New to Cooking

Dave Jackson
  • 5.0 (1)
  • FOOD

If you are a person like me, you know that cooking your own food is better for you, less expensive, and healthier, and yet we don't do it. I'm in my fifties and venturing into the kitchen to start cooking. If you want to learn along with me, come along for the ride as I talk techniques, recipes, strategies to create great food without losing my mind.

  1. Slow Cooker Black Beans and Rice

    02/26/2022

    Slow Cooker Black Beans and Rice

    I decided to try something that didn't have meat. I'm exploring eating a more plant-based diet. This is partly due to reading The Vegucation of Robin: How Real Food Saved My Life. THE RECIPE:Ingredients2 cups dried black beans, rinsed and soaked overnight in plenty of water1 Tbsp. olive oil1 cup brown rice1 medium onion, peeled and chopped3 garlic cloves, peeled and minced4 cups vegetable broth1 can (14 oz.) diced tomatoes1 tsp. ground cumin½ tsp. salt⅛ tsp. cayenne pepper2 Tbsp. fresh chopped cilantro DirectionsStep 1Drain beans. Heat olive oil in a medium saucepan. Add rice; cook and stir for 3–5 minutes or until rice is fragrant. Combine in 4–5 quart slow cooker along with beans, onion, garlic, and vegetable broth. Cover and cook on low for 6 hours, stirring every two hours.Step 2Then add tomatoes, cumin, salt, and pepper, stirring well. Cover and cook on low for 3 hours longer until rice and beans are tender. Add cilantro and mix. Serve hot. What I LearnedYou can ask Alexa "how many cups is one medium chopped onion." That was very cool. I needed that as instead of buying the onion and using my food processor, I just bought it pre-chopped. This also goes for cilantro. You also want to take the time to read the directions. I skimmed them and ended up putting everything into my Instant Pot hours before it was supposed to (this turned everything black) When a recipe says to soak the beans overnight DO IT. I was BLOWN AWAY by how much water they soaked up. I needed up putting my two cups of beans into a giant mixing bowl (after singing them off). Do not skip that step. Also, be sure to run water in your slow cooker (Instant pot for me) when you're done. How it TastedThere are different scales I need to come up with. I guess these are: Uneditable I ate it but won't make it again This was good, and I'll make it again I want to make some more now. This recipe has a bit of zip (enough to clear your sinuses, but not enough to make a dash for a glass of milk). It doesn't taste like anything else I've made because I've never eaten this before. I was also amazed at how full I was with one bowl (about three servings spoons). I put the recipe into my Cronomiter software and it was 168 calories for a bowl. (The recipe serves six). Also Mentioned In This EpisodeI bought a Tavola Smart Oven. Get $100 of the oven Check out the video Like the Show?Tell a friend to go to https://www.newtocookingshow.com/follow/ and never miss an episode. You can also buy me a coffee

    17 min
  2. Boneless Chicken Thighs in an Instapot

    02/11/2022

    Boneless Chicken Thighs in an Instapot

    I bought an instantpot last year and didn't really use it. I got distracted by smart ovens (you can now control them with your Amazon Alexa). I remembered i had the Instapot with a smartphone app. I also had a family pack of chicken thighs with no bones or skin. This should be easy and it was. I just opened my cupboard and whatever was there I added so this included: Onion flakesGarlic powderMrs Dash for ChickenLiquid smoke (see episode on Liquid smoke)Salt and Pepper. I dumped in one cup of water into the instapot. Put the steam rack in the bottom and add the chicken on top. Add your spices and cook 10-12 minutes (I did 12). The chicken was amazing. I had some thighs that were pretty thick and they came out wonderful. I put the chicken into a spaghetti strainer to let the grease get off the chicken. As I pick the chicken off after it had cooled, it just fell apart it was so tender. Tomorrow I will eat one of the thighs that had the same spices listed about but I put a dab of KC Masterpiece barbecue sauce I Might Attempt Going Plant-BasedI'm reading the book The Vegucation of Robin: How Real Food Saved My Life by Robin Quivers (from the Howard Stern show) Robin had cancer and beat it. According to her doctor had she not previously changed her diet, she wouldn't be here. I like the book because it's not preachy. She explains why plats are good for you, how you can get protein, and how processed food is horrible. I'm looking forward to trying some of her recipes. The Rabbit Hole of Smart OvensI've been watching demos of "Smart Ovens" such as the June, Tovala Gen 2, and even Amazon has an over controlledd by Alexa. Chime In and Be On The ShowGot a recipe or cooking tip? Favorite Gadget? Click the microphone in the bottom right-hand corner at www.newtocookingshow.com

