for all you who think that cooking is hard and a pain and that you can't do it

[ßäbý ®ü±h]

let me introduce you to something

it's called A Man, A Can, A Plan

it was created for guys, especially young, single ones, to show them that a satisfactory meal isn't hard, and you don't have to eat cereal every night

my dad was telling me about how a bunch of the interns at work were talking about this book, and i thought i'd share since it seemed like a good idea

it's a cookbook that explains how to jazz up things like a can of beans and make them pretty good with a few simple steps
the average number of ingredients is 5, which shows how simple simple can be

so yea
check it out
it's gotta be pretty cheap

[Cat]

Any tips you can post from that book Ruth?

[ßäbý ®ü±h]

i don't have it and haven't read it- i can cook well enough on my own

apparently a lot of it is just adding a few fresh ingredients, like chopping up some peppers and/or scallions and throwing it into a can of whatever

i'm definately getting it for a few of my guy friends if they ever decide to stop living with their moms

[Cat]

i don't have it and haven't read it- i can cook well enough on my own

apparently a lot of it is just adding a few fresh ingredients, like chopping up some peppers and/or scallions and throwing it into a can of whatever

i'm definately getting it for a few of my guy friends if they ever decide to stop living with their moms

That's a shame because a lot of people particularly guys won't run out and buy a cookery book, so would have been good if you were able to post some tips from it.

[Marius De Romanus]

We could still use the thread for tips without using the book. For example:


Cheat's sausage casserole.


2 can's of sliced carrots, 2 cans of new potatoes, 1 can tomato soup, 12 large or 24 small sausages.


Oven bake the sausages at 200C for 20 minutes, drain the carrots and potatoes and halve the potatoes, put in a saucepan with the soup and heat gently for 5 minutes, add the sausages and simmer for a further 3, then serve. Done.

[ßäbý ®ü±h]

That's a shame because a lot of people particularly guys won't run out and buy a cookery book, so would have been good if you were able to post some tips from it.

okay, this can be a small spice up tip thread as well
and just saying, it's a good present to give the stereotypical single guy



i got this from amazon:
'50s-Style Creamed Chicken

How to make it: Cook the onion in the oil in a large skillet over medium heat, until tender. Dump in the chicken and stir. Cook for 1 minute. Stir in the soup and mushrooms. Simmer for 10 minutes. Stir in the sour cream over low heat. Heat through and serve over the cooked noodles. Makes 6 servings. Per serving: 354 calories, 5 g fat (12% of calories), 1 g saturated fat, 22 g protein, 54 g carbohydrates, 5 g fiber, 599 mg sodium. When it's not just you and the TV ... top with chopped fresh parsley.

10-oz can chunk chicken breast, drained and flaked
11-oz can reduced-fat cream of mushroom soup
6-oz can sliced mushrooms, drained
12-oz bag "no yolk" egg noodles, cooked according to the package directions
Also: 1/2 cup chopped onion, 2 tsp olive oil, 1 cup fat-free sour cream

[Cat]

I've stickied this thread because I'm sick of half decent ones being bogged down with the 'What......' crap that's in here.

Users feel free to post any GOOD (and note I said good) tips or recipes you have.

I'll dig out my "How to Poison 99.99% of C-A Members" later.

[ßäbý ®ü±h]

how to spice up macaroni and cheese:
make the mac and cheese
-add a few shakes of pepper
-1teaspoon - 1tablespoon of minced garlic (can be purchased in a mini jar at most grocery stores) OR garlic powder, but minced is better
-about a quarter cup of cheddar cheese (add right away so it melts)
-and if you're a meat lover, about half a pound of ground beef made in a pan-NO oil, yes salt, yes pepper, yes garlic powder, minimal italian seasonings
i guess you could cut up vegetables and stuff and throw them in, but i don't like vegetables

it's like hamburger helper, but a little fancier and kinda less gross
we make it aaaaaaall the time when we smoke too much, and we all have stashes of mac and cheese in the car


Baked Tortellini:
standard size bag of frozen tortellini (or other filled pasta, but these break less)
single jar of red ragu pasta sauce
1 lb ground italian TURKEY sausage
vegetables, if you dare

-fry the sausage (no oil, just cook it all the way through)
-in a large casserole dish, dump in the frozen tortellini and turkey sausage. (and any vegetables you want) blend well
-dump in jar of ragu and blend well
-cover dish
-pop it in the oven at 375F for about half an hour

this takes just about as much effort as boiling pasta and frying sausage, but is way more satisfying
it's also good if you're trying to get by for cooking dinner for someone without putting in much effort. no one's just going to boil pasta for a date, they're gonna want to do something that seems cooler

[Marius De Romanus]

Baked Tortellini:
standard size bag of frozen tortellini (or other filled pasta, but these break less)
single jar of red ragu pasta sauce
1 lb ground italian TURKEY sausage
vegetables, if you dare

-fry the sausage (no oil, just cook it all the way through)
-in a large casserole dish, dump in the frozen tortellini and turkey sausage. (and any vegetables you want) blend well
-dump in jar of ragu and blend well
-cover dish
-pop it in the oven at 375F for about half an hour

this takes just about as much effort as boiling pasta and frying sausage, but is way more satisfying
it's also good if you're trying to get by for cooking dinner for someone without putting in much effort. no one's just going to boil pasta for a date, they're gonna want to do something that seems cooler

Great idea, I would add just one little change: Crumble 3 rounds of bread with the same weight of cheese, sprinkle on top before putting in oven and it makes a lovely crispy topping, and makes it look even cooler.

[ßäbý ®ü±h]

ooh, crumbs would be good
you can buy italian (or other) crumbs too, we always bread fish and abalone in them


something my aunt's boyfriend used to make:
~1 lb of chicken breasts
1 can campbell's cream of mushroom soup

dumb the chicken in like a pan or oven-safe dish and pour the soup over it
cover the whole thing with foil and bake in the 300s(F) until it's done*
you get a nice thick sauce that makes the chicken taste good, and it's easy as hell

*someone please provide a suggestion for baking temp and time
i'd normally tell people to guess, but this thread is for people who don't have cooking experience and won't be able to do that