What's your specialty?

[SchmuckGirl]

So I like to cook at home as much as I can, because it's just so expensive and unhealthy to eat out, not to mention I think that homemade often tastes better. I have my recipebook with many tried and true dishes that I love to make but I need some new material. I love just about everything, so pickiness isn't a problem.

Bonus points for dishes that are relatively inexpensive to make, can be used for lunch at work the next day and/or can be done in the crockpot!

Thanks guys!

[SchmuckGirl]

Oh and I'll start. This veggie lasagna is one of my all time faves because the sauce is pesto and I loooove pesto... It's a bit high in fat but all the vegetables make it worth it to me. Schmuck won't touch it, so I usually eat it for a week and still have to freeze portions for lunches later in the month.

Chunky Vegetable Lasagna - makes 8 servings

12 uncooked wheat lasagna noodles (about 12 ounces)

3 cups frozen broccoli flowerets, thawed

3 large carrots, coarsely shredded (2 cups)

1 can (14 1/2-ounce) diced tomatoes, drained

1 medium red bell pepper, cut into thin strips

1 medium yellow bell pepper, cut into thin strips

1 cup Pesto

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 (15-ounce) container low fat ricotta cheese

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

1 large egg

2 tablespoons butter

1 clove garlic, finely chopped

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

2 cups 2% milk

2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese (8 ounces)

1. Cook and drain noodles as directed on package.

2. Mix broccoli, carrots, tomatoes, bell peppers, Pesto and salt. Mix ricotta cheese, Parmesan cheese, parsley and egg.

3. Melt butter in 2-quart saucepan over medium heat. Cook garlic in butter about 2 minutes, stirring frequently, until garlic is golden. Stir in flour. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture is smooth and bubbly; remove from heat. Stir in milk. Heat to boiling, stirring constantly. Boil and stir 1 minute.

4. Heat oven to 350°.

5. Place 3 noodles in ungreased rectangular pan, 13 x 9 x 2 inches. Spread half of the cheese mixture over noodles. Top with 3 noodles; spread with half of the vegetable mixture. Sprinkle with 1 cup of the mozzarella cheese. Top with 3 noodles; spread with remaining cheese mixture. Top with 3 noodles; spread with remaining vegetable mixture. Pour sauce evenly over top. Sprinkle with remaining 2 cups mozzarella cheese.

6. Bake uncovered 35 to 40 minutes or until hot in center. Let stand 10 minutes before cutting.

NUTRITION FACTS: 1 Serving:; Calories 540 (Calories from Fat 270); Fat 30g (Saturated 13g); Cholesterol 80mg; Sodium 740mg; Carbohydrate 45g (Dietary Fiber 6g); Protein 28g % DAILY VALUE:; Vitamin A 86%; Vitamin C 68%; Calcium 64%; Iron 18% DIET EXCHANGES:; 2 Starch; 2 High-Fat Meat; 3 Vegetable; 2 Fat

[that dude]

mac and cheese..just go off the box, maybe add a little more milk than suggested

[RSVDon]

Alice Springs Chicken, ala Outback Steakhouse.

Outback Steakhouse's Alice Springs Chicken

This is my favorite dinner on the Outback Steakhouse menu though overall it might lose out to the Bloomin' Onion.

Alice Springs Chicken

4 skinless, boneless Chicken Breast halves

1 tablespoon Vegetable Oil

2 cups sliced Mushrooms

2 tablespoons Butter

Salt and Pepper to taste

Paprika

12 slices Bacon, fully cooked

1 cup shredded Monterey Jack Cheese

and

1 cup shredded Cheddar Cheese

or

2 cup shredded Mexican Blend Cheese

Directions:

1. Make a batch of The Best Honey Mustard You've Ever Tasted. Heck, make a double batch -- you'll love it.

2. Pour about ½ of a single batch or ¼ of a double batch of the honey mustard in a bowl and add the chicken. Set in the refrigerator to marinate for 2 hours or, better yet, overnight. Save remaining honey mustard in a sealed container in 'fridge to use as a dipping sauce later.

3. Preheat oven to 375 F

4. Heat up the oil in a frying pan on the stove and sear each chicken breast 3-4 minutes per side until golden brown.

5. Transfer chicken to oven safe pan and brush with honey mustard.

6. Salt and pepper breasts.

7. Add butter to frying pan and saute mushrooms.

8. Stack bacon across each breast, spoon mushrooms on each breast and then approx ½ cup of cheese on each.

9. Cover pan with foil or lid and bake 7-10 minutes to melt cheese. Dust with paprika and serve with honey mustard.

Yum! Just like Matilda (and Outback Steakhouse) use to make.

