Getting Hot In Here- What's spicing up your Mid-At Kitchen?

Thanks, Sally. I'll contact the kids today and firm up plans.


Oh, fewer pots to wash is wonderful. Going out for dinner tonight. Hibachi Grill Buffet. Friends picking us up at 4

We went to a Hibachi Grill Buffet a few weeks ago. Friends introduced us to it and it was really good.

Gracious offer for gathering sallyg. Thanks.

Chicken soup as equally compelling today. Three more bowls consumed with gusto. Is my pot of soup now half full or half empty?

Not too late for a New Year's wish that all of our food and meals be deeply nourishing to body and soul and shared when ever possible, in humble joy, with family, friends, and strangers not yet become friends or family by birth or choice.

Breaking bread together is a good thing.

Well said, coleup!!

I would say your pot is never-ending!

coleup--

I love chicken soup as well. My problem, when I make it, or any other soup, I put too many things in it.
I DO believe that chicken soup needs to be "pure"...clear yellow and full of flavor.
That doesn't mean mine always is.....
What i do usually add is some Poultry Seasoning just to flesh out the flavor. Maybe some basil.
If I can't get the flavor 'just so"--I may also add a few Chicken cubes.

Some questions for you, Judy--about your chicken soup: It is so great you are excited about how your soup tastes.

--Do you use a whole chicken? You said "chicken on the bone"...Or--Do you use chicken parts? Which?
--Do you add, on purpose, chicken "junk" (necks, wings, etc) pieces for the collagen content?
-How big a pot do you make this in? You said you add 8-10 cups of water. No home-made broth?
That is not a very big pot. But--I bet your soup is very concentrated and therefore so delicious.
My pot is 21 qt. I usually make it to at least 3/4 full. Maybe that is too much quantity and all the flavors are diluted?
--What herbs and spices and seasonings do you use?
--You said "one bag of carrots"--is that a 1lb. bag? and a whole pack of celery!!!! Really??????!!!!!
--Do you think canned green beans are better than fresh? Justmore convenient? I try to stay away from canned stuff!...
--Do you add egg noodles or rice to your soup at he end?

Thanks...

Hey, you all--
I read this every day but have very little to contribute--as i do not cook a dinner very often.
I usually grab this or that--whatever is in the fridge that needs to be eaten.
Well--actually--I seldom eat a dinner----I eat breakfast and then graze the rest of the day.
Munch along--all day long...Not necessarily junk food--just stuff I have.

Of course--I have that freezer full of cooked stuff. Whenever I can I try to grab something out of it--thaw it and cook it
and eat that. Lately, I am trying to eat up whatever kind of soups from my freezer for breakfast w/ a piece of bread.

Gita

Frozen cut green beans have that sort of rubbery texture. I never noticed until Paula Deen pointed it out. So I use canned for cut, but french style for frozen to distract from that rubbery thing.
None comes close to fresh though. And the sauteed beans at Chef Lin- could eat a whole plateful and probably will.

I figure this thread is as much about ideas on what to eat, as it is any given recipe or dinner. Or any other food related talk. Grazing and snacking is much more like how humans have eaten for thousands of years, I think. Dang, making me hungry for a snack...

Gita asks about chicken soup and coleup responds:

I use a whole chicken which I have roasted and eaten several meals from. ( In this case it started as a Sam's club rotisserie almost 8 pounder! My preference is a free range bird or one without all those antibioics/hormones added and then I do use all of the 'junk' as that and the bones is where all of the flavor and goodness is. I remove the meat that is left and and chunk it and add after I cook the bones and onions down. This takes about twelve minutes in my pressure cooker and most of the bones literally fall apart and dissolve. Those that don't are usually soft enough to be relished by my cats.

Next, I add meat, carrot chunks, celery chunks and water, and bring back up to pressure. I do a quick cool down, open lid and add garlic and all the celery leaves, stir and it is ready to eat. Add a can of green beans, too. A full pound of carrots and 1/2 to full bunch of celery seems right for me.

That's it, I do not add any seasoning or salt. (My Dad always used poultry seasoning!) However, when I roast a bird, I use a single packet of Lipton Onion soup as a rub so I am sure that is seasoning enough.

