Trying to use the cookbooks

I made a resolution to try more recipes this year - mainly 1-2 from every cookbook I have. I haven't been doing that well on them, but I have a hankering to cook! In the past week, I have made 2 new recipes and they were both very good!

Since I don't have all the recipes available, I didn't want to put this in the recipe thread. But I did want to share and I thought you guys would enjoy the foray into trying new things. Right? :blush:

Last week - Southwest King Ranch Casserole.
I actually pasted it from online for you guys :D. I think it would be better to mix everything up and put it in the tortillas like enchiladas and pour the salsa verde over top. I think I am going to do that next time.

[INDENT](From Whole Foods Cookbook)

Filling:

3 Tablespoons canola oil (I used 1.5 TBSP)
½ cups diced yellow onions
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons paprika
1 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon salt
3 cups shredded cooked boneless chicken
½ cup chopped fresh cilantro (I omit this)

Casserole:

2 cups grated monterey jack cheese (I used reduced fat)
1 cup grated cheddar cheese (I used reduced fat pepper jack cheese)
2 cups bottled tomatillo sauce (I used a simple salsa verde)
8 corn tortillas
1 ½ cups sour cream
½ cup chopped green chiles, drained

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Heat the oil over medium-high heat in a large sauté pan. Add onions and cook until translucent. Blend in spices. Add chicken and heat through. Remove from heat and add in cilantro.

On bottom of an 8x8 ½ inch pan spread 1 cup of tomatillo sauce. Top with 4 tortillas, overlapping as necessary. Spread half the sour cream over tortillas. Add ½ cup of remaining tomatillo sauce, 1 ½ cups of the chicken filling, 1 cup of cheese and one half of the green chilies. Top with 4 more tortillas and repeat.

Bake about 25 minutes or until hot and bubbly.[/INDENT]



This week was Garlic Parmesan Orzo. It is fantastic. I made the whole recipe, but am only using half servings as a side dish. That leaves me with 16 :eek: servings of this dish! Luckily I think it will freeze well. And who doesn't like pasta, garlic and cheese?

[INDENT]From Taste of Home cookbook

Ingredients

* 2 cups uncooked orzo pasta
* 3 teaspoons minced garlic
* 1/2 cup butter, cubed
* 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
* 1/4 cup 2% milk (I used skim)
* 2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley (I just threw some dried in)
* 1 teaspoon salt (I did this to taste)
* 1/4 teaspoon pepper (I think I forgot the pepper)

Directions

* Cook orzo according to package directions; drain. In a large skillet, saute garlic in butter until tender. Add the orzo, Parmesan cheese, milk, parsley, salt and pepper. Cook and stir until heated through. Yield: 8 servings.
[/INDENT]



Up this weekend are:
- Potato Pizza from the New Vegetarian Cuisine
- Creamy Goat Cheese Risotto from the New Vegetarian Cuisine
- Chicken Paprika from the Joy of Cooking

Two, almost three veggie dishes - I don't think I've ever seen that on the internet before! The Potato Pizza sounds interesting.

Aha. Today I learned that orzo is another name for risoni.
Thanks!

SG - Never heard it called that before. Learn something new every day :)

Rhianne - There was a point that I was going to do vegetarian a couple days a month, so my sister in law and brother bought me a couple books for that. The other stuff is more of a side than anything. Plus I will usually eat orzo in any way or form :D

Bbro, either of these would be totally fine; please feel free. The driver behind that thread is whatever you find you quite like -- or even think you would.

Rizoni makes sense -- isn't orzo the Greek for it?

Free associating: Mildred honey, did you use dinosaur-shapes pasta for the pastitsio again?

I made the potato pizza last night. It was pretty good, but I didn't get to it until after it cooled. I just wasn't hungry and wanted to work out.

Some changes I made before tasting
- They didn't have the single serving pizza crust that I used, so I got a big one and used 1.5 of the ingredients.
- I left the tomato sauce the same - I don't like a lot of sauce
- I mixed the seasonings with the olive oil
- Sliced the onions thin instead of dicing
- Used spinach instead of arugula - thought it was spinach for some reason
- Use mozzarella instead of blue cheese - don't like blue
- Forgot about the tomatoes

Things I would change next time
- Remember the tomatoes
- Mix the oil, seasonings and sauce all together
- Try it with feta or goat cheese
- Put some salt on the potatoes and probably not cook them as long. They came out a bit over cooked

Arugula is what we call Rocket!
This thread just keeps giving...

Not sure I could handle potato pizza.
Put it in beaten egg and make it a Spanish Omlette and I'd be there.
It's great that you're experimenting though.
As soon as I have some money again I am definitely going to try the candied yams in the recipe thread. The Sweet Potato (Yam) Souffle went down very well.

I think I knew that about the arugula vs rocket. I think you could only eat it if you love potatoes....and I do :D

There was a place back home that made a pierogie pizza. Mashed potatoes and onions with butter and topped with cheddar cheese - to die for during lent!

An excellent idea to check the cookbooks and start cooking :) I know too many folks, myself definitely included, who buy cookbooks and look at the pretty pictures and dream of the tasty and then put them on a shelf to gather dust. Got plans for something next yet?

sad_winslow;674302 wrote:

An excellent idea to check the cookbooks and start cooking :) I know too many folks, myself definitely included, who buy cookbooks and look at the pretty pictures and dream of the tasty and then put them on a shelf to gather dust.?

I've got my new user title, thanks.

Sundae Girl;674215 wrote:

Not sure I could handle potato pizza.

Surprisingly, potato, sweet potato and pumpkin on a pizza with fetta are really good. (Thanks you've just reminded me about one of the gourmet pizzas from the cafe near where I used to live. Might have to make a trip up there and grab one).

sad_winslow;674302 wrote:

An excellent idea to check the cookbooks and start cooking :) I know too many folks, myself definitely included, who buy cookbooks and look at the pretty pictures and dream of the tasty and then put them on a shelf to gather dust.

That is totally me. But I love to cook, so it is fun for me. The only part that sucks is that I am cooking for myself. :rolleyes: It is also a challenge because I am doing weight watchers and need to make sure the new recipes can fit into a reasonable day.

sad_winslow;674302 wrote:

Got plans for something next yet?

Well, the list above says goat cheese risotto and paprika chicken. I still may stick to that, but I think I found another chicken recipe that will go much better with the risotto - Basil and Prosciutto stuffed chicken. Although if I go that route, I will have to figure out what to do with the sour cream in my fridge!:eek:

Beef Stroganoff over whole wheat noodles?

Urbane Guerrilla;674599 wrote:

Beef Stroganoff over whole wheat noodles?

That's a good idea. Maybe I can find a recipe and use another cookbook! Thanks!

This weekend I made White Chocolate and Macadamia nut cookies from one of my cookie cookbooks. They were good, but I had way too many, so I brought some from work.

I am making the Risotto and chicken tonight. I will make sure to take pictures and post them.

Ok, so I must be stupid or something because I can't imbed a photo using a URL, can anyone help?

Got it!

(From New Vegetarian Cuisine)

Ingredients:


Finished:


Finished Zoom:

(From Betty Crocker Quick and Easy)

Ingredients:


Finished:


Dinner!!


