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Flourless chocolate cake?

  • Jul. 17th, 2009 at 9:01 PM
It's my SO's son's 18th on Sunday (18th birthdays here are kinda like 21st in the States) and I am debating between a baked chocolate cheesecake, a cold white chocolate and raspberry cheesecake or a flourless chocolate cake.
I have recipes for the first two, and I have made the white chocolate cheesecake before (which was easy and yummy) but alas I have no reliable recipe for flourless chocolate cake.
So, two questions:
Does anyone have a good, simple flourless recipe? I've never made one before, but I sure enjoy eating them :D Are they easy to make?
Secondly, I have never made a baked cheesecake, so are they easy to bake? It's tempting to go for a cake I've made before because I know I can do it, but on the other hand I like the idea of trying something new, especially if it's going to be a successful and delicious result.
So, ideas? Feedback? recipes?
Thanks in advance,
Emma x

Jul. 16th, 2009

  • 11:25 PM
What are your favorite cookbooks?

I'm looking for something that covers a lot of different things: baking, main dishes, soups, salads...

I don't have a particular cuisine in mind (anything tasty!) but what cookbooks on your shelf do you love?

Getting rid of lumps in batters

  • Jul. 16th, 2009 at 11:40 PM
You can get rid of lumps in your batters, and add a little flavor as well, by adding poppy seeds to the mix.  The ball-shaped seeds act like a ball mill, battering your batter's lumps while you stir and breaking them up.  When I add a teaspoon of poppy seeds to my waffle mix, I get a smoother batter than without them, and the waffles taste better with seeds in them.  This should work for other batters as well.

Jul. 17th, 2009

  • 11:21 AM
 Any tried and true recipes for a wine punch or sangria? I'm throwing a big bon voyage party tomorrow and want something economical and delicious.

We're also serving lasagna (red with meat, white with veggies), pork and shrimp dumplings, veggie dumplings (garlic, ginger, bean thread noodles, tofu, spinach, carrot, and mushroom), ramen coleslaw (chunks of ramen brick, shredded cabbage and carrot, toasted almonds, Asian vinagerette), taco dip, veggies and hummus, spinach salad with a raspberry vinagerette, and several kinds of dessert. Obviously I don't expect it to go with all of these things but it'd be nice if it matched more than one. Thank you!

Chickeny, bacony dish thing question

  • Jul. 16th, 2009 at 11:06 PM
I'm envisioning a dish tomorrow. It's diced up chicken thighs, potatoes, crumbled bacon, herbs, onions, and garlic, all roasted together in the oven (which I can now use thanks to the AC) in the same baking dish. My only question is, what herbs would you use? I have a decent selection, but they're all dried. I DO have fresh chives I can snip off from my plant, but that's the only fresh herb I have access to. Also, what potato would be best for this? I'm going to the store tomorrow for the most basic of basics, and will have about $3 to spend on potatoes, so I'd like to get the right kind. I plan on cooking the bacon first, tossing the raw chicken, potatoes, onions, and garlic in some bacon grease and herbs, then roasting them, sprinkling the mostly cooked bacon on during the last 5 minutes, just to cut down on the grease a touch.
I'd like to make cookies tonight for a trip I am taking this weekend.

I'd really like a cooky or cookie bar recipe that has chocolate chips and mini-marshmallows.

I do not have any butterscotch or coconut or peanut butter chips or walnuts around.

which it seems are in most of the recipes I am finding online right now.

The dessert needs to be able to hold up to no refrigeration for a few hours while in transit.

Thank you.

Sprucing up a birthday cake

  • Jul. 16th, 2009 at 8:07 PM
I apparently have this thing with birthdays and birthday cakes.  I say this because I'm pretty sure I made this exact same post this time last year.  Anyway, my husband's birthday is tomorrow, and once again, I have planned everything but the cake.  He's used to homemade cakes, whereas in my family we always bought them.  I really like the homemade cake idea, and I like making one, but somehow I just always forget until the last moment.

