Monthly Cooking Thread - July 2020

[Jamestown1630]

I’ve been sick the last couple of weeks, and have had energy for the absolutely necessary – and the nice distractions!

I thought I’d share with you some of the things that have distracted me from my personal issues, and from the larger issues that most of us are facing.

I guess it isn’t a surprise that I’ve been drawn, for distraction, to people and places who aren’t really dealing with all the cr*p that many of us are. One of the websites I’ve greatly enjoyed has been ‘Whippoorwill Holler’, offered by Mr. and Mrs. Brown in Northeast Arkansas.

Lately, Mrs. Brown has begun a series on very fresh, cold Summer salads, and will be posting more. (And she has a really wonderful old ‘country-store-style’ kitchen, if you like that):

The Recipe:

Tomato, Cucumber, Onion Salad

4-5 medium cucumbers

1 onion

Bell peppers

Thyme, oregano, dill optional

3 tomatoes

1 cup water

1/2 cup white vinegar

1/4 cup oil

1/4 cup sugar

1 1/2 t. Salt

1 t. Pepper

And how you do it:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AJRcsaw-GpM

________________________________

Another place that has intrigued and distracted me is Smith Island, Maryland - an isolated and endangered island in the Chesapeake Bay.

Mrs. Mary Ada Marshall and her husband Dwight have been longtime caretakers of the Smith Island way of life – and here is a video of Mary Ada making the Maryland State Cake, Smith Island Cake. The cake isn't so much a recipe, as a construction and presentation; so you can use any recipe you like. As my Granny did, Mary Ada seems to prefer Duncan Hines (and if you try to make this as one big cake and cut it into tiny layers, YOU ARE CHEATING!):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wpY-a6M4nOE

(Mary Ada also makes prize-winning crabcakes. She doesn't give that recipe away, but if you hunt her down on the Internet, you can mail-order them :-)

__________________________________

And finally, Animals! They can always distract us and remind us of what it means to simply LIVE, exuberantly, as creatures upon the Earth:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9bKwRW0l-Qk

-JT

[Flaming Conservative]

One of my favorite cold salads is the one made with ramen noodles. I lightly toast the crumbled noodles, sliced or slivered almonds, and sesame seeds, before I add them in with the broccoli slaw. I’ve seen some recipes that use the seasoning packet from the noodles, but I never do. The soy sauce, vinegar, oil, salt and sugar give it enough flavor, in my opinion. I do add a dash of sesame oil and sometimes a pinch of five spice powder, though.

[doorgunner69]

Dolphin footage was all off the coast here in Kona.

Old question dive masters would ask on the dive trips:
"Why do the spinner dolphins jump and spin?"
Expected answer:"Because they can!"

[pugmama]

I’ve made many versions of crab cakes, but this is the one we seem to like the best. Finishing them off in the oven adds a great texture.

https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchen/the-best-crab-cakes-8614565#reviewsTop

[pugmama]

These are 2 “go to” recipes for cold salads. I will sometimes add cooked shrimp, diced chicken or whatever might be left in the fridge.

https://www.epicurious.com/recipes/member/views/greek-panzanella-salad-by-ina-garten-52169161

https://barefootcontessa.com/recipes/panzanella

[Diana in Wisconsin]

Wait a minute; you’re not fooling me! You forgot the recipes for cooking all the tasty animals! ;)

Hope you’re on the mend. :)

[Qiviut]

So I borrowed my SIL’s Instant Pot & tried the “Egg Loaf” recipe to make hard-boiled eggs for my ‘pudding’.

Used a small cheesecake pan I bought some time ago specifically for making cheesecake in an IP. Glad I read the comments on the Egg Loaf recipe - people using a cheesecake pan were having leakage problems. I checked my pan (which I’d left on the counter while looking at the recipe) & it was leaking badly. So badly, I added another egg to make up for what leaked out!

Substituted a bowl with a solid (but rounded) bottom. Added a minute to cooking time .... wasn’t enough. The middle of the “loaf” was still runny. Added 2 more minutes .... now cooked in the middle, but we’ll see if the outside is ‘too’ cooked.

Next time, I am either going to line the cheesecake pan with foil or try a round, flat-bottomed pyrex bowl ... the glass bowl is smaller diameter than the cheesecake pan by probably an inch or a little more & I’m thinking that while it won’t be deeper in the middle, it will be deeper overall & might take longer than the 5 minutes of pressure given in the recipe. Trial & error - I’ll get it figured out since it sure beats peeling eggs!

