What did I cook this weekend.....

[ChefRex]

Ugh...still hate Brussels sprouts. I keep telling myself that I just haven't found the right recipe yet. I keep trying them and I keep hating them. I like cabbage, though. Weird.

Anyway...Thanksgiving coming up, so it's time for my 32 year tradition: Traditional Scottish Shortbread.

Almost choked to death as a kid trying to swallow one whole so I didn't taste it, now I love them!
Cut them in half, in butter and EVOO cut side down with onions and garlic and leave them alone till past golden, a little wine to finish cooking, a splash of balsamic vin to finish, also a little this and that along the way but that's how I cook.
Now I want!

 

[banesong]

I have a totally undeserved reputation as someone who hates vegetables. (Ok, I have other reputations that may or may not be deserved but I'm talking about vegetables right now..)

Veggies. I like the ones I like. I don't like the ones I don't like. I like these.
View attachment 315989View attachment 315990

Roast 'em.

Oh gosh, Melana, those look scrumtious - will you share your recipe? What do you serve them with - browned butter and sage or something else delectable?

Matt, I don't like Brussels sprouts either EXCEPT one way. Washed, trimmed, halved, lightly steamed in the microwave til barely tender, drained, tossed with olive oil and spread evenly on a foil-lined and sprayed baking sheet. Sprinkle with garlic salt. Roast at 400* til just starting to brown, then toss in a good handful of bacon bits (I use the Costco Kirkland brand stuff but homemade would be yummy too!) and roast til a few of the leaves that have dropped off are getting pretty brown. Trust me, they're really good.

Right now I have two huge sheet pans of chicken bones in the oven at 350* to roast off for chicken stock. I save the bones in the freezer til I have enough. There are also a couple halved onions and a couple handsful of peeled garlic cloves in there. Next I'll put everything into my 22 quart roaster oven, add a couple bottles of homebrewed brown ale and some water, bay leaves, salt, thyme, a couple sage leaves, then set it to keep a nice simmer, and cook all night.

Tomorrow we'll pressure can the stuff up and then I'll have great stock for quite a while!

No need for the microwave. Just toss em in the oil, salt & pepper and minced garlic, and let 'em go. If you don't have allergies, toss em in parmesan after they exit the oven.

We do it very similarly with cauliflower.

 

[ericbw]

Years ago, it seems like EVERYTHING got cooked to death. Brussels sprouts, broccoli, pork, asparagus. If you cook them lightly, they're way better. no matter how you cook them.

 

[passedpawn]

I have a totally undeserved reputation as someone who hates vegetables. (Ok, I have other reputations that may or may not be deserved but I'm talking about vegetables right now..)

Veggies. I like the ones I like. I don't like the ones I don't like. I like these.
View attachment 315989View attachment 315990

What are you doing with that spinach?

BTW, I make a salad with brussel sprouts. I parboil them to make them soft. In a fry pan, I saute chestnuts, red onion, and bacon. Add to brussel sprouts, sprinkle with lemon. Delish. Reposted from earlier, but what the hell.

 

[ChefRex]

What are you doing with that spinach?

BTW, I make a salad with brussel sprouts. I parboil them to make them soft. In a fry pan, I saute chestnuts, red onion, and bacon. Add to brussel sprouts, sprinkle with lemon. Delish. Reposted from earlier, but what the hell.

Need to do this! Except the delish part, must go all the way and make it delicious!

 

[bob1852]

Halve 1.5lbs Brussels sprouts, toss with olive oil and salt & pepper, and roast at ~425 for 20-30 minutes.

Cook 6-8 slices of bacon and drain and crumble (save ~1 tbsp of bacon grease)

Sautée 1/2 a red onion in bacon grease until they get some color, then toss in the Brussels sprouts, bacon, a handful of dried fruit (cranberries, cherries, etc.) and a splash of red wine vinegar.

 

[paulthenurse]

The spinach was jusr put into the pan with oil and onions till wilted anddone. The Brussel sprouts got a splash of balsamic to finish. Too good with broiled chicken thighs.

 

[ChefRex]

Halve 1.5lbs Brussels sprouts, toss with olive oil and salt & pepper, and roast at ~425 for 20-30 minutes.

Cook 6-8 slices of bacon and drain and crumble (save ~1 tbsp of bacon grease)

Sautée 1/2 a red onion in bacon grease until they get some color, then toss in the Brussels sprouts, bacon, a handful of dried fruit (cranberries, cherries, etc.) and a splash of red wine vinegar.

Love adding dried fruits to greens, never did it with sprouts, I see it working well though.

 

[beergolf]

What are you doing with that spinach?

BTW, I make a salad with brussel sprouts. I parboil them to make them soft. In a fry pan, I saute chestnuts, red onion, and bacon. Add to brussel sprouts, sprinkle with lemon. Delish. Reposted from earlier, but what the hell.

mmmmm That looks soooooo good.

 

[passedpawn]

Mmm, just finishing up some gumbo with shrimp and andouille sausage. So good. Wish I could share with everyone.

