Can't Cook, WILL cook

[wendyg]

I CAN'T COOK. I HATE COOKING. I want to cook a special meal.:paperbag:

Hubby's currently away on a trip (he and his mate are riding their bikes up Norway to the Arctic Circle - damn you, Messers McGregor and Boorman ;) )

I'd really like to make a special effort to cook a meal for him when he gets back on Sunday. It would also mean a lot to him because he knows my feelings about cooking (see above).

Therefore I need to find a recipe which is fairly foolproof, without being as basic as spag bol or using ready sauces (my default standby).

Any suggestions where to start? Would anyone recommend one of the books by household name chefs? (I've flicked through one of Nigella's, but everything seems to need three weeks preparation).
A friend suggested Jamie Oliver as a good source of relatively straightforward recipes, any opinions?

Basic criteria though:
- I won't use any ingredient which can't reliably be found in a major supermarket
- Preparation and cooking MAY need to be carried out at the same time as minding a toddler
- Recipe needs to be light on onions and garlic, as hubby has an intolerance, and I don't want to poison him
- I'm serious about the lack of cooking skills


Any helpful advice would be appreciated :D

[mybrainhurts]

Avoid anything with Elk in it.....

[vixpy1]

Or Moose

[wendyg]

Can you get Elk at Sainsbury's...?

[vixpy1]

No, but you can get Moose

>> Edited by vixpy1 on Monday 13th June 22:52

[mxdi]

Waitrose have some lovely recipe cards, one I have been meaning to try is a Chilli Sesame Chicken Breast served with Pineapple Rice, looks very easy to cook, let me know if you want the recipe.

>> Edited by mxdi on Monday 13th June 22:56

[medicineman]

Lamb steaks, red wine, olive oil, rosemary, pepper. Place steaks in foil, cover in wine (approx 200ml) plus around 50ml oil. Add rosemary and pepper. Wrap it all up, stick it in oven proof dish and cook for around 1 hour at around 150Oc.
Potatoes, boil, mash and mix with cheese and diced grilled bacon. Veg, steamed broccoli.
If your feeling really advanced, use the sauce from the lamb, mix with chicken stock, half a teaspoon mustard, half a teaspoon white vinegar and thicken with cornflour for a great sauce.

[mxdi]

Jamie Oliver has a 5 hour lamb recipe too, I have never done it, but I have eaten it and it is delicious, from what I heard you bung in vegetables, wine and joint of meat into a casserole dish and stick in oven for 5 hours- comes out delicious, tender, falls off the bone,
Cant get easier than that.

[jmorgan]

How about pasta and Tuna.


Tuna steaks from the fish counter. Oil and season to taste. Heat up griddle till very hot and slap the steaks on, when cooked half way up, colour changes noticeably, flip over for a few more minutes. Slightly pink in the middle OK for fresh tuna.

Fresh pasta in a bag, many versions available. I like the stuffed packets type. Choose your flavor. Empty into boiling water for 3-5 mins. Bottle of suitable mix in sauce after draining pasta. Choose your flavor.

Keep the water on the boil and cook pasta when you turn over the tuna. Drain pasta and add sauce from the jar, packet etc. Garnish with fresh coriander and olives.

[vixpy1]

jmorgan said:

How about pasta and Tuna.

Tuna!

Do people actually eat this stuff? I've always thought they stuffed it in half the sandwiches at service stations just because they are sadists

[jmorgan]

vixpy1 said:

jmorgan said: How about pasta and Tuna. Tuna! Do people actually eat this stuff? I've always thought they stuffed it in half the sandwiches at service stations just because they are sadists

You don't like tuna then

[mybrainhurts]

Anybody fancy a game of pindownvixpy1andfeedhimtuna......?

[seafarer]

Rachel Ray's 30 Minute Meals 2. I have this cookbook, and she has recipes posted from her show on www.foodnetwork.com/food/show_tm

She does state that her goal is to make things easy enough for learning cooks..doable, but still tasty and interesting, up to date. Her book has a section "Very Special Dinners". Since she's Italian, there are no bottled pasta sauces, so you know that it's a homemade sauce that's not ridiculously complicated. Includes some seafood dishes (shrimp, scallops, tilapia), veal, lamb chops, international things, etc. She doesn't do a lot of desserts, though. Anyway, they are supposed to be easy. We learned to cook from our mom having us help in the kitchen (chores, you know), so I don't know how easy they are from the perspective of someone who doesn't cook often.

Good luck.



>> Edited by seafarer on Monday 13th June 23:16

[vrooom]

How about Chicken + pasta, with "feeling chicken tonight" sauces.
They are really good and very easy to make but rather basic though. I recommond Spicy spainish sauces with chicken, and heart shaped pasta.

or sod it, walk to your motor, go for a drive, and grab a chinese takeaway and surpise your husband by wearing something nice.

[Selmer]

vixpy1 said:

jmorgan said: How about pasta and Tuna. Tuna!

You're not a dolphin are you Vixpy?

[seafarer]

ooh! Individual beef wellingtons! Beef wellington is nice!

www.foodnetwork.com/food/cooking/recipe/0,,FOOD_9936_22776,00.html

[vixpy1]

I cooked for my girlfriend a couple of weeks ago,

a) She's still alive
b) we are still together
c) i have'nt recieved any lawsuit papers yet



>> Edited by vixpy1 on Tuesday 14th June 00:26

[munky]

www.bbc.co.uk/food

if you then follow the "recipes" link you can even type in an ingredient that you (or your bloke) really likes, and the web site will display recipes that include it. Unless the ingredient is pumpkin seed oil.

[Trooper2]

Entry level cooking is all about following instructions and budgeting your time.

Great fun and I love the reward at the end.

[rooster]

I have some foolproof italian recipes that are simple but delicious. if you want I can mail them