...but that would be naughty, now, wouldn't it?

This is a thread for any food-related discussion. Found a nice recipe? Please share it! Is there any particular cultural cuisine you wish to discuss? Perhaps you need some help with us pesky Yanks still not adopting the metric system?

I thought our forums were missing something in the way of real down-to-earth discussion and sharing of our culinary experiences. Sure, we see them a lot in Fan-fics, but we never really get to dig into them (bad pun intended) in the same way as actually discussing this world-within-our-world can. I am seeing more and more food segments in the fan-fics that I read, so I think the time has come for us to have an honest-to-goodness culinary discussion thread.

To kick things off, I would like to share a recipe of my own concoction... Veal Osso Bucco, a Northern Italian classic.




Ingredients
Veal Shank w/ marrow bone: 1lb
AP Flour: As Needed
Olive Oil: 2Tbsp
Butter, Clarified: 2Tbsp
Mirepoix, Standard Ratio: 1Lb
Garlic Clove: 2Ea
Red Wine: 1/2Cup
Tomatoes: 12oz
Veal Stock: 1qt
Lemon Zest: 1Tbsp
S&P: TT
Marjoram: 1tsp
*Gremolata: 1oz
-Gremolata
-Parsley: 3tsp
-Lemon Zest: 1tsp
-Garlic Clove: 1Ea

Mise en Place
-Clean, Sanitize workspace
-Gather utensils, pots, pans
-Gather ingredients
-Small Dice Mirepoix, Tomatoes
-Zest Lemons
-Mince Garlic
-Fine-Chop Parsley

Method
1. Preheat Oven 350*, add Oil, Butter to heated pot.
2. Season, brown Veal.
3. Remove Veal, add Mirepoix, Garlic, sweat.
4. Deglaze pot, Red Wine.
5. Add Tomatoes, Veal Stock, bring to simmer.
6. Return Beef to pot, add Lemon Zest, place in oven.
7. Braise, 3 to 4 hours, or until tender.
8. Remove Veal, degrease sauce
9. Reduce Sauce; thicken as needed, strain.
10. Rub Veal w/ Gremolata, return to sauce to reheat.
11. Finish w/ fresh Marjoram.
12. Garnish with Gremolata on the marrow bone.

Believe me, don't skip the marrow bone, it's really that important to this dish.

Sounds interesting! You might want to further clarify what is mirepoix, for those of us whose idea of haute cuisine is adding cream of mushroom soup to ground beef and Hamburger Helper.

Yes, most of my recipes are in professional format, which means you might occasionally see some chef-speak in here from time to time.

Mirepoix:

25% Carrots, 25% Celery, 50% Onion. Therefore one pound would contain 4 ounces of the orange and green, and 8 ounces of the white. Probably the most popular braising/stewing vegetable combination in the world.

Quick question about number 11. Sprinkle the fresh marjoram over everything off the heat, or while reheating? And part 2 of the question, if I can't find fresh marjoram, should I use something else or wait until spring?

I like this thread!!

The veal is removed from the pot so you can finish the sauce, the sauce stays on the stove. You then add the marjoram once the beef is returned to the sauce. Fresh herbs are delicate, you only want to add them at the very end of the cooking process. That is also why we add the gremolata to the veal at the very end, so we don't ruin the flavor of the parsley by cooking it to death.

As for the lack of marjoram, you could always look for "Oregano" in the grocery store. "Oregano" is actually not an herb, like most people believe, but a family of herbs. Marjoram is part of the Oregano family, so I would say anything that is also part of that family would work in a pinch.

While not as good or as authentic, you can also use dried herbs (like oregano, as TK said). They are much more potent than the fresh stuff, though, so use far less. But because they're dried, they can go into the sauce at an earlier stage and cook for a little longer. I agree with TK about waiting until you're almost ready to plate the food before throwing in fresh herbs. The same is true of any green leafy stuff - spinach is one example. I like to throw in chopped broccoli into my tomato sauce at the end of cooking, and just cook until they get that lovely bright green color but still have a bit of crunch.

The idea of using fresh herbs and putting them in at the end is that you want to just barely wilt them, but you don't want to make them dark green stringy snot. Now that's an unappetizing idea!

I'll resurect this with a question, well a bit of an explanation then a question.

