Jenny asks…
What should I cook for my boyfriend?
My boyfriend is sick and has been staying at home for two days. I want to come by and cook for him, since his parents are out of town. I was thinking about making Italiano. Do you know any easy Italian food to make? I’d appreciate it.
Oh, and a link to the recipe, if possible.
thanks!
but not too common like spaghetti or fussili or pizza.
he broke his right leg while playing soccer with his friends, fyi.
Fat Jon answers:
Http://www.italianfoodforever.com/
this site will really help you.
Check it out.
Meaty Chicken Ragu On Fettuccine
is really good..try it.
Sandy asks…
PLEASE help me with homemade bread, please!! – Easy 10 
)?
Hi Bakers!!
Quickly, here’s the back story – my Mum was the worlds BEST cook/baker, but sadly she died when I was so young I wasn’t able to learn any of her recipes/methods. Ive dedicated my entire life to the culinary arts, I think bc it makes me feel close to her – and not to boast, but my cooking is pretty amazing! My BAKING….leaves much to be desired. Moving on. I remember her making the very best homemade bread, all the time. As a child there was always a fresh loaf somewhere for me to tear off a chunk on my way out the door, fresh slices for sammies or french toast, homemade dinner rolls with supper, and cinnamon rolls on Sunday mornings. You get the picture. Well after failing miserably when experimenting with bread making, I gave it up. But now I have have a daughter and I want her to have these same memories and her to remember home smelling like fresh baked bread, etc. What Im looking for is an excellent recipe for, well I suppose a basic white bread, and to be the kind I could toss in a loaf pan, braid and bake, roll into a baguette, or bake like a big crusty circle artisan loaf. Does such a recipe exist? Crusty on the outside, fluffy and light on the inside? Can you help me be able to make such a bread? I swear if I have the recipe, method and a master bakers tips, Ill do it again and again until its perfect (Im a strong believer in practice makes perfect – you should see me dice an onion – in 5 seconds flat you’ll have a million onion squares all the same size – but it didn’t happen overnight, haha!).
Ill need to know EVERYTHING, like what yeast to buy, flour, oven temp, how exactly to let it rise (oiled bowl, sitting on top of preheated oven with moist kitchen towel laying over it??? Ive seen that at my mother in laws – not sure if that’s proper form???), best to use a loaf pan or do a free style kinda bake, do I need to knead, etc. etc. Please explain it to me like you would an alien who landed in your backyard and doesn’t know anything about anything :O)
Thank you, so very much, to anyone who can help me recreate this important and lovely memory of my Mother, and let me share it with my daughter. Obviously this is about more than just bread, its about family, and showing your love for them by doing things like going out of your way to make bread, rather than buying it at the store. Again, I thank you to anyone who tries to help. This means the world to me!!
Fat Jon answers:
Okay here’s the basics:
http://allrecipes.com/HowTo/Baking-Yeast-Breads/Detail.aspx
For recipes you can use this one:
Wholewheat Bread (Sponge method)
Overnight sponge
1 tsp active dry yeast
1/2 cup warm water (dip your little finger in it, it should feel warm but not hot)
2/3 cup wholewheat flour
1. Put 1/4 cup warm water in a bowl and stir the yeast into it. (it will not dissolve). Cover and leave for 5 mins and then add it to the flour with the rest of the water. Mix until the dough has “cleared,” that is, all the ingredients are thoroughly combined. There is no need to knead the sponge, since time will develop the gluten sufficiently. Put the sponge in a bowl large enough to allow it to expand to at least three times its original size. Cover with a lid or plastic wrap and leave it at room temperature for 12-18 hours. (I usually keep it inside the oven (which is off) so my little daughter cannot intefere with it
The final dough
overnight sponge (from above)
2 cups flour (wholemeal or a mix of white and wholemeal)–I use a mix of 1 cup wholewheat and 1 cup white)
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp olive oil or melted butter (i prefer olive oil)
1/2 cup water (warm to the hand) (keep back 1 or 2 tbsps water and then add only if necessary)
1. Mix all the ingredients into a soft dough. Knead without adding extra flour until it is silky and slightly stretchy (around 8 mins).
