Cooking and Recipe Discussion

[Guest]

That looks amazing. I've been wanting to try making Shakshuka for a while, maybe I'll try this week.

There are plenty better recipes out there (and, if I recall correctly, you're a chef? You'd know better than I what's good) but this one was easy and tasty if you're looking to try!

 

[Guest]

Decided to bake away my sadness, because I'm secretly an 80 year old british grandmother. Made a peach and blackberry upside cake. Started by making a basic caramel sauce in a skillet, layered up the peach and blackberries into it, and then poured in the batter (a fantastically dense poundcake) and then oven baked it.

I'm not a fan of cake, and I loathe most frostings, so it's rare that I get to go ham on a cake like this.

 

[Funkgun]

Decided to bake away my sadness, because I'm secretly am 80 year old british grandmother. Made a peach and blackberry upside cake. Started by making a basic caramel sauce in a skillet, layered up the peach and blackberries into it, and then pouring in the batter (a fantastically dense poundcake) and then oven baked it.

I'm not a fan of cake, and I loathe most frostings, so it's rare that I get to go ham on a cake like this.

I want to like this, you (wanna be) little old pensioner.

Anyhow, I'd eat it

 

[Nitroglycerin]

Decided to bake away my sadness, because I'm secretly an 80 year old british grandmother. Made a peach and blackberry upside cake. Started by making a basic caramel sauce in a skillet, layered up the peach and blackberries into it, and then poured in the batter (a fantastically dense poundcake) and then oven baked it.

I'm not a fan of cake, and I loathe most frostings, so it's rare that I get to go ham on a cake like this.

Looks fab owl-san. I miss baking my sads away.

 

[Vega]

Air fryer = best kitchen appliance ever. Making stuff in this thing is so easy that even someone like me who can't cook very well can be good at cooking popcorn chicken, fries, etc with it.

 

[Funkgun]

Air fryer = best kitchen appliance ever. Making stuff in this thing is so easy that even someone like me who can't cook very well can be good at cooking popcorn chicken, fries, etc with it.

We just got the Cosori model.
Oh Cosori, where have you been all my life ?

 

[Guest]

Looks fab owl-san. I miss baking my sads away.

I know loading my body up with sugar is NOT a healthy coping mechanism for sadness, BUUUUUUUT, learning new baking skills is surely better than just buying junk food, right? (he says, justifying.)

 

[Nitroglycerin]

I know loading my body up with sugar is NOT a healthy coping mechanism for sadness, BUUUUUUUT, learning new baking skills is surely better than just buying junk food, right? (he says, justifying.)

Loading ones body up with sugar is the same way I deal with sadness. Definitely not healthy, but motivation for healthy coping mechanisms kinda dies when one feels blue.

 

[Guest]

Loving a version of spanakopita (feta and spinach pie) I now make on a regular basis (at least once a fortnight).

roll of ready made puff pastry
250g spinach
150g feta drained
2 eggs beaten
salt and pepper

Mix spinach, feta, eggs and seasoning together into a mush. Cut in half the pastry and line a pie tray or whatever you have that will hold it together.
Put mix on top of pastry and cover with other half of pastry.

Put in oven gas mark 7 for around 25 mins or until pastry is looking golden.

Really easy and delicious - sometimes I add softened leeks into the mix too.

 

[Oscar90]

Made Cinnamon Rolls this morning. I don't have a Stand Mixer, so kneading the dough was kind of a hassle and wasn't as smooth as I wanted. Still came out good though.

Spoiler

This is the site that I got the recipe from. https://www.marthastewart.com/1534466/cinnamon-rolls

 

[Guest]

One of my mates was depressed, so the missus and I came over to throw a dinner party.

Step 1: The meal.

We made a Orsimer glaze from the Skyrim cookbook. It was soy sauce, ginger, and a bunch of spices. The cookbook called for venison, but no one around had any, so we used beef. Made a side of white cheddar mac and cheese, orzo spiced with curry powder, steamed vegetables, and butter, and then a rice pilaf for under the glazed beef. For dessert, a cranberry brioche bombe, with tangerine sauce.

Here's a bad photo of the dish, because I was so hungry I spent no time plating.

Step 2: The conversation.

We catty chatted about things, made fun of some of his ex boyfriends, and generally gossiped.

Step 3: The entertainment.

We played Overcooked 2 until 3 in the morning.

All in all, a successful dinner party.

 

[ACrankyOldMan]

One of my mates was depressed, so the missus and I came over to throw a dinner party.

Step 1: The meal.

We made a Orsimer glaze from the Skyrim cookbook. It was soy sauce, ginger, and a bunch of spices. The cookbook called for venison, but no one around had any, so we used beef. Made a side of white cheddar mac and cheese, orzo spiced with curry powder, steamed vegetables, and butter, and then a rice pilaf for under the glazed beef. For dessert, a cranberry brioche bombe, with tangerine sauce.

Here's a bad photo of the dish, because I was so hungry I spent no time plating.

Step 2: The conversation.

We catty chatted about things, made fun of some of his ex boyfriends, and generally gossiped.

Step 3: The entertainment.

