Got A Great Recipe To Share???? (FOOD)

[davidsson10]

For those of you with kids who refuse to eat their vegetables: give 'em a reason!

https://www.notquitenigella.com/2017/08/08/rocket-arugula-cheese-scones/

A life-long appetite for a vegetable-heavy diet is the best gift you can give them....or yourself (I should know...).

"Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants." - Michael Pollan

[janice shell]

He is indeed. But damn, I forgot what board I was posting on... Need to go to sleep.

[arizona1]

I'm sure Pete will have another important cabinet position in the Harris administration, He's a gifted speaker.

[janice shell]

Pete Buttigieg...

Pete Buttigieg is one of the smartest and most capable political communicators on the planet. This is extremely insightful on Trump. pic.twitter.com/4uoPedcmNk

— Brendan May (@bmay) September 13, 2024

[janice shell]

That's what thermometer are for. As I said, I used to follow my mother's 20 minutes per pound rule. That's not crazy, for a big turkey. (But then when it was done, according to the rule, my mother would decide it needed "just another half hour" to be sure. So it ended up dry.

[arizona1]

Yeah, grilling can be scary especially if you don't have a good grill with an even temperature. Thankfully, my husband does a good job. I would probably be cutting into it every five minutes to see if it was done.

[janice shell]

It's really easy. I'd be terrified if I had to make something on a grill. I'm sure I'd totally screw it up. And while I know how I like my steak--rare--I know others do not share my preference, and have no idea how to accommodate everyone.

Thanksgiving turkey is EASY. Really. I think they should be stuffed. With TONS of extra stuffing!! Far as I'm concerned, the stuffing is the whole point of the meal.

I used to do a Thanksgiving dinner for friends when I lived in Italy. Italian friends. I had to wait till early December, because butchers didn't sell turkeys till then. One year, I'd invited people for dinner on Saturday. My friend Gloria agreed to go shopping with me. But before we did that, we stopped by Coin, a local department store--and a really good one--where I ended up buying a bunch of Christmas tree ornaments and more. Not only did I have to make the meal; I also had to decorate the tree. Fortunately, it was pretty small.

So by the time Gloria and I got back to my apartment, it was past five. She left. Would have stayed, but she didn't cook. So I started my Thanksgiving dinner. And it was easy. Okay, we didn't eat till after nine, but that's fine. In Europe...

[arizona1]

I was really nervous and I lost all confidence. I googled a recipe but should have just gone with my instincts. I'm going to try again this year and I vow to be better.

[janice shell]

Oh dear. But turkey is really easy. All you need is a thermometer. I have one with a probe you stick in the right place in the bird. It's attached to a wire that comes out of the oven and feeds into a magnetized monitor. So you can stick it onto the front of the oven or wherever. And when it's done--you can set the desired temperature--it beeps.

The first time I used it--with a 12 pound turkey--it was done MUCH faster than I expected. And the turkey was perfect. My mother's old advice--20 minutes a pound--was just... wrong.

[arizona1]

I haven't eaten meat in decades. But I attempted a turkey last thanksgiving and I think it was undercooked.

[janice shell]

Oh that is SO SAD. And to compound the problem, you've probably never had a cheese steak. Just fabulously good. But outside the Philly area, they're horrible.

[arizona1]

I've never had a hoagie.

[janice shell]

lol, I'm a Philly person. Whole wheat is inappropriate for hoagies. And far as I'm concerned, for anything. I just don't like whole wheat bread.

[arizona1]

There's something about the combination of mayo, oil and vinegar with the salt and pepper, I find addicting. And I like the whole wheat bread.

[janice shell]

Now that is hilarious! There've been several Subways around here, but they all failed. I think because we have hoagies.

I haven't frequented a Subway in ten years, but the las time I did, the fillings were fine. But the bread was genuinely terrible. A deal breaker.

[arizona1]

I ♥️ watercress. It's the perfect salad veggie for me. And watercress soup is so yummy. Now I'm going to have to dig out some old recipes for it, or better still, just google a new one. Just your mention of it, has sparked a craving for watercress soup even though it's 110 degrees where I live. I was visiting with my kids in Vail, CO I couple of weeks ago. I got a massive craving for a veggie Subway sandwich. All four days I was there, that's all I wanted. I never got it! 😭 As soon as my husband picked me up at the airport, I made him stop at a Subway to order one. The fix wasn't in, I had to get another one the next day. That's how I now feel about watercress soup. I can't wait to go to the supermarket tomorrow.

[janice shell]

But--and I don't usually eat sweets--you could keep it in the fridge and just indulge whenever you want. I think it'd be pretty fabulous.

However, if health is a goal...

The CDC Declared This Vegetable to Be the Healthiest — and it Just May Surprise You
It's also super easy to prepare.



https://www.foodandwine.com/watercress-health-benefits-8710408?hid=fad5c526ddce274b179d9d966a74cb9d69b23514&did=14491344-20240913&utm_campaign=faw-top10_newsletter&utm_source=faw&utm_medium=email&utm_content=091324&lctg=fad5c526ddce274b179d9d966a74cb9d69b23514&lr_input=aefeb373510efb98d7a8451c2d58a49ba275040c17bf3c0b66e2567b82c1507d

[arizona1]

Definitely looks delicious but way too complicated. When I go to Trader Joe's and buy their chocolate chip cookies, I break them up into little pieces, freeze them and just nibble on them for about a week. Just enough to get my sugar fix. But I have weird eating habits so no one should take my advice.

[janice shell]

LOLOLOLOL!!

