Ross!! I Am Calling You Out!!!! Cook-off!!!!

[zeehag]

Both of you made it obvious that I'm a different kind of cook. But that's ok...y'all can enjoy what you do and I can enjoy what I like.

peggy --please tell me some what you like-- how do you fix your fish?/i need some good on the water fish cooking methods..what do you use?? i can do meats well and chicken but i only have a limited fish menu. i cheat with my pollo asado=-i buy it already marinated..(is soo good--i wish they would give me the recipe).
in winter , as i grew up in coldville--- bbbrr-- i make foods that stick to ribs...pea soups, beans, chiles, heavier dishes.
-i learned to cook boston cooking school style and add a danish grandmother who didnt use measuring cups. yipes .i pulled my first thanksgiving turkey out of the oven when i was 7. i was oldest of 4 kids and momma had her hands reallly full with us. we had to be functional. momma was a home-ec major in college in upstate NY. all her cooking was learned in school. wow. her momma could not cook. we ate normal family food .. wasnt until i moved away that i learned there was adventure in the kitchen. i kinda liked the way the thai make so many different things go so well together. as an rn i figure that dried cranberries in chicken salad is a good thing.
not everyone likes everything-- but flavors are modifiabe and flexible. i am always interested in what others like to eat-- i am interested in your favorite recipes also--
if anyone would like to know exact amounts for recipes i throw out--please let me know--i can figure it out and we can work together on this.

thanksgiving is coming!!!! please tell me how you do your yams or what do you have -- post your thanksgiving dinner!!!!!!

the pozole was goood-- my neighbor ate almost as much as i did, and he didnt think i could pull pozole off-- he brags on his--but it was ok, for a beginner. i got some input from him. menudo is similar , except that has tripe in it. i avoid that as much as possible.
wink--yes--is a very good hangover remedy. traditionally,both menudo and pozole have been used for that. fresh corn tortillas and finely chopped onion and cilantro with a wedge of lime and there is dinner. or sunday breakfast--is awesome then!!!

tamales for christmas!!!!!

 

[zeehag]

asparagus and mushrooms on the grill--
i place sliced mushrooms, 1 pat butter, and fresh washed and trimmed asparagus in a foil pouch with some lime (optional) fresh-squeezed over and some nature's seasonings(morton)....place on grill while meat is cooking ...the dampness from washing the asparagus plus the lime juice steams the veggies and a little butter makes the mushrooms just right.

 

[Peggie Hall HeadMistress]

That sounds good..

Do you ever just put veggies in a basket and roast 'em on the grill? Lid MUST be down except to stir often.

Any combination of zucchini, yellow squash, red bell pepper, purple onion, snow peas, asparagus, cherry tomatoes (halved) and mushrooms into large pieces...marinate in any oil and vinegar based salad dressing for an hour...then roast 'em on the grill. Wait to add the mushrooms, onion and/or tomatoes till the other veggies are about half done. Add sliced chicken or beef if you want to.

 

[Ross]

I was discussing wallpaper patterns with Nancy years ago when she was a designer in an upscale furniture store. They had about 200 books of swatches of wallpaper and matching textile fabrics. I told Nancy that no matter what her opinion of them was they would be perfect for somebody. This also holds for cooking I think that I have about fifty cookbooks. All the way from church and social group collection to Larousse Gastronomique. I have an old James Beard Fish Cookery book that suggests a ten pound cod as a nice size to work with. Copyright is about 1954. So many recipes and so little time. There is no right way and no wrong way to cook food we just tend to prefer some ways. I was told the other day that an exchange student to Mexico came home and reported that the family she stayed with thought that butter or gravy on potatoes was gross and they prefered salsa.
Winter squash and pumpkin isn't just for pies and mashing. It is a wonderful versitile food.
Sweet potatoes and Yams may be peeled and sliced into medallions or length ways into wedges and fried. Could probably be oiled and seasoned and grilled along side the meat.
My sister had guests from Iceland and was about to put a salmon filet on the grill and her guest asked in horror if she was planning to cook the lovey piece of salmon.

 

[zeehag]

Do you ever just put veggies in a basket and roast 'em on the grill? Lid MUST be down except to stir often.

Any combination of zucchini, yellow squash, red bell pepper, purple onion, snow peas, asparagus, cherry tomatoes (halved) and mushrooms into large pieces...marinate in any oil and vinegar based salad dressing for an hour...then roast 'em on the grill. Wait to add the mushrooms, onion and/or tomatoes till the other veggies are about half done. Add sliced chicken or beef if you want to.

peggy--sounds absolutely awesome-- what is the basket you use-- i could do that with my weber-- i never tried a basket --is a good idea..my brain is already seeing this on a bed of rice noodles....yummmmmmmmm

ross--one of my favirite coookbooks is fannie farmer boston cooking school 1947 edition. HAS to be that one..i no longer have it-- was stolen from my collection somewhere along the way--there was a gooood tomato soup recipe in it-- but i did a weird thong when i made this soup---i used 2 different recipes on same page-- it was awesome!!!! but that book was a gooood one. had recipes for roux, white sauce...basic good stuff......betty crocker was good too-- the old version , before the funky binding was added.....

