Jess

This month has a very low cash flow for my partner and I.
I come looking for recipes of meal ideas that are really low in cost still hopefully good for us that will stretch for a couple days at least.

We are very open eaters besides no cooked peppers. We really do eat pretty much anything else.
I am really open to casserole dishes.
Thanks so much in advance for any help. Please help..

 Hi everyone,
I am trying to come up with some ideas for some large meals that will feed 5 people for a few days. All meals, breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks will be highly appreciated. We don't really eat pork at all but other than that not too picky, except there has to be some type of meat in it. Crockpot meals are also good. We are tired of eating the same things over and over again, basics like baked chicken, pasta and meat sauce, grilled chicken, etc. I would like to start making large amounts of food that will last for a few days worth of meals and also staying on a budget, nothing extravagant. Thanks in advance for any ideas you all may have!

Hi folks, so I want to make gamjatang or Korean pork bone soup for the first time today (recipe 1, recipe 2) and I've just discovered that I don't have doenjang, or soybean paste. This is annoying since I must have forgotten to buy some when I was in Korea Town to buy ingredients the other day.

Anyway, I'm not about to take a subway ride just to buy a few hundred grams of something, so I was hoping some of you could suggest alternatives. Miso paste is suggested as an alternative and I'm definitely going to look for some at the grocery store this afternoon, but in case I don't find any, does anyone have an alternate substitute? Or if you have experience making gamjatang and can suggest ways to compensate without soybean paste or maybe attest that it's not absolutely necessary, that would also rock.

I'm definitely making this for dinner, so if necessary I'll do it without the paste and chalk down the experience as part of the learning curve when trying a new recipe. But suggestions are definitely appreciated.

Hey y'all.

I've schemed, finagled and cajoled and finally my crush is coming over for dinner under the guise of a "dinner party." I MUST IMPRESS HIM WITH MY COOKING SKILLS. What should I make? I need something both delicious (more important) and impressive (less important). Do you have any super-special recipes that you bring out when you need to wow someone?

I'd say I'm an intermediate-level cook -- familiar with juggling many tasks/burners and able to follow medium-complicated recipes. The only other requirements are no fish and no coconut.

Here's hoping this gets through the queue fast enough... and thanks in advance!

I bought some frozen chicken and potato croquettes from the Japan Centre a couple of weeks ago, but I forgot to check the back of the packet for cooking insturctions. It says to deep fat fry them at 170-180C for 4 mins. Now, although I have a deep fat fryer, I have never actually used it and to be honest the whole idea of the hot oil and deep fat frying in general scares me, I'm also trying to lose some weight and I know its not exactly the healthiest way to cook.

So what I want to know is if it is possible to cook them in the oven, or grill them, or pan fry them, or cook them some way that avoids deep fat frying them? Or do I have to deep fat fry them? Also if it is possible not to fry them for how long would I cook them?

I've been craving huoguo for MONTHS now, and now that I've found a hotplate and a recipe for a Sichuan-style broth (in Fuschia Dunlop's Land of Plenty) I'm ready to make it. My problem is that I'm a northern-style huoguo loyalist and really want to be able to eat my hotpot with that amazing creamy sesame dipping sauce that you always get in restaurants in Beijing, but I can't seem to find a recipe for it anywhere online. If anyone has a recipe for the special dipping sauce (or tips as to whether or not you can buy it premade!) I'd be extremely grateful. I'd also appreciate any especially delicious broth recipes you might have!

( Please stop. )

SOO my only task on this lovely evening of 6 arrivals was to find a new bucket ( where you store the active in-house reg cards.. I guess some hotels dont have these?) Well I looked online, and I looked in hotel supply magazines, and I looked on the almighty Google.. but I came across nothing that would work well or be more efficient that what we already have.

What do your reg card buckets look like? Where did you order them/ how did you make them? can i see a pic haha

Dang any info would helpful!

I just got the phone call that Kate's water broke and she's in the Hospital.

I was going to get one more practice session of making the schedule tomorrow with her here so that I don't fuck it up.

I was also going to get in my lightning round of questions before she left.

I don't know what the fuck I'm doing with her job and I'm going to screw it up and the hotel is going to fall apart and I'm going to lose my job and the world is going to stop....

AAAH!

I'm freaking out just a little bit. I'm sure I'll be fine, but I'm fucking scared shitless.

 All the recent talk about organ meats inspired me to whip up some liver pate!
Here it is:
This delicious spread keeps for up to two weeks under the butter seal, so it makes a great gift – if you like giving organ meats as gifts ;)


You will need:



Chicken livers - about 20 oz
1 stick of unsalted butter, divided into 1/3rds
2 shallots, minced
2 garlic cloves, minced
a pinch of dried thyme leaves
1 tsp coarse black pepper
A pinch of kosher salt
1 cup red wine (a nice cabernet or even port work great here - but remember, if you wouldn't drink it, don't cook with it!)

