Weekly Cooking (and related issues) Thread

[Jamestown1630]

Eggs!

I enjoy a cheese souffle, but I don't always enjoy the work of it. This 'Sturdy Souffle' is adapted from the 1979 edition of the Fanny Farmer Cookbook, and cuts down on the work - no separating or separate beating of eggs. It won't rise as high and light, but doesn't fall as flat as a 'regular' souffle.

Sturdy Souffle

4 T. butter (and some to grease the dish)

1/4 cup flour

1 cup hot milk

Pinch of salt

Pinch of cayenne pepper

1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese (plus more to sprinkle the baking dish; or just MORE in general)

4 eggs, beaten well

Preheat the oven to 375. Butter a 3-cup or 1-qt. ovenproof bowl or baking dish. Sprinkle some grated Parmesan cheese around the bowl, as if flouring a cake pan. Place it in the oven in a pan containing 1 inch of hot water (I don't always follow this step, and just bake it without the water bath.)

Melt the butter in a saucepan. Stir in the flour and blend until smooth. Cook over low heat for 2 to 3 minutes. Slowly add the milk and cook, stirring constantly for 3 minutes, until smooth and thick (a wire whisk is good for this).

Add the salt, cayenne, and cheese. Stir until the cheese is melted and blended into the sauce. Remove from the heat.

Beat 3 T. of the sauce into the eggs, then return the egg-sauce mixture to the saucepan, and beat until smooth. Pour into the baking dish and bake for about 20 minutes, until set.

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Next, a "Chile Relleno" style casserole. There are many versions of this, some with whole stuffed chiles and some that include meat. This is a quick, easy one. It serves 12, but I've halved it in the past with no problem. (This is also a great very low-carb egg dish.)

Chile Relleno Casserole

6 4-oz. cans green chiles

1-1/2 lb. Cheddar cheese, grated

1-1/2 lb. Monterey Jack cheese, grated

6 eggs, beaten

1-1/4 cups evaporated milk (I use light whipping cream instead)

1/4 cup flour

pinch salt

Preheat oven to 350. Drain and clean the chiles, and place in the bottom of a large buttered casserole.

Sprinkle the chiles with 1/2 of each cheese, and then top with another layer of chiles, and then the rest of the cheeses.

Mix the eggs with the milk or cream and salt, and pour over the top of the chile-cheese. Bake 30 minutes or until the eggs are set and casserole is slightly browned.

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I've only ever eaten one thing at our local Silver Diner; not because I haven't gone there frequently, but because I tend to find one thing I really like at a place like that, and never order anything else. The 'thing' at Silver Diner is the Crabcake Benedict. It seems to have disappeared from the menu, but when I ask for it, they always make it for me.

I found this recipe that looks very like what the Silver Diner serves. If you have a good crabcake recipe, make your own; but if you want them ready-made, the Phillips frozen crab cakes are pretty good - but as mentioned in the comments, it needs the addition of tomato slices.

(I hope in the future to do a thread on traditional Maryland recipes, but I will have to master the Crab Cake, first - which is embarrassing for a lifelong Marylander to admit ;-) If anyone has a favorite recipe, please post.

From the 'Mr. Breakfast' website, which is pretty neat:

http://www.mrbreakfast.com/superdisplay.asp?recipeid=1235

-JT

[Liz]

Unbelievably beautiful presentation. I am swooning over the exquisite service.

Would be reluctant to demolish it by actually eating it.

[trisham]

Thank you, Liz!

[libertarian27]

Yes, I’ve made beef stock from his video recipe :)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XvNqnp6rbG8
(I freeze them in cupcake tins then pop out and throw in a freezer bag: 1 standard cupcake mold = 1/2 cup)

[libertarian27]

I make Shepherd’s Pie (technically Cottage Pie:) all the time!
Without the Peas - yuck!-lol

I usually mix a can of Cream of Mushroom soup/little milk into the hamburger layer but recently I bought some canned Campbell’s beef gravy (on sale, couldn’t resist to try it) and used that instead - now that’s my go-to addition.

And, always a few scrapings of Nutmeg into the hamburger mixture...don’t want to taste the nutmeg but just have it in there.

[Paleo Pete]

Didn’t know it was also called Cottage Pie. I usually use just a little Italian seasoning. Same as you do just enough to tell it’s there.

