simple things to cook that are greater than the ingredients would seem

[grasswire]

One of those things is pico de gallo. Fine dice a hot pepper (I used 1/2 red serrano), fine dice a sweet onion, chop a big fat handful of fresh cilantro, and dice a couple of good tomatoes. Stir it all together, serve with good tortilla chips.

Simple, simple, simple, but soooooooooo delicious.

Your turn.

[kestrel91316]

1. Your recipe is improved with the juice of a lime and a couple cloves minced garlic.

Still incredibly simple and easy.

[grasswire]

4. I don't like raw garlic much, and while I love lime, not in pico de gallo

Lime in guacamole, si si. Here, again, I prefer simplicity.
Just avocado, lime, and a bit of cumin powder.

[kestrel91316]

2. Asparagi alla parmagiana:

Asparagus spears, drizzled with olive oil, roasted in the oven. Grated parmesan cheese sprinkled liberally over, back into the oven until melted and golden.

Heaven.

[kestrel91316]

3. kestrel's egg toast:

Really good whole grain bread, sliced medium thick
One or two big eggs (raw)
A little olive oil
Seasoned salt and fresh ground pepper
Cast iron skillet

Coat the pan with olive oil and let it get to temp on medium low.
Crack the eggs into it gently. Let cook a minute or two, then cover and reduce heat to low. Let the eggs fry slowly and gently, and let the tops steam until the whites are opaque and the yolk is as done as you like. These are my eggs sunny-side up.

Toast the bread. Butter it if you want, but you don't need to. Top the toast with your egg. Season liberally with seasoned salt and freshly ground black pepper.

These transport me to another place. SOOOO yummy. I like them for Sunday breakfast, or sometimes for a quick weeknight dinner.

[grasswire]

5. mmm, eggs and toast

a heavenly pairing

[beac]

16. My grandfather used to make eggs IN toast.

He would use a juice glass to cut a circle out of the center of the bread slice, place the bread in a pre-heated buttered frying pan and crack the egg into the hole in the center. When the egg was firm enough, he'd flip the whole thing and cook the other side just enough to give that side of the bread a toasty fried texture too. A grind of salt and pepper over it and YUM.

[Tesha]

22. Eggie-in-a-Basket (nt)

[Tesha]

25. Verily...

[beac]

26. I've never seen the movie.

Is that ACTUALLY a scene from it or a funny Photoshop?

[Tesha]

27. That actually *IS* a scene from the movie.

I won't give you any spoilers by trying to explain how
it comes about, but I will say that *EVERYONE* at this
website should see "V for Vendetta".

Tesha

[beac]

29. I've been meaning to watch it since it's referenced in so many places these days.

How funny that my grandfather's breakfast treat is on the big screen. Just one more sign that it's time to rent it! :)

[grasswire]

6. oh here's another one

strawberries, sour cream, and brown sugar

Hold the berry by its little green leaves, dip in sour cream, and then in brown sugar.

[Lucinda]

7. Interesting!

Never tried that combo.

[Tesha]

9. ahh

that's like warm figs, ricotta and honey

mmmmmm

[pengillian101]

30. Oh, yes!

I remember that now that you mention it. Very delicious! That *used* to be a party treat served regularly. Haven't seen it in years. Forgotten goody for certain. Nice you brought it to our attention. Folks love this and it's so simple.

:hi:

[Lucinda]

8. For the fat and meat lovers - and not remotely healthy:

Franks Cabbagey Stuff:
Bacon
Cabbage
Onions
Potatoes
Butter
Salt, Pepper, Garlic Powder

Bill's dad gave us this recipe...It may have German origins.

Bill pre cooks the Bacon in cast iron and uses some of the fat (and lots of butter)to toss with sliced potatoes, onions and cabbage. The whole mess then gets salt, pepper & garlic powder and goes into the oven and cooks until the cabbage is done and the veggies start to brown. His father used the bacon raw and covered the pan with foil to steam/cook everything, then took the foil off for a final browning.

It is way more than the sum of it's parts and really really good. And really NOT pretty to look at. :P


Bill also makes a white bean and rice dish with kielbassa and chicken stock that looks like sludge with sausage chunks but tastes amazing. Also with butter and our usual seasoning mix, plus bay, and sometimes, added spicy heat.

[grasswire]

10. your potato bacon thing is similar to "bauernfruhstuck" which is indeed German...

...and means "farmer's breakfast." Bauernfruhstuck is potatoes and bacon and onion browned together, then topped with eggs that are stirred in. Or variations on that theme.

[Lucinda]

15. It's amazing how good the savory and sweet combination of the

onion cabbage and bacons is. And the potato just soaks up everything. And the buttah.

Thanks for the info about the "Bauernfruhstuck" Bill makes something he calls a skillet breakfast that sounds just like it. He adds shredded cheese too. ♥

I add hot sauce to it when I have some (which isn't often - especially that I am heading back to veggie land.)

