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What are you cooking?
- Thread starter Smigo
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I can dig that, ive eaten plenty of earth, i used to play contact sports. Ive had my face ground into the grass and mud more times than i can count.Well, it's kind of difficult to describe and can vary a lot from person to person. Most humans have the same basic taste buds, but perception of what they taste is a personal thing. It's quite subjective.
Here's a pretty good description:
(Ya can ignore the first AI bot part)
https://www.quora.com/What-is-meant-by-an-earthy-taste?share=1
Me, I agree with those who'd say things like mushrooms, potatoes, and wild rice are 'earthy' tasting. I have Tellicherry Peppercorns from India that have an earthy quality to them, but that could just be me.
Literally, it's things that are grown in the earth and/or carry that flavor with them.
Some could say it's more of an Unami taste...but that is another topic all together..
As long as it doest taste like a tomato. I eat chili sometimes like that. Disgusting. Even spaghetti sauce, if there isnt enough spice, if its too tomatoey ill pass
Found something I'd never seen before: "Toaster Biscuits" from Franz.
They were cheaper than English muffins and I do like big fluffy biscuits.
Gave 'em a try for a breakfast today.
Pretty normal thing of Jimmy Dean sausage, cheese, and a fluffy scrambled egg with sauteed garlic, onion, jalapeno, mushrooms, and a dash of Cilantro flakes for fun.
I don't think I'll give up on English Muffins, but these are nice for a change.
And, I have some sausage gravy that'll be yummy on 'em.
They were cheaper than English muffins and I do like big fluffy biscuits.
Gave 'em a try for a breakfast today.
Pretty normal thing of Jimmy Dean sausage, cheese, and a fluffy scrambled egg with sauteed garlic, onion, jalapeno, mushrooms, and a dash of Cilantro flakes for fun.
I don't think I'll give up on English Muffins, but these are nice for a change.
And, I have some sausage gravy that'll be yummy on 'em.
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Got a bag of yellow split peas and some Butternut squash from the food table in the lobby.
Infos: https://farmersmarketfoods.com/product/organic-butternut-squash/
Seems like the makings of a nice soup eh?
Infos: https://farmersmarketfoods.com/product/organic-butternut-squash/
Seems like the makings of a nice soup eh?
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If u make a soup could u post about how u went about it? Thats the kind of stuff i wanna learn but am clueless aboutGot a bag of yellow split peas and some Butternut squash from the food table in the lobby.
Infos: https://farmersmarketfoods.com/product/organic-butternut-squash/
View attachment 209229
Seems like the makings of a nice soup eh?
Please and thank u in advance of course.
(Like for idiots, who have no idea how food works, lol)
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Popper theory, part 1
This was my supper last night, three jalapeno poppers, 97 calories apiece, with a little salad I used to make lettuce wraps for them. I'll post this in the diet tricks thread too, because it was pretty filling actually, and left me some calorie allowance for a mini ice cream cone for dessert.
I've been obsessed with these poppers lately, as I'm working my way through a big 26 oz. bag of the frozen store brand. They're about equal in quality to the fast food versions, maybe even a little better, but store brand and fast food poppers all contain seed oils, so I'm not planning to buy them again. The grocery store ones have few food ingredients, just the peppers, cream cheese, wheat and corn flours for the coating, seasonings, but lots of additives and preservatives.
The directions on the package say to preheat the oven to 450 degrees. I never fall for that. I put them in the cold oven and start it at 350. That still keeps the coating crunchy, but inside they stay more tender, and don't dry out. So that's popper theory #1, the frozen store bought, an easy impromptu appetizer when you have people over, or a tasty quick meal.
Popper theory #2: The popper po'boy. You already have these flavorful ingredients and creamy filling, so how would poppers not make a great warm sandwich? For breakfast-lunch today, I made mine on an organic multigrain bun. I carefully cut slits on the tops of the oven crisped poppers to keep the cheese from exploding out when I bit in, and sort of pressed them slit side down onto the bun. I used three of them, topped with some coleslaw, then the top half of the bun. Really, really tasty, it reminded me of a spicy shrimp po'boy, without any seafood of course.
Popper theory #3: Popper tacos (my dinner tonite), a quick effortless meal after getting groceries including avocados. After heating the frozen poppers, while the oven is still hot briefly put in your taco shells to heat them (which melts and drains old grease from the the store bought ready made shells). Cut up the cooked poppers lengthwise, stuff them into the shells, top with shredded lettuce and salsa. Really yummy. If you have ripe avocado around, great in the tacos or on the side. Soft flour tortillas can be substituted if that's what you prefer.
So the next installment of popper theory will be about creating better ones at home from fresh jalapenos and your choices of fillings and coatings. Stay tuned.
This was my supper last night, three jalapeno poppers, 97 calories apiece, with a little salad I used to make lettuce wraps for them. I'll post this in the diet tricks thread too, because it was pretty filling actually, and left me some calorie allowance for a mini ice cream cone for dessert.
I've been obsessed with these poppers lately, as I'm working my way through a big 26 oz. bag of the frozen store brand. They're about equal in quality to the fast food versions, maybe even a little better, but store brand and fast food poppers all contain seed oils, so I'm not planning to buy them again. The grocery store ones have few food ingredients, just the peppers, cream cheese, wheat and corn flours for the coating, seasonings, but lots of additives and preservatives.
The directions on the package say to preheat the oven to 450 degrees. I never fall for that. I put them in the cold oven and start it at 350. That still keeps the coating crunchy, but inside they stay more tender, and don't dry out. So that's popper theory #1, the frozen store bought, an easy impromptu appetizer when you have people over, or a tasty quick meal.
Popper theory #2: The popper po'boy. You already have these flavorful ingredients and creamy filling, so how would poppers not make a great warm sandwich? For breakfast-lunch today, I made mine on an organic multigrain bun. I carefully cut slits on the tops of the oven crisped poppers to keep the cheese from exploding out when I bit in, and sort of pressed them slit side down onto the bun. I used three of them, topped with some coleslaw, then the top half of the bun. Really, really tasty, it reminded me of a spicy shrimp po'boy, without any seafood of course.
