Weekly Cooking Thread - Jan 15, 2011

FreeRepublicCooks | January 15, 2011 | libertarian27

[libertarian27]

Welcome to the 6th installment of the FR Weekly Cooking Thread.

Looking for something new to make or made something new that came out great?

Would you like to share a tried and true recipe for fellow FReepers to add to their 'go-to' recipe stack of Family favorites?

Here's the place to share and explore your next favorite recipe.

[ChocChipCookie]

Better Than Olive Garden Alfredo Sauce

5 tablespoons sweet butter
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 cups heavy cream
1/4 teaspoon white pepper
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
3/4 cup mozzarella cheese

1. Melt butter in medium saucepan over medium/low heat.
2. Add the garlic, cream, white pepper and bring mixture to a simmer.
3. Stir often.
4. Add the Parmesan cheese and simmer sauce for 8-10 minutes or until sauce has thickened and is smooth.
5. When sauce has thickened add the Mozzarella cheese and stir until smooth. STIR FREQUENTLY.

This is unbelievably easy and good. On Christmas Eve, I mixed this sauce with cooked rigatoni and added some sauteed mushrooms. I poured it in a 9x13 baking dish and baked for a half hour or so. It was the most popular dish on the buffet table.

[libertarian27]

You’re added to the ping list!

How cool! - a TV star on the weekly cooking thread!!:>)

[libertarian27]

Here’s my favorite Bean recipe

Calico Beans

Fry and crumble 1 LB Bacon (save 3T drippings)

Saute 3 cups chopped Onions @ 5 minutes in the 3T drippings
Add 1/2 cup Ketchup, 1/4 cup Vinegar, 1/2T Dry Mustard, 3/4 cup brown sugar - Simmer for 15 minutes

Add:
2 large cans B&M Baked Beans (Bush’s, etc)
1 Can Butter Beans w/juice
1 can Lima Beans - Drained
1 can Kidney Beans - Drained

Bake in large casserole dish/ dutch oven - 1 Hour
(I usually cover for most of the baking)

I was never traumatized by Lima beans as a small child so I don’t ‘hate’ them like many do and the butter beans are large and funky (never had those as a kid either) but with a pound of bacon, the flavorful sauce and the various colorful beans in the dish it is a nice change from regular baked beans - just got to quell the quivering masses that shriek at those Limas....but then again, that’s OK - more beans for Me!

At potlucks over half won’t touch it but the rest come back for thirds.

For some reason (the ever-bean present ‘gas’) is not an issue with the calico beans - I think it’s the vinegar....

[Netizen]

I like chickpeas, so I may have to give that one a try.

You might like this one:

Aromatic Chicken & Lentils
1 tablespoon oil 2 cups leeks -- chopped 2 cups raw sweet potatoes -- cubed 2 tomatoes -- peeled & chopped 1 tablespoon herbs de provence * 1/2 cup dry white wine	2 tablespoons tomato paste 2 teaspoons cinnamon 1 1/2 cups lentils 3 cups chicken broth 1 chicken -- skinned & cut up
Preheat oven to 400. In a large heavy oven proof casserole, heat the oil. Sauté the leeks, carrots, tomatoes and herbs de provence for 5 minutes. Stir in wine, tomato paste, cinnamon, lentils, and broth. Bury the chicken pieces in this mixture. Cover and bake 1 1/2 hours or until the chicken is cooked and the lentils are tender.  Yield: 4 servings.

  There are a couple of variations on herbs de provence. I used Emeril's.  Emeril lists

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons dried savory
• 2 tablespoons dried rosemary
• 2 tablespoons dried thyme
• 2 tablespoons dried oregano
• 2 tablespoons dried basil
• 2 tablespoons dried marjoram
• 2 tablespoons dried fennel seed

Directions

In a small mixing bowl, combine all the ingredients together. Store in an air-tight container.

