Watch'ya got cookin' 2014

Sally--

I had to read your comment (re my ribs) 3 times before i "got it"....

My company of 4 days just left this AM. It was nice.

I all ALL yours---again......
I may take down ALL my Cookbooks from the LR coat closet (shelf on top)
and see just what I have there...
I need to stand them all up again so I can pull one out if needed.
As it is now--they are a mess--all slanted with heavy books on top.

I think I have the same affliction as some listed above...cookbookaholic....

OK! Need to strip the beds and do laundry.....Fun...fun;;;fun......:o
G.

I use butter also and olive oil. Got a chuckle out of this conversation. Kinda like gardening, if it doesn't work there, dig it up and replant. So, next time cooking, try it differently. Now, baking, is different. Precise measurements are needed. Just took a rustic apple tart out of the oven. I DO use refrigerated crusts. I have made them from scratch years ago, but find the premade ones work just fine for me. I usually rotate between chicken, pork tenderloin(on sale), ground turkey. We have tended to steer away from beef since '98 when my folks moved in with us. I will use it occasionally.

Tonight it will be pork and roasted sweet potatoes and cauliflower. Maybe instead of applesauce I'll put a piece of the pie on the plate. Sounds good to me!!! Oohhh with a piece of cheddar cheese. YUM!!!!

The prices on beef lately are high enough I hardly buy any and I'm dying for a Yankee pot roast. I did however grab a discounted package of shoulder steaks for a soup. I sauteed the beef with onions, thyme, coriander, salt and pepper in EVO and added a cup of red wine. I set the finished meat aside and made a rue with the remaining liquid. I sauteed a cup and a half of pearl barley in butter and added it to 3cups of boiling water and cooked till all the liquid was absorbed. Then I combined all the elements in a pot, added sliced Portabellas, celery seed and a bit more water and simmered for the last ten minutes. There's plenty of beef taste and a hearty soup, more like a stew, you can eat it with a fork.

Pearl barley fits well with Holly's diet, having only 39g of carbs and 9g of fiber per a quarter cup dry measure. I really like the taste of the sauteed barley with the beef. So here's hoping that Holly and her parents do too.

Sounds great. I really like barley. We've been trying out different grains lately. And recently we had polenta which I think also has a good supply of fiber.

I just got a spaetzle maker. (I know, I could make them w/o it! But it was cheap and looked easy). I'm trying to decide on the appropriate conveyance. Don't think there will be much fiber or redeeming social value in that. My cholesterol is none too good, so I really should not go in that direction....

I really like barley and beef. I found barley at the store today, but not beef. I never really know which cuts work for stew or not- except "chuck makes pot roast" and didn't see any chuck!

That is sort of how I feel about a pasta maker for my Kitchen Aid. I really don't need go there. Although I'd love one to make phyllo Balkan pastries.

Sally, I often use cheap steak cuts for soup. Especially if discounted.

This message was edited Jan 15, 2014 5:21 PM

I don't know which are going to stew up dry and chewy- or maybe I failed to stew them low and slow enough.

My Safeway here has amazing discounts in their little meat clearance section
at the end of the meat counter.
The deals are beyond amazing.....Porterhouse and Rib steaks for $3-$4.
Ground turkey package--87 cents. I have bought a 4lb. tray of chicken wings
for $3.50. Once--a whole 4lb. Purdue chicken for $3 something....
Never know what they will put out there. Go early--around 9AM for best chances--
as this little spot can have people waiting politely to get their turn.

Most of the meats are a couple days away from "sell-by" dates. WHO CARES????
If you cook the meats in a day or two--it is as good as new.

Another reason my freezers are so full.....:o

Have you checked YOUR Safeway to see if they all do this?
The two near me both do.
G.

Well--I was cooking a loot yesterday--just never got to eat anything...

I was making my Stuffed Cabbage Rolls. Made wayyyy too many!
Ended up having two pots full. Fixed too much meat mix so had to use it up.
Half way through--I ran out of cabbage. So, I had to drive to "Gershbecks" (20 min.)
to buy a second, large head. No one else had big heads.

