Re: Baking/Cooking Ideas, Tips & Recipe Shares..

24Penguins Wed Oct 22, 2008 9:28 am

lol cherry!! i like your cooking style Smile/happy

mscherry42 Wed Oct 22, 2008 10:46 am

LOL. I really need to start measuring and writing down what I when I cook, so that I can pass some of these "cooking skills" down to the girls. I have a friend at work, who didn't cook at all when we first met. She now cooks 2% more now, which in my opinion, is an improvement. But, I bring her food sometimes to work, and she loves it, and wants my "recipes". I laugh at her because I don't know. So, I wrote up a mac n cheese recipe for her. That when I realized just how little I pay attention to actual measurements. As long as it tastes and looks good on the plate(sometimes it doesn' have to look good) then I'm happy with it!!

24Penguins Wed Oct 22, 2008 11:18 am

lol i hear ya cherry!!! i do the same thing sometimes, but now that im trying to eat super healthy im paying a lot more attention to what im putting in the food!! haha!

Gutter Wed Oct 22, 2008 12:10 pm

Before i cook my pumpkin seeds I sprinkle seasoning on top of them, yummy!!! I make them every year, actually had quite the batch to myself this week, DF doesn't like them.

24Penguins Wed Oct 22, 2008 12:28 pm

lol gutter!!! what kind of seasonings do you put on em?

**Lily*Blossom** Wed Oct 22, 2008 1:43 pm

Paprika and salt taste great on pumpkin seeds. You can use any kind of seasoned salt.

As for your question on roasting the pumpkin seeds... here's a recipe Smile/happy

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour

Ingredients:

Pumpkin seeds
Cooking spray, olive oil, or butter
Optional: Salt, garlic powder, onion powder, seasoned salt, or other seasoning of choice

Preparation:
1)Rinse pumpkin seeds. Use your fingers to remove all the pulp. Drain pumpkin seeds and discard pulp. Spread out on a cookie sheet to dry overnight.

2)Preheat oven to 250 F. Line a baking sheet with non-stick foil.

3)Toss pumpkin seeds in olive oil, butter, or spray with cooking spray. Sprinkle with salt, garlic powder, onion powder, seasoned salt, cayenne pepper, or your choice of seasonings. Toss to coat.

4)Bake about 1 hour, tossing every 15 to 20 minutes, until golden brown.

5)Cool pumpkin seeds before eating. Store in an airtight container at room temperature up to 3 months or refrigerate up to 1 year.

tip * If you like your toasted pumpkin seeds extra-salty, soak overnight in a solution of 1/4 cup salt to 2 cups of water. Dry an additional day, then proceed as above.

24Penguins Wed Oct 22, 2008 1:47 pm

cool, thanks Tiff!!! i cant wait!! hehe, i have to wait till payday to buy a pumpkin though, lol. then we will carve and roast the seeds Smile/happy

**Leeaman** Wed Oct 22, 2008 2:26 pm

Oh now I am going to have to go get a pumpkin and try that. Thanks Tiff

BethG Wed Oct 22, 2008 7:11 pm

24Penguins wrote:te he he!!! cool!!! its funny, im sooo getting into cooking now that everyones basically made me bite the bullet and make just one meal from scratch, now i want to do more! ive been online half the day looking up recipes and putting together a food list for next week!!! hehehe!!! so healthy baking on the weekends could be loads of fun!!

Ok Nika, which receipe would you like next?
My homemade spaghetti sauce
Stuffed Green Peppers
Stuffed Shells

All are a bit more involved than the Sour Cream Gravy Pork Chops, but I'm positive you can do this.

I know you're on a budget, but now that you're learning new things to make, you can pick up nonperishable ingredients for future meals when you have room in your weekly food budget.

I'm thinking of you like the little sister I never had! Ok, I'm probably closer to your mom's age but we're not going to think about that, lol.

