The Cauldron

Please post your recipes, here!

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"No, they're not real, but thanks for noticing"! WoW Dwarf Female /silly
Avatar by Krinsel

The Best Spaghetti in the World (aka my mom's recipe )

NOTE:  I'm putting this down off the top of my head, so I can add in the actual can-sizes in ounces later...)

1 pound ground beef (she prefers the 85/15 lean-to-fat ratio, but you can use whatever you prefer!)
1 medium onion (or half of that if you don't want as much onion)
1 big can of whole tomatoes
2 small cans of tomato sauce
1 small, thin can of tomato paste 
1 bottle of ketchup
1-2 capfuls of vinegar
2-4 tablespoons of brown sugar
1 bay leaf
Basil
Oregano
Rosemary
Thyme
Package of spaghetti noodles

Optional
1 small can of mushrooms (drained)
1 can of black olives (drained)
French bread with butter (and garlic, if you want)

Directions:

Chop the medium onion into small chunks (diced, if you want) and set aside to add to the ground beef.
In a large frying pan, brown the ground beef.  It doesn't matter if the beef is frozen or fresh; if it's frozen, it just takes longer.  When you're about halfway through with the browning, add the chopped onion (or half of it, for less onion) and continue to stir and mix.

Drain the grease from the meat.  If you want a runnier sauce, skip this step.  If you want a firmer sauce, drain it.  Put the meat back in the frying pan, and turn down to "low" or "med-low" heat.

Add the can of whole tomatoes.  Using a knife and fork, cut the tomatoes into smaller pieces in the pan.  Add the two cans of tomato sauce and the can of tomato paste.  Stir gently; enough to mix the sauces into the meat. 

Squirt about half of the bottle of ketchup into the mix.  Add 2 capfuls of vinegar and 2 tablespoons of brown sugar.  Add the bay leaf, and make sure you submerge it into the sauce.

Cover/coat the entire top of the sauce with oregano.  Stir in.  Follow with a thin layer (not quite over the entire top; you want the most oregano than the other spices) each of basil, rosemary, and thyme.  Make sure you stir them in between layerings.

At this point, if you like mushrooms, add the drained can of mushrooms and mix in.  It should be simmering but not boiling or boiling over.  Adjust heat accordingly.

While this is simmering (stirring occasionally), put water in a pot and boil it for the spaghetti noodles.  No special instructions for this; put the pasta in the hot water and then drain when noodles are soft enough for your liking.

After you let the sauce simmer for 5 minutes or so, taste it.  Make sure you get a little bit of the meat, mushroom, and spices.  Now comes the doctoring part, which is basically just flavoring it to the way you like it.  Personally, I like mine just a little sweet, but my ex-boyfriend liked the herb/spice flavor better (not spice like in hot or "spicy")

Doctoring
If you taste the vinegar, add more brown sugar.
If the sauce is really runny, add more ketchup to thicken it, then another capful of vinegar and a couple more tablespoons of brown sugar (to balance out the flavor)
If the sauce is too bland, add another light layer each of basil, rosemary, and thyme.  Add a slightly heavier layer of oregano.
If you like mushrooms, add 2 small cans of mushrooms instead of one.
If the herb/spice flavor is too strong, add another capful of vinegar and more brown sugar.

Once sauce is flavored the way you like it, drain the spaghetti, pile it onto a plate, add the sauce and throw a few black olives on the side!  Garlic the French bread and butter to taste (and toast it) and you're all set!!! 

(The black olives are meant to go beside the sauce on the plate, but you can add them to the sauce if you really want.  If you do that, break them up or buy a can of broken pieces.)

Warning:  this recipe is so good, it might cause happiness overload.  In that case, the Sergeant-Major recommends hopping onto your computer and posting on the Cauldron forums

This is the spaghetti I grew up on, and if you all ever came to my house to visit, I would totally make it for you!!!!!!  Bon appétit!

Impossible Pie

(Impossible Pie is basically just a type of quiche, but it's very tasty, and it's not at all impossible!)

Ingredients: (I'm not sure what weighing system you guys use, so I think I'll leave this how my mother wrote it... Please let me know and I'll convert them asap.)

