well, since i am the resident executive chef here, i was wondering if there were any questions that you guys had.



do not be scared....boining water is easy...

my wife hates the texture of meat, the only thing she will eat that has meat in it is a kosher hotdog... I think she's ok with things that start off with like a chicken broth base or what not, but other than that it's all veggies and crap...





one thing I can cook that we like is pasta sauce w/sauteed mushrooms and pepperoncini (we both like spicey foods), the other thing we eat often is bean burritos (can of refried beans and tortillas) with hot salsa and cheeses etc... I don't think we've done much else other than a botched attempt at veggie chili.. oh and we practically live off hummas sandwiches, lots of middle eastern stuff looks like it would be safe, but we have no recipes.



got any recommendations for other veggie dishes that don't involve tofu or other soy masses? (thats my thorn, can't stand soy)



we're not afraid to try anything complex, just have to buy the supplies first... we don't stock many supplies since they usually go bad on us.

veggies are great. they are the gift of teh earth. just think of how many items there are, as compared to meats. think of textures and tastes and colors.



a cool thing to but, especially if you like a lot of veggies, is a MANDOLINE, not the instrument. go to your local asian/vietnamese market, and they should have one there. there are some small inexpensive ones, and they are at every oriental mart that i have seen. it comes with a variety of blades and inserts to give you a nice seleciton of cuts and shapes like spirals....



i love making some cheese and potato tarts with a little roasted garlic.



you can slice the [idaho] potatoes on the mandoline, and lay them in a star shape with the tips of about 6 potato slices overlapping. do one at a time so that the potatoes do not discolor on you. then, get creative. you can use some ricotta or cream cheese as a filler, and then fold in anything spicy that u like. for instance, you like spicy stuff. mix about 2 cups of cream cheese with some jalapenos, corn, green onions, red onions, and bellpeppers. roll some out like a patty, and place it in the center of the potato "star"....then, close it up, and flip it over. you should have a nice little tartlette, and can oil a skillet, and saute them up. or, if you are not confident in your sauteing skills, just warm an oven, and cook them like that. you can make an easy sour cream sauce, kind of like a "crema", with sour cream, a little salt, and some chopped chives. place a dallop on the hot tartlette, and vuala....





i love veggies too. a simple marinade for them is italian dressing. let them marinate, and cook 'em how you like them we don't really cook like that here, but it is a simple method that is easy to do. do you like raw or some slightly poached vegies? if so, make a yogurt sauce with some red peppers, mint, basil, lemon juice, paprika, a little curry powder, salt, ground pepper, and some red onion. it is called a 'Raita' sauce, and is traditionally indian, and served with chicken but is good with just about anything.



i could just randomly keep going for ever, so if there is anything else tha tyou want to know, ask a specific, and i will not ramble on too long....



i have tons of recipes in my head....

sounds good https://www.nopistons.com/forums/pub...IR#>/smile.png now i'm hungry :yum:



thanks for the suggestions, I think we'll try some out. ricotta cheese is good stuff.

what is 'palliard' (sp)?

i.e. palliard of beef.

pounded, or flattened....



and mostly topped with a compound butter....





it is french

Do you watch Iron Chef? that show rocks!

yeah, i love it. it seems trivial to some, but i like the competitions. i competed a lot for the florida chapter of the american culinary federation [ACF] . i also made it to the national finals in '97 to the confreiere de la chaine des rotisseurs, which is an old group of culinarians that upholds the standards of the fine food and wine in the world. i lost to a guy that was 24, and a resident sous chef from the disney world school. i was 18 i think, and the youngest of the 6 competitors.



cooking under pressure with no prior knowledge of ingredients is exhillarating....

Cooking looks like fun. I know nothing about it, and it seems like a lot of work. Other than that it looks like fun though.

tonz...you get to make the mess, and someone else cleans it up...

see thats the part i hate, the cleanup...

at home, i wash as i go. that is the ONLY was to get it done...

Thanks for the opportunity to get some tips, Louis.