I like the peas, but different people have different tastes. Never thought about canned soup, I’ve used that for other things though. I just wish I could find it without the MSG...I’ve looked, not one can of soup in town without MSG listed on the label. So I quit getting it.

[Liz]

FOURTH OF JULY DESSERT (looks like bushel basket)
Nice do-ahead. Keeps chilled in fridge.

USES sliced frozen pound cake, fresh raspberries,
blueberries, vanilla pudding, layered in glass bowl.

RED STAR TOPPERS are melted white baking bar
w/ red paste food coloring added. Pipe star shapes on
wax-papered sheetpan; set to dry. Carefully peel off.

[Jamestown1630]

The canned deviled ham IS worked down to a paste. It’s really great stuff - we had it in our lunch sandwiches when I was a kid. The same company made a deviled chicken spread that was also good; but they don’t show up in my local stores lately, and I wanted to re-create the ham spread. It turned out really close to the canned stuff! But here’s the company, if you want to try it ready-made:

http://www.underwoodspreads.com/products/

I like your pork chop recipe.

Yes, on my paternal side, the earliest ancestor we have traced in America came to Jamestown sometime in the early to mid-1600s. (I picked ‘1630’ out of a hat, because it’s been years since I looked at the genealogy, and can’t recall the exact date. Someday, I’ll pull all of that stuff out and look at it again.)

-JT

[Jamestown1630]

I found this just before The Fourth, and not in time for folks to make it for the holiday; but it’s a different kind of July 4 cake, and very dramatic. (Previously I’ve done the sheet flag cakes with blueberries and strawberries, but I like this better):

http://www.bettycrocker.com/recipes/red-white-and-blue-layered-flag-cake/9aaef2a0-b01d-4cb8-9bab-c0d0451a1065

-JT

[Aliska]

I watched that video, and it didn't show the reducing part. It didn't look so bad if you are going to be home. Actually you could do it uncovered in the oven at 275, turn down to 250 when starts to simmer. It's like a big crockpot.

I don't have a soup pot, I really don't think I'll try to do it but I might. It sure looks delicious but there are good products now to enhance beef flavor. The purchased beef broth isn't ever rich enough though (except Campbells consomme.

The reason I probably won't do it is I would never use up all those cubes because I don't cook much any more. But it was fascinating to watch the video. I think I can find it again with the reduction part.

BTW my butcher must get a rebate or something with bones. They cut all the bones out of everything except ribs. I suppose if you ask, maybe. Just a soup bone of one of those big joints Chef John had there cost me about $4.

I'm going to try a new butcher and will ask about bones. I'm sure I will have to pay for 5# of them. But I was doing my broth for beefy soups by starting my bones (I bought 2 big ones) in a hot oven for 30 min, then covering with water.

I like those marrow bones from round steak.

[Aliska]

I had a can a few months back, lasted me 2 days. I don't remember specifically Underwood but would have looked name brand. We didn't have that at home when I was a kid. We didn't ever have Spam either. I love Spam sandwiches with German mustard, must get some. Also Aldi's had some knockoff Spam which was different but delicious. But I can't easily get to Aldi's any more.

I can't do the pork chop recipe until I get the spices and I'm not ready to check out my cart at Amazon yet. I have to take my time when I order from there so I don't forget something.

I have a feeling I won't like those spices though but I have to try it. I'll not overdo them.

I've gotten some cooking done. Can do only one thing a day because my back gets to hurting and I have to do most of it sitting down lol.

Two days ago I made Ranger cookies. My kids loved them growing up but I would like them toasty brown and they would be hard as brickbats. Plus I like pecan pieces in them but I have to watch it with my bad teeth. I've got another loose one and it was hurting really bad last nite; today it is much better but I can't chew down on it except very soft stuff.

So my grandma's recipe I dug out and it's the same as several I found on the web except hers had 1/4 tsp baking soda and the web ones have 1 tsp so I used that. I used butter and margarine this time. Well, I didn't bake them as long and they melted down into bigger, flatter cookies. I took them out earlier and they were really nice, crunchy around the edges and chewy in the middle. And after storing 2 days they are still chewy.

It's a good idea to come back and look at new posts. Some things look so good The crescent rolls I use to make apple dumplings. Another recipe I found on the web, uses apple quarters or 6th's instead of whole. It ends up with a Mountain Dew (I like Cherry 7-up) butter mixture and a lot of sugar to pour over before baking. I reduced the butter to 1 stick and maybe the sugar a little.

