What are you cooking?

[WeezyBengal]

(07-31-2015, 02:41 PM)fredtoast Wrote: That looks delicious, but a little dry for my tastes.  Definitely needs some sort of sauce.  What kind of cilantro sauce were you going to make?  

I bake large amounts of chicken and save the stock.  When it cools all the heavy fat rises to the top and can be removed.  Then I cook down (reduce) the stock and freeze it to use in sauces and/or gravy.  I even use it in my chicken salad.  Since it gels when it cools it keeps the chicken salad from breaking down and getting liquidy in the fridge.  I use fat free or low fat salad dressing and that stuff will break down into water if you refrigerate chicken or tuna salad made out of it.  But if you add some reduced chicken stock it keeps it in a perfect consistency.

I have tried tuna and chicken salads at home, but just cant get them to taste as good as what I get at other places. Ive REALLY been trying to like canned tuna (I buy the good stuff, organic wild planet) but I just don't think its for me. 

I also buy canned chicken (again I buy the good stuff, organic) and I just cant get it turn out to be anything fantastic. I usually throw chicken, red onion, celery, salt, pepper, mayo, some dijon mustard, and olive oil in the food processor and thats about it. Again, its good but nothing fantastic. 

There's a place here in Mason called Chef's Cafe (a little deli) that has phenomenal chicken salad. I just want to know how they do it...

[Paul from Dayton]

(08-04-2015, 12:43 PM)WeezyBengal Wrote: There's a place here in Mason called Chef's Cafe (a little deli) that has phenomenal chicken salad. I just want to know how they do it...

I feel your pain. There used to be a small grocery store near me called Lofino's. They had the best chicken salad that I just can't duplicate...

[CageTheBengal]

Grilled Peanut Butter and Banana sandwich.

[Vas Deferens]

(08-04-2015, 12:34 AM)fredtoast Wrote: Tomatoes
corn
black beans or dark kidney beans
salt
black pepper
garlic
chipotle chili powder
green chilis
onion
hamburger
molasses (brown sugar is just regular sugar plus molasses so that will work also)
dash of cinnamon
(jalapenos if I have them)

Serve with shredded cheese



Chili is the one meal I almost never get tired of.  I can eat if a few days in a row or every other day for a week or more.

Been experimenting with a world chili cookoff winner lately, chili's not bad either.  Been using finely diced tri-tip for it whenever its on sale.  Game changer.

[WeezyBengal]

(08-04-2015, 02:50 PM)Vas Deferens Wrote: Been experimenting with a world chili cookoff winner lately, chili's not bad either.  Been using finely diced tri-tip for it whenever its on sale.  Game changer.

Tri tip is amazing. We bring it down to Bengals tailgates, grill it, and make steak sandwiches out of it. 

[fredtoast]

(08-04-2015, 02:50 PM)Vas Deferens Wrote: Been experimenting with a world chili cookoff winner lately, chili's not bad either.  Been using finely diced tri-tip for it whenever its on sale.  Game changer.

Many chili competitions do not even allow beans.  That may be the official rules, but I got to have the beans in my chili. 

[fredtoast]

(08-04-2015, 12:37 PM)WeezyBengal Wrote: I have also been hooked on boneless skinless chicken thighs lately. They are cheap, healthy, taste better than chicken breasts, and really easy to cook.

Yep, dark meat tastes better than breast meat.  Also not as dry.

Sometimes I find legquarters (leg and thigh) for like $0.59 a lb.in big family packs and stock up on it. Chicken freezes better than beef. the only beef that really freezes well is hamburger. Steaks just loose all their juice if you freeze then thaw them.

[Slappy from New Haven]

(08-04-2015, 05:17 PM)fredtoast Wrote: Yep, dark meat tastes better than breast meat.  Also not as dry.

Sometimes I find legquarters (leg and thigh) for like $0.59 a lb.in big family packs and stock up on it.  Chicken freezes better than beef.  the only beef that really freezes well is hamburger.  Steaks just loose all their juice if you freeze then thaw them.

Take boneless skinless thighs and take the chili ingredients you listed above, sans burger meat and put them in a crock pot. Lay the thighs flat on top of the mixture. When you get home at the end of the day remove the thighs, shred with a fork and mix in. Return to pot for 30 minutes well mixed.  Far better than ground beef

[fredtoast]

(08-04-2015, 09:55 PM)Slappy from New Haven Wrote: Take boneless skinless thighs and take the chili ingredients you listed above, sans burger meat and put them in a crock pot. Lay the thighs flat on top of the mixture. When you get home at the end of the day remove the thighs, shred with a fork and mix in. Return to pot for 30 minutes well mixed.  Far better than ground beef

I've tried chicken in chili.  I don't like it as good as burger meat. 

I do love me some chicken enchiladas though.  Really easy to fix.

Filling

Shredded cooked chicken
shredded cheese
cooked rice
sauteed onions
jalapenos
salt 
black pepper
garlic
cumin
cilantro


Fill a casserole dish with enchiladas.  Cover with a mixture of sour cream and salsa verde (green chili sauce).  Bake about a half hour. Everything is already cooked so it just needs to get good and hot all the way through.

[Hoofhearted]

(08-04-2015, 05:17 PM)fredtoast Wrote: Yep, dark meat tastes better than breast meat.  Also not as dry.

