I Need a Recipe!

[chessiegal]

I can't find the post of someone who said they were having chicken curry for dinner. Anyone have a favorite recipe?

[Bastet]

4 minutes ago, chessiegal said:

I can't find the post of someone who said they were having chicken curry for dinner. Anyone have a favorite recipe?

I make this Thai-style chicken curry a lot:

1-1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs (or breasts, if you prefer)
1 large sweet onion, finely chopped
1 T fresh grated ginger
1 stalk lemongrass, cut into several large pieces and bruised
6 kaffir lime leaves, chiffonade (or you can leave them whole and remove before serving if you don't like their texture)
3 T green Thai curry paste
1-1/2 cups unsweetened coconut milk
1-1/2 cups chicken stock
1-1/2 tsp fish sauce
2-1/2 T peanut oil
Fresh basil leaves to taste

Heat oil in large pan over medium heat.  Add onion, ginger, and lemongrass and sauté until onion is translucent and soft. 

Stir in curry paste and lime leaves, mixing well.

Add chicken, coconut milk, and chicken stock.  Bring to a boil, then quickly reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes or until chicken is cooked.

Season with fish sauce, remove lemongrass stalk, and stir in fresh basil just before serving.

[annzeepark914]

1 hour ago, chessiegal said:

I can't find the post of someone who said they were having chicken curry for dinner. Anyone have a favorite recipe?

Chicken Curry

1.5 lbs chicken cut into strips

¼ cup flour

1.5 to 2 Tbsps curry powder

1 tsp kosher salt

¼ tsp ground black pepper

1/8-1/4 cup olive oil

1 Tbsp minced ginger

1 Tbsp minced garlic

Dried red pepper flakes (opt)

2 cups chicken broth, divided

¼ cup peanut butter

½ tsp coriander

Chopped sweet apple (opt)

1 can coconut milk

Brown sugar

White sugar

Half & Half

Chopped green onions

Chopped cilantro and chopped mint

Cooked basmati rice

Lime wedges

Combine flour, curry powder, salt & pepper in bag; shake to blend.  Add chicken & shake to coat.  Heat oil in large skillet on medium high heat.  Add chicken; cook 5-10 minutes, tossing to cook evenly.  Add ginger, garlic, dried pepper flakes (if using), and ½ cup broth to pan.  Cook 3 minutes, scraping pan to pick up fond, stirring to combine.  Add peanut butter, stirring quickly to incorporate with chicken, & add coriander.  Add remaining 1.5 cups broth slowly & apple if using.  Let simmer 10 minutes.  Add coconut milk & sugars to taste.  Add salt if needed.  Add a little Half & Half & chopped green onions. Simmer. Serve over basmati rice with chopped cilantro, chopped fresh mint, and a squeeze of limes.

My notes:  I use Penzey’s sweet curry which has a little heat in it (I think) so I don’t add the dried red pepper flakes.  Can’t remember where I found this recipe but I add a chopped sweet apple.  I find I have to keep adding sweet to this recipe as I like a sweet curry.  I also like to toss some chopped lightly salted peanuts onto the curry and rice.

[Jeanne222]

Can anybody direct me to the low carb section?  Sorry..I'm just lost!

[backformore]

On ‎12‎/‎8‎/‎2017 at 5:13 PM, Quof said:

You anti-tomato people are going to be horrified by my go to comfort food:  elbow macaroni with canned diced tomatoes.  A pinch of kosher salt and fresh cracked pepper.   If I'm feeling fancy, a little thyme.  

I suggest the next time you buy canned tomatoes, get the fire-roasted variety.  A little bit of a smokey flavor, really good! 

[Jeanne222]

On 12/28/2017 at 8:50 PM, Jeanne222 said:

Can anybody direct me to the low carb section?  Sorry..I'm just lost!

Still looking for the low carb recipes somebody started.  Where can it be???  Help me!!!!

[ebk57]

1 hour ago, Jeanne222 said:

Still looking for the low carb recipes somebody started.  Where can it be???  Help me!!!!

There's a low carb thread in the Health & Wellness forum...

[Spunkygal]

What is your favorite hot chocolate recipe? Cocoa powder, chocolate chips or a combination? My mother always followed the directions on the Hershey cocoa tin, which I lovingly remember. But my favorite hot chocolate was at Angelina's tearoom on Rue de Rivoli in Paris, which I learned about in the Eyewitness Travel Guide on Paris. Mon dieu, that was some life changing chocolate. It is so thick and rich and other-worldly. I'd love to hear your hot chocolate memories and, hopefully, recipes!

