See Dick Cook: A Culinary Voyage for the Average Man (19 page)

Corn off the Wagon

Easy summer side dish with a healthy dose of manliness. “Sex is good, but not as good as fresh sweet corn.” ~ Garrison Keillor

Procedure

In a large pot, add your butter, beer, salt, sugar and water and turn stove on high to bring to a boil.

Husk all of your corn and place in pot, boiling for about 15 minutes or until corn is tender.

Servings: 8

Dick’s Difficulty Gauge: Very easy

Dicks Tips

All corn is not created equal Dick. When picking it out at the grocery store, pull the top part of the husk back to ensure you've got yourself a good cob. Look for bright coloured corn that's healthy to the tip. Peaches and Cream corn is probably your best choice if you can find it.

Carb-a-Palooza Potato Casserole

Not for the calorie or carb conscious Dick, but for everyone else it's game on. This casserole dish is awesome.

Procedure

Cook stuffing mixture according to package directions and set aside.

Preheat your oven to 350° F.

In a large pot boil potatoes in salted water for 10 - 15 minutes or until soft. Drain and return the potatoes to the pot.

Add your cream, butter, garlic, salt and pepper and mash well, making sure there's no lumps Dick.

Now mix in your cheese until well blended then spoon into a casserole or baking dish that has been coated with non-stick cooking spray.

Spread the stuffing mixture evenly across the top of the potatoes and bake for 30 minutes.

Remove and serve.

Servings: 6

Dick’s Difficulty Gauge: Easy

Oven Temperature: 350°F

Preparation Time: 30 minutes

Cooking Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour

Dicks Tips

To add a little Dude to your casserole, throw in a pound of cooked and chopped bacon into the potato mixture.

Dick's Own Barbecue Salad

Who says you can't make a salad on the barbecue? That's right Dick...a barbecued salad.

Procedure

Divide the spring mix evenly onto four salad plates.

Using a tinfoil barbecue pan, add the mushrooms, peppers, onion, garlic and Balsamic Vinaigrette dressing, stirring to coat. Cover with tinfoil.

Place on the barbecue and grill over medium high heat for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally to coat. The dressing will boil and the veggies will start to soften.

Add the cherry tomatoes and continue to cook for another 5 minutes.

Remove from heat and spoon directly over the spring mix salad, ensuring to include some of the salad dressing.

Sprinkle salads with crumbled feta and serve immediately.

Servings: 4

Dick’s Difficulty Gauge: Easy

Dicks Tips

You don't want to add the tomatoes too soon Dick or you'll end up with little mush balls. Cook your veggies to taste but make sure they maintain a little bit of crunch. You can also substitute freshly shaved parmesan cheese for the feta if you prefer.

Dirty Girl Rice

Many versions of this recipe are made with chicken giblets and livers. Here's one made with ground beef instead. I'm sure you can find another use for organ meat elsewhere Dick.

Procedure

Cook rice according to package directions. Cover to keep warm and set aside.

In a large frying pan over medium-high heat, cook together the ground beef and red peppers just until beef is no longer pink. Be sure to break up ground beef as much as possible. Drain excess fat if necessary.

Turn heat down to medium-low and add rice and remaining ingredients, stirring well to combine. Cook for 30 minutes or until all of the water is absorbed. Season with salt and pepper to suit your taste.

Remove from heat and let sit uncovered for five minutes before serving.

Servings: 6

Dick’s Difficulty Gauge: Easy

Preparation Time: 10 minutes

Cooking Time: 40 minutes

Total Time: 50 minutes

Dicks Tips

This serves as a great side dish with Cold Shoulder, Hot Catfish.

Ears Like Cauliflower Casserole

The sharp cheddar cheese in this recipe really throws a punch. Bob and weave Dick, bob and weave.

Procedure

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook cauliflower pieces for 6 minutes or until slightly tender then strain.

Preheat the oven to 350° F.

Spray a baking dish with non-stick cooking spray and place the strained cauliflower pieces in the dish.

In a separate sauce pan, melt the butter over medium heat and sauté shallots for three minutes or until tender.

Now using the same sauce pan add the cream, cream cheese and one cup of the shredded cheese. Stir constantly over medium heat for five minutes or until the cheese is melted and well blended.

Now pour your cheese sauce over the cauliflower.

Combine your bread crumbs and parmesan cheese together in a small bowl and spread over the top of the cauliflower. Top with remaining shredded cheese and bake for 25 minutes.

Remove from heat and allow to sit for 5 minutes before serving.

Servings: 4

Dick’s Difficulty Gauge: Moderately difficult

Oven Temperature: 350°F

Preparation Time: 20 minutes

Cooking Time: 25 minutes

Inactive Time: 5 minutes

Total Time: 50 minutes

Dicks Tips

You can add some variety to this dish Dick by substituting half of your cauliflower for some broccoli.

“Cauliflower is nothing but cabbage without a college education.” ~ Mark Twain

Gold Digger Scalloped Potatoes

This may be considered culinary cheating Dick, but if she's indeed a gold-digger then you're judgment free.

Procedure

Preheat the oven to 375° F.

Wash and peel potatoes then thinly slice. (A little thicker than a potato chip).

Chop red onion into small pieces.

In a bowl, combine soup mixture and milk. Stir until well blended.

Spray a large casserole dish with non-stick cooking spray. Next, layer a third each of the potatoes, onion, butter and soup mix. Sprinkle lightly with paprika. Repeat two more times until all ingredients are in the dish.

Bake uncovered for 1 hour 45 minutes, or until potatoes are tender.

Servings: 6

Dick’s Difficulty Gauge: Easy

Oven Temperature: 375°F

Preparation Time: 15 minutes

Cooking Time: 1 hour and 45 minutes

Total Time: 2 hours

Dicks Tips

Regular cream of mushroom soup will do here as well if you can't find the type with garlic or don't like garlic. Also, if you'd like to cut down some of the baking time, microwave potato slices first for about 10 minutes to give them a head start.

The Dick Factor: If you're the king of cheese Dick, sprinkle one cup of grated cheddar over top of the casserole about 40 minutes into baking it and garnish with some parsley.

Manly Macaroni Salad

A great summer side dish with anything barbecued - especially with some I'm The Man Hamburgers.

Procedure

In a large sauce pan, boil pasta in about 8 cups of water, or according to package directions.

Meanwhile, chop onions and drain tuna.

Once pasta has reached desired consistency, drain using a strainer and rinse with cold water.

In a large bowl, mix together all the ingredients. Transfer to a smaller serving bowl and refrigerate for at least two hours before serving. Depending on personal taste, you may want to add more mayonnaise prior to serving.

Servings: 6

Dick’s Difficulty Gauge: Easy

Preparation Time: 30 minutes

Cooking Time:

Inactive Time: 1 hour and 30 minutes

Total Time: 2 hours

Dicks Tips

Mayonnaise is a must here Dick. Don't be tempted to buy Miracle Whip or 'Mayonnaise Type' dressings as they will be sweeter in taste. And yes, there is a difference between the two.