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May 10

Preparing a meal

I would like to prepare a meal for my SO, but I am completely clueless cooking-wise. I am trying to figure out what I could do that doesn't require great skill (hard to screw up), nor, say, more than an hour of preparation, but is fairly impressive (e.g. I think can make simple pasta, but that's just too trivial). In my particular case, the dish should be non-spicy (we don't have/use pepper at all, other spices are OK). It should probably be a meat dish. Please suggest some dishes or alternatively if you know websites that have collections of recipes for my case (not generic recipe sites, those I know about).50.136.244.171 (talk) 03:04, 10 May 2013 (UTC)[reply]

Two words: Crock Pot. It is fantastically hard to screw up beef stew. I'm a pretty good cook (if I must toot my own horn), but I do fire up my Crock Pot about once a week, and have for years. If you do own one, dust it off. If you don't, buy one yesterday. Set it up when you get up in the morning (say, 30 minutes prep time) turn it on, and leave it until dinner time. They even make "slow cooker" seasoning packets from the gravy aisle at the grocery story you can dump in so you don't have to figure out the spices. I usually brown my meat first, in a skillet, just before adding it to the crock pot, but if you aren't confident of that step, you can make a perfectly passable beef stew by just dumping beef (chuck roast, cut into 1-inch cubes), carrots (sliced or use the packaged precut ones), potatoes (either tiny fingerling potatoes, no cutting, or red potatoes cut into 1 inch cubes), celery (say two stalks, sliced), and an onion (diced) all into the Crock Pot. Add a beef stew seasoning packet (I often use my own seasoning blend I do myself, but seriously, if you're looking easy, go easy) and a cup or so of water, turn the Crock Pot on low, and go to work. It should be done by dinner time (5-6 o'clock). Also, you really can't over cook it, so it's hard to screw up. If you really want to fancy it up, about 1 hour before it is done, cut up some fresh green beans and add them to the pot (if you let them cook all day, they get too overdone). Serve over biscuits. Crock Pot cooking is very versatile and very easy, I have at least a dozen or so recipes I do in mine on a regular rotation. --Jayron32 03:25, 10 May 2013 (UTC)[reply]

Actually I think the most important advice is that if you're cooking for an important occasion and you're not an expert cook, don't try something you haven't done before. Whatever you do, try it first on yourself. (And if you think pasta is so easy, you aren't making very interesting pasta. Pasta with fresh pesto is wonderful and not that hard to make if you have a food processor.) (And it's really not that hard for an inexperienced cook to mess up stew, for example by oversalting it.) (And while beef stew when well made is one of my favorite things in the world, it might not be exactly the right thing for a romantic dinner.) Looie496 (talk) 03:51, 10 May 2013 (UTC)[reply]

Well, that's the thing, I probably won't be able to practice for it, and although I expect that effort will count for more than execution, I'd rather not completely screw up. And pasta might be an option, if I can figure out what to prepare besides the noodles themselves. (And I don't have a crock pot, so that's out). 50.136.244.171 (talk) 03:58, 10 May 2013 (UTC)[reply]

It's a shame, because Crock Pot cooking is so very easy. But Looie's idea is pretty good. Home-made pesto is also very nice, so that's an easy one too, but one would also need to cook a main dish to go with the pasta. Pesto itself is pretty easy: a handful of nuts, a handful of basil, a little garlic, and some olive oil to bring it all together. A food processor makes easy work of it. Pignolis are traditional (though sometimes hard to find), but I've seen recipes with pistachios or even walnuts before. This recipe is as good as any, and you can substitute out the pine nuts for shelled pistachios if you can't find them. Just make sure the sauce is smooth before using it. Spaghetti and pesto would make a nice pasta dish to go with a simple grilled chicken breast or something like that. Take two boneless skinless chicken breasts, put them in a plastic bag with some Italian salad dressing (aka emergency chicken marinade) and let it marinate for an hour or two. Grill for about 5 minutes per side; check for doneness by cutting into the middle and making sure its a uniform white all the way through. Cut into strips to serve on top of the spaghetti with pesto, and make a nice side salad of mixed field greens (they sell this by the bag now.) That's a pretty good meal too. --Jayron32 04:08, 10 May 2013 (UTC)[reply]

Thanks, that seems quite plausible. One question I have has to do with the timing. On one hand I'd like to give myself plenty of time in case I screw up (very likely), but then I imagine this works best if freshly prepared. So, I get the marinading needs to be done earlier, and probably pesto can be too, but how much prior to the mealtime should I start doing the rest? (BTW, If anyone has other ideas, I'd still like to hear them). 50.136.244.171 (talk) 04:21, 10 May 2013 (UTC)[reply]

