What can you expect in the Food Thread on PF?

[Evo]

I've got just the guy for you. I'll have to go look him up because he doesn't have a phone. He's a motivational speaker and he lives in a van down by the river. You may have seen him on TV.

Thanks for the offer, but, I think I'll pass.

 

[quantumdude]

And we all know SOON means NEVER!

Check out the Member Photo Thread.

Anyone remember when this thread was about food?

 

[Math Is Hard]

I don't sing like chef in class because girls don't take calculus.

Things must be very different here in SoCal. We have as many gals as guys in the calculus classes. Most of the students in my calc classes were planning on going into medicine, and that career path seems to attract as many women as men, so it wasn't surprising to me to see an even split between M and F students.

ok, now back to food..

 

[turbo]

OK, back to food. I just spent a few hours cleaning out and rebuilding my old Charbroil grill with new burner, new coal grate, new cooking grid, and I wire-brushed the warming rack to get the rust off. That grill throws a lot more heat with the new burner. With the corroded burner head, it was getting hard to get the steaks to come out just right (seared good on the outside, rare in the middle).

I also got a new water pan for my Brinkman smoker (charcoal-fired). I'm planning on hickory-smoking some pork spare ribs this weekend and having some family over for a cookout. Since the pan hadn't arrived in time for Father's Day, I had to borrow my brother-in-law's electrically-heated Brinkman to smoke a turkey. It seemed to take forever and the flavor was just not as good as the ones we've smoked over charcoal.

 

[scorpa]

Tonight I am making chicken quesadillas...quesdadillas stuffed with chicken, cheese, onions, green peppers baked in the oven and served with sour cream and salsa...yum.

 

[Moonbear]

Check out the Member Photo Thread.

Ooh...I can't believe you've been hiding from us so long! :!)

Anyone remember when this thread was about food?

I don't know about anyone else, but my mouth is watering.

It's probably just as well the women aren't taking calculus with Tom; they'd never be able to pay attention anyway.

 

[Moonbear]

Tonight I am making chicken quesadillas...quesdadillas stuffed with chicken, cheese, onions, green peppers baked in the oven and served with sour cream and salsa...yum.

Sounds tasty and simple.

 

[turbo]

I'm doing a lot of cooking this weekend. Tomorrow, my brother and his family and my father are joining us for the afternoon, and I am making hickory-smoked BBQ pork spare ribs. My brother is making a batch of cheese-stuffed jalapeno poppers (his poppers make the store-bought stuff look really lame). Then Sunday the charcoal smoker comes out again. I've got a 14# turkey to smoke for a couple of my wife's sisters and their husbands. The ladies generally split up the salad/casserole/dessert duties, but the meat is MINE.

 

[Astronuc]

I don't know about anyone else, but my mouth is watering.

I thought the term was 'drooling'.

 

[Evo]

I'm doing a lot of cooking this weekend. Tomorrow, my brother and his family and my father are joining us for the afternoon, and I am making hickory-smoked BBQ pork spare ribs. My brother is making a batch of chesse-stuffed jalapeno poppers (his poppers make the store-bought stuff look really lame). Then Sunday the charcoal smoker comes out again. I've got a 14# turkey to smoke for a couple of my wife's sisters and their husbands. The ladies generally split up the salad/casserole/dessert duties, but the meat is MINE.

That sounds like a great time turbo!

 

[Moonbear]

I'm doing a lot of cooking this weekend. Tomorrow, my brother and his family and my father are joining us for the afternoon, and I am making hickory-smoked BBQ pork spare ribs. My brother is making a batch of chesse-stuffed jalapeno poppers (his poppers make the store-bought stuff look really lame). Then Sunday the charcoal smoker comes out again. I've got a 14# turkey to smoke for a couple of my wife's sisters and their husbands. The ladies generally split up the salad/casserole/dessert duties, but the meat is MINE.

Sounds yummy! Can you get us the recipe for the jalapeno poppers? What batter does he use, what cheese filling, etc? I love jalapeno poppers, and it would be cool to know how to make my own.

 

[turbo]

Sounds yummy! Can you get us the recipe for the jalapeno poppers? What batter does he use, what cheese filling, etc? I love jalapeno poppers, and it would be cool to know how to make my own.