Started all the boiling and pulling off the leaves all over again.
The meat mixture was all made the night before--but putting these things
together is still a lot of hands-on work--PLUS--all the endless washing of
plates and bowls and pots as I went along....
I finished about 8:30PM. Too late to continue with the portioning out to freeze these.
So--I covered the two, hot pots with really thick bath towels for the night---
to be continued the next day. They all turned out yummy! As I expected them to be.

I make them without all the tomato sauce as is common here and elsewhere.
Our way----------
The finished rolls are first browned in butter and then layered into a shallow pot.
(the browning in butter makes the whole end-product so much more flavorful) .
Also--they are not baked--but simmered in a pot for close to 2hrs. in the cabbage water
and any scrapings from the frying pan you browned them in.

When done--they are finished off with a thickened "gravy/sauce" made of chicken stock, chicken fat and more of the water from cooking the cabbages into which--of course--is incorporated
LOADS of Sour Cream at the end. Then--this is, gently, mixed into the pot with the
cooked cabbage rolls. No goodies spared here........:o)
I plan to make something like Twice Baked red potatoes to go with these.

*****I took photos of every step along the way--in case anyone is interested.
Mostly for posterity---if ever needed. Someone may want to see it all....
Will be glad to post them here...or send you a D-mail .
(hate the one pic per send bit, though).

Now to find room in my freezer for all these......always my dilemma when I cook something...

Gita

Being a Pollack, I grew up eating cabbage rolls made with tomato soup (not 'sauce'). I LOVE them!! Your way is absolutely new to me Gita, and sounds delicious! I would love to see all the step-by-step pictures of how you do them, please. (Pretty please, with sour cream on top!?) =)

I learned a new way to make, of all things, a meatloaf (!!) last night. Turned out really good, and I was surprised 'cause I'd never thought of this one particular ingredient in a meatloaf before.

1 cup tomato sauce
1 1/2 tablespoons Kraft Original barbecue sauce
1 tablespoon sugar

1 1/2 pounds ground sirloin (10% fat)
6 tablespoons all-purpose flour (yeah, flour!!)
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
dash garlic powder

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees F.

Combine tomato sauce, BBQ sauce and sugar in a small sauce pot, heat until just beginning to bubble, then remove from heat. In a medium-large bowl, combine meat and all but about 2-3 tablespoons of the sauce. Mix with a wooden spoon or your hands. Add the remaining ingredients and mix well, again, with a wooden spoon or your hands.

Load the meat into a loaf pan. Wrap foil over the top. Bake for 30 minutes.

Take out of the oven, remove foil, drain fat as necessary, slice into serving-size slices right in the pan (to facilitate faster cooking of the center), drizzle remaining sauce down the center of the top of the meatloaf -- DO NOT SPREAD THE SAUCE!!

Place back into the oven, UN-covered, for another 30 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to "set" for about 3-5 minutes before serving.

This thing turned out really good, even DH didn't use his usual favourite A-1 sauce on it! =) The thing that got me was the use of flour; I'd never heard of using flour in a meatloaf before -- and NO EGGS!! But the texture was great - tender but not fall-apart. And the use of flour doesn't actually lend a "flour-y" taste to it as ya might expect, it just gave it a good hold-together texture. I was really really pleased. Next time I will substitute part of the ground beef with some sort of hot Italian sausage. =)

Speedie-
One of the OLD favorite Meatloaf recipes is the AnnLander's meat Loaf.
I think you ca n google for it....it had a lot of ketchup in it.

*******************************************************

Cabbage Rolls: Thanks for asking.....

