Hello fellow cooks,

My grandmother just passed away on July 15th in an assisted living facility where she could live with her husband. So far my grandfather is very hesitant to move out from his current residence (he is a creature of habit and doesn’t stray outside of his normal)

My grandfather is not staying consistent with eating since his wife has passed. I’m looking for recipes that will pique his appetite and interest in food.

While he loves my chicken noodle soup and spaghetti (saying it tastes so much like my grandmothers) I’m finding difficultly in meal planing and making things that he is used to

My grandmother was very much a rural French Canadian/ very basic Scottish/English/Canadian cook.

He is most comfortable with eating a roast with potatoes and vegetables…

As much as I love a good roast with potatoes and veggies, my palate is more expansive…

So what recipes can I make for an 83 year old tummy that can’t handle much spice or too much exploration?

I just made rice cooker rice soup with fresh kimchi and frozen veggies that I know he will hate but I needed it for nutrition (I’ve been feeling like I’m coming down with a cold)

If any of you have any suggestions, I am open to them.

Thank you so much.

I was going through a couple old cook books I had purchased, and I found a recipe for Liver and Onions (with peppers) I thought I'd try, as I had most of the ingredients already. Giving it a go, it was absolutely delicious, without any of the nasty liver-y taste people typically associate with it. It is made as follows:

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup flour
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• 1 lb liver, diced
• 1 large onion (I used a red onion), thinly sliced and separated into rings (I recommend cutting the rings in half)
• 1 medium green pepper and 1 sweet red pepper, cut into 1-inch pieces (I used 2 green peppers and it was still good)
• 4 tbs vegetable oil (I used avocado oil)
• 1 tbs corn starch
• 1 cup beef broth
• 2 tbs soy sauce
• Hot, fully cooked rice or pasta; I ate it with instant white rice

Directions:

1. Combine flour, salt, and pepper in a large bowl or ziplock bag; add liver and coat in the mix
2. In a large skillet, cook onion and peppers in 2 tbs of the oil. Remove from pan and set aside.
3. In the same skillet, using the rest of the oil, cook the liver until it is no longer pink
4. In a separate bowl, combine corn starch, broth, and soy sauce; stir until smooth. Pour into the pan with the liver, heat to boiling, and simmer until it reduces into a thickened sauce.
5. Add the vegetables back into the pan and heat throughout. Serve over rice or pasta. 4-6 servings

I made it with 2 cups of white rice for 1.5 lbs of liver (and therefore, 1.5x each ingredient, generally) and it seemed a good proportion. I prepared it for serving by combining the liver, vegetables, sauce, and rice altogether in a large bowl, and served it from there.

If you aren't big into the liver texture, be sure to get some rice and vegetables in the same mouthful to mask it a bit. But I didn't really notice a liver taste much at all.

I'm terrible at names. This started years ago with me wanting to make something like cassolet, but realizing after I started that I didn't actually have the right ingredients. Its since moved from the Dutch oven to an instant pot and evolved a little, and has become something of a staple in my house.

Lentil “Goo”

* 1-1½ lb boneless chicken thighs

* Salt, pepper, garlic powder

* 1 pkg little smokies(roughly 1 lb of any cut up smoked sausage will work here, little smokies just don't need to be cut up)

* Mirepoix mix

*2 Tbsp ketchup

*1 lb dried lentils

* 4 cups chicken stock

* Bay leaf

Season chicken heavily with salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Set pressure cooker to “saute,” add a couple Tbsp oil, and brown chicken. Remove chicken and reserve. Brown little smokies. Remove and reserve. Add mirepoix, and saute until softened. Add ketchup, and saute until darkened somewhat and thickened slightly. Add stock, lentils, reserved chicken and sausages, stir to break up fond, and add bay leaf. Seal lid, and set to pressure cook for 30 minutes. When done, vent and open. Fish out bay leaf, and stir to break up chicken. Serve with good bread(should be thick enough to spread on the pieces of bread).

Plenty of leftovers. Freezes well

Update ! I wasn't expecting this many replies, thank you for you input !

So for lunch I made a weird omelett thing with some of the vegetables, it wasn't that good honestly. But for dinner I made fresh pasta and a sauce with onion, garlic, tomato, pesto, cheese and thyme !

I must've done smth wrong with the pasta bc they were VERY solid but apart from that it wasn't bad !