I've been trying to make a couple of American dishes with a distinct lack of success. Namely grits and cornbread. Having been a porridge eater (before my gluten allergy extended itself to oats...) I thought grits would be a good substitute, so I tried to make it like porridge (pinch of salt and twice the volume of water then boil until it's thick), but the result is foul. It's bitter, musty and generally not pleasant to eat. Now it could be rubbish ingredients (no one really eats maize here) or I could be doing something wrong.

On a similar note my attempt at cornbread (2 parts corn, 1 parts flour replacer, an egg, baking powder and oil) was nasty, though in this case might have made a serviceable club had I needed to smash a troll to smithereens. It was totally solid.

So I thought I'd ask here (google is full of recipes for 'granma's bacon, cheese and [rare ingredient I've never heard of] cornbread/grits'): am I doing something wrong or was it meant to taste like that?

Sounds like there wasn't enough moisture in the cornbread. For flavor, you might consider adding some (or all) of these ingredients:

Honey
Sugar
Bacon
*insert obscure oriental ingredient here*

Add whole corn kernels and buttermilk to preserve the moisture, as well. Also, try flip-flopping the flour-cornmeal ratio. What you are aiming for in terms of consistency with the batter is thick pancake-like. While baking, you should also use the toothpick test to check the doneness.

Also, soak the cornmeal in the buttermilk overnight. You'll bring out a lot of extra flavor that way.

D.Foxy shall be banned from this topic. agree?

How cum? Bananas Jubilee sounds pretty good, actually.

Olen, I think you may have come across some old corn meal. Even if your grits were a gross texture, they should still taste like grits. Maybe there’s a polenta product you could use that would be fresh? I like grits with cheddar cheese grated over, or with sausage gravy. Also, sometimes grits are made with hominy, so that could be confusing. Were yours white or yellow? And at the risk of causing a riot, I use half milk/ half water in mine.

Maybe add another egg to your cornbread? I’m wondering about (blaming) the flour substitute.

Jalapeno peppers if you're from the south.



My tips:

Chill glass bowl and knife when making buttermilk biscuits. Add the flour to the chilled bowl - and when When blending the lard in use the chilled knife - only making cuts through the flour with it. Your biscuits will come out PERFECT.

Also, if you absolutely can't get buttermilk - a cheat: squeeze a few drops of fresh lemon into a cup of whole milk, let sit one hour. It will curdle nicely.


2nd tip:

When making mashed potatoes, NEVER USE MILK. Use a raw egg, a touch of real butter (not margerine), and a bit of heavy cream. Your family will go nuts over them. Not for dieters.

Also, when making scalloped potatoes - NO MILK, NO MARGERINE - use heavy cream and real butter.



3rd tip:

Italian dinners - don't buy a can of Parmesan cheese. Buy a wedge of fresh Parmigiano-Reggiano and grate it yourself, same with Romano cheese. - you can't help but taste the difference, and your family will def notice it.

It's certainly possible, I mainly use it for making batter stick to confectionary (a scottish habit which is best left out of any sort of culinary discussion). It might well be ancient, and I have both white and yellow. The white stuff is marginally more foul. Possibly it's just impossible to get fresh stuff here.

To be fair I only tried the cornbread a couple of times, I'll give it a go again when I have time to bake and up the egg and xanthane gum content.

With the yellow cornbread you can add a pinch of sugar to it, and don't mix in the amount of plain white flour it calls for - cut that in half. (the white flour adds a bitter taste)

Old cornmeal won't do well, GRITS is right about that. (sorry Grits, chalk it up to me being blind as a bat, lol)

Umm, I think you mean Grits is right about that, I said nothing about old cornmeal.

I never really thought about putting egg into my mashed potatoes. I will take heavy cream over milk any day, but sometimes you just have to work with what you have (and being a professional-in-training, that is a required skill). Heavy cream is just not something you find in huge amounts at the grocery store. I usually buy little tiny half-pinters. If you do things right, there's nothing wrong with using milk in mashed potatoes. I do not compromise on the butter, though. Margarine is just... ugh. Still, never thought of adding an egg. I'll give it a try tonight and tell you how it turns out.

Don't buy anything pre-grated labeled "Parmesan," period if you want true Italian. Parmesan is code-speak for horrible fake Italian hard cheese. What you really want is called Parmigiano-Reggiano, which costs a fortune because it can only be imported from Italy here in North America. Why? Parmigiano-Reggiano is what is known in the EU as a Protected Designation of Origin cheese. This means that in order for the cheese to be named what it is, it has to be made in a very specific location by a very specific method. If either of the requirements are not met, it is illegal to name the cheese with a name that is PDO-protected. In this case, Parmigiano-Reggiano can only be manufactured in Lombardy.

