
*can of tuna fish

Boil up some 4 decliter of water and add the ramen brick to the boiling water, let it sit for a minute or so then crack the raw eggs into the now soggy noodles. Just pop 'em in there. You have no time to be a fancy smancy person.
Let the ... mixture ... boil until you can see white fluffy eggish things float around. You might want to stir it now and then.
Make sure the noodles are like you want them to be (not to soft, not to hard...) and then put the mixture in a medium bowl.

Add a can of freshwater tuna into the bowl and stir until the tuna has sorted itself into the mix.

Trust me, you won't need salt or peppers.
It might not look that appetizing but it's a massive protein boost thanks to the tuna and the 3-4 eggs in it, and it doesn't taste that bad.
[spoiler:814ac07328]http://img377.imageshack.us/my.php?image=picture67bk.jpg[/spoiler:814ac07328]

Tuned up pasta:

*pasta
*crushed chili tomato sauce
*tuna

Boil pasta.
Drain water.
Boil the tomato sauce until it's hot.
Combine sauce and pasta.
Add a can of freshwater tuna.
Stir.
Eat.

The top one is my favorite BY FAR but the others have a cooking time of around 5min and pack a mighty protein punch.

solsovly · December 2005

BushidoGamer wrote:

Out of all the ramen I've had in the past fourteen years, I find that the Wai Wai brand is considered to be the best tasting. The ramen is made in Thailand and all of my Cambodian relatives (who consist of about fifty cousins alone) have this as a staple in the kitchen right up there with rice. Keep in mind that Cambodians don't get along with Thais because of their constant looting of artifacts from the Angkor Wat, our national monument, and past wars so take that however you see it.

You are the very first person outside my family (cambodian) to have ever ever talked or posted about these noodles. I agree 100%, tastiest noodles ever and even edible as a snack when raw. I cannot endorse these enough.

TheRoadVirus · January 2006

This isn't really a meal or anything, but is a tasty twist on an old snack.

1 bag of popcorn
1 container of Tony Cachere's (Seasoning blend sold down here in louisiana)
http://www.cajunspice.com

just make the popcorn, open the bag when finished, pour some tony's in there, shake shake shake, repeat until you think evenly coated. Spicy.

CrossBuster · January 2006

this isn't very low budget, but it tastes incredible, and is quite impressive, especially considering how easy it is.

Fish tacos:

1 lb yellowfin tuna, cubed
1/3 cup sour cream
1/4 cup finely chopped onions
1 teaspoon (or more to taste) chipotle peppers, chopped (they come in a very small can. You can find them in the Mexican food section at your grocery store)
some lime juice

mix all the ingredients except the tuna in a bowl. put the tuna in a large skillet with some vegetable oil, cook on high until seared and heated through (not more than 3 minutes). Add the sauce that you just made, cook for another minute or so. Serve with fresh shredded cabbage.

Fruit salsa (goes very well with fish tacos)

tomato
mango
Lime juice
cilantro
habanero peppers
lime juice
onion

chop everything up, put it in a bowl, let sit a few hours before serving.

Dog · February 2006

Alright this is my first post ever and I don't know if this one is here yet but I would like to contribute if I can.

Fried Cheese-
Mozzarella cheese
a saucer pan

Put pan on stove top and heat till warm or on medium high whatever. Put shredded mozzarella cheese on pan and fry till golden brown on each side.

This is sooo tasty great for a quick snack. well that was my first post and I am happy about it enjoy the cheese.

Amigu · March 2006

Huh? I thought already posted in this thread. Anyway let me just say that cans and snap frozen veggies are your friend. Here's something I make quite a bit:

Get a can of canned pealed potatoes pour of that grose water cut 'em up and maybe leave them out a bit to dry if you want.
Then get a non-stick pan (how good are non-stick pans huh?) pour in some olive olive slice some garlic in once the oil is hot (just put the tip of a potato on the pan, if it sizzles it's hot enough) and fry it till it's crispy then cut up and onion and fry that till it's glassy.
Throw those potatoes on top, try and get them under the onions and garlic and turn up the heat on the pan. Fry the spuds until till they get nice and crispy then turn them over and repeat.

This is so easy to do, takes about 10 minutes and if you get the spuds and the garlic crispy it tastes excellent.

