Weekly Cooking (and related issues) Thread

[Jamestown1630]

My husband and I are preparing to test for our Technician's Class radio license, and I've been listening to the local repeater network a lot lately. I love listening to these guys: sometimes they talk shop, and sometimes they just shoot the breeze, and it's simply a really fun and interesting 'culture'.

There's one gentleman who comes on now and then, and frequently mentions that he has just had - or is looking forward to - a piece of Peanut Butter Pie, which is obviously a favorite of his. This tickles me so much that in my mind, I've named him 'Peanut Butter Pie'.

This reminded me that a friend of mine used to make a great one (except for pre-baking the crust, this is a 'refrigerator pie'):

Cheryl's Peanut Butter Pie

Prepare 1 Graham Cracker crust in a pie pan:

1 pack Graham Crackers, 1/4 C. Sugar, 1/4 C. melted butter. Pat into a greased pan, bake 10 or 12 minutes at 325 degrees, and cool before filling.

Cream together:

8 oz. Cream Cheese, 1 C. Confectioners' Sugar, and 1/4 C. Peanut Butter.

Add:

1/2 Cup milk

And fold in:

1 C. Whipping Cream, whipped.

Pour into crust, and make the Chocolate Glaze:

Melt 1 square Unsweetened Chocolate and add: 3/4 Cup Confectioners' Sugar, 1 tsp. Butter, and 2 T. boiling water (or more).

Add enough boiling water to make a consistency that runs, but is somewhat thick. Pour over the top of the pie. Serve the pie well-chilled.

*********************************************************

Last Christmas, a coworker brought to work a tin of Nyaker's Gingersnap cookies, and shared them with all of us. These are really great peppery-spicy ginger cookies that you can buy at a number of places:

http://www.plowhearth.com/nyakers-swedish-gingersnap-cookies-in-gift-tin.htm

Knowing my fetish for interesting containers, she gave me the beautiful tin when it was empty - and I recalled that a friend's mother used to make an almost identical cookie, really the best home-made ginger cookie I've ever had:

Jeanne's Ginger Cookies

3 sticks of Butter

1/2 Cup Molasses (Brer Rabbit or Grandma, DARK)

2 C. Granulated Sugar

2 Eggs

4 C. Flour

2 tsps. Ginger (she always used 3, though ;-)

4 tsps. Baking Soda

2 tsps. Cinnamon

1 tsp. Ground Cloves

Melt the butter and add it to the molasses and sugar. When cool enough, add the eggs and beat well.

Sift together Flour, Soda, Cinnamon, Ginger and Cloves. Add the dry ingredients to the beaten mixture, and blend well on low speed.

Refrigerate the dough wrapped in foil a few hours, or overnight.

Roll dough into small balls, walnut-sized or slightly less.

Roll balls in granulated sugar. Bake at 350 degrees for 8 to 10 minutes. (They will be a bit soft as they come from the oven, and will firm up on the rack.)

Cool on rack, and store in a tightly covered container.

*********************************************************

I'm not a big red-meat eater; but the following sauce is fabulous, and was a revelation to me the first time we made it. Now, I'll eat any steak with it; and I won't want a steak without it. It can be a little 'spendy', using really good vinegar; but it's definitely worth it:

Balsamic Vinegar Reduction Sauce

2 Cups real, aged Balsamic vinegar

3 or 4 ounces Cold Butter, cut into chunks.

Simmer vinegar in a small pan until until reduced by 2/3.

Add butter one chunk at a time until melted and the sauce has a smooth and velvety consistency. Serve immediately.

-JT

[Qiviut]

Anyone have some good/different recipes for string beans?

************************************************

I’ve never made this myself, but it’s on my list to try (uses 1/2 lb green beans):

http://whatscookingamerica.net/Appetizers/GreenBeanPate.htm

Here’s another one that’s on the list (uses 2 lbs. green beans):

http://www.bhg.com/recipe/blistered-green-beans/

[JRandomFreeper]

I'm just out of stuff for a crust. So crust less it is.

/johnny

[trisham]

You’d be better off with the crust.

[KosmicKitty]

Here’s my “make every week” right now favorite recipe. I’ve done it with Indigo Apple tomatoes and my purple Cherokee/Russians. Feels so good to eat it before ever meal. I’ve skipped the onion soaking part with no negative consequences.