II. Herbs de Provence

1 teaspoon thyme
1 teaspoon summer savory
1/2 teaspoon lavender
1/4 teaspoon rosemary
1/2 teaspoon oregano or basil
1/4 teaspoon sage

Herbs de provence is best made with dried herbs as fresh herbs lose their flavour if the cooking is longer than about 20 minutes. This blend is excellent in soups, on potatoes, rice, pasta, fish, roasted vegetables or bread. Mix with 1/4 lb butter for a real treat.

III. Herbes de Provence

2 tsp thyme
1 tsp basil
1 tsp marjoram
1 tsp French tarragon
1 tsp rosemary
2 tsp summer savory
1 tsp fennel seeds
1 tsp lavender flowers

Place all ingredients in large bowl and crush with your fingers, (or place in spice grinder for powder).

***Note: Use dried herbs for Herbes de Provence***

[Raebie]

Beef Stroganoff

1 large round steak cut up into thin, bite sized pieces
1/4 cup flour with some salt & pepper sprinkled in
1 stick of butter
1 cup sliced mushrooms
1 onion, roughly chopped
3-4 cloves of garlic, minced
2 cans of beef bullion (double strength)
1 cup sour cream

Melt butter in large skillet. Coat steak strips in flour, salt & pepper mixture. Brown steak in skillet (stir well after browning to loosen up the drippings). Add mushrooms, garlic & onion and simmer about 5-10 minutes, stirring well. Stir in cans of beef broth. Cover and simmer on low for about an hour, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking. Just before serving, stir in sour cream and hear for about 10-15 minutes. Serve over buttered noodles.

A good side with this is french cut green beans with slivered almonds. Get some good crusty french bread and a nice cabernet. Serves 4.

[tubebender]

Fast food labeling has no effect on food comsumption according to this study which does not surprise me one whit...

[illiac]

Hanburger Lentil Soup - My Moms Great Recipe

1 lb. lean ground beef
2 Cans diced tomatoes
2 cans tomato sauce
2 c. hot water
1 c. dry lentils
1 c. chopped carrots
1 c. chopped celery
1 c. chopped onion
3 c. shredded cabbage
1 c. chopped green bell pepper
1 bay leaf
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper

Directions
Brown ground beef and onion. Transfer to crock pot and add all remaining ingredients. Cook on low 10 hrs. Remove bay leaf before serving.

[mschalock]

I’m in a Baker’s Dozen group that meets once a month. This month we’re all supposed to make kolaches. I had to look it up on the web - it’s a Czech sweet dough with a filling. If anyone reading has experience with these, maybe you can post your favorite filling. It will be fun to try something new.

[MHGinTN]

Current jelly and cream cheese

[Netizen]

Apricot jelly with chopped walnuts

[mschalock]

Soak your beans overnight (or bring to a boil and let sit for an hour. Then cook until done. Check them after around 40 minutes. Different beans take different amounts of time to cook and it depends on the age of the bean too. When done, cool and then put 2 cups beans per Ziplock freezer bag and freeze. Each packet will equal one can of store-bought beans.

Red Beans and Rice

1-1/2 cups uncooked long grain brown rice
one 16 oz can diced tomatoes, including juice
2 cups (one can) kidney beans(or red, pinto, black...)
1-2 bell peppers, any color
1 large onion, chopped
1 to 2 tsp. cumin
1 tsp basil
4 to 6 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp. Worchestershire sauce
3 cups vegetable broth (or water if that’s all you have)
Hot sauce to taste
Salt and pepper to taste

Put everything into a large sauce pan, cover, and cook until rice it tender, about 40-45 minutes. Leftovers are great rolled up in a tortilla. This freezes very well.

[Harmless Teddy Bear]

Preserved Lemons

What are they good for? Any meat or veggie dish where you would use fresh lemons. They have an intense lemon flavor and best of all you can buy lemons when they are cheap and preserve them for when you want to use them.

What you will need.