So, tonight I stopped by the grocery store without a plan and came home with devil's food cake mix (one day I'll try a non-boxed mix, but I'm not brave enough yet), chocolate frosting, chocolate chips, and vanilla pudding mix.  I also have the standard baking supplies: flour, sugar, powdered sugar, baking powder and soda, etc.  I think we also have a small jar of Polaner strawberry jam in the cupboard. 

Sadly, the one thing I am lacking is real butter because we don't eat it and the cake mix I bought didn't call for it. 

So I can make a chocolate cake with chocolate frosting and it will be fine...but it feels boring.  I've only ever made a couple of cakes in my life though, so I don't know what works and what doesn't.  What would you do?

(if I get really desperate, I can probably sneak out to the store tomorrow morning while he is in bed, but I'd rather not, if possible)

Birthday dinner, steak and sauce.

  • Jul. 16th, 2009 at 2:37 PM
About a year ago I ran across a recipe. I am usually never able to make recipes because of the cost of all the ingredients (I usually only have butter, salt, pepper and one kind of Ms Dash). I was enthralled with the idea of it. Its a cream and Port wine sauce, for New York Steak strip. Luckily my birthday is coming up and Id like to do this recipe, but I cannot find it for the life of me. I know last time I made it, I didnt use the chicken broth, I only used salt, cream (was it heavy cream??), and the wine itself. Turned out SO deliciously sweet and thick with the wonderful taste of the steak.

My question is, I cannot find the recipe, though I know what to use, but I just need measurement and how to boil the wine and cream down to a thick sauce.


What would you serve with this dish?
I made a spicy Spinach dip (spinach, cottage cheese, mayo, lemon juice, jalapeno pepper) to dip with tortilla chips. It's great however there's a lot of it.

Could I use it in my crock pot with some chicken?

Thanks!

Using up lots of flour (but for one person)

  • Jul. 16th, 2009 at 2:14 PM
I'm moving in about six weeks, and I'm trying to use up various ingredients so I don't have to haul 'em to my next apartment (or spend money on food, for that matter).  I have an absurd amount (at least 5 lbs of each) of whole wheat and unbleached white flours.  I'm only one person.  I could just make a lot of bread to give away, but that defeats the purpose of feeding myself with it.  :-)  Plus, the bags are in bulk from the co-op, so giving it to a food shelf isn't an option.

I have been making whole-wheat pancakes frequently to eat for breakfast or dinner (whenever I'm actually home), so please no pancake recipes.  I don't have a pasta machine, and I haven't made pasta in a long time, but I'm not opposed to a pasta recipe that uses some whole wheat flour.

Thanks in advance, y'all.  I'm not much of a baker, so this problem has me stumped.

Dishes that freeze well?

  • Jul. 16th, 2009 at 6:26 PM
I'm going to do some cooking for a friend who's about to have a baby. Any suggestions of meals to make for them that freeze well? Casseroles are especially amazing because the whole meal is in one dish. Recipes are appreciated!


Thanks!

macaroons/macarons?

  • Jul. 16th, 2009 at 10:40 AM
Is there a reason/history why macaroons are the coconut things and macarons are the meringue flying saucer looking cookies? i've been trying to look up why (sometimes) theyre both called "macaroons" and sometimes the latter is called "macarons" ... any thoughts?

Tomato Bisque and Crockpots

  • Jul. 16th, 2009 at 12:30 PM
Hello all,
Two quick questions! Thanks in advance :)

-Campbell's used to make this really great tomato bisque in their soup-in-a-box premium line, but I haven't been able to find it lately. The only thing comparable is the Private Selection tomato bisque and I don't really fancy paying 3 dollars a bowl. I've been looking for recipes, but all of them are somehow off in some way or another (strange spices like mint, etc). I'd like to find one that 1. has italian-style flavorings, especially with garlic and cheese (parmesan especially) 2. can be adapted to be relatively low-fat. I realize bisque = cream, but can light cream be sub'ed for heavy? Could I try a trick like substituting half the cream for puree'd cauliflower? Bonus points if the recipe is vegetarian, too, so that I can feed it to my sister while she is fasting.

