(tiny's) Official What R U Cooking from Scratch today? thread.

[~~tiny3~~]

Posted: 8/8/14 at 10:34pm

Feel free to contribute "whenever".

Today I made Smoked Eggplant Spread...Recipe from this past Wednesday's NY Times Food Section Recipe.

Came out great and was really easy. I used only one 4 lb eggplant, sliced it lengthwise and broiled it face down for 12 minutes.

http://www.nytimes.com/recipes/1016709/smoky-eggplant-spread.html

[HorseTears]

Posted: 8/9/14 at 12:22am

No pics, but I made some cajun blackened catfish, garlic mashed cauliflower and a small spring mix salad with ginger vinaigrette.

I'm trying to cook nearly all my meals at home and sticking to high protein, low carb/sugar meals. I need to figure out some new marinade/seasoning recipes for protein that don't involve sugar. Getting a bit sick of the usual garlic-herbs-olive-salt-pepper thing.

[~~tiny3~~]

Posted: 8/9/14 at 1:59am

Where do you buy catfish?
As for marinades, I make mine up constantly/ I usually pick the ethnic flavor profile I like, and then just experiment.
also, I like to have a citrus (less sugary)/oil mixture w/diff herb combos/ It can really be anything. I also use drops of siracha for some zing.

My fave spice mixture is Moroccan, though. It makes everything and anything taste delish. I mix up some ground coriander, cumin, garlic, pinch cayenne, cinnamon. If you sauté it with onion , yumminess ensues. You can use it n any protein.

[HorseTears]

Posted: 8/9/14 at 3:26am

Thanks, for the tips, Tiny! I buy catfish at the grocery store - usually Ralph's. I love it because it's easy as hell to prepare, very flavorful and still comes out delicious when defrosted (if I buy a large batch and freeze 'em).

I'm in LA. Is catfish not widely available where you are?

[~~tiny3~~]

Posted: 8/9/14 at 5:37am

Yeah, I'm in midtown manhattan. Yeah, there's a few southern style joints/mostly way uptown that serve catfish, but I never see it at our fish market or food emporium. I do like fried catfish a lot, -of course, being jewish, I'm always ragged on by the friends and relatives...ya know, eating all that "traif" : shellfish, lobsters, clams oysters, pork, catfish...oy, what they WON'T eat. I really feel sorry for them. No religion ain't stopping me from eating my lobsters and bacon!!

[HorseTears]

Posted: 8/9/14 at 6:55am

Yeah, I grew up in (very) white suburban north San Diego county. I don't recall ever seeing catfish at the grocery store, but here in LA, it's very easy to find. Demographics, and all.

[After Eight]

Posted: 8/9/14 at 9:23am

Toast with cherry preserves. Tea in a nice cup.

[~~tiny3~~]

Posted: 8/9/14 at 3:21pm

I never met After Eight, but I always imagine him looking like that monocled icon of The New Yorker magazine.

Posted: 8/9/14 at 3:44pm

I'm doing low-carbs (lost almost 100 lbs in 2014) so dinner tonight is Zucchini Chicken. I got some split chicken breasts and will put them in a roasting pan. I cut up zucchini,onions & green peppers and toss them with some olive oil, garlic, cumin and a pinch of cinnamon (trust me). Dump those over the chicken breasts and then pour over a can of diced tomatoes (you can use plain or chili style or what have you). Bake until the chicken is cooked and zucchini is tender. I'll just have the veggies & chicken and my boyfriend can have his with some rice (couscous is great too) to sop up the yummy juices. Deee-licious!

[Jane2]

Posted: 8/9/14 at 4:01pm

yesterday I made some salmon burgers. Salmon, eggwhites, mustard, bread crumbs. They were ok, but dry.

Today, we went for lunch to Villa Mosconi, for their eggplant Parm. to die for!

[HorseTears]

Posted: 8/9/14 at 4:20pm

Joe - you've dropped 100 lbs this year? That's amazing. Congrats!!

[Gothampc]

Posted: 8/9/14 at 9:45pm

Beef sliders topped with pineapple rings.

[Alan Henry]

Posted: 8/9/14 at 11:12pm

This is a cool thread. This week I made a brisket, stuffed whole chicken, fudge, and Matzah Ball Soup. (Bit of a theme here, I think.)

[~~tiny3~~]

Posted: 8/9/14 at 11:43pm

recipe for the whole stuffed chicken please?

[Alan Henry]

Posted: 8/9/14 at 11:59pm

@Tiny - for the stuffing I bake some bread 'til it's crispy but not burnt (I put some olive oil and salt on it) - and fry up some celery, onions, garlic (sliced carrots optional) while that's going. I break up the bread slices then and add it to the frying pan where the veggies were going and add stock (I use home made but canned works also) until the consistency of it is a little thinner than what you would want for rolling Matzah Balls (If you can get a wooden spoon through it and some stick to it but still glides through - you're good.) Season with salt and pepper to taste, depending on how flavorful your stock is.

