Cooking section

[gareth19 (imported)]

I would just buy the skinless and boneless breasts.

That's expensive. Even if you throw the rest away, it is cheaper to buy the whole chicken and use the breasts than pay for someone else to cut them for you.

After you bone the chicken and use the breasts, cut the carcase up, sear in a 6 quart pot, add 1 t rosemary, 1 clove garlic, one carrot, 1 stalk of celery, and 1 diced onion add, 1 T salt or bouillon and water to cover and boil. When the carcase comes apart, remove from the flame and let cool. Strain through a colander, discard veggies and pick the meat off the bones, you can either return it to the stock to make soup or reserve it for chicken salad. The longer you boil the carcase, the more gelatin is released from the bones and cartilage.

Lightly dredge thin chicken breasts in pepper and flour

In a skillet, melt 4 T butter and saute sliced mushrooms and 1 thinly sliced medium onion

when the onions are translucent and slightly golden remove them and the mushrooms and reserve

add the coated breasts and brown in butter on both sides

when golden brown return the onion and mushrooms to the skillet,

lower the heat and add half c chicken stock and half c DRY Marsala wine

stir as the browned flour thickens the stock about 3 minutes or until the stock forms a Marsala sauce

remove breasts to a plate, pour onions, mushrooms and sauce over them and serve with pasta & salad.

[Riverwind (imported)]

I don't eat out very often, I don't order take out or drop off items, I don't own a microwave, so if I want to eat it requires me to cook it, sense I don't like packaged foods I make just about everything from scratch. I am not a chef I just cook simple meals that taste good. From biscuits and gravy or pancakes in the morning to Navy bean soup with ham and cornbread for dinner, home made ice cream never store bought. I even make dog treats for my little dog. Cooking is fun and best of all you get to eat your mistakes.

River

[StefanIsMe (imported)]

You should (will) remain healthy longer than most of us, River.

I try hard to eat correctly but I eat too much packaged stuff. I do force down fresh, raw broccoli, cauliflower, and carrots daily with the help of ranch dressing and I drink the ONE decent fruit juice I've found (Ocean Spray's Blueberry/Cranberry Cocktail, which has concentrated juice first on the ingredients, water next, no *-syrup, no NOTHING added).

COOKING TIP:

FOR THOSE OF US WHO BOIL POTATOES FOR ANY REASON:

IF You want peeled, boiled potatos for mashing or whatever, STOP USING A PEELER and a lot of time to peel them.

Just plunk the things straight from the cellar into boiling water and boil as usual, unpeeled.

Then put cold water in a bowl when potatoes are done, and place them directly into the cold water for 10 seconds.

Now grab the potato in two hands, and pull your hands apart while gripping. You MIGHT need to score a line around the middle of it.

The peel will just pull clean off, with no effort. Perfectly peeled potato with no effort.

(I only just discovered this trick, so I'm all excited 'cuz it freakin' WORKS, even if I'm years behind you all!)

[nullorchis (imported)]

Dining on deep fried bull balls in the Denver Airport. True.

http://eatocracy.cnn.com/2011/06/21/pri ... r-airport/

[Arab Nights (imported)]

My buddy Hugo Chavez has proved that socialism cannot produce decent hamburger meat for the barbie. My lesson was to experiment. I ended up finally being able to make a decent hamburger by mixing in eggs, ground-up crackers to keep it from getting sloppy and various peppers and other spices plus mixing in pinkie fingernail-sized slices of bananas. Nothing like a bananna cheeseburger which I discovered by experimenting.

Obviously cooking touches a responsive cord. How about expanding it a little bit to like home ec where we can ask how to mend clothes, repair a lawn mower, etc. Just regular stuff that helps us get thru life.