I absolutely LOVED the chicken. I didn't use all the mustard called for though. My first risotto is ok. I had some crunchy rice, but I don't think the instructions were that good. I have another, traditional recipe I will try and see if it is better. Sorry the pictures aren't that great, but I am not that great of a photographer :blush: And apparently my shaking interferes with clear pictures. I think I am getting slightly better though.

go advanced and hit the paperclip above to attach an image on your comp OR
hit this lil picture box above and enter the URL.



NEVERMIND! :)

OK that looks freakin awesome! Where is the recipe? I am all in for makin' that this weekend.

Recipes - I didn't put these in my flickr public account because of the whole copyright thing, but I will put them here :D

cool - thanks

Welcome :)

Next up is going to be Happy Union from my Chinese cookbook. I just have to figure out what oil to use since all I have is olive oil which isn't good for high heat.

peanut oil is one option.

Pete Zicato;675838 wrote:

peanut oil is [COLOR="Blue"]only [/COLOR]option.

seconded - Peanut is the best unless you have an allergy... Use it exclusively in the deep fryer.

I'm not going to be deep frying anything. I was thinking of using Canola oil since it really doesn't have a flavor. There are A LOT of ingredients in this recipe and I don't want to add another flavor with the oil. What do you think?

I use peanut oil when making stir-fry. A lot of Asian recipes seem to call for it, but I never noticed it having a particular flavor.

But you should be able to use canola or vegetable oil for most kinds of frying. I think most oils work except olive oil.

It's all about the oil smoke points

olive oil works just fine for pan frying and sauteeing, but watch the temperature. and it's a bit of a shame to use a good extra virgin. the flavors that make EV unique will fade and it can end up tasting like one of the (perfectly fine) cheap grades recommended for frying, except it'll have a lower smoke point so you're slightly more likely to catch it on fire. plus it's sort of like frying money.

I will be posting the Happy Union stuff tomorrow as I am cooking it tonight.

I am also going to be making beef stroganoff this weekend. My question is this: it calls for Worcestershire sauce but only 1/4 tsp. Would it be bad if I leave it out? How about replacing it with balsamic vinegar. I don't want to change too much since I may already by leaving out the mushrooms - can't stand them.

Balsamic vinegar and some sort of hot spice (paprika, chilli) I'd say ...

Yup, am with Limey - if you really don't like the Worcs it's not worth the bottle.
But if you have to add a stock, make sure it's beef, because Worcs adds a splash of that too.

Oh and a little more salt. L&P is salty.

Our regular Sunday visitor is allergic to mushrooms.
Since we found out (when Mum had to make her an omlette instead of sharing our casserole!) I don't think we've suffered from their omission.
If you like mushrooms they're a tasty addition. If you don't, I can't see that they'll be missed. Unless you're making mushroom soup of course.

Ok, so I made the beef stroganoff. Had to add a decent amount of salt and pepper so that it wasn't an overwhelming sour taste. It was pretty good if I do say so myself! I ended up going with the balsalmic vinegar, but I really couldn't taste it. I will have a couple pics tomorrow.

Huge fail for me on the Happy Union. I put it off and put it off and the chicken and shrimp went bad before I used it! Argh, so frustrating. The only positive is that after I blanch and freeze the broccoli that I bought for it, the only thing I will need to buy is the chicken, shrimp, and ginger when I tackle it again.

I think next on the agenda is chicken a la king.

Ooh! Am making Chicken Enchiladas this week.
From a (mumble packet mumble). Forgive me!

Will be sure and take pics though.

Mum has just gone round to Grandad's with some of the leftover pork in a soft bap with applesauce. They're having the rest of it tonight (with the unused - uncooked - cabbage and carrots). I'm technically on my first day of a diet today (mumble enchiladas bought before diet started don't count mumble) so am settling for soup with a multigrain mix added, and a roll.

One I tried last week-end:



For 4 persons:

1 puff pastry (buy it at the mart, it's faster and won't make much difference compared to home made)
250 grams of clotted cream
50 grams of chive
400 grams of ham (either in small thin strips or small dice)
150 grams of grated Swiss cheese
1 egg yolk

1) Preheat the oven to 180°C (356°F)
2) In a bowl, mix the cream, chive and ham.
3) Cut the puff pastry into 4 pieces.
4) Put the mix into each pieces.
5) Close each piece of pastry.
6) Put some egg yolk over each piece with a brush.
7) Sprinkle with the cheese
8) Put in the oven for 20 minutes

Serve with a salad

I kept the measures in grams since I don't know how clotted cream or anything else is measured (ounce, liquid once, pound,... whatever...). Feel free to correct me if you see something that's not a culinary term. I'm always willing to better my knowledge of English.

And "Bon Appétit.."

GunMaster357;678278 wrote:

.. since I don't know how clotted cream ... is measured ....

And "Bon Appétit.."

You can measure clotted cream :mg:?

Yes... Usually with a table spoon...

You know... One spoon two spoons, three spoons, .... Ten spoons... OOOPS. Five too many... ;)

clotted cream + too many spoonfuls = does not compute!

You're wrong! It does compute:

clotted cream + too many spoonfuls = a nice life buoy around the belly

(From Meta Givens Encyclopedia of Cooking Vol 2)

Recipe:




Ingredients:




Finished:



This ended up being really good. I had to add copious amounts of pepper, though and some salt to kind of cut the sour taste. I couldn't get a good picture of the plated meal. For some reason, my shaking was out of control and no matter what I did, I couldn't get a non-blurry picture. This is the best I could do:

Ok, so I know I have been slacking, but there is a sale on pork tenderloin this week, so I have decided to use this to try a new recipe. Coming up after the weekend....Mustard Orange Pork!

To make up for the procrastination in this thread, I will have pictures from last night's dinner - Mustard Orange Pork and Israeli Cous Cous. And from tonight's - marinated steak and Hot Crash Potatoes. And maybe Ghirardelli Dark Chocolate Brownies - from a mix.

Only the pork and Potatoes have recipes, but I figured lots of food pictures would help you forgive me :D

I'm licking my chops at the prospect, of more pictures from you. :yum:

I don't have the steak and potatoes because I decided to get drunk last night, but here is the pork!

This:


Plus this:



Equals this:


Sides? Yes, I have that, too.

Toasting:


First broth addition with garlic (The cube like things) - it's a little blurry:


Finished:



And finally - dinner. With some Parmesan Garlic baguette on the side:



I took a few other pictures and put them on my Flickr page if you want a couple more. I am Gypsy1031.

Oops almost forgot the recipe!


As you can see, I didn't do the veggies and the sauce. Instead, I just added all the orange/mustard mix with the first glazing. I also used about twice the size pork loin. Basically because it was cheaper that way.

Bbro, for those of us who haven't Yahoo, might you copy the recipe off and post it? For it looks really tempting.

Urbane Guerrilla;690067 wrote:

Bbro, for those of us who haven't Yahoo, might you copy the recipe off and post it? For it looks really tempting.

You mean the recipe in the picture? Is it not showing up?

I changed the privacy settings - does that work better?

Try this.

Ah, much mo' bettah. Thanks, Bruce.

Thanks Bruce :)

No problem. ;)

Pancakes!

