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Archive through November 18, 2009

Reality TVClubHouse Discussions: General Discussions ARCHIVES: August 2009 ~ December 2009: Cooking Corner: QUICK QUESTIONS: Archive through November 18, 2009 users admin

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Christy358
Member

07-10-2007

Wednesday, November 11, 2009 - 1:53 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Christy358 a private message Print Post    
I think chiffonade belongs in an advance cooking thread. (cuz you cant use one of those easy chopper things for it)

(And cuz you have to have a SHARP knife.)

Juju2bigdog
Member

10-27-2000

Wednesday, November 11, 2009 - 7:17 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Juju2bigdog a private message Print Post    
I just gave Bigdog a quiz on chiffonade, and he passed. Huh! He cooks; I don't.

Hermione69
Member

07-24-2002

Wednesday, November 11, 2009 - 8:33 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Hermione69 a private message Print Post    
Thanks, Costa! I'll keep that in mind. The recipe called for crushed tomatoes in puree, tomato paste, fresh basil, fresh parsley, olive oil, minced garlic, kosher salt, freshly ground black pepper and Italian sausage in the sauce. It tasted kind of vinegary to me.

I would have thought chiffonade was the stuff you drape from a canopy bed frame!

Gratz to Bigdog! Whoot!

Costacat
Member

07-15-2000

Wednesday, November 11, 2009 - 8:54 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Costacat a private message Print Post    
Whoo hoo Bigdog! He's a star! :-)

Hermi, it could be the puree or paste you used. Some cans of tomatoes have added vinegar. I tend to buy the organic "no salt or sugar added" types of canned tomatoes so that I can control what gets added. Next time check the labels to see if the only thing in the can IS tomatoes.

All in all, the sauce sounds like something I'd make. Sans the sausage part, of course. I rarely use tomato paste, though. (I used to keep a tube of it in my fridge and if I needed a bit of a thickener I'd squeeze out a tablespoon or so, but I use it so rarely I've not bought a tube in ages.)

BTW, if you ever wanna make a quick 'n easy lasagna, check this out. It's like a no recipe recipe... Buy frozen raviolis (I'll use the cheese ones) and a couple of jars of your fave pasta sauce (I usually use a simple tomato and basil sauce). Layer a bit of sauce, the ravioli, and sprinkling of grated mozzarella and parmesan, more ravioli, more sauce, and make sure you top it with a good sprinkling of the cheeses. Bake until bubbly (I think it's about a half hour but could be a bit longer). It's super simple, and really delicious and no one can really ever tell that you cheated with ravioli!!!

Scoots, that would be a good one for you! :-)

And LOL @ Christy. Advanced cooking thread? I dunno, I've been doing chiffonade on my basil for, like forever!

Christy358
Member

07-10-2007

Wednesday, November 11, 2009 - 7:59 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Christy358 a private message Print Post    
Ok Costa, (or anyone) I have to take a home made item to an event at work. The time of day is breakfast, but it can be a sweet or whatever.

I would like to make some kind of breakfast casserole. However, one of my employees is vegan. When we are feeding the entire store, we always have a vegetarian option, we do not always have a vegan one. I would like to be able to show her that when I bring something, I do keep her in mind.

I looked online, but many of the recipes have ingredients I do not have. I would not mind buying something in the quantities I would need, but do not want to spend tons on something I would use only a small portion of.

Any good ideas?

Oh, and remember, easy is a key word, cuz I am not a good cook.

Costacat
Member

07-15-2000

Thursday, November 12, 2009 - 8:45 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Costacat a private message Print Post    
How many people will you need to be feeding? Do you have some mechanism to reheat the item? (Like an oven?). Because you mentioned casserole, I'm guessing you want a hot dish?

There are a few options... you can do vegan french toast, or a potato dish. If you wanted to do a casserole, you could do a bunch of wraps made with potato, muchrooms, and other veggies like spinach and lay them in a casserole dish. If you have a crock pot, you could do a rice porridge. You could do a fruit and yogurt parfait (use non-dairy yogurt).

If you really want to be serious about it, you could do a vegan quiche (made with soy cheese) or a vegan frittata (made with tofu and baked in the oven).

Googling around I found this recipe for an eggless spaghetti omelet that actually sounded good: http://www.globalgourmet.com/food/special/1999/naples/frittata.html.

Most frittatas and such are relatively easy to cook. So that takes care of your claim of not being a good cook! :-)

At any rate, let me know how many servings you may need and how you plan to reheat the dish and I'll give you some more ideas.

Costacat
Member

07-15-2000

Thursday, November 12, 2009 - 8:46 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Costacat a private message Print Post    
P.S. I just found this site that has 101 vegan breakfasts listed. Some will likely not be appetizing at all, and some are way too simple for a potluck (apples and peanut butter? sheesh!!), but you may find some ideas there, too.

http://www.vegansoapbox.com/101-vegan-breakfasts/

Hermione69
Member

07-24-2002

Thursday, November 12, 2009 - 8:55 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Hermione69 a private message Print Post    
Hey, thanks for the ravioli idea! :-)

Costacat
Member

07-15-2000

Thursday, November 12, 2009 - 9:47 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Costacat a private message Print Post    
You're welcome! It's really a sneaky way to make lasagna but it comes out so yummy!