[Flobewan]

Well, duh. Pre boil your water, LOLOL

[janice shell]

But... You don't boil water in a Dutch oven. You make stews and chili and stuff in it. Stock pots, which you do boil stuff in, are fairly light.

I needed pots and pans when I moved back here; the ones I'd had in Italy were old and never very good to begin with. I wish I'd known about All-Clad back then, before the Food Network made their stuff famous and expensive.

[BullNBear52]

Yes. My edition is dated 1975. I cooked a port loin last week and I had to refer to it for cooking times and temps.

[BullNBear52]

My next kitchen will have one of those fancy spigots over the stove so I can fill the pot.

[davidsson10]

I'm not surprised; I have been somewhat aware of the inventiveness that blossomed among American kitchens, garages, and factories during those trying years. Necessity can truly be the mother of invention.

[janice shell]

I would guess because of. A lot of women had to learn to cook. And in a way, Rombauer wrote it because of how the Depression had affected her; her husband had committed suicide. Apparently that wasn't directly caused by the crash--he'd had depressive episodes in the past--but Irma was left in straitened circumstances, and so decided to write a cookbook.

She sounds like an interesting person:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irma_S._Rombauer

[davidsson10]

In spite of, or because of, the Great Depression?

[janice shell]

Yes, Irma Rombauer self-published a few hundred copies. Then a few years later it was picked up by a real publisher.

[janice shell]

Thanks. That makes me wonder if perhaps my Pyrex bowl--which had been my mother's; she gave it to me when I moved to my first apartment--had some micro cracks. It exploded on the stovetop, though I don't remember the sequence of events clearly.

Her story of the exploding chicken sounds awful. WHAT a mess!

[davidsson10]

And first published in 1931, I believe?

[janice shell]

Joy of Cooking's been published continuously since 1936.

[davidsson10]

They would be. A nice conclusion to a savory meal.

[davidsson10]

https://www.simplyrecipes.com/why-does-pyrex-explode-anyway-7112346

[janice shell]

We did buy a couple of Cuisinart pots but they are heavy as heck.

Heavy is good. More even heat distribution.

[janice shell]

I love shortbread, though I've never made it. And since I've had diabetes, I avoid desserts.

I agree: one doesn't need to gild the lily. But those caramel-chocolate thingies look as if they'd be pretty delicious if kept in the refrigerator...

[janice shell]

When I was just learning to cook, I broke a Pyrex bowl making caramel custard. It was my fault. But what a mess! And I've never felt comfortable with Pyrex since.

[davidsson10]

Ha! Believe it or not, Joy of Cooking is my #1 recommendation for cooks at any level. Truly the "Swiss Army knife" of cookbooks targeted at the home cook. It's been around, I don't know, just about forever? A true all-purpose classic that everyone should have, and use.

There was also an even older cookbook that found its way into various kitchens that I've worked in, which similarly focuses on American cooking: The Fannie Farmer Cookbook. I confess, though, that I've not explored that one very much.

[BullNBear52]

I grew up with my dad in the restaurant business and the one thing I learned was cooking pots, pans and sauce pans had to be utilitarian. They suffer from years of abuse by cooks and then pot wallopers who had their own section in a kitchen and had to keep a steady supply of pots and pans to the cooks.

My go to cookbook has always been the Joy of Cooking but I found the one you mentioned interesting since I like French cuisine.

[davidsson10]

Those are all good choices; there's no reason a kitchen has to be complicated.

[BullNBear52]

If it lasts 8 times your lifespan you're supposed to leave it in your will to someone young.

We have a mixed marriage of Paul Revere and Betty Crocker pots and pans with Corning bakeware. We did buy a couple of Cuisinart pots but they are heavy as heck.

We had a Paul Revere tea kettle and when I tried to replace it the company was closed.

I've used the Lodge dutch oven once and I found my Instant Pot does everything the dutch oven will do and more with it's multiple settings.

[davidsson10]

Ah, yes....pastries: my weakness. But in the case of shortbread, it doesn't need the frosting to be deliciously complete. It's deceptively simple: flour, butter, sugar. The magic comes from the ratio of these 3 ingredients, as well as product quality and technique. I used to routinely make shortbread - in round cookie form - for afternoon tea in one of my restaurants, and it was always a crowd pleaser. To my palate, adding frosting to shortbread makes it a bit too sweet, not permitting the unique shortbread flavor to shine through the way it was originally meant to. On the other hand, shortbread is a good enough base for the caramel and chocolate, so why not (other flavors can be added to the dough, such as vanilla, lemon, cardamom, and on and on)? Some pastry hounds are content with the basic shortbread experience, some prefer a little "dressing up."

Remember this show? I used to watch it - and loved it! https://thegreatbritishbakeoff.co.uk/

[davidsson10]

I absolutely adore my Pyrex.

[janice shell]

Here's a very strange one:

Easy Small Nemesis Chocolate Cake Recipe | Cook the Book



https://www.seriouseats.com/easy-small-nemesis-chocolate-cake-recipe

[janice shell]

Now... THIS!!!

How to Make Millionaire's Shortbread, the Easy British Dessert That Tastes Incredibly Luxe
With layers of tender shortbread, rich caramel, and dark chocolate, millionaire’s shortbread is a luxurious confection worth making at home.



https://www.seriouseats.com/millionaires-shortbread-recipe-8709817?hid=fad5c526ddce274b179d9d966a74cb9d69b23514&did=14467820-20240912&utm_source=seriouseats&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=seriouseats_newsletter&utm_content=091224&lctg=fad5c526ddce274b179d9d966a74cb9d69b23514&lr_input=aefeb373510efb98d7a8451c2d58a49ba275040c17bf3c0b66e2567b82c1507d