Here are a few of my favourite cottage meals, all from this forum gathered over the years. I'll probably think of a million more , we love to eat well at the cottage! LOL I always pick my menu, then make a grocery list from that...no way I'm leaving the dock for the grocery store! LOL For sides we love grilled veggies, bell peppers, mushrooms, asparagus, zucchini, cherry tomatoes ...whatever you like. We also love new potatoes, cut in halves or quarters, splash of olive oil , salt pepper and some fresh rosemary placed in tin foil pouches (sealed well) and done on the grill. Pizza on the grill is also a huge favourite of ours. Just make a standard pizza dough. Form into discs, brush with olive oil and grill for a few minutes, oil side down. Just grill until the crust is golden. Brush top side with oil and flip. Have toppings all prepared and ready to go. Veggies should lightly sauted first as they have no time to cook on the pizza. Toppings we love, mush rooms, peppers, olives, fresh moz, goat cheese, prosciutto, ham, salami, pepperoni, tomatoes, tomato sauce...whatever you like. Oh and don't forget the salads...I have a zillion recipes for salads and salad dressings, again most from the here! if you are interested in some let me know.....and of course then there is breakfast! LOL Cherry Tomato, Onion, Basil Sauce (Mine) 2 Tbl olive oil ½ sweet vidalia onion sliced tin few drops best balsamic vinegar 2 garlic cloves minced 1 Lb cherry tomatoes halved several Basil leaves chopped salt and pepper Place oil in saute pan, add sliced onions and saute on medium eat until limp. Do not let brown or crisp. Add a few drops balsamic. Cook a few more minutes.Add garlic and continue to coo until onions are caramelized. Add cherry tomatoes. Season with salt and pepper. Cook over medium low eat until the tomatoes loose their shape and give up their juices. Add basil and simmer until basil is limp and sauce is fragrant. Chicken Piccata - Woodie 4 Chicken breast halves boned and skinned Salt and Pepper Flour (enough for coating) 3 Tbl butter juice of 1 lemon 1-1/2 cups chicken broth 1/2 Cup white wine Put a piece of waxed paper on the counter and place chicken on top. Use a meat pounder, the side of a saucer, the unsharpened side of a heavy knife or other object to pound the breast into a tin piece thats uniformly thick (about an inch). Salt and pepper the chicken generously, then coat with flour. Melt butter in a large skillet and brown chicken on both sides. Remove chicken from skillet. Add lemon juice, chicken broth and wine. Boil down until its about one-half cup. Place chicken back in skillet, cover and cool 3 minutes. Remove cover and serve. Chicken Tika Kabobs 2 Lb chicken breast cut in 1 " cubes 1 small onion diced 3/4 Cup Plain non fat yogurt 2 clove garlic minced 1 Tbsp ginger root grated 2 Tsp chili powder 2 Tsp coriander Ground 1 Tsp cumin Ground 1/2 Tsp salt 2 lemons quartered In food processor, process all ingredients except chicken and lemon to a chinky puree. Pour marinade over chicken and let sit , covered, for 8 hours. Thread chicken on skewers with a small pearl onion in between each slice. End with lemons. BBQ on well greased grill for 7 minutes turning often. Chicken- Beer Can Recipe ( Steve Raichlen's From is "How To Grill" 1 12 ounce can of beer 3 to 4 pound chicken 2 Tbl BBQ rub (recipe follows) BBQ Rub (Make this at home so you dont have to have all the ingredients with you at the cottage. Its great for lots of things on the grill) 1/4 Cup firmly paced brown sugar 1/4 Cup sweet paprika 3 Tbl black pepper 3 Tbl coarse salt 1 Tbl hickory smoked salt 2 Tsp garlic powder 2 Tsp onion powder 2 Tsp celery seed 1 Tsp cayenne pepper Combine all the ingredients in a bowl and mix using your ands. Store in an airtight container away from heat and light for up to 6 