Food Recipes!

[Sean]

Something, I think, no one has ever made a topic about before.

What are some recipes you've come up with, had a hand in, or just really love to make?

Maybe not so much to make as just to eat?


Personally, I'm happy as a mofo in front of a nice, hot grill, so if it's BBQ, I'm gonna enjoy cooking it.


Tonight, right now, I just made myself some italian chicken (Italian is only there to describe the ingredients)

Two parts extra virgin olive oil to one part balsamic vinegar.
Dried basil, dried oregano, salt, fresh ground black pepper, fresh finely chopped garlic (granulated or powder works too), touch of soy sauce (for the saltiness) and a bit of honey (for the sweetness)

Wisk together, coat chicken breast with marinade in either a bowl or pour into a ziplock bag and let sit for at least an hour (Preferably in the fridge. Raw chicken can be in the danger zone (Above 40 degrees F) for up to 4 hours, though.

Note: The soy sauce, if you use too much, will begin to completely saturate the chicken after 2 hours, so making this in advance is okay, but adding too much soy sauce and making it in advance is a definite no, unless you like EXTREMELY salty food.


Anyways, preheat your grill, add the chicken (the oil will cause some flare ups, have salt nearby in case a fire gets out of control) and season with Lawry's seasoning salt, to taste. Coat with your favorite grill seasoning (Mine today was Italian Grill Creations) on both sides.

Cook until the middle is about 120ish F, or until you can break it open and the meat is completely white. The outside WILL char on high heat, but this is my favorite part about it, a nice, tender middle and a crispy outside.


I use the same chicken recipe (cooked on a lower heat to prevent charring) for a home made tomato basil pasta in a parmesan romano asiago cream sauce w/ grilled chicken. I'll post that recipe later, as everything, even the pasta, is hand made in that.


I also have a soy sauce honey marinade with a teriyaki glaze I've not yet made, but I'm going to, like..... later this week. I'll let you all know how it turns out.


Edit: This recipe is also great for a home made hand tossed grilled chicken cesar salad. I even have a great recipe for some home made croutons my friend William and I made.



Edit again: d'oh! i forgot, you can also add soem reduced white wine to the marinade for that extra flavor. This is supposed to be a white wine italian chicken marinade, haha. I forgot to add the wine. XD

[Hecate]

Welcome back!

I thought you made a recipe thread before....or maybe it was about food in general??

Well...here's one of my favorite that isn't too well known yet. My mom brought this recipe home from work and tried it and LOVED it.

Taco Chicken (not chicken Taco)

The amounts you use generally go by how spicy or flavorful you like things. I like mine kinda in the middle, but I generally eye it without precicely measuring.

You will need:

1 pack skinless/boneless chicken breast (and I think about any piece of chicken will work)
1-3 packets of taco seasoning
Hot Sauce
Mayo (NOT Miracle whip....different outcome)
1-2 bag of tortilla chips (any kind)
a sheet/cookie pan, either sprayed or with non-stick foil to line with

*Preheat oven to about 350 (F)
*Trim and rinse the chicken. If you wish, you can cut into strips or nuggets
*In a bowl, combine well about 2 cups of Mayo, 1 to 3 packets of Taco Seasoning, and some hot sauce (1/2c to 1 1/2c usually does the trick. Seasoning and sauce amount varies on your own taste)
*Crush tortilla chips (in the bag it came in if possible) to fine crumbs
*Dip the chicken in the Mayo mix, scrape off any extra globs with a finger/spoon
*coat it with the chip crumbs and set on the pan
*Put the full pan in the oven for 25-30 minutes, or untill the chicken is no longer pink inside

~*~ Great summer dish. Use as meal or as a snack. Goes well with yellow rice, spanish rice, or corn on the cobb and other veggies.

[Sean]

LOL

"Tortilla encrusted chicken!"

I love it!