Popper theory #3: Popper tacos (my dinner tonite), a quick effortless meal after getting groceries including avocados. After heating the frozen poppers, while the oven is still hot briefly put in your taco shells to heat them (which melts and drains old grease from the the store bought ready made shells). Cut up the cooked poppers lengthwise, stuff them into the shells, top with shredded lettuce and salsa. Really yummy. If you have ripe avocado around, great in the tacos or on the side. Soft flour tortillas can be substituted if that's what you prefer.
So the next installment of popper theory will be about creating better ones at home from fresh jalapenos and your choices of fillings and coatings. Stay tuned.
How do i do a triple luv, lol. Yummmmmmmmy
Now this is a sandwich I could get into...
ispot.tv
Oscar Mayer TV Spot, 'Keep It Oscar: Sandwich Bed'
A pajama-clad woman gently lands on a bed of wheat bread before being covered by a blanket of deli meat. The rest of the sandwich proceeds to fall from the sky, creating a delicious club sandwich complete with a pickle on the side. Oscar Mayer encourages you to "keep it Oscar."
Popper theory, part 2
Onward with ideas for creating better poppers, without seed oils, without mystery ingredients.
I had to give up on many potential theories for avoiding seed oils, because even organic products, your wonton skins, eggroll or empanada wrappers, canned croissant dough, will still contain seed oils. That leaves a pathetically small array of choices, so far these and only these:
Wholly Wholesome brand pie shells
Oceans Halo Organic Spring Roll Rice Wraps
You could contrive a way to use organic hot dog buns cut into halves through the middle, but I found only one brand of organic dog buns, and they contain soybean oil (which is a seed oil in spite of the name, coming from soybean seeds).
Popper theory #4: No cooking. I remember a cafeteria style restaurant my family frequented often. At the start of the line were salads, including stuffed jalapenos. Every time, I selected those over any salad offered. They were the whole canned pickled jalapenos, halved, stuffed with seasoned cream cheese, no coating or other topping. They were refreshing and delicious.
I forgot to get pickled jalapenos for my exploration of popper theories, so I made some with raw peppers, and added a crispy crumb topping of the leftover crushed vegan cheese puffs I used a while back on the zucchini dish I posted previously in this thread. The filling was softened Neufchatel (a lower fat cream cheese) with chopped pecans, chopped green olives and crushed garlic. I arrived at that mixture because it's similar to the standard stuffed celery filling we always had at family gatherings.
They were delicious for me, but dang hot, which I guess is the argument against the raw no-cook poppers. Not everybody has an asbestos mouth like me, but these raw ones can easily be done with whole pickled jalapenos if you have them, or with mini sweet peppers. Here is a size comparison, and these are true to the sizes I've been getting for the last couple of years:
So I filled the sweet pepper with port wine cheese spread, crumbed with crushed Annie's organic cheddar bunnies, which I'm happy to discover are free from seed oils. This made an excellent no-cook appetizer.
Final note: If you're making these to put in the fridge and serve later on, add the crumb topping when you're about to serve them. Nobody wants cold coating.
Incidentally, the Annie's cheddar bunnies package says 50 of them are 140 calories. Wow that's a lot:
Popper theory #5: Next I tried the pie dough, which came in rolls of two big rounds. I opened one out. It broke itself into pieces and strips. I did the best I could. I filled some jalapenos with the cream cheese pecan mixture, another sweet pepper with the port wine cheese, and another jalapeno with pieces of Organic Valley mozzarella "stringles".
I planned to get all of the pieces wrapped in crust, but the one crust round wasn't enough, so I baked the mozzarella ones uncrusted. Since the crust decided where to break itself up, and I didn't have the space or a rolling pin to amend it, each piece of crust chose each pepper piece to wrap. It kind of worked out. The long narrow pieces became mummy rags, and those cooked up the best.
I used an ungreased sheet, but this time I did preheat the oven to 350 before putting them in. I made plenty of vent holes with a fork, but same say you have to use larger points than the tines of a fork for fully functioning pie vents.
Here they are finished.
They are very tasty. I wish they were better browned, so for my next installment I'll try a 400 degree oven. As you can see, things squirted out, and the mozzarella ones ran all over. They would have been superlative wrapped in a crust and browned at the proper temp. In my next installment you'll see it done right. You have to really pinch down any exposed edges of the crust, and make larger vent holes.
Stay tuned.
Onward with ideas for creating better poppers, without seed oils, without mystery ingredients.
I had to give up on many potential theories for avoiding seed oils, because even organic products, your wonton skins, eggroll or empanada wrappers, canned croissant dough, will still contain seed oils. That leaves a pathetically small array of choices, so far these and only these:
Wholly Wholesome brand pie shells
Oceans Halo Organic Spring Roll Rice Wraps
You could contrive a way to use organic hot dog buns cut into halves through the middle, but I found only one brand of organic dog buns, and they contain soybean oil (which is a seed oil in spite of the name, coming from soybean seeds).
Popper theory #4: No cooking. I remember a cafeteria style restaurant my family frequented often. At the start of the line were salads, including stuffed jalapenos. Every time, I selected those over any salad offered. They were the whole canned pickled jalapenos, halved, stuffed with seasoned cream cheese, no coating or other topping. They were refreshing and delicious.
I forgot to get pickled jalapenos for my exploration of popper theories, so I made some with raw peppers, and added a crispy crumb topping of the leftover crushed vegan cheese puffs I used a while back on the zucchini dish I posted previously in this thread. The filling was softened Neufchatel (a lower fat cream cheese) with chopped pecans, chopped green olives and crushed garlic. I arrived at that mixture because it's similar to the standard stuffed celery filling we always had at family gatherings.