Underdog · April 2006

Amigu wrote:

Huh? I thought already posted in this thread. Anyway let me just say that cans and snap frozen veggies are your friend. Here's something I make quite a bit:

Get a can of canned pealed potatoes pour of that grose water cut 'em up and maybe leave them out a bit to dry if you want.
Then get a non-stick pan (how good are non-stick pans huh?) pour in some olive olive slice some garlic in once the oil is hot (just put the tip of a potato on the pan, if it sizzles it's hot enough) and fry it till it's crispy then cut up and onion and fry that till it's glassy.
Throw those potatoes on top, try and get them under the onions and garlic and turn up the heat on the pan. Fry the spuds until till they get nice and crispy then turn them over and repeat.

This is so easy to do, takes about 10 minutes and if you get the spuds and the garlic crispy it tastes excellent.

Do you do it in exactly that order? Garlic burns easily and I've found if I put it in before onions (in whatever I make) it tends to burn before the onions become translucent. I've seen several cooking shows that mention putting garlic in last because it burns easily. Maybe it's because you're slicing them as opposed to mincing them? See now I'm not sure.

liquidlogan · April 2006

Just because I've seen some people neglect this in their pasta recipes, I thought I'd make it clear.

Add salt when boiling water for pasta!

People, this is crucial.

To boil water for pasta, fill the pot and throw in some salt when it starts to boil. A lot of people wonder why their pasta tastes plain... well... there isn't enough salt mostly. How much salt? It depends really on how much water you have in the pot, but the general suggestion is a tablespoon or so.

Let it boil for a little longer after you throw in the salt, then throw in the pasta. I've seen people throw in pasta before it even boils. I cringe.

It also might be valuable to throw in a little bit of olive oil in the water, just a drizzle. It keeps it from sticking in the water.

Also, when you drain the pasta, do not, NOT, rinse it with water. Doing so will remove the starch which means the sauce will not stick.

Corvus · April 2006

I read something recently suggesting that you should not add oil when boiling pasta, but that salt is key, as you said.

liquidlogan · April 2006

psych71 wrote:

I read something recently suggesting that you should not add oil when boiling pasta, but that salt is key, as you said.

Well, I really only add oil when the pasta is of the smaller variety (macaroni, penne and such) because that tends to stick to the bottom of my pot. I never do it for longer, noodle like pasta. The truth is it will make your pasta a more oily. The oil would stick to the starch and not the sauce.

But, if you only add a little, the negative isn't enough for me to not do it. I'd rather the pasta cook evenly and not stick than have it a tad oily. And if you're making it with an oil based sauce (like garlic & oil sauce), then who cares? Most people also add oil to their tomato based sauce anyways, like I do. So just add a little bit if you have had it stick in the past. If it doesn't stick, you're good.

It's really a lot of trial and error from pasta type to pasta type, from producer to producer. Whatever works for you.

Mezama Shidoke · April 2006

Just wanna' throw this out there. I'm no culinary connosieur, but this is what I recall:

Adding olive oil to the water you boil pasta in doesn't make the pasta any more or less oily, as the oil sits on top of the water and is poured out before the pasta goes into the colander; it will not prevent macaroni from sticking to the bottom of your pot, because it never goes anywhere near the bottom of your pot.

It simply reduces the likelihood of starchy pasta-water from boiling over the pot and onto your stove top. I presume this is because the oil sits on top of the boiling water, minimizing the bubbling action of the starch and water mixture.

geckahn · April 2006

I dont use salt or oil, and I rinse my pasta after boiling (at least with spaghetti and cappelini). I HATE sticky spaghetti/cappelini with a passion, I eat mine on a plate and pour the sauce on top. Having sticky pasta only works if youre going to mix the pasta with the sauce before eating - which i do definitely not do. Ghetto.

also, anyone who uses prego or ragu sucks at life.

mbnmac · April 2006

Risotto

the great thing about risotto is that you can put pretty much anything into it, and its always a good cheap meal.

i'm not giving any measurements as i don't know how much i use, i just put in what seems right

ingrediants;