[ReconRat]

There are hundreds of websites with thousands of recipes.

Here's a couple I use regularly:

http://allrecipes.com/

http://allrecipes.com/Recipes/Main-Dish/Slow-Cooker/Main.aspx

http://www.cooks.com/

http://southernfood.about.com/

http://www.indexoftheweb.com/Food/Recipes.htm

Sure puts the old "Joy of Cooking" away on the shelf.

[SchmuckGirl]

There are hundreds of websites with thousands of recipes.

Here's a couple I use regularly:

http://allrecipes.com/

http://allrecipes.com/Recipes/Main-Dish/Slow-Cooker/Main.aspx

http://www.cooks.com/

http://southernfood.about.com/

http://www.indexoftheweb.com/Food/Recipes.htm

Sure puts the old "Joy of Cooking" away on the shelf.

I thought you'd throw up a quesadilla recipe!

I know that there are TONS of resources on the internet.... I've actually been looking for awhile to find a pork enchilada recipe.

It just made me wonder what some of the favorite recipes of other members may be..... the stuff you keep preparing over and over cause it's always so darn yummy

[SchmuckGirl]

Alice Springs Chicken, ala Outback Steakhouse.

Outback Steakhouse's Alice Springs Chicken

This is my favorite dinner on the Outback Steakhouse menu though overall it might lose out to the Bloomin' Onion.

mOre bonus points for adding a picture!!!

The last time I went to Outback, my bloomin onio was tiny.

This recipe looks decadent. And easy!

[ReconRat]

One recent bloomin' onion was under-cooked for me. yuk, should have sent it back.

There's nothing better than a left over casserole, cook once, eat for days.

It's easy to switch to other ingredients, using whatever is available.

Tuna Broccoli Casserole

mix:

1 1/2 cup uncooked pasta shells

1 package frozen broccoli - thawed

1 6oz can tuna - drained

1 can cheese soup

1 soup can milk

Place in greased 2 qt casserole dish. Sprinkle with 1 cup crushed potato chips. Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 30 to 40 minutes.

I probably do a chicken-pasta-combo casserole more often. Or chicken and rice, yum. Or a can of veggies. Or any variety of a can of soup. It's not fancy. It's a guy thing, simple is good. Throw whatever I got in there and cook it up.

Cooking humor: http://www.badgirls.org/kitchen/ Gals that cook up whatever crap is around to throw together... and hubby still likes it just fine, and wants more... The website used to have details of how that went down, but now it's just basically home grown recipes.

do not type in badgirls dot com... it's badgirls dot org... you've been warned, ha

[kawi kid]

salsa chicken!!! i love making this stuff. i have the cook book titled "fix it and forget it, five items or less" it is the best cook book i have ever had.

ok her it is salsa chicken:

4-6 boneless skinless chicken breasts

16 oz of chunky style salsa

cook on low heat in a 4-5 qt crock pot for 5-8 hours or until chicken is tender but not dry

serve over spanish rice with shredded cheese

[ninjachk08]

im awesome at french toast!

[OsuMj]

My roomies and me used to enjoy spinach dip for crackers and chips

8oz of shredded cheese

1 box of (non fat) cream cheese

smidge of milk

two small boxes of frozen chopped spinach

1 tomato

thaw spinach, chop tomato, mix it all together, bake in oven at 400 until everything is nice & hot.

[SchmuckGirl]

im awesome at french toast!

Hell yea, i love french toast. Breakfast is probably my favorite meal to cook b/c almost all options are so tasty!

My roomies and me used to enjoy spinach dip for crackers and chips

That actually sounds really good. I love having a food that you can just throw together and snack on!

[ChickOn2]

My "man magnet" BBQ pulled pork:

(irresistible to good natured chubby hubbies)

2 pounds of pork loin

1 bottle of BBQ sauce (prefer Montgomery Inn)

1 crock pot

Chop or shred the meat. Dump the meat and the sauce into a crock pot in the morning on low heat.

After about 6 hours, use a fork and pull the meat apart and slap it onto hamburger buns. Serve with cole slaw and fries.

Attracts men like moths to a flame! And makes them think you worked WAY harder on it than you really did!

