Starting to cook more for myself!

[SnowGura]

I recently moved into a one bedroom apartment by myself (love it so far!) and so now I'm learning how to cook for one! One of the biggest wins recently was pesto alfredo tortellini. So easy to make, lasts a few days, and so yummy! One of my biggest busts was honey chicken... it's delicious the first day, but heated up it's awful. And since fall is here now, I think I'm going to try making some pumpkin pie  Made some apple pie a couple days ago - here is the result if you wanna see a picture! (Lol it is not very pretty, but the crust is made from scratch and it was so yummy!)

If anyone knows any recipes with good leftovers feel free to share 

[CoconutDragon]

Oh my gosh, that pie looks amazing! Pastry is so tricky and I'm glad it turned out!

One of my go-to's is red curry, with whatever veg I can get on discount. This recipe is my favourite base for curry: https://damndelicious.net/2018/02/25/easy-thai-red-curry/, and since I don't eat meat I put mushrooms & frozen peas instead of chicken. It microwaves really well, too!

  On 9/26/2020 at 7:34 PM, SnowGura said:

One of the biggest wins recently was pesto alfredo tortellini. So easy to make, lasts a few days, and so yummy!

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And could you share the recipe? It sounds delicious!

[SnowGura]

  On 9/26/2020 at 9:02 PM, CoconutDragon said:

Oh my gosh, that pie looks amazing! Pastry is so tricky and I'm glad it turned out!

One of my go-to's is red curry, with whatever veg I can get on discount. This recipe is my favourite base for curry: https://damndelicious.net/2018/02/25/easy-thai-red-curry/, and since I don't eat meat I put mushrooms & frozen peas instead of chicken. It microwaves really well, too!

And could you share the recipe? It sounds delicious!

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Omg I love curry and that looks so delicious! Thanks for sharing - I'll have to try that soon 

Here is the base recipe for the tortellini!

Ingredients:
-1 lb cheese tortellini (frozen or fresh)
-1/2 cup pesto
-1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
-1/4 cup shredded parmesan cheese
-2 jars of alfredo sauce

Directions:
-Heat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit
-Stir all the ingredients besides the parmesan together into a large bowl
-Put the mixture into a 9x13 pan
-Sprinkle parmesan cheese on top
-Bake it for 30 minutes covered with tin foil, then remove foil and bake an additional ten minutes

I also like to make my own alfredo sauce if I have time though!
Ingredients for that is:
-1/4 cup butter
-1 cup heavy cream
-1 clove of garlic
-1 1/2 cups of parmesan cheese
-1/4 cup parsley

directions for sauce:
-melt butter over medium low
-add cream and simmer for 5 min
-add garlic and cheese
-whisk quickly

Either way it turns out delicious!

[CoconutDragon]

  On 9/26/2020 at 9:31 PM, SnowGura said:

Here is the base recipe for the tortellini!

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Ooh that sounds delicious! I love a good pasta bake and I might have a chance to make it this weekend! Thank you 

[jellysundae]

I wonder why the chicken didn't reheat well. Did it make the sauce taste funny? I second the rubbish-at-pastry comment so I'm also impressed by your pie!

I also second the curry suggestion, and, SOUP! I live on my own so I'm all about the leftovers!

I've made DamnDelicious stuff before *nods* It was a prawny/coconut milky/chili-ish thing... wait, there were zoodles too! It was good, but what I most remember is I used harissa rather than actual chilis and I put too much in and just about blew my head off. zoodles and prawns both being things that don't reheat well though, as I discovered with the rest of it.

A food blog I follow could be very helpful for you ladies. Easy Cheesy Vegetarian, I make quite a lot of her recipes, in particular:

Lentil and Halloumi curry I use green lentils rather than brown as brown ones are tough to come by in the UK, I often chuck in some chickpeas too. Cauliflower and red pepper's my fave veg for this as it looks so pretty. Last time there was carrot and courgette too so it looked gorgeous.

Mushroom stroganoff soup this recipe just serves 2 so it's easy to scale down for one. I often make it with a red pepper either as well as or instead of the mushrooms, and I stir some cottage cheese through it for creaminess as I don't have sour cream. I may also have accidentally used 1 tbsp of smoked paprika one time instead of 1tsp, but I had no regrets, it was amazing.

Speaking of smoked paprika... this soup... red lentil and chicken soup I've made it with chicken and it's delicious. Though I dumped the raw thighs into the soup to poach as it cooked then hooked 'em out and shredded 'em, I didn't faff with cooking them separately as the recipe says. But as I have no access to good chicken I've stopped buying it. This recipe is still my go-to though; I just switch the chicken for a can of black beans (or dried ones that I've cooked if I'm being super-efficient). Often a pack of halloumi goes into this too, it is SO. GOOD.

