| Can YOU cook?
Posted: 4/25/2008 8:03:44 PM | Yes I can cook and quite well for some dishes. As I have prepared meals for a special lady already I can say that the actual preparation was as meaningless as anything else I have prepared. The pleasure was in enjoying the meal with her knowing that I had done something to put a smile on her face. The last part the question would be up to her.
DK | |
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| Can YOU cook?
Posted: 4/25/2008 9:53:31 PM | Yep love to BBQ and make drinks- had a fun date last night and she brought the food and I supplied the drinks and BBQ skills. Was fun watching my new wide screen HDTV and eating some good BBQ and margaritas.
I almost became a chef but went into technology instead so do enjoy cooking fresh healthy meals. | |
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| Can YOU cook?
Posted: 4/25/2008 10:10:12 PM | | I am a bit of a competitive lunatic with everything I do, and since I took my first lessons cooking from my mother about 5 years ago I've been at battle with my sisters over who can make the best dish. As a geek who is good at abstract thinking, I like breaking problems down into the object models that describe efficient solutions. Cooking is one of those problems, I felt so strongly about the similarities I saw between cooking and programming (yes the software kind) that I actually wrote a few blog posts about it at my blog. So to answer your question I like cooking, I make recipes, type them up on the computer and enjoy competing with my sisters over who makes the best dish. I also think cooking with someone is very fun, though my ex gf. thought I was a bit of a general with my tendency to "conduct" the process. *grin* I have prepared meals for gf's, traditional Haitian dishes that my mother taught me combined with my own mix of American styles. If I really wanted to wow a woman and get her to see me as "god I must marry him material" (well I can dream right?) would be a Haitian dish called "Boulette avec diri blanch au poi France" which is a spicy meatball fried then floured and stewed in a sauce made with tomato sauce, onions, scallions, garlic and thyme. This is accompanied by white rice steamed just firm and a gravy made from dry peas soaked over night and boiled with spices , thyme and optionally chunks of sweet or regular plantain. It is a definite stick to your ribs meal! Well that is what I'd do for that special "one". | |
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| Can YOU cook?
Posted: 4/25/2008 11:39:26 PM | I always wondered why cooking was considered "girly/feminine," when a majority of chefs are men.
I do know how to cook...to my own tastes, some people share them, others (most) do not. "You like-a the juice eh?"
I do find it enjoyable preparing a meal with a special lady rather than just for as it becomes something created together with complementary experiences of enjoyment.
What I like to cook together is usually something barbecued, or something somewhat complex taking some effort of teamwork. Things such as ribs, or barbecue chicken on the grill, enjoying the outdoors and serenity or chicken flattened and rolled around green chili's and jack cheese baked in breadcrumbs.
The closest thing I have to a signature dish is meatloaf. Most of my family is from the south....the dirty south. | |
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| Can YOU cook?
Posted: 4/26/2008 1:27:15 AM | I love to cook and can cook quite well. Northern Italian style is my specialty. My signature dish is Veal Ossobucco, rissotto alla milanese (saffron Italian rice), bruschetta for appetizer, Belgian dark chocolate covered strawberries for dessert. A good bottle of a full bodied Italian wine (Borollo, Chianti Classico)
It's really not difficult and always impresses.
Candle light, Boccelli playing in the background.
Rissotto requires about 25 minutes of constant stirring. I give this duty to my date. It's easy and keeps her close to me.
I've been amazed at the number of women who have said that they have never had a man cook a real dinner for them. I've been told several times how they really liked watching me cook.
Note: Always save some of the chocolate for other possible activities. | |
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| Can YOU cook?
Posted: 4/26/2008 1:31:56 AM | ^^^ Sounds very good... Gals always like chocolate.
*adds sugar britches to the list*
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| Can YOU cook?
Posted: 4/26/2008 6:34:14 AM | | I can cook. I can make pasta with meat sauce, somtimes with a sauce made from scratch, most of the time with a can of crushed tomatoes as a base. I can also do a fish sauce. And I also do pan fried steak cooked in red wine. I also clean too. Are there any women who appriciate that, or is that another thread altogether? | |
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| Can YOU cook?
Posted: 4/26/2008 6:37:25 AM | Re the Opost
I can cook but I do not cook neither do I expect my GF or SO to cook either.
I eat rice, pasta, olives and chicken. They are easy to cook and eat and healthy.
I focus my cooking in foods for thought! lol lol lol lol I make great intellectual "souvlaki" and "mousaka"!! lol lol | |
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| Can YOU cook?