I really like onions and peppers. I've got a bunch of green bell peppers in the fridge right now. What are some good ways to prepare the peppers, or the onions?

Also, cheese is my favorite thing in the world. Any kind, feta, sharp cheddar, pepper jack, even the nasty ass velveta. I just love cheese. Got any cheese tips?

r_xplicit



need some tips on making quick pasta stir frys...



personally i love eating at eastside marios... their chicken skillitini, and crushed pepercorn penne with alfredo sauce etc...



i have tried to remake my own versions of it... whichi've come pretty close too.. however my one question is... HOW THE HELL DO U MAKE IT WITHOUT MAKING A MESS EVERYWHERE?



when do they add the sauce in? So i throw some oil in with a bit of minched garlic in a really hot skillet... then i throw in chucks of chicken and make it till its around 3/4 cooked add in onions arond 1/2 way in and then throw in some veggis.



So now the dish is like 80% done and i throw the saunce in... except once the sauce goes it... it goes splattering out of the pan for the next 20%



should ithrow the sauce in right before i plate the stuff? or should i throw it in at 20% and let it simmer a bit in the pan and make a mess

I also have a big thing for asian cuisine. As well as "Americanized Chinese food," like general tsao's chicken, sweet and sour chicken, and the like. What is the best way to batter the chicken? I'm pretty sure the recipie calls for using corn starch instead of flour. How do you make sweet and sour sauce? And what other dishes can be prepared by a hungry novice? Sorry if asian food isn't your forte.

ok guys, sorry for the delay, i left work last night about 11:30, and just go tback in sunday morning a few minutes ago...



p'cola, your peppers are really easy to prepare. and just think, even if they start to get mushy, they can be used. if you like cheese so much, alson with onions, why not use all 3 together. say you have some pepper jack, and some easy melting velveeta as well, even the Kraft single slices are good, because they melt like a charm. how about southwestern stuffed green peppers?



sliced oinions, chopped/grated cheeses, julienned chicken breast (raw), some sliced green bells, salt and pepper, garlic and onion powder, chili powder, and some cumin, taco seasoning or fajita spice will do fine as well. just take thse random ingredients and saute everything BUT the cheese in a skillet, use the amounts of what YOU WANT, and omit stuff that you do not like. saute the chicken and veggies in a skillet, and season as you desire, remove once the chicken is cooked andthe veggies are tender. mix the sauteed mixture with the cheeses of your choice, and stuff the mix in a few green bellpeppers that you have taken the tops off of and removed the seeds. sprinkle a little cheese on top, and then slowly cook them in the ove at about 350 for about 12-15 minutes, or until the pepper is soft....garnish or serve with some sour cream and some pico de gallo....



as for stir frys....any of you guys who like them, shoud know a few key ingredients to always have on hand when you are ready for a nice stir fry....



-mirin or ahi mirin (like a rice wine sweetener)

-soy sauce

-terriyaki sauce

-rice wine vinegar

-cornstarch

-sesame oil

-sambal chili paste

-fresh or pickled ginger





these are a few of my favorite sideways ingredients, and you can do wonders with them....



it is easy. saute some veggies of your choice in some sesame oil, but not too much, sesame oil is very potent. add some freshly chopped ginger and garlic, but do not let these sit on teh bottom of your skillet, they will scorch and get bitter....toss the ingredients areound while cooking and add a little soy sauce and mirin. not too much soy, it is salty, and there is always more. remember, you can add water too. while this is warming, mix a little cornstarch (tablespoon) with some water, and add it to the veggies and chicken. it will thicken nicely, and now you are ready to add some of the sambal chile paste. it is spicy, but very good.....





good luck guys....i teach a class for single men here and it is nice to get the cahnce to cook fun no brainer things for guys&girls who do not know how to cook.....the restaurant is on the other end of the scale and all that......fine dining you know....





hope that this helps....



louis

Thanks Louis.

whats the best way to prepare a manatee?



kevin.

with white tigers and baby seals...anything else endangered...



lou

how about some bald eagle sauce, does it go good with that manatee dish?



kevin.

of course :yum: that is one of my favorites!!