Food discussion?

Testing new recipe on hubby tonight spicy panko encrusted chicken breast with a honey, garlic, butter asian sauce.

Okay Mntndollar, I just got done with dinner and your making me HUNGRY AGAIN...

I hope everyone has seen my posts regarding cooking and maybe even tried a couple of them out. I have not posted anything here since early March for a variety of reasons, mostly because I'm out of new material and preoccupied with work and travel.

When I do cook for myself and the Wundermutt there are a few rules that I try to observe as much as possible:

- The meal has to be a good value for the money; IMHO a $100.00 micro green salad with a hard boiled quail egg is not a meal, it's a rip off!
- Meat will be the star of almost every meal with very few exceptions.
- Cast iron cookware and fire should be a part of as many meals as possible.
- Keep clean up to a minimum. No need to break out the fine china and silver if you are eating alone at home.
- It is not a crime to eat food directly from the container you bought it in.
- Tupperware, Rubbermaid? Preposterous, re-use the resealable plastic containers food comes in!
- Sauteed onions, and mushrooms make almost anything taste better. Add bacon and you have a trifecta!
- Chicken is a vegetable.
- Deep frying is proof positive that almost anything is edible.
- Large roasts and whole birds always taste better after a few hours of low and slow cooking in the smoker.
- Meat in tube form is a basic food group, Kogel makes better products than Vienna but there is a butcher in Lakewood who makes a superior product.
- ALWAYS check the bargain bin at the local grocery store and buy the best deal, develop the menu around the meat.
- Perform a UFO (Unidentified Food Object) inspection of your refrigerator every other week. If you find one, DO NOT OPEN THE CONTAINER!
- If I can make a sufficiently comparable dish at home, I won't order out for it or go out to eat for that particular dish.
- I always cook enough every time I cook to ensure there will be left overs, that's lunch over the next several days.
- Never pass up a chance to try something new, you might discover something great!
- Use spices! Just remember not everyone likes the heat like you do.
- When hosting a party get the guests involved in cooking the meal. Adults and older kids can assemble their own kebobs.
- Always have some generic foods on hand for the little guys, not every young child will enjoy what the adults are eating.
- I never give a dog a treat without getting a trick from it first; I will gladly share a few bites as long as the dog does what is expected.
- Life is short and uncertain, if you feel particularly apprehensive eat desert first.

My food motto: If it can be eaten raw, why cook it?

Sorry to make you hungry.

Otis like your thinking.

Try this one out next time you have family and friends over, you will be surprised at how many adults want to participate once they see the final result!

Having guests over that like ice cream but don't want to get stuck with the leftover store brands that you will end up throwing away anyhow? Here's a way to entertain them and put them to work making their own dessert...

Ice Cream in a Bag

I'm told that the ice cream mix below is very close to Thomas Jefferson's recipe for vanilla ice cream, (of course TJ didn't make it in plastic bags) makes about 2 quarts.

What You Need

6 yolks of eggs
1 1/4 cups sugar
2 quarts of whipping cream
1 vanilla bean
8 plastic grocery bags
4 one gallon ziplock bags
4 one quart ziplock bags
Lots of ice cubes
2 cups rock salt, have some extra on hand especially if it's a hot day

How It's Done

The day before mix the egg yolks and sugar together. Put the cream in a large sauce pot over medium-high heat along with the whole vanilla bean (split the bean vertically and use the blade of a pairing knife to scrape the contents of the bean into the cream). When near boiling, take the mixture off the heat, allow to cool slightly and pour in the mixture of eggs and sugar. Stir well then return the mixture to the heat, stirring it thoroughly with a spoon to prevent scalding the mixture. When the mixture is near boiling, remove from the heat and fish out the vanilla bean pod. Once the mixture is warm to the touch but not hot, pour the mixture into the quart bags in equal portions, one pint each. Once the mixture is in the quart bags seal them shut and place them upright in the refrigerator, cooling overnight is best.

The rest of the process is best done outside because it can get a little messy. Get the chilled quart bags with the ice cream mix inside them and have them ready. Fill four gallon-sized bags halfway up with ice, then pour in about 1/2 cup rock salt in each gallon bag. Mix it around, then put the quart size bags in the gallon bags with the ice and salt. Make sure the quart bags are sealed and that each quart bag is covered with ice.

Seal the gallon bags securely and place it in a couple layers of plastic shopping bags. Shake or rotate the bag for at least five minutes - preferably ten. If your hands are sensitive to cold wrap the bag in a towel. After shaking, open the gallon bags to check the firmness of the ice cream in the quart bag. Still soupy? Add more ice and salt and keep shaking. Once the ice cream is firm carefully remove the quart bag from the gallon bag, avoid getting salt in the quart bag.

