Topic: A Cooking Thread? (Read 467682 times)

doombilly · « **Reply #1400 on:** 02 Jul 2012, 20:00 »

Double Plus Good.

Barmymoo · « **Reply #1401 on:** 03 Jul 2012, 01:45 »

I don't even eat chicken and that looks amazing.

Lines · « **Reply #1402 on:** 03 Jul 2012, 05:02 »

Quote from: Papersatan on 02 Jul 2012, 17:06

"Double up food bucks" program which give you double food stamps when you use them at farmer's markets to buy local produce

This is pretty cool! Also that looks delicious.

LTK · « **Reply #1403 on:** 03 Jul 2012, 08:06 »

How do you make pickles? I knew it's the same thing as cucumbers but I have no idea how you get from one to the other.

Papersatan · « **Reply #1404 on:** 03 Jul 2012, 09:08 »

There are a few things you can do to do to cucumbers that get them called pickles.

I make dill pickles and the process is:

Wash and cut cucumbers
Soak them in salt water for 12 hours (photo one)
Make a brine of vinegar, salt and spices
Add dill, garlic and mustard seed to the jars
Add cucumbers and brine to fill
Boil the jars to seal them
Wait (second photo)

Papersatan · « **Reply #1405 on:** 03 Jul 2012, 14:15 »

Today was less hot, but you wouldn't know it from my kitchen.

Bagels!
This was my first time making them and man did the kneading give me a workout. It is high gluten dough and it needs 10 solid minutes of kneading. I was dripping sweat by the end. Also I am not very good at making them shaped like bagels.

A boiling

Ready to bake

All done!

Dinner pics coming later....

Papersatan · « **Reply #1406 on:** 03 Jul 2012, 15:13 »

Dinner!

Swai with lemon and dill, purslane with garlic and gruyere cheese and rice.

Turns out Steve likes purslane which is awesome because he is not fond of most vegetables.

Redball · « **Reply #1407 on:** 03 Jul 2012, 16:53 »

Where do you get the swai? And the purslane? The wikipedia entry for purslane makes it look quite nutritious, and interesting that it has a different taste depending on what part of the day it's harvested.

Omega Entity · « **Reply #1408 on:** 03 Jul 2012, 17:16 »

Quote from: LTK on 03 Jul 2012, 08:06

How do you make pickles? I knew it's the same thing as cucumbers but I have no idea how you get from one to the other.

You can pickle just about anything! Last year we made carrot sweet pickles, and some awesome summer squash sweet pickles - the summer squash ones were my favorite out of the bunch.

Papersatan · « **Reply #1409 on:** 03 Jul 2012, 17:51 »

I got the swai at Kroger. The best thing about Swai is it is cheap. That filet was a dollar.

The puslane I got at Eastern Market, though the market in Ypsi has it too. I had never seen it for sale in New York, but I used to eat it out of the yard when I was little since it grows as a weed. I always ate young purslane as a salad green, these last two meals are my first experience cooking it and I think I will be buying it all summer.

Redball · « **Reply #1410 on:** 03 Jul 2012, 18:08 »

Don't know where I'd find purslane in Hillsdale County unless I learn to recognize it in the wild. My wife taught me to like catfish, but we never fixed it at home. For that price, I should check Kroger. My favorite fish are tilapia in pork shake'n'bake on a griddle and salmon on a gas grill with honey mustard.

Papersatan · « **Reply #1411 on:** 03 Jul 2012, 18:18 »

Swai is mild like talapia but, um, meatier maybe? It would take well to shake-n-bake.

If you have a garden you most likely have purslane in it.

It looks like that growing, it creeps along the ground but only has one central stem, so it is easy to pull up. Reddish stems with dark green leaves.

Also, I think I want to make empanadas. Does anyone have a good recipe? Right now I am just poking about online but if someone has one that is tested that would be awesome. I am thinking of a beef and onion filling or maybe chicken.

doombilly · « **Reply #1412 on:** 03 Jul 2012, 18:53 »

Wow, I've grown/sold portulaca (purslane) as an ornamental. There are varieties that have the brightest little flowers. Yeah, you can get Swai at Wal-Mart in NC. I had no idea what purslane was. Neat.

Redball · « **Reply #1413 on:** 03 Jul 2012, 18:54 »

I think I used to pull it out of my tiny lawn in Ferndale before I retired. It may be what's growing between my pavers out here.

doombilly · « **Reply #1414 on:** 04 Jul 2012, 09:05 »

Hot fruity paste condiment, marinade, grilling rub... going into production this Fall.
GUAVA LAVA http://on.fb.me/0WwH0t
It is actually pretty good in a PBJ as the J too.

doombilly · « **Reply #1415 on:** 05 Jul 2012, 18:00 »

Double Farty Pail Post.
Bul.go.gi!

