I made Moroccan stuffed capsicums this week - that was an experiment which worked out really well. I like challenging myself in the kitchen on a Monday (I do my grocery shopping on a Tuesday) so Monday night is make something out of nothing night
Friday night is Indian home delivery night, so no cooking for me tonight.
Last night I made chicken and rice (w/ eggs, veggy mix, and sauteed onions on the side). Tonight I made another cup of rice and mixed it in with the leftovers. My early birthday present from hubby was a rice cooker.
I LOVE baked potatoes!
I don't eat meat (although we do still eat fish or seafood from time to time), so I make a lot of veggie toppings for baked spuds.
This is a great thread!! Cooking is my second favorite hobby (after Simming, of course ) and I am constantly looking for new recipes!
Last night I wasn't feeling very creative, I threw some chicken in the Crockpot and shredded it up, then made some brown rice to go along with it. Then I decided to make a cream sauce out of cauliflower and chickpeas to serve on top. It was good, but boring.
My early birthday present from hubby was a rice cooker.
Have you ever heard of the Instant Pot???? I have a different version, but my hubs got me one for Christmas and ZOMG. Girl (girl?). It is my FAVORITE tool in the kitchen. It cooks, sautes, steams, makes rice, and a zillion other things. I finally ended up putting my Crockpot away with the Thanksgiving stuff, since the pot does it all!
@Haids5987 I just made the chicken thing the other night. It was chicken, cream cheese, ranch packet, shredded cheese, and bacon. So chicken bacon ranch ..I love my crock pot lol
@Haids5987 I just made the chicken thing the other night. It was chicken, cream cheese, ranch packet, shredded cheese, and bacon. So chicken bacon ranch ..I love my crock pot lol
*Drools*
Do you make your own seasoning, or do you buy the ranch seasoning? I like to make my own seasonings if I can help it (my tummy doesn't like MSG and nitrates), but ranch packets! Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm. That sounds really yummy on a sandwich!
This is a great thread!! Cooking is my second favorite hobby (after Simming, of course ) and I am constantly looking for new recipes!
Last night I wasn't feeling very creative, I threw some chicken in the Crockpot and shredded it up, then made some brown rice to go along with it. Then I decided to make a cream sauce out of cauliflower and chickpeas to serve on top. It was good, but boring.
What kinds of foods do you enjoy? My mom loves making up new recipes, especially to feature a special ingredient (often one she grows herself), so whenever I'm curious about how to cook something, I can just ask her for ideas. She's also started making her own spice blends, which are usually fantastic.
Tonight, though, we're going with Irish stew, simple and familiar but perfect for the dreary weather. Lamb (blade chops work great but so do the small pieces left over from carving that the butcher sells for stew), onions, Yukon gold potatoes cut into chunks, carrots, and at least an hour of simmering in the pot.
What kinds of foods do you enjoy? My mom loves making up new recipes, especially to feature a special ingredient (often one she grows herself), so whenever I'm curious about how to cook something, I can just ask her for ideas. She's also started making her own spice blends, which are usually fantastic.
I do a lot of these same things, actually--I fear no recipe! I have a drawer full of spice blends that I have made myself, and making up recipes is my favorite thing! It's not always easy, but it's always fun. Thank goodness I have a husband who is a happy guinea pig in the way of my cooking experiments.
Tonight, though, we're going with Irish stew, simple and familiar but perfect for the dreary weather. Lamb (blade chops work great but so do the small pieces left over from carving that the butcher sells for stew), onions, Yukon gold potatoes cut into chunks, carrots, and at least an hour of simmering in the pot.
I thought about making Irish stew last night, but we are all out of potatoes. I'm like, "How can you possibly call it IRISH stew without potatoes?!" So that's where my boring chicken recipe came in.
Challenging myself is something that I enjoy, but I feel like I need a resource that helps me push my boundaries a little further. I find myself using the same spices in a lot of recipes; there should be a "Weekly cooking challenge" website somewhere. Or I could make one myself?
I must reiterate how much I am loving this thread! We cooking enthusiasts should create a cooking circle rather than a reading circle; instead of story excerpts and screenshots, let's share recipes and pictures of our creations! (If that's allowed? @EA_Lanna, since you're the most active 'round these parts, are we allowed to post pictures like that?)
My early birthday present from hubby was a rice cooker.
Have you ever heard of the Instant Pot???? I have a different version, but my hubs got me one for Christmas and ZOMG. Girl (girl?). It is my FAVORITE tool in the kitchen. It cooks, sautes, steams, makes rice, and a zillion other things. I finally ended up putting my Crockpot away with the Thanksgiving stuff, since the pot does it all!
Wow, that looks really cool. I already have a crockpot and now a rice cooker but I'm giving my crockpot to my grandma anyways since she doesn't have one. I'll think about getting this instead to replace the crockpot.
