Cooking up a storm

[Aetherous]

Just moved into my own place and for some reason, I have decided that at this point in my life I want to cook all of my food from scratch. Having a packed lunch at work should be an experience of heaven on earth and make everyone else absolutely jealous.

This thread can be a place to share awesome and simple recipes. No excessive posting of health food recipes in this thread, please...emphasis should be on awesome (tasting) food.

 

...

I just did this, and it turned out to be one of the most amazing things I've ever tasted. Explosions of different subtle flavors all at once. I've had garlic aioli (mayonnaise) at restaurants before, but this was a lot better than those. I personally didn't use any olive oil...only canola.

The little amounts of ingredients ended up making quite a bit of mayo. Maybe enough for a week of sandwich toppings and dip. I might double the recipe from now on just to be sure I always have enough.

 

Next to do: homemade ketchup and bbq sauce.

...

Found a guide to boiling eggs. As a kid, I thought that the green color on the outside of the yolk was inevitable. As a result, I rarely ate hard boiled eggs. Well, last night I found out that was simply cooking it wrong. They are supposed to be fully bright yellow on the inside when hard boiled. And the yolks can be soft on the inside if you cook for less time, without being gross!

 

http://www.simplyscratch.com/2010/12/how-to-hard-boiled-eggs.html

Mark Bittman's book "How to Cook Everything: The Basics" appears to contain the absolute best guide to this hard boiled egg thing. That book is next on my list.

Another good book (which I already have): The Flavor Bible. Helps in creating dishes, without making something disgusting.

 

...

Also working on 2 hour baguettes tonight. We'll see if they turn out at all edible.

This is on my radar, since I'm a huge pepperoni pizza fan: http://www.girlversusdough.com/2013/02/07/no-knead-pizza-dough/

Edited February 18, 2013 by turtle shell

[Flolfolil]

i really dig allrecipes.com

 

awesome faves -

 

biscuits - http://allrecipes.com/recipe/jps-big-daddy-biscuits/detail.aspx

 

sausage gravy - http://allrecipes.com/recipe/super-sausage-gravy/detail.aspx

 

white cake - http://allrecipes.com/recipe/simple-white-cake/detail.aspx

 

pancakes - http://allrecipes.com/recipe/good-old-fashioned-pancakes/detail.aspx

[Cat Pillar]

I am totally following this topic.

[i am]

I'll definitely check out that aoli recipe. It's a great sauce.

 

I randomly happened to cook a perfect egg, for me. Maybe it'd be considered a soft boiled egg? I was messing around with boiling for a few minutes then just letting it sit with the heat off...

 

Anyway, when I took off the shell, it was exactly how I like my fried eggs, only boiled, so no oil. Hard white, and still a completely runny yolk. I need to perfect that...don't remember now the exact times of cooking and letting site.

 

I was in my late 20's before I started, but cooking up something great specifically for lunch left-overs is definitely my thing.

[Aetherous]

Thanks rainbowvein.

 

...

 

Here is the ketchup I plan on making probably tomorrow... http://www.simplyscratch.com/2012/05/homemade-ketchup-recipe.html

 

Also just remembered that I want to do homemade yogurt, with vanilla bean and less sugar than usual store bought stuff. My ideal yogurt is Wallaby brand, but there isn't any around where I live. It's very thin (basically the opposite of that Greek yogurt stuff), low to moderate sugar in comparison to other brands, and real vanilla bean is used. Oh yeah, it's organic. I will use whole organic milk, since it tastes a lot better. Will store the vanilla pods in with the sugar (some kind of brown raw sugar) to add even more flavor. http://www.wikihow.com/Make-Yogurt

Edited February 18, 2013 by turtle shell

[Aetherous]

i am,

 

This gives some pictures and times (which are from that Basics book I mentioned in the original post)...

http://www.culinate.com/articles/our_table/mark_bittmans_new_book

[Aetherous]

My bread was edible tonight. Not very flavorful at all, crispy on the outside, chewy on the inside, or with any of those cool air pockets...so basically there is a ton of room for improvement.

 

I like this guy's work, and his teaching in these baguette videos.

...

http://www.clockworklemon.com/2011/07/pain-a-lancienne-baguettes.html

This baguette recipe is supposed to actually be decent.

[RobB]

Cooking for yourself (and those around you) is one of the single best things you can do. Appetite by Nigel Slater is a great starter book for people who enjoy food and ingredients but can;t be doing with a load of over-complex faffing about.

[i am]

Thanks for the link! I tried it (before logging in to TTB) this morning, and it was a little underdone...Runny yolk, but too much runny white too.

 

That was about 3 min boiling, 2 or minutes sitting in the hot water. I've been waiting for the water to boil before throwing the egg in.

 

I wonder...I checked out the first hard boiled egg link you posted in your first post. Is she saying that overcooking is what causes green yolks? She says "here's how to get yellow yolks" but never says what it is people do wrong to get green.