2. Transfer to an oiled bowl. Cover with a damp cloth and leave to rise for 1 – 2 hours in a warm place. Deflate and divide into 2 for small loaves or 12 pieces if you want to make rolls. (here do not knead more than required)
For rolls, dip pieces into wholemeal flour to get a good covering, and place on a baking tray with about 1 inch separating them. Cover with a clean, dry cloth. Let them rise in a warm place until they are just touching each other. Bake bake at 425 F (220 C) for 10-15 minutes.
For bread, place them on a baking sheet several inches apart, cover them with a clean, dry cloth and let rise for an hour or so in a warm place. Or shape into loaves and place in loaf tins. Bake at 400 F (210 C) for 10 minutes, then reduce heat to 375 F (200 C) and bake for another fifteen minutes.
The loaf tins or baking trays need to be oiled before places the rolls/ loaves on them
This recipe is quite versatile. I’ve made it as it is. I’ve made it using only wholewheat flour. And I;ve also made it using only white-flour.
I’ve also rolled it out and stuff cooked chicken in it and baked (yummy).
Here is the link to another recipe i love…
Http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Butter-Crescents/Detail.aspx
Nancy asks…
Diary of a Successful New Bride/Cook?
Dear Diary,
Monday
Now home from honeymoon and settled in our new home, it’s fun to cook for Bill. Today I made an angel food cake and the recipe said, “beat12 eggs separately.” Well, I didn’t have enough bowls to do that, so I had to borrow enough bowls to beat the eggs in. The cake turned out fine.
Tuesday
We wanted a fruit salad for supper. The recipe said, “serve without dressing”. So I didn’t dress. But, Bill happened to bring a friend home for supper that night. Did they ever look startled when I served the salad.
Wednesday
I decided to serve rice and found a recipe which said, “wash thoroughly before steaming the rice”. So I heated some water and took a bath before steaming the rice. Sounded kinda silly in the middle of the week. I can’t say it improved the rice any.
Thursday
Today Bill asked for salad again. I tried a new recipe. It said, “prepare ingredients, then toss on a bed of lettuce one hour before serving.” I hunted all over the garden by my moms. So I tossed my salad into the bed of lettuce and stood over there one hour so the dog would not take it. Bill came over and asked if I felt all right. I wonder why?
Friday
Today I found an easy recipe for cookies. It said, “put all ingredients in a bowl and beat it.” Beat it I did, right over to my mom’s house. There must have been something wrong with the recipe, because when I came back home again it looked the same as when I left it.
Saturday
Bill went shopping today and brought home a chicken. He asked me to dress it for Sunday. I’m sure I don’t know how hens dress for Sunday. I never noticed back on the farm, but I found a doll dress and some little shoes. I though the hen looked real cute. When Bill saw it, I wondered why he counted to 10.
Sunday
Today Bill’s folks came to dinner. I wanted to serve roast, but all we had in the icebox, was hamburger. So I put it in the oven and set the controls for roast. Must be the oven, because it still came out hamburger.
Monday
I was going to bake bread today. The recipe said, “mix well and knead well. Then stand in a warm place until double in bulk.” I just won’t bake bread if I have to double in bulk.
Goodnight Dear Diary. This has been an exciting week. I am eager for tomorrow to come, so I can try a new recipe on Bill.
Love,
Pam
Fat Jon answers:
Lol, when I was in fifth grade I was cooking a cake for my class, the recipe said 1 tablespoon soda, I shrugged and ran down stairs and grabbed a can of my dad’s diet coke and measured out a tablespoon and threw it in.
I served the cake as brownies the next day
true story.
Ken asks…
Good Easy Crock Pot Recipe??
My husband is coming home from 15 months in Iraq tomorrow evening!!! Yayyyy!!! Ok anyways, I want to put something on around 3 that will be done by 9, or before if it needs time to cook. I have to pick him up at 8pm and we wont be getting home til 9:30 or later. I am sure he will be hungry I just dont know what to make! PLEASE HELP!! Oh yeah…I have yet to go grocery shopping so all I really have is chicken and steak.
Fat Jon answers:
A sirlon tip roast (if you are going to the store)
Add the roast with a can of French onion soup. Throw some potatoes and carrots in on top.
OR
You can also throw in the chicken and BBQ sauce and do BBQ chicken.
Linda asks…
A good, easy yummy after school snack? 10 POINTS!?
I am staying home from school (apparently I’m sick… Yeah… SICK OF SCHOOL!) and am ready to relax… I WISH!
