i get so angry sometimes i just punch plankton --Klinotaxis
In England?
Chances are you've probably had the real deal or something close a time or two.
I think one of the biggest changes is they tone down the spices a bit for westerners, but as far as I know and have experienced, Indian food isn't nearly as bastardized as Chinese (in America at least), and I understand it's much easier to get something close to authentic on your side of the pound.
i get so angry sometimes i just punch plankton --Klinotaxis
Friday made Bamya, last night.
I was going to find a picture of this on the internet, but none of the pictures look nearly as good as hers.
Basically, it's an Arabic dish the consists of Okra in a tomato soup. Friday also cooks some awesome rice and lamb with it. I'll have to snap a picture the post it here, tonight or some such.
I've made a burrito/wrap with fried boneless chicken, mac & cheese, an egg, pepperoni, sour cream and bbq sauce. You'd think it would be either amazing or horrible, but it was just bland. I don't really know how to season food properly.
i get so angry sometimes i just punch plankton --Klinotaxis
Sounds like you might have a bit too-much going on in the dish, too.
This is why Portland's infamous "Pizza Nazi" limits everyone to three toppings, max. He wants everyone to TASTE their toppings (but I still say "Screw that" as I love my super-supreme pizzas with pineapple added).
Still, there is something to be said about adding too much to a plate.
Arby's chicken in general is amazing. It's all I get there. With curly fries and mozerella sticks, usually. In fact I was there earlier today. The local one is fused with a Long John Silver's.
Also Arby's Sauce is the best thing. If I could find somewhere--anywhere--that sold that by the bottle I'd never need ketchup for anything ever again.
i get so angry sometimes i just punch plankton --Klinotaxis
I really enjoy their mozerella sticks.
I usually get just some plain roast beef sandwiches and add Arby's sauce and Horsey's sauce. However, this new revelation means there's several menu items I need to try.
This weekend I shall be making a mascarpone frosted Carrot and nut cake and a red velvet cake (again, it is Justice's favourite). I am also making my own cherry pie filling today at some point which I like to use for Black Forest Gateau, which is just the tits. Photos will ensue.
i get so angry sometimes i just punch plankton --Klinotaxis
She also whipped out an upside-down pineapple cake in about twenty minutes last night out of spite for a contestant on Season 3 Top Chef who fucked one up.
Last night's dinner?
Pappy John's Pizza and BBQ Wings.
They actually have a really good BBQ sauce they use.
Remember back in the 50s when they'd record like Elvis singing YOU AIN'T NOTHIN BUT A HOUND DOG and then they'd turn the record over and reverse it and it was all NYERP NYERP NYERP NYERP NYERP and people were all like, "That is actually the voice of Satan coming from that song."
I debated posting this since I'm not really making it all by myself, but...
Tonight we're going to try and make beef and broccoli stir-fry with garlic sauce. We're basing it on a recipe from a Cooks Illustrated book, except without walnuts and using onions instead of scallions. Hope it works!
i get so angry sometimes i just punch plankton --Klinotaxis
"Walnuts"? Huh....
I've used onions several times in place of scallions. Usually turns out OK, don't go crazy with the onions, of course, as they're substantially larger than the scallions.
Remember back in the 50s when they'd record like Elvis singing YOU AIN'T NOTHIN BUT A HOUND DOG and then they'd turn the record over and reverse it and it was all NYERP NYERP NYERP NYERP NYERP and people were all like, "That is actually the voice of Satan coming from that song."
UPDATE: Okay, I was mistaken about the walnuts. Turns out we do have them, so we're using them. I'm a bit skeptical, but oh well.
We're currently letting the beef marinate. In a couple hours, we'll toast the walnuts and prepare the garlic sauce. It's one we've used frequently in chicken stir-fry before, and I'm kinda happy to be using it for a different dish from the usual.
i get so angry sometimes i just punch plankton --Klinotaxis
That sound like a good idea. I've been wanting to try the sandwich, but wasn't sure if I wanted to commit to so much calories. I might add bread back to the equation and make little finger sandwiches.
Man is a most complex simple creature: see what he weaves, and how base his reasons for doing so.
Okay so tonight I made Southern-style chicken and dumplings, Southern-style biscuits, and sawmill gravy.
Everything tasted fine, but I expected the chicken broth to be more milky when I was done, and the biscuits were a little too hard. The sawmill gravy tasted exactly the way I thought it would, albeit a little drier.
i get so angry sometimes i just punch plankton --Klinotaxis
I made baked Shrimp, Chicken, Sea Bass, and Shitake mushrooms with butter, lemon, and Sake tonight.
Sadly, things did not cook evenly, and the shrimp was overcooked. The Sea Bass was incredible and the chicken was also good (Friday liked the chicken the most).