We played Overcooked 2 until 3 in the morning.

All in all, a successful dinner party.

You and the missus are legends! <3

 

[Guest]

You and the missus are legends! <3

Gotta take care of each other! A tasty meal can chase away the dark for a little while!

 

[Nitroglycerin]

One of my mates was depressed, so the missus and I came over to throw a dinner party.

Step 1: The meal.

We made a Orsimer glaze from the Skyrim cookbook. It was soy sauce, ginger, and a bunch of spices. The cookbook called for venison, but no one around had any, so we used beef. Made a side of white cheddar mac and cheese, orzo spiced with curry powder, steamed vegetables, and butter, and then a rice pilaf for under the glazed beef. For dessert, a cranberry brioche bombe, with tangerine sauce.

Here's a bad photo of the dish, because I was so hungry I spent no time plating.

Step 2: The conversation.

We catty chatted about things, made fun of some of his ex boyfriends, and generally gossiped.

Step 3: The entertainment.

We played Overcooked 2 until 3 in the morning.

All in all, a successful dinner party.

Such a sweet thing to do for your friend!

 

[ValkyrieNight]

if your an actual professional chef then not giving away recipes is very sensible.
i was presuming most of us are just home cooks which is why i think its nice for ppl to add there family recipes and tips n tricks for better cooking.

for myself i have 2 family dish's that iv posted in the past (fish pie and army stew)
as for tips, my most recent discovery for better oven cooking is to put a container of water on the bottom of the oven.
it really helps stuff not to get the top burnt b4 the rest has finished cooking. sometimes once something is done thru you'll need to take the water container out so that whatever your cooking can brown or crisp though.
i find this really effective for home cooked pizza. its also effective for homemade Yorkshire puddings and roast suet dumplings.

i do mostly traditional English Sunday dinners. (roast meat. with roast potatoes, mashed potatoes, veg((broccoli, cauliflower, runner beans, broad beans, carrots,)) thick gravy with meat juice and Yorkshire puddings.

on a sidenote, im hoping that some of our American members will put up there thanks giving menus, as a brit iv never experienced thanksgiving and would really like to try copying the traditional thanksgiving meal. and while getting a recipe and method of the net is ok they tend to be very generic and not a patch on someones tried and tested family recipe.

I would hope I am after years and money spent in culinary school and various restaurants.

Putting container of water in the oven is essentially turning it into a steamer which doesn't really work best if you're roasting or baking something. Both of these forms are intended to lock the moisture inside the food through browning outside from dry heat. probably better to reduce the temperature to finish cooking through fully.

Thanksgiving spread is essentially an early Xmas dinner from the ones I've attended; stuffed roast turkey, mash potatoes, selection of boiled veggies, lots of corn (@_@), bread. Canadian Italian one had some pasta and tomato salad, pickled mushrooms and other lovely stuff. All accompanied by mulled cider and copious amounts of homemade wine XD

Made New Orleans style pralines the other day and forgot I snapped a quick pic. It was my first time trying them, and i'm very much a fan. There is a candied pecan pressed into the top of each one.

Not a pecan fan, but I would absolutely try these bad bois!

I had this massive thing typed out but lost it, it touched on all the delicious baked goods and sushi, like it was wombo size. But my favorite thing might have to be the muffins as I love muffins. The crust on the outside, brown and tough but not tough tough, the firmness that's packed with flavor that you can break off and reveal the soft, fluffy, kinda spongey interior, sometimes with blueberries or such inside, and it just melts in your mouth. That is as much of my jam as Austin Powers. The Apple Rose Tart is like a naked apple pie, and has the cinnamon you'd expect from a proper apple pie, except unlike a pie it's layered with precision and delicacy, everything in it's place. And when you cut it, it's perfect. The pie, the cakes, that's some craftsmanship right there, all those numerous peaks so any way you slice it you get a perfect one, it's pure wizardry. All those tiny little details on the cakes, the mini blocks and pandas, that's groovy! I also imagine buttercream frosting and chocolate filling in the cake, or the kind that when you press your fork into it, it creates soft indents and it's spongey, yet holds its shape. Stabby chocolates, mini skulls, even bigger stabby chocolate, love to have those little skulls, just keep some in the fridge and crunch down when I need to crush some skulls. And that little muffin? Are those tiny skulls and bones bedded in it? It tackles all the taste textures, and the red jammy goo, perfect touch!

I didn't even touch on the sushi yet, but I'll take some of them spicys and a piece of ginger as a palette cleanser for each different sushi I take. But if those are egg omelettes on them rice on the left, I'm getting a monopoly on them. It's nicely packed, so you can chopstick them and dip them in proper sauce, it got my sushi need going when I first saw it.

You are a saint among saints for all of that! Thank you and bless you!

