NationStates Jolt Archive

Inspired by TSI's thread, that's the question.

Can you cook?

How would you rate yourself as a cook (Both in experience and how good of one)?

Finally, what's your best dish (Share the recipe if you'd like)?

Oh, and any good stories, famous disasters?

As for me:

Yes, I can cook. I've been cooking since I was in elementary school (I'm probably the only boy who ever asked for a Real Cooking Tasty Bake Oven for Christmas).

I'd say I'm fairly experienced as a cook, especially now that I cook every weekend and have to make things from scratch. In terms of taste, Pretty good. No real complaints yet from the peanut gallery. ;)

According to my wife, the best dish I make is my Beef Stroganoff.

INGREDIENTS

* 1 pound beef chuck roast
* 1/4 teaspoon salt
* 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
* 2 ounces butter
* 2 green onions, sliced (white parts only)
* 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
* 1 tablespoon cornstarch
* 1/2 (10.5 ounce) can condensed beef broth
* 1/2 teaspoon prepared mustard
* 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
* 1/2 (6 ounce) can sliced mushrooms, drained
* 2 tablespoons and 2 teaspoons sour cream
* 2 tablespoons and 2 teaspoons cream cheese
* 2 tablespoons and 2 teaspoons white wine
* salt to taste
* ground black pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS

1. Remove any fat and gristle from the roast and cut into strips 1/2 inch thick by 2 inches long. Season with 1/2 teaspoon of both salt (1/4 t) and pepper (1/4 t).

2. In a large skillet over medium heat, melt the butter and brown the beef strips quickly, then push the beef strips off to one side. Add the onions and cook slowly for 3 to 5 minutes, then push to the side with the beef strips.

3. Stir the flour and cornstarch into the juices on the empty side of the pan. Pour in beef broth and bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Lower the heat and stir in mustard and Worcestershire sauce. Cover and simmer for 1 hour or until the meat is tender.

4. 30 minutes before serving, stir in the mushrooms.

5. 5 minutes before serving, stir in the sour cream, cream cheese and white wine. Heat briefly then salt and pepper to taste.

Serve over egg noodles or rice. Makes 4 servings.

Of course I can cook, what good woman can't? ;)

I'm in the middle of cooking steak right now, actually.

Yeah!

Lime beans:

1. Empty can of beans into microwave-safe bowl.

2. Microwave at max setting, 3 minutes.

3. Remove from microwave and add the juice of one wedge of lime.

4. Stir!

Good stuff! :)

Yay I'm inspirational!

On Topic: No.

Of course I can cook, what good woman can't? ;)

I'm in the middle of cooking steak right now, actually.

My mother. ;)

Yes, I can cook. I wasn't an awesome cook until I moved out on my own, but I quickly learnt - and while my SO was always the better cook than I (and probably still is, to be fair), I have definitely developed into a pretty damn good cook myself. To this day, my best meal was probably the meal I cooked for my SO this previous Valentine's day. A roast rack of lamb with a (from scratch) mint pesto crust (mm, homemade bread crumbs - the best kind - and toasted almonds), served in red wine sauce, with roasted garlic-asparagus. It was preceded by a fennel, arugula salad and green apple salad in a balsamic vinaigrette, and followed my strawberries and a white chocolate fondue. ;) Oh, and we dipped some sliced green apples, too.

Yeah, I got laid pretty well for that one. :p Anyway! Recipes:


Fennel, Green Apple and Arugula Salad

1/4 cup slivered toasted almonds
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
2 small fennel bulbs, feathery stuff cut off
1 green apple, cored and sliced
1 bunch arugula, rinsed and stems cut off
1/4 cup grated fresh parmesan

Whisk together vinegar, olive oil, salt and pepper to taste, and the parsley. Set aside.

Core base of fennel bulbs, and slice paper-thin. Do the same thing for the apple. (If you're preparing this in advance, squeeze lemon juice over them to prevent browning.)

Toss fennel and apple slices with half of dressing, cover, and let sit in the fridge for half an hour for the flavours to mellow.

Toss gently with the arugula and remaining dressing. Serve. Top with cheese and almonds.

---

Roast Rack of Lamb with Mint Pesto Crust and Red Wine Sauce

Mint Pesto

1/4 cup unsalted almonds, toasted
1/4 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
3/4 cup fresh basil leaves
1 1/4 cups fresh mint leaves
3 medium cloves garlic
Salt

Put almond, cheese and olive oil into food processor and pulse until pureed. Add remaining ingredients, and process until smooth. Cover and let sit in fridge for an hour.

Rack of Lamb

1 medium rack of lamb, frenched
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoons melted butter
2 tablespoons mint pesto
4 slices white

Brush slices of bread with butter on both sides, and toast in oven until golden. Put through food processor/blender until they turn into fine crumbs. (Eat a coupel scoops; delicious.)