Rice (you can get special risotto rice that is nicer but is not needed)
Sausages, chopped (other meat can be used, but make sure it is well cooked, sausages are easiest for this)
1 Onion (regular or spring, with spring you will need quite a few)
Mushrooms
Peas
Pepper (of your choice of colour)
salt and pepper (to taste)
Pesto (there are many types, if you have never used it before, get the greenest one you see on the shelf, usually works best. it will go off quick though so put some oil into the jar, then put jar in fridge, pesto goes well with most pasta's too)
Stock (boil some water, dissolve a stock cube in it, think oxo for those that don't know what they are)
Water
Cooking oil

now these are what i prefer to use in mine, for those of you that know what goes well with rice you can add or take things away as you prefer (i sometimes like to throw in some scrambled egg)

even a minimal amount should feed at least 2, so you can put a bowl in the fridge for another day, save yourself some cooking/cleaning, but don't be afraid to experiment with the mount of ingredients you use, just make sure you have room in your sauce pan.

To cook:

chop the mushrooms/onion and heat a small amount of oil in the sauce pan.
fry the mushrooms and onions to the point where you like your mushrooms fried.
during this point, boil some water and apply to the stock cube (directions should be on the pack, but don't worry about being accurate, a lot of water goes into this)
chop up the sausages and pepper. the pepper should be quite well chopped and the sausages to small bite size type sizes.
throw them into the pot with the mushrooms and onions, then add the stock, and fill the pan to about half way with water (assuming its of a reasonable size)
now throw in the rice, obviously the more you add the further the meal will go and i've yet to add 'too much' to the point of hurting the taste at all.
let the water come to the boil, add the peas, again however much you want, keeping in mind how many servings your cooking for.
let the water boil and add at least a tea spoon of pesto for each serving, i love the stuff so i end up using quite a lot, but experiment a bit to get your taste.
now just boil, adding a little salt and pepper as you like.
this is actually the tricky bit, you have to boil off the water, but make sure everything is cooked, don't be afraid to add more water to make sure things get cooked properly, the rice is usually a good indicator of when everything is cooked nicely.
boil off all the water, make sure you stir regularly, especially when the water starts getting low, when there is only a small amount boiling at the bottom of the pan and the rice looks cooked, take it off the heat, dish it up and eat.

this is one of my favorite things to cook, being cheap, and filling while getting a whole range of food in one meal.

experiment and see what works.

happy eating

TDL · May 2006

I have been cooking a lot oh spaghetti lately. Great money saver.

4rch3nemy · July 2006

As almost everyone's mentioned so far: pasta is cheeeeeeeap.

Minute Maid Veggie Soup

Ingredients:
Minute Maid Rice (or other rice, doesn't matter)
Campbell's Vegetable Soup

Instructions:
Heat up/prepare the Veggie Soup
Add the minute rice
Keep the concoction warm/hot until the rice is soft enough to eat

You can customize this recipe ALLLL you want, it's pretty much Rice+Soup = filling no matter what else you put in it. I suggest real veggies, canned veggies, frozen veggies, cooked meat, whatever.

Enjoy. I lived off of this formula for, like, 6 months after I started puking/shitting/dying from eating McDonald's every day (I was a manager and got free food).

bernbaum · August 2006

Home-made apple pie (not quite the way Nana makes it):

2 slices Bread
Butter
Sugar
Apples (the fruit kind or the canned kind)

Butter bread on the outside and sprinkle with sugar.
Put sliced and peeled apples on inside. (fresh apples will soften, but canned apples require less work). Sprinkle apples with sugar.
Place in hot sandwich maker.

Sugar on the outside will crispy up and the apple inside will caramelise. Try not to make it stick to the sandwich maker, 'cause its a bitch to clean off.

Tastes not too different from a McDonalds Apple Pie(Turnover).

Too easy, too delicious.

cytorak · August 2006

Not quick, but cheap, easy, makes a lot, tastes awesome, and can be frozen for later consumption.

Taco Soup
1.5 lb ground beef (browned and drained)
1 can corn
1 can white hominy (don't drain)
1 can yellow hominy (don't drain)
1 can Rotel* diced tomatoes (Original)
1 can Rotel* diced tomatoes (Mild)
1 can diced tomatoes
2 cans beans, rinsed and drained (black beans, kidney beans, whatever you want)
1 package taco seasoning
1 package Hidden Valley Ranch* dry seasoning mix

Put all ingredients in large pot and simmer for 1-2 hours (1 for more of a "soup", 2 for more of a "chili"). Stir occasionally. Garnish with shredded cheese, tortilla chips, sour cream, and/or black olives.

