The Cooking Thread

[yakuzai]

So, I figured with all the cooking I do that I might as well share my entrees with you! Here we can all share what we like to cook and how to make it as well.


Greg's Super Stir-Fry

Ingredients:
Chuka Soba Chow Mein Noodles I usually use 1/2 of a packet.
House of Tsang's Szechuan and Peanut Sauce
Soy Sauce
Broccoli
Peanut Oil
1 wal-mart boneless chicken breast. I say wal-mart because they sell their chicken in a nice bulk bag. Or if you prefer: use other meat/tofu.
1 wok or skillet.

First you have to boil the noodles and start cooking the chicken(I use a George Forman grill for this, but you can also add raw chicken straight into the stir-fry later if you prefer). Usually they finish about the same time, but I usually add a couple minutes for the chicken to cook after the noodles are ready.
During the cooking and boiling, I'll prepare any vegetables.
When the noodles are ready to drain, I'll pour some peanut oil in the wok and turn it on so it'll be ready. I turn the heat on half way and let it warm up for about 5-10 minutes.
Usually by the time the wok is ready, the chicken will be ready to be chopped up, while the vegetables and noodles are already good to go.
This is when I pull out all my sauces. Also, feel free to add anything else: this is just what I use.
First I usually add the noodles, chicken, then broccoli.
I stir it up in the wok and then add soy sauce, szechuan, and peanut sauce. Of course, adding as much as you'd like.
I let this stir fry for a good 10 minutes or so. I really like to let everything blend and saturate.
Pull it off the heat and let it cool for a bit.
Serve it up!

Serving size is 1 person.

[Joyrock]

What, you want me to share my secret recipes?

I can eat this 2 times a day for 2 weeks. It's that simple / that good. This will make enough for one night a week, splurging on some of the finer ingredients. Will fit into a 9 cup / 2.1 Liter container.


Grilled Salmon, Pasta, Squash

Salmon:
Grill (or dry bake) an excellent
3/4 - 1.5 pound Salmon fillet. Smoked Salmon is my preference
Tip: Smoked/Cured Salmon can be salty as hell. Cook a sample and decide if you need to give it a brief rinse before cooking!
Tip: If you have a regular Salmon you may want to spice it with something like Old Bay (salty).
Cook until salmon has a slightly dry texture (must compare to al-dente pasta)
Shred salmon into half-bite-sized shreds


Pasta:
Cook
17.6 oz Spaghetti Noodles
Al-dente. Cook in lightly salted water. Cook in lots of water. Drain well.


Vegetables:
Combine
2 Bay leaves
1 Cup Chicken Broth
1 Tbsp Butter
1/8 Tsp Salt
in a sauce-pan or skillet.
Boil until liquid reduces to 1/4 cup.
Add
4 Cups of sliced Green/Yellow squash
Fold gently into the reduced liquid.
Cover initially to steam vegetables evenly.
Cook on medium heat until vegetables are slightly underdone. Your goal is al-dente here as well. The squash will lose a lot of liquid.
Remove the vegetable solids to a separate container and continue to reduce the liquid. Once reduced back to 1/4 cup, return the vegetables to the liquid.
Kill the heat.
Add
2-3 Cups of diced tomatoes
including any caught juice (this is key!). Do so while vegetables are still hot. It is not recommended to actually cook the tomatoes.
Fold gently to combine


The meal:
Combine the "pulled" Salmon, Pasta, and braised vegetables and all liquids into one container.
Add (at your discretion)
3/4 Cup of Extra Virgin Olive Oil (trade up to 1 Tbsp of butter)
3 Tbsp Parsley Flakes
1 Tbsp Basil
1 Tbsp Oregano
1 Tbsp Thyme
1 Tbsp Black Pepper
1 Tbsp Minced Garlic
Fold to combine.

Serve with
Fresh lime juice!


*Feel free to change proportions on this recipe. For example, sometimes I go light on the Salmon but do not rinse it (to save money, yet keep it salty.) You may love squash, so go for it. Personally I think the Tomatoes make the vegetables everything they could possibly be. Do not skip on these.

