Anyone here cook?

[northernbard80]

Do you cook? If so, what do you make and what have you concocted recently?

I live on my own and can't eat out regularly so I do a lot of my own cooking.

I like making gumbo, jambalaya and red beans & rice. I've also made soups, stews, casseroles and goodies in my crockpot.:smallbiggrin:

[Beeftank]

I make salmon a lot, sometimes in the oven but grilled is better. A little salt, medium amount of garlic/onion powder, a lot of pepper, grated cheese, olive oil and lemon juice topped with a few tomato chunks is the recipe I use.

I also like making big meat sauces, having meatball subs and spaghetti and meatballs for a few days and freezing the rest to have in a few weeks on a day I don’t feel like cooking.

For grilled chicken Italian dressing works as a marinade in a pinch.

Most steaks are good with just salt and pepper, but for steaktips I get a little fancy with a teriyaki based marinade with some Worcestershire sauce, red pepper flakes, garlic powder and brown sugar.

Also, you have an air fryer it works wonders for roasting veggies up nice and crisp.

[northernbard80]

I've heard a lot about air fryers but never really got one. Are they that good or just hype?

When I make steaks, I cook them on my stovetop and throw on some seasonings like black pepper, basil, oregano, onion power and a little garlic.

[Beeftank]

They are pretty convenient. Sort of like a mini convection oven on steroids that doesn’t take as long to heat up.

[northernbard80]

Baked ravioli is one of my favorite recipes. It is easy to make and I get a few meals out of that.

https://www.mrshappyhomemaker.com/easy-baked-ravioli/


The ingredients are easy to get as any supermarket, Walmart, etc. will have them.

[theangelJean]

I'm not an especially good cook, but I do a bit of baking, does that count?

My daughter is allergic to all animal milks, so a lot of shop-bought baked goods are off limits to her - so if I want her to be able to try stuff I have to make it somehow. Most recently, I've almost perfected my dairy-free Black Forest Gateau recipe.

[Anonymouswizard]

Eating out and premade food is expensive, so I try to cook. I make a lot of curries and pasta dishes, currently trying out variants on mac and cheese.

Also I'm able to get liver easily for the next few months, so I'm using it as my main meat. Cheap, tasty, and has lots of lovely nutrients. I find it goes well in a spicy tomato pasta sauce (which is, of course, so easy to make that I wonder why people buy them).

[Rater202]

I love food. I love eating and I love cooking.

In the last couple of years I've done a number of experiments with differant forms of grilled cheese and assorted melts—I've found that extra sharp cheddar on Vienna bread with dijon mustard gets the best results, though I want to experiment with pumpernickle—and I've been tinkering with a recipe for barbecue sauce that my grandmother tought me on and off for years.

The most recent permutation, created after I was diagnosed with diabetes, is three tablespoons of brown sugar substitute, a teaspoon each of garlic powder, onion powder, kosher salt, and cayenne pepper stirred together and then mixed with a mixture of a tablespoon each of soy sauce, wostershershire sauce, and red wine vinegar.

Then stir in about 2/3rds a can of hunts tomato sauce, and bring to a boil for a few minutes. Let cool and then place in a container to settle overnight n the refrigerator.

I'm hoping to try and make a low-sugar cranberry sauce next month for "Celebrate the Colonization of the continent by practicing gluttony with people you don't like" Day.

[Metastachydium]

Also I'm able to get liver easily for the next few months, so I'm using it as my main meat. Cheap, tasty, and has lots of lovely nutrients.

It's not technically meat, but damn, liver's the best indeed!

[Anonymouswizard]

It's not technically meat, but damn, liver's the best indeed!

I thought offal counted as a subset of meat?

[Imbalance]

I'm generally in charge of the seafood, beef, and pork dishes at home, save roasts. Several times a year I'll blow a Saturday cooking bacon just to have on hand as a snack for a week or so. I used to experiment more, but have been phoning it in for the last little while. I'll do veggie stuff that includes meat, kabobs, stir-fry, etc. I would cook chicken more, but fryer oil became too costly and my wife has the oven recipes dialed in. I would have married her for her meatloaf, alone.

We've been in a CSA the last few years to get a steady supply of fresh, local produce. Some the kids love, some I've never heard of but we're worth trying...once. We've tried pattipan(?) about a dozen different ways now - I'm not a fan. Yet I'll gladly fatten up on fried squash chips.

I'd like to get back to hunting and foraging like when I was a kid. Mrs. wants to get our own garden started. I've had a lot of outstanding dishes from all over, but trout, venison and mushrooms and fresh garden greens and good potatoes is where it's at.

[theangelJean]

Also I'm able to get liver easily for the next few months, so I'm using it as my main meat. Cheap, tasty, and has lots of lovely nutrients.

Almost too nutritious - I assume you are aware of how much liver you can safely eat per week without overloading on Vitamin A (and Vitamin K, if you're on particular medications)? Having looked it up, the limit is higher than I expected. But the weekly serving of liver wouldn't be enough to meet average protein requirements by itself. At least there are plenty of other types of protein other than meat, and some of them are even relatively affordable.

[MontCestMoi]

I love food. It is absolutely my biggest vice. I love eating it, and because I love eating it, I have to make it.

Recently, I made some loco moco, and it was absolutely fantastic (if I do say so myself). It's a modern Hawaiian dish that, in its fundamentals, is a bed of white rice, with a burger patty on it, with a fried egg on top of that, and not-quite-drowned in brown gravy. I learned it from a friend from Santa Cruz, a place that likes to pretend is Hawaii despite the fact that they're Santa Cruz, which is already pretty good.

As a vegetarian, I have to modify the recipe with a meatless burger and vegetable gravy (my favorite is onion based, because onions are rad as heck).

Highly recommended as a comfort food, or for when you want something hearty as all get out.

[Palanan]

I’ve made some progress recreating a Freebirds quesadilla from the days of yore. Still haven’t found the perfect tortilla, but I’ve managed to bring together something decent using Trader Joe’s pico de gallo, mixed cheddar cheese and spicy guac, layered over TJ’s carne assada taken from a burrito.

Not nearly the original, and I’m not sure if I’d inflict it on anyone else, but I enjoy it for myself.

[northernbard80]

I’ve made some progress recreating a Freebirds quesadilla from the days of yore. Still haven’t found the perfect tortilla, but I’ve managed to bring together something decent using Trader Joe’s pico de gallo, mixed cheddar cheese and spicy guac, layered over TJ’s carne assada taken from a burrito.

Not nearly the original, and I’m not sure if I’d inflict it on anyone else, but I enjoy it for myself.

I cook quesadillas too; I even made some for lunch! I don't do anything fancy. I just cook them in my frying pan with whatever cheese I have and I throw spices on for good measure like garlic powder, black pepper and chili powder.

Tonight, I'll be brewing up a point of a favorite comfort food of mine, matzoh ball soup!

