Cooking thread, anyone?

[PaulOinMA]

Sunday was a hot day here. Vanilla-ish malt in the afternoon. Milk, vanilla ice cream, Carnation malt powder, and whipped cream. Vanilla-ish because I accidentally ordered chocolate malt powder the last time. Hamilton Beach Drink Master gets used a lot here. I highly recommend getting one.

We have large malt/milk shake glasses . The Jets glass is a little smaller, but still a lot larger than a regular glass. I keep a couple in the refrigerator.

Mobil was giving out NFL glasses in different sizes in the mid-1980s with a fill-up. Have a lot of Jets glasses.

 

[PaulOinMA]

My wife is away for the weekend and a couple of days in VA.

Barbequed (smoked) flank steak panini for dinner last night using an early, mid-1990s George Foreman grill.

Although I bake, I buy Arnold Country Style Bread when it is on sale as two-for-whatever. Comes in several different varieties. Good bread. Mayo, raw onion, 3-oz. barbequed flank steak, Monterey Jack cheese, barbeque sauce. Yum!

 

[DuaeGuttae]

Those both look tasty, @PaulOinMA .

I used a new technique in cooking green beans. We’ve been sautéing them a lot this summer with the occasional boiling, but this afternoon I tried a crockpot method. I didn’t have the pepper flakes called for in the recipe so substituted a small fish pepper from the garden. I also omitted the sugar and lemon juice, and we ate them hot from the crock pot. Most in the family thought they were good. My teenager had two servings; the eleven year old had three.

Melt An-Tour-Mouth Green Beans with Turkish Pepper from The Slow Mediterranean Kitchen: Recipes for the Passionate Cook by Paula Wolfert

The Greeks have a saying that they use frequently to convey the importance of patience: Slowly, slowly, sour grapes turn to honey.Since you need patience for this green bean recipe, I advise using...

app.ckbk.com

I don’t think it will be a regular, but it was a nice way to use green beans and tomatoes from the garden without having to fuss at dinner time.

 

[begreen]

Those both look tasty, @PaulOinMA .

I used a new technique in cooking green beans. We’ve been sautéing them a lot this summer with the occasional boiling, but this afternoon I tried a crockpot method. I didn’t have the pepper flakes called for in the recipe so substituted a small fish pepper from the garden. I also omitted the sugar and lemon juice, and we ate them hot from the crock pot. Most in the family thought they were good. My teenager had two servings; the eleven year old had three.

Melt An-Tour-Mouth Green Beans with Turkish Pepper from The Slow Mediterranean Kitchen: Recipes for the Passionate Cook by Paula Wolfert

The Greeks have a saying that they use frequently to convey the importance of patience: Slowly, slowly, sour grapes turn to honey.Since you need patience for this green bean recipe, I advise using...

app.ckbk.com

I don’t think it will be a regular, but it was a nice way to use green beans and tomatoes from the garden without having to fuss at dinner time.

Sounds like Allepo pepper would be perfect for this, though I can't access the recipe. You need to belong to the club.

 

[DuaeGuttae]

I’m sorry about the link not working. I don’t actually belong to the club myself.

I found a recipe for slow-cooked green beans in my paper copy of How to Cook Everything, and the author mentioned that it was inspired by Paula Wolfert. I googled “Paula Wolfert crockpot green beans” and the recipe came up. I’ll see if I can copy and paste.
INGREDIENTS

• 1½ pounds thick green beans, trimmed and cut into 1-inch lengths
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• ⅓ cup extra virgin olive oil
• ½ cup peeled, seeded, and chopped canned tomato or 1 large juicy tomato, halved, seeded, and grated
• ¼ teaspoon Turkish red pepper flakes (see Mail Order Sources)
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• Salt
• Lemon juice

• SIDE DISH
• SALAD
• GLUTEN-FREE
• VEGAN

METHOD
Place everything in the clay insert of an electric slow-cooker. Add 2tablespoons water, cover with a small round of crumpled parchment, and set on the lid. Cook on low for 5 to 7 hours, or on high for 3½ hours, until the beans are very tender. Taste for salt. Allow to mellow overnight. Serve cool with a few drops of lemon juice to taste.

I’m looking forward to having the leftovers tomorrow, and I’ll try the lemon juice on it then.

 

[clancey]

That sounds really good and I might try that down the road..clancey

 

[PaulOinMA]

Green bean recipes sound good.

