The Official TBCS Community Cook Book Thread!

[Zephik]

Just thought I'd create a "share your recipes" thread. I know we have a few chef's here on the boards! So this should be pretty good I think.

Here's a pretty basic recipe that tastes great, is simple to make and takes almost no time to prep and cook to boot! Tuna Croquettes! This Recipe can either make 4 decent sized servings (think BK dollar burger) or 2 large sized servings (think regular hamburger).

You'll need:
1 Can of Chunk White Albacore Tuna - Shredded
Green Onion or Dill Pickle - Finely Chopped, add as you see fit.
2tsp of Mustard (I like the hot and spicy kind)
2 Large Eggs - Beaten
2tsp of Lemon Juice
Salt & Pepper - Not sure how much, use your best judgment. I like extra pepper for a bit of "rawr".
1 Cup of Fine Bread Crumb or Finely Crushed Saltine Crackers
Olive Oil - Enough to coat the entire pan, for frying up the patties. I've also used liquid butter before, but it wasn't as good.

Basically, this isn't exactly pro style here, but I just add everything into a bowl and mix it well. Don't use all the bread crumbs, only use a half cup portion for now, you'll need the other half for later. Once you have your mixture, make patties as if you were making hamburger, or if you have any other shape in mind that will probably work just as well. I've seen people do "rolls" before with cheese throughout the center, which kind of look like giant tuna twinkies. lol

Set aside your patties for about five minutes while your pan coated with the olive oil gets nice and hot. I usually put the stove top on at about 350F. You'll know when its hot when you drop a little something in and it starts frying immediately. So once your pan is nice and hot, drop in the patties gently, careful not to splash yourself with the hot oil, then just cook for about 3 minutes or until golden brown on each side.

To finish them off or just to add a little extra, I like to sprinkle [your choice of cheese] over the tops of the patties right before I take them out of the pan.

Total Prep Time: Approx. 5 minutes.
Total Cook Time: Approx. 10 minutes.

Enjoy!
http://img218.imageshack.us/img218/1149/ea1204tunacroquettelg.jpg
(picture not mine, used for example image)

[985323]

If your not into tuna can you use beef?

[Zephik]

If your not into tuna can you use beef?

For this recipe I wouldn't recommend it. However, nothing ventured, nothing gained I guess? It would probably taste just like a burger but maybe a bit more bland because of the bread crumbs, unless you used pre-seasoned crumbs. Subtract the eggs since you more than likely don't need them. Honestly, I'd just make a burger instead. Sorry, I don't know any gourmet burger recipes, maybe someone else does though? I just add garlic, pepper and lawry's seasoning salt to my burgers. However, I do use olive oil in my burgers too. I think it keeps them nice and juicy, but I also just like the taste and health benefits of olive oil.

I would imagine that you could substitute the tuna for other types of fish or maybe even chicken. Perhaps salmon? But personally I haven't experimented with anything other than albacore tuna so I can't recommend anything for this recipe.

By the way, if you haven't tried albacore tuna, give it a go. It doesn't taste like regular tuna, which is why I use it because I don't like regular tuna either.

[nevermind1534]

Those look like crab cakes.

[Luke122]

There ya go.. substitute crab meat for tuna and you have a gourmet version! :D

Here's some pizza tips for everyone:

1. Sliced avacados. Trust me on this one.
2. Mix a little garlic into the sauce.
3. Crumble some feta on top halfway through cooking.

Watermelon Salad

1 medium Watermelon (seedless is ideal, but you can remove seeds if need be)
1 - 2 Cups Feta Cheese
Some Fresh mint (more or less depending on taste.. I like lots!)

1. Chop the watermelon into bite sized cubes and remove any seeds you find. Place the watermelon into a colander inside a bowl, and let it sit while you do the rest of the prep work. There will definitely be excess water/juice that will drain out, so give it some time or your salad will have loads of water/juice in it. It's not a bad thing, I just prefer without the excess.

2. Wash the mint, remove all the stems, and finely chop the leaves (or tear into chunks, again, it's preference). I like quite a bit of mint in mine.. ymmv.

3. If your feta is packed in water or oil, drain it, and pat it dry. Crumble into medium size chunks.

4. Drain the watermelon juice from the bowl, then combine the watermelon, feta, and mint in the bowl and mix until it's evenly distributed. Refrigerate for 45mins-1hr before serving.

This makes a killer refreshing salad, great for hot summer days!

[Eclecticos]

http://img193.imageshack.us/img193/3712/jerky.jpg

Ostrich Jerky

Ingredients:

* 3 pounds of ostrich (or any meat)
* 5 teaspoons of salt
* 20 teaspoons of pepper
* 4 cubes of beef bullion

Directions:

1. Combine your 3 ingredients.
2. Marinade your meat anywhere from 12-24 hours. It’s to your preference.
3. Set oven to a temp. of about 125 to 135 degrees for 6 to 10 hours, or to your preference. Keep oven door ajar for ventilation and cook jerky until it is bendable but doesn’t snap or is too chewy/crispy. Enjoy!

