chubbyalaskagriz
New member
I post few actual RECIPES online-for a couple of reasons. First- I'm working on a cookbook that I dream of publishing one day- so I don't want to post things that I may have included in a writing project. Second- I do a lot of cooking without actual recipes- I go often by feel, touch and taste- rather than by measurements and written recipes.
Also- I do some amount of my personal cooking at home using leftovers and store-bought convenience products. For years I worked long hard hours in kitchens. When home- I still longed to, and enjoyed feeding folks- but I didn't want to spend my off-time in the kitchen from sun-up to sun-down, so I often took short cuts. Today, even though I am no longer in a professional kitchen, I still cook this way occasionally.
Some might criticize this as too "Rachel Ray", "Paula Deene" or "Sandra Lee". And to a degree- they'd be fair to. But if anyone wants to get too goofy about it- I'd happily sit down with them and compare side-by-side just how many potatoes we've peeled, how many chickens we've cut-up or boned, and how many stocks we've made from scratch, over the years!
In addition to the quick, painless "chicken & dumpling soup" offered a few minutes ago in another post- here are a couple of other effortless ones that look and taste sorta homemade- but use store-bought ingredients. These are great to throw together into a crock-pot in the morning while you're still half-asleep and rushing to get your make-up on, the dog walked, the kids dressed and their sack-lunches made for school!
Mock Italian Wedding Soup
In a low crock-pot throw:
a large box of chicken broth
frozen, pre-cooked meatballs
box of frozen spinach
when you get home from work, throw in:
some refrigerated/frozen cheese tortellini
Season, stir and when pasta is done- serve with parmesan cheese and a baguette.
Smoked Turkey/Corn Chowder
In a low crock-pot throw:
a large box chicken broth
2 large cans condensed cream of chicken (or celery) soup
picked/pulled smoked turkey meat
bag of frozen Ore-Ida cubed hash brown potatoes
canned or frozen corn
salt, pepper and a pinch of dried thyme
When you get home from work, give it a stir. Serve with a loaf of bakery bread or a pan of Jiffy Corn bread.
Most simple E-Z recipes are NOT meant to replace delicious home-made meals... but they ARE meant to replace drive-thru suppers of nuggets and burgers that many of today's busy Moms & Dads feel they must resort to, due to crazy schedules and severe time restraints.
Good food is VERY important. But I say- if you've only got a half-hour, use that half hour to talk with your kid- or to play a game or read a book with her while something E-Z bubbles in the crock-pot... and save the from-scratch, homemade, time-consuming cooking for the weekend when you have proper time. Feed your kid the best you can- and avoid Mc-Fast-Food at all costs! But if you've only got time to either cook from scratch- or hug your kid... I'd much rather you HUG YOUR KID! (And don't feel guilty about cheating in the kitchen! )
Also- I do some amount of my personal cooking at home using leftovers and store-bought convenience products. For years I worked long hard hours in kitchens. When home- I still longed to, and enjoyed feeding folks- but I didn't want to spend my off-time in the kitchen from sun-up to sun-down, so I often took short cuts. Today, even though I am no longer in a professional kitchen, I still cook this way occasionally.
Some might criticize this as too "Rachel Ray", "Paula Deene" or "Sandra Lee". And to a degree- they'd be fair to. But if anyone wants to get too goofy about it- I'd happily sit down with them and compare side-by-side just how many potatoes we've peeled, how many chickens we've cut-up or boned, and how many stocks we've made from scratch, over the years!
In addition to the quick, painless "chicken & dumpling soup" offered a few minutes ago in another post- here are a couple of other effortless ones that look and taste sorta homemade- but use store-bought ingredients. These are great to throw together into a crock-pot in the morning while you're still half-asleep and rushing to get your make-up on, the dog walked, the kids dressed and their sack-lunches made for school!
Mock Italian Wedding Soup
In a low crock-pot throw:
a large box of chicken broth
frozen, pre-cooked meatballs
box of frozen spinach
when you get home from work, throw in:
some refrigerated/frozen cheese tortellini
Season, stir and when pasta is done- serve with parmesan cheese and a baguette.
Smoked Turkey/Corn Chowder
In a low crock-pot throw:
a large box chicken broth
2 large cans condensed cream of chicken (or celery) soup
picked/pulled smoked turkey meat
bag of frozen Ore-Ida cubed hash brown potatoes
canned or frozen corn
salt, pepper and a pinch of dried thyme
When you get home from work, give it a stir. Serve with a loaf of bakery bread or a pan of Jiffy Corn bread.
Most simple E-Z recipes are NOT meant to replace delicious home-made meals... but they ARE meant to replace drive-thru suppers of nuggets and burgers that many of today's busy Moms & Dads feel they must resort to, due to crazy schedules and severe time restraints.
Good food is VERY important. But I say- if you've only got a half-hour, use that half hour to talk with your kid- or to play a game or read a book with her while something E-Z bubbles in the crock-pot... and save the from-scratch, homemade, time-consuming cooking for the weekend when you have proper time. Feed your kid the best you can- and avoid Mc-Fast-Food at all costs! But if you've only got time to either cook from scratch- or hug your kid... I'd much rather you HUG YOUR KID! (And don't feel guilty about cheating in the kitchen! )
Excellent tips Kev!!!
