Voodoolily's Snacktastic Recipe Thread!!

[CmdrSlack]

Did you get that recipe from the Pocket Pie episode of Good Eats?

No, I was buzzed and thinking that it would be nice to eat a McDonald's apple pie without the transfats.

I haven't kept up with Good Eats in a long time. Believe it or not, sometimes I just get good ideas. That are apparently not really revolutionary. Either way, I had tasty fried apple snacks, so go me.

[Falwell]

One of my best friend's mothers, a good ole southern girl (you know, makes enough food for 50 people at a 6 person dinner) makes what is quite possibly the most delicious, and deadly snack of all time. This stuff is pure artery cement..

1 pound Philly cream cheese
2 cans Hormel Chili with beans
1 pound of grated fresh Colby

Cover the bottom of a 2 inch baking pan with the cream cheese. Top cream cheese with the Hormel chili. Top it all off with the grated Colby. Heat in oven at 350 until cheese has melted. The best nacho dip on the planet.

Serve with white tortilla chips and an angioplasty.

[UD_Delt]

Just made a good, fairly simple and quick pasta this weekend. It was actually better left over than it was fresh but I'm often strange that way...

Ingredients:
1 whole roasted chicken
1 lb farfalle (bowtie) pasta
8 oz baby bella mushrooms (pre-sliced)
2 fresh summer/yellow squash
Olive Oil
Lipton Herb & Garlic soup mix (http://www.amazon.com/Lipton-Recipe-Secrets-Savory-Garlic/dp/B0004M29IA)
Chopped garlic
Other Italian herbs and seasoning as desired


If you wanted you could roast your own chicken but thats way too time consuming so I just bought one of those $5 jobs from the grocery store that they roast every few hours. I saw them just coming out of the roaster and they smelled good which gave me the idea for the recipe.

Shred the chicken and separate the meat from all the bones and other nasty stuff. I also removed the skin and any fat to at least try and make it slightly healthier. That's the longest part and takes 5-10 minutes to do by hand.

At the same time you're shredding the chicken get your pasta water going and get the pasta started.

When there's about 5-6 minutes left on the pasta take the mushrooms and chop the squash and throw those in a pan. Add the chopped garlic and a good bit of olive oil. Add about 1/4 of the packet of soup mix. Cook over medium heat until the veggies just start to soften (3-4 minutes max), you don't want them to be mushy. Add the chicken and leave it on the heat just until everything is nice and hot.

Drain your pasta, add some more olive oil to the pasta and the rest of the packet of soup mix. Mix in your chicken, mushroom and squash mixture. Salt to taste and serve with grated Parmesan, Romano or whichever cheese you prefer.

Total prep time about 20 minutes.

This makes enough for my wife and I to get two dinners and a single lunch out of it. It is also fairly high in the stuff to pasta ratio. When making dishes like this I like my pasta vs. stuff ratio to be about 1:1. My wife usually likes more pasta but since I was cooking I get to decide. You could probably use 2 lbs of pasta and the same amount of stuff and it would come out ok and stretch a lot further.

[Sky]

I destroyed the competition at our library bake sale with Cook's Illustrated thick-n-chewy chocolate chip cookie recipe. Apparently it wasn't a competition. I was told that repeatedly as I smugly pointed out how much better my cookies were and how they sold out in less than an hour. But I won.

Actually, we all won because they were amazingly good cookies. I joined the CI website earlier this year, it's cool. Recipes, reviews (not sponsored by ads), and you can make favorites lists of recipes and articles. Then you can go to your favorites and tick the checkboxes next to what you want to make for dinner, click the Shopping List link and it'll spit out a printer-friendly list of ingredients to take to the store after work. Love it.

[Furiously]

I'm tempted to quit getting it monthly and just buying the year in hardback.

