I Need a Recipe!

[blixie]

Zingerman's Agrodolce White Balsamic Vinegar is the best I've ever had. Pretty much all their vinegars are great, they are quite pricey but if you are using it for dipping, you really want the kind that's practically syrup.

[chessiegal]

We have a specialty store in Annapolis that sells just about anything olive oil and vinegar, and they let you sample before you buy. Barring a store like that, I'd go to Williams-Sonoma or Sur la Table and ask for recommendations.

Edited October 20, 2015 by chessiegal

[ethalfrida]

The thing about olive oil, found through research, is that most of it is not just olive oil and contains anything from GMOs to cheap vegetable oil. I have found that Costco (Kirkland) olive oil is organic, certified and highly recommended. Here is the a list of brands you might want to consider:

 

http://the best brands of olive oils

 

I also use avocado oil which had a very fine taste but is also able to be heated to highest temperatures.

[mansonlamps]

Don't know if it's just me, but the link above didn't take me anywhere. One brand of olive oil I don't like the taste of is Trader Joe's. Very perfumy to me. Don't know if it's supposed to be a pure brand or not. I tend to go to Italian markets since its usually a lot cheaper for the imported brands, but seriously who knows how honest the labeling is?

I also like to use avocado oil, never knew anyone else who uses it! It is a little rich, but really good for some things.

Edited October 21, 2015 by mansonlamps

[ethalfrida]

No, it was Safari. Sorry about that. Here is the real link:

http://lifehacker.com/the-most-and-least-fake-extra-virgin-olive-oil-brands-1460894373

[Quof]

I have discovered a few brands of potato chips cooked in avocado oil (have I been living under a rock or is this new?).  Delish.

[mansonlamps]

I have discovered a few brands of potato chips cooked in avocado oil (have I been living under a rock or is this new?).  Delish.

Ooh I'm not aware of those, do tell.

[Quof]

Couple of different brands.

Boulder, from Colorado and Good Health from North Carolina.  In the organic section of my grocery store, so they're healthy, right?

[mansonlamps]

Absolutely!

[Zahdii]

Another thread (The Great British Baking Show) is talking about persimmon pudding.  This intrigues me.  Anyone have a recipe?

[Bastet]

I have found that Costco (Kirkland) olive oil is organic, certified and highly recommended.

 

Yes. I had already been using it for some time when that UC Davis study came out, so I was pleased to see I wasn’t deluding myself – I really was getting a quality product for a great price.

[Qoass]

I just came across a corn chowder recipe that would use up a lot of leftovers this weekend.  Only thing is, I don't have any frozen corn in the house.  If I were to rinse the salt off some canned corn instead, would the soup Nazi break into my house and beat me senseless?

[annzeepark914]

Don't need a recipe, just someone to point me in the right direction to a good olive oil and balsamic vinegar for dipping bread into.  My normal ones are decent, but probably could use an upgrade for use like that.  Looked in the grocery store but the array of brands and prices made my head a bit swimmy!

 

If anyone has some recommendations, it would be much appreciated.

 

ETA: to change most to much.  Not sure why, but I normally say most appreciated.

If you want to spend a lot of money, get Olio Santo e.v.o.o. at Williams-Sonoma.  It is quite delicious and good for dipping bread into.  It's Ina's favorite so that's how I discovered it.  However, when I don't want to spend $29 on a bottle of evoo, I go to Trader Joe's and buy their California Estate evoo for $5.99 and it's almost as good.  That has become my evoo olive oil (except when I buy light olive oil in the supermarket and I get whichever is cheapest).

[Spunkygal]

I just came across a corn chowder recipe that would use up a lot of leftovers this weekend.  Only thing is, I don't have any frozen corn in the house.  If I were to rinse the salt off some canned corn instead, would the soup Nazi break into my house and beat me senseless?

Just MHO, but I feel like I can never get all of the "canned" taste off of a canned veggie even after rinsing. Also, I like the "toothsomeness" of thawed corn. If you use the canned, please report back on whether you were pleased with it. If the soup turns out good, just feed it to the soup Nazi!

[3pwood]

I like corn on the cob but am not crazy about it any other way.  I have substituted canned & rinsed hominy for corn in baked goods (chopped or ground if necessary for size) & that's been fine -- I would think it might work well in chowder too.

[ethalfrida]

Couple of different brands.

Boulder, from Colorado and Good Health from North Carolina.  In the organic section of my grocery store, so they're healthy, right?

