What's for dinner?

[butt3r3dt0ast]

I loathe Chopped. About 10 minutes of commercials and setups for every minute of actual cooking.

Haha, yes the commercials are bit excessive at times. But I still love the premise of the show.

[iacas]

I'm a decent home cook.....but you're right, the creativity and ability to improvise that top chefs have is way beyond little ole me......

I imagine that if you broke it down, there might only really be like 10 or 15 methods, and then a basic understanding of what those methods will have on various classes of foods.

I mean, there's frying, there's baking, there's grilling, there's boiling… You know what I mean?

I bet you could, with a few months of dedicated (free time) study, become pretty darn good at that stuff too.

Let me put it this way (which may sound harsher than intended): it's not like these chefs strike me as super intelligent people.

[Ernest Jones]

I imagine that if you broke it down, there might only really be like 10 or 15 methods, and then a basic understanding of what those methods will have on various classes of foods.

I mean, there's frying, there's baking, there's grilling, there's boiling… You know what I mean?

I bet you could, with a few months of dedicated (free time) study, become pretty darn good at that stuff too.

Let me put it this way (which may sound harsher than intended): it's not like these chefs strike me as super intelligent people.

Yep. Learn your basics and some tricks and then learn how to improvise and create. Kind of like a painter, they learn all the techniques and methods that came before so they have a foundation to build on and then they are able to be...artistic. The best of them revolutionize and come up with new techniques and methods.

[boogielicious]

I have been cooking since I was a kid.  My Mom taught us the basics and by the time I was 12, we were cooking dinner because both my parents worked.  I cooked at my fraternity in college, which taught me how to do things fast and well (otherwise 55 angry guys were after you!).

Cooking from scratch is easy once you get the techniques down.  The food comes out so much better.   Learning the five mother sauces is also easy.  Then experimentation just becomes mixing and matching recipes and techniques.  I really enjoy it.

[boogielicious]

Another key to having fun cooking.  Love my spices.

[Ernest Jones]

Another key to having fun cooking.  Love my spices. [URL=http://thesandtrap.com/content/type/61/id/83575/] [/URL]

I don't often say this to guys but, nice rack bro. Mine are just all piled up hodge podge in a cupboard. Do any if you guys grow herbs? We have for years. Basil, Rosemary, thyme, oregano, sage plus hot peppers and tons of garlic, like literally half the garden is garlic :-) Awesome to be able to just walk out and snip what you need. The rosemary we bring in every fall so we have like ten year old rosemary plants, they have gnarly ass bark like trees now! The sage I chop down in the fall and hang upside down to dry and the chopped bush comes back every spring.

[jlh1508]

I don't often say this to guys but, nice rack bro.

Mine are just all piled up hodge podge in a cupboard.

Do any if you guys grow herbs? We have for years. Basil, Rosemary, thyme, oregano, sage plus hot peppers and tons of garlic, like literally half the garden is garlic

Awesome to be able to just walk out and snip what you need. The rosemary we bring in every fall so we have like ten year old rosemary plants, they have gnarly ass bark like trees now! The sage I chop down in the fall and hang upside down to dry and the chopped bush comes back every spring.

I grow Basil, rosemary, thyme, oregano, cilantro, and parsley  Plus grape tomatoes and hot peppers not counting the regular garden with beans, squash, tomatoes, etc

[jlh1508]

this is what the braised short ribs with root vegetables looked like.. but forgot to take a pic so here is a stock photo

[Golfingdad]

Crab cakes ... made with green onions, cilantro, salt, pepper, Old Bay, and bread crumbs. Green onion sauce. (Cream, mayo, Onions, jalapeno, tabasco, worchester, dry mustard, a few other things) Frying in butter Served over pasta with green beans.

[Ernest Jones]

NICE STOVE!! I covet a gas stove!

LOL, I'm guessing the double-banger is your plate?

[iacas]

We had homemeade meatballs with rotini and some jarred red sauce last night.

I don't know where some of you (with kids) find the time to make all the stuff you make. Or maybe most of the ones posting this stuff don't have kids. :)

[Ernest Jones]

We had homemeade meatballs with rotini and some jarred red sauce last night. I don't know where some of you (with kids) find the time to make all the stuff you make. Or maybe most of the ones posting this stuff don't have kids. :)

Well in my case (two young boys 5 and 7) most of the more involved recipes are relegated to weekends and holidays. There are plenty of great meals that can be prepared simply and quickly on a week night though. Sometimes we'll make a huge batch of something on the weekend an freeze it in portions for the nights that the kids have karate or whatever. The chicken Parmesan for example, the wife made about a dozen extra portions which can be used for lunches or dinners when we have no time to cook. We're also not above serving up a pile of hotdogs for the kids and eating grown up food later after the kids are in bed.