Gazpacho (Cold Vegetable Soup)

Servings: 4-6
Time: 30 minutes plus 2 hours
Difficulty: Easy

1/2 small Spanish (sweet) onion, chopped
2 lbs ripe tomatoes
1 cucumber, divided
1 red bell pepper, chopped, divided
1 clove garlic, sliced
juice of 1 lime (about 2 tbsp)
2 tbsp olive oil, more for drizzling
1 tbsp kosher salt, more to taste
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar, more to taste
1 tsp Tabasco, more to taste
black pepper to taste (about 1/2 tsp)
1 handful fresh basil leaves, sliced into ribbons

1. Soak the onions in cold water for 20 minutes to reduce their astringency. As the onions soak, remove the tomato skins. Bring a pot of salted water to boil, and prepare a separate bowl of ice water. Slice a small “x” into the bottom of each tomato. Dip a tomato into the boiling water and blanch for 15 seconds, then transfer to the ice water bath. Once cool (it should only take a few seconds), peel the skin from the tomato using the “x” to start your peeling. Repeat for the remaining tomatoes.

2. Remove the tomato seeds. Slice the tomatoes into large chunks, then extract the seeds and transfer them to a mesh strainer that has a bowl underneath it to catch liquid. Once all of the seeds are in the strainer, mush them around with a spoon until all of their liquid has fallen into the bowl underneath. Combine the tomato flesh with the leftover juice.

3. Prepare your cucumber. Slice off 1/3 of the cucumber, remove its seeds, then chop; combine with 1/2 of the chopped red bell pepper for a garnish (throw them in a bag and put them in the fridge for later) Peel the remaining 2/3 cucumber, remove the seeds, and coarsely chop.

4. In a blender or food processor, combine the tomatoes, the 2/3 chopped cucumber, the remaining 1/2 bell pepper, garlic, onion, lime juice, olive oil, salt, vinegar, and Tabasco. Blend to your desired smoothness; some folks like chunks, which is cool with me. Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours.

5. Taste the soup and add black pepper, salt, vinegar, and Tabasco to taste. Garnish with the basil ribbons,
cucumber, and bell pepper; drizzle with olive oil and serve.

** The cucumber directions might seem a little complicated, but I like the idea of skin-on cucumbers as a garnish, and the skins don’t blend well in the soup (hence the two separate instructions).

[JRandomFreeper]

Except for the wait to make a crust. Think of it as shired eggs with... stuff in it.

LOL! but you are correct. It would be better.

/johnny

[Georgia Girl 2]

Well down here in GA we just put some smoked ham or bacon in with a bunch of beans and add some garlic, onion and salt and pepper and cook them for about 3 hours then serve with hot sauce.

[KosmicKitty]

Thanks, they both look good. I’ll let you know how the turn out.

[MomwithHope]

I would not wash anything off. Smash the bones down in a skillet and cover with water. Not too much. Cover and simmer on low for about an hour. Let cool, strain and refrigerate. After its cold you can lift off and discard as much fat as you want.

[KosmicKitty]

I have a ton of jalapenos. I’m going to give this a try.

[chajin]

Well, that sure as heck didn’t come out very well from the text box :-/ I was trying to tap out “sounds good” but the spaces got all jumbled. You don’t have to learn code any more anyway...

[Qiviut]

I do something very similar in the crockpot (minus the hot sauce - one of the elders in the family can’t take the heat!). Definitely in the ‘comfort food’ category.

Now and again I like to ‘experiment’ & that’s what those two other recipes will be! :-)

[Georgia Girl 2]

I’m a green bean girl. I love all green beans no matter the recipe. :-)

[KosmicKitty]

Think it would work with a smoked turkey tail ? (On sale at the local store last week)

[CottonBall]

That peanut butter pie is also great frozen. yummmm!

[Jamestown1630]

Yeah, I was kind of relieved on the one hand that they ditched code, because I’m already having so much trouble with the math.

But the code is something I’d probably be good at; I wish that was still required, INSTEAD of the math ;-)

I will learn it eventually.

Best,
JT

[sauropod]

If you have a ping list, pls add me.

Thx, ‘Pod.

[Georgia Girl 2]

I think so too. I use smoked turkey a lot.

[Jamestown1630]

You’ve been added!

[trisham]

:)

[trisham]

Thanks, Mom! :)