[Rater202]

Earlier today I experimented with a melt made from pepperoni and sharp cheddar on whole wheat with some sugar-free honey mustard sauce.

By my standards, 8/10.

[northernbard80]

https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/896909996430852146/1028825414929481809/20221009_172125.jpg?width=320&height=427

My creation tonight - matzo balls in chicken soup with rice, carrots and various spices. I used black pepper, oregano and rosemary.

[Palanan]

Originally Posted by Rater202
Earlier today I experimented with a melt made from pepperoni and sharp cheddar on whole wheat

I’m with you this far. :smalltongue:

Baked, grilled? And what kind of pepperoni?


Originally Posted by northernbard80
My creation tonight - matzo balls in chicken soup with rice, carrots and various spices. I used black pepper, oregano and rosemary.

Tried matzoh bread once, we didn’t hit it off.

But the soup sounds interesting. How do you cook the matzoh balls?

[Rater202]

I’m with you this far. :smalltongue:

Baked, grilled? And what kind of pepperoni?

Deli pepperoni. Four slices between two of cheddar.

Grilled.

Bread was treated with cooking spray, wanna say canola based, in a pain treated with the same. I find that oils give a more even toasting than butter.

[northernbard80]

I’m with you this far. :smalltongue:

Baked, grilled? And what kind of pepperoni?



Tried matzoh bread once, we didn’t hit it off.

But the soup sounds interesting. How do you cook the matzoh balls?


I use readymade matzo ball mix. If you live in the Northeastern USA, many stores should sell the mix. If not, you may have to look in specialty stores or resort to online ordering like Amazon. The recipes on the box usually call for you to mix the matzo ball mix with eggs and some sort of vegetable oil; I use olive oil.

[Willie the Duck]

Do you cook? If so, what do you make and what have you concocted recently?

I live on my own and can't eat out regularly so I do a lot of my own cooking.

A default dish I do is make a roux, add milk or stock as desired (do not feel beholden to the classic 5 of french cooking), and then whatever flavoring fits the situation -- curry, chili, oriental 5-spice, whatever. It goes well with pasta, rice, or potatoes; most meats; most vegetables. Throw it into a soup and it become more stew-like.

I'm married (no kids), so I have to work with my wife's tastes. However, when I was single (and trying to lose weight) I positively lived off of wild rice and mixed dried beans/legumes (16 bean mixes, or make your own with beans, lentils, split peas, etc.) and some kind of spice. That, and veggie stir fries with chicken breast or egg as protein.

[sihnfahl]

I do the usual seasoned, baked chicken and salmon thing.

But what I make the most of is effectively a mix between a tomato soup and a marinara.

I start with mixed veggies of all types. A 1 pound package of mixed roots (beet, carrot, sweet potato, parsnips) and a 1 pound package of mixed veggies (broccoli, snap peas, water chestnuts, etc).

Heat some olive or other light vegetable oil in a 5 quart (or deeper) pot, toss in the veggies, stir, cover and let them soften.

Transfer in batches to a blender, use unsalted chicken broth as liquid, puree, return to pot.

Add in whatever seasonings; default I use are, of course, basil, oregano and garlic.

Add in a few diced tomatoes, and a small can of unsalted tomato paste.

Blend it in together at low heat, let simmer for at least 30 minutes.

[NichG]

Currently experimenting with a lot of oils and pesto variations and things like that. Made a chili/garlic oil recently, currently I have a sichuan pepper + bayleaf oil infusing, and might end up making a rosemary oil later on. As far as pesto, I made a lot of basil pesto from a mix of spiky globe basil and lemon basil (both much smaller leaves than the usual kind you get in supermarkets, and much more intense flavor), and most recently tried a fresh lemon thyme+oregano pesto that was a bit trickier to get the right consistency from (the oil separated out rather than emulsifying, though the herb paste left at the bottom was still nice). I'm going to try to scale up my plants by a factor of 10 or something for next year so I can make like a gallon of the stuff, since a single jar goes very fast when you use it for things like pizza sauce.

As far as cooking I've been playing with a grill of late now that I can actually have one - all vegetarian stuff, but getting really charred bell peppers for sauces or eggplant for baba ghanoush is nice. And in-husk corn cooked until the husk is just char, leaving sort of caramelized but still soft kernels on the cob is really nice. I've also been trying to smoke things like feta cheese and tofu with very mixed results. It's not really good for low temperature smoking, so I was having a lot of difficulty with the cheese sinking down into the grill and basically losing all of the flavored surface when I tried to scrape it free. Now I'm using a piece of fine iron mesh, so smoke can rise from below but the cheese even if it gets extremely soft can't really get through. The result was this really caramelized block of feta that had lost a lot of water and picked up only a little smoke flavor. Not exactly what I was aiming for, but it was pretty good. The tofu became almost like a deepfried tofu in that smoke environment, but picked up much more of the smoke flavor (not I think because tofu is more receptive than cheese, but because I turned the heat down for the cheese and also ended up getting less smoke as a result).

[EarlGraye]

Dude if you can cook cajun why are you here looking for other recipes? :smallbiggrin:

I love my instant pot! You can cook so much in it. But I typically just go look in the pantry and fridge and make something up using what I have. And, honestly, it's usually pretty good. Here's one of my grandkids favorites.

Cook some egg noodles
Brown a mixture of italian sausage and ground beef seasoned to taste
Steam some veggies (I like to use red colored bell peppers, chopped yellow squash, green beans of snow peas, carrots, etc. The more color the better)
I try to have everything finish about the same time. Then I drain the noodles and the meat and toss everything into the pot I cooked the noodles in. I add about 6 oz of grated parmesan and 12 oz of italian dressing. If you add these while the mixture is hot and stir it makes a creamy sauce.

Hope you like it.

[MaryPoppinsYall]

Cook a ton.

Biggest few pieces of advice I have for people:

1. Meat Thermometer - Perfect cooked meat should never be a guessing game.
2. Salting - Namely pre-salting meat the night before you cook. It's the only way to get flavor deeper into your meat. Other seasoning can usually wait.
3. MSG - makes everything better.
4. Rice Cooker/Oven/Air Fryer - Use different tools so you aren't swamped on the stove or having to bounce between oven temps.
5. Mise En Place - French for things in place. Cut, everything, before, you start, cooking. Measure out ingredients. Only exception is probably rice. Way easier to just grab a little bowl and throw it in when needed then timing the cutting of 6 things.

As for what i've cooked that great lately. A simple and cheating duck confit.
Get enough duck legs/thighs to fit the bottom of your dutch oven. Slice the skin and salt the night before to dry out. Oven on 250. Put the legs skin down in the pot, throw in a bunch of garlic, and a bay leaf. Flip after 1.5 hours and cook for another 1.5 hours. Once "done" throw on a baking sheet and oven on 450 to get skin crackly.

I personally make these shreddy salty duck legs into tacos.