*The brand doesn't matter; it's just the kind my grocery store carries.

Jamesblonde · August 2006

Great for Breakfast or just a nice beverage.

Smoothies!!! You will need:
-orange juice
-ice
-strawberry yougurt
-bananna
-frozen fruit
-protein powder (optional--never tried it)
-spinnach (also never tried it)

BLEND! Spinnach doesnt affect the taste, just turns things green.
You can also add vanilla icecream instead of yougurt.

And now, Awesome DIPS!

Tzatziki and Pitas

1 container (16 ounces) plain lowfat yogurt
1/2 English (grated)
1/1-2 teaspoons salt
1 to 2 garlic cloves, chopped
Some dill
Lemon juice and a tablespoon of sourcream.

Mix it all together, and you get tastey dip for pitas, and calamari, and chips.

And the last dip....Hummus

1 Can of chick peas
Some olive oil (just a little to get the chickpeas moist in blender)
2 cloves garlicâ€”roughly chopped
Â¼ cup lemon juice

BLEND!

(add a little chilli pepper for spicy hummus)

Again, eat with pitas! mmmmmm good.

Roadkill70 · September 2006

Cooking Lasagna.

You will need the following.
Frying pan.
Lasagna pan.

3 jars of your favorite sauce.
1-1.5 lb o'meat, your choice. If you choose none don't cook this you freak. Johnsonville dogs or other sausages are nice. (Don't go cheap on the meat!)
1 box no-cook noodles. (No cook noodles are dry but will cook with the lasagna when you throw it in the oven.)
1lb bag mixed cheese.
1 box of Philadelphia creme cheese. (or substitute with fresh mozzarella...the soft stuff, not the hard stuff)

You CAN try throwing whatever you want in there. Like peppers, zuchini or whatever. I would just pick one veg though. More than that and your going too vegan.

If you like garlic use however much you want. I wouldn't go over a clove though.

1: Cook the meat. If you use some sort of sausage cook it then cut it up.
2: Drain the grease from the meat.
3: Put some sauce in your lasagna pan and a bit of meat.
4: Put some noodles in so the first layer is covered.
5: Put some more sauce on.
6: Put your phili cheese or mozzarella on.
7: Noodles!
8: More sauce and meat!
9: More noodles! (Unless you are running out of room)
10: More sauce and meat! (Sauce and meat should be on the top before you add the package of cheese.)
11: Add the cheese!

Throw that mess in the oven at 350ish for about 30 minutes or until the top gets nice golden brown. (You will need about that for the noodles to cook right.)

Let the lasagna stand for about 10-15 minutes so that it has time to cool. (This will also heighten the flavor.)

The best thing about lasagna is that it gets even better the day after!...just don't leave it in the fridge for over a week.

DO NOT!: Use cottage cheese. That is just plain nasty. Leave that crap in the fridge for your parents to eat.

DO NOT!: Drink soy milk if you are a guy. It will give you breasts irl...or at least it will if you drink a lot.

MattyP · March 2007

Lots of great advice, and I might as well add to it as well. I've been making this as a quick snack or for lunch. It's highly versatile, and the ingredients are quite vague. Use whatever you like!

MattyP's signature, (un)patented, quick-n'-tasty pasta!

Ingredients:
-Pasta of your choice (I like rotini, penne works good too)
-Whatever salad dressings you have around (I recommend ranch, Italian, or Greek. Raspberry dressing, however, does NOT taste good. Trust me.)
-Corn starch if needed (to thicken more watery dressings such as Italian)
-Herbs or spices to taste

~Boil pasta (don't forget to salt your water).
~While pasta is boiling, mix salad dressing and corn starch (optional, see ingredients) in a bowl big enough to stir the pasta in (without any falling out, of course).
~Once pasta is cooked to your preference, drain and mix pasta and salad dressing.
~Enjoy.

I also have a basic salad dressing recipe if you find yourself hankering a salad or whatever.

