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What ya got cooking UM?


rashore

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Tonight I will be making tater tot casserole, tossed salad and brownies for dessert.  Taking half to my neighbor as she just had surgery.  

Edited by tcgram
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Tater tot casserole is such a classic. I haven’t made it in a while, should pull some ground meat out of the freezer.

Today I have the dehydrator loaded up with lemon, blood orange, and cutie mandarin slices. I dehydrate a lot of citrus in the winter when it’s in season. I toss them into all sorts of summer beverages. I extra like dehydrated lime slices in cold seltzer water or tap water. Dehydrated cucumber slices are great with or without lime in tap water too.

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A dish I first tasted in Sweden...so  simple yet tastes so DAMN GOOD!    Potato, anchovies, cream....and then bake....eat WITH something else or enjoy it on its own!!
 

Quote

 

Jansson’s temptation

Traditionally, this creamy potato recipe was made with pickled sprats, but anchovies are used today. This dish is wonderful with roast lamb and subtly highlights the lamb’s affinity with anchovies.

http://www.deliciousmagazine.co.uk/recipes/janssons-temptation/


 

 

 

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6 minutes ago, seeder said:

A dish I first tasted in Sweden...so  simple yet tastes so DAMN GOOD!    Potato, anchovies, cream....and then bake....eat WITH something else or enjoy it on its own!!
 

 

 

OMG that sounds good. I would do those up as little pots on a raclette night. We do those a few times a year around here. I like to do up a few hot and cold pots as well as the stuff to cook up on the raclette.

For folks that don't know what a raclette is.. the top is a griddle that sits on a heating element, and the bottom holds little broiler pans so you can melt cheese.. or eggs.. or a whole variety of small bits while grilling up stuff on top.

 

raclette2-jpg.jpg

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Im a lover of pickles and such things, like mustards.... now English Mustard is quite hot... european mustard can be sweet... but I have always LOVED.... wholegrain mustard....its quite mild... but so VERY tasty on cold or hot meats etc....specially a simple hot dog or pork pie !!

heres a very simple recipe for those who like to make stuff.. made in no time at all...

http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2012/04/whole-grain-dijon-mustard-how-to-make-at-home-recipe.html

 

 

 

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Just now, seeder said:

Im a lover of pickles and such things, like mustards.... now English Mustard is quite hot... european mustard can be sweet... but I have always LOVED.... wholegrain mustard....its quite mild... but so VERY tasty on cold or hot meats etc....specially a simple hot dog or pork pie !!

heres a very simple recipe for those who like to make stuff.. made in no time at all...

http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2012/04/whole-grain-dijon-mustard-how-to-make-at-home-recipe.html

 

 

 

I just had English mustard for the first time last week. I was very impressed with its complex flavor. 

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Just now, Farmer77 said:

I just had English mustard for the first time last week. I was very impressed with its complex flavor. 

 

was it "Colemans" mustard? thats the best known brand and hottest we have in the English mustard section

I also like that dark brown French mustard.. but only with certain foods....

if you luv your mustards, take a look at this

https://www.leaf.tv/articles/the-difference-between-yellow-brown-dijon-mustard/

 

 

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2 minutes ago, seeder said:

 

was it "Colemans" mustard? thats the best known brand and hottest we have in the English mustard section

I also like that dark brown French mustard.. but only with certain foods....

if you luv your mustards, take a look at this

https://www.leaf.tv/articles/the-difference-between-yellow-brown-dijon-mustard/

 

 

Actually it was Colman's ! We made cordon bleu's and the recipe called for it by brand name. 

 

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Just now, Farmer77 said:

Actually it was Colman's ! We made cordon bleu's and the recipe called for it by brand name. 

 

 

the best we have!  well the number one brand and preferred by all true English!!  I was in Sweden and the local mustards were sweet and sickly....my mum sent me a jar of colemans on my request....Id been telling the locals it will blow their socks off.... they all laughed at me...

Until it arrived, and they tried it...  :tsu:

 

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Thawing out t bone steaks to put on the grill for supper tonight, along with grilled chicken breasts, sauteed peppers and onions, salad and baked potatoes.  

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We always have a variety of wet mustards in the fridge- including a jar of Colemans. Colemans dry mustard is also the only mustard powder I keep in my pantry- no other dry mustard compares. I often use dry mustard in stuff like deviled eggs or sandwich spreads, when you want the mustard, but not the extra liquid of wet mustard. And like last night, we had leftover Chinese, but no more hot mustard packets. Colemans dry mustard+rice vinegar(and beer if you are inclined)= instant mustard perfect to go with Chinese food. A lot of regular wet mustards, including Colemans wet, aren't really the right flavor profile for Chinese food.

