This was brought up as an idea in another thread and I thought it would be a good idea if we had sufficient participation. Important points in bold/colors.

Each week we will cook a meal based on a standard template/recipe and report our results back in this thread (preferably with pictures). The following week someone else will pick a meal and everyone will make that and so on.

As someone who rarely measures out ingredients and often tweaks recipes by changing the spice mix or whatever else, I am going to encourage anyone who wants to put their own special flair into each dish to do so. If you think something would be best with a different spice rub, salad dressing, type of starch, etc. then feel free to tweak it to your specific tastes. After all, this thread is supposed to be an idea generator and not an exact guideline for what has to be made. In general, I ask that we try to stay within the spirit of the recipe/idea so if the dish is a chicken curry don't make lemon chicken (or do, but post it in the Cooking a Good Everything Else Thread). If you make different side or put a twist into the dish larger than "doubled the garlic" or "added extra pepper to taste" please include a description of both the final outcome and how you made it so others can make the same thing if they choose.

I ask that every prospective meal be something that can be prepared by a novice cook without any highend/specialized kitchen appliances. I also ask that we try to limit ingredients to things available at least across the US and preferably from large chain grocery stores. If you want to use regionally available foods or sous vide your meat for a dish then that is more than welcome, but please don't pick dishes that can't be prepared any other way.

I love great food and unique ingredients as much as anyone, but want this to appeal to the masses who inspire to improve their cooking and cook more often as opposed to just those of us who feel at home preparing elaborate dishes regularly. Constructive criticism and light ribbing ARE ENCOURAGED.

The current week's meal will be posted every Monday along with, at a minimum, pictures of the final product, recipes, and suggestions for what could have been done differently to improve the dish. Everyone else will have from Monday to Sunday to prepare and post theirs.

Everyone that participates in a given week's meal AND posts pictures will be entered into a rand to pick the meal two weeks from then. I will PM the winner from that week (you don't have to be the best cook to win, you just have to participate fully) and then they will pick the next meal, make it, and post a TR with pics of the process and final product. This means that person will actually cook the meal BEFORE it becomes that week's project as a way to kickstart the discussion. You may not nominate a dish that is in the same cuisine and with the same meat as the previous week's dish. Thus, if one week we have a chicken pasta dish the next week you can nominate a chicken dish or an Italian dish, but not an Italian chicken dish (the goal is to branch out and learn new things).

I will post a weekly recap with the meal of the week and a few of the better TRs and keep a running log updated in the thread as well as making sure we have someone to post a meal each Monday. I will also attempt to participate myself at least twice a month as one of my goals for this year is to cook more and to venture out into different cooking styles/cuisines.

Participation can be on a weekly, biweekly, monthly, or just when you feel like it basis. I hope we can get to the point where we have at least 10 people participating each week in order to keep the thread active and engaged.

sup

As for the meals of the week I PM'd some of the cooking thread regulars and JackInDaCrack volunteered for the first meal. He has chosen STIR FRY as our Meal of the Week. Thanks for helping us kick this off, Jack.

MEAL OF THE WEEK


I need someone to volunteer to make a meal of their choice this week and post it in a similar format to this next Monday. For week 3's meal one of this week's participants will be chosen at random to make their dish during week 2 and post on Monday of week 3 (or send to me before then and I can post it).

I'll volunteer if you need. I wasn't an active participant in whatever thread spawned this but I was planning on making a homemade poblano corn soup that I love this week that would probably suit. Great for winter as well.

Subscribed

Great idea! Will be lurking.

+1, for the food pr0n

Incredible thread idea, but I'm a little skeptical that it'll really get up and running.

This is the rare 2+2 thread of which my wife will most thoroughly approve

Stir fry is a great choice to start with. Definitely in, and subscribed.

:foodboner:

Will participate as I can (which hopefully is frequently). Never tried making a stir fry, so pretty excited.

To confirm though, we're more going for making a stir fry in the general sense than chicken stir fry above necessarily? Or do we want them fairly similar?

Falzure if you want to make beef pork shrimp or whatever knock yourself out it certainly doesn't have to be boneless chicken breast.

Great, thanks! And good first suggestion!

+2, nice job op

Subbing

Are you planning to cook anything in addition to the soup (like tacos or something of that nature)? I think soup might be a little on the light front for a whole meal idea, but could work as part of a meal.

I have also never made stir fry but will be cooking Tue. night.

If you want to us a different meat feel free given this isn't a meal that centers on the meat, but rather the stir fry aspect. Some meals will surely center on the protein (like if someone does steak or a dish like braised ribs) where it will make more sense for everyone to cook the same meat and vary the sauces/sides if they wish. I will probably do chicken for mine, but add a few different vegetables and cut out the mushrooms since I am not a fan.

neat concept, will definitely take a look.

CDL,

Nice idea for a thread. I hope it achieves the critical mass of participants to succeed.

If I were guessing what someone might be making to eat with soup, tacos wouldn't have been in the top 100 things. Even corn poblano soup. However, that actually does sound like it would be a good meal.

Subscribed and will participate as much as I can.

oh this is just perfect as i had trimmed some beef loin saturday and was planning a stirfry with the leftovers

It's a pretty thick/chunky soup, more like a chowder or a stew. I usually get a fresh loaf of bread to go with it, and it's very filling.

If you don't think it works for this project that's fine, no ego on my part, but I love this meal and it's a great cold weather meal IMO. It's got potatoes and bacon and corn all in a vegetable puree base.

I'm making it Monday or Tuesday night, so let me know if you want me to take detailed pics and all.

CDL et al,

If I don't get around to submitting my stir fry this week, should I post in this thread in a subsequent week or not at all?

Bake your own bread and I like this idea.

Hmmmmm. I can bake bread, although not the type I usually buy to go with this meal.

That would make it a fairly time intensive meal, what with homemade bread and this soup (which takes over an hour to make), but I don't really have anything better to do so sure, why not.

Homemade bread to go with the soup.

i feel like in the medium term making this run once every 2 weeks with a new thread each time and the dish in the thread title will end up being best. i also don't think we need someone to actually make a dish to go ahead and set the topic.

in of course, but am in the southern hemisphere so probably won't be participating in soups/chilis any time soon