Recipe:


Ingredients:


Mixed up:


Cooking first batch:


Breakfast!!:




A couple notes - I made a half a batch and may have added too much melted butter. If you notice, there is no extract in the batter. I added some Lemon, but I don't know how much. All I know is that I didn't really need the syrup.

Those look great. My mother sucked at pancakes, Bisquick I think. They were about 3/4" thick, and the only thing that saved them was real maple syrup... lots of it. And bacon. :D

xoxoxoBruce;691871 wrote:

Those look great. My mother sucked at pancakes, Bisquick I think. They were about 3/4" thick, and the only thing that saved them was real maple syrup... lots of it. And bacon. :D

I think that's what my mom did - but I don't remember them being bad.

The ones above were just ok, but I think much better with the right amount of butter. I have actually made these into waffles before so I know they are better. Plus my griddle couldn't keep the heat, so they sat way too long.

You may be seeing pictures of jambalaya tomorrow! With the possibility of rolls depending on how I feel :D

There is a fine line with how thick the batter gets over time. Some people like the thinner ones - others thicker.
Adding a little more liquid/flour to adjust at the end will set you up for just how you like 'em.
The lemon idea is interesting - gonna have to try that.

Holy cow! More recipes??? How will you handle the shock!?!

First up - Icebox rolls (I had the recipe, but realized I missed part of it and it was really too small to read. Tried other times, but shaking too bad :()

Ingredients:


Mixed up and ready to rise:


Enough Rising!!



Baking (Excuse the mess in the bottom:eek:):


Done!

To go with the rolls - Jambalaya!!
(I don't have the recipe because I was shaking too much to get anything other than the ingredient list - sorry!)
Ingredients:


Simmering away:


Done!



These were both SOOO good!

Man, that looks really good! I've got to try making jambalaya sometime.

Thanks! It was pretty easy, too. Just a bit of prep work. The original recipe called for shrimp, but I thought the chicken would be cheaper. It was also supposed to have ham, but I don't have any. I think it would've been too much though

The way you've been playing Betty Crocker lately, how would you find time to clean the oven? :haha:

Exactly - I don't. That's actually my toaster/convection oven. I will be using it tonight to make more rolls!!

Wow - I have REALLY dropped the ball on this!! I am starting back up again with the cookbooks. I have a lot of macaroni and cheese recipes, but I am always on the hunt for more. I am trying the recipe: http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2009/04/macaroni-cheese/ and no, I am not cheating. I have her cookbook. I bought it, then realized everything can be found online....grumble, grumble.

I haven't decided what kind of milk I am going to use. I usually have skim milk in the house, but was thinking of trying with 2% - not whole though. Can't stand the taste of it! I will also be using whole wheat pasta. I like it and I have a whole bunch of it. No reason to buy more!

I don't have any pictures of the chicken before putting it in the oven, but here are the ingredients for the mac and cheese:



Mac and cheese before baking:


Baked!



Chicken Resting:



Dinner!! Yes, I am aware that I need something green on the plate, but I don't have any salad ingredients, so I went veggie free :)

Love your recipe that is something really different ll be trying it tonight, hope it turns out as good as yours. ll keep updating :)

there is absolutely nothing wrong with no green on the plate!!! :D looks damn good!

Thanks plthijinx! Now that I have a computer at home, I can upload photos while I am eating the food I made! I am trying to think of what to do next. I may be making a cake this weekend, so maybe that. Something sweet instead of dinner.....or both! Depending on what I get up to the night before ;)

Prior to the SuperBowl I was suddenly taken with a desire to cook.

Not really cook, like having to pay attention to it or anything ... but I hauled the crockpot out of the closet and plugged it in.

About a pound of beef cubes, which I cut up smaller than they plopped out of the package.

Pound of ready to eat baby carrots

five stalks of celery, washed and chopped into little bits

packet of Liptons beefy onion soup mix

1/2 cup or so (didn't measure) of water

bunch of garlic powder and powdered ginger

looked a little dry, so I threw some soy sauce at it

added some slice new potatoes (canned, drained) for the last hour or so.

Plugged it in on high, because my low seems to be broken.

by the end of the game I had a really nice beef stew.

Recently I have been bitten by the urge to bake.
And no, that wasn't just a nifty bit of alliteration - I do mean bake rather than cook.
The staffroom have recently benefited from "healthy" flapjacks, made with honey and banana, and a banana, orange and chocolate loaf. And anyone who pays attention will note the increase of banana in my cooking coincides with my current diet.

I'll have to start taking pics again, but mundane foods like this really work for the mouth rather than the eye.

Keep going on the savoury front bbro. I'll be angling for an invite any day. I'll even bring dessert. My next project: Easter chick cake pops. If'n only I can work out a way to make tiny nests. Otherwise I'll have to go back to putting them on lolly sticks and the last time I tried that was an unqualified disaster.

you can't go wrong with a good stew....i like that recipe wolf!

SG - keep right on baking! i'd like to start doing that. i remember one time while on my society hiatus one of the many books i read was by Dean Koontz and i believe it was life expectancy i could be wrong but the main character was a baker. the descriptions of some of the things he made? mmmmmmm yummy!

tonight on the grill is nothing out of the ordinary. chicken and pork ribs. leftover veggies from last night sautee'd with fresh jalapeños in a butter/Worcestershire sauce.

plthijinx;710915 wrote:

... while on my society hiatus ...

:lol2:

Nice turn of phrase, plt!

ya like that? :lol: me too. yeah well that's the best way i can put it. if i learned one thing it was two or more. how to "cook" ramen noodle soups and come up with the craziest combinations for something that actually tasted good! even on *ahem* society hiatus commissary. i was a regular MacGyver in there. be it cooking food, fixing radios, making string from trash bags or even lighting cigarettes. yeah they aren't allowed in tdcj so i used batteries with either brillo pads or razor blades to light the smokes from the bugler tobacco brought in by the corrupt guards.

Not necessarily a cookbook, but I made this recently: http://www.eatbetteramerica.com/recipes/under-300-calorie-dinner/healthified-chicken-and-broccoli-parmesan-pasta.aspx?WT.dcsvid=NDA1MzA0OTYzNwS2&rvrin=70112A6B-A1C1-4CD8-B3BC-4038F93FF8C4&WT.mc_id=Newsletter_EBA_2011_1_1

I do have a picture of the final dish:

plthijinx;711306 wrote:

...corrupt guards.

Corrupt guards...the hell you say.:eek:

I've got something GOOOD coming :)

I had all intentions of just using some store bought dough and making a normal pepperoni pizza - luckily, the stupid dough decided to mess with me, so I ended up having to make the dough from scratch. I didn't take pictures of all the ingredients before, etc, but I made up for it with pizza bokeh :)

Here is the recipe (with some paraphrasing):
2 1/4 to 3 3/4 c flour
1 pkg active dry yeast
1 c warm water
2 TBSP olive oil

Combine 1 1/4 flour, yeast, 1/4 tsp salt add warm water and oil. Use a mixer and mix on low for 30 seconds. Then on high for 3 mins. Mix as much of the remaining flour in as possible. Turn out and knead to a moderately stiff dough. Divide in half and let rest. Use to make Pan or Thin crust pizzas (I went with the Thin crust). Thin crust - grease two pans/baking sheets. Roll out dough and transfer. Pre-bake for 12 minutes at 425 or until brown. Add toppings and bake for 15-20 minutes or until bubbly.