Sometimes I find legquarters (leg and thigh) for like $0.59 a lb.in big family packs and stock up on it.  Chicken freezes better than beef.  the only beef that really freezes well is hamburger.  Steaks just loose all their juice if you freeze then thaw them.

Yeah I never realized the finer points to cooking steak until i started watching grill masters. Cooking a good steak is an art I am trying to master. Freezing them is a non-no. Actually, you want your steak to be as close to room temperature as possible to avoid the heat from sucking as much moisture out of the middle of the steak, thus making it dry. So even refrigerating a steak and cooking it could make it more dry than you would like. 

[fredtoast]

(08-04-2015, 10:29 PM)Hoofhearted Wrote: Yeah I never realized the finer points to cooking steak until i started watching grill masters. Cooking a good steak is an art I am trying to master. Freezing them is a non-no. Actually, you want your steak to be as close to room temperature as possible to avoid the heat from sucking as much moisture out of the middle of the steak, thus making it dry. So even refrigerating a steak and cooking it could make it more dry than you would like. 

My parents have a beef butchered every year and give me a huge pile of frozen meat.  The roasts and hamburger are fine, but the steaks are not that great.  They are not as good as fresh steaks, but I still prefer free frozen to expensive fresh.  

It is actually possible to cook a frozen steak without thawing it.  You just throw it on a hot pan and flip it once. That way it sears in the juices.  But I have never had much luck trying it.  It is not easy at all. The biggest problem is that almost all of the frozen steaks I get have bones in them, and that makes it almost impossible to cook them straight from the freezer.

[Cure4CF]

Tonight was grilled bbq chicken w/ rice a roni and steamed veggies.

[Cure4CF]

(08-04-2015, 11:25 PM)fredtoast Wrote: My parents have a beef butchered every year and give me a huge pile of frozen meat.  The roasts and hamburger are fine, but the steaks are not that great.  They are not as good as fresh steaks, but I still prefer free frozen to expensive fresh.  

It is actually possible to cook a frozen steak without thawing it.  You just throw it on a hot pan and flip it once.  That way it sears in the juices.  But I have never had much luck trying it.  It is not easy at all.  The biggest problem is that almost all of the frozen steaks I get have bones in them, and that makes it almost impossible to cook them straight from the freezer.

I have always wanted to split a cow w/ someone (friends/family) but not sure on the quality of the meat after it's been frozen. I'm more after the steaks/roasts.

[fredtoast]

(08-04-2015, 11:38 PM)Cure4CF Wrote: I have always wanted to split a cow w/ someone (friends/family) but not sure on the quality of the meat after it's been frozen.  I'm more after the steaks/roasts.

The quality varies.  You want a young steer that has been fed in a pen for a couple of months.  If they are out grazing they use their muscles walking around a lot more and the meat is tougher. 

You can get the hamburger super lean, and the roasts always cook up fine.  As I have said the steaks are not quite as good after being frozen, but they are still pretty good if prepared properly.

You need to be feeding a family to eat up half a beef in a year, but it can be really really cheap. Also you can be sure it is not shot up with steroids or antibiotics.

[Stewy]

(08-03-2015, 11:32 PM)fredtoast Wrote: That is what I used to add when i didn't use the chipotle chili powder.

I also like frsh Jalapenos, but I just use a few.  I like to get the flavor without too much heat.  Fresh Jalapenos are not really that hot when you are adding a few to a big pot of chili.  I used to grow and can my own jalapenos.  when I would open a jar I would dump them in a food processor and turn them into paste.  that way I could easily control how much to add.

But my favorite use of jalapenos is on cheese nachos.  And I like the slices for that.

In my chili, I like to cut the end off the Jalapenos and one hobanero and put them whole into the chili from the beginning.  I usually cook my chili over night, so the next day I just remove the peppers and I get all the heat and flavor without the pepper being there.  For 1 gallon of chili 2 jalapenos and 1 hobanero give a nice medium heat.

[BengalHawk62]

I made french toast this weekend.  I have to admit, it was a pretty tasty breakfast.  Even the fiance was super impressed.  Just added a little cinnamon, sugar and a dash of nutmeg in the egg/milk bowl.  

french toast > pancakes

[Beaker]

(08-05-2015, 12:56 PM)BengalHawk62 Wrote: I made french toast this weekend.  I have to admit, it was a pretty tasty breakfast.  Even the fiance was super impressed.  Just added a little cinnamon, sugar and a dash of nutmeg in the egg/milk bowl.  

french toast > pancakes

Try adding some vanilla extract too.

[fredtoast]

(08-05-2015, 12:56 PM)BengalHawk62 Wrote: I made french toast this weekend.  I have to admit, it was a pretty tasty breakfast.  Even the fiance was super impressed.  Just added a little cinnamon, sugar and a dash of nutmeg in the egg/milk bowl.  

french toast > pancakes

(08-05-2015, 12:57 PM)Beaker Wrote: Try adding some vanilla extract too.

My sister used to get the big loaves of Hawaiian Sweet Bread to make French Toast.  She called it Hawaiian Toast and it was delicious.  She always used the bread when it was really fresh and soft.  As far as I know all she added was cinnamon, vanilla, and brown sugar.

The only time I make french toast is when I have bread that is getting stale and I don't want t use for sandwiches.