i'm going to start off with one of the simplest things, but something that my grandmother born in italy used to do all the time. she always had tomato sauce on the stove. so you need to start with that. but you can use any type of sauce you like...homemade, jarred, canned, whatever. make sure you have a nice olive oil and garlic base. then poach some eggs right in the sauce instead of in water. put a little basil on the top, and you have the quickest most delicious nutricious quick meal you ever ate. put it on some lovely italian or french bread toast! ta da!

welcome, kristin and jillian! i can only take so much of fb telling me what i should and shouldn't see! thanks for joining!

I'll look forward to other people's hints and suggestions as I'm truly not a natural cook.  Recipes are mostly how I roll!  But I have noticed lately that I'm starting to just throw things in a pot and see what happens.  :)

this group is for folks who want to just learn or ask questions or to share. all is good. cooking is a wonderful way of using colors and smells and textures to express your creativity! baking tends to need exact measurements, but throwing things in a pot often yields the best regular food, kristin!

Hi All,

I wa so glad to hear g, about this group as cooking, more specifically baking is my thing. So.....I made some eggnog and brandy cupcakes for a cake decorating class I am taking. The cupcakes came out a bit dense, more like a pound cake. So, left with a double batch of them and not wanting to throw them away I decided to make a bread pudding out of them. I'll send a pic as soon as I make it which should be tonight.

good to have a baker here, jillian. i hate the taste of boxed mixes, but i didn't grow up baking as much as cooking. glad you're here!

I enjoy cooking and baking!  It's not fancy, but fun, creative, and yummy!! I hope to share soon! :-) 

glad you're here, brenda! howdy!

  hello group.

  Glad to be here. Last night I made some nice cream biscuits. I didn't open a cookbook.

   2 cups good all puropse flour (I prefer King Arthur's)... a smidge of salt.  Next a 1/2 tsp. of sugar. 2 teaspoons baking powder. Mix the dry ingredients.  Next, we used whipping cream, but heavy cream or even 1/2 & 1/2 will do. Just add enough to form a soft dough. that's it. turn.  out onto floured board , roll and cut into whatever shape you desire. or drop on to cookie sheet. they should be 1" apart./ Brush with eggwash or cream if you like... bake 14 min @ 400. Enjoy!

i've never made biscuits like this, brenda. can't wait to try! thanks!

i saw what looked like a really easy recipe for a delicious ham the other day. this looked like a great way to easily feed a bunch of people and yet still be able to spend time socializing with them. not too too many ingredients either. 

Sangria Ham 

Ingredients:

• 8 lb. bone-in ham, rind removed
• 1/4 cup whole cloves
• 1 lb. brown sugar
• 1 1/2 cups pineapple juice, unsweetened
• 2 1/2 cups sangria or burgundy wine
• orange peel

Directions: 

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F and put the ham in a roasting pan fat side up. Score the ham 1/4 inch deep and put the cloves on the top in a line about 1/2 inch apart. Pack the top of your ham with the brown sugar and then roast it until the sugar starts to melt, about 20 minutes.

Combine the wine, pineapple juice and orange peel and pour one cup over the ham. Continue roasting the ham for 40 more minutes, then cover it with foil and roast for another hour. Baste the ham with the rest of the wine mixture and stir it into the bottom of the pan.

Roast the ham for two more hours and baste it every half hour. For the last hour, uncover the ham and reduce the oven temperature to 325 degrees. Baste every 20 minutes. Your ham is done when the internal temperature reaches 160 degrees.

hey folks. sorry to repeat two major ingredients here, but this is an inexpensive idea for a tasty way to feed a family some supper that is a little different. it's kind of a simpler version of carbonara. 

first get some pasta water boiling. always add salt to the water. put some nice long pasta in there...it can be any thickness you like, but long is better than a cut pasta. 

