trying to learn to cook

Things I've learned so far:

I still hate onions...be they sliced, diced, slivered, dehydrated, fried, powdered, soup mixed, etc. I hate ONIONS!



Superior Meat Loaf: (very easy and good if you like onions)

1 envelope onion soup mix

2 lbs ground beef

3/4 cup plain dry bread crumbs

2 eggs

3/4 cup water

1/3 ketchup

Preheat oven to 350. In large bowl, combine all ingredients. In 13 x 9 inch baking pan shape into loaf. Bake 1 hour until done. Let stand 10 minutes



Slow Cooker Pot Roast: (pretty simple and good aside from the onion soup mix)

1/4 cup water

4 medium red potatoes, cut in quarters

1 package peeled baby carrots

1 envelope onion soup mix

2 1/2 to 3 lbs bones beef chuck pot roast

Place water and three fourths of the vegetables in the slow cooker. Reserve 1 tablespoon onion soup mix. Sprinkle remaining onion soup mix over vegetables. Sprinkle and rub slat and pepper over the pot roast. Place pot roast on top of vegetables and place remaining vegetables around pot roast; sprinkle remaining onion soup mix on top.

Cook on low 8 to 9 hours or high 5 to 6.



Also, I hate mac n cheese, be it velveta or kraft although kraft is much better. It uses far less artificial ingredients even it is harder to make.

I like fried chicken....A LOT! :)

I like potatoes...particularly mashed but baked aren't bad either especially not if you load them down with all things bad for you. I'd like to learn how to Julienne a potato.

Bisquick does not make a good pizza crust even if they do have a recipe for that.



Biscquick Pizza
3 c. bisquick (less if like thin crust)

3/4 c. water

1 lb. ground beef

2 c. shredded

1 jar pizza sauce

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Lightly grease pizza pan. Mix bisquick and water set aside. Cook ground beef until brown. Drain off grease. Add 1/2 jar of pizza sauce. Pat out bisquick in pan. Pour rest of pizza sauce on crust. Add beef mixture on top of tomato sauce. Top off with cheese. Bake 10 to 15 minutes until crust is golden brown and cheese melts.



I like sausage but only as balls so far.

Sausage Balls: (may be the best thing you can do with either bisquick or sausage)

2 1/2 cup bisquick mix

1 lb roll of jimmy dean sausage

8 oz grated cheese

Knead all of the above until moist. Pinch into ball shapes and bake on greased cookies sheet for 15 minutes at 425 or until tops are light brown



I like working with flour and sugar much better than with meat and flour.

Its more fun to make sweets than real meals because its easier to share sweets with the world.

I can make an excellent white chocolate macadmia nut cookie even if macadamia nuts are way over priced!

Its more fun to make cookies than cakes because the cookies always get eaten and the cake doesn't. It takes way longer to make cookies but it seems much harder to screw them up unless of course you add potato chips. That's not a good idea even though there is a recipe for that.



Potato Chip Cookies:

1 cup soft butter

1/2 cup sugar

1 3/4 cup all purpose flour

3/4 cup coarsely crushed potato chips

1 tsp vanilla

2/3 cup sifted powdered sugar

Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add flour, potato chips and vanilla, beat well. Drop dough by rounded teaspoons onto ungreased cookie sheet. Bake at 350 for 10 to 12 minutes. Let cooll for five minutes on cookie sheet. Remove and place on wire rack. When cool, sprinkle with powdered sugar.



I cannot make Rice Krispie treats no matter how simple that recipe sounds:



Rice Krispie Treats:

3 tablespoon butter or margarine

I package (10 oz) regular marshmallows

6 cups rice krispies

In large saucepan melt butter over low heat. Add marshmallows and stir until completely melted, remove from heat. Add cereal and stir until well coated. Using buttered spatula evenly press mixture into 13 x 9 inch pan coated with cooking spray.



Honey cookies are really good even if impossible to put onto the cookie sheets.

Touch O Honey

1 yellow cake mix

2 eggs

1/3 cup honey

1/3 cup margarine

1/c cup flour

Preheat oven to 350. Blend half of cake mix, honey, margarine, and flour, then beat until fluggy, mixing in rest of cake mix. Bake on ungreased cookie sheet 10 to 12 minutes.



There is no way to mess up peanut butter cookies no matter how you make them.

Example 1: (very very easy and good)
Peanut Butter Cookies:
1 cup peanut butter
1 cup sugar
1 egg

Mix all ingredients until it all forms 1 large ball. Pinch off small balls about the size of your thumb, place on cookie sheet and press our with fork to make crisscross design on top. Bake at 350 appoximately 10 minutes

Example 2: (very easy to mess this one up because the dough is very dry. I usually finess with more oil)
1 yellow cake mix
2 eggs
1/3 cup oil
3/4 cup crunchy peanut butter
sugar

Preaheat oven to 350. Mix together cake mix, eggs, and oil until powder is completely dissolved into dough. Stir in peanut butter. Drop balls of dough into a small bowl of sugar, then place on a greased cookie sheet. Press fork horizontally and then vertically across each ball to flatten. Bake 10-12 minutes or until golden brown.

Example 3:
3/4 cup unsalted butter
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoo vanilla
3/4 cup peanut butter
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 cups all purpose flour

Cream the butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Beat in the peanut butter, egg, and vanilla extract. In a separate bowl whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Add to the peanut butter

I'm not done with this topic just yet but its time to study insurance.