Posted on 12/03/2011 9:54:14 AM PST by libertarian27
Welcome to the 52nd installment of the FR Weekly Cooking (Recipes) Thread.
Looking for something new to make or made something new that came out great? Please share a 'tried-and-true' recipe or two- for fellow FReepers to add to their 'go-to' Recipe Stack of Family Favorites!
Here's the place to share and explore your latest and greatest favorite recipe.
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December 3 - National Ice Cream Box Day
December 4 - National Cookie Day
December 5 - National Sacher Torte Day
December 6 - National Gazpacho Day
December 7 - Cotton Candy Day
December 8 - Brownie Day
December 9 - National Pastry Day - Apple Pie Day
Weekly Cooking Thread Ping
Last week’s recipes (Nov 26th thread)
12 Fish Fritters
18 Black Bottom Cupcakes
22 Skinny Hot Buttered Rum
23 Ultimate Pumpkin Pie
24 French Toast w/ Yujacha Syrup
Link***
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/chat/2812557/posts?page=25#25
Start by making chocolate thing, I don't know what in them but they appear to be just regular old homemade chocolate brownies. Shape them sort of roundish, and leave a big indent in the center. Cook them and let them cool, then fill the indent with cherry stuff. Then melt candensed milk and chocolate chips together, and then encase the chocolate brownies-with-cherries-on-them in the chocolate mixture. After the chocolate mixture has hardened, they're done.
Chocolate pucks!
This is rather inexact, but I'm doing this from the perspective of the eater, not the cook!
This post is the 52nd week of the weekly cooking thread - one full year of recipes will be under, over and in our belts :>)
Next week I’ll be posting a separate thread with all the recipes from this year. They will be sorted by category and linked for semi-easy look up....a Free Republic online cookbook!
Wow! A whole year already. Thank you for the cooking thread.
Here is the fruitcake recipe that I have, but it needs some help. The spices are not just right. It just doesn't taste like Grandma's. Can anybody help me out a bit, please?
Old fashioned Fruit cake
1lb whole pecans
1lb dates
½ lb candied cherries
5 whole eggs, beaten till fluffy
1c sugar
1 c. plus 1 tbsp. plain flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. vanilla
¼ - ½ c. brandy or orange juice
Mix dry ingredients and sift over fruit and nuts: pour beaten eggs over. Add vanilla and mix well.
Pour into greased pans and bake in low oven (no more than 300) for 1 ½ hrs. Let stand a week or more before cutting. (it is best to let stand 30 days or more)
* brandy or orange juice should be added after all ingredients have been mixed before baking.
Note: Add ½ tsp allspice, ½ tsp nutmeg, ½ tsp cinnamon to dry ingredients.
Oh, and thank you for the FR cookbook!
Try adding a 1/2 cup of powdered Honey nut Cheerios to any chocolate chip cookie recipe.
Last month we took a trip to New Orleans & went to the New Orleans School of Cooking for a class. Here’s the Gumbo recipe we got from Chef Kevin Belton, along with a few additonal notes that he passed on:
GUMBO
INGREDIENTS:
1 C. oil
1 chicken, cut up or de-boned
1 & 1/2 lbs. Andouille Sausage
1 C. flour
TRINITY: (Next three items)
4 C. chopped onions
2 C. chopped celery
2 C. chopped green pepper
1 Tbsp. chopped garlic
8 C. stock or flavored water
2 C. chopped green onions
Cooked Rice
Joe’s Stuff seasoning
Gumbo File’ *
PROCEDURE:
Season and brown chicken in oil (lard, bacon drippings) over medium heat. Add sausage to pot and sauté with chicken. Remove both from pot.
Make a roux with equal parts of oil (must be free of food particles to avoid burning) and flour. (Note: do not use olive oil. Any other oil is fine.) Oil should be smoking hot before adding flour, & roux must be whisked continuously to keep from scorching. Make sure it gets to a shade approximating milk chocolate.
Add onions, celery, and green pepper. Add garlic to the mixture and stir continuously. After vegetables reach desired tenderness, return chicken and sausage to pot and cook with vegetables, continuing to stir frequently. Gradually stir in liquid and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to simmer and cook for an hour or more. Season to taste with Joe’s Stuff Seasoning.
