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Archive through December 18, 2005

The TVClubHouse: General Discussions ARCHIVES: Jan. 2007 ~ Mar. 2007: Cooking Corner: Recipes for Easy Cookbook: Archive through December 18, 2005 users admin

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Jmm
Moderator

08-16-2002

Saturday, December 17, 2005 - 10:31 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Jmm a private message Print Post    
I'm making a special Christmas gift for my daughters and would like your help. As most of you know I have two girls who are out on their own and they are just so frustrated with the cookbooks they find. They are both in school so they don't have time for elaborate cooking so I'm looking for those "everyday feed-your-family" ideas.

I'd appreciate recipes, recipe sites with that type of recipes, or even just suggestions for recipes that I can find myself. I have some that they've requested and my mom sent some of the old family recipes but I'd like to make it a little more encompassing than just that. What things did you cook when you were first out on your own? Did you have a special "take with you" dish that you made for potlucks? Meat, sides, and dessert recipes are all welcome along with any little "tips" you've learned over the years to make things easier.

I want this to be something that they will pass down to their kids. I love the thought that sometime down the road Melodie might be making her great-great grandmother's cole slaw or her great-great-great grandmother's chocolate cookies for her kids.

Rosie
Member

11-12-2003

Saturday, December 17, 2005 - 10:38 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Rosie a private message Print Post    
JMM, the first meal that I fixed was called, Campbell's Tomato Soup, with crackers.

Now, I am certain that your daughters could manage this tricky meal by themselves but I had my mom on the telephone to help me with the step-by-step directions. Do you know that milk mixes well with this soup?

Doubt that this helps.

Froggiegirl621
Member

02-14-2003

Saturday, December 17, 2005 - 11:15 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Froggiegirl621 a private message Print Post    
Hi Jackie!

First off, I think this is a great idea for your girls! How I wish someone had done this for me when I first went out on my own. One of my aunts once gave me a Betty Crocker cookbook for Christmas and though it's great to have, I can honestly say I have no use for it - the darn recipes are too hard to follow and way too complex for just Steve and I.

Secondly, I am not a cook and will never profess to be one. I get by in the kitchen, and I guess in the long run that's all that matters!

I'm sure you've been researching sites on your own already and so you may or may not have come across this site before, but www.kraftfoods.com is great! You can sign up for a free subscription to their Food & Family magazine. I love it! I can always find at least three recipes that I want to try and they're usually pretty easy. I personally can't get interested in a recipe that takes too long or that calls for too many ingredients - the quicker and easier, the better!

The website is also a great tool, they have tons and tons of recipes to look through and it gives you reviews from people who have tried it. You can even print out copies of the recipes, which I've started to do...if we end up liking it, I add it to my recipe folder/binder and it's at my fingertips the next time I want to make it.

Here are a few that we've tried and LOVE:

http://www.kraftfoods.com/main.aspx?s=recipe&m=recipe/knet_recipe_display&recipe_id=89408 (The reviews don't say much, but we love love love this recipe! I've made it three times in the past month alone. Kind of like a mix between a sweet & sour sauce and teriyaki flavor.)

http://www.kraftfoods.com/main.aspx?s=recipe&m=recipe/knet_recipe_display&recipe_id=89331

http://www.kraftfoods.com/main.aspx?s=recipe&m=recipe/knet_recipe_display&recipe_id=75567

http://www.kraftfoods.com/main.aspx?s=recipe&m=recipe/knet_recipe_display&recipe_id=63577

I hope this helps a bit...


Jmm
Moderator

08-16-2002

Saturday, December 17, 2005 - 11:22 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Jmm a private message Print Post    
LOL Rosie. That's the only way I make my tomato soup, I use 1/2 milk and 1/2 water. They both can cook some but I just want to give them some easy options.

Froggie, I'll check out that site tomorrow, it sounds great.

I'm glad that Friday was our last day of school for a while since, like always, I've left this till the last minute.

Wargod
Moderator

07-16-2001

Saturday, December 17, 2005 - 11:47 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Wargod a private message Print Post    
LOL Rosie, you're cooking experience sounds alot like my own, except that my mother was a disaster in the kitchen so I was always on the phone with my bils mother getting step by step directions!