[croaker69]

Pasta Salad

2 boxes Orzo pasta
2 bunches Asparagus
1 jar roasted red pepper or 1 red pepper so roasted and peeled
1 jar nonpareil capers
2 4 oz jars marinated artichoke hearts
1/4 cup pitted kalamata olives
1 cup grape tomatoes
2 tbl finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
1 tbl finely chopped fresh tarragon
2 tbl finely chopped fresh basil
6 tbl Hellman's Mayo
3 tbl good Dijon mustard
1 tsp fresh ground black pepper
fine sea salt to taste

Cook the orzo to al dente per box instructions with plenty (2 tbl minimum) of salt in the water.  Stir for the first few mins or clumps will form. Drain pasta and cool in ice water bath while stirring.  Drain very well again.

Trim the cut ends of the asparagus and cook to tender but not mushy.  Usually takes 12-15 min in microwave while submerged in salted water.  Shock in ice water, drain, and cut in 1/2 inch lengths.

Mince red peppers, olives, capers, and herbs.  Add to your largest mixing bowl with the mayo, mustard, herbs and pepper.  Stir to make a dressing.  Mix in pasta and asparagus.  Taste for seasoning.  Remember it will be served cold so more salt is needed than at room temp.  Stir in drained artichoke hearts and halved grape tomatoes.  Leave in fridge for an hour or 3 to meld and chill.  Before serving check seasoning again and add more mustard, salt, and pepper as necessary and even more mayo to get a creamier result.

Recipe can easily be halved as it makes alot.

[voodoolily]

Recipe can easily be halved as it makes alot.

orly? with 2 BOXES of orzo??

[Sky]

I'm tempted to quit getting it monthly and just buying the year in hardback.

That's what she said.

[Sky]

Been getting lots of great veggies, my local supermarket is finally supporting local farms, posting where the veggies are coming from, it's incredible. Tough to get to our farmer's market on lunch the one day a week it's open, so this is a cool move. I do get some from a stand I know about, too. Fresh veggies grown locally make it almost too easy to make great recipes.

I made an easy little throw-together, wish we could get fresh avocado around here, one thing I miss since I've moved back.

Take some fresh tomato and avocado, dice into a bowl. Squirt some lime juice over it (squeezed of course) and grind some pepper and salt into it. We've been using it for tortilla chips, burrito toppings (I generically call anything in a tortilla shell a burrito), burger toppings. Just good stuff.

And omg the fresh long hots from this one farm are reeeeaally good and hot. Perfect for me, lots of peppery flavor to them. But nobody I cook for can handle them :(

[voodoolily]

We have been supping on hell of fresh produce from the garden, plus all the goodness coming from the farms. These are the tastiest of days.

[voodoolily]

I just entered this recipe into a little contest. Full details at bloggy-blog.

Smoky Green Curry Seafood Chowder



Ingredients (broken out into steps of prep):
1 medium-sized Asian eggplant, mandolined or sliced very thin (on the bias)
2 c chopped fresh tomatoes (canned would work in a pinch if drained)
2 tbsp olive oil
1 jalapeno, seeded and minced
3 small, mild green chilis such as fresh pepperoncini
1 small onion, diced
1 shallot, minced (about 3 tbsp)
3 or 4 cloves garlic, minced
3" piece of ginger (the younger the better), julienned
1/2 c chopped baby haricots verts (or other tender green bean)

1 tsp coriander seed
1/2 tsp caraway seed
1/2 tsp cumin seed
1/4 tsp garam masala
coupla fat pinches kosher salt
6 or 7 cracks pepper

5 c fumet or fish stock
3 or 4 squirts fish sauce (nam pla)
1 can (13.5 oz) coconut milk
1 cup chopped fresh basil (reserve a few sprigs for garnish)
1/2 c chopped fresh cilantro, stems and all (reserve a few sprigs for garnish)
1/2 tsp red chili flake (I like the Korean kind, which is a little sweeter)
juice and zest from half a lime

