The great Althanas recipe book.

[redford]

Hey guys, now that I've moved away from the 'rents, I need some good recipes to tide me over so I'm not eating pizza and french fries all day!

HELP pls, I gained like 5 lbs already

[Itinerant]

Personal stuff that I make all the time. Sadly I've been cooking long enough to do all this by eye so I have no idea quite how much I actually use.

Chili That Will Probably Underwhelm You

-1 med. can red kidney beans
-1 med. can chili beans or black beans, whatever you like
-1 med can of crushed tomatoes/tomato sauce
-About a half tablespoon of tomato paste
-1.5 lbs 93% lean ground beef, chopped finely and browned
-2 large jalapeno peppers, chopped finely.
-Moderate amount of chili powder (about 5-7 tablespoons, depends on how much you're making)
-Moderate amount of cumin (Teaspoon to 3 teaspoons. To taste, really.)
-roughly a teaspoon and a half of smoked paprika (Flavor can be overpowering, be careful)
-Salt and pepper to taste

Throw it all in a slowcooker for 7 hours, stir occasionally, voila, dinner for 2 days.

Beans
---

-Fresh green beans, ends removed
-Salt
-pepper
-garlic
-Half a medium lemon
-Olive oil

Put a moderate amount of olive oil in a pan, heat oil until lightly smoking. Toss in beans, use spatula or similar instrument to toss about, allowing them to cook for about 2 minutes. Add around 2.5 teaspoons of chopped/crushed garlic, stir into the beans thoroughly. Add in plentiful amounts of salt and pepper, cook until beans are lightly browned, heated through, but still crunchy while stirring consistently (basically, sauted) Squeeze half a lemon's worth of juice into beans, stir more, heat for around 30 more seconds, and serve.


Beans and Rice. Seriously, it's absurdly easy.
-----

-Red beans |-I buy my beans in cans, so you want to buy a medium can of black and a small can of red, if not, it's about a cup of black and a half cup of red.
-black beans |
-Cayenne pepper (powder)
-cumin
-Green onion/scallion
-Long grain white/brown rice. (Buy a 5lbs bag, this shit keeps for like 4 months if you keep it dry and in a sturdy bag and rice is absurdly useful)
-Salt and pepper

Prepare the appropriate amount of water for your rice, throw about a tablespoon of cayenne or chili powder (preferably cayenne, it'll have a lot of heat but you should be doing like 6-8 cups of rice so it'll spread.) Throw a teaspoon of cumin into the water too. Prepare your rice and open your beans (drain some, but not all of the liquid off) Toss the beans into the rice, alongside the remaining liquid, mix very thoroughly. Add salt and pepper to taste, top with scallions.

Delicious, filling, and absolutely guaranteed to be impossible to mess up.

(For the beans and rice, add about a cup and a half of vegetable or chicken stock if you think the dish needs more flavour.)

[Shinsou Vaan Osiris]

I have a shit-hot recipe for cajun chicken and rice that will blow your mind, red. I'll post it up later.

[Gadrial]

Hamburger helper is always a good one. But do what I do and spice it up a bit. We add stuff like garlic, pepper, salt, lemon pepper. Hell, it really dends on what kind it is.

We have even mixed in Black Eyed peas, shredded cheese, whole kernal corn. The possibilities are endless. Just got to find the things that go good together.

Example. Take a box (or 2) with of strogginof hamburger helper and one poiund of ground beef (Or deer meat) and can of mushrooms and a jar of 4 cheese alfredo sause. Man, that shit is the bomb

[Rayleigh]

Do you have a Crockpot?

[redford]

Yes

[jdd2035]

Chicken and Rice Marsala

2-3 chicken boobs, 2 cans cream of chicken soup, 1 cup of milk, half a chopped onion and a package of long grain and wild rice. cook to 6-8 hours

Mushroom Porkchops

3-5 porkchops + 1 can golden mushroom soup + 1 can cream of mushroom soup, + half a chopped onion and slow cook it for 8-16 hours.

[Flames of Hyperion]

Oyakodon (parent and child on rice)

(For something a little more exotic!)