Edit: Chicken is done at 160 degrees F in the very middle of the fattest piece of the breast. I, personally eyeball it, because 160 is dry. Take a knife, poke the fattest piece and look inside, easiest way to tell if it's done or not. If you don't trust your judgement, use a probe and probe that biatch to 160. There's also no such thing as "rare" "medium" or otherwise chicken or pork. It's not done until it's done, anything before that is underdone and hazerdous to your health.


Now my pasta recipe.


Asiago encrusted chicken served with tomato basil pasta in a romano parmesan cream sauce.

To make the encrusting, you'll first need some day old bread (as in, stale as hell) chopped in a food processer down to pretty small, but still course, pieces. Add melted butter (clarified is my favorite) and some italian seasonings such as parsley, oregano, ect. Mix together until it forms a kind of dough, that you can shape with your hand. Add in freshly grated asiago cheese (Plenty of this is always good) and mix.

Form the crusting into the shape of the chicken breast in your left hand, and pick up the breast with yoru right and push it into the crusting. Set the breast down, crust side up, on a sheet pan.

If you want to preserve the encrusting for use at another date, wash your hands between every breast you encrust.

Why?

To prevent contaminating the encrusting mix. If you contaminate it, you'll have to throw it away after the day. You can kill the bacteria, but that bacteria will leave behind waste that can make you sick.

Throw the chicken into a preheated 350 degree oven and cook.


Hmm...

I can't find the actual recipe for my pasta (As this is a pretty precise recipe, you can't do things off your eye) so I'll add it later.

[hellbred]

I think the old thread was, That's Cooking! but it's pretty dead now, and older.

Here's one I contributed awhile back.. I have some more I'll add here later:

So I just made my own Stuffed Mushrooms tonight and they were pretty damn good so I thought I'd share the recipe

6 medium sized Portobella Mushrooms, no stalk
3 large Italian Sausage Links, or 1/4 lb. Ground Beef
Beef base(bullion), or Beef Stock
Minced Garlic
Cayenne pepper (for those who like it a lil spicy)

Bring a mixture of 4-5 cups of water, beef bullion or beef stock to boil.
Add mushrooms, let boil for 20 minutes. (add spices accordingly)

Chop up ground beef or italian sausage into very fine peices. It's best if it's almost like dust, takes awhile, but the results are better.

Add meat to pan and simmer on medium for 15 minutes, while adding minced garlic, and spices for taste.

Remove both from heat and scoop beef/sausage into mushroom caps, garnish with a green herb

Restaurant style: Pour [hot] beef drippings from meat w/ beef stock into a small bowl and place finished stuffed mushrooms on top. serve hot!

[Sean]

If you're going for a really really fine chop of the meat, why not just use a food processor? oO;;

It'd be a helluva lot easier, I'd think.

To clarify on... clarified butter...


Butter has 3 parts, two of them burn at a lower temperature than the other, fat, part. Protein, fat, and another.... I can't think of it off the top of my head.

Take 100% real butter and melt it, slowly, over medium heat. It'll form a frothy top, and then another layer underneath that. Scoop those layers off and throw them away. The product left over is 100% butter fat, and has a much higher smoke point than normal butter, a longer shelf life, and, if you freeze it, will last pretty much for ****ing ever.

An easier way is to melt it then freeze it immediatly after. The three layers will all freeze seperate and you can just scrape off the top two layers and leave behind only the clarified butter.

Tastes better for cooking, too, IMO.

[Hecate]

Wow....nice tips. GOt any others? I went to a culinary school for a while....but they only taught us knife skills and about the restaurant business and what goes on and how to properly set tables and serve.....I was hoping it would be more like a cooking class.


But yeah, I just cut into the fat part of my chicken, make sure there's no pink and the juices are clear. I haven't made a dry chicken yet.

Oh, and if anyone has any special mashed potato recipe, kicked up a bit, I would love to see what ya got. I've had ranch mashed potatoes before, and one mixed with cheese, and of course the classic ways....but I'm looking for somehting different. Any suggestions?

