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[Cheese]

I like smooth mashed taters...lumps are for the chumps...until of course, potato skins are offered as a bonus round, then all bets are off. So... smooth taters without the skin and smooth taters with the skin. The best of both worlds.

 

[pixelated]

I like to eat my soup with a fork. Does that explain anything?
Tinker

Well it explains to me that you probably also eat peas with a knife.  [popcorn] [popcorn]

I eat my peas with honey
I've done it all my life
It makes the peas taste funny
But it keeps them on my knife

[wink]

 

[rvieceli]

Just in case folks don't know about this resource, I'll add it. Great Chefs television series.

It started as a 1/2 hour program on PBS and then went to Discovery I believe.There were usually three dishes prepared. No flash like today's shows, just real technique. The female narrators accent is wonderful. I think the whole episodes are available for a fee somewhere, but this website has a lot of the recipes and videos for free.
https://greatchefs.com/

Try it. you'll like it

Ron

 

[GoingMyWay]

So last night was part of a boneless rib roast that was frozen at Christmas.  The other half was great!  This half (3 lbs. or so) was cold smoked for about an hour and a half over oak - my favorite, and then cooked sous vide for 4 hours at 132 F.  Then seared on a cast iron pan coated with coconut oil.

Let's just say that my dogs will enjoy this for a few days as fortification on top of their dogwood.  It was cooked perfectly.  The smoke flavoring would have been something that maybe everyone else would love - but not me.

I love smoking food - fish, meat, cheese for others but then I can't eat it.

The twice baked potato initially cooked on the grill was wonderful.  Yes, finished in the oven with panko bread crumbs sprayed with oil and it was great.

On to hamburgers with Hellman's potato salad - potatoes grilled instead of boiled and with Montreal Steak seasoning.- tonight.

Peter

That sounds really good!

I get my mashed potato texture buy smothering them with cream style corn [thumbs up].

I really like cottage cheese, that had a little texture....

I did score another All-Clad pan, wife wanted to go to Marshals for shoes, I wonder by the cooking stuff. Caught the pan out of the corner of my eye, $120.00 pan for $30.00. They had a few Lodge cast iron, going back in a week to see if they’re still there and price drops.

Tom

I like cottage cheese too with lots of ground black pepper on top.  This may sound weird, but I like the cottage cheese you find on a salad bar the best.  I don't know what it is or why, but the little tubs from the grocery store just never taste the same.  Be it small curd, large curd, lowfat or regular, name brand or store brand.  I even bought a big tub from Restaurant Depot once hoping that it might be what some salad bars use.  It was not the same, I reckon theirs must come in a huge bag from somewhere like Sysco or some other commercial food distributor.

Sounds like you got a good deal on the All-Clad pan.  Does Marshals usually drop the prices on items if they sit on the shelf too long.  We maybe only shop there once or twice a year.  We've gotten some scented candles there several times.

Just in case folks don't know about this resource, I'll add it. Great Chefs television series.

It started as a 1/2 hour program on PBS and then went to Discovery I believe.There were usually three dishes prepared. No flash like today's shows, just real technique. The female narrators accent is wonderful. I think the whole episodes are available for a fee somewhere, but this website has a lot of the recipes and videos for free.
https://greatchefs.com/

Try it. you'll like it

Ron

That was a great show!  Predating the Food Network.  I used to watch it with my grandparents.  It had a catchy theme song too.  I believe the full episodes are available on Twitch.  I've heard of Twitch, I don't really know what it is or how it works.  Their YouTube channel looks to have videos of individual dishes:https://www.youtube.com/user/GreatChefs/videos.  It's funny to see now famous chefs appear back in the day on the show.  People like Emeril Lagasse, Lidia Bastianich, Jacques Torres, all sorts of well known cooking names.  Reminds me of another good show, Julia Child: Cooking with Master Chefs.

Last night I made oxtail stew the pressure cooker.

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I made Tom's (or his mom's) Chocolate Cookie recipe for dessert.  We didn't have any nuts so we put some hazelnut spread M&Ms on a few of the cookies.

