Weekly Cooking Thread (Happy New Year) Jan 1, 2011

FreeRepublic | Jan 1, 2011 | libertarian27

[libertarian27]

Happy New Year!

Weekly cooking thread to start the new year. What was your favorite recipe in 2010? Please share and make it a fellow FReepers favorite recipe for 2011.

What are you making this week? Have a favorite left-over recipe idea for all those roasts and big dinner leftovers? Trying something new, need a new tried and true recipe?

Let's get cooking.

[hennie pennie]

>>>>> "Since we have had the woodstove going nonstop for the past week, we've been experimenting with woodstove cookery using cast iron cookware. It works very well and there's no need to heat up the stove or the oven." <<<<<

So ... is your woodstove only used for times when you require extra heat in your house? What model stove did you get? Do you notice any interior soot when using it, or not?

[PrincessB]

I can’t remember the official name, but I call it “Cauliflower St. Louis.” The original recipe calls for 3-4 fresh tomatoes. In the winter I prefer to use canned.

Dice half and onion, 3 slices of bacon and a clove of garlic. Saute over medium heat in olive oil until onions are translucent. Add half a small can of diced tomatoes and half a can of crushed tomatoes. Cook on medium/low heat about twenty minutes. Meanwhile, blanch one head of chopped cauliflower. Mix the sauce and the cauliflower together. Top with grated parmesan cheese if desired.

This reheats well and is addictive cold.

[Jmouse007]

CHICKEN MARSALA

Ingredients:

4 chicken breasts

2 shallots or 1 med. onion

15 oz. of white mushrooms

1.5 cups of Marsala wine

Half a lemon

Flour for dredging

Olive oil, salt, pepper

1 pound Barilla pasta (Linguini Fini or Angel Hair pasta. I like angle hair pasta because it leaves more room for the dish itself.)

Instructions:

1. Slice each breast into two thin cutlets. Pound thin with a tenderizing mallet (or edge of plate). Then slice each cutlet in half, dredge in flour, salt and pepper on both sides, and saute in oil over medium heat (about 2 min. per side until golden brown).

2. When all of cutlets are lightly browned, add the marsala. Squeeze the lemon juice into the pan. Cover and simmer.

3. Dice the shallots or onion finely and chop the mushrooms. In a separate pan, saute the shallots or onion over a medium heat until they are soft and translucent. Add the mushrooms and cook together until the mushrooms have gotten soft and absorbed the oil.

4. Simmer the chicken until the vapor no longer smells alcoholic, salt to taste. The liquid should be reduced by about half (may be 15-20 minutes)*Add more Marsala wine as needed after the mixture has simmered a while. Add the mushrooms and shallots or onion, stir, cook for another minute, and serve over *pasta. *Note: time the cooking of the pasta so that it is ready just as the chicken is done. Drain, add some butter to the pasta and mix so that it does not stick.

Enjoy!

[leapfrog0202]

Thanks!

[leapfrog0202]

Thanks Hennie - never thought to look on FB. They said this is it:

Abuelo’s Papas con Chile™
3 lbs. red potatoes
3 oz cream cheese – cut into 2” squares
½ cup heavy cream
10 oz Velveeta – cut into 2 “ squares
½ TBS salt
¾ tsp granulated garlic
¼ cup sour cream
½ cup diced red bell peppers
½ cup diced green bell peppers
2 cans chopped green chiles
½ cup chopped green onion tops
2 TBS of finely chopped jalapeño – seeds removed

1.Wash and scrub potatoes until clean
2.Place potatoes in a pot covered with water and boil until soft.
3.Drain potatoes
4.Add the rest of ingredients and mash. Be sure all ingredients are incorporated.

.

[leapfrog0202]

Gypsy could you add me to your ping list please? Thanks

[pyx]

Many pounds of boneless skinless chicken breasts were purchased at a 1/2 price sale in June 2010.

The chicken breasts were all put into clean 1 pint canning jars and 1/4 tsp of salt was added along with boiled water to top up each of the canning jars to the correct jar level. I used a pressure cooker to process all of the jars at 10 pounds for 75 minutes. Then I stored all of the sealed jars in the basement away from direct light on shelves.

By request, I made chicken stew twice over these past holidays in a CROCK POT. I took 3 quarts of plain cold water and added one teaspoon of pepper corns and 1 1/2 chicken bullion cubes (OXO). I tossed in one medium onion cut into quarters, two cups of frozen mixed vegetables, three clean stalks of celery cut to 2 inch chunks, a bit less than one cup of uncooked brown rice, 1/2 cup of uncooked pot barley and then threw in the one pint of cooked chicken breast from the canning jars. I slow cooked it for about 8 hours in the CROCK POT.

The first batch disappeared in about 15 minutes amongst finicky eaters. The second batch I made lasted almost one day before it too was "vacuumed up".

