Bachelor Meals

[thunderfly]

A quick meal I often do for myself is as follows.
Take half a sachet of ready cooked rice (Home Bargains sell ready cooked rice at 45p a sachet) and drop it into a saucepan. Add to this another flavour of rice from a 'posher' manufacturer such as Uncle Bens etc just to make it interesting. Strain and add a few broad beans or butter beans (or both) and add these to the mix.
While this is heating up, chop up two or three radishes and/or a length of celery. If radishes and celery aren't to your liking, use red peppers instead or whatever you prefer.
When the rice and bean combo has heated up, add the chopped salad/veg to it and stir it in.
Add this to whatever your 'main meal' is going to be. Cold chicken breast is a favourite of mine as it's already cooked but you can heat up a steak and kidney pie or something in the oven beforehand and add the mix to this if you prefer.

[forfucksake]

Originally Posted by 9876543210

I've always been a bachelor also but I've been lucky enough to usually be with a woman. But, once in a while I do have to cook for myself. One simple meal I make follows.

1 English Muffin (toasted)
1 egg (I like them over easy but its really your choice)
1+ slice of cheese (your choice)

Start by putting the muffin in the toaster. Then put a tablespoon (or so) of butter in a small frying pan and making the egg however you want it.

When the muffin is done, stick both sides in with the egg (very briefly), put the cheese slice on the bottom portion of the muffin and then stick the egg on top of the cheese. Finally, stick the muffin top on the bottom or just make two of these. Really pretty tasty.

Sometimes, you can also add some jam or jelly.

If you don't want to spend a lot of time cooking, one or two of these are just what the doctor ordered. Takes maybe 20 minutes total.

If you add some hollandaise sauce you've got eggs benedict.
you can buy it pre-made from the supermarket.

[forfucksake]

Roast Potatoes, Wedges And Oven Fries.

Roast potatoes go with many meals but Roast meat dishes are a Sunday favourite of mine from my childhood.

Peel and quarter the spuds.
Place in a freezer bag add a splash of olive oil, salt and "herb and garlic" spice if available.
Smoosh everything around till the spuds are coated.
Place a sheet of baking paper on a baking tray and add the spuds.
I use baking paper every time I use the oven, it stops stuff sticking and cuts down on washing up.
Make sure the spuds are all round side down to allow the hot air to reach all sides.
If cooking oven fries make sure to turn after 15 minutes.
Depending on the size of the spuds cook at 200deg for 45 to 55 minutes or until golden brown.

[philll_77]

Me: what shall I have?
<goes to kitchen>
Me: dunno, better have a can while I think...

Rinse/repeat

[9876543210]

forfucksake,

Originally Posted by forfucksake

If you add some hollandaise sauce you've got eggs benedict.
you can buy it pre-made from the supermarket.

Eggs benedict? Didn't know that. Thanks for the info.

Another nice thing about this recipe is that its so simple and good you can add pretty much whatever you have in the fridge. Ham? Bacon? Green pepper or mushrooms? Take you pick. I've used them all depending.

If you have green pepper and/or mushrooms, just put a little butter in a frying pan and put on medium/low heat. Slice the mushrooms and pepper up, stick in the frying pan and add a little garlic salt (my choice). Tastes really good and, when you think about it, this is almost the same thing as an omelet. Just slightly different recipe.

[forfucksake]

Roast Beef Dinner
This is comfort food to the extreme for me.
Brings back memories of family sunday dinners.

Buy a lean cut of topside roast
trim any fat off.
Weigh the meat and allow 30 minutes for each 500 grams for well done less for rare.
prep potatoes as per post 13.
prep some veg as per post 3.
You can buy frozen yorkshire puddings from the super market just add to the oven 4 minutes before everything is ready.
Don't forget the gravy.
It doesn't take much prep time is hugely satisfying and the extra meat can be frozen for sandwiches or hot roast beef rolls later.

[9876543210]

forfucksake,

Originally Posted by forfucksake

Roast Beef Dinner
This is comfort food to the extreme for me.
Brings back memories of family sunday dinners.

Buy a lean cut of topside roast
trim any fat off.
Weigh the meat and allow 30 minutes for each 500 grams for well done less for rare.
prep potatoes as per post 13.
prep some veg as per post 3.
You can buy frozen yorkshire puddings from the super market just add to the oven 4 minutes before everything is ready.
Don't forget the gravy.
It doesn't take much prep time is hugely satisfying and the extra meat can be frozen for sandwiches or hot roast beef rolls later.

Roast beef is really good (especially when its cool or cold out) but we're starting to get a bit more technically challenging here.