[Denninmi]

11. Something my Croatian grandmother used to make.

My family's culinary tradition is very blended. My dad's parents were Austrians from Croatia (spoke German at home, Croatian in public). His mother cooked Austro-Hungarian empire food, for lack of a better term -- a mishmash of German and Yugoslavian/Eastern European type recipes. My mother, otoh, is a Mayflower descendant, so her cuisine is English-based, American style farmhouse cooking, simple meat and potatoes stuff. Of course, we've dramatically widened our culinary horizons in the last 30/40 years, as have most Americans. I remember when tacos and pizza were novelties in my house, now I'm watching the 'Kimchi Chronicles' on PBS and want to make Bindaetteok and Jajangmyeon.

But, one of the really simple things my Croatian grandmother made that was really good was a sort of stew of butter beans, ground beef, onions, with sage and bit of tomato paste for seasoning. Nothing to it, just brown the ground beef and chopped onion, drain the excess fat, add a can of rinsed butter beans and a little water, and simmer it for about half and hour to 45 minutes. Then, add some sage to taste, about a tablespoon of tomato paste (or ketchup), salt and pepper to taste, and let cook another 15 minutes or so, until its a stew-like consistency.

I'm sure it had a name, but I don't remember it. When my mom would make it for my dad (since my grandmother lived 600 miles away until the last couple years, when he brought her up here), we just called it the "bean dish".

[grasswire]

13. I tried to find that dish on google

Nuttin' yet. Still looking.

[EFerrari]

12. I believe SoCalDem posted this link to artichoke tapenade

http://www.davidlebovitz.com/2009/09/artichoke-tapenade/

2 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
1 cup (4 oz,120g) pitted green olives
1 tablespoon (10g) capers
8-10 (14 ounces, or 250g) canned artichokes, drained well and quartered
1 tablespoon freshly-squeezed lemon juice
6 tablespoons (90ml) extra-virgin olive oil
1/8 teaspoon chile powder
salt, to taste

1. In the bowl of a food processor, pulse the garlic, olives, capers, artichoke hearts, lemon juice, and olive oil, and until almost smooth, but still chunky.

2. Taste, and add salt, chile powder, and additional lemon juice, if desired.

Serve with toasted slices of baguette or crackers.

We served it at our family reunion and people loved it.

[Lucinda]

20. That sounds sooo good! I love artichokes and never think to buy them.

Same with capers.

[Warpy]

14. Don't forget the lime juice. It makes it.

Then there's plain pasta, coated with warm olive oil with a little garlic sauteed in it, a little pasta water, some Parmesan and maybe a little sprinkle of minced parsley and crushed red pepper. It's cheap, tasty, complete protein (although not much of it) and will feed a crowd for pennies apiece and you can't beat that.

[beac]

17. Roast a cookie sheet's worth of cherry tomatoes in a 400 degree oven until they brown

and blister a bit. Dump into a sauce pan with a 1/2c of olive oil, a huge handful of chopped parsley and a few cloves of finely chopped garlic.

"Cook the s*%$ out of it for five minutes or so." (This was the exact instruction given to me by the originator of the recipe ;) )

Smoosh the some of the whole tomatoes as you stir. Add salt & pepper.

Serve over pasta.

[Glassunion]

18. My favorite quickie...

Cherry tomatoes, basil, garlic and balsamic

Slice the tomatoes in half, saute then in olive oil with the garlic. Once soft add the basil and balsamic.

It's a hot side dish you can make in under two minutes.

[csziggy]

19. My favorite summer squash recipe

Kay's Squash
one small onion, cut in half or quarters, sliced very thin
olive oil or butter
summer squash or zucchini or both, sliced in 1/4" slices
milk
salt & pepper to taste

Sautee the onion in some olive oil or butter until translucent or just barely golden brown, depending on your preference. Add the sliced squash, add milk, not a lot, but enough to cover the bottom of the pan. Add salt & pepper. Simmer uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the squash is just done.

Simple easy and so good!

[Lucinda]

21. Sounds yummy!

How long does it usually simmer?

[csziggy]

23. If you like the vegies crisp-tender, about 15 minutes

I usually sautee the onion while I chop the squash, that gets it about as done as I like it. Then throw the squash in and as soon as the pan starts sizzling again, put in the milk and turn the heat down a little.

If you like the vegies more done, cover for five minutes, then simmer uncovered for fifteen to twenty minutes. If you leave them covered, the milk gets really watery. Uncovered, there is enough evaporation to get it to the right consistency, just thick enough to coat everything.

[Lucinda]

24. Thanks! We have induction, so times are a little different for me, but it helps

to have a base time to go by when I do something the first time. Appreciate it!

[csziggy]

28. I'm cooking on an electric cooktop, if that makes a difference

And I really don't time stuff, just cook until it looks right.