1 tin (3.66 oz) smoked mussels, drained
1 lb mild white fish fillets (such as halibut, flounder, tilapia, etc.), cut into bite-sized cubes
8 baby octopus or squid, cleaned, tentacles left whole and bodies cut into bite-sized pieces
12 or 15 medium-sized prawns (~8 oz), peeled and deveined with tails intact


Heat oven to 350F. Spread thinly-sliced eggplant in a single layer on two lightly-oiled cookie sheets (or on a silpat on top of the cookie sheet). Spread tomatoes into glass or ceramic baking dish in an even layer. Roast eggplant for 15 minutes until browned and a bit crispy. Peel eggplant off while still hot and set aside. Roast toms for an additional 15 minutes (30 minutes total) until slightly browned, sticky and slumpy. You can kick the heat up a bit after the eggplant comes out if you want to expedite this step.

In a large, heavy-bottomed soup pot, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Saute the jalapenos, pepperoncini, onions, shallots, garlic, ginger and haricots verts for 5 minutes, stirring with a wooden spoon (important utensil for home cooking). While this is happening, heat a small pan over medium heat and toast the coriander, caraway and cumin seed until fragrant. Remove from heat and grind in mortar and pestle or spice grinder until you get a fine powder. Add ground spices and garam masala to sauteeing veg, and add salt and pepper.

When veg is beginning to get a little golden, add fumet, fish sauce and coconut milk. Drop heat to medium-low and stir. Add basil, coriander, chili flake and the lime zest/juice. Simmer for like 10 minutes. Add the eggplant and tomatoes, smoked mussels and the fish, and simmer another 10 minutes or so, until the veg is al dente and the fish is looking opaque. Avoid stirring too much here so you don't break up the fish. Add the octopus and prawns, and turn off the heat. The latent heat will cook the octopus and prawns without overdoing it.

Ladle into warm bowls and top with sprigs of basil and cilantro (or chop the sprigs up and sprinkle on top). Serve with crusty baguette (not as weird as you'd think; since Vietnam was colonized by the French they learned some nice baking skills from them). Enjoy with a nice Pinot Gris (we have great ones in Oregon), which compliments the seafood and cuts the spiciness.

[Signe]

MMMMM.  MMMM.  MMMMMMMM.  I can't say it enough.  MMM.  MMMMMMMMMM.

The lamb in the other forum looks delish, too.  It's not always easy to find a nice bit of lamb and it's Righ's favourite. 

[voodoolily]

I love lamb. It's got that "I'm a little baby who eats thistle and clover" taste that you just can't get from beef or pork. It satisfies my cravings for game-y meat when it's too early for venison.

[WayAbvPar]

Ship me a few quarts of that chowder!

As for lamb, I am not a huge fan. A little gamey for my sensitive palate. Slap it in a gyro, however, and I will wolf it down. Althought I would eat nearly anything if you slathered enough tzatziki on it.

[hal]

VDL I love the fact that you enjoy venison. Doe or button buck meat is very good. Tenderloin medalions from a doe are great. I raised 2 girls on Bambi burgers and love the fact that you are connected to where the meat comes from and that wild meat can be very tasty. Happy trails to you.

[cmlancas]

Hey vlily, do you know how to break animals and whatnot? Or, do you just send your game out to be butchered?

[Ookii]

What the hell.

[voodoolily]

Hey vlily, do you know how to break animals and whatnot? Or, do you just send your game out to be butchered?

I don't do any hunting myself, so I don't have to worry about it. My dad sends it off to a dude who dispatches the animal and makes pepperoni with the scraps. I've butchered fish and rabbits, but that's about it.

[cmlancas]

What the hell.

What? I cut meat. I don't think it's so far off for a gourmet chef to do his/her own cutting.\

Applause for truly epitomizing "Useless Conversation" though. ;)

[hal]

I am not sure if this has been asked or not but let me share some thoughts about harvesting meat from hunting.