I think I sorted out the best cooking method for next time though, I can avoid shelling and deveining a bunch of shrimp so it turns out chewy next time.
i get so angry sometimes i just punch plankton --Klinotaxis
Still haven't got a chance to make Hubert Keller's dish up there :/
But I DID get to cook tonight! :)
I made this as a side. Unplanned, so I had to improvise. Only had half the potatoes, so I halved everything. No fresh herbs (save parsley), so I had to use dried rosemary. No chives or scallions, had to use half a red onion.
Still turned out really well! Though, the high oil temp eventully burned most the onions to a crisp. Friday had to pick these out, I just ate them.
Not too shabby, considering I had turn the oven temp lower to finish off my seared steaks.
A well grilled filet mignon is a thing of beauty:
Rubbed it (and a rib eye, Friday and I shared the two steaks) with some Kosher Salt, fresh ground black pepper/sea salt/with lime, fresh sliced garlic, fresh sliced Serrano peppers, and some paprika.
Once both steaks where in the oven, I used the grill pan to grill some green peppers. Nice part was they absorbed a bunch of the salt sand spices, they almost tasted like roasted jalapenos.
Friday made a delicious feta cheese salad to go with the meal.
All, and all, an excellent thing to sit down, consume, and watch Top Chef Masters with.
i get so angry sometimes i just punch plankton --Klinotaxis
As mentioned in another thread, I made this with some changes.
I wasn't going to use gravy mix, so I used beef stock in place of the mix and water.
To make up for some of the spices that would have been in the mix I caramelize an onion (I didn't bother with the onion powder, either). I also added some paprika and about three cloves of fresh sliced garlic.
Based on one of the comments below, I upped some of the other ingredients. I didn't have red wine vinegar, so I used some red wine and did 3 tablespoons and 1 tablespoon of white truffle balsamic vinegar. If I made this again, I'd add a second tablespoon of vinegar.
I also added another bay leaf, two tablespoons Worcestershire sauce, two tablespoons brown sugar, and about a teaspoon of freshly chopped ginger.
The sauce seemed a bit bland after quite some time reducing, so I added some celery seeds.
By the end, the sauce was great. However, the cut of meat I had was really cheap (round bottom roast) and was easily the worst part of the meal, sadly.
This recipe seems to be based off a slow-cook meal. I probably won't attempt this one again, but might track down the slow cook version and give that a go.
i get so angry sometimes i just punch plankton --Klinotaxis
Quiche news:
Friday helped with the crust. I probably would have screwed that up royally without her. She has much more experience with these things.
As mentioned in the other cooking thread, I mostly followed the recipe here.
I wanted to add some other ingredients so I made some changes/additions. I caramelized a red onion in a tablespoon of butter in the same pan as six breakfast sausages and about a cup of chopped broccoli. I also chopped up a habanero pepper and threw it in the mix to cook up...because I had one and figured it would go off if I didn't use it.
I also added a single egg. I tend to find that the "large eggs" I get from stores are not quite the size I'd like. I went a little heavy on the nutmeg. Mostly because I couldn't find our fresh stuff, so I compensated buy adding a bit more of what we had on the spice rack. It's much more subdued than freshly grated nutmeg.
I grated a little bit of cheddar cheese over the top before putting it in the oven.
The end result:
I managed to brown the sausage and cook the broccoli perfectly. The broccoli just had a slight crunch to it. The oven cooks the egg and cream mixture at a somewhat low temp (300°F) so it doesn't really cook the other stuff much (cheese still melts, of course).
One thing I should have done was left it in for about an hour total. My crust was a tad thick and the extra ingredients made the whole thing take a tad longer to set. After having a slice, I figured out things where still quite gooey inside. So I put it in for another 10 minutes. Things set OK after that, but the crust was still a tad underdone.
Anyhow, I offered Friday some, but she refused on the grounds that years of school cafeteria and institution quiche had basically ruined them for her. I was surprised to hear the cry of "Oh God, this is so good!" a little later from the kitchen. Friday figured she should give a home cooked quiche a chance and really liked mine. So, I converted her back to quiche with my first attempt at making one.
Friday said that it was the broccoli that really sold it, and I'm inclined to agree. The flavor really went well with everything.
Friday said she wasn't a big fan of the beef sausage. She said something with less herbs and spices would probably be better. The same butcher I got the sausage at does beef bacon, so I might try that next time.
"It is a matter of grave importance that Fairy tales should be respected.... Whosoever alters them to suit his own opinions, whatever they are, is guilty, to our thinking, of an act of presumption, and appropriates to himself what does not belong to him." -- Charles Dickens
Homemade quiche can rock, yes.
Please rate this butcher again after you next cook his meat.
i get so angry sometimes i just punch plankton --Klinotaxis
^^ It's Gartner's. They make some killer sausage and lunch-meat. I've yet to bother with their other cuts of pork/chicken/beef, but they definitely sport some cuts you can't just get at a super-market.