-

lepetitfromage · « **Reply #1416 on:** 05 Jul 2012, 18:51 »

Mmmm, that looks awesome! I have been super lazy about cooking anything that isn't boring. probably because my kitchen is ridiculously hot and i don't like the idea of sweating in my food. (eww. sorry.)

Although- I did make french toast tonight. About as adventurous as I got lately. Used almond extract instead of vanilla. Mmmmmmm. With some turkey bacon on the side. Admittedly, not as tasty as full guilt bacon, but I'm trying to behave a little.

I found a recipe for french toast crusted in almonds and that sounded equally amazing, but my almonds were not of the solid variety.

Papersatan · « **Reply #1417 on:** 08 Jul 2012, 14:39 »

After a week of temperatures so hot I didn't want to cook anything, the heat finally broke. We celebrated by making blueberry jam.

Smash

Measure

Cook

Jar

pwhodges · « **Reply #1418 on:** 08 Jul 2012, 14:41 »

I don't think I've ever seen a knife block with so many knives in.

Papersatan · « **Reply #1419 on:** 08 Jul 2012, 15:13 »

There's a knife for that...

They knife block and the knives were a gift from my father for our wedding. It was a really thoughtful gift. He knew I like to cook, but didn't have any good knives. He researched online and read reviews for each type of knife and bought the best of each kind that he could afford. I have some really nice knives. (a Henckels, a few wusthof, an F. Dick, two Shun...)

I have 8 steak knives, 4 paring knives (two ceramic and two steel), three chef knifes, two carving knives, a boning knife a bread knife, a "sandwich" knife, a cleaver, kitchen shears and a sharpening steel. I love them so much, but sometimes I think I should go take a knife skills class, because such nice knives are a little wasted on me.

doombilly · « **Reply #1420 on:** 08 Jul 2012, 15:31 »

Quote from: Papersatan on 08 Jul 2012, 15:13

There's a knife for that...
I love them so much, but sometimes I think I should go take a knife skills class, because such nice knives are a little wasted on me.

Me too. When it comes down to it, my $7 cleaver is my favorite implement. Mostly I use it as a garlic pulverizer.
So, sing it w/ me...I'm cookin' chicken tonight...
ahem.
I have a pack of thighs (w/ skin + bones) marinading in coconut milk, my special habanero paste, some sesame oil, aand a little rice vinegar. Theyve been in that for 6 hours or so. The grill is fired up. I was just going to start them on the grill and bake to finish. But it is so 3@$^2q hot that (no a/c) I think I'll just complete on the grill. Side dish will be couscous cooked in the marinade with the addition of some dried seaweed I'm soaking. This was a cute little package of stuff but I've soaked too much as it has super-swelled up. I'll retain some and use it for something else. Oh and I have some leftover green beans I need to eat or pitch. I'll take a pic of it isn't totally gross.

lepetitfromage · « **Reply #1421 on:** 09 Jul 2012, 06:45 »

Last night was a giant mish mash of stuff I had lying around and it was actually REALLY tasty!

I had a few boxes of the Betty Crocker Suddenly Pasta Salad- chipotle ranch flavor. I really wasn't in the mood to put in much effort but I wanted something hearty. Took 2 boxes of pasta salad mix, a can of kidney beans, a cup of chopped tomato, about a pound of steak strips, some chili powder, a packet of Sazon and a few dashes of Tabasco and mixed it all together. Topped it with some shredded cheddar and some crispy onions, served it with some steamed corn on the cob.

It was not pretty, but it tasted damn good. I don't even want to think about how unhealthy it was, but it was about time for a treat.

doombilly · « **Reply #1422 on:** 09 Jul 2012, 08:16 »

ok, the chicken was surprisingly bland.

lepetitfromage · « **Reply #1423 on:** 09 Jul 2012, 08:21 »

That sucks

I was hoping you'd have good news to report back. I love coconut, was thinking of trying it in part of a marinade myself. What do you think you'd do differently next time?

doombilly · « **Reply #1424 on:** 09 Jul 2012, 12:15 »

Oh, I think I should put the lime in the coconut...

And a bigger dollop of my habanero death ray paste. And crikey, I'm usually too light with the salt. This was definitely the case.

