The Cooking Thread

[leggo PE]

Guess who thinks my white bean chili is the jam?

You?

 

[Road Guy]

yep - also added in a little bit of pheasant left over in the freezer - was a nice touch!

 

[Master slacker]

Under way.  Will definitely take a 6 pack to get all the way through. 

Chicken and dog tax included. 

 

[LyceeFruit PE]

Going thru leftovers in the fridge (hence huge salad). Highlight here in the fried fish tho lol

Boyfriend caught a perch so I filleted it and fried it up. My filleting skills have improved but still have work to do

 

[Master slacker]

Well, everything pretty much fit.  Two whole chickens and four lbf of ribs.  This was a winner in our book. 

 

[Supe]

That looks pretty damned good!  I'd be tempted to throw the chicken over the charcoals for a bit just to get the skin nice and crispy.

 

[LyceeFruit PE]

Cooked salmon this weekend so boyfriend could try it so bestie & I could figure out what we're making for friendsgiving.

He ate it but it isn't his fave so I think I'll cook lamb - idk, we did a roast last year and I'd like something more budget friendly since I mistakenly listened to my coworker and got a very spendy piece of meat.

Also roasted a chicken using the Run Fast Eat Slow recipe.

And then he made us chicken noodle soup using local purple carrots so everything is grey and looks kind of unappetizing but it's delicious 

 

[Master slacker]

That looks pretty damned good!  I'd be tempted to throw the chicken over the charcoals for a bit just to get the skin nice and crispy.

No skin on this recipe.  All removed.  Better moistness.  

 

[Supe]

No skin on this recipe.  All removed.  Better moistness.  

Gotcha.  It looked like there was skin on that drumstick on the right.

 

[JayKay PE]

Woke up on Monday after a flight from hell/driving from Chicago to Indy after an ultra-delayed/potential cancellation and realized I had off (whaaaaaaat?).  Decided I needed to use up a good amount of potatoes, due to a semi-moldy one lurking at the bottom of the bag causing some to begin to turn.  Made a huge batch of potato soup with some celery + onions + head of garlic, idk 3lbs of potatoes?  6c. water + a few of those chicken bouillon cubes.  Came out adequate.  I always forget to skin the potatoes, and since it's just me feeding myself, I don't care if the emulsion mixer leaves a couple behind.

Def good for cold weather/froze the majority.  Took a big batch of chicken chili from the freezer, will prob make some rice for it tomorrow.  Meal prep is hard when you're only prepping for one person...Means I can't get too creative since I end up cooking in batches for a family of five instead of a family of me.

 

[mudpuppy]

Woke up on Monday after a flight from hell/driving from Chicago to Indy after an ultra-delayed/potential cancellation

Pro tip for living in the midwest:  do not under any circumstances connect through Chicago.

 

[JayKay PE]

Pro tip for living in the midwest:  do not under any circumstances connect through Chicago.

Yeah, original flight was through Detroit.  The only return flight was through Chicago and was United.  My dad booked it, got $200 off with points, but it was difficult.  I'm def avoiding Chicago airport unless that is my final destination.  T_T

 

[NikR_PE]

Meal prep is hard when you're only prepping for one person...Means I can't get too creative since I end up cooking in batches for a family of five instead of a family of me.

I totally agree. When I used to do it, i was eating the same thing the whole week because it is difficult to cook in small batches. 

 

[Master slacker]

...i was eating the same thing the whole week ...

THE HORROR!!!1!1!!1 

 

 

[NikR_PE]

THE HORROR!!!1!1!!1 

 

Man you seem to be a master at that. Life would be simple if I had that skill. 

 

[leggo PE]

I can't stand eating the same thing every day of the week, which is why my husband and I cook dinner pretty much every night, and usually end up with leftovers for lunch the next day (or if soup/chili, freeze the rest for another dinner in a different week). I need variety in my meals, and also like that when I'm getting variety, I get a good balance of different proteins, vegetables, and grains. Eat the rainbow, kids!

 

[JayKay PE]

I totally agree. When I used to do it, i was eating the same thing the whole week because it is difficult to cook in small batches. 

I don't mind eating the same thing throughout the week for lunch or dinner.  It's when I have to eat the same thing throughout the week for lunch AND dinner.  Hell, I used to have the same lunch for a good 6-7 years when I was in highschool/most of college:  Peanut butter sandwich.  Apple.  Water.

 

[LyceeFruit PE]

Pyrex containers or mason jars and freeze. Or half the recipe. My freezer is ridiculous most of the time due to this method but totally helps the variety and/or laziness

 

[Supe]

My daughter has been begging me to make my slow cooker tortellini soup, but it's soooo bad for you:

• Italian Sausage - I usually peel links and use bigger chunks
  
• Onion
  
• Carrots
  
• Garlic
  
• Italian seasoning
  
• Chicken bouillon cubes
  
• Vegetable broth or stock
  
• Half and half or heavy cream
  
• Spinach
  
• Cheese tortellini 
  
• Corn starch
  

I brown the sausage in a pan with the garlic, and slightly under cook the tortellini ahead of time.  Everyone in the pot except the starch, spinach, and tortellini, which go in at the end (starch with water pre-mixed to thicken).  Salt and pepper as needed.  I could eat that **** all day.  You can use beef bouillon and broth instead of chicken/vegetable.

The heavier on the sage/fennel/caraway seed the sausage is, the better it is, IMO.  If you have a good/coarse grind chicken sausage, that works OK too.  Fine grinds don't work very well and give it an odd texture.

 

[leggo PE]

Soup!

Our go-to's right now are the following:

• red lentil butternut squash soup (https://www.toneitup.com/recipe/red-lentil-butternut-squash-soup/) - super easy, filling, and yummy
  
• Instant Pot Taco Soup (https://www.101cookbooks.com/spicy-instant-pot-taco-soup-recipe/) - this is ridiculously good, and you can make it without an IP too, I think; it will just take more time
  
• split pea soup (takes a long time to make, so is usually a weekend make sort of thing)
  
• kitchen sink soup with whatever veggies I have on hand. chicken sausage, some sort of rice, and veggie broth
  
• crockpot lasagna soup
  
• chicken and barley soup