Fat Jon answers:

How about something easy, and yummy.
Spaghetti with meat sauce. I love it!! ( melt some cheese on top) It’s the best..
And a salad with, tomatos,ice burg lettuce,cucumbers
.Ranch dressing

Fat Jon answers:

Become a vegan. You will lose weight without trying.

Fat Jon answers:

I have been cooking for a VERY long time, but I do not think I would try a brand new recipe that looks fairly complicated for a special occasion. If your dh loves your very own dessert, I would go for that rather than putting my hard work, heart and soul into an unknown factor. He will love you just the same. You might want to try the other recipe at a time when there is no pressure.

Fat Jon answers:

Chicken and dumplings
tuna noodle casserole *cant imagine that would look pretty pureed though lol*
spaghetti
maybe some sort of stew? Its a bit thicker than your average soup after all
maybe typical ‘kid foods’ mac n cheese with hotdogs *i had this and pureed the hotdogs when i had my wisdom teeth out*

mac n cheese with ground beef and a can of italian diced tomatoes with a sprinkle of italian seasonings *this is Really yummy actually, and really simple*

Hmm, cant think of anything else at the moment

Fat Jon answers:

Avocados should not be rock hard, but should not dent when pressed, either.
If the only ones you can find are too hard, place them in a paper bag with a banana. They’ll ripen quickly.

Easy Guacamole:
In medium bowl smash three avocados and 2 tablespoons lime juice with a potato masher. Add 1 or 2 teaspoons of salt, 1 chopped tomato, 1/2 small onion – chopped, 1 minced garlic clove, 1 small can of chopped green chiles, and a teaspoon of finely chopped cilantro. Stir. Cover with plastic wrap and stick in the fridge for several hours. It tastes better after the flavors have a chance to meld.

Acorn squash should feel heavy for its size, and should have a hard skin. And yes, all you need is butter and brown sugar. (or maple syrup) Just halve, remove seeds, spoon in butter & sugar (4T butter, 2T brown sugar for one whole squash) and bake at 350 for about 45 minutes.

Eggplant should be heavy, firm, free from blemishes and an even rich purple color with a bright green cap. Never purchase wrinkled looking eggplant.

Ratatouille

2 T olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 t dried parsley
1 eggplant, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
salt to taste
1 c grated Parmesan
2 zucchini, sliced
1 large onion, sliced into rings
2 cups sliced fresh mushrooms
1 green bell pepper, sliced
2 large tomatoes, chopped

Preheat oven to 350.. Coat bottom and sides of a 1 1/2 quart casserole dish with 1 tablespoon olive oil.

Heat remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Saute garlic until lightly browned. Mix in parsley and eggplant. Saute until eggplant is soft, about 10 minutes. Sprinkle with salt to taste.

Spread eggplant mixture evenly across bottom of prepared casserole dish. Sprinkle with a few tablespoons of Parmesan cheese. Spread zucchini in an even layer over top. Lightly salt and sprinkle with a little more cheese. Continue layering in this fashion, with onion, mushrooms, bell pepper, and tomatoes, covering each layer with a sprinkling of salt and cheese.

Bake in preheated oven for 45 minutes.

Fat Jon answers:

Ok.
You will need to prepare 2-3 days in advance.
Have a specific room in your house.
Make sure it’s clean.
Have loads of white towels lying around.
A plan.
Some stuff to nibble on…nuts, fruits etc.
Here are some recipes for home beauty treatments…

Steaming.

This opens pores, improves circulation and helps cleanse the skin of impurities.
All you need is a large bowl, hot water and a really clean towel that will cover your head and shoulders.
Cover your face with the towel and lean over the bowl.
Stay there for about 5 minutes breathing slowly and deeply.
When you’re done splash your face with cold water to close the pores.

Home Made Facial Scrub.

2 Strawberries
1 Teaspoon of brown sugar (white if you don’t have any…)
OR
One tablespoon of honey.
Half a teaspoon of lemon juice.
Two teaspoons of oatmeal.
Mash them in a bowl.
Gently rub over face, concentrating on the area around the nose and chin.
Rinse off with cold water.

Home Made Face Masks.

1 banana
1 avocado
1/2 teaspoon honey.
Mix together and leave on face for ten minutes.
Place slices of cucumber of the eyes…(cold, chilled teabags will do the same but aren’t as glam!)
Rinse off the mask.
Moisturize the face.

Massage.

You can use baby oil for this or a moisturizing cream.
Rub the back in circular motions.
Light some candles and play some classical music.

Refreshments.

Smoothies.

You can use frozen fruit.
It’s dirt cheap and you can get it in any supermarket.
Frozen summer fruits are the most popular though.
Or you could select your own and leave them in the freezer over night.
Take two handfuls of frozen berries, a glass of orange juice, whizz it in the blender and that’s it.
You could put in some whippy cream if you’re feeling adventurous.

Salted nuts, chopped fruit and those tortilla crisps (Doritos) dipped in guacamole or hummus.

Ok…now for your dad and brothers.
You should probably tell them…give them a picnic, a football, cricket bat, baseball bat, swimming gear and threats that if they come back you will burn the TV.
If there is a lake or sea near by you could send them there.

Here are some websites for the sort of food you will need to make….