-I'm in the market for a crockpot and some good crockpot cooking books/recipes. I'll be cooking instead of going on the meal plan at college, so something with a lot of safety features to appease the RAs would be great, as well as a timer that's easy to use so I can let it cook while I am at class. Any reccomendations? What brands should I avoid and which should I look to?

Thank you again! :)

Almond chicken and mango sauce?

  • Jul. 15th, 2009 at 11:20 PM
I have this crazy idea, please tell me if you see alarming flaws in it:

Pulverize almonds in blender.
Roll chicken breasts/pieces in beaten egg and then pulverized almonds.
Fry.

Pulp delicious sweet mango.
Heat mango in sauce pan, aiming for a little caramelizing.

Restrictions: no spicy allowed at all in the least (roomies, boo!) and using only what's at home (no coconut milk, double boo!).

I'm also going to go hunting for mango sauces and almond chicken recipes of course. But in case I stick with my simple plan I need your expert eyes.

EDIT:
* Add a little flour in with almond powder. Maybe some minced cilantro.
* Make a plain unsalted roux for mango. Add sugar and lime juice to mango. Ginger if I find some.

Ideas?

  • Jul. 15th, 2009 at 5:01 PM
I made a corn pudding/scalloped corn the other day and it turned out horribly (not firm enough, too salty)...I have a bunch left and I'm hoping I can turn it into something else...any ideas? Maybe a casserole of some sort? I don't want to waste it.

Here's the recipe for the original-

2 cans of creamed corn
1 can whole kernel corn (or 1 can worth of frozen corn)
2 eggs (or two eggs worth of egg replacer and some cornstarch if Nathan thinks he'll eat it)
4-5 oz of cheddar cheese, shredded
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 package Ritz crackers for topping.
1/2 stick butter

Pour corn in bowl; add eggs, cheese, baking powder, salt, and pepper. Stir all ingredients lightly. Crush crackers and add butter till crumbly. Put corn mixture in casserole dish and sprinkle cracker mixture on top and bake at 350* for 20 minutes or until crumbs are golden brown. Cool for 20 minutes.



Homemade Salad Dressing

  • Jul. 15th, 2009 at 7:19 PM
Do you make your own or invent your own salad dressing? Is there a dressing recipe that has been passed down through the years in your family? What is your favorite thing(s) to put on or add to salad?

Tonight I made a Dijon Apricot Mop sauce on herbed thick cut pork chops. I made a side of rice and a salad. I decided to make a salad dressing I hadn't tasted in years (my mom used to make it when I was little and I LOOOOOOVED it!) I don't have any measurements, but I can give you a guess of how much I put in for a small (1-2 servings) batch.

2-3 Tablespoons of Light Miracle Whip
1-2 teaspoons of sugar
A splash of cider vinegar. Stir until the right consistency. I would tinker with the amounts to make the consistency and flavor you are wishing for as I guessed at how much I used. Since I made it alot when I was younger and watched my mom alot, I have the general idea of measurements in my head...(a squirt, a splash, and sprinkle) which is how I've cooked alot of things my mom has passed down.

Please share YOUR favorites!

Mystery sauce

  • Jul. 15th, 2009 at 11:10 PM
So there is this restaurant my friends and I like, and the owner makes this... stuff. It is good Stuff, and I would like to know what it is and how to make it, but he refuses to say what's in it. Tonight I managed to get him to tell me the name of it, but his accent made it hard to understand. At first I thought he was saying "chickena", but later there was a letter L in there, like "chikla".

