What can you expect in the Food Thread on PF?

[Evo]

I found a very nicely flavored sausage recently. It's quite strong but not hot, lots of paprika.

Any creative ideas for what to do with it?

I'll PM you my address.

 

[Borek]

Zucchini bread once again was a winner.

You have problems reading British cookbook? What about absolute Polish classic, "Jedyne praktyczne przepisy wszelkich zapasów spiżarnianych oraz pieczenia ciast" by Lucyna Ćwierczakiewiczowa? The day you will be able to properly pronounce both the title and author name you will know British books are for sissies.

 

[nismaratwork]

Zucchini bread once again was a winner.

You have problems reading British cookbook? What about absolute Polish classic, "Jedyne praktyczne przepisy wszelkich zapasów spiżarnianych oraz pieczenia ciast" by Lucyna Ćwierczakiewiczowa? The day you will be able to properly pronounce both the title and author name you will know British books are for sissies.

Ha, I've read a Hungarian and a Japanese cookbook... your Polish is familiar and comprehensible by comparison! That said... holy crap, that author really packs a lot of detail into the titles! From what I can understand this is about the baking of cakes/bread/dough (I can't distinguish the word), provisions for the pantry and generally the "Joy of Cooking" for Polish folks. 'Radość kucharstwo dla Polskiego narodu.' (my poor attempt at 'The Joy of Cooking for a Polish Nation')... but heh, that title is too short.

Oh, a friend just took me to an Ethiopian restaurant... eat with your hands and very traditional (well, it was when they had food)... good stuff and hard to describe. I would say it's what happens when Tibetan and UK/USA type Indian cuisine have a love child, but it was really good.

 

[Evo]

Oh, a friend just took me to an Ethiopian restaurant... eat with your hands and very traditional (well, it was when they had food)... good stuff and hard to describe. I would say it's what happens when Tibetan and UK/USA type Indian cuisine have a love child, but it was really good.

Was it one of the new Ethiopian raw meat restaurants?

 

[nismaratwork]

Was it one of the new Ethiopian raw meat restaurants?

Eep... not my thing at all, and no, this was about 16 years ago and was a real rarity.

 

[Ivan Seeking]

Here's a new one. The kid at the Subway shop swears by them.

Bacon Brownies

Just cook bacon until crispy, break up into small bits, and put in brownie mix.

No, he wasn't smoking a bong at the time. He claims some woman brought them into try and they were awesome.

It sounds a lot like a State Fair treat to me [deep-fried Ding Dongs, Twinkies, etc].

 

[turbo]

We have a new sandwich shop! The artisan butcher shop owners added deli meats and cheeses a while back, and now they are selling sandwiches and will soon add pizzas and hot sandwiches. My wife bought two subs last night - a vegetable sub for her and a roast beef sub for me. They were HUGE - enough for 3 people to share each. My sandwich had at least 1/4# of thin-sliced roast beef plus sharp cheese, onions, tomatoes, a little lettuce, ripe olives, pickled yellow peppers, and really crispy jalapeno slices. All that for $7. I pigged out and finished the sandwich late last night as a snack, but I was stuffed.

The quality is outstanding, and my wife claims that the proprietor is a stickler for quantity, too - she weighed each sandwich on the deli's scale before wrapping them. There are two sub shops in the next town to the south, and they should expect to lose business - Subway, especially.

 

[dlgoff]

They were HUGE - enough for 3 people to share each. My sandwich had at least 1/4# of thin-sliced roast beef plus sharp cheese, onions, tomatoes, a little lettuce, ripe olives, pickled yellow peppers, and really crispy jalapeno slices. All that for $7. I pigged out and finished the sandwich late last night as a snack, but I was stuffed.

Man vs Food

 

[Evo]

Sound good turbo, but I'll stick with my $4.95 2 pound sub.

 

[dlgoff]

The neighbor brought me a couple dozen of home grown eggs. So I had a big dinner/breakfast of thick sliced bacon, wheat toast, and some over medium eggs. Sooooo Goooood.

