Food 101

I'm new at the whole charcoal/wood chips thing. It's just becoming my preference now (even though I always get burned). You just get so much flavor with mesquite and/or pecan chips. Somewhere on this thread earlier we were talking about the cylindrical stacks. If you ever get the urge to try that, I highly recommend it. No lighter fluid.

Hey Spence, everybody has to start somewhere.... and its great that so many people are inputting things here :). I think its awesome... I'll probably drop a recipe or two in here now that I've seen this thread... like those cannoli's a took a picture of for Ni, around Thanksgiving of last year lol...

I like cooking, I just need practice. I think my biggest issue is time management. I'd like everything to finish roughly at the same time or when I need it to.

Cleaning up is another story :/ I make a huge mess

Being messy isn't the mark of a bad chef lol. I'm a whirlwind when I cook, I just take the time to clean when all is said and done lol..Time management is a big deal though..Knowing general cook times of things helps a ton, so you can get your proteins finished as your veggies/starch (should never eat 2 or more different kinds of starch in one meal...HUGE no no lol) finishes. There are times, when you're not gonna get the timing down perfect, and thats fine. Its all about experimentation with cook times/temps and getting your personal style down.. There is always aluminum foil to cover items that finish before others :).

One of my recipes
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Strawberry Tomato Balsamic Vinaigrette
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Olive Oil
Vegetable Oil
Balsamic Vinegar
Red Wine Vinegar(optional)
Few cloves of garlic
Hot-Spicy Mustard(preferably) or Dijon Mustard
Lots of grated Parmesan Cheese
Handfull of Cherry or Grape tomatoes (any tomato works but a sweet type of tomato usually has better flavor)
Several delicious strawberries
Lemon Juice
Salt
Pepper

Mix in a food processor of some type for roughly 3-5 minutes until the Parmesan cheese can no longer be identified on your tongue (meaning the dressing doesn't taste gritty) or until your ears begin to bleed.

note- trying to figure out the measurements. been years since I have used them

Sounds delicious! I like making my own dressings too.

I've been cooking for 16 years, still have those problems. A lot of my mess comes from my process of cooking though, I use lots of different dishes and utensils. Although when it comes to fried foods, I get flour and ***everywhere.

Time management is still pretty hard for me.. So I try to cook the things that don't need to be completely fresh, first.. Like mashed potatoes for example.. I can just reheat them after everything's done if need be. Or if I make some type of casserole or something, I'll cut the oven off a couple minutes early and just let it stay in there until everything is done.

I've got some jalapeno peppers leftover. Any suggestions on what to make?

Jalapenos aren't really my thing, but if you get more green chilis you can make a wicked green chili stew

Halve them, seed/remove the ribs (white-ish stuff) throw 'em in a bowl with a teaspoon of oil and a pinch of salt and toss, then grill them til they're tender..

You can also cut them into julienne strips (again removing seeds/ribs), beat an egg and a 1/4 cup milk, let them soak in the mix for about 10 mins, then take a 3:1 or 2:1 ratio of flour and cornmeal/breadcrumbs and coat the peppers in the dry mix, and fry them til golden brown.. Dipping them in ranch is best.

Or you could make a red or green salsa (need roasted tomatoes or tomatillos for that though, along with garlic, and onion) Cut off/remove all inedible parts from 6 tomatillos (green salsa) or from 2 medium or 1 large tomato (red salsa) a couple of the jalapeno peppers (removing ribs and seed for a more mild salsa) half a medium sized white onion and a few cloves garlic, toss them in some oil, then put it all in a pan and put it in a 350 degree oven until everything is tender, then throw it all, juice and everything into a blender or food processor. For a less chunky red salsa, throw in a can of tomato sauce.

I'm gonna chop 'em up and put 'em in a barbecue sauce for my meatballs :O

Funny story about those jalapenos... I didn't wash my hands well enough afterwards, because I went to the washroom shortly after and... well... stuff started to burn.

On topic: Last night a friend made prime rib burgers with avocado, sun dried tomatoes, feta cheese, and ranch sauce. It was pretty good.

Off topic: I totally thought this was going to end up with your eyes burning, but you did the old dipsy-doodle on me...Anyway...LOL!

On topic: Avocados and feta cheese make the world a happier place!

Lunch tomorrow. I need something to look forward to other than home time.

Vegetable oil
Jalapeno (still had some leftover)
Salt & pepper
Green/red peppers
Zuchinni
Chicken

Needs a bump so... (You're on your own for gravy, I don't do anything special for it, just pick whatever country gravy recipe)

Chicken Fried Steak
4 cube steaks
"Marinade"
3 eggs
1/2 cup milk
1 tbsp dried parsley
1/4 tsp chili powder
1/4 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground pepper

Breading
3/4 cup flour
1/4 cup bread crumbs
1/2 tsp ground WHITE pepper
1/4 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking powder

Beat together the marinade ingredients, add the steaks and coat them well, let them sit in the fridge for a half an hour, turn/coat them and let them sit another half hour. During the last half hour, mix the breading ingredients (I use a large bowl), after an hour in the marinade/egg mix, take the steaks one at a time, let them drip drain for 30 seconds or so, then put them in the flour..