Jackie, how about adding a page or two of kitchen tricks you've learned throughout the years. Like....how long things can be frozen (some meats longer than others, etc,) how long to boil eggs, how to check temperature on different types of meat and what those temps should be for it to be done. I know it's not recipes, but I also know when I was first starting out (especially since I'd never spent much time in the kitchen before that) I'd have given an arm to have all that common sense information in one easy to find place instead of having to call and ask people.

Other than that, how bout things like spaghetti, chili, crock pot recipes, soups. The great thing about stuff like this is they can make it up on a weekend, or make double and freeze and that usually once it's all put together and cooking theres not much more to do except stir so there's time for other stuff like studying or playing with the baby.

Or if both of them have kidlets, you could do a few pages of kid favorites. Ya know, make sandwhich, use cookie cutter to cut shapes type of stuff. One of Caleb and Dakota's favorite summer time foods is tuna salad in the tomato. Cut the top off a tomato, scoop out the innards then fill with the tuna salad. Or make your own lunchables. The kids love those things but they're expensive! So I buy the crackers, lunch meat and sliced cheese and cut it myself, they think they're getting a huge treat, lol.

LOL, ok, I'm not much help with the recipes, I'm just trying to think of things I would have liked to have in one cookbook. I know there frustration, when you've got little ones, go to school, maybe work on top of it, you don't have time to do complicated recipes most the time. I think it's a wonderful gift for young adults starting out on their own!

Jmm
Moderator

08-16-2002

Sunday, December 18, 2005 - 12:01 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Jmm a private message Print Post    
Actually War, that's exactly the kinds of things that I'm talking about. I'm a google whiz, but I need things to google and your ideas are right on the money. Thanks a lot. Oh and that tuna/tomato thingie sounds wonderful.

Wargod
Moderator

07-16-2001

Sunday, December 18, 2005 - 12:11 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Wargod a private message Print Post    
LOL, my grocery store puts out little fliers with fun, easy recipes for each season, that was a summer one. The kids love it cuz they can carry the whole thing back outside while they play.

Speaking of that. A simple dessert "recipee." Ice cream sandwiches. Pick cookies, pick ice cream, and some dipping stuff. Then you take two cookies, put ice cream in the center then roll it in whatever (mini marshmellows, m&m's, sprinkles, etc.) Wrap em in that waxie paper and stick in the freezer. I usually do a bunch at one time (a dozen or two) and the kids have a midday dessert ready for them, plus they don't beg for money when the ice cream man comes down the street!

Teachmichigan
Member

07-22-2001

Sunday, December 18, 2005 - 12:25 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Teachmichigan a private message Print Post    
Everyone can make cheesy potatoes -- and they work in a crock pot too!

Simply mix: 32 oz. frozen hashbrowns, 1 can cream of chicken soup, 16 oz. sour cream, 1/3 cup melted butter, 10-12 oz. shredded cheese and a dash of salt and pepper. Pop it into a 9x13 pan (sprayed w/pam for easy cleanup) and bake. If you bake them in oven at 350 it takes about an hour (I put extra cheese all over the top for the last 20 minutes) OR you can thaw the hashbrowns in the microwave for 5-8 minutes or so before mixing them in and cut the oven time by about 1/2.

Teachmichigan
Member

07-22-2001

Sunday, December 18, 2005 - 12:28 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Teachmichigan a private message Print Post    
Ok -- here's an easy dessert recipe, too.

Sugar Cream Pie
Buy a pie shell and put it in a pan.

Mix:
1 1/2 Cups sugar
1/2 Cup flour
1/4 tsp. salt

In sauce pan heat 2 Cups heavy cream until hot but not boiling.

Add cream to sugar mixture and whisk until sugar is dissolved. Add 1 tsp. vanilla.

Pop bowl in an ice water bath (ice in the kitchen sink w/some water) until cool.

Pour into pie crust.

Top w/2 Tb. butter cut in tiny pieces and sprinkle with nutmeg.

Bake at 425 for 15 minutes; then bake 50-55 minutes at 350, or until golden brown.

This is soooooo easy and soooooo delicious!

Skootz
Member

07-23-2003

Sunday, December 18, 2005 - 5:08 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Skootz a private message Print Post    
Easy Supper

In the morning (I usually do this around 8am to have ready by 5-6pm)

Place peeled potatos, carrots in a crock pot. Put a pork or beef roast on the top.

Add a package of Onion soup mix. Add water to cover vegies (or a little less)

Turn on Crockpot on Low and leave until supper. Even if you are a little later, your roast will be tender and delish.