get out a saute pan and start heating up some olive oil, some butter, and whichever version of "ham" you want to use. you can use bacon, panchetta, ham, italian sausage, polish sausage, or even simple brown and serve sausage. the point is that it should have a breakfast pork type of taste. bacon is probably the best. when you get that almost cooked up, throw in some eggs with salt and pepper. a dash of cayenne is good too. scramble up the eggs and throw in some frozen peas. all of this is in the same pan for flavor. 

then time it so that your pasta is ready. put a tiny bit of the starchy pasta water in the pan. then strain your pasta and pour the pasta into the saute pan. it's important to do this NOT to put the bacon and eggs over the pasta. toss it in the hot pan. add more salt and pepper to taste and then sprinkle as much parmesian or romano as you like on there. fresh peppercorns are good here too. serve it hot. you'll have a VERY tasty meal on very little money...add a salad, and you'll have all your food groups in only a few minutes! 

i've been catching some episodes of "the chew" this week which i normally don't get to see. today i saw a really simple idea for carrots to share with you. get some peeled or cut...however you like them, and put them in a medium heat saute pan with about 5 cloves of garlic and some olive oil. get them warming up while you grate the skin of an organge and squeeze the juice out of it. salt and pepper your carrots. then throw the orange zest, the organge jucice, and...GINGER ALE in there. a nice syrupy carmelization happens. then once they soften up (keep 'em moving) stick them in the oven for about 20 minutes. when they come out toss them with some parsley and chopped hazlenuts. nice!

Okay, today is the first day of my Eat Healthier, Eat at Home endeavor.  I baked salmon (first time I have ever cooked fish) using a pkg of italian seasoning mix, 1 cup water, 2 T. lemon juice mixed together and poured over the salmon filet.  Added mushrooms and cooked covered for 15 minutes and then uncovered for another 15.  I must say it turned out pretty darned good!

Any good ideas for cooking for one person who works out of the car for 10 hours a day?

I've got a soup that makes my colds less severe. this is a public service recipe & directions. My favorite cootie killing soup. So, you mix 1 can coconut milk. about 16 to 24 oz vegetable or chicken stock. a whole lot of basil ,parsley, & lemon grass. Pickled thin sliced ginger (the sushi type) (6-10 slices) . Hot sauce of your choice to taste. a bit of sea salt. Stir it up in a sauce pan on low. Squeeze in the juice of 2 fresh limes. in a bo

that sure does sound powerful, brenda! thanks for sharing. i have a cold brewing that may not like this one bit :-)

welcome to the group, liz!

I've made a similar soup, Asian in style: Chicken-based with ginger root, lots of garlic, and modified it with whatever I might have on hand: Bok choi, for example. As long as I had the garlic and ginger, it made me feel better!

Ah ha, we're on to cold killer soups.  My recommended drug of choice is Curried Red Lentil.  You saute a chopped onion in butter until clear, add 2 minced garlic cloves, six cups of vegetable broth, 2 diced carrots and 2 diced celery sticks, a pound of red lentils, and 1 teaspoon each curry powder, salt, coriander, cumin and cayenne.  (You can add 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper if you want, but the curry and cayenne make that unnecessary for me.)  Bring it all to a boil, turn it down to a simmer and cook for an hour, checking for consistency after forty five minutes. (You may need to add a little water if it thickens a lot, as it can with hotter stoves or faster simmers.)  Red lentils are interesting; they're the only bean I know that literally changes color cooking, they go from coral to gold in 10 minutes flat.  Because this soup is so East Asian, I love having it with Indian breads like Puri, but I'm spoiled; I live in Little Pakistan in Brooklyn, so the stuff is in the local grocer's freezer to go into mine.

Having come home to my family home after time away, I spoke to my husband about having an Epiphany Christmas Dinner. He was lukewarm about Roast Beef (this is funny; he never met a roast beef he didn't love), but liked my suggestion that I make my "Feste di Sette Formaggi," or Seven Cheese Lasagna.  My kitchen is going to smell very cheesy the next day or 3...

how'd it go with the formaggio, pamela? what's cookin', everyone? i'm hungry!