The secret is you really want to push the breading into the meat, I use a bowl so I can shake the thing (side to side) and get all of the meat/egg covered, then pile up the breading ontop and press it down a few times until wet spots stop forming on the meat, flip and do the same. Once it's pressed in well, set it aside on a plate, do all 4 and let it sit for about 10 mins SAVE THE LEFT OVER BREADING, start heating the oil (350 is best).

When the oil is good and hot, take the steaks 1-2 at a time (depending on how many you can cook at once, you don't want to overcrowd, we have a somewhat small deep fryer, so I can only do one at a time) and give them another round through the breading, don't have to press it in, just want to kinda lightly dust them right before you drop them in the oil. Cook about 4-5 minutes on one side, then flip, regardless of whether you're pan frying or deep frying, and cook for another 3-5 minutes, just want to cook long enough til the meat is done (I still have to use the old fork/knife technique, don't be afraid to do it). Once cooked, drain on a couple of paper towels.

Traditionally, it's served with mashed potatoes, fried okra is also another great accompaniment.

Just a copy/paste..

Stuffed Shells

Not really sure what to call it, but it's awesome. I just decided to make it on a whim tonight.

Ingredients:
Boneless thick cut pork chops (the kind they use to make butterflied pork chops, just not butterflied)
4 Roma Tomatoes, diced
1 Jalapeno seeded and minced very fine
Cilantro leaves, about 1 tablespoon minced
Onion, finely minced, about 1/8 of a cup
Garlic Powder
Salt
Montreal Steak Seasoning
1 Lime, halved
Cooking oil (I use olive)

Preparation:
Start by making the pico de gallo. Mix the tomatoes, jalapeno, cilantro and onion in a bowl with a pinch of salt and garlic powder, once mixed well you can taste it and adjust it to your own tastes. Once it's good, stick it in the fridge for 20 minutes.

Season the chops with the steak seasoning and rub it into the meat well (I prefer to slap it in rather than rub, but whatever works) and heat up a large oven proof skillet, once hot put in a couple of tablespoons of oil. Place the chops season side down in the pan and sear for 4-5 minutes, and flip them over. Let them sear on the other side for a couple of minutes, then squeeze the limes over the chops. Immediately stick in a 400-degree oven. Cook for 10 minutes, take them out and put a couple of tablespoons of the pico de gallo on each chop, cover the skillet and put it back in the oven for 10-20 minutes, until the chops are fully cooked. Remove from the oven and let them sit in the pan for 5 minutes, spoon some of the juice over each and serve.

I am so sad that this thread died! No thread was ever so deserving of a zombie'ing.




So most of you know that yesterday was Pi Day. And on Pi Day it is sacred tradition to bake a pie. But some of us (like me D:) are losers and forgot to make a pie. So, I'm making up for it today with my husband's favorite apple pie recipe. Let's kick this pig. (This is for someone who mentioned yesterday that he was jealous that my husband was getting pie today. Now you have my recipe and can make yourself pie too, and be happy and not jealous. ^^)

First, scrub your counters and hands, then line up your usual list of suspects. We have here:

For the crust:
Flour (2 cups)
Salt (1 teaspoon)
Unsalted butter (3/4 stick)
Cold Vodka (5 tablespoons-- if you cannot or do not wish to use alcohol, you may substitute 5 tablespoons cold water or apple cider)
Egg (1)
Milk (for brushing, optional, not shown)
Cinnamon and sugar (to taste-- sugar pictured in the guts line-up)



For the guts:
Lemon juice (1-2 tablespoons)
White sugar (1/3 cup)
Brown sugar (1/3 cup)
Salt (1/4 teaspoon, pictured with crust line-up)
Flour (3 tablespoons, pictured in the crust line-up)
Cinnamon (1/2 teaspoon, pictured with the crust line-up)
Apples (6-8-- you should use 3-4 tart apples and 3-4 sweet apples. I have here Fuji and Granny Smith.)



Always make the crust first. Here we go:

Place flour, salt, and butter in a large bowl. Mash the butter up with a fork until it forms small balls with the flour. Add the vodka a bit at a time. Flour your hands and knead until a large dough ball forms. Split the ball in half and wrap one half in plastic. Stick the wrapped dough in the fridge for now.

On a floured surface, roll the remaining dough into a circle about two inches larger in diameter than your pie pan. If it's too dry, add more vodka, and if it's too wet, add more flour. I usually need to add more vodka. Lift the flattened dough off the counter and onto your pan. You can use the roller to make it easier by rolling the dough around the roller, then unrolling it over the pan. Fit it into the pan and cut off any extra. (What I do instead is roll and knead it until I like it, then place the lump of dough as a ball into the pie pan and form it to the sides and bottom with my hands instead of rolling it out and transferring it. Either way works.) Put this in the fridge for now.