Wash lamb and pat dry. On the "fatty" surface, slash a cross-hatch with a sharp knife in a diamond sort of pattern. (The pesto absorbs better.) Salt and pepper the lamb.

Heat oil over medium heat in larg saute pan. When hot, place rack of lamb in, fatty side down, and and sear until golden brown. (3-5 minutes) Set aside pan drippings. (That is, just keep the pan off to the side; you'll make the red wine sauce in it in a minute.)

Transfer lamb to cutting board, and brush fatty side generously with mint pesto sauce. (I mean generously.) Pat bread crumbs over mint pesto until sufficiently coated.

Set in medium-sized roasting pan and cook in oven at 400 degrees for about 30 minutes for medium rare, or until internal temperature is 130 degrees.

Savour. ;)

Red Wine Sauce

1/2 cup red wine
1 cup beef broth
1/4 teaspoon fresh parsley

Drain oil from saute pan you used earlier for lamb. Deglaze pan with red wine, scraping up the yummy bits from the bottom of the pan, and let simmer until reduced by about half. (12-15 minutes)

Add beef brother, return to a boil, and let simmer for about ten minutes more.

Drizzle over lamb, and garnish with fresh parsley. (Or, as I did, stir in finely chopped parsley before you drizzle over lamb.)

---

Annnd... enjoy.

Can you cook?

'Yes'; anybody can cook, IMO, even if they don't think they can (they just have to try). Basic cooking is not difficult at all, and even foods that look complicated are easy (e.g. paella, which is expensive though). OTOH, it's more difficult to be a good cook. IMO, a good cook is someone who can improvise and come out with some good foods, and I'm not at that level yet (although, I would love to be at it and I practice a lot).

How would you rate yourself as a cook (Both in experience and how good of one)?

Out of three major ratings: novice, intermediate, high - intermediate. I can cook more than a novice can (spaghetti, lasagna, et cetera ... all of that is basic), but I can't do the aforementioned and improvise good foods.

Finally, what's your best dish (Share the recipe if you'd like)?

Paella mixta. It's rice, with azafrán (saffron?) and anything that you like really - I normally have calamar, chicken, diced beef, shrimp, clams and things of that nature (squid, if possible, as well). You start out by putting a little bit of oil (please, extra virgin olive oil if you have it) in a frying pan or paellera (yea, I have my own paellera) and immediately cutting a tomato and an onion in half and placing the hull have face down in the pan. You're not going to eat this, unless you like it, and it's just to give taste to the oil - the entire secret of paella is the transfer of taste of what you're cooking to the oil to make a really eclectic taste once you add water - that's why it's imperative that you cook everything in the same pan. Once the oil is cooked add the meat, which will take the longest to fry, and wait until it's mostly fried and then add everything else (which takes less time to fry).

If you're good, add rice before you add water and let the rice at the bottom burn a bit for taste, and then add water. It's best too add less water than necessary than add too much water, so just take it slow and add water if you see it necessary. Saffron is for the taste and should be added after you add water - coloring doesn't cut it, because it doesn't have the taste. Spanish saffron > Arab saffron, but you can only really find Arab saffron for cheap in the USA.

I also cook a good 'caldo patatas' and 'estofado', but I will save those for later. :p

I have a list of things I need to learn though:
- Hot & Sour Soup (I need to find all the ingridients in Spain)
- Terryaki Chicken
- Sweet & Sour Pork

I also need to buy a meat grinder for chicken, although I guess I can ask the people at the store to grind it for me.

Of course I can cook, what good woman can't? ;)


The two girls that I rent out two rooms in my place to can't cook worth beans.

I've cooked a roast chicken does that count?
hmmm not really, i do try to cook different things but not particularly interesting stuff.
Often something to do with pizza, chicken, mince, spaghetti.

I can feed myself and other people if necessary. What I make's normally pretty good, but I've not got a great deal of variety going for me. :p

Inspired by TSI's thread, that's the question.

Can you cook?

Good god, yes.

How would you rate yourself as a cook (Both in experience and how good of one)?

My single mother worked crazy hours, so I was the family chef. That and my dad and both grandmas are genious in the kitchen. I took it all in and am quite good. My girlfriend would rather me make something than go out to eat. I cook almost every meal I eat, so my experience is rather high as well.

Finally, what's your best dish (Share the recipe if you'd like)?

