recipes every housewife should know?

[Contrary Housewife]

A recently married friend of mine is looking to expand her repertoire of recipes. Her skills are basic. I have taught her chicken pot pie, and she has learned tuna casserole and beef stroganoff. They also do things like pasta and grilled meats.

Her husband is fussy and won't eat most vegetables, but she is learning to adapt to that. The food budget for the two of them is (I believe) $50 a week.

So what basic recipes should everyone know? What "good old stand bys" would you suggest she try to learn? She is interested in eating healthy, low fat, and working more vegetables into her husband's diet.

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[Josephhgoins]

I know it sounds silly, but make sure she knows to to make inexpensive things like white sauces and bread crumbs. White sauce can be substituted for Cream soups in most recipes. I usually add some celerly seed for a Cream of Celery or chicken boulion for cream of chicken.

Make sure she knows that their kitchen tools are investments and if you buy high quailty first, you won't have to every buy it again.

Sheppards pie is a great way to use left overs and added vegatables.

Do they eat biscuits and gravy in Kansas? Its a standard cheap southern breakfast.

Also, make sure she learns a good cake recipe. A sourcream pound cake tastes great and is cheap to make, you can sub cocoa for some of the flour and get an awesome choc cake or add lemon flavoring and a lemon glaze for a tasty lemon cake. A friend of mine makes it and tops it with Strawberries from the freezer that she froze with sugar.

I would also make sure she checks out the recipe area of FV. There are tons of good low cost recipes to learn.

[mek42]

Mexican is cheap and easy. For healthy one can substitute ground turkey for ground beef and fill things out with rice and/or beans.

[starsapphire]

She should learn how to roast a whole chicken, and make broth from the carcass. And how to cut up a whole chicken. Youtube has some great videos.

[TigerGirl1226]

Pot roast, roasted chicken, a seafood dish, and a bean dish.

[thesightofoneself]

pb&j! .....

[akolb]

guess it just shows how southern I am,
but my family gave me a cookbook when I was getting married (to my ex) with our family recipes for gumbo, jambalaya, etouffee, spinach madeline, sweet potato casserole and deviled eggs! Those were our "must haves!"

I would say the most helpful things that I use for myself and the boyfriend are:
Spaghetti and meat sauce (veggie sauce for me)
Roasting a chicken or Chicken breasts in Italian dressing
Chili (one of my FAVORITE ways to use up leftover veggies that are about to go bad)
and learn how to cook a steak. took me WAY to long too learn this one!

[mek42]

If they're going to host holidays, they should know how to brine a turkey. We've done this a few times the way Alton Brown discusses in "I'm Just Here for the Food" and they've always come out really nice and juicy, not dry at all.

Making myself hungry remembering.

[pat in east texas]

Meatloaf
Chicken - fried, baked, roasted, stewed
Beef stew in its many variations
Split pea soup
Chicken and beef broths
Vegetables, steamed, baked, stir-fried, etc.
potato salad
cole slaw
Spaghetti with various sauces.
Macaroni and cheese
Pot roasts and oven roasts
Baked apples, stewed dried fruits, strawberry desserts, peach upside-down cake

And then some!

[Lady_V]

Not a recipe, but just as important... learning cooking times and what the foods look and feel like when they are cooked. (ie: fish is no longer clear and becomes flaky)

Once those basics are done...

a basic muffin mix
stew base
soup base
stock base
biscuits

From there... what 'every housewife should know' varies from their locations and tastes...

[StaceyS]

I agree with Josephhgoins - white sauce is so versatile! I taught my boyfriend how to make it. He's amazed that it's so easy. Add a little cheese and make macaroni & cheese. Still likes it when I do it, but at least he has the knowledge now.

[Libby]

Also, make sure she learns a good cake recipe. A sourcream pound cake tastes great and is cheap to make, you can sub cocoa for some of the flour and get an awesome choc cake or add lemon flavoring and a lemon glaze for a tasty lemon cake. A friend of mine makes it and tops it with Strawberries from the freezer that she froze with sugar.

Care to share the recipe for the sour cream pound cake Joseph?

[imagine]

I say Stir fry rice it is a good way to use up bits and pieces of meats/veggies but makes a filling meal also. It is also quite easy once you have been shown how. Also once you got the know how down you can change it up based on what you like and have.

Quiche is also a good thing to know. Very easy but people don't think it is. I have an easy one. Basically mix and pour then bake.

[ladykemma2]

i would recommend the culinary institute book The Professional Chef and learn "technique" . "technique" is better than learning recipes.

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if i teach you to roast, braise, stew, and saute, it is better than learning to make meatloaf. if i teach you to make stock and from there to make sauces, gravies, white sauces, bechamels, bouillions and soups, from there you can make anything. if i teach you to bake using the triangle method, you can bake anything, instead of relying on measurements.


it trips me out no end when i post a recipe and people want to know measurements. say what?

if you want to learn technique watch "great chefs" on TV http://www.greatchefs.com/free-videos/

[Pemberleyan]

Someone has beat me to it -- I was going to say everyone should know how to make a white sauce, which is the basis of many sauces. To avoid lumps, the butter should be melted, then the flour added and well-mixed over low heat before adding the milk and thickening.