Omega Entity · « **Reply #1425 on:** 09 Jul 2012, 12:19 »

Goofing off with some frozen chicken breast tenders and homemade pseudo-catalina drassing. I say pseudo because I just kind of guesstimated on the amounts, and although it tasted suspiciously related to the dressing, it's kind of different, and I hope it works well because the chicken is currently baking in it

dr. nervioso · « **Reply #1426 on:** 09 Jul 2012, 12:24 »

So anyone else here ever used foreman grills (or any other kinds)? I hate cooking meet on them. They are pretty decent at heating up sandwiches or quesadillas though

Redball · « **Reply #1427 on:** 09 Jul 2012, 12:39 »

I use one purely for convenience, not flavor. I have a gas grill just outside a door .... and as I think about it, I should use it for some of the things I put on the foreman. One of my favorites on the foreman is a couple of links of mild Italian sausage, slit on opposite sides, placed on the grill and pushing down hard to flatten them. When browned, I put them in toasted wheat pita pockets, with raw onion and honey mustard.
Damn! Maybe I've already described this. Oh well....

dr. nervioso · « **Reply #1428 on:** 09 Jul 2012, 14:58 »

I can see it with hotdogs and sausages, but with steak, I just can't eat it at all. Why have something as good as steak and waste it with a george foreman? I would rather use it for chicken. Still not as good as anything else, but I don't feel cheated.

Papersatan · « **Reply #1429 on:** 09 Jul 2012, 15:24 »

I am not sure how cooking a steak on a George Foreman is wasting it. It cooks with a high, dry heat right? like a grill or a cast iron skillet? how else would you cook one and how is the George Foreman different really?

I know that a lot of college students used them to make burgers and grilled cheese in dorms because they don't have an exposed element and so were up to the fire code. I don't know if this is still true though. I imagine they have banned them by now.

Also:
Stephen made pizza, as he frequently does.

Before

After

mmmm, so good.

Barmymoo · « **Reply #1430 on:** 09 Jul 2012, 16:08 »

George Foreman grills are the only (absolutely only - not even a microwave) cooking appliance provided at several of the colleges here.

lepetitfromage · « **Reply #1431 on:** 09 Jul 2012, 16:08 »

Quote from: dr. nervioso on 09 Jul 2012, 12:24

So anyone else here ever used foreman grills (or any other kinds)? I hate cooking meet on them. They are pretty decent at heating up sandwiches or quesadillas though

I love making burgers and dogs on my foreman but the stupid thing is such a pain in the ass to clean. If there was a way to clean it without it taking forever, I'd probably use it more often.

I've never made steak on it before. I usually cook steaks up nice and slow so they're fall-apart tender and I just don't see that happening on a foreman lol. Although- sometimes I like to fry up strips in a skillet, it might be good for that. Or for cooking up those paper thin strips for steak sandwiches?

And yes, Kat- high and dry. And on an angle so the fats drip out and away. I wasn't allowed one in my dorm.

pwhodges · « **Reply #1432 on:** 09 Jul 2012, 16:23 »

My similar but cheaper grill is not sloped, but the fat still drains out. The plates which press against the food unclip trivially easily, and are easy to clean, or even simply put in the dishwasher. It does fish nicely, and browns chicken OK - I often use it for chicken sate, for instance. But it is simply not hot enough to do steak rare - with a burnt outside but not fully cooked inside.

doombilly · « **Reply #1433 on:** 09 Jul 2012, 16:41 »

I have one like PWHodges. But the dishwasher seems to take the teflon off. I'm on my second and would not replace for this reason. I did like throwing frozen chicken breasts on it and having something good when too drunk to make more involved food.

dr. nervioso · « **Reply #1434 on:** 09 Jul 2012, 16:45 »

I am not sure why exactly I don't like the foreman grill for steak. I always have my steak medium, maybe medium rare. But what I get off a grill on good days is barely comparable to getting it off of a foreman grill. It really is the texture I hate the most. The taste isn't great eiter, but the texture is completely ruined.

Or it could be something else entirely. Maybe I don't like steak unless it is cooked directly using fossil fuels like gas or coal. Though I think I can see why others are okay with steaks on foreman grills, I am just very picky with how steaks are cooked. However, when it comes down to what kind of steak I am eating it really doesn't matter. I know basic differences Steaks with bones in them I know, and I know some other cuts.