I made a roux first to thicken it, and burnt the hell out of it (I forgot my mise en place rule). Whole house smelled like burnt toast. Wooops.

 

[Hoppy2bmerry]

Nothing fancy, but the poached salmon, was moist and tender. The key is not letting your poaching liquid get too hot.

 

[Kiichi]

Nothing fancy, but the poached salmon, was moist and tender. The key is not letting your poaching liquid get too hot.

Did you reuse the poaching liquid for something? As a soup base or so? I am a veggy, so I don´t poach fish and just wonder about that. Cause it sounds like that would be a flavorful broth thing. Any seafood soup could benifit from it. Also potentially a great base for a shrimp risotto or such I´d imagine.

 

[Quadrupled]

I made a roux first to thicken it, and burnt the hell out of it

During the cold weather months I make gumbo every couple weeks. Last Sunday my wife decided she should make it and chose to use a butter spread for the roux - what a fubar'ed lumpy mess! Fortunately she had the sense to stop before adding anything else to it.

 

[Melana]

With Brown butter and sage

View attachment 1447578778512.jpg

 

[paulthenurse]

That looks like it's enough for Big John, what did the rest of you have?

I have recently fallen in love with gnocchi. Recipe please. How did I get to be this old and never have gnocchi till last year?

 

[banesong]

Breakfast taters.

Bulgogi and greens for dinner last night.

View attachment 1447594546227.jpg

View attachment 1447594570242.jpg

View attachment 1447594579071.jpg

View attachment 1447594586751.jpg

 

[DerrangedPOJO]

Ok here is the ingredient list for the general tso.
3 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into chunks
2 cups green onions, sliced
8 small dried chilies, seeds removed (bird pepper or thai chilies are good)

Cornstarch slurry

1⁄4 cup soy sauce, low sodium preferred
1 egg, beaten
1 cup cornstarch
Sauce

1⁄2 cup cornstarch
1⁄4 cup water
1 1⁄2 teaspoons fresh garlic, minced
3⁄4 cup sugar
1⁄2 cup soy sauce
1⁄4 cup white vinegar
1⁄4 cup sherry wine or 1⁄4 cup white wine
14 1⁄2 ounces chicken broth (a can)

Directions:
Mix cornstarch slurry in a large bowl- the mixture will be strange but trust me it works. It will be VERY thick almost paste like. Add ALL the chicken pieces and stir to coat. Using a fork remove ONE chicken piece at a time and let the excess mixture drip off. YES even though the mixture has a weird consistency it will not stick like paste and the excess will drip off. Add chicken to the hot (350 degree) oil and fry until crispy. Only cook 7 or 8 chicken pieces at a time. You do not want to lower the temp of the oil by cooking too many at a time. You can use a simple cooking or candy thermometer to judge the temp of the oil.
Drain on paper towels. Want them extra crispy? Put them on a rack over a sheet pan. Keep warm- I just put them in the oven with the oven off. Repeating until all chicken is fried.
In a separate wok or large skillet add a small amount of oil and heat to 400 degrees. Again, a candy thermometer works great. (Want less dishes? You can just drain the oil after you fry all the chicken, leave a small amount (about a tsp) in the pan and use the same pan if you like.)
Add green onions and hot peppers and stir fry about 30 seconds.
Stir (or shake jar) sauce mixture, and then add to pan with onions and peppers, cook until thick. Some reviews didn't kniw what "thick" meant. Thick like the same sauce you get at a restaurant.you want it to just coat the chicken. If it gets too thick, add a little water or other liquid. The thickness of the sauce should be similar to what you get when ordering this at a restaurant.
Add chicken to sauce in wok and heat just until the chicken is hot enough for you. It may not even need a minute if you kept the chicken warm. The quicker you serve it the crispier the chicken stays.

 

[DerrangedPOJO]

I think adding a little ginger and orange juice in the sauce makes it better! I also have used different chillies like ancho serrano and hungarian wax. Depends on how much heat you want. This will make enough to feed at least 5 servings for adults.

 

[Staestc]

Well after I got the beef curing yesterday and the cukes pickling, I rolled two cigars, showed my daughter how to can her apple butter for Christmas gifts, then cooked hamburgers and hotlinks for dinner! No pictures of the rest of that though. Apple butter was her show and her responsibility to take pictures, and hamburgers were just grilled hamburgers, not really worthy of pictures

 

[JonM]

Got to play with all my Weber toys yesterday. I smoked a couple chickens on the WSM, then I wrapped them in foil and held them in the 150F oven while I grilled veggies on the kettle. I reused the coals from the WSM in the kettle by just scooping them out with gloved hands and putting them in the chimney. To make the scooping/transferring process a little tidier, I put the chimney in the Smokey Joe and put it right next to the WSM.

Then I put the carcasses, necks and backs (I spachcocked the chickens) in the crockpot with onions and bay leaves and simmered it all night. Smokey soup for lunch!

