Simple never-fail recipes

[#juan]

One recipe that comes to mind is this one. You can't get much simpler than this:

Beef shanks in the slow cooker

Ingredients
four large meaty beef shanks
half cup all purpose flour
one teaspoon black pepper
salt to taste
a can of tomato soup
half can of water
2 teaspoons of died basil
quarter cup vegetable oil

Dredge beef shanks in flour and pepper and lightly brown on both sides in vegetable oil. Place shanks in slow cooker
Mix soup, water, and basil and pour over shanks. Set slow cooker to low and in 8 hours most of your dinner is done.*

*You could put a layer of tiny new potatoes and coarsely chopped carrots and onions on the bottom of your cooker and put everything else on top and cook as before.

 

[LikelyGuy]

Peanut Butter & Bananas on Toast:

Ingredients:

A good dollap of peanut butter,
Most of a banana,
2 pieces of buttered toast,
Cinnamon to taste.

Preparation:

Pretty much, self explanatory.

Comments:

"Ah, comfort food!"

 

[VanIsle]

Peanut Butter & Bananas on Toast:

Ingredients:

A good dollap of peanut butter,
Most of a banana,
2 pieces of buttered toast,
Cinnamon to taste.

Preparation:

Pretty much, self explanatory.

Comments:

"Ah, comfort food!"

:lol::lol:

 

[L Gilbert]

quick chili:
2 cans kidney beans
2 cans tomato soup
2 tbs chili powder
a few squirts of Worcestershire sauce
tbs vinegar
kg cubed or ground meat
couple chopped onions
couple cups chopped celery
garlic

brown meat, drain if necessary, throw all into a bucket and cook to a low boil turn down and eat when you want. I add cajun seasoning sometimes depending on who's eating it. if they want it bland, I add hot sauce to my own bowl.
serve with toast or garlic bread

 

[jambo101]

That chili recipe sounds identical to mine,only difference ,i add a tablespoon of liquid smoke.http://avidityfitness.net/wp-content/uploads/2008/09/liquid-smoke.jpg and i use 2 cans of diced tomatoes instead of the soup.

Cooking the meat separately to drain the fat is critical..

 

[mabudon]

I use diced tomatoes too tho it takes a bit more time to let it smooth out

If you're vegetarian, you can substitute the ground meat with a few handfuls of dried TVP (textured vegetable protein). Just toss it in once things are bubbling- the stuff is pretty much indistinguishable from ground beef if the chili is spicy enough- my non-vegetarian friends like it (and I don't mean "eat it to be polite" I mean "hey man think you could make that chili again soon??")

 

[Kakato]

My sisters famous cheese toast recipe from when she owned the inn on the border.

Sprinkle kraft parmesan cheese into a bowl of Hellmans mayo untill its just a bit grainy,spread that on thick sliced french bread and broil untill the cheese starts turning brown.

It has to be hellmans though,miracle whip wont cut it.

She sold the restaraunt so its not a secret anymore.

 

[YukonJack]

Chop two medium onions.
Saute slowly in either olive oil or (preferebly) bacon fat.
Chop meat (any - pork, beef, veal, chicken etc.) to bite size pieces.
When onions are translucent, add one tbs. paprika.
Stir together, then add meat.
Put on very low heat.
Cook for two hours, then serve with rice or potatoes or noodles.

 

[karrie]

scrub then cube potatoes into roughly 1 1/2 inch cubes, leaving skins on.

toss with olive oil, a splash of balsamic vinegar, basil, garlic, oregano, pepper, and coarse salt.

place on a cookie sheet or in a roaster. (the more 'room' you give the potatoes, the less they steam from resting against one another, and the crispier they can get).

Bake at 425 for anywhere between half hour to an hour, depending on the quantity, what you put them in, the room you gave them, etc.

These are the potatoes that house guests always request from me, and are also one of the quickest way you can do potatoes.

 

[SirJosephPorter]

Here is my recipe for tuna sandwiches.

Spiced Tuna Sandwiches.

One can of tuna.
One small (or half a large) sweet onion.
Zero fat plain yogurt (the person who I got the recipe from uses mayo, but I substituted no fat plain yogurt)
Mustard, ketchup to taste.

One could also include other spices to taste, such as oregano, curry powder, cumin powder etc. You can be innovative. I have found that asafetida powder gives it a distinctive, sharp, tangy flavour. You can get asafetida powder in any Indian grocery shop (but be warned, a little bit goes a long way).

If you want to gross somebody out, put paprika in it and make it red.

