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What's for dinner?

tyrannustyrannus i am not fatRegistered User regular
edited October 2007 in Debate and/or Discourse
It all started out in college when I was tired of betting burnt hamburgers that I'd take from the buffet line. I'd grimace at the barely-edible chunk'o'puck and I'd think to myself, "man, even I can do better." So, I decided to use our floors George Foreman grill.

I found a good recipe for a hamburger that I'd like to share, in hopes that maybe you will share things you enjoy cooking.

I'd buy like, a pound of 80% lean ground beef and plop a good chunk of it into a Tupperware tray. I'd add onion flakes, soy sauce, and Worcester sauce to it and really mix it in. Then I form it into a ball and slap it down on the counter (which I cleaned), and form a hamburger patty. Sometimes I'd make two and pepper jack cheese on top of one and then enclose that cheese with the second patty. It's a meat and cheese sandwich, only in this case the "bread" is the two patties.

Then I'd cook it on the grill until it was pinkish on the inside (I didn't know about cutting a hole on the top of it makes it grill faster, I just made it so I could see how it was going) for about six or seven minutes, put it on a bun, and put on some lettuce and sliced tomatoes.

And it's delicious.

tyrannus on
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Posts

  • Daisuke SpoonDaisuke Spoon Registered User regular
    edited June 2007
    I usually just make ramen and add some random spices to it to make it seem like its better than it is.

    Daisuke Spoon on
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  • tyrannustyrannus i am not fat Registered User regular
    edited June 2007
    You could use some of those chicken cubes to make your own broth for them to sidestep those huge sodium packs they give you.

    tyrannus on
  • Irond WillIrond Will WARNING: NO HURTFUL COMMENTS, PLEASE!!!!! Cambridge. MAModerator mod
    edited June 2007
    You can also forego the flavor packets, strain off the ramen, and stir-fry it with some green onion, regular onion, celery, shaved carrot, sriracha sauce, soy sauce and chicken or shrimp or whatever else. It makes it into actual food and is delicious.

    Also, there's a kind of ramen you can get at Japanese stores and maybe asianmarts in general that is a whole lot better than Top Ramen or Marichan or Sapporo or whatever else. I don't know the name because it's in Japanese characters but I'll look at the bag when I get home and try to figure out distinguishing marks.

    Also, this thread is made of win.

    Irond Will on
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  • tyrannustyrannus i am not fat Registered User regular
    edited June 2007
    Do you need a wok to stir-fry?

    tyrannus on
  • Irond WillIrond Will WARNING: NO HURTFUL COMMENTS, PLEASE!!!!! Cambridge. MAModerator mod
    edited June 2007
    Rentilius wrote: »
    Do you need a wok to stir-fry?
    No you can just do it in any old pan. Woks are nice because of their shape but they're really not necessary.

    Just add some high-temperature oil like canola or peanut at medium-high heat, let it preheat so it's nice and sizzly, and then add your stuff.

    Irond Will on
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  • IncenjucarIncenjucar VChatter Seattle, WARegistered User regular
    edited June 2007
    Just having a few herbs and spices lying around is a good idea. You can add them to other foods to make a different flavor without having to start from scratch.

    Soups and sauces are especially good for this. You can make some interesting variants of split pea or tomato soup.

    Another thing you can add is vegetables, especially leafy greens. I'm in the habit of cooking large amounts of baby spinach leaves in to my spaghetti sauces and sometimes soups. It's delicious and really healthy and will fill you up all the better.

