Weekly Cooking (and related issues) Thread

[libertarian27]

This is an excellent recipe for fruit cake, for those of us who like fruit cake :)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t3ybHGZxjjQ
Fruit Cake Recipe Demonstration - Joyofbaking.com

[Jamestown1630]

Please post your potato salad recipe, if you should have time.

-JT

[Jamestown1630]

I had never heard of dehydrated tomato powder. Do you use the same amount as the recipe calls for paste?

A few months ago I dried celery and zucchini; I want to try making my favorite soup with it, and see if it’s very different from the soup from fresh ingredients.

-JT

[Original Lurker]

Sure thing. This is the original recipe that’s for a crowd.
Proportion to requirements.

Mrs. Miller’s Potato Salad (Safford, AL).

---

10 lb potatoes - peeled - cooked whole or in halves.
Cook potatoes in salted water with 1/2 cup vinegar.
Cube after cooking and cooling.
Let cool completely before mixing with dressing.

---

Dressing:
8-10 eggs boiled and either ground or mashed with a fork but NOT chopped. (I use a ricer).
Mayonnaise (to taste).
1 Tablespoon prepared mustard.
1 bunch celery chopped.
Onion powder (to taste - (no fresh onion).
4 oz. chopped pimento.
Chopped sweet pickles (to taste - I like bread and butter best).
Morton’s seasoning salt (to taste)
Mix all the above and add cooled potatoes. (I think it’s always best to mix tater salad by hand using a pair of thin, food prep plastic gloves)

(I like crunch (pickles/celery) in every bite of potato salad)

[Jamestown1630]

That looks very good. I like crunchies in my ‘tater salad, too.

I’ve never seen the potatoes cooked in vinegar; is that done?

-JT

[Jamestown1630]

Sorry; ‘Why’ is that done?

-JT

[Original Lurker]

Must be because there’s not a lot of prepared mustard in the dish. Cooking the potatoes in vinegar will add a different tangy flavor.

(this recipe is somewhat similar to New Orleans style potato salad except they will add the vinegar into the dressing)

[amorphous]

I didn't know about it either. I found the dehydrated tomato powder while looking for bell pepper and decided to try it after reading some of the rave reviews. The ratio is about the same for paste, or you can make sauce, after taking into consideration the amount of water the dehydrated tomato powder absorbs. A recipe for both is on the can of what I received from Wally World. I just add it directly to the sauce (about a tbsp at a time) and it starts thickening immediately. Takes about 2-1/2 tbsp for a sauce that serves about 4 people. I'm sure it would make a great tomato soup base as well. It's not bad dry, a pinch at a time. ;-)

I'm going to try mixing my own dehydrated soup mix as well, like you. I hope to try dehydrated mushrooms next. There are never any of the fresh ones on hand, here, when the urge hits to cook something which requires 'em.

Here is another potato salad recipe you may like. It's kind of different but delicious! You can buy the ranch dressing mix dry, then add mayonnaise and a little milk to make your own ranch dressing, or just use what you have in the fridge.

Ranch Picnic Potato Salad

6 med. potatoes, cooked, peeled & diced
1/2 c. chopped celery
1/4 c. sliced green onions
2 tbsp. parsley
1 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper
1 tbsp. Dijon mustard
1 c. prepared ranch salad dressing
2 hard boiled eggs, chopped
Paprika

Combine potatoes, celery, onion, parsley, salt and pepper. In another bowl, mix mustard into salad dressing and pour over potatoes. Toss lightly. Sprinkle paprika and eggs. Refrigerate for several hours. Makes 8 servings.

We live in an age where you can literally have enough food on hand to last years. It might be what saves many from our Achilles heel of no longer being much of an agrarian society.

[amorphous]

Btw, we had pulled pork sandwiches last night with french fries and RC Colas! D-e-l-i-c-i-o-u-s-!

[Jamestown1630]

You left out your Moon Pie dessert :-)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=loamVbAOsPo

[Jamestown1630]

We live in an age where you can literally have enough food on hand to last years. It might be what saves many from our Achilles heel of no longer being much of an agrarian society.

It's been gratifying to me, that so many of the young folks today seem to be interested in 'back-to-the-land'. They are posting their experiences in "homesteading' all over the internet!

-JT

[amorphous]

I was all out of Moon Pies! lol

[Liz]

I’ve never tried this.......but an individual who juices whole vegetables for health drinks said she took the leftover pulp, spread it out on a sheetpan, and dried it.

Said the dried veg pulp was a nice addition to recipes.

Could do this w/ pulp leftover from juicing tomatoes, carrots, beets......and so on.

[Jamestown1630]

My first thought was adding it to meatloaf.

-JT

[Jamestown1630]

I don’t know if this is what you mean, but I saw it today and thought of you and your request; it’s a variation on Alabama style white bbq sauce:

http://foodwishes.blogspot.com/2015/09/alabama-style-white-bbq-sauce-almost.html

(I think Chef John of ‘Food Wishes’ has the absolute best cooking blog and YouTube channel out there; I’ve lost hours of my life watching him :-)

-JT

[Liz]

Mmmmm....meatloaf would be a good addition.

Apparently the pulp dries into a powder....so it can also be sprinkled into sauces, soups, etc.

As I’ve said....I’ve never done this.

[mrsmith]

Sorry for the late reply.
I really appreciate the recipe, a couple of the ingredients especially intrigue me.
I did a terrible job of describing what I was looking for though.
Ive discovered I am a BBQ idiot and I have induced you to cast pearls before a swine.

“A pork butt has all the glorious fat needed to flavor the flesh, that in all honesty, could get by with just salt and pepper..”
Why it isn’t the MOST expensive cut of meat is beyond me!

[mrsmith]

I feel like a cheap old lazy bachelor at a Culinary Institute LOL!
Frankly, I’m going to try just sprinkling vinegar on the pulled pork next time for a start.

Be a while though, I’ve got to make a dent in this $2/lb Clifty Farm ham I’ve started on.
Here’s a cheap old lazy bachelor recipe: equal parts by weight pinto beans and country ham slow cooked in however much water the beans require.
Delicious.

[Liz]

APPLE FRITTERS / A perfect sweet to serve w/ pork BBQ.

METHOD Roll out leftover dough (from biscuit or pie-making).
Top w/ small-diced apples mixed w/ sugar and cinnamon.

Roll up into tube shape. Slice and dice. Gather diced segments into fritter shapes.

Deep-fry golden brown.

SERVE Rolled in granulated sugar...or sprinkled w/ conf.

[Jamestown1630]

Here’s a book for you ;-):

http://www.amazon.com/Man-Can-Plan-Great-Meals-ebook/dp/B000SEIX02

-JT