Hi, Moonie! I never before asked him what he used, but now that I did, I am ashamed to say that they can be made with NO effort or fuss. He splits jalapeno peppers lengthwise (the bigger the better) and cuts out all the seeds and the webbing to reduce the hotness. He stuffs them with a mixture of crispy, crumbled bacon and Kraft Philadelphia Cream Cheese, then tops that with shredded Monterey Jack, and he cooked them on my grill (on a pizza pan) at low heat until the Jack was slightly browned. Those disappeared quickly, as usual.

 

[Evo]

Hi, Moonie! I never asked him what he used, but now that I did, I am ashamed to say that they can be made with NO effort or fuss. He splits jalapeno peppers lengthwise (the bigger the better) and cuts out all the seeds and the webbing to reduce the hotness. He stuffs them with a mixture of crispy, crumbled bacon and Kraft Philadelphia Cream Cheese, then tops that with shredded Monterey Jack, and he cooked them on my grill (on a pizza pan) at low heat until the Jack was slightly browned. Those disappeared quickly, as usual.

So, they're cooked without a batter?

I used to buy stuffed jalepenos imported from Mexico, they were mild and were stuffed with shrimp, and one other variety, which escapes me right now. I can't find them outside of Texas.

 

[wolram]

Oooh.

I want to marry someone too!

Maybe we should have a "who would you marry" thread.

Maybe I'll marry cyrus, he has crabcakes. Or wolram, he's a good cook. But Penqwuino is learning to cook. Arildno has great pickles...it could be a "marriage of convenience".

I would treat you best

 

[Evo]

I would treat you best

Be careful what you wish for.

http://www.funweddings.com/index.php?p1=Evo&p2=Wolram&who=bride&wit=Moonbear+%26+MIH&action=3&Submit=Click+Here+For+Your+Marriage+Certificate

 

[Moonbear]

Hi, Moonie! I never before asked him what he used, but now that I did, I am ashamed to say that they can be made with NO effort or fuss. He splits jalapeno peppers lengthwise (the bigger the better) and cuts out all the seeds and the webbing to reduce the hotness. He stuffs them with a mixture of crispy, crumbled bacon and Kraft Philadelphia Cream Cheese, then tops that with shredded Monterey Jack, and he cooked them on my grill (on a pizza pan) at low heat until the Jack was slightly browned. Those disappeared quickly, as usual.

Oh, that sounds really good and easy (and certainly is no reason to be ashamed)! I was expecting batter or breading of some sort and deep frying. I think I'll have to get the ingredients next time I go grocery shopping and give it a try.

 

[Evo]

The peaches are ripe, I just picked a bushel. I hope Spawn and her boyfriend like peaches. I'm supposed to go over to her place tomorrow and cook some new recipe for tomato soup she found. Must be quite some recipe.

This is the first year I've been able to salvage any, usually the birds, or these humongous ants get to them first. This year I've been checking them daily, when I saw the first ant, I tried one and they were ripe.

Now I'm waiting for the pears.

 

[Moonbear]

This year I've been checking them daily, when I saw the first ant, I tried one and they were ripe.

That's the first time I've heard of someone using ants to tell when their fruit is ripe. I guess they were waiting for it to ripen before eating it too.

 

[Evo]

I had never heard of giant fruit ants, but the damned things know when they're ripe.

 

[wolram]

Mushroom pudding, best made with mushrooms from a field where horses are kept, but any wild mushrooms are ok.


Ingredients

suet crust pastry:

8oz/225g self-raising flour
1tbsp chopped parsley
4oz suet
pinch of salt
4floz/120ml water

filling:

2 tbsp olive oil
4 shallots, chopped
2 bay leaves
2 cloves garlic, chopped
2-3 sprigs fresh thyme
About 10 oz wild mushrooms
4floz/120ml red wine
freshly ground black pepper

Method

1. First prepare the filling. Heat the oil and add the shallots, cook for a few minutes then add the bay leaves and continue cooking over a low heat for 5 minutes. Add the garlic, thyme and mushrooms, cook gently and stir in the wine.

2. Bring to the boil, then simmer gently for 15 minutes. Season

3. Now make the pastry: Mix the flour, parsley, suet and salt. Add the water and mix with a fork to make a dough. Knead and roll out to a circle to line a greased 2 pint/1.2 litre pudding basin.