Canned green beans are fine by me as I but the lined cans without added salt. I usually don't add rice or noodles but on third or forth day if I have leftover oven fried potatoes or sweet potatoes, I will add those. Potatoes thicken and change texture of soup. Sometimes I enjoy a can of Niblets corn, too, I do both skin and no skin and am fairly meticulous about skimming off fat.

Not easy to be a food writer! Note that the first electric stove our family had had one back burner which was called a deepwell cooker which was like a stock pot/slow cooker built in to the surface of the stove.
Wood and coal cookstoves were always on in winter so there was always a pot of something working on them and this was electrics nod to that. We put our vegetable scraps, peelings, and leftovers in along with bones and meat scraps, etc and with the addition of water, out came "soup". Kinda like Jan's "endless pot" idea! Each day, the "soup" like life, was different.

We didn't really make soup as soup was one of the inevitable stages or forms of the food in our family.

Judy--

AHHH---You have a pressure cooker! makes things cook fast--doesn't it.
I just simmer away for 203 hours in a pot.

How old is the stove in the picture? What is under the right side--as it has no burners?
Is that the oven?

Is this what you still use? Gita

Simmering works, too. Yes, pressure cooker is fast, but for me the best difference is that the veggies don't go limp and soggy. I don't know about any of you all, but getting my stove to "simmer" is very difficult and in addition to stirring more often than I'd like, I have to keep adjusting the burner setting, too. Of course could just be me, too.

The pic above of the stove with the deepwell cooker is from late 40s early 50s. and served our family well for 30 plus years. What appears to be a double oven on ours was storage space. although on pricier models there were double ovens and bottom drawers for broiling or warming.

bean soup today

Last bowl of chicken soup today. Planing to bake a ham which will become split pea soup.

What is your favorite bean (or beans) for soup?

PS How's your tiling coming Sally?

This message was edited Jan 25, 2013 8:41 AM

Judy--
I LOVE both Bean soup and Split Pea soup and I make both (about once a year) and they are excellent.
I don't make it more often as I would not have the space in my freezer for 12 new bowls of soup to freeze.
I just use plain kidney beans--but also a hefty ham bone--some smoked Hocks and also diced ham.

For Pea soup--pretty much the same. For my 21qt. pot--I use 3 packages of split peas (makes a really thick soup)
and I also add some grated carrots. The usual spices and diced potatoes at the end.

JUDY! You have to make my Sour Kraut Soup!!! A soup made in heaven for cold weather....
Many people on DG, over the years, have gotten addicted to this soup once they made it.

My quantity is pretty large--but you can cut back on the amounts. In soups--who measures?
I guarantee you will love it!
Don't mind the length of all the instructions--it is just to help out first-timers.
***********************************

Gita’s Latvian Sauerkraut Soup

Note: This is delicious, full-bodied, cool weather soup. No actual
measurements are given. Only guidelines. Good soups are not based on a
prescribed formulas. If it seems right to you….go for it!
(this recipe is for a pot of approx. 21 qts. capacity)

In a large stockpot put:
A big, meaty ham bone (smoked is best), a 2 lb (plus or minus) piece of fresh pork of some kind (picnic, country spare ribs, fresh ham, thick pork chops etc.) and, for extra flavor, some smoked ham hocks.
These have a lot of fat (which can be removed once Soup is cold) but also add a lot of flavor.
Anything with bone-in is good. It adds body to the soup.

Cover meat with cold water and bring to a boil. Turn down fire and simmer, skimming off foam as it surfaces.
Let simmer for about an hour.
**Do not add any of the seasonings until all the “foaming” has stopped, or you will be skimming off the seasonings as well.

Next:
add 1 deli-pack (or 1 lg. Can—32oz) of Sauerkraut, 1 med. head of green cabbage, cut with a knife in a coarse shred, 2-3 ribs of celery (sliced), 2-3 med. onions (coarsely chopped), 1Tbs. Caraway seed, about a tsp. full of whole peppercorns, (or fresh ground black pepper to taste), 2-3 Bay leaves, fresh chopped parsley (1/2c. or so), fresh chopped dill (stems and all-maybe a 1/3 cup), and 1-2 coarsely shredded carrots.

