Dinner

[daa84]

I live by myself in an apartment in the city, no grill, but i do have a foreman (which i dislike, but am willing to use). My girlfriend used to make dinner for me on occasion, but shes done with school and moved back home. Im gettin tired of making baked chicken or pasta with canned sauce....any suggestions/recipes for something good and relatively easy and cheap. Oh and I have a rather limited pantry...i have the basics...ketchup oil oregano garlic, red pepper and stuff, but just the basics...no fancy cumin or coriander or anything like that

 

Anyone wanna share a meal or recipe?

[3E8]

I suggest chili. It is nearly impossible to screw up, cheap to make, delicious/filling, and will last you a few meals. Just sweat the vegetables you like (I use onion, bell peppers, jalepenos) in a huge pot with some oil, then throw in the ground beef and brown that, and finally toss in a couple big cans of whole tomatoes which you have already crushed. Along the way you can/should add spices to make it your own like cinnamon, beer, garlic, chocolate, cilantro etc. Bring everything to a boil and simmer for an hour or so, then pour yourself a bowl and top with shredded cheese

[Brian]

Reservations.

[jackie hayes]

I suggest chili. It is nearly impossible to screw up, cheap to make, delicious/filling, and will last you a few meals. Just sweat the vegetables you like (I use onion, bell peppers, jalepenos) in a huge pot with some oil, then throw in the ground beef and brown that, and finally toss in a couple big cans of whole tomatoes which you have already crushed. Along the way you can/should add spices to make it your own like cinnamon, beer, garlic, chocolate, cilantro etc. Bring everything to a boil and simmer for an hour or so, then pour yourself a bowl and top with shredded cheese

That.

 

(Although you really should have some cumin for chili...)

[juddling]

you know as a kid my mom used to make Mac and cheese and throw in a can of tuna fish. I'm 39 this weekend and i still eat it now and then. I got my kids hooked on it and my wife will eat it once in a while. It's cheap to make.....very filling and tasty.

[shipps]

You gotta watch the TV Food network channel.Shows like Rachel Ray's 30 minute meals and Guy's Big Bite will give you tons of really easy recipes that are frickin delicious.

[BigSqwert]

A good and easy cookbook is vital to have on hand. Try picking up something like this: http://tinyurl.com/6fxlnn

 

[Texsox]

I like the Lipton and Rice a Roni sides for a starch. I'll also pop a potato in the microwave. Fresh veggies are not that hard, and easy to steam or microwave. For the protein I do use my outdoor grill all the time. The spice blends are relatively cheap to spice up some chicken. The bags of flash frozen chicken breasts have a permanent home in my freezer. And even those packaged items can be made better by tossing on some fresh ingredients.

 

Last night I made salmon on my Foreman grill, seasoned with salt and pepper, some fresh cilantro, and topped with a lemon dill sauce, that was only sour cream with a couple extra ingredients tossed in. Simple. I added a Packaged cold pasta side but added some fresh tomato, cucumber, and green pepper right before serving. Diced up some fruit with Newman's Cranberry-Walnut dressing and spooned it over some packaged, washed, salad greens. It sounds like a lot of work, but it really isn't. Almost everything was prepackaged.

[Texsox]

I've also switched back and forth with a friend of mine, I'll cooka couple days and she'll cook a couple days dependig on our schedules. It is easier to cook for two most of the time and having someone to share a meal with is nice.

[The Beast]

Make noodles with pesto sauce, green beans and grilled chicken. That's pretty easy to make.

[CanOfCorn]

Mustard sandwiches.

[The Beast]

Wheat roll (toasted), roast beef, american cheese, jalepeno peppers, tomatoes = good.

[Chisoxfn]

Salmon with a seafood rub (purchased from costco, so nothing fancy or anything, just a low sodium rub) with squeeze lemon juice on it. Broil at 440 for about 17-18 minutes (change time based on thickness, but this is for a relatively thick salmon fillet).

 

Brown rice (uncle bens stovetop, takes like 12 minutes, sprinkle a little parmessan on it for flavor; if I get creative, use chicken broth to make the rice a little more flavorful). Microwaved veggies (from a bag) and a spinach salad (from a bag).

 

Damn tasty and if you are eating for yourself just make a little extra and have it two nights. Damn delicous and I don't know how Salmon prices are around you, but over here its usually on sale for pretty cheap (and is such a tasty/easy fish to cook).

 

Takes about 30 minutes of overall work (including cooking time).

 

 

[IlliniKrush]

you know as a kid my mom used to make Mac and cheese and throw in a can of tuna fish. I'm 39 this weekend and i still eat it now and then. I got my kids hooked on it and my wife will eat it once in a while. It's cheap to make.....very filling and tasty.

One day I threw a can of Hormel chili on mac and cheese, and I found a delicious combo. I almost never eat mac and cheese by itself anymore.

[BigEdWalsh]

A huge can of Hormel chili. A can of hominy. Mix it together. Cook it like a casserole. Top it with crumbled bacon and any kind of cheese. Serve it over plain macaroni. Mmmmmm.

[Texsox]

Damn tasty and if you are eating for yourself just make a little extra and have it two nights. Damn delicous and I don't know how Salmon prices are around you, but over here its usually on sale for pretty cheap (and is such a tasty/easy fish to cook).

 

Takes about 30 minutes of overall work (including cooking time).

 

Salmon is also excellent the next day cold on a salad. I also like to make a fresh herb rub and press that onto the fish before cooking on the grill. Usually cilantro, lemon zest, sea salt, perhaps some dill or rosemary.

