Quarantine Cooking

[GreenDragon]

This weekends baking:

To prevent marital strife, the wife purchased her own dedicated Dutch oven for breadmaking. So I have one for cooking and she has one for baking. I graciously volunteered to season it for her in the grill.


The first boule. Great oven spring. Mix of regular and rye flours.


Son #2 decided he wanted to bake something too this weekend, so he made a batch of pretzels. Very good!

 

[GreenDragon]

Tonight’s dinner: boneless rib eye steak sautéed in butter and shallots, salad, and garlic cheese pasta (classic Italian method: Parmesan, garlic, S&P, dash nutmeg, pasta water). No leftovers.

 

[deluxestogie]

Wow. I just read through this entire thread from start to finish. It is now a "stuck" thread. It's a pity that there is no forum function to "print thread to pdf". This is a cookbook! Cookbook? Hmmm.

Bob

 

[deluxestogie]

Squirrel-free Brunswick Stew

I soaked about ½ cup of dried lima beans overnight. They were then cooked alone in the Crockpot for about two hours, until tender. To this, I then added the remainder of the ingredients, and simmered on High for a few hours.

Brunswick stew is a fairly random recipe everywhere. [There's always at least one clown who fails to show up on time for the class photograph.]

My Ingredients:

• Lima beans
• Corn (whole kernel or creamed-style) (drained)
• Canned chicken (drained)
• Canned, diced tomatoes (drained)
• Margarine
• Apple cider vinegar
• Molasses
• Mustard
• Dried bell pepper powder
• Chives
• Packet of Goya ham flavoring
• Black pepper and salt to taste

The chunk chicken falls apart during the long simmer. In the event that you have no chicken, either bunny rabbit or squirrel (or both together) can be used as a substitute.

Bob

 

[Homegrowngoodnes]

Mmm rabbit stew...brings back memories. I used to stay with an olllld family friend while dad went rabbit hunting. He would clean em when he got back and she would make rabbit stew. Delicious!

 

[deluxestogie]

During my USAF survival training, a squirrel that I had managed to snare tasted mighty good roasted on a spit, with the left-overs sliced and smoked into squirrel jerky.

Bob

 

[GreenDragon]

My first date with my (now wife of 25 years) I went to pick her up at her house. Her parents lived out in the countryside (directions included instructions to turn left when you see the bull munching on blackberry vines). Her older brother was on leave from the Navy and decided to scare his sister’s date. I found the house, pulled up and parked to see her brother walking up to my car with a shotgun and two rabbits and three squirrels in his hands. I looked him right in the eye and said if he was any good of a shot he’d use a .22 and not spoil the meat with buckshot.

He didn’t shoot me (it was a near thing), and her mom fried them up and served them over rice with pan gravy. I still remember how fantastic everything tasted. And how I hated finding stray buckshot every couple bites.

 

[GreenDragon]

Tonight’s dinner:
Pan fried lamb steaks
Sautéd cabbage and onions in butter
Garlic mashed potatoes
Faux Demi glacé (pan gravy with a packet of gelatin added for body)

Clean plates all round!

 

[deluxestogie]

• core, peel and dice a crisp apple
• slice a handful of seedless grapes
• open and drain (into a glass) can of pineapple chunks
• [drink pineapple juice]
• add ¼ to ½ can of pineapple chunks
• ~2 tbsp mayonnaise
• mix
• chill

It doesn't look flashy, but it magically disappears quickly.

Bob

 

[Knucklehead]

Forgot to eat breakfast. Around 2 pm I started feeling a little hungry.
Salt cured bacon from a Kentucky farm (I got it too crispy), eggs, and very lightly toasted homemade sourdough.

 

[deluxestogie]

I love oscuro bacon.

Bob

 

[BarG]

Well, I just located a packet of yeast in my pantry. It expired in November. What do you think?

Oh, I suppose I should mention that it was November of 2006.

 

[BarG]

Well, what's stopping you, just add some fermenting to bring it to par. Just kidding.

 

[deluxestogie]

You are two years too late, @BarG.

Bob

 

[BarG]

Lol, figures

I won't get into yeast, lol. My neighbor makes some really good bread. When I was a kid I actually made a loaf of bread that was edible .

Bob, you sure are a stickler for dates. I have a lot of catching up to do.

 

[Homegrowngoodnes]

Oscuro bacon!

 

[GreenDragon]

Store your yeast in the fridge or, better yet, the freezer. They will remain viable much longer. I usually keep a jar of yeast in the freezer and a few packets in the fridge. Always be prepared for when the baking muse strikes!

Also, this stuff is da bomb! Don’t have to bloom it in water, you mix it dry straight into the flour. I always keep a few strips in the fridge.

 

[wruk53]

Cooked up a batch of mini calzones this morning in the air fryer. The list of ingredients: pizza dough, mozzarella cheese and pepperoni. Pizza sauce on the side for dipping.

 

[BarG]

I knew I should have took you fishing. I'm a wanna be cook, mainly out of necessity, my wife won't. I have a venison sirloin cut in half ( Crockpot is only medium size) stew going now with all homegrown ingredients other than baby carrots and Mexican style stewed tomatoes. All Broccoli,onions hot and sweet peppers ,cream corn (last bag) potatoes homegrown.

Plus when I go share with a neighbor we'll throw some zucchini wedges on the pit wit there stuff.

 

[tullius]

pan seared pork chops, creamy dijon/mushroom/scallion gravy over bird eye chili pepper & garlic mashers


the gravy is in a well in the potatoes under the chop, side of fresh buttered sweet corn not shown. Good enough I wrote it down