1--prepare meat mixture. Ground Pork--Ground beef--diced fatty ham--some diced bacon
couple onions-diced--some diced garlic--lots of S&P--a tsp. of caraway seed--
2-3 eggs, hand-beaten--some fresh bread crumbs (not necessary--but OK)--
if using, put the bread crumbs in the beaten egg to soften. about 1 cup of rice
(can par-boil a bit first) --mix all together well--use your hand.
For a decent-sized head of cabbage, you will need at least 2lbs. of meats--
so, approx. 1lb. of ground Pork--and 1lb. of Ground beef--plus all the other stuff.

TO DO:
Brown onions in 1/2 stick of butter--add ham and bacon and garlic--brown a bit more.
Mix all this into the meat mixture. This can be done the day before.

2--In a tall pot--keep a whole lg. head of cabbage boiling to remove leaves as they soften.
You may need to cut the ribs away from the core as you go--to loosen them.
You want just the larger leaves--big enough to wrap meat into. Use a 2 forks to loosen
the leaves from the head. Try not to break them apart. Save the cabbage water.
Cut up the outer leaves and the rest of the unused cabbage and add to bottom of the pot.

3--Working on a dinner plate--Fill and roll up all the cabbage leaves and stack on
another plate until all are done.. If you have meat left over--you can make
meatballs and cook them along with the cabbage rolls.

4--Get the largest frying pan you have (or a shallow electric roasting pan)
and melt about 1/2 stick of butter. Brown filled rolls on both sides.

5--Use a Dutch Oven type of pot, with aa lid, to cook them in.
Lay any extra leaves or cut away pieces of the cabbage in the bottom of the pot.
Place browned rolls in the pot, layering them as needed--one on top of the other.

6--Scrape up any brown bits from the browning pan with spme of the cabbage water.
Add one 8oz, can of Tomato sauce to the water and pour over the rolls until just covered.
Cover and simmer over a very low fire for about 1 1/2 hrs. Do not stir...

7--Meanwhile--prepare the thickening "sauce" to add when rolls are all cooked.
Use some chicken broth, some rendered chicken fat (optional--but tasty)
a couple Tbs. of flour to make the sauce. Start with a roux--then thin with more broth.
Add more salt here--as cooked cabbage is very sweet. Mix in LOTS of Sour cream.
Turn off fire when simmering is done, and slowly incorporate the "thickening sauce"
over the rolls in the pot. Careful! You don't want to loosen the wrapped rolls...
Use a spatula to lift the rolls a bit so the sauce will be evenly incorporated.

Serve with your favorite sides--mashed potatoes, potato skins, Country fries, etc.
That's it! These freeze VERY well!!

Pictures:
1--Removed leaves from cabbage head--in the pot
2--Placing a spoon-full of meat mix unto a cabbage leaf--trim the thick vein of the leaf,
roll up by folding sides in first, then top--then roll up and place on plate--seem side down.
3--Finished rolls--stacked on plate.
4--Rolls browning in butter in lg. pan
5--Browned rolls layered in pot.

cont'd in next post

Cabbage Rolls--continued:

6--scraping up all bits from pan rolls were browned in.
7--Finished rolls--with Sour cream thickening sauce poured all over.

NOW--Ready to eat......

Speedie--hope you make these and I hope you like themt.

There are many, many recipes for Cabbage Rolls--the Hungarian one
came the closest to my way of doing it, but they use Paprika in the mix.
Their recipe (at least the one I found) was the only one that simmered the rolls
--not baked them--also did not use the tomato sauce over them.

You can Google this and take what sounds good to you to use in your
cooking of these. That's what i did--as I have not made these in years.

Ate one last night after work--thought I died and went to heaven....;o)
Now--I will have another one for breakfast....
Gita

Gita: Those are lovely!

Happy--

make them--eat them--and you will think you went to heaven!

I am having 2 right now for breakfast. may eat a third one...
Pickled Beets on the side.....

These are the best I have ever made!
G.

In my next life!

