As I poured my Wal-Mart brand macaroni into a strainer and spilled a good portion of it in the sink because I was not paying attention, I realized I need to broaden my culinary repertoire. A man who is nearing 30 should probably not be eating one box of mac and cheese and calling it dinner.

Now understand, I am not incapable in the kitchen, I just don't have the time or dedication for meals with lengthy prep times or fancy-ass ingredients. So let's omit anything that requires imported spices and roots that grow once a decade in some remote part of Tunisia. I already have the classic bachelor meals down: Grilled ham and cheese. Sausage, eggs, and toast for dinner. Peanut Butter and Jelly sandwiches. I'm trying to grow beyond those, yet keep it simple.

So please, share your recipes with me...I'm willing to post my failures and successes, for what it's worth.

PS: For an added challenge, you can list recipes that don't require an oven since mine is broken and I haven't called for it to be fixed. Two of four ranges work though.

PPS: I know how google works. Thanks in advance.

[Edited 10/10/10 16:01pm]

Crock. Pot.

also...

Foreman. Grill.

chicken and sweetcorn egg drop soup

1 packet chicken noodle soup mix

1 egg (cracked into cup and stirred well)

1 can creamed corn

Do the packet mix according to instructions, pour in the creamed corn and bring to boil, then pour in the egg, agitating the soup while you do it so your egg goes all wispy

I chuck in some chicken if I have any leftovers and garnish with sliced green/spring onions

Simple enough. Few ingredients. I'll try it.

Chicken and noodles with FUCKING DELICIOUS peanut sauce:

Boil some spaghetti.

Take a boneless, skinless chicken breast and slice it into bite-size pieces. Saute in oil til cooked through. Add whatever veggies you like: onions, peppers, green beans, canned or frozen works fine.

Mix a can of coconut milk with a cup of creamy peanut butter, some garlic powder, a few splashes of soy sauce and some crushed red pepper if you have it.

Mix the drained spaghetti with the sauce and chicken and veggies.

DIE FROM DELICIOSITY.

English muffin pizzas are always good. Do you have a toaster oven?

Baked potatoes are easy to make in the microwave. Prick (heh heh) with a fork, stick in a plastic sandwich bag and nuke for 5 minutes. Heat up a can of chili and grab some shredded cheese and sour cream to top it, and you've got dinner.

I'm a big fan of rice and beans. For quick beans, I dump an undrained can of red beans into a pot and add about half a jar of salsa for the veggies and seasonings. Season to taste with salt, pepper, garlic powder, oregano, cumin or whatever. Over rice with hot sauce and salad on the side, it's one of my favorite cheap and easy meals.

I know you're gonna say to yourself, "Now what would a gay as faaaabulous as johnart need a book like this for???"...well, truth be told sometimes I'm a lazy and impatient hungry bitch. That's what.

I recommend this.

[img:$uid]http://i68.photobucket.com/albums/i9/jgascot/0978189110521_500X500.jpg[/img:$uid]

Marlboro Man Sandwiches from www.thepioneerwoman.com

Ingredients

* 1 whole Large (or 2 Small) Onions
* 2 sticks Butter (lots And Lots Of Butter)
* 2 pounds (to 3 Pounds) Cube Steak (tenderized Round Steak That's Been Extra Tenderized)
* Lawry's Seasoned Salt (or Similar Seasoned Salt)
* ½ cups (approximately) Worcestershire Sauce
* Tabasco Sauce, To Taste
* 4 whole French/deli Rolls (earthgrains Are Best!)

Preparation Instructions

Slice onions and cook in 1/4 stick butter until soft and light brown. Remove and set aside.

Slice cube steak against the grain. Season with Lawry’s.

Heat 2 tablespoons butter over high heat (in same skillet) until melted and beginning to brown. Add meat in single layer. Cook one side until brown, then flip and cook until brown, about a minute on both sides.

Add 1/2 cup (at least) Worcestershire sauce, 5 to 6 shakes Tabasco, and 2 tablespoons butter. Add cooked onions. Stir to combine.

Butter halved French rolls and brown in skillet.

To assemble, lay bottom half of French roll on plate. Place meat mixture, followed by a spoonful of juice from the pan. Top with other half of roll, cut in half, and devour!

[Edited 10/6/10 20:04pm]

Pasta is your friend. Penne with butter, parmesan cheese, Italian seasoning and salt and pepper is delicious.

Or melt a few tablespoons of butter with some olive oil and chopped garlic (you can buy it in jars) and toss with angel hair.

Pan-fry a steak in sizzling HOT butter, remove from the pan, pour any liquid you like into the hot pan (wine, beer, broth, Worcestershire sauce) and stir, scraping up all the brown bits from the bottom. Reduce heat and simmer down to a delicious and easy pan sauce. Serve with a microwaved baked potato and salad or sauteed spinach.