**3 pounds of meat = 1 pound of jerky (roughly)

[Airbozo]

How complicated would you like me to get. I can give you guys several of my recipes, but for instance, my pastry cream recipe takes effort and you will probably screw it up one or two times before it is edible. (I just made it for 60 people over the memorial day weekend...) I can also include my tart crust recipe.

I have tons of recipes that I have "borrowed" from other sources and made them my own by changing the ingredients or quantities to get the desired texture and taste.

Where do I start?

[Oneslowz28]

Chicken Stew

You need:


4 cans chicken broth
5-6 large chicken breasts
10lbs potatoes
4 cups chopped carrots
3lbs onions
¼ cup bacon grease
½ cup chopped chives / green onions
½ cup chopped cilantro
1 bottle a1 steak sauce
1 bottle Worcestershire sauce
1 whole garlic clove
Salt, and black pepper



In a large pot boil the chicken breast in the chicken broth and water. When the meat is falling off the bones remove from heat and remove chicken from water using tongs. Also remove any skin and bones that may still be in the water. If any large chunks of chicken remain remove them and place in a bowl. Set all to the side and allow to cool.

Fry up a pack of bacon using no cooking oil. When its finished drain the bacon grease into a coffee cup or pyrex measuring cup. Set to the side.

Peel all of the potatoes and cut into ½” chunks. Peel and finely dice half of the onions. The other half of the onions chop into half circles. Chop ½ cup of cilantro, and ½ cup chives or green onions. Peel and chop the carrots into ¼” thick slices.

Place chicken broth you made earlier back onto the heat and bring to a boil. While this is heating up , add the finely diced onions to a separate pot or pan. Heat these up on high until they melt. Add them to the pot of broth. Now pour in the potatoes, carrots, sliced onions, cilantro, chives or green onions. Then add the bottle of A1, ½ bottle of worcestershire sauce, and bacon grease to the pot. Let it come to a boil and then reduce the heat until its barely boiling. Peel the garlic and using a cheese grater, grate up each little piece of garlic into a bowl. When finished add to the pot. Now add salt and black pepper to taste.

Continue boiling until the largest of the potatoes are tender. While this is boiling pick all of the chicken meat off of the bones. When finished throw the bones and skin away and add the chicken to the pot. Boil for another 10 minutes and remove from heat.

Cook some white rice and drain and rinse with cold water. Put a bed of rice into a bowl and pour chicken stew over it. Enjoy!


I still have chili, teriyaki chicken, chicken alfredo pasta, ribs, chicken soup, bbq chicken, hamburger, Low country boil, and Burgers+ beer braughts and mimosas tail gating recipes to post.

[Luke122]

I can't post my chili recipe here.. yet. I'm entering it into the local fair this fall, and i'm going to destroy some judges. :) Even if I dont win, it'll be memorable as the hottest f*cking chili ever.

[Zephik]

Oooh, Ostrich Jerky and Chicken Stew! I'm definitely going to try those. I love soups and I go nutty over Jerky, never tried Ostrich though. Sounds interesting!

I'm going to see if I can get my uncle's Finnish soup recipes. They're very light and refreshing for the summer months. (Finnish runs in my family, but he's the only one who has actually BEEN to Finland. Lucky guy gets to go every year to Helsinki to visit our cousins. He even has his own Sauna in his basement. lol)


Where do I start?

Anywhere you want! I was hoping you were going to be posting here. It might be helpful if you add a difficulty level somewhere in the post, although personally, I don't mind attempting recipes until I get them right. It took me a few tries just to get the Tuna Croquettes right. Finding out that egg is an ingredient helped a lot. lol

[Eclecticos]

Oooh, Ostrich Jerky and Chicken Stew! I'm definitely going to try those. I love soups and I go nutty over Jerky, never tried Ostrich though. Sounds interesting!

Yea, not sure where you get 3lbs of ostrich meat on a Wednesday afternoon.

I have made some jerky myself with a dehydrator, its basically just a ventilated oven coil. I also used soy sauce instead of beef bullion. You can make jerky with just about any meat. Made some decent jerky with regular jumbo beef franks, and raw pizza pepper. I don't care for hotdogs but they sure are good as jerky.

[Zephik]

I used to have a six rack dehydrator. I would go through fruit like cars go through gas. lol
........
Here's a simple recipe for Fruit Pizza that is totally delicious and great for summer months. I couldn't find our family recipe, but I found one that is pretty much identical. - From "All Recipes".

1/2 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup white sugar
1 egg
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese
1/2 cup white sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). In a large bowl, cream together the butter and 3/4 cup sugar until smooth. Mix in egg. combine the flour, cream of tartar, baking soda and salt; stir into the creamed mixture until just blended. Press dough into an ungreased pizza pan. Bake in preheated oven for 8 to 10 minutes, or until lightly browned. Cool. In a large bowl, beat cream cheese with 1/2 cup sugar and vanilla until light. Spread on cooled crust. Arrange desired fruit on top of filling, and chill.