    Incenjucar on
  • tyrannustyrannus i am not fat Registered User regular
    edited June 2007
    I think if you're mixing a bunch of herbs and spices, you should probably make enough for a second or third meal if you wanted to, say, make it again.

    tyrannus on
  • DiscGraceDiscGrace Registered User regular
    edited June 2007
    My current favorite meal to cook (and it's rated high on the things I like to eat):

    Boil 1/2 pound of whole wheat penne pasta; save 1/2 cup of the cooking water before you drain it. While the pasta boils, fry 3 strips of chopped turkey bacon in olive oil. After the bacon is mostly cooked, add in 3 cloves of chopped garlic, some diced onions to taste, and some black pepper. Once the onions/garlic start to brown, add in 1/2 cup of white wine and 1/2 cup of chicken broth. Let that hang out in the pot and bubble nicely for about 2 minutes, then add in the pasta water and cook for another minute. Then add in half a carton of grape tomatoes and let them cook for about a minute, or until they're about to burst. Stir in the drained pasta, and 1/2 to 3/4 of a ball of fresh mozzarella (and I mean a ball, not a block of Kraft crap). Stir to coat everything in the sauce, and serve with the white wine you opened. Gives you about 4-5 servings, too ... <3 leftovers.

    DiscGrace on
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  • Daisuke SpoonDaisuke Spoon Registered User regular
    edited June 2007
    Irond Will wrote: »
    You can also forego the flavor packets, strain off the ramen, and stir-fry it with some green onion, regular onion, celery, shaved carrot, sriracha sauce, soy sauce and chicken or shrimp or whatever else. It makes it into actual food and is delicious.

    Also, there's a kind of ramen you can get at Japanese stores and maybe asianmarts in general that is a whole lot better than Top Ramen or Marichan or Sapporo or whatever else. I don't know the name because it's in Japanese characters but I'll look at the bag when I get home and try to figure out distinguishing marks.

    Also, this thread is made of win.

    Man, that actually sounds pretty good. I don't think I could pull it off, but it sounds good none the less.

    I just microwave two packs, throw the two packets of beef flavor in there, some parsley, old bay, cajun stuff, and some weird Mrs. Dash spice and thats about it.

    Tastes pretty damn good, I'm all for your idea though.

    Daisuke Spoon on
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  • IncenjucarIncenjucar VChatter Seattle, WARegistered User regular
    edited June 2007
    The main thing with the flavor packs is that they contain an absolutely immense amount of sodium.

    1 package of ramen=72% of your daily sodium dose.

    Incenjucar on
  • Daisuke SpoonDaisuke Spoon Registered User regular
    edited June 2007
    Incenjucar wrote: »
    The main thing with the flavor packs is that they contain an absolutely immense amount of sodium.

    1 package of ramen=72% of your daily sodium dose.

    Holy crap.

    Well, I knew ramen was all around pretty unhealthy for you. I mean anything that I can get 12 packs of for a dollar can't be too good for you.

    Daisuke Spoon on
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  • IncenjucarIncenjucar VChatter Seattle, WARegistered User regular
    edited June 2007
    Incenjucar wrote: »
    The main thing with the flavor packs is that they contain an absolutely immense amount of sodium.

    1 package of ramen=72% of your daily sodium dose.

    Holy crap.

    Well, I knew ramen was all around pretty unhealthy for you. I mean anything that I can get 12 packs of for a dollar can't be too good for you.

    The important thing to remember is that each package is two servings.

    So multiply everything on the back by 2.

    And then weep.

    Incenjucar on
  • GimGim a tall glass of water Registered User regular
    edited June 2007
    Loren Michael posted this yesterday. Seems awesome.

    Gim on
  • BrainleechBrainleech 機知に富んだコメントはここにあります Registered User regular
    edited June 2007
    Incenjucar wrote: »
    Incenjucar wrote: »
    The main thing with the flavor packs is that they contain an absolutely immense amount of sodium.

    1 package of ramen=72% of your daily sodium dose.

    Holy crap.

    Well, I knew ramen was all around pretty unhealthy for you. I mean anything that I can get 12 packs of for a dollar can't be too good for you.

    The important thing to remember is that each package is two servings.

    So multiply everything on the back by 2.

    And then weep.


    Which ramen are you eating?
    the one I usually get doesn't have 72% of my daily sodium intake

    Brainleech on
  • IncenjucarIncenjucar VChatter Seattle, WARegistered User regular
    edited June 2007
    Brainleech wrote: »
    Incenjucar wrote: »
    Incenjucar wrote: »
    The main thing with the flavor packs is that they contain an absolutely immense amount of sodium.