PunkMistress said:

Pasta is your friend. Penne with butter, parmesan cheese, Italian seasoning and salt and pepper is delicious.

Or melt a few tablespoons of butter with some olive oil and chopped garlic (you can buy it in jars) and toss with angel hair.

Pan-fry a steak in sizzling HOT butter, remove from the pan, pour any liquid you like into the hot pan (wine, beer, broth, Worcestershire sauce) and stir, scraping up all the brown bits from the bottom. Reduce heat and simmer down to a delicious and easy pan sauce. Serve with a microwaved baked potato and salad or sauteed spinach.

This meal here is about to be my new best friend.

I'd try the first recipe you mentioned a few posts up, but I hate all things coconut.

Thank you all for your suggestions, by the way.

FauxReal said:

PunkMistress said:

Pasta is your friend. Penne with butter, parmesan cheese, Italian seasoning and salt and pepper is delicious.

Or melt a few tablespoons of butter with some olive oil and chopped garlic (you can buy it in jars) and toss with angel hair.

Pan-fry a steak in sizzling HOT butter, remove from the pan, pour any liquid you like into the hot pan (wine, beer, broth, Worcestershire sauce) and stir, scraping up all the brown bits from the bottom. Reduce heat and simmer down to a delicious and easy pan sauce. Serve with a microwaved baked potato and salad or sauteed spinach.

This meal here is about to be my new best friend.

I'd try the first recipe you mentioned a few posts up, but I hate all things coconut.

Thank you all for your suggestions, by the way.

Use chicken broth in place of the coconut milk.

PunkMistress said:

FauxReal said:

This meal here is about to be my new best friend.

I'd try the first recipe you mentioned a few posts up, but I hate all things coconut.

Thank you all for your suggestions, by the way.

Use chicken broth in place of the coconut milk.

And you're welcome! I love talking food.

Cool. As promised I will cook some of this stuff and take pictures. Even if I burn it to hell. You can point and laugh.

I'm usually at work til 7 or 8 at night thanks to my terrible sleeping schedule, so once I get home I need food right away. Something relatively fast would keep me away from the fast food joints.

Stocking up on simmer sauces is a good way to make sure you have a quick and tasty meal on hand. If you have a Trader Joe's near you, they have amazing, cheap sauces. Or go to the "ethnic" aisle in the supermarket and grab some bottles of teriyaki, ginger-soy, or whatever looks good to you. Stir-fry chicken, beef or whatever with a bag of frozen veggies, pour in the sauce, heat til hot and serve over rice or noodles.

PunkMistress said:

Stocking up on simmer sauces is a good way to make sure you have a quick and tasty meal on hand. If you have a Trader Joe's near you, they have amazing, cheap sauces. Or go to the "ethnic" aisle in the supermarket and grab some bottles of teriyaki, ginger-soy, or whatever looks good to you. Stir-fry chicken, beef or whatever with a bag of frozen veggies, pour in the sauce, heat til hot and serve over rice or noodles.

Sad thing is, I have no excuse not to be stocking up on food and sauces. I could literally hit the supermarket with a rock from my doorstep (I never drive to it, always walk and grab a few things at a time). The whole damn store is an ethnic aisle. It's Korean run so you find lots of things you wouldn't see in the average American supermarket: skate wings, Cuttlefish, Durian, Kim Chee, etc.

Anyhow, I'm sort of rambling now. I'll go there tomorrow.

PunkMistress said:

Stocking up on simmer sauces is a good way to make sure you have a quick and tasty meal on hand. If you have a Trader Joe's near you, they have amazing, cheap sauces. Or go to the "ethnic" aisle in the supermarket and grab some bottles of teriyaki, ginger-soy, or whatever looks good to you. Stir-fry chicken, beef or whatever with a bag of frozen veggies, pour in the sauce, heat til hot and serve over rice or noodles.

The yellow curry sauce is

Just chop up some chikkunz breasthuzzes (cut up some onion and get some shredded carrot, if you feel like it, or add some frozen peas) and simmer the chikkunz in the yellow curry sauce. Serve it over some white rice.

Chicken Marsala is an easy one to kind of fake too. Just get some marsala wine (cheap cheap). Sautee the chicken pieces with some butter and throw in some of the wine. Add a can or two of cut up mushrooms (if you don't feel like dealing with fresh). Serve over white rice or pasta.

FauxReal said:

Simple enough. Few ingredients. I'll try it.

I'm making that tonight now I just went out to the supermarket to get some soup sachets.