You can also just go to a store and buy the cookie dough pre-made. Some stores with bakery's will even make you the finished product minus all the toppings.

http://images.allrecipes.com/site/allrecipes/area/community/userphoto/big/222527.jpg

[985323]

Well i guess i might as well contribute my great brownie recipe, i got it off a cooking show then made it my own.


3/4 cup butter
1 1/2 cup sugar
1 tspn vanilla
1 cup chocolate chips
melt together until smooth in a double boiler or if you dont have one boil water in a small pot and combine the ingredients in a glass bowl ontop of the boiling water.
then once everything is smooth turn down the heat to medium and add
4 eggs
1 1/2 cup flour
1 tspn baking powder
then pour into your baking vessle of choice
and bake at 350F for 30 minutes
let sit for about an hour then enjoy

Will

[Zephik]

[Recipe Request: Chicken]

I've never been very good with chicken based dishes. Does anyone have any good n' tasty chicken recipes?

Thanks in advance!

[Airbozo]

[Recipe Request: Chicken]

I've never been very good with chicken based dishes. Does anyone have any good n' tasty chicken recipes?

Thanks in advance!

Here is an easy one:

Throw some chicken (frozen or fresh) in an oven proof dish. Cover with your favorite sauce (I use Salsa or Spaghetti sauce) and bake in a 350 degree oven. 1 hour for frozen chicken 45 minutes for fresh (make sure it is done before removing from oven. Frozen chicken may require more time).

Cool for 10 minutes and enjoy.


Hell I have even thrown more liquid and some rice in there and you have a one pot meal.

EDIT: BTW, when I was in culinary school, cooking poultry was my worst grade... I always seem to over cook it on the grill.

[SgtM]

A good tip to make sure your poultry doesn't come out dry. The recommended "done" temp is 165 degrees. Make sure you keep a meat thermometer around for this. What you want to do is take the bird out of the oven or whatever cooking vessel you're using at around 158 degrees. Due to carry over heat, it's going to continue to cook for a while and rise in temp. Usually to around 167-170 degrees. Let it rest for about 10-15 minutes. If you dont take it out of the oven until it hits 165 degrees, then it's gonna be around 173-175 degrees before it's time to cut it, and will have significantly dried out.

You're guaranteed a juicy bird every time.

[billygoat333]

I just made up a delicious chicken pasta before I came to work. I called it...


CHIPOTLE CHICKEN PASTA
original, huh?


● 2 lbs chicken breast, thawed (I used boneless - skinless)
● 1 lb box rigatoni (penne noodles also work, well just about any noodles work :p)
● 1 pouch chipotle pepper McCormick brand marinade (1/4 cup water, 1/4 cup extra virgin olive or canola oil [i used evoo], marinade seasoning pouch, and a 1 gallon ziploc type bag)
● 2 cans diced tomato (I used S&W diced tomatoes with garlic, oregano and basil)
● Garlic Salt, Black Pepper, & Chipotle Tabasco Pepper sauce to taste (I used a lot o' Tabasco :) )

-Follow directions on marinade packet (mix all ingredients and thawed chicken in ziploc bag, making sure to coat the chicken evenly. put in fridge and let marinate for at least 15 min [[i marinated the breasts for a little over an hour]]

-Once marinated, dump chicken into a deep sided frying pan (dont know what the pan is really called) with a tad extra oil and the contents of the marinate over medium heat (i used the 4 setting on our stove which has a low heat, then 1-10) cook until chicken starts looking done (took me about 20-30 min)

-while the chicken is cooking, use a large pot to boil enough water to cook a lb of pasta, I added a dash of garlic salt to aid in the boiling/flavoring of the pasta. let pasta boil 10-15 min or until nice and soft. drain.

-when chicken gets close to being all the way cooked cut into strips or cubes with a sharp knife and add the 2 cans of tomatoes. (if you like your pasta a little saucier add a can of tomato sauce, most likely a small can would work best but YMMV) add garlic salt, pepper, and the chipotle Tabasco to taste. let simmer for about 5-10 min until everything is good an stewed together.

-mix the sauce in with the pasta, taste again to see if you need more garlic salt, pepper or hot sauce (I ended up adding more of all three)

-serve and enjoy! I served with bread, butter, and a spinach, carrot and ranch dressing salad (we only had ranch dressing, a balsamic vinaigrette would probably complement this better. :) )


hope you all enjoy!

[Datech]

Easiest dessert recipe ever: Chocolate filled croissants.
Difficulty: 1/10

Ingredients:

1 can crescent rolls (the kind that you just roll up and bake)
1 bag semi-sweet chocolate chips (whatever flavor you like)
Butter
Shortening (optional)
Cinnamon (optional)


Directions:

Unroll crescents and lay out flat
Coat each crescent lightly with butter
If you have cinnamon, sprinkle cinnamon onto flat crescents
Gently press as many chocolate chips as you want into the crescent. I usually use about 10.
Roll up crescents into proper shape.
Bake according to direction on crescent can
If you have shortening and extra chocolate chips, microwave half a small cereal bowl of chips and a spoonful of shortening until you have a chocolate sauce, adding more shortening or chips for your preffered consistancy.
When crescents come out of the oven, drizzle chocolate sauce over crescents


This is a super easy recipe and takes a total of maybe 20 minutes. The very original recipe called for one of Hershy's holiday chocolate chips, but it works awesome with dark, light, white, and any other chocolate you may have. I prefer cooking at least 20 crescents half white and half light chocolate on the inside, then alternating the drizzle on top.

