For those that cook on a regular basis....

Question

How do you decide what to buy at the grocery store and do you eat the same things over and over or try new ways of cooking the same meats? If you have recipes for chicken or beef please feel free to type them down. Thanks!

Answer 1

I agree with the other ladies, especially by buying whatever meat/seafod is on sale and going from there. Also, try new rubs, marinades, and spices. They can take a dish you make all the time and put a little spin. When I have time, I like to go to allrecipes.com and foodnetwork.com and browse through their database. I save recipes, and when I need some ideas, I look at what I've already saved.

Some things that I really like:

Ken's Steakhouse Basalmic & Vidailia Onion Marinade (great for steak)

McCormick GrillMates: mesquite or chipotle. I marinade whole chickens in these for the day. Delicious.

Some great sides: Betty Crocker Instant Sweet Potatoes. Suddenly Salad with Bacon & Ranch, and I add tomatoes. Bush's Grillin Baked Beans. Any PastaRoni side.

Here's a new chicken recipe I just used. Really simple and easy.

Moroccan Chicken & Couscous

4 skinless, boneless, chicken breast halves (I used thin chk. b*****s)

1 tsp. ground cumin

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. of cinnamon

vegetable oil

1 pkg, of couscous, I used Makareesh Sundried Tomato & Herb

1 pkg. (6 oz.) baby spinach

Combine spices in a bowl. You can either sprinke chicken or put chicken in the bowl for some extra spice. I would double spices if you are going to press chicken in spices. Heat skillet in oil and add chicken. Meanwhile, prepare couscous. Transfer chicken to a serving platter  and prepare spinach in same skillet just until it starts to wilt. Add to couscous. Serve!!! Makes 4 servings.

hopefully this helps!! Ground Beef, I just use it for tacos, meatballs, and hamburgers. i need some ideas for beef as well!!!

Oh yeah, I do agree with purchasing thighs. Also, you can purchase chicken with rib meat, and just tidy up the chicken when you get home. Usually chk. w/rib meat is about $1.99 lbs., as reg. chicken breast are about $4.00 lb.!!

Answer 2

I always try new ways of cooking boring foods (like chicken). Decide what dish you want to eat and write down all the ingredients you need to make it. Then go to the store and go down only the isles you have to. Try this Easy Lemon Pasta with Chicken from Food Network:

1 pound dried penne

2 chicken cutlets, cut into fingers

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

3 cloves garlic, sliced

1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes

3 tablespoons olive oil

3 tablespoons roughly chopped fresh parsley, for garnish

2 lemons, juiced

1/2 cup grated Parmesan

Cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water, until al dente. Drain well.

Season chicken with salt and pepper. Heat a large grill pan over medium high and add chicken. Grill until golden and completely cooked. Remove to a plate and slice.

Add the garlic and red pepper flakes to a saute pan with 3 tablespoons of olive oil and saute until fragrant. Add the cooked pasta and turn heat off. Mix all together.

Remove pasta to a large bowl. Add chicken to the warm pasta and season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle in chopped parsley. Add the juice of 2 lemons and mix. Before serving top with Parmesan.

Answer 3

I try and do something different each week with some family favourites thrown in so that my children learn to sample new things and flavours.

Answer 4

I love watching cooking shows. That gives me a lot of different ideas, like i dont do the entire meal that they cook, maybe just the way they prepare the meat, or potatoes. I also go online a lot and get recipes, just go to www.foodnetwork.com and they have loads of recipes from all their different types of chefs!

Answer 5

I always keep my pantry stocked with the following items:

Dry pasta

Diced tomatoes

Tomatoe sauce

Dry Italian herbs

Beans

Rice

Mushrooms

Asparagus

Oatmeal

Olive Oil

Different types of Vinegars

Flour

Breadcrumbs

In my Freezer I always have

Chicken b*****s and thighs ( thighs are LESS expensive then b*****s, and easy to make)

ground beef

Frozen veggies and fruit

In my fridge

Milk

eggs

olives

mayo

diferent types of mustard

butter

Having all of these different types of foods available makes figuring out dinner so much easier.  I can always make pastas with veggies or spaghetti, chillis, soups, different types of salads.

To find easy recipes, I litterally google easy to make_____ and fill in what type of meat or main ingredient you'd like to use.

Cooks.com and Foodnetwork.com are the best for easy and delish recipes.

Answer 6

Interesting question - I usually buy what is on sale and then work my menus around that.  I keep certain staple on hand which can be used to make huge variety of dishes. I certainly have my favorites but I love trying new things so I try at least 1 or 2 new recipes a week.

Staples are things like spices & herbs, canned beans, canned tomatoes, black olives, flour, sugar, butter, eggs, dry nonfat milk, all the condiments plus horseradish, Worcestershire sauce, Liquid smoke, variety of oils, variety of vinegars, lettuces - Many, many things.  

A lot of my favorite recipes come from the Food Network:

http://www.foodnetwork.com/

They have tons of recipes which you can findby typing one ingredient in or under headings like, Easy, Parties, Healthy, Cooking tecniques, etc.

Answer 7

I cook on a regular basis and I try to be as creative as possible. We eat a lot of chicken, fish, red meat and vegetables.

Here's one of my favorite recipe:

Fried rice w/ chicken (it's SO easy)

You'll need:

*2-3 chicken breast (filet), chopped in eatable pieces

*enough rice for the amount of people

*1 can of canned corn

*1-2 cups of green peas

*2-3 eggs

-make scrambeled eggs

-Fry chicken in pan, add cooked rice when chicken is done.

-add corn, peas and scrambled eggs, stir till it's hot, but don't overcook.

You can vary the taste with your fave seasoning.

For more recipes, check out youtube, try search for thai cooking -it's really easy and very tasty!

Just try to be creative when cooking and taste the food often, that helps creating the taste you like.

What to buy at the grocery store? Make a list after you have decided what to cook. Try to buy as fresh and unprocessed food as possible.

Good luck!