Voodoolily's Snacktastic Recipe Thread!!

[WayAbvPar]

Primavera sauce.

[Sky]

Carrots and peas would make a nice addition to a white pasta sauce.

[Ookii]

Veggie Kabobs sound like a winner to me. Are you completely against eating meat, or are you just trying to empty a fridge?

I have a lot of veggies and just wanted to figure out some other ways to cook 'em up without a whole lot of effort.  Right now I make them into curry, but I wanted to explore other options.

[Hoax]

Taking any and all suggestions on what to do with fresh caught trout while camping.  So keep it short simple and sweet and not requiring 45 ingredients.

Thx.

[Evildrider]

Taking any and all suggestions on what to do with fresh caught trout while camping.  So keep it short simple and sweet and not requiring 45 ingredients.

Thx.

Grilled with salt and pepper, with a twist of lemon.  Why ruin something that fresh with anything else!   

[Bunk]

Taking any and all suggestions on what to do with fresh caught trout while camping.  So keep it short simple and sweet and not requiring 45 ingredients.

Thx.

Pan fried with Seasoned Salt. Douse the skin with it liberaly, and sprink a little inside it.

[Sky]

Evildrider is correct.

[Jayce]

What's something exciting I can do with a bunch of veggies (carrots, green peppers, peas, etc.) that is not one of the following:

1) Curry
2) Stir-Fry
3) Soup
4) Grilling
5) Nothing

I can't help you on the peas & carrots, but you can make some pretty sweet fajitas with green peppers, squash and zuchinni.  Slice in strips and cook with some olive oil, chili powder, garlic powder and a pinch of cumin, wrap in tortilla with sour cream and salsa.  Add meat (chicken or beef) strips too if that's your thing.

[Ookii]

Ok this is win.  Totally forgot about Fajitas.

[voodoolily]

How can you live in AZ and totally forget about fajitas?

I'd make a strata - thinly slice or mandoline veggies, layer them in a baking dish (sprinkling parm, chopped herbs and S&P between each layer), and then bake until browned and bubbly. You can also add a spoonful of bechamel between each layer to make it a gratin. Either are great with pasta.

[Sky]

VL's stratagratin needs more bacon and cheese variety. Then again, what doesn't? And some chicken. And cherry peppers.

I'm just lusting after taste after a bland lunch.

[apocrypha]

Is it cool to post other people's recipes in this thread? I ask because I've just this week found a breakfast recipe that works for me. I've been struggling with breakfasts for years because I need something healthier than croissants/bacon/eggs/sausages/fried stuff but cereal just doesn't do it for me.

For about 2 years now I've been having a huge bowl of fruit and yoghurt, which is nice and all but to get me through to lunchtime I have to eat a LOT of it. I mean enough of a LOT so that when Zebedee (yoghurt-seeking feline missile) comes to lick the yoghurt out of the bowl when I'm done she has to put both her front paws right into the bowl to reach the middle.

So anyway, got a Gordon Ramsey cookbook recently and he's got something he calls "Bircher muesli" in it which goes:

Put 200g of rolled oats in a bowl and add ~400ml semi-skimmed milk, leave in the fridge overnight. Stir in a grated apple and 150ml plain natural yoghurt. Add some fresh berries (blueberries and/or strawberries work really well for me, or whatever's on special offer in the supermarket), a few broken up walnuts and a teaspoon of runny honey if you like.

It's great, it's got all the fresh, fruity tastes I like but the oats give it a bit more oomph to get me through the morning. You do have to overcome the initial "wtf, it's cold porridge" thing though :p

[Signe]

Oats and blueberries will keep you alive for thousands of years. 

[MrHat]

Easily one of my favorite breakfasts.

Muesili oats w/ stuff it in + fage 0% yogurt + some honey + blueberries + raspberries

It does take a big bowl, but it's so delicious.

[apocrypha]

Oats and blueberries will keep you alive for thousands of years. 

Thousands?! Can they overcome three decades of sitting on my arse getting a monitor tan?

\o/

[Signe]

Possibly.  Look at Davros.  I think he is made up entirely of steel oats and blueberries.

[voodoolily]

I eat a bowl of kashi golean crunch with fage or plain fat-free yogurt and sliced banana or peach. it is the brekkie of champs.


mmmmm......champs. it got cold and rainy, and some cheesy, garlicky mashed taters sound just about right.

[apocrypha]

kashi golean crunch

I don't even know what that is! It does sound like something Davros would have done to someone though.

[Sky]

That's what my fiancee eats, her mother was a nutritionist/school nurse. She's really helped me learn how to balance meals and recipes.

