Everyday Systems

These are from Mark Bittman. His newest book, Kitchen Express, is based on these kinds of recipes:

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/18/dining/18mini.html

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/22/dinin ... ref=dining

Be sure and read those in the comments, too. There are some good ones (and some not-so-good ones) there, too.

Thank you!

And ha! I'm reading through the Summer Menus, and tonight's dinner is on there as #18.

Here's a link to the book:
http://www.amazon.com/Mark-Bittmans-Kit ... 159&sr=1-1

I haven't checked to see if the summer recipes in the book are the same as the summer recipes in the newspaper, but even if they are, with summer recipes, fall recipes, winter recipes, spring recipes, salad recipes, appetizers and picnic recipes (whew!) that's 707 recipes! Plus those in the comments in the newspaper.

And...

20 Minute Appetizers
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/19/dinin ... ers&st=cse

20 Minute Picnic dishes
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/02/dinin ... hes&st=cse

I have been sitting here for the last 2 hours looking through cookbooks, trying to come up with new things to eat. I just came over to the computer to look something up. But this is really what I needed. I hate recipes because they always include things that I don't keep in my house and I don't measure things. This list is all that I need - general IDEAS.
#18 is a favorite in our house too - quick and easy tacos. We usually use ground turkey. I often add other veggies to cook with the meat - mushrooms, leftover potatoes, peppers. Julienned bell peppers are an excellent garnish too. Yum.

I don't have the book yet (though I think I might soon), but very I'm fond of Mark Bittman's NY Times column (and videos).

A great (couple of) cookbooks we acquired recently are Jacque Pepin's "Fast Food my Way" and "More Fast Food my Way."

The lavash bread pizza he briefly describes in the intro (it doesn't even get a full entry as a recipe!) is fantastic. It's unbelievably easy and tastes like a thin crust brick oven pizza you'd get in a gourmet restaurant. Topping tip: the usual mozzarella and tomato sauce plus sliced roma tomatos, sliced boiled potatoes (got this unusual but delicious idea from a local high end pizza joint), goat cheese ("le boucheron") and diced (turkey) kielbasa. The lavash bread, which I'd never heard of before, but seems to be available all over the place at least here in Cambridge, is the key.

Just added all three tittles to the ad rotation (and removed some cruft).

Reinhard

There is some awful stuff in More Fast Food My Way. He wants you to feed fake crab as an appetizer to your guests, and make a tart crust out of that processed fake cookie dough in a tube.

But the crispy chicken thighs in that book are SPECTACULAR. The kale and spicy sausage looks pretty good, too.

I don't have either of Pepin's books, but I just ordered Martha Stewart's Quick Cook Menus based on a recommendation from the author of Real Food. It was published in 1992. I'm not a huge Martha fan, but she doesn't use a lot of processed stuff. I'm also a huge fan of Everyday Food (the magazine) and Everyday Food Great Food Fast, the cookbook. The magazine is the only one I consistently cook from.

Reinhard, I heartily endorse Bittman's cookbooks. How to Cook Everything is great and Kitchen Express looks great, too. I'm thinking about getting Quick and Easy Recipes, which is based on the Minimalist columns.

His Fish and Leafy Greens books are also excellent -- I've never made anything out of Fish that wasn't DELICIOUS.

And if you need more salad ideas:
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_omh5NVW1jAg/S ... d+1001.jpg

And still more...
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes-and- ... index.html

Also, I just remembered one from one of my favorite, local Chinese restaurants (sadly no longer here): Equal amounts shredded carrots and shredded turnips with rice wine vinegar. Very simple and very GOOD!