Recipes with 1/2 kitchen

Victorious4

Senior Community Member

• Jul 9, 2006

• #1

We still only have 1/2 a kitchen -- an electric skillet, toaster & mini dorm sized fridge ... no oven -- I'm getting tired of the limited meals I've thought up so far: mainly sizzled meats, microwaved carbs & beans -- I'm used to boiling & baking....

Does anyone have any tips, ideas, suggestions, forums links, etc.

 

Dillipop

Well-known member

• Jul 9, 2006

• #2

Stir-fry would work well with that setup. Can't think of others off the top of my head...I try not to do too much cooking...we grill a lot, with rice and veggies as sides.

 

M

melaniev

New member

• Jul 9, 2006

• #3

like camping ... only the opposite ... sorta.
cut up fresh veges with dip / salt and pepper
lots of sandwiches
pancakes (in skillet)
grilled cheeses

 

Victorious4

Senior Community Member

• Jul 9, 2006

• #4

Our garden is just now starting to spit out some veggies we can grill up -- otherwise it's been salads

I try to make warm meals for dinner because I just get tried of cold meals -- when we went camping at the beach we realized everything we have in the house is camp food & nothing else ... plus it all fit in the cooler because we're downsized, LOL

Even Leila is getting tired of cereal or bagels for breakfast, dippable snacks & sandwiches for lunch

We were used to making a big pot of soup or caserole to last the week & I miss it....

 

Sharlene

Senior Community Member

• Jul 9, 2006

• #5

Can you get a crock pot? We try to limit using the oven in the summer and use the crockpot for quite a bit.

Sharlene

 

Lea_Ontario

Well-known member

• Jul 10, 2006

• #6

Sharlene said:

Can you get a crock pot? We try to limit using the oven in the summer and use the crockpot for quite a bit.

Sharlene

Click to expand...

Yep - a crock pot would be a very worthwhile investment. We use ours at least once a week even with a full kitchen, and more in the winter (soups, etc)

 

S

SusanMae

Senior Community Member

• Jul 10, 2006

• #7

What about Mini-Pizza?

We usually use english muffins...but you could use bagels for the crusts.
I buy the Ragu homestyle sauce---it's got the green lid/label. And then top with cheese and your choice of topings. You can cook them on the oven setting of your toster oven or even toast them if needed.

This is something the girls can help make and make the way you want it!

Susan

 

Victorious4

Senior Community Member

• Jul 10, 2006

• #8

I wish we had a toaster-oven ... but it's just the sideways slots on the top kind. We do love mini pizzas, though But, at this point I think I'd rather put $ into a crock pot -- anyone have any recipes for crock pot? I've never used one before

 

Jeanum

Admin - CPS Technician Emeritus

Staff member

• Jul 10, 2006

• #9

I have a crock pot and use it mainly to make chili, stews and sometimes a pot roast. I don't really have any specific crockpot recipes for it though, I kind of wing it when it comes to crockpot cooking, lol.

For chili, you could brown ground meat in your skillet first and drain off the excess fat (I usually use lean ground turkey or really lean ground beef so there usually isn't much to drain), and then combine all of the chili ingredients (beans, onions, tomatoes, sauce, spices, etc.) in the crock pot. I either cook it on high for about 4 hours or around 8 hours all day on low, depending on what meal I'm aiming for. You can also skip the meat altogether if you're making vegetarian chili and combine all of your other ingredients in the crock pot.

It's pretty much the same thing for stew or pot roast, except you don't have to brown the stew meat or roast first if you don't want to. I also have heard of preparing crock pot chili without browning the ground meat first in a skillet, but the texture of the chili turns out soupier that way (and greasier, ick).

There are tons of crock pot recipe sites online if you do a search. HTH and bon appetit!

 

B

bucket2

Guest

• Jul 10, 2006

• #10

I survived for 12 weeks in college with a hot pot, dorm fridge, and toaster (the toaster was "illegal") - I feel your pain and I didn't have a family to cook for.

Other ideas:

baked potatoes in the nuker - add veggies, cheese, sour cream
"grill" tuna salad in the electric skillet
quesidillas

Check out the Campbell's Soup website. They often have ideas for quick meals that work in skillet or micro.

 

Michi

Member

• Jul 10, 2006

• #11

Here you go Tiffany,
a great website for electric skillet meals. I might have to try a few of these myself!
http://www.cooks.com/rec/search/0,1-0,electric_skillet,FF.html

 

Victorious4

Senior Community Member

• Jul 10, 2006

• #12

Thanks everyone

Ya know, it seems rather silly, but I was very nervous asking & I was just thinking about how much food/eating impacts people's lives.... Some kids seem to use food as a means of manipulating parents; some people have serious food issues in the forms of addiction or aversion, etc.

I was nervous partly because I feel like I'm such a poor chef This has a bit to do with the fact that my parents "gave up" trying to teach me to cook after they dealt with teaching my 4 older siblings -- who were all in highschool when I was born -- so then the cycle began where everyone teased me for not knowing how to cook & I didn't feel "good enough" in the kitchen so I "gave up". It's also in part due to the fact that after I was diagnosed with Crohns Disease I went through a phase of depression & anger towards food in general -- bursting into tears in restaurants because I couldn't just order whatever I felt like eating, feeling neaseaus eating the only foods I could eat, blahblahblah & as much as I hate to admit it, in the back of my mind I still conform to that social concept of the woman being the one who cooks even though my SO is a *much* better chef, LOL -- the only reason I posted here is because I'm on a mission to have some new ideas when he gets home & was getting sooooo frustrated trying to find ideas online by myself....

So, I thank you again & this time for letting me rant

 

Michi

Member

• Jul 10, 2006

• #13

Oh Tiff - I can SO relate! I feel so completely inadequate in the kitchen.
It was just my mom and I when I was growing up. She was a nurse and worked the night shift and so she was always too tired to shop or cook. We literally ate out for every meal. (Except for breakfast - Cold cereal/instant oatmeal/toast, etc)

Then I got married and DH came from a family where everyone knew how to cook. (He and his sisters were all expected to meal plan and take turns cooking for the family when they were teens.)
He loves to cook and bake, but I just feel so guilty when he does. He works all day, he shouldn't have to come home and cook, too. But I am extremly anxious about trying new things. ( DH and all of the kids are extremly picky eaters.) I have a few 'tried' and true' recipes and I love to pour over cookbooks and websites looking for new ideas, but I just about sweat bullets when I try one out for the first time.

 

Victorious4

Senior Community Member

• Jul 10, 2006

• #14

Yes -- as if I don't already have enough digestive issues with the Crohns Disease I get myself all worked up & anxious when I cook so that most the time I can't enjoy the food even when it does turn out well