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What have you been eating, drinking, and cooking?
What food and drinks have you been enjoying (or not enjoying) recently? Have you cooked or created anything interesting? Tell us about it!
What food and drinks have you been enjoying (or not enjoying) recently? Have you cooked or created anything interesting? Tell us about it!
Yesterday I made hot dogs impaled on spaghetti noodles for my son.
Pre cooking
Post cooking
It's something I've seen before, but never made, and he thought it was silly and delightful. I cut the hot dogs up, then stacked four pieces on top of each other, then stabbed the spaghetti noodles through, then realigned the hot dogs. It was relatively easy; I only broke two noodles during the whole process.
This is peak kid food, I love it!
It was a ton of fun, and capped of a "boys weekend" - my wife and daughters were out all weekend long, so I let my son pick all the food and most of the activities. This was the only thing that was particularly kid-food though; he picked a great kabob place around the corner for dinner the previous day, and that was amazing.
This reminds me of when me and a friend were about six, we made a pizza with hot dog slices and chips (fries) on the top! Sounds absolutely repulsive to me now, but we enjoyed it.
I read once that one of the best reasons to have school kitchen gardens is that kids will pretty much always eat what they grow. I think the same is true of what they make.
This is something I would have loved as a kid tbh. It's interesting looking and seems tasty.
It was pretty good! I recommend it. I might not put it with a meat sauce, but that was the other half of my son's request, so that's what we had. I think this would be great with a simple cheese sauce or even just some shredded cheese.
Haha! I find these absolutely hilarious!!
I first learned/saw a post of them about a year ago. But the attempt was the spaghetti noodles impaling a whole hotdog perpendicularly. Something like this but in a single regular sized hot dog. It was the most absurd food item I've seen in my life and amused me quite a bit. I still have yet to try it though!
Made some spaghetti for dinner last night, and found a few things:
There is absolutely no replacement for fresh basil. It's more fragrant, the flavor doesn't cook out as much, and it's easy to harvest. This tiny little herb garden on my windowsill has been worth it many times over!
Vegetable replacements for ground sausage are surprisingly good, they have a nice texture without adding such a heavy fatty meat flavor.
I'm generally not a fan of "italian seasoning" and I discovered why. After making my own and analyzing the flavors inside, I believe most store blends of this seasoning have WAY WAY too much oregano. Maybe it's cheaper than the other ingredients? I'm not sure why they do it.
How hard is it to grow basil? I have been thinking on growing spices but haven't bought one yet.
I grew basil from seed and found it extremely easy.
Started with a wide, low planter pot and filled it with 2" of fresh potting soil, scattered a bag of seeds from the dollar store with low expectations. They had germinated and were sprouting within the week!
I drilled a hole in the base of the pot, soak it to dripping every morning, then put it out on the windowsill and ignore it the rest of the day.
I currently have a small forest of basil and have to trim leaves or the small ones won't have room to grow! Next year I'm going to make a more organized effort and see if I can harvest enough to make pesto.
Thank you. I will probably plant some basil than. I didn't know they were this easy to grow.
I had trouble with basil until I saw a tip on a YouTube video. If you buy a basil plant from a store they usually come very bushy, but basically each stalk is its own seperate plant and they need to be given space otherwise the whole plant will die. You would assume they would come the way they should grow, but no. Seperate each little sprout, give them at least two inches between and prune often and they're a very easy plant to maintain!
I have found I can get away with not bothering to split them up. I move the whole thing to a bigger plot. Then I just go super aggressive on the pruning. I leave like two tiny little leaves on each stem. If some of them don't survive, that's fine and achieves the same result.
Thank you for the advice! I will be looking out for it.
I have two varieties of basil that I grew from cuttings. They rooted in water in I think 10+ days and have been growing well.
It's hot and humid all year round where I am. My basil is all potted, I water every other day. Overwatering hasn't been a problem, some were underwatered for a bit but they recovered quickly.
I plan on growing them potted as well. Is it better to water them every other day? I will probably watch a few videos about it though, thank you for the information. I'm defenetily looking forward to growing Basil.
Every other day works for me, but your conditions (climate, soil) may be different. I just aim to keep the soil moist but not waterlogged and I don't let it dry out.
Good luck!
Thank you!
