The Smells in My Kitchen

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Re: The Smells in My Kitchen

Postby fawkes » Fri Jul 27, 2012 8:49 pm

I just made a huge batch of chicken salad for lunches this week. So.. much... chicken! But so good...
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Re: The Smells in My Kitchen

Postby starlooker » Fri Aug 03, 2012 11:45 am

Best. Oatmeal. Ever.

I put a little butter and more sugar than I intended in the water as it was heating. Then added dried cherries and a cut up fresh peach with the oats. So, so, so very good.
There's another home somewhere,
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Re: The Smells in My Kitchen

Postby Eaquae Legit » Fri Aug 03, 2012 1:57 pm

Tonight I made pasta sauce. I wanted to do something different from my usual. Kinda improvised as I went along, though I had an ultimate vision. The result Rei said was the best pasta sauce with meat he'd ever had.

Fried an onion in olive oil, then added a dollop of garlic paste and a big bunch of chopped up fresh rosemary. The a tin of tomatoes, a cup of veggie stock, and a cup of red wine. Then added the four small tomatoes we had in the fridge to use them up. A couple tablespoons of capers, probably a half cup of chopped green olives, and some good Polish sausage sliced and fried. Pepper and a bit of salt, a teaspoon or so of sugar, and a splash of cider vinegar. Then I let it simmer till it was a good thick sauce consistency. It was REALLY yummy. Half the reason I wrote it out here was so I can write it into my cookbook later without danger of forgetting!

So good.
"Only for today, I will devote 10 minutes of my time to some good reading, remembering that just as food is necessary to the life of the body, so good reading is necessary to the life of the soul." -- Pope John XXIII

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Re: The Smells in My Kitchen

Postby Eaquae Legit » Fri Aug 10, 2012 6:28 am

So, due to our ongoing attempts to recreate the Great Depression, we made rowan berry jelly. Did you guys know those things were edible? I sure didn't. I mean, sure, you have to be alert to the smell of almonds due to the chance of minute traces of cyanide in the seeds, and we're not feeding it to Nom-nom just in case, even though all signs point to go on this batch, but hey. Really interesting, unique flavour. It was pretty easy, so I foresee some canning taking place in the near future.

The world is full of edible plants no one has bothered packaging and selling yet!
"Only for today, I will devote 10 minutes of my time to some good reading, remembering that just as food is necessary to the life of the body, so good reading is necessary to the life of the soul." -- Pope John XXIII

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Re: The Smells in My Kitchen

Postby Petra456 » Mon Aug 13, 2012 11:55 pm

Today my parents came home from a family reunion in Iowa. One of the things my Mom brought me (well, she doesn't really know it was for me : P) is a cook book called "Two Chicks from the Sticks (Back Home Baking)" that contains a couple recipes from my Great Aunt Lela. I've heard my mom talk about this Great Aunt before, but she never went into much detail. There is just something I love so much about her having a couple of recipes in a real cook book.

I love that one of her recipes is for a pie crust with butter. This is something that my Mom and I fight over all the time. My pie crusts are all butter, and she likes to use shortening. I sort of feel like my Aunt is siding with me. I don't know much about my Mom's side of the family, but this makes me feel a little bit closer to them.
Last edited by Petra456 on Tue Aug 14, 2012 9:32 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: The Smells in My Kitchen

Postby Young Val » Tue Aug 14, 2012 6:40 am

That's so cool, Fred!

(And all-butter pie crusts are clearly the only proper way to do things).
you snooze, you lose
well I have snozzed and lost
I'm pushing through
I'll disregard the cost
I hear the bells
so fascinating and
I'll slug it out
I'm sick of waiting
and I can
hear the bells are
ringing joyful and triumphant

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Re: The Smells in My Kitchen

Postby Rei » Tue Aug 14, 2012 7:54 am

I'm planning on making a root veg pie today. Any suggestions for a pie crust recipe to save me from the roulette of google?
Le coeur a ses raisons que la raison ne connait point.
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Re: The Smells in My Kitchen

Postby Young Val » Tue Aug 14, 2012 7:56 am

Brent, SK's is my favorite. Flaky and flavorful every. single. time.

http://smittenkitchen.com/blog/2008/11/ ... pie-dough/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
you snooze, you lose
well I have snozzed and lost
I'm pushing through
I'll disregard the cost
I hear the bells
so fascinating and
I'll slug it out
I'm sick of waiting
and I can
hear the bells are
ringing joyful and triumphant

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Re: The Smells in My Kitchen

Postby Jayelle » Tue Aug 14, 2012 9:20 am

My recipe (even with handling, it usually turns out flaky) for pie crust - this is especially good for savoury pies:

3 cups all-purpose flour
2 TB sugar
1 3/4 tsp salt
1 cup + 2 T COLD lard, veg. shortening or butter (I find lard works best)
8 TB ice cold water
1 1/2 TB apple cider vinegar (the key ingredient)

Mix the dry stuff,, cut in the lard with a pastry blender, two knives, or use a cheese grater to grate it in (that's what I do), mix until it is small-pea like. Mix the water and vinegar together and add. Shape into a loose ball (you may need a tiny bit of extra water, but don't worry if it's crumbly). Wrap it in plastic (or put it in a ziploc) and put it in the fridge for an hour (or more).

