Hey guys.

Came across this earlier today and thought some people here might get some benefit from it.

Quote :

Summer Express: 101 Simple Meals Ready in 10 Minutes or Less
By MARK BITTMAN

The pleasures of cooking are sometimes obscured by summer haze and heat, which can cause many of us to turn instead to bad restaurants and worse takeout. But the cook with a little bit of experience has a wealth of quick and easy alternatives at hand. The trouble is that when it’s too hot, even the most resourceful cook has a hard time remembering all the options. So here are 101 substantial main courses, all of which get you in and out of the kitchen in 10 minutes or less. (I’m not counting the time it takes to bring water to a boil, but you can stay out of the kitchen for that.) These suggestions are not formal recipes; rather, they provide a general outline. With a little imagination and some swift moves — and maybe a salad and a loaf of bread — you can turn any dish on this list into a meal that not only will be better than takeout, but won’t heat you out of the house.

Plus...

Quote :

SUMMER Express: 101 Simple Meals Ready in 10 Minutes or Less,” the Minimalist column on July 18, clearly struck a chord.

From the comments posted at nytimes.com, which numbered close to 400, it was evident that the heat was not the only factor driving a desire for ultrafast cooking.

Summer did enter into many people’s thinking. One reader suggested taking a half-gallon of ice cream outside for the family to consume before it melted.

But another wrote, “With an uncooperative spouse, a demanding job and three impossible children, five-minute meals are perhaps more the ticket.”

Then there were the jokes: “Put two quarts water in stock pot, add salt, set to boil. Pick up phone and call local pizzeria; order. Wait for water to boil. Answer doorbell. Open door, pay for pizza. Turn off water; let water cool while eating pizza. Pour water down drain.”
And there were the posts in the “I wish I’d thought of that” category. My favorites, not easily achieved in the average American kitchen, were along the lines of this one: “Spread homemade lard (or goose fat if you have any) on slices of farmhouse bread; sprinkle with salt and paprika. Eat as is, or with scallions and/or Hungarian wax peppers.” (Try substituting the phrase “lardo di colonnata” for “lard,” and you will quickly understand how trendy this simple idea is.)

There were pasta dishes ad infinitum. (Indeed, when putting together the original list, I eliminated a dozen or more pasta possibilities in a search for balance.) While many pasta recipes suggested by readers sound wonderful, I’m setting them aside for the same reason.

Following are some of the other suggestions that are worth sharing with a wider audience.

...all 111 recipies in one handy Word file.

I like that

I can't cook half of those because my girlfriend won't touch seafood.

It's my turn to cook today too. Sucks!

That is indeed a major limitation.

They have inspired me though. I'm doing chicken thighs with a garlic and rosemary white wine sauce, dumped over new potatoes and green beans, maybe slice a bit of reggiano to tart it up.

Sounds good Kev!

Nice post, this is quite handy actually.

I really enjoy cooking, but when I get involved it's usually a large affair, so I usually reserve it for when company's coming over.

Crab stuffed mushrooms FTW!

What's this doing at a forum with mostly males? Surely a cookbook won't turn us kitches disasters into chefs de cuisine?

Quote :

12 Boil a lobster. Serve with lemon or melted butter.

He's not even trying.

Quote from Ball Bearing Turbo :

Sounds good Kev!

It was a little bit heavy on the garlic, but I turned up at the supermarket with nothing but the idea of six-minute eggs stuck in my head and knew that was not a suitable dinner! Can't really complain, antioxidants and all - we're both smokers, shitloads of garlic won't do us any harm. And the rosemary is taking over our garden - any excuse to chop it.

Quote from Ball Bearing Turbo :

I really enjoy cooking, but when I get involved it's usually a large affair, so I usually reserve it for when company's coming over.

Crab stuffed mushrooms FTW!

See, crab is my favourite food in the world ever. If I had my way, I'd have kippers for breakfast every morning, steamed clams for lunch and well-seasoned crab for supper. I would get dumped, though.

Quote from (SaM) :

What's this doing at a forum with mostly males? Surely a cookbook won't turn us kitches disasters into chefs de cuisine?

I was a chef for a few years. Sort-of fell into the job though, I don't have a natural talent for it. It's difficult to cook for my girlfriend because she's quite a picky eater in some ways, so a bunch of ideas all lumped together in a word document found randomly in a racing sim forum is ideal for me!

I can't heat simple canned soup without screwing something up, LOL.
I'll look through and see if I can't surprise the wife .

Quote from Electrik Kar :

He's not even trying.

It does say at the beginning that these aren't really recipes... they're just little reminders that you don't need to eat pre-packaged crap or go out to an overpriced restaurant to eat well and eat quickly. ;]

Quote from (SaM) :

What's this doing at a forum with mostly males? Surely a cookbook won't turn us kitches disasters into chefs de cuisine?

Most world's best chefs are males

Quote from JTbo :

Most world's best chefs are males

But you won't find 'em on LFS Forum.

Quote from (SaM) :

But you won't find 'em on LFS Forum.

That's what I thought about Volvo loonies. :rolleyes:

Quote from Blackout :

That's what I thought about Volvo loonies. :rolleyes:

Exactly, you never know who is lurking

Looks like that guy was going for a picnic with the family but ended on a racing track.

Quote from (SaM) :

Looks like that guy was going for a picnic with the family but ended on a racing track.

Quote :

The Volvo Magnum Racing team where the seasons fastest Volvo, eventually winning the September 84 ETC round in Zolder, Belgium with drivers Ulf Grandberg and Robert L.Kvist.
In 1985Team Eggenberger with VMS support built and developed 2 Volvo GpA cars to such a standard they won the 85 ETC title against the V8 Rovers.

Sleeper, that is word I prefer with cars

Quote :

The Volvo Magnum Racing team where the seasons fastest Volvo, eventually winning the September 84 ETC round in Zolder, Belgium with drivers Ulf Grandberg and Robert L.Kvist.
In 1985Team Eggenberger with VMS support built and developed 2 Volvo GpA cars to such a standard they won the 85 ETC title against the V8 Rovers.

That must've been a good picnic! He couldn't wait to get there.

Quote from (SaM) :

That must've been a good picnic! He couldn't wait to get there.

Or the food was getting cold!

I don't need a cookbook btw.. I found out how to dial 0900-PIZZA.