Whats cookin

Well this is what I've been having.

Mom made this for New Years treat.

My one pot noodles with pasta sauce and cheese. Made this the other day.

Brown sugar & balsamic vinegar pork loin with salad and dr.pepper. yesterday for supper.

Also, "cooking wine" will end up in the condiments cabinet next to the oil and vinegar, rather than in the fridge. And if used only for an ingredient, may be around a lot longer than it should.

I did once go to a cooking demo where the chef instructed his assistant to go into the larger store and grab "the cheapest wine on the shelf".

During Q and A I asked about that, always having believed that as Brad says, cook with what you drink.

"I only drink $ 100 wine" says he.

Well ok, not me. WSo I go with anything around $ 10 and I keep it in the fridge. Now, sometimes when we run out of the better stuff we'll drink it, but that keeps the supply fresh.

You guys are great, a lot of enthusiasm. It's fun how cooking is a window to much larger things in life. Just a few things:

Folks who still eat food that their moms cook. I haven't had that experience in 30 years, and many of us don't have moms any more.

Retired folks who finally got smart about their diets. We are really trying to be more veg/ fish oriented here at home.

Clever uses of common ingredients. Who hasn't "iron cheffed" the pantry?

Keep it up! 

GMorrison

...I did once go to a cooking demo where the chef instructed his assistant to go into the larger store and grab "the cheapest wine on the shelf".

During Q and A I asked about that, always having believed that as Brad says, cook with what you drink.

"I only drink $ 100 wine" says he.

Well ok, not me. WSo I go with anything around $ 10 and I keep it in the fridge. Now, sometimes when we run out of the better stuff we'll drink it, but that keeps the supply fresh...

Yeah, that's a good point, thanks for clarifying!  I don't use the top-shelf bottles of wine.  I buy the gallon jugs of California table wines, like Gallo, and that's my cooking wine.  But I can drink it.

I still enjoy mom’s cooking though she is no longer here - what I make is based on what she used to make for me.  My most cherished are her beef stew and twice baked potatoes.  I only make the potatoes on Thanksgiving, so they are extra special.  Shucks, I should have photographed them - they came out nice last year.

Chicken gumbo with Andouille sausage. My best gumbo yet got the seasoning just right. Served it with rice and French bread.

Now I need to figure out what to cook tonight.

Just in time for the Saints Game!

Just for giggles:

https://flic.kr/p/QZshHc][/url]Darth Vader Toaster-02 by N.T. Izumi, on Flickr

The toast was made with this:

https://flic.kr/p/QWQj93][/url]Darth Vader Toaster-01 by N.T. Izumi, on Flickr

A disclaimer:  A friend gave the toaster to me as a gift.  No, really.  You should see the Wampa Snow Creature snack bowl I got this year!  Put chowder in it and he looks like he's about to vomit!

Oh man.... that's too funny

keavdog

Oh man.... that's too funny 

So you see, there is a problem with product development over at the Mouse House.  If the pattern was the Imperial Cog, I might still own the toaster.  But no, it’s lame “Star Wars“ lettering. How generic.

They should have made a Kylo Ren toaster that burns slash marks everywhere, then ejects the smoking shreds onto the counter.  That would be lovely.

  Greysnake, I'm tired of the cold, ya got any of that Chicken gumbo left?

    Real G, I'll take your Darth Vader toaster if ya wanna get rid of it. I'm a "sell out" and dig all things Star Wars, to plagerize a line from the comedian Fluffy, "I'm waiting for a call from Yoda telling me screwed up you did".

     Back on point, I really like making chili, not Texas style...yet...but beans, peppers, onions, seasoned stew meat,and ALOT of spice. Makes my dog sleep on the floor and the other half wonder why she married me.

    I tried Saurbrauton once....man whatta mess but it was edible. I would like to try thst again.

Real G

 

They should have made a Kylo Ren toaster that burns slash marks everywhere, then ejects the smoking shreds onto the counter.  That would be lovely.

 

Or a Revenge Of The Sith that spits out sliced burnt toast

keavdog

 

 

Real G

 

They should have made a Kylo Ren toaster that burns slash marks everywhere, then ejects the smoking shreds onto the counter.  That would be lovely.

 

 

 

 

Or a Revenge Of The Sith that spits out sliced burnt toast

 

...and then it gasps “I hate you!”

But you see, even that is way better than what actually hit the market. 

I started my sauce this morning:

And here it is in the pot

It will simmer for 4-5 hours, then get put in the refridgerator over night. I'll make my Lasagna tomorrow for when my Mother-n-law comes in town. 

Real G,

I got this from my son for my birthday a couple years ago. I'm a big Stormtrooper fan.

I've only used him once and it burns the Empire symbol on the toast. Unfortunately, I can find the picture that took of the toast.

Lasagna pics to come tomorrow.

Made Pork Carnitas last night with gaucamole and chile pequin hot sauce. Everything was great expect for the gaucamole the avacodos weren't that great. Tonight is going to be left overs since the fridge is filled up. 

Since we’re “snowed in” from the storm, I’m making a nice big batch of chicken soup before I head out to clear the driveway.