[Diana in Wisconsin]

‘Polynesian Chicken’

OMG! That sounds SO good! Beau says fruit with meat is an affront to Mankind, but I’ll make this for the rest of us while he’s off hunting something. ;)

P.S. What size maraschino cherries is needed? Just the regular 10 oz. or so size?

Thanks! :)

[Diana in Wisconsin]

Bookmarking for later. *BUMP*

I’ve got to get my garden watered this morning while the heat is bearable and answer some gardening questions over yonder. ;)

[JBW1949]

I usually get the regular size, but maybe the more, the sweeter...

[V K Lee]

LOL, he treats these guys just like puppies/dogs.
Calls them by name, pets them.
One evening he even confronted a black bear who
attempted to climb too high.

BEARS - the salmon are running now (during July)
Moms are out with their cubs.

Also, if you enjoy birds, Lesley the Bird Nerd
has an interesting site:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCDjdXwT-KrFPsqOSg4KL8Nw

[Ellendra]

If you let the water heat up a bit before putting the eggs in, they’ll peel even better.

With store-bought eggs, tap water hot is hot enough. With fresh-laid eggs, it works best if the water is at a full rolling boil. I use egg tongs to lower them in.

[Grammy]

I just love summer salads! This marinated tomato salad is fabulous, and I usually use about half the oil called for.

Ingredients
3 Tablespoons Fresh Parsley, Chopped
2 Tablespoons Fresh Basil, Chopped
1 Tablespoon Granulated Sugar
1-½ teaspoon Garlic Salt
1-½ teaspoon Seasoned Salt
¾ teaspoons Dried Thyme
½ teaspoons Ground Black Pepper
¾ cups Canola Oil
½ cups Red Wine Vinegar
3 whole Scallions, Sliced
6 whole Tomatoes, Cut Into Wedges

Preparation Instructions
Whisk together all the ingredients except the tomato wedges. Add the tomatoes and toss to coat. Allow to marinate at room temperature for a couple of hours, stirring every now and then. Serve with lots of bread to soak up all the yummy marinade. Enjoy!

[Liz]

Maryland-style Crab Cakes from Phillips Restaurant are considered the best----just solid crab and a little filler.

Or do as they do in the South----suff your shrimp with a crab cake.

A nice filler for a crab cake is crumbled Ritz crackers----the way New Englanders do it.

[Jamestown1630]

We ‘know’ Lesley. She must be very patient to teach so many birds to eat from her hands.

Thanks!

[Jamestown1630]

Thanks, Liz. Phillips’ was the first really good crabcake I ever had, and it hooked me.

It was a long time ago, and we were in the restaurant; but I remember that there was a very long line waiting at the carryout window. Probably still is.

I was there with a lifelong resident of the Eastern Shore, whose farm was near the drawbridge to Tilghman. She’d probably enjoyed the best, but even she thought that the Phillips crab cakes were very good.

[Jamestown1630]

Thanks, Grammy - I will try it tomorrow. I’ve only been able to eat stuff like mashed potatoes for a week now, but the meds seem to have kicked-in today, and I’m craving something fresh.

[Jamestown1630]

I was kind of worried about the bear - wondered if Mama may have been nearby; and what may happen when that bear gets big and is used to hot dogs and marshmallows...

(My husband grew up in a rural area of PA, where the bears come out of the woods and climb up on the deck. His Granny wouldn’t go outside to smoke at night unless I went with her, in case the bear came after her :-)

[Jamestown1630]

I like the addition of lemon - haven’t seen that before.

And I appreciate the tartar sauce recipe - last week I had some crab cakes, but no sauce!

[Jamestown1630]

Most Instant Pot recipes for liquid-y stuff in springform pans that I’ve seen, suggest the crimped foil around the bottom.

A couple of weeks ago, on a Freeper’s suggestion, I bought a pan that fits ours, and all the stuff for a cheesecake; and then hell broke loose here - tooth problem, sick cat, dishwasher broken. Things are clearing-up now, and I’ll get back to it.

[Jamestown1630]

Tom Horton, a professor at Salisbury University in Maryland, made a great video about Smith Island - it’s about 25 minutes, really beautiful and interesting:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yAqM4Y5RIEk&t=337s

He also wrote a book about his experience taking his family to live on the Island for a few years:

http://www.amazon.com/Island-Out-Time-Memoir-Chesapeake/dp/0393331466/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=tom+horton&qid=1593729782&sr=8-1

Another very interesting Chesapeake Bay island community and culture is Tangier Island, VA, q.v.