4. Cut off a quarter of the pastry and reserve for the lid. Line the dish with the remaining pastry. Dampen the edges with water.

5. Fill with the prepared mushroom mixture, and roll out the remaining pastry to form a lid. Press the edges together to seal. Cover with greased foil and tie with string.

6. Steam for about 1½ hours. Serve with potatoes, and carrots.

 

[Moonbear]

Sounds yummy, Wollie...all except for where you recommend finding the mushrooms. I'm not sure that I want my mushrooms mingling with fresh horse manure (composted, okay, but not the fresh stuff).

 

[wolram]

The mushrooms do not actually grow in the (fresh) horse muck MoonB,
often times you will not see any, and if you want big fat juicy strong tasting
mushrooms it is the best place to look.

 

[wolram]

Dandelion coffee, we used to drink it, the leaves are also nice in salads.


Dig up the roots autumn time.

Fresh or dried roots can be used, and they should be placed on a baking tray and roasted in the middle of a quite slow oven. Dried roots will take about an hour, fresh ones will take longer.

The pieces will need turning to ensure an even rusty brown colour.

Once the roots have been roasted, they can be ground up and used, one teaspoon a cup.

 

[arunbg]

I had never heard of giant fruit ants, but the damned things know when they're ripe.

What about your fruitbat ... maybe it can help too.

 

[Evo]

What about your fruitbat ... maybe it can help too.

Funny you mention the fruitbat, he's gone wild over these peaches! Every time I bring one out, he perches next to me and starts freaking out until I give him some. If he could climb that tree, he'd have it cleaned of peaches in a few minutes.

 

[Evo]

Mushroom pudding, best made with mushrooms from a field where horses are kept, but any wild mushrooms are ok.

That sounds so good! But I think I'll stick to mushrooms from the store. I don't know enough about mushrooms to go picking any.

 

[turbo]

Well, I just got back in from putting more charcoal and hickory chips in the smoker. There's a 14# turkey in there (it went in around 8 am) and by 4, when the relatives show up, the meat will be falling off the bone.

Tip: Whether smoking or roasting, always cook your turkeys breast-down. That way, the fat from the dark meat and the back migrates down through the white meat, keeping it moist and tender. It also helps keep the richer dark meat from ending up too fatty. Some people grill poultry supported vertically on racks - if you do this, grill them head-down for the same reasons.

 

[turbo]

Oh, that sounds really good and easy (and certainly is no reason to be ashamed)! I was expecting batter or breading of some sort and deep frying. I think I'll have to get the ingredients next time I go grocery shopping and give it a try.

The breading-batter-deep-fry things are heart-stoppers. Poppers are fatty enough (if you like cheese!) without deep-frying them. The slow-cooked smoked pork spare ribs were a hit, too. They got just a bit crispier than I would have liked, but they disappeared with raves. I made over 5 lbs for 5 people, and we also had that big tray of poppers and two kinds of salads. Nobody left hungry!

 

[wolram]

The breading-batter-deep-fry things are heart-stoppers. Poppers are fatty enough (if you like cheese!) without deep-frying them. The slow-cooked smoked pork spare ribs were a hit, too. They got just a bit crispier than I would have liked, but they disappeared with raves. I made over 5 lbs for 5 people, and we also had that big tray of poppers and two kinds of salads. Nobody left hungry!

What happened to the turky?

What are poppers?

 

[Moonbear]

The breading-batter-deep-fry things are heart-stoppers. Poppers are fatty enough (if you like cheese!) without deep-frying them. The slow-cooked smoked pork spare ribs were a hit, too. They got just a bit crispier than I would have liked, but they disappeared with raves. I made over 5 lbs for 5 people, and we also had that big tray of poppers and two kinds of salads. Nobody left hungry!

I'm giving your recipe a try right now! Except, they're in the oven, not on the grill. I didn't feel like grilling as it's already getting dark and the mosquitoes are out. Hopefully it'll be nearly as good as on the grill.

Wollie, the recipe is above...jalapeno poppers...jalapeno peppers stuffed with cheese.

Edit: Ooh..yummy! These seemed like wimpy jalapenos...no heat at all...but still tasty. The bacon makes all the difference!

