Voodoolily's Snacktastic Recipe Thread!!

[Sky]

After I knocked everyone out last year, I cut the menu down big time this year. Last year it was like someone released a nerve agent into the house, the chairs and sofas were littered with unconscious bodies. This year I kept it to prime rib, mashed potatoes and a salad (which I ignored). With a red wine pan gravy with mushrooms that I almost ignored even though it rocked.

Prime rib came out perfect, but for some reason even though I rested it before cutting, it drained like a motherfucker and about half the cut was dry. Nobody else seems to notice or care, but I get pissed when things don't work out perfectly.

[voodoolily]

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. 

Yay! Glad it worked. So easy, so delish.

[voodoolily]

After I knocked everyone out last year, I cut the menu down big time this year. Last year it was like someone released a nerve agent into the house, the chairs and sofas were littered with unconscious bodies. This year I kept it to prime rib, mashed potatoes and a salad (which I ignored). With a red wine pan gravy with mushrooms that I almost ignored even though it rocked.

Prime rib came out perfect, but for some reason even though I rested it before cutting, it drained like a motherfucker and about half the cut was dry. Nobody else seems to notice or care, but I get pissed when things don't work out perfectly.

I made potroast, and since I didn't have an extra 2 hours to let it braise, it was a wee bit dry for my taste. But with similar accoutrement of mashed potatoes with veal demiglace/red wine pan gravy, roasted heirloom carrots and baby parsnips, and a nice green salad with roasted golden beets, granny smith apples and shaved parmiggiano regiano (and a white balsamic-dijon dressing), everything was pretty tasty.

[Sky]

The toughest thing for me is cooking at my mom's house. She doesn't really cook, so I have to try and bring my whole mise en place, and I always forget shit or don't have enough time for proper prep. My apartment kitchen sucks, but it's functional. Can't wait to get a house and host xmas myself. Even having to do the dishes is worth having so much less hassle making the meal imo.

My local market finally got in some good parm/reg and I've been gnawing on a big hunk of it every time I open the fridge.

[Sky]

Bacon-Wrapped Shrimp
Serves 4 to 6

You will need about 25 sturdy toothpicks for this recipe.

4   ounces bacon (4 slices)
1/4   teaspoon table salt
1/8   teaspoon ground black pepper
Pinch cayenne pepper
24   extra-large shrimp (1 pound), peeled and deveined
2   tablespoons minced fresh chives
1. Adjust an oven rack 6 inches from the broiler element and heat the broiler. Line a broiler-pan bottom with foil and cover with the slotted broiler-pan top.

2. Slice each piece of bacon lengthwise into two long, thin strips, then cut each strip into three short pieces (you should have a total of 24 bacon pieces). Spread the bacon pieces out over four layers of paper towels on a microwave-safe plate. Cover with two more layers of paper towels. Microwave on high until the bacon fat begins to melt but the bacon is still pliable, about 1 1/2 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, toss the salt, pepper, and cayenne together in a small bowl, then sprinkle over the shrimp.

4. Wrap a piece of microwaved bacon around the middle of each shrimp and place on the broiler-pan top, pinning the bacon ends underneath the shrimp. Broil until the shrimp are pink and the edges of the bacon are brown, spinning the broiler pan around halfway through cooking, about 3 1/2 minutes. Skewer the shrimp and bacon with toothpicks and transfer to a serving platter. Sprinkle with the chives before serving.

Just lifted this from a cooksillustrated email. They never steer me wrong, though...and the food of the week appears to be bacon. Well, except for baconsaltboy   

[Pococurante]

Ok one of the interns I just hired was doing the Right Thing by kissing the Boss's Ass. (ugh please)  But I get this bag (well oiled at the base) of Honest Ta Gawd Down on the Farm Pig Just Got Slaughtered Cracklins.  I ate a few (the first hit is free) and immediately decided my tongue is no longer my friend.  Can this stuff be cooked with?  Soups haves got to be ummm on the table.