[Airbozo]

Easiest dessert recipe ever: Chocolate filled croissants.
Difficulty: 1/10
.....

.... but it works awesome with dark, light, white, and any other chocolate you may have. ....

Nice Datech!

I make these at least every other week.
Some of my favorite things to put inside are:
Mixture of peanut butter and honey.
Peanut butter and chocolate.
Home made blackberry jam
Home made strawberry jam.

...you get the idea...

[mtekk]

There ya go.. substitute crab meat for tuna and you have a gourmet version! :D

Here's some pizza tips for everyone:

1. Sliced avacados. Trust me on this one.
2. Mix a little garlic into the sauce.
3. Crumble some feta on top halfway through cooking.


I definitely should try #3, I usually put the feta cheese on top right before placing the pizza in the oven, some of it ends up charing as it is so dry to begin with. Artichoke hearts are great on pizza. This past winter I really got into making homemade pizza. The main reason is most pizza is too greasy (especially anything from Papa Murphy's).

A great tip for making pizza dough is to use a bread maker (one of the best things in the world, besides a dremel of course ;) ). If you don't do a ton of baking, like me, and don't have a jar of yeast, just get one of those boxed bread kits. The "Krusteaz Country White" mix works very well, I've also used honey oat and multi-grain mixed. I'd stay away from the multi-grain mix as it has grain chunks in it that will make the dough more prone to tearing when working it out.

Set the bread maker to 'dough mode', and make the bread dough. I recommend using less water than what the box calls for, if it says 1 cup, use more like .8 cups of water. Using less water will keep the dough from getting way too sticky to handle after the bread maker is done doing its job.

Alfredo sauce makes a good pizza sauce. It goes good with mozzarella cheese, chicken, olives, feta cheese, artichoke hearts, and tomatoes (either sun dried or fresh diced) for toppings on a "Mediterranean" style pizza. Also, do not apply the sauce too thickly, otherwise the crust will be soggy and the toppings will slide right off of it when you try to eat it.

[Zephik]

Artichokes on Pizza?? That sounds yummy! I love artichokes! I'm definitely going to try that one. Hmmm, I wonder how tasty an artichoke based pizza sauce would be? Might be something worth experimenting with...

[XcOM]

you will need:

* Pan
* Beans
* Garlic
* Tomato Puree
* Butter/Marge
* Milk

Bring the beans upto tempture in the pan, and add a little drop of milk (Trust me on this), mix in,

Once done add about half a tube of tomato puree and either a crushed garlic clove or half a tube of garlic puree and again mix in.

Now add a good knob of butter, about a table spoons worth and mix in, now keep sturing until its gone nice and thick, this is the best beans ever invented, and are good on toast, on there own or even with a full english breakfast.

[Airbozo]

Artichokes on Pizza?? That sounds yummy! I love artichokes! I'm definitely going to try that one. Hmmm, I wonder how tasty an artichoke based pizza sauce would be? Might be something worth experimenting with...

What I want to know is who was the first person to walk up to an Artichoke plant and say: "mmm this looks yummy, think I will eat some thistle..."?

Don't get me wrong, I LOVE artichokes, but if you see them growing they do not look edible.

Speaking of artichokes;

Artichoke Relleno
Take a large Artichoke and trim off the pointy bits and the top couple inches.
Leave the stem as long as possible but trim off the bad parts.
Steam artichoke until soft.
Remove inside fuzz from center choke.
Open up the petals a little and stuff with your favorite Queso mix. (I use a mixture of fresh queso, green chili's and cumin, with a little chili powder)
Beat the yolk of one egg with a pinch of salt.
Beat the white until stiff peaks form.
Gently fold the yolk and white back together.
Heat a pan over medium high heat with about 1" of oil in the bottom.
Dip Artichoke in batter, coating thoroughly.
Fry until golden brown and crispy turning often.
Enjoy!

[mtekk]

Hmmm, I wonder how tasty an artichoke based pizza sauce would be? Might be something worth experimenting with...

Time to get out the food processor :twisted:

[billygoat333]

beans

what kind of beans were you talking about here? :P just curious...

[XcOM]

http://www.eurocosm.com/Application/Images/Newpics/02PAC46md.jpg

http://www1.istockphoto.com/file_thumbview_approve/850485/2/istockphoto_850485_baked_beans.jpg

[billygoat333]

ahhh... good ole baked beans. yummy. :)

I was watching the food network and some lady made baked beans with root beer. gonna have to try that sometime. your recipe sounds good, gonna check it out :D

[Drum Thumper]

ahhh... good ole baked beans. yummy. :)

I was watching the food network and some lady made baked beans with root beer. gonna have to try that sometime. your recipe sounds good, gonna check it out :D

I've done that before. I'll give you a little hint--it's even better with Dr. Pepper.