In this order:

1) Slit its throat, be humane, it may be unconconus, if it is kill it as quickly and humanly as you can. Any way you want the blood out of the body.
 
2) Slit open the belly hopefully without breaking the membrane but get the guts out of there and on the ground. I will reach up in to the chest and grab all I can.

3) If it is warm and running water is near get the body in the water. If it is freezing cold worry less about this. If it is some where inbeween it kinda depends where water is. In Tennessee bow season starts in August and i have been known to drag a doe miles to get the body chilled.

The gamy taste kinda equals spoiled meat. These steps will reduce spoilage as best you can. Will it taste like beef? No, but it will be less gamy if you do this than if you do not.

Some thoughts about weapons.  Guns kill by shock.  Bows kill by loss of blood pressure. Bows have very limited range. Bow season is safer for you than gun season. Any way getting the groceries with a stick and a string feels kinda cool.

My thoughts in the woods? If I do not believe I can kill it I do not shoot. There is a lot to be said for observing wildlife and I do not want to wound. If I strike I want to harvest if I am not sure I do not pull back my bow.

[voodoolily]

Actually I think the gaminess is a combination of their diet and the adrenaline coursing through the muscle in the last moments of its life. A red wine-juniper reduction goes nicely with it.

[Sky]

WHY IZ THIZ THRED BERRIED??

I remember we had a little conversation about rice cookers a while back, here's recommendations from an article at cooksillustrated.com:

Overall Best Choice
Unless you’re very particular about your rice texture, cook highly specialized rice types, or want to preset your rice cooker in the morning, we’d recommend buying a basic Sanyo or Zojirushi electric rice cooker. For a reasonable price, they delivered consistently good white, brown, and sushi rice, and the keep-warm option delivered well-cooked rice even after more than two hours.

One Final Recommendation—the Paddle
Each rice cooker came with a small plastic rice paddle for stirring and serving the rice. The paddles for the Zojirushi and Sanyo models have a textured surface (with small bumps) that proved to be very effective in dislodging the rice—especially sticky sushi rice—and were very easy to wash. We recommend these paddles even if you prefer to cook rice in a saucepot. You can buy a textured paddle at Fantes.com for $2.79, item #42011.

Results: We ranked each unit using the criteria described above, awarding three stars for Good, two stars for Fair, and one star for Poor. Please note that capacity refers to a standard cup measurement of raw rice.

Recommended:

Sanyo Electric Rice Cooker & Steamer, Model #ECJ-N55W, 5 1/2 cups
Capacity (raw rice): 4 1/8 cups
Price: $54.95
Rice Quality: ***
Efficiency: **
Ease of Use: **
Comments:
The Sanyo excelled with all three types of rice, especially the brown rice, and it was our second-lowest-priced model. Two minor complaints: After two hours in the keep-warm stage the rice became bit dry, and the indicator lights were hard to read in a bright kitchen.

Zojirushi Electric Rice Cooker/Warmer, Model NS-PC10, 5-Cup
Capacity: 3 3/4 cups
Price: $79.99
Rice Quality: ***
Efficiency: ***
Ease of Use:*
The Zojirushi also excelled in cooking all three types of rice, and the keep-warm function performed well. However, unlike all the other brands, Zojirushi did not provide steamer baskets with their cookers. The instruction manual was very limited (although you can find good information on cooking rice and using rice cookers at the Zojirushi website, www.zojirushi.com).

Zojirushi Neuro Fuzzy Rice Cooker and Warmer, Model NS-ZCC10, 5 1/2 cup
Capacity: 4 1/8 cups
$179.99
Rice Quality: ***
Efficiency: *
Ease of Use: **
The Fuzzy produced excellent rice, though the 1-cup test produced slightly softer rice than the 3-cup. Like all of the computerized versions, a menu option (rather than an on/off lever) allows you to fine-tune the machine for a variety of rice types and textures—but at the price of a lengthy cooking time. Among the extras are a choice of finished signals (melody or beep), rewarming, and programming—but still no steaming basket.