Note:
This soup can have either barley (a ½ cup or so dry) or diced potatoes (3 or 4 med.—thick-diced) added for a fuller body. If you choose barley, add it now, as barley takes long while to cook until it is tender! If you choose potatoes, add them in the last half hour of cooking the soup, or they will turn to “mush”.

Add enough water (or saved broths—see note below) to almost fill the pot. Bring all back to a boil. Lower fire way down, and simmer the soup for a good 2 hours, stirring occasionally. Meat needs to be “falling off the bones” done.

At this point, using a slotted spoon, fish out ALL meats and bones to a large platter. Keep soup simmering ….(you can now add the potatoes).
Cut away all edible meat in bite-sized pieces. scrape off all underlying fat from the Hocks and discard, along with all other unnecessary fat. Sliver smoked skin from the hocks in thin strips—if you want to…or toss it! ***(Save bones for your favorite dog!).

Return cut-up meat to the soup and stir well to distribute all. Simmer another 15-20 minutes, or so.
The soup is now basically done. Let it rest a bit and skim off any obvious fat layer--then serve it with GOOD buttered bread of your choice—Rye bread and butter really complement this Soup.
Gets better and better when reheated…as all soups do!

Can be frozen in serving size bowls or containers, such as a margarine bowls. Microwave to re-heat and serve.
***This, and all soups, freeze VERY WELL and last for a very long time in the freezer without losing flavor. Years! Literally!!!

Frugality note:
You can save (and freeze) any liquids/broths from other “cookings” of veggies, potatoes, and meats and then add them to the soup. Why pour it down the drain???

Lots of success with this! You will love this soup! Everyone has-- that has tasted it. I can almost guarantee it!!!

Gita (410-256-2709) –in case you run into problems……just call!

Thanks Gita!
Putting a few more items on my shopping list just in case I feel creative with my ham bone and leftovers. I would have forgotten caraway seed (yum) without your nudge. Wasn't it Paul who was going to make this last year?

Are you sure you want your number out there in cyberspace for all to see? I suppose if someone did steal your idntity we'd still know who you are!

Judy

Well--Good point, Judy. I may just remove my phone # from the recipe.
I think, initially, I meant it to go to all my local pals here.
So far--no one from any states has called me anyway.

There is someone far away who tried this soup and is now so hooked on it that
she makes it every year. I believe some people have used smoked Turkey legs
instead of the smoked ham--less fat--BUT--also less flavor.....maybe???
Fat=flavor to me. You can always skim it off if you don't want it.

Let me know if you like it!
BTW--shop for your spices at target--they have an amazing selection, in big bottles under their own name.
I could not believe the prices--compared to McCormics or Spice Islands!
Target--like $5.99 and $6.99 for most. Some higher.
What blew me away was a bottle of Cardamom for $6.99!!!!
Under the brand names--you would pay $16-$18 for a container half that size.

Gita

We serve these often for family gatherings and our monthly charades/card parties. For about $10-12, you can buy a big box of (50) Nacho Cheese Doritos (or Fritos) in around a 1 oz pkg. They're perfect for this. You could prolly skip the spices & add a taco seasoning mix, but ..... ;-)

Walkabout Tacos

2 lbs lean ground beef
1 pint salsa
2 med onions, chopped (baseball sized)
2 toes minced garlic
3 tbs ground no/low chilies
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp black pepper
1/3 tsp oregano or Mexican oregano
salt to taste and something for some heat if you like

20 small bags of Doritos
cheese
sour cream
refried beans (warm)
hot sauce

Garnishes - any/all of:
chopped tomato
chopped g onion
chopped g pepper
sliced black olives
whatever you like

In a heavy sauce pan over high heat, start meat to browning. When it's lost most of it's pink, add onion, garlic, and spices. Cook on high until most of the liquid has evaporated (If you hold the salt, there will be less liquid to evaporate). Add the salsa & bring to a simmer for about 20 minutes to drive some of the salsa liquid off. Allow to cool enough that you can hold a hand on side of pan.