Want to know how expensive this cheese is? One wheel is worth about 500 Euros... domestic (that's $1000 American!).

Heavy Cream:
I can only find the half-pints too, at Thanksgiving you sometimes can find them in a pint. I use it a lot in soups, to make whipped cream, (not for banana jubilee, lol), etc.

The egg adds a nuance of rich texture to the mashed potatoes. If you have to use milk - absolutely go with the egg and butter. It is not quite as good as with the heavy cream (which brings your mashed potatoes to a whole new realm of flavor).

On the cheese: Yes, get the imported wedge of Parmigiano-Reggiano and grate it yourself - sorry about the laziness in spelling on that.


Another Tip: If you are making homemade potato soup - use heavy cream not milk to thicken, and only use real butter (not margerine). Add fresh celery and onions when you add the potatoes, add fresh mushrooms a little over halfway through the cooking. - these extras bring it out of the realm of potato soup and make it a taste sensation. If you like you can garnish with crumbled bacon and hand grated chedder (that's a matter of personal taste).

Stuffed turkey/chicken/ or game hens:

Rinse the bird with cold water inside and out, dry with a clean (lint free) towel - salt inside cavity lightly and sprinkle lightly with parsley.

Add one whole small diced onion and several fresh celery stalks (depending on the amount of stuffing you are making) to the bread cubes and pour the boiling hot (turkey or chicken broth - seasoned when you make it) over the top of the bread cubes. I place a towel over and let it sit a while.

When your stuffing is completely ready (it should still be plenty hot) fold in fresh WHOLE mushrooms - try not to stir as it will mash up the stuffing and ruin the texture. Don't over-do the sage, it is better off under-used than over-used.

Lift the skin of the bird up and slide a pat of BUTTER (not margerine) under the skin on each quarter, then stuff under the skin. (careful, stuffing will be hot). Any remaining stuffing can be shoved in the body cavity. Tie the legs together so the stuffing stays in. Season outside of bird and roast immediately.

You will never have a dry bird again - the mushrooms, onions, and celery do most of their cooking in the bird as it roasts so their flavor and juices seep into the meat, keeping it very moist and tasty.



***

Homemade meatballs falling apart in the sauce? After you shape them, roll them in parsley They will still absorb the flavor of the sauce but retain their shape.

Tip: For better tasting meatballs - for every pound of ground beef used, add 1/4 pound of ground lean pork loin. Mix well. Moisten the bread crumbs with milk not water.

When making homemade spaghetti sauce - add meatballs, Italian sausage, and chicken breasts. (you can also add pork loin chops and use them later for "mock veal Parmisian").

The chicken breasts makes great chicken cacciatore and it flavors the sauce wonderfully.

Tired of Spaghetti and meatballs/sausage?

Flat slice the meatballs and sausage. Fry up flat-sliced eggplant (season and roll in plain flour before frying) - cook eggplant thoroughly.

Layer it all into a casserole dish: Sauce/eggplant/sauce/sausage/sauce/fresh grated cheeses/sauce/meatballs/sauce/more cheese. Bake in oven just long enough to meld flavors. Don't overcook or sauce will taste burned - Awesome Italian casserole.

The late Mrs Acadian always cooked her turkeys upside down so all the dark greasy moist parts basted down into the dry white bits. It doesn't make for a pretty table presentation, but my goodness, it certainly is moist and tender!

(The current Mrs Acadian won't touch a turkey because it looks too much like a bird. Lol)

What are the fundamental principles of stock-making?

There are 7 basic principles:

1. Start with cold water
2. Simmer Gently
3. Skim frequently
4. Strain carefully
5. Cool quickly
6. Store properly
7. Degrease before use

If done right, a proper, homemade stock can be the difference between a good soup and a "holy mother-of-pearl, that was awesome!" soup.

----

First I will go over the basic ingredients:

-Bones: be it Beef, Veal, Chicken, or Fish... or any other kind of bone you can think if if you want to make a specialty stock.

-Mirepoix: 25% Carrots, 25% Celery, and 25% Onion. Rough chopped, you don't need to get fancy with stock.

-Water: Because no one sane would make a stock out of lemon juice, right?

-Sachet: This is a neat little seasoning blend consisting of whole peppercorns, thyme, bay leaf, and parsley stems (not leaves). This is all tied together in a cheesecloth before adding it to the stock so it is easy to remove. If you do not have cheesecloth, don't worry, just toss it in freehand because you'll be straining the stock anyways.