They were delicious for me, but dang hot, which I guess is the argument against the raw no-cook poppers. Not everybody has an asbestos mouth like me, but these raw ones can easily be done with whole pickled jalapenos if you have them, or with mini sweet peppers. Here is a size comparison, and these are true to the sizes I've been getting for the last couple of years:
So I filled the sweet pepper with port wine cheese spread, crumbed with crushed Annie's organic cheddar bunnies, which I'm happy to discover are free from seed oils. This made an excellent no-cook appetizer.
Final note: If you're making these to put in the fridge and serve later on, add the crumb topping when you're about to serve them. Nobody wants cold coating.
Incidentally, the Annie's cheddar bunnies package says 50 of them are 140 calories. Wow that's a lot:
Popper theory #5: Next I tried the pie dough, which came in rolls of two big rounds. I opened one out. It broke itself into pieces and strips. I did the best I could. I filled some jalapenos with the cream cheese pecan mixture, another sweet pepper with the port wine cheese, and another jalapeno with pieces of Organic Valley mozzarella "stringles".
I planned to get all of the pieces wrapped in crust, but the one crust round wasn't enough, so I baked the mozzarella ones uncrusted. Since the crust decided where to break itself up, and I didn't have the space or a rolling pin to amend it, each piece of crust chose each pepper piece to wrap. It kind of worked out. The long narrow pieces became mummy rags, and those cooked up the best.
I used an ungreased sheet, but this time I did preheat the oven to 350 before putting them in. I made plenty of vent holes with a fork, but same say you have to use larger points than the tines of a fork for fully functioning pie vents.
Here they are finished.
They are very tasty. I wish they were better browned, so for my next installment I'll try a 400 degree oven. As you can see, things squirted out, and the mozzarella ones ran all over. They would have been superlative wrapped in a crust and browned at the proper temp. In my next installment you'll see it done right. You have to really pinch down any exposed edges of the crust, and make larger vent holes.
Stay tuned.
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Watching Sam Houston @ Liberty NCAAF until TNF comes in...made a 8" flatbread pizza.
Brushed the crust with EVOO + a bit of chile oil on the bottom to keep it from drying out too much.
Top got Bragg Greek EVOO mixed with Pestol Genovese sauce and Breshetta sauce with extra Mexican oregano, and a bit of Jalapeno ketchup for some zing.
Added an Italian 4-cheese blend, garlic pepper, Hungarian smoked sausage, mushrooms, shallots, and some fresh jalapeno for a bit of brightness and fun. Topped with extra leftover Provolone I tore into hunks and a general sprinkling of Cotija cheese. Sprinkled bit of cayenne powder on top too because I'm me. ;P
Brushed the crust with EVOO + a bit of chile oil on the bottom to keep it from drying out too much.
Top got Bragg Greek EVOO mixed with Pestol Genovese sauce and Breshetta sauce with extra Mexican oregano, and a bit of Jalapeno ketchup for some zing.
Added an Italian 4-cheese blend, garlic pepper, Hungarian smoked sausage, mushrooms, shallots, and some fresh jalapeno for a bit of brightness and fun. Topped with extra leftover Provolone I tore into hunks and a general sprinkling of Cotija cheese. Sprinkled bit of cayenne powder on top too because I'm me. ;P
@Bliss Doubt
If ya want those to brown better, just brush the tops lightly with butter or whatever oils you prefer. Mayo works too....its made of eggs and oil...
For a more shiny and harder crust, try an egg white wash....you could season it too.
For a no-fats or eggs idea..sprinkle the tops with paprika, chile powder, garlic salt or other spices...they'll brown faster then the dough...I do it later in cooking so they don't burn.
Personally, I'd use this:
https://www.fiestaspices.com/product/taco-seasoning/
Walmart should have it.
It's a mild but flavorful taco seasoning from Texas. It has a very fine consistency, not chunky. And, salt is the 2nd ingredient....a good starter for Mex flavorings and it doesn't try to kill you with Cumin....I add hotter things to it, but ya....
Depending on how your baking them, could cook regular until just barely done and finish on broil...I wouldn't try it in a full-sized oven though IMO. I never use the real oven personally...too expensive and overkill for one person. I cook everyday with my convection/toaster oven and I just paid a $40 utility bill.
A useful link: https://www.thekitchn.com/skills-showdown-best-way-to-brown-pie-crust-22969580
I love thekitchn, so many tips in plain language and no-nonsense recipes.
If ya want those to brown better, just brush the tops lightly with butter or whatever oils you prefer. Mayo works too....its made of eggs and oil...
For a more shiny and harder crust, try an egg white wash....you could season it too.
For a no-fats or eggs idea..sprinkle the tops with paprika, chile powder, garlic salt or other spices...they'll brown faster then the dough...I do it later in cooking so they don't burn.
Personally, I'd use this:
https://www.fiestaspices.com/product/taco-seasoning/
Walmart should have it.
It's a mild but flavorful taco seasoning from Texas. It has a very fine consistency, not chunky. And, salt is the 2nd ingredient....a good starter for Mex flavorings and it doesn't try to kill you with Cumin....I add hotter things to it, but ya....
Depending on how your baking them, could cook regular until just barely done and finish on broil...I wouldn't try it in a full-sized oven though IMO. I never use the real oven personally...too expensive and overkill for one person. I cook everyday with my convection/toaster oven and I just paid a $40 utility bill.
A useful link: https://www.thekitchn.com/skills-showdown-best-way-to-brown-pie-crust-22969580
I love thekitchn, so many tips in plain language and no-nonsense recipes.
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@Bliss Doubt
If ya want those to brown better, just brush the tops lightly with butter or whatever oils you prefer. Mayo works too....its made of eggs and oil...
For a more shiny and harder crust, try an egg white wash....you could season it too.
For a no-fats or eggs idea..sprinkle the tops with paprika, chile powder, garlic salt or other spices...they'll brown faster then the dough...I do it later in cooking so they don't burn.
