How to Prepare Easy Meals
Once, while traveling across the country with a friend, I was introduced to a novel way of cooking meals. My buddy had an old van with a V8 mounted between the seats. Not only did the engine generate heat, but it also had a pop-up hood that could be raised when the vehicle was in motion. As a result, hot dogs and raw potatoes could be wrapped in aluminum foil and placed in the manifold for slow cooking. Fortunately, modern engine design prevents vehicle operators from using this unusual cooking method; for a kitchen stove is still the best place to prepare easy meals. Does this Spark an idea?
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Things You'll Need
- Sharp kitchen knife
- Cutting board
- Food-heating device
- 2-quart pot with lid
- Small frying pan
- Margarine or shortening
- Hot dogs or sausages
- Raw potato
- Fresh broccoli and cauliflower
- Condiments
- Relish and/or prepared sauerkraut
Instructions
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1
Wash and dice the potatoes and then place them in a pot of boiling water; generally, Russet and Yukon Golds make the best mashed potatoes.
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2
Start a second pot of water for boiling the hot dogs. Place only enough water in the pot to cover the dogs. Bake sausages and bratwurst at 350 degrees for 30 to 45 minutes (time may vary with size), or they can grilled, poached or fried slowly in a frying pan for about the same amount of time.
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3
Cut and slice the vegetables while the potatoes and hot dogs or sausages are cooking.
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4
Turn the water for the hot dogs off after they boil for about one minute. Then cover and let it sit for seven minutes.
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5
Remove the potatoes after they have turned soft and place them in a covered dish. Then change the water, bring to a boil and add the green vegetables.
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6
Mash the potatoes with a large fork or potato masher and then add some milk and butter to taste.
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7
Melt the margarine in the frying pan over medium heat and then lightly brown the hot dogs or sausages and vegetables.
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1
Tips & Warnings
Boiling water not only is a thorough cooking method, but can also yield a potable supply of water if you are cooking in an outdoor situation.
Many different types of fresh vegetables can be used instead of broccoli and cauliflower. Some of the more common types are green beans, carrots and summer squash. Boiling times may vary slightly with each vegetable.
Rutabagas or turnips can be substituted for potatoes.
Cooking times for sausages vary with the thickness of the links.
Doublecheck sausage and other meats to make sure the product is thoroughly cooked, as they may contain pork.
References
- Photo Credit kitchen stove image by weim from Fotolia.com