Hmm...this is hard. I want to say any pasta, grilled meat, or sauce would be what i'm best at. Steak is a bit harder than say chicken and burgers but I'm a king when it comes to the grill. With pasta I make my own sauce no matter what kind of sauce I use, and I have made my own noodles, I just don't always have the time for it. As far as recipes go, I'm more of a fly by the seat of my pants type of cook. Unless I'm making a specific dish using a recipe, I just play around with it. I go through phases with flavors too. I was on a big garlic and oregano kick last summer. Then over the winter I got big into soy sauce. This summer I'm attempting to grow my own spices instead of buying them, so we'll see what I come up with.

My girlfriend always wants my baked ziti, stuffed pork chops, pork loin, or cheeseburgers...so I'm betting one of those are my best. Although I love what I can do with a chicken breast too.

Oh, and any good stories, famous disasters?

It took me FOREVER to get steak right. It always tasted great, and my family loved it, but I like my steak rare and I always either undercooked it or overcooked it. It pissed me off to no end. Other than that I have a habit some times of making things a bit too spicy, and you could call that a disaster, and I've burnt myself way too many times to count both indoors and out.

The two girls that I rent out two rooms in my place to can't cook worth beans.


She did say "good woman". :p

Can you cook? yes

How would you rate yourself as a cook (Both in experience and how good of one)? rate myself?... well, I haven't killed myself... yet.

Finally, what's your best dish (Share the recipe if you'd like)? Fried rice!

Cooked Rice
whatever you think would taste good with the rice.

Brown any meat if it needs to be cooked.
add veggies and lightly saute
turn down heat to med-low
add oil (if no oil from meat present)
add rice.
add rest of ingrediants
stir
season to taste

Oh, and any good stories, famous disasters? once I made meatloaf... it was hard, crunchy and very, very dry.


then I realized, I forgot to add the eggs! :headbang:

A resounding "yes" from my BF, and he's looking at his belly... :D

I cook mostly vegetarian stuff these days, and I'm honestly amazed what you can do without having to resort to eating meat.

Does spaghetti count? cause if it does then yes.

Does spaghetti count? cause if it does then yes.

Depends, really - do you make your own sauce, or is there anything special that you do with the spaghetti?

According to my husband yes, according to my children I shouldn't.

I like cooking, perhaps I experiment too much.

I'm currently in the mode of "peppers in everything!" I blame my pepper plant for doing so well.

My children told me this morning "peppers do NOT go in every dish" but I just chuckled and reminded them that it's mother's day and peppers do go in everything.



How would you rate yourself as a cook (Both in experience and how good of one)?
somewhere between idiot and genius. (more towards idiot)




Finally, what's your best dish (Share the recipe if you'd like)?
I gotta go to the other computer to share recipes... sorry.

Oh, and any good stories, famous disasters?

I once put too much baking powder (accident!) in a cake and it exploded all over my oven.

Yes, I can

Spanish Rice and Goulash are my 2 best

I commonly make spaghetti sauce, which can then be used to make lasagna, eggplant parmigiana, baked ziti, chicken cutlets parmigiana, veal parmigiana, and of course any pasta with meatballs or sausage added.

Spaghetti sauce

1 28 oz can of tomatoes (chopped, diced, pureed)
2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil (Bertolli, Barilla, Goya are all good -- you don't need a gourmet brand)
2-3 gloves of garlic (depending on how garlicy you like it) sliced
salt (to taste)
28 oz of water
oregano to taste
fresh basil leaves

(if it tastes too acidic, add: fennel seed, or more basil, or wine, or Sambuca Romana if you have it on hand)

Warm up the olive oil in the bottom of your pot. Drop in the sliced garlic and toss until it starts looking golden. Do NOT let garlic brown -- it gets bitter.

Throw in the can of tomatoes. I prefer tomato puree.
Throw in a can full of water.
Salt to taste -- I squeeze my little hand so it makes a tight cup, and mound what's probably about a half teaspoon of salt in the center of my palm. Remember -- you can always add more if you need it -- it's tough to correct too MUCH.

Throw 3-5 washed fresh basil leaves in the pot

Stir, and let cook for 15 minutes. Taste. If not salty enough, add more. If not sweet enough, add more basil, or fennel seed, or wine.

Let simmer 30-40 minutes, tasting occasionally and correcting the flavor if necessary. Remember -- it will taste better when reheated the next day. ;)

Pour over pasta, and enjoy. And spring for a wedge of real Parmigiano-Reggiano, or Pecorino-Romano to grate over your plate just before eating. If you want good taste, spring for good ingredients. Cheese from a shaker jar or can-- please, don't.

ItalianCheeses (http://www.italianmade.com/library/PDFs/ItalianCheeses.pdf)

Some other recipes I've shared before...

Mushroom/Onion Pie
________________________________________
Mushroom Puffs/ Mushroom Pie

This recipe can be made in three ways – as puff pastry (the most time consuming), in pre-made fillo dough cups (easiest to handle for hors d’oeuvres at a party), or my favorite, in a frozen pie shell. For the pie, get a deep-dish pie shell and double the recipe for the filling.