Personally, I'd use this:
View attachment 209277
https://www.fiestaspices.com/product/taco-seasoning/
Walmart should have it.
It's a mild but flavorful taco seasoning from Texas. It has a very fine consistency, not chunky. And, salt is the 2nd ingredient....a good starter for Mex flavorings and it doesn't try to kill you with Cumin....I add hotter things to it, but ya....
Depending on how your baking them, could cook regular until just barely done and finish on broil...I wouldn't try it in a full-sized oven though IMO. I never use the real oven personally...too expensive and overkill for one person. I cook everyday with my convection/toaster oven and I just paid a $40 utility bill.
A useful link: https://www.thekitchn.com/skills-showdown-best-way-to-brown-pie-crust-22969580
I love thekitchn, so many tips in plain language and no-nonsense recipes.
Wow, wow wow, thank you for the crust browning tips. I have another pie crust round left, so when I do the next batch I'll try one of each tip, butter brushed on, mayo brushed on, and the egg white wash, and let them compete, see which one does best.
As for the taco spice, do I get all chauvinistic? Bolner's Fiesta Products, the maker of that product you're showing, is a very old spice company here in San Antonio where I live, but native Texans will hardly ever be seen buying a "taco seasoning" product because we already have the separate components in our cupboards. I'm going to guess it has cumin, onion powder, garlic powder, Mexican oregano (which is more like marjoram than Italian or Greek oregano), ground coriander (which is the seed of the cilantro plant), some paprika and maybe a little chili powder. The taco seasoning is a more recent addition to the Fiesta line, because our medical center and military bases brought in people from other states, where they do use the taco seasoning packets.
Anyway, when working on my popper theories I thought long and hard about whether to spice up the fillings. None of the store bought frozen or fast food poppers have spicy fillings, because the jalapenos are so spicy, so you want a more cooling, creamy filling. However, the port wine cheese stuffed mini sweet peppers I made could probably improve with the addition of some of those spices, though the port wine cheese is incredibly rich tasting.
I do think I need to raise the oven temp from 350 to 400 or 425. I use search engines like a grade schooler, so I searched "oven temperature for browned pie crust". The tips ranged from 400 to 475 degrees. 475, I don't think so, and I theorize that some people's ovens don't get hot enough. I almost always use 350 for everything, and it did make my popper pies rise and cook through, but they could have been more crisp. With your tips, and a 400 or 425 oven temp, next time they'll be much better I'm sure.
Thanks again.
I responded with a 'haha' because I feel silly...I should've known you're a Texan...derp!!
I do love that seasoning though...a great baseline spice unlike the McCormick or El Paso brands...too much extra stuff in those..IMO. I ordered a restaurant-sized thing of it right from them directly years ago...being West Coast, it can be hard to find, and I don't live on the block with a Mexican store anymore.
Yeah, I use 400F for most baking stuff...pizzas, and etc but that's in my Oster, not the big oven...it's just more efficient. The difference between using the forced air and normal is significant too. I mess with temps and times a lot.
PS: the phrase "port wine cheese stuffed mini sweet peppers" is making me hungry now and it's 11:30 at night...
Another resource ya won't likely find in a search is thehotpepper.com
I used to be a member there, and it rules for growing, sauces, recipes, etc. I may have won a contest or two there...long ago.
A site of all things chiles for true chileheads.
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I responded with a 'haha' because I feel silly...I should've known you're a Texan...derp!!
I do love that seasoning though...a great baseline spice unlike the McCormick or El Paso brands...too much extra stuff in those..IMO. I ordered a restaurant-sized thing of it right from them directly years ago...being West Coast, it can be hard to find, and I don't live on the block with a Mexican store anymore.
Yeah, I use 400F for most baking stuff...pizzas, and etc but that's in my Oster, not the big oven...it's just more efficient. The difference between using the forced air and normal is significant too. I mess with temps and times a lot.
PS: the phrase "port wine cheese stuffed mini sweet peppers" is making me hungry now and it's 11:30 at night...
Another resource ya won't likely find in a search is thehotpepper.com
I used to be a member there, and it rules for growing, sauces, recipes, etc. I may have won a contest or two there...long ago.
A site of all things chiles for true chileheads. View attachment 209279
No need to feel silly at all. Fiesta products are very high quality and carefully sourced, with a great reputation locally and elsewhere. You did well to buy that spice mix for the needs you have in mind, and yup, McCormick and Old El Paso are sucky mass market products with crappy fillers.
Love that site you linked, thehotpepper.com. The site design looks very similar to that of the VU. I could spend all day looking through it.
Popper theory, part 3
This is delicious, but it's a fail. I'd decided you can't deny deep frying, but I was wrong. First, I got burned deep frying in my nightgown, when hot oil popped up on me. Two blisters which hurt, so I feel too bad to go out tonight. My whole stove is greasy, and my apartment smells like frying, so like I say every time I give in and deep fry something, "NEVER AGAIN".
The idea was to give the deep fried popper a chance with tortillas, since you can get organic ones, and they never contain seed oils. I didn't feel like mixing up another batch of the cream cheese pecan filling just for a frying experiment, so I used the port wine cheddar spread. I used a whole corn tortilla each for two pieces, because the corn ones are smaller, and a big flour tortilla halved for the other two pieces.
Frying, one of them picked, the other one just folded and held down in the oil with tongs until it stayed folded. Haha, the picked one popped open in the oil anyway.
I thought deep frying would make the jalapenos tender, but it hardly took off the rawness, and biting into the first one, the whole pepper piece came right out. When I baked them in the pie dough they had a tender, pleasant chew. Besides, in the end these fried ones are not nice little finger food appetizers. They're big greasy things.
