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What ya got cooking UM?


rashore

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5 hours ago, Piney said:

When I make my chicken and rice or chicken and veggie soup I use basil, sage, cumin  for spices. I always add roasted ( so I can peel the skins) red sweet peppers, chunks of garlic, red onions and chunks of hot pork sausage.  

Turned the AC down to 50 because I felt like soup tonight! :yes:

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8 minutes ago, Piney said:

Turned the AC down to 50 because I felt like soup tonight! :yes:

I love chicken rice soup. Especially my greek mum's avgolemono soup

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I got fed with delicacies all weekend long... but today was a cooking day :)

Made a batch of sloppy joe hand pies. I cheat and use butter biscuits in the can from the fridge section for the crust. This batch of sloppy joes used the last jar of homemade sloppy joe sauce and some sweet peppers from the garden and had leftovers in the fridge to use up.  I have a set of plastic pastry presses- the kind that take a round of dough and filling, and fold over to make a half round of pie. I use the 6" round and roll out the biscuits to fit the mold, fill with refrigerated leftover sloppy joe mix, then bake for 18-20 min in a 350 degree oven.  Those are stacked in the fridge for lunches. They freeze well too.

Burbled up a batch of apple pie filling, a new one that was suggested to me for it's goodness as a freezeable filling. Tweaked the recipe a bit to accommodate the apples I had, and was left over with a lot of seasoned goo after packing freezer packs. A glass pint of goo went into the fridge to figure out another day.. and a pint was used to cook up a batch of candied zucchini strips that are now in the dehydrator. Had a wee bit of seriously jellied goo from that batch that went into a couple 4 oz glass canning jars and will get a dollop of peanut butter as snack cups to go with the couple leftover apples that didn't get used in the filling today.

Dinner tonight was a tweaked version of this recipe: https://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/chicken-and-root-vegetable-stew-105683

I added in a tub of quartered portabella mushrooms after the onion and garlic sweating (used a whole head of uncut garlic instead of 6 cloves chopped garlic).. and used a couple chicken breasts instead of thighs because that's what I got in the freezer. Used some of my own spices in addition to what's in the original. A chardonnay for the white wine. And to finish, used a cup of whipping cream and about a quarter cup of potato flakes to thicken and creamy it up a bit. Was still more soup than stew, but very tasty.

Pulled off a half gallon of the stuff before hitting it with the cream and potato flake to chill and go to the freezer for a nice meal and leftovers a month or two from now. A generous dinner, and a couple hearty 20 oz portion lunches leftovers of the creamed and potato flake enriched stuff. If I still got leftovers from the lunch portions on Friday, I'll bake those up into individual pot pies when I bake off a round of individual apple hand pies.

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Since it's a bit cooler today, I am making sausage corn chowder.   First I brown one pound of pork sausage with chopped onion.  Instead of draining it, I add some all purpose flour and make a roux.   Then I add 2-3 cups whole milk, stirring until mixed well.  I add 2 cans of creamed corn and one bag of my frozen fresh corn.   Add salt and pepper to taste.  Heat over med-high heat until chowder starts thickening.   Remove from heat and serve with a crusty bread for dipping or grilled cheese sandwiches.   

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I ate a fermented wet-dough pizza last night. 

Basically a cup of warm water that you mix a tablespoon of sugar any amount of yeast in(the more yeast you use the more flavor in the dough at the end of the process), start with 1.5 cups of flour and 1-2 tsp of salt, and after mixing all of these together slowly add more flour until the dough is just able to hold itself together in your hands when coated in olive oil.  Kneed it a little bit if you like, but I haven't noticed any significant different in texture in the end product.

Coat the dough with oil, cover the bowl in plastic, let it sit for an hour or so and add more olive oil and kneed if you want a slightly chewier texture rather than soft later(again, I don't notice much different in the texture with more or less kneeding in these time periods but I never really tested it to be sure).

Cover the bowl again and let sit for however long you want.  The longer you let it sit the more flavorful the dough will become.  The longest I've gone is 24 hours, but I usually go for 12.  Afterwards it's just a standard pizza preparation with a bit more olive oil usage to prevent sticking.

Keep in mind that the longer you let the dough ferment the less it will brown(though it will still have a nice crunch if you let it cook for a bit) while cooking to the point to where the cheese will turn black before you see a color shift, so you can't judge if it's done by the crust.  If you want a bit of color in the crust I would recommend rubbing some of the sauce around the crust area fully when you're prepping it.

