The Smells in My Kitchen

[steph]

It's usually not THAT cold. And if it is one day, I'll make you warm soup, bread and hot chocolate.

[VelvetElvis]

I mean... I think eighty degrees is lovely weather... and ninety is just a little warm.

[Young Val]

I've been meaning to make zucchini muffins. I used pecans and craisens last year and they were awesome. Let me know how it turns out! (Or, you know, mail me some! )

It came out wonderfully! I may even like it better than my previous recipe! Lots of texture from the nuts and cranberries, dense, and just the perfect breakfast-y amount of sweetness, not at all overbearing, so you don't feel like you're having dessert each time you eat a slice.

[steph]

*lust*

[Young Val]

Peach butter! It's been on the stove for two hours and still isn't fully cooked down yet...I'm regretting not breaking out the crockpot. But it smells DIVINE in my apartment. I can't wait to spread some on a slice of zucchini bread!

[Petra456]

So, I choose to try making my favorite dish from our Mexican restaurant for my birthday. Pollo al la Creama. The chicken in cream sauce turned out great, but the homemade flour tortillas I attempted were complete disaster. First of all, I forgot to add water... Only realized this after I FOUGHT to get it into a ball to let it rest for a hour... At that point I added the water, which made it much easier to roll out, but they tasted horrible.

It was like eating this awesome chicken sauce in a under baked biscuit. This is the first time i've tried making tortillas, so i'm not giving up! Anyone have a recipe they love?

[Luet]

This is Mark's Tortilla recipe that he adapted from his Mexican grandmother and mother. It makes fairly thick tortillas, almost like gorditas.

2 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
3 tbls shortening
2 tbls salted butter
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 cup boiling water

1. Mix together dry ingredients in large bowl. Cut in shortening and butter. Add water slowly, mixing with your hands to make a soft dough. You may not need all the water.

2. Knead dough until smooth. Do NOT over knead (will make tortillas hard).

3. Divide into small, golf ball sized pieces and roll flat.

4. Cook on cast iron skillet (no oil) on medium heat until top is slightly bubbly then turn to opposite side for a minute or two.

[Petra456]

It makes fairly thick tortillas, almost like gorditas.

Good! I'll totally be trying this next! Thanks : )

[VelvetElvis]

Meatball subs! Locally baked rolls, homemade sauce and meatballs, fresh parmasean.

[Noodle]

We had this tonight and it was delicious as always.

Paired with a fantastic homebrew and I was in heaven.

[VelvetElvis]

We had a "taco ring" which is apparently a very common recipe and from a kitchen company. I'd never heard of it until this week and we did try it. It was ok, but not fabulous. And may have made me sick.

that or the conflict on here earlier, because sometimes stress makes it worse.

[Eaquae Legit]

I always end up with very dry tortillas. I'm working on making them more moist, and may try Kelly's recipe.

Meanwhile, I totally COOKED last night. Sure it was just boiling spaghetti and then tossing pesto on, but I made it myself!

[Mich]

If that isn't cooking, I have never cooked. Thumbs u--WHY IS THERE NO THUMBS UP SMILEY CAN WE GET ONE?

The excitement of finally having community control of the board is making me very excitable in posts.

[VelvetElvis]

If that isn't cooking, I have never cooked. Thumbs u--WHY IS THERE NO THUMBS UP SMILEY CAN WE GET ONE?

The excitement of finally having community control of the board is making me very excitable in posts.

If you give a mouse a cookie...

[Young Val]

He will totally ask for a glass of milk to go with it.


My house smells like cake all the time now because of my cake decorating class. Tonight we're learning roses! Woo!

[VelvetElvis]

He will totally ask for a glass of milk to go with it.

<3 Thank you for making my day.

[Luet]

I always end up with very dry tortillas. I'm working on making them more moist, and may try Kelly's recipe

Did Kelly post a recipe too or were you referring to mine?

[Young Val]

I think she meant yours. If I posted one, it would've been a long time ago.

[LilBee91]

I just bought a crock pot! Expect to see some great crock-potted creations in the future. Not any time soon though, so I don't actually know how to do anything in one but a roast and I don't buy roasts ever. But that's why they come with recipe books!

ETA: Mmm. Pulled Pork and chicken cacciatore. Must try.

[VelvetElvis]

This time of year, I make caramel with mine.

[LilBee91]

For all you soup-freezers out there:
Do you find it better to add rice later like you do with noodles, or is it fine for freezing/reheating.

[VelvetElvis]

I add it before, but don't add it until late. It freezes while still half-cooked, and cooks the rest of the way while reheating.