I do also keep a large jar of whole mustard seed on the shelf along with a bunch of other large jars of whole spices. I use a lot of whole spices in pickling, and I make a lot of different kinds of pickles though the year. I don't pickle cucumbers, but pickle pretty much everything else, lol. I don't bother making my own wet mustard, though in a pinch in a rarity that I don't have Colemans dry on the shelf, I will grind a little mustard seed for powder.

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I got a slow cooker at Christmas but haven't had much success with it. Does  anyone have a tried and tested, simple, fool proof recipe that I can try?

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1 hour ago, Daughter of the Nine Moons said:

I got a slow cooker at Christmas but haven't had much success with it. Does  anyone have a tried and tested, simple, fool proof recipe that I can try?

Well.. what kind of slow cooker is it? As in what is it's capacity, and what is it's temp function? Is it just a low/high dial type, or a fancier one that's digital or has a temp gauge?

I have a few slow cookers- 3 are dial type in various capacities, and one is my grandmas old pot on the plate with temp gauge setup. I do a lot of different stuff in them from roasts, casseroles, simmered sauces for canning...  Roasts and stewed meats are the easiest to make.

A couple tips... make sure your meats are fully defrosted with dslow cookers. Some people don't, but that just makes the cooker work against itself trying to defrost your meat. And it can create the environment for foodborne pathogens. An exception to this is a cornish hen in the old pot on the plate- I will pop one frozen in the morning and it stews on higher temps all day fully submerged- makes for a super tender bird and a nice pot of broth at the same time.

When doing roasts, always sear off your roast well before putting it in the cooker. The extra carmelization is a ton of flavor.

Classic beef roast.

Beef roast, onions, red wine, beef stock, thyme, rosemary, salt, pepper, couple dashes Worcestershire, liquid smoke...

Put a bit of fat into your searing pan. I tend to use pomice oil (a type of olive oil mix) or bacon grease for this. I keep the bacon grease from making bacon- it's a fantastic tasty fat to use in cooking. Don't use butter, it will blacken out too fast. Get the pan nice and hot.

Salt your roast- I use kosher. Sear off your roast, letting it brown for a couple minutes on all sides.

Slice up an onion- I tend to do radial slices. Pull out your beef roast and put into your cooker. Turn down the heat to medium high, and toss the onions in. Saute them for 2-3 minutes, just enough to "christen" the pan and the onions pick up some flavor.

Deglaze your pan with red wine if using, or just beef stock. Work all those bits up and pour the whole mess into the cooker.

Add to the cooker another sliced up onion, this one left raw. A tablespoon or two of thyme, a tablespoon or so of black pepper, couple sprigs rosemary (or about a tablespoon dried), worcestershire, couple drops of smoke, and 2 cups or so beef stock. You may need more or less stock, but you want to fill the cooker about halfway up the roast.

Kick your cooker up to high, and cook for 6 hours or so depending on the size of the roast. I generally start cookers at 10 AM or so to be done around dinner time. You can always turn the cooker to warm or low (if you have the option) if it's done early, but it sucks if you started the cooker too late.

Optional- I always add mushroom powder and dehydrated mushrooms to kick up the umami oomph. Most folks don't have this. But if you like mushrooms, slice them up and add them to the cooker at the start. Another good addition to this one is a packet of dried onion soup mix. Some folks like to add potatoes and carrots to the cooker- I tend to do them separate.

 

Easy poultry enchilada meat.

Couple chicken breasts or turkey loins- about 1-1/2-2 pounds worth, a can each of mild and hot enchilada sauce, onions, wet garlic, cumin, lime juice...

Dice up a couple smallish onions. Pour half the sauce into the cooker, half the onions, and a tablespoon each of wet garlic and cumin. Give it a good stir.

Add raw chicken or turkey- no searing this time. Pour other half of sauce and onions over top. Add a lime's worth of juice, around 1/4 cup or so. Give it all a good stir to make sure the meat is well coated.

Cooker on low for 6-8 hours- this can depend on your meat cuts. Small breasts cook up faster than large loins. Start testing the meat at 6 hours by sticking a fork in it- if it isn't pull apart tender, give it a stir and let it cook longer.

Optional- I tend to double the garlic and add a bit more cumin if I'm using tinned enchilada sauce instead of my homemade canned sauce. I use the slow cookers to make enchilada sauce too :) But that's probably a bit more than you are looking for.

 

Tomato sauce.

tinned tomatoes, onions, wet garlic and dried minced garlic, italian spices, olive oil. Salt, black pepper. Liquid of choice- wine, water, stock, just a little for pan deglazing. Sweetener of choice- a lot of cooks use white sugar, I prefer molasses for this.

I use a couple 15 oz cans of diced tomatoes- crushed works, couple 8 oz tomato sauce- puree works, and 1 can tomato paste.

