Bookeaters discussion

I want you to help me make a collection of foods for me to eat for the next five months while I'm still in college.

This contest is in two parts. Enter for one or both. Preferably both.

Part 1: Cookbook

Find me recipes for foods that fit these criteria. The list is in order of importance.

1. Cheap
2. Quick to make
3. Tasty
4. Little or (preferably) no meat
5. Easy to store leftovers

Enter as many recipes as you want. I'll be trying them out after the deadline, and the winner will be chosen based on what my roommates and I think of the food.

Part 2: Meal Planner

I'm making a really nice meal for a friend's birthday at the beginning of December. But I don't know what to make. It needs to be relatively cheap, but I am setting aside an extra sum of money for groceries for this. I'll have a whole day to make it as well (the meal will be on Sunday), so time isn't an issue either.

Design a meal that has a salad, four sides (I won't necessarily use all four), a main dish, and a dessert. I'm comfortable cooking anything.

I don't really have specific criteria. This won't be a super fancy meal…no bacon-wrapped dates or crème brûlée. Just…something nice. It has to feed twelve people as well.

Your deadline is NOVEMBER 15.

Good luck!

i'm so not a good person to ask. i just eat all my friends' food instead of making anything. :p

I don't cook too much, but no meat? Asking a vegetarian? Perfect. XD

I dunno though. I eat Indian food, and that takes a while to make.

You should look on lifehackable.

Oh I am going to rock at this. My mom and I cook like crazy, so I am going to give you some really good recipes. And time is money at my house, so we have plenty of easy and cheap meals around.

You don't even need to be a great cook. XD I'm really good, but that's just because I was raised in a home where we cook a lot.

Well I am BEING raised in a home where we cook a lot XD. I'll try to post the first one tonight if I can!

Do you know how to make biscuits? Because I know a very simple yet delicious biscuit with homemade sauce recipe.

Just asking so I know whether to give you the biscuit recipe with the sauce one.

Is it biscuits and gravy? Yeah, I know how to make biscuits.

Okay cool. Yeah it is technically biscuits and gravy, my mom just came up with a different sauce.

Feel free to post it. And other stuff. Biscuits and gravy is brilliant, though.

Omg even if i don't enter this is going to be so cool. Lately i've been cooking a lot but I'm kind of apprehensive about cooking anymore because today i scorched a pot REALLY badly trying to make pear chutney (replicating my earlier success making apple chutney). :( oh well i'm making fried rice later so maybe that will work.

@Alina

I see you deleted your "TOMORROW" promise, lol.

Forgot to write this but the rice turned out totally crusty so it was a fail.

Taylor [Failure fills my veins] wrote: "@Alina

I see you deleted your "TOMORROW" promise, lol."


BECAUSE I OBVIOUSLY DIDN'T DO IT ON THE TIME I PROMISED! SHESH!

Alright I have a really nice pizza crust, and you might have to add less flour or something.

2 1/2 tsp dry yeast

1 cup hot water

2 1/2 tbp olive oil or vegetable oil

1 tsp sugar

1 tsp salt

Mix the yeast with the hot water and let it dissolve completely. Mix in the salt, sugar, and oil. Then pour in this mixture into the flour, mix thoroughly and let it rise for 5 minutes or so.
Then oil your pizza pan, unless it is a non-stick kind, and knead the dough out on it. Put desired toppings and cook at 425 for 15 minutes.

Now you may need to turn down the heat and cook it longer, or cook it at the same temp for less time, depends.

I dig it. Keep 'em coming…you're in the lead. :P

Now for the party thing, this will take a little bit to actually make, and you might not be able to do it, but it is nice for parties.

Hummus

1 cup of dried garbanzo beans

1/4 cup of tahini butter, but I learned the hard way that really any works. Almond butter seems to be the best.

2 - 5 tbsp of lemon juice, but only optional.

1/2 tsp minced garlic

1 tbsp of chopped parsley or dill

1/2 tsp ground cumin

And salt really does this up, but add it to your taste.

Cook the garbanzo beans until they are soft. Ground the into a paste, and I use a blender. You will have to add some water so it isn't to think and kills your blender. Mix all the other ingredients into the garbanzo paste, and WA LA, you have a very expensive and delicious chip dip or burrito wrap paste!

Not saying that this should be too expensive, but if you were to buy it pre prepared, they cost a lot. Plus, you may need to double, triple, etc. depending on how many people are at the party.

Now the cracker recipe is insanely easy.

4 cups of flour

4 tbsp oil or butter

about a cup of water

and spices; salt, pepper, cumin, garlic, onion, don't go insane but you can on a certain level.

Mix all thoroughly and it should be fairly tough and a very thick dough. Roll it out on a floured surface and cut it in desired shape, most commonly square. You have to prick holes in them or they puff up into little bit sized bread buns. I would suggest using a fork, and just cook them on a pizza tray, at 300 for 15 - 20 or more, depending on how crunchy you like them. They are flour based crackers, and are like somewhat little pieces of bread, but not quite.

Now a beloved favorite that my family would kill for me to make.

