Weekly Cooking (and related issues) Thread

[Aliska]

That ravioli looks good! I'm just hungry for something simple, childhood comfort food, and making my own noodles is messy, laborious and mine are usually tough.

So I will resort to Reames. And it's for the crockpot but I have the original model and don't know if 3-1/2 quart capacity is big enough plus my indicator light doesn't work but it still works on high because I made some of my version of copycat Maidrites in it, set on high, cooked it dry but Maidrites were yummy and my family couldn't tell the difference; if anything, better.

Chicken and noodles, will probably tweak it a little and don't like shredded meat.

http://www.mastercook.com/app/recipe/WebRecipeDetails?recipeId=8509283

There are a few versions which are almost the same on youtube. They use 4 chicken breasts and I can only find pkgs of 3 which might not matter. Plus I wonder if I could combine it with some thighs.

And I'm eating it with some instant mashed potatoes, horror of horrors. Something green for veggie/salad.

[Jamestown1630]

Definitely comfort food!

[Covenantor]

Just so. We were about 2 or 3 blocks from the Eastern Avenue, Sargent Road border. There were woods at the head of the street and a tiny creek at Eastern Ave. Watched the partial eclipse from a fallow field right about there.

[Jamestown1630]

I was about 4 or 5 blocks the other side of Eastern, off of Queens Chapel.

Howdy again, old neighbor ;-)

[piasa]

Dark meat definitely makes better dumplings. A whole chicken makes the best of course but it does require more work to debone. The next best thing is to use chicken thighs with the bone for extra flavor [and for the collagen around the joint ends which is good for your health] because it’s easy to remove those big bones later.

[Covenantor]

Wonder if our paths might have crossed at the big Giant Food store on Queens Chapel...small word after all.

Time to set out the milk bottles.

[Aliska]

What is the best basic Alfredo pasta sauce? Bertolli, Emeril, Barilla, Classico, Prego, Ragu, Walden Farms, Newman's Own (don't do the store brand with some exceptions)?

My sister made her own with whip cream, butter and parm, don't know what else. These look pretty good, some are on sale. Ragu Cheesy is 2/$3, couple others on sale, Barilla Creamy $2.48 and Classico Creamy 2/$4? Or should I try a couple different ones, nice to have a jar on hand.

I guess I have to make the ravioli recipe or buy Fettucini noodles and shouldn't use Reames, right?

[kitchen]

Original Juan makes a number of lines and also packages for small batch companies. Pain #114, raspberry jalapeno sauce, and the artichoke dip are outstanding. ("THE BEST" raspberry jalapeno sauce comes from Prairie Thyme, their Ambrosia.)

[kalee]

Cows brouse on grass and will eat yard onions and wild garlic, both will flavor their milk. It can be quite strong.

[Aliska]

I don't mind deboning a cooked chicken but if it's all cooked together, can get those tiny bones in there which is not so good. Whole chickens the big plump one is pretty expensive, missed last week's sale one kind of whole chicken 99-cents/lb. I can get thighs and split breasts with the bone in which would be good. Maybe buy a little more and freeze what's left. I love chicken thighs anyway. Breast meat, too, as far as that goes.

And thanks for the reply.

[Aliska]

I like goat milk but don’t buy it as it’s expensive and frivolous for me, better to buy the almond stuff which is yummy.

[Yaelle]

Really, really, really looking forward to fall. Really!!! It was 110 degrees here today. Jumped over the hill to Malibu for a couple hours to bask in their heatwave of 85 degrees.

Instead of casseroles, we’ve been gravitating to chopped watermelon and salads. I would love cozy and warm and feeding my family that ravioli casserole.

[Yaelle]

Reminds me of our friend who went into her pantry one night and came out and showed us, “Look! This chocolate has gone bad!” And we just laughed cause ain’t no chocolate going bad in this house.

[mylife]

I’d give you Mom’s Beef, Barley Veggie soup recipe but there is no recipe.
I’ve tried to get her to write things down but she is no Jacques Pepin.

Gosh it’s good!

[kalee]

Browse not brouse.

[Jamestown1630]

My Granny went over to Giant, to see the Queen when she visited the area and they took her to that Giant Food so that she could see an American Supermarket!

When I was a child, we had always had groceries delivered by the DGS store; but when I came of age and began my first independent forays into cooking, that Giant was MY store.

It was still there until a few years ago;

https://patch.com/maryland/hyattsville/historic-chillum-giant-to-close-in-april

Now it’s turned into some kind of discount grocery, from what folks tell. I haven’t been down there in many years - as Thomas Wolfe said, ‘you can’t go home again’.

(We used to buy our Christmas trees at the top of that strip mall, where the Lion’s Club always set up.)

[kitchen]

Original Juan makes a number of lines and also packages for small batch companies. Pain #114, raspberry jalapeno sauce, and the artichoke dip are outstanding. ("THE BEST" raspberry jalapeno sauce comes from Prairie Thyme, their Ambrosia.)

[mylife]

Love Pirogis ☺

[Yaelle]

Well, I use it to make bone broth pretty much weekly. First 24 hours, just the chicken carcass and good water and apple cider vinegar (a splash or two to hell the good stuff come out of the chicken bones), and maybe a chicken foot or two from the freezer. Second day, some veggies, for sure leeks, and some herbs. Then cool a bit, dump in the colander over a big bowl, and ladle the cooled broth into red party style plastic cups for freezing and then cut the cups and store the cup shaped broth in bags.

Another recipe that would be foolproof for you with a crockpot would be cheating BBQ ribs. Cover beef ribs (enough to stuff into your pot) with your favorite BBQ sauce. Cook for 4 hours, no more. You don’t want the meat falling off the bone. Then put them on a tray under the broiler for a few minutes, just enough to get a few blackened edges. A bit more sauce, serve, people will think you slaved out at the grill all day.

[Covenantor]

Yup, got our Christmas trees there as well.

As to food forays, my first exposure to Chinese cooking was at the Chinese restaurant a few doors down from the Giant. Chow mein was the thing then.