Their beef red hots are some of our favorite sausages.
"It is a matter of grave importance that Fairy tales should be respected.... Whosoever alters them to suit his own opinions, whatever they are, is guilty, to our thinking, of an act of presumption, and appropriates to himself what does not belong to him." -- Charles Dickens
Useful information! I should solicit Leigh's thoughts on sausage. I just know she likes a good chicken one.
i get so angry sometimes i just punch plankton --Klinotaxis
Hmmm... Not sure how much chicken sausage they do. Possibly none. There are a couple all beef ones, though.
Whole Foods and New Seasons often have chicken sausage, but you often have to ask if they use pork casings (Friday runs into this probably pretty frequently). Sheridan Fruit Company often have interesting chicken and non-pork sausages and also tend to be better about the casings.
"It is a matter of grave importance that Fairy tales should be respected.... Whosoever alters them to suit his own opinions, whatever they are, is guilty, to our thinking, of an act of presumption, and appropriates to himself what does not belong to him." -- Charles Dickens
Yeah, Sheridan Fruit Company is awesome. I should shop there more. I feel bad when I buy less healthy groceries than my mom did. :(
Man is a most complex simple creature: see what he weaves, and how base his reasons for doing so.
You know what? Fuck it, I'm just going to post here and let my old thread die. You win, Justice. For NOW.
So two weeks ago I made another lasagna, with drastic changes. In the sauce I added finely-diced mushroom, in place of water I used watery fresh beef stock, and I dumped beef bones in there to cook as well, spooning out the soft marrow-bone into the sauce when it was cooked.
All to...no discernable change. At least, from what I've tasted. Noodles didn't sit in the hot water long enough (used aforementioned stock), so I had to cut bits out and arrange things. My brother also told me there was not enough cheese.
So, as a college student who tries my best to avoid the cafeterias as much as possible (because save for the muffins, waffles and a few other select items, they generally suck) I cook for myself. I've slowly been trying variations on very simple dishes, my personal favorite being chicken covered in mustard, seasoning, a bit of Parmesan cheese on top of noodles (which is probably laughably simple to better cooks =P).
Anyway, I was mostly wondering if people had advice for dishes that are relatively easy to make/simple and not prepackaged meals. Preferably something that can be cooked on a stove top, not an oven (I don't trust my dorm floor's). Bonus points for main dishes with mostly vegetables just because I want to eat more vegetables that aren't boiled or in salad form (unless it's a more interesting salad idea than boring garden salad). Even a decent cook book or site recommendation would be very highly appreciated =D
Man is a most complex simple creature: see what he weaves, and how base his reasons for doing so.
Being a non-American, I don't really know what you can make because I don't really know what you can get. A short list of vegetables you can purchase as well as what cooking instruments you have would be helpful.
Personally, Ad Hoc At Home is the only cookbook with highly detailed pictures and diagrams of recipes, techniques, and methods that I've found, making it more "handbook" than "cookbook". But it's a bit on the pricey side and also very large and heavy.
i get so angry sometimes i just punch plankton --Klinotaxis
A decent stir-fry could be vegetable heavy and all stove top.
Probably a good Chinese cook-book would do, though, I find online is full of great recipes.
This one is not too complex and all the ingredients should be available at a supermarket. You just might need an Asian section for the water chestnuts, but even if you cut them, the dish would still be mostly the same (minus some crunch).
My experience with Martian Yan recipes are very positive. You're much more likely to run into stuff that would require trips to an Asian grocery store in out of some of these, but the recipes are often divine.
Other stove top ideas: Curry. Japanese curry probably being the easiest as you pretty much just need to find a pack of "Golden Curry" and follow the directions. Thai and Indian curries tend to be more ambitious. Though, I've heard of people snubbing the Golden Curry packages in favor of fresh ingredients.
I made this, except I used 1/4 teaspoon of fish oil instead of the anchovies and had no fresh herbs (including parsley) and had to improvise.
Also, I had neck of lamb, but it wasn't cut so I could role it, or anything.
...And I didn't have sourdough...
Anyhow, with dried rosemary (about half of the fresh stuff), and no sourdough or parsley, I somehow made it all work and it was pretty good. I would like to try again with the ingredients requested, however.
That cooking technique with the potatoes is very interesting. First time I tried it. I've heard it before, but you have to experience it to believe it: it actually DOESN'T result in very salty food.
Comments
By which I mean the Indian food they sell over here, which doubtless isn't that much like actual Indian food.
i get so angry sometimes i just punch plankton --Klinotaxis
i get so angry sometimes i just punch plankton --Klinotaxis
i get so angry sometimes i just punch plankton --Klinotaxis
i get so angry sometimes i just punch plankton --Klinotaxis
i get so angry sometimes i just punch plankton --Klinotaxis
The bread worked, I need to try the left-overs with a non-smoky version of the cheese, smoked Gruyere was a bit over-powering.
i get so angry sometimes i just punch plankton --Klinotaxis
Arby's chicken in general is amazing. It's all I get there. With curly fries and mozerella sticks, usually. In fact I was there earlier today. The local one is fused with a Long John Silver's.
