# Food Lovers Guide



## Ryan Johnson (Jul 3, 2018)

I love cooking , more so in winter when its not so hot. However , I really get over cooking the same things all the time. Love trying different Salads , slow cooked meals , BBQs, pastas 

Id love some suggestions for easy meals, whether its a recipe you have tried recently , something your famous for, something you've been meaning to try cooking or even what you had for dinner tonight


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## Marsha Cassada (Jul 4, 2018)

I got a spiralizer. I've only used it on squash.  It makes a big pile of spaghetti-looking squash that is fun to cook.  I have given it a quick boil to serve with vegetables topped with crumbled feta.  Also sauteed it with some dried chilies from the garden and served it as a side dish.  I only have a hand one, but since I like it so well I'm looking into an electric one.


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## Ryan Johnson (Jul 4, 2018)

That sounds really good, I think there is a lady who may sell something similar at the market I go to. Ill check it out on Saturday. 

Its Mandarin season here at the moment, so I plan on trying a slow cooked chicken dish over the weekend. Unfortunately not out of the garden this year, they are a little small.


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## Miniv (Jul 5, 2018)

Love cooking too........and have to come up with "quick" meals a lot because the hubby leaves for work at 7 p.m.  What meats do you prefer? Oh, and I'm a pasta lover too.

Will get back with the family's favorites.


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## Ryan Johnson (Jul 5, 2018)

Really like most meats , Love cooking a slow cooked roast , then using the left overs the following night in something completely different. 

Looking forward to hearing about the Family Favs 

On a side note, I just got back from the America and got to try Gator in New Orleans. Had never tried it before but really enjoyed it !!


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## Marsha Cassada (Jul 5, 2018)

Ryan Johnson said:


> Really like most meats , Love cooking a slow cooked roast , then using the left overs the following night in something completely different.
> 
> Looking forward to hearing about the Family Favs
> 
> On a side note, I just got back from the America and got to try Gator in New Orleans. Had never tried it before but really enjoyed it !!


Taste like chicken?  I have eaten rattlesnake.


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## Miniv (Jul 5, 2018)

Only had gator once and it DID taste a bit like chicken....with a twist. LOL.  It was during a New Orleans trip for me too. I have several recipes pulled out, some slow cooker, and a couple not. I thought I'd post them individually in case you want to copy and paste any....  Since you mentioned liking "slow cooked roast", I'll start with my favorite.

THREE PACKET SLOW COOKER ROAST

1 cup water, 1 package of dry Italian style salad dressing, 1 package ranch dressing mix, 1 packet dry brown gravy mix.

1 - 3 lb boneless beef chuck roast.

Whisk together the water and 3 packets of mixes listed in a bowl until smooth. Place roast in the slow cooker and pour the mix on top.

(I add 3 or 4 quartered red potatoes, a couple of chopped carrots, and a small onion - sliced, and spread everything over and around the meat.)

Cook on Low for 6 to 8 hours. (About a half hour or 15 minutes prior to being done, I put 3 or 4 Tablespoons of Cornstarch in a small bowl and pull some spoonfuls of juice from the crockpot and mix til smooth, then pour it all back. It makes a nice gravy.)

Will post more later........


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## Miniv (Jul 5, 2018)

FRENCH STYLE SLOW COOKER CHICKEN

6 medium boneless/skinless Chicken Breasts (I use about 4)

1/2 cup dry white wine or vermouth (I use dry sherry)

1 can cream of mushroom soup

4 oz. mushrooms, sliced.

salt and pepper to taste

Paprika.

1 cup sour cream, mixed with 1/4 cup flour.

Place chicken in crock pot and sprinkle lightly with salt,  pepper, & paprika.  Mix the wine, soup, and mushrooms in a bowl. Pour over chicken. Sprinkle a little more paprika.

Cover and cook on Low for 7 to 9 hours, or on High for 3 to 4 hours. (I do the High).  Remove the chicken in the last 30 minutes and stir in the sour cream/flour mixture, then return.

Serve the chicken and sauce over rice or sliced cooked potatoes......or even mashed potatoes!


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## Miniv (Jul 5, 2018)

Another Chicken meal.....Ready?

