Favorite Recipes?
Tue, 11/22/2011 - 12:26pm
Thanksgiving is coming up. What are you making? Low funds have started making me cook more at home and I'm starting to exhaust all of my favorite recipes. I need inspiration. What do you like to make. It's doesn't have to be fancy. Even if it's your favorite sandwich. I love sandwiches! Even if it's some kind of vegetable, or fruit, or cheese that you just discovered. I need fresh ideas. Thanks.
Wed, 11/23/2011 - 4:03pm
#2
I love Chinatown. Any
I love Chinatown. Any specific dishes you recommend starting with?
Thu, 11/24/2011 - 1:27am
#3
A simple recipe I do that
A simple recipe I do that doesn't require much effort:
-heat some sesame oil in a pan
-add chicken, chopped
-add a little rice vinegar and cooking wine
-start frying it until it's cooked all around
-add broccoli, chopped, keep cooking until broccoli is really green (maybe cover for a minute or two)
-finally add some hoy sin sauce and that red spicy chinese garlic sauce/paste (two other sauces you should have around)
That tastes pretty awesomely chinese-ish and is simple to make.
Keep in mind, though, that these sauces send the sodium levels through the roof if you're not careful (and are trying to be)
*********
Also, brown sugar is a great ingredient for sauces. I often mix it with a little vinegar in a pan on high, then add cheap bourbon, paprika, cayenne or hot sauce, and three parts ketchup-to-mustard....BBQ sauce!
Wed, 11/23/2011 - 12:14am
#4
Cheap Eats
Lately I've really gotten into baking my own bread, pretzels, and making my own ice cream. You don't sound like you want to go that far into cooking at this time, but since you like sandwiches, one of my faves....
Slice & fry some breaded eggplant. You put that on 12 grain bread, top with some roasted red pepper slices & top with lettuce covered with ranch dressing.
** sorry, its a broiled portabello mushroom, not eggplant.
I was teaching HS today, the kids fried my brains! LOL
Thu, 11/24/2011 - 12:13pm
#5
Thanks.
I forget about portabello mushrooms. I dig'em. Not the biggest eggplant fan but I have to admit the idea of a fried eggplant sandwich sounds kind of taste. Roasted red pepper is also a nice touch.
I would like to get more into baking but it's tough. My sister gave me a bread maker once for xmas and I do that sometimes. And it's okay for toast and stuff but there is nothing like some fresh baked airy bread with a nice crunchy crust. I think this might be kind of hard to do at home? I've been really into baguettes lately. Is it possible to make a baguette at home?
Thu, 11/24/2011 - 5:43pm
#6
Bread machine??? ICK! Throw
Bread machine??? ICK! Throw it out!
I make this bread: http://www.kingarthurflour.com/recipes/rustic-sourdough-bread-recipe
I use this starter recipe: http://www.breadworld.com/Recipe.aspx?id=33
I toss it in my kitchenaid cause I don't like kneeding dough. It hurts my hands & wrists.
I started my starter about 3 months ago & have kept it going. I use in in a pretzel recipe too. Good stuff!
Fri, 11/25/2011 - 10:11am
#7
My friend Dave
is currently living in London for a few years, but he's a great cook and I follow his blog as well:
For under $20 you can stock up on large bottles of main chinese cooking ingredients: 2-3 types of soy sauce, cooking wine, rice vinegar, and sesame oil. You need to go to Chinatown to get the big containers. That is a great jumping off point for all sorts of Chinese dishes.
And I swear by this dude:
http://vegandad.blogspot.com/2011/10/apple-pumpkin-spice-donuts.html
Also, he's a snark, but IOZ has some great recipes on Foodie Fridays (the rest of his posts are all anarchist/political). This is one of my favorites, we make it all the time (we made two variations today, actually). Sometimes we can't afford three different cheeses, but the combination DOES make a huge difference. One good, hard romano is fine. And roasting the peppercorns, then grinding with a mortar/pestle is essential (and meditative). It's amazing comfort food and really easy to make: http://whoisioz.blogspot.com/2011/01/foodie-friday-cacio-e-pepe.html