The chicken rub I use depends on my mood, but the stuffing goes well with most standard recipes. My most frequent variant is a lemon-herb chicken (Lemon Juice, Thyme, Garlic, Olive Oil, Pepper, Salt [Optional: Some people like a sweet mustard, but it won't get the skin crispy!])

Stuff the chicken with the stuffing mixture you prepared, tie up the cavity (keeps stuffing from expanding out and juices in), and broil until fully cooked. The stuffing should keep it from drying out, but I tend to keep it in longer on a lower heat rather than use a higher heat.

Garnish with some (canned, because ain't nobody got time for that!) cranberry sauce. Goes well with quinoa and a salad. The leftover chicken is great for a salad protein the next day. I'd give you suggestions for the leftover stuffing - but I've never had any!

[Jane2]

Posted: 8/10/14 at 11:38am

For the first time, I'm going to try to create a recipe of my own from scratch. I went through my freezer and fridge and found random stuff-sausages, frozen peas, olives, orzo, onion, garlic, grape tomatoes, I don't know what it will be, tho

Updated On: 8/10/14 at 11:38 AM

[Alan Henry]

Posted: 8/10/14 at 12:11pm

Jane, sounds like you could make some kind of tomato-based stew.

[Jane2]

Posted: 8/10/14 at 12:24pm

It smells pretty good so far. If it tastes good, I'll post the recipe and a pic.

[Addison D.]

Posted: 8/10/14 at 12:42pm

Does an omelette count?

Red onion, leek, scallion, asparagus, red pepper, mushroom, Gorgonzola

1 egg + 2 whites (the dog gets the other 2 yolks)

Pepper, tarragon (fresh from the garden)

[Jane2]

Posted: 8/10/14 at 12:57pm

picture below.

DELISH! I can't stop eating it.

Here's what I did:

Ingredients: 2 pieces Italian sweet sausage, chopped into chunks
1/2 cup orzo
1 medium onion, chopped
2cloves garlic, minced
about 12 grape tomatoes, cut in half
about 10 kalamata olives, halved
1 cup frozen peas
1 cup chicken broth
1 TBSP oliveoil
dried oregano and basil
salt and pepper to taste
grated cheese (i use romano pecorino)

Directions: Add the olive oil to a large frying pan and brown the sausages on all sides. Remove from pan for later. In same pan, sauté the onions and garlic until transparent. Add the sausage, orzo, and tomatoes to pan. Stir for one minute. Add peas and chicken broth. Cover pan, and cook on very low flame until the orzo is done, about 10 or 15 minutes. When done, add salt and pepper. Top with grated cheese to serve. Serves 4 as a side dish, 2-3 for an entree.

I hope you enjoy this, YUM. I can't believe I made it up.

Updated On: 8/10/14 at 12:57 PM

[Jane2]

Posted: 8/10/14 at 12:59pm

picture of my recipe

[JerseyGirl2]

Posted: 8/10/14 at 1:40pm

I made cinnamon bread for my very picky eater nephew. He announced that it was wonderful.

I can't stop eating the roasted garlic hummus I made from scratch a few weeks ago. I froze half and thawed it this past week. I took the last bite last night and am jonesing to make more.

[AEA AGMA SM]

Posted: 8/10/14 at 2:32pm

I'm working up in NH right now and on Thursday afternoon there was a short rain storm that dropped the early evening temperature pretty drastically (down into the high 50s, which felt pretty chilly for early August). So I made some chili-mac, which is normally a late fall or winter recipe. Browned up a mix of ground turkey, pork, and beef with some chopped red pepper, red onion, and minced garlic, all seasoned with crushed red pepper flakes, chili powder, and cinnamon. Mix that with a can of red kidney beans and a bottle of Heinz Chili Sauce, then toss it all with some elbow macaroni and I had comfort food for the next three days.

[~~tiny3~~]

Posted: 8/13/14 at 3:30pm

I made Jane's recipe yesterday - like "juicy pizza, jane!" Fabulous (and tasty)

Todays super easy

GAZPACHO

about 4-6 medieum diced small, very ripe jersey tomatoes
1/2 BIG can sacramento tomato juice

chopped finely, the following veggies:
1/2 cuke
1/4 red onion
1 green,(raw)
1 red pepper (raw)
5 (crushed to a paste) garlic
parsley, mint, or cilantro, or a mix of whatever you like
1/4c wine vinegar...be judicious with this..too much may ruin it...just enough "brightens" it
pinches cayenne, to your liking.

Take out the handheld boat motor and crush those babies.
Refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
Garnish with tidbits of veggies.

Add ice cube to bowl before serving.

Add VODKA, if it's cocktail hour.




Updated On: 8/13/14 at 03:30 PM

[Jane2]

Posted: 8/13/14 at 3:42pm

Hey, Tiny, thanks for making my recipe, and thanks for the positive review!