It's very liquidy, with lots of herbs and spices that settle to the bottom so you have to shake the bottle to get the stuff out. It's a little spicy, enough that it makes me sniffle a lot while I eat it. It's green, due to all the herbs and stuff. It's very flavorful and very good.

Does anyone know what this is? I can't even google it because I have no idea how to spell it. How is the name actually spelled? Better yet, does anyone have a recipe that is good?

Barley vs Wheat

  • Jul. 15th, 2009 at 5:54 PM
I want to make this recipe for chilli chicken wings with wheat passed on by [info]yummyfoodies here. Except, I want to use chicken legs instead of wings (which I don't anticipate being any issue, but please let me know if you see any issues with that), and I want to use pearl barley instead of wheat (because it's more readily available to me). But I don't know how to adjust the directions for the grain change, as I'm not all that versed in barley, and I don't know anything about wheat at all.

I've googled, and discovered I probably won't need as much barley as wheat, perhaps; I've also learned that soaking pearl barley is unnecessary. Everything I've found about how to cook barley (of any sort) focuses on stovetop methods, so I don't know if I can just put the not-pre-soaked pearl barley in the dish with the chicken and the same proportion of liquid (looks like about 1.5 cups liquid to 2 cups wheat (1/4 cup soy sauce, 1/4 cup sweet chilli sauce [half the marinade], and about a can of crushed tomatoes, presumably with their juice). Just about everything I've found on cooking pearl barley on the stovetop suggests one needs 3 parts liquid to 1 part pearl barley, but I don't know if that changes in the oven.

Help?

Gluten-free

  • Jul. 15th, 2009 at 10:00 AM
Does anyone have any experience with the Whole Foods 365 Gluten-free Muffin Mix? Pretty specific, I know, but I'm hoping to use it to make a peach cobbler. What I'm wondering is should I do the cake/bread part as a top or a bottom. Growing up, we always had it on top and I think I prefer it that way. /though I'm willing to experiment. Does how well the muffin mix rises make a difference in where it should go? I was thinking if it didn't really rise well it should go on the top for sure. What are your thoughts? Please and thank you. :)

Jul. 15th, 2009

  • 6:30 PM
Frozen butternut squash is a very. very poor substiute for its whole cousin.
It isn't even that much quicker to prepare considering that the microwave can cook a halved butternut squash in less than 10 minutes perfectly well.

Not impressed.

Iron Chef: Total Elimination Diet Edition

  • Jul. 15th, 2009 at 3:06 PM
Hello cooks!

Here is your challenge: you must make 3 delicious meals a day, plus snacks, for 3 weeks using ONLY the following ingredients:

Brown rice, brown rice cereal, brown rice cakes
rice milk, almond milk
almonds, walnuts, sunflower seeds, almond butter, pumpkin seeds (all raw)
chicken, turkey (skinless, poach, broil or grill)
lamb
salmon
apples, pears, blueberries
swiss chard, lettuce, cucumber, carrots, beets, celery, onion, spinach, kale
turnips, yams, butternut squash, radishes
olive oil, garlic, apple cider vinegar, fresh herbs, sea salt, cayenne pepper

YOU MUST NOT USE ANY ADDITIONAL INGREDIENTS. None, none, none!

What delicious meals and snacks do you concoct?

I'm really serious about the additional ingredients, I'm doing an elimination diet to figure out what food allergies/sensitivities I have. I'm feeling particularly stumped around things like sauces and flavourings. Quick and easy options are particularly appealing!

You will be disqualified from the competition if you include a recipe that is dripping in (say) cheese and say, "just omit the cheese." Plus, it will probably make me cry!

BONUS POINTS: What would you choose as your first ingredient to re-introduce after three weeks?

xposted to [info]hip_domestics 

pork loin

  • Jul. 15th, 2009 at 9:32 AM
I posted a while back regarding what to do with a pork loin. I checked the memories, and was unable to find the recipe for the glaze that someone suggested. I do remember that 2 of the ingredients were pancake syrup and ketchup. It was delicious, and I would like to make it this way again tonight. If anyone has any clue what I'm talking about, and could share the recipe, I would greatly appreciate it. Thanks in advance :)

Jul. 13th, 2009

  • 7:17 PM
My herb garden has a ton of chives (garlic and onion kinds). Can I successfully freeze these?