[Bohandas]

I mostly cook snacks for parties I'm hosting or going to. You can make a really easy "cake" by mixing together 3 cups of milk, 2 small packs of vanilla pudding max, and a small tub of Cool Whip, lining a casserole dish with chocolate graham crackers, pouring half the mix over it, adding a second layer of graham crackers, pouring innthe rest of the mix and then a third layer of graham crackers and icing. And instead of baking it it goes in the fridge

[Willie the Duck]

Transfer in batches to a blender, use unsalted chicken broth as liquid, puree, return to pot.

Do you find it hard (or seasonally hard) to get no-salt-added stock (beef and veggie in particular, but also chicken)? It's utterly frustrating. I get that the brine-like stock was really useful in keeping meat drippings viable longer in a pre-refrigeration era. These days, though, stock is an ingredient, so I'm never using it when I couldn't go to the next cabinet over and grab a huge cheap container of pure salt. I like a really flavorful stock (like taking the stock liquid and then adding a bunch of powder or paste stock into it), and it's hard to get that concentration without salting it out of the taste (or health consciousness) zones of my diners.

Sorry, micro-rant.

[olskool]

Do you cook? If so, what do you make and what have you concocted recently?

I live on my own and can't eat out regularly so I do a lot of my own cooking.

I like making gumbo, jambalaya and red beans & rice. I've also made soups, stews, casseroles and goodies in my crockpot.:smallbiggrin:

Do yourself a favor and Youtube DAVE CANTERBURY of the PATHFINDER WILDERNESS SURVIVAL SCHOOL. He does a lot of "bushcraft cooking" and you will be amazed at the number of dishes you can create with simple ingredients like flour, salt, sugar, corn meal, and basic meats, rice, and oatmeal. His flatbreads are particularly good watches. I use his recipes a lot in everyday cooking as well as backpacking.

Cooking with Emmie is another good channel to watch for easy and cheap 3 or 4-ingredient meals.

[Cygnia]

The plan is to roast a chicken with piri-piri and potatoes tomorrow night

[northernbard80]

A few months ago, I made Johnny Longbow Stew. This is a homebrew recipe someone came up with based on what the character Johnny Longbow made from the B-movie "Track of the Moon Beast".

If that movie title rings a bell, it's because it got a boost in popularity thanks to Mystery Science Theater 3000.

https://theherbeevore.com/johnny-longbow-stew-recipe-dairy-free-gluten-free/

That's the recipe; I didn't use squash or zucchini in my version. I did use chicken, corn, green peppers...*sigh*...

This is really good and worth trying!

[farothel]

I have a few recipes I'm quite good at. First is my (well, actually, my late mother's) banana soup. It's a tomato soup in which you add some bananas to thicken and to sweeten the soup. Very nice and easy to make. Just add all ingredients in a pot, boil and then mix to a creamy texture.

The second thing I'm quite good at is chocolate mousse (and not the Swedish chef's version). I make it with half fondant and half milk chocolate so it's not as heavy (and Belgian chocolate of course).

[Anonymouswizard]

Decided to try doing a Ragu from fresh tomatoes again, currently got it on a low heat waiting for the tomatoes to soften before I add beef stock and simmer it for a few hours. Don't have any pork mince, but beef mince with some chopped chicken livers should work fine.

This is my second time doing it like this instead of just using tinned tomatoes, but honestly do it right and it works so much better.

Also going to prep a mushroom and goat's cheese risotto to take into work tomorrow. It'll take like an hour to get the mushrooms nice and work in all the stock, but it's a delicious use of some mushrooms I forgot about and need to use up (the ones I can't fit in I'll probably salt and bake, see if that'll work as a snack).

[Cygnia]

Making homemade pizza tonight, trying this recipe out (https://www.kingarthurbaking.com/recipes/crispy-cheesy-pan-pizza-recipe). Got the dough and sauce already made from yesterday.

[Domino Quartz]

Something I quite like making sometimes is a macaroni-and-cheese made with something we have in New Zealand called "Tasty cheese" (it's cheddar that's been aged in a specific way for about 18 months), along with bacon, capsicum (bell pepper) and caramelised onions. The roux for the cheese sauce is made with the rendered fat from the bacon. Then I add a dollop of Dijon mustard, some onion powder, garlic powder and black pepper. It's really very good.

[Asmotherion]

I make a great pizza bread. Guaranteed to be in your top 3 pizzars you've ever eaten. U_U

[Rater202]

I find that using a mixture of cheddar and mozzarella, both shredded, when making grilled cheese results in something that retains the strong cheesy flavor you'd expect while also having a nice and satisfying cheese pull.

[Drakeburn]

I usually make scrambled egg sandwiches or omelettes for myself (my chickens has pet chickens). I remember my first attempt in making Fettuccine Alfredo with pieces of a store-bought rotisserie chicken in it. Even though my mother actually loved it, there were a few things that could've made the dish better.

But ever since I've made that dish, there were a couple restaurants that my mother doesn't want to go to again because she actually said that the fettuccine alfredo that I made was better than theirs. Although there is one restaurant that has some pretty good fettuccine dish that we go to from time to time.

[dan.meme]

I do cook, though not as often as I would like. I usually make simple meals like pasta or grilled chicken, but every once in a while I like to get creative and try something new. Recently, I made a dish that was a bit of an experiment: pork tenderloin with apricot glaze. It turned out surprisingly well, and my family loved it. I think I'll definitely be making it again soon.

[ZhonLord]

I have become a foodie in recent years, trying out, adjusting and refining recipes along the way. It's fun to take something good and make it great!

My latest mastery was of a recipe that only needed two tweaks surprisingly. It originates from the D&D cookbook, Heroes' Feast: Delzoun Tide-me-over Meatballs and Sauce.

The meatballs are half pork sausage, half hamburger, with a structural paste of dark rye bread that's been soaked in heavy whipping cream and an egg. The sauce is a butter/flour roux with brown sugar, soy sauce, lemon juice and black pepper. And the whole thing is best served alongside a batch of egg noodles, just like swedish meatballs!

The end result is an intensely flavorful medley, high in fat and carbs, which gives you the energy to keep going through the day, or ensures you won't need ANY after-dinner snacks. I am thoroughly in love with them.

[Cygnia]

Made this pie yesterday...

https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/what-is-marlborough-pie

I need to tweak a few things next time out. Came out a bit too boozy & eggy.

[Metastachydium]

Made this pie yesterday...

https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/what-is-marlborough-pie

As an Old Worlder, I came here to contest the whole "[t]ell me where your grandmother came from and I can tell you how many kinds of pie you serve for Thanksgiving" thing, but then I realized zero is technically a number.


Came out a bit too boozy & eggy.

Nothing's too boozy if the booze happens to be sherry!

[Peelee]

Nothing's too boozy if the booze happens to be sherry!

Are you Frasier or Niles?

[Cygnia]

Didn't have Sherry, so I used Marsala instead. Realized what I would need to do to tweak it before Thanksgiving, integrate the booze better, drop the eggs down to 3 instead of 4...

