How do you make....

[Zonny]

I thought this might be a good way to share some of the foods that we normally cook for our families, etc. often without a recipe. Lots of folks are maybe new to cooking, would appreciate some basic methods, others are just looking to change things up from the same old same old.

For me, this weekend I made meatloaf and meatballs, both of which are cooked and mostly for the freezer. My method for both is much the same.

Meatloaf contains ground beef (or pork or chicken or a combination), some bread crumbs (the Progreso Italian seasoned ones), bbq sauce, an egg, a dash of liquid smoke and Worchestshire sauce, cracked pepper, dry mustard powder, chipotle seasoning (from Bulk Barn, a little goes a long way, it's kind of hot). Bake in the oven, my Mom used to top with tomato soup, I use salsa or bbq sauce.

For the meatballs it's similar, but I add some oregano or Italian seasoning, obviously roll into balls. I bake those in the oven too, MUCH easier than a pan! Put them on parchment paper for easy cleanup, flip them partway through and drain if necessary so they'll brown.

What are your go-to recipes? I'd love to hear some chicken recipes, that's our standard protein.

[Natalka]

Just finished making meatballs
Half kilo ground pork, eight large cloves garlic, minced, salt, pepper, Italian seasoning, about three quarters of a cup oats, one egg. Usually I would add a few slices of wetted bread especially since this is lean grind, but I did not. Also would normally add a minced raw onion, but today I sauteed it in a bit of butter to add some fat. Put in parchment lined 9 by 13 at 350, flip partway through.
Today I am using homemade sauce I thawed, so after balls are done, I will put them in a roaster with the sauce, and put back in the oven for a bit.

[Zonny]

See, would never thought of oats, this is a great example. What kind of of oats, quick, old fashioned, does it matter? Wetted bread is new to me too, would probably take the place of my dry breadcrumbs.

[Natalka]

I use quick oats, just the same I use for baking. If you use lots and make the meatballs small, they end up crunchy, a nice change when not using sauce.
As for using wet bread, I started using that instead of crumbs a long time ago, good to stretch meat...

[MrsSunshine]

When I make meatball, I simmer homemade meatballs into a can of cream of mushroom soup (with one -2 cans of water added). man are they moist.

I love to make a stir fry of veggies.
saute onions and garlic in a little EVOO, then when they are 'wet' i add mushrooms. once the have started to thicken and become clear, i add my sliced peppers, zuchinni. once they've simmered for a few minutes i add a little tomato juice. preferably from canned tomatoes.
add a dash of salt/pepper.
we don't like everything too soft. but just enough its cooked.

i also have a chicken fav. place chicken into crockpot. add a thin layer of c of m soup (go to in our house) then a package of stove top stuffing. i poke holes in the chickens so they soak up the sauce.
i leave it for about 3-4 hours on low. so good.

[Angela273]

Thank you for starting this thread. I have posted a couple of family recipes on the site in other threads, I'll probably add it to this thread when I find my posts again or I will type them out again. I'd love to learn how to make different foods, just to mix it up a little.

Example.
My aunt has made chicken adobo, but I've never looked up a recipe for it.

[walkonby]

good idea for a thread Zonny.
Since I have been on a healthier weight loss kick, I was searching for some homemade cookies that would eliminate buying any processed ones ( these are for my 2 kids here)

Just made 2 really neat ones the other day using just 3 ingredients!

Banana/Oatmeal/Chocolate Chips soft cookies

Yield anywhere from 10-16 cookies

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

mash 1 cup banana,
add 1 cup large flake rolled oats, blend well
add 1\4 cup dark choc. chips.
Place by spoonful onto parchment paper lined sheet, bake 10-12 min.

( I personally flip them over about the 8 min. mark so both sides get a nice browned outer effect )
Let these cool completely to firm up some before you transfer them to a dish or container.
I have made anywhere from 10 ( substantial and larger) to16 ( bite sized ) cookies
The second time I made these I felt funny about just having 3 ingredients so I tossed in some vanilla, salt and baking powder so it felt more like baking...lol.

The nutritional breakdown was good as well ( NO chemicals, additives )

making 10: each cookie would be 64 calories, 1.5 grams fibre and 6 grams sugar
making 16: each cookie would be 40 calories, 3/4 gram fibre and 3.6 grams sugar

Optional version for those not wanting that much sugar from banana and chocolate?