Ingredients (for two)

1 tablespoon dashi powder (https://www.japancentre.com/en/products/959-shimaya-bonito-dashi-stock-powder)
2 tablespoons mirin (https://www.japancentre.com/en/products/10275-mizkan-honteri-mirin-style-seasoning)
2 tablespoons soy sauce (dark)

The above can be adjusted for taste - more mirin makes it sweeter, more soy sauce makes it savoury.

300g chicken thighs (chopped to bite-size)
1 onion (thinly sliced)
2 shiitake mushrooms (sliced)
1 spring onion (finely chopped)
4 eggs (beaten)
200 ml water
Freshly steamed Japanese rice (I steam about 150g per person in a rice cooker)

To cook

1) Add dashi powder to water in a small pot, bring to a simmer.
2) Add chicken thighs, simmer until cooked (~5 minutes)
3) Add onion and shiitake, simmer some more (~5 minutes)
4) Add beaten egg, let it cook for one or two minutes. The ideal texture is slightly runny, so that residual heat finishes cooking it in the bowl.
5) Pour mixture over fresh rice, garnish with the spring onion.
6) Serve, and I hope you enjoy my favourite comfort dish!

[jdd2035]

Pulled pork

1/4 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon cumin
1 tablespoon chile powder*
2 teaspoons garlic powder*
2 teaspoons kosher salt*
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper*
1 pork shoulder roast (also called pork butt)*
4 onions, cut into halves*
1 bottle good barbecue sauce

Slow cook low and slow till the meat falls off. Usually 10 hours or more.

[FennWenn]

POTATO MASH

Foodstuff Required; a can of potato, one spoonful of butter, three spoonfuls of sour cream, two handfuls of cheese, a bowl, a spoon.

1) Take your canned potatoes and put them into a bowl.
2) Mash to a satisfying squish.
3) Mix in the other stuff.
4) Microwave for two minutes, thirty sec.
5) Nom.
6) ???
7) Profit.

This is my after-school snack most days.

[Eteri]

Wtf are canned potatoes111????

[FennWenn]

Potatos from a can.

[Letho]

I didn't even know they come in cans. So they're like precooked?

[FennWenn]

Am I the only one who knew of their existence? Whoa. Yep, they're pre-cooked.

[Lye]

Garlic Pasta

If you don't know this recipe already, you should. My fiance loves it and my mom served it to us as kids all the time. It's a poor man's savory dish that's quick, easy, tasty, and customizable to what you have in your pantry.

Base Ingredients:

1lb of Pasta (Your preference. My Fiance likes Penne, Rotini, and Radiatore)
About 3tbsp of Extra Virgin Olive Oil
About 1tbsp Salt
About 1tsp Pepper
About 1tbsp Garlic Powder (Granulated Garlic)
About 2tbsp Minced Garlic (About 4-5 cloves)
About 1tbsp Butter
About 1/2tsp of Lemon
About 1/2tsp fresh or dried parsley

Directions:

Boil pasta until al dente in a large pot. Use a pinch of salt and a dash of oil to prevent over boiling.
In a pan, add the olive oil and minced garlic. Saute on medium until the garlic is fragrant and lightly browned.
When pasta is ready, drain and return to the pot.
Add olive oil and minced garlic from the pan.
Add all other ingredients.
Mix well with a wooden spoon.
Add more salt, pepper, or garlic to taste.

Optional:

You can also add things like diced tomato, basil, parmesan, oregano, grilled chicken, clams, shrimp, some reduced white wine, diced green onion, lemon zest, crushed red pepper, and/or smoked paprika for additional flavor or nutrition.

Note:

This is going to make 4-6 dinner servings with the whole box. Leftovers keep pretty well and its the only leftover the wife will eat. If you want less, just half or quarter the recipe. You'll get the hang of eyeballing it pretty quick.

Since I always cook by taste and eyeballing, the measurements may be a tad off. After your first dish, you'll be able to cater it to something more to your liking. If you've ever had buttered noodles, this is just like that but with more of a kick. Serve it with garlic bread or as a different carbohydrate side dish versus mac'n'cheese or mashed potatoes.