Directions:

Drain the tuna thoroughly of all water. Chop the onion and mix the ingredients in a bowl with a spoon. You get enough filing for two large sandwiches, real mouth stretchers, or four average sized sandwiches. I use whole wheat Kaiser or focacia buns.

 

[#juan]

There is a vegetarian chili recipe that is so simple it is hardly a recipe.

Ingredients

One large Walla Walla onion chopped. one large carrot chopped3 cloves of garlic crushed. Three large stocks of celery finely chopped. A pound of fresh mushrooms sliced. Small green and red bell peppers chopped. A sixteen ounce can of stewed tomatoes, two cans tomato paste. A tablespoon of fresh chili powder. One teaspoon red pepper flakes. One cup of water. Two large cans of red kidney beans and one can of baby corn cobs chopped in three.

Here is the good part: Dump everything into a large pot and give it a good stir. If it seems too thick add a bit of water. Put the pot in the oven at 350 degrees. Let it cook for one hour. Turn the oven down to 300 and cook for another hour.

My own touch: When hot and bubbly and ready to serve, throw in a double handfull of cubed strong cheddar cheese and stir it around a bit.

Enjoy

All you need are some nice crusty rolls and butter.

 

[karrie]

One note from my kitchen, finely mincing mushrooms (I have a Pampered Chef chopper that makes quick work of it) in your chili creates an impression of ground beef, getting them past even the pickiest kids who won't eat them (my kids miss them entirely) while still helping impart a nice flavour to your chili.

 

[karrie]

Another quick thing in my house that never fails is baking powder biscuits.

I use the recipe from Company's Coming, entitled 'best cheese biscuits' and typically leave the cheese out (unless I want cheese biscuits), and from there, can build on them any number of ways. I always make a double batch... one batch for supper, one batch for lunch kits, and often split it in two and dress the batches differently so my family isn't bored.

You can...

... do them up as simple biscuits (or add cheese and finely chopped onion for great flavour)
... roll the batch out onto a cookie sheet and top with anything your heart desires. Last week's batch of chili saw a pan topped with chili powder, cumin, and some finely chopped peppers. Other chilis have seen 'guacamole spice' added to the biscuit recipe prior to adding liquid.
... one of the lunch time faves of my kids is pizza pinwheels. Roll out the dough, paint with pizza sauce, sprinkle with cheese and even pepperoni slices. Roll up like a jelly roll, slice, and lay the individual pinwheels on the pan.
... for Halloween I make 'goblin toes', adding onion, basil, oregano and cheese to the dough, and painting the 'nails' on to little rolls with pizza sauce before baking. The kids never bring any home.
... chop up leftover chicken, ham, etc, and mix it into the dough with cheese before baking, for a fairly complete lunch biscuit.

 

[#juan]

One note from my kitchen, finely mincing mushrooms (I have a Pampered Chef chopper that makes quick work of it) in your chili creates an impression of ground beef, getting them past even the pickiest kids who won't eat them (my kids miss them entirely) while still helping impart a nice flavour to your chili.

Our kids used to pick out bits of green pepper and mushrooms the size a microdot. I finally got around this by grinding the mushrooms up and mixing them right into the meat balls

 

[karrie]

Our kids used to pick out bits of green pepper and mushrooms the size a microdot. I finally got around this by grinding the mushrooms up and mixing them right into the meat balls

lol. kids can be so fun.

 

[AnnaG]

Salisbury steaks:

brown 4 hamburger patties
add a couple cups of water
add a pouch of Lipton's onion soup mix
add instant potato flakes to thicken as needed

do up whatever veggie you like
toss a couple potatoes into the micro
serves two

 

[YukonJack]

Response to #16.

AnnaG, in this politically correct world, should not your recipe be called "Harare Steaks'?

Jack. In this country they are called Salisbury steaks...drop it and move on. #juan

 

[jambo101]

(I have a Pampered Chef chopper that makes quick work of it) .

I also have the Pampered Chef Chopper what a great tool for the kitchen,i'd recommend to any cooks out there to go get on of these choppers,if you cant get a hold of a Pampered Chef i've noticed Vince the Sham Wow guy doing an infomercial on a similar product(2 for $19 plus 2 chesese graters)

 

[Kakato]

Slap chop,some would like to see him inside a larger version.

 

[AnnaG]

We like breakfast sometimes for dinner.

Couple poached eggs on toast with some bacon.
Pancakes with bacon.

Bangers and mash is also a simple one (except we use hot Italian sausages or moose sausages or whatever and not real English bangers):

Brown sausages as potatoes and veggies are cooking.
Turn veggies and sausages off while draining potatoes and mashing them.
Serve with butter and Worcestershire sauce or catsh|t or mouseturd or whatever you like.