[David in FL]

We had homemeade meatballs with rotini and some jarred red sauce last night.

I don't know where some of you (with kids) find the time to make all the stuff you make. Or maybe most of the ones posting this stuff don't have kids. :)

I hate to say it, but there are some pretty good jar sauces out there these days and during the week, I've been known to grab one too.

Honestly though, you can whip up a quick marinara in not much more time than opening a jar.  Don't be afraid to use good canned crushed and diced tomatoes.  Sadly, these days they're better than what you can find fresh a lot of times.

Fine dice half of a small red onion.  Sweat onion in olive oil until translucent.  Add thinly sliced garlic to taste (at least 4 cloves for me) and allow to cook another minute or so.  Add a large (28oz) can of crushed tomatoes, and another of diced.  Add about a tablespoon each of dried oregano, thyme, parsley, and a good 1/2 cup of rough-chopped, fresh basil.  Slow simmer while you make the rest of dinner.  Season to taste with salt and plenty of black pepper.   If you like to cook your meatballs in the sauce, now's the time to drop 'em in.  Stir in a couple of tablespoons more of good olive oil when you're ready to serve, it'll add a nice depth to the sauce.

Viola', homemade marinara.....probably less than 10 minutes, and it's an easy one to include even young kids in helping to make if you're feeling adventurous.

If you want to save another 3 minutes......buy pre-chopped garlic in a jar and keep it around for those Tuesday night quickies and by a pre-mixed Italian spice blend in the spice aisle.

We'll talk fresh pasta another time.....

[Ernest Jones]

I hate to say it, but there are some pretty good jar sauces out there these days and during the week, I've been known to grab one too.  :8) Honestly though, you can whip up a quick marinara in not much more time than opening a jar.  Don't be afraid to use good canned crushed and diced tomatoes.  Sadly, these days they're better than what you can find fresh a lot of times. Fine dice half of a small red onion.  Sweat onion in olive oil until translucent.  Add thinly sliced garlic to taste (at least 4 cloves for me) and allow to cook another minute or so.  Add a large (28oz) can of crushed tomatoes, and another of diced.  Add about a tablespoon each of dried oregano, thyme, parsley, and a good 1/2 cup of rough-chopped, fresh basil.  Slow simmer while you make the rest of dinner.  Season to taste with salt and plenty of black pepper.   If you like to cook your meatballs in the sauce, now's the time to drop 'em in.  Stir in a couple of tablespoons more of good olive oil when you're ready to serve, it'll add a nice depth to the sauce. Viola', homemade marinara.....probably less than 10 minutes, and it's an easy one to include even young kids in helping to make if you're feeling adventurous. If you want to save another 3 minutes......buy pre-chopped garlic in a jar and keep it around for those Tuesday night quickies and by a pre-mixed Italian spice blend in the spice aisle. We'll talk fresh pasta another time.....  :smartass:

Try adding two tbsp of high quality balsamic at the end, really adds depth.

[David in FL]

Try adding two tbsp of high quality balsamic at the end, really adds depth.

I love balsamic with tomatoes......hadn't thought of adding it to a red sauce though.  I'll try it!

[jlh1508]

Yeah most of the really intricate meals are done on weekends, but pretty much everything we eat through out the week is made from scratch.

The things that help me keep it that way:

1. My daughter(4 years old) has developed a passion for food and cooking and loves to be Daddy's "helper".. so that makes it fun for both of us

2. I do a lot of prep on the weekends to make things easier during the week(pre chop a bunch of onion, prepare a big salad for throughout the week, pre pick herbs so they are inside and ready to be used)

But I honestly #1 is the biggest thing for me. It is a bonding time for us.

[iacas]

Honestly though, you can whip up a quick marinara in not much more time than opening a jar.  Don't be afraid to use good canned crushed and diced tomatoes.  Sadly, these days they're better than what you can find fresh a lot of times.

Yeah, but that's not gonna happen either. You're leaving out the added time to have the fresh vegetables and seasonings and all of that on-hand.

I'm really a part-time foodie - I like to try things when I'm out, or in a different part of the country, etc., but I have no interest in spending the time to do things myself. If I could, I'd pay $25 to eat a pill that made me feel full and provided all of my nutrients and whatnot most of the time. Food during the week when we're busy is more of a hassle. I enjoy the family time, but we'd rather be out riding bikes or doing something than sitting at a table. You can converse doing lots of things.

Plus I hate waste. And my wife doesn't want to cook much.

I'm glad y'all enjoy it. It's just not for me or my family. :)

[Slice of Life]

If I could, I'd pay $25 to eat a pill that made me feel full and provided all of my nutrients and whatnot most of the time.

Holy crap...my buddy Jay said almost the same thing to me a little while back. He loves food, but hates eating, and feels like it's a waste of time. Haha.