Lemons
Kosher salt.
Oil (Olive works nicely but any oil will do)
A wide mouth jar

Put salt in the bottom of the jar.
Cut the stem end off the lemons, quarter and cover with salt.
Stuff lemons in the jar.
Put in a layer of salt.
Keep doing this until the jar is stuffed full.
Add the juice of one lemon to get the process going.
Gently add oil to the top of jar until you have a thin layer.
Close the jar and store in the fridge.
Turn the jar every 12 hours or so for a week.
Presto preserved lemons!

To use remove lemon, rinse, scrap the fruit and pith off and use the skin.

Add to rice pudding along with bay leaves and cinnamon for a bright taste of summer in the middle of winter.

[Silentgypsy]

I think “Babootie” is also a Tagalog (Filipino) word (not sure of spelling) meaning wonderful!

[Silentgypsy]

Have you preserved oranges and limes? Do you have to use the entire fruit or can you just use the skins? What a great idea to always have lemon zest flavor around! Yesterday, I made an orange-scented apple raisin crisp, and the fragrance was divine!

[earglasses]

The Tagalog word is an accurate descriptor. Some recipes for the dish online even cite an origin in the Barbados. In South Africa, the dish is also spelled “bobotie” according to Wikipedia, and can be traced back to the 17th Century there.

[Silentgypsy]

I had the opportunity to work w/a lot of wonderful cooks from the Phillippines (sp?), and learned a tad of the language. It was a great gift and blessing!
Did you know that people from Barbados really spaz out if you mispronounce “Barbados?” They don’t get upset about anything else. LOL!

[Netizen]

Beef Stew
2 pounds boneless beef top round roast, cut into 1-1/2-inch cubes  or stew meat 2 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes* 2 medium onions, cut into eighths  2 cups sliced celery 2 cups slicedcarrots 2 can (11-1/2 ounces) tomato juice **	1/3 cup dry sherry or water or beef broth 1/3 cup quick-cooking tapioca  2 tsp sugar  1 teaspoon salt  (optional) 1/2 teaspoon dried basil  1/2 teaspoon pepper*** 2 cups fresh green beans, cut into 1-inch pieces
* I use small red potatoes and leave the skin on. ** I use low sodium V-8. *** I use 1 T Mrs Dash instead In a Dutch oven or large soup kettle, combine the beef, potatoes, onions, celery and carrots; set aside.  In a large bowl, combine the tomato juice, sherry, beef broth or water, tapioca, sugar, salt, basil and pepper. Let stand for 15 minutes.  Pour over beef mixture. Cover and bake at 325° for 3 hours or until meat is almost tender.   Add the beans; cook 30 minutes longer or until beans and meat are tender.  Yield: 8 servings.  Serving size: (1 cup)  Per serving: Calories: 268, Fat: 7, Saturated Fat: 2g, Cholesterol: 70mg, Sodium: 519mg, Carbohydrates: 25g, Dietary Fiber: 4g, Protein: 25 Diabetic Exchange: 3 lean meat, 2 vegetable, 1 starch.

I usually use beef broth or add a boullion cube to the water, which means the sodium content will change depending on what you use.  I never add extra salt and have found that using just water was kind of lacking.  I sometimes use frozen vegetables instead of fresh green beans.  If I use frozen, I use 3 cups mixed and I put them on top of the other veggies, then add the sauce.  I also add  1 1/2 tsp of ground flax meal.

[libertarian27]

I use V-8 in beef stew too - a great addition to nutrition and taste....not only a great drink but a great ingredient.

[Harmless Teddy Bear]

I have never done oranges. Limes yes, you can do them the same way. I use the entire fruit as part of the lemon flavor comes from the juice. You could use a few juiced lemons skins after you have enough liquid in the jar.

BTW very important to wash the fruit, the jar and your hands before beginning. Otherwise you can end up with mold.

[Netizen]

Isn’t there a spicy version of V-8? If so, have you tried it?