    1 package of ramen=72% of your daily sodium dose.

    Holy crap.

    Well, I knew ramen was all around pretty unhealthy for you. I mean anything that I can get 12 packs of for a dollar can't be too good for you.

    The important thing to remember is that each package is two servings.

    So multiply everything on the back by 2.

    And then weep.


    Which ramen are you eating?
    the one I usually get doesn't have 72% of my daily sodium intake

    Varies by flavor.

    I found one of them, Cajun Chicken flavor.

    84%.

    Eighty-four-fucking-percent.

    Incenjucar on
  • ElkiElki get busy Moderator, ClubPA mod
    edited June 2007
    Too lazy to make anything elaborate, so I just made some good ol' chocolate cake. That's what's for dinner.

    Elki on
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  • IncenjucarIncenjucar VChatter Seattle, WARegistered User regular
    edited June 2007
    Elkamil wrote: »
    Too lazy to make anything elaborate, so I just made some good ol' chocolate cake. That's what's for dinner.

    You are a man among morsels.

    Incenjucar on
  • ege02ege02 __BANNED USERS regular
    edited June 2007
    Spicy Garlic Shrimp

    Ingredients:

    * shrimp (no shit)
    * garlic
    * tomatoes
    * olive oil
    * parsley
    * ground red peppers

    Way to make:

    - Heat a pan on the oven at medium setting
    - Put some olive oil in the pan, let it sit for a bit
    - Meanwhile, peel off the outer "shell" of the shrimp and put it in a bowl
    - Slice up the garlic, tomatoes, and the parsley
    - Put the shrimp into the pan
    - Wait until one side of the shrimp is cooked, then flip them over
    - Toss in the veggies
    - Add the red peppers
    - Let it cook for 5 minutes
    - Voila!

    ege02 on
  • tyrannustyrannus i am not fat Registered User regular
    edited June 2007
    Elkamil wrote: »
    Too lazy to make anything elaborate, so I just made some good ol' chocolate cake. That's what's for dinner.

    I..uh..I don't know how to make chocolate cake. Would you be so kind as to elaborate?

    tyrannus on
  • Irond WillIrond Will WARNING: NO HURTFUL COMMENTS, PLEASE!!!!! Cambridge. MAModerator mod
    edited June 2007
    I think tomorrow I'm going to do a ramen shrimp stir fry. Frankie's hippie coworker gave her a bunch of garlic greens and I don't really know what the fuck else to do with them.

    Irond Will on
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  • KalTorakKalTorak One way or another, they all end up in the Undercity.Registered User regular
    edited June 2007
    Watch "Good Eats" with Alton Brown. He makes cooking easy and tells you why everything works the way it does.

    KalTorak on
  • AroducAroduc regular
    edited June 2007
    Incenjucar wrote: »
    Just having a few herbs and spices lying around is a good idea. You can add them to other foods to make a different flavor without having to start from scratch.

    Soups and sauces are especially good for this. You can make some interesting variants of split pea or tomato soup.

    Also, marinades. Most of what storebought sauces contain is just water, so dumping many together often leads to very full and delicious sauces.

    Or if you're like me, you buy great jugs of crappy hot sauce and then reduce it to create a thick syrupy delicious taste sensation.

    Aroduc on
  • SirUltimosSirUltimos Don't talk, Rusty. Just paint. Registered User regular
    edited June 2007
    I actually decided earlier this week that my summer project is going to be learning to cook, and this thread is really giving me some great ideas.

    SirUltimos on
  • ElkiElki get busy Moderator, ClubPA mod
    edited June 2007
    Chocolate cake

    Ingredients:

    3/4 cup of cocoa powder
    1 cup boiling water
    1/2 cup (1 stick)plus 2 tablespoons butter or margarine
    2 cups sugar
    3 eggs
    1 teaspoon vanilla extract
    1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
    1-1/2 teaspoons baking soda
    1/4 teaspoon salt
    3/4 cup milk
    1/4 cup dairy sour cream

    Directions:

    Preheat the oven to 350°. Prepare the pan(s) with some baking spray, or shortening. Line bottoms with wax paper; grease and flour paper. Mix cocoa with boiling water in small bowl; stir for a couple of minutes. Set aside to cool.