 

[turbo]

The neighbor brought me a couple dozen of home grown eggs. So I had a big dinner/breakfast of thick sliced bacon, wheat toast, and some over medium eggs. Sooooo Goooood.

The woman that delivers newspapers on our rural route also sells eggs. $1 a dozen and they are FRESH! When my neighbor is planing and shaping wood for trim, he bags the shavings and sawdust for her to use as bedding for her hens, and she drops off a newspaper for him when she has an extra one. Pretty chummy neighborhood.

 

[Evo]

This is a cake recipe my mom found over 40 years ago. It's my favorite cake in the entire world.

Grecian Orange Cake

1 pkg yellow cake mix
1 pkg instant lemon pudding mix
4 eggs
2/3 c oil
3/4 c water

Place all ingredients in a bowl and mix on low 2 minutes. Pour in a greased and floured tube pan. Bake at 325 F for 45 minutes to 1 hour.

Icing
2 c confectioners sugar
1/2 c frozen concentrated orange juice from can
2 T melted butter

Stir over low heat until sugar is melted. While cake is hot punch 100 holes in it with a ice pick to bottom of pan (my mom used a knitting needle). Pour icing mixture over hot cake and let stand in the pan until cold. Turn onto plate.

 

[Borek]

1 pkg yellow cake mix
1 pkg instant lemon pudding mix

Next time I will be in US I will buy ingredients, as of today I will skip the recipe

 

[Evo]

Next time I will be in US I will buy ingredients, as of today I will skip the recipe

You don't have anything similar there?

 

[turbo]

You don't have anything similar there?

Perhaps Poland has not fallen into the boxed-cake/boxed pudding morass. Probably they don't have Hamburger Helper there, either.

 

[nismaratwork]

You could use the same kind of cake mix you do for karmelowe ciasteczka czekoladowe pikany (I don't know if I'm getting that right)... the pudding you could made by scratch easily!

Evo: I took the easy way and used boxed ingredients... yum. That was a good recipe, and my stomach, gal, and a few friends thank, "The physics lady with the cooking," to quote one friend verbatim.

 

[Evo]

You could use the same kind of cake mix you do for karmelowe ciasteczka czekoladowe pikany (I don't know if I'm getting that right)... the pudding you could made by scratch easily!

Evo: I took the easy way and used boxed ingredients... yum. That was a good recipe, and my stomach, gal, and a few friends thank, "The physics lady with the cooking," to quote one friend verbatim.

YAY! I'm so glad you liked it. The orange "icing" goes all through the cake and gets into every bite. That's the cake I think of when I think of home.

 

[Borek]

Perhaps Poland has not fallen into the boxed-cake/boxed pudding morass. Probably they don't have Hamburger Helper there, either.

There is a lot of ready mixes, however they are prepared to fit Polish kitchen, so you never know how similar/different they are, especially as names ("yellow cake mix") say nothing about the composition. Fact that we rarely use them (we mostly start from scratch - flour, eggs, butter) doesn't help either.

And pudding is something completely alien to me, I never know what it means. Fact that it can be a main dish doesn't help. From what I understand the closest thing that we have in Poland is "budyń" - sweet dessert made from milk and starch plus some fragrance (coffee, vanilla, chocolate) - usually made from ready mixes that you add to milk. But that's just my guess.

 

[hypatia]

I'm breaking up loafs of French bread, into cubes, and putting them into a stoneware bowl that has been used in my family for over 120 years. Yes its for the dressing on Thanksgiving. I use this giant bowl so seldom now, but it is a thing of beauty.
I've also promised to make fried apples and pumpkin custard.

 

[Evo]

There is a lot of ready mixes, however they are prepared to fit Polish kitchen, so you never know how similar/different they are, especially as names ("yellow cake mix") say nothing about the composition. Fact that we rarely use them (we mostly start from scratch - flour, eggs, butter) doesn't help either.

