Can you/do you cook and how good are you?

I don't cook very much myself although I can prepare adequate meals for myself. I'm no great cook but when it comes to the simple stuff like boiling potatoes and vegetables and grilling meat, I can do that fine, but then I would think that anyone can.

I do think that cooking can be an art form and I imagine there is something very satisfying in creating a really nice dish. I've never spent a lot of time cooking but I do sometimes try out strange food combinations of my own. The peanut butter and sweetcorn sandwich was perhaps the strangest. It tasted okay, but I don't think I'll try it again.

I like to think I'm a fairly good cook. I still can mess some dishes up though.

My "specialities" are bacon, sausage, eggs, hashbrowns, and lavish Sunday breakfasts. You need to go back to bed you're so full afterwards! LOL

The other is holiday dinners - usually the big turkey dinners, with 2 or 3 kinds of potatoes (mashed, sweet potatoes and au gratin scalloped), mashed turnip, peas, stuffing, gravy, sometimes stuffed zucchini and a homemade dessert - usually butterscotch pie. I love cooking like that and my family always loved it. They said I did a better job than my mother even and that's something!

I also can make a mean lasagna and beef stroganoff.

When I used to take Food Technology when I was 14/15 my specialty was a Spanish omelette. Another simple dish, but still. I cooked it frequently because it was the recipe I chose for my major project that counted for a large percentage of my final grade.

If I try to fry eggs I almost always break them.

Yes, I can cook, I'm pretty darn good at it, I can cook anything. In my teen and college years if I wanted to eat I had to cook LOL. Also getting married and having two children, I have to cook.

Does anyone ever get the urge to be creative and come up with an original dish of their own?

Although I'm not a vegetarian or vegan I've tried some of those kinds of meals and have found them to be very nice. I think because they don't have as much to work with (especially in the case of vegans) they have to be a bit more creative and experimental with the food. So I do enjoy trying a vegan meal or a vegetarian one.

Yah, I've experimented a little bit - usually with veggies since they're tough to screw up.

One veggie dish I had recently that I want to find out more about is one that's East Indian. It's like puried carrots with milk (that's what the waitress told me anyway). It was in a buffet. It had some slivered cashews on top with something else I couldn't figure out.

It was sooooo sweet and soooooo good! OMG! I'll eat carrots 'til I'm orange if I find this recipe!! If anyone knows what this might be - PLEASE let me know!

EDIT - just found the description and looks like the name of it "Gajrela"

Meanwhile, gajrela, described as carrot fudge on the menu, wasn't as smooth as real fudge, but it was still just as sweet, a dense confection made with milk and puréed carrots, raisins, and cashews.

I like to think I'm a fairly good cook. I still can mess some dishes up though.

My "specialities" are bacon, sausage, eggs, hashbrowns, and lavish Sunday breakfasts. You need to go back to bed you're so full afterwards! LOL

The other is holiday dinners - usually the big turkey dinners, with 2 or 3 kinds of potatoes (mashed, sweet potatoes and au gratin scalloped), mashed turnip, peas, stuffing, gravy, sometimes stuffed zucchini and a homemade dessert - usually butterscotch pie. I love cooking like that and my family always loved it. They said I did a better job than my mother even and that's something!

I also can make a mean lasagna and beef stroganoff.
i want to come to your house for the holidays! :)

i want to come to your house for the holidays! :)


You and your hubby are totally invited!! :D

I love to cook. My favorite things to cook are enchiladas with spanish rice and beans. Or lasagna with garlic bread and a fresh garden salad. On cold days I love to make soups and maybe some fresh homemade bread on the side. :liplick:

I actually like to cook, and am pretty darn good at it tool. Due to time and money I cant make all the dishes I like.

Yes, I've been cooking for myself most of the time for about 20 years. And all of the time for myself and my mom since Nov., 2003.

I am not a chef or anything, but I can cook enough to get by on. I am glad I do know how to, it is a big help.

Yes, I've been cooking for myself most of the time for about 20 years. And all of the time for myself and my mom since Nov., 2003.

I am not a chef or anything, but I can cook enough to get by on. I am glad I do know how to, it is a big help.


I think all guys should know how to cook too. I like it when guys cook and so often it IS good! :lol:

I have to admit, it was something that annoyed me a bit about my ex - that he never learned or cares to. Since we broke up, he's been living on takeout Chinese rice or peanut butter on toast.