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  • 2 weeks later...
  • Brie baked in puff pastry with red pepper jelly and toasted almonds
  • Turkey with chestnut and cranberry stuffing and orange cranberry sauce
  • Brussel sprouts with bacon and onion
  • Rosemary roast potatoes
  • Roasted butternut squash
  • Biscuits and homemade gravy
  • Pumpkin cheesecake tarts
  • Chocolate chip cookies

Happy Thanksgiving :)

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8 minutes ago, Daughter of the Nine Moons said:
  • Brie baked in puff pastry with red pepper jelly and toasted almonds
  • Turkey with chestnut and cranberry stuffing and orange cranberry sauce
  • Brussel sprouts with bacon and onion
  • Rosemary roast potatoes
  • Roasted butternut squash
  • Biscuits and homemade gravy
  • Pumpkin cheesecake tarts
  • Chocolate chip cookies

Happy Thanksgiving :)

Oh my goodness.  Yummy!  Happy Thanksgiving Dot xx

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5 hours ago, Kismit said:

Oh my goodness.  Yummy!  Happy Thanksgiving Dot xx

It was yummy, then I napped lol

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Happy Thanksgiving!

We are having roasted turkey with sausage dressing (stuffing), garlic mashed potatoes, butter yams, julienned carrots with dill butter, corn and lots qnd lots of gravy 

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Sounds like a wonderful Thanksgiving... makes me think maybe I should pull some turkey bits out of the freezer soon.

For me, it's that time of year to start cleaning up the freezers. I do this around this time in the fall and in the spring. Been filling up the chest freezer with whole tomatoes and corn for processing off later in the fall when the heat in the kitchen is better appreciated. There's always a packet or few of random goodies mixed in with the shuffle that are mmmm...

So today is a couple packets of prepped stuff from the freezer. A packet of stroganoff meatballs and one of faire style mushrooms. Gonna burble those up together and serve over egg noodles. Something quick and tasty before I gotta take off for work later on this evening.

 

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Ended up being a sit around and cook day. This morning I realized I did hurt myself good enough yesterday to have to call off work today and just chill. Sat around the kitchen table prepping  up a couple pots of stuff to simmer.

Fridge pickled mushrooms- makes 2 quarts.

3 pounds fresh mushrooms. Smaller ones are better, I like to use a combo of white button and baby portabellas if I can

1 tablespoon whole allspice

2 tablespoons black peppercorns

3 tablespoons pickling salt. Yes, it matters.

5-6 bay leaves

several goodly sprigs fresh thyme. You are going to be tossing 2-3 into the pot for cooking, and another 2-3 fresh into each jar

2 medium onions, halved and cut on the bias 1/4 inch thick

2 heads garlic, peeled and left whole

2-1/4 cups white vinegar

1-3/4 cups water

*optional. A couple quartered up fresh hot peppers in the jar. I used a Devils Kiss and a Farmers Jalapeno. A slice of lemon can be nice, or adding in a sprig or two of fresh oregano or summer savory to the jars.

Cover and bring it all up to a hard simmer, almost boil. Turn down to a lower simmer and let cook for about 40 minutes. Stir it a couple times while cooking. The white button mushrooms should be showing some translucence and darkening and the mushrooms should be al dente.

Kill the heat, and let rest covered for about 20 minutes. Then you can uncover and let cool down a bit in the pan or start filling your jars. Pull out the cooked thyme sprigs, but try to get all the bay leaves into your jars along with the other whole spices, onions, and garlic into the jars evenly with the mushrooms. Fill your 2 jars with mushrooms first, using a slotted spoon. Then ladle in the brine, making sure to tap out the air bubbles as you fill.  If you need to top off a wee bit, a 50/50 mix of vinegar and water is ok.

Let your jars cool on the counter uncovered till they get down closer to room temp. Cap up and let sit in the fridge for a month or so to cure before eating.

 

 

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On 10/8/2018 at 4:26 PM, rashore said:

Sounds like a wonderful Thanksgiving... makes me think maybe I should pull some turkey bits out of the freezer soon.

It was pretty good thank you but I totally tanked on the gravy

 

23 minutes ago, rashore said:

This morning I realized I did hurt myself good enough yesterday to have to call off work today and just chill.

I'm sorry to hear you hurt yourself did you try alternating heat and cold and a nice soak in epsom salts?

