Fat Jon answers:

Simple is always best.

Turkey
Gravy
Mashed Potatoes
Stuffing
Corn on the cob
“Fresh” rolls
Another Veggie (choose a family Favorite)
Holiday Punch

A turkey rubbed with sage and a little salt inside and out (Be sure to set it out to thaw or buy a fresh one (More expensive) Figure a pound an a half per person. Cook the turkey in a roasting bag to get a shorter cooking time and make it harder to accidentally dry it out by overcooking.

Gravy can taste impressive from a mix if you boil the Giblets and neck, then cut the meat fine and add it to the gravy with a bit of the broth off the bird.

Mashed potatoes are easy to make home-made style or use one of the flavored instants from the store and add a little heavy whipping cream to the mix. For great homemade potatoes cut and boil the potatoes with a clove of garlic in the water. Then drain them and remove the Garlic. Mash then with butter milk or plain milk, Butter, and salt to taste. Some people like to add a bit of black pepper also. Whether or not to leave the skins on is entirely up to you.

Stove top stuffing is simple and adding some chopped walnuts and cranberries can make it special for the holidays. You can put this in the turkey before roasting or make it later and serve it separately.

Rhodes bake and serve breads can add a nice touch and you can do several things to make them personal. Sprinkling a little cheese on top of them before baking is fun or just doing a quick crosscut across the top with a sharp knife after they have risen but before you bake them. Be sure to coat the tops with butter as soon as they come out of the oven for a professional looking shine.

Our family punch recipe is simple, 2 parts Hawaiian punch red, one part ginger ale, and one part pineapple juice. Add a jar of maraschino cherries and a thinly sliced orange.

Another simple punch is to add sherbet to sprite or ginger ale.

I suggest cooking with a friend for a truly fun experience and keep your family out of the kitchen so they don’t know how simple all of this was to make, and remember that presentation is almost as important as taste so put everything in serving dishes or platters and stick someone else with doing the dishes!

Fat Jon answers:

Keep meals simple and include vegetables! I didn’t do this when i was living off campus, and ended up passing out from vitamin deficiencies once and being extremely sick all the time- eat your vegetables!

Meal ideas:
rice, chicken, vegetables and side of bread/rolls (don’t overdo it!).
Flatbread pizzas made with low fat cheese, good sauce and whatever toppings you want.
Chicken noodle soup- homemade is the best!
Turkey burgers with sweet potato fries- yum!

Snacks:
Special K cracker chips- these are the greatest invention ever! You can eat a lot and not feel guilty and they’re filling.
Granola/nutri-grain bars
pretzels
cheese sticks
laughing cow cheese! Awesome stuff
carrots and ranch dressing
celery and peanut butter

Drinks:
I suggest you invest in a Keurig coffee maker- they are amazing, we have one at my house and use it every day, and the K cups come in some pretty amazing flavors

Fat Jon answers:

Pretty sure mousse has 2 ss’s…. Kinda funny wanting lemon mouse…

Try recipe’s.net…

Or mayeb google or any other serach engine.

Fat Jon answers:

Don’t forget about how disappointed she was when she tried to wash the ice cubes only to find that they disappeared .

Fat Jon answers:

Easiest way to cook chicken is to shake’n'bake.
Put breadcrumbs or cornmeal in baggie, if you don’t have a mix.
Put chicken pieces in, a few at a time & shake until coated.
You can add salt & pepper or poultry spice if you like.
Place pieces in baking dish, put dish in 450F oven for 40-60 minutes.
Check for golden colour & clear juices when done.
Meat thermometer should show 160F.
Serve with mashed potatoes & steamed vegetables.

Fat Jon answers:

Chips and salsa

Raw veggies and hummus.

Since you like baking, get plain soy milk; you can use it in equal proportion as cows’ milk. You can also get flax seeds, grind some and use 1 tbsp ground flax seeds and 2 tbsp water per egg to form a “slurry” that you then add to the batter. Just keep the flax seeds in the freezer to keep them fresh. If you have a recipe you like, you can keep that in mind when you bake for your roomie’s buddy. Also, Tropical Source makes vegan chocolate chips.

If there’s a natural foods store near you, it should carry the soy milk, flax seeds, and vegan chocolate chips. Another option for eggless baking is Ener-G Egg Replacer, also found at natural foods stores.

Since he stays over often, ask him what kind of stuff he likes and for tips and tricks to bake or cook for him. And check out www.vegweb.com for vegan recipes.

Fat Jon answers:

Impossibly Easy Bacon Pie
Indulge yourself with an old-fashioned bacon-and-egg breakfast with this easy pie recipe.

Prep Time:20 min
Start to Finish:1 hr 5 min
Makes:6 servings

12 slices bacon, crisply cooked, crumbled
1 cup shredded Swiss cheese (4 oz)
1/3 cup chopped onion
3/4 cup Original Bisquick® mix
1 1/2 cups milk
3 eggs
1/8 teaspoon pepper

1. Heat oven to 400°F. Grease 9-inch glass pie plate. Sprinkle bacon, cheese and onion into pie plate.
2. In medium bowl, beat remaining ingredients until blended; pour into pie plate.
3. Bake 35 to 40 minutes or until knife inserted in center comes out clean. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.
High Altitude (3500-6500 ft): Bake about 40 to 45 minutes.

