Food, meals, & recipes

Daehawk · Post by **Daehawk** » Thu Sep 21, 2017 9:10 pm

Im into food. I love to cook. Im always tweaking and modifying recipes into something more delish and different. I dont care for cleanup so no tips on cleanup here

Being on a fixed income we plan our main monthly dish ahead of time. At the first of the month we can use a little extra and make one meal. This month Ive found a nice pork chop meal to adjust and create for my wife.

This is it.

So this is my plan for the coming month. I will be changing it ever so slightly. Id change it more if she loved mushrooms. But first I wont be using Progresso as we both dislike that brand soup. I have some other brand in mind for that. Then I will add a chunked onion to the bottom of the slow cooker. Might also add a little garlic. Also I like the presented pic of it being served on a bed of rice but I will also make a side of garlic sour cream mashed red skin potatoes. And lastly perhaps a big ole piece of buttery garlic Texas toast.

If Im lucky I can toss in a simple dessert. Maybe something like homemade banana pudding or a lemon lush.

gilraen · Post by **gilraen** » Thu Sep 21, 2017 9:17 pm

A coworker was telling me about this Slow cooker pot roast recipe today. It just seemed so weird to me because the only liquid you are adding to the slow cooker is a stick of butter. But she swears that it's the best pot roast she's ever made

Daehawk · Post by **Daehawk** » Thu Sep 21, 2017 9:27 pm

Ohhh thank you. We love pot roast in a crock pot.

Jeff V · Post by **Jeff V** » Thu Sep 21, 2017 10:25 pm

I prefer winging it the Iron Chef way. Give me an ingredient and I'll run with it. Lately our garden runneth over with tomatoes, cucumbers, scallions, basil, chives, sage, jalapeno peppers, banana peppers, and lemongrass. My wife makes the most use of the scallions and lemongrass (and sweet potato leaves as well), but I'll make a lot of bruschetta (roma tomatoes, cucumber basil, garlic and olive oil); margarita pizza with fresh tomatoes and basil, pasta with alfredo sauce and cherry tomatoes (thank you Gordon Biersch for turning me on to that combo!), various salads, tzatziki sauce (shredded cucumber, garlic, and yogurt); fresh tomato sauce (I need to make a vat of it this weekend), and, what was one of my mom's favorites that I created, a cabbage soup with chopped tomatoes, kielbasa, and apples (picked at a local orchard).

My basil is about done for the season. I need to chop and freeze the chives. Not sure what to do with the sage -- it's never been part of my cooking, and there was a massive sage plant here when we moved in. We have some flat leaf parsley too...I'll try to use that before the frost comes.

Kraken · Post by **Kraken** » Thu Sep 21, 2017 11:30 pm

Yeah, just today I noticed my basil plants starting to turn yellow and shed leaves. This was the first year I ever grew way more basil than I could use. Gonna miss it.

In fact, this year's garden was successful overall and it really put a dent in the grocery bills for the past 6 weeks. Just made zucchini cakes for the last time tonight, and my last batch of spaghetti sauce yesterday (I did freeze enough to have it several times over the winter -- there is nothing quite like coming in to home-made, homegrown spaghetti sauce after shoveling snow). Tomorrow I'll use up most of my remaining tomatoes for caprese salads. There are still a few stragglers ripening on nearly-dead plants, and my bean vines haven't quite called it quits yet, but the garden is mostly played out.

Yesterday I made and froze another batch of hamburger patties, which wasn't a real smart move since I'll be closing the grill in five or six weeks, but I'm not prepared to shut down Burger Night until we set the clocks back. Here's how to mix up better burgers than you can buy anywhere:

Ground beef (duh), not too lean
Rolled oats -- these absorb the juice and add a nice chewy texture
Minced garlic, because mmmm, garlic
Prepared horseradish, same reason
Worcestershire sauce
Crushed red pepper
Onion flakes (optional if you put onions on your burgers, mandatory if you don't)

Mix it well, form up your patties, sprinkle with salt and black pepper, wrap in foil and freeze. They'll keep for a couple of months. Because the burgers themselves are so flavorful, you don't need much in the way of toppings. A slice of cheese, homegrown tomato, mustard, and you're there.