...aaaaaaaand the hubby's brothers said "Ooops, forgot to tell you -- more people are making desserts! Can you only make 1 pie for Thanksgiving -- and can it be a normal blueberry?"

:smallfurious:

[Metastachydium]

Are you Frasier or Niles?

Last I checked, neither was a FLOWER.


Didn't have Sherry, so I used Marsala instead.

Hm. So long as it's a dry white variety, I suppose that's acceptable.


Realized what I would need to do to tweak it before Thanksgiving, integrate the booze better, drop the eggs down to 3 instead of 4...

Good luck!


...aaaaaaaand the hubby's brothers said "Ooops, forgot to tell you -- more people are making desserts! Can you only make 1 pie for Thanksgiving -- and can it be a normal blueberry?"

:smallfurious:

That cannot stand. Kill 'em WITH FIRE!

[Peelee]

Last I checked, neither was a FLOWER.

Niles was quite the delicate flower, if I recall correctly.

[ZhonLord]

New discovery, a frittata recipe that uses carrots, onions and bell peppers, but also chunks of easy-melt cheese like havarti dropped on top right before it goes in the oven. Result is a meal that tastes different with every bite and has occasional pockets of cheesy goodness as you work your way through it.

[Radar]

I do, although most of the time extremely simplistic dishes that I throw together to take to work as lunch. This would typically be: rice/pasta + some vegetables (frozen mixes or canned tomatoes which are way cheaper than the fresh kind) + beans/meat cooked together and seasoned in whatever I have at hand. I even experimented with using instant soups as flavoring, which I had a surplus of at one point - it worked pretty well. I do this kind of cooking when I am away from home and have limited tools to work with (just a microwave and no kitchen space to speak of). I does get the job done and is really quick to make.

When I am at home, I obviously do not subject my family to such things, but due to time constrains I still prefer simple things (anyone trying to juggle work, kids and tending to the house will understand that): spaghetti bolognese (although I add some non-traditional spices like smoked bell pepper), thick soups that are filling enough to be the whole meal, fried/grilled/baked meat served with some steamed* potatoes and vegetables etc. Not much time to experiment or go for more elaborate processes to do something special. The reason for various types of pancakes not being on the list is simply that my wife makes them way better. :smallsmile:

I do try to bake when possible: simple buns (I like how garlic+onion ones turned out), cakes (recently learned to make Pavlov's meringue - surprisingly easy to do), cookies (rarely as rolling and cutting takes quite some time).

*Quite a while ago we got ourselves a steam cooker and the taste difference is immense - fully recommend this instead of regular cooking.

[Velaryon]

I don't do anything too fancy, but I can cook a few things at least. I keep telling myself I should be more adventurous in cooking, but it's hard to be motivated when I'm cooking just for myself and I'm also lazy.

I stir fry fairly often, usually with chicken and whatever veggies I have on hand (most often some combination of broccoli, cauliflower, green pepper, onion, and zucchini, but sometimes a few other things). I used to buy premade stir fry sauces but these days I mostly mix in spices and garlic for flavoring.

I have a pasta salad recipe that I created and riff on sometimes. It barely even counts as cooking since the only thing that actually needs to be heated is the pasta noodles, as everything else comes out of various cans, jars, and bottles. But it's tasty and easy to make when I'm otherwise not very motivated to cook.

I prefer tri-color rotini for the noodles, but have used penne, farfalle, and a couple others depending on what I have.
Then I add in half a jar of green olives, half a can of black olives, half a jar of kalamata olives, a full jar of artichoke hearts, a can of stewed tomatoes, parmesan cheese, a jar of pesto sauce (I prefer red, but green works fine as well), and a spice blend that's primarily oregano but has some other stuff in it too. I just stir all of that in once I drain the noodles and it's good to go.

That's the base recipe, but I've changed it up depending on what else I have. I've added in avocado, subbed in the stewed tomatoes for fresh, and swapped to green pesto, and that worked pretty well. Sometimes I get these cheese-stuffed peppers at the store and those make a great addition. Capers if I happen to have them are a good addition as well. My parents have adapted the recipe and added some mushrooms; they liked it but I hate mushrooms so I can't say how it goes. I'm sure adding chicken would be good too, but that sorta defeats the point of it being simple and low-effort, unless I happen to have pre-cooked chicken I can cut up or something.


My job has been having food competitions every few months or so, and earlier this year they did a chili cook-off. I found a recipe online that I liked and made a few changes to come up with a really nice recipe that's pretty hot, but has a nice smoky sweetness thing going on as well. I think I overdid the hot last time though, as it gave me a bit of a stomachache (and burned again on the way out...).

[Rater202]

Made homemade cranberry sauce.

Cinnamon compliments the taste of cranberries very well.

[Cygnia]

That cannot stand. Kill 'em WITH FIRE!

...y'know, it be one thing if the brother-in-law's in-laws made their own pies, but to be shunted aside for Marie Callander boxed crap?!

Yeah, I'm more than a little bit torqued about that. :smallfurious:

[rohanvos]

I do enjoy a good lasagna, have one I use a lot that does not require boiling noodles before hand, always a winner!

[oxybe]

made myself some stew, served on a bed of rice. (https://i.imgur.com/VgeUzdx.jpeg)

[Hof]

For christmas dinner I intend to make dessert. For this gathering it has to be both lactose and gluten free.

My plan is banana pancakes (with almond flour), with baked apple slices, non-dairy whipped cream of some sort and sugar/cinnamon encrusted pecan nuts.
I hope it works out!

[Cygnia]

I'm on oyster stew duty tomorrow. Father-in-law says mine is better than his mother's. :smallredface:

[Caedorus]

My father usually cooks but I'm perfectly capable of making anything except the hardest of meals provided a recipe.

[Cygnia]

This coming week, the new recipe I'll be trying is Mapo Tofu Nachos for the hubby (he doesn't eat red meat anymore, so pork is being subbed out for chicken).


