Cooking Cranky Style
OMG…I just
saw another celebrity pushing his new cook book. How many friggin cook books can the world
possibly need? Who buys these cook
books? How many cook books could a
person possibly have?
I can’t
believe there is anything in the culinary world that has not already been
covered by Bobby Flay, Mario Battaglia, Julia Child, Betty Crocker, humpteen
other famous chefs or even the ubiquitous “The Joy of Cooking.”
Do we really
need cookbooks from a ditsy “House Wife of New Jersey” or a fashion freak from
a reality TV show? What does an actor or
an athlete knownavout cooking that has not already been covered?
It is just
ridiculous.
Except…
Maybe the
world needs a book of Cranky recipes.
Meals that are quick, easy, need no special ingredients and are
tasty. Food that is not special, but
that anyone can make. Simple stuff that
can be whipped together without extensive shopping, planning and
measuring. Meals that are easy clean
ups.
ELBOW PASTA ALA CRANKY
Wrong pasta, but close
My first
dish is my go to meal when I just want something filling and simple.
Ingredients
for one serving:
Elbow
noodles - two cups
Bacon – five
slices
Peas – one cup
frozen
Mushroom
soup – Half can of Campbells
Butter – Two
soupspoons
Salt – a lot
1. Cook the five slices of bacon to extra
crispy
2. Add a lot of salt to boiling water,
stir in the elbow noodles and cook for 8 minutes until NOT dente.
3. Microwave the peas until done, about
1 minute 45 seconds
4. Drain the elbow noodles
5. Mix mushroom soup with the noodles
6. Crumble four slices of bacon and add
to the noodles
7. Add the butter
8. Stir in the peas
9. Eat the fifth slice of bacon
Garnish with
a glass of Pinot Grigio or a bottle of beer and serve.
That is
Cranky recipe number one…is there book potential?
You shoulda been here Monday night.
ReplyDeleteI called it Irish goulash.
It turned out pretty good.
Tuesday night my mother in law added some Alfredo to the leftovers.
I understand it was even better.
Started out with
- 2 lbs. of chicken thighs, chunked into 1 inch cubes.
- 1 yellow onion, halved and sliced with about 1/8 cup chopped
- 1/2 lb. white mushrooms, sliced thick.
- 2 small skinny zucchini, 1/4 inch thick slices.
- 2 or 3 cloves of garlic
- 1 Tblsp. olive oil
heat the olive oil in a saute pan (medium high heat)
add the chicken chunks and chopped onion, turning chicken regularly for about five minutes
add the garlic and stir
add the rest of the onions, zucchini, and mushrooms; cook until zucchini is tender, stirring occasionally
serve over rice or pasta
the Alfredo is a nice touch (I had thought about adding sour cream)
I'm not a big pasta fan, and I usually despise peas...but that sounds tasty. If you could get a picture with those colorful peas, and the bacon showing, I think there is cookbook potential. Gotta have a picture though, because if I read the recipe without seeing the picture, I don't think I would have wanted to try it. You'll need a catchy title, too! I'm sure your readers can suggest several.
ReplyDeleteWhat do you do with the other half can of Campbell's soup? I like simple recipes. They can't contain more than 7 items needed and can't take more than 30 minutes to prepare. We usually consume the meal in less than 20 minutes so I think that's a pretty good ratio of 30 minutes to prepare/20 minutes to devour. I can't imagine spending all afternoon in the kitchen.
ReplyDeletebetty
I cover the can with foil, put it in the fridge and throw it away when I try to use it three weeks later and it is all moldy. I guess that should be included in the directions.
ReplyDeleteSounds easy enough, but two cups of noodles seems a lot. Maybe add an extra cup of noodles, more bacon and use the whole can of mushroom soup, then you've got dinner for two days running without extra cooking. Just microwave the second bowl on the second day.
ReplyDeleteThere's a vacancy for a new chef on television... please apply. We have the same problem with our TV schedules, cooking, cooking and more cooking, closely followed by auctions and more auctions. Whatever happened to entertainment? Anyway, I'm off to buy a can of Campbell Soup to try your recipe.