BethG Wed Oct 22, 2008 7:13 pm

Ok, I'd really like a good receipe for a Tuna Noodle Casserole (one without Cream of Mushroom soup) since my last one failed.

Also, a homemade Macaroni and Cheese since my hubby doesn't care for my mom's receipe.

Anybody?

24Penguins Wed Oct 22, 2008 7:51 pm

BethG wrote:
24Penguins wrote:te he he!!! cool!!! its funny, im sooo getting into cooking now that everyones basically made me bite the bullet and make just one meal from scratch, now i want to do more! ive been online half the day looking up recipes and putting together a food list for next week!!! hehehe!!! so healthy baking on the weekends could be loads of fun!!

Ok Nika, which receipe would you like next?
My homemade spaghetti sauce
Stuffed Green Peppers
Stuffed Shells

All are a bit more involved than the Sour Cream Gravy Pork Chops, but I'm positive you can do this.

I know you're on a budget, but now that you're learning new things to make, you can pick up nonperishable ingredients for future meals when you have room in your weekly food budget.

I'm thinking of you like the little sister I never had! Ok, I'm probably closer to your mom's age but we're not going to think about that, lol.

oooh beth all three sound wonderful!!!! hehehe. give me more motivation, tonights dinner was a bust! neither me or DF would eat it lol, it was that funky. oh well. i guess one out of 6 isnt bad right?

oh and about my mom, try again, shes 60 shock

LOL!!! my parents were older when they had me, the baby of 5 girls.

24Penguins Wed Oct 22, 2008 7:52 pm

BethG wrote:Ok, I'd really like a good receipe for a Tuna Noodle Casserole (one without Cream of Mushroom soup) since my last one failed.

Also, a homemade Macaroni and Cheese since my hubby doesn't care for my mom's receipe.

Anybody?

next time i talk to my mom ill ask her for her homemade mac and cheese recipe, its awesome!!!! one of my favs from when i was a kid Smile/happy

BethG Wed Oct 22, 2008 8:25 pm

Cool 24P! I'd like to try your mom's mac and cheese.

And hey, your mom is only 10yrs younger than my mom!

Ok, here's my (my mom's) spaghetti sauce receipe. My hubby likes it quite a bit and neither of us will order spaghetti in a restaurant anymore!

Brown 1 lb. ground meat. I use ground chuck because I feel it has the best flavor. Ground beef is cheaper but usually less lean. Ground round is usually the most expensive and the leanest. Include one small chopped onion with the meat. I season with garlic salt while it's browning.

To reduce fat, I put the browned meat on a paper towel on a paper plate to soak up the excess. I also wipe my skillet with a paper towel.

Add 2 cans tomatoes (12oz each, I think) and 2 cans tomato paste (6oz each) and 2 cups water. I use DelMonte diced tomatos with basil, garlic, and oregano. For tomato paste I use Contadina brand with italian herbs. The seasoned tomatoes and paste mean you don't have to add very much other seasoning.

Stir up the tomatoey stuff and then add the meat/onion mixture. Turn up to medium heat until it starts to bubble and then turn to Medium/Low and simmer for about 20-30 minutes, so it bubbles gently. I add more herbs, but you can just sprinkle in some generic "italian seasoning" and maybe a bit more garlic salt and pepper, if desired. I use a splatter shield with a piece of aluminum foil over the skillet to reduce splatter.

That's it! You can also add mushrooms, green peppers, or whatever else you like!

24Penguins Wed Oct 22, 2008 8:29 pm

that sounds awesome beth!!!! im def. gonna give it a go next week Smile/happy

hehe dont have the ingredients this week and already spent the budget for the week lol

BethG Wed Oct 22, 2008 9:37 pm

I edited my post a bit so it reads to simmer 20-30 minutes. I realized that 20min may not be enough.

Had spaghetti tonight! And hubby wants some for tomorrow's lunch. He eats it COLD! He's strange.