I'd give yourself about 1-1.5 hours to prepare the meal. The first thing I'd do is get the chicken into the marinade. Then, start working on the pesto. Mise en place should take about 15-20 minutes (that is, getting everything together and setting up all your ingredients and utensils and equipment ahead of time). The pesto itself will take 5-10 minutes; not long at all. Then start to pre-heat your grill, while that is happening get the salad together. Then put a big pot of water on the stove, salt it liberally, and put the heat on it right when you're ready to start grilling the chicken. DON'T add the pasta yet, you'll want that to be the very last thing you cook. Grill the chicken, and when it is done (5-6 minutes per side should do it) take it off the heat and put it on a plate under some foil to rest before cutting it into strips. All meat should rest about ten minutes before cutting anyways. When you get done grilling the chicken, your water should be boiling. Add the pasta to the boiling water and cook it while the meat is resting, cook it "al-dente" (that is, it should have some "tooth" to it, not mushy, but not crunchy either, maybe about 6-7 minutes or so for spaghetti, less for thinner noodles, more for thicker) and then take it out, drain it, and toss it in the pesto. Take the chicken, slice into strips, serve on top of the pasta and pesto along side your salad. --Jayron32 04:40, 10 May 2013 (UTC)[reply]

Jayron32's excellent suggestion aside, if your ultimate goal is to impress why not just buy a pre made meal and add some things to it, chop up some vegetables, mix and match some. I can understand that it is a bit duplicitous but you'd be surprised how many "home made meals" are really just creatively presented Restaurant or Super Market Deli prepared. I appreciate your ambition but you may be setting yourself up for a failure, add to that you're already under pressure and it seems you're aiming to use a "great meal" as a means to a greater end (a segue of sorts) later, and not the topic of the night.^{Market St.⧏}_{⧐ Diamond Way} 04:54, 10 May 2013 (UTC)[reply]

For the record, all of my home-made meals are home-made, I generally cook 4-5 meals per week, and leftovers the other nights. --Jayron32 05:00, 10 May 2013 (UTC)[reply]

Thanks, Jayron, you've been of great help. As far as faking it, that rather defeats the purpose, I think. In this case it's not about demonstrating that I can cook (which I can't, and it's rather obvious), but that I care enough to go out on a limb and do something I am not good at. If it completely bombs, it's not a problem. It would simply give me an opportunity to try again some other time. That's not a first date, or anything like that. 50.136.244.171 (talk) 05:13, 10 May 2013 (UTC)[reply]

I'm sure you'll do fine and Jayron32 & Looie496 are correct those are pretty much mistake proof, just that I'm sure the 5th time you use a Crock Pot or go pesto will be better than your first, but if your ultimate goal is authenticity and not a smooth segue into something more than I hope you get your wish!^{Market St.⧏}_{⧐ Diamond Way} 05:49, 10 May 2013 (UTC)[reply]

The only fee for my advice is that you stop back and tell us all how it goes, whatever you choose to do, whether its something someone here recommends or something else you've come up with on your own. --Jayron32 05:25, 10 May 2013 (UTC)[reply]

Aw Jayron32, I think your letting OP off easy, pictures would always be nice to share, plus if we have a hidden talent in our midst how about dinner on OP next week ;-)! ^{Market St.⧏}_{⧐ Diamond Way} 05:54, 10 May 2013 (UTC)[reply]

The OP has already more or less said this in reply but even from reading the whole thread, their reply is unsurprising, in fact almost expected. If you read earlier, the OP already said the effort would likely count more than the result, although they'd rather not screw up. This makes sense since in the first post, the person is described as a SO. All this being the case, it's unsurprising as the OP later confirmed that if they were to try and cheat, this would count less than a failed result (which depending on how bad the failure, may require them to buy something precooked anyway) or otherwise defeat the point of the exercise. Nil Einne (talk) 13:36, 10 May 2013 (UTC)[reply]

They obviously care enough to want to get it right. And that's the point: they care. That will come through no matter what you actually cook, OP. But because you do care, you'll do it really well. Simple, but just right. -- Jack of Oz ^[Talk] 13:44, 10 May 2013 (UTC) [reply]

I strongly second the crock-pot stew - it's impossible to screw up and tastes great. The only problem is that it doesn't look like much...so you need to work on appearance & presentation. I recommend grabbing some colorful fresh veggies to make for some color on the plate. I suggest mixing any two out of: Baby corn-on-the-cob, some snowpeas or some thin sliced red peppers...you can add a little water and zap them in the microwave in 3 minutes, then dump out the water and shake them up with a spoonful of salted butter - the combination of the bright red, green and yellow on the plate really helps out the overall "brown glop" that is the stew! A sprig of pointless parsley stuck on the top of the stew also looks good.