For the guts, wash and slice your apples into 1/8 inch-ish slices. If you are baking a pie for the Queen of England, you might also want to peel them. I like them just as well unpeeled. Place these in a large bowl and combine with both sugars, salt, lemon juice, and flour. Sprinkle cinnamon on top. Swap this in the fridge for the ball of wrapped dough.



Roll out the fridge'd dough and slice as many skinny slices out of it as you can. Fetch the pie pan and guts from the fridge.

Pour the guts into the pie shell. There should be enough to fill the pan and pile up an inch or more in the center.



Beat the egg and brush the edges of the crust with it. Place the sliced dough strips across the top and weave them to create a lattice. Cut off the excess, make sure no one is looking, and eat them because dough is delicious. Press the edges down on the pan. (It's easier for me to break the strips into halves or thirds to lattice them, then re-connect them when the lattice has been formed.)



Sprinkle milk over the top or brush with an egg/milk mixture. Dust with cinnamon and sugar.



Bake at 400 degrees F for 15 minutes, then turn the heat down to 375 degrees F and continue baking for about 45 minutes. When the top crust lattice is golden-brown, it's done.




Cool for 45-60 minutes before serving. Warm it in the microwave before serving and top with French vanilla ice cream.

So glad somebody revived this thread!

Holy crap, that is one nice looking pie!

Leila, do you make your own crust and lattice all the time, or do you use the pre-made kind? This puts me in the mood to make peach cobbler this weekend!

/drools

Peach cobbler and Blue Bell Homemade Vanilla!!!

EDIT: Wondering if you have tried the prepackaged crust. I still haven't. Are they any good?

I can't help but notice Liels... There's not much left in that bottle of wodka. You sure you had 5 Tblspoons left?

I prefer to make my own crust and lattice. The pre-packaged kind is good for making stuff like homemade pot pie, just because I don't really have enough room on my counters to make both the pot part and the pie part.


That's because we used too much of it to make Jolly Rancher vodka, heh. But we had enough to make vodka pie crust and a bit extra, to boot! ~.^

Although I will warn any of you who try this-- if you have a tendency to eat a lot of dough as you bake, be careful with this one. It is possible to get tipsy off eating the dough. lol /blush

This thread is dead again? Slackers!

Well, as you can all tell by the sweltering heat and blinding sunlight, it's summer time. The bad news is, you will wake up hot and sweaty and remain so until bedtime. The good news is, summer is berry season! Aw yeah! Berries are the perfect excuse for cobbler. (As if we needed an excuse for cobbler.)

There is a blackberry bush on our property, so we have a ready supply of these delicious little buggers.



Gather ripe berries, and make sure you wash them well. (Wash them well if you buy them too!)



Taste bud Avengers, Assemble! Here's the lineup:

2 1/2 cups blackberries (if you use frozen berries, make sure to thaw and drain them first) (You can substitute half of the blackberries for raspberries if you like, but don't use blueberries for this one.)
1 cup sugar
1 cup flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup milk
1/2 cup butter, melted



Take your blackberries and sugar and mix them together. Let them rest for 20 minutes or so, or until fruit syrup forms. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F.



Stir together the flour, baking soda, salt, and milk. Add the butter and stir until it's all nicely blended.



Find an 8 inch baking dish. If you are a loser like me and don't have an 8 inch baking dish, just improvise. Without greasing it, spread the dough mixture into the dish.



Spoon the berry and sugar mixture over the top of the dough mixture.



Set the whole shebang into the oven, and let it bake for 45 to 55 minutes, or until the dough rises and is golden.

Serve warm with a generous dollop of vanilla or French vanilla ice cream.

Anyone have tips on how to make vegetables taste good without drowning them in butter or salad dressing? :x I just threw out another bowl of veggies that had been sitting in the fridge for a week because my taste buds are pretty sure they are allergic to veggies. Threading them onto kabobs and grilling them is good, but I can't have kabob'd veggies every day. I simply can't fulfill my destiny of taking over the world and eradicating the entire spider population for the greater good of all mankind if I'm unhealthy from lack of veggies!

If you like the flavor of grilled vegetables, but you neither have the time nor the convenience to go grilling, I would honestly suggest that you get a George Foreman grill. I know you're used to hearing how it's used for making hamburgers etc, but it actually does wonders with grilling vegetables, and it's much quicker, plus it tastes almost as good as the real thing.

As for what to eat it with, try using lemon juice and pepper while you're cooking it.

edit: I am not- repeat am not- endorsing the George Foreman grill, neither am I getting royalties for the Lean Mean Fat-Reducing Machine.

Depends on the vegetables, but tossing in olive oil, salt, pepper and a couple of herbs (on potatoes dill and parsley for example) can really change the flavor profile. I dunno if that'd work for someone who doesn't like the veggies on their own though.. I love most vegetables.. Broccoli, green beans, peas, corn, etc I can eat it all just steamed or even raw.

Oh if you haven't tried it, try steaming them.

Brb making strawberry rhubarb cobbler. It's Leila's fault! D=

Ooh, I have a George Foreman, just never considered putting veggies on it. I'll try that! Thanks! And I'll try using oil and herbs and steaming. :D