[Bastet]

3 minutes ago, Spunkygal said:

What is your favorite hot chocolate recipe?

Probably a simple Mexican hot chocolate, using Ibarra chocolate or similar (which is made with cacao, sugar, and cinnamon) -- just cut up half a tablet per cup of milk into small chunks, and melt them into milk over medium heat.  I do not take the traditional step of using a molinillo to make foam, no.  I may add whipped cream if I've made some for something else, but I don't need it.

[Spunkygal]

12 minutes ago, Bastet said:

Probably a simple Mexican hot chocolate, using Ibarra chocolate or similar (which is made with cacao, sugar, and cinnamon) -- just cut up half a tablet per cup of milk into small chunks, and melt them into milk over medium heat.  I do not take the traditional step of using a molinillo to make foam, no.  I may add whipped cream if I've made some for something else, but I don't need it.

When I wrote my post, I was kicking myself for not getting some Mexican chocolate when I bought the Christmas Eve tamales at the Fiesta market. I am now checking to see if they are open tomorrow! 

[DeLurker]

Apparently Mexican Hot Chocolate has missed my food map - this must be corrected!

[Lisin]

Abuelita is the brand of Mexican Hot Chocolate I see up here in the north. It's good. It's no Ibarra but it still hits the spot!

[larapu2000]

On 12/31/2017 at 9:10 PM, Spunkygal said:

What is your favorite hot chocolate recipe? Cocoa powder, chocolate chips or a combination? My mother always followed the directions on the Hershey cocoa tin, which I lovingly remember. But my favorite hot chocolate was at Angelina's tearoom on Rue de Rivoli in Paris, which I learned about in the Eyewitness Travel Guide on Paris. Mon dieu, that was some life changing chocolate. It is so thick and rich and other-worldly. I'd love to hear your hot chocolate memories and, hopefully, recipes!

The best hot chocolates definitely use real chocolate, not cocoa powder, but you can make some pretty great hot chocolate with cocoa if you just mix the milk with half and half or some heavy cream.  It gives it a similar richness as the chocolate.

[MargeGunderson]

On 1/1/2018 at 11:47 AM, DeLurker said:

Apparently Mexican Hot Chocolate has missed my food map - this must be corrected!

I picked up some Mexican Hot Chocolate from Sur La Table on a whim. It’s made with Valhrona chocolate and it is so good. It’s spicy from the cinnamon but not chili-hot, which is perfect for a heat wimp like me. 

ETA - it’s on sale now! I might pick more up (along with snowflake marshmallows)

Edited January 3, 2018 by MargeGunderson

[Spunkygal]

On January 1, 2018 at 11:07 AM, Lisin said:

Abuelita is the brand of Mexican Hot Chocolate I see up here in the north. It's good. It's no Ibarra but it still hits the spot!

I went to Fiesta today and they had both Abuelita and Ibarra. I got Ibarra because Abuelita had "Nestle" all over the package. I don't know why but that was a turn off for me, maybe because it sounds too corporate. I am less than impressed with Ibarra. It wasn't what I remembered of Mexican chocolate. I even thought about adding a dash of cinnamon and a bit of cocoa to it.

29 minutes ago, MargeGunderson said:

I picked up some Mexican Hot Chocolate from Sur La Table on a whim. It’s made with Valhrona chocolate and it is so good. It’s spicy from the cinnamon but not chili-hot, which is perfect for a heat wimp like me. 

ETA - it’s on sale now! I might pick more up (along with snowflake marshmallows)

If it's on sale, I will try that! Thanks!

@MargeGunderson, those marshmallows are adorable. You may have just solved my gift giving for next Christmas! I'm also going to try the double dark hot chocolate.

Edited January 3, 2018 by Spunkygal

[MargeGunderson]

31 minutes ago, Spunkygal said:

@MargeGunderson, those marshmallows are adorable. You may have just solved my gift giving for next Christmas! I'm also going to try the double dark hot chocolate.

Marshmallow snowflakes taste so much better than regular marshmallows!

[Spunkygal]

I never thought to look at Sur la Table's after Christmas sale but, wow, there's some pretty good deals. Of course i wouldn't buy any food products to gift for next Christmas right now, but there are some cute serving pieces and some kids' baking items marked down. I want to continue to encourage my niece and nephew to enjoy helping their mom in the kitchen. Now I'm off to see what Williams Sonoma has on sale, if anything!

[ethalfrida]

A few years ago I made a Potato Chip Cake and it was delicious. It was so rich I put the crumbs in the freezer to have for later! But, I don't know where the recipe is. Does anyone know of one or can you point me in the direction of a recipe? Thank you.

