Please help. Serious cooking rut.

[lrobinso]

YOu should check out www.allrecipes.com. It's my favorite recipe website.

[icebear]

i love allrecipes too. i have gotten some great stuff off that site, especially bread recipes

[AmazingGrace]

To break up the monotony of what to cook, try checking out interactive recipe maker sites - type in a few ingredients you have on hand and they'll give you a list of recipes (some may require 1 or 2 more items).


I like these sites the best:

Super cook also lets you exclude items you don't want to use:

http://www.supercook.com/


Big Oven has tons of recipes plus a recipe maker for those pesky leftovers:

http://bigoven.com/recipes/leftovers

[Rebekah]

Some of my favorite recipe sources are Real Simple (there's the magazine and cookbooks, but their recipes are available for FREE online) and Everyday Food (Martha Stewart, yes, I know)...also the magazines cookbooks but the recipes are available FREE online.

Some of my favorites:

CLASSIC MEDITERRANEAN COUSCOUS--From the Near East Box of Couscous

1 T olive oil
2 C boneless, skinless, chicken breasts; diced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 ¼ C water
2 T white cooking wine
1 package Near East parmesan couscous
2 C fresh or frozen broccoli florets, thawed, chopped
¼ C feta cheese, crumbled
1 C fresh tomatoes, chopped

In large skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat. Cook chicken and garlic for 5 to 8 minutes or until chicken is golden brown and no longer pink inside.

Stir in water, cooking wine and contents of spice packet; bring to boil.

Stir in couscous and broccoli; cover and remove from heat. Let stand 5 minutes. Stir in cheese and tomatoes right before serving.

*If using thawed frozen broccoli, you may want to return to burner on low just to make sure it is warm. Be careful not to overcook.


Beef and Orange Stir-Fry from Martha Stewart's Everyday Food
Ingredients

3 oranges
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 1/2 pounds trimmed boneless sirloin or rib eye, cut into 1/2-inch-thick strips
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 to 2 tablespoons canola oil
6 scallions, green parts only, cut into 1-inch lengths

Directions

Into a small bowl, finely grate zest and squeeze juice from 1 orange. Add garlic and soy sauce.
With a sharp paring knife, peel remaining 2 oranges. Slice oranges crosswise 1/2 inch thick, then halve slices; push out and discard any seeds. Set aside.
In a medium bowl, toss meat with cornstarch until coated. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large nonstick skillet over high heat. Working in batches (adding more oil if needed), brown beef on all sides, 3 to 5 minutes; transfer to a plate.
Pour juice mixture into skillet, and boil until syrupy, about 1 minute. Return beef to skillet; add orange slices and scallions. Toss until coated and heated through. Serve hot.


Fish Tacos from Everyday Food
*My 18 year old cousin who "hates" fish loved these tacos so much that he had me give the recipe to his mom.
Ingredients

1 pound boneless, skinless tilapia fillets, cut into 2-inch pieces
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Coarse salt and ground pepper
1/4 cup sour cream
1 lime, half finely zested and juiced, half cut into wedges
Hot sauce, such as Tabasco
12 corn tortillas
1/2 small head red cabbage, thinly sliced
1 cup fresh cilantro
1 small white onion, finely chopped
Directions

Heat broiler, with rack in highest position. Pat fish dry with paper towels and gently coat with oil on a rimmed baking sheet. Season with salt and pepper. Broil until fish is browned on top and flesh is opaque throughout, 5 minutes.
Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine sour cream, lime zest and juice, and a few dashes hot sauce. Season with salt and pepper. Toast corn tortillas over a kitchen burner using tongs or wrap in parchment-lined foil and heat in oven, 5 minutes. Divide fish evenly among tortillas and top with cabbage, cilantro, and onion. Serve with lime sour cream and lime wedges.


Simple Risotto with Chicken and Arugula (Real Simple)

2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 small yellow onion, finely chopped
2 cups Arborio rice
1 cup dry white wine
4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 cup grated Parmesan
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
4 cups arugula (or spinach)
1 rotisserie chicken

Melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and cook for 3 minutes. Add the rice and cook, stirring constantly, for 2 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-low. Add the wine and cook, stirring frequently, until the liquid is absorbed. Add the broth, 1/2 cup at a time, stirring occasionally and waiting until it's absorbed before adding more. It should take about 30 minutes for all the broth to be absorbed.
Just before removing the risotto from the stove, stir in the arugula and the shredded white meat from the chicken. Cook, stirring, until heated through, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the Parmesan, salt, and pepper.

Gingery Shrimp and Couscous (Real Simple)
Ingredients
1 10-ounce box (1 1/2 cups) couscous
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large yellow onion, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
3 tablespoons finely chopped ginger
1 cup white wine
1 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined
8 ounces snow peas, cut in half on the diagonal
1/3 cup fresh cilantro, roughly chopped
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
Directions
Cook the couscous according to the package directions.
Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden brown, about 12 minutes.
Stir in the garlic and ginger and cook 2 minutes. Add the wine and bring to a boil.
Nestle the shrimp in the onion mixture and simmer for 2 minutes.
Add the snow peas and stir. Continue cooking until the shrimp are bright pink and cooked through, about 2 minutes. Stir in the cilantro, salt, and pepper.
Divide the couscous among bowls. Spoon the shrimp and snow peas on top.


Shrimp Tacos (Real Simple)
Ingredients
1/4 cup fresh orange juice
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
2 tablespoons sour cream
kosher salt and black pepper
1/4 small cabbage (8 ounces), shredded
1 cup corn kernels (from 1 to 2 ears, or frozen and thawed)
1 jalapeño, seeded and chopped
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 pound peeled and deveined medium shrimp
8 small flour tortillas, warmed
Directions
In a large bowl, whisk the orange and lime juices, sour cream, ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper.
Add the cabbage, corn, and jalapeño and toss to combine. Let sit, tossing occasionally, for 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
Season the shrimp with ½ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Cook until opaque throughout, 2 to 3 minutes.
Serve the shrimp with the tortillas and the slaw.

[icebear]

those all look good! in particular the beef orange stir fry. ( i like Martha )

i think i have some couscous. i used to get it all the time at the health food store--- but i have never cooked it for us. i used it to fatten up my cockatiels. i used to breed them and had over 25 at one time in a big indoor aviary. with a flock of that size someone would eventually get hen-pecked and couscous mixed with boiled seeds, pureed veggies and vitamins was my go-to reconditioner for them.

i bought it again a while ago, but forgot about it.

i also have some bulgar wheat. i wanted to make tabouleh, but never seem to have all the stuff for it on hand at the same time. this is what seems to happen with all my cooking. i never seem to have everything for the recipe as instructed, i always have to make substitutes.

[Mommytoa3rdgradeboy]

I am NOT much of a cook, by any means, but I get emails from Pillsbury and there are some great, quick recipes they provide...ya'll should check that out!

[Mommytoa3rdgradeboy]

YOu should check out www.allrecipes.com. It's my favorite recipe website.

I have used this website for a mac n cheese recipe...I couldn't find the one my Mom gave me. Although I did since find my Mom's recipe, I like the one I used! There are TONS of what appear to be really good recipes!