I do have a tip for keeping fresh basil flavor-- freezing it.
My problem with herbs is they wilt/decompose too quickly before I can use them. While of course frozen basil won't do you any good in a caprese salad, I find it works just as well flavor wise throwing it in soups/stews/sauces.
I used a can of generic tomato sauce and beefed it up with a bunch of fresh basil and a white onion. My opinion on Italian seasoning so far has been more about "how do I make this standard pack better" rather than making my own from scratch.
Here's the actual recipe I followed:
24 oz can of Del Monte Tomato & Basil Pasta Sauce
Handful of fresh basil leaves, chopped coarsely
1 large white onion, chopped finely
1 cup Morning Star Farms Veggie Griller Crumbles, frozen
Put some corn oil in a saucepan and get it nice and hot, dump the onions in there and let them sizzle a bit before putting the sauce on top.
Once the sauce is bubbling, throw the veggie crumble in there and mix until the bits thaw and become finely divided chunks.
Add the basil at the very end, mixing only as much as necessary to get it evenly distributed in the sauce.
Have you tried growing oregano yet? It'll take over space like mint will and it's quite happy in poor soil. I'm sure it costs a lot less to grow on a big farm than many other herbs.
Eating Shin ramen with egg. Right now. For breakfast. I’m a champion.
I'm not ashamed to say I've eaten 5 bowls of ramen so far in my 8 or so days in Japan so far. 2 of them have been at around 10AM. You do you, royalty.
Ugh, I spilled ramen + egg all over my carpet last week and the smell still isn't gone. It's a mix of cooked egg + chicken flavor packet smell. Haven't been able to eat it since.
I picked a couple of kilograms of mulberries and raspberries, then made jam the same day. Added a vanilla bean (scraped pulp and seeds into the mix after boiling in the jam for a while), lemon juice + zest, and a pinch each of kosher salt and cayenne/white/black pepper. That's a nice batch to set aside through winter.
I've made some tofu fried rice with chili and bell pepper the day before yesterday. I sliced the chili and 3 gloves of garlic which I stirred a bit then put in the tofu which I sauted to get it crispy then the bell pepper and rice (salt and pepper ofc). For the sauce I used soy sauce, sesame oil, sriracha, honey and some vinegar. It was good itself but what got me to it an 8/10 was when I put some kimchi to it. The sriracha kind of blended in so I didn't really feel it, the kimchi gave the finishing taste it needed. It was a good one and I'm thinking about experimenting more with tofu.
Staying in the UK right now so I'm trying to enjoy ingredients that are cheaper and harder to find back where I lived before in Japan.
Breakfast is usually a nice sourdough or brown bread, slightly toasted with eggs and some good cheese. Both the darker breads and decent cheese are hard to find in Japan without paying a lot of money and finding specialty stores. There was also an egg crisis in Japan which raised prices and I think they have not normalized yet.
Lunch is usually something lighter like avocados (also hard to find back home for a reasonable price,) some raw veggies and maybe some pieces of cheese like brie that are delicious to eat by themselves. I tend to avoid carbs in the midday and either save them for dinner or just avoid them.
My partner is pescetarian so dinner is usually fish based. Salmon fillets pan fried with some veggies (and maybe rice for her,) or whole white fish like sea bass baked in the oven with some herbs and citrus and I'm happy. I did buy a pack of some ground beef so I am aiming to make some burgers for myself in the next few days since I have been craving one.
Looking to make a homemade pizza soon too, so I'll prep the dough and let it ferment a few days in the fridge.
I am a huge fan of Kenji López-Alt and his YouTube series of cooking videos. My latest obsession of his is Sichuan Fish Fragrant Pork (Yuxiang Pork). It introduced me to the "velveting" technique which makes for incredibly tender pork. This dish is easy to put together and tastes amazing. It's now a staple weeknight meal in my household.
Jerk pork with rice n peas. It is one of my top five foods and it takes some serious effort to stop myself from eating it until I'm sick.
I've made some stir fry this weekend, but I plan on making some coq au vin this weekend, seems like summer has died down for now, so this "cold-ish" weather calls for something heavier, maybe even some banana muffins!
I cooked a beef brisket on my Kamado Joe smoker over the weekend. I haven’t cooked a brisket since before the pandemic caused beef prices to skyrocket.