Oven Baked Rice and Vegetables this sounds dull, IT IS NOT. Also this lady is FUN and her recipes are all great. Here's the quick vid the this recipe.

I want to make this again now xD It's AWESOME reheated for breakfast with some fresh greens added and a fried egg on top. I make it with brown rice so it needs to cook for about a year (slight exaggeration) but Nagi is fab for recipe notes that cover all bases, so she gave directions for brown rice.

And another soup recipe! Lemony lentil soup got sweetcorn in it so when it''s blended up it's an amazing golden colour 

Just one more! lol. Spicy peanut and sweet potato soup 

Three of the five blogs linked to here: Pinch of Yum, Recipe Tin Eats, and Easy Cheesy Veg - are where most of the recipes I use come from.

 

 

[CoconutDragon]

oh my GOSH those all sound amazing! Thank you so much for sharing! I'm glad to have another vegetarian recipe blog in my arsenal as well 

This was my old go-to before I moved; it's great topped with sour cream and shredded marble. If you've got a big stock pot it makes a ton and it's easy to double for left-overs and meal prep. It's better with beer than vegetable stock, but it's so tricky to get alcohol here that I haven't made it in a grip. Hopefully one of you can use it!

[jellysundae]

  On 9/27/2020 at 2:52 PM, CoconutDragon said:

I'm glad to have another vegetarian recipe blog in my arsenal as well 

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You're very welcome! I need to make a chili again soon, I haven't made one in ages as this has reminded me. Ones with actual chilis in scare me, LOL. That definitely looks like my kind of recipe though!

I use the spice blend for this regular chili https://www.recipetineats.com/chilli-con-carne/ and use whatever veg and beans I've got. Sweet potatoes are great in chili!

The amount of cumin and paprika scared me too, lol, but it just gives a really good depth of flavour. I've never put beer in chili Can you only get alcohol in bars there? Not for drinking at home?

[CoconutDragon]

  On 9/27/2020 at 6:37 PM, jellysundae said:

The amount of cumin and paprika scared me too, lol, but it just gives a really good depth of flavour. I've never put beer in chili Can you only get alcohol in bars there? Not for drinking at home?

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That's a whole lot of cumin but I'm definitely keen to try it!

Beer in chili is really good! It adds a hint of flavour but the alcohol burns off so you can serve it to anyone. There's a government monopoly where I live, and the prices are absolutely outrageous! Plus, only open during business hours and closed on sundays. Coming from a place where I could walk five minutes to my local any hour of the day and grab a 2-4 for cheap it's a rude awakening 

[jellysundae]

  On 9/27/2020 at 6:45 PM, CoconutDragon said:

There's a government monopoly where I live, and the prices are absolutely outrageous!

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Is it the same in all of Scandinavia? I used to play on a site that was predominantly Norwegians and the price of beer there was unbelievable compared to the UK. it made me laugh really because most of the world complains about how expensive stuff is in the UK, where as these Norwegian guys couldn't believe how cheap stuff was compared to there. xD Thing is, Norway has high wages to go with the high prices, in this country we don't.

Anyways, I have been inspired by the dinner of a fellow ninja on the Shenkuu board, and I'm gonna be trying some echiladas when I get my next grocery delivery. Sweet potato, black bean and spinach ones, to be precise. Just gotta find a recipe I like the look of! Gonna make my own enchilada sauce because... lol... see there's a phrase that springs to mind for me because of this Aussie comedian/musician and, since lockdown, cooking guy on Instagram, but it's absolutely not TDN appropriate so I shall not be saying it here! Let's just say, this guy does not approve of jar sauce.

I'm gonna make this sauce https://www.gimmesomeoven.com/red-enchilada-sauce/

Though I'm gonna use hot paprika rather than chili powder as I prefer the flavour,  and probably add some tomato paste, and we'll see if it is a success or not! And learn how well enchiladas reheat, which I'd have thought would be pretty well. Might need a little help with moisture, like for example a little more grated cheese on top, just to be safe.

Now, off to scour the interwubs for a recipe that speaks to ma belly!

[CoconutDragon]

  On 9/28/2020 at 12:18 PM, jellysundae said:

Is it the same in all of Scandinavia? I used to play on a site that was predominantly Norwegians and the price of beer there was unbelievable compared to the UK. it made me laugh really because most of the world complains about how expensive stuff is in the UK, where as these Norwegian guys couldn't believe how cheap stuff was compared to there. xD Thing is, Norway has high wages to go with the high prices, in this country we don't.

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I think Finns are the only ones who get off easy in that department! I remember the first time I went to the UK everything seemed insanely expensive; and then I got here and VAT is 25%  I realise how spoiled I was with 5% 

That said, those enchiladas sound heavenly! I've never given them a go before but they seem awfully tempting!!

