Weekly Cooking (and related issues) Thread

[Jamestown1630]

He may have been saying it was Kosher or Halal...

[CottonBall]

I love everything buffalo! yum!

There is a place in town that makes a buffalo chicken pizza. It is wonderful. Of course, I had to figure out how to recreate it.

this topic is right up my alley ;) I’m frugal, so prefer to eat at home. So if I have something I like out, I like to figure out how to recreate it.

[CottonBall]

I’ve actually never had buffalo chicken dip. It sounds wonderful though. I have some English cucumbers and green peppers and celery, do those sound like good dippers? I might have to make some this weekend. I’m going to make Buffalo chicken wraps, experimenting, tonight.

[Liz]

Buffalo Chicken Dip / can make in a crock pot

METHOD Mix smooth in deep 9" pie plate (or crock pot) 8 oz cr/cheese. Stir in 1/2 c bleu cheese dressing, 1/2 c Frank's hot sauce. 1/2 c blue cheese crumbles. Stir in drained 2-12.5 oz cans Swanson® Premium White Chunk Chicken Breast in Water. Bake hot/bubbly 350 deg 20 min; stir.

SERVE w/ vegetables and crackers for dipping.

=============================================

Buffalo Chicken Lettuce Wraps

METHOD Sear both sides 5 min ks/p 8 boneless thighs, heated tbl ea olive oil/butter; plate. SAUCE Cook tender 5 min in same pan thin green onion rounds, 3 diced celery ribs, tbl minced garlic. Stir in diced roasted red pepper. Add chix back, then Tabasco to taste. Simmer/cook through 15-20 min. On cutting board, shred bite-size w/ 2 forks, then return to sauce.

SERVE shredded chicken/sauce in bowl surrounded by leaf lettuce;add bleu cheese crumbles.

[Jamestown1630]

I like the lettuce wraps! Cottonball and I are in happy land ;-)

[Jamestown1630]

My work crew likes it with Triscuits; but if you’re low-carbing, the veggies are great to dip into it.

[MightyMama]

If you have an Aldi in your neighborhood, they sell ducklings (for about 60 percent of everybody else’s price) from November to January. I’ve never actually cooked a mature duck because the ducklings from Aldi are such a good deal. :) I buy as many as the budget will allow and keep them frozen to roast when we need a treat. They’re usually sold as Pekin ducks. A good Asian market might have them as well.

I don’t exactly do recipes for soup - I’m a throw-it-in kind of cook - but treated about like chicken soup it works pretty well; pick the duck as clean as possible and boil the bones to start your soup broth. Cook some mushrooms and chopped onions in butter or duck fat (SAVE YOUR DUCK FAT, IT IS WONDERFUL), then add them to the broth along with your chopped duck meat. Add white wine as needed for a good chicken-soup-like consistency. Tossing in some cooked brown or wild rice is nice but not mandatory; the mushrooms are mandatory. :) They complement the duck flavor beautifully.

Red lentils do have to soak as far as I can remember - it’s been a while since I cooked with them. I like my lentils tender but whole for texture. For lentils, I saute mushrooms, onion, and garlic in duck fat (seriously, save your duck fat) and then simmer a pound of lentils in half-and-half water and white wine for a couple of hours till they’re tender. A bay leaf or two is also helpful.

[lizma2]

” No matter what I did, they came out tough and too salty.”

Huh? Salty? Salt was used in the drying process? Soak for a few day and change the water frequently. Boiling, take out too much flavor. Taste the salt content with ever ready to dispose dispatch of water? If it’s Ok use it.

Oh Lordy, I’ve turned into a cooking neurotic!!!

(”disposed dispatch”!! I can’t believe I typed that!!! LOL!)

[Jamestown1630]

My husband tried it in Mason jars once, and it came out tasting weird; he tossed it, and is thinking that it might work out better in a crock. We could probably use the crock for fermented pickles, anyway, which seem like an easier ‘first project’ (?)

[Jamestown1630]

They were *strangely* salty. I think Fungi was correct - I got a lousy batch of cheap dried ‘shrooms. Will try again.

[MightyMama]

The store’s about 20 minutes away, and I giggled the entire way home. :)

[CottonBall]

Oh yeah the lettuce wraps sound wonderful! The coolness of the lettuce - and the crunch - will contrast nicely with the heat of the sauce.

Thanks Liz!

[CottonBall]

Triscuits sound good - the little wafery things separating with each bite, nice crunch, and salt! I’ll put out veggies for color though ;)

[Jamestown1630]

I’ve always liked Triscuits - because I both Like Them, taste-wise; and because they’re supposedly made of Whole Wheat. They have an interesting history:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Triscuit

[Fungi]

I would like to give you a short course on shiitake, domestic and imported, if you are interested.

[Jamestown1630]

I think we would all be interested - Please Post!

[greeneyes]

Soup. Seafood chowder(crockpot).

1 can clams
1 can shrimp (or frozen, cooked 1cup)
1-2 slice bacon or salt pork
1/2 cup onion
1/4 cup celery
1 clove garlic
4-6 potatoes
Chicken stock 1 1/2-2 cups
fish sauce to taste
1-2 bay leaves
1/4 tsp rosemary
1/4 tsp thyme
salt and pepper to taste
Last 15-30 Minutes:
1 1/2 - 2 cups milk/half & half
2 Tbls cornstarch
Parsley to taste

Saute pork/bacon with onions and celery adding garlic last.
Put clams and other ingredients except shrimp and dairy/cornstarch in crockpot and cook till potatoes are done. Add shrimp and after about 30 minutes, add slurry of milk/cornstarch mix well and add parsley. Note: instant potato flakes can also be used as thickener to avoid cornstarch. Recipe can also be prepared on stove, but I have a tendency to forget it and burn it, hence I use the crockpot.

[greeneyes]

Many years ago, I ate a very spicy chicken soup that I really liked at a local café. So I experimented until I came up with something that tasted about the same. The recipe is for 2 servings only. I don’t remember the name, so I just call it Chicken Salsa Soup.

1 chicken breast, cooked and chopped
4 c chicken broth and 2 tsp chicken base
Onion flakes
garlic powder
black pepper flakes
chili and paprika
1 can rotel tomatoes, mild
1/2 can vegetarian vegetable soup(not diluted)
2 handfuls of frozen corn
1/2 cup white beans, canned or cooked
brown sugar
Last 10 minutes:
1 Tbls Pace/salsa
1 Tbls milk

I have never measured the spices - just a few shakes of each depending on taste.

[Harmless Teddy Bear]

Eating the Freezer Empty Fish Soup.

Saute two cut up leftover baked potatoes and a diced onion in butter.

Add in a couple of anchovies, some garlic and Old Bay seasoning to taste. Cook for about a minute.

Add in a can of evaporated milk.

Add in a can each of green beans and corn. Not drained.

About a teaspoon Italian seasoning.

Cook until bubbly.

Add in about three white fish fillets.

Cook for about four, five minutes until the fillets break apart easily when stirred.

Serve with chopped tomato and parsley on top.

[Liz]

Glad to hear you both rhapsodizing over the Buffalo lettuce wraps.....nice and easy meal.