Dough Resting:


I am going to split the two types of pizza up into two other posts. Hope you don't mind :) Seems neater to me somehow

Spicy Pepperoni:
Toppings:


Crust Pre-Bake:


Crust Post-Bake


Pre-Bake:


Post-Bake:


Cut:

Chicken BBQ:
Toppings:


Crust Pre-Bake:
Forgot a picture! :(

Crust Post-Bake


Pre-Bake:


Post-Bake:


Cut:

That pizza looks yummy.

I see that you bake the crust first and then put the toppings on. When I make pizza, I just put the toppings on the raw dough and bake it all at once.

Looks like yours would end up with a more crispy crust. Is that right?

I make my own dough and put the toppings on the uncooked dough. Turns out great! How do you get the toppings cooked and not burn the already cooked crust?

glatt;722479 wrote:

Looks like yours would end up with a more crispy crust. Is that right?

I suppose it might be more crispy - It was my first time making pizza dough from scratch. It actually might've been too crispy. When I went to cut the chicken one, it kind of crumbled a little bit.

Stormieweather wrote:

I make my own dough and put the toppings on the uncooked dough. Turns out great! How do you get the toppings cooked and not burn the already cooked crust?

I think the key was to take it out when it was just browning, not completely brown. The cooking afterwards was only about 10 minutes, plus I kept checking to make sure it didn't burn.

Next time, I will probably try a different recipe. Especially since I have done it once now, it's not as intimidating.

I like the looks of the pizza crust bbro. Recipe? It looks nice and crispy.

One of my girlfriends is having a "cooking party."

This means that her son and her husband are out of town at a model train show and she doesn't spend time alone well.

So, she's inviting her two unemployed friends over to cook dinner.

Our other friend is recently laid off major chain bookstore manager. Who is a vegetarian and doesn't cook.

She "helped" me to cook when I was camping last year. This involved my pointing out ingredients and her measuring out amounts.

I expect that there will be wine involved, which should make it okay.

Wow, wolf - I would just skip the food and have a liquid diet that night! HA! Seriously, though, I do have a vegetarian cookbook if ideas are needed for what you are going to cook. There's a really good potato pizza at the beginning of this thread.

skyside - I posted the recipe before the pictures. It looks like it is on page 5. Let me know if you need any more details. I kind of skim-wrote the recipe :D

So - technically, this isn't from a cookbook - but it has a new recipe, so it counts, right?? I just want to show you my dinner, too :D
Cucumber recipe here - http://disgustinglygood.com/2010/07/16/cucumbers-and-dill/

That looks fantastic, bbro!

Thanks limey! I have been a cooking fiend today. I made a quiche this morning, but I don't have any pictures of it. I bastardized a recipe I found on line. It was really good.

Then, for lunch, I did the same with a chinese recipe for beef and peppers. Instead, I used leftover beef, frozen cauliflower, and fresh broccoli. I only used the sauce from the recipe and it turned out really good. Only thing missing - some salt. I served it over orzo. And this one - I have a picture of!!

Well, salt-it-yourself isn't the worst way to go, now is it?

Urbane Guerrilla;751316 wrote:

Well, salt-it-yourself isn't the worst way to go, now is it?

Definitely! I think I am going to add this to my own personal cookbook of favorite things. I am actually eating the last of it today. :sniff:

This weekend, I may have more. I want to make some candy and chicken a la king.

The chicken a la king will be later this week because I made these and now have to eat them all. They were ok. I added some sauce and they were great. For dinner tomorrow, I am going to top a couple with sauce and cheese and broil some. I think it will be much better. Maybe some crusty italian bread to go
http://www.foodmayhem.com/2009/08/stuffed-zucchini-boats.html

Ingredients


Filling:


Baked:

New recipe! One I can actually check off my list since it didn't come from the internet. Obviously I didn't use the green pepper or mushrooms, but it still turned out fantastic. I added some onion powder and parsley, too. I cooked it a little longer at the end to make it thicker and I didn't use a double boiler. I think if you are careful, you don't need to worry about it. You can just use a pot.

Recipe:
2 tbsp butter
1/3 green pepper
1/4 lb fresh mushrooms, sliced
1 1/3 c evaporated milk
1 1/3c chicken broth
2 c cold diced chicken

Melt butter in top of a double boiler over direct heat; add green pepper and mushrooms and simmer for 5 minutes, covered. Lift out pepper and mushrooms. Blend flour into the fat. Add the milk, broth and seasonings and cook with constant stirring, still over direct heat, until sauce boils and thickens. Add chicken, green pepper and mushrooms; place over boiling water, cover, and cook until chicken is heated through.

Serving Size: 5 servings (I made it into 4)

Ingredients:


Cooking Sauce:


Plated - it's fuzzy, but I don't know how to fix it. Maybe it will look better in a smaller view.

why no veggies?

I don't like mushrooms and green peppers I only like in small quantities. Palate of a child mostly :D

Remake of the Zucchini boats. MUCH better

Those look DELICIOUS!

Excellent presentation!

How I make Pizza.

https://picasaweb.google.com/108778223428619824513/HowToMakeAnAwesomePizza

Thanks guys!

BigV - that pizza.....It is epic!

I made yet another recipe ; Crumbed Turkey Breast Cutlets. Instead of using 4 ginormous pieces, I made it into 8 normal size pieces. Because of that I had just enough to coat all of them. I also had to add some more butter and oil to finish everything off. First the recipe, then the pictures:

4 turkey breast cutlets - 5oz each
3 tbsp flour
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 1/2 c fresh bread crumbs
5 tbsp finely grated parmesan
2 tbsp butter
3 tbsp sunflower oil
fresh parsley to garnish
lemon wedges to serve

Directions
1. Lay turkey steaks between two sheets of plastic wrap. Hit each one until flattened. Snip the edges of the steaks with scissors a few times to prevent curling
2. Place seasoned flour on one plate, the egg in a shallow bowl and the bread crumbs and parm mixed together on another plate
3. Dip each side of the steaks into the into the flour and shake off any extra. Next, dip them into the egg and gently press each side into the bread crumb mixture until evenly coated
4. Heat the butter and oil in a large frying pan and fry the steaks over a moderate heat for 2-3 minutes on each side until golden. Garnish with parsley and lemon wedges


Ingredients:


Cooked:


Dinner!

Bbro, that crumbed turkey breast looks great! I'm gonna try it one day. I have one question though. Why fry in both butter and oil? The recipe says place seasoned flour on one plate. What do you season it with? I see no seasonings in the ingredients list. Or do we just season the flour however we want? Okay, so I have more than a few questions. :p:

Lola Bunny;753490 wrote:

Bbro, that crumbed turkey breast looks great! I'm gonna try it one day. I have one question though. Why fry in both butter and oil? The recipe says place seasoned flour on one plate. What do you season it with? I see no seasonings in the ingredients list. Or do we just season the flour however we want? Okay, so I have more than a few questions. :p:

:D I guess the butter and oil together are so the butter don't burn. I think it made it too greasy though and if I make it again, I am going to try it with just olive oil.