Http://busycooks.about.com/od/savorysnackmixes/r/antsonlog.htm

http://coffeetea.about.com/od/sandwiches/r/cucumber.htm

For the one above you won’t need to make a white wine vinegar…!
Make some soup with the sandwiches above…and for dinner make mac and cheese with some salad on the side.

Fat Jon answers:

Lot’s of carrot cake recipes here, have a look and choose one that appears easier for you.

Http://www.enjoyrecipe.com/search.php?keyword=carrot+cake&submit=Search

Fat Jon answers:

Use the ricotta- just make sure to spread it really thin. I use two spoons- one to scoop out and the other to spread and go back and forth because the stuff sticks to the spoon. And instead of parmesan and mozzarella- use a six cheese italian blend. Just brown the meat, and you can use a jarred sauce- my favorite is Classico. You’ll need 2- 26oz jars. Add sauce to 13×9, top with noodles (you don’t have to boil first- even the regular noodles), then ricotta cheese (spread thin), then Italian cheese blend, do all layers 2 more times. You’ll use 15oz of ricotta cheese and 3-4 cups of Italian cheese. Cover with foil and stick in a 375 oven for an hour. You’ll have enough for a couple of meals and it freezes great too.

Fat Jon answers:

Eggs, celery and mayo is great – add a little salt and pepper, pickles or relish. Try a batch with basil as well.

Egg Salad sandwiches are good also.

Favorite lunch meat or deli slices with tomato, avacado, lettuce and cheese.

BLT also. Add avacado. Take tomato and lettuce in separate baggies so the sandwich doesn’t get mussy.

Add a piece of fruit, some nuts, chips and a drink.

California rolls:
Raw or Toasted Sushi Nori (sold in sheets)
Rice, prepared
Avocado, slice
Sushi Ginger

You can also add sliced mushrooms, carrots, celery and cucumbers. Roll ingredients in Nori, slice. Serve with Ginger, Edamame and Miso soup.

If you have a microwave at lunch – take soups (homemade even), stews, chili, leftover spaghetti in a tortilla.

Large can of Orgeta Green Peppers – rinse in cold water, use your fingers to tear down one side and remove all seeds and strings. Once cleaned, tear into strips and then add olive and minced garlic. Serve with Mexican food. To refried beans add mild green sauce. Add cheese if desired. Make Spanish Rice – Far East and/or Rice-a-Roni makes it in a box, just add tomatoes. Fry corn tortillas and serve like a tostada – add lettuce, tomatoes, cheese to the top, cilantro.

Fat Jon answers:

Slowcooker is a good idea for meals like that roast.

I love talking about freezer cooking too. You can cook double recipes when you ARE in the kitchen, serve one and freeze one. Slowly you are building a bank of meals in the freezer that can feed you well within a half hour from walking in the door. This is homemade convenience food exactly the way YOU want it.

You can also streamline tasks in the kitchen other ways. It might sound contradictory if you are trying to just get one meal on the table, how can you do more if this is already overwhelming?

Try this: Everytime you are preparing food, in addition to the tasks needed to serve the upcoming meal, do at least ONE extra thing that will speed up a meal later in the week, and at least ONE extra thing that will help you beyond that.

So for example. You come home and your dinner plan is meatloaf with carrots and mashed potatos.

First advance plan is to make TWO meatloafs. You can make two by spending only a couple extra minutes than it takes to make ONE. Then freeze one.

While you are preparing the meat mixture, you can do any number of other things while you are at it.

After you chop the one onion in the recipe, chop 5 more and freeze them. After you make the bread/cracker crumbs for the recipe, make 3 more cups and store them for later. When you get the eggs out, go ahead and mix up tomorrow’s omelet and store in the fridge. See?

While the meatloaf is in the oven you can do any number of things too. You can prep fresh vegetables, clean, peel, slice or chop, whatever and have a snack tub going in the fridge. You can make a dessert. You can start a spaghetti sauce with the rest of the hamb from a HUGE package you bought because you were thinking ahead, and freeze all of it.

At first this sounds like a lot of time, but it is an investment of time. You are spending a little more time now to get a lot back later. You are already in a mess, you have the equipment and ingredients out. In time you will be able to serve more complicated recipes than just quick cook all the time, much of which is great but this is even more options. How? Because some complicated step in the prep is done. If you have meat sauce waiting in the freezer, it becomes a lot easier to throw together a lasagna. If you have veggies prepped, you can toss them into a 10 minute stirfry. If you have frozen some cookie dough you can make a single pan of slice and bake that are completely homemade and YOU control the ingredients that went into the recipe.

You might want to rethink the down time in the kitchen, that time when you are waiting for the food to cook. You might find this a good time to hop in the shower, or fold laundry or read mail, or watch tv. Maybe it is a good time to do those things but maybe the time could be better spent if you are focussed on kitchen tasks. You will be there to catch any problems with less attention: pots boiling over, something starts to get overdone, etc. If you are folding laundry you may not catch these kinds of things early. Try to devote that whole time in the kitchen, from gathering your supplies and ingredients to serving the meal, to kitchen tasks: cooking, prepping, organizing, cleaning the kitchen, meal planning, straightening the pantry, etc. This gives you a leg up on the amount of future work in the kitchen.