What can you expect in the Food Thread on PF?

[Evo]

To Tom: So that's where you've been all this time...cooking? The recipes sound delicious.

Moonbear - your tempura batter for the shrimp sounds yummy! I like classic tartar sauce for dipping, but the horseradish sauce is great.

Here supposedly the recipe for Outback's horseradish sauce.

Dipping Sauce
1/2 cup mayonnaise
2 teaspoons ketchup
2 tablespoons cream-style horseradish
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon dried oregano
Dash ground black pepper
Dash cayenne pepper

Prepare the dipping sauce by combining all of the ingredients in a small bowl. Keep the sauce covered in your refrigerator until needed.

http://www.recipelink.com/ch/2002/december/topsecretrestaurantrecipes2.html

 

[Moonbear]

Wow, that's a simpler recipe than I expected! I even have all those ingredients. I'll have to make that next time I get in the mood for deep fried food (not very often).

 

[Evo]

Does anyone remember this? A pie made with a box of crackers between two layers of pie dough?

RITZ® Mock Apple Pie

Prep Time: 45 min
Total Time: 1 hr 20 min
Makes: 10 servings

pastry for 2-crust 9-inch pie

36 RITZ Crackers, coarsely broken (about 1-3/4 cups crumbs)

2 cups sugar

2 tsp. cream of tartar

Grated peel of 1 lemon

2 Tbsp. lemon juice

2 Tbsp. butter or margarine

1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon


PREHEAT oven to 425°F. Roll out half of the pastry and place in 9-inch pie plate. Place cracker crumbs in crust; set aside.

MIX sugar and cream of tartar in medium saucepan. Gradually stir in 1-3/4 cups water until well blended. Bring to boil on high heat. Reduce heat to low; simmer 15 minutes. Add lemon peel and juice; cool. Pour syrup over cracker crumbs. Dot with butter; sprinkle with cinnamon. Roll out remaining pastry; place over pie. Trim; seal and flute edges. Slit top crust to allow steam to escape.

BAKE 30 to 35 minutes or until crust is crisp and golden. Cool completely.

 

[scorpa]

I just made the best chicken stew ever! I got a slow cooker for christmas so I tried it out for the first time today and it worked great...that recipe is definitely a keeper!

 

[turbo]

I just made the best chicken stew ever! I got a slow cooker for christmas so I tried it out for the first time today and it worked great...that recipe is definitely a keeper!

Scorpa, (in case you don't already do this) whenever you roast a chicken and your meal is over, cut the meat off the bones, then cut the big bones in two with a pair of poultry shears and simmer the bones, skin and other scraps in lightly salted water for a few hours. Strain out the scraps, bones, etc and store the liquid in your fridge or freezer. That makes a wonderful chicken stock - ideal for starting a chicken stew, but also great as a starter for home-made tomato soup - we have that quite a bit because I can't eat canned soups (the "natural flavors" and many other ingredients are primarily MSG and I'm very allergic to it.)

 

[turbo]

It's been in the teens and single digits for the past week here, I think the temperature soared up to 29 today.

I don't mind chopping wood, but the moose thing could be a deal killer.

Our nights have been pretty cold, of late, and the days have mostly been in the teens, so we've been burning a lot of wood. It's all sawed, split, and stacked, but it still has to be brought in from the wood-shed.

About the moose - you just have to get over that. The little Styrofoam trays of hamburg don't start out that way, you know. It's healthy to take personal responsibility for the meat that you eat - and at least the moose have a life of freedom until they die - they are not confined to a pen in a feed lot. We get as much of our beef and chicken as we can from a local farm. The chickens are free-range and the Angus grow up in nice pastures with trees, shade, and stream-fed ponds.

 

[turbo]

I could take of the moose. I don't mind the dirty work. Besides, I like roasted moose with blackberry sauce.

I didn't get a moose permit last year, but I've still got many gallons of frozen wild blackberries. Now for the moose...I'm half-way there. Which reminds me - there's an old Maine joke about a farmer selling rabbit sandwiches out of a roadside stand for 75 cents a sandwich (I told you it was an OLD joke), and the health inspector dropped in, bought a sandwich and found it quite tasty. He asked if the meat was 100% rabbit meat and the farmer admitted that he added a touch of horse meat "for body". The inspector asked how much was a touch - was it 10-20% or so, and the farmer allowed as to how the percentage was closer to 50:50 - one rabbit, one horse.

 

[scorpa]

Scorpa, (in case you don't already do this) whenever you roast a chicken and your meal is over, cut the meat off the bones, then cut the big bones in two with a pair of poultry shears and simmer the bones, skin and other scraps in lightly salted water for a few hours. Strain out the scraps, bones, etc and store the liquid in your fridge or freezer. That makes a wonderful chicken stock - ideal for starting a chicken stew, but also great as a starter for home-made tomato soup - we have that quite a bit because I can't eat canned soups (the "natural flavors" and many other ingredients are primarily MSG and I'm very allergic to it.)