Also, splurge on a bottle of red wine...really. If you don't know wine - spend $20 on any red and you won't go too far wrong! If your SO is leery of heavy red wines, grab a bottle of "Lambrusco" - it's a sparkling red wine that's alarmingly easy to drink and goes with almost anything.

If you need a dessert - get something frozen with lots of chocolate in it...can't go wrong.

SteveBaker (talk) 16:24, 10 May 2013 (UTC)[reply]

Two things. First, the essence of good cooking is sugar, salt, pepper, and butter. Second, along with the crockpot idea, my favorite very simple fancy meal I have never seen ruined is soup and chicken casserole. (Although it is a bit heavey for a summer dish in California.) Get about six boneless and skinless chicken thighs or breasts as you prefer. Lay them flat in the bottom of a very lightly buttered 3"-4" deep casserole. Add chopped onions and minced garlic. Cover with one large can of condensed or chunky soup. Cream of broccoli works well. Cover with half a bag of your favorite instant stuffing (crouton style works best). Cover with a cup or two of chopped pecans or walnuts. Cover with tinfoil and cook at 350 Fahrenheit for 45 minutes, until chicken is done. Can leave uncovered for 5-10 minutes if the stuffing hasn't crusted. Let sit for 15 minutes before serving. I use salt and pepper. You can put paprika on top before serving for color as well. μηδείς (talk) 17:47, 10 May 2013 (UTC)[reply]

For some fun with your cooking, see http://www.cookingcomically.com/ --Dismas|^(talk) 18:54, 10 May 2013 (UTC)[reply]

And if you are bit nerdy, there is Cooking for Engineers. --Stephan Schulz (talk) 21:10, 10 May 2013 (UTC)[reply]

OP here (from a different IP). Well, thanks, guys, it worked pretty well. I don't have pictures, but it looked how it was supposed to, and tasted, and I quote, "like average restaurant food" which is way better than I was shooting for. There were some minor hiccups during preparation, but mostly it went as planned. The only issue with the result was that there was too much oil. As I was preparing it, I was thinking: if I succeed, I'll have more work to do in the future, because I won't have an excuse that I can't cook anymore. Indeed, that's what she said:) Thanks again, Jayron and everyone. 2620:0:1000:5E03:15B8:BC9C:9C67:2DE5 (talk) 22:22, 10 May 2013 (UTC)[reply]

Resolved

Like. Great to hear it. Cooking is the thing that brings me the greatest joy in life, I love to cook. I am so pleased that the meal came off well. Maybe the cooking bug will bite you too... --Jayron32 18:11, 11 May 2013 (UTC)[reply]

Michael Jackson

This might sound slightly stupid and racist, but here's the question anyway: Why does Michael Jackson not sound like an African American? I have never encountered another African American who has such a smooth voice. I may be ignorant, but it seems to me that all other African Americans have gruff, and masculine voices, taking Rick Ross, Tracy Morgan, Whoopi Goldberg, will.i.am and Cee Lo Green for example. Just listen to their voices and you can more or less know that they are African American. But not for Michael. ☯ Bonkers The Clown \(^_^)/ Nonsensical Babble ☯ 08:02, 10 May 2013 (UTC)[reply]

People have different voices. Period. I've played some Chrisye songs for my students and they've asked who she was. Same for REO Speedwagon's "Can't Fight This Feeling". — Crisco 1492 (talk) 08:41, 10 May 2013 (UTC)[reply]

Chrisye sounds Indonesian enough, though... ☯ Bonkers The Clown \(^_^)/ Nonsensical Babble ☯ 08:59, 10 May 2013 (UTC)[reply]

Some people are amazed when they first see The Tokens (an album cover on youtube) after listening to "The Lion Sleeps Tonight". Clarityfiend (talk) 08:53, 10 May 2013 (UTC)[reply]

Anderson Silva sounds like a choir boy. Not sure if you count Brazilians as Americans, but even if not, he's also evidence that there's no correlation to toughness, either. Mike Tyson is also a good example. InedibleHulk (talk) 09:05, 10 May 2013 (UTC)[reply]

Neil deGrasse Tyson doesn't sound anything like Barry White, we all are different after all ;-).^{Market St.⧏}_{⧐ Diamond Way} 10:22, 10 May 2013 (UTC)[reply]

Johnny Mathis, Nat King Cole, Sam Cooke, Clyde McPhatter, Marvin Gaye, Johnny Adams..... "I may be ignorant, but...." seems to sum it up, I'm afraid to say. Ghmyrtle (talk) 10:30, 10 May 2013 (UTC)[reply]

Johnny Adams and the like have voices which aren't rough and deep, but at the same time aren't that smooth and... Angelic (as the King's). ☯ Bonkers The Clown \(^_^)/ Nonsensical Babble ☯ 11:11, 10 May 2013 (UTC)[reply]