[Drum Thumper]

I've been thinking for days on end, trying to figure out what to share with the masses. Here it is. I call them "rockets". These are not for the faint of heart, small children, old ladies, or people with heart palpitations. Consider this your caveat emptor.

1 jar of pickles
3 habanero peppers
Vinegar

Strain pickle juice from pickles into a saucepan and bring to a boil. Slice the peppers lengthwise and add to the juice. Boil for 5 to 10 minutes. Strain peppers, if desired and pour juice back into the pickle jar. Top off with vinegar. Let age for two weeks, and be prepared for some of the hottest pickles you'll ever eat.

I make these about this time of year in order to have them for the 4th of July.

[Zephik]

[Recipe Request: Chocolate]

I have some Hershey's Cocoa Powder and I've been trying to find a use for it. Does anyone know how to make Chocolate from Cocoa Powder? I plan on making Chocolate Chips for some yummy scratch made cookies! TIA!

[Airbozo]

[Recipe Request: Chocolate]

I have some Hershey's Cocoa Powder and I've been trying to find a use for it. Does anyone know how to make Chocolate from Cocoa Powder? I plan on making Chocolate Chips for some yummy scratch made cookies! TIA!

To make Chocolate from Cocoa Powder, you need Cocoa Butter. Plus a garage size machine to crush it all together...(it never really mixes, just the size of the particles get smaller and smaller so it "appears" to the eye and tongue to be mixed)


Your best bet is to look for recipes that call specifically for the cocoa powder as they usually have oil added back in for the creaminess. If you like I can post up a few recipes that use powder. I have a yummy Chocolate lava cake or chocolate tart that would work.

[Zephik]

To make Chocolate from Cocoa Powder, you need Cocoa Butter. Plus a garage size machine to crush it all together...(it never really mixes, just the size of the particles get smaller and smaller so it "appears" to the eye and tongue to be mixed)


Your best bet is to look for recipes that call specifically for the cocoa powder as they usually have oil added back in for the creaminess. If you like I can post up a few recipes that use powder. I have a yummy Chocolate lava cake or chocolate tart that would work.

Man! I scoured the web after I posted the request. Ha. This is like a fool's errand! But from what I could piece together it seems like the cocoa butter is what makes it set. Anything else and you'll just get a syrup or liquid of some type. Pretty interesting read anyways though.

I did find this however, http://dhruvbird.blogspot.com/2008/08/how-to-make-chocolate-from-cocoa-powder.html :think:

I've never made a tart before. Might be a fun experience? Post away and I'll give it a go and see if I can't put another recipe under my belt. ^_^

[Airbozo]

During Culinary school, one of the semester classes was all about chocolate and it's history. We even got a full day tour at a local Chocolate factory where we learned all the steps from preparing the soil, to the final product. Very interesting stuff and amazing that someone actually figured it out so long ago.

I will copy a couple of Chocolate tart recipes and post them up tomorrow or Thursday.

[Datech]

I'm in need of a recipe tonight if anyone could help. I would like it to be fairly easy, maybe an overall 5/10 difficulty level. No chicken, pasta, or tacos please.

To add to the list though, I came up with this last night:

Ranch Chicken with Spaghetti

Ingredients:

One Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breast per diner
Ranch dressing
Torilla chips
Chicken Seasoning (I used McCormicks)
Pasta (I used Angel Hair)
Ragu Red Sauce
Fresh Basil (Or dried, your call)
Chopped Onions (I used the dried, bottled kind)
Garlic Seasoning Salt


The original idea was to have chicken pasta and salad, but due to girlfriend's getting home late and lacking supplies I came up with this. The pasta is the side dish, so it comes later.

Directions for Chicken:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F
Cut the fat off your defrosted or fresh chicken
Crush up a handful of tortilla chips in a bowl. This will act like a breading, so its your choice on how big the crumbs are
Put as much Chicken Seasoning into the crushed chips as you want. I think i did about 1 tablespoon per four chips
Pour ranch dressing on top of the chips and seasoning and mix together. The seasoning I used was red, so this came out to a light pink color. I think I used around 6 oz of dressing.
Poke chicken with fork and cover both sides of chicken breast with your ranch mixture. If there is any extra mixture pour it on top of the chicken
Cook chicken for 20 minutes


Directions for Pasta:

As normal, water in big pan, add a bit of salt, bring to boil, add pasta, let cook for about 10 minutes.
Pour sauce into small sauce pan.
Mix at least 2 tablespoons chopped onion, one leaf of basil, and one tablespoon of garlic salt into sauce.
Bring to boil gradually then let simmer.


Top the spaghetti with the sauce and maybe a little Parmesan cheese, don't mix it with chicken unless you really want to.