[Venex Apara]

Peach Cobbler

1⁄2 cup melted butter
1 cup flour
1 cup sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1⁄4 teaspoon salt
2⁄3 cup room temperature milk
1 room temperature egg

Filling
1 (28 ounce) cansliced peaches, drained
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1⁄2 teaspoon nutmeg


Directions
Melt butter in a 9 x 13 inch pan.
Mix together flour, sugar, baking powder & salt.
Stir in milk & egg.
Pour evenly over melted butter.
Combine peaches, sugar & spices and spread over batter-DO NOT STIR!
Bake 35-45 minutes at 350°F until batter comes to the top and is golden brown.
Serve warm with ice cream.

Because dessert

[Lye]

Another easy idea that's full of nutrients is a make your own QDoba or Chipotle.

Grab some chicken, steak, pork, or ground beef. Season it up with cumin, chili powder, garlic, salt, pepper, paprika, lime, and cilantro (tequila if you're feeling saucy). You can do a dry rub, marinade, or whatever. Cook it however its easiest for you.

Dice it up once you've cooked it.

Make some pico de gallo. Roma Tomato, white onion, cilantro, lime, salt, pepper, garlic, jalepeno. Core the tomatoes and dice everything else. Mix it and you're done.

Heat up some black beans or pinto beans. Add some cumin and chili powder as they simmer.

Make some white rice. When its ready, mix some lime juice, salt, and fresh cilantro in a cup. Stir it, then throw it in the cooked rice and toss until coated.

Shread some lettuce. Romaine and green make for darker veg. You can use iceberg or kale too if you like. Kale tastes better with a bit of blanch to it.

Little canned corn heated up with a bit of salt, pepper, & chili powder. (or chuck it in with the beans).

Then make some guacamole (or dice some avacado).

Grab some shredded cheese.

Grab some sour cream.

Grab some tortilla strips.

Grab whatever else you like (salsa, hot sauce, ranch, saute'd peppers & onions, a fine piece of ass, etc)

Layer as desired in a bowl, wrap it up in the biggest tortillas you can buy, or buy some taco shells/tortillas and go ham.

It's a fair bit of work, but you'll be good to go for some time. My lady loves when I do these nights as well. Plus, you can skimp down to the meat, lettuce, and cheese for basic tacos. Mexican food is always a good go to and not always greasy.

[jdd2035]

Swiss steak

Cube up a round steak into 2X2 ish cubes.
Brown the meat in some shortening or lard.
Chop 1/2 a large onion and brown that in the grease too.
Put meat and onion into a slow cooker on low.
Brown some flour in the grease and dump flower and grease into the slow cooker.
Add a small can of tomato sauce and a large can of diced tomatoes.
Add salt, and pepper to taste and a bit more flour as added thickener.
let cook for 10-24 hours. low and slow.

[Hysteria]

When I moved out I lived on dumplings and mee goreng for ages. I still have them in my house, but use them rarely.

Do you have an oven? Stove top? Microwave?

Ps. Lol @ can potatoes.

[redford]

I have most cookware

[Letho]

jdd2035, you must be an extremely patient person. The most I ever spend on making food is about 3 hours, and even that's on special occasions when we make what might be translated as shepherd's stew. The recipe is rather simple:


- 2-3 types of red meat. Beef and pork are the basics, some pig's feet if you can get them (I kid you not, pig's feet make this thing much better. You won't really eat them, but they add a lot of texture to the soup, making it thicker). Boar or venison meat if you're extremely lucky to get some. Lamb and goat can also be used, but I don't use them. I hate lamb and don't eat it in any shape or form, and goat is probably my favorite meat, so I like to eat it just regularly cooked without much seasoning, so I can taste the meat.

The amount of meat depends on the size of your cooking pot and the people you want to feed. Let's say 2kg of meat total, chopped in bite-sized chunks. That's probably enough for around 6-8 people, depending on how hungry they are.

- Onions - you need almost as much onions as you have meat. So if you have 2kg of meat, you need about 1.5kg of onions chopped up in as small bits as possible. But it really depends how thick you want to stew. If you want it more soupy, add less, but I wouldn't go under 1:2 onion/meat ratio.

- Ground paprika, both regular and hot. Smoked ground paprika if you can get it.
- Salt and pepper
- Vegeta (no relation to the DBZ character; it's a seasonings mix that's really popular here in Croatia and it's awesome)
- Bay-leaf
- White wine
- Water
- Optional (but preferable): A tripod and a pot to hang from it on a chain if you're doing it outside (as it really ought to be done) (https://serbiathroughamericaneyes.files.wordpress.com/2013/04/sl_zlatni_kotlic_0812_b.jpg)


You start with dropping all the chopped onions into the pot with some water and letting it come to a boil. If you have pig's feet, add them in once the onion boils, cover them with some water and let them cook for half an hour.

