Note: The lamb tagine can be served spooned over couscous or rice. Toss some toasted almonds on and serve each serving with a slice of lemon. In order to prepare this recipe, you require a 5 to 6 quart size slow cooker. To get the desired results, the lamb shoulder must be weighed after it is boned and trimmed.

Ingredients:

4 teaspoons of ground cumin

2 teaspoons of ground turmeric

2 teaspoons of salt

1/2 teaspoon of pepper

1/2 teaspoon of smoked paprika

1/2 teaspoon of finely ground chilly powder

3 lbs of boneless, trimmed lamb shoulder, cut into 2 inch cube size

1/4 cup of flour

2 tablespoons of oil

1 tablespoon of butter

2 large onions, cut in to ½ inch size pieces

10 shallots, peeled and left as whole

4 teaspoons of sliced garlic

1 tablespoon of minced ginger

1 cup of dried apricots

1/2 cup of raisins

1 tablespoon of honey

2 or 3 cinnamon sticks

1 1/2 cups of vegetable broth

1 cup of pitted dates

Directions:

In a bowl large enough to hold it all, stir together the cumin, turmeric, salt, pepper, paprika and chilly. Add the cubed lamb pieces and mix until these pieces are uniformly covered in the spice mix. Sprinkle the flour and mix to give the lamb a light coating. If there is any flour left out in the bottom of the bowl, you may use this to thicken the tagine.

Heat a large saute pan or stove top-safe slow cooker over medium-high heat. Add the oil and butter. Once these are melted, add the lamb pieces in a single layer, (you may have to do this in multiple sessions) and sear until all the pieces are properly browned on all sides, roughly 8 minutes for each session. Remove the lamb with a slotted spoon back in to the large bowl.

Now, add the onions and shallots in to the pan. Saute them until the onions are just softened and turn slightly golden, roughly 5 minutes, stirring regularly. After this, remove the pan from heat.

Place the onions and shallots in an uniform layer in the slow cooker insert (if it is not in use already). Mix in the garlic, ginger, apricots, raisins, honey, cinnamon sticks and broth. Place the lamb pieces on top of the onion mixture in an uniform layer. Now you can sprinkle any left over flour over the lamb.

Close the insert and set it in the slow cooker. Set the slow cooker on to the high heat setting. After 2 hours, remove the lid and sprinkle the dates over the lamb. Replace the lid quickly as heat is lost whenever the lid is opened, and cook for an additional 1 to 1 1/2 hours, until the lamb is fork-tender.

Now, remove the insert from the heat and slightly prop the lid open to let the mixture to cool a bit. Slowly stir the lamb with the vegetables and fruit items. Be gentle with the apricots and dates as they can be crushed easily if stirred too hard.

Total time: 40 minutes, plus cooking time (3 to 4 hours on high; 6 to 8 hours on low).

Servings: 6 to 8.

Here is an interesting Chinese vegetarian dish made of bamboo shoots. Unlike the typical non-vegetarian items usually found in Chinese restaurants, this is a nice variety.

Ingredients are:

3/4 pounds or 350 grams of good quality winter bamboo shoots
2 1/2 ounces or 75 grams of preserved mustard green
1 1/2 cups or 350 milliliter of vegetable oil for deep-frying
1/2 teaspoon MSG, only if you like the taste

Directions to cook:

Remove the husks from the bamboo shoots. Then, roll-cut them into diamond-shaped pieces. Dip the preserved mustard in water for approximately 5 minutes time so as to decrease its saltiness. Squeeze away the surplus water and cut it in to 1 1/2 inch or 3 1/2 centimeter pieces.

Heat the oil in a wok to about 400 degree Fahrenheit or 205 degree Celsius, or until a piece of scallion green or ginger browns pretty fast when tossed into the oil and a haze rises above the oil surface. Add the preserved mustard and deep-fry it for another 30 seconds. Remove from oil and drain it. Now, add the bamboo shoots and reduce the heat to low. Deep-fry the bamboo shoots for another 30 seconds more, then increase the heat to high level and deep-fry for another 3 minutes more, or until the shoots become brown outside and tender inside. Remove from oil and drain them. Add the preserved mustard in to the oil and deep-fry for another 5 minutes more. Remove from oil and drain it.

Pour all of the oil out of the wok. Add the preserved mustard and bamboo shoots in to the wok. Stir-fry so as to blend every thing well, then sprinkle some of the MSG. Remove in to a serving dish and serve.

There are some men who are not at all proficient in cooking. Some of them are spoilt brats due to the pampering received from their mothers when they were younger. Some others became lazy due to the help they got from their girl friends. When they are on their own, they feel like fish out of water. Cooking is a real hard task for them to learn.

Cooking is not as frightening as these men fear it to be. They can start learning by trying out easy items. This way they can move away from the bachelor diet of Chef Boyardee eaten right out of the can, ramen noodle, heating up frozen sandwiches, peanut butter sandwiches etc. Thus they can add more zest to their food and enjoy eating rather than eating just to stay alive.

Here is an easy recipe for cooking Lasagna.

1 box lasagna noodles that you do not need to boil. They come in different types. Some needs cooking and some do not. Check on the box and get the right kind. In case you get only the type, which needs cooking, follow the instructions on the package, cook it, drain it and let it cool down. You will have to pour cold water on it to cool it down.2 small bottles of your preferred spaghetti sauce

1 pound of ground chuck
1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder
1 teaspoon of Italian Seasoning
2 pound pack of ricotta cheese
3 eggs
1 cup grated parmesan cheese
2 pounds of shredded mozzarella
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon of ground black pepper

Heat oven up to 350 Degrees F. Mix the ricotta, parmesan cheese, salt, pepper and eggs in a bowl and blend it well. Next, add one pound of mozzarella on to the ricotta and blend well. Let it sit aside. Use a skillet and get the ground beef fried and add the garlic and the Italian Seasoning on to it. Cook until the meat is not pink any more. Drain the fat in a colander. Put it aside.

Use a casserole bowl or a 13×9″ pan and transfer half of a jar of sauce on to the bottom part of the bowl/pan and spread uniformly. Take a third of the lasagna noodles and set them lengthwise and place uniformly on the bottom of the pan above this layer of sauce. Spread half of the ricotta mixture uniformly above this layer of noodles and then spread half of the ground beef above this cheese. Apply the rest of the sauce above this. You may add more layers of noodles, cheese, beef and sauce in that order.

Make a last layer with the remaining portion of noodles. Spread rest of the sauce over this top layer and then sprinkle rest of the mozzarella over this sauce. Bake for roughly an hour time until the lasagna starts bubbling. Now, remove it from the oven and let it cool for approximately 20 minutes before serving. If you like it, you may use extra sauce and Parmesan cheese on to the lasagna.