Fat Jon answers:

I get most of my recipes from:

http://www.cooks.com/rec/ch/main_dishes.html

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
For fast meals, we are now doing the following:

1. At your grocery store, buy the sealed PRE-COOKED meats that come is small packages such as the following. You can make two or three meals out of them:

Beef tips with gravy,
Roast with gravy,
Pork roast,
Chicken,
Baked ham,
Pork chops,
Meatloaf,
etc.

Just heat in your microwave; directions are on the packages. You will find these packages in the cold section (not the freezer). Ask a clerk to help you find these. They are delicious.

Use these for your meat dish with a side dish or two of canned or frozen vegetables, beans, potatoes or sweet potatoes which can all be found on shelves or in the freezer section and they are already cooked.
.
You can now buy bags of different flavors of precooked rice that you put into your microwave for a minute or two. These are on shelves at the grocery store. We like the chicken flavored best of all. Have a clerk help you find them.
.
Real mashed potatoes that come in a bag…add water, butter, milk. Delicious. Read the directions.
.
Jars of all types of sauces for making pastas. On shelves.
.
Boxes of pastas with everything needed inside the boxes. On shelves.
.
Buy top brand cans of stew for each person. Serve with cornbread, crackers, or toast.
.
Soup and a grilled (fried) cheese sandwiches. Go to this video to see how to make a quick grilled cheese sandwich:

http://startcooking.com/video/326/Grilled-Cheese-Sandwich

.
Omelet with Cheese – Video:

http://startcooking.com/video/326/Grilled-Cheese-Sandwich

.
You can buy all types of salad greens in large packages now. Buy the ones that have been pre-washed. Add your own dressing which you can buy in bottles.
.
2. The top brands of microwave frozen dinners are very good now. These come in single servings or in family sized bags. Follow directions. Look for the words “No Preservatives” marked on the box or package.
Just add a canned or frozen vegetable as a side dish.

Top brands of dinners that are found on shelves. No fridge needed. Add water, microwave. These are good to take to school or work. Follow directions on the containers.
.
3. Video On How To Cook A Rib Eye Steak on Stove Burner (turn on your sound), click this link:

http://www.videojug.com/film/how-to-make-rib-eye-steak

.
4. Supermarket deli’s have pre roasted chickens, fried chickens, roast beef, and side dishes. You can stop in on the way home and grab a quick dinner to take home. I buy their roasted chicken often…they are delicious.
.
5. Buy a crock pot. You put everything into the pot in the morning, set it on low for 8 hours, and your dinner will be ready for you when you come home in the evening! I kid you not. Be sure to read the instruction booklet.
There is a recipe booklet that comes with the crock pot. You can buy crock pots at places such as your grocery store, Walmart, and etc.

Here are 1,160 crock pot recipes:

http://www.cooks.com/rec/search?q=crock+pot

DON’T FORGET TO PLUG IT IN! This happens more than you would think. Lol

6. Salads. All types:
http://southernfood.about.com/od/saladrecipes/Salad_Recipes_Salads_and_Dressings.htm

Fat Jon answers:

Hello and congratulations on your new found freedom! To begin with, buy a meat thermometer to ensure you’re cooking your meats to their safe temps (chicken, pork, turkey) beef is a personal choice and there are charts online for those that you like. First off, cook what you love to eat first, that’s it. For example, if Roasted Chicken is your thing, look up that recipe and see if you like it’s seasonings, look to see if you have the proper equipment to cook it and if it’s in your budget to make it, (might want to consider making more for leftovers) and just follow the recipe exactly, at first. Critique yourself………..and then, try again, say with BBQ Pork, or whatever you love the best, next. You’ll always do better cooking what you have a passion for first. As for Chinese, again, pick your favorite, get the ingredients and seasonings and give it a go. Some recipes may work out, some will not, but you will learn from all of these experiments with time. Don’t give up, you will make mistakes but your triumphs will out weigh the negative and your stomach will thank you, probably your house mates too. The first thing I learned to cook when I moved out of my parents house was steaks, I made them for 6 months straight until I got them “down pat”…………and oh boy, did I screw up more than a few of them, but I always used the mistakes in soups! Allrecipes.com has been a staple for me for many years, they have every type of Global cuisine imaginable and all of the recipes are from home cooks……..people like you and me. Oh, one last piece of advice, wash everything before you cook it, especially produce, chicken, turkey and pork! Good luck and happy cooking to you!!!!!!!!

Fat Jon answers:

How about cookies
1cup Of Butter
3/4 of a cup of sugar
1 egg
1 tablespoon of Vanilla
2 cups of flour
(1/4 cup of milk use this if after every thing is mixed and you think your dough is to floury

1.Cream Butter And sugar untill fluffly
2.Add egg and vanilla mix well
3. Add Flour Fold it in
4.(if dough is’nt soft and a spoonful of milk)
5.Wrap it in plastic wrap chill for 30 mins
6 Sprinkle some flour on the dough untill know sticky but not too much so you see white
7. Roll it untill its alittle less then a cm
8. Use Cookie cutter to cut them
9.Bake at 350 for 5-7min or less
10 cool them and then eat