-Tomato paste: This is only used for brown stock, but is essential for its purpose.

----

So, to start off with, we need to prepare our ingredients for use. In order to do that, you need to figure out what kind of stock you wish to make: White or Brown?

For white: Rough chop your veg and build your sachet. Use chicken or other mild-flavored bones. End result is light color and neutral umami flavor.

For brown: Your bones and veg need to be roasted beforehand. This process will take about 2 hours on a 400*F oven (200*C for you European folks). Add the mirepoix after 1 hour, and top the bones with a nice generous helping of tomato paste for the last 15 minutes to half hour of roasting. This process caramelizes the natural sugars in the bones and veg and will lend the stock a bolder, more pungent flaver. Use beef or veal bones.

----

Now for the principles explained:

1. ALWAYS start your stock in cold water. If you start in hot water, you will begin the cooking process too early and disturbs the crud that comes off the bones as they simmer away. This results in cloudy stock.

2. You must maintain a gentle simmer. If you boil your stock too hard, the crud that comes off the bones will get mixed into the stock rather than rise gently to the surface. This results in cloudy stock.

3. As the stock simmers, you will see a layer of foam building up on the top. This is garbage that we don't want in the stock. Make sure to check it every hour and remove any foam that has built up on the surface.

4. I cannot stress this enough, BE CAREFUL! This is a perfect opportunity to get the stock cloudy, so be gentle and delicate as you remove the liquid once your stock is done.

5. This is standard good practice. Be out of 135* to 70* in 2 hours and down to 41* in four hours. This keeps bacterial contamination to a minimum.

6. Make sure you store your stock refridgerated, that's all.

7. When your stock cools, all the oil and grease that's in it will rise to the surface and harden. Get rid of this stuff, it's unneeded and gross.

----

That's all there is to it. Now you know the necessities of making stocks.

On a side note for mALX: the egg trick for the potatoes did a good job. Count on me to continue that. By the way, have you tried asparagus sauteed in butter and garlic? It's to die for.

I'm so glad you liked that! I like the texture it gives the potatoes.


Anything with asparagus in it is to die for IMO, lol. - so I will def try it !!!


Tip: Chicken or fish stock: Tired of finding bones in your soup later?

Buy a NEW pair of nylon stockings (not panty hose) - wash and rinse thoroughly. Fill with either chicken bones or fish bones (depending on what stock you want, lol). Tie the stocking at the top. When it is time to remove the bones and begin drawing off the broth cradle a strainer in the top and dump the nylon stocking full of bones in it. When it quits dripping - toss it in the garbage in one swift move - Voila !!! No bones in your soups, and no mess and burned fingers picking bones out of the stock !!

Wanting to cook a fancy romantic dinner for a date but on a budget?

If you can't afford prime meat or there is no butcher shop near you - go to your grocery store and get Choice (nothing less !!!) Standing Rib Roast. The first two-four ribs is the section you want, one rib for each person eating (in case your date brings their parents you will want the extra two, lol).

season lightly - rub with salt and pepper only, or you may add the tiniest bit of garlic if you wish. 350 oven for no more than 1 hour for 2 ribs, no more than 1 hour 45 min for 4 ribs. - remove meat and let it rest. Turn up oven to 425-450 and put pan with drippings back into oven. Mix together equal parts flour/egg/milk - season as desired. When pan drippings are sizzling, either pour mixure in and let it spread or to be fancy dollop it (like you were making biscuits or something.

When it rises and is browned lightly - remove and serve with the meat. Serve with a good red wine. I like a good Cabernet Sauvignon with it.

Whatever green vegetable is your preference for color on the plates - I prefer something light like asparagus - NO starchy veggies like peas or corn with this meal !!




*****

When cooking with wine, use as quality a wine as you would serve a guest at the table.



*****

To add an extra "bite" to homemade peanut butter cookies, add just the tiniest pinch of instant coffee to the batter. - Tastes GREAT !! (and always use decent brand of peanut butter - always) If the recipe calls for granulated sugar - don't listen - use brown sugar to dark brown sugar.

*****

The secret to great Scottish Shortbread is to use confectionary sugar instead of granulated


***

Make your own maple syrup - better than Mrs. Butterworth or Log Cabin - Pure Maple flavoring (not imitation) to taste, real butter, dark brown sugar - bring to boil then thicken - AWESOME and it is HOT when you pour it on your husb's pancakes - he'll feel like you are spoiling him.