[Signe]

Someone please make garlic bread using bacon salt and tell me if it's any good. 

Thank you in advance.

PS  Also, is it nice on popcorn?

[voodoolily]

  Soups haves got to be ummm on the table.

I don't even understand the words you just said.

I bet if you could get bacon salt in crunchy flake form it would be amazing. It would also prolly be really good on pancakes or maple fudge.

[Signe]

My sister had a couple of people over for dinner the other night.  She wanted to make your Sexy Pear Foccia but was running late so she made it with one of thoe Boboli (?) pizza crusts.  Everyone nearly fainted with orgasmic joy joy.  Your bread is a hit everywhere. 

[voodoolily]

Yay! I made some more the other night too. I think a little prosciutto would be tasty on it.

[Signe]

I bet the pear and prosciutto would be really nice together.  Maybe one with prosciutto and Asiago cheese.  We can make anything with a bit of dough and what ever is in the fridge! 

[Ookii]

A question:

So I just had a Sauce Gribiche that came with some Pate Maison I ordered, to me it looked and tasted like a lemony tartar sauce.  I looked it up online and apparently a Sauce Gribiche is similar to Tartar Sauce but its ingredients aren't supposed to be fully emulsified (as opposed to the fully emulsified sauce I had, as well as the Gribiche recipes online do not contain lemon).  Is this true?

[voodoolily]

They probably made it in a blender instead of by hand (ending up with a fully emulsified sauce), using lemon instead of vinegar for acid balance and then stirred in the cornichons at the end. Technically, I wouldn't call the sauce they gave you gribiche, but they prolly figured no one would know the difference (and gribiche sounds so much better than the tartar sauce they actually did serve you).

[Azazel]

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. 

Yay! Glad it worked. So easy, so delish.

Where is this recipe?

I looked for it in this thread and using te search but did not find. I don't eat sweets myself, but it sounds like something the wife would like, and appreciate it if I made it for her as a surprise.

[Sky]

Just a note. BEEF JERKY TIME. Got some cure and spices for xmas, bought a roast and butchered it up into jerky strips. Made the first batch last night, mesquite.

First batch lasted a couple hours as I gnawed on it while playing EQ2 and chasing with various Ales. A couple leftover JW Dundee IPA which weren't bad at all, I've shied away from IPAs and Pale Ales in general from a couple bad experiences. Maybe I'm getting a more evolved tongue. Also had a Long Trail Harvest Ale and a scrumdiculously good Ommegang Dubbel (I'm halfway through the 4-pack I'm hoarding).

Anyway, I've got 3 more lbs of meat to dry. My goal is to dry enough in one night that there is some left over the next day.

[voodoolily]

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. 

Yay! Glad it worked. So easy, so delish.

Where is this recipe?

I looked for it in this thread and using te search but did not find. I don't eat sweets myself, but it sounds like something the wife would like, and appreciate it if I made it for her as a surprise.

Oh, I emailed the recipe to Signe. You just use store-bought pizza dough (NOT par-baked pizza crust - hasta be raw dough) rolled out 1/2" thick, spread on thinly-sliced pears and wee sprigs of fresh rosemary, and I like to add blue cheese crumbles. Then give the whole thing a drizzle of olive oil and a pinch of good sea salt. Bake at 425 for 8 minutes or until golden brown.

Easy peasy. Perfect light supper with a green salad (if you add the prosciutto).

[SnakeCharmer]

Just a note. BEEF JERKY TIME. Got some cure and spices for xmas, bought a roast and butchered it up into jerky strips. Made the first batch last night, mesquite.

What are you using for spices?

I've got a fair amount of deer meat from the two I killed last weekend and am pretty well tempted to try it myself.  If I screw it up, I've still got plenty left to use in other ways (deer burgers, deer spaghetti, roast, etc)....