Roll it out on a very floury surface.
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It needs to be about 20% cooler.

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Re: The Smells in My Kitchen

Postby buckshot » Tue Aug 14, 2012 12:27 pm

All this talk of pie is giving me the shakes! :thumbs:

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Re: The Smells in My Kitchen

Postby locke » Tue Aug 14, 2012 12:28 pm

Lard makes the best pie crust. Better than butter. Healthier too. (more mono-unsaturated fat and oleic acid in lard). Better melting point for cooking than butter or shortening, more mono-unsaturated fat than shortening, low poly-unsaturated fat than shortening (the really bad s*** to ingest, especially when oxidized). no trans fats, while shortening is basically all trans fat.
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Re: The Smells in My Kitchen

Postby Rei » Tue Aug 14, 2012 1:11 pm

I went with the smitten kitchen one in the end as I started making it before seeing yours, Jan. That and we don't have lard but we do have butter. I adapted the sk one for a savoury pie, but I think I will try Jan's next time for it. And then I will have one for sweet pies and one for savoury. Right now I am just waiting for the pie to bake, which is a bit of a guessing game. But I put a green man and an oak leaf on it, so that can only be good, right?
Le coeur a ses raisons que la raison ne connait point.
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Re: The Smells in My Kitchen

Postby Young Val » Tue Aug 14, 2012 2:03 pm

Lard admittedly does make a great savory pie crust. It's just that I never seem to have any on hand.
you snooze, you lose
well I have snozzed and lost
I'm pushing through
I'll disregard the cost
I hear the bells
so fascinating and
I'll slug it out
I'm sick of waiting
and I can
hear the bells are
ringing joyful and triumphant

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Re: The Smells in My Kitchen

Postby starlooker » Mon Aug 20, 2012 9:12 am

Cinnamon! Making sweet potato fries! Well, sweet potato chunks, some of which are vaguely fry-shaped, really. Still! It smells good!
There's another home somewhere,
There's another glimpse of sky...
There's another way to lean
into the wind, unafraid.
There's another life out there...

~~Mary Chapin Carpenter

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Re: The Smells in My Kitchen

Postby Eaquae Legit » Thu Aug 30, 2012 6:30 am

We made this pie last night: http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/deep- ... _pie_48616" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; The crust was a fail, so we're going to try it again sometime with the one Jan recommended. The filling was delicious, though!
"Only for today, I will devote 10 minutes of my time to some good reading, remembering that just as food is necessary to the life of the body, so good reading is necessary to the life of the soul." -- Pope John XXIII

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Re: The Smells in My Kitchen

Postby Jayelle » Thu Aug 30, 2012 9:01 am

That sounds really good, but what does "homity" mean?
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It needs to be about 20% cooler.

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Re: The Smells in My Kitchen

Postby Eaquae Legit » Thu Aug 30, 2012 9:49 am

No clue.
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Re: The Smells in My Kitchen

Postby starlooker » Thu Aug 30, 2012 10:48 am

Trying to make an oatmeal banana egg scramble finger food recipe for Atty.

Epic mess to begin in about five minutes.

Have been baking lately. Thinking of doing pumpkin bread later.

ETA: Yup. Epic beige and yellow mushy mess. But he had fun. And then a bath.
There's another home somewhere,
There's another glimpse of sky...
There's another way to lean
into the wind, unafraid.
There's another life out there...

~~Mary Chapin Carpenter

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Re: The Smells in My Kitchen

Postby starlooker » Mon Sep 03, 2012 9:23 am

The pumpkin bread was awesome.

Today, I made breastmilk-oatmeal-banana pancakes. Atty approved. Very mushy. Messy. Squishy. Nummy!
There's another home somewhere,
There's another glimpse of sky...
There's another way to lean
into the wind, unafraid.
There's another life out there...

