OK Chef, Give Me Your Favorite Recipe

[Janine]

I'm posting this especially for Janine :D It's not the traditional recipe, but it's the one I grew up with. Shepherd's pie is excellent winter fayre.

Fifth, wow, it sounds good. Thanks so much for posting this just for me. I used to eat lamb a lot. I am not sure if I still can; I have this very odd digestive system. I quess one could substitute beef for the lamb, right, although I eat little of beef too anymore? I like how you wrote (optional) after some of my 'problem' ingredients. I so appreciate this and will try making it soon. I managed to make 'chicken a la king' and thought it turned out pretty good. To sub for onions, I used fresh chives from my garden. I subbed a few other ingredients, too and it became like a hardy chicken stew. I am good by now at substituting things and altering receipes.

[TheFifthElement]

Janine, traditionally it needs to be lamb otherwise it's not really 'shepherds' pie. If you use beef it'd be called cottage pie but they're pretty much the same thing to be honest. So I'd say use whatever mince you like. I know vegetarians use Quorn mince :sick: or you could substitute with chicken or pork, both would be nice I'm sure. Whatever suits really.

[Janine]

Janine, traditionally it needs to be lamb otherwise it's not really 'shepherds' pie. If you use beef it'd be called cottage pie but they're pretty much the same thing to be honest. So I'd say use whatever mince you like. I know vegetarians use Quorn mince :sick: or you could substitute with chicken or pork, both would be nice I'm sure. Whatever suits really.

Fifth, To be honest with you, I eat more chicken than anything. It agrees better with my digestion. What in heaven's name is 'Quorn'? Is that like our 'corn'...if so, I think it sounds horrid in that mix. Is 'mince' the meat one puts into a pie? I like to learn these local terms, just incase I make it over there someday.

Kilted...could you send me down some of this cheese - wednsleydale? :lol:....I have never heard of it before - help! Lot of stuff here, that I had never heard of before...we dumb Americans...cheese to us, is either chedder or square! :lol:

[TheFifthElement]

Janine, quorn is a meat substitute used in UK. Many people who use it claim you can't tell the difference between Quorn and real meat, but they're either conning themselves or have no taste buds :sick: details here: Quorn (http://www.quorn.co.uk/whatisquorn.html)

Mince, sorry for being colloquial, is minced whatever meat you're talking about. So minced chicken, or minced lamb, or minced beef. But you might call it 'ground' I don't know. Ground over here would be finer than minced.

Have you really never heard of Wensleydale cheese! Yikes, and I though Messrs Wallace and Gromit (http://www.wallaceandgromit.com/) had made it world famous. Please tell me you've seen Wallace and Gromit? If you haven't you must. The Wrong Trousers and A Close Shave are classic, classic I tell you! Actually I heard once that in some states in America it had to be shown with subtitles; is that true or just an urban myth? Anyway, Wensleydale cheese (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wensleydale_(cheese)) is one of the many very delicious varieties of British cheeses. It's white and crumbly and a little bitter and salty and tasty! We like cheese over here. Keeps you warm in winter :D

[papayahed]

Time to revive this thread, I'm tired of the same old thing. Does anybody have something with pizzazz? Maybe some time of cheesy goodness??? or a new chicken recipe???

[Idril]

Help, I need some interesting chicken receipes. I can't eat cooked onions, I don't much like garlic, I can't eat fried food, but anything else interesting, oh please suggest something. I do make stuffed chicken, chicken coated with Italian bread crumbs and chicken with basil tomato sauce/mozerella cheese....but I am bored with these. Does anyone have a receipe for chicken a la king? I used to make that, but can't find my old receipe. Other interesting receipes with herbs, etc would be great...just nothing to hot or spicy.


My son and I made an amazing brined chicken the other day. The recipe called for two 3 1/2 pound whole chickens. You get the chickens ready, then put them in a container with a gallon of water, 1/2 cup salt (we used kosher salt), 1/4 cup sniped rosemary and then a 'brush' made of 6 rosemary sprigs. You let it sit, covered, for 6 to 8 hours. When the chicken is ready to come out of the brine, you combine 1/3 cup olive oil, 2 cloves of smashed garlic and the rind from one lemon. Heat that just until warmed up. Pat the chicken dry after removing it from the brine, place it in a roaster, on top of a layer of potatos, put half a lemon in each chicken along with a sprig of rosemary, then brush the olive oil mixture on the top with the rosemary brush from the brine. That cooks for about 40 minutes at 425. You then brush on a little more of the olive oil stuff, turn the oven down to 375 and cook for about another hour. It sounds time consuming but it really isn't that bad. It has to sit for a few hours but the actual time you spend preparing it is actually very short. It's heavy on the rosemary, as you can see, so if you don't like rosemary, this probably isn't for you but it does make incredible chicken...and potatoes. The brine makes the chicken so juicy and tender, I want to try that with the turkey next year.