****

Always buy real vanilla flavoring, (NEVER buy any of the imitation flavorings).



******

If you are boiling ocean shellfish (lobster, crab, etc.) - never salt the water or they will come out over-salty too easily. Instead, put a tiny handful of carroway seeds in.



*****


When boiling ears of corn, don't salt the water. Instead put a tiny handful of sugar in it.


*****


Sprinkling the tiniest bit of sugar on your bacon when you fry it will make it fry up crispy and perfect.


*****


If your recipe calls for butter in your lard, make it homemade - never buy (Crisco or otherwise) "Buttery flavored" lard unless you just want to puke for some reason.


******


The top crust of a pie should either be latticed evenly or if solid - get a fork and lightly prick patterns into it so it looks nice- flute the pie crust (not crimp it) for the best look - line the flute with tin foil to keep it from browning too much (remove tin foil before serving, of course, lol).


*****


Use a melon ball scoop rather than cutting cubes for any punch that requires cut melons - it is a lot of trouble and takes a lot longer, but the appearance can't be beat.



*

As a student working off budgeted time before I have to leave for lectures I simply must try this, it takes forever to crisp up bacon normally.

Also to attempt to feel like a contributor I shall add one of my favourite student budget recipes. (Though I am obviously outclassed by the profesional chefs)

Studenty Spaghetti Bolagnaise (I believe that is the spelling anyway)
-Makes around 3-4 portions depending on how you ration, and how much you eat-

500g Mince-I usually go for the best mince simply because it's key to so much of the flavour.
1 tin of chopped tomatoes
2-3 rashers of bacon.
Lee and Perrins or another Worcetershire sauce
Half an onion
Half a large pepper
Salt and Pepper.
1 clove of garlic
Enough spaghetti for how many portions you serve at once.

-The walkthrough-

The peppers and onions can be chopped up to taste, I tend to finely slice them both but not dice, as well as some fine slicing of the garlic.
I shall work off the assumptions that people here know how to cook spaghetti, so stick that on.
Heat up your hob and put some oil into a frying pan, i'd suggest using a large lidded one (Though I do not have one with me at Uni)
Lightly fry the mince until it's browned, I don't tend to work off times but i'd say this should only take maybe 7-10 minutes.
Once it's browned nicely add in the onions, pepper and garlic. Meanwhile I tear up the bacon, I find the overall texture is better that way rather than slicing or cutting it with scissors. Fry all of this until the bacons cooked, but not crisp, and the onions have browned.
By this time the spaghetti should be done so set that to drain, and add the chopped tomatoes to your bolagnaise, season it with some salt and pepper and add a healthy dose of the Worcestershire sauce.
Now depending on how thick you want the sauce you can turn down the heat and stick on a lid to let it simmer, or boil it down for a thinner sauce though this may take longer.

I tend to eat all of this at once, because I don't eat much during the day, however it should be fine to portion up and chill, as long as you finish it in a few days and reheat thoroughly.

For the thrifty among us you could take the advice of the Italians which is to avoid Parmigiano-Reggiano, yes it's very nice but half of what you're paying for is the name. There are pleanty other hard italian cheeses which are exactly the same and half the price, a good cheesemonger should stock them. If in doubt go by age, no one's going to mature a rubbish cheese for several years.

Here's a Tibetan specialty from my travels:
Pho Ja (or something like that, I can't write in Tibetan, it translates as Tibetan Tea), more commonly in English: Salt Tea
Ingredients:
Tea. Chinese brick tea is best, if you can't get it third flush orthodox produced (cheap Darjeeling is likely to be this type) works well, failing that Assam will do, try to get whole leaf (in general leaf tea is much nicer than the muck they put in bags).
Butter.
Milk.
Salt.

Put all the ingredients into a pan, I didn't have anyway of measuring it but for four cups two or three teaspoons (more if you can get brick tea), and 1 part milk to 4 water. Salt is very much to taste, a couple of generous pinches per cup is a good place to start. A bit of butter about the size of the end of your little finger is right per cup.
Bring to the boil, and whisk while boiling for a couple of minutes (you want to disperse the butter throughout the liquid). In tibet they traditionally used a strange wooden tube with a stick to mix it, these days they use a drain-pipe and stick or a whisk (or a blender).
Drink. It's an odd taste but I got to love it, it's very very good for dehydration (a problem at high altitude). Unfortunately I can't be more precise as I was living in a room without power and cooking on a parrafin (kerosene in the US) stove so quantities were guessed, but my tea was generally held to be good.