Without opening the quart bag pour a little water into the top of the bag and then pour the water back out (this ensures you won't get salt in the ice cream) then turn the quart bag inside out into a bowl to get all the ice cream out. Or just eat it straight out of the bag...

Don't like vanilla? You're the one that is going to eat it not me, toss in berries, chocolate chips and/or syrup, diced pineapple or whatever else you want after you have poured the mix into quart bags and chill overnight. Go wild and make four different flavors! I have had moderate success adding chopped hazel nuts, Frangelico, and a shot of espresso to the mix but that's for adult guests. Might even be good with some diced cooked bacon and maple syrup... Obviously kids love this stuff, I have doubled the recipe with good results and it keeps the kids busy for about a half hour.

UN-FLIIPING BELIEVABLE... How "cool" this sounds, i cannot wait to try this out!!!! :sunny: :Thank You:

otisptoadwater wrote: Try this one out next time you have family and friends over, you will be surprised at how many adults want to participate once they see the final result!

Having guests over that like ice cream but don't want to get stuck with the leftover store brands that you will end up throwing away anyhow? Here's a way to entertain them and put them to work making their own dessert...

Ice Cream in a Bag

I'm told that the ice cream mix below is very close to Thomas Jefferson's recipe for vanilla ice cream, (of course TJ didn't make it in plastic bags) makes about 2 quarts.

What You Need

6 yolks of eggs
1 1/4 cups sugar
2 quarts of whipping cream
1 vanilla bean
8 plastic grocery bags
4 one gallon ziplock bags
4 one quart ziplock bags
Lots of ice cubes
2 cups rock salt, have some extra on hand especially if it's a hot day

How It's Done

The day before mix the egg yolks and sugar together. Put the cream in a large sauce pot over medium-high heat along with the whole vanilla bean (split the bean vertically and use the blade of a pairing knife to scrape the contents of the bean into the cream). When near boiling, take the mixture off the heat, allow to cool slightly and pour in the mixture of eggs and sugar. Stir well then return the mixture to the heat, stirring it thoroughly with a spoon to prevent scalding the mixture. When the mixture is near boiling, remove from the heat and fish out the vanilla bean pod. Once the mixture is warm to the touch but not hot, pour the mixture into the quart bags in equal portions, one pint each. Once the mixture is in the quart bags seal them shut and place them upright in the refrigerator, cooling overnight is best.

The rest of the process is best done outside because it can get a little messy. Get the chilled quart bags with the ice cream mix inside them and have them ready. Fill four gallon-sized bags halfway up with ice, then pour in about 1/2 cup rock salt in each gallon bag. Mix it around, then put the quart size bags in the gallon bags with the ice and salt. Make sure the quart bags are sealed and that each quart bag is covered with ice.

Seal the gallon bags securely and place it in a couple layers of plastic shopping bags. Shake or rotate the bag for at least five minutes - preferably ten. If your hands are sensitive to cold wrap the bag in a towel. After shaking, open the gallon bags to check the firmness of the ice cream in the quart bag. Still soupy? Add more ice and salt and keep shaking. Once the ice cream is firm carefully remove the quart bag from the gallon bag, avoid getting salt in the quart bag.

Without opening the quart bag pour a little water into the top of the bag and then pour the water back out (this ensures you won't get salt in the ice cream) then turn the quart bag inside out into a bowl to get all the ice cream out. Or just eat it straight out of the bag...

Don't like vanilla? You're the one that is going to eat it not me, toss in berries, chocolate chips and/or syrup, diced pineapple or whatever else you want after you have poured the mix into quart bags and chill overnight. Go wild and make four different flavors! I have had moderate success adding chopped hazel nuts, Frangelico, and a shot of espresso to the mix but that's for adult guests. Might even be good with some diced cooked bacon and maple syrup... Obviously kids love this stuff, I have doubled the recipe with good results and it keeps the kids busy for about a half hour.

or ya could put it in your hand-powered ice cream maker... :thumbsup:

pacamom wrote: My food motto: If it can be eaten raw, why cook it?

LOVE IT!!!! couldnt' have said it better myself!!

mountaindollar wrote: Testing new recipe on hubby tonight spicy panko encrusted chicken breast with a honey, garlic, butter asian sauce.

How did it turn out?
Family coming this week and they requested fried chicken, I make it so it tastes good but is bad for you. I use lard to fry ( not grocery store lard).
King soopers will cut up a organic or free range for free, I hate the mess of doing it myself and the pre cut up stuff doesn't seem as good.
I also am cooking my duck confit, thanks MD, I use it mac and cheese too.

Otis, I tried to find something to disagree with on your list and came up empty. I am going to steal some of it.