QCO Eats

We watch comics being drawn together, we talk together, we geek out together...let's eat together!

[pandavalkyrie]

So tonight we kicked off vegetarian week in which I try to make a week’s worth of easy, healthy, and affordable vegetarian meals. I can tell you everything it took to make the food this week cost me $40.

So tonight’s dinner was lasagna rolls ups.

Delicious? If you like lasagna then hells yes.

Healthy? Well, there’s a lot of cheese but you can cut back on that if need be and use skim ricotta, and tomatoes and spinach are damn good for you. Also, the rolls make portion control a lot easier to monitor. I’ll give this a 3/5 grade for nutrition.

Affordable? Somewhat. Boxed noodles are $2, tomato sauce is $1, frozen spinach was $2, ricotta cheese was $2, mozzarella cheese was $5 (however if you don’t care about getting higher quality stuff you could probably get some store brand pre-shredded for around $2). About $12 to make this, but you can make A LOT of the rolls so utilize leftovers or this would be a good meal for dinner guests.

Easy? Way easier to make and clean up than traditional lasagna! Here’s the recipe if you’re interested

[qcoeats]

Easiest, tastiest bean dip ever

1 can (16 oz) of refried beans

8oz of Velveeta Mexican Mild cheese, cubed

1/2 cup of Mild (or whatever heat you prefer) Picante sauce

A bit of chili powder

Heat on medium until cheese is all gooey and melty and awesome, grab some chips and shove that delicious shit in your face!   As my spice cabinet is kind of empty, I'm bemoaning the fact I have no garlic powder, no onion powder and no cumin. These would all be AMAZING additions.  ~Muffy 

[qcoeats]

anonymousalien's Hot Toddy

Ingredients:

1oz (2tbsp) brandy, rum, or whiskey (this is my preference)

1tbsp honey

2 tsp lemon juice or a 1/4 lemon

Approx. 1 cup hot water, green tea, or black tea (again my preference)

Method:

Put the lemon juice, honey, and alcohol in the bottom of a mug or irish coffee glass.

Boil water and steep with tea if desired. 

Pour prepared hot liquid into mug and give a healthy stir to mix the honey. 

Feel free to a add a cinnamon stick for some extra flare and flavor. 

Finally, curl up with a blanket, a book/movie, and a friend (be it human, pet, or stuffed animal). This is perfection on a cold winter night.

--AnonymousAlien 

[qcoeats]

my Matt is going on a kinda-date (Antipasto platter)

So my Matt is adorable a lot of the time. He's got this crush on a girl and she's coming over to watch old horror movies so that Matt can be a not-newb when it comes to them. Neither he nor I are sure if it counts as a date, and he was unsure about what to cook for dinner so I gave him an idea.

Basically its a light finger-food antipasto platter. Yes antipasto is traditionally an appetizer, but it makes for a nice light dinner, too.

its nothing hard:

salami

prosciutto

pepperoni

fresh mozerella

provolone

artichoke hearts

cherry tomatos

olives

roasted red peppers

extra-virgin olive oil with a dash of Oregano

Melted butter for the artichoke hearts

Ritz crackers (but his date is allergic to wheat, so that's a deal breaker)

Throw it all on a plate and call it good.

You have yourself a nice light dinner that CAN register as a nice first-date meal if she wants it to be.

Optional: If this IS, in fact a first date, it goes well with a white wine: white Zinfandel or Muscato if you're prefer something a little sweeter. (never ever ever use Chardonnay) ~~Rob 

[qcoeats]

TWICE BAKED POTATOES

My dad cooks a lot and my mom bakes, and I thought I'd share some of my favorites with you awesome people <3 You will need: 4 lg. baked potatoes 1 (8 oz.) pkg. cream cheese & chives (instead of premixed cream cheese, I add fresh chives to the mix once it's soft) 2 tbsp. milk 1/4 c. butter 1/2 tsp. salt and pepper, to taste 1 c. shredded cheddar cheese And a tablespoon of crushed/chopped garlic.

Here we go!

Slice each baked potato in half lengthwise. Scoop out center to form a shell. 

Mash potatoes in a bowl; combine with milk, butter, cream cheese and 1/2 of cheddar cheese and seasonings, and the garlic. 

Beat until fluffy. (Here I add the chives once the fluffing is done). 

If potatoes are too dry, add small amount of milk. 

Fill the shells. Use rest of cheddar cheese on tops*.

Bake until cheese is melted. Can be made ahead and warmed in oven or microwave.

*I prefer to cook the filled shells without the cheese until the potato peaks brown a bit in the oven, then I add the cheese and let it melt until it begins to crisp. ~ Inno

[qcoeats]

Beef and Tomato Soup

What you need:

1-2 potatoes (a single big one will be plenty or two small ones - I recommend the Idaho Gold or whatever they're called)

Garlic: Two cloves (you can substitute it for dehydrated minced garlic, if necessary)

Onion: ~1/8 cup, finely diced (same substitution policy as garlic)

1/4 to 1/2 lb of hamburger (depending on how meaty you like your soup)

2 cans tomato soup

Pepper: a few pinches - remember, you can add more but you can't take it away

Onwards!~

Chop up the potatoes into thin slices (no thicker than your pinkie but not paper-thin).  

Put both cans of tomato soup in a medium or large saucepan, adding two cans of water as you normally would.  

Toss in the potatoes and put it on medium heat, being sure to stir regularly.  

Start browning the hamburger.  

Dice the garlic and onion while the hamburger cooks, adding them once they're into small bits.  

Once the hamburger is done, drain it and add it to the soup.  

Add the pepper then let the soup simmer until the potatoes are relatively soft.