I think that part of why I have so many this year is that they never quite died from last year. It's an outdoor herb garden and somehow the dirt must not have frozen too hard or got too cold under the snow so I had chives shooting up for most of the winter too...

Jul. 13th, 2009

  • 7:15 PM
So I have a large pack of chicken drumsticks. Usually, I would just roast them or something, but my oven isn't working. I do have a crockpot, but most recipes I see require some type of sauce (barbecue, pasta, etc) and I don't have any sauce nor do I have the money to buy any. Pretty much, I'm dirt poor at moment and whatever I have now in my kitchen is what I'm stuck with. This basically means spices. Dried spices. No soups, no broths, no nothing.

So any ideas on how to cook up these babies so I can have something delicious to eat for a few days? I'm at my wits' end and I'm so hungry I tempted to eat them raw.

Sterelizing Jars for canning

  • Jul. 13th, 2009 at 11:20 PM
I have a question that I hope somebody can answer. I know the traditional way of sterilizing canning stuff is to boil them for 10 minutes or so. Why can't I place the stuff in a preheated oven at 225 for the same amount of time?

Delicious Indonesian Style Chicken Salad

  • Jul. 14th, 2009 at 1:24 AM
I opened my email today to find a message from my husband (who was at work).  It said, "[My coworker] made an amazing chicken salad. Can you make this tonight?!?!? MMMMM MMMM" with a link to this New York Times article.  I made it because, how can you resist that?
It has a LOT of ingredients and the only things I had on hand were the chicken breasts and fish sauce, but it was very much worth a trip to the store.  Here goes:

For the salad:
1 whole chicken breast or 2 boneless skinless breasts, poached and shredded (about 4 c. shredded chicken) - I used 2 boneless, skinless breasts and poached them in chicken broth.  They were so tasty, I didn't even salt and pepper them when they were done.
Salt and freshly ground pepper - Like I mentioned, I didn't use them
1 bunch scallions, white part and green, thinly sliced
1/4 c. slivered fresh mint leaves
1/4 c. chopped cilantro
1 small red bell pepper, cut in thin strips
1 serrano pepper, finally chopped (seeded if desired) - I seeded it halfway, which was on the mild side of medium
2 c. mung bean sprouts or sunflower sprouts - I used mung bean sprouts
1 romaine lettuce heart, leaves separated, washed and dried
1/4 c. chopped roasted peanuts

For the dressing:
1/4 c. freshly squeezed lime juice (about 1 1/2 - 2 limes)
2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh ginger
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tbsp Southeast Asian fish sauce
Pinch of cayenne
2 tbsp crunchy or smooth natural peanut butter (more to taste) - I used creamy and didn't add any more than the 2 tablespoons
1/3 c. buttermilk

Directions:
1. Place the chicken in a large bowl, and season with salt and pepper. Add the white part of the scallions, the mint, cilantro, red pepper, minced chile pepper and sprouts. Toss together.
2. Combine the lime juice, ginger, garlic, fish sauce and cayenne. Stir together. Add the peanut butter, and combine well. Whisk in the buttermilk. Taste and adjust seasonings.
3. Line a platter with the lettuce leaves. Toss the chicken mixture with the dressing, and arrange over the lettuce. Sprinkle the peanuts and the scallion greens over the top, and serve.

Serves 4-6

Here's a picture of what I ended up with.  The light is bad, but the food was great.  Served with purple Jasmine rice and fresh mango. 



Enjoy!

