Simple dinner
As I've mentioned before, I am a firm believer in "cheats" esp when it comes to learning how to cook. Once you get things figured out it is an easy step to actually make things from scratch.
When I first moved into an apartment of my own, I had to use a lot of cheats, mostly becasue I really couldn't afford a lot. One of the meals I would survive on was elbow macaroni with some margarine and a can of tuna fish thrown in. Amazingly enough, I still have fond memories of this dish and will occasionally still fix it for myself (tho nowadays I use margarine).
But at this time I developed a fondness for canned chili. As much as I like real chili, I don't always have the ingredients, time or any already made and in the freezer, so I like to fall back on ye old yummy canned chili. The trick is to find a brand you like. I love Stagg's Steakhouse chili, all meat, nice and flavorful, but not always in budget when one is a "literally" starving student or wage slave. So I usually will go with a cheaper brand.
So to start a simple dinner you will need:
a can or two of your favorite chili
flour tortillas
shredded cheese (again, your preference)
pot with a lid
spoon for stirring
bowl
plate
spoon
and most importantly, a can opener (unless the can is the easy open kind with a pull tab).
Open cans, put the chili in the pot. Turn the burner to medium heat. You don't want the heat too high as it can cause the chili to scorch to the pan and that can be a royal pain to clean out.
Put the lid on the pan, this will help to keep the heat in and most importantly, the chili in. Spattering chili makes a mess. Periodically take the lid off and give the contents a stir.
While the chili is heating up, take a couple flour tortillas and put them on a plate and intot he microwave for 30 seconds on high. This will make them a little more flexible. Pull them out and sprinkle them with cheese and fold over and back into the microwave for another 30 seconds or so to melt the cheese.
When the chili is ready, put in bowl, add cheese and sit and enjoy:
Serve with your favorite beverage, in my case we found a very nice Amber Bock from Micaloeb that was the perfect accompaniment to dinner.
When I first moved into an apartment of my own, I had to use a lot of cheats, mostly becasue I really couldn't afford a lot. One of the meals I would survive on was elbow macaroni with some margarine and a can of tuna fish thrown in. Amazingly enough, I still have fond memories of this dish and will occasionally still fix it for myself (tho nowadays I use margarine).
But at this time I developed a fondness for canned chili. As much as I like real chili, I don't always have the ingredients, time or any already made and in the freezer, so I like to fall back on ye old yummy canned chili. The trick is to find a brand you like. I love Stagg's Steakhouse chili, all meat, nice and flavorful, but not always in budget when one is a "literally" starving student or wage slave. So I usually will go with a cheaper brand.
So to start a simple dinner you will need:
a can or two of your favorite chili
flour tortillas
shredded cheese (again, your preference)
pot with a lid
spoon for stirring
bowl
plate
spoon
and most importantly, a can opener (unless the can is the easy open kind with a pull tab).
Open cans, put the chili in the pot. Turn the burner to medium heat. You don't want the heat too high as it can cause the chili to scorch to the pan and that can be a royal pain to clean out.
Put the lid on the pan, this will help to keep the heat in and most importantly, the chili in. Spattering chili makes a mess. Periodically take the lid off and give the contents a stir.
While the chili is heating up, take a couple flour tortillas and put them on a plate and intot he microwave for 30 seconds on high. This will make them a little more flexible. Pull them out and sprinkle them with cheese and fold over and back into the microwave for another 30 seconds or so to melt the cheese.
When the chili is ready, put in bowl, add cheese and sit and enjoy:
Serve with your favorite beverage, in my case we found a very nice Amber Bock from Micaloeb that was the perfect accompaniment to dinner.
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