I eat the maple shredded wheats. MAPLE!  With extra maple syrup.

[Rasix]

Granola bar and a diet soda.  I can provide the recipe if needed.

[Mrbloodworth]

That's what my fiancee eats, her mother was a nutritionist/school nurse. She's really helped me learn how to balance meals and recipes.

I eat the maple shredded wheats. MAPLE!  With extra maple syrup.

Is it really maple syrup, or is it high fructose corn syrup, or corn syrup?

I have gotten almost obsessed with looking at labels for that crap, and if found, putting it back on the shelf.

[voodoolily]

You gotta get the 100% Pure maple syrup. If you're paying less than $5 for a tiny bottle, be suspicious.

So, I invented a new thing that is amazing and delicious, and can actually be diet-friendly (if you use a low-fat milk instead of cream or half & half): roasted tomato bechamel!

Halve about a pound of not-too-watery tomatoes (or quarter them if they're large ones; I use heirloom grape tomatoes). Arrange in a baking dish and drizzle with a little olive oil and a crunch of kosher or sea salt. Roast at 400F for an hour. Deglaze the baking dish with some budget white wine, some stock, or a splash of milk and scrape off all the lovely browned bits.

Prepare a classic bechamel by making a roux (flour and butter, stir-saute until golden and fragrant) and whisk in milk or cream until creamy. Simmer and whisk, adding more milk as necessary to prevent it from turning to library paste. Add the tomatoes/liquid, stirring, and S&P to taste. A bit of nutmeg is also good.

This sauce made wonderful mac n chee, and I'm going to try it in a pot pie as well.

[apocrypha]

Is it really maple syrup, or is it high fructose corn syrup, or corn syrup?

I have gotten almost obsessed with looking at labels for that crap, and if found, putting it back on the shelf.

Wait, don't you mean natural  high fructose corn syrup? 

a crunch of kosher or sea salt.

That sauce sounds really nice, I'll have to try that. And can someone explain to me (as a Brit) what kosher salt is? I know what kosher means but I've got a couple of American cook books that refer to it and they're clearly not saying to use kosher salt because they're Jewish or anything, so what's the diff? is it just big crunchy flakes like sea salt should be?

[Mrbloodworth]

Is it really maple syrup, or is it high fructose corn syrup, or corn syrup?

I have gotten almost obsessed with looking at labels for that crap, and if found, putting it back on the shelf.

Wait, don't you mean natural high fructose corn syrup? 

Yah know, i found that when spell checking, ...i'm now scared for humanity.

[Sky]

Definitely 100% maple syrup!

Had pork tenderloins + dry rub and some corn on the grill last night. Fast, easy, splendid.

[Signe]

I've been wanting to give your garden mac a go, Voodoo, but béchamel just a wee bit too dairy for me.  I can't handle all the milk these days.  I suppose it would still be okay using low fat milk or even non-dairy?  I've heard of vegans using almond milk but I've never tried it.  I've alwyas made full fat sauces in the past.  I already have some lovely little tasty tomatoes.  Also, congrats on your Arte y Pico award! 

[voodoolily]

I've been wanting to give your garden mac a go, Voodoo, but béchamel just a wee bit too dairy for me.  I can't handle all the milk these days.  I suppose it would still be okay using low fat milk or even non-dairy?  I've heard of vegans using almond milk but I've never tried it.  I've alwyas made full fat sauces in the past.  I already have some lovely little tasty tomatoes.  Also, congrats on your Arte y Pico award! 

Shucks, thanks. 

I always used skim milk for my bechamels, as they have almost always functioned as "dieter's alfredo" for me. This time I had some half & half in the fridge and used it, but even then I usually water half & half down with, uh, water. I don't think I'd use almond milk, but that's just because I hate vegans.

And can someone explain to me (as a Brit) what kosher salt is? I know what kosher means but I've got a couple of American cook books that refer to it and they're clearly not saying to use kosher salt because they're Jewish or anything, so what's the diff? is it just big crunchy flakes like sea salt should be?

Kosher salt is just a coarse, uniodized salt (it's only called kosher salt in North America, in the UK it's called "koshering salt"). I use it because it's nice to keep in a little ramekin by the stove, I can just grab a pinch of it and the coarser grains seems to melt on the tongue more nicely. It's called kosher because it's used to make meats kosher (hence, "koshering" salt is more appropriate). But shit, friend, if you can get a box of Maldon for the price of a box of Morton's kosh, use it!