And another:
Chai (Indian style tea)
Tea: personally I prefer a heavy tea for chai, third flush orthodox is best, Assam is ok.
Milk
Sugar (to taste but there should be a lot, enought that it's slightly thick)
Optional - Spices (cinnamon and cardamom are a good place to start)

Boil the milk and sugar until it's slightly reduced and the milkl has changed it's taste, then add the smae volume of water and the tea (and spices if using) and boil until it reaches the desired strength. It should be very sweet. Drank in small quantities it's a good energy boost.

Good alternatives for Parmigiano are Pecorino Romano and Asiago if you want something similar but not as expensive.

The correct spelling is "Bolognese." The full name is "Ragu alla Bolognese."

I don't like the idea of putting Worcestershire into that sauce, though. You can get a decent cooking white wine for very cheap these days. Also, if you have the choice between bacon or pancetta (which you probably won't about 90% of the time unless you regularly shop in a specialty market), go with pancetta.

----

What is the difference between bacon and pancetta, you may ask?

Bacon is salt-cured, smoked, and usually pre-sliced. It is sold as a slab.

Pancetta is salt-cured, but not smoked, and sold rolled.

----

Tip for cutting bacon: freeze it first.

It really does take forever to crisp. It can be microwaved and come out perfect crispy texture, but I was always afraid it would take away from the taste.



I've made something similar using Darjeeling - boil the milk with one whole stick of cinnamon in it and several whole Cardamom
- an AWESOME tea !!





I don't like salt-cured bacon - you can get it sugar-cured instead.

I've had Pancetta once and didn't appreciate it - too salty for my taste (but then again, I don't like overly salty bacon either)

It's time for a quickee-poll!

What is your favorite steak temp (if you eat beef)?

Mine is right between medium-rare and medium.

Medium-rare.

Rare ♥

Here's a recipe for macaroni and cheese:

1 Box of macaroni shells
1 cup of milk*
2-3 eggs
3 tablespoons of butter or margarine*
3 lbs of cheddar cheese (the original recipe calls for sharp, but I use mild)

*measurements are approximate

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees
2. Boil a pot of water. Once its boiling, add the macaroni noodles.
3. Shred the cheese
4. Mix the milk and eggs together
5. Strain the macaroni noodles
6. Spray pot or baking dish with Pam or butter.
7. Layer noodles, cheese, milk-egg mix, and butter in that order until you have used it all.
8. Bake until crispy at the top (usually 45 minutes to an hour)

Med-rare to med (err on the rarer side if any)

Favorite steak: Delmonico

I'm jumping on the med-rare bandwagon. But it has to be a good cut. I want to eat, not gnaw...

Depends on cut.

Generally rare, blue for fillet (on those occasions when I come by it).

Rump benifits from a bit more cooking so medium for it, otherwise I find it can have a weird off taste.

I've just discovered a very nice combination: Garlic and Seranno chili peppers in a Red Wine gravy made in the fond of a pan-seared Ribeye with olive oil. Must be New Mexico talking... we'll put chili in everything.

You had me at Ribeye...but I'm not big on chili peppers.

Mine:

Saute (in real butter only, no oleo) whole mushrooms, sweet green peppers, and a couple garlic cloves till not quite tender - turn heat off, cover, let rest on eye of stove. Gently fork the Ribeye and rub with (butter, garlic, salt & pepper) before broiling. (that's where I always set fire to the pan by accident).

I stop when it's rare-medium, but cook to your own preference - when you flip the steak, turn the burner back on under the mushroom/pepper/garlic mix - add a good wine when the pan gets hot, remove from heat when steak is done.

I use a slotted spoon to put the veggy mix over the steak and put the liquid in a gravy bowl for people to add as desired.

Good news! It appears that my herb garden has survived the winter! I've checked outside for a few days now, and can confirm that the following have started growing again:

-Parsley
-Marjoram
-Thyme
-Chives
-Sage

I'll soon be all set on fresh herbs for the summer!

Too many deer and rabbit around my house to grow tasty stuff. Our vegetable garden got picked clean so many times we decided not to plant the last two years in a row. Five rows of berries, and we haven't been able to sell our blueberries or black rasberries for four years because of neighbors stripping the bushes clean in the night.