Pumpkin Spice bar

4 eggs

1 cup vegetable oil

1 can (16 oz) of pumpkin

2 cup flour

2 tsp baking powder

2 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp ground ginger

1/2 tsp ground cloves or nutmeg

1 cup nuts or raisins (optional)

Mix all the ingredients and mix until a smooth batter, then add your nut and raisin or nut if you want to. Now you need a baking dish, like a metal one. The specific measurements of the dish are just annoying to me, basically you need to have a big enough dish and cook it either slower and longer or higher and quicker, again depends.
Pay close attention to this part, it is necessary.
Grease the pan with shortening or lard, your choice, and sprinkle flour across the whole things. Every smudge has to be covered with shortening and flour.

Now you can pour your batter into the dish and cook it for 20-30 or so minutes at 350. Poke it with something in the middle to see if anything sticks to it, if not, your done.

Taylor [Failure fills my veins] wrote: "I dig it. Keep 'em coming…you're in the lead. :P"

Yay!

Hey, do you know how to make a cake? I mean like a really nice organic cake? Because I have a recipe that we use at least 8 times a year, (hence the fact that I have a large family) :P

I haven't tried any of these, I just found them on lifehackable.com. It might not even count as an entry, but whatever.

Wendy's Vanilla Frosty Recipe

Ingredients:
1 cup milk
1/2 cup vanilla nesquick powder
3 cups vanilla ice cream

Directions:
Allow ice cream to soften in fridge for an hour. Mix all ingredients in a blender until smooth.

YAY.

ANOTHER BEVERAGE:

Nutella and milk in the microwave apparently make amazing hot chocolate. XD

CHILDREN I LOVE YOU ALL. KEEP THE RECIPES COMING!!!!

Alina (I didn't trip, I attacked the floor) wrote: "Now for the party thing, this will take a little bit to actually make, and you might not be able to do it, but it is nice for parties.

Hummus

1 cup of dried garbanzo beans

1/4 cup of tahini butt..."

HUMMUS.

Saru (Queen of Bookland) wrote: "ANOTHER BEVERAGE:

Nutella and milk in the microwave apparently make amazing hot chocolate. XD"

WAHH I MISS NUTELLA we can't get it here not even at costco wahhh

you don't have nutella? how are you surviving?! ;)

Taylor [Failure fills my veins] wrote: "CHILDREN I LOVE YOU ALL. KEEP THE RECIPES COMING!!!!"

Aw, thanks! I will! :P

THANKS.

NO NUTELLA. NO LIFE.

I KNOW.

WAHHHH.

Saru (Queen of Bookland) wrote: "THANKS.

NO NUTELLA. NO LIFE."

Well then I must undead. I haven't ever tried nutella before. I guess I could give it a try, but my dad tried it when he was on a job trip for his work in D.C. and either he is really picky or it isn't great for everyone. He said he didn't like it, so no one else tried it.

*KILLS ALINA*

Pumpkin Spice Latte recipe: (Also from lifehackable. XD)

Ingredients:
1 cup milk
2 cups ice
3 Tbsp canned pumpkin
2-4 Tbsp coffee
1 Tbsp Pumpkin Pie spice

Blend and enjoy!

I don't drink coffee, but I do have ground cocoa that is meant to be a coffee substitute. That would be yummy. ^_^

Just found this, it should probably help. It's a list of many healthy and quick recipes:

http://www.lifehack.org/articles/life...

Saru (Queen of Bookland) wrote: "*KILLS ALINA*"

*Dies but comes back and kills Saru*

@Taylor
Did my party recipe win?

Alina (I didn't trip, I attacked the floor) wrote: "Saru (Queen of Bookland) wrote: "*KILLS ALINA*"

*Dies but comes back and kills Saru*

@Taylor
Did my party recipe win?"

*IS IMMORTAL, SILLY*

DID YOU SEE THE SITE TAYLOR? HM? HM?

Saru (Queen of Bookland) wrote: "Alina (I didn't trip, I attacked the floor) wrote: "Saru (Queen of Bookland) wrote: "*KILLS ALINA*"

*Dies but comes back and kills Saru*

@Taylor
Did my party recipe win?"

*IS IMMORTAL, SILLY*

D..."

Ah yes. But Immortals can kill each other. Or at least beat the snot out of one another:P

Hahahahaa XD

XD

*CALLS UPON IMMORTAL FRIENDS TO BEAT THE SNOT OUT OF ALINA*

I think Saru's website won. Lots of the recipes suck, but the sheet number of recipes made up for it. XD

YESSSSSS

hahhaa :)

Miss…Waitwhat? [Taylor] wrote: "I think Saru's website won. Lots of the recipes suck, but the sheet number of recipes made up for it. XD"

You gotta be kidding me. BECAUSE there were lots of sucky recipes is why she won?!?! That makes no sense!

Saru (Queen of Bookland) wrote: "*CALLS UPON IMMORTAL FRIENDS TO BEAT THE SNOT OUT OF ALINA*"

Turns out the immortal friends are on my side! MAhahahahha!

COLLEGE DORM ROOM COOKBOOK

http://www.universityofsmarts.com/gal...

@Alina

Think of it this way.

If person A gives me 10 recipes that rock, and person B gives me 50 recipes, but 25 are crap…the latter still has a 15-recipe lead. :)

Miss…Waitwhat? [Taylor] wrote: "@Alina

Think of it this way.

If person A gives me 10 recipes that rock, and person B gives me 50 recipes, but 25 are crap…the latter still has a 15-recipe lead. :)"

Yesss. XD

Did you like the dorm room cookbook?

It was okay. I liked the pseudo-sushi. I've already done salad in a jar, cookie in a cup, and green smoothies. Lots of those were lame, though. XD