Psalmie, I don't always cook that way but I did do a very simple little throw together thing lately. I had about a cup of leftover restaurant marinara sauce. The next day I was looking at it trying to figure out what to do with it and I was craving soup. I remembered I had some leftover chicken stock and some half and half in the frig. Well I put these 3 things in a pot, warmed it then stuck an emersion blender into it. It made GREAT creamy tomato soup! Who knew?? I only added a little salt and pepper to it because a lot of the seasoning was already in the marinara.
AB-SO-LUTELY! Most of my recipes are like that, too, Psalmie. My mother was a master at it, and I picked it up from her. I've already posted a few "to taste" or "till it looks right" recipes on here.
My mother's absolute best were Spaghetti Sauce and homemade soup made from leftovers in the fridge. I've yet to be able to replicate the Spaghetti Sauce, but the homemade soup is different every time anyway since it depends on what left-overs we have to work with. I have gotten pretty good at that, but I tend to end up with what seems like 10 gallons of the stuff.
Lesseee.... I'll whip up some tzatziki sauce and serve it on all kinds of things:
- 1 heaping spoon full of mayo
- 1 sm. container of non-fat plain yogurt
- 1 palm full of dried oregano, crushed between both hands
- 2-4 cloves of fresh garlic, minced (don't buy the jar kind, use the real thing - there's a big taste difference)
- 1 diced cucumber (more or less depending on the size of the cucumber)
My favorite it to make Greek Chicken Salad:
1-2 cans drained white chicken
as many Kalamata olives as you can stand to pit and slice
1 bunch of fresh parsley chopped
Mix in the tzatziki sauce and serve over a bed of lettuce, stuffed in tomatoes or with pita bread.
i love to make concoctions!!! sometimes they are good some not!!!
i usually follow the diections when i cook from the cook book i wrote as they are sometimes complicated but experimenting is what cooking is all about!
Never learned to cook with recipes. My "abuelas" (grandmothers) cooked by hand (make your hand into the measuring cup for teaspoon, tablespoon, or even pinches of spices) - - and by taste (my favorite method).
Like you, Psalmie, I cook with what I have on hand (and I always have a well-stocked kitchen) and if someone wants my recipe, I'm happy to SHOW them how to make it, but don't ever have a recipe to hand them.
Now with baking, I do have my very favorite "old hippie" baking cookbook "Tassajara Bread Book" - -which has some of the best recipes for breads and desserts - - which I follow for the basic item, then add to it whatever moves me at the moment.
Of course there's always the food channel to get ideas from...
from Bobby Flay, I learned about roasting peppers (many different varieties) on the grill... and though I knew about this years ago, I love grilled corn on the cob... somewhere I saw the idea to skip the salt and butter on the corn and use cilantro and lime... it's pretty good.
I've been cooking on my patio caddy (small gas grill) most of the time because I live in a retirement manufactured home community that's got some aging infrastructure (if people don't watch electricity usage in the summer, we get outages). So, I don't do much concocting, but when I did/do, I never measure... always add by taste or appearance.
Left over (and already cooked) italian sausage and brats[not kids, the sausage ] (you could probably use any left over meat or skip the meat altogether)
1 can black bean soup
1 can mixed pinto and northern beans
left over corn (or whatever other vegie is hanging out in the fridge)
1/2 onion
1 green pepper
2 - 3 cloves of garlic
1/2 cup rice
1/2 cup water
throw it all together in a pot and cook it until the rice is done.
For the most part, on baked goods, I follow a recipe, but I use my hand as measurement on things that are 1 tsp or less, most of the time. And add extras, as it seems good!
OhBehave, your tomato soup sounds delish! I'm gonna try that!!
Belle, same with my mom--she was a master at it too, and like you--my soups never get duplicated cuz I throw in whatever I have in the fridge too! Thanks for the Greek salad recipe-- I LOVE greek salads!! Haven't tried my hand at anything other than a spinach pie. How do you pronounce the "tzatziki" sauce? Sounds really good!!! YUM!!!!
