Recipe help?

[trinityofone]

So, I am wanting to try to learn how to cook more. The problem is that every recipe book or site I consult, even when I am specifically looking for "quick & easy" type recipes, seems to assume that I have money for fancy ingredients (no) or already own fancy equipment (really no). Bah! Bah on them and their Chilean sea bass and their food processors and grills. I turn to you instead for advice!

Do you have any favorite recipes you'd be willing to share? Specifically, quick, easy, and CHEAP recipes?

Here's what I do not have:

1. Very much money.
2. Very much equipment.
3. Very much skill.

On the plus side, however, I like almost everything. Except beets. I HATE BEETS.

So, any non-beet, non-expensive, non-excessively difficult involving twelve types of pans and a magic wand you could share with me?

In return, here's my favorite, failproof recipe. (Well, failproof unless you are siriaeve and hate cheese. Sorry.)

ROMAN HOLIDAY
a.k.a., OMG Trin, you are a BAD JEW

Ingredients:
1 box penne or rigatoni (I used to prefer the latter, but have since been reconverted to the former)
1 pound ground beef (I've also made it with both ground turkey and with that fake vegetarian soy beef stuff, and both versions work pretty well)
1 large package of American Cheese (I like the Kraft Deluxe, as it is not individually wrapped in plastic. That is some B.S.)
1 jar tomato sauce
1 large yellow onion
salt and pepper

Start water boiling for pasta. Dice onion—my mom dices it finely, but I suck at chopping, have cheap knives, and like big chunks of onion anyway so that works too. Saute onion in a deep pan with olive oil. Add beef in chunks without thinking of the latest episode of SPN. Add a dash of salt and pepper; cook until beef is browned and onion is soft.

The water is probably ready by now, so add the pasta and cook as directed by the package.

Cut the cheese into cubes and distribute on the bottom of a large casserole dish. Add beef and onion mixture. (You can drain the grease first if you want, but I usually don't bother. It's flavor! Also I am gross.) When pasta is done, drain and add. Struggle with the stupid jar of pasta sauce for a ridiculously long time; when it finally opens, pour it over pasta. Stir. Put lid on casserole dish and place in oven, which if you are like me you have probably forgotten to preheat to 350°. But whatever, this recipe is almost impossible to screw up. Cook for 20ish minutes. Basically, you want the cheese to be all lovely and melty and bubbly. Stir and serve. Reheats really well. (But better in the oven than in the microwave, turtlespeaks!)

I should add that this is a Depression-era recipe of my (not Jewish) great-aunt Hopie, who passed away this past December. It was originally made with macaroni, Velveeta, and canned tomato soup, so in comparison, you can feel really sophisticated eating the current version.

Also, if through some odd cosmic circumstance, I was ever given the opportunity to seduce Dean Winchester, I would make him this.

So yes, please hit me with your own failproof recipes! And, er, it should be mentioned: I like healthy stuff, too. I love vegetables! (EXCEPT BEETS.) Mushrooms are good! Or, well, just about anything. I only know how to make this casserole and like three other dishes. It's sad.

Comments

[snarky-kat.livejournal.com]

Spicy Tomato Chicken


Chicken Breasts
Oregano
Curry powder (mild)
Cumin
Cooking oil
Salt
Pepper
Garlic powder
1 Onion
Your choice of spaghetti sauce


1. Cut up small portion of onion and add to tops of chicken.
2. Sprinkle mixture of oregano, curry powder and cumin overtop.
3. Bake at 400C for 15 minutes, turn down heat to 300C for 5 minutes.
4. Add cooking oil, salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Bake at 300C for 5 minutes.
5. Cut chicken into small portions and add to simmering pan of pasta sauce of choice
6. Medium heat for 5 minutes, then simmer. Serve.

You can add other things in during the baking process. I prefer mushrooms.