I don't know what I'll have for dinner tonight. It's not even midday, and it's currently 39C outside. I would say fruit salad, but I don't think I have much to make it from, it might be peach and cherry salad
Last night I had left overs from the day before. Grilled salmon, with sauteed cabbage, onion and snow peas.
I usually do my grocery shopping on a monday, because that's the day there's more meat marked down. I also tend to shop the specials and build meals around what's available for less money. I also make 6-8 person meals, even though I'm the only one eating them, so that I have plenty of left overs to freeze for later. In winter, I usually only cook two days a week, and have so much in left overs that I'm still eating it in summer.
It's a pity its too hot for pea and ham soup or borscht
My solution to feeding oneself in winter is a pot of stew at the start of the week (sometimes it's a curry, sometimes chilli or bolognaise, or savory mince) and at the end of the week, a pot of soup (a different soup every week). I continue making the mince based meals throughout summer.
I threw some chicken in the Crockpot and shredded it up, then made some brown rice to go along with it. Then I decided to make a cream sauce out of cauliflower and chickpeas to serve on top. It was good, but boring.
There is a medieval recipe that is similar to that, except you cook the rice and chicken in almond milk with rosewater and sugar... Yeah, medieval food can be a bit weird, it's basically sweet creamed rice with chicken.
Leftover chili over rice. Incidentally, I used my instant pot to cook up the dry kidney beans. It didn't take long and the dry beans are so much cheaper than canned. I put the chili in the crock pot to simmer all day Wednesday as I had time to assemble it that morning, but needed to feed the husband quick that evening a he had a meeting and needed to eat and run. (we are down a car so I had to get him from work too)
I love my slow cooker too.
Maybe we can share recipes.
I found a vegan website which is an American site. I'm in Australia. Ranch isn't really big here so can't buy it at your usual supermarket. I have googled it to make my own, but if anyone has a good recipe they use themselves, I'd be really interested in trying it.
@Haids5987 Maybe all you need is to buy some ingredient that you have no idea how to use. Sometimes I find a new item at the grocery store and bring it to my mom so we can cook it together. As soon as I call her to tell her what I found, she's Googling how to cook with it, but after reading a couple of recipes she decides to make up her own. For example, a couple of springs ago, I found morel mushrooms, and every recipe she read recommended madeira and some kind of cream. So now she makes a sauce with morels, madeira, shallots, and creme fraiche [I don't know how to make the backwards accent] that can be poured over any white meat, or even tofu, I suppose, although my dad would have a fit. Needless to say, it's fantastic.
@Movotti It sounds way too hot to cook where you are. During a heat wave, sometimes we have salade niçoise, which sounds wonderfully fancy but can be made with pretty simple ingredients. Canned tuna, lettuce, whatever fresh veggies you want (bell peppers, green beans, cherry tomatoes, maybe some olives or cooked baby potatoes), and the only trick is the dressing (olive oil, red wine vinegar, hard-boiled egg yolks, mustard, a bit of sugar, tarragon or whatever herb you prefer... I'm forgetting something). Anyway, it's great to have when eating something hot would be unbearable, and the cleanup is pretty quick as well.
We just had something quick and simple tonight, chili dogs & Cheetos. The chili I used for them was from a batch of venison chili I made in the crockpot on Monday. Tomorrow is my grocery shopping day and we'll traditionally have Subway sandwiches. It's my one take-out meal of the week, otherwise everything is home-cooked. Next week I plan to make a roast chicken dinner, chicken & noodles with the leftover, lasagna and I don't know what else yet. I haven't finished my grocery list. I use my Nook and an app called Out of Milk to make my list. Very convenient.
Hamburger steaks with sautéed onions and mushrooms and a side dish of loaded "baked potato" casserole (cauliflower, cream cheese, green onion, bacon pieces and shredded cheese then oven baked). I don't eat a lot of carbs as a dietary choice.
@Movotti Yikes, are you in Australia? It sounds miserable in your neck of the woods! It's cold and grey here in the Northwest corner of the USA, so soup and stew is perfect right now. Shame that it's too hot to really enjoy over there--I like to barbecue when there's a heat wave. Hubby likes steak, I don't eat beef, so I like just a simple chicken breast. Grilled corn on the cob is super easy too; put butter, salt and pepper, and paprika and garlic powder on some corn on the cob, wrap it in aluminum foil, and grill it for 15 minutes on each side. It looks super fancy and is sooooo flavorful.
I didn't know that my shredded chicken meal is similar to a medieval meal, interesting! Look at you enlightening me!
@Brindleton I love tortellini! I like it best in soup, especially the cheese-filled kind. It's the thickest, yummiest pasta. *Drool*
@puzzlezaddict That is a brilliant idea! I've been browsing spices and herbs before and wondered about some of them; I should just grab an armload of unfamiliar ones and go to town. Thank you!! Now you've inspired me--build a meal around a particular spice!
This thread is so much fun, you guys! Whoda thunk that so many Simmers have the Natural Cook and Foodie traits?
Comments
Friday night is Indian home delivery night, so no cooking for me tonight.
