Food...BAM!

[Sir Toose]

I like to cook and I'm pretty damn handy in the kitchen if I do say so myself (though Emeril has nothing to fear,... yet ;D ).

So what can I make you? What's your favorite dish?




BTW: For New Years eve my menu is:
Proscuitto wrapped asparagus spears in a creamy parmesan sauce.
Steak (filets) smoked slowly over a wood (pecan and mesquite) fire
Rosemary and Sage potatoes cooked to golden brown
Salad with artichoke hearts and kalamata olives
Foccacia bread with sun dried tomatoes (baked in the wood fire)

and cheesecake drizzled with my special blueberry sauce.

the wine will flow freely along with the bock ale should you have a taste for such things...

[Yoda]

I used to make a nice pot roast...and, of course, I made some nice speghetti. I don't cook often anymore, though; lots of frozen pizza products and fast food. Used to make some nice eggs, too; but I don't anymore. My favorite dish is probably lasagna. I love lasagna...ya hear me? Love it. As of right now, I can't think of anything else I'd rather have.

[Sir Toose]

I have 3 lasagne's in my repertoire TWT. The first is what you would call a "regular" lasagne, I go a bit easy on the white sauce and lean more toward the red... with lots of fresh garlic and red wine..

I also make a spinach and smoked chicken lasagne that is white sauce only with lots of provolone and parmesan...

Lastly I have more of a twist on the other two... instead of the "heavy" lasagne noodle I use egg roll wrappers in between the layers... the flavor is the same but you end up with a lighter meal and a hint of "crunchiness" between the layers...

Oh I'm making myself hungry.

[Yoda]

Yuck. :( No crunchiness, or veggies! All plain speghetti sauce...nothing fancy. I don't even like chunky tomato sauce, or wine, for the most part. Sorry, I like low-class lasagna. :D Not the microwaved stuff...but very simple and plain.

[Sir Toose]

Oh TWT what am I gonna do with you? Ok, you win. Plain and simple it is... I'll let you know when it's ready... :)

[thmilin]

mm, but unlike Chris, I LIKE to be spoiled by the gourmet! I like simplicity too and don't like TOO much fufu but indulgent as I am love erotic exotic food.

The proscuitto won't be too salty? i had some grilled asparagus last night, and grilled filet mignon flavored by a red balsamic vinegar based marinade ... home cooked with mushroom and asparagus risotto.

i like to cook but am too poor to get into all the fancy schmancy. i make a mean spaghetti and bruschetta, both from scratch. I also make lumpia, pansit, and this coming weekend we'll find out how good I am at making tiramisu (i am trying to find the perfect tiramisu ... don't like it too heavy).

i do have an extreme fondness for mushrooms ... particularly the portabello and the shitake.

that sounds like a great idea, egg roll wrappers in between! that crunch would be great though yeah, it is fufu. once you've done that it ain't italian no more. :)

[Sir Toose]

I tend to be pretty liberal with my palate. I combine stuff that i like versus trying to remain in the confines of "italian", "chinese" etc...

experimentation is a lot of fun... you never know what you'll end up with and it may taste good too :)

[patti]

i'm a baker not a cook- baked in a veggie cafe/bakery in colorado for seven years, so when we have the big MoFo pre-cruise dinner, i'll do the baking, and Toose can be head chef. i can follow a recipe ofcourse so i could cook.....but i don't care to cook for my lonesome, and like thmilin i'm broke so i can't afford to get special ingredients let alone the good cookware. my dad is an awesome cook......really amazing what he can throw together..........yumma yumma. Restaurant-wise i love Italian, Chinese, Thai, and Indian - vegetarian fare ofcourse.
i do make a great Jamaican Black Rice dish with peppers, peanuts and spicy peanut sauce. also i have a yummy cucumber, peanut, rice vinegar (cold) dish that rocks. and there's a shredded broccoli coleslaw dish with ramen noodles, sesame oil and sesame seeds, sugar, and slivered almonds.

[sadesdrk]

This thread is making me drool...:p

[spudracer]

Why don't we turn this into a Food Tab on what we eat that qualifies as a big meal. Anyone think that's a good idea?

[Sir Toose]

Anything food goes.


I watched Emeril doing fantastic things with eggplants last night... the man is my hero.