Posted: 4/26/2008 7:58:48 AM | Certainly can cook.
I really enjoy cooking and hosting dinner parties both for family and friends.
My favourites depend on the time of year, in the warmer months stir frys ( any sort) , cooking on the barbecue ( steaks, sausages, seafood, chicken, kebabs, etc) , finger foods ( dips, home made sausauge rolls, mini pies, cheese and meat platters and of course fresh home made salads ( potato, coleslaw, greek, green,pasta , rice etc).
In the cooler months, there"s nothing like roasts, slow cooked silverside with home prepared baked veges , fresh pasta dishes with fresh sauces, cauliflower cheese, spicy stir frys, fresh made pies and to many more to mention.
When it comes to cooking for some one special, I like to find out what their favourite dishes are and if I haven"t cooked it before, I"ll give it a try. | |
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| Can YOU cook?
Posted: 4/27/2008 1:31:11 AM | To OP, yes I cook all the time for my special lady
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| Can YOU cook?
Posted: 4/27/2008 2:00:36 AM | Okay, let's get to the gist of this:
Coming from a family of 8 kids, I had to share in all the household stuff from a fairly early age, so I was baking cakes and cupcakes from the age of 7, frying and roasting from the age of 11, making gravies and sauces from the age of 13.
I know just how hard cooking isn't. It's about organization and time management. Only an idiot "slaves away over a hot stove" all day- most meals are cooked in 45 minutes or less, the rest of the day (if it takes that long) is prep and planning. If meal prep takes more than a couple of hours, except for very few exceptional kinds of meals, you're doing something very wrong.
The exceptions would be low-temp baking or slow roasting, and simmering. Even then, it's the prep that takes up the time.
My three favorite cooking appliances are my crock pot, my 2-tier electric vegetable steamer, and my microwave.
Crock pot cooking should be a guy's favorite method- put the food in the pot, set it on low, come back in 8 hours- what could be simpler?
Put rice in the steamer's rice tray, add water, put chicken or fish on top of the rice, season, add frozen vegetables to the bottom basket, steam for 4o minutes- simple.
The big trick to microwave cooking is determining how NOT to make foods explode; usually, the microwave comes with an instruction manual that explains this. The other trick is to get a microwave cookbook.
Most guys don't seem to understand that cooking is easy. Washing the dishes, pots and pans, now- that's not easy. | |
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| Can YOU cook?
Posted: 4/27/2008 7:57:24 AM | | definetly can cook, Kebabs are a specialty pasta salad and some wine | |
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| Can YOU cook?
Posted: 4/27/2008 7:39:00 PM | Absolutely I can cook!
My signature dish is Veal Parmesan with my own home-made red sauce over pasta of choice with a spring mix salad, oil/vinegar dressing, side of garlic mashed potatoes or steamed vegetable of choice and chocolate cake or cheese cake. The main course is served with HER wine of choice and real irish coffee with desert. The veal parm is also suitable as a chicken dish as well, if Veal doesn't work. Never dated a vegetarian/vegan, so I dunno what I'd do there. It all takes me about 4 hours to do, but let me tell you, the look in a woman's eyes when I pull out all of the stops is worth it!
Blame both my mother and the Boy Scouts of America for this guy's love affair of cooking.
A well presented (and great tasting meal) matched with the perfect wine is another way to a woman's heart. | |
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| Can YOU cook?
Posted: 4/27/2008 7:53:05 PM | ^^^ You have older brother?
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| Can YOU cook?
Posted: 4/27/2008 7:56:48 PM | | I can cook to a point... I'm no gourmet, but give me the ingredients and a reasonable recipe and I can usually knock out something recognizable. Don't usually delve into things overly exotic, but living by my lonesome and only having myself to cook for doesn't result in much need for being creative in the kitchen. | |
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| Can YOU cook?
Posted: 4/28/2008 8:20:05 PM | Yes I can cook. And not just grilling meat on the BBQ. For Christmas, instead of just repeating a Thanksgiving menu like many Americans do (turkey, etc.) I prepare an elaborate German dinner with sauerbraten that requires several days of preparation. along with spaetzles (dumplings), German potato salad, schnitzel (breaded and fried pork cutlets), etc.
I also have a secret recipe for chocolate chip cookies. I don't use any special ingredients, I just took the Nestle Toll House recipe off the chocolate chip bag and finely tuned the proportions over several years until I arrived at the perfect recipe. | |
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| Can YOU cook?
Posted: 4/28/2008 9:08:05 PM | redcassandra, while apparently looking for some new recipes wrote;
>Can You Cook?