months For the Chicken Rinse the bird inside and out and pat dry. Sprinkle the chicken inside and out wit the rub making sure to rub it in. Use about 2 tsps of the rub for inside and another 2 for outside. Open the can of beer and poke a few extra holes in the top. Pour off half the beer (drink it!) place the remaining rub in the can with the remaining beer. Holding the chicken with the opening of the cavity at the bottom, lower it onto to the beer can so tat the beer can fits into the cavity. Pull the legs forward to form a sort of tripod so the bird can stand upright on the grill. The third leg of the tripod is the can. It will look like a little headless person perched on the can.......quite a sight! LOL Tuck the chickens wing tips behind is back. Cook the chicken using an indirect eat method. To do this get your BBQ good and hot and then turn off one burner, placing the bird on the unlit side. If using charcoal move the hot coals to one side. Cook for about 1 1/4 or 1 1/2 hours or until internal temp reaches 180. Turn the bird a quarter turn every so often to ensure even browning. When done remove from the eat using tongs. Let rest 15 minutes and then carefully remove the beer can. Be careful not to spill the hot beer. The beer can be used as a base for a sauce...don't discard it. This chicken tastes really, really good and is very moist. It's also a fun ting for a casual BBQ. Crab Cakes- Maryland - serve with a remoulade or tartar sauce. Makes a great appetizer if made small. 2 eggs 3/4 Cup mayonnaise ½ lemon juiced 1 Tsp Worcestershire 1 Tbl Dijon mustard 2 Tsp baking powder 1/2 Cup Japanese bread crumbs (can use regular) 1 Tsp Old Bay seasoning 1 Tbl Italian Parsley Chopped 2 Lb Jumbo lump crab meat Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Combine all ingredients excluding crab meat and mix thoroughly. Add crab meat and toss gently to prevent the lumps from breaking up. Portion to 4-ounce servings . Refrigerate for 1 hour.. Bake for 10-12 minutes. Note : I recoat in panko or breadcrumbs and then fry not bake. Lemon Linguine With Scamp (Gina) One of my all time favourite fast yet WOW meals. Vegetable oil 1 Tbl Kosher salt plus 1/2 teaspoons 3/4 Lb linguine (or spaghetti) 3 Tbl unsalted butter ( I use salted) 2 1/2 Tbl good olive oil 1 1/2 Tbl minced garlic (4 cloves) 1 Lb large shrimp (about 16 shrimp) peeled and deveined 1/4 Tsp freshly ground black pepper 1/3 Cup chopped fresh parsley leaves ½ lemon zest grated 1/4 Cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (2 lemons) ¼ lemon thinly sliced in half-rounds 1/8 Tsp hot red pepper flakes (optional for us) Drizzle some oil in a large pot of boiling salted water, add 1 tablespoon of salt and the linguine, and cook for 7 to 10 minutes, or according to the directions on the package. Meanwhile, in another large (12-inc), heavy-bottomed pan, melt the butter and olive oil over medium-low eat. Add the garlic. Sauté for 1 minute. Be careful, the garlic burns easily! Add the shrimp, 1 1/2 teaspoons of salt, and the pepper and sauté until the shrimp have just turned pin, about 5 minutes, stirring often. Remove from the eat, add the parsley, lemon zest, lemon juice, lemon slices, and red pepper flakes. Toss to combine. When the pasta is done, drain the cooed linguine and then put it back in the pot. Immediately add the shrimp and sauce, toss well, and serve. Ribs - Roadhouse Grill (Sue) This is a longer cooking time than you mentioned but the ribs cook unattended in the oven so it really is a low effort recipe. 