My oven recently broke (elements only, the stovetop still works) and the repair people said we would have to send our control panel away for inspection to see if it could be repaired. This means we would be completely range-less (both oven and stovetop) for a minimum of 1 week, if not longer.

We've been putting it off for a few weeks now, but we really need to just bite the bullet and do it. Going without an oven has been do-able, but I don't know how I'm going to last without burners for 7+ days. We have a bbq (but it doesn't have any outdoor burner, just the bbq) and a microwave.

I'm looking for suggestions on ways to plan for a week or more without my range. I don't mind bbq'ed meat and veggies, but I don't think I can do it for days on end. Any recipes I can prepare in advance using my burners, and store for later use, that are reheatable in either the microwave or on the bbq?

We like food too! We also have good restaurants and enjoy delicious food! (Pssst: I'm not just talking about Toronto, Vancouver and Montreal....if you can keep a secret: *glances left and right; moves in closer* there are actually other cities in Canada).

Oh Canada, why does SE not love you?

I'm having a few friends over for dinner on Sunday, and I'm planning on BBQing a salmon, which satisfies all but one of my friends (who doesn't eat fish). I asked her what she would like instead of salmon, and she said "chicken breast."

Growing up, my mother and brother were both allergic to chicken, so I never really ate it. I then became a vegetarian from the age of about 15 until a few months ago, so I've never purchased or prepared any chicken before, and I've ate it myself probably 2 dozen times (mostly KFC at primary school events, etc).

Does anyone have any advice about cooking chicken on the BBQ, or any easy recipes that would satisfy? I'm only cooking two breasts (just for the one friend) so I don't need a lot of marinade or sauce, just enough for the two breasts.

For the salmon, I'm making a marinade consisting of red wine, soya sauce, brown sugar, curry powder, thyme and olive oil (the brown sugar is rubbed on, then sits in the sauce marinating for a few hours). I don't know if that's an OK marinade for a chicken breast, or if something else would be better.

Thanks!

I am absolutely guilty of this. I'll either get my food together, and then open up SE or Photograzing and eat, or I'll be reading through SE and then get really hungry and have to get something to eat.

Unfortunately, 9/10 times when I go get something to eat while reading, I'm too lazy and hungry to make any of the delicious recipes I'm reading about, so I end up grabbing a bowl of cereal. Then I get back to my computer and eat my sad, pathetic cereal while looking at the delicious recipes I should have made.

Let me preface this by saying that I live in Canada, and the closest I've ever been to Mexico is a week I spent in Las Vegas several years ago. I have NO direct knowledge of Mexican food or culture. The only things I know are recipes online and things I see on TV or in magazines/books.

What I'm wondering is, how "authentic" is the Mexican food that I make at home? We regularly make:
1) Burritos (consisting of refried beans, rice, tomatoes, onions, hot sauce, cheese and avocado in a tortilla)
2) Huevos rancheros (consisting of a fried tortilla topped with refried beans, a simmered tomato/pepper/spice mixture, cheese, onion, avocado and fried eggs - and sometimes fried potatoes)
3) Taco Salad - Basically a garden salad (lettuce, tomato, onion) topped with cheese and chilli, refried beans or baked black beans and eaten with pita chips or taco chips.
4) Mexican Lasagna - Layers of tortillas, refried beans, corn, cheese, tomatoes, onions "lasagna" style and baked.

I always call this "faux" Mexican food when I'm cooking it. Does anyone familiar with Mexican food eat anything even remotely similar to this stuff, or is it all just bad Americanized (or in my case, Canadian) versions of Mexican food?

My sister is pregnant with her first child and due in a little while. Her and her husband are quite well off, and have pretty much purchased everything they need for the first little while of the baby’s life. However, my sister LOVES to eat, but HATES to cook (and is a terrible cook). So I was thinking that as a gift to her, instead of buying her something that she doesn't really need or already has, I would make her some freezer safe, easy to reheat meals/snacks so she has one less thing to worry about during the first little while of being a new mom.

So here's my question: I'm looking for menu ideas that are delicious, don't require a lot (or any) prep for someone to reheat, and that freeze well. I'm already planning on making some Lasagna/Spinach/Ricotta spirals that I know freeze well, and probably a variety of muffins for her to snack on. But I'm definitely looking for some main dishes/healthy ideas (not baked goods) that I could make for her.

Thanks!