What's cooking? part 4

I've a very nervous griller too, but I've had success with 30 secs on each side and then 1.5 mins on each side in the oven (sets the smoke alarm off less often too). Is this heresy?

not if it works :)

It seems to! It was so long since I'd had a steak and I was so happy to end steak-drought that I doubt I'd be able to tell if it was slightly sub-par.

I had the most amazing spring roll thingies yesterday from my local banh mi shop -- the spring roll wrapper contained a few rice vermicelli noodles, a lot of lettuce, mint, some crunchy fried tofu strips and thick avocado slices with sriracha on them. they were so good i think i'm going to try it at home. the crunchy tofu bits can probably be replaced by something else i have lying around, right? surely. everything else i already have! i totally lose my appetite in super hot weather, so it's good to find something appealing.

I made spring rolls with that exact filling the other day - but also added a little basil, finely grated carrot and chopped roasted peanuts.

for the tofu -if you decide to do it - I press out a block of tofu, chop it and toss it in a mixture of 2tbsp flour 1tbsp cornstarch. Cover the bottom of a skillet in a little peanut oil and cram tofu in one layer, frying for about 20 mins till golden. Then season with salt, maybe a bit soy.

oh hell yes, will add basil now that i have some!
i will prob skip the frying because there's enough oil on my greasy face but that sounds reeeeeeal good.

Jicama works really well for some fresh roll crunch! Or a strip of rice cracker (local Vietnamese restaurant does this)

ugh lettuce ew

I loooooove plain fried tofu with a bit of salt. So good.

Stevie I am also anti-lettuce or v. light lettuce on most things. Except salads.

Question: what does and does not belong in a broccoli salad? [a list sub-thread]

Answer: broccoli

(sorry)

broccoli, red onion, raisins, chopped bacon, mayo, some acid (lemon juice or good vinegar), S&P, uh...I think that's all I put.

Quinoa or orzo, broccoli, Parmesan, pine nuts, balsamic vinegar. Maybe diced tomatoes.

And olive oil obvs.

Oh god that's what DOES belong w broccoli.

I knew I was forgetting something! I also put pasta in mine, usually farfalle.

Hmmm OK I dunno about the mayo part; will contemplate. Thanky!

vegan pad thai

http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3834/9340359376_f09089d728.jpg

That looks great! What do you use in place of fish sauce?

nothing (i don't think)! it's some veganized recipe i found online - it's probably missing some... umami or something, without the fish sauce, but it's pretty good, esp for such an easy/quick meal.

I made boiled kale and then cracked eggs into it and we had it on toast for breakfast and it was RAD

That sealed the deal for me: I am DEFINITLEY making shakshuka next weekend.

I bought some salmon yesterday to make gravlax. Unwrapped it today and it did not smell fresh at all. I went ahead and did the preparations and it's wrapped and weighted, but should I cook it instead? Or will curing the fish be better than cooking it?

Hmmmm that is a good question. If it is still "good" but not "perfect," I think my strategy would be to cook it and serve it as a component of a dish, not the main event. One way I really like cured or cooked salmon is tossed with pasta with goat cheese, capers, lemon juice, herb of some sort (dill would be ace).

In case that didn't make sense: big chunk o' fresh goat cheese thinned out to sauce consistency with the pasta water.

I just made shakshuka this morning for me + my roommate (who is not my boyfriend) (yet)! He loved it a ton!

i just got one of those infamous all-clad skillets (12") today!! so excited to use it, my MIL bought it for me as an overly generous gift for helping her sell a bunch of her handmade jewelry.

Nice! I have an all-clad steamer insert - it's built like a tank. What wil you cook first in it?

made a delicious stir-fry with carrots, jicama, and watercress last night. mixed it with rice noodle threads. really good, the cress is delicious

Made these eggs baked in avocado because of a facebook post of kenan's. They're yum! If you like eggs, runny yolks, aguacates, and hot temperature foods, they're as good as you'd expect.