 

[Kiichi]

Cooking the proposed curry chili right now. Used a handful of piri piri chilis and might have signed my executioners order with it. They seem hotter than expected. After washing my hand I touched my face. My cheek has been burning or 15min now...

However the onions, garlic, coconut milk, chilis, broth cubes, madras curry, and lemon grass mix heating up smells glorious.

 

[beergolf]

Making three gallons of chicken stock. Simmering away on the stove right now. I always buy whole chickens. My wife likes boneless breasts and I like the legs and thighs. So I just cut them off and then put the carcass in the freezer until I accumulate enough for stock. I have not bought chicken stock in probably 30 years.

I then freeze it in one and two cup containers. When I need some it is always available. Easy.

Also getting ready to start a batch of beef, mushroom barley soup for dinner.

 

[mattmmille]

Cooking the proposed curry chili right now. Used a handful of piri piri chilis and might have signed my executioners order with it. They seem hotter than expected. After washing my hand I touched my face. My cheek has been burning or 15min now...

However the onions, garlic, coconut milk, chilis, broth cubes, madras curry, and lemon grass mix heating up smells glorious.

Be careful what you touch when you go to the bathroom!

 

[unionrdr]

I cut up a ghost & a fatalii pepper yesterday to dry hop/pepper the IIPA with. Got the juices on two fingers & haven't been able to wash it out yet!

 

[Temptd2]

First batch of chicken stock is in the pressure canner, cooling off. 8 pint jars. Next batch will go in when that one has dropped pressure. I expect we'll get at least 16 pints if not more.

The stock cooked all night long, which made for some very yummy smells in the wee morning hours. In addition to the 4 bottles of homebrewed Porter in it, we opened a bottle of Pinot Noir that wasn't up to drinking standards and that went into the soup pot too. BOY is that good stuff!

I love opening my pantry and seeing all those homecanned jars of goodness in there.

 

[slym2none]

Ok here is the ingredient list for the general tso.
3 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into chunks
2 cups green onions, sliced
8 small dried chilies, seeds removed (bird pepper or thai chilies are good)

Cornstarch slurry

1⁄4 cup soy sauce, low sodium preferred
1 egg, beaten
1 cup cornstarch
Sauce

1⁄2 cup cornstarch
1⁄4 cup water
1 1⁄2 teaspoons fresh garlic, minced
3⁄4 cup sugar
1⁄2 cup soy sauce
1⁄4 cup white vinegar
1⁄4 cup sherry wine or 1⁄4 cup white wine
14 1⁄2 ounces chicken broth (a can)

Directions:
Mix cornstarch slurry in a large bowl- the mixture will be strange but trust me it works. It will be VERY thick almost paste like. Add ALL the chicken pieces and stir to coat. Using a fork remove ONE chicken piece at a time and let the excess mixture drip off. YES even though the mixture has a weird consistency it will not stick like paste and the excess will drip off. Add chicken to the hot (350 degree) oil and fry until crispy. Only cook 7 or 8 chicken pieces at a time. You do not want to lower the temp of the oil by cooking too many at a time. You can use a simple cooking or candy thermometer to judge the temp of the oil.
Drain on paper towels. Want them extra crispy? Put them on a rack over a sheet pan. Keep warm- I just put them in the oven with the oven off. Repeating until all chicken is fried.
In a separate wok or large skillet add a small amount of oil and heat to 400 degrees. Again, a candy thermometer works great. (Want less dishes? You can just drain the oil after you fry all the chicken, leave a small amount (about a tsp) in the pan and use the same pan if you like.)
Add green onions and hot peppers and stir fry about 30 seconds.
Stir (or shake jar) sauce mixture, and then add to pan with onions and peppers, cook until thick. Some reviews didn't kniw what "thick" meant. Thick like the same sauce you get at a restaurant.you want it to just coat the chicken. If it gets too thick, add a little water or other liquid. The thickness of the sauce should be similar to what you get when ordering this at a restaurant.
Add chicken to sauce in wok and heat just until the chicken is hot enough for you. It may not even need a minute if you kept the chicken warm. The quicker you serve it the crispier the chicken stays.

I like to go more authentic & use thigh-meat. I have made something like this before, and will try this recipe next!

 

[applescrap]

So now my brisket is trimed, tucked into the cure, and in the fridge. I also make some Kosher Dill refrigerator pickles this morning. Cukes were a little bigger than I wanted but it's all I could find. In a week or so I will find out if these are any good or not

I'm so jealous of the pastrami now you need some black and white cookies

 

[banesong]

In addition to the 4 bottles of homebrewed Porter in it, we opened a bottle of Pinot Noir that wasn't up to drinking standards and that went into the soup pot too. BOY is that good stuff!

Love cooking with beer/wine. I have two kegs of so-so HB that are our designated cooking beers.

 

[CreamyGoodness]

Have those of you with hot pepper juice woes tried the white vinegar trick?

 

[banesong]

Have those of you with hot pepper juice woes tried the white vinegar trick?

Uhhh... Details?