Now to Jamestown. I'm foggy about the history and I've read little bits and pieces about it doing genealogy. The first settlement, I think, was earlier than 1620 and they all perished. Then they must have resettled. Several of my mom's lines came via Virginia. The records from very early are very spotty and sometimes you just have to give it up. 1635 was the big year for immigrants. I don't know why so many that year. My dad's side all are from the north east down to CT.

Been fun on these cooking threads. Gotta run, daughter just came.

[CARDINALRULES]

Must have missed that thread - think that was when I was down with a staph infection where my incision popped open and I wasn’t online much.

I see nothing wrong with them - lots of protein and they don’t soak up a bunch of oil.

I have always wanted to try to make some Scotch eggs but have never gotten around to it. Going to add to my list of stuff for the holidays. The rest of this year I am going to try at least one new recipe a month of things I always said I wanted to try. Some people have a bucket list - I have a recipes to try list.

Today I mixed the ingredients to make summer sausage. Will see in a few days how it turns out.

I also made the frosting for the chocolate cherry coffee cake that was for my niece’s birthday yesterday but didn’t get to eat until tonight. Plan on making another batch tomorrow to see if adding coloring and putting in a bag to pipe will work to decorate a cake.

Sometime in the next two weeks going to see which way to add chocolate to my cream cheese pound cake works best. It is only 5 ingredients and dense like I prefer and I don’t want to change the texture too much like when I added canned pumpkin. It was good but like a gooey butter cake texture. Have to buy more eggs and cream cheese first.

[Jamestown1630]

There are lots of ideas on peeling eggs; in my experience, the fresher the eggs are, the harder they are to peel after they are boiled (though I am anxious to try the baking method that one Freeper mentioned. Got my muffin tin all ready:-)

I think that success with the conventional boiling method is a combination of conditions that are never going to be quite the same twice.

‘outofsalt’ mentioned the ‘Eggtastic’; but I think what was actually meant was the ‘Eggstractor’, which was designed to peel eggs, not to cook them.

I have to admit that - being a sucker for kitchen gadgets and loving deviled eggs - I bought one of the Eggstractor gizmos when the product first came out. I think only one out of seven eggs came out even Peeled, much less Perfectly Peeled. The gadget went into the trash after one try. My opinion is: Don’t Waste Your Money.

This reminds me of an amazing, zany young woman that I found on YouTube recently. She reviewed the ‘Eggstractor’ hilariously. Actually, everything she does is hilarious (and don’t laugh when you first watch one of her videos - this lady is apparently making over $400,000 a year, just by being herself, and working very hard, on YouTube!)

Her experience with the ‘Eggstractor’ is pretty much the same as our experience was:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=72SO7KIUVvs

-JT

[outofsalt]

Eggstractor... Not eggtastic. I’m glad I DIDN’T BUY IT.

I actually liked your mason jar and water idea.

Now, about that bald spot/spray on hair in a can...?

[outofsalt]

[Liz]

Wow---nothing says fourth of July like this cake.

>

[kalee]

I like caviar on my baked potato. Yum!

[Jamestown1630]

I had a hard time figuring out how to put this cake together, but the reviews on the page give helpful instructions. (A lot of them say that it’s a lot of work, though; and perhaps not worth it. However, I’m sure if you did one every year, you’d get the hang of it ;-)

-JT

[Liz]

I’ve seen bake pans....compartmented..... to fill w/ different color batters. That would make it easier.

[Jamestown1630]

I’ve never understood why men care about bald spots. Using that spray stuff is even more ridiculous than the ‘few-strand comb-over’ that we see so often.

Hair doesn’t make a man sexy, character and personality do; and lots of bald or balding men are extremely attractive.

-JT

[newb2012]

Thanks for your input about bread machines. I went with Breville and so far have been pretty satisfied. My bread making skills are getting better by the day. And the bread tastes so good that there is absolutely no comparison to the store bought one.
Breville has the collapsible paddle which I noticed sometimes doesn’t collapse. But it doesn’t bother me too much.
So far I tried basic white with two different recipes. I’m pretty excited and can’t wait to try making other kinds -only if I could get a loaf consumed each day :-)