You could make a plain basic moist cake and use the boxed pudding mix you mention below, if you don't have lemon flavor, you could add a teaspoon of lemon extract, do you have lemon extract? Just don't add any milk.

From what I understand the closest thing that we have in Poland is "budyń" - sweet dessert made from milk and starch plus some fragrance (coffee, vanilla, chocolate) - usually made from ready mixes that you add to milk. But that's just my guess.

 

[Evo]

I'm breaking up loafs of French bread, into cubes, and putting them into a stoneware bowl that has been used in my family for over 120 years. Yes its for the dressing on Thanksgiving. I use this giant bowl so seldom now, but it is a thing of beauty.
I've also promised to make fried apples and pumpkin custard.

That is so wonderful to have something like that in your family!

 

[HeLiXe]

All I want now is one glass of spring water and one chocolate covered strawberry.

 

[turbo]

All I want now is one glass of spring water and one chocolate covered strawberry.

Simple needs.

Tonight, my wife and I had comfort food. I fried some hot dogs and rolls in butter, dressed them with my home-made chili/garlic relish and Raye's hot mustard, and served them with my wife's home-made chili. Winter is here early, so we'll switch over to more chilies, casseroles, stews and soups as the cold weather takes over.

 

[HeLiXe]

All I want now is fried hot dogs and rolls in butter, dressed with turbo-1's home-made chili/garlic relish and Raye's hot mustard, and served with turbo-1's wife's home-made chili

 

[turbo]

All I want now is fried hot dogs and rolls in butter, dressed with turbo-1's home-made chili/garlic relish and Raye's hot mustard, and served with turbo-1's wife's home-made chili

Can you show up within the next couple of hours? I'm going to bed early tonight - lots to do tomorrow.

 

[Evo]

Hopefully doing these bacon wrapped jalapeno poppers tonight, Evo Child forgot the toothpicks yesterday.

This website is awesome, every recipe has a photo of each step. Thought I'd post it for people that want to see what the steps are when they make a recipe for the first time.

http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2007/07/bacon-wrapped_j/

 

[Astronuc]

I'm breaking up loafs of French bread, into cubes, and putting them into a stoneware bowl that has been used in my family for over 120 years. Yes its for the dressing on Thanksgiving. I use this giant bowl so seldom now, but it is a thing of beauty.
I've also promised to make fried apples and pumpkin custard.

I'd like to Pumpkin custard recipe.

 

[lisab]

Hopefully doing these bacon wrapped jalapeno poppers tonight, Evo Child forgot the toothpicks yesterday.

This website is awesome, every recipe has a photo of each step. Thought I'd post it for people that want to see what the steps are when they make a recipe for the first time.

http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2007/07/bacon-wrapped_j/

Those are great pix, they give excellent guidance! And her commentary made me laugh:

Oh, baby. Oh, oh, oh baby.

Wow that woman really, really likes jalapeno poppers .

 

[turbo]

Wow that woman really, really likes jalapeno poppers .

My wife and I make low-tech poppers. Fry bacon until it is nice and crispy. Slice jalapenos in half and decide your heat level. Clean out the placenta and seeds for mild, leave all the innards for hotter poppers. Crumble the bacon and mix it into cream cheese and stuff the pepper-halves with that mix, top with shredded Monterey Jack, and broil or grill until the cheese is a golden brown. Very simple and fast. Those poppers don't last - even people who say "I don't like hot food" will eat them. They are that good.

 

[Astronuc]

I've got try Nantancket cranberry pie.

I'm also contemplating mixed berry cobbler and maybe cherry-cranberry pie.

And rum & egg-nog.

 

[turbo]

And rum & egg-nog.

One of my aunts made a really sneaky rum-laced eggnog. Hers was spiced liberally, and she used very good rum with a subtle flavor, so the liquor hid in the mix.