 

[Evo]

Has anyone tried one of those turkey fryers? There is NO WAY I'm getting near something with that much oil and flame. FOOM! Bye, bye Evo.

 

[Moonbear]

Has anyone tried one of those turkey fryers? There is NO WAY I'm getting near something with that much oil and flame. FOOM! Bye, bye Evo.

I haven't tried it myself, but I've known a couple people who have them. Don't use it unless you have a concrete patio or driveway or dirt patch to set it on. I've heard of people setting their decks on fire when they drop the turkey in one of those. The meat is really tasty though...but it takes a load of oil!

I've never had a problem just roasting a turkey the normal way. Just don't get anything over a 13 lb turkey. That's the only real secret to an evenly cooked, juicy turkey. If you get one much bigger, some ends up dried out before other parts are done. Oh, and I never tie up the legs. It doesn't look pretty, but I let the legs flop to the sides, and then the dark meat and white meat cooks through in the same amount of time, so you don't get a dry breast. Though, my friend who cooked Thanksgiving dinner on her own for the first time this year cooked the turkey upside down without knowing she was doing something wrong. It was pretty good...I think that saved the meat from being too dry when it was overcooked (it was falling off the bone, and had she cooked it right-side-up, it probably would have required an awful lot of gravy).

 

[wolram]

Has anyone tried one of those turkey fryers? There is NO WAY I'm getting near something with that much oil and flame. FOOM! Bye, bye Evo.

The first time i used a deep fat fryer it was on the hob all ready to go, so i turned the hob on for the oil to get hot, after about 3mins there came this horrible smell, mom rushed to kitchen and came back quite angry, she said
some thing like (you silly billy) that is an electric fryer, but how could i have known and what a daft place to put it.

 

[turbo]

I'm giving your recipe a try right now! Except, they're in the oven, not on the grill. I didn't feel like grilling as it's already getting dark and the mosquitoes are out. Hopefully it'll be nearly as good as on the grill.

Wollie, the recipe is above...jalapeno poppers...jalapeno peppers stuffed with cheese.

Edit: Ooh..yummy! These seemed like wimpy jalapenos...no heat at all...but still tasty. The bacon makes all the difference!

I'm glad you liked them. They are a big hit at our get-togethers, and even people who normally avoid hot food wolf them down. Taking out all the seeds and the webbing from the inside of the peppers really tames the heat.

 

[turbo]

What happened to the turky?

We ate quite a bit of it, and our guests took quite a bit home. We are currently boiling the carcass on the side-burner of the grill (out on the deck) to make soup stock. Smoked turkey makes a wonderful soup.

 

[Evo]

The first time i used a deep fat fryer it was on the hob all ready to go, so i turned the hob on for the oil to get hot, after about 3mins there came this horrible smell, mom rushed to kitchen and came back quite angry, she said
some thing like (you silly billy) that is an electric fryer, but how could i have known and what a daft place to put it.

Wolram, you're so funny. Of course, I would have killed you.

 

[turbo]

I had some smoked-turkey soup this afternoon, with potatoes, yellow onions, and green peas added. Heaven.

 

[wolram]

Penquin for dinner,

http://www.goliathcorp.com/penguin.html

The stupid looking seabird, once considered 'cute' and 'funny' but now known to be a violent desecrator of the beautiful unspoilt wilderness of Antarctica, will be available as a frozen dish by as early as next month. As part of the launch of this abundant new foodstuff, There will be a special penguin cookery show on GoliathChannel 16, as well as a highly amusing advertising campaign with the catchy phrase: 'P-p-p-prepare a p-p-penguin!'

 

[JamesU]

I wonder if pengwuino will make people sick when they eat him

 

[wolram]

I wonder if pengwuino will make people sick when they eat him

I would try licking him first.

 

[Moonbear]

I would try licking him first.

 

[Rach3]

Grilled cheese in 0:59 seconds

I figured this out just now for breakfast, negligible preparation time, and presumably healthier than the 'traditional' version (which involves frying in oil )

ingredients:
2 slices wheat bread
2 slices sliced cheese of your preference
fire extinguisher (opt.)

procedure:
(1) toasterate the bread slices on the lowest setting (~30 seconds)
(2) insert cheese
(3) bombard with 1 kilowatt of 2.45GHz radiation for roughly 17 seconds

I think we should be able to improve on this by one or two orders of magnitude. The problem with the microwave is that it disproportionately heats the cheese because of its moisture content (hence the toaster); now what if the bread were soaked in water? Would it heat both components equally?