Also Arby's Sauce is the best thing. If I could find somewhere--anywhere--that sold that by the bottle I'd never need ketchup for anything ever again.
i get so angry sometimes i just punch plankton --Klinotaxis
Get the chicken prime cuts.
Best thing ever.
Also unusual combinations: mozerella stick + Arby's sauce = yes
i get so angry sometimes i just punch plankton --Klinotaxis
i get so angry sometimes i just punch plankton --Klinotaxis
i get so angry sometimes i just punch plankton --Klinotaxis
i get so angry sometimes i just punch plankton --Klinotaxis
i get so angry sometimes i just punch plankton --Klinotaxis
i get so angry sometimes i just punch plankton --Klinotaxis
i get so angry sometimes i just punch plankton --Klinotaxis
i get so angry sometimes i just punch plankton --Klinotaxis
i get so angry sometimes i just punch plankton --Klinotaxis
Quiche news:
Friday helped with the crust. I probably would have screwed that up royally without her. She has much more experience with these things.
As mentioned in the other cooking thread, I mostly followed the recipe here.
I wanted to add some other ingredients so I made some changes/additions. I caramelized a red onion in a tablespoon of butter in the same pan as six breakfast sausages and about a cup of chopped broccoli. I also chopped up a habanero pepper and threw it in the mix to cook up...because I had one and figured it would go off if I didn't use it.
I also added a single egg. I tend to find that the "large eggs" I get from stores are not quite the size I'd like. I went a little heavy on the nutmeg. Mostly because I couldn't find our fresh stuff, so I compensated buy adding a bit more of what we had on the spice rack. It's much more subdued than freshly grated nutmeg.
I grated a little bit of cheddar cheese over the top before putting it in the oven.
The end result:
I managed to brown the sausage and cook the broccoli perfectly. The broccoli just had a slight crunch to it. The oven cooks the egg and cream mixture at a somewhat low temp (300°F) so it doesn't really cook the other stuff much (cheese still melts, of course).
One thing I should have done was left it in for about an hour total. My crust was a tad thick and the extra ingredients made the whole thing take a tad longer to set. After having a slice, I figured out things where still quite gooey inside. So I put it in for another 10 minutes. Things set OK after that, but the crust was still a tad underdone.
Anyhow, I offered Friday some, but she refused on the grounds that years of school cafeteria and institution quiche had basically ruined them for her. I was surprised to hear the cry of "Oh God, this is so good!" a little later from the kitchen. Friday figured she should give a home cooked quiche a chance and really liked mine. So, I converted her back to quiche with my first attempt at making one.
Friday said that it was the broccoli that really sold it, and I'm inclined to agree. The flavor really went well with everything.
Friday said she wasn't a big fan of the beef sausage. She said something with less herbs and spices would probably be better. The same butcher I got the sausage at does beef bacon, so I might try that next time.
Please rate this butcher again after you next cook his meat.
i get so angry sometimes i just punch plankton --Klinotaxis
i get so angry sometimes i just punch plankton --Klinotaxis
i get so angry sometimes i just punch plankton --Klinotaxis
So two weeks ago I made another lasagna, with drastic changes. In the sauce I added finely-diced mushroom, in place of water I used watery fresh beef stock, and I dumped beef bones in there to cook as well, spooning out the soft marrow-bone into the sauce when it was cooked.
All to...no discernable change. At least, from what I've tasted. Noodles didn't sit in the hot water long enough (used aforementioned stock), so I had to cut bits out and arrange things. My brother also told me there was not enough cheese.
i get so angry sometimes i just punch plankton --Klinotaxis
Which is freaking difficult, because those things are expensive if you're just buying it for the delicious saucy stuff.
Anyway, I was mostly wondering if people had advice for dishes that are relatively easy to make/simple and not prepackaged meals. Preferably something that can be cooked on a stove top, not an oven (I don't trust my dorm floor's). Bonus points for main dishes with mostly vegetables just because I want to eat more vegetables that aren't boiled or in salad form (unless it's a more interesting salad idea than boring garden salad). Even a decent cook book or site recommendation would be very highly appreciated =D
Personally, Ad Hoc At Home is the only cookbook with highly detailed pictures and diagrams of recipes, techniques, and methods that I've found, making it more "handbook" than "cookbook". But it's a bit on the pricey side and also very large and heavy.
i get so angry sometimes i just punch plankton --Klinotaxis
i get so angry sometimes i just punch plankton --Klinotaxis