ReplyDeleteIf it's easy to cook and doesn't make a huge mess in the kitchen, it sounds perfect. Even if you can't come up with a whole big book, a cook booklet with 15-20 easy recipes like this would be handy to have around.
ReplyDeleteWell, at least there are peas in there! I rely on Pinterest for new recipes.
ReplyDeleteSounds like one of DH's dishes except he would leave out the peas. The man has a problem with veggies, he doesn't like them! :-)
ReplyDeleteIn my pre low carb days I could have gone for that..it sounds lovely...especially that fifth slice of bacon.
ReplyDeleteCooking Cranky Style even sounds like the perfect title, A cookbook filled with simple recipes and with some of your cranky side notes and wit mixed throughout, I bet this book would sell.
ReplyDeleteBIG book potential! :-)
ReplyDeleteIt is not something I would eat because I would have an immediate and unfortunate reaction to that much salt. However, I do know someone who may expect me to cook for him sometimes so I would buy the book.
ReplyDeleteIf there is pasta them I'm in. I think you have the beautiful beginnings of a cook book.
ReplyDeleteHave a fabulous day. ☺
Does the world really have too many cookbooks? Now....... a
ReplyDeleteCranky Cookbook would be just grand. Breaths there a man with
soul so dead who never to himself has said, "I want a Cranky Cookbook"
Your title is perfect. I love step #9. You should include the part about throwing away the last half of the can of soup (or double the recipe)!!
ReplyDeleteSounds good. Bacon makes everything good. I miss bacon a lot. Nothing in my opinion is more satisfying than seeing a man in an apron. You go guy.
ReplyDeleteSWMBO recently made a big pan of corned beef hash...something we both ate in our childhoods. A can of corned beef and some chopped up potatoes. Even better the second (and third) day when you heat one side in a small pan, flip it over, make a hollow with the back of a spoon, crisp it a bit and then drop an egg into the hollow and cover the pan for about 4 minutes. Delicious!
ReplyDeleteMe I would just go to the grocery store and buy it in a box fix up in just a few minutes. Tasty, lol.
ReplyDeleteHere's one for your book:
ReplyDeleteAfrican Peanut Soup.
One shredded chicken--(buy a rotisserie chicken and peel off the meat.)
Three cups of chicken broth
Three tablespoons of peanut butter
curry (teaspoon and a half)
garlic (couple of chopped cloves)
2 cans stewed Mexican tomatoes
Quarter cup of tomato paste
Bring it all to a simmer. This requires little simmering time and can be cooked in a matter of minutes. It can be served as a soup but I like it a bit thick and served over rice. Unbelievably good.
Ahahaha! So ... you aren't into particularly healthy eating, and you like salt - am I right? :D
ReplyDeleteI used to cook a lot like this. These days, I'm having to be a LOT more careful, which is sad, in a way, but I suppose it keeps me on my toes.
Hate peas, but otherwise sounds great. 😆
ReplyDeleteMight as well write one up! But be considerate! We found out you can't even trust a cookbook from one edition to another. Queenie has a Betty Crocker cook book that's 'the same' as one her mother always used but many of the recipes didn't come out quite the same. Queenie assumed it was her poor cooking/baking until we took a look at her Mothers version, same book with same recipes, cover, and artwork. There were all sorts of changes in the 15 years between editions in both measurements and ingredients for 'the same thing'. So if you do write it, mean what you say!
ReplyDeleteI'm in. I'll pass this along to my cuisine coordinator :)
ReplyDeleteR
You had me at....Bacon!
ReplyDeleteI had no idea you were a cook among all your other talents, Cranky. Sounds yummy, but unfortunately lots in there I don't eat. I do like peas and pasta though...
ReplyDeleteI love simple, easy, quick recipes. I remember when I first connected to the internet in 1996 or '97, I thought of the internet as "this giant cookbook."
ReplyDeleteAs soon as a recipe says something like "...this item can be found in specialty food stores..." or "...xyz can be bought in some Korean grocery stores..." I'm outta there. If it's not stocked in my regular grocery store, I ain't looking for it.