Basic oil n' vinegar dressing

Ingredients:
-1 part vinegar
-1 part Olive oil
-Seasonings, herbs, spices to taste. Oregano, salt, pepper, garlic powder/salt all recommended.

~Mix all ingredients in a bottle. Seriously, you can use any bottle you want.
~Shake vigorously before using, to mix the oil and vinegar.

I also find you can reuse most pickle juice to make lightly pickled cucumbers.

Pickle juice cukes

~Slice a quarter of a cucumber in half (2 1/8th of a cucumbers).
~Slice into quarters lengthwise. Dunk into older pickle juice.
~Add extra vinegar, dill, garlic, etc. for more flavor if desired.
~Leave in fridge for at least 2 days, then eat anytime. Longer you wait, the more flavorful the cucumbers.
~Juice can be reused for as long as you like, but I prefer to refresh the jar every once in a while.

Or you can use the leftover pickle juice for...

Not-quite (but it still is) ranch dressing

~Mix pickle juice and some mayo together until you get something that resembles the consistency of ranch dressing. A lot of experimentation is necessary to get something you like.

Finally, if you're in the mood for something really unhealthy, but oh so good...

Butter bread

~Melt butter in pan, enough to spread it out around an area the size of a slice of bread.
~Put slice of bread into melted butter, making sure the bread is nice and coated.
~Do not let the bread toast, but let it get heated throughout. Looking to get a warm, soft slice. It tastes much better that unmelted bread and butter.

PS: For the Kraft Dinner people (I, for one), here are a few tips I find work great:
-Microwaving KD isn't hard, and is often a timesaver for almost the same thing. They don't display the instructions on the boxes anymore, but here's a rundown. Put the pasta into a microwave-safe bowl, add enough water to cover the pasta by a little bit (depends on how wide the bowl is), nuke for 8-9 minutes (stirring every 3 minutes. KEEP A TOWEL HANDY), drain leftover water (there shouldn't be any), continue as normal.
-Keep KD interesting, add some garlic powder to the cheese mix while you wait for the noodles to cook. Don't add too much though. Use anything else you find tasty instead of garlic powder.
-Butter, it just tastes better.
-My mom makes a wicked batch of KD, the only difference is that she adds a good pound of ground beef to 3 or 4 boxes of KD. The stuff lasts for a good while, so make a bunch of nuke it whenever. It's seriously good, try it. It's like an even poorer-man's Hamburger Helper.

Decius · March 2007

Here's a home-made Hamburger Helper type meal that is quite popular amongst my friends. I usually take it to pot lucks where much drinking may be involved. Very quick and easy to make.

Chuckwagon BBQ Rice A Roni Roundup

2 pounds ground beef
2 packages rice a roni beef flavor
2 tablespoons butter
2 cups frozen corn or 2 cans niblet corn
1 cup barbeque sauce
1 cup grated cheddar cheese

In a frying pan, brown ground beef until well cooked. Drain off fat and set aside ground beef. In same frying pan, make both packages of rice a roni, following directions on back, except use only 2 tablespoons of butter. Add corn, stir in barbeque sauce and ground beef. Heat until everything is heated through. Sprinkle with cheddar cheese when serving.

It's also good if you use Teriyaki flavoured Rice-A-Roni instead of Beef flavoured.

StephenB.2006 · March 2007

Comboroni.

The ultimate fusion of the two ronis, comboroni is a cheap, easy taste sensation that can feed five.

You'll need:
2 boxes Velveeta Shells & Cheese
1 pillow pack Hormel pepperoni
1 baking pan (preferably the disposable kind from the dollar store)
1 big pot
1 oven
Maybe some extra cheese, butter, milk, and some tinfoil (all optional)

1. Boil the macaroni
2. Strain and do not rinse the macaroni
3. Preheat your oven to 350 F
4. Put the hot macaroni into the baking pan
5. Add the cheese packet
6. Add any additional ingredients you may desire (milk and butter for extra creaminess, other cheeses for extra cheesiness)
7. Add pepperoni about 2 pieces at a time.
Caution: Pepperoni will try to stick together. Do not let it become a big block.
8. Mix until equally cheesy throughout.
9. Place the baking pan (covered if desired) in the oven and bake for 15 minutes
10. Allow to cool slightly and serve