For drinks I have been on a tequila tear lately. The Kirkland reposado on ice has been a surprisingly smooth sipper. I just got some topo chico and limes to mix in. Also have been on a gin & tonic journey lately.
I am still overrun by eggplants. This week I cut them into thick strips, scored and sprinkled with old bay, and roasted until soft but not crispy. I’ve been adding a slice to my lunchtime sandwich, and it’s a great addition! Barely noticeable, but gives a nice extra texture and a little veggie boost.
I have been on a huge chili kick lately. My dad used to make chili as one of our staple household meals when I was a kid, and it was always one of my favorites. After moving out and living on my own, I asked him for the recipe and I made it frequently as one of my comfort foods. However, I married into a family that isn't used to heavily spiced cooking, so I kind of fell out of the habit of making it for a while.
Recently I decided that it would be a great meal to make for weekdays when I'm working at home alone, since then I wouldn't need to worry about my other relatives palates. About a month ago I made my first batch, and after finishing it the next day, I needed more. I made another batch, this time tweaking the recipe slightly, and doubling the amount of ingredients so that I would have enough for the rest of the week. After finishing that batch, it still wasn't enough. Over the last month I've tested and tweaked the recipe, making batch after batch, having chili in various forms every single day. I have utilized it in breakfast and lunch burritos, nachos, mixed it with kraft mac & cheese, or just had it straight up in a bowl with some cheese on top... and I'm still crazy for it. I recently made a batch with 4x the amount of ingredients, just to freeze for later meals. It has basically become a regular part of my daily diet, and I don't feel bad about that at all. At this point I am convinced that it is the perfect food and I will never tire of it.
For those curious, the ingredients are basically: Ground beef, pinto beans, kidney beans, diced onion, rotel, tomato paste, chopped tomato, diced garlic, red peppers smashed in a mortar and pestle, cumin, oregano, salt, pepper. This most recent batch, I also tested throwing in some beer and some beef stock as it simmered, which I believe was a net positive. My dad will be visiting in a couple months and I'm already looking forward to making it for him to see how he likes it!
I don’t know how traditional this is (I’m from the UK and I’m sure most Americans would be horrified by what we call chilli and sin of all sins I also make mine vegetarian) but I really like to add cinnamon and cocoa to mine. Not too much! It just gives a background depth that’s really delicious.
Actually not uncommon in the US. Chili with rice is a bit weird, which I've heard the UK does. But it's also delicious with rice and us Americans need to get on that
I just learned this week on tildes that rice is weird with chilli! It makes sense when I think about it, being from so far apart from each other, but it’s so normal to me that I’d never thought about it before.
What’s the common carb to have with chilli in the US? Or do you go carbless?! I’ve heard of the thing where you put chilli in a crisp bag (honestly how anyone can say rice is weird when they do this is beyond me) but I get the impression that’s more of an occasional or regional thing than the most common way
I've never heard of the chip bag thing either. But normally my family adds biscuits (southern us type, buttery and fluffy)
I saw it on a Bourdain but I can’t remember what they called it. I want to say some kind of pie even though it’s nothing like a pie. Frito pie? Edit: yea frito pie, also sometimes called a walking taco (tacos seems pretty transportable already!)
I’m imagining that with the biscuits on top like a cobbler which sounds amazing. Even just on the side that sounds really good too though!
What simple dishes can you make with savoury yoghurt? I like it in small portions with herbs, and I've been adding it to soup like sour cream. Besides that, everything else I've tried to do with it has been rather meh.
What do you mean by this? Is it plain, unsweetened yoghurt, or does it contain added ingredients?
Here are various ways I use plain yoghurt in savoury ways, if it helps:
-Many 'middle eastern' and south asian dishes work great with yoghurt as a side/topping (dal is fairly simple to make)
-I like yoghurt as a base for creamy salad dressings (eg, cucumber+tomato salad with yoghurty, lemony, herby dressing)
-I'm not a sour cream fan, so I use high-fat plain yoghurt in pretty much any sour cream application (eg, loaded potatoes, nachos + salsa)
-Raita and Taziki are both savoury yoghurt dips; I use them for dipping veggies and flatbreads
-Look up "ottolenghi butternut squash and tahini spread" for a more substantial dip that hides the yoghurt a bit
Yeah, I mean plain unsweetened yoghurt, as opposed to sweetened dessert yoghurt. Bought unsweetened by mistake so I've been experimenting with it.