~~Mary Chapin Carpenter

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Re: The Smells in My Kitchen

Postby VelvetElvis » Mon Sep 03, 2012 12:18 pm

Chicken
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Re: The Smells in My Kitchen

Postby buckshot » Tue Sep 04, 2012 1:49 am

The corn in our lower garden is ripe and loooks glorious!But it tastes of butt! we planted 3 different types (all 3 we had good luck with before) I just don't get it, you can take a bite raw and it's fine ( not my fav way to enjoy fresh corn but it's the best way to know if it's ready). Anyhow it tastes flat and starchy and kinda gummy and not right at all. A while ago I fired up the grill and picked 1 of each pulled back the husks washed it put some real butter on em salt pepper too and grilled em with the husks on just till a bit tender and hot, that treatment should have made even 5 day old wallmart corn eatable and still not good! What could be wrong???? :bash:

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Re: The Smells in My Kitchen

Postby Eaquae Legit » Tue Sep 04, 2012 9:03 am

Spaghetti with butter, fresh herbs from the garden, and a shake of chilli flakes makes a very yummy lunch.
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Re: The Smells in My Kitchen

Postby steph » Wed Sep 05, 2012 4:32 pm

I'm cooking tonight!!

Fried Green Beans with Minced Pork and copy cat Panda Express Chow Mein Noodles. (Because baby craves Panda Express Noodles. And pizza. But we had that last night at Costco.)
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Re: The Smells in My Kitchen

Postby buckshot » Wed Sep 05, 2012 10:40 pm

Needing new ideas to help deal with all these tomatoes! :P

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Re: The Smells in My Kitchen

Postby starlooker » Fri Sep 07, 2012 12:39 pm

You know what? Lunch with Atticus is becoming, my favorite part of the day. I actually really like cooking for him, even though it's nothing elaborate. Fruits and/or veggies, eggs, pancakes (sweetened with banana), etc. Then we eat together companionably, him in the high chair, me on the birth ball and I say the word "num" a lot. It's nice.
There's another home somewhere,
There's another glimpse of sky...
There's another way to lean
into the wind, unafraid.
There's another life out there...

~~Mary Chapin Carpenter

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Re: The Smells in My Kitchen

Postby steph » Sun Sep 09, 2012 4:46 pm

Doritos count as dinner, right?

Ugh. I gained 9 lbs last month. I have to do better! But most of the time, only junk food sounds good.
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Re: The Smells in My Kitchen

Postby Petra456 » Sun Sep 09, 2012 7:26 pm

It's about to rain any minute and I've just spent that last couple of hours making chili <3

We also discovered that the blackberry bush we thought was killed last summer survived, and is SO full and ready. I'll be making blackberry ice cream tomorrow!
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And there will come a time, you'll see, with no more tears.
And love will not break your heart, but dismiss your fears.
Get over your hill and see what you find there,
With grace in your heart and flowers in your hair.

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Re: The Smells in My Kitchen

Postby Rei » Mon Sep 10, 2012 1:34 am

Blackberry bushes are immortal. There ain't nothing that can kill brambles.
Le coeur a ses raisons que la raison ne connait point.
~Blaise Pascal


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Re: The Smells in My Kitchen

Postby starlooker » Tue Sep 11, 2012 6:21 pm

Meatloaf. A little warm for it, but whatever.
There's another home somewhere,
There's another glimpse of sky...
There's another way to lean
into the wind, unafraid.
There's another life out there...

~~Mary Chapin Carpenter

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Re: The Smells in My Kitchen

Postby VelvetElvis » Tue Sep 11, 2012 10:01 pm

It was taco Tuesday, but I have a question. Is gnocchi as much of a PIA as it looks like to make?
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Re: The Smells in My Kitchen

Postby Rei » Wed Sep 12, 2012 6:28 am

I think so, but Ali would tell you otherwise.
Le coeur a ses raisons que la raison ne connait point.
~Blaise Pascal


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Re: The Smells in My Kitchen

Postby Petra456 » Wed Sep 12, 2012 9:33 am

I've only made gnocchi once in a high school cooking class, but I don't remember it being that hard to make.
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And there will come a time, you'll see, with no more tears.
And love will not break your heart, but dismiss your fears.
Get over your hill and see what you find there,
With grace in your heart and flowers in your hair.

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Re: The Smells in My Kitchen

Postby VelvetElvis » Wed Sep 12, 2012 12:21 pm

Second question, does the dough freeze well? For instance, can I do the the hardwork once with a double batch and freeze the other part for later?
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Re: The Smells in My Kitchen

Postby Young Val » Wed Sep 12, 2012 12:30 pm

Gnocchi is relatively easy to make and freezes well.

Form them, freeze them in a single layer on a cookie sheet (not touching) and then when fully frozen, bag 'em. When ready to cook, do not defrost. Just plop into boiled water directly from freezer.
you snooze, you lose
well I have snozzed and lost
I'm pushing through
I'll disregard the cost
I hear the bells
so fascinating and
I'll slug it out
I'm sick of waiting
and I can
hear the bells are
ringing joyful and triumphant

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Re: The Smells in My Kitchen

Postby VelvetElvis » Wed Sep 12, 2012 6:32 pm

Added to next week's menu. Will blame all failures on Kelly. Any successes are due to my innate talent.
Yay, I'm a llama again!


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