Thanks for the tip turbo I'll keep that in mind, I used watkins chicken soup mix for the broth but the real stuff would be way better.

 

[Moonbear]

Mmm...I always use all the leftover chicken bones for making chicken soup (I add the meat too). I never have enough to bother with chicken stock to save.

I'm laughing at that joke, turbo! 50:50...one rabbit, one horse. Where's Ivan? He should add that to his repertoire!

I just finished baking some yummy nutmeg cookies...got the recipe during a Christmas cookie exchange. I was going to attempt that walnut cheesecake recipe that Tom posted from Christmas, but I've just discovered that liquor stores aren't open on Sundays here, so I can't get the Nocello. I hate arbitrary laws...you can buy wine and beer, but not hard liquor or liqueurs on Sunday, apparently. I guess I've never had a reason to stop in a liquor store on a Sunday before to discover this sooner. *sigh* I guess it'll have to wait until next weekend to try. Now I just hope the liquor store carries Nocello.

 

[Evo]

The liquor laws in some states are just ridiculous.

Right now I'm finishing off a smoked ham and then the bone is going into a ham and bean soup.

 

[Astronuc]

scorpa's post about the slow cooker inspired me to make beef stew today. I was toying with the idea of a roast, but that'll have to wait until next weekend.

I wish I had some moose or elk to roast.

 

[Evo]

Got elk?

http://www.uselk.com/got_elk_real_elk.html

I found this site last night.

Don't ask.

 

[Astronuc]

Got elk?

http://www.uselk.com/got_elk_real_elk.html

That's great! Thanks for that!

I found this site last night.

Don't ask.

Hmmmm! Just concerned.


Actually, while wandering back to the kitchen for seconds - I got to thinking about

Lemon chicken
Curried chicken on rice
Mexican chicken on Spanish rice

and

Ham or pork with lentils

 

[turbo]

Mmm...I always use all the leftover chicken bones for making chicken soup (I add the meat too). I never have enough to bother with chicken stock to save.

If we want chicken soup, the meat gets added back into the broth after the carcass and scraps are boiled down, but we often save it as a starter for other types of soups, like the traditional "French soup" that my mother's family made - leeks, onions, canned tomatoes (home canned, of course) potatoes and rice. It's great with buttered Saltines - a luxury that her family could not have easily afforded during the Depression.

Anyway, we often get to save broth because my wife and I like to get inventive with the left-over chicken meat. Add it into a vegetable stir-fry to serve over rice, or maybe make up a spicy hot chicken filling with garlic, onions, and peppers to wrap in soft tortillas with some shredded cheese...just everyday cooking. Except for some breads and baked goods where proportions are essential to get the best results, we never use recipes - just grab whatever is on-hand and make something up.

I used to cook this way when I was single, too. I was sharing an apartment with another guy, and he brought over a few old friends late one night and they rousted me out of bed so I could play guitar with them. After a while, one of the guys said he was hungry enough to eat the south end of a north-bound skunk. There was some food in the refrigerator, but not enough to feed everybody, unless they all wanted something different, so I chopped and sauteed some onions and garlic with a pound of hamburg and some seasonings. When that was browned, I stirred in some left-over baked beans that I had made the day before, and when everything was heated up, I broke all of the eggs I had (maybe 6-8) into the pan and stirred until they were cooked. My roommate called the concoction "gross" until he saw how our friends were hogging it down, then after he tried a little of it, he heaped up his plate, and crabbed when the other guys beat him out of seconds. Weeks later, he kept hinting that I should make some of "that stuff" for him.

 

[Moridin]

I just ate two fast food hamburgers. I am not as disgusted as I though I would be.

 

[scorpa]

I have about 3/4 of a head of cabbage and I need to find something to make with it before it goes bad. Maybe I'll try to find a decent looking recipe for lazy cabbage rolls...midterm week so no time to try the real thing.

 

[Ouabache]

Scorpa, (in case you don't already do this) whenever you roast a chicken and your meal is over, cut the meat off the bones, then cut the big bones in two with a pair of poultry shears and simmer the bones, skin and other scraps in lightly salted water for a few hours. Strain out the scraps, bones, etc and store the liquid in your fridge or freezer. That makes a wonderful chicken stock - ideal for starting a chicken stew, but also great as a starter for home-made tomato soup - we have that quite a bit because I can't eat canned soups (the "natural flavors" and many other ingredients are primarily MSG and I'm very allergic to it.)

