Help Me Cook An Edible Dinner For Once

[acoustix]

I SUCK at cooking. I can make good breakfasts (omelettes, pancakes, etc.) but I am terrible at cooking dinner foods. My main problem is chicken and Pork. See, I am scared to death of poisoning someone with undercooked chicken or pork, so I tend to burn the hell of it everytime I try. Beef I have no problem with, as undercooking is tough when you like your steak rare.

Any suggestions on how not to kill people with my cooking?

Also, I'd like suggestions for doctoring up ready-made foods. For example, the other night I got ballsy and decided to spice up my boring frozen pierogies.

I boiled them for about 4 minutes, and then fried them up in butter, garlic, and onions. I added some crushed red pepper and salt. Success. It was deliciously unhealthy.

I'm looking for more things like that. Anything extremely simple that you can doctor up.

Feed me your cooking knowledge.

[DrewDevil]

Broiled catfish (or trout, if you don't like catfish) filets are outstanding.

Take your broiler pan and remove the vented thingy that goes on top (where steaks would go). Line the pan with foil and coat it with butter or Pam.

Brush or coat the fish with regular old Italian dressing. Broil for... I can't remember, but less than 10 minutes.

Moist, succulent, delicious.

I learned a ton from this cookbook for beginners: Now You're Cooking

[acoustix]

I have some Talapia in my freezer. Would your idea work with that, or do you need thicker fish steaks for it?

[DrewDevil]

I bet it would work.

[DH_Texan]

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I have some Talapia in my freezer.

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Talapia has a really mild flavor, so it's really good for tricking up...

Try this:

In a 1 Qt. Ziploc bag (sandwich is too small...):

- 1 Handfull of unsweetened cereal (corn flakes, etc.)
- 1/2 that much parmesian cheese
- spoonful of basil
- spoonful of oregano
- 1/4 that much red pepper
- 1/2 spoonful of salt
- 4 or 5 grinds of fresh black pepper

Zip the bag closed & crush the cereal, mixing everything together.

Open the bag & add one of your talapia fillets. Close & shake until the fish is coated. Repeat until all are coated.

Bake in a glass dish @ 350 until the fish flakes apart easily with a fork. Should be about 12-15 minutes.

Nothin' too it!

[acoustix]

Cereal eh? Seems strange but I'll try anything once.

[benfranklin]

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Cereal eh? Seems strange but I'll try anything once.

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Or you can just use something like Italian bread crumbs instead of the cereal:

For great chicken, mix equal parts of those bread crumbs and fresh grated parmesan cheese on a large plate. Dip boneless chicken breasts in egg wash (raw egg plus some milk mixed up in a bowl) and then in the crumb/cheese mix, making sure it is well coated.

Heat some olive oil in a large skillet (one with a cover) over medium heat, and saute the chicken until just brown, about 3 minutes per side. Turn down the heat and pour in about a cup of cheap port or marsala. Simmer covered for 10 minutes per side. Done.

[Borodog]

3 ingredients: Pasta (I prefer penne), a jar of good sauce (some kind of basil/garlic/oregano/3 cheese whatever [censored] with some flavor), and a package of Italian sausage (mild or hot to your liking). You can either skin the sausage (that sounds so dirty) and break it up, or leave it tubed, or a combination of both. Brown the sausage in a pan over medium heat, pour in the jar of sauce and let it cook on low-medium heat until the sauce bubbles nicely. Stir so the sauce won't burn. Make sure the boil is not too high. Cook as long as you like to suit your paranoia; it's impossible to overcook unless you let the sauce burn, so don't. Cook the pasta, toss it with a little olive oil, and serve your sauce and sausage over it.

Very simple, very delious, no Jedi chef skills required.

[acoustix]

Boro- You just gave me my dinner tomorrow night!

Drew- I will research how long the minimum cooking time for talapia is, so it is juicy, yet not deadly.

Please keep up the recommendations. This is awesome!

[NhlNut]

[ QUOTE ]
3 ingredients: Pasta (I prefer penne), a jar of good sauce (some kind of basil/garlic/oregano/3 cheese whatever [censored] with some flavor), and a package of Italian sausage (mild or hot to your liking). You can either skin the sausage (that sounds so dirty) and break it up, or leave it tubed, or a combination of both. Brown the sausage in a pan over medium heat, pour in the jar of sauce and let it cook on low-medium heat until the sauce bubbles nicely. Stir so the sauce won't burn. Make sure the boil is not too high. Cook as long as you like to suit your paranoia; it's impossible to overcook unless you let the sauce burn, so don't. Cook the pasta, toss it with a little olive oil, and serve your sauce and sausage over it.

Very simple, very delious, no Jedi chef skills required.

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replace half of the jar of pasta sauce with a can of diced tomatoes. much better, and better for you.