Learning to cook

[mmswm]

Here are two of my favorite ridiculously easy meals...

1. Put a couple boneless, skinless chicken breasts in the center of a baking pan (I use a 9 inch pyrex)
2. Put some baby carrots in a pile on half of one side of the chicken and some green beans next to the carrots.
3. Put some small red potatoes on the other side of the chicken (about meatball sized...if they're bigger you can cut them in half)
4. Sprinkle a packet of Italian dressing mix over the meat and veggies.
5. Pour a can of chicken broth over everything.
6. Cover with foil and stuff in the oven at 350F until everything is cooked.


1. Slice a green pepper and a medium sweet onion.
2. Brown a pound of ground beef in some Italian dressing (cooking it in the dressing really infuses the flavor into the meat).
3. Saute the veggies.
4. Cut a loaf of Italian bread in half, lengthwise and then smoosh down the center to create a "bowl"
5. Drain the ground beef and spread it over the bread halves.
6. Place the veggie slices over the meat.
7. Cover it all with provolone cheese.
8. Bake in a 350F oven until the bread is warm and the cheese is melted.

[shadowfox79]

You are all stars. I'll start looking into these straight away.

[Kaypeep]

Never underestimate YouTube or a Google Search.  I've been cooking since I was old enough to reach the stove, but my mom was very basic and I didn't really start to cook "fancy" until about 10 years ago.  I learned stuff watching cooking shows. (Martha Stewart has a great show on PBS right now that is just Basics, like  how to make eggs of various types, how to make stock) but I also learned how to make the best baked potato simply going to the website http://www.howtobakeapotato.com/.

I also learned how to prepare and cook lobster tails by searching You Tube and finding MANY aspiring chefs and professionals who made their own teaching videos.  There are videos on "how to cut a mango" or "How to chop an onion" and "How to chop garlic."  Seriously, You Tube has it all.

[readingchick]

You are all stars. I'll start looking into these straight away.

Why, thank you!

[mmswm]

Here are two of my favorite ridiculously easy meals...

1. Put a couple boneless, skinless chicken breasts in the center of a baking pan (I use a 9 inch pyrex)
2. Put some baby carrots in a pile on half of one side of the chicken and some green beans next to the carrots.
3. Put some small red potatoes on the other side of the chicken (about meatball sized...if they're bigger you can cut them in half)
4. Sprinkle a packet of Italian dressing mix over the meat and veggies.
5. Pour a can of chicken broth over everything.
6. Cover with foil and stuff in the oven at 350F until everything is cooked.


1. Slice a green pepper and a medium sweet onion.
2. Brown a pound of ground beef in some Italian dressing (cooking it in the dressing really infuses the flavor into the meat).
3. Saute the veggies.
4. Cut a loaf of Italian bread in half, lengthwise and then smoosh down the center to create a "bowl"
5. Drain the ground beef and spread it over the bread halves.
6. Place the veggie slices over the meat.
7. Cover it all with provolone cheese.
8. Bake in a 350F oven until the bread is warm and the cheese is melted.

The first dish sounded so good that I decided to do it for dinner myself.  I forgot to add, however, that you can do it in the crock pot as well, which is what I'm doing, since I'm pretty lazy today.

[JenJay]

I'll chip in with http://www.amazon.com/How-Cook-Everything-Basics-Photos/dp/0470528060/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1356742395&sr=1-1&keywords=mark+bittman+how+to+cook+everything+the+basics by Mark Bittman, the food writer for the New York Times.  He gives the how-to for every recipe.

I have this app on my phone and it's great! Step by step directions and little mini guides to things like how to peel garlic, how to dice onions, etc. Good stuff!

[JenJay]

The absolute yummiest, and easiest, eggs evar!

-Preheat your oven to 400
-butter (or use bacon grease) a ramikin or other small, oven-proof dish. (I had to buy ramikins specifically for these eggs, totally worth it!)
-add a couple tablespoons worth of diced meat or veggie if you like**
-crack two eggs in, you can break the yolks or leave them whole
-salt and pepper to your liking
-add some cheese, shredded is fine but I like to slice a piece, break it into little chunks, and plop them in so that the melty, cheesy goodness is throughout the eggs
-add about a tablespoon of cream or half & half
-bake for 20 minutes, check the center, give it a few more if necessary

** I like mine plain but DH has added ham, sausage, bacon, leftover taco meat, bell pepper, spinach, salsa, etc. Just about anything can go in.