The Things I Cook

Every once in a while, I make dinner. Mostly, John and I eat bagel sandwiches -- or he eats weiners and I eat cereal. It's not that I can't cook. And I don't particularily dislike cooking (although I do dislike clean-up). I just don't know what to cook. My cooking repertoire is limited. These are the things I cook:

• grilled cheese
• chili (in the Crock Pot)
• pot roast (in the Crock Pot)
• oven-fried pork chops
• spaghetti (from a jar)

I'm sure there must be a few more things, but I can't think what they would be... Sometimes, when it's nice outside, we grill steaks or chicken breasts. Oh, and grilled zucchini, too. Yum.

In my defense, John can't eat dairy (milk, cheese, etc.) and I can't eat a lot of fruits and vegetables (lettuce, corn, apples, etc.), so that really limits what I can make. I do know how to make a few other things -- most of which are casseroles as I grew up in northern Minnesota. But I can't really make them because I'd be the only one who could eat it!

My newest favorite thing to make and eat is a "recipe" I got from my mom. It is a Thai peanut pasta. This is what you do:

• Get some peanut sauce (from the "ethnic" aisle at the grocery store, if you live in South Dakota)
• Sautee peppers (red, green, yellow, orange -- your choice), green onions, garlic and bean sprouts so they are "al dente" (hot and cooked but still crisp)
• Cook some angel hair pasta or chow mein* noodles, strain and put aside into a large serving dish
• Cook some breaded chicken tenders and cut into strips
• Mix the pasta with the peanut sauce, add the vegetables and put the chicken strips on the top
• Top the whole thing with crushed peanuts, and serve.

This is what I'm making for dinner tonight. I highly recommend it. Oh, and you can squeeze fresh lemon or lime on top, too. Mwah!

So, what do other people make for dinner? Like I said before, I'm not opposed to cooking, it's just that I don't know what to cook. So, let's have a little contest. You will send me recipes that fit the following guidelines:

1. No dairy (margarine is OK)
2. No lettuce or corn
3. Serving size is 2-4 people (we don't really like leftovers)
4. Prep/cooking time is half an hour or less (these will be weekday meals)
5. Clean up is minimal

You can sort of judge the speed of my cooking skills/desires by the Thai "recipe" above. I am definitely not all about making it from scratch. Whoever's recipe I like the best will get a fabulous knitting-related prize. So, send your recipe, your name and your mailing address to me at monkeyknitsATyahooDOTcom (you know what to do). May the best cook win!

*hee-hee... I guess this really shows my lack of cooking skills. I meant "lo mein" noodles. But you can put chow mein noodles on the top...