Last night I made chicken and rice (w/ eggs, veggy mix, and sauteed onions on the side). Tonight I made another cup of rice and mixed it in with the leftovers. My early birthday present from hubby was a rice cooker.
S3 simblr: http://simplysimming.tumblr.com/
S4 simblr: http://simlogic.tumblr.com/
I don't eat meat (although we do still eat fish or seafood from time to time), so I make a lot of veggie toppings for baked spuds.
Four Seasons Properties
Last night I wasn't feeling very creative, I threw some chicken in the Crockpot and shredded it up, then made some brown rice to go along with it. Then I decided to make a cream sauce out of cauliflower and chickpeas to serve on top. It was good, but boring.
The Best of Hunni's Builds
Feel free to follow my builds!!!!!!:)
Do you make your own seasoning, or do you buy the ranch seasoning? I like to make my own seasonings if I can help it (my tummy doesn't like MSG and nitrates), but ranch packets! Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm. That sounds really yummy on a sandwich!
What kinds of foods do you enjoy? My mom loves making up new recipes, especially to feature a special ingredient (often one she grows herself), so whenever I'm curious about how to cook something, I can just ask her for ideas. She's also started making her own spice blends, which are usually fantastic.
Tonight, though, we're going with Irish stew, simple and familiar but perfect for the dreary weather. Lamb (blade chops work great but so do the small pieces left over from carving that the butcher sells for stew), onions, Yukon gold potatoes cut into chunks, carrots, and at least an hour of simmering in the pot.
I thought about making Irish stew last night, but we are all out of potatoes. I'm like, "How can you possibly call it IRISH stew without potatoes?!" So that's where my boring chicken recipe came in.
Challenging myself is something that I enjoy, but I feel like I need a resource that helps me push my boundaries a little further. I find myself using the same spices in a lot of recipes; there should be a "Weekly cooking challenge" website somewhere. Or I could make one myself?
I must reiterate how much I am loving this thread! We cooking enthusiasts should create a cooking circle rather than a reading circle; instead of story excerpts and screenshots, let's share recipes and pictures of our creations! (If that's allowed? @EA_Lanna, since you're the most active 'round these parts, are we allowed to post pictures like that?)
The Best of Hunni's Builds
Feel free to follow my builds!!!!!!:)
S3 simblr: http://simplysimming.tumblr.com/
S4 simblr: http://simlogic.tumblr.com/
I don't know what I'll have for dinner tonight. It's not even midday, and it's currently 39C outside. I would say fruit salad, but I don't think I have much to make it from, it might be peach and cherry salad
Last night I had left overs from the day before. Grilled salmon, with sauteed cabbage, onion and snow peas.
I usually do my grocery shopping on a monday, because that's the day there's more meat marked down. I also tend to shop the specials and build meals around what's available for less money. I also make 6-8 person meals, even though I'm the only one eating them, so that I have plenty of left overs to freeze for later. In winter, I usually only cook two days a week, and have so much in left overs that I'm still eating it in summer.
It's a pity its too hot for pea and ham soup or borscht
My solution to feeding oneself in winter is a pot of stew at the start of the week (sometimes it's a curry, sometimes chilli or bolognaise, or savory mince) and at the end of the week, a pot of soup (a different soup every week). I continue making the mince based meals throughout summer.
There is a medieval recipe that is similar to that, except you cook the rice and chicken in almond milk with rosewater and sugar... Yeah, medieval food can be a bit weird, it's basically sweet creamed rice with chicken.
Medieval cookery is one of my hobbies.
Maybe we can share recipes.
I found a vegan website which is an American site. I'm in Australia. Ranch isn't really big here so can't buy it at your usual supermarket. I have googled it to make my own, but if anyone has a good recipe they use themselves, I'd be really interested in trying it.
@Movotti It sounds way too hot to cook where you are. During a heat wave, sometimes we have salade niçoise, which sounds wonderfully fancy but can be made with pretty simple ingredients. Canned tuna, lettuce, whatever fresh veggies you want (bell peppers, green beans, cherry tomatoes, maybe some olives or cooked baby potatoes), and the only trick is the dressing (olive oil, red wine vinegar, hard-boiled egg yolks, mustard, a bit of sugar, tarragon or whatever herb you prefer... I'm forgetting something). Anyway, it's great to have when eating something hot would be unbearable, and the cleanup is pretty quick as well.
I didn't know that my shredded chicken meal is similar to a medieval meal, interesting! Look at you enlightening me!
@Brindleton I love tortellini! I like it best in soup, especially the cheese-filled kind. It's the thickest, yummiest pasta. *Drool*
@puzzlezaddict That is a brilliant idea! I've been browsing spices and herbs before and wondered about some of them; I should just grab an armload of unfamiliar ones and go to town. Thank you!! Now you've inspired me--build a meal around a particular spice!
This thread is so much fun, you guys! Whoda thunk that so many Simmers have the Natural Cook and Foodie traits?