Abi Thanks for the recipes with the Salisbury steaks and the black bean soup--I do stuff like that too--it sounds delicious! my hubby will really like the Salisbury steaks. I throw my brats in the soup all the time too!! And i hear ya about always modifying a recipe-- even when I'm trying it for the first time!! some of what you all have shared here, that I am gonna try, I'm gonna change somewhat to my tatse! LOL!!
I wanna comment some more but have to git for a bit-- I'll be baaaaaccckkk!
I keep turning up like a bad penny! I love this new forum! I'm gonna be here a lot-- tasting stuff--or throwing it!! haha!!
Jardinero, I lived next door to a Mexican lady when I was a teenager and she'd invite me into her kitchen and teach me how to cook stuff-- she did the handfuls and pinches of goodies. I loved to watch, but I was too new at cooking to attempt measuring by hand--I didn't think I learned much at the time, but now that I'm older, that is exactly how I make drop biscuits-- I don't measure anything! (well, not with a measuring cup-- with my hands--and I dared do so because of so many times sitting in my neighbor's kitchen!
I've just restarted making whole grain bread for my family (freshly ground grains-- a friend of mine got me started!) I have a nice honey wheat bread recipe, wonder if your Tassajara Bread book might have a recipe for a yeast bread with more than one grain? (THAT recipe I would follow!! LOL!! still fairly new at breadmaking!)
Rocky and coolchef-- YUM! on the new ideas for corn!! Rocky, I've done lime, butter, cumin and parmesan cheese on corn too! MMMM! Love those cooking shows-- we no longer have cable--or an antenna, and that is one of the few things I miss on TV.
Canned goods can make nice "starters" for recipes but I rarely eat 'em as they are intended. Ya know, like I don't think I've EVER had a bowl of cream of mushroom soup, but use the condensed stuff in so many recipes, I buy it 24 cans at a time!! LOL!
Here's what I call "Seafood Bisque" (heh heh!)
1-2 cans chunky New England Clam chowder (sometimes more clams--canned)
1-2 cans evaporated milk
1-2 cans shrimp (Or if money allows, a pkg of cocktail shrimp)
1-2 pkg imitation crab meat (or if money allows, some cans of the real stuff! LOL!
sometimes scallops--canned or frozen
1 clove garlic
Old Bay to taste
parsley
(probably some other stuff, but I'm not standing by my spice cupboard right now, so I can't tell if I use it or not! LOL!)
Cook on low heat-- don't scorch the milk--ya probably need to add a bit of water, to thin it a bit, but my hubby and I like our soups thick, so yours may turn out different if you like yours thinner.
Psalmie -- I totally do this - I seldom crack a cookbook, even though I have a decent collection. My favorite thing is to take a quick inventory of the kitchen and invent a meal. It's almost always good - and I do write down some of our favorites just so I don't have to wait for lightening to strike twice.
rocky if you like grilled corn try this...strip back the husk {after soaking}
then wrap the corn in bacon pull the husk back up and tie with butchers twine a roast as usual yum!
Sounds gooood, but I'm in a low-fat mode... not dieting, just adjusting what I eat to a new standard... maybe one of these days I might get a couple pieces of bacon and try it.
I dooooo like the sound of Psalmie's idea: "Rocky, I've done lime, butter, cumin and parmesan cheese on corn too! MMMM!" I'll probably try that one this week.
I'm still grillin... high temps still in the mid to upper 80s here in sunny Scottsdale.
I confess, I am a a dash of this, try some of that girl........
I see recipes or some of these people on the food channel and I think what about this? And go for it.
if anyone is into greek food, I just got two old family greek recipes, one for lemon soup that is to die for...
Will share it, if you want.
I posted my recipe for bisquits and gravy somewhere in here, this last incarnation turned out so good that my husband was licking the pan.