Love me some bambi :drool:

[voodoolily]

Ooh! I'm making some venison chorizo this weekend! Since I don't have a smoker I'm keeping it fresh and will hafta cook it, but it'll be a good use of all the bambi stew meat in my freezer.

[Sky]

Meh, I usually whip together my own pizza dough unless I'm being lazy in which case I just top a boboli (redpack petite diced, well drained + fresh chopped basil + mozz, mebbe some pepperoni = a quickie for n evening after a hard day of work). I guess I should get back in the habit of using the store dough for lazy nights, I got super lazy  The key imo is the fresh basil, it's never the same without it.

Tempted to give the pear pie a spin...

For jerky spices: http://shop.himtnjerky.com/online/product.php?productid=74&cat=248&page=1 Let it cure for 24 hours per 1/4" thickness.

[Sky]

[voodoolily]

omg are those cuppy cakes? I need to eat those!! 

[Sky]

http://www.flickr.com/photos/hello_naomi/







NOM NOM NOM NOM

[schild]

Sky reads kotaku lol.

[Shavnir]

3 continents agree this recipie rocks :

Shavnir's world famous meatballs :

Start off with some ground beef, mix in a couple tbsp of minced onions.  You're going to want to dice up half an onion for this anyways.  Add in some oats to help hold the meatballs together.  Brown 'em in a skillet, use some oil if you don't want cleanup to be hell then take them off the heat.

At the same time combine these ingredients :

1 c. water
1 c. ketchup
3 T Worcestershire sauce
3 T Sugar
3 T Vinegar
3 T diced onions (told ya)

It should be noted I usually make between a double and a triple batch of this sauce.  Mix well on medium heat, add meatballs in as they're finished browning and let simmer and simmer and simmer.  I usually allow it to simmer for about an hour but once I had three hours and it was to die for.  Let simmer until a proper thickness (and until your kitchen smells of the sauce).  Serve on some noodles or something, the meatballs are actually just there to supplement the sauce.

[Sky]

Sky reads kotaku lol.

Sky has an amazon plog.

[stray]

Not a snack, but I can't find where V was talking about her ducks..

Anyhow, I totally change my opinion on that. Some friends brought back some after a week of hunting. Not fat at all (I suppose last time I ate duck it was farm raised). One batch was marinated in some soy/garlic heavy type of sauce (forgot the name), but another batch was soaking in this raspberry/chipotle sauce (omg good shit!). We put em on the grill like doves, wrapped in jalapenos, cream cheese, and bacon.

[voodoolily]

I think the duck thing was in Useless Vids.  Sauced and I are making cassoulet this weekend, so I'll be picking up some duck too! But mine will be simmered in duck fat for 2 hours. 

[stray]

Use that raspberry/chipotle sauce sometime, and just grill them. Seriously.

[voodoolily]

I love the sweet/spicy thang, so maybe I will!

[Ookii]

Not to completely derail, anyone into bread baking? 

[voodoolily]

I'm totally gonna learn to bake this year! I have resources... why do you ask?

[Ookii]

Ah missed the post.  For some odd reason I have gotten myself interesting in baking, I'm just starting out but was wondering about some of the more trickier things (Keeping and creating a viable starter, creating steam for better crusts without destroying your oven in the process).

My main problem is I'm on a diet where I can't eat bread so I can't taste any of it, I managed to bake 3 Banana Breads (didn't have time to make something with yeast) without eating any, but I dare not bake a Gingerbread lest my hands and mouth move involuntarily.

[stray]

A diet without bread. Insanity I tell you. More carbs means more energy for exercise means more weight loss.

Sorry about the derail though. I know shit about baking.

[voodoolily]

Fuck sake Joshua. Why are you taking diet advice from Eric?! Any diet that has you eliminate an entire food group is not scientifically sound. You can eat anything you want while losing weight, you just can't eat shitloads of it all the time! Fuck. FUCK.

edit - you know i only use real names when I'm serious. 

[stray]

Listen to Heather.