Mum has made me clean the kitchen, pack the dishwasher… And now she wants me to make something for my brother and sister (and me and mum) to eat after school! So I need something easy, quick, and ABSOLUTELY DELICIOUS!
Any ideas? Can’t be anything to complicated, as I may not have the ingredients, but I can ask her to buy them for me as she’s in town now…
So be quick! The one that tingles my taste buds the most I will cook, and if I don’t like it I’ll try another! The best one gets the points!
OH, and BTW, I’m not supposed to be on the computer, so any ideas on how to get it past her that I was on the computer looking for recipes?
I mean more something… sweet. Like a cookie or something. But that I cook… A recipe, you know?
Fat Jon answers:
Http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Best-Big-Fat-Chewy-Chocolate-Chip-Cookie/Detail.aspx
http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/BAKERS-Peanut-Butter-Oatmeal-Chocolate-Chunk-Cookies/Detail.aspx
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Filed under General by on Jan 3rd, 2012. Comment. 
Richard asks…
What are some vegan snacks I can make?
So i’m homeschooled and I’m home all day by myself and I need some vegan recipes and snacks I can make by myself. I usully just eat crackers or peanut butter. But that’s going to get old soon so I need some recipes or idea’s for snacks. Oh and I never really cook actual meals but I know how so something easy would be nice,
Fat Jon answers:
You can drain a can of chickpeas, drizzle with some oil (maybe spices etc) and oven cook them until crispy.
One of my favourite snacks is banana cut down the centre, filled with peanut butter/chocolate peanut butter, then cut into 1 inch pieces so you get mini banana peanut butter sandwiches. Then wrap each piece in plastic wrap/saran wrap and freeze!
George asks…
What is a simple and good recipe for making lasagna?
i have googled this and found a great-looking recipe from mylasagnarecipe.com with many pics and detailed instructions. but i would like to know about any other recipes out there that it is certified good and easy for cooking beginners?
i am a great fan of lasagna and i love beef and cheese for one so pasta is one of my favorite foods. 
however, i have tried many lasagnas from various restaurants and the quality has been decreasing and i have found myself increasingly disappointed. i would like to try making a great lasagna on my own at home. i am not very fond of veggies though fyi.
any recipes that u feel qualify can u help me out? 
Fat Jon answers:
Lasagna
2 tbs olive oil
2 carrots, peeled, finely chopped
1 onion, finely chopped
1 large celery stick, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
450g veal mince
450g pork mince
125ml (1/2 cup) white wine
1 tbs tomato paste
1 x 700g btl passata (tomato pasta sauce)
1 x 400g can diced tomatoes
1 chicken stock cube
1 sprig fresh continental parsley
1 dried or fresh bay leaf
1/2 tsp sugar
100g (1 cup) coarsely grated mozzarella
70g (1 cup) coarsely grated parmesan
1 x 250g pkt Barilla La Collezione dried lasagna sheets
1 egg, lightly whisked
Besciamella (bechamel sauce)
1L (4 cups) milk
1/2 brown onion
2 sprigs fresh continental parsley
2 dried or fresh bay leaves
6 whole black peppercorns
50g butter
50g (1/3 cup) plain flour
40g (1/2 cup) coarsely grated parmesan
Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
White pepper
Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the carrot, onion, celery and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes or until soft.
Increase heat to high. Add the combined mince and cook, stirring with a wooden spoon to break up any lumps, for 5 minutes or until mince changes colour.
Add the wine and cook, stirring, for 3 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste. Add the passata, tomato, stock cube, parsley, bay leaf and sugar. Season with salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer and cook for 40 minutes or until the sauce thickens.
Meanwhile, to make the besciamella, place the milk, onion, parsley, bay leaves and peppercorns in a large saucepan over medium heat. Bring just to a simmer. Set aside for 10 minutes to infuse. Strain the milk mixture through a fine sieve into a large heatproof jug. Discard the onion, parsley, bay leaves and peppercorns.
Melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium-high heat until foaming. Add the flour and cook, stirring, for 1-2 minutes or until mixture bubbles and begins to come away from the side of pan. Remove from heat. Gradually pour in half the milk, whisking constantly until smooth. Gradually add the remaining milk, whisking until smooth. Place over medium-high heat and bring to the boil, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, for 5 minutes or until sauce thickens and coats the back of the spoon. Stir in the parmesan. Taste and season with nutmeg, salt and white pepper.