Here is one for bar cookies that look exceptionally good:
http://www.butterbaking.com/2013/07/12/salty-sweet-bars/

[DeLurker]

Question:  How do you make your spaghetti sauce (or marinara)?

When I was a kid, the lady across the street was Italian (via New Jersey).  A couple of times a year she would make her own marinara sauce from huge bunches of tomatoes - Roma tomatoes if I recall correctly.  She would make so much so she could freeze some for use over the coming months.

Growing up, my Mom used to make her spaghetti sauce from cans of tomato sauce, tomato paste, onions, garlic...etc.  Back then, the bottled stuff was about as tasty as the stuff in Spaghetti-Os. 

These days I saute onions in olive oil, add some garlic, add a jar of Barilla plus a can of diced tomatoes (fire-roasted preferably) and/or diced up tomatoes that are a touch past their prime, a splash of red wine, fresh herbs...

[Mindthinkr]

I do it two ways. The first is the way my Italian boyfriend prefers. You sauté some onions, and garlic in olive oil with a pinch of perponchini (red pepper flakes can be used) and then add 4-6 cut up sweet tomatoes and simmer until the tomatoes break down. Garnish with basil. 

The other way seems more to be what you remember. I sauté onion, a stalk or two of celery and sometimes half of a red pepper with a pinch of salt and pepper. After they soften I add some minced garlic. Now comes the spices. I use a bay leaf, oregano and basil. Then I add 3 cans of San Marzano tomatoes (imported from Italy) and let it simmer for a few hours.  I use an immersion blender or a potato masher to break up the tomatoes.  Lastly I will add a half to a cup of cheese. Most people like Parmesan but I like Romano. That's a basic sauce. If my grandchildren are coming they like me to brown some ground beef with the onions etc or make mini meatballs and after I pan fry them (or bake) I add them into the sauce. lol I learned that recipe from an Italian family in NJ so it might be close to what you are remembering! 

I make some adjustments for flavor and my love of vegetables. I will use a red pepper, a green pepper and lots of onion to get a heartier sauce. Zucchini also goes well in it. My secret ingredient is to add a half of a cup of grated carrots. It gives it a natural sweetness. 

Buon Appetito 

Edited January 14, 2018 by Mindthinkr
Added a detail.

[DeLurker]

@Mindthinkr - probably a dumb question, but what are sweet tomatoes?  And do you need to peel tomatoes?  And are there particular varieties that fall under the category of sweet tomatoes?

Both sound within my skill range, providing tomatoes don't need to be skinned.

[Bastet]

3 hours ago, DeLurker said:

Question:  How do you make your spaghetti sauce (or marinara)?

I don't often, as I don't much care for cooked tomatoes or sauces based on cooked tomatoes.  I don't particularly like spaghetti, either (I like thicker noodles), so the few times I eat it I prepare it al olio.  When I do make marinara, whether I use fresh or canned tomatoes just depends on the time of year - if it's tomato season, when my and everyone's garden is overflowing with them and I need to use them every which way, I use fresh, but otherwise, I just use canned San Marzanos.  Garlic, onion, basil (or oregano, but I like the sweetness of basil), a little red chile - very basic.

Edited January 14, 2018 by Bastet

[Mindthinkr]

@DeLurker Sweet tomatoes are small-ish and come in a clear package. Usually about a dozen of them. The container states sweet tomatoes but they just look like a regular small ones to me. The cheapest place to get them is Costco. I also see the at regular grocery stores. A brand name something like Cipriani. A fresh tomato sauce can also be made with cherry tomatoes. I use a brand called Cherubs. They're naturally sweet, more so than others I've tried. No need to peel them as they break down during cooking. Just dice them up. Just don't skimp on the olive oil if making the sauce from fresh tomatoes. It helps to make the sauce when combined with the juice that the tomatoes release. 

Edited January 14, 2018 by Mindthinkr

[JTMacc99]

19 hours ago, DeLurker said:

Question:  How do you make your spaghetti sauce (or marinara)?

My standard tomato sauce base is a variation of this one from Lidia's Kitchen. 

I typically go with saute a diced onion and some shredded carrot (for the sweetness) in olive oil until the onion is translucent. Add in some garlic for another minute and then drop in the canned tomatoes, salt, pepper (or red pepper) and I use dried basil and oregano in a ratio of 3-1. How much depends on how big a batch of sauce. For two or three cans of tomatoes, I would use a T of Basil and a t of Oregano.