Oooooh, thanks for recommendation. I just ate an entire bag of the Boulder Canyon cut!!! 

[annzeepark914]

Couple of different brands.

Boulder, from Colorado and Good Health from North Carolina.  In the organic section of my grocery store, so they're healthy, right?

How are these chips (Good Health) on cholesterol?  I just learned I've got to watch my cholesterol so I'm checking the contents of everything I buy now ;>(

[Quof]

Cholesterol comes from animal fat. There's no cholesterol in avocado oil.

[mansonlamps]

I just came across a corn chowder recipe that would use up a lot of leftovers this weekend.  Only thing is, I don't have any frozen corn in the house.  If I were to rinse the salt off some canned corn instead, would the soup Nazi break into my house and beat me senseless?

Name brand canned corn (if you watch The Middle you will get this) is 1000x better than it used to be, both in taste and texture. I say go for it!

As far as dietary cholesterol, I thought that was proved to be a myth? When I lost weight on a low carb eating plan, I ate eggs almost every day and a lot of shrimp since it is such a great low fat and calorie source of protein. My cholesterol count was never better, WAY, WAY improved before I ate like this! Even after only six weeks, so before I really lost that much weight. Of course I'm not suggesting in any way you ignore your doctor, but you can always read up on it and question him/her.

[Quof]

There's a difference between consuming cholesterol, which must be animal fat, and the development of cholesterol in a human. It's not a 1 to 1 process. Plus, good cholesterol vs bad...

Edited October 24, 2015 by Quof

[chessiegal]

Question: I have a 13"x9" pan of scalloped potatoes in the oven I was going to bring to a neighborhood Octoberfest that was cancelled after I had it in the oven. There are just 2 of us - do you think I can portion it out after it has cooled and freeze it?

[Quof]

Absolutely.

 

I just made my awesome lasagna (if I do say so myself). Homemade tomato sauce, turkey sausage, ricotta and fresh spinach.  I made a 9 x 13" pan, cuz that's what the noodles fit in. After it cooled and solidified a bit, I cut it into 4 to freeze. 

[chessiegal]

Well, evidently enough people complained about having large amounts of food left over they moved it to a cul-de-sac (rather than the wet park). Rain has stopped so now I need to heat it up again. (and bring it with a serving missing thanks to my husband.)

[Mittengirl]

Speaking of lasagna, has anyone made a loaf pan version? Most of the time, I am cooking just for me and my 87-year-old mother and while I could eat lasagna once a week, and eat leftovers once a week, she is not as fond of it. Also, she doesn't eat much, and I am trying to eat less.

The loaf pan idea intrigues me, and my thought is to make two and freeze one, but I am wondering if that has any advantage over just making one large 'sagna and freezing half? (Other than the advantage of portion control.). I could cook one in a "regular" loaf pan and the other in a disposable one that would go right in the freezer.

[3pwood]

Speaking of lasagna, has anyone made a loaf pan version? Most of the time, I am cooking just for me and my 87-year-old mother and while I could eat lasagna once a week, and eat leftovers once a week, she is not as fond of it. Also, she doesn't eat much, and I am trying to eat less.

The loaf pan idea intrigues me, and my thought is to make two and freeze one, but I am wondering if that has any advantage over just making one large 'sagna and freezing half? (Other than the advantage of portion control.). I could cook one in a "regular" loaf pan and the other in a disposable one that would go right in the freezer.

 

I haven't made it in a loaf pan, but I see no reason why you couldn't.  I often reduce recipes to halves or thirds or fourths because it's just me, & that means finding a smaller pan -- a loaf pan instead of a 9"x9", or 2 loaf pans instead of a 9"x13", for example.

 

However, I now make lasagna using a version of Ellie Krieger's Rollups.  Each roll is one serving, so the dish is easily frozen in individual portions:  place each cooked roll on its end in a muffin cup & freeze, then bag the frozen rolls together & freeze portions of the sauce in separate bags or containers.  The recipe is vegetarian but should work well with hamburger added -- I use more sauce & add extra onion & garlic, plus Parmesan cheese mixed with mozzarella -- I do like the wholewheat noodles, but they're expensive & maybe not always available, so I'm sure regular lasagna noodles would work fine. 

 

In fact, the recipe isn't really important, it's the idea of making rolls instead of layers that I like -- probably no easier to create, but nicer to serve in small portions later.  If your mother is given a plate with a plump roll covered in sauce & cheese, she might be inclined to finish the whole thing & end up eating a little more than she is now -- & you might feel satisfied with one roll plus sauce & cheese, & end up eating a little less.   