Gita, Thank you ever so much, those look like HEAVEN!!!!!!!! Yes yes yes, I AM going to make those!!!!!! DH will balk at first (like he did with the idea of "sauerkraut in meatballs!?!?!?"... of course, after he actually ATE them he loved them!)... but just like the MMMeatballs, he will love them. If he doesn't, then that's just MORE FOR ME!! < =D When I was growing up and we ate cabbage rolls, they were always served with mashed potatoes, and the sauce in which the rolls cooked was the 'gravy' over the potatoes. A bit too tomato-y for my liking (as a kid), I think I'll like this sauce MUCH better. =)

Not sure if I mentioned, but the ribs have been purchased and the menu is set for the next 2 weeks. The shopping for it will be done tomorrow (need some new red potatoes). Tuesday I'll be making the ribs with your recipe for barbecue sauce!! Wheeee!! I figure hot crash potatoes, ribs, and salad will be a lovely dinner.

Oh yeah, and yes, I've seen and made Anne Landers' recipe for meatloaf. Quite frankly, I think it's "OK", but I actually like this one better.
Meanwhile, I still have NO idea what I'm making for dinner tonight! < =/ Just can't decide what I'm in the mood for... so pesky.

I like playing with meatloaf. I most often use oatmeal in mine, but have tried diced olives and cheese, yummy, and even used steamed rice with different coatings like mustard and honey, BBQ sauce, whatever strikes me as I make it.

bean soup with ham today

HAAAHAHAAHAAHAHAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Oh my gosh, sorry, but

Now I'm picturing Ric sitting at the table, pushing his meatloaf around on his plate with his fork, taking several slices and building a little house, meatloaf driveway, mashed-potato front yard with little broccoli trees.. < =D Heeheeheeeheee **giggle**. Goodness you crack me up!!

But, yes, I've tried all sorts of fun things to try to dress up a meatloaf; different cheeses, A-1, a blend of different peppers (red/yellow/green) and onions smooshed up in the processor added to the mix. It's just such an easy thing to get creative with.

Thanks to Mr. Paul Rodman, my kitchen now smells of Allspice -- the real stuff! I've never had or used it before, thought it was too expensive. Today, however, I found that I was spending much less than anticipated at the grocery store, so I bought both Ground and Whole Allspice. Wheee!!! I already threw a few berries into my pepper grinder, and the rest, along with the Ground, are now in their new bottles. -- You know the ones, they match the rest of the bottles in the spice rack. ;) (of course they do; Anal Annie here) The problem is, they will not FIT in the spice rack. Oh dear. =0 I will find a home for them in the cabinet with the "overflow" spices! (not about to let a little thing like space keep me from my appointed seasonings!) =)

Got my vanilla yogurt (something else I never buy), and now I am ready to make the pumpkin banana bread he talked about in his article the other day. Oh boy oh boy, I can't wait!!
Pumpkin Banana Bread for dinner tonight!! < =)

My spices and herbs take up a corner lazy Susan, a 18 x24 cupboard, and the butter compartment of the fridge about 1/3 of the Penzeys. No one is critical of my space since I use them freely. I have a whole selection of small containers that I travel with. That doesn't count the one in the freezer. If anyone accuses me of serving a bland dish, I should be drawn and quartered. After all variety is the spice of life.
Josh's SO made dinner for tonight, deep dish chicken pot pie.

Ric: If you want me to bring you anything from Penzey's at either swap, let me know; there is a store in Maryland quite near me.

Penzey's?? What is Penzey's?? (my ears are perking up like a puppy's!) Oh no, wait, don't tell me, I'll just get myself into more trouble. ;)

I must say, I have a comfortably nice-sized collection of herbs and spices, not to mention home-made combinations, but I just gotta keep 'em organized or else I can't find a darned thing, not to mention all the time I waste trying to find stuff.... and then there's the money wasted buying more when I didn't have to. Oooh, let's not even go there! =0 I am simply too short and too broke to sort through the disorganized mess I used to have.

http://www.penzeys.com/
Their spices are really good quality and the prices for larger quantities are excellent.

I'm with you, speedie; we finalized alphabetized ours because it was so hard to find particular herbs/spices.