[jellysundae]

  On 9/28/2020 at 12:32 PM, CoconutDragon said:

I think Finns are the only ones who get off easy in that department! I remember the first time I went to the UK everything seemed insanely expensive; and then I got here and VAT is 25%  I realise how spoiled I was with 5% 

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Ours has gone from being 17.5% for as long as I can remember up to 20% now. But 5% sounds crazy, lol. I'm guessing there's going to be other things that were taxed higher to balance that out though? seems to be the way governments do it. States in the US where house prices are comparitively lower seem to have punitive property taxes; stuff like that.

  On 9/28/2020 at 12:32 PM, CoconutDragon said:

those enchiladas sound heavenly! I've never given them a go before but they seem awfully tempting!!

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This was definitely what my stomach said to me when they were mentioned, that's for sure. xD They do seem like something that would work well with my "put a fried egg on top" breakfast strategy, too.

[CoconutDragon]

  On 9/28/2020 at 1:03 PM, jellysundae said:

Ours has gone from being 17.5% for as long as I can remember up to 20% now. But 5% sounds crazy, lol. I'm guessing there's going to be other things that were taxed higher to balance that out though? seems to be the way governments do it. States in the US where house prices are comparitively lower seem to have punitive property taxes; stuff like that.

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Honestly? The tax was super reasonable and I took it for granted! I never had a mortgage in Canada, though, I only ever rented. Rent was a little high for the average income but tax refunds were always plentiful! I miss it  

  On 9/28/2020 at 1:03 PM, jellysundae said:

They do seem like something that would work well with my "put a fried egg on top" breakfast strategy, too.

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Everything is better with a fried egg on top! Ooh, speaking of which, here's a recipe to check out: http://madeincooking.canalblog.com/archives/2013/11/19/27921167.html

[jellysundae]

  On 9/28/2020 at 1:34 PM, CoconutDragon said:

Everything is better with a fried egg on top!

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Quoted for truth! xD

*clicks* ooh, au francais. Let's see how much I can figure out without translating.

Persil is clearly parsley. That's amusing because Persil is a big laundry brand here. xD I wonder why they chose to call it persil then? Often these brand names have a latin origin; like Nivea meaning snow white or something like that. But parsley? Don't think so xD

*asks the Goog*

  Quote

The name, "Persil", is derived from two of the original ingredients, sodium perborate and silicate.

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YAWN!

cuillère à café is obviously the spoon measurement, I love how it's coffee rather that teaspoons. Unless it means more a spoon used in a cafe? It sounds so much more refined than teaspoon, whatever the reason! My mum uses Raz el hanout, not tried that myself yet, pretty sure I will eventually though, this dish is basically like the mexican huevos rancheros I think? I've yet to try anything like this and I'm unsure why as it's RIGHT up my culinary street. Could be because it's always US recipes I see, cooked in cast iron skillets which I do not possess, but I can clearly do this in a regular frying pan.

[CoconutDragon]

  On 9/28/2020 at 2:05 PM, jellysundae said:

cuillère à café is obviously the spoon measurement, I love how it's coffee rather that teaspoons. Unless it means more a spoon used in a cafe? It sounds so much more refined than teaspoon, whatever the reason! My mum uses Raz el hanout, not tried that myself yet, pretty sure I will eventually though, this dish is basically like the mexican huevos rancheros I think? I've yet to try anything like this and I'm unsure why as it's RIGHT up my culinary street. Could be because it's always US recipes I see, cooked in cast iron skillets which I do not possess, but I can clearly do this in a regular frying pan.

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Now that you mention it, yeah, it's like a big batch of huevos rancheros! If I could eat central american cuisine for breakfast every day I would be the happiest camper! I've never used cast iron in my life so I can attest a frying pan works just fine 

  On 9/28/2020 at 2:05 PM, jellysundae said:

Often these brand names have a latin origin; like Nivea meaning snow white or something like that. But parsley? Don't think so xD

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I was really hoping for some cool origin for that name, come on guys, sodium and silicate, really? 

[SnowGura]

  On 9/27/2020 at 12:41 PM, jellysundae said:

I wonder why the chicken didn't reheat well. Did it make the sauce taste funny? 

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Omg just logging in to see all your awesome recipes!! Thank you so much, I'm so excited to try them!! Soup is a great idea, I never venture into making soups much and I should start! As for the chicken - more like it just loses all its flavor. Heating it up in the oven helps (as it usually does for any food) but it also still ends up that way, and doing it in the microwave makes it soggy. Bleh. I really only make it now if I have friends over and most of it will get eaten.

