Me and my big mouth?

Question

On being told i was hopeless and could never be domesticated i have beentaking cooking lessons...i have yet to make anything decent enough to ea...but after a ribbing from friends announced i was having a party where i would do the cooking!!!!!!!No w should I order in and tell them I cooked or take the chance of poisening my friends?
And if i should attempt cooking does any one have any ideas of something that I could make that would be easy and yet tasty?Please any help would be greatly appreciated.

Answer 1

Do it yourself...your friends will be impressed!! You CAN do it!!!

Get boneless, skinless chicken breasts and make sure you thaw them or buy them already thawed (fresh). Trim off the fat and marinate them (soak in a plastic bag or bowl) in Italian dressing, or any marinade you find at the store that sounds good to you. Lawry's has some that are amazing!! When you're ready to cook them preheat the oven to 350 and put them on a baking sheet. Cook them for 27 minutes and they'll be perfectly tender and juicy!! Make a couple sides to go along with the chicken and you'll do great!!

Pasta Side Salad Made Over
1 cup elbow macaroni, uncooked
1/2 cup MIRACLE WHIP Light Dressing
1/4 cup KRAFT LIGHT DONE RIGHT! Zesty Italian Reduced Fat Dressing
1 cup KRAFT Natural 2% Milk Reduced Fat Colby & Monterey Jack Cheese Crumbles
3/4 cup matchstick-cut carrots (julienne)
1/2 cup frozen peas
1/2 cup chopped red pepper (1/2 of a medium red pepper)

COOK macaroni as directed on package; drain. Rinse with cold water; drain again.
MIX dressings in large bowl. Add cheese, carrots, peas, peppers and macaroni; mix lightly. Cover.
REFRIGERATE at least 30 min. or up to 24 hours before serving.

I ALWAYS make a double batch of this recipe...everyone LOVES it and always want's seconds...I also change it a little...In a double batch I use 1/4 cup of red pepper and 3/4 - 1 cup cucumber.

For the other side dish you might want a vegetable...

5-Minute Cheesy Broccoli Toss
4 cups frozen broccoli florets
1/2 tsp. dry mustard
1/4 lb. (4 oz.) VELVEETA Pasteurized Prepared Cheese Product, cut up
1 Tbsp. KRAFT 100% Grated Parmesan Cheese

COMBINE broccoli, mustard and VELVEETA in large nonstick skillet on medium-high heat.
COOK 5 min. until broccoli is crisp-tender and hot, stirring occasionally.
SPRINKLE with the Parmesan cheese.


GOOD LUCK!!!!!

Answer 2

Don't lie :) I'm sure part of your charm is that you have flaws - it's true for all of us! Now, the best part is that you CAN COOK! I promise! There's no big secret to it, it's not really hard, it's just BELIEVING you can do it (and paying attention!). Now, here's a perfect recipe for you and your friends. It's easy and they will be veddy veddy impressed - and so will you because it will go a long way to showing you can do it! (PS - one of the "secrets" of being a good cook is understanding timing - it's tough to have one thing that takes an hour and a half to cook and then timing the rice and veggies to cook so it all comes out hot - that just takes practice - and while you're practicing, keep your microwave handy ;)

This recipe is a crock pot recipe and it is ALWAYS a hit at our house - and would be a beautiful thing to put on the table. You serve it with spinach and egg fettucine (green and white) and a variety of cheese (sharp cheese, like percorino and romano - not bries and camemberts) and fruits (grapes and apples work best). Get a bag of Romaine lettuce and tear or cut it into bite size pieces, mix it with some parmesan cheese, croutons, pepper and store brand Caesar (or lite Caesar dressing) - HINT - keep the lettuce very cold and make this at the last minute - make sure the dressing is very cold too - and literally, toss the dressing in just before you serve it. Here's the chicken recipe:

Tuscan Chicken with Olives and Peppers
8-12 Pepperoncis - slice open and rinse the seeds out (if you like spicy food, you can leave the seeds in) - you will find these near the olives at the grocery store
1/2 cup sliced black olives (ripe olives)
6 cloves of garlic minced or pressed (usually in the produce section they sell jars of already minced garlic and it tells you on the label how many teaspoons equal a clove - just as good as fresh mincing)
1 chicken cut up - they usually have these with the chickens, but if you can't find one already cut up, ask the butcher to cut a whole roaster into 8 pieces for you
1/2 tsp paprika (tsp = teaspoon - don't confuse it with tablespoon!)
1/3 cup lemon juice
1 1/2 TBS (tablespoon) cornstarch blended well wtih 2 TBS of COLD water
Salt

In a large slow cooker (at least 4 quarts) combine the pepperoncinis, olives and garlic. Place the chicken on top, overlapping slightly if necessary. Sprinkle with paprika. Pour in the lemon juice. Cover and cook on the low setting until the chicken is tender (about 6 1/2 - 7 hours). NOTE: When using a crock pot, do not open the lid to see how things are progressing. You let a lot of heat out and slow the cooking time down substantially!