[spudracer]

BAM! Too bad he can't make a good sitcom...:D

[thmilin]

there once was a time when his BAM and "kick it up a notch" seemed genuine and true. now it seems forced and he says both way too much. :(

[Sir Toose]

I started watching him about a month ago when I finally got food channel. I was thinking last nite I've never heard the trademark "Bam!" Then he said it once last night. It was cool though, when you can do what this dude can do with an egplant he's entitled :D

[spudracer]

Thought you might like the title of this thread now. Since we are talking about food. :D

[Sir Toose]

Yes Spud... you have my blessing :D on the title


I'm of a mind to do something with cinnamon. It's a wintery kind of spice... I'll have to ponder that. Any main course ideas involving cinnamon? Don't say squash either... I ate so much of that growing up I want to hurl every time I see one.

[spudracer]

Rice.

Cinnamon makes a nice decoration over rice. :D

[Sunfrogolin]

Take two sticks of cinnamin and boil them in water, makes great tea without the tea.

For dessert slice an apple in half, peel and remove the core. Cover with sugar and cinnamin. Cook in microwave or the oven. Makes little apple pie tasting things without the pie crust.

Breaded shrimp. Add cinnamin and cayene pepper to the flour. Actually, add whatever you want to the flour, I forgot the recipe. :D

Sprinkle cinnamin across the doorstep, keeps ants out.

[Sir Toose]

I'm thinking about sunFROG legs in cinnamon... roasted over an open fire :D

Batter is actually a good idea for cinnamon. I'm going to try some carribean fried shrimp with cinnamon and coconut.

[Sunfrogolin]

i thought that was yesterday. You still haven't eaten?
Oh wait, you did post that yesterday. :p What are you eating today?

[sadesdrk]

Originally posted by Toose
I'm thinking about sunFROG legs in cinnamon... roasted over an open fire :D

Batter is actually a good idea for cinnamon. I'm going to try some carribean fried shrimp with cinnamon and coconut. Do you ever contract yourself out as a personal chef?

[Sir Toose]

No.
I would cook for you though... ;D


Today I want to make Cajun Blackened Chicken... for some reason I'm craving hot food. I would use fresh peppercorns, smashed by mine own hand... ok now I'm getting hungry and it's only 5:45 am...

[sadesdrk]

What would you serve with the chicken?*smaking lips together*

[spudracer]

I can hear a Julia Child voice in my head when you say, "Today, I'm going to make..." :laugh:

[sadesdrk]

Not me. I hear Bobby Flay.:)

[Sir Toose]

Oh! probably some Alfredo with black pepper and sliced jalapenos. Baked apples for dessert.

[sadesdrk]

Alfredo? I told you...alfredo is a sin...but I would take a chance on it.

[thmilin]

aflredo baby! i have yet to find one that truly TRULY inspired me.

i have been on a lifelong search for the perfect alfredo. one that isn't bland. one that requires no pepper. one that's tangy and sour and cheesy and creamy and perfect! i've yet to encounter one that I even think is GOOD. :mad:

this is what i made this past weekend for christmas. don't laugh! my best friend and i celebrated late for reasons explained elsewhere.

-home made macaroni and cheese - bread crumbs on top, innards containing sharp white cheddar and gruyere cheese - per Martha Stewart's online recipe

-tiramisu - with mascarpone! forget the fake stuff. the sauce was cream hazelnut sherry with Kona Vanilla Macadamia nut coffee (strong); dashes of ghirardelli chocolate

-collard greens cooked with ham hocks

-brown sugar/mustard crust ham (per Alton Brown's recipe on Good Eats on the Food Network) - my best friend made this

-very pathetic stuffing (we forgot to add some things so it was just cornbread with chick stock ;) )

-yams - brown sugar, marshmallows, and more of the hazelnut cream sherry

- my stellar home-made mashed potatoes - oh yes, baby, with spices and two kinds of potatoes witha wee bit of skin, plenty of butter and cream, and a green peppercorn gravy sauce, MMHMM!

topped off with a bottle of champagne. aww yeah. that's comfort food babeee!

[Sir Toose]

I love a good tiramisu. I haven't had one in so long... I'm feeling the need to go search for one. I am such an obsessive/compulsive I have trouble cooking with alchohol. There's rarely any left for cooking :)

Brown Sugar, Mustard crust ham? Sounds deeelightful. Is that the guy that cooks like a science experiment? Explaining where eggs come from, and then every part of the egg as he's cooking it? If so that dude is on my nerves. It's like asking someone what time it is and you have to listen to how to make a watch.