** This reheats so well in the microwave, if you must. I do it at work. Add a little bit of hot water and you'll steam the dish back to life.

[Joyrock]

Mayan Brownies:

Grab any brownie recipe or prepackaged brownie mix from the store and add cayenne pepper.

For every
1.25 lb Bag of Dry Brownie Powder Mix (aka 1lb 4oz.)
I recommend you shake to combine
1/4 Tsp Cayenne Pepper if you want a sane treat that enhances chocolaty goodness
OR
1/2 Tsp Cayenne Pepper if you want something special
OR
1 Tsp Cayenne Pepper if you want your mouth to smolder nicely (50% of the public can't take the heat)
OR
1.5 Tsp Cayenne Pepper if you want people to think you are crazy
OR
2+ Tsp Cayenne Pepper if you want to torment diners beyond the boundaries of sanity


Continue to make the brownies per the instructions on the box/your recipe. My dry mix happens to be Ghirardelli Triple Chocolate Mix accompanied with 1 Egg and 1/3 Cup Veg. Oil and 1/3 Cup Water per the instructions, with 1 Tsp of Vanilla Extract. Do make sure to get the proportions right or people may die as cities are demolished.

[yakuzai]

I think I'm going to try 4tsp.

[Joyrock]

I think I'm going to try 4tsp.

That's prank-level heat. Perfect for the roommate that won't stop eating your food. You probably will not be able to eat the brownies yourself. To be honest you won't be able to taste them. Or anything else for the next hour. Do it.

[Joyrock]

This is a real treat. It's a Choco Soy Blueberry-Banana Iced Smoothie.

I prepare this in a Magic Bullet blender. Too simple:

1 banana
1 cup fresh blueberries (best if frozen)
1 cup Silk-brand Chocolate Soy Milk
2-3 ice cubes

Then you run out of room. Blend and drink. 333 calories.

[Joyrock]

Redeye Alfredo Linguine
(decidedly vegetarian, but would go really great with meatballs)

Bring
1 Can of Hunt's Diced Tomatoes (steam-peeled in the can)
to a boil in a saucepan and
Transfer contents to final serving/storage dish.
Strain the tomato juice back into the saucepan and reduce.
Add
1 Tablespoon Butter
1.5 Tablespoons AP Flour
Whisk into a white roux. Feel free to add a little Chicken Broth if it gets too thick.
Add
1 Cup of Alfredo Sauce from a jar and
Stir until thickened.
Pour over
1 (13.25 oz) Box Whole Wheat Linguine Pasta cooked firm/al dente
Add in misc. herbs and spices such as
Parsley
Cilantro
Black Pepper

Toss to combine all of this, including the tomatoes, on a serving dish.
Serve.



This goes great with...

Curried Corn and Walnuts

Saute
1 Can of Del Monte Whole Kernel Corn (drained) on medium-high heat with a
Pat of Butter
Add
1 Tsp of Curry
1 Tsp of Tumeric
Cook until all liquid evaporates and kernels turn crisp and crunchy.
Add
1/4 Cup Chopped Walnuts and
Serve.


Feel free to serve the Linguine and Corn next to each other on the same plate. Ultimately you will find that the Whole Wheat Linguine and the Tumeric/Walnuts are extremely earthy and that makes these dishes pair well together. Tossing them together wouldn't be a bad idea except that it turns your two distinct, well-crafted dishes into one. I find it more impressive to make the corn a side.

[yakuzai]

GREG'S TOMATO SOUP

1 can of tomato soup
after dumping can of tomato soup in saucer, fill up can with milk.
dump milk in saucer. cook till desired temp.

set aside and add 1 oz (or more) of Tapatio.

ENJOY!

[Joyrock]

You touched on a great thing which is milk and acid.

