EASY and YUMMY STUFF

[the13r]

put butter and flour in a hot pan (butter first) and stir till it makes a paste (4 table spoon of each)... then add milk to the mixture till it gets the consistence of caramel...

Then grind some strong chese in the mixture and add salt, dry mustard and nutmeg (about a tea spoon of each)...

Mix in your fav pasta, add some bread crumbs and some chese on top, put in the oven to roast the top

simple, but EXCELLENT lol

[chef97]

put butter and flour in a hot pan (butter first) and stir till it makes a paste (4 table spoon of each)... then add milk to the mixture till it gets the consistence of caramel...

Then grind some strong chese in the mixture and add salt, dry mustard and nutmeg (about a tea spoon of each)...

Mix in your fav pasta, add some bread crumbs and some chese on top, put in the oven to roast the top

simple, but EXCELLENT lol

It sounds delicious Astor but three things in your recipe I'm trying to avoid now are butter, flour and pasta.... LOL I use "smart balance" butter sub which is good for you and has similar flavor profile as butter.... I have been losing weight on the "Paleo" diet of protein, greens, nuts and fruit.... I haven't eaten any bread or pasta since last December....... I weighed 314 in December 2012 and now I'm down to 254 just by eliminating bread, pasta, potatoes and rice from my diet..... Wish me luck as I try to get down to my fighting weight of 175 back when I was still young, strong and good looking.....

[Astor]

That's great stuff chef, keep up the good work!!!

Do you drink beer?

[chef97]

That's great stuff chef, keep up the good work!!!

Do you drink beer?

Thanks bro!
And as far as the beer no, not anymore.... I drink Vodka a bunch of different ways but mostly on Fri & Sat only..... There are three things that I miss most and I bet you can guess what they are....
1. Pasta > I'm half Italian so I was raised on pasta
2. Bread > Italians eat bread w/ every meal LOL
3. Beer > My favorite beverage of all time
I haven't had any of those things since December 2012 and probably the biggest reason I have actually lost weight.... As far as exercise it's mostly walking (brisk pace) and light weight lifting ( light weights on my curling bar w/ a lot of reps)
I also have an exercise bike which I don't like much but I will have to start using once the weather gets too hot to walk outside....

[the13r]

Nice work chef, it takes discipline but that can become a way of life... Really really cool imo

Do you plan on hitting the bag or something at some point?

[chef97]

Nice work chef, it takes discipline but that can become a way of life... Really really cool imo

Do you plan on hitting the bag or something at some point?

Yes, I have it hanging in my backyard and I mess with it almost daily but not as a work out like I should... I can go all out on the heavy bag w/ gloves on for about 1 or 2 minutes only.... Just like when I started walking I couldn't go that far or fast now I have a brisk pace and am up to 2 miles 3 times a week I bet the same would go for the heavy bag too.....

[VIP]

put butter and flour in a hot pan (butter first) and stir till it makes a paste (4 table spoon of each)... then add milk to the mixture till it gets the consistence of caramel...

Then grind some strong chese in the mixture and add salt, dry mustard and nutmeg (about a tea spoon of each)...

Mix in your fav pasta, add some bread crumbs and some chese on top, put in the oven to roast the top

simple, but EXCELLENT lol

It sounds delicious Astor but three things in your recipe I'm trying to avoid now are butter, flour and pasta.... LOL I use "smart balance" butter sub which is good for you and has similar flavor profile as butter.... I have been losing weight on the "Paleo" diet of protein, greens, nuts and fruit.... I haven't eaten any bread or pasta since last December....... I weighed 314 in December 2012 and now I'm down to 254 just by eliminating bread, pasta, potatoes and rice from my diet..... Wish me luck as I try to get down to my fighting weight of 175 back when I was still young, strong and good looking.....

wow congrats on the weight loss there chef! awesome!
the13r i would like to see more of this, but with measurements, or do you cook to taste? i am kind of new to cooking
the first time i went to the supermarket to look for coriander seed, i look and i looked at all the spices, then i asked the young girl at the customer help counter, she said to me, she tells me, what department does she work in...lol i said no, it's not an employee, it's a spice called coriander seed! lol

[tmoney1224]

put butter and flour in a hot pan (butter first) and stir till it makes a paste (4 table spoon of each)... then add milk to the mixture till it gets the consistence of caramel...