SWEET HAWAIIAN CROCKPOT CHICKEN  (for 4 adults, it says)

2 lbs chicken breasts, cut in chunks

1(+) cup pineapple juice

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/3 cup soy sauce

(I add a pinch of ground ginger and a 1/2 tsp. salt, plus a can of pineapple tidbits or chunks. The juice from the can is included in the amount listed above.)

Place chicken in crock pot that's been sprayed with cooking spray. Mix the above minus the pineapple tidbits and pour over chicken. Cook on low for 6 to 8 hours or on high for 4 hours.

About a half hour before being done mix  2 Tablespoons of corn starch with about a 1/2 cup of the liquid that's been pulled from the crock pot and return it to thicken the sauce. Add the pineapple tidbits - about a half cup is good, then let things bubble or thicken a bit.

Serve over rice.


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## Ryan Johnson (Jul 9, 2018)

They sound great , thanks so much ( printing them out right now )

What was Rattlesnake like Marsha ? 

I did Lamb in the slow cooker last night .

Layer the bottom of the slow cooker with mini potatoes and carrots (cut long )

Stab the leg of lamb with a knife and then stuff bits of fresh rosemary and mint into it. Cover in thick Apricot Jam and cook for 8 Hours.

This also works really well with Beef


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## Marsha Cassada (Jul 10, 2018)

Ryan Johnson said:


> Really like most meats , Love cooking a slow cooked roast , then using the left overs the following night in something completely different.
> 
> Looking forward to hearing about the Family Favs
> 
> On a side note, I just got back from the America and got to try Gator in New Orleans. Had never tried it before but really enjoyed it !!


I haven't been to New Orleans since the hurricane.  Probably lots of changes since then.  Didn't eat gator while there, but did try turtle.  My sister lived there for several years.  Loved the swamp; it was beautiful.  It may be destroyed now.


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## Marsha Cassada (Jul 10, 2018)

A favorite of ours is kabobs.  We use tri-tip steak.  Our favorites are mushrooms, onions and squash.  We brush on olive oil with melted butter and garlic salt.


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## Miniv (Jul 10, 2018)

Two more recipes that are NOT crock pot.........but easy and quick........These are the last two.......

MELT IN YOUR MOUTH CHICKEN

4 to 6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (I cut them in half and butterfly them)

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese,  1 cup plain yogurt, 1 tsp garlic powder, 1 1/2 tsp seasoning salt, 1/2 tsp pepper. Mix all together in a bowl.

Place chicken in a baking dish sprayed with cooking spray. Spread the mixture over the chicken. Bake at 375 degrees for 45 minutes.  Serve the sauce and chicken over rice.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

PARMESAN BAKED PORK CHOPS

4+ Boneless Pork Chops

1 Tablespoon olive oil per chop, 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese, 1 cup Italian seasoned bread crumbs, 1 tsp. pepper, 1 tsp.. garlic powder.

On a plate combine the dry ingredients. Rub the chops with olive oil and coat each one with the cheese mixture. Press the mixture  into the meat to make sure they are well covered. Line a baking pan with tin foil and spray with cooking spray. Place pork chops in the pan and bake at 350 degrees for 40 to 45 minutes.

(I serve this with a choice of gourmet mustards and chutney as dips.) The foil is important. I didn't do it once and the chops weren't as moist.


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## Ryan Johnson (Jul 10, 2018)

New Orleans was one of my favorite  places I got to travel too last month. The swamp was really lovely and according to the guide most of it had grown back. 

I did stuffed Zucchinis last night . When I grow them in summer here , we live off this recipe 

In a bowl , Finely dice

Ham, sundried tomatos, celery, onion ( any other meat works well, even left overs) Dried herbs, fresh basil , Oregano , Parsley. Crumbed fetta.  Mix well !!

Scoop out the zucchini so Its like a hollow boat and fill with the mixture. 

Top with grated cheese of your choice (this will stop the mixture from burning ) 

Cook on low for about 1/2 an hour - 45 mins

MiniV I love chutneys and mustards    

I had heaps of Blood plums last year , so I made a Plum chutney


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## Miniv (Jul 10, 2018)

YUM!  I'm copying your zuke recipe!!!

Tonight I did a "cheater meal"....because it's using pre-made food.........

Baked chicken, stuffing and gravy ---

Make the boxed stuffing (aka Stove Top).  Trim your chicken breasts (I cut them in half) and put them in a greased baking pan. Cover the chicken with the stuffing.