Sanyo Micro-Computerized Rice Cooker/Warmer, Sanyo ECJ-D55S, 5 1/2 cup
Capacity: 4 1/8 cups
$114.94
Rice Quality: ***
Efficiency: *
Ease of Use: **
Very similar to the Zojirushi—and notably less expensive—the Sanyo offers two extra features: a countdown clock to keep you informed of when the rice should be done and a steamer basket. The only drawback was some slight inconsistency in grain texture in the brown rice test.

Panasonic Rice Cooker/Steamer, Model SR-TMB10, 5 1/2 cup
Capacity: 4 1/8 cups
Price: $75.83
Rice Quality: **
Efficiency: **
Ease of Use: **
The rice (both white and brown) was softer in texture than the others—it lacked the slight bite we prefer. We also found the inside lid somewhat hard to clean, especially after cooking brown rice. Both Panasonic models offer a unique setting for baking cakes, which we tested. The cake had good flavor, but was misshapen, with an acute dome.

Panasonic Electronic Rice Cooker/Warmer with Advanced Fuzzy Logic Technology, Model No. SR-NA10, 5 1/2 cup
Capacity: 4 1/8 cups
Price: $104.63
Rice Quality: **
Efficiency: *
Ease of Use: **
We had problems with the brown rice in this model. Our first run produced rice with a burnt flavor (the machine took almost 2 hours and 15 minutes). A second attempt completed the rice in just over 2 hours, but it was still mushy and lacked a nutty flavor. The white and sushi rice, however, were well cooked.

Recommended with Reservations:

Breville Gourmet Rice Duo Cooker, Model #BRC350XL, 10 Cup
Capacity: 7 1/2 cups
$59.95
Rice Quality: **
Efficiency: *
Ease of Use: *
This cooked the rice a bit unevenly; it was the only cooker that created a brown layer on the bottom. But the primary problem was its ability to keep the rice warm. The rice lost temperature fast (50 degrees in the first hour) and hardened into a block.

Not Recommended:

Rival Rice Cooker, Model #RC61, 6 Cup
Capacity: 2 1/2 cups
Price: $14.99
Rice Quality: *
Efficiency: *
Ease of Use: *
This cooker had a serious inconsistency issue. In the same batch of white rice some of the grains were cooked well, but others were blown out. And the cooker had worse problems with brown rice; some grains were blown out, and some were undercooked. With the keep-warm setting on, the cooker lost heat steadily, and the rice became starchy and chewy.

[Ookii]

This is dangerous ground here, some people are going to tell you to buy the zojirushi (ME!) because they have one and it's SO EASY AND AWESOME, others are going to eschew such fancy rice cookers for those cheap pieces of shit at Target, while the last third of internet dweller will be elitist and frugal and claim that their old-fashioned-cooked-rice is not only cheaper, it will always be tastier.

My recommendation is to buy a rice cooker that has more technology in it than your car and costs as much as a cheap cellphone.  You'll have it for years and years and it will churn out perfect rice for you everytime.

[Sky]

Well, that's why I listed the article findings. I can post the rest of the article if you'd like :) Cook's Illustrated isn't supported by advertising, so it's a fairly unbiased place to find ratings. Me, I use the stove if it matters (a risotto) and the microwave if it doesn't (rice for burritos).

[Nerf]

I'm cooking up the secret negro sauce again, hopefully I won't burn it this time.

It's a pilfered recipe, if it turns out to be as awesome as it was hyped I'll post recipe back here in a few hours.

Also, chicken kiev chilling in the fridge.  If I don't fuck it up, and it's actually tasty, I'll post up the recipe.

[voodoolily]

The fuck is secret negro sauce.