 

[Rach3]

Nope, doesn't work. Obviously toasting requires localized, concentrated heating at the surface, not diffuse heating throughout this (now very soggy) mess.

I give up!

 

[Rach3]

What if you built a combined microwave/infrared heater? You could toast things at the same time. A heat lamp would be too diffuse; plus it might interfere with the microwaves. An infrared laser, in the hundreds of watts, might work. There would be a very small microwave-opaque window for the laser beam; and there could be a lens to give the beamline a divergence of several degrees. Actually that would be a useful kitchen appliance even without the microwaves.

 

[Moonbear]

You don't need to fry grilled cheese in oil (oil?). I prefer cooking it with a pat of butter, but you can just put it in the pan dry, or with a very small amount of butter to keep it from sticking. Or, pop it in the toaster oven.

 

[arunbg]

I just had my first class in cooking from my dad this afternoon. We prepared (well, at least my dad) a typical south Indian rice dish known as the Biriyani. My region is famous for this particular dish . It is similar to the Chinese fried rice but is a lot more spicy with strong flavour elements .
The Biriyani we made was actually the prawn Biriyani, and it took about 1.5 hours to prepare.
I graciously offered to do the dishes after my dad did all the hard work.

Finally the moment of truth, time to eat . It was simply heavenly . The tender prawn meat seemed to melt in the mouth, and my taste buds just ran wild. It was the outcome of a good day's work

 

[Evo]

What if you built a combined microwave/infrared heater? You could toast things at the same time. A heat lamp would be too diffuse; plus it might interfere with the microwaves. An infrared laser, in the hundreds of watts, might work. There would be a very small microwave-opaque window for the laser beam; and there could be a lens to give the beamline a divergence of several degrees. Actually that would be a useful kitchen appliance even without the microwaves.

They already have combination microwave/convection ovens.

 

[Evo]

I just had my first class in cooking from my dad this afternoon. We prepared (well, at least my dad) a typical south Indian rice dish known as the Biriyani. My region is famous for this particular dish . It is similar to the Chinese fried rice but is a lot more spicy with strong flavour elements .
The Biriyani we made was actually the prawn Biriyani, and it took about 1.5 hours to prepare.
I graciously offered to do the dishes after my dad did all the hard work.

Finally the moment of truth, time to eat . It was simply heavenly . The tender prawn meat seemed to melt in the mouth, and my taste buds just ran wild. It was the outcome of a good day's work

Awwww, that is so wonderful.

 

[turbo]

I'm giving your recipe a try right now! Except, they're in the oven, not on the grill. I didn't feel like grilling as it's already getting dark and the mosquitoes are out. Hopefully it'll be nearly as good as on the grill.

Wollie, the recipe is above...jalapeno poppers...jalapeno peppers stuffed with cheese.

Edit: Ooh..yummy! These seemed like wimpy jalapenos...no heat at all...but still tasty. The bacon makes all the difference!

My wife has said that when we make them, she will reserve some of the seeds and mix them with the cream cheese and bacon to heat them up. Either that, or she will add in some of our home-made habanero sauce. That's a bright red, so it would add color to the filling.

Edit: She's planning something not quite so fatty, now. Stuff the jalapenos with her crab cake recipe, then top that with a little cheese. Either that, or stuff them with her salmon-loaf recipe with a little shredded cheese. She bought some jalapenos (the ones in the garden are still too small), and I'll let you know how the experiment turns out.

 

[turbo]

OK, we just had the crab jalapenos. My wife couldn't forsake the cream cheese, so she mixed that with canned crab, some lemon juice and some parsley from the herb garden, stuffed the peppers with that, and topped them with Monterey Jack. She left in about 1/2 of the seeds and all of the webbing, and the heat was a little too much for the crab, which got overpowered. Still nice, though. We're going to try the salmon soon. That's a much more flavorful seafood, and may be able to compete with the jalapeno.