When chicken is done, carefully put it onto a warm platter and put in a warm oven. Skim the fat from the mixture in the pot and throw it away. Blend in the cornstarch and water well. Put the cooker on the high setting. Stir 2 or 3 times until the sauce is thickened (about 10-12 more minutes). Season to taste with salt.

Now, about 10 minutes before the chicken is done, but before you start making the sauce, put on the water to boil for the fettucine. By the time you've started making the sauce, the water should be boiling and you can be making the fettucine while you're finishing the sauce. That's the timing thing ;) It will all come to the table warm.

To serve, put the fettucine on a serving platter, and place the chicken on top of it. Then spoon the olive/pepperoncini sauce all over the chicken and fettucine.

Your guests will go BANANAS and you will learn to love your crock pot ;)

GOOD LUCK!

Answer 3

Alright first off, remember, despite what you hear, cooking is a science, not an art.

Making your own custom meals.. well that is an art, but I'd avoid that if you can't cook.

First off, plan ahead what your going to make.

Beef tends to be the simplest, i'd avoid fish, that takes alot of practice to make really tasty.

So lets say you make steaks, just an example. There are things to remember. One, the one thing as important how its cooked is what cut you pick. Not all cuts are equal, a new york strip steak tends to be a bit tough, on the other hand, a Tbone, which contains a large section of a tenderloin is quite tasty and tender. If you really want to pull out the stops, a full tenderloin such as a Filet Mignon is very nice.

So lets keep with this theoretical meal, keep beef dishes simple. Salt and pepper, thats all you really need, if you really want to, try a pan sauce, but trust me, a good steak is far superior to a poor steak with pan sauce.

Some equipment you could really use would include an instant read digital thermometer, a probe thermometer, and a oven thermometer.

Ovens are not the same, and just because you put it to 350 degrees doesn't mean its at 350 degrees. Ovens cycle on and off, and bad ovens can make drastic temperature changes.

Also, know how well done your guests like their food. Remember that just because foods not in a pan or in the oven, doesn't mean its not cooking, food will continue to increase in temperature with carry over heat after they have been removed, so yank the meat a little under the desired temperature, I usually yank it about 8 degrees under done. Remember, you can always cook the meat more but you can't uncook it.

If you want more ideas or info you can E-Mail me on it.

Oh and, when your friends rib you about their cooking, invite yourself over to some of their cooking, and see how they like it.

Answer 4

Don't worry. No matter how bad a cook you are it will go fine. Try a classic like spaghetti. Just cook the pasta and add sauce. Other things to serve that are easy are some diner rolls where all you have to do is warm them up. As appetizeres go to your local supermarket's frozen food aisle. There are many pre made appetizers that are very tasty and only have to be heated up. For desert however it is okay to pull a fast one. Find a nice pie in the store and to make your friends think you made it just pop it in the oven for 10 minutes or so before they arrive so the aroma goes around the house. Or get a frozen pie and bake it. Whatever you choose don't stress out. Everything will go fine. Good luck.

Answer 5

the best and easiest thing for a bunch of people is a roast! either a bird or a cut of other meat.

if you are cooking a bird (no matter what kind) it's 20 minutes per pound in the oven. cook covered at 325F except for the last 30 minutes, take the cover off and cook at 375 (this will crisp up the skin). for seasoning, put some salt and pepper on the outside, and some onion/garlic on the inside (season the inside too).

other cuts of meat cook at 350 for about 15 minutes a pound - until desired doneness is reached.

other than that you just need to throw together some vegetables, and they are easy! good luck!

Answer 6

You just need to be a little more comfortable with cooking and getting the proper information.

Do you get "The Food Network" on Television? You should just WATCH IT (not try to copy recipes) about how meals are made. I especially like "GOOD EATS" with Alton Brown. (His show is funny and educational)

You can also go to http://www.foodnetwork.com for helpful hints and recipes. You can type in a main ingredient in the search box with RECIPES selected and hit GO. It will give you a list of recipes with that ingredient. (You can even SORT the recipes by difficulty [I would suggest EASY for now])

When you have ANY recipe, make sure you have ALL your ingredients ready. Then READ THROUGH what you need to do to put it together. THEN start. Just follow the directions step by step.

When in doubt about ADDING extra ingredients, start off with LESS and add little by little. (You can always ADD, but you can't TAKE IT AWAY once it's added.)

Learn about the spices you use. SMELL, TASTE, then add. If it doesn't smell like it will work, don't use it.

With PANS and BAKING, make sure you have the PROPER COOKING TEMPERATURE. Too hot means too fast and it won't cook properly.

You'll learn what will work and what doesn't. Just make sure you look for "the tricks of the trade" (they're not REALLY tricks, just the way things work.)


With the proper ingredients, added in the proper order, prepared at the proper temperature, you will be a HOME CHEF in no time!

(Believe Me... I'm A Guy who cooks [and I get COMPLIMENTS!][Woo HOO!!!])