    11 min
  3. Souper Cubes: Great When You Cook For One

    03/10/2021

    Souper Cubes: Great When You Cook For One

    I just got done watching Shark Tank and there was this cool resource that looks like a giant ice cube tray for four giant cubes. The difference is the tray is made out of silicone. You can freeze your soup, chilli, pasta, etc and then push the item out of the cube. For me (living alone) I often make pasta or soup, and then end up eating the same thing all week. Not any more. Now I can cook up a giant batch and FREEZE the rest. Then when I want a quick meal, I pop out a cube, and microwave a great meal in a few minutes. I ordered mine from Amazon. (aff link) New Recipe Episode ComingI'm going to try Bruschetta Pasta InstructionsCook pasta according to instruction. Drain water. Toss pasta and all ingredients in a large bowl. Ingredients1/2 box spaghetti 1 cup chopped fresh tomatoes 1/4 cup chopped basil 1.5 tablespoon olive oil 1 1/2 tablespoon nutritional yeast 1 teaspoon salt 1/2 tablespoon minced garlic 1 green onion Serving Size  2-3 Prep Time 20 minutes source: https://www.happycow.net/recipes/bruschetta-pasta

    4 min
  4. Power XL Smokeless Grill Review

    01/12/2021

    Power XL Smokeless Grill Review

    As I live in Ohio, grill outside in the winter isn't much of an option for me. However, I want to batch cook lots of chicken (in this case) for the week. So I needed a decent sized grill, and I heard about the Power XL Smokeless Grill. IS IT SMOKELESS?Yes. You dumb two cups of water in a drawer under the grill and turn on a fan and somehow that deters any smoke. I did end up with some steam, but that dissipates and goes away quickly. I WANTED BIG AND I GOT BIGThe unit is 21 x 15.4 x 8.1 inches. For me, I had the shelf under my microwave open and it fits their nicely. Just realize this takes up some real estate. EASE OF USE AND CLEANINGThe unit goes up to 450 degrees and gets there pretty quick. I do have to grill my chicken a bit longer than my formal grill but the format cooks from both sides. This is still quicker as I would take me three grills on a format to fit all of my chicken thighs. The Power XL Grill is actually non stick and after using it four times everything snaps apart easily, washes quickly, and is pretty "no hassle." I use a brush to first get any leftover chicken off the grill and then use a sponge. It's pretty straight forward. While it's not a cheap item, I have no buyer's remorse as it seems to do exactly what it advertises, and I don't have to put on a winter coat to grill outside. Does it taste like the outside grill? No, but the chicken coming off this thing is still pretty yummy. Part of that is I'm using liquid smoke.

    7 min
  5. Quick, Yummy Friend Egg Sandwhiches

    11/29/2020

    Quick, Yummy Friend Egg Sandwhiches

    For me, I need my food to be warm. Even when I make a salad I throw warmed up chicken into it. (see the "Not Chipotle" episode. One of my vices is the Egg McMuffin. Why? Because I rarely get an Egg McMuffin without getting the grease sponge that is the McDonald's Hash Browns, and a Coke the size of my head. So how can I make one at home? I bought a Hamilton Beach Breakfast Sandwich Maker, and was surprised how well it works. The idea is you put a muffin in the top, one in the bottom and an egg in the middle. There is a play that separates the muffins (and the surface that cooks the egg) when its ready, you gab a handle and it (more or less) pulls the rug out from under the egg and it lands on your muffin. For me, I need my muffins toasted and while the muffin is warm, I didn't feel it was toasted. So I improvised. It takes 3.5 minutes to warm up and 8 minutes to cook the 2 eggs solid (quicker if you use one egg). So I use my Amazon Alexa all the time. She's very hand in the kitchen. So I will have her set a timer for four minutes. Then I know the sandwich maker is ready. I come in crack two eggs, and poke them with a fork to break the yolk. I set another time for four minutes (as it takes four minutes to make toast). When the alarm goes off, I come in and start my toast, poor myself some water, and get out the butter. When the toast pops up, I better it and check the eggs (and by this time they are solid). I put my spatula under the egg and slide the handle to the left and egg falls on my spatula. I then plop it on to my toast, and take the second piece of toast and I'm done. An Inexpensive SandwichWith the bread costing $3. a loaf and $1.29 for a dozen of eggs, I get a sandwich for 52 cents. It's about 365 calories with 20G of protein, 19 net cards, and 21 grams of fat. I also find it fairly filling, and quite yummy (I put some salt on the egg). You have one dish, and the sandwich maker is one of the few nonstick items I own that has stayed non stick.