Anyway, here they are, the two corn ones on the left, the two flour pieces at right and on top (one of each for breakfast-lunch today):
Since I'm not going anywhere tonight, I may work on another theory, the charred pepper, but I'm not sure what to do with these. Before I messed up the pan with hot oil, I used it as a comal to char two jalapenos. Then they went into a bowl, covered, to sweat so the blackened skin can be removed. Charring the peppers softens them and brings out flavor, but if you don't get all the blackened skin off you'll have mystery black things in your poppers.
But the baked ones with pie crust, the crust improvement experiment pending, don't need the jalapenos charred. The pepper texture was perfect in the first batch. Hmmm.
More to follow.
This is delicious, but it's a fail. I'd decided you can't deny deep frying, but I was wrong. First, I got burned deep frying in my nightgown, when hot oil popped up on me. Two blisters which hurt, so I feel too bad to go out tonight. My whole stove is greasy, and my apartment smells like frying, so like I say every time I give in and deep fry something, "NEVER AGAIN".
The idea was to give the deep fried popper a chance with tortillas, since you can get organic ones, and they never contain seed oils. I didn't feel like mixing up another batch of the cream cheese pecan filling just for a frying experiment, so I used the port wine cheddar spread. I used a whole corn tortilla each for two pieces, because the corn ones are smaller, and a big flour tortilla halved for the other two pieces.
Frying, one of them picked, the other one just folded and held down in the oil with tongs until it stayed folded. Haha, the picked one popped open in the oil anyway.
I thought deep frying would make the jalapenos tender, but it hardly took off the rawness, and biting into the first one, the whole pepper piece came right out. When I baked them in the pie dough they had a tender, pleasant chew. Besides, in the end these fried ones are not nice little finger food appetizers. They're big greasy things.
Anyway, here they are, the two corn ones on the left, the two flour pieces at right and on top (one of each for breakfast-lunch today):
Since I'm not going anywhere tonight, I may work on another theory, the charred pepper, but I'm not sure what to do with these. Before I messed up the pan with hot oil, I used it as a comal to char two jalapenos. Then they went into a bowl, covered, to sweat so the blackened skin can be removed. Charring the peppers softens them and brings out flavor, but if you don't get all the blackened skin off you'll have mystery black things in your poppers.
But the baked ones with pie crust, the crust improvement experiment pending, don't need the jalapenos charred. The pepper texture was perfect in the first batch. Hmmm.
More to follow.
I had an oops today too...
I used a beautiful big new stainless steel pot I'd gotten as a housewarming gift. Happened to have some tinned black beans I wanted to use up and hadn't made rice or lentils in a while.
So, made a big batch of black beans and pan-Asian seasoned Mahatma rice, with fire-roasted peppers and a little ground beef.
Also, in my usual T-Fal pan, a batch of black beans and lentils with bay leaf, chipotle powder, honey, herbs, olives, and bacon.
Both pots got a finely chopped habanero too...just because.
Kinda messed up and overcooked the rice...
Cuisinart folks aren't lying when they say its super-conductive...my normal rice timings ended up mooshy...lol...but it is still tasty.
I used a beautiful big new stainless steel pot I'd gotten as a housewarming gift. Happened to have some tinned black beans I wanted to use up and hadn't made rice or lentils in a while.
So, made a big batch of black beans and pan-Asian seasoned Mahatma rice, with fire-roasted peppers and a little ground beef.
Also, in my usual T-Fal pan, a batch of black beans and lentils with bay leaf, chipotle powder, honey, herbs, olives, and bacon.
Both pots got a finely chopped habanero too...just because.
Kinda messed up and overcooked the rice...
Cuisinart folks aren't lying when they say its super-conductive...my normal rice timings ended up mooshy...lol...but it is still tasty.
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Not healthy food...but good football food. 
Split hotdog with Longhorn steakhouse seasoning, toasted with a bun with spicy brown mustard, Sriracha, sweet relish, mexi-4-cheese, and minced jalapeno\onion. Bit of NM chile powder for pretty on top.
Simple is good.
Split hotdog with Longhorn steakhouse seasoning, toasted with a bun with spicy brown mustard, Sriracha, sweet relish, mexi-4-cheese, and minced jalapeno\onion. Bit of NM chile powder for pretty on top.
Simple is good.
I used an air frier recently with good results in the sense of what u were trying, hot, sort or crispy on the outside and chewy on the inside. Not convinced they can really handle 'frying' something for real tho
IDK about an air-fryer, but my convection oven sure can.
Real chicken nuggs, waffles fries, and taquitos...cooked at the same time.
All cooking comes down to a practical application of science.
Air fryers have to be treated differently than conventional ovens...they DO work however. Mom loves hers.
Just can't always follow package instructions. I never do.
Popper theory, part 4
I resolved that if this didn't work, I would give up on ever making jalapeno poppers to serve at a party--too much trouble, too many vagaries. But I had to try one more time because jalapenos don't last very long in the fridge before starting to shrivel and get rot spots, and I bought a lot of them for these experiments.
I had one pie crust left. This time I let it come to room temp before unwrapping it, so this time it didn't break up. I unrolled it onto a serving tray on the dividing paper that came with it. I preheated the oven to 400.
This time I used only the Organic Valley mozzarella "stringles" for filling. I didn't use salt because cheese is salty. It's hard to convey how well the "mummy wrapping" method worked with the dough and the size of these pieces. Hopefully this one close-up pic conveys that. I used a pizza cutter to cut strips of dough which I rolled around each piece, overlapping the edges, and pinching the ends well shut.
Instead of docking with multiple vents using a fork, this time I used a knife to cut a long venting slit on top of each one. Here they are all ready for the oven. As you can see, I ran out of pie crust before the pieces were all wrapped.
I melted some salted butter on the sheet and rolled each piece in the butter, then ran them all into the oven, including the naked ones, 20 minutes. I did turn the pan around at 10 minutes into baking.
Done, plated with some avocado. OMG, yummy. This is worth doing, and is far better food than the seed oil and additive plagued frozen and fast food poppers. The pieces are bigger too.