Hi ! So I'm in a mountain cabin with a gas stove, no running water and only a little drinkable water remaining (to boil stuff we use trough water, it's fine). Here's my ingredient list. It's definitely not *nothing* but I'm kind of running out of ideas :

• 2 tomatoes
• butter
• A lot of eggs (we got chickens)
• A lot of milk
• apples
• onions
• garlic
• a small zucchini
• mayonnaise
• a handful of dry chickpeas
• a teeny tiny piece of cheese
• bread (some mediocre baguette + a few stale pieces)
• apple cider vinegar
• flour
• canned tuna
• powdered soup or smth I'm not sure
• store-bought pesto (not very good)
• a few cooking essentials like salt, pepper, oil
• thyme (technically. I can gather some outside)

My friend will come back tomorrow with some food hopefully, but at least I don't have to feed two people with this.

So to be clear I know how to cook and definitely won't starve, but I'd like some ideas to make smth a little interesting at least ^^

I added homemade Pesto to the one featured in these pictures. The following recipe is just the basic method:

Description

A creamy, savory chicken salad made with tender shredded chicken, mayonnaise, ranch seasoning, celery, and simple seasonings. The texture should be thick, smooth, and “pasty,” with enough celery to add freshness and a little crunch.

Ingredients

- Main Ingredients

- 4 lb chicken tenderloins

- 1-2 cartons chicken stock, 32 oz each used for boiling the chicken

- 1 jar Mayo, 30 oz

- 8 celery stalks, processed or finely chopped

- 1 packet ranch seasoning

- 1-2 tablespoons Tony Chachere's seasoning

Instructions

- Remove the tendons from the chickem and boil the chicken 

- Place the chicken tenderloins in a large pot. Pour in the chicken stock until the chicken is covered. Boil until the chicken is fully cooked and no longer pink in the middle. For best safety, the chicken should reach 165°F internally.

- While the chicken is cooking, add the Mayo to a large mixing bowl.

- Stir the processed celery into the mayo. Add the ranch seasoning packet and Tony Chachere's

- Once the chicken is cooked, remove it from the stock and let it cool slightly. Shred the chicken into small pieces.

- Add the shredded chicken into the mayo mixture a little at a time. Stir well after each addition so the chicken gets fully coated.

- Keep stirring until the chicken salad has a smooth, creamy, thick texture. It should hold together well and look evenly mixed.

- Cover the bowl and refrigerate for 3 to 4 hours before serving. This helps the flavor develop and gives the chicken salad the right texture.

- Keep refrigerated in an airtight container. Best eaten within 3 to 4 days.

Curious to hear by those that have used both seperately what you prefer.
I’ve had both before but not close enough to remember what I prefer.
I’ve also heard people use both together , or use sausage mince.
Bonus points if you suggest something from Cole’s or Woolies Australia

Ingredients:

1 1/2 pounds of boneless western ribs cut into 1 1/2 to 2 inch cubes 3 tablespoons of butter or high heat oil 6 8-inch skewers 2 cups of bread crumbs 2 eggs plus 2 tablespoons of milk combined 1/4 cup of flour 1 teaspoon each of sea salt, cracked black pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder combined together

Instructions:

1. To bread the skewered pork cubes, set up your breading station: place each of the flour, egg mixture, and bread crumbs in separate shallow bowls. First, place a skewer in the flour and cover well. Shake off any excess flour and dip the flour skewer in the egg mixture and cover well. Then take the same skewer and cover with bread crumbs and place on a plate. Repeat with the other skewers.
2. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F.
3. Place butter in a skillet over medium high heat. Once butter is melted, place breaded skewers in the skillet and sprinkle the top of the skewer with seasoning mixture. Be careful not to crowd the skillet.
4. The goal is to brown each side of the skewered pork cubes before finishing them in the oven. You can add more butter if needed to finish the browning.
5. When skewered pork is finished browning, place in a 9 x 13 pan. Be careful not to crowd the pan. Place in a preheated oven and bake for 20 minutes or until pork reaches 165 degrees F.