Filling (for pie, double)
1/2 pound mushrooms, minced
1 minced large onion
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon thyme
2 tablespoons flour
1/4 cup sour cream

Pastry (optional)
9 ounces cream cheese
1/2 cup butter
1 1/2 cup flour

Mix and chill overnight.
Or – use pre-made Fillo Dough Cups


Sauté mushrooms and onions until soft. Add the spices and flour and sauté for another two minutes. Add the sour cream and cool slightly.

Puff Pastry -- Optional : Roll out the pastry and cut into 2 inch circles. Place a small amount of mushroom filling on each circle. Fold and crimp the edges together. Place on a baking sheet and brush the puffs with beaten egg. Bake at 400 degrees for 12 to 15 minutes, or until golden brown.

Mushroom Pie:
Eliminate the pastry step. Buy a deep dish frozen pie shell, double the recipe for the filling, fill and bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes or until shell is golden brown. (The filling doesn’t expand when heated, so fill it right to the top.) I like to make it a two-shell pie by thawing a second frozen pie shell, trimming it and crimping it over the top of the filling, and cutting vents in the top shell. Then I brush it with beaten egg before baking, which adds a nice, shiny glazed finish to the top crust. You might have to cover the edges of the shell with aluminum foil to keep them from becoming too dark – so keep an eye on it!



Pumpkin Cheesecake
________________________________________
For home made crust:
1 cup graham cracker crumbs
1 cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar
6 tablespoons butter or margarine, melted

16 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
1 can (16 ounces) pumpkin
1 teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon each ginger and nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1 pint sour cream (2 cups)
1 teaspoon vanilla
Whipped cream; toasted, sliced and whole unblanched almonds (optional garnishes)


For home made crust:
Mix crumbs with 1 tablespoon sugar and the melted butter until blended. Press onto bottom of 8- or 9-inch springform pan; chill.

Beat cream cheese and ¾ cup sugar until well blended. Beat in pumpkin, spices and salt. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each. Pour into prepared crust. Bake in preheated 350 degree oven 50 minutes. Remove cake; raise oven temperature to 400 degrees. Mix well sour cream, remaining ¼ cup sugar and the vanilla. Spread over filling. Bake 8 minutes. Cool cake on rack. Remove sides of pan; chill cake. Before serving, garnish with border of whipped cream and/or almonds.



Rainbow Cookies (aka 7-Layer, Tre-Colore)
________________________________________
4 eggs
2 sticks margarine (melted)
1 tsp. almond extract
1 cup sugar
1 cup flour
Raspberry jam (seedless)
1 6oz. pkg. of semi-sweet chocolate bits
1 tbsp. oil (added to chocolate bits while melting)
8 drops red food coloring
8 drops green food coloring
Wax paper

Beat eggs, add sugar and continue beating.
Add flour and melted butter and 1 tsp. almond extract and continue beating.
You now have a loose batter that you will divide into three equal parts by using 3 small bowls.

Leave one bowl of batter uncolored.
Add 8 drops of red food coloring to the second bowl.
Add 8 drops of green food coloring to the third bowl.

Grease and flour 3 brownie pans. 11 1/4, x 7 1/2, x 1 1/2. ( I use Pam Spray on nonstick pans and omit flour). Bake at 375 degrees for 10-12 min. The result will be three thin sheet cakes.

When slightly cool, turn one of the colored cakes onto a sheet of wax paper. Spread a thin layer of jam on it. Place the uncolored cake over it and press down gently with hands. Spread again with jam, and put on the third layer. Press gently. (The uncolored layer goes in the middle)

ICING
(Made in two parts)
In a small pan add 1/2 pkg. of choc. bits and 1/2 tbsp. of oil. Melt over very low heat, stirring constantly. When melted, spread over top layer of cake, and refrigerate until
the choc. has hardened. (Could take an hour)

When choc. has hardened, prepare the second batch of melted choc. Invert the cake unto a second sheet of wax paper. Now ice what was the bottom layer. Refrigerate until the choc. hardens.

Cut your creation into 4 long strips, then cut the strips into individual cookies, one at a time. ENJOY!