[Kyyle23]

A lot of the problem with cooking for one is the waste and expense of getting all of the ingredients for a small meal, so i always tried to make enough that I could save and freeze or eat as lunch the next day. I have a pressure cooker(crockpot) which I think is great for making things that you dont have to be present for, I dont know if you have one or know someone who does, but you can make a lot of good meals from recipes online, I have made chicken cacciatore, chili, pot roast, beef stew, chicken soup and so many other things.

 

i think the foreman grill is ok, but mine is getting kind of old and worn down. the lack of temperature control on my foreman grill is the big negative for me, but I dont know about the new models. Basically mine starts out cooking well, but as I continue to cook, the heat just keeps going up and starts overcooking everything.

[Kid Gleason]

Grab yourself some hot italian sausages, some boneless chicken parts (pretty much 1 sausage to 1 chicken brest ratio type of thing), pepper (green, red, orange, yellow...whatever), an onion, some garlic, a bunch of red potatoes (cut 'em up), throw all of that into a tin foil bag, throw that into the oven at about 400 degrees for almost an hour (check it though as it might cook faster than you expect). All of the flavors blend together and it's an amazing meal that reheats very nicely.

 

 

[Kid Gleason]

1/2 box of liguini

jar of green olives

pack of cherry (or grape) tomatoes

1/2 (or so) of proscuitto

 

Fry up the proscuitto while the water and linguini get ready. Use a little olive oil with the proscuitto. Once that gets to a point of making you happy throw in the olives and tomotoes (having cut them in half) and heat them up. Oh, you can also add garlic or whatever seems tasty to that part of it. Also, cut up the proscuitto.

 

Throw it all together when done and then add some fresh parmesan or romano.

 

That simple little recipe has become a favorite amongst everybody I pass it on to.

[Texsox]

Grab yourself some hot italian sausages, some boneless chicken parts (pretty much 1 sausage to 1 chicken brest ratio type of thing), pepper (green, red, orange, yellow...whatever), an onion, some garlic, a bunch of red potatoes (cut 'em up), throw all of that into a tin foil bag, throw that into the oven at about 400 degrees for almost an hour (check it though as it might cook faster than you expect). All of the flavors blend together and it's an amazing meal that reheats very nicely.

 

That is one of the meals we teach Scouts to cook over a coals. Foil Packs. As long as they are sealed well enough to not leak, everything steams very nicely.

[Jimbo's Drinker]

Grubhub.com

[bjm676]

what ever the wife makes.

 

But over the weekend, we went to one of my favorites, L. Woods tap in Lincolnwood. Perhaps the best ribs I've had outside of Memphis.

[Soxbadger]

I can remember when L.Woods was Bones.

 

And I make anything that is basically self contained and only involves the oven.

 

I used to make things like chicken parm, but it starts to take more time than Im willing.

 

Plus Grubhub rocks everyones world for late night ordering.

[Y2HH]

Well, since my parents are very poor, I convinced them all I ever want to eat is mustard and relish sammiches.

 

It's an endearing story.

 

[ZoomSlowik]

Man, I got a bunch of things, though many require a more extensive spice collection. I'll throw a few in here anyways...

 

We never used to make it very often, but I'm starting to get hooked on ham. It's pretty cheap (just got like a 10-pound ham for like $17 even when it wasn't on sale) and you can make some very simple glazes with brown sugar or molasses or some kind of honey mustard to give it some more flavor. That'll be good for plenty of meals if you're cooking for one and can be used frequently for sandwiches.

 

Here's another one, a very simple casserole with ground beef that is very good.

 

2 lbs ground beef (fairly lean)

2 large potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced

2 large onions, sliced

1 large can of diced tomatoes or tomato sauce (at least 15 oz)

salt and pepper to taste

crushed red pepper to taste (optional)

shredded cheese of your choice (optional)

 

First, layer a fairly large casserole dish or baking pan (should be fairly deep) with the beef (preferrably fairly lean). Season it with some salt and pepper and some crushed red pepper if you're so inclined, then add a layer of potatoes. Season it again, then add a layer of onion and season a bit again. Just repeat that process until you use up all of your potato and onion (usually 2 layers of each). Then dump the tomatoes in and top with cheese (actually, now that I think about it, you probably want to do that closer to the end of the cooking time). Then stick it in the oven on 350 for 1-2 hours (varies depending on your oven) and you've got a tasty meal that'll last you a while (it re-heats pretty well too). Serves 4 or 5 pretty healthy eaters, or often times more.

 

 

 

I got another beef skillet recipe too, it's a bit faster but also requires a bit more effort.

 

1/2 lb bacon cut into small pieces

2 onions cut into bite-sized chunks

2-3 bell peppers cut into bite-sized chunks

2 lb flank steak, cut into small strips

1 1/2 cups ketchup

1/2 teaspoon sage (or more if desired)

salt and pepper to taste

 

 

Start by frying the bacon until it's nearly crisp (you want it to be cooked but soft, not crispy) in a large skillet. Then drain the pan if necessary, but you want to leave some grease in there for cooking purposes. Then add the onions and cook until they're slightly soft. Add the green peppers and cook until they're slightly softened. Remove the veggies and bacon from the pan. Brown the strips of beef (it's a bit easier if you do a few pieces at a time). They don't need to be fully cooked yet, just seared to add some flavor and to get them started. After they're all browned, re-add all of the beef and the veggies/bacon. Season as desired with salt and pepper. Add the ketchup and sage, mix well. Cover the pan and simmer on low for 15-20 minutes (or until beef is tender). We generally serve it over some thick noodles to absorb the sauce. Again, a tasty meal that will last a while that is also good re-heated. Serves at least 4 healthy eaters.

Edited May 28, 2008 by ZoomSlowik