Preheat oven to 200°C. Combine the mozzarella and parmesan in a small bowl. Spread 3/4 cup of mince mixture over the base of a 2.5L (10-cup) capacity ovenproof dish. Top with one-fifth of the lasagne sheets, 3/4 cup of mince mixture and 1/2 cup of besciamella. Sprinkle with 1/4 cup of mozzarella mixture and 1 tablespoon of egg. Top with one-quarter of the remaining lasagne sheets and press down gently. Continue layering with remaining mince mixture, besciamella, mozzarella mixture, egg and lasagna sheets, finishing with mozzarella mixture.
Bake in oven for 30 minutes or until golden. Set aside for 15 minutes to stand. Cut into portions and serve.
James asks…
Does anyone have a really delicious fudge recipe?
Hi, I was wondering if anyone had a really delicious (preferably easy) recipe for fudge? I never made fudge in my life, it’s one of those little treats I eat rarely and always buy when I do eat it, but I was thinking it might be fun to try making it at home. Like I said, I’ve never made fudge before so if you have a really complex recipe best left to a skilled baker/cook, then might as well not share it because I’m sure I’d screw it up lol. Just a traditional fudge recipe would be great but one that tastes really good. I also like nuts in my fudge so feel free to include fudge recipes that call for nuts (walnuts, whatever). Thanks so much for your help. (Btw, this isn’t for Christmas or anything so if I mess it up that’s ok, I just want to learn how to make fudge and if it takes a few tries even on an easy recipe I’m prepared to do that. So I guess moderately difficult recipes are ok just nothing that only a really experienced baker/cook would be capable of making).
Fat Jon answers:
This is my homemade recipe for Peanut Butter Fudge
3 3/4 cups granulated sugar
1 cup milk
1 7/8 cups peanut butter
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
Hope you have fun Being a wife I have to know how to make this for friends and family!
1 Prepare a 9×11 glass dish by buttering the bottom.
2 In heavy bottom sauce pan combine sugar and milk.
3. Measure and set aside remaining ingredients.
4. Cook over medium heat stirring occasionally till it comes to a boil then stir constantly.
5 Let boil for 4 minutes. Remove from heat.
6. Stir in remaining ingredients till all melted and smooth.
7 Pour into prepared dish and refrigerate until firm.
Maria asks…
simple baked chicken?
im cooking for my dad wen he comes home. i hav 3 boneless skinless chicken breasts i need a simple and easy (im 13) recipe thnx
Fat Jon answers:
Shake and bake is really good and easy, just coat and bake like it says on the box. Or you could bread them in anything you like and bake.
Joseph asks…
OH! I just got this potato salad recipe in a Taste of Home newsletter?
Thought I’d share it, I think this sounds awesome don’t you???
Tangy Potato Salad
My potato salad is so easy, I can quickly put it together in the kitchen of our trailer home on the lake. I’ve shared the recipe with our three daughters, and it’s become a signature dish with all of them. Our grandchildren eat it up.
SERVINGS: 10-12
CATEGORY: Salads
METHOD:
TIME: Prep: 15 min. + chilling
Ingredients:
* 8 cups cubed peeled cooked potatoes (about 11 mediium)
* 10 bacon strips, cooked and crumbled
* 3 hard-cooked eggs, chopped
* 1 carton (8 ounces) French onion dip
* 1/2 cup dill pickle relish
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 1/2 teaspoon pepper
* Leaf lettuce, optional
Directions:
In a large bowl, combine the potatoes, bacon and eggs. In a small bowl, combine the dip, relish, salt and pepper. Stir into potato mixture. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours. Serve in a lettuce-lined bowl if desired. Yield: 10-12 servings.
Tom…the question was ” I think this sounds awesome don’t you?”
Good point Major, I will probably leave out the extra 1/2 teaspoon because of the french dip
Thanks David, I will trust you on this, I’m making it Saturday or Sunday
Fat Jon answers:
Its a fantastic recipe! I was one of the testers for the recipe before the isue came out i tested the recipe back in november. It sounds to salty and it was not a problem with me, and i dont add salt to my food. Leave out the salt if you’re concerned
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Filed under General by on Jan 2nd, 2012. Comment.
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