Even with those ingredients in the sauce it was still a bit tasteless for me, so feel free to add much more. The ranch chicken was very moist and very tasty, and the tortilla chips soak up a lot of the flavor of the ranch and seasoning.

Enjoy.

[Airbozo]

[Recipe Request: Chocolate]

I have some Hershey's Cocoa Powder and I've been trying to find a use for it. Does anyone know how to make Chocolate from Cocoa Powder? I plan on making Chocolate Chips for some yummy scratch made cookies! TIA!

After talking with a few chef's here is what I have been told;

1 ounce of bittersweet chocolate = 3 tablespoons of cocoa powder + 1 tablespoon of fat. Preferably cocoa butter, but any tasteless shortening or cooking oil will work (not olive oil).

I even tried this yesterday when I made a 3 chocolate cake. The recipe called for cocoa powder, but I made the substitution above (using 100% cacao chocolate) and was told that it was the best cake I have ever made.

[Zephik]

What can I do with Tomato Bouillon and Pasta? Anything? I think I might have to tighten my belt a bit this week. lol

Edit: Woo! I just made pumpkin pie from scratch and IT DOESN'T SUCK! lol

Although I did cheat and use a can of 100% pure pumpkin. But hey, everything else was from scratch and for the most part I just kind of winged it and substituted my own ingredients since I didn't have all the right ones. Nothing like improvising successfully. :)

[OvRiDe]

What can I do with Tomato Bouillon and Pasta? Anything? I think I might have to tighten my belt a bit this week. lol

Sounds like soup to me.

[Crazy Buddhist]

this is the best beans ever invented, and are good on toast, on there own or even with a full english breakfast.

Got to take a shot at challenging that one XcOM ... you can't beat curried beans imho:

1. take a pot .. chuck in a knob of butter and a dash of olive oil ...

2. gently sweat (fry) some finely chopped onions on low heat...

3. add curry powder (or chille, cumin, garam masala and turmeric if you have them) .... turn up the heat ..

4. after 1 minute ... add a little crushed garlic, fry for a few seconds

5. throw in the baked beans in tomato sauce (don't forget to remove them from the can)

6. warm through, if you have some throw in a little fresh chopped corriander when done.

Serve with whatever .. on toast is good.

CB

[Zephik]

That sounds delicious CB!

The one reason why I hate this thread: Because it makes me hungry for things I don't have. lol

[billygoat333]

made a simple but cheap and good pasta...

pasta of your choice, enough for a serving (I am a bachelor now, so I have been reducing my servings to 1 lol make as much pasta as you wanna eat!)
Fat Free Ranch (I used probably 4 tbsp worth or so of Kraft, use however much and whatever kind of ranch you prefer)
and some good ole fashioned Kraft BBQ sauce.
Garlic Salt

I added the garlic salt to the water to help flavor the noodles (figure if you are gonna use salt, might as well have some garlic, too)
boil water, cook pasta til done. drain. mix sauces.

eat.

pretty good bbq noodles. :) could put chicken, or baked beans, or all kinds of stuff in with this. just made mine simple cause it was just me and the baby! lol

the wonderful things you create when hungry and in a hurry.

[Datech]

BBQ Bacon Chicken

Ingredients:

Boneless, skinless chicken breast
Your favorite BBQ sauce (if you don't have a favorite, I highly suggest you try one of the Jack Daniel's brands)
Bacon
Shredded Cheese


Directions:

Line a baking dish with aluminum foil, leave enough to cover.
Place chicken in baking dish and top with bacon
Pour as much BBQ sauce on top as you want, I used an entire bottle for four breasts
Cover chicken with aluminum foil
Place in over at 350 degree for 20 minutes
Unwrap aluminum foil and switch oven to broil in order to crisp the bacon
After two minutes on broil, top with as much cheese as you like
Wait until cheese is melted, take it out and enjoy!
*Depending on how much BBQ sauce and cheese you use, it might take longer to cook



Parmesan Zucchini Crisps

Ingredients

2 medium size zuchinni's
1/4 cup bread crumbs
1/4 cup fresh parmesan cheese
Olive oil
salt
pepper


Directions

Cut Zuchinni into 1/4 inch chips
Toss zuchinni chips in bowl with olive oil until they are lightly coated
Mix bread crumbs, parmesan, salt, and pepper in separate bowl
One by one, coat the zucchini slices in the dry mixture. Be sure to pat the chips into the mixture to get it nice and coated
Place chips on a cookie sheet and bake at 450 for 30 minutes. Keep a close watch because the thinner they are the easier they will burn.
Depending on the thickness, they may or may not actually get crispy. Don't worry though, they are awesome either way.


I did those two recipes and a salad with raspberry vinaigrette on Friday and it was awesome. Enjoy.

[Crazy Buddhist]

That sounds delicious CB!

The one reason why I hate this thread: Because it makes me hungry for things I don't have. lol

lol They are .. and serves you right for starting it lollll

[apbrit2009]

italian guacamole: 1 small avocado, mashed, 1/4 large onion, diced, 3 tbs yoghurt, 1 1/2 tbs hemp nuts (pine nuts work too), 1 tbs balsamic vinegar, 1 clove of garlic, crushed, salt and basil (fresh is best, but dried works too) to taste
combine and enjoy!

