CC cookbook

[jdog]

19 minutes ago, Pete M said:

this is close to what I used to make back in the day.  except with red beans and canned corn.  it was never the same thing twice so it's kinda hard to pin it down.   I like lots of stuff in my chili. 

 

 

oh and lots more cheese added on top once it's in a bowl.  

No link or recipe

[Pete M]

whoops! 

 

https://www.pillsbury.com/recipes/southwestern-beef-chili-with-corn/f5251b3e-1f4d-4b6a-9be0-65fde3d2c77f

[gogmorgo]

I might have it bookmarked on my desktop, but I'm out of town for a couple days, so I'll have to have a look when I get home. Quite a few years back after the Big Bang episode where Sheldon turns up his nose at a chili with beans in it, I decided to look up what an "authentic" cowboy chili was, and the result was more of a story than an actual recipe, but it was interesting, and I've loosely based my own chili off of that. Basically you're making a meal the cowboys would've eaten while out working, taking a chunk of cow, or whatever meat was available, and mixing in whatever wild herbs and vegetables they could find around them. I've generally stuck to that same principle, and just varied the contents depending on what vegetables are available at whatever grocery store I happened to wander into. It usually gets compliments.

Instead of starting with ground beef, dice up a roast, 3/8-1/2" cubes. Go for a cheaper cut, because after what you're about to do it won't matter much, although some people disagree. Now you're going to roll the pieces in a seasoning mix, much like a taco seasoning mix but heavier on the chili. This is where I like to add the bulk of the heat that I'm putting in. I've ground up dried habaneros or ghost peppers for this part, used a heap of cayenne, chipotle chili powder, etc., although if you're serving to a milder audience it's better to stick to normal chili powder, and/or paprika. Add in garlic powder, a little salt, black pepper, oregano, cumin, and a bit of flour or cornmeal. Coat the beef in the spice blend and sear it in a frying pan. Toss it into the slow cooker once it's brown on all sides.

Vegetables go in next, diced up. You want roughly the same volume of vegetables as you had meat. You'll want some onion, but peppers will be the bulk of it. And you want chili peppers, bell peppers aren't the best because they're so watery that they cook down to not a lot, although you can add them at the end for some colour and to avoid overcooking them, but even then the smaller sweet peppers are a better option. Poblanos are good for a milder audience, but I'll add jalapeños, serranos, I've even used habaneros for the colour... it can get a bit off if you're only using green peppers.

We get these little blister packs of fresh herbs in our grocery stores, I imagine yours have something similar. I'll throw in an entire one of those each of oregano, sage, and mint, stems removed and leaves diced.

You need some liquid to go with it. Most recipes tell you to add beef broth or similar, I prefer to use coffee as I find it gives it an excellent smoky taste, darker roast the better. Don't overdo the liquid though as a fair bit of juice cooks out of the onions and peppers, especially if you used bell peppers. Slow cook  as long as you think is appropriate, although I usually start it in the morning to eat after work. If you do end up with a product that's a little too soupy, I usually will thicken it with the leftover spices from seasoning the meat, but you can use flour, or other thickeners, just don't go too heavy, or you can just keep cooking it down for a while.

I generally eat it over rice, cheese on top, probably some healthy dobbs of sour cream if you overdid it on the heat.

[Pete M]

there's an air fryer in the house now.     breaking it in with some dehydrated blueberries because why not. 

[mjeff87]

We have an air fryer.  Use it for two things......wings and tater tots.  I did do a whole (fryer) chicken in it once, which turned out ok as well.  To be honest, I enjoy wings better in the air fryer than in hot oil.  And tater tots rock in them.

 

We have an insta-pot also.  Got it last year for dirt cheap on a black Friday deal.......it hasn't been out of the box yet.  LOL.

 

 

[Pete M]

I've been trying everything in it.   from dehydrating apple slices, to reheating my salmon, to crisping up my baked potato (that I mostly nuked), to simple warming up my sliced turkey for my sandwich.  it makes everything better.  

 

I think to night we'll be having tater tots.     I think I've been looking forward to them the most.   

[89 MJ]

My mother swears by her instant pot. Too many buttons for me though. I’ll stick with the stove and the oven for my cooking. 

[Pete M]

made some banana chips over last night.  7.5 hrs seems about perfect for my tastes.  no longer sticky, but still chewy.  like little banana flavored gummies.  