These zesty lamb chops make the centerpiece of an easy meal. Serves two to four, depending on appetites (one or two chops per person).
Instructions
Difficulty: Easy
Things You'll Need
• Groceries
• Zesters
• Plastic Freezer Bags
• Broiler Pans
• 2 sprigs fresh rosemary (or 1/2 tsp. dried, crumbled)
• zest from 1 lemon
• 1 garlic clove - mashed to a paste
• 2 tbsp. olive (not virgin) oil
• 1 tsp. sugar
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. pepper
• 4 (1 1/4-inch thick) lamb chops
Steps
1
Step One
Prepare fresh rosemary by removing leaves from the stem; chop leaves. Discard stems.
2
Step Two
Combine fresh or dried rosemary with lemon zest, garlic paste, olive oil, sugar and salt and pepper to taste in a small bowl.
3
Step Three
Rub lamb chops with marinade.
4
Step Four
Marinate chops, covered, in refrigerator for 1 hour or overnight.
5
Step Five
Preheat broiler.
6
Step Six
Broil lamb chops on rack of broiler pan about 4 inches from heat for 3 to 4 minutes on each side for medium-rare meat, or 4 to 5 minutes on each side for well-done meat.
Tips & Warnings
• To zest a lemon, either grate the peel using a fine grater or take off strips of peel with a zester or vegetable peeler, then mince finely. Take care to remove only the yellow peel of the lemon and not the bitter white pith.
• To mash garlic, chop it roughly, then pound in a mortar with a pinch of salt until you have a paste. If you don't have a mortar, sprinkle salt on the coarsely chopped clove, then chop finely. Use the side of the knife to press down and smear the garlic every once in a while as you chop it. The paste will be rougher, but it will work.

Holiday Goose Dinner Recipe (Serves 4)

Stuffing/Dressing

1 medium/large onion, finely chopped
4 stalks celery, finely chopped
4 tsp dried sage
1 Granny Smith apple, peeled and cored, chopped
8 cups bread cubes

To prepare

Sautee onion and celery until soft but not brown
Combine sautéed onions and celery with other ingredients in a large
bowl, mixing until bread is saturated and thoroughly damp.
Stuff goose cavity loosely with stuffing mixture - any leftover
stuffing can be added to a casserole dish and put in for the last hour
of roasting in the oven covered - add some rendered fat or stock to
the extra stuffing to keep moist and add flavor.

Goose

1 10lb Goose w/ giblets, liver and neck
Salt (for rub)

To cook:

Thaw frozen goose in refrigerator 2-3 days until completely thawed.
Remove goose from wrapping and trim excess fat from cavity, and
discard. Remove neck, liver and giblets and set aside.
Rub salt all over goose skin and in the body cavity.
Prick skin all over with a fork.
Stuff goose loosely with stuffing, then put into a large roasting pan
on a rack - cover goose with foil and roast in a pre-heated 400 degree
oven for one hour, periodically using a baster to remove excess
rendered fat from the bottom of the pan and reserve - do not baste
yet.
After one hour, reduce heat to 325 and cook for an additional 3 hours,
basting every 15-20 minutes. Keep removing excess fat from the pan
and reserving. Remove foil for the last hour of cooking to brown skin
and add any additional stuffing in a Pyrex casserole basted with
excess rendered fat and juices. Bird should be checked with a meat
thermometer and meat temperature should be between 175-180 degrees
when done. Remove goose and set aside for 15-20 minutes to allow meat
to firm up before removing stuffing and carving.

Glazed Carrots

1 lb baby carrots, cut
1 2/3rd cup fresh pulp-free orange juice
just under 1/2 cup chicken stock
1 stalk fennel, very finely chopped
4 pats butter
2.5 oz soft dark brown sugar

To Cook

Place all ingredients in a saucepan and boil. Reduce heat to simmer
and cover the pan with a lid - cook for 25-30 minutes until carrots
are tender, then transfer carrots into a bowl.

Boil remaining liquid in the pot for 15-20 minutes until reduced to a
thick syrup. Whisk in butter for extra shine. Return carrots to pan
and toss or stir to coat carrots evenly and serve warm - these can be
re-heated just before serving.

Potatoes

1.5 lbs baby red potatoes
1 tsp salt
1 can green beans, cut

To Cook

Scrub and remove eyes and bad spots from potatoes, then cover with water.
Add salt and bring to a boil for 10-15 minutes until a fork comes out
cleanly from the potatoes.
Cook green beans until tender then mix potatoes and green beans in a
bowl - if there is room, when the goose is done they can garnish it on
the platter. Best prepared after goose is done and is firming up to be carved.

Gravy

Chopped giblets, neck and liver from goose
2 1/4 cups goose stock
3 tbsp flour
3/4 cup red wine
2 tbsp drippings from cooked goose in roasting pan
Salt and pepper to taste

To cook:

While goose is cooking, bring giblets and neck - except liver - to a
simmer in water with 1 tsp salt for 1 to 1 1/2 hour until tender, then
add liver and continue to simmer for another 15-20 minutes to produce
stock and cook giblets. Discard neck/crop and remove liver and other
organs - chop those finely and refrigerate. Refrigerate and reserve
stock for gravy. Once goose is removed from the oven, bring stock and
chopped giblets and liver to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for
15 minutes. Take drippings from roasting pan and stir into flour and
cook for 1 minute, then add stock and wine and cook for three minutes
or until desired thickness is reached. Season to taste.