[steph]

This time of year, I make caramel with mine.

Recipe?

[VelvetElvis]

Unopened can of condensed milk (sweetened). Submerge in water. Cook overnight on low. When you open it up it is a nice, soft sauce great for ice cream and dipping apple slices.

[Young Val]

Dulce de Leche! I've never made it the condensed milk way, but given that when I tried to make it the other way it took me four tries in two days to get it right....I might have to use Helen's method from now on.

[Platypi007]

Not really much of a smell, but the TASTE in my kitchen right now is what are, probably, the last good tomatoes I'll eat this year. Went to the state farmer's market on Friday and got some, they are nice and big and red and meaty, though not quite as the ones I had growing up. (The state farmer's market in South Carolina is in my area, it used to be less than a mile from my home, but it moved this year and is about 20 minutes away, they sell all South Carolina local produce with farms ranging form the small single farmer to larger corporate type, though still local, farms.)

So currently I'm eating a lot of my favorite thing ever: tomato sandwiches! Bread (used white bread when I was a child eating tomatoes my grandfather grew on his farm but now I use Italian sandwich bread from Publix or bake my own), mayo (only ever Dukes, there is no other mayo, to say otherwise is blasphemy and punishable by death.), lots of thick slices of tomato, fresh ground pepper and salt. That is a tomato sandwich, nothing else will ever be.

[Noodle]

We're making crock pot applesauce. it's soooo delicious, I can't wait for it, but it's got several hours till it's ready. *sigh*

[Ela]

I add it before, but don't add it until late. It freezes while still half-cooked, and cooks the rest of the way while reheating.

And it doesn't come out with that frozen/defrosted texture that fully cooked rice gets after you freeze and defrost it?

[VelvetElvis]

Not as badly.

[Noodle]

This weekend we went to an apple orchard/country store and stocked up on goodness. Cheese, sweet corn, apples, and other assorted goodies.

Yesterday for lunch we had dried beef sandwiches, fresh cheese curds, and kohlrabi. These kohlrabi were some of the biggest I've ever seen. The size of two fists, and delicious.

Then we started making the crock pot applesauce. It turned out like it always does - awesome.

For dinner we grilled up some corn on the cob and made esquite out of it. If you don't know what esquite is it's a Mexican street food. Corn mixed with cream cheese, jalapenos, lime juice, and queso fresco (similar to parmesean). We also had authentic beef tacos. beef steak cooked with onions and garlic, and put on a soft corn tortilla with cilantro, avocado, tomato, queso fresco, sour cream, and topped with a squirt of fresh lime juice. All-in-all a pretty easy meal that was awesome.

Tonight we're making roasted poblano and corn chowder. It should be great.

[Noodle]

This topic came up this morning at work so I thought I'd ask. I'm not sure if this is the best place, but it fits.

Chili additions. When I moved to Milwaukee, everybody talked about this place called "Real Chili" and when I went there they served chili, either with noodles or without. I had never heard of having noodles in chili, but apparently that's a thing around here. They put spaghetti noodles in their chili.

I've heard of people who have chili without beans before too, so I'm wondering what additions you put in your chili?

Me, I'm a traditionalist. Half dark kidney beans and light kidney beans, no noodles.

[Young Val]

Definitely no noodles in chili.

Kidney beans and ground beef, as well as an assortment of vegetables, always including carrots, peppers, and onions. Lots of spice and some herbs and a dash or two or worcestershire sauce.

I put tomato sauce in mine, though, which I'm pretty sure is blasphemous. Ah well. To each her own!

[Petra456]

Hah, I literally just woke up (while is POURING rain outside) saying how I want chili for dinner.

I've never heard of noodles being used, and I also use tomato sauce (the more the better!). Red and green peppers, onion, celery, red kidney beans, ground beef, spices, side of corn bread. <3

I love chili.

[Young Val]

Oh, corn bread is a MUST. But here's the real question: do you sweeten your cornbread (with either honey or sugar--in the batter itself, not in a spread or anything) when you make it, or is your cornbread straight up savory?

If Helen follows Southern norms, I'm gonna go ahead and assume she'll KILL me for admitting that I sweeten my cornbread every. single. time.

[steph]

Pinto beans, diced tomatoes, onion, carrot, celery, serrano peppers, ground beef, extra cumin and other random spices and herbs. More lately, though, I've been using green chiles, lime and cilantro. Then I'll add guac and sour cream to my bowl. Delicious!

Cornbread cooked in muffins and DEFINITELY sweetened.