Cut a thin strip off 1 side off each bag of Doritos (not the top). Squeeze bag to crush. Ladle a scoop of the meat mixture over the Doritos, then add what you choose of the remaining ingredients & enjoy.

At Halloween we called these body bag tacos. They're always a big hit - surprisingly good.

Al

The bananas for this recipe should be VERY ripe & soft - dark streaks on the skins

So Easy Banana Nut Muffins

2 boxes Jiffy Banana Nut Muffin Mix
1-2 cups chopped walnuts
3 very ripe bananas (medium size), mashed thoroughly
3 medium eggs, beaten
1 tbsp brown sugar (packed)
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat to 375*
Combine/mix bananas, eggs, sugar, and vanilla. Add remaining ingredients & mix lightly until nuts are evenly dispersed - a few lumps are ok. Ladle into 12 muffin cups & bake about 22 minutes. Serve warm or at room temp - frost if you like after they cool.

Al

Yum and yum!
Around here its called taco in a bag- the side cut is a design advancement !

ALDI has Great Northern so thats what my bean soup has. Sometimes I buy other pretty beans. Black beans make the soup black (duh) so be forewarned.

Once you have your spice jars, and need several at once refilled, try Penzey's. mail order/ website. THey sell amounts in bags and great prices. Normal quantities or bigger quantities. Also sell in little jars and bottle s like the store. Curry powder for example, uses couple TB per meal so good to get that in bigger quantity.

I get all my spices from Penzy's. Great quality and a small fraction of the price of store bought, even after you add shipping in. I wouldn't be w/o their premium cinnamons, double vanilla extract, and their Cajun seasoning. Oink! I do wish though, that they still sold powdered bay leaf. I have to buy that from The Spice House. Itsa lot more convenient than the leaves, and more potent, too.

Lol - I usually buy more than I need because the added amount is so cheap, then go to my brother's and sister's and dump out their 10 year old stuff and replace it with fresh. ;-)

Al

ha ha good move Al!

Had cornbread with our bean soup
Recipe: Buy Jiffy mix and make it.

I love those Jiffy mixes!! Hmmmm, those banana nut muffins sound really yummy, I'm going to have to try those, thanks! (Sans nuts, of course) ;)

Mexican Chicken

We use this for nachos, tacos, burritos, and rice bowls.

2 large packages of skinless boneless chicken thighs (usually 8-10 thighs per pkg)
1 sweet onion, sliced
1 green pepper, sliced
1 can diced tomatoes with green chilies
1 jar chunky salsa
1 envelope taco seasoning

Place sliced onion in bottom of a large crockpot. Layer one package of the chicken thighs on the sliced onions. I sprinkle with garlic powder and pepper. Sprinkle half of the envelope of taco seasoning on the chicken. Pour the can of diced tomatoes on top. Layer the other package of chicken thighs next. Sprinkle with garlic powder, pepper, and other half of taco seasoning. Pour the jar of salsa on top. Place the sliced green peppers on last. Cover and cook on high for six hours.

Yum, and easy!
Karen

Thank you Karen! So glad to have a good crockpot chicken recipe!

Karen, that looks wonderful, thank you for sharing it! Mexican food is my all-time favourite food, I can eat it 3 meals a day every day... Americanized, Authentic, doesn't matter, I LOVE it!!!

Hmmmm... that reminds me... I've got "Some sort of Cod" on the menu for tonight; maybe I'll make fish tacos! < =D

I had some sort of whiting last week. Not familiar whiting, but it was wild caught in Canada so I bought it for the price and safety. It was a mild white fish shaped in long thin filets. Tasted fine but I tried to fry it and most of the breading came off in the skillet. Any help on oven frying filets?