[Nax]

My signature dish (loved by vegetarians and hardcore steak enthusiests alike) is Portobello Mushroom burgers.

Go to the shops, find the biggest fattest P.B. Mushrooms you can find (one each for women should do, two for guys, but use ur own discretion)

Take em home, chop of the stalks and dice those, mix with onions, garlic, and bacon

Take the mushroom caps, give them a coating of olive oil, and bbq them until they look soggy and sad.

Make up your buns how you would normally for hamburgers. and voila! This meal is so popular among my friends there is talk of buying a hotdog stand and serving them out to the general public as fast food. You will NOT be disapointed!

[applepie]

I have a tasty chicken dish. It's a very spicy dish. Not hot spicy, but flavorful spicy. I imagine you could add a bit of cayenne or even some red pepper to add heat. Actually that sounds very good, and I may have to try that next time :lol:

What you need:
1 onion chopped
2 roma tomatoes chopped (or whatever suits your fancy for tomatoes)
1 cup of shredded coconut, toasted in the oven
1 cup, or more if you like it golden raisins (I've also tried dried cherries)
3 cups chicken stock
1 cup plain yogurt (Greek style is delicious, but it's about twice the cost here in the US)
2 cups of rice, any kind that is not the quick cook will do
1 1/2 lbs (about 6-8) boneless chicken thighs cut into smaller pieces (or not if you feel like being lazy. It just takes a bit longer to cook)
turmeric (I use 2-3 tablespoons, but please adjust to your taste)
cinnamon (I use 1-2 tablespoons, but please adjust to your taste)
salt
pepper

*You can play with the seasonings a bit, but the turmeric and cinnamon are the important flavors. I've added garlic, thyme, or even rosemary if I have some fresh on hand. It it is dried that I have, then I just normally stick to the basics.

Brown chicken thighs in a deep skillet or pot with a little olive oil to help keep them from sticking too bad (you're looking for that nice brown crust, it isn't important if they're cooked through). *If you have a heavy pot that you use for soups or stews, that's the one you should use. You need one with a lid.

Add onions and cook just until the onions are soft. Then add in the rice and spices and cook for another 2-5 minutes.

Add in chicken stock, yogurt, and raisins. Bring the pot to a rolling boil, cover with the lid and reduce to a simmer.

Now all you need to do is let the dish simmer for 20 or 30 minutes, stirring off and on, until the rice is tender and the chicken is cooked through. You will still have a bit of liquid from the yogurt which will make a creamy sauce.

Finally add in the chopped tomato, it should only be a 1/2 cup or more if you would like it, and the toasted coconut. Stir one last time and serve.

I hope you enjoy. Myself and my kids love this dish, but my husband doesn't care for it much. I like that you can swap ingredients and make changes. I've changed the dried fruit to do something different. I've also used red bell pepper instead of tomatoes. The kids and I aren't much for tomatoes, but they're good here in small amounts. I think the original called for more than a full cup of tomatoes, but it was too much barely cooked tomato for me. I like my tomatoes more in the form of pasta sauce :D

[papayahed]

Provencal Chicken Stew

3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 chicken, cut into serving pieces and skinned (I use a pkg. of chicken breast)
1/4 cup olive oil
1 yellow onion, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, minced (I use 2-3)
1/2 cup dry white wine
1-14.5 oz can crushed tomatoes
black pepper
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley, for garnish
1/4 cup fresh basil leaves, cut into chiffonade
1 cup black Nyons or kalamata olives, for garnish (I omit these)

1. Combine 3/4 cup flour and salt in a resealable plastic bag, add chicken a couple pieces at a time and shake to coat.
2. Heat a large saute pan on medium-high; add oil.
3. Brown chicken in the oil for 8 to 10 minutes, turning once.
4. Using tongs, transfer chicken to paper towels to drain, then arrange in a slow cooker.
5. In the hot saute pan, add onion and the remaining flour. Saute, stirring often, for 10 minutes or until lightly browned. Add garlic and stir for 2 to 3 minutes.
6. Add wine, and stir to scrape brown bits off the bottom of the pan.
7. Increase heat to high, add tomatoes and pepper to taste, and cook, stirring often, for 10 to 15 minutes until some of the tomato liquid evaporates.
8. Pour onion mixture over the chicken, cover and cook for 3 to 8 hours, until chicken is tender (I go for three hours and the chicken almost falls apart).
9. Serve, garnished with parsley, basil, and olives.