You wanna know what's cooking? I'm making up a big pot of chili, and some biscuits to go with!

give us the "how to", liz!

I'm making chicken pot pie. I brine chicken breasts in aromatics (cracked pepper, fresh thyme, garlic and some orange zest), then grill them and chop them. Meanwhile I par cook potatoes and carrots, then sweat onions and celery, add minced garlic, majorum, a little cayenne and a few tablespoons of flour to make a roux. Then I add some white wine, chicken broth and a little cream and bring to a simmer to thicken. I use a basic pie crust (usually keep a few in the pre-made in the freezer). Throw in the veggies, then the chicken, then some frozen peas and pour the sauce over it. Cover with top crust, paint it with egg wash, vent and and bake at 350 for about 30-40 minutes. It comes out so good and we usually have enough for one day of leftovers.  

well that made me just want to jump right into the comment box. what a delicious warm cozy homey wintery creative pie!! thank you for sharing!!!

Thanks Lisa! It's great on a cold night. Most of the work is the chopping and mincing. You could probably save time with a food processor but I just turn on the boob tube and chop away lol. Everyone had second helpings so I guess I'm cooking tomorrow night though... 

I fired an onion and four cloves of minced garlic in olive oil. I made my chili with ground turkey, which I added to the onion/garlic and browned. Then I added a can of diced tomatoes (I used the tomatoes with jalapeno peppers in it, but you can use plain, or any other you like. Tonight, my daughter wanted to try something a bit different, so she asked if I would add a bit of rice - this is really unorthodox, but it cam out well.

  I needed more liquid for the rice,  so I added a can of tomato sauce (plain) and a generous fistful of rice. Two cans of beans went in next; this time I found a 3-bean mixture, pinto, kidney and black beans, but you can use any of the above in any combination.

Then- SPICE!  I added more garlic, granulated, because I can't get enough garlic, oregano, cumin, chili powder (at least 4 tbsp - the others to taste) paprika and a little cayenne, although you don't have to. All these spices can be added or not, except for the chili powder - that's a must, of course.   This all simmers on low for at least half an hour. I made my daughter gluten-free biscuits, because she was craving, and I did an other unorthodox thing: I cubed up some cheddar/jack cheese.  Mighty good eating for a chilly night (pun intended!). Enjoy!

Not fired - fried!

I made my lasagna.  Boy did I - the pan was full to the brim!  Very cheesy, tomatoey, and lusciously textured.  What I love about lasagna is how all the ingredients cook together into a whole greater than the sum of its parts.  It's mouthwatering.

To make my lasagna, I first make a marinara, at least 6 cups, the day before by sauteing onion and garlic until clear over medium heat in olive oil, then adding Italian Seasoning and 1 26-ounce can each crushed tomatoes and tomato puree and 1 jar of marinara sauce (I recommend Francesco Rinaldi, not Ragu or Prego), plus 1/4 tsp each fresh ground pepper and red pepper.  Cook it all covered over low heat for about 45 minutes.  This makes enough for pasta for 2 the day before and a 13 x 9 inch pan of lasagna the next day.  When ready, assemble 18 lasagna sheets, the sauce, a pan of cooked meat or meat substitute (i.e. soy crumbles or soy sausage), 2 eggs and the cheeses: 1 tub each Bel Gioioso  Romano Shred and 4 Cheese Shred (the secret ingredient), 2 12 ounce bags of mozzarella and a medium container of ricotta (32 ounces).  Reserve 1 cup of mozzarella and 1/2 cup of ricotta for the top of the casserole; then, in a large bowl, beat eggs and fold in the rest of the cheeses gradually.  Then spray the 13 x 9 pan while preheating the oven to 375.  Spread 1 cup of tomato sauce on the bottom of the pan, then place 6 lasagna sheets overlapping themselves to cover the sauce, then 1/2 the meat, 1/2 the cheese mixture and 1/3 the sauce. Place another layer of 6 lasagna sheets, then the other 1/2 the meat, 1/2 the cheese mixture and 1/3 the sauce. Place your last layer of lasagna sheets on this and cover with the last 1/3 of the sauce and the reserved mozzarella and ricotta, then sprinkle with pure garlic powder and Italian seasoning.   Bake at 375 degrees under foil for 55 minutes, then remove foil and brown the cheese for the last 5 minutes of cooking.  Let it cool for 20 minutes, slice, get out the Italian bread and salad and serve. (What do you mean, you didn't buy Italian bread? This is LASAGNA we're talking here! This is not a dress rehearsal!)