Daehawk · Post by **Daehawk** » Fri Sep 22, 2017 12:37 am

I try different stuff all the time looking for bargains and tastes. I just ate what I think are the best sardines / herring I have ever had in my life. They are Pampa herring fillets in oil. I knew when I opened the can something was different.

Now I LOVE sardines. I dont mind the smell at all. But these had no smell. When I put them in the bowl they were a clean white fillet with intact skin. What really struck me was the oil though. It was almost clear. It barely had any color to it and there were no bits or pieces at all in it. Completely clean and no smell again.

The fillets are lightly smoked and not salty at all. I bought these because Id never had them and they are only $1 at Walmart. Honestly I no longer need to look for more sardines to try. These are so good and truthfully the best Ive ever had. I dont see where to go up from there . SO Ive decided to buy 5 more next month when I have money.

There is one downside. Too much oil not enough fish. It has 2 fillets but a full half of the can is oil. BTW the oil type is rapeseed. I usually never see that used in a cheap product but there it was. A very very good quality one it seems. At least to my eye, nose, and taste buds. Im sure at a buck a can its not a great oil to some. But I believe its gaining favor in the food world.

Sorry it was so tasty I forgot to take pics of mine. But here are a couple from online. If you love sardines like me I cant give these enough praise but you should try them for sure.

EDIT for ingredients: herring fillets, rapeseed oil,salt, natural smoked flavor. Those are in order too.

Daehawk · Post by **Daehawk** » Fri Sep 22, 2017 12:40 am

Just putting this here as a reminder to myself....buy MSG. Never had any and want to try using it.

Anonymous Bosch · Post by **Anonymous Bosch** » Fri Sep 22, 2017 3:03 am

Kraken wrote:Yesterday I made and froze another batch of hamburger patties, which wasn't a real smart move since I'll be closing the grill in five or six weeks, but I'm not prepared to shut down Burger Night until we set the clocks back.

This is precisely why a cast-iron skillet is essential cookware. Then you can enjoy Burger Night whenever you like, by simply following this advice for making the perfect burger sans grill. In fact, if you follow that advice precisely, it wouldn't surprise me if you much prefer burgers seared on a cast-iron skillet. Of course, it only gets better when you're in the mood for steak.

Kasey Chang · Post by **Kasey Chang** » Fri Sep 22, 2017 4:31 am

FWIW, I found out a while ago rapeseed oil is basically the same as Canola oil.

Daehawk · Post by **Daehawk** » Fri Sep 22, 2017 4:46 am

I cook burgers and tons of other stuff on 85+ year old cast iron skillets. Passed down to me from my fatherNlaw to him from his mom and grandma.

FWIW, I found out a while ago rapeseed oil is basically the same as Canola oil.

Difference in rapeseed and canola

More info

And Canola is Canadian..get it...CANola CANadian?

Just for info purposes..i consider canola to be rapeseed ..I didn't know there was a difference until this year.

tgb · Post by **tgb** » Fri Sep 22, 2017 6:57 am

I made pulled pork in the crockpot the other day. What better way to celebrate Rosh Hashanah?

msteelers · Post by **msteelers** » Fri Sep 22, 2017 8:24 am

I love my cast iron skillet. We've been cooking absolutely perfect steaks on it.

-Ribeye, rubbed down with olive oil, salt, and pepper.
-Stick the skillet in a cold oven and warm up to 500°.
-Take the skillet out and put it on a burner over high heat.
-Sear the steak 30 seconds on each side, then back into the hot oven for 2 minutes each side.

Perfect, medium-rare steaks every time. Serve with some veggies and a side of perogies for a good time.

Carpet_pissr · Post by **Carpet_pissr** » Fri Sep 22, 2017 8:52 am

I bought a grill version of a cast iron skillet a few years ago. Much prefer cooking steaks and burgers on that than my normal cast iron skillet.