That can be starters, and for mains me and the kids will have fried rice

cook up a batch of rice - absorbsion method, let it cool

saute some onion, garlic, carrot strips, then some red pepper strips, bits or broccoli or cauliflower, throw in some frozen peas, any leftover meat you have, or marinated tofu and then when that is all coming along nicely stir through the rice.

We like it with ABC sauce

and fried shallots

which the kids call "crunchies"

The beauty of this dish, is that it can be made up of whatever vegies you have.

When I was a student I would buy a can of stir fry vegies to throw in

Look at this for inspiration

http://images.google.com.au/images?hl=en&safe=off&biw=1677&bih=914&gbv=2&tbs=isch%3A1&sa=1&q=stir+fry+vegies&aq=f&aqi=&aql=&oq=&gs_rfai=

In our house we call this Claire's Pasta -

handful of chopped bacon

1/2 onion

Clove Garlic

2 or 3 mushrooms

1/2 can chopped tomatoes

tbsp tomato puree

little bit of single cream

tsp mixed spice

pasta

Fry the bacon pieces

Chop the onion finely and crush or chop the garlic, add to the bacon.

add the chopped mushrooms

stir in the chopped tomatoes and tomato puree and simmer for a bit.

Meanwhile cook the pasta

Stir in the mixed herbs and cream just before taking off the heat.

Pour it al over the pasta.

Yum.

Stiry fry Stir fry Stir fry

Quick

Easy

Yummy

FauxReal said:

PPS: I know how google works. Thanks in advance.

I HATE it when people tell me to google it when I just asked for their advice. If I wanted to google it I would have done so already! There's a huge difference between personal tips from friends/acquaintances and 30 pages of mostly irrelevant search results.

TotalANXiousNESS said:

Stiry fry Stir fry Stir fry

Quick

Easy

Yummy

Just what I was gonna say. Pick whatever meat you want, season it with salt, pepper, garlic and onion powder. Fry it in a little oil. Add some soy sauce. Now's the supereasy part. Buy frozen Green Giant Immunity Blend julienne peppers in garlic herb sauce. Comes out like a solid block. When the meat is all browned, just throw that shit in there and cover it. Stir once in a while. Fuckin bangin.

This is great for football Sundays - a meatcake;

http://www.blackwidowbakery.com/demo/meatcake/

johnart said:

I know you're gonna say to yourself, "Now what would a gay as faaaabulous as johnart need a book like this for???"...well, truth be told sometimes I'm a lazy and impatient hungry bitch. That's what.

I recommend this.

[img:$uid]http://i68.photobucket.com/albums/i9/jgascot/0978189110521_500X500.jpg[/img:$uid]

A friend gave me this book. I still find it difficult. I just can't cook for shit. When I try it just tastes awful. I just keep a drawer full of menus for take out or delivery.

Hershe said:

[img:$uid]http://img.timeinc.net/recipes/i/recipes/ck/06/03/chicken-quesadillas-ck-1160667-l.jpg[/img:$uid]

Quesadillas are super easy. Essentially a grilled cheese with a tortilla in place of the bread.

I like to make burritos a lot for a quick dinner, too.

I think the main problem when you live and eat alone is that even when you feel up for cooking something slightly more advanced, all the ingredients come in packs that are too big for just one person and then you end up with a bunch of barely opened jars and bottles etc, many of which expire before the next time you need them.

retina said:

I think the main problem when you live and eat alone is that even when you feel up for cooking something slightly more advanced, all the ingredients come in packs that are too big for just one person and then you end up with a bunch of barely opened jars and bottles etc, many of which expire before the next time you need them.

Try the salad bar. Get a scoop each of as many of the ingredients that you'll want to use from there - like, instead of a whole onion or bag of peas or a ham. Then separate it all into storage baggies at home.

Wraps! They are easy to make and you can use anything in them! I love the spinach tortillas or sundried tomato and just recently bought some garlic flavored ones but havent tried them but they smell yummy! You can make them simple like ham, cheese and maybe a little ranch or go all out and grill some marinated chix breasts or a steak, and add veggies like spinach leaves, red onions, etc.. My fav always include bacon of course!!

And zombie, I make the same egg drop soup!! the same way!!

tinaz said:

Wraps! They are easy to make and you can use anything in them! I love the spinach tortillas or sundried tomato and just recently bought some garlic flavored ones but havent tried them but they smell yummy! You can make them simple like ham, cheese and maybe a little ranch or go all out and grill some marinated chix breasts or a steak, and add veggies like spinach leaves, red onions, etc.. My fav always include bacon of course!!

And zombie, I make the same egg drop soup!! the same way!!

I made wraps for my kids during school holidays, very popular!