As for tomatoes, I typically have a few weekends in the late summer where I drag in 7-10 pounds of tomatoes from my garden. I have taken to just cutting them up, cooking them down for a while (since mine are more slicers than canners, so they need to cook down a bit longer) and then run the whole thing through a food mill to remove skins and seeds. I can that stuff, which would be the equivalent of I guess crushed or puree in the store. In my sauce, I'll tend to use one of mine and a couple cans of the whole tomatoes. 

And I do hit it with the stick blender at some point, but that's just because I had some in-laws who had issues with food. So I blended the crap out of it so that no piece of tomato or onion could be identified and eaten around. Now I'm kind of used to it this way, and that's what I run with.

This sauce does very well with a bunch of meatballs dropped into it. I used to cook them first, but I watched Lidia just drop hers into the sauce once, so I did the same thing. It has the nice benefit of adding all that fat (aka Flavor) from the meatballs into the sauce. 

[DeLurker]

Thanks!

I will try making it this way next time!

[ebk57]

Mr ebk's favorite tomato sauce.  Really easy and really good!

https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1015178-marcella-hazans-tomato-sauce

[Mindthinkr]

46 minutes ago, ebk57 said:

Mr ebk's favorite tomato sauce.  Really easy and really good!

https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1015178-marcella-hazans-tomato-sauce

That link won't allow me to view the recipe unless I sign up and create an account. I don't have Facebook. 

[Spunkygal]

20 minutes ago, Mindthinkr said:

That link won't allow me to view the recipe unless I sign up and create an account. I don't have Facebook. 

Several foodie blogs also have it: https://www.thekitchn.com/marcella-hazans-amazing-4ingre-144538

[ebk57]

Sorry @Mindthinkr and thanks @Spunkygal.   Should have gone with another link, but the NYT came up first and I didn't think it through.

[Fairfax]

The recipe is here.   You can use the same amount of fresh tomatoes with their juices instead of canned -- you can use salted butter & omit adding salt.  I don't discard the onion -- I save half of it for something else, & puree the other half in the blender with the tomatoes after everything is cooked.  When I use the completed sauce later for meatballs or spaghetti, etc., I add garlic & basil &/or oregano to taste at that time.  It is the best tomato sauce ever. 

[ethalfrida]

A few years ago I made a Potato Chip Cake and it was delicious. It was so rich I put the crumbs in the freezer to have for later! But, I don't know where the recipe is. Does anyone know of one or can you point me in the direction of a recipe? Thank you.

Here is one for bar cookies that look exceptionally good:
http://www.butterbaking.com/2013/07/12/salty-sweet-bars/

[ethalfrida]

My family is from Louisiana where pecans, crawfish and gumbo are the Royal Court! Now that my mom is gone along with any other older family members who had mastered the recipes it is more important than ever to me to be able to make the dishes myself. Crawfish boils were little problem and were easy to do. Gumbo was more complex and it took a couple of years to get it right, you know, where I could actually call it Gumbo. But the Pecan candy (think Pralines or Penuche) was a struggle, until this past weekend. I did it!

I made two batches of the same recipe but cooled one on a cookie sheet so the pieces were flatter, and the other batch in a pyrex dish so the pieces were thicker and could be cut into squares. One thing, the second batch was taking longer to harden. So thankful for Google because I found a thread citing just that problem. All I had to do was scrap the candy back into the pot and cook at least 7 minutes longer. Put it back into the pyrex dish and it hardened beautifully. So now I know how to make it and it feels like I have earned my kitchen stripes, at least Louisiana-wise.

Here is a recipe in case anyone is interested:

[ethalfrida]

54 minutes ago, forumfish said:

@ethalfrida -- Yay, way to go! That looks yummy! Even though I'm allergic to pecans, I remember eating a bit of pralines as a kid. Yours looks like the kind my grandmother made (we're Texans, and pecans are the Official State Tree and Nut) -- the other kind is more like caramel, and I never cared much for them.

Thank you so much! 

[Mindthinkr]

Could somebody please recommend a substitute for mayo in deviled eggs? 

[DeLurker]

I don't eat them, but if you Google deviled eggs without mayo there are a lot of recipes to choose from.  I like chowhound results because there are usually discussions as to what people like/don't like about the recipe.  I use the Once Upon a Chef site for research too - each recipe has a fair number of reviews where people make similar suggestions for tweaks they've tried or ask questions to the woman who runs the site about "would this work instead of...?.  She's really prompt about responding too.

I tend to use Greek yogurt or sour cream instead of mayo in recipes because I am not a fan.

