What's cooking? (1 Viewer)

[Robert Crawford]

Perhaps, it's just me, but those posted pictures of the food doesn't look very appetizing to me. I'm kidding as this is coming from a guy that refuses to eat guacamole because it looks nasty to me.

 

[BobO'Link]

Perhaps, it's just me, but those posted pictures of the food doesn't look very appetizing to me. I'm kidding as this is coming from a guy that refuses to eat guacamole because it looks nasty to me.

Guacamole not only looks nasty but tastes nasty too...

When I was in HS we'd go to Little Rock for choir and band competitions. There was an "all you can eat" Mexican restaurant (Casa Bonita) we'd make every attempt to visit with each trip. Non-buffet, sit down dining with atmosphere (nice decorations and a "travelling" guitar player going table to table playing authentic Mexican music) and, for the times, pretty good food. The plate had a glop of guacamole on it - first time I'd had the stuff. I thought it was horrid stuff and would eat it all in a single bite to get it off the plate (I was raised to clean your plate - even if it had stuff you didn't like on it - just eat it first). I'd always get a full plate refill (or two) but would have them leave that off. It was a couple of years before I realized I could have them just leave it off the first plate and not have to deal with it at all.

 

[BobO'Link]

I made Instant Pot Mac & cheese yesterday.
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I'm trying to wrap my head around using an Instant Pot to make Mac & Cheese. If you don't cook the macaroni separately it gets all gummy and starchy so if you *do* cook it separately wouldn't it be just as easy to combine the rest and either heat it on the stove or, better, put it in the oven to get that nice crispy cheese crusty goodness on top?

 

[BobO'Link]

Ground beef, diced tomatoes, and macaroni. Seasoned with minced garlic, basil, oregano, parsley, salt, and pepper.



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That looks pretty doggone good... use fire roasted tomatoes and kick it up a notch. Yum!

 

[Johnny Angell]

@BobO'Link , @Robert Crawford Guacamole is food of the gods. Have with some tortilla chips and a nice frozen margarita. Hmmmm.

 

[BobO'Link]

@BobO'Link , @Robert Crawford Guacamole is food of the gods. Have with some tortilla chips and a nice frozen margarita. Hmmmm.

I very much dislike margaritas as well.

The first time I tried a tequila sunrise there was a flavor I disliked so I experimented by getting another and leaving out the grenadine. Nope - still had that nasty taste so I got a screwdriver to rule out the orange juice. Tasted fine. That left one thing in the glass - tequila. Got a jigger - yep. Absolutely nasty stuff. I refuse *anything*, food or drink, with tequila as an ingredient.

 

[DaveF]

I very much dislike margaritas as well.

 

[DaveF]

I'm trying to wrap my head around using an Instant Pot to make Mac & Cheese. If you don't cook the macaroni separately it gets all gummy and starchy so if you *do* cook it separately wouldn't it be just as easy to combine the rest and either heat it on the stove or, better, put it in the oven to get that nice crispy cheese crusty goodness on top?

Nice and gooey! Cook the macaroni in the milk and cream cheese on the InstantPot. Then stir in the cheddar cheese. And done.

It’s pretty easy and I don’t have to watch the boil.

 

[Radioman970]

made lazy veggie burrito/tacos monday. I just folded the shells once. Had 2 and they were just okay. For lunch wednesday I folded the shell proper with the leftovers from monday and made it right and my it was tasty! All in the folding? Sort of...plus. I do heat the fully made burrito, complete with lettuce and sour cream on low power in the micro until warm and cheesey melted. I know that's it. I used to make bacon cheeseburgers in my meat eating days and that low heat reheat is all the difference in the world. cheese melts, the bacon on top drips down and everything mixed a little better. Just careful with the lettuce or add it later.

 

[BobO'Link]

Had home made chicken pot pie for supper last night. My wife's crust was just about perfect - flaky, tender, melts in your mouth - and the filling was the best she's done in a while. I think it's because of the way she cooked the chicken this time. She boiled it used her Instant Pot. That liquid also went into the pie along with the usual cream of chicken soup, diced carrot, and green peas. I added a side salad of iceberg lettuce, diced tomato, sliced red grapes, and diced apple with Thousand Island dressing. Yum!