Dice up a good big onion.  Heat oil on medium and add onions, sprinkling them with about a tablespoon of salt. Saute for about 10 min, till onions are soft and translucent.  Hit the pan with a couple tablespoons wet garlic and give it a good stir to christen the mix, then immediately deglaze the pan and kill heat.

Dump all the tomato products, cooked onions and garlic, a goodly tablespoon of dried minced garlic, couple goodly tablespoons Italian spices, about a half tablespoon of black pepper. A tablespoon or so of your sweetener- you aren't trying to sweeten the sauce, you are taming the raw acidity of it here.

Give everything a good stir, and cook on low 4-6 hours. Taste/check it. It may need additional seasoning adjustment and cooking time.

Optional- I dehydrate fresh tomatoes and smoke dehydrate them. I like to crumble a few of each into the sauce to give it extra tomato goodness. You can dice up a fresh roma/paste tomato or two and add a drop or two of liquid smoke to the sauce instead if you like.

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They sound amazing, Rashore !

For my part...... I use a very basic slow cooker. It doesn't even have a timer; just three settings; off, medium, and hot. 

Stick a big lump of lamb or beef in the slow cooker. Put it on full heat for 4 hours or so. Alternatively, put it on low heat overnight. Remove, serve with gravy and potatoes n' greens n' tha', and eat. 

It's tender and lovely :)

I can't praise slow cookers enough !

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Me either Gardener. Pretty much anything slow and low cooked on the stove or in the oven can be translated to a slow cooker. It does take a bit of getting used to if you aren't used to taking the time for setup and just how your own cooker works though. I screwed up a few things in grandmas pot on the plate before I figured it out, heh.

And something cool that I don't know if it's available world wide or not.. slow cooker bags. Big plastic bags you cook your food in the cooker. Not totally necessary for a lot of dishes, but can be darn handy for some of the ones that can be a PITA to clean up after. I like to use them for making enchilada sauce, because it's tomato product and cooks for about a day or so.

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@rashore Thank you! That's a lot of good information to read through. I have a basic 4 qt. 20 hour countdown type with a high/low/warm setting. To start, I think that I was making a very basic error  of not searing meats off in the pan first. 

 

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Meh, I spurn these modish innovations, Rashore. 

Stick it in the slow cooker, and beat it with a stick !

If it doesn't taste right after 3-4 hours, add some herbs, and then use a bigger stick !!! :D 

Edited by RoofGardener
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52 minutes ago, Daughter of the Nine Moons said:

@rashore Thank you! That's a lot of good information to read through. I have a basic 4 qt. 20 hour countdown type with a high/low/warm setting. To start, I think that I was making a very basic error  of not searing meats off in the pan first. 

 

The searing makes a big difference IMO. Just like when you make a good pot roast in the oven- sear and braise. One can dry roast in a slow cooker like Gardener does too, just like folks do dry roasts in the oven or a smoker. But I like the braising method better, and it can be more foolproof with all the liquid. You can do other dry cooking and baking in the slow cooker, but from my experience helping other folks, that's slow cooking 102 instead of braising and stewing which is slow cooker 101.

If you are into hot beverages like mulled cider or wine- the warm function is excellent for making a big batch of mulled beverage. The warm function is also nice for holding food too- like if you have a pot of soup or stew you want to hold for a long time like a buffet or party situation. Your timer is extra handy there- you can set it to only hold for so long before turning off, and this helps prevent overcooking or scorching when the gathering goes on and the pot gets emptied.

Since it's a 4 quart, a bit of caution- a lot of dips and stuff like breakfast oatmeals are a bit smaller batch, like a 2 quart, and your slow cooker might be a bit too roomy for stuff to cook out nice. Either multiply your recipe, or use a heat safe smaller dish inside the cooker with a bit of water in the cooker dish- kind of like a water bath. My sister does this sometimes when she makes overnight cooked cereal- because she's the only one who will eat the stuff, lol. This is also why I have more than one slow cooker- the 6 quart is a bit to big for some stuff, the 2 quart too small. My third is a 5 quart, and grandmas pot on a plate is a 4 quart. I also have a 18 quart Nesco for doing up big roasts, smaller turkeys, big batches of stock, dry roasting batches of corn on the cob in husk, dry roasting or poaching whole squashes, My mom's bbq ribs, and other big tasks.

Other beginner slow cooker tips... if you aren't sure what your warm/low/high temp settings really mean- and often that isn't in the instructions.. Fill your cooker with water and set it to warm, then leave it alone for two hours. Temp check it, write it down. Repeat 1-3 times to see if you get variances as time goes on. Let your cooker fully cool down and repeat with low, let cool, repeat with high. It sounds fussy, but it does give you a good gauge of what the heat is as a comparison to oven or stove temps. You only need to do this once. As time goes on and you get more used to slow cooking, this becomes more automatic when you use your settings and times.