looks delicious, pam! thanks for sharing this!

as i find them, i'm going to post foods that DO NOT have high fructose corn syrup in them. it's important. the more we know and all that. here are breads that do NOT contain high fructose corn syrup:

• Amana Multi Grain Bread
• Aunt Millie’s Old Fashioned Butter-Top Wheat
• Brownberry’s Arnold Natural Health Nut Bread
• Country Hearth 12-Grain Bread
• Dave’s Killer Breads
• Earth Grains 100% Natural 7-Grain Bread
• Ezekiel breads/English muffins
• Franz “McKenzie Farms” Old Fashioned Buttermilk Bread
• Franz Whole Grain White
• Milton’s Bread (most, if not all)
• Natures Own 100% Whole Wheat bread (note, other varieties do contain HFCS, but not this one)
• Nature’s Pride
• Open Nature Bread (also contains no trans fat)
• Oroweat Mult-Grain Bread (but watch out for HFCS in their other varietes)
• Martin’s Breads & Rolls (including hot dog buns/rolls and such)
• Pepperidge Farms 100% Natural Breads
• Pepperidge Farms Whole Grain Wheat Bread
• Rudi’s Organic Bakery Buns
• Sara Lee Soft and Smooth 100% Whole Wheat
• Tandoori Roti/Naan breads
• Vermont Bread Company breads
• Wheat Montana breads/rolls

Tonight I'm making spaghetti and meatballs, a favorite here as everywhere I guess! I use whole wheat pasta always, actually prefer it as it is more naturally al dente. Here's my sauce recipe:

I warm 3 T olive oil in a 12-inch pan, crush 3 garlic cloves with the back of my knife and throw them in the oil to warm gently. Then I add a 28-oz can of crushed tomato, an 8 oz can of sauce and a 4 oz can of paste, plus 8 oz of water. Add a half teaspoon of salt and a quarter of ground pepper. Let it cook very slowly on medium low heat till it all comes together well (5-10 minutes). If I have a leftover bit of sauce in the freezer I throw that in, too. Then I add a heel (from my stash of saved cheese heels) of parmesan reggiano cheese. It has to be real parm reggiano or it doesn't taste right to me, but you could use romano or whatever you like. I also grate about a quarter cup of the parm into the sauce. Finally I add a splash of red wine. Chianti is great but cabernet is what I usually have. Any full bodied red wine is good. Then simmer for 20 to 30 minutes.

I add some of that sauce to my meatball mix but also get enough to portion out in freezer containers for pasta or pizza. It's so fast and easy to make and comes out really good. 

oh yum, shara! who doesn't love a good bowl of spaghetti and meatballs. i couldn't agree more about the REAL cheese. it's crucial. however i never made sauce quite like you do, and i think i'm going to try this and see how it is. i can smell it from here, and it's making me hungry!! :-) 

welcome to creative cooking, cindi! cindi is a new member, folks!

Good simple sauce recipe, Shara!  BTW, you can make a mock meat sauce that'll fool your average 'sloppy Joe' by including Morning Star Grillers Crumbles fake meat.  Just saute 1 package of crumbles with the olive oil and garlic for 3-4 minutes, stirring and breaking up to defrost; then add the other ingredients, stir all together well and simmer.  Tastes deceptively meaty -- and your hubby ate vegan and didn't know it!  (Morning Star products are sold in the freezer section of many markets, near the frozen veggies or the ice cream.  They're at ShopRite and Key Food near me.)