She used cheap rum in her mince-meat pie, just for the flavor, since the alcohol was baked out. My father would try to push all the sweet-simple desserts onto us kids before she would bring out that pie, so he could get more for himself. Pretty crafty, and his baby sister was happy to play along.

 

[HeLiXe]

Can you show up within the next couple of hours? I'm going to bed early tonight - lots to do tomorrow.

Awww thanks turbo-1...if it weren't for the cops and other innocent drivers I could :biggrin"

And rum & egg-nog.

now that's what I'm talkin' 'bout
Jamaican overproof?

 

[hypatia]

For Astro... Pumpkin custard, serves 4. Easy to double to 8

3/4 cup pumpkin puree {I boil chunks of pie pumpkin and run them in a food processor}
2 large eggs
1 1/2 cups evaporated milk(one 12-ounce can)
3/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup (packed) light brown sugar
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon salt

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
In a large bowl, whisk together the pumpkin, eggs, milk, and vanilla. In another bowl, stir together the brown sugar, cornstarch, spices, and salt and sift into the pumpkin mixture. Stir the batter until combined well and pour into four 3/4-cup custard cups.
Place the cups in a 9 X 11-inch baking pan and add enough warm water to come halfway up the sides of the cups. Bake for 50 minutes, or until set and browned lightly. Transfer the custards to a wire rack to cool.

 

[nismaratwork]

I use a mixture of 10-Cane Rum (mild flavor) which is made from sugar, not the raw cane or molasses, and a good mid-aged rum... I find it let's you get the alcohol content up to acceptable levels without compromising the taste.

The other big thing: FRESH SPICES.

 

[Borek]

You could make a plain basic moist cake and use the boxed pudding mix you mention below, if you don't have lemon flavor, you could add a teaspoon of lemon extract, do you have lemon extract? Just don't add any milk.

Can be difficult - recipe says "Add the bag content to 1/2 cup of cold milk, mix well, add to two cups of hot milk, keep on the fire mixing till it thickens".

Lemon flavor, lemon extract - next time we will be shopping I have to spend some time browsing cake ingredients. But it is again a naming problem - I guess flavor is just a flavor, I think I know what will be equivalent. But what is an "extract"? Something that pretends to smell like lemon and is sour? Similar to juice you can squeeze from the lemon?

 

[Evo]

Can be difficult - recipe says "Add the bag content to 1/2 cup of cold milk, mix well, add to two cups of hot milk, keep on the fire mixing till it thickens".

You just add the dry bag contents to the cake.

No Betty Crocker in Poland, eh?

 

[Borek]

Found this: http://www.cooks.com/rec/view/0,196,141183-232205,00.html

Edit: in Poland Betty Crocker is called Winiary or Delecta.

 

[Evo]

Found this: http://www.cooks.com/rec/view/0,196,141183-232205,00.html

Edit: in Poland Betty Crocker is called Winiary or Delecta.

Try this one Borek, it sounds closer to the original.

http://www.kaboose.com/features/holiday/recipe.html?id=17

 

[Borek]

Thanks, I have added several things to our shopping list for this week.

 

[nismaratwork]

Can be difficult - recipe says "Add the bag content to 1/2 cup of cold milk, mix well, add to two cups of hot milk, keep on the fire mixing till it thickens".

Lemon flavor, lemon extract - next time we will be shopping I have to spend some time browsing cake ingredients. But it is again a naming problem - I guess flavor is just a flavor, I think I know what will be equivalent. But what is an "extract"? Something that pretends to smell like lemon and is sour? Similar to juice you can squeeze from the lemon?

You've asked some interesting questions about things like a pudding or extract. In the USA, an extract is an alcohol or other base which has steeped with the given product (vanilla, lemon, or any other), whereas "flavor" is artificial and meant to imitate a product. They are typically sold in small brown glass containers and are used sparingly in baking.