Then grind some strong chese in the mixture and add salt, dry mustard and nutmeg (about a tea spoon of each)...

Mix in your fav pasta, add some bread crumbs and some chese on top, put in the oven to roast the top

simple, but EXCELLENT lol

Simple roux (the flour & butter mixture) are a great thing to learn early as it can be used for a myriad of things. You can change the flavor by cooking the roux longer as well. Using the same recipe as above (make sure your liquid is cold, helps avoid lumps) some simple things I make from roux:

Any kind of gravy:
Simple Cream Gravy - Milk, bouillon, S&P
Chicken or Pork Gravy - Chicken Broth, poultry seasoning, S&P (if you want more of cream gravy for fried chicken or something, use half chicken broth, half milk and I usually uses some extra chicken bouillon for flavor)

Some of my favorite simple recipes with a roux (these recipes are designed for two plus leftovers):
Biscuits and gravy:
1 lb of your favorite breakfast sausage
approx 6TBS of flour
approx 3cups of milk
S&P
Cook the sausage until brown, use the grease in the pan to build your roux. Add the flour to sausage and cook for a minute or two to get rid of that flour taste. Add 2 cups of the cold milk and cook on medium until mixture starts to thicken. Add milk until desired consistency and salt and pepper to taste. Serve over warm biscuits.

Ham Gravy on rice:
1/2 lb cubed ham (approx a cup)
4TBS Butter
4TBS Flour
Approx 2 1/3 cups of milk
Approx 1 tsp of chicken bullion
S&P
Cooked Rice ( I prefer basmati, but any rice will do)
Cook roux as Astor described above, add milk and cook until thick. Add milk until desired consistency (the coat your spoon test). Add bouillon, ham, and pepper to taste. If it still need salt, add now to taste (usually the bouillon and the ham provide enough salt). Serve over cooked rice.

These are very simple recipes and can be expanded to suite tastes. The roux is a fun thing to play with.

[tmoney1224]

the13r i would like to see more of this, but with measurements, or do you cook to taste? i am kind of new to cooking
the first time i went to the supermarket to look for coriander seed, i look and i looked at all the spices, then i asked the young girl at the customer help counter, she said to me, she tells me, what department does she work in...lol i said no, it's not an employee, it's a spice called coriander seed! lol

That's pretty funny. I am a cook to taste person and have a hard time putting a lot of my recipes to actual amounts. I put approx in a lot, just because: one, I don't really know exactly and two, I think it is good practice to not be tied down to a recipe and experiment with what you prefer. Some things you do have to be more specific (meatloafs, cassoroles, etc.), but half the fun for me is developing a palette and figuring out what ratio I like spices and ingredients in.

Side note, did you know coriander seed is what cilantro comes from. Always thought that was cool.

[Peat56]

put butter and flour in a hot pan (butter first) and stir till it makes a paste (4 table spoon of each)... then add milk to the mixture till it gets the consistence of caramel...

Then grind some strong chese in the mixture and add salt, dry mustard and nutmeg (about a tea spoon of each)...

Mix in your fav pasta, add some bread crumbs and some chese on top, put in the oven to roast the top

simple, but EXCELLENT lol

Sounds like a nice roux, when the milk is added it sounds more like a bechamel - but above all it sounds yummy!

[gomez1012]

Bread + PBJ = Easy Lunch.

[the13r]

put butter and flour in a hot pan (butter first) and stir till it makes a paste (4 table spoon of each)... then add milk to the mixture till it gets the consistence of caramel...

Then grind some strong chese in the mixture and add salt, dry mustard and nutmeg (about a tea spoon of each)...

Mix in your fav pasta, add some bread crumbs and some chese on top, put in the oven to roast the top

simple, but EXCELLENT lol

Sounds like a nice roux, when the milk is added it sounds more like a bechamel - but above all it sounds yummy!

It's exactly like a bechamel but without acheiving the creamy stage... just before that, it's a sticky mix that streaks... hard to explain when your french but i'm sure you know what i mean. It has to have a similar texture to melted cheese...