Lumbele
Member

07-12-2002

Sunday, December 18, 2005 - 5:19 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Lumbele a private message Print Post    
LOL, Jackie, guess what I was printing out last night on differently coloured paper!
For the last while, I have been typing up the recipes of things ds likes with detailed instructions (and will continue to do so). A lot of these things are a bit more time-consuming than what you are looking for, but I emailed you the easier ones.
Included are a list of what herbs for what, a microwave tricks list and I have decided to start a running tab on what to do when...., i.e. if your white sauce ends up lumpy, let it cook down and stir vigorously until smooth before gradually adding more liquid. (I remember throwing out 3 once before I had a smooth one). If your cake doesn't come out of the pan looking too great, ice, frost, plaster with cream. Beginners' (and others') goofs and how to fix them.
To finish this present, I bought a sturdy binder that lies flat when opened, page protectors and extra-wide index dividers. So far I haven't had any luck in finding them, but eventually I will stick a bunch of cooking-related stickers on the outside of the binder to spruce it up.

Texannie
Member

07-16-2001

Sunday, December 18, 2005 - 6:25 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Texannie a private message Print Post    
What a great idea!!!
Here are some of my favorite websites.
http://www.recipezaar.com/ this one is great cause it's real people sending in recipes. you can read reviews on the recipes, search via meal, indgrient, cooking method ect.
http://www.recipeland.com
www.foodtv.com
http://www.cookingcache.com/cat/crockpot_recipes


My all time favorite 'new baby, sick friend, take with you' dish is Chicken spaghetti. Super easy
In a pot simmer one cup chopped celery, 1/2 cup chopped onion, one large can diced tomatoes, one small can of mushrooms and one cup of chicken broth. Add salt, pepper, and garlic to taste. Simmer for about an hour. Add cooked chopped chicken (i use about 4-5 boneless chicken breasts, can use any part of the chicken) and one small package of cooked spaghetti.
Blend all together.
Toss into a greased casserole dish, top with grated chedder cheese (can use mozzarella) and cover and bake at 350 for about 30-45 minutes.
This can be frozen before it bakes. Just thaw and bake for 45 minutes.

Jmm
Moderator

08-16-2002

Sunday, December 18, 2005 - 10:29 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Jmm a private message Print Post    
Teach, those recipes sound great. I'll definitely add them.

Skootz, I love crockpot recipes and I'll be adding that recipe to the section as well.

LOL Lum, I guess great minds do think alike. I'll grab your email next. I like the recipe repair idea.

Annie, Chicken spaghetti sounds great (my oldest is not a big fan of ground beef, but she loves chicken. I'll be checking out those web sites.

Thanks so much, my friends, I really appreciate you taking time from your busy schedules to help me with this and I know that the girls will be thrilled. You're all great.

Jmm
Moderator

08-16-2002

Sunday, December 18, 2005 - 11:11 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Jmm a private message Print Post    
In Lumbele's wonderful email she also suggested that many of you might have some good "budget recipes" that would help stretch the grocery budget for these young families. Again, I really appreciate all of you.

Texannie
Member

07-16-2001

Sunday, December 18, 2005 - 11:15 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Texannie a private message Print Post    
My biggest budget suggestion is to get a crockpot! You can buy really cheap cuts of meat and turn them into wonderful meals by slow cooking them.

Vee
Member

02-23-2004

Sunday, December 18, 2005 - 11:25 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Vee a private message Print Post    
Great ideas! Don't forget Bisquick.com.

Lumbele
Member

07-12-2002

Sunday, December 18, 2005 - 12:06 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Lumbele a private message Print Post    
You can fill savoury pancakes with broccoli and a white sauce, or peas and carrots instead of broccoli. Or dice leftover meat, bind it with a little steaming hot gravy and spread just enough to cover the pancake. Flip one half over, add a salad and voila!
Make poached eggs, cover them with a mustard sauce, add potatoes and a salad or veggie and the budget won't break either.