Answer 7

Get a bag of ready made salad, toss it in bowl with a red wine vinagarette dressing.
Put a baguette of French bread in the oven at 150 degrees F for about 20 minutes, but first slice the bread 3/4 of the way down and put butter in between, on top spread butter and sprinkle some parmesan cheese and garlic salt.
For a main course brown some ground turkey or beer (turkey is a great low-fat sub) seasoned with garlic salt, pepper, basil and oregano. Once browned remove and in the same pan add a chopped onion, cook until clear, add meat and a bottle of spaghetti sauce. Sauté for 5 minutes.
Make Fettuccini pasta al dente per instructions, toss with sauce and serve hot with bread and salad

Answer 8

SPINACH DIP

1 10 oz pkg frozen spinach, thawed
1 1/2 cups sour cream
1 pkg. Knorr Vegetable Soup Mix (dry)
1 cup mayonnaise
1 cup sliced water chestnuts
3 green onions, finely chopped
1 round, crusty bread loaf

Squeeze excess water from spinach.

In a bowl, combine ingredients (except the bread) in the order listed.

Slice the top off the round bread loaf, leaving it in one piece to form a cap that can be replaced after filling. Scoop out the center bread, leaving a 1 1/2 inch crust and an empty center.

Put the spinach mixture inside the bread "bowl", replace the cap.


DEVILED EGGS

6 eggs
1/4 tsp prepared mustard
1/8 tsp dill
3 tbsp mayonnaise
1/8 tsp white pepper
1/8 tsp paprika
1/8 tsp salt
1-2 tsp milk

Place eggs in a pan and cover with water. Boil eggs for about 4 minutes.
Remove from heat and place in ice water. Let cool down to room temperature.

Peel under cold running water. Slice eggs in half. Place egg whites on a plate or serving tray rinsed and dried.

Mash egg yolks with a fork and add all ingredients except for paprika.

If desired, you can add more mayonnaise with a little bit of milk (small amounts at a time, as you can always add but not take out or you'll end up boiling another egg or two.. lol..)

Fill each half about a teaspoon and sprinkle with paprika. Cover and refrigerate up to 24 hours.

Makes about 6 servings. Be creative, top with bay shrimp, anchovies, or add some of your favorite spices

Answer 9

okay girl take a breather, and take the chance of poisening your friends lol.. they suggested the party to where you cook so there for you should show them what you have. let them know you can cook...just make a 7 layer dip, then for the main dish make a King Ranch Casserole/ King Ranch Chicken,,, these are very very easy to make.. the desert make them some type of cake that looks pro better yet go buy the cake lol...Good Luck and Best Wishes..dont burn the house down ..lol...j/k you can do it.
Also invite one or two of your friends over to help you dont be shamed just ask for help. tell them you are making such a large amount and you need help!

Answer 10

This is a PARTY. I don't think you're doing a sit-down dinner with multiple courses - and I don't think your nerves are up to taking on too much at once. What you might do is prepare a few items as the centerpiece of your entertainment and buy or order in supplementals.

So do MOST of the work the day before. That way your main issues are having the place looking right, setting out the plates and forks and toothpicks and drinks glasses, remembering you forgot ice in time to go get some or call a pal to pick some up, and finally fumbling around with the food and munchies. AND if you are really together, having all this done in time for one big vodka martini in front of the TV or stereo about 20 minutes before the first guests show up.

One of the secrets is to have a couple of hot items that are suitable for a party, tasty and a little filling - but neither very messy nor requiring a table at which to eat. Or too danged much sophisticated work to make.

Allow me to suggest you plan a fondue dip, some Vienna sausages in a slightly spicy sauce, perhaps some crab legs or shrimp - but that means yet MORE dip or sauce and it's overboard to have 3 like that at one party - some of those little hors 'oeuvres on Ritz crackers, cheese balls, melon balls, fresh celery and carrot sticks, black olives, perhaps some deviled eggs, and those really cool decorated petit-four tiny cakes. Plus bowls of all kinds of crunchy things like pretzel sticks, the multi-colored chips (you know, the ones that are blue and red and yellow), mixed nuts, and lots of M&Ms.

That's a nice variety with something almost everyone likes and eats and plenty of it. All fit on little plastic or paper plates, most can be eaten with tiny forks or toothpicks or fingers, only a few leave bad stains, and NONE of it is much work. YOU buy the Vienna sausages in the can or refrigerator sections and just use the recipe on the package for the sauce (it's so easy a Geico spokesperson could do it). Do that a day ahead and refrigerate until time to warm it up in the microwave - but warm up the sausages in the oven, please - they might explode in the microwave.

The fondue dip is even easier. You buy it pre-mixed and just heat it up. Cut up the chunks of bread (oh please buy really GOOD fresh bread for this!) the day of the party and put it out on the platter around the fondue bowl. Now you WILL need either an electric one or the kind with a little candle or heating can underneath - try to borrow one if this is not something you'd use often.

Buy or order in everything else, dear, especially the deviled eggs and petit-fours. If you want to have a little messy fun, you can make your own melon balls - just buy a watermelon or other kind and one of those cool little tools for doing them. Scoop out all the melon into balls and save them in their juice to put BACK into the shells of the melons - wrap in plastic wrap in the 'fridge until party time and put them out on the table with lots of toothpicks in shot glasses.

Oh, yeah, get PLENTY of little napkins.

This isn't cooking, it's entertainment and you should be GREAT at that. The food's just an excuse to get together!