I like cooking, perhaps I experiment too much.

I'm currently in the mode of "peppers in everything!" I blame my pepper plant for doing so well.

My children told me this morning "peppers do NOT go in every dish" but I just chuckled and reminded them that it's mother's day and peppers do go in everything.
thanks, I got the image of Pepper cake, pepper pudding, pepper ice cream...

I once put too much baking powder (accident!) in a cake and it exploded all over my oven.
I'm still trying to figure out how the gravy stain got on my ceiling when I DROPPED the pot... :confused:

Frozen pizzas: I put Emeril to shame.
Ramn noodle soup: I do a decent job.
Garlic bread: I do a decent job.
Anythign else: Skillometer reads 0.

Sadly, I cannot cook, and I hate the cleaning up afterwards. It's one of my weaknesses :(

I can cook
but
I find it really hard to muster up the enthusiasm to actually cook well
but
I hate eating crap food
so
I end up eating out too much

Depends, really - do you make your own sauce, or is there anything special that you do with the spaghetti?

I just boil the noodles and heat the sauce on the stove. Sometimes I add vegetarian ground beef that I get pre-packaged.

I'm a pretty good cook. Best dish is cream sauce steak, which can also make a pretty bangin pizza topping.

2 tbsp butter
steaks
salt
pepper
1 can beef stock/broth
1 pint heavy cream
1/4 cup cognac

melt the butter in a saute pan. Salt and pepper steaks, then cook. Place in oven at 200 degrees to keep warm (it's a good idea to undercook the steaks a little). Pour can of beef broth into pan. Stir with whisk, making sure to pull remains off the bottom of the pan. Reduce by half. Add cream, reduce heat to medium-medium/high. Stir with whisk frequently. Add congac. Reduce untill the sauce coats the back of a spoon (should be a caramel color).

You can add capers or green peppercorns to the sauce if you want. Salt and pepper are good to add as well.

This goes great with bread and/or roasted potatos...the sauce is really really good, so the bread lets you get a bit more. the potatos just go nicely.

I often feel like Carol Marcus whenever I create some culinary treat in the kitchen:

"Can I cook or can't I?"

Yes I can cook, quite expertly actually! Cooking is very relaxing.. and you can do things with it lol..;)

My mother. ;)

Yes, I can cook. I wasn't an awesome cook until I moved out on my own, but I quickly learnt - and while my SO was always the better cook than I (and probably still is, to be fair), I have definitely developed into a pretty damn good cook myself. To this day, my best meal was probably the meal I cooked for my SO this previous Valentine's day. A roast rack of lamb with a (from scratch) mint pesto crust (mm, homemade bread crumbs - the best kind - and toasted almonds), served in red wine sauce, with roasted garlic-asparagus. It was preceded by a fennel, arugula salad and green apple salad in a balsamic vinaigrette, and followed my strawberries and a white chocolate fondue. ;) Oh, and we dipped some sliced green apples, too.

Yeah, I got laid pretty well for that one. :p Anyway! Recipes:


Fennel, Green Apple and Arugula Salad

1/4 cup slivered toasted almonds
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
2 small fennel bulbs, feathery stuff cut off
1 green apple, cored and sliced
1 bunch arugula, rinsed and stems cut off
1/4 cup grated fresh parmesan

Whisk together vinegar, olive oil, salt and pepper to taste, and the parsley. Set aside.

Core base of fennel bulbs, and slice paper-thin. Do the same thing for the apple. (If you're preparing this in advance, squeeze lemon juice over them to prevent browning.)

Toss fennel and apple slices with half of dressing, cover, and let sit in the fridge for half an hour for the flavours to mellow.

Toss gently with the arugula and remaining dressing. Serve. Top with cheese and almonds.

---

Roast Rack of Lamb with Mint Pesto Crust and Red Wine Sauce

Mint Pesto

1/4 cup unsalted almonds, toasted
1/4 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
3/4 cup fresh basil leaves
1 1/4 cups fresh mint leaves
3 medium cloves garlic
Salt

Put almond, cheese and olive oil into food processor and pulse until pureed. Add remaining ingredients, and process until smooth. Cover and let sit in fridge for an hour.

Rack of Lamb

1 medium rack of lamb, frenched
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoons melted butter
2 tablespoons mint pesto
4 slices white

Brush slices of bread with butter on both sides, and toast in oven until golden. Put through food processor/blender until they turn into fine crumbs. (Eat a coupel scoops; delicious.)

