Does anyone have any tips or advice for someone who can't stand cooking? Besides frozen foods and take-out?
Ann from MA
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For the summer you can make tuna salad by mixing bulk cole slaw (like at Smart & Final) with canned tuna. Also make pasta salads with cooked pasta - cooled + fish or chicken or boiled egg and bacon bits and veggies - add some mayo and some rice vinegar - (or the cole slaw again). For winter you can beef up canned/dried soups to make little stews. Add fish or meat or grated cheese - or egg drops + frozen veggies + onion, etc. You can make noodle soup with ramen + eggs + bacon bits + ground garlic + onion bits. Just a few ez ideas - the basic premis is get some easy base - (soup, pasta) and add simple ingredients! Pls some spices....
My husband loves this easy recipe:
1 lbs. ground beef
salt
pepper
onion powder
garlic powder
1 large can of cream of mushroom soup
Can add: 1 jar or 1 can of sliced mushrooms.
Brown the beef and drain off fat.
Add the soup (and mushrooms if you want to)
salt and pepper to taste
garlic powder and onion powder to taste
Tip: I never use garlic salt or onion salt, just powder type. This way I can control the salt and control the taste of the garlic and onion. Mix well and heat till bubbly.
That's it, and like I said, my husband loves it. You can also use ground turkey. I'm a vegetarian, so I can't give you a personal opinion!
Hope you like it.
Best regards from Smoochie :)
I like this recipe. I call it "Cheatin' Chili"
1 lb. ground meat (browned in skillet)
1 large can Ranch Style Beans (mix into meat)
Dash of garlic salt or powder
Pepper
Simple! Serve with chips, rice and cheese or roll in a tortilla.
Crock pots are perfect for people who hate to cook. I have a very good cookbook for slow-cookers entitled; Fix-It and Forget-It 5 Ingredient Favorites, by Phyllis Pellman Good. Also frozen vegetables can be substituted for fresh in almost any recipe, you can even buy bags of frozen diced onions and green peppers. You can also use dried onion, pepper or celery flakes usually sold in the spice section.
There is a wonderful cookbook for people who hate to cook. It is called the "I Hate to Cookbook", by Peg Bracken. I believe it is out of print - but I am sure you can find it at the library. All the recipes are very easy. I love it's beef stroganoff that uses cream of mushroom soup & is super easy. I hate cooking too, because it makes such a mess.
Why do you hate to cook? If it is because you don't know how to make good and easy dishes-take a class or get a book. There are books of 5 ingredient recipes that are quite delicious, and easy to make. Ask a friend or parent or relative if they will teach you to make 1 dish that they really like or you have eaten at their house and wish you could make.
Once you get more comfortable with some simple techniques and the like, it should get less painful Or, can you swap a skill with someone-they will cook a few meals for you and you will do something you are good at for them (barter). When you do cook, double batch when you can and freeze the second batch for another meal later on.
Why not do once a month cooking? Make a big mess 1 day a month and if you're one-person it would probably last 6 months like it does me. A 9 by 13 Lasagna last me a year, in the freezer in individual servings, make beef or, chicken enchiladas dinners with rice and beans and veggies, put them on the plate vacuum seal them, another 24 meals, make a big pot of soup put it up in individual servings.
I agree with BABBIE and do the same thing myself :-)
I also make my salad mixings up once a week (in different containers so they stay fresh longer because no cross contamination) so all I have to do is take them out of the refrigerator, choose the amounts of each ingredient, place in a bowl and top with dressing :-)
Also, think about cutting up a mellon or two once a week so that all you have to do is open the fridge for breakfast or a snack :-)
Smoochie's recipe sounds delicious - I think I'd tweak it w/ maybe a dash or 2 of worchestershire sauce, served over noodles and w/ a side of peas or creamed corn?
Attitude adjustment! Tell yourself it really isn't that bad. I hate cooking also, but love to eat. My husband and daughter also would like something at meal times. I like to grill lots of chicken at a time and fix chicken salad, chicken soup, or just plain chicken with salad or veg. or homemade bread. The skinless boneless chicken is so easy and cooks in no time, either on the grill or in the oven.
Large pans of spaghetti and sauce with hamburger, lasagna and easy casseroles so you have leftovers work well. Less cooking in a week but still pretty good meals. The crockpot is a great idea also. About.com has a page of several crock pot/slow cooker recipes that are super easy! I take meat (pork or beef roast/round steak) and cover with water throw in a package of onion soup mix and cook 6-8 hours on low. Thicken juice and you have meat and gravy. Serve on mashed potatoes and it is a wonderful meal with little hassle. You could also add potatoes and carrots in it for a one pot meal. Make it easier and use the crock liners. No mess!
My 3 sons learned to cook GOOD at a young age. Find someone who is willing to co-cook, etc with you. Decide recipes, split cost and products. Or trade off with someone your talents for their abiltiy to teach you to cook. Gotta have a friend out there! Check with your favorite deli/bakery staff, they may have someone willing to help you.
I realize not everyone grew up in a large tight family where you shared gifts of talents with each other.
I share my cooking talents with my church during lent for soup/sandwich meals. Cooking for 250 IS different than a meal for 10, but not by much! My household depends on grown children and my friends dropping by for their own take out! Leaves me with just a tad for left overs.