Fair Food

  • Jul. 14th, 2009 at 8:19 PM
My bf recently went to a town festival near Chicago and told me about two dishes he sampled that he wants to replicate. The first one seems fairly easy, it's simply shrimp wrapped in bacon, but I've never really cooked with shrimp before, nor do I normally wrap meat in bacon. So if anyone could give any pointers on that dish, that'd be great.

The second one was "corned beef bites". He described it as "The bites looked like hush puppies, but when you bit into them you got an explosion of corned beef and cream cheese from within." I definitely don't know how to make those.

Any help would be greatly appreciated :D Thanks!

Took threefresh yellow cubanelle (california chilies) washed them thoroughly and placed them in the pot of water destined to hold spaghetti. When water came to a boil salted it well.  Left the chilies in the water for about 5 minutes.
Took the chilies out of the water when they were soft and the very thin skin was easy to peel.  Seeded and peeled, and smashed chilies with a fork and set them aside.
Took 4 red-ripe-medium-sized tomatoes made a small X in the bottom of each and placed them in the spaghetti water for a few seconds.
Removed tomatoes, skinned, removed stem/core, did a rough dice then added peeled, smashed chilies to the tomatoes.
Placed spaghetti in pot to cook for required time.
Made a small amount of fresh garlic oil by pressing a clove of garlic into a couple of tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil, and slowly heating until it simmered.  Drained oil into small container and set golden brown garlic aside.
Diced a very sweet yellow onion and added to tomato/chili mixture and stirred all thoroughly.
Removed a small amount of the tomato mixture (salsa) to toss with the cooked spaghetti.
Drained spaghetti and immediately tossed with a little of the garlic oil.
Added drained reserved mixture to the spaghetti and half of it and tossed well, considered some grated cheese, but declined.
Put remaining salsa in a glass jar with a tight fitting lid and refrigerated.
Next day at lunch dumped some extra virgin olive oil along with a dab of butter into a small frypan and fried the spaghetti to a browned crisp cake.
Took some left over salsa, trying to get a good mix of the tomatoes, chilies, and onions, along with enought of the juice to act as a light dressing for the mix, a can of drained/rinsed Progresso black beans, 2 ears of cooked corn left over from the four ears I cooked at lunch, cut the corn off of these ears and added to bean/salsa mix.  Chopped a bunch of green onions and added to mix.
Cubanelle peppers are not very hot, at least for the number I used in ratio to tomatoes so added a bit of pickled-diced jalapenos and mixed in with the rest of the ingredients. 
Seasoned with additional kosher salt.
 Ate some immediately, stored remainder in refrigerator.
Very light and very delicious
Lessons learned.  This mix loses its fresh feel and taste wthen refrigerated and stored over night.
Remainder of salsa was used to make Huevos Rancheros the next morning for breakfast.
 

This month's Challenge was hosted by Sketchy, of Sketchy's Kitchen. And it's a doozy.

In fact, when I first read what the Challenge was, my reaction was holy shit. It took a few weeks to get around to doing this Challenge. It was actually about 2 weeks before the reveal date that I even started on aspects of this one. Unusual for me, to say the least.

The main issue was trying to find actual Skate. That turned out to be impossible here. So I went with 'Previous Frozen fresh Cod, wild caught'- an oxymoron if you ask me. How can it be fresh if it was previously frozen? Hmmm.. Anyway...



As with any Challenge or baking/cooking excursion, I gather everything I think I'm going to need... and then some. And it took 2 days.

Onward, with a guest appearence! )

Jul. 14th, 2009

  • 2:06 PM
i have a recipe to make chocolate covered strawberries and it says to use a double boiler, but i dont have one. could i use anything in place of one?

Cheese me!

  • Jul. 14th, 2009 at 1:48 PM
I went to a potluck and brought cheese, but the potluck kind of failed and we got pizza, so. Now I have a small log of herbed chevre, a .40 lb/181 gram wedge of "Italian truffle cheese" (I don't know; it's from Trader Joe's and appears to be a white cheese of medium firmness), and a .40 lb/181 gram wedge of Dutch gouda with walnuts.