Cooking times are often in even hours- 2,4,6, ect. Changing between low and high does not automatically half or double your cooking time. Typically, setting up the cooker is in the morning for under 8 hour cooking times, or later in the evening for long cooking of 8+ hours.

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Sausage corn chowder has been chosen by my youngest for supper tonight.   I brown a pound of sausage and chopped onion, then sprinkle some all purpose flour in the skillet to soak up the grease and make a roux.  I add 3 cans of creamed corn and 1-2 cups of whole milk.   Bring it to a boil, then lower the heat and cook 2-5  minutes to thicken and get rid of the flour taste.  Add salt and pepper.   I serve it with crusty bread and a tossed salad.  

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I am wanting to make ham and cheese and turkey and cheese sliders for next Sunday.  We're having a get together at my mom's.  Anyone have a good recipe they would like to share??

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I'm making homemade tomato soup tonight.  Here's the recipe:

 
 
  • 3 tablespoons good olive oil
  • 3 cups yellow onions, chopped (2 onions)
  • 1 tablespoon minced garlic (3 cloves)
  • 4 cups chicken stock, preferably homemade
  • 1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes, I use San Marzano tomatoes
  • Large pinch of tumeric
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 1/2 cup heavy cream

In a large pot or Dutch oven heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onions and cook over medium-low heat for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until golden brown. Add the garlic and cook for 1 more minute. Stir in the chicken stock, tomatoes, tumeric, 1 tablespoon salt and 1 teaspoon pepper. Bring the soup to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 15 minutes.  Stir in the cream, return the soup to a simmer and cook for 10 more minutes, stirring frequently. I like a smoother soup, so I use an immersion blender after soup is done.   I serve with grilled cheese sandwiches.  

Edited by tcgram
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On 1/28/2018 at 5:05 PM, tcgram said:

I am wanting to make ham and cheese and turkey and cheese sliders for next Sunday.  We're having a get together at my mom's.  Anyone have a good recipe they would like to share??

Sliders as in cold cut, or hot serve???? I do little sandwich stuff, but don't call them sliders.

Ham and Cheese is one of my fave sammies in general. Hawaiian bread rolls are great for those. Works for cold serve or hot boiled ham. Not the best pairing with turkey though.

Not sure what you got for bakeries around you... but some places sell "slab-o-buns". Like a whole baked tray of (usually) white bread rolls that are squarish and still stuck together in the slab. A neat trick is to get one of those, and slice it in half like you would a cake layer. Lay on your sammie fixings on the bottom, put the top layer back on.. then slice the rolls into their true squares. Since they are so neatly cut, they fill into your traveling container well.

If you want to do cold cuts, great. That's just a matter of choosing what folks like. If you want to do "chunk" format- turkey is a nicer one to do it with than ham. If you want to make a spread, both ham and turkey do really well, and a nice "spread base" for meat spreads is equal parts mayo and cream cheese with seasonings.

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43 minutes ago, rashore said:

Sliders as in cold cut, or hot serve???? I do little sandwich stuff, but don't call them sliders.

Ham and Cheese is one of my fave sammies in general. Hawaiian bread rolls are great for those. Works for cold serve or hot boiled ham. Not the best pairing with turkey though.

Not sure what you got for bakeries around you... but some places sell "slab-o-buns". Like a whole baked tray of (usually) white bread rolls that are squarish and still stuck together in the slab. A neat trick is to get one of those, and slice it in half like you would a cake layer. Lay on your sammie fixings on the bottom, put the top layer back on.. then slice the rolls into their true squares. Since they are so neatly cut, they fill into your traveling container well.

If you want to do cold cuts, great. That's just a matter of choosing what folks like. If you want to do "chunk" format- turkey is a nicer one to do it with than ham. If you want to make a spread, both ham and turkey do really well, and a nice "spread base" for meat spreads is equal parts mayo and cream cheese with seasonings.

Thank you for the info.   I was thinking hot sandwiches, that are put together, seasoned with melted butter and herbs and baked in an oven.  Cold cuts don't sound so bad, though.   Decisions, decisions.   

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3 minutes ago, tcgram said:

Thank you for the info.   I was thinking hot sandwiches, that are put together, seasoned with melted butter and herbs and baked in an oven.  Cold cuts don't sound so bad, though.   Decisions, decisions.   

If you want them hot, you can do the "slab-o-buns" trick for that too. Trick there is that you layer the whole slab into a baking dish and don't slice up the whole sandwich into rolls. Bake whole to get hot, and then slice up into the individual rolls for service.

A kind of fussyish setup but super "ooohh" factor with hot is doing "sliders" in muffin cups. Also make for great day ahead prep and transporting of built individual sandwiches.  Grease or line your muffin tins and build the sammies in them. Transport in the tins. Bake at moms. The cups help keep the sliders together in their upright position during travel.

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