A million thanks to @CaFF for helping me figure out how to get a more browned and crisp crust. These were tender crisp and golden brown.
This is the other winner, from part 2 above, but it only works with either whole pickled jalapenos, halved, filled and then crumb coated (because raw jalapenos will be way too hot for some), or with raw mini sweet peppers as shown here. These two pieces are on a coffee cup size saucer, so to be sure they are appetizer size. The three pieces above are on an 8.5" luncheon size plate.
Bon appetit.
I resolved that if this didn't work, I would give up on ever making jalapeno poppers to serve at a party--too much trouble, too many vagaries. But I had to try one more time because jalapenos don't last very long in the fridge before starting to shrivel and get rot spots, and I bought a lot of them for these experiments.
I had one pie crust left. This time I let it come to room temp before unwrapping it, so this time it didn't break up. I unrolled it onto a serving tray on the dividing paper that came with it. I preheated the oven to 400.
This time I used only the Organic Valley mozzarella "stringles" for filling. I didn't use salt because cheese is salty. It's hard to convey how well the "mummy wrapping" method worked with the dough and the size of these pieces. Hopefully this one close-up pic conveys that. I used a pizza cutter to cut strips of dough which I rolled around each piece, overlapping the edges, and pinching the ends well shut.
Instead of docking with multiple vents using a fork, this time I used a knife to cut a long venting slit on top of each one. Here they are all ready for the oven. As you can see, I ran out of pie crust before the pieces were all wrapped.
I melted some salted butter on the sheet and rolled each piece in the butter, then ran them all into the oven, including the naked ones, 20 minutes. I did turn the pan around at 10 minutes into baking.
Done, plated with some avocado. OMG, yummy. This is worth doing, and is far better food than the seed oil and additive plagued frozen and fast food poppers. The pieces are bigger too.
A million thanks to @CaFF for helping me figure out how to get a more browned and crisp crust. These were tender crisp and golden brown.
This is the other winner, from part 2 above, but it only works with either whole pickled jalapenos, halved, filled and then crumb coated (because raw jalapenos will be way too hot for some), or with raw mini sweet peppers as shown here. These two pieces are on a coffee cup size saucer, so to be sure they are appetizer size. The three pieces above are on an 8.5" luncheon size plate.
Bon appetit.
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Going through my boxes, found a old box of this: Trader Joe's Macaroni & cheese, Shells & White Cheddar, Organic | Fooducate
It's better than the usual boxed stuff..I used to keep one or two around for lazy days...
Decided to make it up....just not how they wrote it.
Cooked the pasta up in salted and lightly seasoned water and while that was going on, I chopped some Asian-style frozen veggies into bite sized bits, cut up about 3Tbsp of real butter, added a 1/4C or so of Mexican shredded 4-cheese blend, some diced Muenster cheese, along with a forlorn last slice of bologna. Added a mix of herbs and spices, red chilli flakes from India, 1/4 tsp of S&B Oriental Curry powder, chopped up half a white onion, half a jalapeno, and mashed some garlic.
Pasta got done and was drained...not rinsed....but I left it in the colander though.
I made the sauce up separate in the still hot pan...no breaking the tender shells trying to mix it all at once.
About 1/4C of half-n-half went in the pan followed by the about half of the original packet, whisked that together, and then added the rest of the stuff with a splash of organic soy sauce. Much gentle cooking and stirring later with a white nylon stirring spoon (it doesn't scratch like metal or stick like wood/bamboo) and I had a nice creamy veggies 'n cheese sauce. Pasta went in, and got gently incorporated using my trusty silicone spatula.
The mexi-cheese blend tried to break my creamy sauce, but I didn't let it. I just like it's flavor.
Pretty dang good stuff, IMO.
It's better than the usual boxed stuff..I used to keep one or two around for lazy days...
Decided to make it up....just not how they wrote it.
Cooked the pasta up in salted and lightly seasoned water and while that was going on, I chopped some Asian-style frozen veggies into bite sized bits, cut up about 3Tbsp of real butter, added a 1/4C or so of Mexican shredded 4-cheese blend, some diced Muenster cheese, along with a forlorn last slice of bologna. Added a mix of herbs and spices, red chilli flakes from India, 1/4 tsp of S&B Oriental Curry powder, chopped up half a white onion, half a jalapeno, and mashed some garlic.
Pasta got done and was drained...not rinsed....but I left it in the colander though.
I made the sauce up separate in the still hot pan...no breaking the tender shells trying to mix it all at once.
About 1/4C of half-n-half went in the pan followed by the about half of the original packet, whisked that together, and then added the rest of the stuff with a splash of organic soy sauce. Much gentle cooking and stirring later with a white nylon stirring spoon (it doesn't scratch like metal or stick like wood/bamboo) and I had a nice creamy veggies 'n cheese sauce. Pasta went in, and got gently incorporated using my trusty silicone spatula.
The mexi-cheese blend tried to break my creamy sauce, but I didn't let it. I just like it's flavor.
Pretty dang good stuff, IMO.
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Used some of the things I got shopping yesterday, plus awesome things I got from a surprise food bank delivery today. (see the check-in thread about that)
Made a nice Arugula salad....
It's got Arugula, Hungarian smoked sausage, turkey breast, shallot, Jalapeno, Fire-roasted Anaheim peppers, and crumbled Cojita cheese.
Made a balsamic vinegrette for it....much yummy.
Made a nice Arugula salad....
It's got Arugula, Hungarian smoked sausage, turkey breast, shallot, Jalapeno, Fire-roasted Anaheim peppers, and crumbled Cojita cheese.
Made a balsamic vinegrette for it....much yummy.
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Arguably the hottest chips ya can buy in retail...I love 'em. Like Doritos, but with pain.
I've made nachos with them.
Want truly epic heat?
The OG...Blair's Death Rain Chips.
https://deathsauce.com/
I've made nachos with them.