All of these things, except the crock pot idea, actually involve a lot of cooking -- or at least some. I'd suggest other foods that are "instant" such as canned salmon, sardines, tuna, ham, corned beef. Canned or frozen veggies cook in the microwave in a jiffy. I like to cook rice in a rice cooker -- my son bought me a little one for $4 in a bargain shop, and it is so handy. Water, rice -- turn it on. If you want to get fancy, you can add some chopped onions, celery, sliced carrots, maybe some frozen shrimp with the rice. There you have a one dish meal. Keep things simple. Eat fresh fruit, sliced tomatoes or cucumber, as your veggie/fruit component of your meal. Hamburger helper is good. Baked potatoes are pretty easy-- you can even buy these pre-wrapped for the oven if you are not worried about saving money. The pre-made salads are good. We have a restaurant in our area that sells homemade soups, frozen. Heat in the microwave, add a nice bread and you have supper. I like the scalloped potatoes that come in a box -- water, maybe some milk, and the stuff in the box -- cook in the oven for a bit. Serve with canned corn or frozen peas, and canned salmon. It is a homecooked meal for someone who doesn't like to cook.
Here are two actual recipes that are really easy--
Chicken Breast Casserole-- put two to four chicken breasts in a casserole dish, add sliced carrots (those baby ones in a bag are easier -- just dump in a big handful), cut a medium onion into eighths, or slice, and toss that in, add a can of mushroom soup. Cover and cook at 350 till it is bubbly, and the chicken is cooked when you poke it with a fork. I use the chicken breasts frozen so it takes about 1 1/2 -2 hours. Serve with some sort of cooked noodles or macaroni, or some rice you made in the rice cooker!!! LOL
WG's Casserole -- In a large casserole dish, put one pound of raw hamburger, cover with one medium onion, sliced, add one can of french sliced green beans, drained; one can of mushroom soup, one can of cream of celery soup. Cover the top with Tasty Taters (little potatoe croquettes, I guess they are -- come frozen in a bag). Bake uncovered at 350 for about 1 - 1 1/2 hours until it is bubbly in the center.
I hate to cook also and I have found a way to minimize cooking and I will be happy to share it with you. I should tell you it's just my hubby and I most of the time as I have a 17yr old with a girlfriend so he's never here. lol So when we go out we buy full portions and fill up on salad and bring home doggie bags. I also buy a lot of frozen prepared foods in the bag and add to it. I keep spaghetti noodles all the dressings and condiments on hand and dr up most of the prepared meals I buy in bulk from walmart and the grocery store.
Like the Chinese in a can. I buy the toasted noodles and soy sauce and add some more spaghetti noodles to it to make our meal. I toast bread and make it into garlic toast. We eat lots of sandwiches, soup, salad and fresh and canned veges. I buy prepared meat from deli, a can of gravy and prepared potatoes that I just heat in microwave. Spend some time in store cause they have lots of already prepared foods you can either add to or eat how they come as you start doing this more will come to you. d
Try visiting www.kraftfoods.com They have some amazing recipes that use 5 items or less.
On a dinner plate put salad mixture (sold in bag) add whatever else you -like- shredded cheese, olives, etc.
Chicken breast - slice in strips - brown in small amount of olive oil until done. I season with Natural Seasonings which is sold in spice area.
Put on top of salad and add dressing. My husband likes the chicken hot but you could make more than needed and either microwave or serve cold.
As long as there are ripe tomatoes there will be BLT's
;)
Easy way to fix potatoes
Slice a Red Potato into a small microwave dish. Place some sliced raw onion rings on top of the potato. Add a few dots of butter, salt and pepper. Cover and microwave on high for 5 minutes. Remove and place shredded extra sharp cheddar cheese on top. Microwave until cheese melts. Delicious.
Makes one serving. To increase the recipe, just increase the microwave time. Do not peel the potato.
Honey cooking is not that bad. You do not have to be a Paula Deen or anything like that. Just throw in what you like and tweek it to your taste. I am not a great cook or baker I just try. Kraft foods.com is great food network has videos and just take what you have and go with it.
I took boneless pork chops and browned them in oil and flour (first coated)(just threw flour in the bowl with the pork chops) saute them in med/low heat (learning not to burn again) ha-ha and added pork gravy(put powdered gravy in measuring cup added cup of water and stirred) and simmered. Made this weird noodle called mafalda (cute good and on sale) and when done mixed together it was good hubby loved it so did I. P.S. Made it fast and just thought of it while making it
I just found two cookbooks on my bookshelf that might help you:
1. 'The Can Opener Gourmet' by Laura Karr.
'More than 200 quick and delicious recipes using ingredients from your pantry'.
Publisher: Hyperion Special Markets, 77 W. 66th St., NY, NY 10023-6298. 212-456-0100
ISBN: 0-7868-8749-4
HyperionBooks.com
2. 'A Man, A Can, A Plan', by David Joachim and the editors of MensHealth.
'50 great guy meals even you can make'.
ISBN: I-57954-673-0
www,menshealthbooks.com
800-848-4735
Publisher: Rodale, Inc.
Hope this helps you!
Smoochie
:)
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