I am giving serious thought to opening a luncheonette one day.....I love to cook. It blesses me, it allows me to give to others in a way that makes them happy, and it is kinda theraputic sp? for me.
I got a recipe on Christmas for some pretty nummy yeast rolls. My sister in law makes pans of the stuff to send home with everybody, pans of it....I may tweak it a little, they seem a little dry to me....see there I go.
The years we spent relying upon commodities...what a trip down Concoction Lane! :)
One year in Alaska the gov't was giving out restaurant-sized cans of hamburger. Yes, I said hamburger. Dried ground beef in a can...just add water...or something to make it seem like beef.
I made tons of beef and corn chowder with that stuff. Spaghetti, too. Got some of that gov't cheese and made hamburger mac n cheese casserole. Lots and lots of spices, herbs, onions, garlic, bell peppers...whatever was around.
I cook all the time by the seat of my pants...make em up as I go.
Here's a favorite:
A large can of Bush beans, chop up an onion, chop up 2 jalepenos, cut 2 links of Italian sausage into 1/2 inch pieces, chop up a tomato and simmer for about an hour...sounds crazy but it's really good.
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ohbehave
Psalmie, I don't always cook that way but I did do a very simple little throw together thing lately. I had about a cup of leftover restaurant marinara sauce. The next day I was looking at it trying to figure out what to do with it and I was craving soup. I remembered I had some leftover chicken stock and some half and half in the frig. Well I put these 3 things in a pot, warmed it then stuck an emersion blender into it. It made GREAT creamy tomato soup! Who knew?? I only added a little salt and pepper to it because a lot of the seasoning was already in the marinara.
I think I'm going to really enjoy this thread
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Belle
AB-SO-LUTELY! Most of my recipes are like that, too, Psalmie. My mother was a master at it, and I picked it up from her. I've already posted a few "to taste" or "till it looks right" recipes on here.
My mother's absolute best were Spaghetti Sauce and homemade soup made from leftovers in the fridge. I've yet to be able to replicate the Spaghetti Sauce, but the homemade soup is different every time anyway since it depends on what left-overs we have to work with. I have gotten pretty good at that, but I tend to end up with what seems like 10 gallons of the stuff.
Lesseee.... I'll whip up some tzatziki sauce and serve it on all kinds of things:
- 1 heaping spoon full of mayo
- 1 sm. container of non-fat plain yogurt
- 1 palm full of dried oregano, crushed between both hands
- 2-4 cloves of fresh garlic, minced (don't buy the jar kind, use the real thing - there's a big taste difference)
- 1 diced cucumber (more or less depending on the size of the cucumber)
My favorite it to make Greek Chicken Salad:
1-2 cans drained white chicken
as many Kalamata olives as you can stand to pit and slice
1 bunch of fresh parsley chopped
Mix in the tzatziki sauce and serve over a bed of lettuce, stuffed in tomatoes or with pita bread.
YUMMY!!!
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Abigail
I never follow recipes (unless I'm making baked goods). Even when I have a recipe, I end up modifying it somehow.
Here's my version of homemade salsbury steak, which I made for the first time today:
6 - 8 minute steaks
1 can onion soup
1/2 can water
Throw it all in the slow cooker and let it cook for 10 - 12 hours on low. Add in some flour or corn starch to thicken and serve with mashed potatoes.
came out reeaaalllll good.
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coolchef
i love to make concoctions!!! sometimes they are good some not!!!
i usually follow the diections when i cook from the cook book i wrote as they are sometimes complicated but experimenting is what cooking is all about!
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jardinero
Never learned to cook with recipes. My "abuelas" (grandmothers) cooked by hand (make your hand into the measuring cup for teaspoon, tablespoon, or even pinches of spices) - - and by taste (my favorite method).
Like you, Psalmie, I cook with what I have on hand (and I always have a well-stocked kitchen) and if someone wants my recipe, I'm happy to SHOW them how to make it, but don't ever have a recipe to hand them.