 

[Josh Steinberg]

Pork tenderloin stuffed with garlic sautéed mushrooms, onions and bacon, with a quick Marsala pan sauce...

 

[KPmusmag]

Making the most of being at home. Foraged the freezer and came up with Chicken Cacciatore over rigatoni. Added green beans to the sauce for a vegetable component. A pretty day and a scrubbed grill table. And a pleasant wine. And a more than pleasant S.O. Good for today at least.

 

[Mark Booth]

I doctored up a jar of store-bought pasta sauce and, if I do say so myself, created something that was MUCH more tasty! In fact, one of the tastiest marinara sauces I've ever had!

• 24oz jar of store-bought pasta sauce (I used Francesco Rinaldi brand with garlic & onion)
• 14.5oz can of diced tomatoes/undrained (I used Del Monte with basil, oregano and garlic)
• 7oz can of mushroom stems & pieces/drained
• 1 tsp Italian seasoning
• 1 Tbsp dark brown sugar
• 2 bay leaves/whole
• 1 clove of garlic/minced (I used the jar stuff)

I mixed everything together in a medium sauce pan, heated it until it just started to bubble, and then let it simmer (covered) for 2 hours, stirring occasionally. Don't forget to fish out the bay leaves before serving.

WOW, it was absolutely delicious! The brown sugar cut the acidity of the tomatoes and added just the right hint of sweetness. It's beyond me why store-bought pasta sauce makers can't make a sauce that tastes like this straight out of the jar.

We used half of it over mushroom ravioli last night, the other half will get used over spaghetti and meatballs in a few days.

Mark

 

[Mike Frezon]

Josh & Kevin:

Both of those meals look absolutely delicious! Yum!

 

[BobO'Link]

That does sound tasty, Mark. My wife doctors store-bought sauce for a few dishes. I was quite surprised at how good it tastes done right. She still makes my sauce (I spent a couple of years perfecting a mostly-from-scratch spaghetti sauce [canned tomato sauce and tomatoes rather than fresh]) but it takes at least half a day to do it right so she does the doctored ones for quickie dishes. What hurts is a few of her doctored versions are quite close in flavor to my recipe.

I've never heard of Francesco Rinaldi brand (I checked at WM - looks like they carry it and I like the ingredient list - may give it a try). We, or I should say my wife, typically uses Prego (the "traditional" with no added flavors or meats) as her base for doctoring. I was surprised at how good that one is for a jarred sauce and have used it a few times straight from the jar.

We started using the garlic in a jar around 10 years ago. It's so much easier than keeping fresh around and, to us, tastes just as good when cooked into things.

 

[DaveF]

Tonight I made...can of tomato soup. With potato chips. It’s been a long, exhausting week. Next week I should have free time. And I hope to do some good cooking.

 

[BobO'Link]

Tonight I made...can of tomato soup. With potato chips. It’s been a long, exhausting week. Next week I should have free time. And I hope to do some good cooking.

All that needed for a "perfect" meal is a tuna salad sandwich. One of my comfort food meals from my childhood.

 

[Josh Steinberg]

I buy Rao’s marinara sauce and I usually mess with it as well. First I sauté some diced onion and garlic in the pan, and then add mushrooms. Next is some ground turkey and extra seasoning (salt, pepper, oregano, basil). Once the turkey is cooked through, I then add the jar of sauce, bring to a quick boil, and then reduce the heat to a simmer. Once it’s simmering, that’s my cue to prepare the pasta.

 

[DaveF]

All that needed for a "perfect" meal is a tuna salad sandwich. One of my comfort food meals from my childhood.

I only had enough cheese for one sandwich, so I made my wife the usual grilled cheese sandwich to go with the soup. I forgoed my sandwich tonight. I’ve been eating a lot of canned soup and leftover pizza this week and was content to go light tonight.

 

[Josh Steinberg]

Before/after of tonight’s homemade pizza:

We had chicken and bacon pizza and sausage and peppers pizza (one with mushrooms).

Great thing is, the only thing I had to buy was naan bread for crust and cheese. Everything else was a leftover from this week. Took longer to preheat the oven to 500 degrees than it did to assemble the pizzas.

If you’re going a little stir crazy with everything going on and running out of food ideas or patience with cooking, this is a great way to get a new meal with minimal effort.