2 large racks pork baby back ribs Salt black pepper, coarse Ground For the Sauce Make this sauce at home so you dont have to take all the ingredients. It is wonderful on all things grilled 2 Tbl vegetable oil 1/4 Cup fresh onion minced 1 1/2 Cup Water 1/2 Cup Tomato paste 1/2 Cup Brown sugar 2 Tbl honey 1 Tbl Worcestershire sauce 1 3/4 Tsp salt 1 Tsp liquid smoke flavouring 1 Tsp Jim Beam whiskey - optional 1/4 Tsp black pepper, fresh Ground 1/8 Tsp garlic powder 1/8 Tsp paprika To make the ribs, cut each large rack of ribs in half so that you have 4 half-racks. Sprinkle a light coating of salt and a more generous portion of coarse pepper over the top and bottom of each rack. Wrap the ribs in aluminum foil and bake in a preheated 300 degree oven for 2 1/2 hours. As the ribs cook, make the sauce by eating the oil in a medium saucepan over medium/high heat. Sauté the onions for 5 minutes or until they start to brown. Add the remaining ingredients and bring mixture to a boil then reduce eat and simmer for 1 1/4 ours, uncovered, or until sauce thickens. R Remove from eat and set aside until the ribs are ready. Preheat your barbecue grill. When ribs are finished in the oven, the meat should have pull back about 1/2-inch from the cut-ends of the bones. Remove the ribs from the oven, let them sit for 10 minutes or so, then remove the racks from the foil and put them on the grill. Grill the ribs for 3 to 4 minutes per side. They should be slightly charred in a few spots when they're finished. Brush barbecue sauce on the ribs wile they're grilling, just before you serve them. Don't add the sauce too early or it will burn. Shrimp Étouffée Cindy Mac 1/4 Cup butter 1 medium onion chopped 2 celery ribs chopped 1 medium-size green bell pepper chopped 4 garlic cloves minced 1 large shallot chopped 1/4 Cup all-purpose flour 1 Tsp salt ½ to 1 teaspoon red pepper (cayenne) 1 (14 1/2-ounce) can chicken broth 1/4 Cup fresh parsley Chopped 1/4 Cup fresh chives Chopped 2 Lb Cooked Shrimp Hot rice, cooked MELT butter in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add onion and next 4 ingredients; sauté 5 minutes or until tender. Add flour, salt, and red pepper; coo, stirring constantly, until caramel colored (about 10 minutes). Add next 3 ingredients; coo, stirring constantly, 5 minutes or until thick and bubbly. Stir in shrimp coo just until thoroughly heated. Serve with rice. Tomato Tart Sol NOTE: I use a frozen store bought crust. Sol of course makes her own!! Delicious for lunch, dinner or as an appetizer. 12-15 plum tomatoes cored and cut into ¼"-tic rounds 2 Tbl Dijon mustard * 1 Cup coarsely grated Gruyere cheese 1 Tsp Herbs de Provence (Ive used oregano) 2 large eggs ¼ Cup light cream 1 Tsp salt few turns of freshly ground black pepper Preheat oven to 375F. Put the tomato slices in a colander and place in the sink. Let them sit for 15 minutes to drain off any excess liquid. Spread the mustard evenly over the tart sell. Sprinkle the cheese over the mustard and sprinkle the herbs de Provence over the gruyere cheese. Working from the outside in, lay the drained tomato slices in overlapping, concentric circles, covering the crust completely. Whisk the eggs in a bowl, whisk in the cream, salt and pepper. Pour this custard evenly over the tomatoes until it comes to about ¼ inc from the top edge of the crust. Bake for 1 our, to 1 hour and 20 minutes, or until the custard is set. Once Upon a Tart Chicken Souvlaki - Ann T Chicken breasts Fresh minced garlic dried oregano lemons olive oil Salt Pepper Cut chicken breasts into 1 inch cubes Place on wooden Skewers that have been soaked in water (prevents~sticks from burning.. or on metal skewers.~ Rub with fresh minced garlic and dried oregano~ Squeeze fresh lemons over chicken and some olive oil~ Salt and pepper Marinate for up to 1 hour. If marinating longer do not add lemon juice until the last hour. Lemon juice "cooks" the flesh and changes the texture. Place on hot grill and turn often until done. Serve with Greek salad and rice. NOTE: This recipe works well with Pork (I use Pork Tenderloin) and with Lamb .