Good job on the chicken stock.. I also don't eat prepared foods because of food allergy. So I discovered the wonders of simmering up my own chicken stock, and using it in lots of other dishes. For example when cooking rice, use in replacement of water (like in a risotto).

If you enjoy chicken stock, try the same technique with a 'turkey' carcass, (bones, skin & scraps). I was amazed at the huge volume of stock that comes off a turkey. Sadly, I see many folks who just eat the turkey and throw away the carcass. I've asked if they tried making soup or stock. Their reply is that they don't have time to fool with that.

If you live by the coast and enjoy steaming up fresh lobsters and crabs. Save the shells and simmer them in water. It makes great stock and tastey in a seafood chowder or bisque.

Right now I'm finishing off a smoked ham and then the bone is going into a ham and bean soup.

Mmmm boy, ham and bean soup! My first taste of this hearty comfort food was at a small cafe I chanced, while passing through Utah. I've since worked at my own version. Smoked ham works great, I've also substituted smoked turkey or smoked ham hocks. I bet smoked moose or elk would work fine too. Besides the beans & aromatic veggies (mire poix) and seasoning, I like to toss in a handful of barley.

 

[turbo]

Good job on the chicken stock.. I also don't eat prepared foods because of food allergy. So I discovered the wonders of simmering up my own chicken stock, and using it in lots of other dishes. For example when cooking rice, use in replacement of water (like in a risotto).

If you enjoy chicken stock, try the same technique with a 'turkey' carcass, (bones, skin & scraps). I was amazed at the huge volume of stock that comes off a turkey. Sadly, I see many folks who just eat the turkey and throw away the carcass. I've asked if they tried making soup or stock. Their reply is that they don't have time to fool with that.

If you live by the coast and enjoy steaming up fresh lobsters and crabs. Save the shells and simmer them in water. It makes great stock and tastey in a seafood chowder or bisque.

Mmmm boy, ham and bean soup! My first taste of this hearty comfort food was at a small cafe I chanced, while passing through Utah. I've since worked at my own version. Smoked ham works great, I've also substituted smoked turkey or smoked ham hocks. I bet smoked moose or elk would work fine too. Besides the beans & aromatic veggies (mire poix) and seasoning, I like to toss in a handful of barley.

Many people are oblivious to the flavors and nutrition that they throw away when disposing of bones, marrow, skin, scraps, etc, after preparing a chicken, turkey, or maybe a roast. It's too bad, because soup stocks made from boiling these parts can be the bases for incredibly tasty meals.

I grew up in a French-Canadian family (on my mother's side) and my father's mother was a cook for a large woods operation driving pulp-wood down the local rivers to paper mills. When I was a kid, I never saw a ham-bone or poultry carcass that didn't get boiled in a stock-pot or simmered for hours in a stew before it was discarded. Even then, we used to scoop the marrow out of the bigger bones and eat that before the bones were tossed. The taste of the marrow from a ham bone that was simmered to make a nicely-seasoned yellow pea soup can take you to heaven!

 

[robphy]

King Cake

[/URL]http://www.atneworleans.com/graphics/babies.gif

(My favorite is from Antoine's Famous Cakes.)


Happy http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Orleans_Mardi_Gras"

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5228675 (NPR, 2006)

 

[radou]

I'd rather die than eat this.

Anyways, degustibus. Only kidding.

 

[Evo]

I cannot tell a lie. Today I bought a "ham and water product" that "possibly contains ground ham". 38% water added.

I think I may regret this.

 

[Astronuc]

I cannot tell a lie. Today I bought a "ham and water product" that "possibly contains ground ham". 38% water added.

What were you thinking??

 

[Evo]

What were you thinking??

I don't know. It was on sale.

This is it.

http://www.farmlandfoods.com/products/boneless-smoked-ham-water-product.html

 

[Astronuc]

http://www.farmlandfoods.com/products/boneless-smoked-ham-water-product.html

Ummm -

Cooking Instructions
Oven: Heat oven to 325°F. Place ham in baking dish with 1/2 cup water.

OK - if this is a Ham & Water product, why do the cooking instruction suggest adding water?

Ingredients
Cured with water, salt, dextrose, corn syrup solids, carrageenan, sodium phosphates, sodium erythorbate, sodium nitrite

Yum -

 

[Evo]

Ingredients
Cured with water, salt, dextrose, corn syrup solids, carrageenan, sodium phosphates, sodium erythorbate, sodium nitrite

Don't let turbo see this, he'll lose all respect for me.

 

[turbo]

Don't let turbo see this, he'll lose all respect for me.