1 1/2 cups of milk
60 grams of melted margarine/butter
1/2 cup of plain flour
2 tablespoons of French Onion Soup powder
1 chopped onion
Chopped bacon to taste
1/2 cup of grated cheese
4 eggs
Mixed herbs
Salt and pepper to taste

Method:

Fry bacon and drain on paper towel to absorb fat.
Add onion to pan and cook until soft. Put aside.
Mix milk, butter, eggs, flour, soup, soup powder, herbs and cheese.
Add bacon and onion.
Pour into ovenproof dish approximately 16cm x 30cm.
Bake in oven for approximately 30 minutes or until the top is golden brown.

Additions:

Adding diced tomato to the mix can add flavour. Alternatively, try placing slices of tomato and capsicum on the top before baking for decoration (Plus, they taste good!)
Great when served with a simple salad or chicken curry pasta.

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Avatar Art © Rhapsody - Yargh, that would be Thesa, the fiery Pirate Captain! =]

Just wanted to remind people of this thread.  If you want to submit any recipes for our future recipe book, post them here.  Otherwise there is a thread for Healthy Recipes called Cookin' in the Cauldron and a No-Holds-Barred thread called The Recipe Thread. 

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Avi is my family crest.

Will do. As a matter of fact, I was doing some experimenting with recipes a couple of weeks ago. I suppose they're just about ready to submit.

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Avatar by me, for me.

Okay, I finally have a few things to submit. They're nice, fast recipes. My parents have been out of town, so I've been doing some experimental cooking so that my brother and I will have things to eat. so far, I'm 2 for 2. Feel free to change the names, for they are rather unimaginative.

Roll 'N Go Breaded Chicken:
It takes three minutes to prepare the chicken before putting it in the oven. An excellent, quick meal to cook in the oven while you get changed out of your work clothes.
Ingredients:
3 chicken breasts
1/3 cup bread crumbs
1/2 cup ranch dressing

Directions:
The only pans you need for this are two pie pans and one pan/sheet to put the chicken on in the oven. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Pour the ranch dressing in one pie pan and the breadcrumbs in another. Douse each chicken *** in ranch, then roll it in the breadcrumbs, putting them on/in your sheet/pan when you're done. When the oven is hot, cook the chicken for 30-40 minutes, or until ready.

Tips:
I like to put the chicken in a non-stick 8x8 pan, the kind good for brownies. If you do that, the only clean-up needed will be a quick wipe of all your pans with a soapy sponge.
This is a simple recipe that's easy to change. Buttermilk is a more traditional liquid for keeping your chicken breaded. Pre-seasoned breadcrumbs offer a little more flavor (I prefer Italian seasoning) than plain ones, but you can get even more flavor by adding some dried basil, cilantro, or oregano to your breadcrumbs.


Simple Summer Salad
A mix of simple, bold flavors that makes a nice light meal during the summer.
Ingredients:
1 lb. of ground turkey or beef
1/4 c onion, chopped
1 T oil
1 clove garlic, minced
2-3 t chili powder

1 head lettuce
2 red bell peppers, chopped

Dressing:
1 T oil
2-3 T red cider vinegar
1 t lemon juice
1 clove garlic, minced

Directions:
Mix the dressing in a small cup. Pour oil in a skillet, mixing in onions, garlic, and chili powder. Add meat and cook until brown. Rinse lettuce and peppers, prepare, and place in salad bowl. Give the dressing another quick whisk before pouring it on salad. Serve meat tossed in the salad, or on the side for portion control. Toss salad and serve.

Tips:
If preferred, the ground meat can be replaced by 2 chicken breasts, chopped.
Go ahead and mix up the dressing before starting the meat. The garlic gets a better chance of releasing its flavor.

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Avatar by me, for me.

Those sound great, N!

Listen, if anyone submits something that says it needs to be moderated first, and you don't see it in a few days, shoot a pm to one of us mods, please. It may have just gotten missed. Sorry about that, Niewen.

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Avie pic by me.
Elwood: It's 106 miles to Chicago, we got a full tank of gas, half a pack of cigarettes, it's dark, and we're wearing sunglasses.
Jake: Hit it. ~ The Blues Brothers (1980)

It's called YUM YUM Chicken...And it's Yum Yum.  Ha ha!

You start off with at least as many chickens as you want to eat.

Now, warning, this recipe does not involve precise measurements because in order for it to be YUM YUM you must be given freedom as to how much flavor you wish to add.  That's why this recipe is so great.

So, anyway we start by defrosting the chicken.  You then place the chicken in a large bowl where you will commence with FLAVOR!

In a separate bowl, mix Olive Oil Vinaigrette, Honey mustard barbecue sauce, (yes, that's right) then you place Paprika, Garlic seasoning, Salt, pepper, lemon juice, ORANGE JUICE (very important) and finally, ranch dressing in the bowl.