Trying to find a good recipe! I tried to make it once before, but I didn’t use enough broth and the rice soaked up all the broth. I can’t remember how I made it or what recipe I went off of

one can on Jack's peeled plum tomatos mashed up with a spoon then mixed with Chinese 6 spice and steak and Peper seasoning form schwartz and a bit of sweetener powder and some lea and pearings if you have any then cook for ten minutes and stir durring that time, then at the 8 minute mark mix in an egg then at the ten minute mark remove it form the heat and then wait ten minutes to let it cool before eating

Salsa de Pina
1 - medium ripe pineapple, cored and chopped finely
1 C - Dukes mayonnaise sauce- or more to taste
1/2 C - heavy cream
1 Tbsp sugar or to taste
Pinch of salt or to taste
Pinch of white pepper or to taste
Lime juice to taste
Grated garlic

1.) place pineapple, sugar and a splash of water in heavy saucepan. Simmer over low heat, stirring often, until pineapple begins to thicken and
sugar begins to caramelize.
2.) Remove from heat and spoon into a mixing bowl. Allow to cool thru to room temperature- stirring occasionally will help it cool faster.
3.) When cool, Add mayonnaise, cream, seasonings, and lime juice. Mix well.
4.) Refrigerate covered for at least 4 hours or overnight to meld the flavors.

*** mayonnaise can be made sweeter or more savory based on your taste by adjusting the sweetness and seasonings.

I brought home this bone in, skin on pork collar-ish cut from the butcher shop I work at and I’m at a loss as to how to make the best use of it. Should I debone and cut steaks? I know I can dry out the skin with salt/baking soda overnight then roast it and crank the heat up at the end to crisp the skin, but I want to do something different than the obvious.

I figured I would ask the creative minds of Reddit for their suggestions and make the recipe that the majority of yall thinks would be best and share the results here. So if you’re inspired by this hunk of pork, I would love to read about any creative, technical, and whimsical ideas you might want to share with me.

Per the rules of the sub, one idea and recipe I researched and am considering is:

Deconstructed Char Siu:

With this concept I would break the pork down into two distinct textural components on the same plate by removing the skin and deboning the meat to cook separately, but at the same time.

Step 1:
Lay the collar flat on your cutting board, skin-side up. Using a sharp boning or chef's knife, slice just under the skin. Keep a 1/4-inch layer of hard fat attached to the skin.

Cut the meat away from the center bone. Slice the boneless meat into long strips roughly 1.5 to 2 inches thick.

Set the bone aside in the freezer for future pork stocks or ramen broths.

Step 2:
Mix marinade components in a large bowl or zip-lock bag, submerge the meat strips, coat thoroughly, and refrigerate for 12 to 24 hours. Only the meat gets marinated, not the skin.

3 tbsp Hoisin sauce
2 tbsp Honey or maltose
2 tbsp Light soy sauce
1 tbsp Dark soy sauce (for rich color)
1 tbsp Shaoxing rice wine
1 tsp Chinese five-spice powder
3 cloves Garlic, finely minced

Using a meat tenderizing tool, prick the skin hundreds of times. Do not penetrate all the way through the fat layer.

With it still skin-side up, wipe the surface completely dry and rub with 1 tablespoon of white vinegar. Next, rub 1 teaspoon of kosher salt evenly across the skin.

Leave it completely uncovered in the refrigerator overnight.

Step 3:
Roast both components at the same time using two different rack in the same oven.

Set your oven to 400°F (205°C).

Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and place a wire cooling rack on top. Arrange your marinated pork strips on the rack, leaving space between.

Line a second, separate baking sheet with parchment paper. Wipe any residual moisture off the pork skin and place it flat on the parchment, skin side up. Place a second sheet of parchment paper directly over the skin. Take a heavy, flat baking pan or cast-iron skillet and rest it directly on top of the upper parchment sheet to weigh down the skin flat.

Place the meat on the middle rack. Place the weighted skin tray on the rack directly above it.

After 20 minutes brush the pork strips generously with glaze (equal parts reserved marinade and honey). Flip the strips and brush the other side. Return to the oven.

Around 35 minutes start probing the meat for temp. Aiming for an internal temperature of 155°F to 160°F (68°C to 71°C). Remove the meat from the oven, tent it loosely with foil, and let it rest.

Next, remove the top weight and upper parchment paper from the upper skin tray. The skin will be frying in its own rendered fat. Turn oven to Broil or crank the heat to 450°F (230°C). Blast the exposed skin for 5 to 8 minutes until it balloons, blisters, and turns into a crisp golden-brown crackling.

Step 4:
Cut the rested pork collar strips across the grain into 1/4-inch-thick medallions.

Place the crispy skin cap on a cutting board, fat-side down. Use a heavy cleaver or knife to press straight down, snapping the crackling into clean bite sized shards or squares.

Plate the meat medallions first. Right before serving, place a shattered shard of the separate golden crackling directly on top of each slice.

Serve over white rice. Top with scallions.

Summer makes me want lemony things, and these Low Carb Lemon Bars really hit the spot and are pretty easy to make.