Want truly epic heat?
The OG...Blair's Death Rain Chips.
https://deathsauce.com/
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Ante, uppped...
Leftover from that pizza, added the Hab cheese, then sprinkled ghost pepper powder on it.
Nuked on a plate covered in a bag, so the cheese steams and not burns...
One of the first things i made SURE I'd grabbed when packing...it was not cheap.
A jar of pure Carolina Reaper Puree. The hottest NATURAL thing on earth. Pure capsaicin is 16M Scoville units...ya don't eat that, trust me. Extract based sauces use higher levels than actual peppers...ain't natural.
I bought it from an buddy in teh UK: https://www.chileseeds.co.uk/
FWIW, I've got a 7,000,000+ Scoville 'sauce' here that uses extracts....it's an additive, not a sauce.
pepperheadsforlife.com
Ya taste-test this stuff with a toothpick dipped in it...
Never been opened....I was waiting for an old chef/chilehead buddy to come taste it with me, but we got estranged when he moved to Idaho...now, I've moved as well.
Now, I got no chilehead bros here...so it sits in the fridge.
A jar of pure Carolina Reaper Puree. The hottest NATURAL thing on earth. Pure capsaicin is 16M Scoville units...ya don't eat that, trust me. Extract based sauces use higher levels than actual peppers...ain't natural.
I bought it from an buddy in teh UK: https://www.chileseeds.co.uk/
FWIW, I've got a 7,000,000+ Scoville 'sauce' here that uses extracts....it's an additive, not a sauce.
The Official Scoville Scale | Pepperheads For Life
pepperheadsforlife.com
Ya taste-test this stuff with a toothpick dipped in it...
Never been opened....I was waiting for an old chef/chilehead buddy to come taste it with me, but we got estranged when he moved to Idaho...now, I've moved as well.
Now, I got no chilehead bros here...so it sits in the fridge.
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U in the uk?One of the first things i made SURE I'd grabbed when packing...it was not cheap.
View attachment 209477
A jar of pure Carolina Reaper Puree. The hottest NATURAL thing on earth. Pure capsaicin is 16M Scoville units...ya don't eat that, trust me. Extract based sauces use higher levels than actual peppers...ain't natural.
I bought it from an buddy in teh UK: https://www.chileseeds.co.uk/
FWIW, I've got a 7,000,000+ Scoville 'sauce' here that uses extracts....it's an additive, not a sauce.
The Official Scoville Scale | Pepperheads For Life
Ya taste-test this stuff with a toothpick dipped in it...
Never been opened....I was waiting for an old chef/chilehead buddy to come taste it with me, but we got estranged when he moved to Idaho...now, I've moved as well.
Now, I got no chilehead bros here...so it sits in the fridge.
Nope. I just didn't want to buy it from Ed Currie... lotta conflict in chileheadom about the Reaper... ;P
I did reviews for Chilliseeds.co.uk before...they know me. So, ya.
My true chilehead mentor is in AU...
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I had to put half the new york strip away for another time, but it sure was delicious.
Got around to making up a burger out of that 85/15 ground beef and Chorizo mixture.
I'd made patties out of it, then froze them to use whenever.
Cooked one up tonight, just on a plain 'ol bun, spread with the Hab mayo and with some of that slaw I'd made. Added a slice of that Hab cheese and a bit of Arugula to break up all the richness a bit. Pretty simple.
Sorry about pic quality, it's dark in here and I was in a hurry 'cuz watching the ALCS and Football.
I'd made patties out of it, then froze them to use whenever.
Cooked one up tonight, just on a plain 'ol bun, spread with the Hab mayo and with some of that slaw I'd made. Added a slice of that Hab cheese and a bit of Arugula to break up all the richness a bit. Pretty simple.
Sorry about pic quality, it's dark in here and I was in a hurry 'cuz watching the ALCS and Football.
That looks deliciousGot around to making up a burger out of that 85/15 ground beef and Chorizo mixture.
View attachment 209516
Digging around in the freezer, I found a 4lb package of top round London Broil beef...I'd completely forgotten about it. Arrgghh. It was freezer burnt all to hell. 
Well, I thawed it overnight in the fridge, washed it off, and did a bit of surgery...only the outside 1/4" or so was affected...so I got to work with my big slicer. Saved maybe a 1.5lbs worth.
And, just to be really sure it would end up tasty...I made up an Adobo marinade mixture (Carne Asada Adobada-Adobo Marinated Steak) using a tin of good Chipotle en Adobo as a base. Gonna let that marinate over night, then in the slow cooker it'll go. I probably give it a quicky sear in the big stainless steel skillet first, just for safety and a nicer flavor.
Well, I thawed it overnight in the fridge, washed it off, and did a bit of surgery...only the outside 1/4" or so was affected...so I got to work with my big slicer. Saved maybe a 1.5lbs worth.
And, just to be really sure it would end up tasty...I made up an Adobo marinade mixture (Carne Asada Adobada-Adobo Marinated Steak) using a tin of good Chipotle en Adobo as a base. Gonna let that marinate over night, then in the slow cooker it'll go. I probably give it a quicky sear in the big stainless steel skillet first, just for safety and a nicer flavor.
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Does freezer burn really make it taste bad? I don't think I've ever had that happen, but then I don't buy much meat.Digging around in the freezer, I found a 4lb package of top round London Broil beef...I'd completely forgotten about it. Arrgghh. It was freezer burnt all to hell.
Well, I thawed it overnight in the fridge, washed it off, and did a bit of surgery...only the outside 1/4" or so was affected...so I got to work with my big slicer. Saved maybe a 1.5lbs worth.
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How to salvage freezer burned meat.Digging around in the freezer, I found a 4lb package of top round London Broil beef...I'd completely forgotten about it. Arrgghh. It was freezer burnt all to hell.