Replace the banana with 1 cup PURE pumpkin puree ( NOT pumpkin pie filling)
Replace the chocolate chips with 1/3 cup chopped pecans
Add nutmeg, or allspice for extra flavour

The nutritional breakdown for these healthier ones is:

Making 10: each cookie would be 54 calories, 1.5 grams fibre and 1 gram sugar

Happy baking!

[ticul]

OMG, I love this thread. I need new ways to cooke (chicken, meat balls ect.....) I will look at this thread very often. A very good idea Zoony.......................

[thriftygranny]

I use quick oats, just the same I use for baking. If you use lots and make the meatballs small, they end up crunchy, a nice change when not using sauce.
As for using wet bread, I started using that instead of crumbs a long time ago, good to stretch meat...

I have always used oatmeal as well for meatballs etc. The wet bread (bread soaked in milk)is called a panade, used to bind meat. I really like to soak a slice of crust less bread and add it to my ground meat for burgers, they are never dry and retain moisture. I use a recipe similar to this one.http://www.onceuponachef.com/2012/04...e-burgers.html

[YOU AND ME]

In my meatloaf I use crackers broken up

[Anna Michele]

LOVE IT!!!!!!!!!

My go to easy peasy meals are

saltfish and beans with rice
boil saltfish, saute onions g. pep, hot pep. tomato til soft
throw in beans (clark with maple syrup, or broad beans usually)
add saltfish steam a lil while longer and serve with rice

chicken soup
boil chicken pieces (no skin or backs) with 2-3 garlic cloves at least 45 mins
add veggies (carrots, chayote, turnip, yucca) continue boiling 20-30 mins til vegs are cooked
add g. onions and cock soup mix
enjoy!

jerk chicken
marinate overnight if possible in jerk sauce. g. onion, onion and g. pep.
many ways to cook
- steam in a pot add veggies after 45 min (carrots, onion, g. pep)
- slow roast in the oven
- on the bbq
either way you decide to cook be sure to add some ketchup as you would bbq sauce to add flavour and lessen the bite
serve with rice
enjoy!

[The Red Viper]

I've been known to use finely crushed bran flakes instead of bread crumbs, both in meatballs, meatloaf, and in casseroles.

Oatmeal is a new one though, going to give that a try especially since I'm trying to introduce more soluble fiber into my diet. Makes sense though, since the Scots would use oatmeal when making haggis and such.

[trishka]

I've used leftover or cooked boxed stuffing in my meat loaf. Adds some moisture, seasoning and no need for extra bread crumbs.

One of my go to pasta dishes is a seafood and veggie or just veggie pasta with lemon sauce. It's just lemon zest, lemon juice, olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic (usually fresh, sometimes powder if I'm too lazy or not on hand) and basil. Let it sit for about 1/2 hour or more and once the seafood/veggies are cooked, pour the sauce in and then pasta, mix.

[Zonny]

Was cooking something tonight I don't do often, so I'm resurrecting this thread to add that.

Tonight's food was seafood chowder. DH is out tonight, so this is the opportunity for DS (age eight) and I to have seafood, since we like it and DH does not. Chowder is one of DS's favourites.

My method is based on how my mother used to do it (although as most things our mothers made, especially after our Mom is no longer with us, hers was better, but mine is still good). It's very simple.

I dice some onion (very small bits, to render them mostly undetectable by DS). Brown them in a bit of butter in a pot. Once they brown up and are soft, I add some diced potato (I leave skins on, Mom didn't), and a small amount of water. Put the lid on, simmer them until the potato is fairly soft. At this point I often remove a bit of the liquid and add a bit of flour to thicken, pour it back in. Then add the chowder mix, sold by the pound in the seafood department, just bits of various types of fish. Some is better than others, it's all just trimmings from fish they sell I think. Simmer until the seafood is mostly cooked. Then add milk until it's at the consistency you like - some may want more liquid, some may want it more hearty. Mom used some canned milk here, I do not, I just use 2% which is what we have for drinking, etc. Leave it on low to let the seafood cook the rest of the way, warm the milk part and let the flavours meld. I'm not a big user of salt, I add just a sprinkle and add a lot of pepper to my bowl since I love pepper.

You may notice i don't measure any of this, a traditional Cape Breton cook, I toss in stuff! I used nearly a pound of chowder mix tonight, probably 1.5 cups of potato.

I got to thinking tonight, I wonder if my DS would enjoy this nearly as much if it were chicken based rather than seafood, a kind of creamy chicken chowder, maybe with some fresh corn tossed in. Hmmmm!

[Anna Michele]

Mmm sounds so yummy I may have to try my hand at it