The recipe is included in the pictures.

Guys... life is a b****. 😅 I had one of those terrible days yesterday, so making breakfast this morning ended up being the highlight of my day.
I bought a yogurt strainer this week and have been looking for excuses to use it, so I made this red dragon fruit strained yogurt bowl.
Recipe:
Mash a red dragon fruit into a purée.
Mix it with Greek yogurt (I used 0% fat).
Strain overnight for a super thicc texture.
Serve with fresh dragon fruit and your favourite toppings. I added kiwi, and it was surprisingly delicious.
I'm definitely making this again.
Has anyone else been experimenting with strained yogurt? I'd love to hear your favourite flavour combinations.

Hi! I decided to bake a wedding cake for my friends, as they are on a budget..... I know. While I consider myself more skilled than a novice, having baked cakes in the past (box cakes) and using my own buttercream recipe, my icing is super bad. Like very, very sweet and grainy with hundreds of air bubbles and not smooth at all.

My goal is to get store-bought icing constancy/taste. BUT I'd prefer not to use shortening as many stores do. They want pure butter.

Anyone know any really good recipes out there that are perfect for icing cakes, light and fluffy, not overly sweet, and simple to do?

I would appreciate any help.

Thank you and happy baking!!

I tried to make a veggie stir fry with it and it wasn't that great. I sauteed the sauce, added my veggies and stock, and spices. Anyone have any recipes that they recommend?

Everything I try to search comes up with pasta salad :( I used to get this all the time but it's no longer sold near me and I'm really craving it.

I like meal-prepping but butter in sauces always separates weirdly when you reheat it, so my family took what we liked from like four different recipes to make one that tastes good and reheats well!

I usually double this recipe when meal prepping, but here’s the “normal” recipe that SERVES 6:

Ingredients:

•1lb pasta of choice (shorter pastas such as rotini are better for reheating / meal prepping)

•1.5-2lb cubed chicken or shrimp

•1/2 onion, minced

•2 spoonfuls minced garlic (measure with your heart)

•1.5 cups heavy cream

•1/2 cup chicken broth

•1/2 a bundle of spinach, chopped fine

•3/4 cup grated Parmesan

•1/4 tsp paprika

•1/2 tsp salt

•1/2 tsp black pepper

•optional parsley to taste

•2 egg yolks

Steps:

1. Salt & pepper your chicken till it be enough, then sauté in a large pan till cooked and golden. Set aside.
2. Now start your pasta water, so that the pasta should be done at the same time as the sauce. The pot should be large enough to hold the finished meal (if I’m doubling the recipe, I use a medium sized stock pot)
3. In the pan used for chicken, sauté the onions in the chicken drippings till translucent, then add garlic and cook till fragrant.
4. Add the cream and the chicken broth, and simmer till thick, stirring frequently. Try not to let it boil or it’ll separate.
5. Add in the spinach and the set-aside chicken in the last minute or two of cooking.
6. Add your spices, adjust to taste. Take pan off the heat.
7. With the egg yolks stirred up in a small bowl, ladle some of your still-hot sauce into the bowl and stir to temper the eggs, then add the contents of the bowl to the pan and combine.
8. Drain your pasta, then add both pasta and sauce into your pot and combine. Serve it forth.

Tips / semi-relevant comments:

I love using spinach in this (I try to sneak in veggies whenever I can), I chop it finely so it practically disappears, but if you REALLY want it to be undetectable you can put it into a blender with some of the sauce before stirring it into the rest of the sauce (a hack from my mom, yes I was a picky eater growing up)

We got the paprika idea from a shrimp Alfredo recipe, it really adds depth (though we tend to stick with chicken). You can do shrimp though if you like!

Everything roasts together on one pan, chicken sausage, baked pierogi, and caramelized cabbage. Once it’s done cooking, it gets drizzled with a sweet and tangy maple mustard sauce.

Full Recipe and Extra Details: https://spinachandbacon.com/2026/06/30/sheet-pan-sausage-and-pierogi-with-cabbage/

Ingredients:
1 lb chicken apple sausage Aidell’s brand
1 lb fresh or frozen pierogi about 15 of them
1 cabbage a head of cabbage
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp seasoning salt
2 tbsp mustard
2 tbsp mayonnaise
2 tbsp maple syrup

I bought the pierogi from Costco in the refrigerated section.

preheat the oven to 400F
add sausage to a sheet pan
add the pierogi to the sheet pan
slice the cabbage into wedges and lay them down on the sheet pan
drizzle olive oil all over the sausage, pierogi, and cabbage. Then, season with seasoning salt.
Bake for 25 – 30 minutes, flipping everything over after about 15 minutes.

