# Beginner Recipe



## jyag (Aug 3, 2006)

I'm kinda new to cooking, but don't know what to cook. Do any of you out there have a simple recipe that won't take long and something a beginner could make? Just about any type of food is fine with me.


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## chefc81 (Aug 1, 2006)

Wow...I could give you a few sites to go to that will direct you to something you are looking for.

1: foodtv.com
2: allrecipes.com
3: recipezaar.com
4: epicurious.com
5: chefs.com
6: recipecenter.com

Those are the one's I go to when I want to find something to cook for any occasion. 

Good luck!


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## bakerlady29 (Jul 4, 2006)

Hi Jyag I have a cookie recipe that is very easy to make and everyone that has eaten them loves them. Not sure if cookies is what you are looking for, but just incase=)
2/3 cup Crisco Shortening
1 1/2 firmly packed light brown sugar
1tbs water
1tsp vanilla extract
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup Hershey's baking cocoa
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt 
2 cups (12oz pkg) semi-sweet or milk chocolate chips(I make em with milk choc)
Heat oven to 375 degrees. Place sheets of foil on countertop for cooling cookies.
Combine Cisco, brown sugar, water, and vanilla in large bowl. Beat at medium speed with electric mixer until well blended. Beat eggs into creamed mixture.
Combine flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt in another bowl. Stir ingredients until blended together. Mix flour mixture into creamed mixture at low speed just until blended. Stir in chocolate chips.
Drop by rounded measuring tbs. 2 inches apart onto ungreased baking sheet. 
Bake one baking sheet at a time at 375 degrees for 7-9 minutes, or until cookies are set. DO NOT OVERBAKE. Cookies will appear soft and moist. Cool 2 minutes on baking sheet. Remove cookies to foil and cool completely. (makes about 3 dozen)
Very easy to make and loved by chocolate lover's. I now make batches for family members to take home because they love them so much, lol.:lips:


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## gym30 (May 12, 2006)

Take a look on cuisimages. This site is showing recipes with pictures and it is in french and english version.
It could help you...


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## jock (Dec 4, 2001)

It's hard to say really since we don't know what kind of equipment you have in your kitchen If you have blender or food processor and an oven proof skillet, try this one:

Go the butcher and buy a pork tenderloin - not the whole loin just the tender. Once you get it home you need to remove the silver skin and as much of the surface fat as you can. The silver skin will be pretty obvious and you need to remove it because it is unpleasant to eat (it's tough and stringy) and besides, it will shrink as it cooks and cause your meat to curl up.

Anyway, as you are trimming the meat turn the oven on to 350. Once the meat is ready sprinkle it with a bit of salt and pepper. Heat the oven proof skillet on the stove top over medium heat for a minute or two. Add a tablespoon or two of oil to the pan - corn oil, peanut oil, canola, something like that but not olive oil. Olive oil has a low smoke point and it will burn and give an off taste to the food. 

Carefully palce the meat in the pan and watch out for splatter. Cook it without moving it for 3 or 4 minutes. You really want to leave it alone to allow a crust to form. That will give good flavor and if you are adventurous enough to make a pan sauce it will help with that too. Once you have good color (you can peek after 3 minutes or so) turn the meat to cook on the other side. Do this until it is brown all over. The time it takes depends on how high your fire is and some other variables. Watch the temperature in the pan too. If the oil smokes too much, turn the heat down a bit.

Once the meat is browned all over put the pan in the oven on the middle shelf for about 12 minutes or so. This cut of meat cooks very quickly so don't over do it or it will be dry and tough. Put the meat on a plate or cutting board and cover it with alunminum foil for at least 10 minutes. This is called resting the meat and it is necessary to allow the meat juices to redistibute through the meat. If you cut into the meat right away all those lovely juices will run over the cutting board and your meat will be dry.

Now, if you want to go all out, pour the excess fat from the pan (put a towel on the handle to remind you it is very hot) and add a little fresh oil (you can go with olive oil this time if you like) and a small handful of finely chopped shallots. Stir these over a medium heat till they soften a bit - maybe 2 minutes or so. Scrape up the brown bits in the pan as you go. This will add lots of flavor. Pour in a 1/2 cup or so of chicken broth and a table spoon of Dijon muustard and stir that around. Let it cook down some to thicken it up a bit. You can add a little cream at this stage if you like and maybe some chopped tarragon. Taste it and see if it needs any more salt or pepper. Cut the meat crosswise into 1/4" slices. Pour any meat juices into the pan sauce and stir it in. Put the meat on a plate and pour the sauce over it.

What to go with?

Cut the kernels off a couple of ears of corn (or buy a bag of good quality frozen corn) and put them in a blender with some S&P. Puree the corn till it is totally broken down to a thick liquid. You may need to add a table spoon of water to get it started but once it gets going it will blend quite nicely. If there is a lot of corn, do it in two batches. Pour the puree into a pot. You can do this before you start on the meat. While the meat is in the oven, gently cook the corn, stirring it till it bubbles. The starches will set up and the puree will get thicker. It shouldn't take more than 5 to 7 minutes. If you like you can add some chopped fresh herbs while it cooks or some roasted red peppers cut up small. Buy a jar of peppers at the store if you are not up to roasting them yourself (a pleasure yet to come.)

So, lay a bed of the fresh polenta you just made on the plate and top with the meat.

For something green on the side, pick the stem ends off some green beans and steam them for 5 or 6 miutes till they are cooked but still firm (taste one and see if it needs more time.) Drain the water out of the pot for steaming, drop in a knob of butter and toss the beans around in it with some S&P and you are good to go. Or just cook some frozen peas!

It has taken me longer to write these instructions than it would to actually make this. It's a lot of words to describe a simple but deliscious dish.

Good luck

Jock


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