Pizzaghetti


1 lb angel hair pasta

2 15 oz cans pizza sauce (or make your own)

1 can black beans, drained/rinsed (optional)

2 cups milk

1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

2-4 cups grated mozzarella

3 eggs

1 tsp Italian seasoning

1 tsp basil

1/2 tsp garlic salt or to taste

3 bay leaves or 1/2 tsp powdered bay leaf

pepperoni + favorite pizza toppings (mushrooms, onions, g pepper, olives for me)


Bring 6 qts lightly salted water + bay leaf to rolling boil. Add pasta & return to boil, cook 2/3 the time suggested while oven preheats to 350*, stirring pasta occasionally. Drain pasta & rinse with cold water/drain well/remove leaves. Beat eggs & milk together, then add Parmesan and seasonings. Add beans, mix into the pasta, pour mixture into a greased 10x14 baking dish. Arrange so pasta mixture is flat. Pour sauce evenly over the pasta - don't mix it in. Top with mozzarella, then pepperoni, then the pizza toppings. Cover with aluminum foil and bake until the pasta is set (45 - 60 minutes). Let it rest 5 minutes covered with the original foil, then cut in squares & serve with a spatula. I usually uncover for the last 15-20 minutes baking time. Oink!

Al

sounds great!

That's a really cool recipe idea Al. I'm often wondering "what ELSE could I do with pasta other than the same ol' boring white sauce or red sauce?". COOL!!

Sally, I keep breading on my cod pretty well this way: (this is the only white fillet fish I use, by the way, so I'm not sure how well it would work on any others). First, when I pull it out of the freezer, I pour milk into the bag for it to soak in while defrosting. (the milk "eases" the fishy smell and taste a bit). I use a Pyrex baking pan to oven fry it. I prepare the Pyrex pan by pouring olive oil into the pan AND putting a few pats of butter into it, then put it into the pre-heated oven for a few minutes until the butter is JUST melted. Meanwhile, I dry the fish on paper towels and season and pat bread crumbs to one side. Lay the breaded side down on the pan, then season and lightly sprinkle the other side (while it's lying in the pan). I sit a few more pats of butter on top of the breading, then squeeze some lemon juice on top of that (depending on what seasoning I'm using), then bake it at 360* for about 20-25 minutes. I never lose my breading this way.

And yes, I just about always bake it the same way, because we always get our cod from the same place, and they are just about ALWAYS the same hugeness and thickness. =)

thanks speedie!!!!!

You're very welcome! =)

All that being said, I did my cod last night for "tacos"... it was not a hit. =( I guess DH does not see Cod + Mexican seasonings + Tortillas as = yummy. =/ Oh well, live and learn.

Me? I'll eat cod ANY way other than raw and looking at me asking me why I want to eat it.

I had fish tacos once, I loved em, the whole crunchy exterior, soft inside, crispy lettuce, crunchy shell... But I don't recall that they were taco seasoned. I love good batter fried fish filets and fish sandwiches.

Catfish is the best--battered and fried! Love the taste and the nice, fatty meat.
I often buy the Catfish Nuggets--odds and ends. Easier to fry.

I usually dip it in seasoned flour and then in egg and then fry it on some OO and butter
with a squirt of lemon over all. Yummm...

Mmmmmmm we love catfish too!! Darn that sounds good!! Gita, what is OO? Olive Oil?

Sally, we didn't have the regular hard crunchy taco shells, we had soft flour tortillas... I could have (and probably should have) at least made those type for DH, but I can't eat the hard crunchy ones with my braces.

catfish is good!

Ditto!!!

Speedie--

Yes! OO =Olive Oil.
Rachel Ray may have started this abbreviation--she always said...add some EVOO....(extra virgin).

I also love Flounder--fried the same way....but Rockfish rules. WHO can even get fresh Rockfish?
Unless you go fishing.

I think you can get rockfish at specialty places. THeres a seafood, carry out and fresh, place in Severna Park, but oh my $$$$$

One of my paper route customers is an avid fisher and he tips me with fresh caught rockfish several times a season!

I like to bake them stuffed with mashed potatoes. Good thing I remember how to clean fish! Could use a little refresher on fileting though.

Judy--NOT crab meat????

That is one dish I would order in a blink of an eye--Rockfish stuffer with crab imperial.

Mashed taters on the side--NOT inside......:o) G.

ooh coleup- good going there!! Fish and potatos is classic.

Oh Judy, that customer of yours is a GEM!!!!!! Wow, what a wonderful "tip"!!! Yummm, that sounds delicious too... now I'm hungry. < =/

(of course, I wouldn't say 'no' to having it Gita's way either). heeheeheee