Interest in very easy cooking?

Status
Not open for further replies.
Joni, wow...I'd like to come to your house and cook for you! I'd like to BE the cook again because I loved to cook.

Liz, that Taco Soup is both easy and tasty--hope you like it.
 
Feta-Chicken Burgers, makes 4

Ingredients
1 pound ground chicken
1 Tablespoon fresh oregano (Pull leaves off the stem)
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder or use fresh, minced garlic
7 Tablespoons Feta Cheese, crumbled (just a bit less than 1/2 cup)

Buns or Pita Pockets
Optional on the buns: black olives, roasted red pepper (both come in jars), lettuce

Mix together in a medium sized (about 3 quart) bowl: ground chicken, oregano, garlic, Feta cheese. Divide into 4 patties. Grill or broil (note: broiling in the oven requires a broiling pan, which could be an EZ Foil throw away or else one you wash.) for 7 to 8 minutes on each side. Or, in a pan on the stove, medium heat, fry--turning over once...about 12-14 minutes. To check for doneness, poke with a small knife. If any pink fluid appears, it needs more cooking. Clear juice means it is cooked.
 
Some Roasted Vegetable Recipes

Use a pan large enough that the vegetables all are in one layer only.
Use "Parchment Paper" for a quick cleanup.

Roasted Asparagus


Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
Drizzle Extra Virgin Olive Oil onto a parchment lined pan. For two people, a 9 X 12 pan is roomy and nice.

Rinse each stalk of asparagus, snap off the tough lower part and discard it--wherever it snaps. Place in the pan. Repeat until all is rinsed, snapped and laying on the pan in one layer. Drizzle with a bit more olive oil, then using clean hands, roll the stalks just a bit to spread oil all over. Barely any oil should be seen between stalks. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake; 10 minutes or less for thin stalks, 12 or so minutes for thick stalks. Pierce with a knife tip to see that it's tender to suit you (some like it crisper). Serve.

Roasted Sweet Potato or Beet Slices


Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.

Choose the vegetable, either 2 Sweet Potatoes (about 1 and 1/2 pound) or 3 medium (1 pound) Beets; do not peel.
2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
1/2 teaspoon Kosher Salt, or about a quarter teaspoon regular Salt
Choose a fresh herb: 1 Tablespoon roughly chopped thyme, oregano or sage or
1 Tablespoon finely chopped rosemary

A parchment paper lined baking sheet

Cut Sweet Potatoes into 1/4 inch slice pieces. Mix in a bowl with olive oil, herb and salt. Spread onto baking sheet in one layer. Roast for 20-22 minutes.

Cut Beets into 3/16 inch (just thinner than a quarter inch) pieces. Mix in a bowl with olive oil, herb and salt. Spread onto baking sheet in one layer. Roast for about 18 minutes.

These will be a bit browned around the edges when done. Tender when pierced with a knife tip. This is a quick way to cook both sweet potatoes and beets.

I also use it with store-packaged butternut squash that is already cut up. Same instructions, except I keep the heat down to 400 degrees, expect it to take at least 25 minutes, and golden browned edges when ready.
 
Ann- this all sounds so dang good i dont even know where to start or what to do first! and you make it sound so easy. what a blessing. i have no clue how to cook much at all, so this is just great.
Thank you so much
 
Dear Liz, you have just made my day... I'm really glad if it helps.
 
Crock Pot Pork and Saurkraut

2-3 pound pork (lean; roast, chops, country style ribs)
2 pound fresh bag or two pounds canned saurkraut, Do Not Drain
1 1/2 to 2 Tablespoons Molasses
1/2 teaspoon anise seed or fennel seed

Place all ingredients in crock pot, and cook on medium to medium low (I begin on high and when it begins to bubble, turn back to low), cook all night or 8 hours. Remove Pork and shred. Remove any bones, and return shredded meat to pot. Serve.
 
Ann- just wondering about that last recipe- the crock pot pork and saurkraut.
Do you have to use the anise or fennel seed? i dont like either of these.
could i substitute it with something?
Going to make the Taco soup tonight. Wish me luck.
 
Liz, just leave it out, and I know it will be fine. With all the cooking, this is a really mellow dish. Good Luck with the soup, Liz, you'll ace it!
 