I have also taken to seeding an avocado and filling it with NM green chile salsa!! Which is the best!

Made some spring rolls the other day (wet rice noodle no cook kind). They're easy but I think I chose an underwhelming combo of veggies in the middle. Or maybe needs something more robust in the middle than those goofy k-krab logs. Highlight: using mint from the only plant I have raised and not killed within one month's time; its name is Christopher Mintz-Plantze.

I also learned how to make an awesome, not too sugary blueberry pie with an incredibly thin crust. I am seriously stoked on myself for pulling it off (easy because I had a very clear guided lesson). I have been having a little thin slice with breakfast every day and it makes me feel awesome, and decadent, like some hard-working and hale resident of Dogpatch who can afford to do so.

xp to jaq - i'm making the pad thai again tonight, so i think the all-clad's first trip out will be browning some tofu crumbles.

i also bought a pretty salt cellar, and it's making me inordinately happy.

baking chicken leg quarters for dinner...and this afternoon I made a warm strawberry crumb cake for dessert with today's haul of ripe today-gone tomorrow strawberries (and a handful of blackberries)

Just put a giant pork shoulder (from a pig that lived down the road from my mother in law) in the crockpot with orange and lime juice, an onion, garlic, some chile, cumin, oregano, and a corona. Eight hours til dinner with pickled onions that I made yesterday.

I also still have a bunch of lake superior whitefish roe that I might have to eat with scrambled eggs

that sounds delicious!

but some chile,
fresh? dried? type? whole? seeded? en polvo? more deets on the chile! (unless you mean chili and that's a difft set of questions)

I'm 20 miles from the nearest town in a cabin on a lake full of ancient spices in a part of the country with essentially zero latino population so I had to improv a bit - there was a little chipotle powder that I probably left here years ago and a mystery bag labeled "chile powder". I didn't use a whole lot of either.

aha
just wondering! i have some various chiles and was wondering if they would do. let us know how it turns out!

I made crockpot adobo chicken last night

in the fridge waiting for me to get home and reheat it mmmmmm I can't wait. It smelled so good last night I almost abandoned dinner plans and had a late adobo chicken dinner

I feel comfortable saying adobo is the best.

it really is amazing and comforting

I haf to go groshry shopping this weekend

haf 2 make things that I can make lots of and eat throughout the week (which I mean ok is p much any recipe I will find bcz most recipes make more than 1 serving)

what are you into right now?

i feel like i have lost my cooking ability. too tired.

Ranchero beans/charro beans served as a soup or over rice!

Soba noodles with peanut or sesame sauce, add different julienned veggies to change it up, also SRIRACHA

Crockpot chicken or pork served various and sundry ways--tacos, omlettes, sammich, pasta

a good nutritious tasty dish that keeps well:

http://chubbyvegetarian.blogspot.com/2012/06/spicy-quinoa-black-lentil-salad-with.html?m=1

I usually sub couscous for quinoa and basil for cilantro.

Also: cooking a bunch of lentils and grains of your choice and serving with some roasted veg + salad + different vinaigrettes

I grilled kebabs on Friday based on this interpretation of a cook's illustrated recipe, with mushrooms, red peppers, onions, and sirloin from the University of Idaho meat counter which is amazing and wonderful to have around.

I just chopped the leftovers up and fried them in a pan and cracked two eggs into the mess at the end; anything fried with eggs on top is my favorite sort of breakfast thing.

OK so my idea for a nice summer soup for the next couple of days is to make a blender full of "basic" gazpacho, then vary it up with a different theme each day. Basic today, add chipotle with adobo and avocado for the next, then, er I dunno need ideas! Wish I had some red curry paste because that would be ace. Maybe I can Indian-ize it somehow.

Maybe kick it with some Vietnamese flavors - lime, mint, fish sauce? With some cold shrimp added?