[apocrypha]

Kosher salt is just a coarse, uniodized salt (it's only called kosher salt in North America, in the UK it's called "koshering salt"). I use it because it's nice to keep in a little ramekin by the stove, I can just grab a pinch of it and the coarser grains seems to melt on the tongue more nicely. It's called kosher because it's used to make meats kosher (hence, "koshering" salt is more appropriate). But shit, friend, if you can get a box of Maldon for the price of a box of Morton's kosh, use it!

Nice one, thanks for the clarification. Maldon's is exactly what we have a jar of right next to the assorted peppercorns and mortar'n'pestle :p

[Nonentity]

Hi! I thought I'd post in here because you people at least sound like you know what you're talking about.

I am an absolute cooking newb. I thought it might be fun to at least learn how to cook a few things from a cookbook, nothing too terribly fancy.

How does one even go about starting to do this? My mom got me for christmas last year some America's Test Kitchen cookbook, which looks fairly straightforward.

Is it all pretty much trial and error?

[Nebu]

Is it all pretty much trial and error?

It is for me.  The way I've learned to cook is by looking at recipes of others and adapting their core to new things.  With time, I've found taste profiles that I like and I try to adapt them to new situations.  I'm sure a cullinary expert would cringe at this though.   

[Sky]

The ATK book is probably a good start. Like my first cookbook, an ancient good housekeeping one, it has a lot of sidebars on prepping stuff. Once you get a feel for how to prep food, the main thing is judging doneness. It's all trial and error, but there is a lot you can do to make less error. Just try to learn from your mistakes, don't get discouraged by them.

I'm at the point where most of my mistakes are only known to me. If I don't point it out, people will just happily nom away. Last year I had three blunders I wouldn't let people eat. All were due to trying to make substitutions on the fly. One was a wine sauce that just came out so bad I couldn't save it, that's a real rarity, not sure how I even messed it up so bad :) (result: I took the fiancee out for dinner) Another was thanks to a spice rack I got for xmas, there was waaaay too much salt in one marinade mix and it fucking destroyed a pound of shrimp (luckily shrimp thaws and cooks fast, I just kept the sauce heated for a bit while I made more shrimp). The last one I actually did serve, it was an alfredo that didn't set properly and separated. Looked nasty and I was all bummed out, but the folks eating it (of course it had to be for a bunch of people) thought it was amazing. If I hadn't called it alfredo, they wouldn't have known.

I also watched a lot of cooking shows stoned out of my mind in the early nineties. Pasquale ftw!

[Nonentity]

I should probably upgrade my cable internet to actual cable TV, and just leave the cooking channel on in the background while i dinggratz, so maybe I'll subconsciously absorb things.

[voodoolily]

It is for me.  The way I've learned to cook is by looking at recipes of others and adapting their core to new things.  With time, I've found taste profiles that I like and I try to adapt them to new situations.  I'm sure a cullinary expert would cringe at this though.   

Just the opposite! This is how chefs cook (it's how I cook, anyway), and how new dishes and cuisines are discovered. Keep on wit' yo' bad self!

I think one good cookbook that everyone should own is the Joy of Cooking. It has great encyclopedic sections for if you want to learn all about the different cuts of meat, types of American fruit desserts, different spices, etc. It's great. And the recipes from your gramma's edition have been updated to the modern pantry (sadly, this often means less lard). It is written from Americans but has handy conversion charts if you wanna go metric with the recipes.

I also watched a lot of cooking shows stoned out of my mind in the early nineties. Pasquale ftw!

Heh, I was going with the Frugal Gourmet and Great Chefs of the World, but yeah, we're on the same page.

[Nonentity]

Right on - all good tips!

I think I need to pick something really, really simple from the ATK cookbook, and just work my way up from there. On a gradient, y'know?

[Sky]

Thanks, VL! One nice thing about working in the library:  I somehow missed Joy of Cooking, so I call it up in the catalog, we've got three copies on the shelf, I grabbed the newest one. Now I'm thinking I should go see how old the oldest one is :) And I studiously ignored the hundred interesting food books there. I need more time in the day!

I'm also an experimenter. Was it Graham Kerr who called recipes "springboards"? I forget who coined the term, but it has always stuck with me. I like to cook pretty close to recipes at times, to learn the way things are 'supposed' to be done, but once I have the basic idea down, I like to sub in my favorite ingredients, or more often, the stuff that's lurking in the fridge.

Starting simple is a very good idea, I've been cooking for years and don't really make anything complex. There are so many good simple things, why bother? :) Look through the book for something like mac and cheese or burgers. Once you've upgraded your basic recipes, it's easier to get more adventurous and you'll know your stove and oven better.

(I should post a pic of the shitty stove I have to deal with right now...I'm in a world of shit...thank odin for my grill)