Gumby
Member

08-14-2004

Thursday, November 12, 2009 - 2:41 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Gumby a private message Print Post    
How long are baked potatoes good after they are baked? I made some last Saturday and meant to make potato soup with the leftovers, but got lazy and didn't. Is it too late to use them? Thanks!

Costacat
Member

07-15-2000

Thursday, November 12, 2009 - 3:09 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Costacat a private message Print Post    
I'd think if you are going to use them, if it's not today, then toss them. Open them up and smell them. If they look watery, changed color or odor, dump 'em.

Gumby
Member

08-14-2004

Thursday, November 12, 2009 - 5:14 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Gumby a private message Print Post    
Thanks Costa! I took your advise and checked them, they seemed okay, so I'm making soup.

Costacat
Member

07-15-2000

Thursday, November 12, 2009 - 6:29 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Costacat a private message Print Post    
Depending on what it is and how it'll be used, I generally go by the 4-5 day rule. If I've not used it in 4 days I'll toss it. I'll give it an extra day if I'm going to use it in another dish (such as soup).

Christy358
Member

07-10-2007

Thursday, November 12, 2009 - 10:32 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Christy358 a private message Print Post    
Costa, it is kind of a pot luck thing, so I bring as much as I want. We will have a chaffing dishes to keep things warm. I like the idea of little wraps, cuz they seem like a good pot luck thing. I also do have a crock pot, so that is an option.

Costacat
Member

07-15-2000

Friday, November 13, 2009 - 7:46 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Costacat a private message Print Post    
You know, then I'd make it kinda simple. Do the wraps, and stuff them with roasted potatoes and onions, and sprinkle on some soy cheese on top. They will keep well on a chafing dish, they'd be easy to make (the hardest part will be the potatoes).

Do check out that 101 vegan breakfasts site and see if anything catches your eye. Let me know, and maybe I can come up with a modification to something that would make it more "special" for a potluck.

BTW, thank you for thinking of your employee who is vegan. Pot lucks are always the hardest to attend because people forget about the silliest things, like the type of broth they use. So the fact that you are thinking about a vegan dish is awesome!!!

Hermione69
Member

07-24-2002

Friday, November 13, 2009 - 12:45 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Hermione69 a private message Print Post    
I have really gotten into Palak Paneer lately. I could almost eat it daily. I buy it frozen from the organic/vegetarian section of the grocery store and it occurred to me I should try to make it myself. I don't suppose anyone has any recipes for it that they like? I know I could Google it, but I thought I would ask here first for one that is tried and true.

Grooch
Member

06-16-2006

Monday, November 16, 2009 - 12:45 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Grooch a private message Print Post    
Tishala, I tried the search function, but i can't find the post i am looking for.

I want to make the butternut Risotta for Thanksgiving w/ the recipe you had posted a while back.

I have the recipe, but what was your secret for baking the butternut squash for a few minutes to make it easy to peel?

Thanks in advance!

P.S. I'm using the squash and shallots I grew in the garden this summer. I hope it works out.

Tishala
Member

08-01-2000

Monday, November 16, 2009 - 1:06 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Tishala a private message Print Post    
You can microwave it for a bit or boil it for about 4 minutes and then let it cool a bit--the skin should come away from the flesh a bit that way.

Grooch
Member

06-16-2006

Monday, November 16, 2009 - 1:10 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Grooch a private message Print Post    
Thanks, Tishala!

I did the boiling last time and it worked great.

Forget that I mentioned the baking thing. I'm overtired.

Wargod
Moderator

07-16-2001

Tuesday, November 17, 2009 - 1:13 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Wargod a private message Print Post    
Too funny, last week there was discussion here about brining a turkey and on food network now they're doing a top 10 viewer questions about Thanksgiving. #8...How do you brine a turkey. Don't know who the lady is doing it but she's thrown pretty much everything in this brine. Whole garlic, honey, broth and I dunno what else. Very interesting.

Costacat
Member

07-15-2000

Tuesday, November 17, 2009 - 8:59 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Costacat a private message Print Post    
There will be tons of holiday shows from now until the end of the year. Last weekend was all about Thanksgiving. Way too much turkey for me to watch, thank you.

Teachmichigan
Member

07-22-2001

Tuesday, November 17, 2009 - 2:43 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Teachmichigan a private message Print Post    
Yummmm -- I'll look that up; it might be our brine this year!

Teachmichigan
Member

07-22-2001

Tuesday, November 17, 2009 - 2:50 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Teachmichigan a private message Print Post    
Forget the honey recipe - Emeril has an herbed brined roasted turkey. That will be our bird this year. Can't wait to try it. :-)

Gumby
Member

08-14-2004

Wednesday, November 18, 2009 - 2:43 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Gumby a private message Print Post    
Not really a cooking question, but more of a kitchen question. Does anyone know of a way to get tea stains out of teacups? I've tried everything I can think of and they won't come out. Thanks!

Teachmichigan
Member

07-22-2001

Wednesday, November 18, 2009 - 2:56 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Teachmichigan a private message Print Post    
Vinegar/baking soda and boiling water, then scrub with a soft cloth and sea SALT - it's an abrasive that won't scratch the cups. I've had great luck w/vinegar put in the cup and set upright in the dishwasher - something about the hotter water that makes the cup cleaner than I can get it with a hand wash. Good luck!