It was whatever you wanted. I put in some pepper and thyme. I couldn't taste it over the parmesean cheese taste, though. I think they went a little over on that, too. In fact, I think that is the only thing I could taste! LOL. I am "remaking" it tonight into turkey parm with pasta and mozzarella on top.

Seasoned usually means salt and pepper. But is open for fancy interpretations

Bbro, with your zucchini boats, try teaming them with my Imam Bayildi recipe from the Recipe Thread. Page 7. Also ratatouille.

Urbane Guerrilla;754979 wrote:

Bbro, with your zucchini boats, try teaming them with my Imam Bayildi recipe from the Recipe Thread. Page 7. Also ratatouille.

NB

Don't worry, I haven't forgotten you! I just made this recipe tonight AND remembered to take pictures :D

I made a Vegetable Lo Mein....then added shrimp to it. I forgot the zucchini, but purposely left out the miso and water chestnuts. I don't like either :greenface:. I also used chicken broth instead of vegetable since that is what I had on hand.

Recipe:



Ingredients pic:


Finished dish:


I was really happy with this dish. It tasted so good. I am going to need to find some other veggies to go in it, but it is definitely a keeper. :yum:

Maybe not from a cookbook, but a new recipe that I made tonight. I got it from here: http://www.eatbetteramerica.com/recipes/healthified/healthified-chicken-pineapple-stir-fry.aspx

Actually the second recipe from them that I made. I liked both of them and it was a nice change, but nothing life changing that I would put in my own cookbook like the lasagna soup or even the soba lo mein above. Pics to follow shortly as soon as I get them in order

Ingredients:



Veggies:


Chicken - up close (I thought it looked cool :) )


Sauce (more coolness - lol)


Finished


Plated for eating!!

Looks yummy. Love the different colors and textures.
Gonna have to give that one a try.

It was really easy to do. I didn't have all of the veggies the recipe called for and I am kind of happy I didn't. I think it would've been too much. Well, for me anyways :) The snow peas were about 5 oz and a half of the red pepper. I also added extra chicken and onions.

Oh that looks nice bbro.

Thanks Griff!

Well, for today, I have a new recipe that I made up!! I wasn't sure if it should go in the recipe thread, the dinner thread or here. I figured here was the best :)

I made lasagna rolls!!

Noodles soaking in boiling water:


Veggie heavy sauce. Includes shredded carrots, 3 roma tomatoes, 1/2 red pepper and spinach in canned sauce. Obviously seasoning was added, too.


Cheese Filling
- 1.5 cup ricotta cheese
- approx 1 cup shredded mozzarella
- 1 egg white
- Seasonings


Before rolling up:


After rolling up in their own dishes. I put some sauce on the bottom so they wouldn't stick:


I had some leftover filling, but instead of waiting for more noddles to soften, I just cheesed all the servings again:


Then they got a BLANKET of veggie sauce:


Since I forgot it in the filling, I added some grated cheese on the top:


After baking for 25 mins in 350 degree oven:


I, unfortunately, don't know how it tastes because as I was cooking, my stomach started getting upset. I didn't think adding more acid to it would help.

Dunno how it tastes either, but it looks AWESOME!
Love the shape for freezing too.

I even have some lasagna noodles to work with and some homemade GRAVY from Sunday. I gotta get some ricotta though. This will be attempted.

ETA - just pulled the ground beef outta the freezer.

FWIW, I used Wolf's banana bread recipe - its still in the oven, but they smell
wonderful already. :)

classic - I risked it. It is really good. I probably would add a little more salt and garlic to the cheese filling, but not bad for winging it.

Now, I just need to find something to do with the leftover ricotta - lol

Really? Thats too easy -
Lemon-blueberry ricotta crepes Mmmmmm

those look delicious bbro, I would have one for breakfast. nom nom nom nom. I agree about the freezing part too. Way to go!

***

Separate question.

How do I get a creme brulee to have that hard candy top?

BigV;798441 wrote:

gV those look delicious bbro, I would have one for breakfast. nom nom nom nom. I agree about the freezing part too. Way to go!

Thanks! I don't think I will have to freeze these. I love anything with ricotta in it :D

Separate question.

How do I get a creme brulee to have that hard candy top?

I've only seen it done with a torch from pictures online. They have those special ones for the kitchen. I don't trust myself with open flame, however, so I have never made one.

CRAP! I was just out and drove past the supermarket without getting the ricotta.
Now I'll have to go out and make another trip in the rain.

BigV;798441 wrote:

... question.

How do I get a creme brulee to have that hard candy top?

If you have a ... um ... I think you guys call it a broiler? It is that part of the cooking apparatus in your kitchen in which you can expose the cooking yummehs to intense heat from above, then you can pre-heat the broiler to intense hotness and then slide the creme brulee dusted with brown sugar under the heat briefly until the sugar has melted. The key is to pre-heat the apparatus.

Ideally a kitchen blowtorch.
I bought the Evil Ex one. In the hope he would give himself horrific burns.

No, really.
This man used to perform ingorwing toenail sugery on himself with a pair of tweezers and a teaspoon.

bbro;798343 wrote:

I risked it. It is really good. I probably would add a little more salt and garlic to the cheese filling, but not bad for winging it.

I added some extra salt and of course garlic. I also threw in some cooked ground beef just for fun. They're in the oven now. Thanks again :)

No problem classic - let me know what you think!

Holy freaking mother of spaghetti ....
They were outstanding.
we each ate 2 and then we split the last one - - - to uh not have to wrap it. [SIZE="1"]cough cough[/SIZE]

LOL - good news! Yea, wrapping would never work. You made the right decision :yesnod: for the sake of the lasagnas of course....

Tonight was a disappointing recipe that has lots of potential - beef and onions from Meta Givens Volume 2. The only thing that was wrong was the sauce - or what they tried to pass off as one. They should have deglazed the pan with red wine or balsamic vinaigrette and it would have been out of this world! Even just making a normal gravy would have been better.

I was able to make it into something that wasn't completely horrible. I am glad that there are only 4 servings, though. I do have pictures, so if you want to see them, let me know and I will post them. There will be at least one other recipe this week.

*if* we want to see them? wth?

Yes, please bbro, post your pictures.

better? :)

BigV;798441 wrote:

those look delicious bbro, I would have one for breakfast. nom nom nom nom. I agree about the freezing part too. Way to go!

***

Separate question.

How do I get a creme brulee to have that hard candy top?

several folks responded, thanks.

I prepared the last of three of these this morning and it worked out great.

They were prepackaged in little plastic clamshells, but came with the custard in a wide shallow ramekin and a plastic envelope the size of a teabag filled with syrup the color of tea to be poured on the top. I blazed this syrup mercilessly with my torch and all I got was boiled syrup. I thought perhaps I was getting creme caramel instead of creme brulee. For the third one I took a spoonful of granulated white sugar and sprinkled it over the top of the syrup (which I poured onto the custard first). Then I burned/carmelized the sugar. It, too, melted, but then after letting it rest it hardened into the candy top I was hoping for. It worked great. I'll be making these again.

lol - sure BigV, how silly of me :D

Recipe:



Ingredients (the flour included sugar which was just not good - the onions would have been enough):


Beef cooking:


Onions In


Pretty color on the beef:


Almost done:


With the sauce I doctored up:


Plated

I have a kitchen blow torch. I just sprinkle sugar over my pre chilled custards then blast it for a minute or two with the blow torch. Works a treat.

bbro, that beef and onion recipe looks really yummy from here.