Better than most ;) 
>Would you find it enjoyable to prepare a meal for a special lady?
I do it all the time!
>And, what would you prepare
Nice try, I don't give out my secret recipes!!! 
Signature dish, secret;
Lg. Portabellas stuffed with ****, ***** and *******'*, in a **** ***** stuffing and covered with some ****** **** cheese then grilled!
No secret;
Angel hair pasta in a fresh tomato OR Alfredo sauce with lots of misc. shellfish added.
Secret;
Cherrystones (small hard shell clams) roasted on the grill in their own juices w/ this, that and the other stuff added to make them "mini stuffie's" when done.
google "stuffed quahog recipe", it's a New England delicacy!
Buffalo meat, Scallop and Shrimp kabobs w/ a light Sesame Ginger sauce.
Enya, Steely Dan, Kenny G, Dan Fogelberg etc. in the background.
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| Can YOU cook?
Posted: 4/28/2008 10:09:02 PM |
redcassandra, while apparently looking for some new recipes wrote;
No, no, no. I burn soup... I was kinda hoping to find someone who'll offer to cook for me... but 7 pages down the road - nada!
So... now I am just enjoying to learn that there are so many gents who know their way around the kitchen.
Nice try, I don't give out my secret recipes!!!
Signature dish, secret;
Lg. Portabellas stuffed with ****, ***** and *******'*, in a **** ***** stuffing and covered with some ****** **** cheese then grilled!
You are a MushroomTease!
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| Can YOU cook?
Posted: 4/28/2008 11:54:13 PM | Yes, soup can burn, lower that heat!
Signature dish, modified to be good w/o MY secret stuff and simple enough for soup burners to make! I hope.....
4 Lg. Portabellas (4"+ or so, stems removed)
1/2 cup roasted red peppers, drained well, then minced,
a sm. bunch/hand full of "fresh basil" minced or 1 tbl. dried basil,
1/2 lb. cooked scallop's and/or shrimp and/or crab, coarsely chopped, I prefer all 3 cooked in 1/2 stick butter and 1-2 tbl. Old Bay seasoning.
1/4-1/3 lb. shredded cheddar cheese, save some for the tops.
all the above is then mixed into 1/2-1 tube of crushed crackers (your fav. brand),
stuff the mushrooms, sprinkle tops with some more cheese then grill on LOW, cover down, check every 1-2 mins. until cheese is just melted NOT burnt! | |
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| Can YOU cook?
Posted: 4/29/2008 12:05:51 AM | ^^^ Thanks, that sounds fabulous... will have to try it:)
Yes, soup can burn, lower that heat!
It's not so much lower the heat... More like turn it off before you leave the house and firefighters are called in.
*blushes... very embarrassed*
Hey, at least I am honest... my knowledge of cooking is passive... very passive.
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| Can YOU cook?
Posted: 4/29/2008 5:36:12 AM | | I can cook sufficiently well to feed myself, which isn't difficult given that I will eat more or less anything that's not still wriggling! | |
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| Can YOU cook?
Posted: 4/29/2008 5:51:03 AM | | Yes I can cook and find it a great way to unwind at the end of the day. | |
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| Can YOU cook?
Posted: 4/29/2008 6:43:35 AM | If you can read a recipe and are actually willing to follow what it says, anyone can cook just about anything, that's the beauty of this information age... Google is a budding chef's best friend!
I've been cooking for myself since I first lived on my own at age 19, and while there were a few "interesting" culinary misadventures at the onset, I'm glad to say I adore cooking now and have grown sufficiently adept at it to dazzle my lady companions... The funny thing being, I'm a closet house-husband in hiding! 
In most of my relationship nowadays I'm the only one that does the cooking when we actually at at home, and I don't mind in the slightest, I find it fun and relaxing. It also suits my meticulous and multi-tasking nature - I usually have some meat searing in the pan while stirring a side dish on the stove, steaming some veggies in the microwave and a third hand in the sink washing whatever I no longer need (I know it's not anatomically possible, but it almost looks that way how fast I'm running around).
It's quite the whirlwind performance: steam spewing, aromas wafting, timers beeping and suds flying, but by the time it's all done, all that's left is to clean the hot tasty dish off your plate, and finally wash the plate itself!  | |
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| Can YOU cook?
Posted: 4/29/2008 6:21:23 PM |
^^^ You have older brother?
Sadly, I am the oldest... and I have a younger sister who somehow got the cooking genetics from both grandmothers and our mother. She makes it look effortless! Alas, one day, I will out cook her on er, something. | |
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