I think all guys should know how to cook too. I like it when guys cook and so often it IS good! :lol:

I have to admit, it was something that annoyed me a bit about my ex - that he never learned or cares to. Since we broke up, he's been living on takeout Chinese rice or peanut butter on toast.
Yes, it is good to know how to and it really isn't hard learn.

I like to think I'm a fairly good cook. I still can mess some dishes up though.

My "specialities" are bacon, sausage, eggs, hashbrowns, and lavish Sunday breakfasts. You need to go back to bed you're so full afterwards! LOL

The other is holiday dinners - usually the big turkey dinners, with 2 or 3 kinds of potatoes (mashed, sweet potatoes and au gratin scalloped), mashed turnip, peas, stuffing, gravy, sometimes stuffed zucchini and a homemade dessert - usually butterscotch pie. I love cooking like that and my family always loved it. They said I did a better job than my mother even and that's something!

I also can make a mean lasagna and beef stroganoff.

Lasangna and beef stroganoff are TWO of my favorite dishes!!! Please send me frozen versions??? Please???

I think all guys should know how to cook too. I like it when guys cook and so often it IS good! :lol:

My Dad always says that a lot of the world's best chefs are men.

My idea of cooking is putting a can of soup on the heat, or making a grilled cheese sandwich. :eek: :lol:

I can microwave. :lol:

No, seriously, I'm really good at following recipies. :)

Lasangna and beef stroganoff are TWO of my favorite dishes!!! Please send me frozen versions??? Please???


lol - the weight of this lasagna is insane! It would probably cost around $80 to get it there!

I can give you the recipes though - if I ever find the cookbook I use for the lasagna. It was a world cookery one that has "home cooking" dishes from all over the world. It was my dad's.

Fleet & Sharop: Yes, it's great when a guy can cook. Really impresses the ladies. I dated one guy (and am dating him again now actually) who cooked me an incredible gourmet meal when we were first dating. He even made a fancy anti-pasta!!

My dad loved to cook and experiment. Unfortunately some of the things were disasterous, but that was sometimes part of the fun. Long before VCRs, he'd sit a tape record (on one of those huge old reel to reel things) Graham Kerr's old show (during the 70s) The Galloping Gourmet! LOL
I was about 12 years old and ended up getting tired of eating meat that had marinated in wine for 7 days! Us kids begged for a simple dinner of my mom's sometimes (pork chops, potatoes, a veggie of some sort). :lol:

^ What exactly is anti-pasta, Cathie?

I learned to cook a number of things for myself when I was younger. I used to be able to poach and scramble eggs (haven't done it in awhile) and more recently made homemade macaroni and cheese mixing flour and melted cheddar cheese into a delicious mix before spreading it into the cooked macaroni and mixed in dices of ham, topping it off with cheddar cheese sprinkles and crushed crackers and baked for an hour. Ahh, the memories. :)

I can also grill cheeseburgers. That George Foreman grill, what a lifesaver. :lol:

I'm a very good cook, and my husband has the belly to prove it, lol. I'm not a gourmet type cook, don't use a cookbook, but I prepare basic delicious meals. Roast pork, roast beef, chicken cordon bleu, stuffed chicken, meatloaf -- one of those served with roasted or whipped potatoes, gravy, butternut squash, corn on the cob, fresh asparagus or green beans, and Pillsbury buttermilk Grand's biscuits. Also, my husband is Italian, so I've got those meals mastered. I make a good pot of sauce with meatballs and sausage. I freeze it for future use in sub sanwiches, manicotti, stuffed shells, lasagne, etc. Eggplant or chicken parm, chicken marsala or cacciatore, sausages with peppers/onions/mushrooms.

I make nice sandwiches for lunch, using good rolls, cold cuts, tuna/chic/seafood salad, grilled cheese (plain or with ham, tomato, bacon, etc), hot dogs and cheeseburgers. I don't eat breakfast, but I can cook a good one. My husband gets bacon and eggs every Saturday. The rest of the week, with orange juice and coffee, he gets a bagel, waffles, French toast or pancakes,

I also enjoy baking, but not from scratch. I buy the desserts that have about 100 steps in them, lol, with all these seperate envelopes, cans and pouches. Those desserts can be tricky, so you have to put your mind to it and pay attention. I love the end result. I think with cooking, you have to like to cook to excel at it. I enjoy cooking, and it shows. I hate housework, and that shows too, lol. Just kidding, sort of.