Ingredients
Yield: 4 servings

For the Mapo Tofu Sauce
1(14- or 16-ounce) package silken tofu
1½teaspoons Sichuan peppercorns
2tablespoons neutral oil, such as canola oil
8ounces ground beef or pork (preferably 80 or 85 percent lean), roughly chopped to loosen
2½ to 3tablespoons doubanjiang (fermented chile bean sauce or paste)
1tablespoon douchi (fermented black beans, optional)
1teaspoon minced fresh ginger
½teaspoon red-pepper flakes (optional)
2teaspoons regular soy sauce
1rounded teaspoon granulated sugar, plus more as needed
Fine sea salt
1large scallion, trimmed and sliced on a sharp bias into 2-inch-long pieces
1tablespoon cornstarch dissolved in 2 tablespoons water
For the Nachos
5 to 6ounces corn tortilla chips (about 5 cups)
2medium scallions, trimmed and sliced on the bias into ¾-inch-long pieces
4ounces shredded Oaxacan, Monterey Jack or other mild-flavored melty cheese (about 1⅓ cups)
⅓cup sliced or coarsely chopped pitted olives, such as black, green or a combination (optional)
2whole pickled jalapeños, sliced (optional)
⅓cup coarsely chopped cilantro (optional)

Preparation

Step 1

Prepare the mapo tofu sauce: If the tofu came as a block in water, discard the water. Cut the tofu into large chunks, then use a stand blender or immersion blender to whirl the tofu into an ivory smoothie.
Step 2

In a medium (3- or 4-quart) pot over medium heat, toast the Sichuan peppercorns for 2 to 3 minutes, until super fragrant and slightly darkened. (A wisp of smoke is OK.) Let cool briefly, then pound with a mortar and pestle or pulse in a spice grinder.
Step 3

Prepare the remaining sauce ingredients and set them near the stove.
Step 4

Warm the oil in the pot over high heat. When shimmering, add the meat. Stir and mash into cooked and crumbly pieces, 1 to 2 minutes. Add 2½ tablespoons doubanjiang, the douchi (if using), ginger and red-pepper flakes (if using). Fry about 2 minutes longer, stirring constantly, until the mixture is a rich reddish brown.
Step 5

Reduce the heat to medium-low, then stir in the soy sauce and 1 rounded teaspoon sugar. Scrape in the blended tofu. (If there’s much left in the blender jar, add 1 tablespoon water and whirl to loosen it.) Stir to combine well, partially cover and bring to simmer. Cook for about 3 minutes, stirring occasionally, to develop flavor throughout. Expect orange oil to appear on top.
Step 6

Taste the sauce and if needed, add the remaining ½ tablespoon doubanjiang (for heat), or a pinch of salt (for savoriness) or sugar (to tame heat).
Step 7

Stir in the scallion, then add the cornstarch slurry and stir until thickened. Turn off the heat. Stir in half the crushed Sichuan peppercorns for a bit of zing. Let sit for 5 to 10 minutes to deepen flavor and color before using; a little lingering orange oil is normal. This recipe makes about 2½ cups, which is twice the amount that you’ll need for this recipe; save the rest for spaghetti, more nachos or another use. (You can cool the sauce completely then refrigerate it in an airtight container for up to 3 days.)
Step 8

Prepare the nachos: Heat a toaster oven (or standard oven) to 350 degrees. Line the baking pan of the toaster oven (or a small sheet pan) with parchment or aluminum foil, leaving a little overhang on two sides so you may later easily transfer the nachos. Arrange half of the chips on the pan, laying them flat; some overlap is fine. Use a spoon to strew a heaping ½ cup mapo tofu sauce onto the chips. Sprinkle with half the scallions, half the cheese and half the remaining Sichuan peppercorns. Repeat with the remaining chips, a heaping ½ cup mapo tofu sauce, the remaining scallions, cheese and peppercorns.
Step 9

Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, until the cheese completely melts and there is gentle sizzling. Remove from the oven, then lift the parchment paper or foil to remove the nachos from the pan, then use a spatula to carefully usher the nachos to a platter. Top with any combination of olives, pickled jalapeños and cilantro, if desired.

[oxybe]

Delicious pulled pork sammich so nice i went back twice (https://imgur.com/gallery/Bdqabmp).

[oxybe]

Chicken as it should be: delicious and moist (https://imgur.com/a/UaFNoeM)

[Cygnia]

Attempting to brine some turkey thighs today for the 1st time. Right now, waiting for the brine to get to room temperature first...

[gomipile]

I've been eating a lot of red lentils lately. The kind which I've been buying are masoor dal, red split lentils.

I find that they work well just about anywhere I'd want to use beans, green lentils, or mashed potatoes.

That last might seem strange, so I'll explain. I accidentally overcooked some pots of red lentils a few times. The browned bits from the bottom of the pot tasted very much like my family's German potato pancakes. So, I tried cooking some batches to the same consistency and with the same spices as mashed potatoes, and it turned out great.

I've also had success using them as the primary protein in a stew with diced tomatoes and mixed vegetables.

They cook so fast that I can throw them in at the beginning with whatever else using the other ingredients' cooking times and just have the lentils "come along for the ride."

Haven't had any real failures yet. Just put some oil, salt, and spices in a pot, add lentils and other ingredients. Add twice the mass of water as lentils+other dry ingredients for a pilaf consistency, more for a stew. Cook for 20 minutes plus whatever time it takes to reduce to the desired consistency.

That sort of recipe is so easy and works so well with dry or otherwise shelf-stable ingredients that I'll probably be using this for emergency and camping food in the future.

[Cygnia]

Lentils are good stuff. Still trying to find a good recipe for Mujadara that's similar to how a local place does it.

[ZhonLord]

Perfected a new recipe, a non-alcoholic mead that is ideal for wintertime. Blackberry jam, cinnamon, cloves, ginger and honey. It's wonderfully flavorful!

[Velaryon]

I tried making shakshuka for breakfast this morning. I mashed up two recipes I found online, and substituted spinach for the parsley garnish. Unfortunately, it came out soupier than intended, and I also burned it a little in my skillet. It wasn't too bad, but I definitely was hoping for a better result than what I got.

[northernbard80]

I've been cooking breakfast in the morning and going the whole distance on food - it's usually poached eggs, potatoes, sausage and buttered toast. I've occasionally substituted kippers for sausages (and I'm not British) and buttermilk biscuits for toast.


https://global.discourse-cdn.com/business7/uploads/mst3k/original/3X/b/1/b1f0b44823889fb9f5e2500254fa716ddbb8f679.jpeg

[northernbard80]

https://global.discourse-cdn.com/business7/uploads/mst3k/original/3X/4/f/4ffd2b596688d51b3f6dcd033fcbd77ff063e42b.jpeg

I like making poached eggs for breakfast but my ceramic egg cooker usually makes the egg explode in the microwave, no matter what I do. I solved that with this microwave egg poacher from Amazon. You pour 500ml of water into each side (measuring cup included), crack an egg into each cup, microwave and lift the egg out with the collanders (the light blue part).

I got a perfect poached egg that didn’t come out runny or explode in the microwave!

[Arcane_Secrets]

Do you cook? If so, what do you make and what have you concocted recently?

I live on my own and can't eat out regularly so I do a lot of my own cooking.

I like making gumbo, jambalaya and red beans & rice. I've also made soups, stews, casseroles and goodies in my crockpot.:smallbiggrin:

I have a stir-fry in the fridge with chicken, basil, bell peppers, and a kind of fish-sauce broth. Basically Thai-inspired. I also have papardelle with ground turkey and I've just killed off more or less chili which I only fix once/year because I then have to try and work all of it off afterwards.

Later this week I'll fix an orange carrot salad with a recipe I got off of Lidia's Kitchen and chicken marinaded with lemon, cumin, ginger, and paprika over couscous and rice pilaf when that runs out.