Other than just eating the two wedges, do you have any ideas for cooking with them?

Thanks!

EDIT: Okay, the chevre I can think of lots of things to do with because I've bought it before (I'll probably put it in an omelet, actually)--it's the other two that I'm not sure how to cook with. And yes, the walnuts are IN the gouda! :o Thanks again!

Bastille Day Roasted Garlic Aioli

  • Jul. 14th, 2009 at 5:46 PM
In honor of today being France's Bastille Day (like the American July 4th) I've posted one of my favorite French meals. Here's a piece of that, my roasted garlic aioli. It's great used as below but also wonderful with beef or lobster or even in place of regular mayo in a salad dressing or on a sandwich.

Enjoy!

Gorey's Roasted Garlic Aioli

1 head garlic, whole and unpeeled
1 egg yolk
1 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
1/2 tsp. Kosher salt
pinch of black pepper
1/2 c. plus 1 tbsp. olive oil
1/2 c. Canola or vegetable oil

Preheat oven to 350-degrees F.

Place the head of garlic on a square of foil large enough to wrap around it. Drizzle the 1 tbsp. olive oil over the garlic head and rub it around to coat the garlic fully with oil. Wrap the foil, loosely, around the head and place in the oven. Bake about 45 minutes or until the garlic inside is soft. Unwrap and allow to cool (you can even roast the garlic the day before).

When the garlic is cool to the touch, cut the entire head in half - across or horizontally - to expose the golden gems inside. You can hold the cut side above a bowl and squeeze gently to pop each half-clove out. You can also use a small spoon to scoop them out.

There you have roasted garlic, a lovely accompaniment to many things but we will transform it further - into aioli. Aioli is essentially homemade garlic mayonnaise. I roast my garlic because it is less intense and slightly nutty. The traditional French method uses raw garlic. I prefer the roasted but if you are a traditionalist, use 2 tsp. grated or finely chopped raw in place of my mellow bulbs.

On with the aioli:
Place all your roasted garlic, the lemon juice, salt, egg yolk and pepper in a food processor or blender.

Switch your appliance's speed on medium and, using the opening in the lid, drizzle the oil in slowly. I use a measuring cup with a spout to make this easy. Just a thin strand of oil constantly flowing in & you'll see it emusify or turn from oil into what looks like - and is - mayo.

This could take a little patience but it is worth it. When you've slowly drizzled in all the oil, switch off the machine. Transfer the aioli to a bowl for immediate service or, if making more than a few minutes ahead, refrigerate it until you're ready to eat.

Makes about one cup; enough for 6-8 people. 

Jul. 14th, 2009

  • 4:51 PM
Hey everyone,

I got a pint of wild black raspberries from the farmers market and i have no idea what to do with them. I want to bake but i cant find any recipes that look good!

Wild Mushroom Agnolotti

  • Jul. 14th, 2009 at 10:36 PM
I have never taken pictures of my food before. But I picked up some of that new Wild Mushroom Agnolotti by Buitoni and this is what I made. (I was feeling fancy that day, hehehehe)


It was really simple and yummy.

Cook the pasta according to the directions reserving about 1/4 c of the pasta water. Just leave the drained pasta in the pot.

 Saute  in 1 tbl of butter,  2 cloves of chopped  garlic for a few mins and add 8 oz of sliced fresh mushrooms and cook until the butter is gone.  Then add some cooking Sherry (cause I had no good wine on hand ;-) ) and deglazed the pan. Add about 1 sm roughly chopped zucchini, some more sherry, the pasta water, salt, pepper to taste and then cook until all the liquid is gone and the mushrooms are nice and golden. Then add some hot pepper flakes. (Again to taste)

To the pasta I added about 2-3 tbl of olive oil, fresh chopped basil, oregano and parley and tossed together. Put on low heat for a few mins to re heat the pasta a bit and help the herbs release their oils.