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[peter halle]

Oh cottage cheese - one of my vices.  I am a full fat cottage cheese kind of guy and can't stand the ones where the curds almost squeak in your teeth.  I won't buy the name brands and locally only will buy the Food Lion brand.  Small curd is virtually impossible to find.  I suspect that cottage cheese might taste better at a salad bar due to longer exposure to the air - like many cheeses do.

Growing up as a kid cottage cheese was sprinkled with Lawry's Season Salt.  I prefer Chef Paul's Meat Magic on top now.  My wife and her whole family mixes cottage cheese with baked beans at Thanksgiving  [scared] [scared] [scared].

To each their own I suppose.

Peter

 

[GoingMyWay]

It's funny that you can't stand the ones that almost squeak.  Last year I posted my failed attempt at making squeaky curds.

That's a very interesting observation you made about the air exposure.  I had never thought of that.

Hmm maybe I should try dumping the tub of cottage cheese out on a black takeout plastic container so it can air out.  Or maybe just take the lid off the tub in the fridge. 

 

[Cheese]

I eat my peas with honey
I've done it all my life
It makes the peas taste funny
But it keeps them on my knife

LOL... [popcorn]

Well I've had a great run on trying new recipes over the last 2 weeks. We all know sometimes things work and sometimes they don't no matter how much we try.  [crying]

So the new 4 or 5 star (my rating) recipes that I've cooked for the last 2 weeks include:

Individual Smoked Salmon Pizza

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Creamy Lemon Orzo with Peas & Shrimp

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Cheesy Chicken Enchiladas with Red Sauce

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Shrimp, Prosciutto & Lemon Pasta

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Duxelles Pizza with Arugula and Balsamic Reduction

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Tomorrow I'm going to try a new turkey tetrazzini recipe with a nice fresh béchamel sauce rather than using canned soup that has a high concentration of salt.

 

[GoingMyWay]

Great pictures Cheese!  Have you had belly lox before?  I made the mistake of buying it at Wegman's because it was the only salmon package that explicitly said "lox" on it (I was looking specifically for lox for bagels).  Boy what a mistake.  It was the saltiest thing I've ever eaten.  I actually contacted the company to complain and they asked me if I've ever had belly lox before.  I said no and they responded that it's supposed to be salty.  This was inedibly salty!  I definitely think there was something wrong with it.  Like I expect caviar and prosciutto to be salty, but not like this was - pure salt.

I usually think of turkey tetrazzini as a way to use up the turkey leftovers from Thanksgiving.  Turkey really should be eaten more just once a year!

 

[Cheese]

Great pictures Cheese!  Have you had belly lox before? 

I usually think of turkey tetrazzini as a way to use up the turkey leftovers from Thanksgiving.  Turkey really should be eaten more just once a year!

I have not had belly lox before...as a matter of fact, I've never heard of it before. You've introduced me to another food product that I need to sample.  [big grin]  I'm feeling a little bit like Anthony Bordain...not really as he was a world away from my tasting sensibilities.

Interestingly enough, we cooked a turkey for Easter...darn the torpedo's...full speed ahead. We cooked an 8# brined turkey breast. Simply delicious. 

 

[Tinker]

It's funny that you can't stand the ones that almost squeak.  Last year I posted my failed attempt at making squeaky curds.

That's a very interesting observation you made about the air exposure.  I had never thought of that.

Hmm maybe I should try dumping the tub of cottage cheese out on a black takeout plastic container so it can air out.  Or maybe just take the lid off the tub in the fridge.

When I was living with cousins on my uncle's farm, we made our own cottage cheese and our own butter, among other goodies from the small herd. Never got to like the home made butter, whether made from sweet, or sour cream, whether or not we kids got to crank the butter churn. The churning was the exciting part of the process. Occasionally, we bought butter from the village store just down the road. That was the treat.

We sometimes made our own cottage cheese. Large curd as I remember. When my cousin made that, she would hang a couple of bags (cheese cloth bags) from the ceiling over the kitchen sink. I ever got involved with the cheese making, but it was DDee luscious. I have never appreciated store bought cottage cheese.
Tinker

 

[Vondawg]

[member=44099]Cheese[/member] I’m starting to see where the moniker “Cheese” comes...ha-ha !