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Reading through here and seeing a lot of soup inspiration! Since it turned to Fall I have been craving soup. Chicken rice is my favorite and I think Piney has inspired me to add different spices to it. And I'm definitely trying TC's sausage corn chowder. That is a new one for me and it sounds so good! 

Any other good suggestions?

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On 10/7/2018 at 1:00 PM, Daughter of the Nine Moons said:
  • Brie baked in puff pastry with red pepper jelly and toasted almonds
  • Turkey with chestnut and cranberry stuffing and orange cranberry sauce
  • Brussel sprouts with bacon and onion
  • Rosemary roast potatoes
  • Roasted butternut squash
  • Biscuits and homemade gravy
  • Pumpkin cheesecake tarts
  • Chocolate chip cookies

Happy Thanksgiving :)

I love Brie and the red pepper jelly sounds great. How do you make it?

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7 hours ago, Jenn8779 said:

I love Brie and the red pepper jelly sounds great. How do you make it?

It's really easy. I use red pepper jelly but you can use any preserve. Slather it on top of the Brie round, wrap the sheet of puff pastry around the cheese completely (seam on the bottom). Cover with sliced blanched almonds and bake until golden.

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14 hours ago, Daughter of the Nine Moons said:

It's really easy. I use red pepper jelly but you can use any preserve. Slather it on top of the Brie round, wrap the sheet of puff pastry around the cheese completely (seam on the bottom). Cover with sliced blanched almonds and bake until golden.

Thank you! 

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A large Yorkshire pudding with creamy mash, garden peas, chipolata sausages and gravy.

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Here's the best recipe I've found for Chicken Noodle Soup

5 bone-in chicken thighs, with skin

1/2 heart of celery, chopped (leaves and all)

1 large sweet onion, chopped

1 pound carrots, chopped and divided

2 tablespoons minced garlic

1 bay leaf

1/4 thyme

1/2 tablespoon oregano

1 pound kluski noodles

1 gallon of cold water

Salt and pepper to taste

Brown chicken thighs in a 12 qt stock pot, remove and add onions, half the carrots, celery, bay leaf, oregano and thyme.   Add a bit of salt and pepper.  Sautee until softened.  Add garlic and sautee for a couple of minutes.   Add cold water and place chicken back into pot.  Bring to a boil and let simmer for 30-40 minutes.  Take out chicken thighs, take out all the veggies.  Add the rest of the carrots to the pot.  Remove skin and take chicken off the bone, shredding with two forks.  When carrots are about 5 minutes away from being done, add noodles to the pot.   When noodles are done, add whatever veggies (the other carrots, onion and/or celery) back into the pot.  Add chicken and heat through.   Add more salt and pepper to taste.   I am the only one in my family who likes cooked celery so I add that back to my soup; we also add the previously cooked carrots back into the pot as well.   

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2 hours ago, tcgram said:

Here's the best recipe I've found for Chicken Noodle Soup

5 bone-in chicken thighs, with skin

1/2 heart of celery, chopped (leaves and all)

1 large sweet onion, chopped

1 pound carrots, chopped and divided

2 tablespoons minced garlic

1 bay leaf

1/4 thyme

1/2 tablespoon oregano

1 pound kluski noodles

1 gallon of cold water

Salt and pepper to taste

Brown chicken thighs in a 12 qt stock pot, remove and add onions, half the carrots, celery, bay leaf, oregano and thyme.   Add a bit of salt and pepper.  Sautee until softened.  Add garlic and sautee for a couple of minutes.   Add cold water and place chicken back into pot.  Bring to a boil and let simmer for 30-40 minutes.  Take out chicken thighs, take out all the veggies.  Add the rest of the carrots to the pot.  Remove skin and take chicken off the bone, shredding with two forks.  When carrots are about 5 minutes away from being done, add noodles to the pot.   When noodles are done, add whatever veggies (the other carrots, onion and/or celery) back into the pot.  Add chicken and heat through.   Add more salt and pepper to taste.   I am the only one in my family who likes cooked celery so I add that back to my soup; we also add the previously cooked carrots back into the pot as well.   

TC.. this is awesome! I love celery in my soups too. I have a batch of minestrone going in the Crock-Pot right now and I will share the recipe.  I'm on the phone and it isn't copy/paste friendly :lol:

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  • 2 weeks later...

Another soup night, this time it's tomato soup.

Ingredients

  • 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, preferably San Marzano 
  • 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,  Salt and pepper to taste. 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 prefer a smoother soup so I use a stick blender to blend the soup.  