[Likwid]

stuffed flank steak = awesome....

tenderize a flank steak, wrap it around some prepared stove top stuffing... cook in a dish in the oven (or grill it)

So awesome!

[max power]

My buddy Chef Kevins recipe site

http://friedchickenonline.com/

Lots of good recipes and videos too.

[Pedro]

My "man magnet" BBQ pulled pork:

(irresistible to good natured chubby hubbies)

2 pounds of pork loin

1 bottle of BBQ sauce (prefer Montgomery Inn)

1 crock pot

Chop or shred the meat. Dump the meat and the sauce into a crock pot in the morning on low heat.

After about 6 hours, use a fork and pull the meat apart and slap it onto hamburger buns. Serve with cole slaw and fries.

Attracts men like moths to a flame! And makes them think you worked WAY harder on it than you really did!

This sounds good just because of the BBQ sauce.. I ate at their restaurant this weekend.

One of my favorite crock pot recipes is pot roast. I put a roast in the crock pot, pour a can of cream of celery soup over it, add salt, pepper, and garlic powder, two cans of water, and cook on medium for four or five hours.

[SchmuckGirl]

My "man magnet" BBQ pulled pork:

(irresistible to good natured chubby hubbies)

2 pounds of pork loin

1 bottle of BBQ sauce (prefer Montgomery Inn)

1 crock pot

Chop or shred the meat. Dump the meat and the sauce into a crock pot in the morning on low heat.

After about 6 hours, use a fork and pull the meat apart and slap it onto hamburger buns. Serve with cole slaw and fries.

Attracts men like moths to a flame! And makes them think you worked WAY harder on it than you really did!

We must be kindrid cooking spirits.... I swear I cook a pork tenderloin in the crock pot once every other week!! I mix up the sauce: bbq, buffalo, or just plain salt pepper and olive oil, but this is one of Schmuck's fave's too.

(and so EASY!)

[cfd37buckeye]

Just made this today for the guys on my shift at the fire dept.

Chicken Cacciatore

3-5 lbs cut up fryer ( I use bone in thighs, good flavor and cheap)

coat in flour, salt and pepper,put enough olive oil in the bottom of the skillet to coat it, cook in a large skillet until browned on both sides, but dont cook all the way through.

Pull the chicken out, then cook 2 medium onions, sliced into thin rings, 2 green peppers chopped until softened. Add in 2-4 cloves of chopped garlic, and sliced portobello mushrooms.

Add 2 cans tomato sauce, 2 cans diced tomatoes( I use the garlic/basil ones) and 1/4 cup red wine vinegar or balsamic vinegar.

Bring it back to a boil, add the chicken back in, and cover and cook for 30-40 minutes.

Serve over linguine

If you prefer, after it is all cooked in the skillet, it can be combined in a crock pot and simmered for a couple hours on low.

You can use any kind of chicken, boneless skinless will work well also, especially in a crock pot where it wont dry out.

[ReconRat]

@ ChickOn2: if you like to do BBQ, try this one. The recipe is right on the back of the pack of McCormick seasoning. The aroma will drive people crazy while it's cooking. For me, it's been the best BBQ I've done at home. I'll do this one on 3 or 4 day weekends. I'll let it cook all night, and it's ready in the morning.

http://mccormick.com/Recipes/Slow-Cooker/Slow-Cookers-BBQ-Pulled-Pork.aspx

Slow Cookers BBQ Pulled Pork

Under $2.00 per serving.

Sweet and tangy describe this mild, family-style BBQ pork. Start with a boneless shoulder roast or substitute a boneless loin roast for a lower fat BBQ.

Makes 10 servings.

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 8 hours on LOW or 4 hours on HIGH

INGREDIENTS

3 pounds boneless pork shoulder roast, well trimmed

1 package McCormick® Slow Cookers BBQ Pulled Pork Seasoning

1/2 cup ketchup

1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar

1/3 cup cider vinegar

DIRECTIONS

1. Place pork in slow cooker. Mix Seasoning, ketchup, brown sugar and vinegar until blended. Pour over pork. Cover.

2. Cook 8 hours on LOW or 4 hours on HIGH. Remove pork from slow cooker.

3. Shred pork, using 2 forks. Return pork to slow cooker. Mix and heat with sauce before serving. Serve on sandwich rolls, if desired.

Tips

Test Kitchen Tip: Use 3 pounds boneless pork loin roast in place of the pork shoulder roast.