Ghmyrtle expressed it well. Perhaps this and this are good [and famous] examples of Sam Cooke and Nat King Cole respectively at their smoothest. --Dweller (talk) 11:49, 10 May 2013 (UTC)[reply]

Getting back to the question, he sounds like Diana Ross to me — so who does Diana Ross sound like? ¦ Reisio (talk) 12:44, 10 May 2013 (UTC)[reply]

Billie Holiday. -- Jack of Oz ^[Talk] 13:38, 10 May 2013 (UTC)[reply]

There is an unsubstantiated rumour that Jackson's unique singing voice was the result of an inadvertent chemical castration that occurred as a result of some extremely strong medication to reduce acne. This is an overview, but you can find many sites using Google. 64.235.97.146 (talk) 16:11, 10 May 2013 (UTC)[reply]

That answers way too many questions. lol ^{Market St.⧏}_{⧐ Diamond Way} 16:56, 10 May 2013 (UTC)[reply]

Racist poster

I think this is the best topic, so here:

(originally posted on Teahouse) I remember seeing sometime ago, a racist poster image of an African American "camouflaging" in the dark, with a warning along the lines of "keep your doors locked" at the bottom of the poster. I searched the Net with all possible keywords, but to no avail. Where is this file???? Best, ☯ Bonkers The Clown \(^_^)/ Nonsensical Babble ☯ 15:32, 10 May 2013 (UTC)[reply]

Without knowing where you are, and without trying to search for it myself (I'd rather not, thanks), is it possible that the file is blocked under some (race hate?) laws in your country? - Cucumber Mike (talk) 18:15, 10 May 2013 (UTC)[reply]

Was at an actual poster, or merely an image? ¦ Reisio (talk) 01:50, 11 May 2013 (UTC)[reply]

I don't know, but I do vividly recall seeing it on some racism-related page. An image, yes, on an article here. ☯ Bonkers The Clown \(^_^)/ Nonsensical Babble ☯ 07:49, 11 May 2013 (UTC)[reply]

If one was hoping to get images that cast a sports team in a negative light I'd determine their chief rival and then frequent message boards of that teams fanbase who have the will, time, resources and pathology to create works of art that cast that first team in a negative light, some have theorized all the world's people that are fans of "race" also have such message boards with similar image creators, one may go to the source of such twisted creativity that channels hours of time, resources and energy. In my very thankful experience at Wikipedia I am positive that all the best "art" in this manner isn't really represented here in a comprehensive sense. Best of luck.^{Market St.⧏}_{⧐ Diamond Way} 14:20, 11 May 2013 (UTC)[reply]

Ironic??

not a request for references

The following discussion has been closed. Please do not modify it.

First of all I am NOT talking about politics (again NOT talking about politics)...I am a huge fan of Bono's and U2's work but some of my friends keep asking me things like this: Why does Bono sing in favor of MLK and Gandhi and Mandela's ideas BUT he is a friend with some people who "don't share those men's ideas"??? I would like to0 give them a response but I am not able to. Miss Bono (zootalk) 18:09, 10 May 2013 (UTC)[reply]

Because he's a human being, and therefore has complex feelings that aren't necessarily the same from one day to the next? - Cucumber Mike (talk) 18:13, 10 May 2013 (UTC)[reply]

Because it is quite possible to be personal friends with people who share different political views? --Jayron32 18:15, 10 May 2013 (UTC)[reply]

So, I answer that to my friends everytime, but they reply: so, it is ok to say that you are trying to end with extreme poverty and then buy a 1.000 USD bottle of wine??? Miss Bono (zootalk) 18:20, 10 May 2013 (UTC)[reply]

Whether it is 'ok' or not isn't a question we can answer here - it is clearly a matter of opinion, rather than fact. This is a reference desk, not a forum. AndyTheGrump (talk) 18:29, 10 May 2013 (UTC)[reply]

Got it. Sorry AndyTheGrump. Won't bother never again. Miss Bono (zootalk) 18:39, 10 May 2013 (UTC)[reply]

Close per Andy and OP. μηδείς (talk) 18:41, 10 May 2013 (UTC)[reply]

High-pitched bird song?

Hi, looking for bird song identification. I'm in the Rocky mountains, and I hear a bird in one of the pines that sounds like a camera flash recharging; it's that high-pitched. Like a dog whistle, only gentler. The whistle rises in pitch, just like the flash recharging. Any ideas what it could be? Maybe a bushtit but I can't find the right song. Oh a second call was quieter and was two "garbles" and a high pitch "toot" whistle. ThanksReflectionsinglass (talk) 19:00, 10 May 2013 (UTC)[reply]