[Sean]

Personally, I just take my potatoes, skin them, steam them (or boil), mix them with sharp cheddar, REAL bacon bits, and sour cream, mash, top with more shredded cheddar upon serving.

The recipe we use at work is freaking bland. Just steamed skinned potatoes with salt and pepper w/ gravy.

Outside that, I don't know any mash potatoe recipes, myself.

1/2 lb. (8 oz.) fettuccine, uncooked
1 cup frozen peas
1/4 cup PHILADELPHIA Light Cream Cheese Spread
1/4 cup Classic Caesar Reduced Fat Dressing
1 Tbsp. flour
1 cup fat free milk
1 pkg. (6 oz.) Smoked Ham, cut into short strips
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
3 Tbsp. 100% Grated Parmesan Cheese

COOK pasta as directed on package, adding peas to the cooking water for the last 3 min. of the pasta cooking time.
MEANWHILE, beat cream cheese spread, dressing and flour in small saucepan with wire whisk until well blended. Gradually add milk, stirring constantly until mixture is well blended. Add ham; cook on medium-low heat 5 min. or until heated through, stirring occasionally. Drain fettuccine mixture; return to saucepan. Add sauce mixture; mix lightly. Cook an additional 2 to 3 min. or until heated through, stirring occasionally.
TOP with parsley; sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

I personally think this recipe is better if you substitute the ham with sausage. Polish sausage cut up is really good. Nice thick slices go over really well.I also add 1-2 table spoons of cream cheese to every serving to give it extra flavor. Sprinkle salt an pepper an you have a great lunch or dinner. I make this aleast once a week . It is quick an easy to heat up an have as a quick lunch or snack.

Oh an sherry this is a good one if you like to eat well but not like all that fatty stuff. If fills you up an is a great filling snack w/o all the cals.

[Sean]

Not to be an ass or sound pompous or anything...

Traditional Carbonara is a white cream sauce with pancetta (Italian bacon, cured differently, but it's still pig belly) and mushrooms. You add egg yolks (or the entire egg, yolk contains more flavor, and fat) into the cream sauce and the egg will cook and begin to curdle, giving the sauce almost the same texture as scrambled eggs, but still saucy. The egg isn't fully cooked, either, but raw egg isn't "ZOMG BAD" as everyone thinks it is.

<3 raw cookie dough.

that is why I called it my updated carbonara. Because it is made different. I call it my fettuccini most of the time anyways. None taken

[Hecate]

Ehh...I'm a picky eater though....which makes it hard for me to be on a diet because I don't get a variety like others do. I don't like about 75% of the foods out there. My mom might like it, though, if she weren't on low-carb unless we can find everything on your list low-carb. She has made that dish before, without your special additions. I'll suggest your additions, though.

Thank you. I did not really like this dish until I added my own touches. It was too bland for me with not really much substance. With the additions it is way better. Even you could love it, lol. I am picky too...unless it is cheese. Then i will eat it no matter what

[Sean]

Low fat milk with a few thickening agents can make a really good diet friendly white sauce. Throw some low fat cream cheese and low fat cesar in there, it should be pretty okay, I'd think.

Never heard fo using cesar dressing and cream cheese as a thickening agent, though. I usually add a slurry (cornstartch and water) or a roo (fat and startch, usually butter and flour) and a LOT of cheese, and some half and half, if I'm making a sauce w/o heavy cream.

Pasta, in it's self is not low carb, though. 100% startch, right there.

I'm a pretty picky eater myself, and it's bad because I know what's bad for me yet I still cook with a lot of fat (because fat = flavor)

Have you tried some grilled vegetables? Or roasted, even? Little bit of salt and pepper, maybe some garlic powder, and you could do a roasted or grilled veg medley you might like, and that's like the epitomy of healthy right there. Zuhucinni, yellow squash, eggplant, yellow, green, and/or red peppers.

Shrimp is some pretty healty stuff, too. That's like 99% fat free, I think. I hate shrimp, though. =O