Yeah, I can cook. I mean, I ain't no Emeril Lagasse or Alton Brown, but I know the basics, don't have a great repertoire, but the few things I make, I'd say I make well, for example:

Italian meatballs.

Marinara sauce

Bolognese sauce

Iranian koobideh (ground meat kabobs)

Beef Stroganoff

Caprese salad

lentil soup from scratch

Spaghetti Carbonara

I can make other stuff, too, but ordinary things people eat all the time: Good pancakes, French toast, creative omelettes with whatever ingredients are on hand.

I also make good Chinese-style fried rice with a variety of ingredients that are handy.

If all else fails, there's always BLT's, cereal, PP & J sandwiches and Ramen Noodles--to fix up whatever way you like.

I also enjoy baking, but not from scratch. I buy the desserts that have about 100 steps in them, lol, with all these seperate envelopes, cans and pouches. Those desserts can be tricky, so you have to put your mind to it and pay attention. I love the end result. I think with cooking, you have to like to cook to excel at it. I enjoy cooking, and it shows. I hate housework, and that shows too, lol. Just kidding, sort of.
I like to bake, too.
Nothing fancy, just things like brownies, traditional cakes (chocolate, for instance), cookies, crumb cake and banana bread.
Something freshly baked does taste very good compared to something which has been sitting on a supermarket shelf for a few days.

My sister went to culinary schools - she's the cook of the family. :lol:

My sister went to culinary schools - she's the cook of the family. :lol:

How lucky! :)

I'm a very good cook, and my husband has the belly to prove it, lol. I'm not a gourmet type cook, don't use a cookbook, but I prepare basic delicious meals. Roast pork, roast beef, chicken cordon bleu, stuffed chicken, meatloaf -- one of those served with roasted or whipped potatoes, gravy, butternut squash, corn on the cob, fresh asparagus or green beans, and Pillsbury buttermilk Grand's biscuits. Also, my husband is Italian, so I've got those meals mastered. I make a good pot of sauce with meatballs and sausage. I freeze it for future use in sub sanwiches, manicotti, stuffed shells, lasagne, etc. Eggplant or chicken parm, chicken marsala or cacciatore, sausages with peppers/onions/mushrooms.

I make nice sandwiches for lunch, using good rolls, cold cuts, tuna/chic/seafood salad, grilled cheese (plain or with ham, tomato, bacon, etc), hot dogs and cheeseburgers. I don't eat breakfast, but I can cook a good one. My husband gets bacon and eggs every Saturday. The rest of the week, with orange juice and coffee, he gets a bagel, waffles, French toast or pancakes,

I also enjoy baking, but not from scratch. I buy the desserts that have about 100 steps in them, lol, with all these seperate envelopes, cans and pouches. Those desserts can be tricky, so you have to put your mind to it and pay attention. I love the end result. I think with cooking, you have to like to cook to excel at it. I enjoy cooking, and it shows. I hate housework, and that shows too, lol. Just kidding, sort of.

It's a good thing we did never live together. Frank put on 80 lbs over the years we were together!! Since his mom is still around, we used her sauce, but I would add my stuff to it. ;)

I could just see us - two big fat hubbies, us chubby, a semi messy house and pets galore!!! And you and I acting like Lucy and Ethel to get bargains and other "freebies". :lol:



Now I'm REALLY hungry too!! :crazy:

It's a good thing we did never live together. Frank put on 80 lbs over the years we were together!! Since his mom is still around, we used her sauce, but I would add my stuff to it. ;)

I could just see us - two big fat hubbies, us chubby, a semi messy house and pets galore!!! And you and I acting like Lucy and Ethel to get bargains and other "freebies". :lol:



Now I'm REALLY hungry too!! :crazy:
:lol: I'm just LMAO!! So true. Covered in pet hair. :lol: Acting like schoolgirls, giving each other facials, mud masks, (real mud of course), popping pain pills (kidding), drinking the wine, watching Desperate Housewives with the guys watching sports on the big screen. Cooking aside, we'd have take-out menus in a folder, and we'd use high quality paper plates, cups. Real utensils though. No chopsticks, even though all the people in the movies use them. Oh, and posting on SO, for sure. :lol:

:lol: I'm just LMAO!! So true. Covered in pet hair. :lol: Acting like schoolgirls, giving each other facials, mud masks, (real mud of course), popping pain pills (kidding), drinking the wine, watching Desperate Housewives with the guys watching sports on the big screen. Cooking aside, we'd have take-out menus in a folder, and we'd use high quality paper plates, cups. Real utensils though. No chopsticks, even though all the people in the movies use them. Oh, and posting on SO, for sure. :lol:


Don't forget those fun pigtail hairdos and pillow fights!! :lol:


CATLOVER: Anti-pasta is an Italian appetizer that's served before the meal. It usually has slices of canteloupe, wrapped with proscuitto (aged ham, sliced paper thin). Then there's sun dried tomatoes, this Italian cheese (I won't even try to write it) - it's a white ball and is like Silly Putty - but it's good with the tomatoes! LOL Then sometimes there's a few olives too.
It's actually a really cool combination of flavours and textures to start a meal. Then he made pasta of some sort - cant' remember exactly what, but then these huge thick pork chops, wine, a salad and even dessert. I felt like I was at an Italian wedding rather than on a date!!! LOL It was so cute - he even had gone out and bought a white tablecloth, angled another black one over that and had black napkins (I guess that's a manly version of Martha Stewart)! He had 11 white roses with one red rose as a centrepiece with a note saying, "All others pale by comparison".

Guys - you ever want to impress a girl - do what this guy did! ;) :happyface

How lucky! :)
YES!!!! She's an awesome cook. :D

My sister went to culinary schools - she's the cook of the family. :lol:

That sounds like a fun career.:D

I can cook

My idea of cooking is putting a can of soup on the heat, or making a grilled cheese sandwich. :eek: :lol:



LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOL


If you ever get married your husband had either cook or he'll starve :D

If you ever get married your husband had either cook or he'll starve :D

Well, the microwave is a handy little device for those that don't cook. My boyfriend lives off of microwaved meals. Some of them are quite nice.

I think graduationg from Culinary school shows that I am a pretty good cook :p Now I am currently working at the hospital in my hometown as the daytime cook/helper. I love to bake but I can do all sorts of cooking, my favorite things I make are:
Potato Soup
Chili
Chicken Fried Stake
Alfrado Sauce
Beshamel Sauce
Angel Food Cake
Cheese cake
Stir fry
Fried Ice Cream
Sweet Potato Fries
7 layered Jello
Ravioli Bake

LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOL


If you ever get married your husband had either cook or he'll starve :D
Or we'll have to have lots of meals at my sister and brother-in-law's place and she can do the cooking. :lol:

Or we'll have to have lots of meals at my sister and brother-in-law's place and she can do the cooking. :lol:
After all isn't that what Family is all about!

After all isn't that what Family is all about!
That and guilt trips. And no, we're not Jewish or Italian. :rofl:

I enjoy meals at my Sister and Brother -in -law's place from time to time. My brother-in-law is a great cook!

Hey I got a meal out of my sister in law last night. One of the reasons I go there, they have food.

i can cook fried rice- different types not just egg fried rice. just today for lunch i made a mushroom fired rice, although i don't put MSG when i make fried rice, just a pinch of salt, some soy sauce and sesame oil for flavour. i can also cook chow mein, but i still cannot boil an egg properly or roast meat such as chicken for example.

it'd be great if i was able to make desserts such as lemon meringue pie, cheesecake and cherry apple pie to name, not just savory dishes as well.

I know how to cook and so does my hubbie so we don't ever go hungry, in fact we eat to much LOL:lol:

A simple meal I made for myself a few times was red cabbage with cheese melted on the top, with margarine melted on it as well...sometimes I'd add sweetcorn too.

Simple stuff is mainly what I can do. But it was nice!

I would like to attempt something more complicated at some stage but would probably mess up somewhere.

I can cook somethings but not porkchops or stuff you put in the oven.. I can put pizza in the oven that was frozen. :D

I can cook somethings but not porkchops or stuff you put in the oven.. I can put pizza in the oven that was frozen. :D
I can do that, too! :lol:

I like to think that I'm a good cook, I've even gotten into cake degorating recently, I'm not too good at it right now, but hopefully I'll improve ;)

I can cook, but I get tired of doing it day after day. lol! Wish hubby would offer to cook at least once a week.

I think I cook pretty well. It's certainly edible!!:D I made brownies this morning and they came out good. Of course, I made them from mix with eggs & oil. I also make really good chili, too.