Wash lamb and pat dry. On the "fatty" surface, slash a cross-hatch with a sharp knife in a diamond sort of pattern. (The pesto absorbs better.) Salt and pepper the lamb.

Heat oil over medium heat in larg saute pan. When hot, place rack of lamb in, fatty side down, and and sear until golden brown. (3-5 minutes) Set aside pan drippings. (That is, just keep the pan off to the side; you'll make the red wine sauce in it in a minute.)

Transfer lamb to cutting board, and brush fatty side generously with mint pesto sauce. (I mean generously.) Pat bread crumbs over mint pesto until sufficiently coated.

Set in medium-sized roasting pan and cook in oven at 400 degrees for about 30 minutes for medium rare, or until internal temperature is 130 degrees.

Savour. ;)

Red Wine Sauce

1/2 cup red wine
1 cup beef broth
1/4 teaspoon fresh parsley

Drain oil from saute pan you used earlier for lamb. Deglaze pan with red wine, scraping up the yummy bits from the bottom of the pan, and let simmer until reduced by about half. (12-15 minutes)

Add beef brother, return to a boil, and let simmer for about ten minutes more.

Drizzle over lamb, and garnish with fresh parsley. (Or, as I did, stir in finely chopped parsley before you drizzle over lamb.)

---

Annnd... enjoy.

Damn.

Not really. I'm probably a George Bush on the cooking competence scale.

Though I make some decent scrambled eggs(that only I will eat..).

The recipe is:
-Two eggs
-Every spice that looks at all viable.

However, I am going to attempt to justify my lack of skill.

I can't cook because I'm a Man.

Not really. I'm probably a George Bush on the cooking competence scale.

Though I make some decent scrambled eggs(that only I will eat..).

The recipe is:
-Two eggs
-Every spice that looks at all viable.

However, I am going to attempt to justify my lack of skill.

I can't cook because I'm a Man.

I'm sure Emeril, Graham Kerr, Wolfgang Puck, Jamie Oliver, Mario Batali, Bobby Flay, James Beard, et al would disagree.

http://www.buzzle.com/articles/famous-and-great-chefs.html

Since I didn't share a recipe earlier, I would like to note a success.

Peppers do go in flax seed muffins! (also carrots and blue berries!)

I'm sure Emeril, Graham Kerr, Wolfgang Puck, Jamie Oliver, Mario Batali, Bobby Flay, James Beard, et al would disagree.

http://www.buzzle.com/articles/famous-and-great-chefs.html

That is why I said 'attempt'.

At any rate, that was 'Man' with a capital 'M'.

We're going to find out this summer. Hopefully I won't burn down the apartment.

I'm a decent cook.

Can you cook?

Yep. :)

How would you rate yourself as a cook (Both in experience and how good of one)?

Good enough that I've been told I should open a restaurant by several people.

Finally, what's your best dish (Share the recipe if you'd like)?

Hmmm... My fave would be my Chili, but it's for brave sould only. My Gumbo is quite good.

The Zubrowka chicken breasts went down well with certain parties...

My homemade Kim Chee was a winner in other circles.

But my favorite was the mixed veggies pickled with habaneros that I took to a vegetarian pot luck luncheon for a Buddhist function a few years ago. It was the only dish the monks went back for seconds and thirds of... :D (The lay practitioners were less happy...)

Oh, and any good stories, famous disasters?

Crêpe Suzette prepared over an open fire, in the rain.
Fried rice with umeboshi sauce.
One was a miracle, the other a horrid disaster....

However, I am going to attempt to justify my lack of skill.

I can't cook because I'm a Man.
I'm sure Emeril, Graham Kerr, Wolfgang Puck, Jamie Oliver, Mario Batali, Bobby Flay, James Beard, et al would disagree.

http://www.buzzle.com/articles/famou...eat-chefs.html[/QUOTE]

Indeed. And Bann-ed, Real Men know how to cook.

Note: Just to beef up my claim:

The U.S. Department of Labor considers chef a "non-traditional" job for women, placing it on the same list with jobs such as construction worker, firefighter and engine mechanic. And it's not just this country -- in the 2000 Michelin Guide to Paris, none of the 100 restaurants listed had a female senior chef.
http://news.newamericamedia.org/news/view_article.html?article_id=f44a3d513fe17ee56c14c0791d248578

http://www.stratsplace.com/rogov/women_chefs.html

Inspired by TSI's thread, that's the question.
Can you cook?
Ya.


How would you rate yourself as a cook (Both in experience and how good of one)?
Semiprofessional. Or at the top of the amateur levels.

Inspired by TSI's thread, that's the question.

Can you cook?