MonkeyFinger · Post by **MonkeyFinger** » Fri Sep 22, 2017 9:37 am

You seem to be having a problem posting URLs today.

Post by **ImLawBoy** » Fri Sep 22, 2017 10:07 am

I enjoy a burger or steak on the cast iron, but with a vegetarian wife, it makes the house smell much less meaty if I cook on the grill.

Carpet_pissr wrote:I bought a grill version of a cast iron skillet a few years ago. Much prefer cooking steaks and burgers on that than my normal cast iron skillet.

Lodge L8SGP3 Cast Iron Square Grill Pan ... 10.5-inch

I would think that would be counterproductive. The point of cooking on cast iron is that the meat is in full contact with the cooking surface, creating a single layer of crust. If you use a grill pan, you'll get nice looking grill marks, but you won't get a uniform crust (and the rendered fat will drip away, although that might be a bonus if you're trying to cook lighter).

Covenant72 · Post by **Covenant72** » Fri Sep 22, 2017 11:47 am

Easy fish recipe that I like to do once a week or so. You can mix it up with different veggies and different sauce contents. The sauce amount and ratio doesn't really matter. Play with it based on personal taste.

1) season cod tenderloin with a little salt/pepper and slap in a baking dish.
2) slice up various veggies and line the side of fish with them
3) heat up some mayo, sriracha and various herbs in a pan for 30sec-1min or so (don't let the mayo separate on you!). If you are using fresh herbs, cook these for a bit before adding the mayo/sriracha; otherwise just cook it all at once.
4) spread some of that mixture over the fish
5) spread more over the veggies
6) lay down some slices of tomato over the whole thing
7) bake at 425 for 20-25 minutes
8) eat up!

I also recently found the below youtube channel with lots of suggestions for eating well on the cheap. They have some interesting ideas but I haven't tried any of them yet.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCzH5n3 ... iDAQt2FwLw

Kraken · Post by **Kraken** » Fri Sep 22, 2017 11:55 am

I have skillets and will continue to make the occasional burger (and steak) after I close the grill. But replacing Burger Night with Pizza Night is a seasonal tradition that makes us appreciate each of those all the more. I make wicked good pizzas, too.

ImLawBoy wrote: If you use a grill pan, you'll get nice looking grill marks, but you won't get a uniform crust (and the rendered fat will drip away, although that might be a bonus if you're trying to cook lighter).

That works in reverse, too. I fried our zucchini cakes on the griddle last night because the oil stays in the troughs, yielding a less-greasy and more perfect crust. You still get the benefit of using oil without having to soak your food in it.

My griddle isn't cast iron, though, and it takes forever to heat up evenly. Probably works better in the oven than on the stovetop.

Fretmute · Post by **Fretmute** » Fri Sep 22, 2017 12:55 pm

I bought a sous vide circulator a few months ago, and I can't imagine doing steaks the old way anymore. It also makes the best damn pork tenderloin I've ever had.

Z-Corn · Post by **Z-Corn** » Fri Sep 22, 2017 2:59 pm

Fretmute wrote:I bought a sous vide circulator a few months ago, and I can't imagine doing steaks the old way anymore. It also makes the best damn pork tenderloin I've ever had.

How do you brown the steaks after the water bath?

I've had my eye on this since the Kickstarter but I still haven't bought one:

The Searzall

I'm a giant fan of the inventor, Dave Arnold.

rshetts2 · Post by **rshetts2** » Fri Sep 22, 2017 4:33 pm

I got a Joule sous vide about 6 months ago. I absolutely love it. You can make a cheap chuck steak as tender as a ribeye. And because of the marbling in a chuck cut, it tastes great. I finish by searing on a red hot cast iron skillet. I would like a searzall but they are a bit pricey and since cast iron does a good job of finishing I've held off.