[faithosaurus]

Oh man, I've found tons of recipes I love! Let's do a dinner and dessert (vegetarian friendly!):

All right, here's a recipe for Spinach Enchiladas! (578 calories a serving):

What you need=

-1 tbsp butter
-1/2 cup sliced green onion
-2 cloves garlic, minced
-1 (10 oz) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed, drained and squeezed dry
-1 cup ricotta cheese
-1/2 cup sour cream
-2 cups shredded monterey jack cheese
-10 six-inch corn tortillas
-1 (19 oz) can enchilada sauce

1. Prehead oven to 375 degrees
2. Melt butter in saucepan over medium heat; add garlic and onion; cook until fragrant. Stir in spinach and cook for about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and mix in ricotta cheese, sour cream and 1 cup monterey jack cheese
3. In a skillet over medium heat, warm tortillas one at a time until flexible for about 15 seconds. Put 1/4 cup of the spinach mixture onto the center of each tortilla. Roll up and place ina (9x13 in) baking dish. Pour enchilada sauce over the top and sprinkle the rest of the cheese on top.
4. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until the sauce is bubbling and cheese is lightly browned around the edges.


Now for dessert!

Peanut Butter-Caramel Apples (297 calories per serving):

-nonstick cooking spray
-12 oz caramel ice cream topping
-1/2 cup peanut butter
-1/2 cup water
-2 1/2 lbs apples (granny smith works best) peeled, cored, and sliced into 2-inch-thick wedges
-vanilla ice cream

1. coat the inside of a slow-cooker with coating spray.
2. Whisk caramel, peanut butter, and water until smooth and add to the slow-cooker. Add the apples to the slow-cooker and stir so they are coated.
3. Cook on low heat for 3-4 hours. Serve with ice cream.

[papayahed]

I just bought Chia Seeds. Now. What do I do with them? Any recipes? Hints? Ideas?

[qimissung]

Hey, papaya, I just put a1/2 to 1 tsp. In a glass of water. Put it in the fridge for a half hour or so, the drink with the juice of half a lemon. It's called Chia Fresca and it is rather refreshing. You can find other variations by googling this, I'm sure.

Chia's very good for you, too. Lowers cholesterol for one thing.

[Pensive]

Living alone in a place where affordable prepared food from shops (especially vegetarian - if you are lucky enough to find anything vegetarian on the first place) is quite tasteless, I have found myself turning from somebody who really disliked cooking into a cooking fanatic! I usually use this website (https://www.khanapakana.com/) for my recipes (or I just dont use recipes and am wildly creative!) It mostly contains a huge variety of Pakistani/Indian dishes. I tend to cut on lots of ingredients quite often to suit my budget though. I will really suggest recipes containing chickpeas. Like this one:
https://www.khanapakana.com/recipe/a703c0ff-59c7-471c-85a8-72ab0987c7c7/dahi-chana-chaat

[qimissung]

Faith and Pensive, my mouth is actually watering after reading these two recipes. I am a very lazy cook, but maybe I will try these this summer when I have some time.

[papayahed]

Anything new?

[Shalot]

Last weekend, we got a pork butt and put it in the crock pot. Pork butts are better when you use a smoker, but the smoker was not an option this time. So the crock pot did the job, and the pork was good enough. We also made some mustard sauce to cover the pork in and it was SO GOOD - it made me forget we were having crock pot pork. There were a lot of steps, and a lot of prep work was involved but it was really good - I was very proud of it. I would come from work, and get out the pork and the sauce and I had a quick meal. Onions and a red pepper were chopped up first, and put to the side. There was a bowl of dry ingredients, and a bowl of wet ingredients and another little bowl of garlic and something else. My job was to put the peppers and onions into the skillet until the onions were transparent, and then add the garlic mixture and stir that for a few minutes. Then after that, we added the dry ingredients and I stirred those. Then the next step was to add the final ingredients, which included brown sugar. After the brown sugar was added, it was real important to make sure that I kept stirring so that it didn't get all burned and sticky. There is a recipe that you can google - Grown Up Mustard Sauce. I was never into mustard BBQ sauce, until this. It doesn't look yellow when you're done - it's really unique, and good. It's a twist on South Carolina mustard bbq sauce.