Sadie, I have to admit my Alfredo is not stellar. It's pretty good and it fills the plate and it is pretty. I'll think of something else. Maybe potatoes roasted in butter and sage. Yeah, that's better.

[sadesdrk]

Originally posted by Toose
Sadie, I have to admit my Alfredo is not stellar. It's pretty good and it fills the plate and it is pretty. I'll think of something else. Maybe potatoes roasted in butter and sage. Yeah, that's better. know what's better than Alfredo? Alla Panna. Oh...just saying those words...* I'm melting*....mmmmmmmm.:p<<<<That's me, licking my lips.

[thmilin]

what's alla panna?

yeah, Alton Brown's the guy who's like a sci experiment but if you listen to him he's also a goof, funny, and explains stuff I always wondered about/how to do. so it's cool. he's totally goofy, he explains stuff because most folks don't know the background behind what they're doing. one might assume mashed potatoes are some idaho potatoes boiled to death with a bit of butter. my best friend did.

alton brown said - there are 4 kinds - we know this of course. but then he described the difference, how they all come out, which are best for baking, which get waterlogged faster and which come out fluffiest for mashed potatoes. and knowing this, i made better mashed potatoes than i ever had in my life. i used to use all idaho; now I mix idaho and russet and leave a bit of skin on the idaho and all the skin on the russet. and seeing what i made - i always used to make the potatoes with cream, butter, and spices - my best friend tasted the result and realized there was more to mashed potatoes than salt, pepper, butter! she is now a slave to my glorious mashed potatoes!!

seeee! :yup:

[Sir Toose]

I'm not sure what Alla Panna is either... Sades, spill it. You are obligated to cook now :)

[sadesdrk]

Alla Panna- Yumminess. Creamy, mushrooms...something else...I don't know, but it's magic.*drooling* It's served over tortilini.

[Sir Toose]

Originally posted by sadesdrk
but it's magic...

Another believer? Or casual use of the word?

Some things are magic to my palate. Sage, wine, kalamata olives, raspberry anything... so many to list.

BTW I made my own grill sauce once. I used raspberries and chipotle peppers... sweet and sour... yin and yang... I have to make more soon.

[sadesdrk]

a firm believer.:D

[patti]

i'm no expert in the kitchen but does Al Fredo require a certain type of white cheese? Might one add some Asiago? yummy yummy......it's terrific.

i really like Marsala sauce with marinated mushrooms.....over pasta.
restaurants usually offer it as Chicken Marsala.

[The Silver Bullet]

I make the best pancakes you would have ever tasted.

[thmilin]

patti - alfredo is a basic butter/cream sauce; those who make the basic (cheap restaurants) do not add much else; but it should contain some sharp white cheese, pepper, fresh herbs and spices. asiago, romano, parmesan, anything like that, and then of course, top more on!

one would imagine it's a less acrid more buttery version of caesar salad dressing (THE FRIGGIN BEST!).

as for pancakes ... buttermilk pancakes, Bullet? i have a secret recipe one, can't give it away, you substitute some other liquid in for the milk and BAM! then serve with honey instead of syrup. oh yes, it's called: MAGIC.

mmhmm, i believe. ;D

[The Silver Bullet]

No, just plain pancakes. Which is probabaly buttermilk.
What is with you mad yanks?! What the hell is buttermilk?! You make the weirdest words and we all have no idea.

I once saw someone washing a pig with buttermilk. No you tell me you make pancakes with it?! A bet it makes some brilliant TNT too?

[henry hill]

You all sound like great cooks, so could someone help me out, everytime I make a pot noodle it turns out all watery and turns into soup, is it meant to do this or does exceeding the recommended water level slightly cause my dilemna?

I took the "recommended" literally, and normally I may end up pouring boiling water above the line, but I fear pouring excess water back out may dilute the powdery sauce stuff (and I may drop some noodles!)

All help muchos appreciated

[patti]

Goodf3lla- what's a "pot noodle"? - sounds like our good ol' mac-n-cheese wherein you boil and Drain the noodles before adding a little margarine and dry cheese sauce.