Thanks Aliantha.

Here's some more pictures of food I found. You know, in case you aren't getting enough:

Sugar cookies from v-day:


Lasagna soup (if this is on the dinner thread, my apologies):


My first bundt cake - it was supposed to be marble - guess I mixed too much :)

Damn, baking like a pro. Good job. :thumb:

Thanks Bruce! I can't wait to make another one :)

From here:
http://www.kevinandamanda.com/recipes/dinner/spicy-sausage-pasta.html

Ingredients (Forgot the cheese):


Sausage and onions cooking


Adding all the ingredients for a boil


Boiled and first round of cheese added


Ready for baking:


All baked


My dinner!


Changes (cause you know I always do) Deviating from the original recipe, I used half and half instead of heavy cream. Only 6 ounces of pasta and 14 ounces of sausage. About a cup of onions instead of 1.5 cup. I put the servings into individual ramekins instead of the whole skillet. I also made 6 servings instead of 4. I would definitely add less pepper next time. While it was good, the spice kinf of overwhelmed everything

Looks delicious. I like the way you put them into ramekins. :)

Very nice.
I do a similar thing with ham and mac & cheese.
I'll try adding the onions next time. I hadn't thought of that.

That does look trooly yummy! I'll have to give it a go sometime!

Thanks! I will probably have more next weekend definitely. I am making 2 new appetizer recipes and a new cake recipe :D

Everything looks great, you've got a hell of a portfolio now. :D

Blimey, that steak & onions.
I'd trash that - nommie!

Working on a post for you all!! There's gonna be 5(?) new things today. Only one that I have made before. I am waiting for the butter to soften for the last one before I post them.

A friend of mine is having a cookout this weekend and I offered to make some appetizers for her

First up we have the tried and true recipe for a veggie dip. Trust me, it doesn't taste low fat even though the ingredients are. The secret is to not use fat free - it changes the consistency of the products. This one is ALWAYS a huge hit

Ingredients
[ATTACH]38629[/ATTACH]

Finished product with all of the cut veggies ready to go.
[ATTACH]38630[/ATTACH]

Next, is a new recipe found online. Spicy Mango Salsa

Ingredients
[ATTACH]38631[/ATTACH]

Finished product. Obviously I used more mango than was in the original recipe. The recipe was only to serve 4 as a garnish and I didn't realize that. I added 4 mangoes to make this amount. I haven't tasted it yet, but I am hoping it is good.
[ATTACH]38632[/ATTACH]

Another new online recipe - Marinated Mozzarella Balls

Ingredients
[ATTACH]38635[/ATTACH]

Finished product. I am debating adding grape tomatoes and chopped garlic and make it kind of like a caprese salad type thing
[ATTACH]38634[/ATTACH]

CAAAAAKE!

Yes, I believe this does deserve it's own post. This, my friends. Is my very first Red Velvet cake in bundt form. I made cream cheese frosting to go with it (next post), even though I think glazes are better with bundt cakes. First time frosting a cake, too. It doesn't look very good, but I tell you what, that frosting is the BOMB! If the cakes is even half as good this is going to be a huge hit. I didn't use all of the icing though. I think it would have been WAY too much. If it would've looked anything like the ones in the book, I would have been mortified. The only question now, is how do I transport it an hour away? :/

This
[ATTACH]38636[/ATTACH]

Plus This
[ATTACH]38637[/ATTACH]

Equals This
[ATTACH]38638[/ATTACH]

Combine these
[ATTACH]38640[/ATTACH]

And you get this
[ATTACH]38641[/ATTACH]

Add to the cake and you get a giant marshmallowy looking thing
[ATTACH]38643[/ATTACH]

Busy, busy day :)

You could a cake holder. That should transport and hold the cake quite nicely for an hour. Just don't swing and bounce it wildly. :D

Wow - good job!

The cream cheese icing is the same I put on carrot cake.
The staffroom go crazy for it.

They're never once commented on my gorgeous ganaches, which are still easy but twice as expensive...

I've been tempted by a Red Velvet Cake but they are not known in this country and I'm not sure how they would be received.

Lola - I just covered it with foil and put it on the front seat - that worked pretty well. I don't have a cake holder - I should probably get one, though. I just touched it up with the leftover icing when I got to the destination.

Sundae - once it was cut, it seems like it went flying. Half gone in no time! I might be making another with just a glaze to use up the buttermilk, but I haven't decided yet. I don't ever use buttermilk.

An update - though, all items were a hit. :D Although, it seems like me providing all those veggie types was pointless. People mostly only ate carrots and celery.

You can use buttermilk in cornbread...?

Glad it went so well.
Grace will come to you for putting in the effort, even if they preferred rabbit food :)

I don't like cornbread, but I did find an oven fried chicken recipe that uses it and a mashed cauliflower recipe. These are on the menu for Tuesday. Today's dinners will be supplied by Trader Joe's and my freezer - lol

Oven-fried chicken sounds yum, please document.
Anything with cauliflower is grim and you can bury it quietly.

Actually maybe that should be my Frog Prince challenge.
If I ever meet a man who can cook cauli in a way I enjoy, I will marry him and give him a BJ every Saturday night.

Not that I'm beating them off with a stick without a challenge...

A friend of Baby's turned me onto this. Great on a hot day/evening.

Kool-Aid Pie

2 pkgs Kool-Aid drink mix (any flavor, I used Black Cherry)
1 - 14oz can of sweetened, condensed milk
1 - 8oz bowl of Cool Whip
1 Graham cracker pie crust

Whip everything til it's nice and whipped (except the pie crust, pie crusts do not respond well to whipping. A stern talking to is usually all that's needed.). Put it in the pie crust. Make it cold. Eat it, or alternatively, rub it all over your significant other, and then eat it.

[COLOR="Red"]
***WARNING***[/COLOR]

Do not put Kool-Aid Pie on top of your head. Your tongue may well beat your brains out trying to get to it.


ETA: Here's the one I'm makin' cold RFN.

[ATTACH]38656[/ATTACH]

NOTE: That is not an ant or fly in my pie, it's a blueberry peekin' through.:yum:

I love the color.

We made a version with frozen condensed lemonade. I've never had crack, but I imagine it's like that, the way it got scarfed down at the party we attended.

What is cool whip?

don't worry. I looked it up.

Heheh...ok, so, whatcha call it downunda?

Gravdigr - looks pretty, but never been a fan of coolwhip - much to my mother's disappointment.

Sundae - I love cauliflower! I am kind of iffy about the mashed cauliflower thing, but I am gonna give it a try - half a recipe is good for experimenting.

I don't know Grav. If it's the same thing, I think it's called dairy whip, but it doesn't really last long. You have to spray it on just before you present food served with it or it kind of deflates after an hour or so. I don't usually use that sort of stuff much although occasionally the boys want it for hot chocolates in winter.