Slow Cooker Tip: For best results, do not remove cover during cooking.

NUTRITION INFORMATION per serving

Calories: 336

Fat: 20 g

Carbohydrates: 15 g

Cholesterol: 88 mg

Sodium: 632 mg

Fiber: 1 g

Protein: 24 g

[sonavabeech]

I like to make/bake sweets. I can make some cookies sooooooo good they make a fat baby fart! It is a time consuming, from scratch, make a mess recipe though.

There's this betta-than-poo-tang cake I like to make....just bake a box of chocolate cake mix according to the box using the rectangle pan. While it's still hot poke holes all over and drizzle a can of sweetened condensed milk all over it. When it's fairly cool enough. Stick it in the fridge for maybe an hour. Long enough for it to be cold enough for the cool whip you smother all over the top not to melt away. Makes my mouth all horny just talking about it huh huh!

Making french toast with Hawaiian sweet bread kicks ass too.

Gluten-free (if it has to be) tropical cheese cake is pretty good...

Filling

1/3 - cup lemon juice

1 - 14 oz can sweetened condensed milk

1 - 20 oz can of crushed pineapple

1 - 9 oz container of cool whip

1 - cup of chopped macadamia nuts

1 - 8 oz package of creamed cheese

Mix all the filling ingredients together set in fridge to chill while prepping crust.

Crust:

3 - tablespoons of butter

1/2 - cup brown sugar

2/3 - cup rice flakes cereal (gluten free)

2/3 - cup corn flakes cereal (gluten free)

1/2 - cup coconut flakes

Crush and mix all the crust ingredients together, press into a 9" spring pan, bake @ 375 degrees for 5 minutes. After it cools, pour in cheesecake mix and CHILL BITCHES! 80)

I have no nutritional value info for you... Desserts aren't meant to have such depressing information.

Sausage Balls

As far as I know, it's a southern thing. It's more of a breakfasty snack food/finger food. Back in high school, during bus trips for away games, the moms would make these and put them in tins for the team to snack on.

1 - pound of ground sausage

1 - cup shredded cheddar

2 - cups Bisquick biscuit mix

3/4 - milk

Mix all ingredients together.

Roll into quarter size balls.

Place on cookie sheet and bake at 400 degrees for about 10 minutes.

Chicken Salad - similar to Carfagna's

I'm guessing at the amounts below because I just put it together in amounts to give me the desired taste and consistency I like.

4 - pounds of chicken breast

6 - eggs

2 - cups chopped celery

2 to 3 - tablespoons relish

1 - cup miracle whip

2 to 3 - teaspoons of mustard

1/2 - cup chopped green onion

salt/pepper

Cook by boiling the chicken breasts.

Hard boil the eggs.

Allow the chicken and eggs to cool, refrigerate until cold.

Shred up the chicken, chop up the eggs, mix all ingredients together.

I like to use a little garlic salt too.

Eat as a sammich or with saltine crackahs

S'all I got for you for now.

[Cypress]

You guys are makin' me soo hungry. HEY! We should have a pot-luck!

[kawi kid]

You guys are makin' me soo hungry. HEY! We should have a pot-luck!

o goodie i love pot luck.............

hello pot luck

hello tastey food................

[sonavabeech]

Tuna Melts

Saute onions in some butter.

Add 1 can of drained tuna.

Whisk two eggs in a bowl (I like to add a drop or two of soy sauce) and pour over onions and tuna.

scramble around to cook thoroughly but kind of keep it all together like an omelet. set aside.

In another skillet, act like your gonna make like your gonna make yourself a mad grilled ham and cheese but use the tuna/egg stuff instead of the ham. I like to use Texas toast. It should make 2-3 sammiches. Or 1-2 toasted sub roll sammiches!

[Cypress]

o goodie i love pot luck.............

hello pot luck

hello tastey food................

Hmm...is he makin' fun of me? That's it! You can come to the pot-luck but because of that comment you can't have any food.

[speedytriple]

Ok so the only thing I make from scratch is sausage gravy and biscuits. From moms Kentucky cook book.

Start by browning one roll sausage, remove cooked bits and save dripping. add 2 tbs flour stir and reheat to thicken. Add 3 cups milk(maybe more or less depends on how much shorting you got out of drippings.) add fresh ground pepper and a little salt. run over low heat stirring until thickened. add the cooked sausage back in cook for a few more mins and done. the wife loves this one better then bob evans.