If you don't have pig's feet, move onto the meat. The meat should be added in increments, depending on the type. If you have boar or deer, it should go in first and cook for half an hour before you move to the next. The order is (more or less): pig's feet, boar/deer, beef, pork. You should also keep adding water every time you add meat, since the meat needs to be covered with it.

Also, once you add the first batch of meat, add the seasonings as well. I can't really tell you how much, because we generally eyeball it and keep adding some additional seasoning as we add meat and water. You just taste the soup and make a decision on your own. The only thing you have to be certain of is not adding too much paprika, because then the stew becomes bitter.

Anyways, once you add the last batch of meat, pour in about as much water as it fits in the pot (this again depends on how thick the stew is, because if there's less onions it will be more soupy and you shouldn't add that much water to it) and then don't add anymore. Let it simmer for another hour or so and add seasoning as you deem necessary. In the last fifteen minutes, add about 2-3dl of white wine.

Once it's done, you serve it with bread, preferably freshly baked. No dumplings, no potatoes, no salads, no pasta, no nonsense, just bread. Any leftovers can be put in the deep freeze, and they come out still tasting great when you take them out.


It's nothing special, but it's a little taste of home.

[jdd2035]

That's why I love slow cooker recipes they can be cooked while you are out and they can feed 4-5 people or one guy for about 3 days. The meat comes out tender to the point of falling apart even the tough cheap cuts.

[Flames of Hyperion]

Letho, that sounds awesome. The pig's feet reminds me of a lot of Japanese / Oriental broths, where you use them to add collagen and gelatin to the soup, making it very rich and flavourful. Going to have to nab that recipe for next winter (minus the tripod and fresh bread, I'm afraid, will have to make do with an induction cooker and store-bought bread).

Wish I had a slow cooker (although I do have a rice cooker; coming from a culture where every household has one, I can't recommend it enough if you like your rice done properly). Would make the evenings so much less hectic...

[Lorelei]

That's why I love slow cooker recipes they can be cooked while you are out and they can feed 4-5 people or one guy for about 3 days. The meat comes out tender to the point of falling apart even the tough cheap cuts.I'm too superstitious to leave anything on the stove while I'm out. Hell, even when I'm in, I forget about the stuff on the stove half the time.


Letho, that sounds awesome. The pig's feet reminds me of a lot of Japanese / Oriental broths, where you use them to add collagen and gelatin to the soup, making it very rich and flavourful. Going to have to nab that recipe for next winter (minus the tripod and fresh bread, I'm afraid, will have to make do with an induction cooker and store-bought bread).Yes, that's exactly why the pig's feet are added. I couldn't remember exactly how to phrase it, but you put it perfectly. And it works on induction cooker, or just about any cooker you have. Older folks in the family claim there's a difference if it's cooked outside, but I never bought that. I cooked it both ways and I didn't see much difference. It's merely more fun to do it outside, around the fire, while having some fun.

[jdd2035]

I'm too superstitious to leave anything on the stove while I'm out. Hell, even when I'm in, I forget about the stuff on the stove half the time.

https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/41zIBOBEz8L._AC_UL246_SR190,246_.jpg

This is is your basic bare bones slow cooker designed to cook all day with out catching the house on fire.


jdd2035, you must be an extremely patient person. The most I ever spend on making food is about 3 hours, and even that's on special occasions when we make what might be translated as shepherd's stew.

I have been known to soak a brisket in brine for 12 hours smoke it for 8+ hours then slow cook it for another 24. The meat was so tender it nearly dissolved in my mouth.

[Rayleigh]

I'm too superstitious to leave anything on the stove while I'm out. Hell, even when I'm in, I forget about the stuff on the stove half the time.

Don't feel bad, I'm the same way. I can set my crockpot on the middle of a table, nowhere near anything that could catch on fire, and I still panic. I actually set up a little camera so I could check on it while at work using my phone.

