What do you like to cook?
 

I'm surprised I couldn't find an existing thread on this.

What are your favorite home-cooked meals to make? Weeknights? Weekends?

I just got a cookbook called "One Pan Two Plates" and made a variation of its flank steak recipe. I sauteed a flank steak rubbed with Emeril's steak rub, then put it on a plate in a warm oven. To the pan I added more olive oil, some brussels sprouts, some sliced small potatoes, mushrooms, tomatoes, a little garlic and green onion. Served the steak with that and an attempt at chimichurri. Overall it was good...next time I'll cook the potatoes more and the steak less.

Fresh vegetables and fruit from the local Farmer's Mkt. Once I find the veggies and fruit I work around that. I love the way Suzanne Goin cooks. I draw my inspiration from her. Of course, not only Suzanne but I do love the California-Med cuisine.

i enjoy anything laborious and/or time-consuming... from the longggg simmering of pasta sauces like Ragu, stews like Bourguignon, multi-hour onion soup (a la Keller), home-made pasta, smoked pork ribs (6hr) or beef brisket (12-18 hrs).

Its peaceful and relaxing to occupy ones mind with a process like that

Cooking can be a great creative outlet as well as a serious stress-reliever.

I generally love to cook anything, from baking to ethnic foods, but I hate the prep work! If there's a shortcut, I'll take it! :) I buy pre-diced veggies, etc. If I'm cooking something that requires a lot of prep work, I'm generally saving that for a weekend. I prepared halupki yesterday. :)

I like cooking a lot, but rarely have time on weekdays. On weekends, however, I like to whip some things up. I mainly cook Chinese/Korean + French.

I enjoy cooking long-simmering soups and stews, too.
Their fragrances fill the house and they are so comforting on a cold winter day.

Personally, I always opt for something quick and easy. Grilling will always be my favorite though, some nice salmon with asparagus and pineapple (yes, grill that too).

I completely agree. Pour a nice glass of wine and have at it!

I love spending a long winter afternoon in the kitchen preparing slow-cooked ragu, short ribs or pot roast. In the warmer months I enjoy preparing, grilling and serving from the Weber charcoal grill - salmon, steaks, pork, lamb, veggie kabobs, et al.

And of course the end result is to bring family and friends together for the camaraderie of the meal. The journey and the destination having equal importance IMO.

Chilean sea bass

Many things, depending on the season.

Fall/Winter:
Long Cook Pasta Sauces
Braised Beef Short Ribs with Mashed Potatoes
Chili
Spicy Italian Sausage and Tortellini Soup
Tuscan Bean Soup
Mac & Cheese
Baked Ziti
Lasanga
Meatballs
Meatloaf
King Salmon

Spring/Summer:
Pulled Pork
BBQ Beef Back Ribs
Burgers with My Own Meat Mix
Grilled Corn Salad
Faijitas
No Cilantro Guacamole
Grilled Lobster
Italian Grinder

At the moment, anything involving asparagus. That season doesn't last long, and it seems particularly good this year.

Oh, and I like chopping. I'm not too shabby with a knife, and that part is a great stress reliever after work. At this time of year, I'll typically make a big salad every night - carrots, Romano peppers, cucumber, spring onion, ginger, tomatoes out the garden, fennel, mushrooms - that big knife gets everywhere...

Grilling with a beer in your hand!

What do you like to cook?
 

My absolute favorite thing to cook is eggs Benedict... By a longshot. I find making hollandaise from scratch is very cathartic.... And coaxing a perfect poached egg out of the pan similar. Couple the finished dish with a S/O over some late night wine- heaven.

My personal favorite is my country staple food, rice and beans, accompany with plantains or tostones and chicken. Some onions and that completes the meal.

Any type of pasta, or trying to replicate anything Hubert Keller makes...

Pretty much anything but especially baking.

Mainly breads but cakes and biscuits as well.

I'm becoming more confident about bread making and have gone from basic recipes to briochr and 4 plait challah.

Croissants will be my next project. (Proper ones with the dough layered and folded with butter not the quick version)

Fried salt pork belly with eggs, because my cholesterol levels just aren't high enough already

Lasagna, loaded with sausage, ground beef, mushrooms, cabbage and ricotta cheese.

I'm a lazy person, so when I cook I enjoy things that I can throw together with a minimum of effort and have a minimum of cleanup.

I like stir-fry. Veggies, shrimp, and scallops in a wok, some Minute Rice in another pot, and a few minutes later I've got a meal.

I also enjoy a type of instant stew - 1 cup of instant rice, one cup of instant poultry gravy, 1 can of corn, each cooked normally; about 1lb of cubed chicken breast suateed in a skillet with butter, garlic, oregano, and chopped peppers and onions, and when it's all done, mix it together in a big bowl. Serves two people.

A great variant of that is the beef version - 1 cup of instant rice, one cup of instant onion gravy, one can of corn, each cooked normally; about 1lb of lean ground beef, browned in a skillet with sea salt, black pepper, some chopped peppers and onions, and when it's all done, mix it together in a big bowl. Serves two people.

Thin steaks, grilled on a George Foreman grill with butter, garlic, salt and pepper, and some A-1 steak sauce, used to be one of my faves. You can also to the same with some boneless chicken breasts (without the A-1, of course). For those I prefer to serve with green canned beans, instant mashed potatoes, and instant gravy.

In the hot weather I enjoy stopping on the way home for some fresh deli meats and cheeses, some rolls or flatbreads, a nice firm tomato and some crisp lettuce and chopped red onions form the salad bar (a whole head of lettuce and whole onion would go to waste), and making some Dagwood sandwiches or hoagies. A bit of honey mustard, salt, pepper, and a sprinkle of onion powder from my cabinet rounds out the sandwiches.