Speedie -- consider ordering a catalog from Penzey's -- they are fun to browse.

Yes, once you have bought Penzey's you ail get the catalog forever. Recipes in every issue...

Well, the site has been saved in my bookmarks.. you evil little enabler you. ;)

Cinnamon chunks!?!? That's a new one to me!!

I try not to look there too often. We also have The Spice Man, he's at every promotion at the farm show. He's also a little softer on the wallet.

Ric--

Try the Target spice line at the store. VERY reasonable! decent sized bottles too.

If you want a big container of any spices--I can take a trip to Geresbecks to get it for you.
Like I said earlier--most of the regular spices are $3.99 or $4.99--for a 4oz jar of them.

4oz of Cardamom for $8.99 is unbelievable! D-mail me...Gita

I love Penzey's sweet curry, but wanted a cheaper one. La Flora seemed most similar. It turns out there was once a lot of slavery of Indians in the Caribbean, hence an Indian influence. News to me…

I suggested pizza tonight but Scott wants to make a salmon fillet to practice cooking skills. Well, twist my arm LOL

The Penzey's quality is generally really high, which cannot be said of all herb/spice sources. And you can save significantly if you buy larger quantities at Penzey's to split with someone. Their Special Extra Bold Indian Black Peppercorns are fabulous (but nothing cheap about them!).

For example, look at the prices in Penzey's catalog for green cardamom (this is NOT ground -- they do also sell ground -- I just picked this at random):
->Cardamom #2 Green Pods .6 oz. 1/4 cup jar 50739 6.39
->Cardamom #2 Green Pods 1.7 oz. 1/2 cup jar 50755 11.39
->Cardamom #2 Green Pods 4 oz. bag 50742 20.55
If you buy the bag and divide it into 0.6 oz. jars, each jar would cost only $3.08 -- less than half the price. But a 4 oz. bag is an awful lot of cardamom - it yields almost 7 jars!

We have finally gotten more serious about taking care to use fresh spices, and we toss them after two years (we used to keep them forever).

Here is an excerpt from Penzey's catalog about spice storage:

HOW MUCH SHOULD I BUY?
A good guideline is to buy a one year’s supply of herbs or ground spices, and a one to two year supply of whole spices. The government’s guideline for freshness dating is four years for whole spices and two years for ground. Some people say six months is the longest spices should be stored, but most spices are harvested only once a year, so it does not make sense to discard them every six months. On the other hand, two years is too long to store finely powdered spices. Each spice contains hundreds of flavor components. It is the quantity and balance of these components that determines the quality of the spice. These flavor components will dissipate at different rates. A top quality spice may be better at two years old than a low quality spice at two months. When in doubt about a spice, just smell it. If it smells strong and spicy, use it. If not, toss it.

HOW SHOULD I STORE THEM?
Spices must be stored properly to maintain strong, fresh flavor. Heat, light, moisture and air all speed the loss of flavor and color. Glass or barrier plastic containers (such as those we use at Penzeys) are very good. DO NOT store your spices near a heat source: on top of the stove, dishwasher, refrigerator or microwave, or near the sink or a heating vent. The best way to avoid light is to put the spices inside a cupboard or a drawer. If an open spice rack is being used, place it out of direct sunlight. Some folks say that all spices should be stored in the refrigerator or the freezer. Whole, crushed and ground chili peppers (including paprika, as well as sesame seed and poppy seed) will stay fresh and colorful longer in cool storage, especially in the summer months. Other than vanilla beans and extract, the flavor of spices will not be damaged by cold. The only problem with spices being stored in the fridge is that they tend to be used less (out of sight, out of mind). So we recommend keeping smaller quantities of spices out in the cooking area and larger backup supplies in the refrigerator or freezer.

And we generally stick to Penzey's because the overall quality is dependably good.