    Beat butter and sugar in large bowl until fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, and beat after each addition. Stir in vanilla. Gradually add cocoa mixture.

    Stir together flour, baking soda and salt; add alternately with milk and sour cream to butter the mix, and beat until blended. Pour into prepared pans.

    Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until (wooden) toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes. Remove from pan; carefully peel off wax paper. Cool completely. Put frost on it if you want, but I have no good recipe for that.

    10 to 12 servings, and they're all mine.

    Elki on
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  • AroducAroduc regular
    edited June 2007
    Oh also, if you're going to fry your own wings, the secret ingredient to make Americans love them is a bit of maple syrup. It thickens the sauce and sweet compliments hot very deliciously. Alternatively, if you want to make the official Duff's Wings... the sauce is literally Frank's Red Hot and butter in I believe a 2:1 ratio. Delicious and artery clogging.

    Aroduc on
  • Irond WillIrond Will WARNING: NO HURTFUL COMMENTS, PLEASE!!!!! Cambridge. MAModerator mod
    edited June 2007
    Franks is really a pretty decent cayenne sauce. I prefer it to Tabasco by quite a bit even if it's not quite as hot.

    Irond Will on
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  • ElkiElki get busy Moderator, ClubPA mod
    edited June 2007
    Oh, and here's dinner:


    P6240022.JPG

    P6230018.JPG



    You all should also whore your cooking, because I just love looking at food. Not as much as eating it, though.

    Elki on
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  • Irond WillIrond Will WARNING: NO HURTFUL COMMENTS, PLEASE!!!!! Cambridge. MAModerator mod
    edited June 2007
    What is in the Chicago mug?

    Irond Will on
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  • ElkiElki get busy Moderator, ClubPA mod
    edited June 2007
    I got it while I was there, back in HS; I just like it.

    Elki on
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  • Irond WillIrond Will WARNING: NO HURTFUL COMMENTS, PLEASE!!!!! Cambridge. MAModerator mod
    edited June 2007
    No I mean what kind of liguid is it holding? It looks like drawn butter.

    Irond Will on
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  • ElkiElki get busy Moderator, ClubPA mod
    edited June 2007
    Haha. Oh, it's chai.

    Elki on
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  • IncenjucarIncenjucar VChatter Seattle, WARegistered User regular
    edited June 2007
    Elkamil wrote: »
    Haha. Oh, it's chai.

    Between this and the Van Heusen shirts, if I ever went gay or bi: :winky:

    Incenjucar on
  • NewtonNewton Registered User regular
    edited June 2007
    Irond Will wrote: »
    Franks is really a pretty decent cayenne sauce. I prefer it to Tabasco by quite a bit even if it's not quite as hot.

    I love Franks. A bottle of that and some sriracha are the two hot sauces I keep on hand at all times.

    As far as recipes, I made some pretty awesome green beans the other night:

    Ingredients:
    1-2lbs fresh green beans, cut into 2 inch pieces
    2 red chiles, sliced thin (seeds and membranes can be removed if desired)
    2 cloves minced garlic
    1Tbsp Soy Sauce
    2 Tsp Honey
    1/2-1Tsp Sesame Oil

    Directions:
    Combine soy sauce, honey and sesame oil
    Heat veg. oil in wok or saute pan until just smoking and add green beans. Cook for ~1 minute
    Add chiles and cook for another minute then add garlic and cook an additional 30 seconds
    Stir in soy sauce mixture and heat through
    Serve with sriracha

    Newton on
  • Loren MichaelLoren Michael Registered User regular
    edited June 2007
    Gim wrote: »
    Loren Michael posted this yesterday. Seems awesome.

    I just finished the last of it.

    It is my new favorite food. That shit beat out fucking pasta. Puerco Pibil beat out the fucking staple.