If you can find the time you MUST make this just so you can add Tapatio to it. It will be the best soup you have ever had.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/videos/heart ... 16451.html

[Kitsune]

Spaghetti + Hot Dogs =
DELICIOUS.

http://www.boingboing.net/2009/04/21/fr ... -inse.html

[damienz]

that does not even look edible, it's like lorena bobbit meets anime tentacle porn as an entree

[yakuzai]

Well, it is Lauren.

[Joyrock]

that does not even look edible, it's like lorena bobbit meets anime tentacle porn as an entree

Yes. That would be the dictionary definition of edible.

[Joyrock]

Hmm. Well we all (should) know about Vanilla sugar, but I decided to skip a step and just put 1/8th a vanilla bean, split, directly into a cup of coffee. Very quick way to get vanilla. The little black favor specs™ are visible but I don't care.

[yakuzai]

Greg's damn good polish dizzzzzz-og.

Cook a polish dog.
Melt some blue cheese and whatever other cheese you want inside a pita.
Put the dog inside and roll it up.


delish.

[yakuzai]

Currently baking the infamous ribs for the family!

[yakuzai]

[Joyrock]

That is supreme.

[yakuzai]

I made this for the family tonight. I couldn't find the chiles, so I used two jalapenos. Supremely delicious.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/bobb ... index.html

[yakuzai]

Currently have the Coq au Vin in the oven. I used this recipe: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/coq- ... index.html

It's not Alton Brown, but it also doesn't require two bottles of Pinot Noir and only take 1 1/2 hours to cook. Plus cognac!


Anyway, next week is chicken and spinach samosas with raita sauce.

[Joyrock]

I just saw a guy on the food network making Cap'n Crunch Crab Cakes.

[Joyrock]

I made the most amazing White Russian, using soy milk no less.

2 parts Wild Harvest Vanilla Soy Milk
1 part Vodka
1 part Kalua Coffee Liqueur
1 part frozen black drip coffee

Adjust the vodka to your tastes. And swap out with real milk if you wish, but honestly you wont mind. The drip coffee makes it. Its great.

[Joyrock]

Silk brand Vanilla Almond Milk is great. It has the lowest calories of any milk I've seen and has the taste and texture of Vanilla Pecan ice cream. It's like all pros and no cons. I set up a laboratory-style pipette drip and a hot wheels race track over my bed. Now, as I lay down to rest, delicious almond milk drizzles slowly into my open mouth and soothes me into unconsciousness.

[Joyrock]

Okay. So first you make some raman noodles. Chicken flavor. And then you put some canned corn (drained) in a hot skillet until its warm and crunchy. Combine with the raman noodles.

And then grab yourself a glass of chocolate milk. Bam.

Enjoy

[Joyrock]

When I cook I usually put salt in/on everything. Meals, to deserts, to shakes. You name it. Even if you add salt to sandpaper, at the very least it will taste like salt. To this day, there has only been one food that I put salt on that did not get better from it.

That food...was applesauce. I have no idea why but a pinch of salt on applesauce did not make the applesauce taste more like apples. It was just weird. That was a long time ago and I may try it again some day.

[Joyrock]

I made a fantastic 24-hour marinade by hand for some pork cutlets, cut fresh from a tenderloin. It was unbelievable.

1/4 Cup Balsamic Vinegar
1/4 Cup White Wine Vinegar
1/4 Cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1-2 Tablespoons Rosemary Dried
1-2 Tablespoons Honey
1 Tablespoon of Kosher Salt
1 Shot of Lemon Zested Vodka (I always have this on hand) OR 1 lemon worth of zest

This is a 24-hour marinade. The next day, brown the pork tenderloin slices in a rocket hot Iron Skillet until 140f on the inside. Serve with a Shiraz and a good Kosher Mineral Salt as a finishing salt on the plate. The flavor pops out like you wouldn't believe. For sides (I'm just going to take a guess here) consider Roma tomatoes lightly salted, and possibly steamed asparagus.

The killer combos are the Balsamic/Mineral Salt, and the Rosemary/Honey. These go very well together as I found out.