[apbrit2009]

Artichokes on Pizza?? That sounds yummy! I love artichokes! I'm definitely going to try that one. Hmmm, I wonder how tasty an artichoke based pizza sauce would be? Might be something worth experimenting with...

two words: artichoke pesto

[Zephik]

two words: artichoke pesto

You sir, have just earned a +rep!

See, this is why I created this thread, because multiple heads are better than just one. :)

[Drum Thumper]

With football season right around the corner, I gotta post this one:

1 10 or 12 oz bag of tortilla chips, crushed
seasoning to taste (I use a very bastardized version of Emeril Lagasse's Essence)
1 lb of chicken wings
egg white or plain old water (depends on how big of a mess I want to make)

Rinse wings, dip in water/egg whites, and then place 4 to 6 at a time into a gallon sized bag with the crushed tortilla chips and seasoning. Shake to coat. Place on a cookie sheet and bake @ 325 F for one hour. Serve with salsa, salsa con queso, picante sauce, ranch dressing, or anything else you desire.

And the best thing? This recipe doubles nicely. Also works well with a cut up fryer.

[Zephik]

With football season right around the corner, I gotta post this one:

1 10 or 12 oz bag of tortilla chips, crushed
seasoning to taste (I use a very bastardized version of Emeril Lagasse's Essence)
1 lb of chicken wings
egg white or plain old water (depends on how big of a mess I want to make)

Rinse wings, dip in water/egg whites, and then place 4 to 6 at a time into a gallon sized bag with the crushed tortilla chips and seasoning. Shake to coat. Place on a cookie sheet and bake @ 325 F for one hour. Serve with salsa, salsa con queso, picante sauce, ranch dressing, or anything else you desire.

And the best thing? This recipe doubles nicely. Also works well with a cut up fryer.

You may enjoy this one, if you enjoy making snacks for football season.
http://www.holytaco.com/ultimate-super-bowl-snack-stadium

:eek:

[apbrit2009]

they should have built the stadium on a giant brownie instead of paper towels

[Crazy Buddhist]

Top tip for home made Pizza

Don't put raw onions on your Pizza .. they kill every other taste ... instead sweat the onions (fry on a low heat) in a little oil and butter then add pepper, salt, oregano and chopped tomatoes and boil this down for a little time to cook out the tomatoes ... makes a fantastic pizza sauce. You can add any other herbs you like too.

Best pizza I ever had did not have tomato sauce on though .. in a little pizzeria in France with a wood fired oven ... it was topped with smoked salmon, asparagus, artichoke, egg and fresh cream :P

CB

[billygoat333]

I made up a salsa yesterday and it was DELICIOUS. mmm.

4 Large Tomatoes, mine were softball sized
2 Fresh Med-Large Jalapenos
1 Med-Large Onion (depends on how much ya like onions)
1 Large Cucumber, peeled
2 Limes
2 Cloves Garlic, Finely Chopped
2 tsp (I used two capfuls using the lid of the vinegar container, close enough)White Vinegar
Garlic Salt & Kosher (or Pretzel) Salt to taste

I diced the Tomatoes, cucumber, onion and jalapenos and put them all with the garlic in a med sized bowl. I cut the two limes in half and squeezed the juices of all four halves into bowl. I then added the vinegar, and then stirred. I then salted w/ the garlic salt and kosher salt to taste. Let sit in your fridge for at least 3+ hours for the salsa to mix up all the flavors. enjoy! the cucumber adds a nice, mellow flavor to the spiciness of the jalapenos and soak up the lime juice and vinegar. Delicious. :)

[Drum Thumper]

I'm very surprised that no one has mentioned the old standby--beer can chicken. Best bird I've ever had.

1/2 can of beer (or soda, or juice or hard liquor)
1 whole chicken
seasoning to taste (I've used salt & pepper, McCormick Grillmates, lemon pepper) sprinkled generously over and in the chicken, along with a 1/2 tablespoon in the liquid

Bake standing up for an hour or so @ 350. Also works well on the gas grill.

The very best version I've had was a bit pricey when compared to the price of beer--6 oz of Cabo Wabo Reposado in the beer can, along with the juice of 1 lime. Chicken was seasoned with some margarita salt, a bit of tabasco and fresh ground black pepper. That bird gave a whole new meaning to the term 'Cabo Wabo' lol.

[billygoat333]

http://allrecipes.com/

this website has a pretty sweet layout and lots of good recipes! thought I would share :P

[Zephik]

Simple Crepes: About 4 pieces.

1 Cup Flour
2 Eggs
1/2 Cup Milk
1/2 Cup Water
2 Tablespoons Butter
1 Teaspoon Salt

Mix flour with eggs while slowly adding in the milk and water and then add in the rest of the ingredients. It should resemble extra watery pancake batter. Lightly oil the pan, medium-high heat, pour in 1/4th to 1/2th increments and cook until lightly browned. Fill with whatever you desire, fold in thirds, add a bit of powdered sugar if you want and voila. Done. I used apricot filling btw, pretty tasty. I think I like strawberry and whip cream the best though. I've yet to try any breakfast variety...