Italian Style Soups

#1--Meatballs, Spinach and Parmesan Cheese (very easy and very fast)

Frozen pre-cooked meatballs (I used beef--"spaghetti and meatballs" kind of meatballs)
1 box frozen chopped spinach, thawed, carefully squeeze dry within the cardboard cover
1 Quart Chicken Broth
1 or more teaspoons minced garlic
shredded Parmesan cheese (from a plastic tub)
olive oil

In a soup pot (four quart pot will do), heat olive oil with garlic. As soon as it begins to sizzle, add broth, and bring to a boil on high heat. Add meatballs (may vary according to preference. I think Phil used about 10) and spinach. Let it return to a boil, then turn heat to medium low, and in 5-10 minutes, remove a meatball, cut in half to be sure it's hot. When it is heated through, remove from heat. Ladle into bowls, and shredded Parmesan cheese on top. Serve with French or Italian bread (Sourdough is good).

#2-- Italian Chicken and Spinach Soup with Pasta

Olive oil, 1 teaspoon minced garlic
3 cans chicken broth
an inch piece of the rind from Parmesan Cheese or an inch cube of same cheese
2 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
2 cups packed sliced fresh rinsed baby spinach
1/4 cup tiny star pasta or broken angelhair pasta (small pieces)
more Parmesan cheese, grated or shredded

This is the original, easy but not super fast soup--

Into a four quart pot, glug about a Tablespoon or less of olive oil. Have the spinach cut and ready, the chicken rinsed, and dried with paper towel, the cans of broth open.

Heat the pot on medium heat with the garlic in the pot. As soon as it sizzles, add the broth and the rind or piece of Parmesan cheese. Turn heat to high. Add Chicken now, and watch the pot. As soon as it bubbles, set a timer for 5 minutes, turn heat down to medium low--just small bubbles. High heat equals tough chicken. When the timer rings, take chicken out with tongs, set onto a plate, and cut a slit in the center with a sharp knife. If juices are clear, it is cooked. If juices are pink, return to pot, bring up heat again to continue for a couple (2-3) minutes; repeat check for doneness. When done, remove chicken to a plate so it will cool. Remove Parmesan rind or chunk, toss out. Can turn off heat and wait a bit if needed, or continue:

Shred chicken using fingers or chop it into bite sized pieces. Bring the pot of broth to a boil on high heat. Using the timing from the pasta box as a guide, add pasta, stir and set timer. When it is soft, add chicken, heat until bubbling; add spinach and when spinach has wilted, take off heat.

Serve, sprinkle top with grated or shredded Parmesan cheese.
 
Ann- made the Taco Soup.
I dont really know what to say about it. It was very simple to make. The only thing i would change would be to cut up the stewed tomatoes first. The flavor was good and took no time at all.
But there was a problem- and believe-you-me, this could only happen in my head-
I cant eat it. I like the flavor- but it screws with my head. Why? Because the only time i have ever had anything taco flavored in my mouth, well, it was tacos. I think the fact that its liquid is whats messing me up.
So, i give it a good review. Now ive just got to fix my broken head!
 
Liz, You crack me up!:D Oh, now you should try the Paul Newman's Minestrone soup and see if you can deal with the spaghetti sauce as a soup base. I want to know about it if you try it.;-);-)
 
Ann, thanks for all of these recipes. I am imagining tasting them. I used to love to cook and even cooked when I could no longer eat what I made. Now that my arms and legs have joined my mouth and tongue on permanent vacation I can't cook but want to encourage anyone who thinks they cant cook to try these easy recipes.

The other day my son, who is 22, made a meat loaf which both he and Beth loved. Then his friend came over and had some and proceeded to run to the bathroom to spit it out and then said how awful it was. I was about ready to throw him out but didn't because I am tolerant and realized that he just hasn't tasted good food before in his prepackaged life.

Try new tastes, try new experiences because you never know when you wont be able to.
 
Easy Meatloaf....Barry's post makes this necessary.

1 to 1 and a half pound ground beef, lean is good
1 egg, cracked into a bowl, beaten with a fork... then add dried bread crumbs--either stale bread, crumbled or from a can--1/4 cup or so.
Add a half cup applesauce.
Using clean hands, mix it all together. On a rimmed baking dish, form the meatloaf into an oval. It should be pretty loose and barely hold together.
Cover with BBQ sauce.

Bake in preheated 350 degree F oven for 1-1 and a half hours. (depends a lot on how much ground beef is used) This is so easy. I never was told amounts; just ingredients, so it may require tinkering with the egg/breadcrumb amounts.

Barry, your son's friend brought this recipe to mind. Phil thought he didn't like meatloaf until he tried this. (It wasn't dry.)
 
Ann, sounds so good I can taste it! There is nothing better than a meatloaf sandwitch for lunch, meat and bread, every Man's meal. Just add beer!
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top