Then just plate up, add the muchroom mixture and some Parm/Romano cheese. The left overs were really good. I hope this is clear, my recipe writing skills leave alot to be desired...cause I am always cooking outta my head....and that is a messy place!

 

Freeze salsa?

  • Jul. 13th, 2009 at 2:44 PM
Hubby and I love salsa (actually I believe it would technically be called Pico de Gallo the way we make it*). In summertime, our Farmer's markets are overloaded with beautiful ripe to overripe tomatoes at great prices. I'd love to be able to make a big bunch to set aside for the long, dark times when fresh tomatoes are pieces of red plastic. I have thought about canning but that requires special equipment and knowledge. A few weeks ago thanks to Craigslist we acquired an upright freezer which I'm already planning on stocking with plenty of strawberries, peaches and nectarines (our faves). So I had the idea that maybe I could just freeze our home made salsa. Sure, I know the texture would change some but it should still taste good, right?

So I ask you:
Have you done this before?
Did you do anything special?
How did it turn out?

*our real simple recipe:
chopped tomatoes
chopped red onion or sweet onion
garlic (sometimes, and sometimes roasted)
cilantro
jalapeno
salt

Mix, adjust to taste and serve.

Chicken Thighs?

  • Jul. 13th, 2009 at 4:44 PM
I have a whole bunch of frozen chicken thighs to use up before we move in a few weeks. I got them originally because they were on sale and I thought I could use them in a stir fry. This was a mistake. The texture and taste threw the whole thing off. Now I'm paranoid to try them again. What would you suggest I try with them? They're boneless (in theory, still get lots of little bone shards which is annoying) and skinless. Any recipe that isn't chicken soup would be appreciated. It's not that I don't like chicken soup, but it's really time consuming and tends to turn the kitchen into an inferno in the summer.

nom nom nom

  • Jul. 13th, 2009 at 1:35 PM
Hi everyone! I'm new here and thought I should share this Summer recipe to say hello!

Some of you might recognize it from the latest issue of the LCBO Food & Drink magazine.

Photobucket

CHUNKY CUCUMBER, WATERMELON & FETA SALAD



1/2 English cucumber
1 seedless watermelon wedge, 10 to 12 cm (4 to 5 inches) wide
1 TBSP (15ml) red wine vinegar
1 small clove of garlic
3 TBSP (45ml) olive oil
1/4 tsp (1ml) each salt and pepper
1/4 cup (50ml) shredded mint leaves
1/3 cup (75ml) crumbled feta cheese (optional)

STEP 1

There is no need to seed or peel the cucumber. Slice cucumber lenghwise then again lengthwise. Finally cut crosswise into chunks, about 2.5cm (1 inch) in size. Cut watermelon into the same size chunks as cucumber. Place both in a large bowl and toss.

STEP 2

Whisk vinegar with garlic, oil, salt and pepper. Drizzle over watermelon mixture and stir. Add mint and feta and gently toss. Tumble onto a platter and serve at room temperature.

Enjoy!

Tomato, Mozzerlla Salad

  • Jul. 13th, 2009 at 10:17 AM
Hi-
I am going to an outdoor concert this weekend and we are bringing dinner to eat there. I volunteered to make a tomato, mozzerella, basil salad.
I was wondering if anyone had good recipies? Also, I would like one that can travel easily. I will have a cooler in the car, but it will be made about 12 hours before it is eaten, so it has to be able to sit in the fridge/cooler for a while with out getting bad.

Thanks!

Question about defrosting.

  • Jul. 13th, 2009 at 2:04 PM
Hello, sorry if this a silly question, but what is the best way for me to defrost a small piece of beef which i want to use in a stew tomorrow.
Should I leave it on a plate in the fridge overnight?
Defrost it in the microwave?
Help? I know it might be a very basic question, but I'm a novice cook & want to get it right.

Thank you. :)

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