If you want a great cooking resource, I highly recommend Serious Eats Food Lab. http://www.seriouseats.com/the-food-lab

They explain the science behind cooking and why things do and do not work. They also have tons of recipes that have been tested and developed by Chef J. Kenji López-Alt. To get an idea of recipes are available, heres Chef J. Kenji's favorites from 2016 http://www.seriouseats.com/2016/12/kenj ... -2016.html

Carpet_pissr · Post by **Carpet_pissr** » Fri Sep 22, 2017 5:24 pm

MonkeyFinger wrote:You seem to be having a problem posting URLs today.

Huh. Yeah, what the hell, Tapatalk?!

I will go back and correct.

Fretmute · Post by **Fretmute** » Fri Sep 22, 2017 8:51 pm

Z-Corn wrote:
Fretmute wrote:I bought a sous vide circulator a few months ago, and I can't imagine doing steaks the old way anymore. It also makes the best damn pork tenderloin I've ever had.
How do you brown the steaks after the water bath?

I've had my eye on this since the Kickstarter but I still haven't bought one:

The Searzall

I'm a giant fan of the inventor, Dave Arnold.

I just use a plain old skillet.

Holman · Post by **Holman** » Fri Sep 22, 2017 8:58 pm

We recently acquired a pizza stone. OMG, it makes all the difference! Crust is everything.

My kids are now making full-size, fresh-from-flour pizza for us at least once every two weeks. It's great.

Daehawk · Post by **Daehawk** » Sat Sep 23, 2017 2:36 am

I make really great pot roasts. But I always buy the cheapest beef for it. Comes out fine but I want something that once slow cooked will come out melt in your mouth butter tender. I can cut mine with a fork yes but I want even better and tender. What cut of beef do I need to purchase? Yes I understand it will cost a good bit more. But its the beginning of the month so I can use a little more.

Ive heard rib roast but not sure. I like to have enough to last a while and that sounds awfully bone filled. Also I love fatty meat and fat in general so dont worry about that. Honestly Im thinking a mid range priced beef cut would be best because it all breaks down into a nice gelatin anyways after long enough.

rshetts2 · Post by **rshetts2** » Sat Sep 23, 2017 7:36 am

Daehawk wrote:I make really great pot roasts. But I always buy the cheapest beef for it. Comes out fine but I want something that once slow cooked will come out melt in your mouth butter tender. I can cut mine with a fork yes but I want even better and tender. What cut of beef do I need to purchase? Yes I understand it will cost a good bit more. But its the beginning of the month so I can use a little more.

Ive heard rib roast but not sure. I like to have enough to last a while and that sounds awfully bone filled. Also I love fatty meat and fat in general so dont worry about that. Honestly Im thinking a mid range priced beef cut would be best because it all breaks down into a nice gelatin anyways after long enough.

The two most tender and tasty roast cuts are Rib Roast and Strip Loin Roast ( this is where NY Strip comes from ) Tenderloin is probably the most tender cut but it doesnt have the flavor of a rib roast.
My personal favorite is Rib Roast, the combination of tenderness, marbling and flavor can't be beat. But if youre talking about slow cooking a pot roast a good medium cost choice would be a Top Sirloin. Its not cheap but costs less than tenderloin or Rib roast. This site here gives a decent run down on roast cut choices. https://www.epicurious.com/ingredients/ ... mp-article

mori · Post by **mori** » Sat Sep 23, 2017 8:47 pm

I see Daehawk is a fan of the canned fish. I posted this recipe years ago on this forum. After we have eaten all the other fish, there still might be some sardines.

Sardine Pate

1 tin sardines with oil
1tbs butter
1tsp stone ground mustard
fresh chives
fresh dill
1/2 lemon for lemon juice

Combine everything in a food processor (or like me just in a bowl and mush together with a fork), add salt, pepper, other seasonings of choice to taste. Served as an appetizer on toast, or as I did rolled in a leaf of lettuce. I added a 1/4tsp of Tony Chachere's Creole Seasoning besides salt and black pepper.