I've never seen Cool Whip in can form at the supermarket in my area before. Apparently, there is one because I found a picture of it while during an image search.

Here we go - two new ones for tonight. Ingredients and finished products first.

Creamy Mashed Cauliflower
[ATTACH]38680[/ATTACH]

Finished - yes, it is supposed to be purple :)
[ATTACH]38681[/ATTACH]

Oven Fried Chicken - http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes/oven_fried_chicken.html_0
[ATTACH]38679[/ATTACH]

Chicken Done
[ATTACH]38675[/ATTACH]

Final Dinner tonight
[ATTACH]38682[/ATTACH]

For the cauliflower, I added purple cauliflower to make it more fun. BUT, it was a huge flop. At first it was ok, but the more I ate it, the more it got gross. I tried more butter, more salt, mixing it with the corn, but nothing made it good. I was actually disappointed, too, even though it was what I expected. That first taste just raised my expectations so high. What a waste of perfectly good cauliflower :(

The chicken on the other hand, was GREAT. The only problem I had was that I was trying to do a half a recipe, but my chicken breasts were huge. I still used half the breading, but next time, I will use all of it. I may try to do some chicken finders instead of breasts. I only baked it for 20 minutes and it was perfect. I even took a bite and juice just squirted out! I would do without the sesame seeds, but that is just because I am not the biggest fan of them. I also had a problem with the chicken sticking, but I think that can be solved next time by putting some oil on the bottom of the chicken. I will try that next time. I actually already doubled the oil for the top.

I don't think you get an equivalent of cool whip in the UK, it may be the same in Aus -I had certainly never tasted anything that sickly-disgusting in my life before......

/firsttimefoodsnob

I wonder if Ali is thinking of squirty cream? Anchor makes it here.

The stuff we get here tastes more or less the same as cream because it mostly is cream which has simply been aerated. Must be different by the looks of things. I'm guessing cool whip is kind of like what we call 'mock cream' but Mum used to make that at home herself. It's really just whipped butter with icing sugar and a bit of water beaten in. Not much icing sugar though, because it's meant to taste like cream, not frosting.

Here it is www.coolwhip.com

Tonight at bible study we had for desert, jello they called it.
Jello Yankee style
1 large tub Cool Whip
1 pound small curd cottage cheese
1 14 ounce can manderan oranges
In large bowl mix together, chill and serve. YUM YUM!!!

Coolwhip is mostly water, oil, and corn syrup. It's not remotely healthy.

WATER, HYDROGENATED VEGETABLE OIL (COCONUT AND PALM KERNEL OILS), HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP, CORN SYRUP, SKIM MILK, LIGHT CREAM, CONTAINS LESS THAN 2% OF SODIUM CASEINATE, NATURAL AND ARTIFICIAL FLAVOR, XANTHAN AND GUAR GUMS, POLYSORBATE 60, SORBITAN MONOSTEARATE, BETA CAROTENE (COLOR). CONTAINS: MILK.

It's pretty gross by itself, but used in recipes, it's surprisingly delicious.

fargon;810864 wrote:

Here it is www.coolwhip.com

Tonight at bible study we had for desert, jello they called it.
Jello Yankee style
1 large tub Cool Whip
1 pound small curd cottage cheese
1 14 ounce can manderan oranges
In large bowl mix together, chill and serve. YUM YUM!!!

BZZZZZZT.
What is gluttony?

doo doo doo doo

BZZZZZT.

What is disgusting?

:lol:

glatt;810893 wrote:

It's not remotely healthy.

Which is why it's used in stuff that tastes good.

Despite having close to (or over, I never counted them) 100 cookbooks, what do I do? I defrost chicken, slather it with Kraft Catalina dressing (the Italian was so expired it scared me) and throw it in the oven.

Chicken tonight, people.

monster;811023 wrote:

BZZZZZZT.
What is gluttony?

I hope some body ate that stuff and did let all that food go to waste.

nannerbread!

Mrs G was supposed to have year 6 PE outside today.
It was smacking it down with rain (which is when the rain bounces off already sodden ground with a sound like an 11 year old being smacked).

They made banana buns instead, because we had a surfeit of said fruit from last week.
Key Stage One children have free fruit as part of a Govt initiative - sometimes they back up though, hence me as a 'nana hater making 'nana recipes - carrot cakes also.
Imagine a classful of bears making cakes. Tcha. I love working with 6 year olds!

The buns almost upstaged my cheese scones.
But the truth is they were grim because they had bananas in them.




Oh okay - they were grim because staff see what the childer do with their hands.
Any comestible that has been near a child is suspect to a teacher or TA.
I didn't tell them that the rubbing in method used for making scones (ie hard fat and flour) is a great way to clean your nails...










That is also a joke. It's true. But I do wash my hands before making cakes. And after touching my nose, or Diz, or my hair, or eating, drinking etc etc. I just gob in it after.

Good looking bread, wolf! Never did get into bananas much, though.

From here: http://www.preventionrd.com/2012/05/money-matters-baked-quinoa-and-chicken-parmesan/

Ingredients (missing chicken and oil):
[ATTACH]38853[/ATTACH]

Sauce:
[ATTACH]38851[/ATTACH]

Quinoa:
[ATTACH]38852[/ATTACH]

Done:
[ATTACH]38850[/ATTACH]

Thoughts - I didn't cook the chicken as suggested in the recipe, but grilled it in my panini press. As you can see, I didn't have fresh onions or garlic or seasonings. I think the fresh veggies would make a huge difference. It was still good. I just am not sure about using quinoa as a pasta replacement. I do like it as a normal side so I am excited to experiment with it. I also broke it out into single servings to make it easier for portions. If I do make it again, I would use pasta, mix the parm in, leave out the breadcrumbs and put all the cheese on tom instead of trying to split it in the middle and on top.

Thanks! I love your single serving idea. :) What about the quinoa that you didn't like?

The texture when buried in sauce, I think. It is hard to pinpoint. I think even rice would fare better. It felt weird to chew it - like I was trying to chew the sauce

Ahhhh....I just may not try the quinoa then. :p:

I think Quinoa is a lot like barley in soups. Maybe put a little less in next time? That might improve it. :)

I don't like barely either - lol. I am excited to try it with some parm, olive oil and garlic. I think that would be good.

lola - I tried it at the whole foods hot bar first. It wasn't bad then which is why I think it would be good as a side.

I actually used a cookbook for this next recipe - can you believe it?? This is from my Whole Foods Cookbook. Not too many pictures because it was just chicken salad. I only made half the recipe and still ended up with a decent amount. I actually got 4 nice portions out of it instead of the 3 I was expecting from the half portion.

Here you go
Sauce ingredients:
[ATTACH]38892[/ATTACH]

Rest (without the celery - forgot it in the pic):
[ATTACH]38891[/ATTACH]

All mixed together - so pretty
[ATTACH]38894[/ATTACH]

Far view to show how much it made:
[ATTACH]38893[/ATTACH]

I tried some of it - because, well, you have to - but I haven't actually eaten it as a meal though. I plan on it for lunch tomorrow. I am going to serve it on a piece of toast with watermelon. I can't wait.