Well, I thawed it overnight in the fridge, washed it off, and did a bit of surgery...only the outside 1/4" or so was affected...so I got to work with my big slicer. Saved maybe a 1.5lbs worth.
And, just to be really sure it would end up tasty...I made up an Adobo marinade mixture (Carne Asada Adobada-Adobo Marinated Steak) using a tin of good Chipotle en Adobo as a base. Gonna let that marinate over night, then in the slow cooker it'll go. I probably give it a quicky sear in the big stainless steel skillet first, just for safety and a nicer flavor.
How to Salvage Freezer Burned Meat
Contrary to what some people believe, freezer-burned meat is safe to eat. However, that doesn’t mean it’s going to taste great. The real damage of freezer burn is that it causes a dry, leathery texture.
@CaFF did it right. It most likely would be safe to eat, but why chance it.
Hiya folks,thought i would post for my first time here
Taking care of my pops (going thru dialysis at the moment) so i cook for him everyday.
My pops use to be a chef and we owned a couple of restaurants so i kinda picked up my cooking skills from him.
I have him on a strict diet because of the dialysis and him going soon on the transplant list so i make sure he eats right,thanks to me all his blood work comes back squeaky clean.
But once in a while i let him break his diet,he is 78 so you know gotta find the balance between being miserable because of the diet and let him cut loose once in a while.
So today was Spaghetti Carbonara day:
Cooked the traditional and ''right'' way,no cream just egg,Pecorino Romano cheese but unfortunately i can't find Guanciale where i live.
Preparation wise well its 100% the Italian way,i did spend 6 months in Italy backpacking and picked a couple of odd jobs here and there in some restaurants to help to pay some of my expenses of the trip.
But without Guanciale it just doesn't taste the same,oh well it's one of my pops favorite so every 2 weeks or so i let him break the diet and i make him Carbonara
My signature dish thou is Moussaka but lately i just don't have the time,making the Bechamel and Tomatoe sauce from scratch takes a lot of time and no way i am using canned tomatoe sauce and pre made Bechamel hehe.
Taking care of my pops (going thru dialysis at the moment) so i cook for him everyday.
My pops use to be a chef and we owned a couple of restaurants so i kinda picked up my cooking skills from him.
I have him on a strict diet because of the dialysis and him going soon on the transplant list so i make sure he eats right,thanks to me all his blood work comes back squeaky clean.
But once in a while i let him break his diet,he is 78 so you know gotta find the balance between being miserable because of the diet and let him cut loose once in a while.
So today was Spaghetti Carbonara day:
Cooked the traditional and ''right'' way,no cream just egg,Pecorino Romano cheese but unfortunately i can't find Guanciale where i live.
Preparation wise well its 100% the Italian way,i did spend 6 months in Italy backpacking and picked a couple of odd jobs here and there in some restaurants to help to pay some of my expenses of the trip.
But without Guanciale it just doesn't taste the same,oh well it's one of my pops favorite so every 2 weeks or so i let him break the diet and i make him Carbonara
My signature dish thou is Moussaka but lately i just don't have the time,making the Bechamel and Tomatoe sauce from scratch takes a lot of time and no way i am using canned tomatoe sauce and pre made Bechamel hehe.
Cinnamon sausage rolls
It's terrible to be posting on the Diet Tips & Tricks thread while posting something like this on the cooking thread, but I'm not always cooking for myself alone.
Our supper club this week will be dedicated as a candlelight prayer vigil for all of the dangerous things going on in the world at this moment. We want our session to be non-political and ecumenical, simply the concentrated power of a shared prayer for world peace. We're having it tomorrow night instead of tonight, for the possibility of getting more participants at my friend's spacious home. We may take our candles outdoors, or just stay inside, depending on weather. We want the ceremony to be silent.
So our potluck food will be kind rewards afterwards, and I want to make something special. I did a test run of my recipe this morning. These are sweet & savory sausage rolls. The Annie's organic refrigerator cinnamon rolls contain no seed oils, I'm happy to discover.
First I baked the sausages to get a little browning on them and drain off some of the fat, then let them cool. I unwound each cinnamon bun and wrapped the dough strips around the sausages, mummy style. Each bun did two sausages. Baked for the prescribed 20 minutes. After letting them cool, I put the included icing on only half of them, as some will prefer the less sweet version.
Here they are wrapped and ready for the oven. I greased the sheet with butter.
Here they are finished, half of them iced:
It's good to test run a new recipe because you find out the pitfalls. Some of the rolls popped open or unwound a bit while baking, which tells me I'll need to do better diligence in wrapping and pinching the dough. Otherwise, delicious, and easy.
It's terrible to be posting on the Diet Tips & Tricks thread while posting something like this on the cooking thread, but I'm not always cooking for myself alone.
Our supper club this week will be dedicated as a candlelight prayer vigil for all of the dangerous things going on in the world at this moment. We want our session to be non-political and ecumenical, simply the concentrated power of a shared prayer for world peace. We're having it tomorrow night instead of tonight, for the possibility of getting more participants at my friend's spacious home. We may take our candles outdoors, or just stay inside, depending on weather. We want the ceremony to be silent.
So our potluck food will be kind rewards afterwards, and I want to make something special. I did a test run of my recipe this morning. These are sweet & savory sausage rolls. The Annie's organic refrigerator cinnamon rolls contain no seed oils, I'm happy to discover.
First I baked the sausages to get a little browning on them and drain off some of the fat, then let them cool. I unwound each cinnamon bun and wrapped the dough strips around the sausages, mummy style. Each bun did two sausages. Baked for the prescribed 20 minutes. After letting them cool, I put the included icing on only half of them, as some will prefer the less sweet version.
Here they are wrapped and ready for the oven. I greased the sheet with butter.
Here they are finished, half of them iced:
It's good to test run a new recipe because you find out the pitfalls. Some of the rolls popped open or unwound a bit while baking, which tells me I'll need to do better diligence in wrapping and pinching the dough. Otherwise, delicious, and easy.