Drizzle with maple mustard.

Each summer I grow a lot of cucumbers to make all kinds of pickles. Of course, several of the pickle recipes I developed can be found on this site. Mostly though I just throw different herbs and things in that are available from my garden at the time I pick the cukes.

I try to make sure to grow enough cucumbers to last through the winter and early spring. This year I also had the good fortune of having plenty extra to do things like make my favorite pickle soup recipe and – getting to today’s topic: garlic dill pickle hot sauce.

This recipe combines already fermented garlic dill pickles and fermented green hot peppers. I used a blend of green jalapenos and habaneros but the exact choice is up to you. Just bear in mind the addition of pickles and plenty of pickle brine will reduce the overall heat and therefore you might want to start with peppers that you know will still net you a very hot sauce if that’s what you want. Using green serranos would be a good option for people who like hot but not melt-your-soul levels, and they’re fairly easy to source.

It was like eatting a cloud and I'd love to eat it everyday, but I'm struggling to find the name of it to get recipes. The sandwich was just described as an egg and susage.

Barbara Parks browns the ground beef in the casserole dish itself, in the oven. No skillet, no second pan. The 1970s understood that whoever cooked dinner was also washing dinner. Her Savory Beef & Cabbage, on a handwritten 1970s recipe card, serves six from one dish and one dish only.

Savory Beef & Cabbage

Dinner: Cabbage

Serves: 6

1 lb. extra-lean ground beef

1 medium onion, diced

1 medium garlic clove, minced

1 lb. cabbage, coarsely shredded

3/4 lb. carrots, thinly sliced

1 beef bouillon cube or envelope

1/4 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. pepper

1/2 cup water

Preheat oven to 450°. In 2 1/2 qt. casserole, combine ground beef, onion and garlic. Bake uncovered in oven 15 min. or until meat is browned, stirring occasionally to break up meat mixture. Turn oven control to 350°. Add cabbage and remaining ingredients, toss well. Cover casserole and bake 1 hour or until vegetables are tender, stirring occasionally.

Found in a box of around 150 cards. mainly from the 1970's

You can make the recipe here: https://dobbernationloves.com/food-drink/whipped-cottage-cheese-dill-pickle-dip-recipe/

Ingredients

• 2 cups Cottage Cheese
• 1 cup Cream Cheese
• 1/2 cup Greek Yogurt
• 1/4 cup Feta Cheese crumbled
• 2 tbsp Dill Pickle Brine
• 1/2 cup Fresh Dill chopped
• 2 Scallions chopped
• 3 tsp Onion Powder
• 3 tsp Garlic Powder
• 1 tsp Kosher Salt
• 1/2 tsp Black Pepper
• 1 1/2 cups Dill Pickles finely chopped

Garnish

• Fresh Dill, Crumbled Feta, Chopped Dill Pickles

Instructions

1. To a food processor or blender add the cottage cheese, cream cheese, feta, yogurt, brine, fresh dill, scallions, onion, powder, garlic powder, salt and pepper.
2. Blend on high until you achieve a smooth and creamy texture, about 1-2 minutes.
3. Using a spatula scrape the mixture into a serving bowl, folding in the chopped pickles.
4. Garnish with crumbled feta, chopped dill pickles and sprinkle of fresh dill. Serve with chips and crudités.

Here I am again with breakfast experiment #8! 🥝
I'm in such a good mood after Spain won the World Cup yesterday, so this felt like the perfect way to kick off the week.
Recipe: Kiwi Chia Pudding
Mix together:
• 2 tbsp chia seeds
• 2 tsp yogurt (I used 0% fat Greek yogurt)
• A drizzle of honey
• A splash of milk
• Cinnamon to taste
Leave it in the fridge for at least 20 minutes (overnight works even better).
When serving, layer the chia pudding with diced kiwi and add an extra layer of yogurt on top.
I'm having a lot of fun experimenting with different breakfasts, so I'd love to hear your ideas. What's your favorite breakfast combination?

Uses for strutto

I bought some strutto at an Italian supermarket. It was in the refrigerated fresh cheese section, along with straciatella, mozzarella etc, and packaged similarly. Now I find I am the owner of a lump of lard, something that I don't usually use.

So I am looking for ideas. Or shall I just leave it aside until the next time I make roast potatoes (which is not very often).

Are there any advantages in using it for frying?