    Here's the text version of the recipe:

    First:
    Annato/Achiote: 5 tablespoons
    Cumin seeds: 2 teaspoons
    Pepper: 1 tablespoon
    Allspice: 8
    Cloves: 1/2 teaspoon

    Use:
    Coffee Grinder: 1

    To grind the fuck out of the aforementioned spices. Set the powder aside.

    Next:

    Habanero peppers: 2

    Remove the seeds and veins, cut the rest into a blender. Keep some seeds in if you are brave or want to surprise friends.

    Add:

    White vinegar: 1/2 cup
    Orange juice: 1/2 cup
    Salt: 2 tablespoons
    Garlic: 8 Cloves

    Blend the above together, along with the powder from the coffee grinder.

    Add:

    Lemon juice: 5 lemons worth
    Splash of tequila

    Blend some more. Set it aside.

    Next:

    Cut 5 lbs of pork butt into ~2-inch chunks.

    Throw the pork, as well as the stuff from the blender, into a large Ziplock bag. mix it all together really well, then dump it into a pan lined with banana leaves or foil. Wrap in foil, making sure to seal as tightly as possible. This is going into the oven at 325 for four hours, so you want as little steam to escape as possible.

    That's is. It is so, so good. And so tender. Serve over rice. I've found it's also good on corn chips.

    Picture version:
    First:
    Annato/Achiote: 5 tablespoons
    annato-seed.jpg

    Cumin seeds: 2 teaspoons
    cumin-seed-whole-and-ground.jpg

    Pepper: 1 tablespoon
    black-lampong-peppercorns.jpg

    Allspice: 8
    jamaican-allspice-berries-whole-and-ground.jpg

    Cloves: 1/2 teaspoon
    cloves-whole-and-ground.jpg

    Use:

    Coffee Grinder: 1
    krups-coffee-grinder.jpg

    To grind the fuck out of the aforementioned spices. Set the powder aside.

    Next:

    Habanero peppers: 2
    caribbean_habanero_pepper.jpg
    Remove the seeds and veins, cut the rest into a blender. Keep some seeds in if you are brave or want to surprise friends.

    Add:

    White vinegar: 1/2 cup
    95837.gif

    Orange juice: 1/2 cup
    orange_juice.jpg

    Salt: 2 tablespoons
    salt-for-web.jpg

    Garlic: 8 Cloves
    garlic.jpg

    Blend the above together, along with the powder from the coffee grinder.

    Add:

    Lemon juice: 5 lemons worth
    lemon2.jpg

    Splash of tequila
    varietes_de_tequila_.jpg

    Blend some more. Set it aside.

    Next:

    Cut 5 lbs of pork butt into ~2-inch chunks.

    Throw the pork, as well as the stuff from the blender, into a large Ziplock bag. mix it all together really well, then dump it into a pan lined with banana leaves or foil. Wrap in foil, making sure to seal as tightly as possible. This is going into the oven at 325 for four hours, so you want as little steam to escape as possible.

    That's is. It is so, so good. And so tender. Serve over rice. I've found it's also good on corn chips.

    Loren Michael on
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  • IloroKamouIloroKamou Registered User regular
    edited June 2007
    I have an extremely simple recipe for apricot chicken which tastes awesome.

    Ingredients:
    4 boneless chicken breasts
    Jar of apricot preserves(I bought a 23 oz jar, used half)
    Lipton's onion soup mix
    Catalina Island Dressing

    You just mix about half the jar of apricot preserves(roughly 12 oz) with half a bottle(about 8 oz) of Catalina Island Dressing and a packet of Lipton's onion soup mix, and stir it until it's all thoroughly mixed together. Place the 4 skinless chicken breasts in a 2 inch deep glass pan and pour the mixture over it, then pop it in the oven at 350 degrees for about 40-45 minutes. Serve it over steamed white rice. Simple to make, relatively quick, and so damn good.

    IloroKamou on
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  • ALockslyALocksly Registered User regular
    edited June 2007
    really easy beef stew:

    per person you need one pound of beef (cubed or ground) one potato, and half an onion

    you also need some Lowreys or Johnneys seasoning salt, look for the one without MSG.