Makes me always think of the time I needed beans for a cold salad. I just grab beans by the handful.

There was a little old lady in front of the beans, picking them up one-at-a-time, holding it close to her face, and inspecting them. Went in her bag if they passed inspection.

Decided to do the rest of my food shopping first, and I'd grab a couple of handfuls of beans right before I went to check out.

 

[clancey]

Ha Ha Ha---now I am going to the store....clancey

 

[begreen]

How do you grate a big juicy tomato? And those green beans must be pretty tough to cook that long. We lightly steam fresh garden green beans. Can't stand them when they are cooked to an olive green mush.

 

[DuaeGuttae]

How do you grate a big juicy tomato? And those green beans must be pretty tough to cook that long. We lightly steam fresh garden green beans. Can't stand them when they are cooked to an olive green mush.

I asked the same question about grating a tomato to myself and my daughter. I then proceeded to slice and dice up a couple of mine that needed using.

A couple of my beans were a little more filled out than I would use for lightly steamed (the ones I miss for a day when picking), but most of them were young and tender from the garden that morning. My kids actually like beans “cooked to death” when we sautée them, so I figured they’d be okay with slow-cooked green beans. (They were olive green, thankfully not mush, but definitely not crisp.). It worked for variety for us, but it would not be to everybody’s taste.

We haven’t had the leftovers yet because I really needed to harvest Swiss Chard this morning. I used half to accompany Welsh Rarebit for the afternoon meal, and half will go to the freezer.

The plan for dinner tonight is

15-Minute Cherry Tomato Pasta

Burst cherry tomatoes, garlicky olive oil, and basil join forces in this summery weeknight pasta.

www.epicurious.com

since I picked about 3 pounds of cherry tomatoes on Monday. (Some needed a bit more time to ripen, but we were expecting rain, and a couple of my varieties split.)

 

[clancey]

I would cook my fresh beans with the rest of the ingredients in a wok so that they would not get too mushy...I also like crisp vegetables unless I have ham and cabbage then its okay a little mushy on the cabbage only,,,lol Everything sounds just great..clancey

 

[bholler]

PA dutch chicken pot pie tonight at the camp site in WV

 

[bholler]

I would cook my fresh beans with the rest of the ingredients in a wok so that they would not get too mushy...I also like crisp vegetables unless I have ham and cabbage then its okay a little mushy on the cabbage only,,,lol Everything sounds just great..clancey

I always do beans in a pan with butter and garlic

 

[clancey]

Sounds good to me--I love string beans...clancey

 

[DuaeGuttae]

PA dutch chicken pot pie tonight at the camp site in WV

I grew up with chicken pot pie being served as a casserole topped with biscuits. I make it for my kids with an actual pie crust. A quick search tells me that this is more of a chicken stew with homemade dough squares. Sounds like something I need to look into. Do you have a recipe to share?

 

[DuaeGuttae]

Today was a somewhat big cooking day in our house. I had thawed fish yesterday for supper but ended up not cooking it so needed to prepare it for the noon meal. I planned to batter it lightly and deep fry it. When I went to the garden this morning, I noticed an abundance of male pumpkin blossoms (the same species as zucchini). Since fried zucchini blossoms are so popular in Italy, I figured I’d try the batter and deep frying technique on the pumpkin. They were delicious. (We also had green beans.)




Dinner was Greek salad with tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, and the last green onions from the garden. We had caramelized blondies with macademia nuts and white chocolate chips as a special treat for dessert. Not the most photogenic, but it was yummy and rich. Our family of six only ate half, and the five year old couldn’t even finish his piece.

 

[bholler]

I grew up with chicken pot pie being served as a casserole topped with biscuits. I make it for my kids with an actual pie crust. A quick search tells me that this is more of a chicken stew with homemade dough squares. Sounds like something I need to look into. Do you have a recipe to share?

No recipe I have just been making it since I was a kid. Ham beef venison chicken squirrel etc it doesn't matter. But it's always better in a pot over a fire.

 

[DuaeGuttae]

I made a yummy nectarine-pepper jam this afternoon. We ate it on fresh biscuits, and we cooked pork chops in a sauce made from the leftovers in the cooking pot. This was a hit with the whole family.



Here’s the recipe I used for inspiration.

