"SteveB" wrote

> How would you define a cook?

I presume you mean a good one ;-)

> I think it is someone who prepares food who:
>
> will try new things.
> will accept failure.
> is adventurous.
> is flexible.
> is creative.

These do for starters. It's the basic attributes a good cook must have.
Eventually you get a feel for how to adapt things and the failure level goes
down, but even then there will be a few boffs!

> I don't think it's someone who's been to school and can cook a creme
> brule.

No, but that is more the sort of thing for a 'chef' on TV if you ask me.

You can see (if you read the right threads) that I post many unique self
designed recipes of my own. They are based off others, but the others are
used as a guideline and the good ones get in MM format for sharing with
thouse who'd like to try them out.

Here's 3 samples. The Bo-Peeps one got proliferated on a huge number of web
sites (normally with my name filed off, sometimes with my typo's corrected).
2710 hits in google for Bo Peeps Crockpot ;-)

MMMMM----- Recipe via Meal-Master (tm) v8.05

Title: Bo-Peeps-a-Crock
Categories: Crockpot, Veal, Xxcarol, Diabetic
Yield: 8 Servings

1 lb Veal/lamb breast
2 tb Chicken bullion mix (or 1 qt
Water to 1 qt (or broth)
1 ts Nutmeg
1 ts Ginger, powdered
16 ea Cloves, whole
1 ea Medium/large carrot, chopped
1 c Grapes (optional)

Good sale? See that Veal or cut of Lamb? Many things go with it.
This is one varition.

Cut the meat as needed to fit in the crockpot, removing as much fat as
possible. Now toss in the rest. Cook on high for 4 hours, then cool
it and skim off the fat. Reheat and it's good heated for 6 hours at
a shot for 2 days. (refridgerate inbetween times!) Serves well with
an acorn or buttternut squash, cut in half and baked then served in a
bowl with the shell filled with meat and soup. Add rice (Basmati or
Jasmine prefered) and some blue lake green beans for a perfect but
easy meal.

Nutrition: High in fat, even when cooled and skimmed, but sugar free
and low in sodium. Use as a specialty now and again even if dieting.
Sastifies sweet tooth with no sugar added.

From the kitchen of: xxcarol From the kitchen of: xxcarol From: Carol
Shenkenberger Date: 01-16-00 Cooking

MMMMM

MMMMM----- Recipe via Meal-Master (tm) v8.05

Title: Magic Leeks!
Categories: Appetizers, Diabetic, Low-fat, Vegetables, Xxcarol
Yield: 6 Servings

2 ea Whole bunches of leeks
1 tb Soy sauce (shoyu)
1 tb Worstershire sauce
Olive oil, light drizzle
1 ts Black pepper
1 ts Salt

Ok, chop them washed leeks up. Get all the dirt out. Now mix the
seasonings (sans oil) and put that in a reclosable baggie. Shake'em
up and down (or side to side if you prefer). Add a drizzle of olive
oil to a pan and either fry them tender, or bake at 350 degrees for
20 mins. Dont let them get cold or the magic leeks out!

Suitable as a side dish to anything that would be complemented by
onions. Nice little 'knosh' all by themselves on a late night for a
dieter.

From the kitchen of xxcarol From: Carol Shenkenberger Date: 05-22-01
Cooking

MMMMM

MMMMM----- Recipe via Meal-Master (tm) v8.05

Title: Xxcarol's Southern Chili
Categories: Chili, Xxcarol, Diabetic, One dish
Yield: 10 Servings

3 lb Beef, inexpensive cut 'steak
1 sm Bag dry kidney or red beans
1 ea Fistful black eye peas (dry)
1 ea Fistful black beans (dry)
24 oz Contadina tomato sauce
24 oz Contadina stewed tomatos
2 c Water
2 c Rough chopped onions (2 lg)
2 ea Green peppers, chopped rough
1 ea Yellow summer squash
1 ea Green zucchini
1/2 c Califlower bits (stems too)
1 ea Fistful fresh green beans
3 tb Chili powder (or more)
1 tb Black pepper
1 ts Cumin or comino seeds
1 ts Hot sweet red pepper

Ok, one of the hardest to type up, is my famous/infamous *Southern*
chili.

Fact is, I have never made it the same twice, and I've never really
measured anything I put in it. I have attempted to list the most
common forms, but any one item you see listed, other than the beef,
beans, and tomato, and spices, is optional. It will *not* taste
right without some of the optional stuff though. Feel free to add
extra things not listed, such as I often toss in some fresh tomatos,
a handful of cooked butter beans, worstershire sauce, olives, a
radish or so, a bit of finely cooked pork (shred first). In fact,
almost anything lands in there!

Ok to start, this was designed for *long time* cooking over the stove
in a cast iron 'big as they make'em' deep frypan. Its best made that
way. Requires frequent addition of water as it cooks.

Take the beef, inexpensive cut works as well or *better* in this dish.
Should be the big 'chunks' probably with bone in, not overly marbled
but with some fat about it. Now slice that to bite sized bits. You
want something simular to a stroganoff beef strip. Cut across the
grain so it cooks more tender.

Chop all the veggies, but dont worry about making them very small
choppings. 'Mincing' not required. I like to be able to tell what I
am eating.

Put the ingredients in, pretty much same order as listed. If you run
out of space, stop. If you have more space, add optional things and
more water.

Now, cook (covered) on LOW for 12 hours at minimum. Tilt the lid if
it is more than barely bubbling.

From the kitchen of: xxcarol From: Carol Shenkenberger Date: 09-20-99
Recipes

MMMMM