    Brown the meat in a big pot, chop up the onion and add that next. Keep sautéing till the onions become clear (as opposed to white) then add water, the chopped up potato and carrot. Add seasoning salt to taste. (I've never measured anything when making this) Then cover and let it simmer for at least 30 min but an hour is better.

    That's the super easy version, other things you could add include:

    beef buillion
    garlic
    a few bay leaves
    parsley (fresh or flakes)
    a finely minced granny smith apple (for the tartness)
    anything else you think might tatse good


    I used to do this in college and I'd start a loaf of beer bread to bake while the stew was simmering and they'd both be ready at the same time.

    ALocksly on
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  • Daisuke SpoonDaisuke Spoon Registered User regular
    edited June 2007
    Elkamil wrote: »
    Haha. Oh, it's chai.

    for some reason I thought it was egg nog.

    Daisuke Spoon on
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  • Page-Page- Registered User regular
    edited June 2007
    For me, nothing beats a cheese and tomato sammich, with old cheddar and a little mayo. I could eat those things every godamn day, and I almost do.

    For cooking, here's an easy one:

    Spanish Rice.

    Ground Beef, Onions, 2-3 cans of tomatoes, either diced or whole, rice, a little dill, your fav hot sauce, whatever veggies you like (I use green/red/yellow peppers, mushrooms and celery), beef bouillon, garlic. A bay leaf if you want to.

    Put the ground beef in a large pot, start the cooking and add the garlic(diced) and onion, either diced or just cut up into reasonable pieces. If you're adding celery then put that in, too, because it takes forever to cook and if you put in too late it'll still be all hard and crunchy. Let the fat from the beef melt and cook the onion and garlic in it. Once the beef is all browned and you've smashed it up pretty good add the rest of your ingredients then fill the pot up with water, stick a lid on it and turn the heat down to 1 or 2. Cook it for about half an hour, or until the rice is done, and you have yourself some nice eats. The best thing to do is eat it with cottage cheese, especially if you like to put a lot of hot sauce on it, because the dairy will completely kill the hot but leave all of the taste. It's pretty cheap, makes a lot, is easy and freezes very well for later.

    Page- on
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  • MKRMKR Registered User regular
    edited June 2007
    My fun food list:
    Normal grilled cheese

    French toast (sometimes with cinnamon sugar); it's just like toasting bread in a pan, except it has egg on it and has to be fully cooked

    Cinnamon toast

    Some sort of fancy sausage cut up, fried or boiled, then heated in BBQ sauce

    Grilled cheese omlet (the bread is covered with egg - basically a french toast omlet); you might want to cook both sides of the bread before you cheese it up to make sure it's fully cooked

    Mac&cheese + tuna + green peas + cream of mushroom soup (make the mac&cheese then put it on low heat while you mix in the other stuff)

    Imitation crab meat (cheaper + better) + cooked elbow maccaroni + mayonaise + chopped celery, chilled for about an hour

    Green bean casserole (french fried onions, green beans, cream of mushroom soup); cheap, easy and awesome

    MKR on
  • japanjapan Registered User regular
    edited June 2007
    Quickie Pasta Sauces, Basic Tomato:
    Onions, garlic, tinned chopped tomatoes or ready made passata, basil, oregano. Use tomato puree if you need to thicken it.

    To that, you can add: Bacon, chicken, minced beef, mushrooms, olives, capers, peppers, courgettes, tuna, anchovies, etc.
    Basically anything you might consider sticking on a pizza will work in that sauce.
    Use what you got, and stir it through pasta.

    Similarly, ready-made pesto is cheap as hell and you can add pretty much any of that stuff to it, or cream or creme fraiche to make it richer.

    Also Carbonara:
    Onions, garlic, cream (or creme fraiche if you want to keep the fat content lower), eggs, oregano, basil, lots of pepper.

    Good with bacon and mushrooms. Grate cheese into it if you like, or melt in some blue cheese.

    japan on
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