[gomipile]

Does anyone here have any favorite "street food" or simple comfort foods that are easy for restaurants and other food services to make and serve quickly? Think pizza, ramen, takoyaki, etc.

Off the top of my head, poutine has to be one of my favorites in this category.

[Cygnia]

There's a couple places near me (Latin market, Mexican restaurant) that do really good street tacos. :smallcool:

[Peelee]

Does anyone here have any favorite "street food" or simple comfort foods that are easy for restaurants and other food services to make and serve quickly? Think pizza, ramen, takoyaki, etc.

Off the top of my head, poutine has to be one of my favorites in this category.

Poutine is street food?

[gomipile]

Poutine is street food?
Well. I think it could be, if wintertime necessity didn't make serving it indoors a Very Good Idea during the time of year it was invented for.

In any case, in my post I specified a category that includes lots of street food but is not limited to street food. Poutine is in the category I specified.

[Peelee]

Well. I think it could be, if wintertime necessity didn't make serving it indoors a Very Good Idea during the time of year it was invented for.

In any case, in my post I specified a category that includes lots of street food but is not limited to street food. Poutine is in the category I specified.

I wasn't complaining, i was envying.

[Kraufen]

Yes occasionally. I made ramen the other day

[gomipile]

What are some well-known sandwiches in the English speaking world that are vegan, or almost always made with vegan ingredients? Like, some sandwiches have their own names, and some have generic adjective-noun, etc. descriptions that are used so often they might as well be names.

It might just be a brain fart, but the only well known sandwich I can think of which is often or usually vegan is peanut butter and jelly.

[Yanagi]

What are some well-known sandwiches in the English speaking world that are vegan, or almost always made with vegan ingredients? Like, some sandwiches have their own names, and some have generic adjective-noun, etc. descriptions that are used so often they might as well be names.

It might just be a brain fart, but the only well known sandwich I can think of which is often or usually vegan is peanut butter and jelly.

Well, there's the British chip butty (potatoes and bread), plus or minus mushy peas, and watercress tea sandwiches, if you substitute margarine for butter.

There's several popular vegan sandwiches from place where Indian migration to English colonies happened. I grew up on doubles (Trinibogian rolls with chickpea curry) and Bombay sandwiches (cucmber, tomato, and green chutney between pieces of sliced bread) both of which are very well known...just not to Americans.

[Oops. I forgot vada pav (potato croquette on a soft roll with multiple chutneys and sometimes other veg), which is enormously popular but not something I ate a lot]

Depending on where exactly you cut the line on what is a sandwich--including open-faced options and/or rolled sandwiches--there'd be more options--falafel, avocado toast--but what would really expand the range is if you look at all the high-name-recognition vegan spreads and dip that accompany bread, that are also used casually to make fast sandwiches, but might not turn up on a menu. For example, Creole red beans are served at the table with rice, but the same recipe is also mashed and put into rolls to make sandwiches.

[gomipile]

Well, that' s a good start to answering my question. Thank you.

I feel less bad about not being able to think of any.

I've had the occasional chip butty, but only with butter. I've also made quite a few incidentally vegan sandwiches with whatever was on hand, but none of them are anything I can imagine seeing on a diner menu in North America.

[Wintermoot]

Green Chile Pork Stew: step one: oil, salt and pepper 3 lbs of tomatillos (about 10), 2 poblano peppers, 1 jalapeno, 1 yellow onion, and several cloves of garlic, Put them on a cookie sheet and put them in the oven under the broiler for about 6 minutes, then turn and broil another 6 minutes until they are blistered. Put it all in the blender with some lime juice and blend it into a tomatillo salsa like sauce.

step two: cut up pork country style ribs, salt and pepper and brown in a pan. Put in the crockpot. Put the sauce over it. Season with some cumin, some bay leaves, some oregeno, some salt.

cook for four hours, then add in some cut up potatoes and cut up turnips or other root vegetables

take two handfuls of cilantro and throw it into the garbage. Cilantro is the devil's weed and has no place in cooking

cook for another four hours. When there is one hour left, cook some mushrooms in oil until they get out some moisture, then put them in the stew (without the moisture)

Done. Serve over rice and/or with corn tortillas

[ShadowShinobi]

I found this recipe, a few years back. If you're into Mexican + Italian food, you'll probably enjoy this: https://www.number-2-pencil.com/one-pan-enchilada-pasta/

You may want to try a different cheese, than what's suggested. Just experiment, and figure out what works best, for you.

[GiantBob]

I found this recipe, a few years back. If you're into Mexican + Italian food, you'll probably enjoy this.

You may want to try a different cheese, than what's suggested. Just experiment, and figure out what works best, for you.

Hey, nice one. I was just looking for something new to try.

[gomipile]

Lentils are good stuff. Still trying to find a good recipe for Mujadara that's similar to how a local place does it.


I found this recipe, a few years back. If you're into Mexican + Italian food, you'll probably enjoy this: https://www.number-2-pencil.com/one-pan-enchilada-pasta/

You may want to try a different cheese, than what's suggested. Just experiment, and figure out what works best, for you.

That looks really tasty. I'll have to work out some substitutions to try something like that soon

[ShadowShinobi]

Most people I tell about it, seem interested. I hope you enjoy it, as much as I do. :smallsmile:

There are lots of other recipes on the site, when you have time to take a look.

[Dimples786]

I do for my family

[ZhonLord]

New recipe found and immediately adored. Porter cake.

It's a spice cake, cinnamon allspice nutmeg and cloves. But then you also add in dried/candied fruits and drown it all in porter beer, and top it with brown sugar and almond slices.

You might be thinking "isn't that a fruit cake?" But no. It is light, flavorful, decadent, easy to bite into, and has about as much in common with fruit cake as filet mignon has with beef jerky.

[ShadowShinobi]

I've been looking for more variety in my meals, so I tried a new recipe I'd heard about: Black Bean Quesadillas. There's a number of different ways to make them. Just do a search, and find one you like. I kept it pretty simple, to start. Just the beans, cheese, and some mild sauce. I'm still working on the right amount of seasoning to use, but otherwise, they've turned out ok. The best part is, they cost less than using meat, and they're pretty filling.

[CallMeBagel]

I love cooking in general. but BBQ is my favorite. I got a smoker like 3 years ago, and use it at every change I get.

[Buufreak]

Personally, I love to cook. Kicking everyone out and taking over my kitchen is just enjoyable. The last big anything I made was a 10 gallon pot of gumbo. Tonight I will be slow cooking a roast for 12ish hours to make shredded beef tacos for tomorrow. It is a labor of love for me.

[northernbard80]

https://global.discourse-cdn.com/business7/uploads/mst3k/original/3X/5/5/5523ea4ac03439247fc445370f796471eb660ac2.jpeg

Just recently, I cooked chipped beef on toast for breakfast! I got dried beef from the store, cooked it in a pan with equal parts butter & flour and added milk with salt & pepper to taste.

It came out good! Anyone in the military probably knows this dish and calls it by a different name.