Example for lemon extract, so that you know exactly what we're dealing with here: http://www.ehow.com/how_4544207_lemon-extract-home.html

The pudding is precisely what you described; a cooked milk product thickened with starch and flavored. Boxed puddings have a very particular... um... chemistry which sometimes makes them better for baking than the homemade variety, which can separate, or weep water.

Here is a close-up of an instant-type vanilla pudding (it's the yellowish goo on top of the cake). Jell-O makes this, although I don't know if they sell in Poland. I did a bit of looking and found this recipe to imitate instant vanilla pudding.

Vanilla Pudding Mix
Ingredients:
3 cups nonfat dry milk
4 cups sugar
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon salt
3 cups cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract


Directions:
Mix all except the vanilla, and store in an airtight container. To prepare, mix 1/2 cup of mix to 2 cups milk. Heat and stir constantly while boiling. Cool, then add 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract.

 

[Borek]

frozen concentrated orange juice

Oops, that can be another problem. After some googling I know what it is, but I don't think I have ever seen one here. Most likely I will have to ignore "frozen" part.

 

[Evo]

Oops, that can be another problem. After some googling I know what it is, but I don't think I have ever seen one here. Most likely I will have to ignore "frozen" part.

It's very thick and strongly concentrated orange juice, regular juice won't work.

Perhaps, you could simmer and reduce the orange juice down to concentrate?

Wow, this was an extremely simple cake that could be whipped together in a few minutes. Most of the time is just waiting for the cake to cool.

 

[nismaratwork]

It's very thick and strongly concentrated orange juice, regular juice won't work.

Perhaps, you could simmer and reduce the orange juice down to concentrate?

Wow, this was an extremely simple cake that could be whipped together in a few minutes. Most of the time is just waiting for the cake to cool.

If you cook it, you'll end with a syrup that isn't much like concentrate... you need to just boil the water out, and it's a painfully slow process.

 

[DaveC426913]

Oops, that can be another problem. After some googling I know what it is, but I don't think I have ever seen one here. Most likely I will have to ignore "frozen" part.

You don't have frozen, concentrated orange juice where you live? Are you on Earth?

 

[nismaratwork]

You don't have frozen, concentrated orange juice where you live? Are you on Earth?

Especially given this: http://www.freshplaza.com/news_detail.asp?id=5805

Poland, which is the world's largest apple juice concentrate supplier will have crops 50% smaller than in 2006, and the processing industry will receive no more than one third of the apples they used a year ago. As a result, the production can be 75% smaller comparing to 2006.

The end of the article mentions oranges as well... This is definitely in Poland.

Borek, OJ concentrate =

 

[HeLiXe]

I haven't seen this stuff since I was a child. I remember thinking it was the coolest thing LOL

 

[nismaratwork]

I haven't seen this stuff since I was a child. I remember thinking it was the coolest thing LOL

As a kid it's just a canned super-popsicle... not *****y orange juice!

 

[Borek]

The end of the article mentions oranges as well... This is definitely in Poland.

Not many places in Poland where oranges are grown. This was one of them:

http://pl.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Plik:Stara_pomaranczarnia.jpg&filetimestamp=20100327134024

 

[HeLiXe]

As a kid it's just a canned super-popsicle... not *****y orange juice!

*counts the stars* B-L-O-...

I wonder if people drink it with Vodka

Another thing I loved from childhood is croquettes, I didn't know the word for them and when I asked my aunt for the soft hot dogs one day she looked at me quite confused.

 

[nismaratwork]

*counts the stars* B-L-O-...

I wonder if people drink it with Vodka

Another thing I loved from childhood is croquettes, I didn't know the word for them and when I asked my aunt for the soft hot dogs one day she looked at me quite confused.

Good memories there! I love croquettes too, but damn they are fatty... and worth it.


Borek: That's a beautiful picture... what a place to grow oranges! Still... juice concentrates are like Spam... they're everywhere. It may be you've walked right past them without recognizing them too, often they're stuffed together in one area of a freezer, and look like cans.