[jellysundae]

  On 9/28/2020 at 3:02 PM, CoconutDragon said:

I was really hoping for some cool origin for that name, come on guys, sodium and silicate, really? 

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Hahaha, I know, right? I guess a chemist came up with the name not someone from marketing. xD

  On 9/28/2020 at 9:43 PM, SnowGura said:

I never venture into making soups much and I should start!

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You totally should! Nothing quite like 'em once the weather cools. Easiest breakfast ever if you've got a tubful in the fridge, too. Though if you have a home-made pie hanging around that's a pretty strong contender too, isn't it.   How long did your apple pie last?

That sucks about the chicken! Is it something you can have cold in salad?

[SnowGura]

  On 9/29/2020 at 11:45 AM, jellysundae said:

You totally should! Nothing quite like 'em once the weather cools. Easiest breakfast ever if you've got a tubful in the fridge, too. Though if you have a home-made pie hanging around that's a pretty strong contender too, isn't it.   How long did your apple pie last?

That sucks about the chicken! Is it something you can have cold in salad?

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Yeah can't wait for it to be cooler weather! It's still pretty hot here, so it needs to hurry up and get cold! And lol, not very long! I shared some with my nieces and nephews and no one can eats sweets quite like kids can 

And maybe so! Thats a good idea that I may try next time with it 

[Wildbreeze]

One of my favorites to make is chicken fried rice, and there are always tons of leftovers!

This is the recipe I use: https://cooking.mealime.com/recipes/better-than-takeout-chicken-fried-rice/691#!/

[Ramil888]

wow, that looks very appetizing.

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[aranas]

  On 9/27/2020 at 12:41 PM, jellysundae said:

I wonder why the chicken didn't reheat well. Did it make the sauce taste funny? I second the rubbish-at-pastry comment so I'm also impressed by your pie!

I also second the curry suggestion, and, SOUP! I live on my own so I'm all about the leftovers!

I've made DamnDelicious stuff before *nods* It was a prawny/coconut milky/chili-ish thing... wait, there were zoodles too! It was good, but what I most remember is I used harissa rather than actual chilis and I put too much in and just about blew my head off. zoodles and prawns both being things that don't reheat well though, as I discovered with the rest of it.

A food blog I follow could be very helpful for you ladies. Easy Cheesy Vegetarian, I make quite a lot of her recipes, in particular:

Lentil and Halloumi curry I use green lentils rather than brown as brown ones are tough to come by in the UK, I often chuck in some chickpeas too. Cauliflower and red pepper's my fave veg for this as it looks so pretty. Last time there was carrot and courgette too so it looked gorgeous.

Mushroom stroganoff soup this recipe just serves 2 so it's easy to scale down for one. I often make it with a red pepper either as well as or instead of the mushrooms, and I stir some cottage cheese through it for creaminess as I don't have sour cream. I may also have accidentally used 1 tbsp of smoked paprika one time instead of 1tsp, but I had no regrets, it was amazing.

Speaking of smoked paprika... this soup... red lentil and chicken soup I've made it with chicken and it's delicious. Though I dumped the raw thighs into the soup to poach as it cooked then hooked 'em out and shredded 'em, I didn't faff with cooking them separately as the recipe says. But as I have no access to good chicken I've stopped buying it. This recipe is still my go-to though; I just switch the chicken for a can of black beans (or dried ones that I've cooked if I'm being super-efficient). Often a pack of halloumi goes into this too, it is SO. GOOD.

Oven Baked Rice and Vegetables this sounds dull, IT IS NOT. Also this lady is FUN and her recipes are all great. Here's the quick vid the this recipe.

I want to make this again now xD It's AWESOME reheated for breakfast with some fresh greens added and a fried egg on top. I make it with brown rice so it needs to cook for about a year (slight exaggeration) but Nagi is fab for recipe notes that cover all bases, so she gave directions for brown rice.

And another soup recipe! Lemony lentil soup got sweetcorn in it so when it''s blended up it's an amazing golden colour 

Just one more! lol. Spicy peanut and sweet potato soup 

Three of the five blogs linked to here: Pinch of Yum, Recipe Tin Eats, and Easy Cheesy Veg - are where most of the recipes I use come from.

 

 

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These are great recommendations! Thanks! Need to cook sth immediately!

[winstonlukasio]

I recently moved out of my parents' house and started cooking on my own. I love it so much. I love cooking and experimenting. I recently made a delicious pizza and invited my parents over for dinner. my mom was very excited 

[KateNickolson]

My dad works in a restaurant as a chef. 
And my passion for cooking was passed down to me from him.
It was my dad who taught me how to make unforgettable charlotte and delicious ratatouille. 
I think the love of cooking is genetic.