Daehawk · Post by **Daehawk** » Sat Sep 23, 2017 8:59 pm

Yes I am indeed and that sounds great. Will do that next can i get. Plan to buy about 5 cans of those new ones I found.

msteelers · Post by **msteelers** » Sat Sep 23, 2017 10:56 pm

Holman wrote:We recently acquired a pizza stone. OMG, it makes all the difference! Crust is everything.

We have a pizza stone, and I do not see the difference that everyone else is talking about. What am I doing wrong?

Kraken · Post by **Kraken** » Sun Sep 24, 2017 2:08 am

msteelers wrote:
Holman wrote:We recently acquired a pizza stone. OMG, it makes all the difference! Crust is everything.
We have a pizza stone, and I do not see the difference that everyone else is talking about. What am I doing wrong?

Not getting it hot enough?

I put a disk of parchment paper between the dough and the stone to make sure the crust slides right off with no sticking or mess. Often struggled with that before I learned that trick. Put the stone in the oven, crank it up to 500, then slip the pizza (which is assembled on the paper) onto the stone with your pizza peel.

You have a pizza peel, right?

Isgrimnur · Post by **Isgrimnur** » Tue Aug 21, 2018 2:39 pm

Today's lunch was Saturday's leftovers.

Chicken breast in a Herb and Garlic marinade, green beans seasoned with garlic salt, and plain white rice.

Daehawk · Post by **Daehawk** » Tue Aug 21, 2018 2:51 pm

Im making pinto beans with canned ham chunks added and a cast iron skillet of cornbread.

Z-Corn · Post by **Z-Corn** » Tue Aug 21, 2018 3:12 pm

Z-Corn wrote: ↑Fri Sep 22, 2017 2:59 pm
Fretmute wrote:I bought a sous vide circulator a few months ago, and I can't imagine doing steaks the old way anymore. It also makes the best damn pork tenderloin I've ever had.
How do you brown the steaks after the water bath?

I've had my eye on this since the Kickstarter but I still haven't bought one:

The Searzall

I'm a giant fan of the inventor, Dave Arnold.

I have a Searzall now!

My wife is making tater-tot casserole tonight. Your basic Minnesota hotdish and one of my childhood favorites. The day ALWAYS gets better with tater-tot casserole for dinner.

Fretmute · Post by **Fretmute** » Tue Aug 21, 2018 3:18 pm

How do you like it? Recently I've been skipping that step entirely, because I typically just dice the meat up and put it in stir fry with sauce, so I don't really care how it looks.

GreenGoo · Post by **GreenGoo** » Tue Aug 21, 2018 3:19 pm

Isgrimnur wrote: ↑Tue Aug 21, 2018 2:39 pm Today's lunch was Saturday's leftovers.

Chicken breast in a Herb and Garlic marinade, green beans seasoned with garlic salt, and plain white rice.

While I had decent curry/rice last night, today I had pizza for lunch that had been left on the counter too long. Working on my immune system I guess.

Z-Corn · Post by **Z-Corn** » Tue Aug 21, 2018 3:25 pm

Fretmute wrote: ↑Tue Aug 21, 2018 3:18 pm How do you like it? Recently I've been skipping that step entirely, because I typically just dice the meat up and put it in stir fry with sauce, so I don't really care how it looks.

I like it but it takes a loong time to sear both sides of a NY Strip or Porterhouse or something that size. Even using the one pound propane tanks I go through them pretty quickly.

Cylus Maxii · Post by **Cylus Maxii** » Tue Aug 21, 2018 5:40 pm

As noted above: Pizza Stone secret is to pre-heat it for at least 30 minutes. Also helps to dust with either corn meal, or to use parchment as noted above.

Additional pizza crust tip is to use bread flour if possible.