Method:

1. Clean the livers from a small slivers of fat connected to them;
2. Heat 1/3 butter in a heavy-bottomed pan on a medium heat;
3. Add shallots and garlic, let them simmer until shallots are almost translucent;
4. Add the livers and cook them, stirring often, on a medium heat, until they’re still pink inside;
5. Add ½ cup of wine, thyme and pepper and simmer for another 5-7 minutes;
6. Take the livers out of the pan, add 1/3 butter in the pan and deglaze the pan with the ½ of red wine;
7. Once the livers cool, blend them well in a food processer;
8. Add the butter and wine mixture to the livers, mix well
9. Clarify the last 1/3 of butter, letting the white milk solids settle on the bottom of the pan
10. Pack the pate into a ramekin or a glass, decorate with a some bay leaf or black peppercorns, pour the clarified butter on top of the pate and put it in the fridge.

You’re done! Your pate will keep for up to two weeks in the fridge under the butter seal, and one week once the seal is broken. Enjoy with thinly sliced baguette or dark rye slices!

I received a hand blender (this one) for Christmas and of course had to try it out on some soup! I love it and will never go back to blending the 'old fashioned way'!!

I got this recipe from The Ultimate Soup Bible and made a few revisions of my own. It was a big hit with everyone for dinner last week!

Tomato and Gruyere Soup

-3 lbs. ripe tomatoes, peeled (optional - I didn't) and quartered
-2 garlic cloves, minced
-2 T olive oil
-1 leek, chopped
-1 medium carrot, chopped
-5 cups vegetable (or chicken) stock
-4 oz. Gruyere cheese, shredded or crumbled
-3 T whipping cream
-4-5 large fresh basil leaves, torn
-salt and pepper to taste

( instructions + photos under the cut )

Hello!

I looked over the tags, but didn't find anything. I love pound cake, and have never made a really good one. When i was a kid, we'd always have pound cake for dessert on Sundays and i really miss that wonderful, dense cake that's not uber-sweet.

So i would love your 'best' pound cake recipe. One thing, though - i don't own any shortening (like crisco), don't like it, and won't buy it, so if your recipe calls for shortening, either don't post it or tell me what i can substitute.

Thank you!

White Bean Dip:

- 1 can drained cannellini/butter beans
- the cloves from 1 head roasted garlic
- 1/4 cup fresh mint leaves
- 2 tbsp of both lemon juice and olive oil
- 1 tsp ground cumin + salt and pepper

Whizz everything up in a food processor. Serve with toasted cibatta/focaccia bread, in sandwiches or with roast vegetables.

From Donna Hay's flavours book.

I received the Taste of Mexico spice set from Penzeys for Christmas:
http://www.penzeys.com/scstore/giftboxes/new/tasteOfMexico.html

If the link doesn't work, it contains:
Epazote
Ground Ancho Chili Pepper
Ground Cumin
Mexican Oregano
Broken Leaf Cilantro
Chipotle Pepper Powder
Adobo Seasoning
Powdered Ceylon Cinnamon

I've got a few ideas on what to do with it - tacos, and such... But some of it, like the Epazote, I've never used, and don't really have any ideas for.

So, lovely cooking community, what are some awesome recipes that I could use these spices in? I'm open to dinner recipes, sides, lunch, whatever. Though please, no fish/seafood of any type, or mushrooms :)

Does anyone have any easy (and of course tasty) spaghetti recipes they'd like to share with me?

I love a good traditional spaghetti bolognese but mine takes quite a long time and requires ingredients I generally don't have on hand all the time (e.g chicken livers). Do you have a favourite spaghetti/pasta recipe? I LOVE, LOVE tomato based pastas and am always on the lookout for more!

I am planning on making a cake for my boyfriend's birthday and decorating it with fondant. It'll be my first time using fondant so I'm looking for some tips.

Should I make it myself or buy it from a store? What tools are really necessary? Stories? Advice?

Thank you. :)

We had a guest complain that our standard checkout time of 11 a.m. is "too early," and that we should make it 2 p.m. because "normal people aren't even up until eleven."

HUH?????? 11 is the standard c/o time for any hotel; in fact, at some, it's even earlier!! And I think most normal people are up by 8 or 9!!

Alright food geeks, I'm in the market for a new cookbook. Hit me with your best suggestions for Persian cooking! I'm a fairly experienced chef, so simple is not a requirement. I'm in the US, but don't mind dealing with conversions.

Alternatively, I'd be happy to hear about other Middle-Eastern cookbooks, Persian just happens to be one of my favorite cuisines.

In thanks, here is a really good hummus recipe. Everyone's got a hummus recipe, but mine is really good.

( Eat )

I have some cube steaks I was going to cook tonight for dinner. How do you go about cooking them? I don't want them too chewy.

I am getting into making my own pasta. I have the kitchen aid pasta maker attachment which comes with four different recipes for pasta dough. The noodles I have made thus far have worked but I was not thrilled by them. I am not sure what I could do to make them better, I just know I was hoping for something more after making such a mess in my kitchen.

I was hoping to get suggestions for pasta dough and possibly some ravioli filling recipes. I would like to fill the ravioli with sausage, cheese or something else with lots of flavor.

Thank you for sharing your ideas!!