Approximately 10 minutes before serving, add green onions. Serve gumbo over rice or without rice, accompanied by French bread.
*File’ - A fine green powder of young dried ground sassafras leaves, used in gumbo for flavor and thickening. It may be placed on the table for individuals to add to their gumbo if they wish. 1/4 to 1/2 tsp. per serving is recommended.
Note: Okra is a traditional ingredient to Gumbo, but some people avoid it due to the slimey texture. To remove sliminess, sauté in oil or butter with a dash of vinegar.
By the way, this makes a BIG pot of Gumbo - 15 - 20 servings.
The FR online cookbook post will be over 800 recipes!!!
We’re cookin’ on Free Republic!
I’ve only made 1 fruit cake and it didn’t come out great (it was close) but it was tasty....
this link is from Alton Brown (I haven’t attempted it)
looks good and the handy video is getting me geared yet again to make fruit cake this year...and comments on the link look good
(I do love fruit cake - does that make me weird?:>)
http://www.foodnetwork.com/altons-fruitcake/video/index.html
Mace? Did Grandma grind her allspice?
Thank you!!
A VERY Happy Anniversary to you!!!!
This is a recipe I got from my mother in law’s sister. She used to send us one every year when she was younger and it was excellent. She is in poor health now and unable to bake them every year, so I asked her for her recipe. This fruit cake is my favorite fruit cake. Even those who normally don’t like fruitcake love this one!
Fruit Cake
Ingredients:
1lb. Candied Cherries (red and green)
1 lb. Candied Pineapple
1 cup sugar
5 eggs
½ lb. butter
2 cups flour
1 oz. (1 small bottle) vamilla extract
1 oz. (1 small bottle) lemon extract
5 cups chopped nuts: (2 cups pecans, 2 cups walnuts, 1 cup mixed brazil, almonds, and hazelnuts)
Cut cherries in half or quarters, chop nuts, add all candied fruit and nuts with 1 cup of flour toss with flour.
In a separate bowl mix butter and sugar together add eggs and beat in with sugar mixture. Add the remaining 1 cup of the flour to the mixture. Mix together well, slowly add nuts and fruit to mixture. Add lemon and vanilla to the mixture. Mixture will be thick. Preheat oven to 300/325 degreea. Grease and flour angel food cake plan. Bake 1 hour to 1 ½ hour. Use a tooth pick to check for stickyness. 1 hour is best for lower altitudes, but many need the extra ½ hour at a higher elevation. Use tin foil to cover cake if top is browning too quickly.
Wow - that sounds great. Thanks for all your work!
THANKS YOU! After the first of the year I’ll be trying LOTS of New Orleans/Gumbo/Jambalaya stuff! It’s kind of a family tradition.
Then I’ll give you one more, also from NO School of cooking...
CHICKEN CREOLE
INGREDIENTS:
3 Lbs. boned chopped chicken
8 Tbsp. butter (1 stick)
*8 Tbsp. flour
1 14-16 oz can tomato sauce
TRINITY: (Next three items)
2 C. chopped onions
1 C. chopped celery
1 C. chopped green pepper
1 Tbsp, chopped garlic
1 C. chopped green onion
1 C. chopped parsley
3 bay leaves
3 C. chicken stock or flavored water
1 Tbsp. brown sugar
4 thin lemon slices
** Joe’s Stuff seasoning to taste
Cooked rice
PROCEDURE:
Sauté the chicken in butter for 2-3 minutes, and remove. Add the flour and stir over medium heat until lightly browned.
Add onions, celery, green pepper and garlic and sauté vegetables until they begin to turn transparent. Add the stock, tomato sauce, bay leaves, brown sugar, lemon slices and Joe’s Stuff seasoning. Simmer for about 15 minutes.
Add green onions, parsley and chicken during the last five minutes of cooking. Serve over rice.
* Flour — Place flour in the center of a sheet pan, at least two inches away from the sides of the pan.
Bake flour on 350 degrees until golden brown stirring occasionally. Sift the flour once it comes out of the oven before using.
** Joe’s Stuff is an all purpose seasoning which contains a majority of your herbs (i.e. thyme, basil etc.) You may also add in any of your favorite herbs.
Enjoy!! :-)
Congratulations on the one year anniversary of another successful FReeRepublic thread! I remember when you first started this cooking thread. You’ve done a fantastic job!
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