That looks delicious. :yum:

Thanks Bruce! I will let you know about 1:30-2pm how it tastes for real :) The close up picture is a little fuzzy, but overall, I think I am getting better, so that helps portray the yumminess.

Forgot to post!! The chicken salad was really good. Obviously got old after a while. Sometimes being single and living alone really sucks - lol

I actually started a blog to put all this stuff too. I just posted another recipe over there and there is another one that I forgot to put up here.

If anyone is interested: http://nonamecooking.wordpress.com/

you eat dice?

My buddy up the road made pulled pork but got tired of it after 4 meals in two days. He doesn't like stuff that's been frozen so I made out like a bandit. :D

Bruce - that is usually how it works. My friend usually makes out pretty good. I have a feeling he is going to be getting some food next week with what I am planning on making.

V - huh?

Just funnin witcha. The celery seeds/poppy seeds look like pips on little cubes of "diced" chicken.

wow......I am really just missing all kinds of things lately - lol. I might be making it again soon.....well, maybe half recipe

BigV;816208 wrote:

Just funnin witcha. The celery seeds/poppy seeds look like pips on little cubes of "diced" chicken.

I just saw this and went back a page to look, and you're right! I snorted out loud.

i can't get enough of this recipe:

Charo Pinto Bean Recipe

water
1/2 pound pinto beans
onion diced
3slices bacon chopped
1 can rotel tomatos wt chilies
2 table spoons Jimmy's Pinto Bean Seasoning or to taste
table spoon liquid smoke
1jalapeno diced wt seeds membrain removed
1 jalapeno whole
pepper to taste
1/4 cup soy sauce
table spoon minced garlic

Cook bacon, and onion together, till bacon is cooked good. Add pinto beans that have been soaking in water. Cover all with water. Add diced jalapeno, whole jalapeno, can of rotel tomato with chiles, pinto bean seasoning, liquid smoke, minced garlic and pepper to taste.. Simmer adding water when needed till beans are tender.

That sounds delicious! Is the Jimmy's Pinto Bean Seasoning mostly cumin? I can't get it here but can substitute cumin, coriander, etc. And what are rotel tomatoes? Will something like Hunt's Fire-Roasted tomatoes do?

orthodoc;818051 wrote:

That sounds delicious! Is the Jimmy's Pinto Bean Seasoning mostly cumin? I can't get it here but can substitute cumin, coriander, etc. And what are rotel tomatoes? Will something like Hunt's Fire-Roasted tomatoes do?

it's a seasoning from here. a friend works for that company. i ordered every type of spice they had available. the ingredients on them are vague. it's a more that half century old recipe so i guess they want to keep some of it a secret. no, not cumin. i'll go look again but it's a blend of a bunch of spices.

rotel is a brand of canned tomato. not sure about using hunts. but whatever you use, it must have chili's in it.

contains salt, sugar, chili pepper, paprika, onion, garlic and other spices

They sound good - do you know by any chance if the ingredient list includes MSG or 'natural flavoring'? I'm allergic to that stuff unfortunately. :(

I'll give the Pinto Bean Seasoning a try anyway. And tomatoes with chilis, can do.

Oops, posts crossed in the ether ... okay, I'll definitely give it a try. 'Other spices' will hopefully mean actual spices, not MSG.

orthodoc;818065 wrote:

Oops, posts crossed in the ether ... okay, I'll definitely give it a try. 'Other spices' will hopefully mean actual spices, not MSG.

whoa! no, most of their stuff does contain MSG. however it is clearly marked on the spices that do contain it.....the pinto bean seasoning does not say it. i can find out though

Thanks ... hopefully, if they mark it on their other blends, it won't be in the Pinto Bean Seasoning. Stupid allergies.

i'm talking to my contact now via fb....she thinks it does have it

... sigh ... :sniff:

I'll duplicate the other ingredients, anyway - it may take a try or two to tweak the seasonings. But that's okay. Sometimes you end up with an interesting take on the original that way ...

this is true. rather that use white sugar, try brown sugar. i'll have to experiment but this is what i'd start out with:

tbsp chili powder
tbsp sugar
tsp paprika
cumin sounds like a good idea but go easy
salt of course
i'd use fresh smashed garlic if going this route
fresh onion too

All right! That I can do. Thanks! I'll give it a try this week.

second thought, better make it 2 maybe almost 3 tbsp of chili

Good enough ... will let you know how it turns out

orthodoc;818072 wrote:

... sigh ... :sniff:

I'll duplicate the other ingredients, anyway - it may take a try or two to tweak the seasonings. But that's okay. Sometimes you end up with an interesting take on the original that way ...

That's how you develop YOUR secret recipe... and make million$. :D

With any luck ... I wish!

Of course I'd give all the credit to the Cellar ... :lol:

Baking bread today using the method that NY bakery owner Jim Lahey came up with that uses less yeast, almost no kneading and required the loaf to be cooked in a large cast iron pot with a lid. It produces a big airy artisanal loaf. Here is the recipe from the NY Times article on him, I use a mix white and whole wheat flower, 2c and 1 cup respectively.

No-Knead Bread

Published: November 8, 2006

Adapted from Jim Lahey, Sullivan Street Bakery
Time: About 1½ hours plus 14 to 20 hours’ rising
Related


3 cups all-purpose or bread flour, more for dusting
¼ teaspoon instant yeast
1¼ teaspoons salt
1 5/8 cups water
Cornmeal or wheat bran as needed.

1. In a large bowl combine flour, yeast and salt. Add 1 5/8 cups water, and stir until blended; dough will be shaggy and sticky. Cover bowl with plastic wrap. Let dough rest at least 12 hours, preferably about 18, at warm room temperature, about 70 degrees.

2. Dough is ready when its surface is dotted with bubbles. Lightly flour a work surface and place dough on it; sprinkle it with a little more flour and fold it over on itself once or twice. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rest about 15 minutes.

3. Using just enough flour to keep dough from sticking to work surface or to your fingers, gently and quickly shape dough into a ball. Generously coat a cotton towel (not terry cloth) with flour, wheat bran or cornmeal; put dough seam side down on towel and dust with more flour, bran or cornmeal. Cover with another cotton towel and let rise for about 2 hours. When it is ready, dough will be more than double in size and will not readily spring back when poked with a finger.

4. At least a half-hour before dough is ready, heat oven to 450 degrees. Put a 6- to 8-quart heavy covered pot (cast iron, enamel, Pyrex or ceramic) in oven as it heats. When dough is ready, carefully remove pot from oven. Slide your hand under towel and turn dough over into pot, seam side up; it may look like a mess, but that is O.K. Shake pan once or twice if dough is unevenly distributed; it will straighten out as it bakes. Cover with lid and bake 30 minutes, then remove lid and bake another 15 to 30 minutes, until loaf is beautifully browned. Cool on a rack.

Yield: One 1½-pound loaf.

Marcella Hazan's three ingredient Epic Tomato Sauce:

1 (28) oz can San Marzano tomatoes
5 tbsp. unsalted butter
1 medium yellow onion, peeled and cut in half.

Throw everything in a saucepan, medium heat. Crush up the 'maters as they cook.
bring down to steady simmer about 45 min.
throw that damn onion OUT.

Voila.