 

If it's a time thing, I guess I don't need to worry about it, since I'm going for kinda runny yolks, and will probably never boil eggs for as long as 12 minutes.

Edited February 18, 2013 by i am

[Aetherous]

Yup, I think it's a matter of time...as well as not putting them in cold water immediately after the boil, because they will keep cooking on the inside even if taken out of the boiling water.

[thetaoiseasy]

lol, this is awesome, turtle.

[GreytoWhite]

You'll need one of these i am.

 

http://www.bluerosepottery.com/ECS.html

[joeblast]

check out smoothie making, def include stuff like sweet potatoes in that. you can get a lot of your veggie requirement that way. kale, spinach, awesome in there, mango, orange, cherries...plenty of good recipes out there. although since its winter, I dont think any smoothies have been made here recently

 

 

and how did I forget, durrrr TONIGHTS DINNER...

 

If you dont have a crock pot, GET ONE! nothing so easy as tossing a chicken in there with some italian dressing, onion, celery, carrot, sweet potato...you can let it rip on low all day 8 hours if you're at work. easy peasy, not too greasey

Edited February 20, 2013 by joeblast

[i am]

You'll need one of these i am.

 

http://www.bluerosepottery.com/ECS.html

Ha! Nah...I've been spending enough money lately as it is. If I start buying things like special cups for hard boiled eggs, there's no end to what I should buy! I've actually been clearing tons of stuff out of my house lately, and specifically not buying anything unless I absolutely need it.

 

All money is going into an rv. And there's no room for things like egg cups in a tiny rv.

[GreytoWhite]

 

It was for dinner. Gluten free in this house, used rice "spaghetti" and cooked it just a little harder than al dente before adding the shrimp and vegetables. Made a sauce out of Sriracha, olive oil, gluten free San J soy sauce, onion powder, garlic salt, two tablespoons of sugar, and I added some star anise before cooking.

[Aetherous]

Looks perfect.

[GreytoWhite]

Thanks, I should have taken it out of the pan as it still cooked the shrimp a bit too much after I made my plate. Chewy leftovers.

[joeblast]

Yeah with seafood you always want to mind how much they're being cooked, lest you feel like you made rubber tires instead!

[Aetherous]

Hey friends, I've returned to the forums thanks to the mod team.

Just ordered this Victorio Mill to grind fresh flour, for baking whole grain bread.

I also plan on making paneer, an Indian cheese.

edit: Aaaand I'm going to try making this Finnish barley bread, since it looks so easy, and according to Ayurveda barley is my grain of choice.

Edited August 5, 2013 by turtle shell

[Aetherous]

Drink recipe...nicknamed "The Tear Drinker"

Recently I decided to combine my two favorite mixed drinks into one...a gin and tonic, and a mojito. I like this because it has multiple flavors at once (sour from lime, bitter from gin, sweet from brown sugar, some saltiness from...salt). There is also the aroma from mint.

In a small bowl, combine brown sugar, sea salt, juice of half a lime, and a few mint leaves...crush the leaves and mix together completely. Pour and strain this juice mixture into a glass filled with ice. Pour an equal amount of gin. Fill the rest of the glass with tonic water. There ya go.

edit:

Hey there, rainbowvein. Nope, just synchronicity I guess!

Edited August 5, 2013 by turtle shell

[i am]

Welcome back.

[rene]

Here's my super easy summertime fave:

 

***

 

3 Cucumbers, peeled & sliced thin + 1 small onion, sliced thin. Put in big bowl.

 

In small bowl, Stir together:: 8oz sour cream, 2 T white vinegar, 2 T sugar, 1 t salt

 

Pour over cucumbers & onions, mix well, cover, chill at least 2 hours.

 

***

 

Oh my god. All summer long. (-:

 

Nice to see you back, TS

 

 

 

[rene]

It is, it is.

 

I scratch cook, too - with one small exception for another treat (banana muffin cake) I wont give up; it uses an 89-cent Jiffy mix. I'm also cheap. (-:

 

Here's the easiest fudge in the world.

 

*****

 

In one sauce pan, over med-low heat, in this order:

 

Melt 16oz bag semi-sweet chocolate chips; keep stirring

Stir in 1 can Eagle Condensed Milk

Toss in big handful chopped walnuts (optional)

 

When all combined, pour into saran-wrapped lined pan (I use 8x8)

Chill

When chilled, you can use the wrap to lift it out of the pan & cut into small squares

 

****

 

I keep mine in the fridge. It freezes really well, too.

One time I added a few drops of almond extract. That batch went fast.

Edited August 5, 2013 by rene

[cheya]

Hey there Turtle Shell!

 

I thought of you today too, just like RV, and now here you are!

TTB must be going up on psychic quotient or something.

Great to see you back on the board!

[rene]

edit: Aaaand I'm going to try making this Finnish barley bread, since it looks so easy, and according to Ayurveda barley is my grain of choice.

 

Oh - thanks for that link. I'm going to try that.