Redball · « **Reply #1435 on:** 09 Jul 2012, 16:46 »

The Italian sausage is the best use for my foreman. Chicken breasts follow. Pork chops are so-so and beef isn't worth the bother. As to cleaning: After the grill is unplugged, I put a doubled paper towel on the lower element, either soaking it first or pouring water on the paper once it's in place. I let it soak while it cools, then take another paper towel wadded up and wipe off top and bottom elements. It almost always cleans up easily and quickly. The soaking, of course, would make it even easier to clean the elements in the sink, but I don't usually think to do that.

lepetitfromage · « **Reply #1436 on:** 10 Jul 2012, 09:36 »

I do something similar, but it feels like I use so many more paper towels! I wish mine could come apart but I think because I have a smaller version, they don't detach. (yet another reason that what I cook is limited- size constraints) My issue is with all the little nooks and crannies that the grease gets trapped in. I waste so much time cleaning those.

Redball · « **Reply #1437 on:** 10 Jul 2012, 09:55 »

If it's wet, the drippings clean up easily with a paper towel. Thinking about this conversation, last night I detached the upper and lower plates, put them in the sink and cleaned them with one of those plastic cleaning pads with the reservoir of detergent behind it, then stood them up in the sink to drip dry.

Papersatan · « **Reply #1438 on:** 10 Jul 2012, 18:56 »

Pretzel bread stuffed with ham and cheese and broccoli...

It wasn't as amazing as I hoped. It was still good, but I might poke around for another pretzel recipe.

doombilly · « **Reply #1439 on:** 22 Jul 2012, 07:28 »

Dang that looks good Papersatan.

I fried up 6 strips of fatback this morning. With a diced onion, black/red pepper. Then I browned 4 chicken thighs in that cast iron skillet after removing the fb and onion. The pork fat/onion went in the crock with a lb of white beans I soaked overnight. As the chicken browned I added some saffron, cumin, a little salt and pepper. Then I poured a can of tomatoes (diced) over the thighs. Then I put the pan in the oven at 325 deg F. Gonna let it simmer for a while.

Welu · « **Reply #1440 on:** 22 Jul 2012, 09:20 »

That bread looks really nice. I need to buy some cooking utensils.

doombilly · « **Reply #1441 on:** 25 Jul 2012, 17:16 »

Been beating my meat, and now I have a dry rub on it.

What?

lepetitfromage · « **Reply #1442 on:** 26 Jul 2012, 05:38 »

I made corn fritters last night! They were AWESOME and super easy/cheap. Yay!

Barmymoo · « **Reply #1443 on:** 27 Jul 2012, 09:41 »

I decided to try out a new recipe yesterday, from a vegetarian recipe e-book (so handy to have it on my kindle!). It was chickpeas in spicy tomato sauce, and I improvised a little because the recipe was for a slow cooker and called for all kinds of fresh herbs, but I was using the stove top and a dried mixed herb tub. It turned out great, and Edith liked it too. The leftovers are for lunch, although I've got at least another two hours before I can go back and eat them, boo.

Welu · « **Reply #1444 on:** 28 Jul 2012, 04:24 »

Sheperd's pie! I didn't want to put cheese on it but my boyfriend wanted it and he grated it. Think it might have been a little too much but it was yummy. Also made about six portions so we're getting two more dinners out of it.
Simple recipes but the first time I've done a meal without practice-cooking it with my Mammy first.

I wanna do tuna steaks some night. All I can think to do with it is garlic butter or pepper sauce, but pepper sauce involves buying alcohol. Any suggestions? My boyfriend insists he doesn't like fish but we've got him to try tuna steaks and he liked it. He's agreed if I make it, he'll try it for dinner.

Carl-E · « **Reply #1445 on:** 28 Jul 2012, 07:12 »

OK, I know shepeherd's pie, but what are the toasty brown sticks?

Welu · « **Reply #1446 on:** 28 Jul 2012, 09:08 »

Croquettes. Those ones specifically just have mash potato in them and were store-bought. Good for soaking up gravy.

dr. nervioso · « **Reply #1447 on:** 28 Jul 2012, 09:56 »

I really want shepard's pie now...

But I think I'll wait for winter, it's way too hot out for me to eat anything with that much potato and gravy.

Along with that, another item on my winter cooking list is a good stew. The closest I ever get to making that is making chili.

Carl-E · « **Reply #1448 on:** 29 Jul 2012, 07:10 »

I can only think of one of my mother's many failed attempts to make a new recipe. She tried turkey croquettes once with thanksgiving leftovers.

As a result, I have never actually had croquettes of any sort.

Welu · « **Reply #1449 on:** 29 Jul 2012, 09:50 »

You should get them, even frozen store-bought and oven cook them. I love them. Especially as an alternative to chips (fries) or roasties. Been eating so many chips since I moved out.

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Author Topic: A Cooking Thread? (Read 467682 times)