Not all respect, but perhaps a percentage of that respect that was left after you declared for TE. You simply HAVE to rent a copy of "Dead River Rough Cut"! As long as you ain't too prissy, I can have you hooked up in no time. I laid it out to you and Moonie before - if you can gut fish, process game, etc, you're in at par. If you're willing to pony up for a nice boat, motor, trailer, etc, you're prime marriagables. I need my normal fee up-front and a 50% share of your first moose and a standard remittance of 40# of brook trout and/or landlocked salmon payable in the first 5 years of your wedded bliss.

 

[Evo]

Not all respect, but perhaps a percentage of that respect that was left after you declared for TE. You simply HAVE to rent a copy of "Dead River Rough Cut"! As long as you ain't too prissy, I can have you hooked up in no time. I laid it out to you and Moonie before - if you can gut fish, process game, etc, you're in at par. If you're willing to pony up for a nice boat, motor, trailer, etc, you're prime marriagables. I need my normal fee up-front and a 50% share of your first moose and a standard remittance of 40# of brook trout and/or landlocked salmon payable in the first 5 years of your wedded bliss.

I'm saving up my money to buy the boat with motor, trailer, etc... I'm ready.

I had two types of homemade deer jerky this week. Very hot and spicy. All the guys around me hunt and are competing at making deer jerky. I am their test animal.

 

[turbo]

I'm saving up my money to buy the boat with motor, trailer, etc... I'm ready.

I had two types of homemade deer jerky this week. Very hot and spicy. All the guys around me hunt and are competing at making deer jerky. I am their test animal.

Lightweight! If you are not jerking the venison and smoking it yourself, you are eye candy at the best and maybe even last-resort companionship, (I hope we don't have to go there!). Darn! I hoped I could hook you up with a real guy. You may have to settle. Good luck.

 

[Math Is Hard]

...maybe even last-resort companionship, (I hope we don't have to go there!). Darn! I hoped I could hook you up with a real guy. You may have to settle. Good luck.

uh oh. what exactly do you get in a "last-resort companionship"? It's a serious inquiry. I don't have any skills except for fishing and building home-made air conditioners.

 

[Evo]

Lightweight! If you are not jerking the venison and smoking it yourself, you are eye candy at the best and maybe even last-resort companionship, (I hope we don't have to go there!). Darn! I hoped I could hook you up with a real guy. You may have to settle. Good luck.

It was tasty!

Actually his butcher grinds the venison, then he mixes it with a jerky mix he buys at Walmart shoots the mixture out of a jerky gun and then dries it in his dehydrator.

 

[Astronuc]

Maybe one could salvage the Ham & Water product with some pineapple.

Don't forget the 'fixins'!

 

[turbo]

It was tasty!

Actually his butcher grinds the venison, then he mixes it with a jerky mix he buys at Walmart shoots the mixture out of a jerky gun and then dries it in his dehydrator.

Wow! Dried, seasoned meat paste...yum! Doesn't anybody smoke and dry thin-sliced meat anymore? Is this the food thread? We need to start an "I wouldn't eat that on a bet" thread for Evo.

 

[turbo]

uh oh. what exactly do you get in a "last-resort companionship"? It's a serious inquiry. I don't have any skills except for fishing and building home-made air conditioners.

Well, let's say that a lady can't fly-cast, can't (or won't) hunt, dress and butcher game, etc... That kind of limits the opportunities for spending time together, doesn't it? Not the basis for a long-lasting relationship. More conducive to an on-again/off-again arrangement...

You should ask your video rental store to get in a copy of "Dead River Rough Cut" or get one of your friends with a Netflix plan to put it on the list. It's not a well-known movie, but for those of us who grew up in this area, it's a REAL trip down memory lane.

 

[Math Is Hard]

Well, let's say that a lady can't fly-cast, can't (or won't) hunt, dress and butcher game, etc... That kind of limits the opportunities for spending time together, doesn't it? Not the basis for a long-lasting relationship. More conducive to an on-again/off-again arrangement...

oh.. oh dear! I have really got to get some skills. All this time and money I've spent at UCLA and they haven't taught me any of the basics I need for a happy life.

You should ask your video rental store to get in a copy of "Dead River Rough Cut" or get one of your friends with a Netflix plan to put it on the list. It's not a well-known movie, but for those of us who grew up in this area, it's a REAL trip down memory lane.

I will look for that. I'm looking for something 'different' to watch. Nothing at the video store was exciting last week.

 

[Evo]

Well, let's say that a lady can't fly-cast, can't (or won't) hunt, dress and butcher game, etc... That kind of limits the opportunities for spending time together, doesn't it? Not the basis for a long-lasting relationship. More conducive to an on-again/off-again

oh.. oh dear! I have really got to get some skills. All this time and money I've spent at UCLA and they haven't taught me any of the basics I need for a happy life.

No wonder I've never been able to hold onto a man.

Help me turbo-1 kenobe, you're my only hope.