[Pete M]

so I've done pear, apple, blueberries and banana and the banana is by far my favorite.  all are good though.  

[mjeff87]

I made my version of jalapeño poppers for a party last night.  The peppers are from my garden (for some reason, the pepper plants are exploding right now) and they were HOT.  Here's a quick rundown:

 

Cut the stems off and sit them lengthwise.  Remove the seeds and ribs if you want, leaving them makes them hotter.

[mjeff87]

Cube up some block cheese of your choice.  I used jalapeño jack, for added zing.  Then cut some bacon strips in half and lay the peppers out on them, adding a piece of cheese to each.

[mjeff87]

Roll up each one and secure with wooden picks.  Bake in a very hot oven for about 20 minutes, or until bacon browns up a bit.  Sorry no cooked pics, we had to transport these offsite and cook them at the party.  There were no leftovers..

[mjeff87]

Tonight is Mississippi pot roast.  Only 5 ingredients and 7-8 hours in the crockpot on low.

 

Chuck roast

Pack of au jus powder

Pack of ranch dressing mix

Stick of butter

Pepperoncinis, sliced up, with some juice

 

Incredible.

 

 

[Pete M]

mmmmmmmmmmm,.....

[jdog]

Been a while since if had that, I think I have almost everything for it as well. Thanks for the cold evening dinner

[jdog]

been down with rona, need some dish to help get straighten back, i've got chicken, any suggestions

[Pete M]

soup.  with lots and lots of stuff in it.  like, more stuff than water.  

[silvertwinkiehobo]

On 8/25/2020 at 10:37 PM, 1989commanche said:

Pick up tuber. Carry to trash. Insert in can. Done. 
 

sorry I just never liked zucchini but my wife loves it. 

I wholeheartedly agree, I could only stand my aunt's zucchini bread. But, as I've gotten older, and mellowed out from acting like a spoiled brat, if the zucchini is in a squash saute, a Primavera sauce, that kind of dish, I'll grit my teeth and eat it. Not gonna kill me, actually healthy, but I legitimately cannot stand the taste and texture of it by itself.

[Pete M]

made myself a charcuterie board for tonight's snack from stuff I found in the fridge.  2 types of pickles, 4 types of cheese, and a couple kinds of meats and crackers.  overall was pretty dang nice     in true single-dude-form, I threw it all into a plastic ziplock container rather than on a fancy plate.    don't worry, I classed it up with a star wars mug filled with a custom blend of white and red box wines.  

[fiatslug87]

Ahh, homemade Rosè 

[Pete M]

better than rose.  I get to tweak the ratio.  

[neohic]

Long time lurker… first time poster here. 

 

3 apples or 4 peaches

1/2 stick butter

1/2 teaspoon lemon juice

1/4 cup brown sugar

 

Slice the fruit into 1/4” half moon slices. Remove the core/pits… obviously. Put it all in a bowl and add the lemon juice. Let it sit for a minute while you get the rest of your stuff together.

 

In a medium sauce pan add the brown sugar, butter, and (full knowing it’s not on the ingredients list) throw in a splash of liquor or your choice or maple syrup. Add black berries too if that’s what you’re feeling like. Cinnamon? … why not? Start the stovetop at medium heat and stir the sugar/butter/liquor/whatever until mixed and all liquid. Add the fruit. 
 

 

Let it all cook down for about 20-30 minutes continuously stirring.  Once it all caramelizes turn the heat down to low for another 10 minutes or so to thicken it up.

 

Put that gooey $#!& on pancakes, French toast, ice cream, cinnamon rolls, or whatever else that gives you that cozy day feeling. This is kind of a free for all type recipe. Add to it! Enjoy however. 

 

[jdog]

That looks tasty

[Pete M]

while we're on the topic of breakfasts, I very much enjoy 2 packs of peach instant oatmeal, add water, nuke for 2 minutes, and then dump in a kid's lunch-size cup-o-peaches.  provides decent chunks of fruit, plus quickly brings the temp down to perfection.    and you can mix it up with like a peaches plus a strawberry oatmeal, or add in sliced strawberries or bananas, etc. 

[fiatslug87]

Our great friends gave us a Blackstone griddle, first attempt at breakfast (second use overall). Still working out temperature regulation.