I've been doing pizza in my Big Green Egg using a pizza stone recently. Home made dough is awesome. I recently bought some pizza screens to try as well.

gbasden · Post by **gbasden** » Wed Aug 22, 2018 2:35 am

Kraken wrote: ↑Thu Sep 21, 2017 11:30 pm

Yesterday I made and froze another batch of hamburger patties, which wasn't a real smart move since I'll be closing the grill in five or six weeks, but I'm not prepared to shut down Burger Night until we set the clocks back. Here's how to mix up better burgers than you can buy anywhere:

Ground beef (duh), not too lean
Rolled oats -- these absorb the juice and add a nice chewy texture
Minced garlic, because mmmm, garlic
Prepared horseradish, same reason
Worcestershire sauce
Crushed red pepper
Onion flakes (optional if you put onions on your burgers, mandatory if you don't)

Mix it well, form up your patties, sprinkle with salt and black pepper, wrap in foil and freeze. They'll keep for a couple of months. Because the burgers themselves are so flavorful, you don't need much in the way of toppings. A slice of cheese, homegrown tomato, mustard, and you're there.

I missed this originally, so thanks for the thread ressurection! Roughly what proportions of these things are you using? I can guess for a lot of it, but I haven't the foggiest about the rolled oats and horseradish.

Kraken · Post by **Kraken** » Wed Aug 22, 2018 11:24 am

gbasden wrote: ↑Wed Aug 22, 2018 2:35 am
Kraken wrote: ↑Thu Sep 21, 2017 11:30 pm

Yesterday I made and froze another batch of hamburger patties, which wasn't a real smart move since I'll be closing the grill in five or six weeks, but I'm not prepared to shut down Burger Night until we set the clocks back. Here's how to mix up better burgers than you can buy anywhere:

Ground beef (duh), not too lean
Rolled oats -- these absorb the juice and add a nice chewy texture
Minced garlic, because mmmm, garlic
Prepared horseradish, same reason
Worcestershire sauce
Crushed red pepper
Onion flakes (optional if you put onions on your burgers, mandatory if you don't)

Mix it well, form up your patties, sprinkle with salt and black pepper, wrap in foil and freeze. They'll keep for a couple of months. Because the burgers themselves are so flavorful, you don't need much in the way of toppings. A slice of cheese, homegrown tomato, mustard, and you're there.
I missed this originally, so thanks for the thread ressurection! Roughly what proportions of these things are you using? I can guess for a lot of it, but I haven't the foggiest about the rolled oats and horseradish.

I just eyeball it, but I'll take a stab at proportions. I like to buy 3 lbs of meat to make nine 1/3-lb patties. Into those 3 lbs I'll work roughly a cup of rolled oats and maybe 2 T of horseradish, 2 T of minced garlic, 1/4 c of Worcestershire, and just a sprinkle of red pepper (1/2 t or less). Burgers are pretty forgiving, so you can adjust those ingredients up or down according to taste.

Post by **ImLawBoy** » Wed Aug 22, 2018 11:36 am

Last night we had kale and onion quiche. My wife made the gluten-free crust (sometimes we just buy pre-made at Whole Foods), and I made the filling. Mixed 3 eggs with 3/4 cup of half-and-half and 3/4 cup of whole milk and some salt and pepper (would have added red pepper flakes, but the kids were eating it too). Sauteed 5 thinly sliced green onions (green and white part) with 3 cloves of minced garlic in 1 tablespoon each of butter and vegetable oil, and then added 2 cups of chopped kale (any kind will do - I used typical green kale as it was on sale this week) and cooked until wilted. Added mixture to par baked crust, topped with 1/2 cup of shredded sharp cheddar, and then poured the eggs & dairy over the top. Baked at 425 for 35 minutes.

Added to that some oven roasted asparagus (drizzle with olive oil and spread out on a foil lined baking sheet, stick it in the oven at 425 for 5-7 minutes, sprinkle with salt) and a salad (green and red lettuce with raspberries, blueberries, blackberries, cucumber, and Newman's balsamic vinaigrette), and a fine meal was had by all.

GreenGoo · Post by **GreenGoo** » Wed Aug 22, 2018 1:59 pm

Geez that sounds good.