Now with baking, I do have my very favorite "old hippie" baking cookbook "Tassajara Bread Book" - -which has some of the best recipes for breads and desserts - - which I follow for the basic item, then add to it whatever moves me at the moment.
J.
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Rocky
Of course there's always the food channel to get ideas from...
from Bobby Flay, I learned about roasting peppers (many different varieties) on the grill... and though I knew about this years ago, I love grilled corn on the cob... somewhere I saw the idea to skip the salt and butter on the corn and use cilantro and lime... it's pretty good.
I've been cooking on my patio caddy (small gas grill) most of the time because I live in a retirement manufactured home community that's got some aging infrastructure (if people don't watch electricity usage in the summer, we get outages). So, I don't do much concocting, but when I did/do, I never measure... always add by taste or appearance.
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coolchef
rocky if you like grilled corn try this...strip back the husk {after soaking}
then wrap the corn in bacon pull the husk back up and tie with butchers twine a roast as usual yum!
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Abigail
Here's a concoction I cooked up tonight.
Left over (and already cooked) italian sausage and brats[not kids, the sausage
] (you could probably use any left over meat or skip the meat altogether)
1 can black bean soup
1 can mixed pinto and northern beans
left over corn (or whatever other vegie is hanging out in the fridge)
1/2 onion
1 green pepper
2 - 3 cloves of garlic
1/2 cup rice
1/2 cup water
throw it all together in a pot and cook it until the rice is done.
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Psalm 71 one
Glad to see I'm NOT alone!! LOL!!
For the most part, on baked goods, I follow a recipe, but I use my hand as measurement on things that are 1 tsp or less, most of the time. And add extras, as it seems good!
OhBehave, your tomato soup sounds delish! I'm gonna try that!!
Belle, same with my mom--she was a master at it too, and like you--my soups never get duplicated cuz I throw in whatever I have in the fridge too! Thanks for the Greek salad recipe-- I LOVE greek salads!! Haven't tried my hand at anything other than a spinach pie. How do you pronounce the "tzatziki" sauce? Sounds really good!!! YUM!!!!
Abi Thanks for the recipes with the Salisbury steaks and the black bean soup--I do stuff like that too--it sounds delicious! my hubby will really like the Salisbury steaks. I throw my brats in the soup all the time too!!
And i hear ya about always modifying a recipe-- even when I'm trying it for the first time!! some of what you all have shared here, that I am gonna try, I'm gonna change somewhat to my tatse! LOL!!
I wanna comment some more but have to git for a bit-- I'll be baaaaaccckkk!
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Psalm 71 one
Told ya I'd be back!
I keep turning up like a bad penny! I love this new forum! I'm gonna be here a lot-- tasting stuff--or throwing it!! haha!!
Jardinero, I lived next door to a Mexican lady when I was a teenager and she'd invite me into her kitchen and teach me how to cook stuff-- she did the handfuls and pinches of goodies. I loved to watch, but I was too new at cooking to attempt measuring by hand--I didn't think I learned much at the time, but now that I'm older, that is exactly how I make drop biscuits-- I don't measure anything! (well, not with a measuring cup-- with my hands--and I dared do so because of so many times sitting in my neighbor's kitchen!
I've just restarted making whole grain bread for my family (freshly ground grains-- a friend of mine got me started!) I have a nice honey wheat bread recipe, wonder if your Tassajara Bread book might have a recipe for a yeast bread with more than one grain? (THAT recipe I would follow!! LOL!! still fairly new at breadmaking!)
Rocky and coolchef-- YUM! on the new ideas for corn!! Rocky, I've done lime, butter, cumin and parmesan cheese on corn too! MMMM! Love those cooking shows-- we no longer have cable--or an antenna, and that is one of the few things I miss on TV.
Canned goods can make nice "starters" for recipes but I rarely eat 'em as they are intended. Ya know, like I don't think I've EVER had a bowl of cream of mushroom soup, but use the condensed stuff in so many recipes, I buy it 24 cans at a time!! LOL!