 

[jimmcgee]

Ross, I agree the celery would be a good addition to the pork stew, but as for the greens I usually cook them separately since we both like them crisp. You also have to have a good loaf of bread or a good roll to go with the stew.

Any discussion of marinades has to include hoisin. Spend a little more for the good stuff. Good hoisin could make cardboard taste good.

Asparagus on the grill. Try this. Marinate asparagus in sea salt, corse cracked pepper and lots of olive oil for about an hour. Toss it with tongs and put it right on the grill. You WANT it to flare up. The flare gives it a smokey grilled flavor, and the flare from the olive oil won't be so extreme that you have to worry about setting the bimini on fire

Finally you have to have a good stainless steel pan on the boat for meats. When you pull the meat out of the pan, turn off the heat and pour a little wine or broth in to deglaze it and get all the goodies off the bottom. Add a little flour and maybe some diced mushrooms and you've got a simple gravy. Yum!

Jim

 

[zeehag]

i dont use stainless for cooking as it doesnt distribute heat well--unless it has copper bottoms. revereware items are perfect. short of that-- i DO use cast iron. i have a dutch oven with lid and same sized fry pan. cooking meat in a well seasoned cast iron pan is awesome.....i do my fajita type foods that way and carne asada and pollo asada when i dont bbq it..

 

[Peggie Hall HeadMistress]

I've been looking for a good grilled asparagus recipe...and yours sounds wonderful.

Zee...fish on the grill: I'm a big fan of Reynolds Release foil...more expensive than regular or heavy duty, but worth it because it's non stick, so no need to use any oil unless it's already in a marinade. Filets on the foil...seasoned with just a little white wine, fresh ground pepper, basil and dill...then on the grill over medium heat. LID DOWN for 5 minutes...baste if you want to...turn or don't (I never turn salmon filets)...lid down for another 5 minutes or until fish flakes.

I marinate shrimp and scallops in white wine, lemon juice, bay leaf, minced garlic, fresh ground pepper and little basil for an hour, then put 'em on skewers or in a basket and onto the grill. DON'T OVERCOOK!

As for the basket...I have several, most of which were a mistake because the "holes" are too far apart and I lose pieces of food. I have one really good (translate "expensive") large one that I bought from Chef's Catalog.com
http://www.chefscatalog.com/catalog/search.aspx?scommand=search&search=grill+basket
and a round one that has a detachable handle I REALLY like that I paid $6 for at Bed Bath and Beyond last spring. They have 'em and so does TJMAAX every year.

Also like to stuff and roast jalepenos on the grill. http://www.chefscatalog.com/product/25727-chili-pepper-grill-rack-set.aspx

 

[Ross]

Speaking of bread: take two pounds of flour at least 2 cups whole wheat 21 ounces of water a teaspoonful of dry yeast and a tablespoonful of salt and mix together in a large bowl until everything is blended and wet. Cover and let stand for 20-30 minutes during which time the flour hydrolyzes. Come back to it and knead it for a few minutes. You can tell when it changes texture. Oil the bowl and turn the dough over to coat all surfaces cover and let rise for a couple of hours. When you come back to it dump it out onto a floured surface and cut it into 6 pieces about the same size and start tucking the edges of the piece underneath until you get a nice round ball. Wipe it through the flour and place it on a baking sheet. when you have it all shaped. wash up everything and dry the bowl and the tools with a clean towel and use that slightly damp towel to cover the bread. Let it rise for an hour or two and bake at 425 F. for about 45 minutes. it should brown but not scorch. I usually freeze four loaves, one gets cut for quality controll check soon after it comes out of the oven and the second is for the next day. These loaves are small enough to not go stale before they are eaten. Butter or roast dripping is good for a spread. The slice is just the right size for a scrambled egg to fit.
Cost for six loaves about .75 dollars

 

[zeehag]

wow----i have seen and even used for hot dogs and then filed in my recycle bin of a brain..... coool-- good one to restore in the internal disc system..LOL...ty!!!!

you do too cook like me-i just post big stuff, so far--i will include lil stuff too-- and i will try to include amounts so others can maybe duplicate it-- i seem to have inherited my danish grandmother's throw it in cooking method.....handful-is about a half cup--i did a comparison once when i was young to see what my gramma was doing....LOL--only thing she could NOT make was apple pie!!!!!