When I'm in a hurry and don't want any cleanup at all, I'll put some bread in the toaster, and when they come out, slap a few slices of cheese (cheddar and swiss are my faves) and any luncheon meats I have around (ham, turkey, chicken, even roast beef), then nuke it for about 20-25 seconds to melt the cheese. Instant grilled cheese without the grease, or hot ham and cheese, or hot roast beef. For additional flavor, sprinkle some onion powder and a little of this stuff on prior to nuking it. Prep time of about 2 minutes, no cleanup to speak of (I use disposable plates), and I have a nice lunch.

Are they mutated? Ill-tempered? Well, that's sometihing...

I had to think about this one, what do I like to cook?

Something that tastes good but that is an obvious answer.

I grill a lot and also make stir frys a lot during shoulder season & warm months. Most meat is marinated & brined for my grilling, then eaten as center of plate or added to salads or rice. Stir frys I'm making more & more of my own sauces rather than buying them from the markets. I stir fry veggies for sides quite a bit. I'm also using noodles more now, as in the past it was all rice with our stir frys.

When it gets cold out, I do a lot of oven roasted meats w/lots of veggies. Nice to have the warm oven going and fill the house with a great smell.I look forward to learning some cooking tips from you next time I see you at a Do !

I have a short attention span, so the dishes I like to cook vary a lot. Currently I'm enjoying the summer bounty without turning on the stove -- gazpacho, Tuscan kale salad, mock soft-serve frozen yoghurt with flash-frozen fresh fruit (whirred in the Vitamix). The older stocks of different flours and Asian ingredients bear witness to previous culinary interests. though I keep meaning to try my hand at home-made spring rolls.

master how wet to get the rice wrapper before you roll and they are a breeze to make. During the summer, I prob make every other week (especially when I have Thai Basil in the garden, this year I don't)

David Tanis had a Food Section feature a few weeks ago with good instructions, and I just bought a new package of wrappers so they should behave well. Just need to figure out a filling mixture that will fit Mr. Fox's crazy restrictive diet. (no cabbage, no soy, though sprouts might work now that I think of it)

Once I go back to cooking with heat risotto will reenter the rotation.

I've been making my own yogurt, and then straining it to get Greek yogurt. The GY makes a nice base for sauces on grilled meats, like tadziki with grilled salmon.

Oh what a fun thread!

Now more than anything else I like to grille. First I get the charcoal going, then I enjoy a cocktail as it heats up (especially when my Dad and I are together) then I'll throw on steaks with a blend of lemon juice and sea salt. Or, for a simpler crowd, fixing burgers, dogs and brats is really fun too.

But if I'm in my own kitchen I like to do Mexican themed dishes because they're easy, store well and taste great. I like:

- Chorizo and egg breakfast burritos
- Shrimp tacos
- Chicken fajitas

And if I really want a bachelor meal, homemade steak sandwiches. Oh and pasta dishes are good too, they also make for great leftovers.

i like to cook steak with mashed potatoes and a small salad

I enjoy cooking lots of things, but from a therapy perspective, it has to be risotto - it is the fact it requires my undivided attention, stirring, stirring, stirring, and then you are rewarded with a big old bowl of cheesy carbs :D The fact it is done with a glass of wine in hand more often than not, is a bonus.

The 'how' I cook is important too - if it is night, I hate having the main lights on in the kitchen, so I have a few under the cabinet lights, and votive candles. I also have a radio / CD player with 'interesting' music - my go to cooking CD is Enrique Inglasias! I blame an old friend who had that, and a few similar CDs in her kitchen, where we spent an awful lot of time together, and it brings back fond memories.

Chorizo and eggs for breakfast. Japanese curry with beef and onions served with white short grain rice. Greek spinach and rice (spanakorizo), great white bean casserole (Yigantes gigantes),' and stuffed baked bell peppers and tomatoes (Yamista). A prime rib with with Yorkshire pudding, creamed spinach, and English Trifle around the winter holidays. Roasted rack of lamb with Greek style roasted potato wedges on New Years Eve.

Weather is too hot right now, but in the Fall/Winter I love to cook a nice spicy chili (with beans!) and a cast iron skillet cornbread on the side. Salivating just thinking about it.

If I don't have pork belly available, I usually have Spam as a substitute

^ I like making that myself. Get the chorizo going in the pan, scramble the eggs, add the cheese, sour cream and salsa and have a burrito

Lately I've mostly cooked European retro dishes. Best guide was an old Czech cookbook that had wonderful Olde World recipes for meat, fish and veggies.

My parents loved, among many dishes, an old-fashioned veggie salad consisting of boiled potatos, carrots, celery, peas, onion, pickles and organic mayo, vinegar plus Worcestershire sauce for the dressing. Salt and pepper feature as well.

What I also like about these foods is seasoning with herbs instead of chilies and curry powders. Nothing wrong with those but refreshing to try out past generation favourites once in a while.

Salmon. Seared on a grill so that it is rare/medium rare with a little soy. In season asparagus on the grill is a great side dish.

Last week, I threw together a great dinner that had been in the back of my mind all day. I took some hot Italian sausage, cut it out of the casing, and sauteed it in olive oil. Then I added some garlic, some sliced Brussels sprouts, and some mushrooms. It was great!

You can serve it over rice if you want some carbs.

I love cooking and during weekdays i prefer cooking chinese and in weekends i always love to try something new dishes.