I am able to operate some of the equipment in my kitchen. I'm OK with:

* The rice cooker
* The hob and associated wok and pots.
* The kettle

I don't touch:

* Microwave
* Toaster
* Oven

How would you rate yourself as a cook (Both in experience and how good of one)?

it depends on how much egg fried race, noodles, hainan chicken rice you can eat... Don't expect any miracles beyond that. Generally, my kitchen scares me... Given the choice I'd probably eat out virtually all the time, and I do eat out mostly anyway.

Finally, what's your best dish (Share the recipe if you'd like)?

Singapore Chicken Claypot. I don't cook this myself, it's just my favourite dish. Too much cleaning up for me to do at home just for me, and no one else seems to like it.

Oh, and any good stories, famous disasters?

I once set the contents of the wok up in a blazing fireball that incinerated a considerable portion of my hair. Very embarrassing. It was my mother's kitchen and I never told her.

Nope, I can´t cook. Even if my life depended on it.:(

I can cook and Im excellent.

Well aside from all the basic stuff I can fry bacon :cool:

yeh, i can cook but i don't have a great repertoire, i have a bit of an obsession with coriander, chilli peppers and cumin. my favourite dish that i cook is a thai red curry (from scratch, no shitty supermarket paste for me) with coconut rice, i also do a good chick pea and chilli pepper salad and i make good chilli con carne as well. salad niçoise is also a favourite. oh, and skin-on chicken breasts or thighs stuffed with pesto and sundried tomatos.

Not in the least. It's nice to be cooked for, though.

However, I am going to attempt to justify my lack of skill.

I can't cook because I'm a Man.

Oh please. I know it's a joke, but the only woman I know who is superior in the kitchen to me is my paternal grandmother.

Baking on the other hand...now that is something to be sexist about. My girlfriend screws up at making Ramen (not enough water...) but can make a cake that is orgasmic.

\My girlfriend screws up at making Ramen (not enough water...) but can make a cake that is orgasmic.
I'll have what he's having.

Inspired by TSI's thread, that's the question.

Can you cook?

How would you rate yourself as a cook (Both in experience and how good of one)?


Yes I can cook, I am pretty good.

Ya.


Semiprofessional. Or at the top of the amateur levels.

I am always on the look out for good Italian recipes - any chance of posting some?

Yes of course, can't every adult?;)

Oh please. I know it's a joke, but the only woman I know who is superior in the kitchen to me is my paternal grandmother.

Baking on the other hand...now that is something to be sexist about. My girlfriend screws up at making Ramen (not enough water...) but can make a cake that is orgasmic.

Heh. The opposite of my friend Mike and his wife. He regularly pulls off outstand feats of baking but screws up toast... :eek:

Heh. The opposite of my friend Mike and his wife. He regularly pulls off outstand feats of baking but screws up toast... :eek:

I believe it's just a difference in approach. The reason I haven't given a recipe is because when i cook i base it off taste and what i'm feeling like at the time. I'm very big into a "pinch" of this or a "dash" of that or "season to taste." Not a tablespoon, cup, teaspoon, etc.

Baking, however, needs to be a lot more exact. This is where I fail.

I believe it's just a difference in approach. The reason I haven't given a recipe is because when i cook i base it off taste and what i'm feeling like at the time. I'm very big into a "pinch" of this or a "dash" of that or "season to taste." Not a tablespoon, cup, teaspoon, etc.

Baking, however, needs to be a lot more exact. This is where I fail.

depends on what you're baking. pastries/cakes? yes. chicken, meatloaf, pizza? pinch and dash away my friend! :D

Nope, I can´t cook. Even if my life depended on it.:(

:(


*cooks Nanatsu some Spanish Rice*

:(


*cooks Nanatsu some Spanish Rice*

:p

Yay, Dyakovo made me Spanish rice!

Yes. I can't cook as well as I can bake (my cookies are awesome), but I'm not bad. I've found myself cooking more often recently, because my boyfriends mother is an appalling cook, through laziness more than anything else I think (their freezer is full of ready meals and microwaveable food :(), and he does like the occasional home-cooked meal.

I don't have any recipes to share unfortunately. I search my kitchen for ingredients and invent the recipe as I'm going along.

Disasters? Nothing too bad, but I can be very forgetful. I did garlic bread once, then went to watch tv. I remembered about an hour or so later, luckily nothing was on fire yet :p

Inspired by TSI's thread, that's the question.

Can you cook?

How would you rate yourself as a cook (Both in experience and how good of one)?

Finally, what's your best dish (Share the recipe if you'd like)?

Oh, and any good stories, famous disasters?

Yes

Professional, I get paid to do it.

My Meatloaf.


When I was about 13 I was staying with my grandparents an my grandmother was away so I decided to make breakfast , eggs;sausage; biscuts; gravy. The gravy turned out so bad that the dogs wouldnt eat it.

Yes, and pretty well.