24Penguins Wed Oct 22, 2008 9:39 pm

lol!!! at least he isnt like DF and just whines till i heat it up lol!!!

Myste Wed Oct 22, 2008 9:41 pm

Hmm. I've never followed a recipe for mac & cheese. I just boil the pasta as usual, drain and put in a casserole dish coated with cookign spray.In a separate pot I start off with a basic roux (1/2 c flour 1/2c butter) and add milk until it's thinned out, then add cheese until it's cheesy! Pour it over the pasta, mix. Top with bread crumbs if you want, and stick under the broiler until the top's browned. I vary the cheese to use up whatever is on hand - Last week was a combination of cheddar and cheese curds. Sometimes I use flavored cheddars- so far whiskey cheddar's been the biggest hit, smoked mozzarella, etc. A little goes a long way with some cheeses.

Made another batch of bread dough yesterday ( I posted the recipe a while ago in a different thread) and baked off a couple mini loaves last night for dinner, and baked another this morning for DF to take to work with his lunch. Yummy! Nothing like fresh baked bread right out of the oven.

24Penguins Wed Oct 22, 2008 9:45 pm

lol myste im sure you dont need a recipe, didnt you go to culinary school or something like that? haha!!

Myste Wed Oct 22, 2008 9:57 pm

I did go to Western Culinary Institute.

But I majored in restaurant management, not cooking. Smile/happy

24Penguins Wed Oct 22, 2008 10:34 pm

lol, oh ok! haha, still, i think you have a one up on the rest of us Smile/happy

lol.

**Leeaman** Thu Oct 23, 2008 5:55 am

Oh Beth, I am going to make that sauce next week for sure, yummy......

My hubbies step Mom use to make him and siblings this Mac and Cheese meal when they were growing up and we started making it ourselves and it is pretty good if anyone is interested, there is not much of a recipe to it as you just add the amount you want but I will give it anyways in case anyone is interested.

Macaroni Noodles - desired amount
Grated Cheese - any flavor - roughly 2 cups, pending on how cheesy you like it
A piece of Deli Cooked Ham about 1 1/2 - 2 inches thick cut into small cubes, not too small
2 Eggs
Salt n' Pepper
Cayenne Pepper - your own desired amount, but it can get hot if you add too much

Boil your Macaroni until just tender, and strain.
Pour Macaroni into a big bowl and add cubed cooked Ham.
Add 1 cup of the Cheese, and 2 Eggs,
Sprinkle with Salt n' Pepper - desired amount,
Finish by sprinkling with Cayenne Pepper, I tend to use a nice amount because we like a nice kick to this meal.
Mix altogether and pour into a casserole dish and sprinkle the remaining cheese on top.

Bake in a 350 degree oven for about 30 minutes and serve.

Tip: Goes great with Garlic Bread with or without Cheese and a nice Salad of your choice.
If you make it pretty hot with the Cayenne a nice glass of cold milk will go good with this too..

BethG Thu Oct 23, 2008 9:51 am

Thanks leeaman. I think I'm going to try this tonight. I was going to have ham anyway so this will fit in perfectly.

Tonight I'll post either the Stuffed Green Peppers or Stuffed Shells receipes. The green peppers one is straight out of the Betty Crocker cookbook. The shells is from another crock pot/easy meals cookbook that my SIL gave me.

24P, you should ask for a BC cookbook for Christmas. Just a good staple to have around.

24Penguins Thu Oct 23, 2008 10:45 am

ok i dont want to sound like a total idiot, but whats a BC Cookbook? lol.

**Leeaman** Thu Oct 23, 2008 10:55 am

24Penguins wrote:ok i dont want to sound like a total idiot, but whats a BC Cookbook? lol.

It's a Betty Crocker Cookbook.

kellybean Thu Oct 23, 2008 11:02 am

ohhh, those sound delic ladies.
Keep posting! Thank heavens for cut and paste!! :tongue:

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