[Luned]

Ahh, cooking is one of my favorite things! It's fun to see other people's favorite recipes. These days, I've had to get a lot more efficient with dinners because I'm usually drowning under deadlines, so here are a few things I love to make that aren't too intense:

This homemade, no-knead pizza dough is the freaking best and you barely have to touch it –– just stir together a half-day batch in the morning and it'll be ready to use by dinner. https://smittenkitchen.com/2013/10/lazy-pizza-dough-favorite-margarita-pizza/ (For a fancy-pants with no effort pizza topping, caramelize a chopped onion with a couple cloves of garlic and a splash of balsamic vinegar! Or roast a head of garlic, if you have time.)

This plum sauce is orgasmic and goes with pretty much anything, whether you like brussels sprouts or not. Put it on any vegetable and you will never have loved veggies so much in your life. It's also forgiving, I usually forget to buy shallots. http://omnivorescookbook.com/roasted-brussels-sprouts-with-plum-sauce

My friend from Uruguay does this thing where she chucks a cinnamon quill in red pasta sauce (just from a jar, nothin' fance) while it simmers for 5-10 minutes and it's amazing??? She usually also adds a little cooked beef mince, but I prefer lentils and beans.

I don't cook much meat, but when I want to impress people without losing too much time to the kitchen, I often make this Moroccan chicken tagine. You could easily adapt it for a crock pot! (Don't sweat it if you don't have all the spices –– you can use dry ginger, leave out the turmeric, etc.)
Marinate the chicken with this recipe: http://www.onceuponachef.com/recipes/grilled-moroccan-chicken.html
Then cook it into this: http://allrecipes.com.au/recipe/1895/moroccan-chicken-tagine.aspx

My biggest tip for cooking for yourself is invest in a decent little variety of spices/herbs (some are expensive at regular grocery stores, but you can find them discounted if you look around). They can really transform something with very little effort!

[Luned]

- Vegeta (no relation to the DBZ character; it's a seasonings mix that's really popular here in Croatia and it's awesome)


The Polish grocer near here has that and I lol every time I walk by it but I've also been really intrigued, haha. I suppose I should get some to try it! (Weirdly, the Polish grocer is also the only place that sells some of my favorite American products, so I end up there a lot...)

[Canen]

I literally want all the food, right now.

[Letho]

This crockpot thing sounds interesting. I kind of like the idea of setting something to cook before I go to work and then return to a freshly cooked meal. A couple of questions, though, for those who have and use those things:

Is there a difference between cooking in a crockpot and cooking on a regular electric stove set on very low setting in a regular pot? From what I could gather, crockpot is basically a miniature electric stove, only it's a self contained unit.

What does the food taste like after being cooked for so long, especially the meat? I don't have much experience with cooking food for a long time, but as far as I know the longer you apply heat to food, the more of the genuine taste you take out of it. That's why a piece of meat you slap on the barbecue generally tastes like meat, but if you cook it for a couple of hours in a pan with sauce and different seasoning, it tastes more like the sauce than the actual meat. So I can't imagine what it tastes like after being cooked for 10 or so hours.

My sister made pulled pork once. The meat cooked for 6+ hours, and while everyone liked it, I found that it didn't taste like pork anymore after all that time. All I could taste was the seasonings.


The Polish grocer near here has that and I lol every time I walk by it but I've also been really intrigued, haha. I suppose I should get some to try it! (Weirdly, the Polish grocer is also the only place that sells some of my favorite American products, so I end up there a lot...) I think the company that makes it actually has a subsidiary in Poland, so it would make sense. It's really nothing fancy. Mostly salt mixed with a mixture of different herbs. It's one of those things that, if you grow up with it, you can't really imagine meals without it. You should definitely try it if you get a chance.

[Lye]

A crock pot is a wee different. The warming of the crock pot is on all sides, not just the bottom. Plus its insulated to keep more heat in instead of dissipating. That just means more of a uniform cook. Its entirely possible to get the same effect on a stove, but you may end up with build up on the bottom or uneven cooking - especially with thicker sauces or a dense collection of meats/veggies/solids.

I believe the original crock pot was a hole dug in the ground. Using the embers from the fire they'd fill the hole then set the pot on top. Then, they'd fill the sides with more embers and let the stuff cook throughout the day as the embers died down. Very similar to the first BBQ which was meat cooking over embers and nearby dried woods.