Good news about your herbs, TK! While I was away, Mr. Grits sent me a photo of five deer eating my garden. We live inside the city limits, obviously we need to put up more signs to inform them where they are. I grow my herbs in pots, and they all need replanting this spring. Most of them stay green but don’t really grow over the winter, and I am a relentless over-harvester.

mALX, your neighbors?! Yikes!!

Oh yeah, they are pretty much snobby when they meet you on the street, but every year I catch them bringing several friends over with large buckets to clean us out on berries and apples. We have caught them stealing vegetables too.

My dogs are more sensitive to strangers at night anyway, and they alert me if anyone gets within 20' of our property. So I let the dogs out and listen. If they charge toward the berries barking I know the neighbors are at it.

What they were doing was stealing the berries and selling them themselves. I guess they thought we grew them so they could have an extra income.

Omg, I love that there's a food thread! This is awesomeness (yeah, that's my new favorite word, lol).

mALX-- Omg, I can't believe your neighbors would steal your berries and sell them! What big meanies (I would use a different word, but forum rules...). Good thing your dogs are good about protecting your property!

I have a couple of favorite recipes I'd like to share, and they are really easy to make but FULL of flavour--which makes them ideal, in my book!

I'll just post one at a time, however, and I'll start with dessert!

Chai-Spiced Cookies

(Tip: They taste excellent with tea or coffee!)

1 c butter, softened
1/2 c powdered sugar
2 c all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp ground cardamom
1 1/2 tsp ground allspice
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp salt
4 tsp vanilla
2 egg yolks

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, beat butter and 1/2 cup powdered sugar until blended. Stir in remaining ingredients.

2. Shape dough by tablespoonfuls into balls. On ungreased cookie sheets, place balls 1 1/2 inches apart.

3. Bake 12 to 15 minutes or until very lightly browned. Remove from cookie sheets to cooling rack; cool 5 minutes.

4. In medium bowl, mix 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar, 1/2 tsp ground cardamom. and 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon. Working in batches, gently roll warm cookies in coating mixture. Cool on cooling rack 5 minutes. Roll in mixture again.

These are my favorite cookies, and the aroma of all the spices is almost intoxicating. The flavor is phenomenal. Also, the spices used have many health benefits.

I prefer mine medium to well-done. I prefer no pink. It's mostly in my head, but I'm bothered by my meat not being fully cooked. Not burnt, of course. My husband would say I'm kind of hard to please--I'll eat almost anything, but I'm picky about quality, and I like my food done just right. But I won't complain if it's not perfect--I'm nice like that. I'm the kind of person who goes to a restaurant and says nothing when they get the order wrong...lol

lol. I'll admit, I'm not fond of cooking a whole bird, and my husband will do that one for me!

I like the tip about cooking the bird upside down for moisture--that sounds excellent. I will try to remember that the next time we cook a full bird in our house. Sounds tasty! (And who cares about presentation, right? As long as the food's good! )

I recently had considerable success with an oven-roasted chicken recipe of my own design:

Young Chicken, whole - 5lbs
Carrots, Med. Dice - 1/2lb
Celery, Med. Dice - 1/2lb
Onion, Med. Dice - 1lb
Elephant Garlic, Sm. Dice - 1 Clove
Rosemary - TT (one sprig should be enough)
Caraway Seed - 1Tbsp

- Preheat oven to 350*F

1. Bed vegetables on bottom of basting pan, add half of your garlic, rosemary, and caraway

2. Place chicken breast side up on vegetables, drizzle remaining flavorings on top, and stuff some inside the cavity.

3. Place in oven for approx. 1 to 1 1/2 hours, or until the internal temp reaches roughly 170*F at the inner thigh (I actually went all the way to 180* without ruining the meat, so you have some legroom).

4. Let chicken rest for approx. 15 minutes before carving.

Prepare a nice gravy from pan drippings (add a little acid to enrich the flavor, lemon juice works great), add a starch and a veg (mashed taters and sauteed green beans w/ red bell worked wonders for me) and you're set.

The idea is that the steam from the vegetables cooking with the chicken keeps the meat from drying out, while at the same time allowing for that skin to really crisp up and get nicely caramelized. It actually turned out good enough that I'd consider putting it on a menu at a restaurant, with a little tableside service where the waiter brings the bird out whole and carves it up for you.