BlackSheepTwoOneFour

Since we’re “snowed in” from the storm, I’m making a nice big batch of chicken soup before I head out to clear the driveway.

 

Yep, same here. Chicago received about one foot of snow. We are making chicken tortilla soup today.

BlackSheepTwoOneFour

Since we’re “snowed in” from the storm, I’m making a nice big batch of chicken soup before I head out to clear the driveway.

 

Snow what's that? LOL. Looking at it be almost eighty degrees in southern Arizona today

I made chicken noodle soup the other night. It's been crazy weather with a lot of outages.

Took one of those grocery store roasted chickens. Removed all of the white meat and the thigh meat. Simmered the carcass in a covering of water for four hours, with garlic, bay leay and a bunch of parsley stems left over.

Strained it, used as the stock for the soup which included the reserved meats cubed up.

Chicken flavored Ramen Noodles.  The two main ingredients are loneliness and despair!  I know I should have outgrown these in college but I really do love them! 

Here's the finished Lasagna:

It's funny, I started working on the sauce at 8AM and finished around 5PM on Saturday. Then about 1:30PM today, I started to layer the pan, and it cooked for about 2 hours. 

It took all of 20 minutes to eat! But, it was well worth it. I made my family, and the Mother-n-law, fat and very happy! lol!

GreySnake

Made Pork Carnitas last night with gaucamole and chile pequin hot sauce. Everything was great expect for the gaucamole the avacodos weren't that great. Tonight is going to be left overs since the fridge is filled up. 

GreySanke, that looks really good!

 

A toaster is one thing we still need to get.

Anyone want to place bets as to whether the wife will let me buy one like RealG's or Bruce's?

And speaking of eating like grownups (which my wife has mastered but I suck at), take a look at our first oven-baked steak. We are operating without a proper kitchen exhaust fan or an outside grill. I've heard of oven-broiling, but the boss-lady didn't want to smoke up the kitchen.

It came out great, really surprised me.

Maybe tomorrow I will start to eat sensibly?

Mopar Madness

Chicken flavored Ramen Noodles.  The two main ingredients are loneliness and despair!  I know I should have outgrown these in college but I really do love them! 

 

About once a month, I either have to have my fix of Ramen or Kraft macaroni and cheese.

DasBeav - But remember not all instant ramen is created equal!  Top Ramen, despite its name, is not at the top.  I like Myojo Chuka-Zanmai.  It's not in a cup ramen format though, and requires a pot for boiling.  And no fixins' - it's all DIY.  But it is one of the better ramens.

Greg - Go with the Stormtrooper toaster, as it burns the Imperial Cog, much cooler than "Star Wars" lettering.

Hogfanfs - That lasagne looks great!  I can see someone has already gotten in before you could take a photo, so it MUST be good!

I stretched some teriyaki steak into three dinners last week by eating less steak and more salad.  Surpisingly it was OK.  I gently reheated the steak and recarmelized the sauce on the second and third days and was able to get nice, hot, gooey teri steak which was still pink in the middle.  This is teri steak dinner #3:

https://flic.kr/p/Sa5jbA][/url]Teriyaki Steak - Part Deux by N.T. Izumi, on Flickr

I make my own teriyaki sauce because it is so easy (the recipie I use was taken from a cookbook meant for children, college kids, and senior citizens with limited cullinary skills).

I almost forgot about the best part:

Dessert!!

Brownies and Cheese Cake from my wife and Mother-n-law!

Real G, that teriyaki steak does look really good, even if it's the third day!

hogfanfs

Brownies and Cheese Cake from my wife and Mother-n-law!

Now you're talkin'!

(Oh, I forgot, today I was going to start eating sensibly)

Waffle House for brunch was probably a bad start, no?

No sir, Waffle House is never a bad idea!   

Up here in the B we need a piece of fried chicken with that brake pad.

Cooking Gumbo tonight. Was going to show all of the mis en place but it's not Rachel's show all.

This one is Chef Paul, but my own version. So here's my book on gumbo, and I am not from NOLA so take it for what it's worth.

Most good Nola cooking, whether cajun or creole, has three main parts.

Ingredients.

Thickener and vegetables.

Starch to serve it on.

Ingredients are the proteins, whether sea food or land animal, amphibian or bird. Orthodoxy in both gumbo and other stews like paella state that they can't be mixed, but I don't agree as long as the cook doesn't go over the top. Tonight's gumbo won't have seafood, although I live in one of the seafood capitals of the US.

Holiday, big storms; boats didn't go out.

I'm going with chicken and smoked sausage.

Thickener falls into either a roux, which as you know is a flour/ fat glue; okra; or file which is ground sassafras leaves. I have never liked file that much.

I really like roux but I also like okra, so I go with both. It's a little tricky, but if you keep the roux on the side until you finish the gumbo, then add it by the spoon; it can be the thing.

Rice.

So it's on simmer, your cook will return in 30.

Real G

I still enjoy mom’s cooking though she is no longer here - what I make is based on what she used to make for me.  My most cherished are her beef stew and twice baked potatoes.  I only make the potatoes on Thanksgiving, so they are extra special.  Shucks, I should have photographed them - they came out nice last year.

 

So 1961 we have Father Murphy coming for dinner in March. Tell me about the lamb stew.