[Nerf]

*1 Large can of Tomato juice, and two 11.5oz soda can sized ones, unsalted, if you can get it.
*6 Quarts of apple cider vinegar.
*1 Lb. salt.
*1/2 Lb. black pepper.
*2 Tsp. cayenne pepper.
*4 Tbsp. ground clove.
*8 Tsp. ground allspice.
*4 Lb. brown sugar.

Bring to a boil, and then let simmer at LEAST 6 hours, you'll want about a 1/3 reduction when it's finished.
Be careful not to scorch it, you'll ruin the entire batch (what I did last time)

I'll throw up the recipe for the chicken kiev I cooked tonight if anyone wants it, was fucking phenominal.

[voodoolily]

So secret negro sauce is just barbecue sauce.

[Samwise]

I don't think it's "secret" once you've posted the recipe.  Making it... negro sauce?   

[Nerf]

The secret is apparently knowing when it's done.  I was told 6 hours, 27 hours later, the vinegar still hadn't fully cooked off, but I was sick of the house smelling like vinegar and figured that was as good as it would get.  Doesn't really make a great "sauce" tho, its far too thin, does make an excellent marinade tho.  We did some chicken breasts/steaks in it and they came out great.  Not chicken kiev great, but still pretty fucking good.

My vote still goes to Lea&Perrins BBQ sauce tho, oh how I wish I could still find that stuff, best bbq sauce EVAR!

[Signe]

I can't find Lea & Perrins Barbecue Sauce or Worcestershire for Chicken Sauce in my area!

Our barbecue sauce/worcestershire for chicken are in limited distribution. Please call 1-800-987-4674 to find out where you can locate it in your area.

I use their Worchester sauce in red meats often.  I've never tried their BBQ sauce or sauce for chicken, though.  If I can get some, I'll give it a go.

FAQ

[Nerf]

Never tried the bold and spicy, the stuff im talking about is really sweet, but still has that BBQ sauce tang.  Unfortunately, I havn't seen a bottle of it in ~5 years, Albertsons was the only store who carried it, and they shut down all their San Antonio stores.  Of course, now that I'm up in DFW, and have Albertsons again, I can't find the stuff  .

It used to come in a glass bottle with a paper wrapper, and is soooo good.

Just called, they discontinued all of their BBQ sauces.  Fucking bastards.

[voodoolily]

My blog is the new recipe thread, but here's my favorite pork recipe:

2 Pork loin chops, 1" thick
1 slice bacon (streaky bacon, for those of you on the other side of the pond), cut into little bits
1 tbsp butter
1 granny smith apple, peeled, cored and sliced
1/2 small onion, sliced thinly
2 tsp chopped dried apricots or golden raisins (may be omitted if you find cooked raisins evil)
1/4 c bourbon or whiskey
1/4 c apple juice (you can use water)
S&P

Preheat oven to 350. In a medium-sized, oven-proof skillet, melt butter over medium heat. Add bacon and cook for a few minutes until bacon is browned. Add pork chops and brown on both sides for just 2 or 3 minutes. Remove pork chops from pan and set aside. Add apple, onion and apricots to pan, and saute for a few minutes until apple and onion softens a bit and starts to brown. Deglaze pan with bourbon and apple juice. Add a pinch of salt and a coupla cracks of pepper. Return pork chops to pan and spoon some of the liquid and appley mix on top of the chops. Put the whole thing in the oven for like 10 or 15 minutes, until chops are cooked to medium (using the touch test or a meat thermometer reading 145 degrees in the center of the chop, but you really should just learn the touch test).

This is really tasty with spaetzle or some other buttered noodles, a nice green salad with pears and blue cheese, and a crisp white wine.

[Sky]

Upstate NY has tons of apple orchards. This year I finally (!!) found the love triangle that is apples (and cider) + onions + pork. How the hell did I miss that one??

[Signe]

VDL's Sexy Pear Foccia was a HUGE hit at my sister's house!  Why is this thread not a sticky?  We always eventually end up here.