As for the meat, there is a crock pot recipe out there for meat & potatoes. You set the veggies in the bottom with a light broth and put the roast on top. Rub it with whatever you like and let the sucker sit for X many hours. The steam and heat will cook it to the point of falling apart while keeping that savory meat flavor.

I use my crock pot for shredded beef (machaca). Usually two chuck roasts, a can of diced tomatoes, a diced onion, a diced green pepper, mexican spices, and fill the rest with water until it covers the meat. About 6-8 hours, you pull it out and shred it. Stick it back in for about an hour or two and you have a pot full of shredded meat. It usually lasts us a week of various leftover dishes. Steak n eggs, huevos rancheros, burritos, tacos, soups, stews, salad proteins, or on top of a burger/hot dog.

I've also simmered a vegan ramen broth in a crock pot for 16 hours with home made noodles. Came out super tasty.

[Skie and Avery]

My favorite meal to make really big and then portion out for leftovers:

Cheesy mashed potatoes - in your biggest pot boil about 6 good sized russet potatoes, all diced. When they're tender enough to crush with a fork, drain off the water and add 1 brick of cream cheese, 1 small container of sour cream, salt, pepper, paprika, basil, and about a cup of cheddar cheese. Adjust the spices as you add them, taste often. You can add bacon you've chopped up here and you're good orrrrr....

In a skillet chop, heat up some oil and add sliced bell peppers, onion, and chopped smoked sausage. Once it's mostly cooked through, add a few splashes of soy sauce (or Worcestershire) and saute it up. Plate yourself a heap of the potatoes and top them with the sausage and peppers.



In a pinch, I like chicken thighs tossed with lemon pepper baked and served with rice. Cook your rice in chicken broth and add a little butter and your favorite spices.

[Skie and Avery]

Also good crock pot: boneless skinless chicken and cover it with a big jar of salsa. Let it cook through and it makes super moist, tender, shredded salsa chicken. You can portion out the shredded chicken as an easy mix in for lots of recipes, from hamburger helper to tacos and quesadillas.

[Philomel]

I am collecting/ inventing a range of vegan meals as I go on to develop my diet more.

My best ones so far:

Tired Stew
Get all your tired vegetables. Carrots, parsnips and potatoes work really well, but I like sweet potato too. Pop these in all together with onion that has been fried in coconut oil, and leave it to stew for ages. Add in some veg stock on the way. Add some veg sausage for extra stuffing.

Mushroom and nut Wellington
Most store bought puff pastry is vegan. Get some, flatten it out as much as you can. Get some onion, mushroom (closed cap and chestnut), garlic, and potato if you want, and lightly fry these together, pototo last. Then nuts - pecans, walnuts and cashews are best. Cook these with the veg/fungi in a small bit of water and red wine, and add in some soya milk or cream if you have some. Once they are softened, mix the filling with a small tub of coconut cream cheese, and then pop it in the middle of the wellington, right in the centre in a long thin rectangle. Cut into the wellington sides, starting at the top of the pile of filling in a downward slope. Then cut the opposite side the same, but opposite way around. Cut slits going all the way down, then you need to fold these over the filling in sort of a plait formation. (one side, then the other works, just make sure each fold overlaps the last). Wash over with soya milk or soya butter, then pop in the oven for about 2 hours, 200 degrees C.

Vegan cheesecake
Ginger or normal digestive biscuits, bashed up and mixed with soya butter/vegetable butter for the base. Take two pots of coconut cream cheese, with some coconut cream and icing sugar for sweetening. Mix in some 'zooshed' strawberries or other fruit if you like. Leave to chill for 3 or 4 hours.

Note: 'zoosh' is a (obviously) technical term meaning use a food blender/food processor. It comes from the noise it makes. 'Zoosher' and 'zooshing' are derivitives of this word.

[Luned]

Otto and I actually keep track of our favorite recipes in this Google doc, lots of vegetarian/vegan options, if anyone's interested: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1qXtP7eMHRk1Bt5VHh-cCbsQBRwYll8v00EkK99SV2Ns/edit?usp=sharing

We forgot our favorite things that we'd made one too many times and wanted to be more organized, keeping the doc works really well for that. Plus we can add notes when we change things up, so we remember for next time.