Edited October 25, 2015 by 3pwood

[MargeGunderson]

Speaking of lasagna, has anyone made a loaf pan version? Most of the time, I am cooking just for me and my 87-year-old mother and while I could eat lasagna once a week, and eat leftovers once a week, she is not as fond of it. Also, she doesn't eat much, and I am trying to eat less.

The loaf pan idea intrigues me, and my thought is to make two and freeze one, but I am wondering if that has any advantage over just making one large 'sagna and freezing half? (Other than the advantage of portion control.). I could cook one in a "regular" loaf pan and the other in a disposable one that would go right in the freezer.

What about using disposable mini loaf pans? There's an individual lasagna recipe by Dave Lieberman on The Food Network site (sorry, can't get the link on my iPad) that looks pretty good. Also, I recently made a lasagna, cut it into portions, and froze them on a sheet pan for a few hours. Then I wrapped each one in plastic and put them in a freezer bag. Worked pretty well!

[Qoass]

Thanks for the input, guys, but I opted not to try canned corn in the corn chowder recipe calling for frozen.  I wasn't sure whether I should determine equivalent amounts by weight or by volume and in any case didn't have enough to make a full batch so experiment canceled due to math.  I made curried lentil soup instead.

 

But I made corn bread to go with it so I got some corn in there somehow.

[PRgal]

I've been seeing a lot of this recipe for frozen banana ice cream.  No ice cream maker necessary.  I've been meaning to try it, but I put bananas on cereal and oatmeal, so never accumulate enough.  Here's another take on it, with strawberries added.

 

I made this several times over the summer and even as recent as two weeks ago.  I usually add a bit of maple syrup and kefir.  :)

[Tabbyclaw]

Minor food emergency! We were planning on mini pecan tarts for Thanksgiving and banking on getting a jar of premade pie filling, but absolutely no one has any in stock and we already bought the premade pastry cups. I need a recipe for a filling that can be cooked separately on the stovetop and added to a prebaked crust. Halp?

[PRgal]

Minor food emergency! We were planning on mini pecan tarts for Thanksgiving and banking on getting a jar of premade pie filling, but absolutely no one has any in stock and we already bought the premade pastry cups. I need a recipe for a filling that can be cooked separately on the stovetop and added to a prebaked crust. Halp?

 

Apple tarts?  Peel, cut into chunks, cook until soft, fill, bake (and maybe add some nuts on top for crunch).

[Trini]

Advice on crushing hard candies? (I'm making a gingerbread house with candy windows.) I mean, I have methods that work, but I'd like to try something with less destruction and mess.  :-)

Edited December 2, 2015 by Trini

[Athena]

Advice on crushing hard candies? (I'm making a gingerbread house with candy windows.) I mean, I have methods that work, but I'd to try something with less destruction and mess.  :-)

 

Ziplock bag and rolling pin. You don't need to crush them too much.

[ethalfrida]

Okay, I no longer eat any of this but Kool Aid pie is the bomb of all junk food...

 

http://www.tastebook.com/recipes/1288072-Destiny-s-Kool-Aid-Pie

[DeLurker]

Advice on crushing hard candies? (I'm making a gingerbread house with candy windows.) I mean, I have methods that work, but I'd to try something with less destruction and mess.  :-)

I have a NutriBullet (aka The Bass-o-matic in Chez DeLurker) and it would probably do a quick job.

[Trini]

Hmm, I hadn't considered using a blender; I'll try that, thanks!

[Tabbyclaw]

We ended up buying phyllo shells and making pecan pie filling from scratch, and apparently it came out great (I don't like pecans and didn't try them myself). The pastry cups will be repurposed with other filling at a later date. Thanks for the suggestion, though, PRGal!

[QuelleC]

Is there some kind of pumpkin bar that resembles pie instead of cake?  I don't really want to do the graham cracker crumb but I guess I could. 

 

I'm looking for a pie I can cut up like bars for two. It's funny.  My mother made homemade pie pastry and I did it for years but I keep getting worse even though I keep it cold and have the vodka recipe.

[Trini]

I used the Vitamix on the lowest setting to crush the candies; worked perfectly! No more destroyed bags and dented pans!

[MargeGunderson]

Is there some kind of pumpkin bar that resembles pie instead of cake? I don't really want to do the graham cracker crumb but I guess I could.