I didn't quite have enough for myself and I've learned now to never, ever tell anyone in advance when I will be making chicken stew so I can enjoy it too.

Last night I wised up and had some cast iron pan fried chicken breast with a hint of mustard powder and garlic salt mixed with chopped onions along with a side of potatoes with Norwegian dill and another side of garden peas with a small pad of butter. It was good but it's now gone. :)

[John 3_19-21]

Sounds delicious!

[Silentgypsy]

Thinly-sliced sweet potatoes are great deep-fried, but we haven’t lost any weight.

[bgill]

I even grind my own hamburger now - large cuts of beef are cheaper than the packaged ground

Who would ever have thought that ground beef would be higher priced than roasts. It's rare that I can find ground beef marked down to a reasonable price and we're starting to miss it.

Did anyone else notice there weren't any large 20+ lb turkeys this year (or at least I never found one). I always try to buy the largest bird I can find on sale but this year they were only 12 pounders. I'm thinking it's the economy and the farmers are looking for a quicker turn around. The Christmas turkey went from it's roasted form, to soup, a couple of sandwiches, and finally to a pot pie. Hope everyone remembered to boil the carcass for stock.

[RnMomof7]

I love french fried sweet potatoes too.. at home I slice the potatoes in a fry manner.. toss with a little cinnamon and put on a foil covered baking sheet sprayed with a no calorie oil spray ...I also spray the tops of the potatoes ..and bake at 350..turning once.. it is a lower calorie fried sweet potato and it is very good :)

[illiac]

Here in Idaho, we had some turkeys in the 24 lb. ranges and lots of them in the 20 - 22 lb. range.

[momtothree]

My family ADORES this recipe. I will say, however, I have no idea if it is “authentic” to my Southern neighbors. It does taste great!

SHRIMP CASSEROLE:
1 1/2 cups uncooked long grain rice
1 1/2 lbs. medium size raw shrimp
1/2 cup butter
1 green bell pepper, chopped
3 celery ribs, chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
4 green onions, chopped
2 (10 3/4 oz. cans cream of celery soup or substitution cream of shrimp undiluted
1/4 tsp salt and pepper
1 cup shredded cheddar-colby cheese blend
1/4 cup breadcrumbs

Prepare rice according to package. Peel an devein shrimp. Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat; add bell pepper and next 4 ingredients, saute 10-12 minutes or until tender. Stir in soup, shrimp, salt and pepper and cook 3 minutes or just until shrimp turns pink. Don’t overcook. Combine shrimp mixture, and rice. Pour mixture into a lightly greased 13x9 inch baking dish. Sprinkle evenly the cheese and breadcrumbs. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes or until cheese is melted.

I usually double this recipe and bake a HUGE pan of it. It does very well the next day as well. Enjoy!

[libertarian27]

Do you grind chuck or another cut and how do you determine the amount of fat that you grind in?

At this point I'm winging it, I don't have a proper grinder yet but I am pulsing the meat in a food processor and freezing portions for later use...it's not perfectly ground but works great in dishes that call for hamburger.

I pretty much cut all the fat off the roasts and have used chuck, bottom-top round, sirloin, london broil, etc. anything that is on sale.

When hamburger is $4-$5 per lb and a roast can be bought for $2-$3 per lb - I scratched my head and went 'hey, I can grind hamburger, why am I paying so much for stupid hamburger'

[bgill]

That’s good. These little 12 pounders just don’t last any time and I haven’t been able to put up any leftovers in the freezer.

[Sparky21555]

Thank you for adding me to your list. Sorry I missed last weeks thread, but with a new grandchild and the holidays upon us I was a bit overwhelmed.

Several years ago I stumbled upon a cookbook called “Smoke and Spice”. It turned me onto the world of real BBQ. My favorite recipe is a rub that works for most meats, but especially pork.

3/4 cup paprika
1/4 cup course ground black pepper
1/4 cup salt (Sea Salt works best for me. If you use table salt reduce to 1/8 cup)
1/4 cup sugar
2 tbs chili powder
2 tbs garlic powder
2 tbs onion powder
2 tsp cayenne pepper (or to taste)

Take a medium to large pork roast and slice into one inch steaks. Rub the meat and let it sit in fridge for at least three hours. Works best on a grill with medium high heat. Although it’s not as tasty you can bake it an oven.

[Silentgypsy]

Thank you for the heart-and-waistline-friendly method. How long does it take to get the outsides crispy and the insides creamy?

[Silentgypsy]

Sounds addictive hot, too! :)

[Silentgypsy]

Heavenly! Do you get frozen, fresh or canned crab?

[Silentgypsy]

Please excuse my ignorance: Did you cube the chicken and/or cook/process it in some way before you canned it? (Still have to learn canning.)