I tried something simple last night that went over well.
I browned some boneless skinless chicken breasts in a bit of olive oil-- I used some Tuscan Herb flavored oil that we really like. Then doused with a bit of white wine worcestershire sauce, threw on some frozen broccoli and covered over low heat.
Meanwhile, I cooked up a blended rice (we keep Rice Select Texmati white, brown, wild & red as a staple) in chicken broth. In a separate skilllet I tossed & lightly browned some garlic and pine nuts in a little more olive oil.
Served the chicken & broccoli over the rice, with the pine nuts over the top. A nice change from bagged Bertolli meals!

Good morning, cooks! Put a touch of Gran Mariner in your French Toast...it's delicious in there. And use challah bread to make it. Yum!

I've been experimenting with baking bread. I use a standard recipe of 1 cup whole wheat or multigrain flour and 1 cup of any combination of spelt, wheat germ, flax and or corn meal stirred with 1 teaspoon salt (adjust to taste). Reconstitute 1 envelope or 1 to 2 tablespoons active dry yeast with 1/4 cup warm water and 1 or 2 tablespoons sweetner (I use honey) and once frothy blend into a well in the center of the 2 cups of grains and flour along with 1 1/4 cups warm water and 1 or 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil. I use the handle of a wooden spoon to stir this quite vigorously. Let your sponge rest for 5 to 10 minutes then add 1 cup of whatever flour/blend you're using for this loaf, mix this in with the spoon handle or your fingers until the dough begins to form a sticky ball. I then pile 1 cup of flour onto a flat, dry surface for kneading, and turn the dough mass out onto it. Begin to knead the flour into the dough and once you have a relatively soft dough that's stopped sticking completely to the board you can begin to energetically knead for 7 to 10 minutes. Place doughball in a lightly oiled bowl and turn it carefully to coat the outside of the ball with the oil, cover with plastic film and let rise in a warm place a minimum of 2 hours (very warm) to over night. Once the raise time is complete.,slap down the dough to release some of the air. You should have a soft and elastic ball that you can shape into a round, oblong or place in a loaf pan to rest another  couple of hours or until the dough has risen to about an inch over the sides of the loaf pan/ just about doubled. Bake in a preheated 350 degrees fahrenheit oven for 35 minutes or until the loaf is golden and falls cleanly from the pan and sounds hollow when tapped on the bottom. Cool on a wire rack for at least 20 minutes before slicing off the cook's reward of one heel of crust, then cool completely before storing in plastic. Yeilds one loaf.

what's better than bread, pam? seriously! thank you for this. i want to learn more about making this wonderfully comforting food of life!

Prepare quinoa using the ratio of 2 parts liquid to 1 part quinoa. For the salad I like to use veggie stock as my liquid.

Dice around 1/2 cup of each of the following into 1/4 inch size pieces: some fresh bell peppers of any colour, remember that the green ones are a little bitter; sweet onions; celery, cukes and tomatoes. Grate a couple of carrots.

Once the quinoa is cooked and all veggies are chopped stir them all together.

Prepare the dressing as follows:

use 1 fresh lemon -- zest and juice

1/2 tsp salt and ground black pepper

fresh herbs to taste (around 4 sprigs of thyme leaves and 1 sprig of rosemary, cilantro and mint are nice additions as well)

1/2 c. olive oil

you may want to add 1 tsp of honey, soya, fresh grated ginger root, a 1/2 tsp sesame oil and/or a dash of rice wine vinegar

adjust seasoning to taste

Stir in the dressing and check seasoning. Serve with any light protein or use as a dish in a meatless meal. I enjoy this with salmon, shrimp or poached fish.

what's for dinner?

that looks sooooo good, pam!