Peach jalapeño jam

Texans love their peaches. I’d say that this love ranks right up there along with bluebonnets, barbecue, cheese enchiladas and football. And for good reason, as Texan peaches are the best. I’ve always assumed everyone

www.homesicktexan.com

I was making close to a double batch, but I accidentally did not increase the sugar at all, and it was a good accident for our tastes. I used three ripe fish peppers (they tend to run hotter than jalapeños), and the heat was noticeable but not overpowering. I can see it being excellent on cheese and crackers.

 

[begreen]

We make our jams quite low sugar and like them that way. Much more of the fruit flavor comes forward with less sugar.

 

[DuaeGuttae]

We make our jams quite low sugar and like them that way. Much more of the fruit flavor comes forward with less sugar.

I agree with letting the fruit flavor come forward. We also don’t use commercial pectin, and that lets us have more freedom with sugar ratios. I made a small batch of jelly the next day from the nectarine pits and peels and boiled it a bit too long. For some reason it wasn’t sheeting off my spoon as I expected, and I ended up with a bit too firm a gel, but it’s still a hit.

Today for lunch we had some leftover roast lamb, bread, and grilled cucumbers all served with a feta cheese dip.

Here is the recipe that I used for grilling the cucumbers. I made my own version of the feta dip based on what we prefer, and my kids actually said it was the best dip I’ve ever made. I need to type out what I did before I forget.

Grilled Cucumbers with Creamy Pickled Feta Dip

Raise your hand if you love pickles! I love pickles so much that in middle school a friend and I declared (unfortunately

www.shelikesfood.com

3/4 cup yogurt, blended with an equal amount of feta cheese, one tablespoon of lemon juice, 3 cloves of garlic, a large bunch of za’atar (Syrian oregano) and a few mint leaves, one teaspoon of salt, one half teaspoon of pepper. I added another 1/4 cup of feta after the blending was done and stirred it in. I think it was a bit too heavy on the salt, but it worked as a dip.

My eleven year old in particular loved the dip, and he’s not a huge fan of leftover lamb, so this was a good way to make it more palatable to him. My eight year old went back for seconds and thirds on the grilled cucumbers. She says they may be even better than pickles. The others liked the cucumbers okay but said that I needn’t go to the trouble of grilling in the heat again. That was my impression, too.

 

[begreen]

Your family is lucky to have such an adventuresome cook. We have a griddle pan that we use on the stove for when we want to grill and the weather is too hot or cold outside, though normally it gets more use in the winter. Staub makes a nice heavy one.

We use Sure-Jell low sugar pectin. What do you use in lieu of this?

 

[DuaeGuttae]

Thanks, Begreen. Sometimes they think I’m too adventuresome, but I’m blessed to have kids that enjoy good food.

I have a griddle pan as well, and I debated using it. What I really need to do is move the little wood rack down off our deck and switch the grill to the other side that is in the shade. The past few days have been much more sunny, and it’s just too intense for me. (Our solar panels have had higher production this past week than any other this summer. I had forgotten just how intense the sun can be since our weather has been unusually cloudy and even rainy at times.)

I don’t use any pectin in part because for years we were on a strict elimination diet, and it was an ingredient that could give my son eczema. His skin is much better now and his sensitivities are not so severe, so we’ve added in other things that we never used to eat like lemon juice. When I make jam or jelly from a low acid fruit, I just add lemon to it. I don’t make that many, though.

 

[EbS-P]

Three B’s over an open fire. Burgers, bean and bread pudding.

 

[DuaeGuttae]

Three B’s over an open fire. Burgers, bean and bread pudding.

View attachment 280966 View attachment 280967

Will you tell us more about bread pudding, please?

Right now whatever comes out of our garden is what we build our meals around. Our okra is just beginning to take off, and I only have four plants producing (two more getting ready), so our quantities are small. I had enough today, though, to fry up a batch. Because I already had breading and hot oil, we also had fried fish. My husband fried some potatoes, though I’m not sure we really needed them on top of the other food. Everybody enjoyed it, but there were leftovers of everything.

 

[EbS-P]

Will you tell us more about bread pudding, please?

Told kids they could roast marshmallows. Forgot to get them at store. I still owed them a desert they said.

I don’t follow recipes, just use them as a guide. Call it 6 eggs, 6-7 cups skim milk, 1/2-3/4 cup sugar, enough bread to fill, spice to taste (just grabbed some pumpkin pie seasoning). Cooked an hour that was to long, 40 min next time. Still came out great. First time cooking in a Dutch oven. Will repeat. Probably will get a larger Dutch oven. I see a wood fired oven in my future.
Evan.