I'm looking for a pie I can cut up like bars for two. It's funny. My mother made homemade pie pastry and I did it for years but I keep getting worse even though I keep it cold and have the vodka recipe.

This has a graham cracker crust but can be cut into bars: http://www.marthastewart.com/343766/pumpkin-icebox-pie#Pumpkin%20Dessert%20Recipes%7C/274634/pumpkin-dessert-recipes/@center/1009017/thanksgiving-pies%7C343766

I made it a couple years ago and really liked it. I did substitute ginger snaps for the graham crackers.

Edited December 3, 2015 by MargeGunderson

[mansonlamps]

I used the Vitamix on the lowest setting to crush the candies; worked perfectly! No more destroyed bags and dented pans!

One suggestion if you don't want to haul out the blender or dent pans is to use a rolling pin to do the smashing.

[Trini]

Maybe the candy I used last time was extra hard? The rolling pin wasn't doing the job well -- hence frying pan.  :-/

[ethalfrida]

There is a pumpkin pie that has cake mix, pumpkin and nuts in it. You slice it into bars.

 

http://www.bettycrocker.com/recipes/easy-pumpkin-pie-cake/82ef6a08-241d-434b-a077-c9d8b9c96a42

[3pwood]

Minor food emergency! We were planning on mini pecan tarts for Thanksgiving and banking on getting a jar of premade pie filling, but absolutely no one has any in stock and we already bought the premade pastry cups. I need a recipe for a filling that can be cooked separately on the stovetop and added to a prebaked crust. Halp?

 

For future reference, I saw pecan pie in a jar at Trader Joe's the weekend after Thanksgiving (don't remember the price, not too high).  Directions said to add eggs, mix well, pour into a piecrust, & bake.  I'd never heard of such a thing & not sure how it's an improvement over mixing the few ingredients yourself, but there it is (probably a seasonal item, though).

[Tabbyclaw]

For future reference, I saw pecan pie in a jar at Trader Joe's the weekend after Thanksgiving (don't remember the price, not too high).

 

Yep, that's who was out of it when we were looking.

[Spunkygal]

I don't know that I actually need a recipe, but maybe i do. Friday is soup day (and other sides) for the staff at the school where I volunteer. Those who volunteered to bring soup need to bring it in a crockpot and leave plugged in for about 2 hours so that all the staff can eat during their various shifts. Chili, taco soup and chicken w/wild rice (my favorites) were already spoken for, so I chose to make a chicken green enchilada soup that I have enjoyed. Ok, my question is.....before serving you break up and stir in a softened block of cream cheese to melt. I have never left it in a crockpot for 2 hours after making it. Do you think the cream cheese will break down over the course of two hours? I really like this soup...decadent and hearty...but if anyone else has a crockpot soup that holds heat well for 2 hours, I'm all ears. But it can't be the other 3 already spoken for. Thanks!

[Qoass]

I like this because the longer it sits, the better it tastes.

[Zahdii]

Since I don't know just what you're serving, I can only suggest that you freeze the cream cheese and then grate it.

 

Then serve the soup and tell people to stir in the appropriate amount of cream cheese to their bowls, then wait until the cream cheese has melted into the soup before eating.

 

Probably better to find another recipe.

[Maharincess]

That soup sounds delicious Spunkygal.

Can you post the recipe please?

After watching way too many of the Hoarders shows, I will never eat at a pot luck unless I know the people very well and have been inside their kitchens.

[Spunkygal]

I like this because the longer it sits, the better it tastes.

Yum, sounds good! I have kielbasa in the freezer so I could substitute that! Thanks!

That soup sounds delicious Spunkygal.

Can you post the recipe please?

After watching way too many of the Hoarders shows, I will never eat at a pot luck unless I know the people very well and have been inside their kitchens.

It is from the website www.scatteredthoughtsofacraftymom.com and the actual recipe name is Creamy Green Chili Enchilada Soup. Of course adjust the recipe amounts for the size of your crockpot. I don't defrost the corn as she suggests and I've never added cornstarch to make it thicker. Also, I am hooked on the jar of pickled jalapeño slices typically used for nachos, so sometimes for a bit more kick, I drizzle in a tad of juice from the jar. And the cream cheese melts better if it is softened. Edited February 11, 2016 by Spunkygal

[Qoass]

I really wouldn't recommend substituting kielbasa because the  only seasoning for the soup is the spice in the sausage so I would suggest spicy Italian minus the casing.