[Crazy Buddhist]

Well I am completely changing my diet. I weigh 126 lbs and am 6' tall .. on a diet of 4000Kcal per day to maintain that bodyweight despite being relatively sedentary. Have been on 6 supplement drinks a day prescribed by my GP which give me 2000 of the calories.

The change in diet is to a healthier version of the drinks (two main ingredients corn syrup and sucrose - not healthy sugars) and has including buying one of these ....

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41XvHvVXNkL._SL500_AA280_.jpg (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Breville-JE27-Whole-Fruit-Juicer/dp/B000W355DM)

.... and some of this:

http://www.bodyactive-online.co.uk/Images/Sh/main/PdUSN-MuscleFuelMass.jpg (http://www.bodyactive-online.co.uk/Shopping/PdUSN-MuscleFuelMass.asp)

And lots of this:

http://www.actualglobe.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/11/fruit.jpg

And I am inventing all sorts of new recipes. So here one is:

Broccoli Banana and Blueberry Juice with Whey protein powder:

Take some broccoli, bananas and ... blueberries :D ... juice them ... mix in some of the protein powder = much tastier than you might believe.

I have researched deeply the range of fruit and veg I need to take and the amounts of protein. Typically breakfast is 2 apples 2 oranges 2 pears 1 kiwi some broccoli, cucumber blueberries and maybe tomatoes with about half my dietary need of protein mixed in.

YUM :P

[Zephik]

Flour, Sugar, Eggs, Milk, Butter.... what can I make? I also have some powdered sugar, banana's, cocoa powder, apples and cinnamon... hmmm.. that's about it. Pretty slim pickings. lol

The one good thing about running low on food, you start getting creative. It's bound to be interesting at the very least. :p

[mDust]

Flour, Sugar, Eggs, Milk, Butter.... what can I make? I also have some powdered sugar, banana's, cocoa powder, apples and cinnamon... hmmm.. that's about it. Pretty slim pickings. lol

The one good thing about running low on food, you start getting creative. It's bound to be interesting at the very least.What you can make would be interesting and perhaps tasty, but nothing healthy...lol.
I'd +rep you for starting this thread but you're already 'possibly god'...soo....

I weigh 126 lbs and am 6' tall .. on a diet of 4000Kcal per day to maintain that bodyweight despite being relatively sedentary.4 million calories a day??? dayum! j/k, I consume about 4200 a day as well to maintain about 150-160lbs. You eat much healthier than I do though, I just consume a ton of heavy grains like a horse...grains might help keep you grounded on a slightly breezy day. I hope we don't run into a global ice age or food shortage because you and I will probably perish on day 2.

Let's keep this thread going guys! It's not something I expected on this site, but I've been considering trying some of these...and I hate to cook, so that's saying something.

[Bopher]

http://allrecipes.com/

this website has a pretty sweet layout and lots of good recipes! thought I would share :P

They also have an iPod touch/phone app at itunes. Its fun to use. You tell it what dish, i.e. main, dessert, sides, etc then you select some main ingredients and shake the ipod and it randomly selects a recipe for you. I don't know how often the data for the app is updated but I have grabbed a couple recipes off the website and most of them have come out pretty good.


Here's a quick recipe. I got this from a cookbook that was given to my wife when she went to college and just like the rest of them I've been changing them every time.

1 lbs ground beef (drained)
2 cans of beef broth (don't use the big cartons at walmart use cans!!)
1 bag of boil-in-bag rice
approx 1 inch round grab of spaghetti
1 can of green beans
soy sauce, tabasco, worcestershire sauce, garlic powder, onion power, salt, pepper to taste.

Combine beef broth, sauces, and green beans in a large pot and simmer while cooking the beef. Brown the beef and chop into small peice while cooking. Drain off the grease. Turn the sauce up to high and boil. Once boiling add the rice (just cut the bag open and dump in) and break the spaghetti into small pieces (what ever size you want). Add the beef and stir all together. Now You should just boil and keep stirring until most of the juices have boiled away and you left with almost now liquid but don't go to far you'll make it very dry. Serves about 6 people.

This has been a pretty good fav in our house and my wife says its better then when she had in as a kid.

[Zephik]

FYI: Strawberry Rhubarb Crepe = DELICIOUS.

I just used one egg, half a cup of flour, half a cup of milk, tablespoon of butter, teaspoon of salt and blended it together with a whisk to make a single serving. Heated the pan to 300F with a bit of oil and half fried it so it was more desert like than anything. Filled it with homemade strawberry rhubarb jam (sorry, don't know the recipe) and topped it off with sprinkled powdered sugar. mmMMM! Best crepe I've ever had.

Next time I'm going to fill it with cream cheese, top it with the same jam and then top that with some whip cream. :p

Crepes have to be just about the most delicious dish ever. I think I'm addicted to them!