Here is a list of the ingredients that should be place in moderation:

Use just a little bit of the ranch and the orange juice. 

Other then that all the other ingredients can be placed in measurements as you please.  Remember, the ingredients will effect the taste, so decide what you think is best for your taste buds. 

Once you've mixed the "sauce", pour it over the chicken in the other bowl and let it marinade in there for at least an hour.  Then place chicken in cooking tray and pour cream of chicken soup on top.  If you don't like cream of chicken, then YUM YUM chicken can be made with out it.

Lastly, sprinkle parsley on top (more for decoration then flavor) and then place chicken in oven at 400 degrees F for at least an 30 minutes..or long...don't burn it.

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A flower that blooms at night is a blessing to the day that follows
Avatar by Me, it's Sylvan.

This stuff is SO GOOD! It's great as a side dish for one of those October cook outs. My family has been using this recipe as long as I can remember.

Calico Beans

1/2 lb ground beef
1/2 lb bacon (chopped)
1 cup chopped onions
1/2 cup ketchup
1 can Kidney Beans (drained)
1 can Pork and Beans (not drained)
1 can Baby Lima beans (drained)
1 tsp salt
1 tsp dry mustard
2 tsp Vinegar
1/3 cup white sugar
1/3 cup Brown Sugar

Brown and drain the ground beef, bacon and onions.
Combine with all other ingredients. Bake at 350 degrees F for 45 minutes.
or put in crockpot all day.

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Avatar by me.

Cooool a recipe thread. I read the ones already posted and they all sound delicious. I have two I'll contribute, both of them cookies. My other recipes (spiced potatoes, crepes, and meatloaf) require... revision.

>Link< to convert teaspoons to an understandable unit of measurement (calculator 1/2 way to the bottom of linked page).

1. Sugar Cookies

You can add cinnamon if you want, but I like them just as well without. They're quite sweet and some of my friends actually preferred them burned (yummy, yummy carbon) because they were so sweet. They're called sugar cookies for a reason, but I guess you can tone down the sugar a bit, but tone it down too much and they might taste bad.

Ingredients
2 cups of flour
1/4 teaspoons of salt
2 teaspoons of baking powder
1/2 cup of butter
1 cup of sugar
1 teaspon of vanilla
2 eggs (beaten)
2 teaspoons of cinnamon *again, optional*

Directions
Sift flour, salt, baking powder, and cinnamon together, then add the two beaten eggs. Smush butter in with the sugar and vanilla. Mix them all together well, then roll with a rolling pin until about 1/2 cm thick. Cut into desired shape, then place on greased, cold baking pan (lipless pan recommended). They tend to stick to the pan a lot... anyways. Bake in oven at 350-375 F for 8-10 minutes on the oven's middle rack (useful thing I found out so that top/bottom doesn't get cooked faster than the other side). Thy burn kinda easy, so keep an eye on 'em. Makes a LOT of cookies... usually 2 1/2 dozenish? I still haven't really figured out how to get them off the pan without some of them exploding into a raging maelstorm of cookie crumbs...

2. Chocolate Chip Cookies

Their texture ends up something like shortbread, but not nearly as dense. Very light-tasting, kinda. They're still good.

Ingredients
1/8 cups of flour
1/4 teaspoon of baking soda
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1/2 cup of shortening (some buttery-like thing that's terrible for you (no, don't replace with butter, I tried) generally found in the baking aisle)
1/4 cup of brown sugar
1/2 white sugar
1 egg (beaten)
1 teaspoon of vanilla
Chocolate chips (however many you want, I suppose, though the cookies should still at least 50% cookie)
1/2 cup chopped walnuts *optional; I haven't tried it*

Directions
Sift flour, baking soda, salt together (familiar?). Cream shortening and sugar together, then add the egg and vanilla. Make sure to blend it well or else the cookies might fail. Add powder ingredients to the rather repulsive-by-now looking creams. Drop dough onto greased baking sheet, and then press the chocolate chips and/or/not-at-all walnuts into the dough (I found this way worked the best, but folding them in didn't go to bad, it was just messier). Bake at 325-350 F for 8-10 minutes. Makes 2-3 dozen cookies, around.

Ohhh now I'm hungry.

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"Let's assume that those idiots in the basilica are innocent dupes. They seem too stupid to be evil."

Guess who makes me smile.