Tuesday, March 16, 2010

5 easy recipies for the single man.

I've tried to do a little research on this subject only to be met with over-ambitious recipe requirements, and irrational time restrictions. So I'm going to put together a list of my own 5 easy recipes for the Bachelor. The name of the game is simplicity, and bulk.Leftovers is the name of the game, and let's face it as much as someone may like to cook, no one wants to cook two days in a row, unless they're getting paid for it. So let's do this!



A. Macaroni and Cheese

• 3/4 cup dry bread crumbs
• 2 tablespoons melted butter
• 8 ounces macaroni
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 small onion, minced
• 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1/4 teaspoon dry mustard
• 1 1/2 cups milk
• 2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese

Directions
1.Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a 2 quart casserole dish. Place the bread crumbs into a small bowl and mix well with the melted butter; set aside.

2.Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add macaroni and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain, then place into prepared casserole dish.

3.While the pasta is cooking, melt 2 tablespoons butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the minced onion and cook until the onion softens and turns translucent, about 5 minutes.

4.Stir in the flour, pepper, salt, and dry mustard until incorporated, then pour in the milk and bring to a simmer. Simmer, stirring constantly until the milk has thickened, about 10 minutes. Take the milk off of the heat and stir in the Cheddar cheese until melted. Pour cheese sauce over the macaroni, then sprinkle evenly with buttered bread crumbs.



B. Grilled Chicken Salad.


• 1lb Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast Halves

*Marinade

• 1/2 cup Olive oil or Vegetable Oil
• Lemon Juice
• 2 Cloves Minced Garlic
• 1/2 Tsp Salt
• 1/2 Tsp Pepper

Vegetables

• 6 cups Washed Torn Romaine lettuce leaves
• 4 quartered Cherry or Plum Tomatoes
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan (Or cheese of your choice)
• 1 cup croutons



Directions:

1.Place thawed chicken in glass pan.
2.Combine oil, lemon juice, garlic, salt, and pepper in a small bowl.
3.Reserve 1/3 c. marinate (Cover and store in frig.)
4.Pour remaining marinade over chicken in pan.
5.Cover and refrigerate at least ½ hour – 1 hour
6.Toss lettuce, tomatoes, and cheese in large bowl. Cover; refrigerate until serving.
7.Prep grill
8.Drain chicken; reserve marinate from pan.
9.Grill chicken on medium coals, or heat, 10-12 minutes, or until chicken is no longer pink in the middle, brushing with marinade after 5 mins. and turning halfway through grilling time.
10.Discard remaining marinade from the pan.
11.Cool chicken slightly.
12.Slice chicken crosswise into 1/2 wide strips.
13.Add chicken and croutons to lettuce mixture in bowl.
14.Drizzle with 1/3 c. reserved marinade; toss to coat well
15.For variety, make a Caesar salad, or add other veggies to lettuce mixture for a garden salad.

Note: If you don't have a grill, pan fry instead. You may want to allow chicken to become a little overdone to provide texture.





C.Hungarian Paprikash


• 2Lbs Chicken Pieces or Chicken breast.
• 1 Tbsp Salt
• 1 Tbsp Pepper
• 4 Tbsp Minced Onions
• 2 Cups water
• 2 whole peppers ( Green and Red...Add orange if you're feeling saucy!)
• 1 (15oz) can of Whole Tomato
• 2 Tbsp Paprika



1.Brown chicken, Onions, and Garlic.
2. Add water,salt,and Pepper
3. Simmer over medium heat for 20 to 30 minutes.
4.Add Tomato, Paprika, and Green/Red pepper. Mix well.
5. Add Rice Simmer over low heat for 45 minutes. If chicken seems dry add 1/2 cup water while cooking.



D. Caveman Chicken and Roasted Potatoes


Whole Chicken

•1 WHOLE CHICKEN
•4 garlic cloves, Minced
•2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil or Vegetable Oil
•1 tablespoons coarse salt (It can be any type of salt you have available)
•1 teaspoons Black Pepper
•1 teaspoons paprika
•1 teaspoons garlic powder
•1/2 teaspoons cayenne pepper
•1/2teaspoons seasoning salt


1. Apply rub to chicken
2. (Optional) you can either place chicken in the refrigerator to marinate or place
it directly onto baking sheet for cooking.

3. Heat oven to 375 F
4. Let chicken cook for 90 minutes
5. Remove chicken from oven and allow to rest 10-15 minutes


Roasted Potato

•4 large potatoes, Cubed (I prefer leaving the skin on, you can peel if you like)
•1/8 cup extra-virgin olive oil or Vegetable Oil
•2 Garlic cloves (Minced)
•1/2 teaspoons dried basil
•1/2 teaspoon salt
•1 teaspoons paprika

1.Preheat oven to 475 degrees F (245 degrees C).

2.In a large bowl, combine oil, garlic,paprika,basil and salt. Stir in potatoes until evenly coated. Place potatoes in a single layer on a roasting pan or baking sheet.

3.Roast for 20 to 30 minutes in the preheated oven, turning occasionally to brown on all sides.



Note: Please allow the baking sheet to get hot. This will prevent the potatoes from sticking and provide you with a crispy exterior and soft interior.




E. Spaghetti and Meatballs

•1 pound spaghetti
•Salt , for pasta water
•1 1/4 pounds ground sirloin
•2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce, eyeball it
•1 egg, beaten
•1/2 cup Italian bread crumbs, a couple of handfuls
•1/4 cup grated Parmesan, Parmigiano-Reggiano or Romano cheese (Optional)
•2 cloves garlic, chopped
•Salt and pepper
•1 jar tomato sauce


1.Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

2.Place a large pot of water on to boil for spaghetti. When it boils, add salt and pasta and cook to al dente.

3.Mix beef and Worcestershire, egg, bread crumbs, cheese, garlic, salt and pepper. Roll meat into 1 1/2 inch medium-sized meatballs and place on nonstick cookie sheet or a cookie sheet greased with extra-virgin olive oil.

4.Bake meatballs 10 to 12 minutes, until no longer pink.

5. Heat a deep skillet (or pot) over medium heat.

6. Add Oil and Tomato sauce. ( At this point add whatever seasonings you wish to enhance the flavor.)

7. Bring sauce to a simmer, and add meatballs to finish cooking through.

8. Serve, and Enjoy.




I know it may be a lot to digest at once (No pun intended), but being able to cook for yourself is a major bonus for most women. A man who can take care of himself is one less man that woman has to worry about. Try some of them out. Let me know how it went, and as always if you'd like to add a recipe you're more than welcome.


As always, Be safe, and good luck!

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