Here's what I call "Seafood Bisque" (heh heh!)
1-2 cans chunky New England Clam chowder (sometimes more clams--canned)
1-2 cans evaporated milk
1-2 cans shrimp (Or if money allows, a pkg of cocktail shrimp)
1-2 pkg imitation crab meat (or if money allows, some cans of the real stuff! LOL!
sometimes scallops--canned or frozen
1 clove garlic
Old Bay to taste
parsley
(probably some other stuff, but I'm not standing by my spice cupboard right now, so I can't tell if I use it or not! LOL!)
Cook on low heat-- don't scorch the milk--ya probably need to add a bit of water, to thin it a bit, but my hubby and I like our soups thick, so yours may turn out different if you like yours thinner.
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ChasUFarley
Psalmie -- I totally do this - I seldom crack a cookbook, even though I have a decent collection. My favorite thing is to take a quick inventory of the kitchen and invent a meal. It's almost always good - and I do write down some of our favorites just so I don't have to wait for lightening to strike twice.
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Rocky
Sounds gooood, but I'm in a low-fat mode... not dieting, just adjusting what I eat to a new standard... maybe one of these days I might get a couple pieces of bacon and try it.
I dooooo like the sound of Psalmie's idea: "Rocky, I've done lime, butter, cumin and parmesan cheese on corn too! MMMM!" I'll probably try that one this week.
I'm still grillin... high temps still in the mid to upper 80s here in sunny Scottsdale.
Thanks for the ideas
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justpassingthrough
I confess, I am a a dash of this, try some of that girl........
I see recipes or some of these people on the food channel and I think what about this? And go for it.
if anyone is into greek food, I just got two old family greek recipes, one for lemon soup that is to die for...
Will share it, if you want.
I posted my recipe for bisquits and gravy somewhere in here, this last incarnation turned out so good that my husband was licking the pan.
I am giving serious thought to opening a luncheonette one day.....I love to cook. It blesses me, it allows me to give to others in a way that makes them happy, and it is kinda theraputic sp? for me.
I got a recipe on Christmas for some pretty nummy yeast rolls. My sister in law makes pans of the stuff to send home with everybody, pans of it....I may tweak it a little, they seem a little dry to me....see there I go.
I got to go to bed, see ya,
janis
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CoolWaters
Oh lawdy Psalmie, yes!
The years we spent relying upon commodities...what a trip down Concoction Lane! :)
One year in Alaska the gov't was giving out restaurant-sized cans of hamburger. Yes, I said hamburger. Dried ground beef in a can...just add water...or something to make it seem like beef.
I made tons of beef and corn chowder with that stuff. Spaghetti, too. Got some of that gov't cheese and made hamburger mac n cheese casserole. Lots and lots of spices, herbs, onions, garlic, bell peppers...whatever was around.
It was a strange year...
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Cindy!
Psalmy,
If you'd like to watch a chef on tv who doesn't use recipes, Chef at Home is a GREAT show!!!!!
It's on the Discovery channel: http://home.discovery.com/fansites/chefath...chefathome.html
Excellent show and he NEVER uses a recipe!!!
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GrouchoMarxJr
I cook all the time by the seat of my pants...make em up as I go.
Here's a favorite:
A large can of Bush beans, chop up an onion, chop up 2 jalepenos, cut 2 links of Italian sausage into 1/2 inch pieces, chop up a tomato and simmer for about an hour...sounds crazy but it's really good.
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doojable
I made up a recipe recently:
chicken breast - thinly slice
can of chick peas
diced tomatoes
onion and garlic - diced
garam masala (an indian spice mix)
cumin
salt. pepper
splash of white wine
saute onion and garlic and chicken
splash the whitel wine in
add the other ingredients
simmer til chicken is done
this is almost stew like - but it would also be good over rice.
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