 

[zeehag]

cherry bombs!!!!
take the end of the french style loaf. cut the soft inside do is a pocket.
fill pockiet with cherry jam
if you loaded it for the sweet tooth in ye, you will have bits of jam falling out-- hence the name cherry bomb..LOL
i be this would be really good with fresh bread and fresh made cherry jam....yuuummm

is ok to add peanut or whatever kinda nut butter to this--- is also gooooooood..

 

[Ross]

The loaves I discribed are about 5 inches in diameter you can if you like cut four heal slices and fill them. Hot from the oven is dynamite.

 

[zeehag]

The loaves I discribed are about 5 inches in diameter you can if you like cut four heal slices and fill them. Hot from the oven is dynamite.

omg !!!!!! red hot cherry bombs!!!! wow!!!!! cant wait to get an oven again-- i will be unstoppable!!!!!!!

 

[jimmcgee]

i dont use stainless for cooking as it doesnt distribute heat well--unless it has copper bottoms.

I picked up an All-Clad stainless saute pan to go with the magma non-stick nesting cookware, just so I could do those recipes where you want those camelized goodies from the bottom of the pan. Once you get one of these babies you won't go back to cast iron

I also picked up an All-Clad dutch oven instead of a cast iron one. Much easier to lift in and out of the oven.

BTW, the Magma-ware is great, stores and cleans up easy.

Ross, I keep looking at bread recipes but it just seems sooo much easier to pick up a fresh baguette or some fresh rolls. I keep telling myself someday...

Jim

 

[jimmcgee]

omg !!!!!! red hot cherry bombs!!!! wow!!!!! cant wait to get an oven again-- i will be unstoppable!!!!!!!

Damn they sound good!

 

[jimmcgee]

Great simple snack

Something really simple.

On our last trip we started calling this sailor's crack because once we put it out people can't stop eating it.

Get a hunk of Philladelphia Cream Cheese. Get a jar of medium salsa (we like Pace brand). Dump the cream cheese in a bowl, pour the salsa over top. Stick a butter knife in it and put it in the cockpit along with a bowl of club crackers. It took longer to type this than to make it, and you absolutely cannot stop eating this stuff.

It's also great with mango salsa.

Jim

 

[Ross]

Damn they sound good!

We could start an entirely new thread just on jelly and jam and marmalade.
Some of the fruit based chutney is wonderful with cream cheese on fresh bread or biscuits.
Last year I bought red raspberry juiice concentrate and made jelly with that to go on the shelf with the blackberry jelly that I made with berries from a friend.
Marmalade is a lot of work but so worth making with cranberries and oranges.

 

[zeehag]

We could start an entirely new thread just on jelly and jam and marmalade.
Some of the fruit based chutney is wonderful with cream cheese on fresh bread or biscuits.
Last year I bought red raspberry juiice concentrate and made jelly with that to go on the shelf with the blackberry jelly that I made with berries from a friend.
Marmalade is a lot of work but so worth making with cranberries and oranges.

jimmcgee---yer killing me--ross i'm-a dying--- cherry bombs dont have to be just cherries, ye know-- i have a weird sweet tooth,i like dark chocolate with just about any fruit. dont try to give me milk choc...lol .. chutney and cream cheese on hot fresh bread--- omg--look out ---cherry bombs of another flavor--
and cream cheese cherry bombs with cream cheese and cherry preserves and hot fresh bread---yer meltingdawitch....LOL

i wonder how hot fresh bread with dark chocolate and cream cheese and cherries....or chutney.. or....marmalade,,,or.. any fruit preserve....yummmmmmm....for company, perhaps angel food cake...--ye think??? lol.. but bread is more funner.....
who has an oven........whipped cream???? cinnamon / nutmeg?/ lol..is getting fancy here...but then wouldnt be a cherry bomb anymore......with cake is a shortcake and with bread is a bomb...LOL...as it bombs your lap as you eat it!!.
cranberry orange bombs---hoooyaahhh!!!!!

jams--go pick blueberries
with the ones ye dont eat on the job or on the way home, make blueberry preserves a la boston cooking school, fannie farmer-- was perfect. blueberry bombs would be great, also!!! garnish with favorite blueberry accompaniment.....dark chocolate is goood.....

pardon me while i grab a cherry bomb....LOL.

 

[Ross]

Mix brown sugar with sour cream for strawberry dip.

 

[Peggie Hall HeadMistress]

Next time ...

Get a hunk of Philladelphia Cream Cheese. Get a jar of medium salsa (we like Pace brand). Dump the cream cheese in a bowl, pour the salsa over top.

Try hot pepper jelly instead of salsa.