For extra flavor, try El Comboroni with jalapeÃ±os or add some salsa on the side. For crispy topped comboroni, sprinkle shredded cheese over the top of your mixed meal before baking and leave uncovered.

tyroney · March 2007

Two for the AM:

======

best breakfast casserole (perfect for groups of people)
start this the previous night!

some french kinda bread (or just bread. 6 slices, or just under a football worth)
6 eggs
16 oz (1 lb) of sausage or sausage substitute. Ground.
2 cups milk (I have unsweetened soy, but that's me)
1-2 cups of shredded cheese. (I just a package at the store)
salt/pepper (at most a teaspoon of salt. Maybe half that of pepper. Or just let people put it on themselves)
optional: chopped green pepper, and/or mushrooms, and/or green onion, etc (handful each)

Brown the meat. lay out bread in pan. (slice or rip it up if it isn't already sliced) Sprinkle sausage over, sprinkle cheese over. Beat eggs with any remaining ingredients, pour slowly over all the stuff in the pan. Refrigerate overnight for best flavor. (cover with saran!) 325 degrees for, like, 45 minutes.

======

most impressive breakfast (better for less people. Like, maybe just two. wink wink, nudge nudge...)
basic crepe batter:

3 tablespoons of milk
2 tablespoons of flour
1 egg

(makes roughly 4 good sized crepes, you'll want to multiply the recipe) Mix it all up until it's as smooth as you can get it. A whisk helps.

how to actually make crepes
Large flat pan. You don't want it too hot: start around medium, and play with it from there. Have a 1/4 cup measuring cup for dishing out the batter. Keep butter handy, and a decent spatula.

Put a little butter in the pan. It doesn't take much. Just enough so you can swirl it around with the spatula and coat the pan. (if the pan is hot enough, the butter will melt nicely, and a wet finger flicked drop of water will sizzle nicely) You'll be doing this pretty often, unless you have a magical pan.

Here's the hardest part. Hold the pan in your good-at-swirling hand. Take the 1/4 cup, stir up the batter a bit for good luck, and then take a scoop of batter. Holding the pan up off the stove, start pouring the batter in the middle of the pan. Swirl the pan around, thus swirling around where you're dumping batter, and get your crepe to form, become roundish, and spread out. If your pan is a decent temperature, it'll work out pretty nicely. If you find yourself with a pool of batter, it's proabably too cold. It usually takes me 2-3 crepes to get in the groove.

Once it's spread out, set it back on the stove, and let it cook until the top is tacky enough to not be batter anymore. Then flip it. If it's getting done too fast, turn down the heat. Get the other side done, then plop it onto a pile on a plate in a warm oven. For more control and less rippage, I usually wind up flipping it mostly by hand/finger. (I also have thick skin from playing various instruments.)

some things to do with them
You can put about anything in the things. Search the internet for ideas. An easy savory one is cheese and (cooked or vegitarian) sausage. A fancy sweet one is fruit compote. (aka fruity sugary goo) Just take like 2 cups of something fruity and chopped, (I like blueberries (no chopping!) or strawberries,) add some sugar and water, (1/4 cup and 1/2 cup respectively,) and a bit of thickener. (1 tablespoon about. Corn starch is fine, I like sweet rice flour) Mix that up in a sauce pan, get it all bubbly over medium heat, and let it cook while stirring occasionally until it's thick enough to make you happy. Roll that up inside, top with whipped cream, and BAM!

TheCanMan · April 2007

First, credit where credit is due. I got this off of Epicurious.com.

Incredibly Easy Homemade Pasta Sauce

2 tbls olive oil
1 lb sweet Italian sausage (casings removed)
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
1 cup chopped onion
3 garlic cloves (minced)
1 28oz can crushed tomatoes with added puree (garlic/basil/oregano flavored is optional)
1/2 cup whipping cream

Saute the sausage and red pepper in the oil until the sausage is no longer pink (break up the sausage into small bits), about 5 minutes. Add the onion and garlic and continue sauteing until the onion is tender and the sausage is completely browned, another 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes and cream, turn the heat down and simmer for...you guessed it...about 5 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Easily makes enough for at least 3 servings, probably 4.