Haha, so glad it all tantalized your taste buds! XD
Muffins were spongy and moist, some gooey with all the plump blueberries inside. Apple rose was time consuming but worth it, light and fruity with hint of spice, not too heavy like some apple tarts/pies can be.
All the decorated cakes had flavoured buttercream inside; lemon, vanilla, chocolate etc. Decorations were even more time consuming and hair pulling frustration, painting those baby blocks on one side, dry, next side, dry, etc. nearly lost my reason. But again worth it to see mammies to be faces XD
Next time I think I might fill the choco skulls with something... Aye, they are tiny skulls and bloody bones, couldn't resist

I can't even remember all the rolls/fillings I did for that sushi night, but yes tis the rolled egg omelette between avocado and cucumber nigiri.

Perhaps one day you might get to try them.... XD

I WANT TO EAT ALL THE THINGS

Perhaps one day....... XD

For a Friendsgiving, 2 of my sheila's are vegan, so I've been trying to do shit about that.

Made a batch of black bean brownies (which smell surprisingly good, actually) fairly simple build, just a puree of black bean, cocoa powder, flax eggs (flax meals that have soaked up water), and then various flavors (sugar, vanilla, salt, etc).

Topped half with chopped walnuts, the other half with craisins (or Cranbaisins, if Archer is reading this.) They are preposterously fudgey, and extremely dark (it is a base of pure cocoa and blackbean). I hope they turn out tastyyyyy. They have 30 minutes of sitting to go, but I gotta get nice and sexy for my party, so I wanted to post now.

I am both intrigued and disgusted (beans have no place in baking except blind baking pastry cases. Even as a veggie, beans have no place in savoury dishes either XP) I may give them the benefit of doubt looking so delectable.

Decided to bake away my sadness, because I'm secretly an 80 year old british grandmother. Made a peach and blackberry upside cake. Started by making a basic caramel sauce in a skillet, layered up the peach and blackberries into it, and then poured in the batter (a fantastically dense poundcake) and then oven baked it.

I'm not a fan of cake, and I loathe most frostings, so it's rare that I get to go ham on a cake like this.

Bake off contender Mr. Owl! (Dastardly fiend, I can't eat blackberries )

I know loading my body up with sugar is NOT a healthy coping mechanism for sadness, BUUUUUUUT, learning new baking skills is surely better than just buying junk food, right? (he says, justifying.)

Doubly justified!!

 

[Guest]

Tonight, the wife and I were tired of feeling awful and sad due to our isolation, so we made a big meal together.

The main course was Tuscan Chicken, made in a cast iron skillet, which was chicken breasts slow cooked in a heavy cream mixture, full of garlic, salt, pepper, thyme, and a ton of italian seasoning. Parmesan was mixed in later. Then some cherry tomatoes were bathed for a bit in the cream, and diced sundried tomatoes were thrown in at the end.

Then we made a side of ricotta and asiago tortellini, and oven-baked carrots smothered in curry powder and Montreal seasoning.

The end result was lovely. Crazy creamy, and sundried tomatoes are my favorite food add-on item (just about any dinner can be made better with them!)

(Forgive the plating, but I loathe an over emphasis on it.)

 

[ACrankyOldMan]

Tonight, the wife and I were tired of feeling awful and sad due to our isolation, so we made a big meal together.

The main course was Tuscan Chicken, made in a cast iron skillet, which was chicken breasts slow cooked in a heavy cream mixture, full of garlic, salt, pepper, thyme, and a ton of italian seasoning. Parmesan was mixed in later. Then some cherry tomatoes were bathed for a bit in the cream, and diced sundried tomatoes were thrown in at the end.

Then we made a side of ricotta and asiago tortellini, and oven-baked carrots smothered in curry powder.

The end result was lovely. Crazy creamy, and sundried tomatoes are my favorite food add-on item (just about any dinner can be made better with them!)

(Forgive the plating, but I loathe an over emphasis on it.)

H-h-h-holy shit... Marry me.

 

[Guest]

H-h-h-holy shit... Marry me.

I'm currently looking into the technological logistics/black magic required to send hot plates of food to NZ <3

 

[ValkyrieNight]

Tonight, the wife and I were tired of feeling awful and sad due to our isolation, so we made a big meal together.

The main course was Tuscan Chicken, made in a cast iron skillet, which was chicken breasts slow cooked in a heavy cream mixture, full of garlic, salt, pepper, thyme, and a ton of italian seasoning. Parmesan was mixed in later. Then some cherry tomatoes were bathed for a bit in the cream, and diced sundried tomatoes were thrown in at the end.

Then we made a side of ricotta and asiago tortellini, and oven-baked carrots smothered in curry powder and Montreal seasoning.

The end result was lovely. Crazy creamy, and sundried tomatoes are my favorite food add-on item (just about any dinner can be made better with them!)

(Forgive the plating, but I loathe an over emphasis on it.)

Janey mac, that is one fine meal. I don't eat chicken, but I would wolf that into me, fair play lad. Looks like I have a sous chef and a saucier for me future restaurant! Just need to practice that plating up though....

 

[Guest]

Janey mac, that is one fine meal. I don't eat chicken, but I would wolf that into me, fair play lad. Looks like I have a sous chef and a saucier for me future restaurant! Just need to practice that plating up though....

I'm living with my in laws, and they only have boring, ugly plates :(

You'll get some cute platings once I get into an apartment, then you can judge my skills to come work for ya!