Cooks Illustrated periodically does taste comparisons of various spices. Penzeys is often, but not always, on top. For example, here are the result of the review of paprika:

Highly Recommended - Winner
$3.28 for 2.5 oz.
The Spice House Hungarian Sweet Paprika
This specialty brand outshone the competition with the complexity of its “earthy,” “fruity” flavors and “toasty” aroma, making the slight inconvenience of mail-ordering it well worthwhile.

Recommended
$3.89 for 2.4 oz.
Penzeys Hungarian Sweet Kulonleges Paprika
Almost as bright and bold as The Spice House paprika, but with noticeably more “heat” (despite being a sweet variety) and a slightly more “vegetal bite.” Note: This same product was previously named "Hungary Sweet."

Recommended with Reservations
$6.75 for 8 oz.
Bende Hungarian Paprika
“This one doesn’t ‘wow’ me,” one taster noted, though its “hint of smokiness” was welcomed by those who didn’t think it bordered on “burnt ashes.”

Recommended with Reservations
$3.99 for 2.12 oz.
McCormick Paprika
Some tasters found this supermarket staple perfectly respectable, but most considered it “one-dimensional,” even “flavorless.”

Recommended with Reservations
$8.99 for 8.5 oz.
Spice Islands Paprika
Though its scent reminded tasters of “toasted coffee grounds,” several people noted that this supermarket paprika’s “jammy,” “really sweet” flavors generally “lacked depth.”

Not Recommended
$4.75 for 5 oz.
Pride of Szeged Hungarian Paprika
Disappointingly, this iconic Hungarian tin was filled with a “chalky,” “bitter,” “dusty” grind that most tasters found off-putting.

I buy many organic bulk herbs and spices from Frontier and split them with friends. I just got a pound of juniper berries that I use for game meats and the sausages I make. Still need to divide them to share. Amazon carries Frontier products. My cousin's DH works for Frontier and swears by their quality.
http://www.frontiercoop.com/

I know a pound sounds like a lot, but divided among several friends it's not expensive per household, plus most of them freeze well. I DO buy a few things from Penzey's but not much.

I LOVE cardamom and need to replenish my supply of both whole and ground cardamom.

...Meanwhile, I was at Lotte in Catonsville today. Asian spices in bulk packages, great prices. Green cardamom pods nowhere near the Penzey price. I bought two kinds of "Madras curry powder" to try out and compare to Penzey and La Flora.

I have a bunch of bags of Penzeys, resealed and stored in the freezer till time to refill jars.

SO?????
Did anyone make my BQ'ed ribs yet?
NOT seeking any compliments--not MY recipe to start with--but just
wanted to know how you liked these?
G.

I made them, they were very good, tangy!

They are on the menu for Tuesday; will update you Wed. morning. =)

My first experience of making clotted cream for scones :-)

1. 2 Qts of heavy cream (not ULTRA pasteurized) and a baking dish
2. Cover the dish and bake in the oven for 12 hours at 180F. A thick top layer has formed when it is done. There can be some yellow-brown bits too.
3. Cool and refrigerate for at least 6 hours. The top layer is the clotted cream, and the remaining bottom liquid layer is half-and-half. The clotted cream should have an uneven texture.
4. Delicious to go with scones and jam :o).

All in all, it was successful. The cream tasted delicious. The only thing that I will do differently next time is use a much larger baking dish to increase the surface area so that the cream is no deeper than 1” – 1.5”. Also, I have seen it done with the baking dish NOT covered while in the oven (Make sure you know your oven so that the temperature is not higher than the setting as to burn the cream. ). That way, moisture evaporates and the amount of liquid at the bottom is a lot less. But again, the yield depends on the type of heavy cream used.

English tea and scones, anyone?

Yes, please. Thank you for the tutorial, dear. Looks good

Oh wow, I'm totally impressed!! Yes, thank you very much for the .. well, Jan said it best.. tutorial. That looks amazingly delicious!

lovely!

Chicken curry tonight, over rice, with spinach and cauliflower

Looks like I'll be home early tomorrow- chili and cornbread

What times dinner? Oh, and I'll bring the honey butter.