CrossBuster · September 2007

Vaguely Asian stir-fry:

I'm not a big fan of measurement when it comes to cooking things like this. Unless you're baking, or something, I don't think it matters much. If it comes out too salty, use less salt next time. My 2 favorite words in cooking are "to taste." Something like this is pretty difficult to screw up, anyway.

Anyway, the sauce: mix some ground black pepper, crushed red pepper, powdered ginger, cornstarch, honey, soy sauce, balsamic vinegar, and sesame oil in a regular-sized bowl. At this point, you should have maybe 1/4 cup of liquid. Add water (or chicken or vegetable broth, if you want more flavor) until you have about 1 cup of liquid.

Meanwhile, chop up a chicken breast, and toss it with some powdered chipotle pepper, minced garlic, balsamic vinegar, and Worcestershire sauce.

Sautee the marinated chicken in a little bit of oil until cooked through and browned on the outside. A bit of warning - you house will immediately smell absolutely delicious at this point.

When the chicken is cooked, use a spoon to remove as much of the oil and excess marinade as you can. Add some fresh or frozen vegetables of your choice, and let them cook through. Obviously, carrots should go in first, followed by the things that take less time to cook. Common sense should govern.

Finally, add the sauce, and let it simmer for 15 minutes or so. This can be eaten by itself, served over rice, or (my personal favorite) served over ramen noodles which have been cooked with the seasoning, then drained.

DiannaoChong · December 2007

The following is simple to do, but gets complicated step wise, so i dont know how well it fits in, but its so awesome you have to try it out:

This takes a bit of effort and prep, and can be as detailed as you like, if you go full out on these though, 15$ can feed 9-11 people for an office lunch and they are like professional sandwhiches you would buy at panera etc. (panera is where I stole this idea from)

Chipolte sauce of some sort
Chicken breasts (1/2 horizontal cut makes 1 sandwhich generally on 1 breast)
bread (chibata works really nice, but anything will work)
Cheese (provalone is what I generally use)

Bake chicken breasts (I do fresh/defrosted 1-2lbs for 45 minutes at 350) on a pan. Pour sauce of choice onto chicken before going into oven.
Cut breasts horizontally so you get 2 halves that can fit onto 2 sandwhiches
toast the chibata bread
Place breasts onto bread, put on a layer of cheese, then sauce of choice, I use a chipolte that adds spice and flavor
(Optional, put cooked bacon on sandwhich and it makes the above amazing)

EricKei · February 2008

Here's an oldie I developed when the need arose for a lot of cake on short notice. I wanted to make a nice big one-pan cake which would be cooked thru, not runny in the center nor burned to a crisp on the edges. Then it hit me: bundt pan! Those are the circular pans (often with fluted edges) with a hole in the center.

Double Evil Cake

2 boxes cake mix (preferably the same flavor)
1 large package vanilla instant pudding (Instant, not cook n' serve; whichever size calls for 2cups of milk). Omit this and the milk if the cake mix has pudding in there already.
cooking oil and butter (not margarine)
water
eggs
whole milk

This one takes a small amount of *gasp* reading ahead.

-Turn on the oven and set it to 25 degrees F *lower* than what the cake box tells you to use. It should reach just the right temperature by the time you have everything mixed together, so no waiting for it to "pre- heat". In other words, if it says to bake at 350F, use 325. The reason for this is that, if you bake it at 350, it will burn the edges before the center gets fully baked (even in a bundt or ring pan). Lower temp, longer cooking time, less smoke coming out of your oven ^_^

- For the number of eggs: take whatever number the box says to use and use 150% of that. If it says to use 2 eggs (for one box), use 3.

- Do the same thing with the oil (or butter if using that type of mix) and water. If it calls for 1 cup of water, use a cup and a half.

- For the pudding mix, use HALF as much milk as what it calls for.

=============

Mix the cake mix, eggs, oil, and water together in a large bowl, enough to get it blended. Add the pudding mix and pour milk on top of that. Mix together thoroughly until basically smooth. Don't forget to lick the spoon AFTER you're done. If mixing by hand, the oven should be just about ready by now.

Butter up the insides of the pan. You can use Baking spray (NOT COOKING SPRAY, there's a difference) if you prefer. Make sure to get the column on the inside, too.

Pour it all into the pan, and set it into the approximate center of the oven. The higher the rack, the better.