TK: That sounds delicious! I will definitely have to try it!
And you say it was your own design? You sound like something of a culinary master! (I'd probably be considered an apprentice. Journeyman, if you wanna be generous. )

Better way to keep moisture in your bird:

** Pats of real butter slid under the skin, then stuff under the skin and in the body cavity. If you aren't stuffing the bird at all and want it moist:

Slide bits of real butter under the skin. Sprinkle the body cavity with Parsley and place one whole peeled onion in the body cavity. (you can use one whole grapefruit or lemon cut up as well for a more tart meat) Season the skin of the breast as usual.

Bake on a rack over a pan that has 3/4" to 1" of liquid in it. That liquid can be water, but any flavoring you add to it will smoke the meat: Beer, seasoned broth, etc.

I use 3/4 part beer and 1/4 part seasoned broth.

Make a seperate baste for the bird to baste it the last hour of cooking. (parsley butter, etc.)


** Another thing I like to do - if you have a syringe for cooking only: Buy a flavorful wine, fill the syringe with it. Inject the chicken meat before cooking, and in the last hour inject it periodically with the wine. You can also use it to baste if you heat the wine with butter and seasonings.




** Another chicken tip to keep a parted chicken moist:

The night before cooking the chicken, soak the pieces overnight (IN THE REFRIDGERATOR!) in a large ziplock bag, flipping it periodically (If you have a marinating pan from tupperware or something it works just as good) and using the below marinade:

1. French salad dressing OR
2. Italian Salad dressing OR
3. Terriyaki seasoning in beer OR
4. Worstershire sauce in beer OR
5. Beer seasoned with your fave seasonings

The next day cook as you want: grill; or dredge in egg/milk/flour and deep fry, etc.

Mmm, this sounds very tasty, too! Omg, now I want a roasted chicken!!! *mouth watering*

The reason she liked to cook the turkey upside down was not only to add moisture to the white meat, but to render the dark meat less greasy. Super efficient, but a matter of taste, I'm sure.

Ah, that is also appealing. I'm not fond of the dark meat because of the greasiness. I am really hungry for roasted poultry now...lol

Pork roast tip:

Always add whole carrots and celery, halved potatoes, and quartered onions to the bottom of the pan - each rubbed liberally with real butter first. The vegetables will need turning occasionally, (I use canning tongs) but they will absorb the flavor of the roast and brown beautifully. It is a one-pan AWESOME meal.

I always use real butter in my cooking. I grew up eating margarine, but I won't even touch the stuff now! Butter and olive oil. Yum!

Your tip sounds tasty and simple--which is what I need most with a three year old and a baby!

This is very simple, EXTREMEly delicious. One pan to wash, and other than peeling the potatoes and scraping the top layer off the carrots (add in one hand washing after you have buttered them all) - it is an awesome meal for a working mom/wife to be able to slap into the oven when she gets home, go take a shower and relax.

Hint for anyone with children - Put the onions, carrots, and celery in one serving bowl, the meat and potatoes in seperate bowls from those veggies. The children are not going to eat the onions and celery. A lot won't eat the cooked carrot either, but if they do, seperate bowl for it too.

None of my children would eat a potato if it had a single orange spot on it from the cooked carrots, lol.



** I had the same thing, growing up I didn't know real butter existed. The first really nice restaurant I had Real Butter and an actual Homemade Bread changed my life about eating and cooking. It was an ambrosia in my mouth.

*** Oh, and for all mothers of young babies - whatever you are having for dinner, put it (seperately, of course) into the blender and run through a strainer - make your own baby food and serve your baby what you are having for dinner. It is much healthier for the baby than the store-bought jars. Just go light on the spices before pulling off the part you are going to turn to mush for the baby.

Any extra that never made it to their plate can get put in a labeled tupperware and refrigerated for other meals or sending with them to the day care facility or carrying in the diaper bag for short day trips. (and yes, it can be frozen - a few days to a week at most.

Today is Mothers Day, and I (well, she actually asked me to) decided to celebrate by cooking dinner for her. This was the meal plan:

Protein: Chicken Breast

Sauce: Orange, Fennel, and Rosemary pan sauce.

Starch: Rice Pilaf (made with stock)

Veg: Pan-fried Eggplant w/ Bleu Cheese and Red Bell Pepper stuffing.

I just love that I am able to do such things for my mother. We're certainly breaking tradition with a stay-at-home dinner (Mothers Day is the absolute busiest day on the restaurant calender, I kid you not), but you know what? This was one of the greatest dishes I've ever put together. It has all of her favorite ingredients, and I turned them into something I can be truly proud of.

Happy Mothers Day, all!