[gomipile]

https://global.discourse-cdn.com/business7/uploads/mst3k/original/3X/5/5/5523ea4ac03439247fc445370f796471eb660ac2.jpeg

Just recently, I cooked chipped beef on toast for breakfast! I got dried beef from the store, cooked it in a pan with equal parts butter & flour and added milk with salt & pepper to taste.

It came out good! Anyone in the military probably knows this dish and calls it by a different name.

Navy brat here, and yeah, we called it S.O.S. (Yes, we used the initialism most of the time, though those of us over the age of 8 or so knew what the initials stood for.)

It looks delicious. The only place I've ever had it outside home was breakfast at the cafeteria of my first university back in the late 1990s. I've never noticed it served anywhere but there and maybe a truck stop or two.

[northernbard80]

I plan to make desserts too and on my list is Petit Fours. Unfortunately, they are labor intensive...but I found a simplified recipe that involves pound cake and square cookie cutters!

https://www.tablespoon.com/recipes/easy-petit-fours/977f8b1c-3e5b-47c2-84ea-5c308c84ac69


I've also been reading up on melting chocolate to cover the Petit Fours; besides the double boiler method, you can melt chocolate in a slow cooker.

[DammitVictor]

Do you cook? If so, what do you make and what have you concocted recently?

I'm a very talented home cook, but I have weird tastes and my dishes are hit or miss with more mainstream palates; when they hit, though, they really really hit.

My best dishes... I like to make a Filipino-style (sweetened and stretched with banana-based ketchup) spaghetti but I make mine a little extra sweet and a lot extra spicy, with ground Italian sausage and topped with quesadilla cheese blend and sliced browned hot dogs. Or... a couple of cups of quinoa, with crushed pears and crumbled feta or goat cheese, with black pepper and cinnamon. I make a half decent Indian butter chicken or saag paneer with ricotta/cottage cheese in place of the paneer.

I make the best sandwich spread out of cranberry sauce, mustard, white wine, and horseradish.

Also make a really good pineapple creamed spinach... about 4 parts spinach to 2 parts kale, and 1 part each chopped white onion, crushed pineapple, and minced bacon in a ricotta cream sauce.


I've heard a lot about air fryers but never really got one. Are they that good or just hype?

They are that good. I got mine used on Facebook for only, like, forty bucks... but it would have been a bargain at MSRP.


When I make steaks, I cook them on my stovetop and throw on some seasonings like black pepper, basil, oregano, onion power and a little garlic.

I use Montreal steak seasoning, but I sprinkle it on both sides of the steak and then beat the seasoning into the meat with a coarse tenderizing mallet before marinating them in lime juice and olive oil.


In the last couple of years I've done a number of experiments with differant forms of grilled cheese and assorted melts—I've found that extra sharp cheddar on Vienna bread with dijon mustard gets the best results, though I want to experiment with pumpernickle—and I've been tinkering with a recipe for barbecue sauce that my grandmother tought me on and off for years.

The secret to grilled cheese? Though, yeah, your use of mustard and the poster who suggested shredded cheese are very clear... the secret is to replace the butter on the outside of the sandwich with mayonnaise. It doesn't taste much like mayonnaise, it tastes like a grilled cheese sandwich except all of the bread and cheese flavors are brighter.


Made homemade cranberry sauce.

Cinnamon compliments the taste of cranberries very well.

Try an omelette with dried cranberries and crumbled goat cheese.

[HalfTangible]

There's nothing quite like eating a steak you cooked yourself.

Even made my own birthday cake last year. It wasn't very good but I still devoured the entire thing (letting it sit for a day or two actually made it better)

[AscarothD]

I like to cook a few things here and there. When not being lazy and doing ramen with veggies and meat, I tend to make different kinds of stir fry.

Beef, broccoli, onions and carrots with ginger, black pepper, salt, curry powder and in the end, mix a little beef bullion with corn starch in water to add as a thickener.

Replace beef with chicken or pork.

Another item I make because my daughter loves it, is called Pozole.

I usually take a pork butt, boil it in salted water until it's tender enough to tear apart.
I cheat and buy premade Menudo Mix, then add additional spices, paprika, red pepper, chili powder, garlic and hominy corn.
After that, I dice up fresh sweet onion and cilantro on the side, and sliced lemons and limes to add.

[Velaryon]

I've got a question for the chefs in the Playground.

I was recently given some basil that was grown by a co-worker. The thing is, I'm not sure what to do with it. My coworker suggested making pesto since that's what she mostly does with it, but before doing that I'd like to know what else it's good for. Any ideas?

[Cygnia]

Pair it with fresh mozzarella and tomatoes for a Caprese salad.

It's good fried too (https://rouxbe.com/recipes/2319-fried-herbs)

[NichG]

Also good on pizza. And for Thai style stir fries.

Or if you're more adventurous, supposedly strawberry and basil pair well in ice cream.

[Cygnia]

The local ice cream shop near me does peach basil ice cream that's divine :)

[Dice Goblin]

I've heard a lot about air fryers but never really got one. Are they that good or just hype?

When I make steaks, I cook them on my stovetop and throw on some seasonings like black pepper, basil, oregano, onion power and a little garlic.


Just come here to say.... Air Fryers are AMAZING, I had left over pizza last night, 2 minutes in the Air Fryer - BANGING!

[Zombimode]

I was recently given some basil that was grown by a co-worker. The thing is, I'm not sure what to do with it. My coworker suggested making pesto since that's what she mostly does with it, but before doing that I'd like to know what else it's good for. Any ideas?

It's a common herb in the italian cuisine so mabye you could look into that.

Outside of that my favorite use for basil is in sauces. In general basil pairs very well with orange in that context.
For (white) asparagus I make my own style of hollondaise which is a base recipe plus a set of aromatic variations (meaning you never make the "base" version).
The most common one I make and probably my favorite overall is with basil, orange peel and orange mustard.

A short rundown:

Take 125g of butter, 125-150 g of yogurt* (normal, not greek one), 1 egg <- that is the base
plus a good ammount of basil, the peel of one orange, 1 teaspoon of orange mustard (https://www.delikatessen-berge-shop.de/34030002O?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIlLXg0ZOYgQMVZgWiAx3Imw qDEAQYByABEgLekPD_BwE) <- that is the aromatic variation

Melt the butter. Do not clean the pot you melted the butter in. We will use it later.
Add the butter, the yogurt, the orange peel (use a Microplane or a similar tool), the basil, salt and the mustard to a large mixing cup. Wait for a bit before you add the egg so the butter does not curdle the egg. Mix well with a blender. The mixture can now sit for as long as you need.
Once your meal is almost done it's time to reheat the sauce and get the consistency right.

Heat the pot you melted the butter with and add the sauce mixture. Be careful with the heat, we are still working with an egg-based sauce here. Once it reaches around 65C° start whisking. Keep the temperature at that level. You should get a nice medium-thic foam-like consistency.