Makes ~ 4-5 servings and is totally delicious

[angeladellamuerta]

[qcoeats]

angela-della-muerta:

I bake in large quantities, but the recipe is really easy and (but it is definitely not diet-friendly).

Ingredients

500g caster sugar

500g butter

8 eggs

450g (ish) flour

75g (ish) cocoa powder

100g milk chocolate

100g dark chocolate

100g white chocolate

vanilla flavour/essence/extract...

[qcoeats]

Cheesy Kielbasa Pasta

You'll Need: 

1 box of Kraft Mac'n'Cheese [I use shells, with the non-powder cheese]

1 package of kielbasa sausage

3 bell peppers [1 red, 1 green, 1 yellow] 

1 cup of Pepper Jack cheese

A frying pan and a large pot

A stirring spoon

A colander

Knife

Cutting board 

Grater

---Onwards!~

Cut your kielbasa into 1/2 inch discs, shred the Pepper Jack and slice your peppers into strips. Don't know how to properly cut a bell pepper? Go here

Ready? Okay, cool, boil the water in the big pot and add the macaroni when it's ready. Add a pinch of salt and cook to desired chewyness. :D 

While you're waiting for the water to boil, throw the kielbasa in the frying pan at med-high and brown.

Toss the peppers in the frying pan after the sausage is browned for just a few minutes and turn heat down to med-low until your mac is ready [If it's good to go, turn heat to low].

Drain the macaroni.

Put macaroni back in pot, and add sausage and peppers. Mix in cheese sauce and 1 cup of shredded Pepper Jack and mix thoroughly. 

Serve! Make people's mouths have orgasms.  

 --Muffy

[qcoeats]

Great Meatballs of Coke

1 lb. ground beef 1 C. ketchup Salt & Pepper to taste 3/4 C. Coca-Cola 1) Mix salt, pepper with ground beef, and make into very small (bite-sized) meatballs. 2) Combine the ketchup and Coca-Cola and stir well, and cover on medium heat until sauced has thickened. 3) Enjoy your meatballs ~Rob

[qcoeats]

Robinomicon Porkchops

1.5 TBS of dark brown sugar 1.5 TBS of Balsamic vinegar 1 TBS Molasses 1 Tsp lemon juice 1 can Tomato soup 1) Sear Chops in a large skillet or sauce pan and drain 2) Lower heat to a simmer 3) Mix the other 5 ingredients together and add to chops 4) Cover till chops are cook thoroughly and then uncover to thicken sauce. ~Rob

[qcoeats]

Neat tip

Next time you go to make ham/cheeseburgers try adding in a small amount of worchester sauce (if that is your thing) and a small-to-fair amount of crushed White Cheddar Cheez-its, just enough for the minced beef to latch on to. Cook as normal from there on. ~Rob

[qcoeats]

Chicken/Chili Rellendo Pie

    4 cans green chilies (about 4 ounce each)     6 cups monterey jack cheese, grated     2 cups cooked chicken, diced (use whatever marinade you want)     4 eggs     1 coronary bypass         1) Preheat to 350F     2) Slice chilies lengthwise and remove seeds     3) Lay down a layer of grated cheese in a pie pan     4) Lay down a layer of sliced chilies and diced chicken     5) Alternate layers back and forth until you fill the pan     6) beat the eggs and drizzle atop the pie     7) cook that bitch

~Rob

[qcoeats]

Simple Tofu Curry

  Simple Tofu Curry

--- Cooking Items ---

2 large cooking pans

1 small container

1 pair of tongs

1 stirring spoon

1 can opener

--- Food Items ---

1 1lb container of tofu 

1 can of coconut milk

3 tbsp cooking oil

2 tbsp of turmeric

2 tbsp of cumin

1 tsp of coriander 

1 tbsp of chili powder

STEP 1: Prep

Take a small container and mix the spices together well.

Dry out and cut the tofu in cubes.

Place cooking pan on stovetop and pour in 3 tbsp cooking oil, and let it cover the surface of the pan

If you want vegetables or rice, refer to STEP 3 before starting.

STEP 2: Cooking

Bring cooking pan to medium heat.

Place tofu cubes into the pan. Flip tofu pieces after 5 minutes, or until crispy.

As the tofu is being finished, bring the secondary pan to medium heat. Open the can of coconut milk and pour in.

As soon as the coconut milk begins to boil, stir in the mixture of spices.

Place the tofu inside of the curry and stir in. Let simmer for 5 minutes or longer if desired on low heat.

Serve as soon as it's finished.

STEP 3: Extra

If you want mixed vegetables, use the same cooking pan as the tofu. After the tofu is cooked add extra vegetable oil if necessary and stir fry for 5-10 minutes.

If you want rice, add 1 cup of rice and 1 cup of water to a rice maker.

This meal serves 1-3 individuals.

>>TOM

[qcoeats]

Thick and Creamy Spaghetti

1 1lb box of Spaghetti  1 jar of Ragu of your choosing [I use classic with meat sauce] 1 can of Cream of Celery * 1 clove of garlic, minced 1/2 tbsp of basil 1/2 tbsp of oregano 1/8 tsp of salt 

Cook spaghetti to instructions (Usually: Boil 8-10 minutes at med-high heat), with 1/8 tsp of salt.

A few minutes before spaghetti is done, heat Ragu, Cream of Celery and spices in a separate pot, mixing well, and making sure to not overheat. 

Strain noodles.

You can either mix the sauce in with the noodles, or keep separate.

*You can easily replace this with Cream of Mushroom, if you prefer. :] BOOM! Done!  Thick and creamy pasta for about 5 bucks.  -Muffy