Rslover
Member

11-19-2002

Sunday, December 18, 2005 - 12:13 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Rslover a private message Print Post    


Easy Recipes for Today’s College Student
Jean Patterson and Danae Campbell - All books by this author

College kids living on their own for the first time are startled to realize that now they have to cook for themselves. This attractive spiral-bound book is exactly what they need, serving up easy recipes and basic cooking methods for beginners. The resulting meals are nutritious and appetizing, more healthful and less expensive than relying on the local pizza parlor or Burger King every time hunger pangs strike. Practical advice and helpful tips instruct busy college kids on everything from food and equipment shopping and sharing a kitchen to scrambling an egg and preparing a complete, well-balanced meal. Recipes are divided into these general categories:
Munchies
Breakfast
Main Courses
Pasta and Rice Soups
Veggies and Salads
Desserts
Munchies include a great array of snacks and finger foods, from garlicky humus to pizza-flavored popcorn. Breakfast recipes include egg dishes, French toast, pancakes, and others. Main courses range from simple grilled sandwiches to more ambitious entrees like roasted chicken with lemon and herbs. Vegetarian dishes include tasty Portobello mushrooms with garlic mayonnaise, pan-fried Asian dumplings with dipping sauce, couscous and veggie salad, and many others. Among the dessert recipes are instructions for making brownies, cookies, chocolate cake, apple crisp, and a remarkably easy pumpkin pie. Recipes come with a special trouble-shooting and mistake-avoiding feature called Don’t Let This Happen to You. Attractive line illustrations and a handy index help make this book a godsend for hungry college kids. Makes a good high school graduation gift!


Knightpatti
Member

12-06-2001

Sunday, December 18, 2005 - 12:16 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Knightpatti a private message Print Post    
George Foreman's grill is great, too, for fast easy cooking. My son lives by himself and works alot plus he is a vegetarian. He uses the grill quite often.

Lumbele - I have many cook related stickers in my store. We have quite a few customers that make recipe scrapbooks. I saw that Paula Deen on one of her shows had a cookbook scrapbook and she had her Grandmom's recipe in her Grandmom's handwriting on one of her pages. Be sure to include one of your favorites in your handwriting! The binder is a great idea as you will be able to put lots of pages in it. Do you have a scrapbook store in your area?

You are making a wonderful gift for your children!

Here's a very easy recipe for entertaining or not:

cut up velvetta cheese in cubes and place in a microwavable bowl. Add one can of Rotelle on top of it. Place in the microwave and cook for several seconds. Take it out and stir. Do a few more seconds until all is blended and now it is a sauce. Serve with french bread, veggies, or chips.

Lumbele
Member

07-12-2002

Sunday, December 18, 2005 - 12:20 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Lumbele a private message Print Post    
Thanks, Patti! I thought of you earlier and thumbed through my yellow pages to find the new scrapbook store I heard opened recently. It's on the shopping list. We are all spending way too much time at TVCH; we are starting to think alike.LOL

Rslover
Member

11-19-2002

Sunday, December 18, 2005 - 12:27 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Rslover a private message Print Post    
Rozanne Gold's 1-2-3 cookbooks are great. All recipes have only 3 ingredients and are usually easy to make. She mostly uses fresh ingredients too.

Adding allrecipes.com to texannie's list!

Xxwriterxx
Member

11-28-2005

Sunday, December 18, 2005 - 6:03 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Xxwriterxx a private message Print Post    
I absolutely LOVE this cookbook:

The Four Ingredient Cookbook

Lumbele
Member

07-12-2002

Sunday, December 18, 2005 - 6:19 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Lumbele a private message Print Post    
Don't know if the Jean Pare series is available in the States, but you can get her books in grocery stores up here. Her ingredients lists include things most of us have in our cupboards and pantries. No runs to specialty stores required to try out her simple recipes, which I consider quite a big plus.

Saxywildcat
Member

05-30-2005

Sunday, December 18, 2005 - 9:18 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Saxywildcat a private message Print Post    
Oooh... Jmm, I have some great recipes at home. One in particular, a ham and potato casserole. If you don't hear back from me in a couple of days, bug dra to bug me! :-)

Saxy

Teachmichigan
Member

07-22-2001

Sunday, December 18, 2005 - 10:07 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Teachmichigan a private message Print Post    
EEEKKKK!!!! CHANGE NEEDED IN SUGAR CREAM PIE RECIPE!!!! I made a couple today and realized I hadn't listed it correctly here.

The RIGHT recipe is:

1 Cup sugar
1/2 Cup flour
1/2 tsp. salt

Mix together. Add 2 cups hot cream and whisk. Add 2 tsp. of pure vanilla. Put in cold water bath. Pour into prepared pie crust. Top w/2 TB. butter cut into small pieces. Sprinkle w/nutmeg.

Bake at 425 for 15 minutes and another 50-55 at 350 degrees.