Buttermilk pancakes are the best. Potato pancakes are gross but i know i may be outnumbered in that opinion.
I've had the greatest "blue corn pancakes" at a mexican restaurant here.

Silver- Buttermilk is slightly soured milk. if you need buttermilk but only have regular milk, you can "sour" it by adding a little lemon juice.
it's used to add more flavor and body. some people drink Buttermilk straight up. i couldn't stop gagging long enough to get a glass up to my lips! i'd rather use it to clean a pig.;)

[henry hill]

http://www.potnoodle.co.uk/

It's this pot, with noodles and sauce and veggie, depending on what flavour you buy, you boil the kettle and pour the water and stir and you have your pot noodle all cooked! but it's too difficult to get right...

If you pour too much water into the noodles, they don't become noodles, it becomes noodle soup, too little water and the bottom stays powdery!

The content is not always the same and you have to train yourself to become a judge of how much water you must pour in depending how much is in your pot! (pot luck!)

[sadesdrk]

Pot noodles?!
Buttermilk Pancakes?!
WHA?!

Toose...make me something.:p

[Aquatic Soul]

This might become my favorite thread. :)

I'm a chef so if anyone needs tips, advice, a recipe, or different take on a traditional one let me know. I'm a passionate foodie, love to cook and eat, and talk about food in general.

[foster]

I haven't created too many things but I did do a great wrap once

Spinach tortilla
Spinach leaves
Tostitios Spinach Dip
Croutons
Grilled Chicken

Hmm I can't remember what else. Maybe Feta Cheese.

[Aquatic Soul]

I haven't created too many things but I did do a great wrap once

Spinach tortilla
Spinach leaves
Tostitios Spinach Dip
Croutons
Grilled Chicken

Hmm I can't remember what else. Maybe Feta Cheese.

Next time try a sun dried tomato wrap instead. Would taste nice with all your spinach toppings.

[shadows]

Mm like carvery

[teeter_g]

I love to cook! I make a mean pork chop on the charcoal grill in the summer time. Use a mustard/brown sugar/apple cider vinegar slather to both soak it in before hand and brush on while grilling. Then I make a copy cat Chic-Fil-A sauce to dip it in with mayo/mustard/honey/lemon juice/bbq. So flipping good. As a side for that I like asparagus grilled with butter and garlic sauce, blue cheese and bacon mashed potatoes (made with crumbled blue cheese and real bacon bits), and garlic toast. We like garlic in this house. :)

[shadows]

mm like bbq alot

[Aquatic Soul]

mm like bbq alot

What's your favorite meat to barbecue?

[corvuscorax]

chicken breast, duck, raven, cheese,

[teeter_g]

So, what did everyone have for super bowl parties? I had a sub sandwich platter with different candies and chips.

[Aquatic Soul]

I catered for a party so munched some on what I made. Did a few different flavors of chicken wings with assorted dipping sauces, Swedish meatballs, tortilla chips with three kinds of dips, two different large pans of nachos, potato salad, deviled eggs, assorted grilled kebabs with veggies, two fruit trays with amaretto and honey yogurt dipping sauces, two veggie trays with blue cheese and ranch, jalapeno poppers with cream cheese, steak quesadillas, sausage cheese balls, spinach artichoke and feta cheese ball, and stuffed mushrooms. For dessert I did brownies, assorted cookies, peanut butter balls, and chocolate coffee mousse cups.

I would've been more original but the boss is the boss.

[christine]

First recipe from the American Magnolia Bakery book turned out good, raspberry jam cream cheese buns. Prob helped I had a set of cup measuring spoons that an American friend sent me as we do everything in weight over here.

[Aquatic Soul]

Those look good Christine! How did they turn out?

[christine]

Really nice AS. That's my picture of the ones I made. I've never included cream cheese in a sponge mix before but it made the cake lovely and soft and the jam swirled in gave them a nice tartness. They're all gone anyway so they must've been ok!

[Godoggo]

Those look so delicious, Christine. I've always been a better baker than cook. I'll have to try something like that sometime.

[christine]

The recipe is this one Go - http://www.recipelink.com/cookbooks/2005/0743246616_1.html
Says it makes 9 but I got 12 out of it using cupcake papers

[Godoggo]

Cool! Thanks. Now I have something to make for valentines breakfast. :)