    6 min
  6. Beef Veggie "Stuff"

    11/22/2020

    Beef Veggie "Stuff"

    With it getting cold here in Ohio, I wanted to make some stew type of beef vegetable. I purchased some McCormick Heart Beef Stew Seasoning Mix and a lb of Beef Stew meat (pre-cut), and a bag of frozen vegetables. The cost was right around $10. As I live alone I use a smaller crock pot, but in looking at Amazon, it appears crock pot (the company) doesn't make that model. However, you can get it at Walmart for $10. The closest I found on Amazon is the KOOC Small Slow Cooker, 2-Quart, Free Liners Included for Easy Clean-up, Upgraded Crock Pot, which is more expensive (but it does come with free liners). How I Messed This UpOn the back of the seasoning mix my eyes were drawn to the "slow cooker directions" where it said to mix the seasoning with water but didn't say how much. This lead me to guess and I dumped in around 3 cups of water. Later I would look at the seasoning package again and saw where they list the ingredients at the top and mention 1 and 1/3 cup. Ooops. So I will cook this for a few hours with the lid on, and then a few with the lid off to let some of the excess water evaporate. If it taste as good as it smells I'm in for a few good meals. Easy To Make - Not a Lot of MessOriginally I mixes the seasoning and water in a different dish. If I do this again I will mix this up in the crock pot. While the directions say to put the beef and vegetables in the crock pot and pour over the meat and vegetable, I could save dirtying a dish and then just stir the ingredients in the slow cooker. Cheap FoodAt $10 for all the ingredients and the likelihood of getting three meals out of this, that is $3ish for a meal. Cheaper than a value meal at a fast food join.

    7 min
  7. Colgin Liquid Smoke Makes Things Tasty

    11/11/2020

    Colgin Liquid Smoke Makes Things Tasty

    With it getting cold where I live, I can keep grilling outside. I had known about Luquid smoke but had never used it. I've used it twice and I have a sneaking suspicion I will be putting it on everything. I put it on some chicken thighs and it gave a bit of that "off the grill taste" but for me the one that I can wait to try again was when I put two frozen Talapia Fillets from Walmat on my George Forman grill. This created a taste I had never had before, and I will be adding this to my frequently used list. It's a quick dinner, and I loved the flavor. You can get a two pack and try them both. Make Your Sure Indoor Smokeless Grill is Smokeless I saw the reviews on YouTube and other place on the Power XL Smokeless Grill. It looks good. Sounds fun, but the price was up there. What did I do, I started bouncing around amazon and went for the Amazon Recommends purchase of a Hamilton beach for half the price. The problem is its not a smokeless grill. With this in mind, if the goal is to by an indoor grill that is smokless, make sure it says so in the description. The Hamilton Beach is a nice grill, but just because it has a hood does not mean the smoke/steam magically disappear. Enjoy the show? Help support it and "Buy me a coffee."

    8 min
  8. The Grill of Oz

    08/11/2020

    The Grill of Oz

    Today I tried cooking some bone-in chicken thighs and ended up with the towering inferno on my back porch. I share some tips on grilling courtesy of Char-broil. Check out their chicken thigh recipe SPONSOR: Save time, save money, get organized with Plan to Eat. If you are looking for a great meal planner, recipe organizer, and grocery list creation tool, you've found it. I made today's recipe while having my app in the cooking view, and it made it so easy. Check it out at www.podclick.me/plantoeat

    9 min
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About

If you are a person like me, you know that cooking your own food is better for you, less expensive, and healthier, and yet we don't do it. I'm in my fifties and venturing into the kitchen to start cooking. If you want to learn along with me, come along for the ride as I talk techniques, recipes, strategies to create great food without losing my mind.

Information

  • Creator
    Dave Jackson
  • Years Active
    2020 - 2022
  • Episodes
    17
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2020 Dave Jackson
  • Show Website
    New to Cooking