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On 10/14/2018 at 2:44 PM, tcgram said:

Here's the best recipe I've found for Chicken Noodle Soup

5 bone-in chicken thighs, with skin

1/2 heart of celery, chopped (leaves and all)

1 large sweet onion, chopped

1 pound carrots, chopped and divided

2 tablespoons minced garlic

1 bay leaf

1/4 thyme

1/2 tablespoon oregano

1 pound kluski noodles

1 gallon of cold water

Salt and pepper to taste

Brown chicken thighs in a 12 qt stock pot, remove and add onions, half the carrots, celery, bay leaf, oregano and thyme.   Add a bit of salt and pepper.  Sautee until softened.  Add garlic and sautee for a couple of minutes.   Add cold water and place chicken back into pot.  Bring to a boil and let simmer for 30-40 minutes.  Take out chicken thighs, take out all the veggies.  Add the rest of the carrots to the pot.  Remove skin and take chicken off the bone, shredding with two forks.  When carrots are about 5 minutes away from being done, add noodles to the pot.   When noodles are done, add whatever veggies (the other carrots, onion and/or celery) back into the pot.  Add chicken and heat through.   Add more salt and pepper to taste.   I am the only one in my family who likes cooked celery so I add that back to my soup; we also add the previously cooked carrots back into the pot as well.   

This is very similar to the recipe I use but I use a whole roasting chicken and add tortellini

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I like to use a whole roasted chicken for making chicken soup too. I roast off the chicken one day, leaving it in it’s roasting pan, covered into the fridge.  Then render the bird and make the soup a day or two later. Burble up the whole chicken to make some broth base with it. Carrots, celery, onion, thyme, bay, parsley, peppercorns. Cover with water and simmer low for an hour or few.

Then pull the chicken back out just as the joints are loosening up but before the bird is falling apart. Roasting the chicken whole with skin intact helps hold the bird together during simmering. Let it cool a little so as not scald yourself, then glean every last scrap of meat off the carcass with ease. A 5 lb bird yields enough meat for gracious plenty in the soup and half left to make something else. Not sure what yet, I’ll use it up tomorrow. I’m thinking half for a crack chicken for lunches, and half to mix into a grain and mushrooms to stuff some dainty golden acorn squash I have on hand. Also got a pint jar full of roasting liquid with a nice clean schmaltz on it. 

Yesterday I made chicken soup after burbling up a roasted bird :) I tend to do matzo balls more than noodles or dumplings. The broth yield was about 14 cups-8 went into the fridge, 6 went into the soup pot. I like to use some homemade broth because it has some fatty richness and add water to match with more herbs and chicken stock base to round out the flavor. 

Just some diced potato and carrot dropped into the broth before bringing to a boil, then matzo balls, and the twice cooked chicken shredded up and stirred in at the end to warm up. Matzo balls are easy.

1/2 cup matzo meal

2 large eggs

1 Tablespoon oil or warmed chicken schmaltz.

I like to add some parsley and black pepper, that’s optional. You can do other herbs and seasonings too if you like.

whisk together eggs, oil/schmatlz and seasonings if using with a fork. Whisk in matzo meal. Toss in fridge 15-20 minutes. Bring soup up to a rolling boil, then reduce heat to a hard simmer. Keep your hands wet to prevent sticking, and roll your balls. How big is up to you. I like to do smaller ones than the huge ones. Keep in mind matzo balls expand during cooking by 1/3-1/2 in size.

Once you are done dropping your balls in, cover and simmer at least 20 minutes before checking them. They should be floating and puffed up. And light and fluffy all the way through. If the area is dense in the middle, you need to cook them longer.

Once the balls are done, stir in the chicken and cover while on the heat still. When you see it start to burble a little again, kill the heat and let sit covered 15 min or more before serving. I find matzo balls like a few minutes of resting before service.

The 8 cups of broth in the fridge will be combined with the pint of of roasting liquid sans the whole schmaltz layer, and the total reduced back down to 8 cups. Then that will get broken up into four pints for future soups, stocks to simmer rice and grains... and yum. 

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  • 3 weeks later...

It is Tomato season here, I have tomatoes lining up in my garden to be picked and plucked. Cucumbers and various other F&V also are ready to be used.

And that means it is canning time. Sauces, Chutneys, Pickles, Relishes. Making everything over the next week or so. The tomatoes are amazing this year should get a LOT of produce.

 

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