 

[GoingMyWay]

Last night we had sous vide leg of lamb, with couscous and a Mediterranean salad.  I bought a semi-boneless leg of lamb on sale and cut it in two.  I seasoned both pieces and vacuum sealed them.  I froze the seasoned piece with a bone.  I'll cook it sous vide straight from the freezer at a later date.

This piece cooked at 134 degrees for 4 hours.  I'm already trying to calculate in my head how long I should cook the frozen bone-in piece.

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I made pound cake for dessert.

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[Cheese]

Last Sunday, on Cinco de Mayo, I served up Cheesy Chicken Enchiladas with Red Sauce. I know I've already posted this recipe but this time I was able to find some fresh yellow heirloom tomatoes so I added them to the mix.  [big grin]

Delicious...

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[Cheese]

Well what started as a salad side dish, Wilted Arugula with Balsamic Vinegar turned into a nice main dish by simply adding some sea scallops.

Arugula wilts/cooks just like spinach so while a 5 oz package might seem like a lot, by the time the water is removed there's not a lot left. 8 oz would be a nice proportion for 2 people.

So, wilted arugula with garlic, add some pan fried sea scallops, sprinkle on some toasted pignoli & some shaved Reggiano and a splash of your favorite balsamic vinegar. I used peach balsamic because it's soft flavor doesn't mask the scallops or parmesan.

Fully drying the scallops so that they will get a crust is the most difficult task. This is basically a 10 minute meal. [big grin]

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[GoingMyWay]

That's a nice looking dish.  Also seems to be relatively low carb.  I don't eat scallops that often.  Sometimes they're a little gritty, which I hate (I also hate gritty clams).

I got lazy and haven't posted the last couple of meals.

Last week we had chicken parm with salad.

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We also made ham with scalloped potatoes, brussel sprouts, and corn.

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I used the leftover ham bone to make split pea soup with homemade croutons.

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[Gregor]

I love mashed potatoes but the only way I know how to get them creamy without any lumps is by using a ricer. I've tried all types of mashers and even tried using a fork...lumps.

You're using the wrong kind of potatoes, the waxy ones are better used for fried potatoes as they don't fall apart. Try starchy / floury potatos as these work way better for mush, a local farmers market should be a good source for this kind.

Boil the potatoes, remove them from the pot to give it a quick clean (hot water + brush/sponge, so it stays hot), then skin the potatoes and re-add to the still hot pot where you mush them with something like this

(image lifted fromhttps://www.lurch.de/kochen/kuechenwerkzeuge/62/kartoffelstampfer-edelstahl)
while adding bits of butter and/or milk till you get to the desired consistency, finally add salt and freshly grated nutmed to your taste.

In case you want it really creamy: use a bit more butter/milk and finish with a handheld electric mixer.

Then about 3 years ago I stumbled on these, I was amazed...still am amazed.  For the last several years I've served this with the holiday meal and everyone raves when I tell them the taters are packaged. They're in the refrigerator section with the milk and eggs.

*shudder*

Do yourself a favour and make it from scratch, it really isn't rocket science when using the right potatoes for the job.

 

[Cheese]

Last week we had chicken parm with salad.

The brussels sprouts with bacon/prosciutto/pancetta looks terrific.  [smile]

I'll cook the same faire but then give them a quick super hot saute just to give them a crust...gotta love the fond. That's where the flavor is.

 

[GoingMyWay]

It was bacon. Everything is always better with bacon [big grin]!

 

[Cheese]

It was bacon. Everything is always better with bacon [big grin]!

Ya you're right...bacon just makes it better. It can be a subtle taste or a more astringent taste, just depends upon what part of the pig you serve.  [big grin]

My wife shouts from the highest hills that she hates pork...cannot stand the stuff..I will never eat ribs in my life...and then bacon comes along...and then prosciutto....and then pancetta...life is suddenly good for her.

 

[Cheese]

So seeing as we're talking about food at this hour, the dinner for tonight was Shrimp Tacos with Cilantro Lime Slaw. It was very good...I'd like to tweek the lime avocado crema a bit, but for the first roll-out it was a dinner winner.

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