My favorite "roast beef" isn't really roasted (I guess). I start by buying a two to three pound slice of good quality beef (or, even better, bison) which you don't even have to cut the fat off of.

1. Mix together some Newman's Own salad dressing (any variety you like) with some red wine and vinegar salad dressing (you wind up with maybe a half cup total).
2. Find a pan that will hold your meat.
3. Put some aluminum foil down so it covers the bottom and sides.
4. Cut up a small onion into maybe 1/4 inch pieces.
5. In a separate dish, add some garlic salt, salt, pepper and a bit of tenderizer then sprinkle that over the top of the meat. Take a fork and stab the meat with the fork trying to get as much of the mixture down into the meat. Then turn the meat over and do the same on the other side.
6. Then stick the meat in the pan and cover the meat with the salad dressing and onion.
7. Turn the meat over a couple of times to make sure the salad dressing is all over the meat.
8. Cover the pan and meat with cling wrap and stick in the refrigerator for at least 24 hours. Somewhere around the 12 hour mark you should turn the meat over and let the other side of the meat soak in the salad dressings.
9. Then, after the 24 hours, prepare a barbecue grill (I just use a standard Weber) and put quite a few briquettes in. You want it relatively hot. After the coals are pretty hot, move the coals to the sides and stick the meat in the middle. You'll probably want to turn it over a few times. Total time should be around 30 to 40 minutes (depending on size and thickness). You can check how well its doing by taking a real long knife and fork and cutting an inspection slit in the middle.

You can add whatever you like to this but I can pretty much guarantee this will be one of the best roast beef's you've ever had. I salivate just thinking about it.

Crap! Will probably have to go out and get some tomorrow.

[forfucksake]

Fish Pie

This one takes a little more effort but is totally worth it.

Ingredients
4 fish fillets
double handful of raw prawn meat
{I buy my seafood from the local farmers market "spud shed" they have a huge range of frozen seafood plus great prices on veg and salad stuff}
double handful frozen peas
milk
pepper
crushed garlic
plain flour
potatoes
butter

Method
Poach the fish in a half inch of milk, when cooked place in a mixing bowl.
Put the milk aside for use later.
Add garlic and butter to the pan and fry the prawns.
While this is going on add the peas to the mixing bowl and break up the fish while mixing everything around.
cut the prawns up into bite size pieces and add to the bowl mix thoroughly till everything is evenly distributed.
Add a desert spoon of butter to the fry pan, when melted add 2 tablespoons of flour and mix well till the flower is completely coated.
Gradually add the milk while stirring gently, you may need more milk to get a thick creamy consistency.
Add the pepper, you need a lot of pepper. I use a mix of garlic pepper lemon pepper black and white pepper.

When the you have the right consistency and taste, pour over the fish mix and stir again.
Place the mix in an oven safe dish and top with grated or mashed potato or a sheet of puff pastry.
Bake for 30 minutes at 200degc
I serve with chips.
Makes 4 serves. To freeze the extra place a sheet of tinfoil on the bench with a sheet of baking paper on top of that.
Place the pie on the baking paper and fold into a parcel.
Freeze.
Reheat in the oven.

[Meini Again]

Rice, Lentils and HB Eggs. Some call it Dhall and Rice.

Cheap, fast and filling.

1. Cook required portion of Rice. Microwave or hob.
2. Strain
3.Cook required portion of lentils {dhall ~ split red etc, depends where you live}
4. The lentils can be pimped with garlic salt,tabasco, milk, butter, whatever....After cooking.
5. Two hard boiled eggs. Cut lengthways for appearance sake.

Side Dish:
Diced cucumber small pieces.Sprinkle with sugar to marinade for 15/20 mns
Diced onion small pieces.
Mint Sauce...not jelly.
Mix together with 1 tbl spoon Wine Vinegar ~ or even ordinary vinegar, as long as you have the Mint Sauce.

You can prepare the side dish whilst cooking the lentils and rice.

Did that in my student years and all of us still do it when we're nostalgic.

[HugoHackenbush]

Actually, being a bachelor is when I learned to cook, and cook well. You've got all that time, so why not?

Girls love it when a guy can cook.
Especially if the dish is showy, like Steak Diane where you can light the brandy in the pan. (Tip, if she's watching, no matter how high the flame goes, when you do, act like that was exactly how you meant to do it.)

But this is quick and easy bachelor food thread. I lived on this stuff in college:

"Souper Rice"

2 Cups "Minute Rice" (This is what it is called in the States)
1 can cream of mushroom soup (actually any "cream of" soup will work)
1 can water

Put the soup and water in a quart sauce pan.
Boil the soup and water mixture
Add the Minute Rice
Let stand 5 minutes

Done.