Mix a jar of chicken gravy with a little bit of water.......just me.....it's too thick to my liking........ Pour the gravy over the stuffing and chicken and pop into the oven.

Bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes. Serve with cranberry sauce if desired.......

Thanks for that Zucchini recipe!  And more power to you for making the plum chutney......Wow.


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## Ryan Johnson (Jul 11, 2018)

This is an easy one and quite tasty.....

Use ground beef and grate an onion & carrot. Add some dried italian herbs , pinch of paprika. Roll into Rissoles and brown on each side in a fry pan. 

Put them into an oven proof dish and pour a can of tomato soup over and bake with the lid closed 180c fan forced for about an hour.

 You can substitute with a jar of pasta sauce , tin tomatoes etc.


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## Ryan Johnson (Jul 11, 2018)

Creamy Garlic Chicken. Cook in Electric frypan

Chicken Breast or thighs ( what ever you have on hand) 

Cook chicken and add 1 Sliced onion and 2-3 cloves of Garlic ( minced)

Add 2 x packets of Dried "french Onion Soup" & 125mls of water 

Once combined add 1 bottle of large cream .

Turn down to low and cook till cream thickens.

Add some peas or any other veggies.

Goes well with thick bread


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## Ryan Johnson (Jul 17, 2018)

Had friends over on the weekend , so did Tacos 3x different ways. Beef in the slow cooker , sweet sticky pork Belly and fish tacos


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## Ryan Johnson (Aug 13, 2018)

Made Thai Pork Dumplings over the weekend , they are so cheap to make and so tasty


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## Ryan Johnson (Sep 18, 2018)

Made a really nice baked chicken risotto last night. 

Set your oven to 170 degrees fan forced

Brown your chicken, onion, celery, mushrooms in a deep pan. Add two cups of aborio rice and continue browning for 2-3 mins. Add some dried herbs of your choice ( I use a basic italian herb mix)

Add 4 x cups of chicken stock, stir well and put in the oven, cooking for 15 mins.

Add 1 cup of peas, zucchini and any other veggies you like and continue to cook for 25 mins.

Add some fresh herbs of your choice and serve !!

This was the first time I have made this and I got heaps of compliments, So I will be cooking it again


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## Reignmaker Miniatures (Sep 19, 2018)

Love the sound of the creamy garlic chicken Ryan, I will be giving that a try. My standby for chicken breast when I want something easy but good enough for company is to sprinkle the meat with a garlic/herb mix (i usually use a commercially available mix called garlic plus but Ive used my own blend too) then cover it in mayonaise and finally sprinkle a thick layer of grated parmesan cheese on top. Cook in a 350F oven until the chicken is cooked and the cheese is golden brown. I usually serve it with roasted baby potatoes and vegies.


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## Ryan Johnson (Sep 19, 2018)

Yum that sounds really good and easy , Ill definitely be giving that a try


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## Reignmaker Miniatures (Sep 20, 2018)

I like it partly because if I'm a bit distracted and cook the chicken for too long it stays moist under the mayo.


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## Ryan Johnson (Sep 24, 2018)

I did corned silverside in the slow cooker yesterday. Love being able to put something on in the morning and not have to worry about it till dinner time


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## Reignmaker Miniatures (Sep 25, 2018)

What is silverside? Fish? I made cabbage roll soup tonight. Enough for 8 or 10 people and there are only 2 of us...oops. Someday Ill get this cooking for just 2 down lol


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## Ryan Johnson (Sep 25, 2018)

Silverside is beef   Its the cut above the leg. ( I think the term "Siverside" is very European)  

I buy it "corned" so its been cured in salt and other things.  I have just started to cook it in the slow cooker.


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## Reignmaker Miniatures (Sep 26, 2018)

LOL, my lack of sophistication is showing. My Dad used to enjoy corned beef. Its been so many years since Ive tasted it that I really can't say if I like it or not. I don't think anyone I know has served it in my adult life.


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## Ryan Johnson (Sep 27, 2018)

We had it a lot as kids and I hadn't had it in ages. I always found it to be dry though, so was never one of my favs. My mum still makes it occasionally, like you though, Ive never heard of anyone else serving it.


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