Thanks for the list, it does help! I have one last portion of yoghurt, I'll try making something like tzatziki tonight (no cucumbers in the fridge though).
I make potato salad with half mayo, half Greek yoghurt which gives it a nice tang. You could also try making labneh, it's lovely to eat far too much of with a bit of flatbread.
Labneh sounds interesting! Yoghurt does seem like it goes well with potatoes, will try that some time.
I recently learned brussels sprouts are absolutely delicious if they're pan fried. I'm a grown adult but I've always thought they were unpleasant because a friend's mom from childhood would boil them and serve them to me when I went over without any seasoning or anything yuck.
Been absolutely addicted to them as of late and having them once every couple days if not every day.
Brussel sprouts have actually changed a LOT since the 90s they used to be bitter and they've been modified over the years to become tasty. Lots of people still have preconceived notions about them and refuse to try them again.
Move in date for our new apartment has been delayed, but most of my cookware is already packed up dohhh! So I'm having to be creative with a small sheet pan, skillet, rice cooker, and air fryer. It's working out much better than expected and has been a fun challenge. I've also been able to clear out some stuff in the fridge and freezer, so that's been an added bonus.
Best dish so far was lamb meatballs with fresh mint from our garden and glazed with pomegranate molasses. Served with roasted peppers and onions and quinoa done in the rice cooker. Made a tahina sauce to drizzle over it and woweee! Planning to bake some premarinated teriyaki tofu tonight and serve it with roasted broccoli and carrots plus mirin rice.
I accidentally invented a tofu product that I think is pretty similar to Soy Curls. But because I can't find that product in any store near me, I have no real way to know.
Basically I was trying to reproduce the texture of tofu as described in this recipe and I squeezed out too much water and cooked it too low, which made the tofu dry out. It turned out pretty good, I think.
I also harvested my first batch of microgreens! They really don't have much flavor at all. I put them on two pieces of toast with some peanut butter and Cosmic Crisp apple slices and it was heavenly and very filling.
Chocolate Hazelnut Chocolate Chip Cheesecake
I love to cook but I always find myself making the same few things over, and over. Various pastas, burgers, perogies with whatever, rice with whatever.
Recently trying to make different things because I'm getting bored. Last night I just made a cookie-sheet full of baked nachos and it was actually great, and filling for 2 people.
I did a small amount of taco meat (ground beef and spices). Then I diced red onions and tomatoes. Sliced jalepnos into thin circles, used pickled banana peppers, black olives, black beans, frozen corn and tons of cheese.
Did 3 layes of chips>toppings>cheese and baked for 20ish minutes. Ate with sour cream and salsa, and some green hot sauce I have in which I cannot remember the name. It was really good.
Tonight is a very small roasted chicken with potatoes, carrots, and peas- or a substitution of a vegetable based on what I actually have when I look.
Edit: spelling mistakes
I love stir-fry! What kind of rice did you use? I've never tried the quick rice, but I've seen it and wondered so maybe I'll try it now.
Also using fried rice instead of normal rice is OP and sounds amazing, I just do normal plain basmati or jasmine, but ima do that next time.
I just made a version of mujadarra and it was lovely. About 1.5 c. Each of brown rice (I use sweet) and lentils w, water or stock in rice cooker. While that’s going, put a good amount of olive oil in large pan. Thin slice 3 big onions, carmelize in oil until rich brown. Stir a lot so no burn. Dump in tablespoon or more good garam masala and some salt, cook a few more min. Add cooked rice and lentils. Drop in some coarse chopped cilantro. Important: serve with lemon wedges.
My wife and I have been playing around with the slow cooker lately since we both work from home and are too tired from the kids to prepare anything quickly.
Today I threw about 2 pounds of chicken breast in there with a packet of taco seasoning and a jar of salsa. Shredded it about 30 minutes before dinner and threw it on some tortillas with cilantro and cheese. Was AMAZING.
I'm incredibly excited for tomorrow when my wife is going to use the leftovers for an enchilada bake.
My partner made fritters out of pumpkin flowers which went into my wrap along with some vegan style Kebab pieces, lettuce and cut cherry tomatoes.