For your cooking time, add 15 minutes or so. Most cake mixes say to cook for 45 minutes -- we'll go for an hour here. Check on it at about 45 minutes and be ready to yank it out before any burning starts, just in case. It should be cooked through at around the hour mark. Kill time by licking the bowl.

Let it cool, in the pan, on top of the stove or (preferably) on a metal rack, for 5-15 minutes. The cake should pull away from the sides of the pan.

When ready, put a plate on top and invert the cake onto the plate.

Add glaze (melted sugar or frosting (nuke frosting for 10 seconds to get this)), or let it cool another hour and frost it, if you wish. Cut, serve with ice cold milk, enjoy the sugar rush!

===================================================

Multi-color variant:

Split all ingredients (including the pudding mix) in two. Even use two separate bowls to mix the cake batter in. We do NOT want them to blend (or maybe you do, but it will probably look funny).

Mix the lighter-colored mix first with its half of the ingredients and pour it in the pan.

Then mix the second, and gently pour it over the first. It's OK if they mix a bit.

Then, take your spoon and push it into the top layer an inch or two, about equidistant from the inner and outer pan edges, and run it along in a circle once. This will result in a "blob" of darker cake within the inner one when you cut it. Mainly, it just looks cool.

Bake as usual.

=======================

Feel free to vary as you like. My favorite multi-color is one with chocolate cake as the base, golden cake as the top, with a ton of melted white vanilla icing over the top, and then I cut some white chocolate Oreos in half and stick them into the top to look like little half-moons.

mimizu · June 2008

can of petite diced tomatos + salt, pepper, and cilanto to taste + brown sugar to taste = salsa. however you like it. Add some hot peppers for more heat.

Edgler Vess · October 2008

Not low budget but great for an "at-home-date" night, and easy. Also makes you look real "macho" while cooking.

Whisky Steaks

2 (or more) 6 Oz. Filet Migons (Beef Tenderlion)
3 Tbs of olive oil
1/3 cup of Jameson's Irish Whiskey (please don't use Jack Daniels, Jim Beam, or any other burbon, ive tried and they don't come out with the same flavor)
Salt and Pepper
1/3 cup heavy whipping cream
Parsley Flakes.

Heat oven to 100 Degrees (100 is not a typo youll need it to keep your steaks warm)

Heat frying pan to medium-high heat, add oil. Add steaks and cook to desired doneness (I roll with about 7 minutes a side for a medium thickness fillet to result in a medium done steak). Leave steaks in pan. and add the whisky. After about 15 seconds to allow the inital fumes to disapate, light the whisky on fire, allow the alchol to burn off, stir the best you can to ensure you burn most of it off. remove steaks and place in warm oven. reduce heat to oven and add whipping cream and parsley flakes to the steak pan drippings/burn off whisky stirring non-stop unitl it thickens just a bit. remove steaks and pour sauce over steaks.

Best served with a Merlot or Cab.

Throw down some twice baked Potatoes (store bought frozen ones are great) and Viola' quick gormet dinner.

Im serious about waiting the 15 seconds after you pour the whisky on the steaks, the whisky will boil almost instantly and if you light it real fast youll have 6 foot flames, I burned my eyebrows almost completely off the first time I made this.

Element Brian · October 2008

This is something I discovered recently, its nothing special, literally its just mixing things together, but its had a pretty good turnout for me, plus its pretty cheap.

Just one serving

Corn Tortillas (about 3 work)
Deli Meat (about 2-3+ slices, depending on how much you want) I like ham...
Cheese, whatever floats your boat
Oil (Optional, vegetable or olive, they both work)
Eggs, 2 or 3

Take pan, pour oil in pan, dice tortillas into 1 inch square pieces, do same with ham, add them in.
Add eggs in, mix for awhile untill the tortillas are sufficiently kind of crispy.
Add cheese, mix.
At this point i add hot sauce all over it, tapatio, cholulua or valentino do the trick for me.
Seasonings (whatever works)

I finish it with lime, because hot dang i love the taste of lime on my mexican/semi-mexican food.

Again, this is no culinary breakthrough, but its cheap and its just a snack that I like, works good for breakfast.

Penny Arcade

Low Budget Cooking for the Average Geek

Posts