[Trini]

7 hours ago, Mindthinkr said:

Could somebody please recommend a substitute for mayo in deviled eggs? 

Mustard; cream cheese; salad dressing;

[Wings]

On 3/25/2018 at 6:14 AM, Mindthinkr said:

Could somebody please recommend a substitute for mayo in deviled eggs? 

Softened butter.  Delicious!

[Mindthinkr]

6 minutes ago, Wings said:

Softened butter.  Delicious!

Hmmm. Would you still add mustard or chives? I think I’m going to try your variation. Thank you Wings. 

[Wings]

1 minute ago, Mindthinkr said:

Hmmm. Would you still add mustard or chives? I think I’m going to try your variation. Thank you Wings. 

Yes, add anything else you want. I use a little mustard. Since butter gets hard when cold use just enough to hold it together.  

[Wings]

35 minutes ago, Mindthinkr said:

Hmmm. Would you still add mustard or chives? I think I’m going to try your variation. Thank you Wings. 

Whrn using butter they are best served at room temperature or just leave them out long enough to take the chill off.  You can eat them cold too, the texture will be firmer, that is all.

[MargeGunderson]

On 3/25/2018 at 9:14 AM, Mindthinkr said:

Could somebody please recommend a substitute for mayo in deviled eggs? 

Greek yogurt or sour cream?

ETA: Delurker beat me to it!

Edited March 27, 2018 by MargeGunderson

[Mindthinkr]

Well I stumbled upon an interesting answer to my deviled egg question. Mix the yolks with ripe avocado, tomatoes and grated onion. Not much of any of the above but it looks like it would be just like putting a rich guacamole in the white part. My other thought is to try the butter that Wings suggested. I’ll let you know my verdict after Easter. My daughter is bringing me eggs from her hens. 

[HunterHunted]

On 3/25/2018 at 8:14 AM, Mindthinkr said:

Could somebody please recommend a substitute for mayo in deviled eggs? 

I've been wondering why there weren't any suggestions to take the hard cooked yolks and emulsify with a neutral oil, mustard, lemon juice, and cornichons or pickles to make a sauce gribiche. Mayo is an emulsion of eggs, oil, acid, and mustard. If you're eliminating mayo, the obvious solution to me is to reintroduce the ingredients you lose by cutting out the mayo. It will be a little less eggy than a typical deviled egg and a little grainier, but taste wise it should be fairly similar. 

I've also heard fantastic things about the vegan Just Mayo brand.

[biakbiak]

10 minutes ago, HunterHunted said:

It will be a little less eggy than a typical deviled egg and a little grainier, but taste wise it should be fairly similar. 

I assumed the reason the question was asked was they didn't like mayo so they wouldn't want it to taste similar. Just Mayo does taste like mayo.

Edited March 31, 2018 by biakbiak

[Lura]

Many thanks to Ethalfrida for the pecan candy recipe.  I'll love it for Christmas presents.

[larapu2000]

My mom uses Miracle Whip instead of mayo to make her deviled eggs.  She mixes the yolks with miracle whip, fresh onion, and SWEET pickles/relish (preferably from her own garden), with some salt, pepper, and paprika to taste.  I can add sugar to it when I make it with mayo, but hers are superior and I forever bow down to her deviled egg prowess.  

[JTMacc99]

On 3/25/2018 at 9:14 AM, Mindthinkr said:

Could somebody please recommend a substitute for mayo in deviled eggs? 

You got me thinking so off to the Internet and came back with:

Avocado (as noted above) Deviled Eggs. Everything else seems to have at least some sort of mayo component regardless of what else it added in. 

[Wings]

@Mindthinkr, why don't you want to use mayo?  That will help with the suggestions.  :> 

[DeLurker]

More of a question for those who grill/smoke a lot ( @jtmacc99 )-

I spatchcocked a chicken and cooked it a relatively low temp on by not-BigGreenEgg.  When we had it for dinner that night, it was very good - thoroughly cooked, but still moist and tender.  I was very pleased with myself.  Since a whole chicken is a bit much for us to eat in one meal, the rest went in the fridge for a subsequent meal.  The next time I had some - probably a day later, the leftovers had gotten quite dry, a bit tough and it had lost a lot of the flavor.

Is this the normal progression for smoked/grilled chicken or poultry or did I do something wrong?

[JTMacc99]

5 hours ago, DeLurker said:

Is this the normal progression for smoked/grilled chicken or poultry or did I do something wrong?

I find that smoked chicken and turkey stays good longer than other methods. It probably was just the particular chicken rather than your technique.