This recipe was from a community cookbook in our area: EGGPLANT SZECHUAN STYLE 3 Chinese eggplants (about 1 lb., approx. 10 inch long slender ones work best) 2 cloves garlic, diced 2 scallions, diced 2 slices of ginger, diced 1 Tbs. hot bean paste 2 Tbs. soy sauce 1 tsp. sugar 1 Tbs. sesame seed oil Vegetable cooking oil Wash and pat dry eggplants; cut off the stem. Do not peel. Set skillet over low heat and pour in ½ Tbs. cooking oil; heat for 30 seconds. Add eggplants and cook until eggplant skin is crispy, approx. 10 minutes. If eggplants are too long, cut them in half or find a larger skillet. Turn the eggplants over: continue to cook until eggplants are soft (about another 10 minutes). Carefully transfer eggplants from skillet to serving plate; set aside to cool. Slice eggplants to about 1 inch sections; put then back on serving plate. Prepare sauce by stir-frying diced garlic, scallions, and ginger in 1 Tbs. oil over high heat for 10 seconds. Add hot bean paste, mix and continue to cook at high heat for 10 seconds. Add soy sauce, sugar and 4 Tbs. water. Reduce heat to low; simmer for 1 1 /2  2 minutes. Turn heat off; add sesame oil and mix. Pour sauce over cooked eggplants. Serve warm.

As usual, I find Rachelellen's post full of wisdom. It gives me some of the guidance I want. Cooking the same cuisine (not the same dishes) for one week straight would be no hardship at all for me. When I returned from a one week trip to Italy I cooked nothing but northern Italian food for at least three weeks. There was nothing monotonous about it. That experience has faded. I need another trip to Italy for a refresher course. I don't see the need to limit the experiment to a single cookbook, although that could be an effective way to do it, given the right book. Books I would recommend are: Japanese Cooking: A Simple Art by Shizuo Tsuji The Key to Chinese Cooking by Irene Kuo Classic Indian Cooking by Julie Sahni The Cuisines of Mexico by Diana Kennedy These books are similar in approach and format although about different cuisines and by different authors. They provide a solid foundation for cooking each cuisine. Again, I say that switching to another ethnic cuisine for an extended period of time is a fine idea. Those for whom that is their native cuisine eat it daily year after year don't they? Jim

This thread, which I didn't catch the first time around, made me think. In general, I cook to eat and feed my family. However, I do enjoy baking for special occasions. I think that if I didn't work outside the home I would cook more...and be more adventurous. But, I work and have a long commute so by the time I get home I have to make fast meals with little time for creativity or major prep work. So, we eat a lot of frozen veggies--as is out of the bag, pre-cooked meats warmed up, pasta, soup, occasionally waffles/pancakes/eggs, potatoes, etc. I.e., for the most part things that I can cook fast. One up side to this is that our meals haven't changed that much w/o a kitchen since we do have a MW, Toaster Oven, and hot plate to cook with! One very big downside to this, though, is that my children are not learning to cook like I did from my mom. Back on topic... After finding this site and reading about zones, I realized that one thing that I really wanted was a baking center. So when my kitchen was being designed I had it in the back of my head that whatever we ended up with had to have an area I could designate my "Baking Zone", preferably near the ovens--with room to roll out dough, spread out cookie sheets, and have cookie cutters spread out all at the same time! The other thing I got from this site was our window...having the window down to the counter (OK, not cooking-related, but a very important design element!) Our very first plan that our KD came up with had input from us...but a very naive/ignorant us! (Before GW...BGW!) Then....I found this site.....and the changes began. Actually, I posted that original plan and asked for help (and also asked my KD to start over w/no island) Many, many people here helped me come up with a plan over several weeks (months?). We finally came up with a plan that has changed little since then. Interestingly, when I took away the island "must have", my KD came up with a plan very similar to what we came up with here. The only 3 differences were (1) no mini peninsula, (2) a 36" pantry cabinet rather than a corner pantry, and (3) no separate Message Center cabinets. My KD wasn't completely happy w/our differences, but she, wisely I thought, told me to go home and mock up what I wanted to see how it would work (same advice I got here!) Well, the mock up was great! It proved that I did indeed want the mini peninsula (I liked it so much I left the mock up in place until demo and used it!) When I told her the results, she didn't argue, she accepted it telling me it's my kitchen, so ultimately it's up to me. So in the end, my design was/is based on what I wanted, not what the KD wanted. [If only someone else had measured my kitchen and she was given more authority, I think a lot of subsequent problems would have been avoided.] Our kitchen isn't done yet, but it's close...so I can't yet tell you how it is going to work for us...but we are so...