* sorry for the imprecision - I always use the same brand and put in one "150g" cup but the actual amount is less then 150g.

Another option is a red wine based sauce with basil and orange. That is also pretty great and perfect with duck. No recipe since I haven't done it for ages (at least in part because I'm vegetarian for 13 years now...).

[ZhonLord]

New recipe perfected: Porter Cake. It's a spice cake flavored with porter beer, then mixed in with dried/candied fruits and topped with brown sugar and almond slices. It's like what fruit cake wishes it were; light, fluffy, with tons of flavors and a texture variety as you take each bite. it's wonderful!

[Liquor Box]

A nice piece of cow - a minute or so each side. Then eat.

[Cygnia]

I made homemade bagels yesterday!

[ZhonLord]

New recipe learned: light and fluffy buttermilk biscuits, with a butter wash on top. Perfect for honey and jams alike, the only downside is that they're best served warm and don't have anything to extend their lifespan. They start to go stale overnight.

But that initial period after cooling? Absolutely divine

[Anonymouswizard]

I've got fresh prawns in for the first time, going to peel them and use them to top a stir fry or the like. (I'll fry the prawns separately if course, I'm no fool.) Will probably use the heads to make stock, no sense letting that flavour go to waste when they're £10 a kilo.

Also my fishmonger gets catfish in, any recommendations for what to do with it? I've heard both stew and goujons work, so if anyone has recommendations for flavour combinations I might pick some up next week.

[Cygnia]

If you don't want to fry, there's poaching

https://altonbrown.com/recipes/catfish-au-lait/

[Wintermoot]

tomatillo shrimp

first saute in oil and butter one small onion (or half a large onion) and a jalapeno pepper.
after its soft add some minced garlic
after its fragrant, add some quartered tomatillos (remove the paper husks and wash them first) I use about a pound or about 15 tomatillos.
cook for 10 minutes or so until the tomatillos are soft. Add salt and pepper to taste as its cooking.
transfer to blender and blend until its mostly smooth (I like to keep mine somewhat chunky)

Add more butter to the pan, throw in some mushrooms. salt and pepper. cook until softening then put in a bowl
add MORE butter to the pan and put in a pound of cleaned and deveined shrimp and some more minced garlic, Salt and Pepper. cook for a few minutes until pink.

Put the mushrooms in with the shrimp. Put in the tomatillo sauces. Cook it together a couple minutes.

Serve over rice.

Sometimes the tomatillos can be really really tart and sour. the butter usually knocks that back, but you won't know until after everything is mixed. But if its too tart and sour, add some coconut milk (not a lot). That really mellows it out without altering the flavor a lot.

[ZhonLord]

Developed a gourmet lasagna recipe. Hamburg and sausage sauteed with garlic, onions and vinegar. Marinara simmered with a hefty spice mix. Cheese layers of cottage, Parmesan and mozzarella mixed with sugar eggs and parsley. End result: absolutely divine, and makes enough to feed a person of my appetite for four dinners in a row!

[taleteller50]

I cook for my family a lot and there's a honey garlic pork chop recipe I sometime use that's pretty easy and delicious. Relatively cheap too.

1- Heat up an oiled pan to medium high.
2- Season 4 chops with salt, pepper, and garlic powder.
3- Sear each side 4-5 min until golden brown.
4- Remove chops, add a spoon of butter, 6 gloves garlic chopped, and cook on medium 30 secs.
5- Once garlic's fragrant add 1/4 cup water, 1/4 cup honey, two tablespoons apple cider vinegar, and turn it back up to medium high for 3 min. Rice wine or white vinegar works too.
6- Add the chops back in for 1 or 2 minutes more and it's good to serve over some rice with steamed veggies on the side.

I'd suggest some jalapeño pineapple honey for a nice sweet kick but that might be a local specialty. Still good though. My fam loves it.

[Ginasius]

I'd suggest some jalapeño pineapple honey

The word jalapeño has reminded me of a question I long to ask Americans. My apologies if this isn't exactly the thread, but I don't know of any other threads or forums with American users and culinary subject matter.

My question is:

What is the meaning of the word "queso" in the USA?

Of course, "queso" in Spanish simply means "cheese". I'm Spanish and for me Cheddar, Mozzarella, Gorgonzola, Camembert are "quesos".

But recently I have been reading American articles on gastronomy and nutrition and I have found many references to "queso" in a context where it is implied that for Americans "queso" is a specific kind of cheese, probably Mexican or Tex-Mex. For example, "vegan queso made from tofu."

But, of course, a Google search for "queso" does not give me an adequate answer.

Thanks in advance.

[Domino Quartz]

The word jalapeño has reminded me of a question I long to ask Americans. My apologies if this isn't exactly the thread, but I don't know of any other threads or forums with American users and culinary subject matter.

My question is:

What is the meaning of the word "queso" in the USA?

Of course, "queso" in Spanish simply means "cheese". I'm Spanish and for me Cheddar, Mozzarella, Gorgonzola, Camembert are "quesos".

But recently I have been reading American articles on gastronomy and nutrition and I have found many references to "queso" in a context where it is implied that for Americans "queso" is a specific kind of cheese, probably Mexican or Tex-Mex. For example, "vegan queso made from tofu."

But, of course, a Google search for "queso" does not give me an adequate answer.

Thanks in advance.

I'm not American, but I'm pretty sure the American English usage of the word "queso" refers to a type of smooth cheese sauce, often used as a dip or a topping for nachos.

[BloodSquirrel]

I'm not American, but I'm pretty sure the American English usage of the word "queso" refers to a type of smooth cheese sauce, often used as a dip or a topping for nachos.

You can use different kinds of cheeses for queso, but it's generally going to be used for a Mexican-style sauce. You wouldn't call the kind of cheese you put in mac & cheese "queso".

[Cygnia]

A Complete Guide to Mexican Cheese (https://keviniscooking.com/a-complete-guide-to-mexican-cheese/)

[Ginasius]

Thank you all very much for your answers. At least I have contributed to broaden the scope of this thread to Mexican food :smalltongue:


Complete Guide to Mexican Cheese (https://keviniscooking.com/a-complete-guide-to-mexican-cheese/).

Thanks for the info. I'm afraid there are some errors in its references to Spanish cheeses. Spanish Manchego is made from sheep's milk, not goat's milk, and has no special relationship to Mexican Manchego. It may have been 200 years ago, but now they have evolved very differently. Some cheeses in Central America called Manchego do have similarities, but not in Mexico.

For example, the article says that Mexican Manchego is good for melting but Spanish Manchego may be the hardest cheese in the world to melt. It would be useful for making the walls of nuclear reactors. :smallbiggrin:

[Dawsnow]

I made some awesome meatballs from scratch today!

[Bohandas]

On a related note to the queso discussion

It should also be noted that in american english the word "Salsa" refers specifically to certain thick/chunky tomato and/or chili based sauces rather than to sauce in general