#if i have the spoons i will actually chop garlic for it but this tends to be my comfort food for a REALLY bad day | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

aohendo · 2 years

Text

The Gumbo Recipe

@fearofahumanplanet

This recipe pretty much exactly serves four, with no leftovers. Perfect for two or three people (or one if you’re just gonna go on a gumbo binge for a few days. It gets even better sitting in the fridge!).

Recipe translated from my shitty handwriting (with additions I just... haven’t written down) below the cut. If pictures of the steps would be more helpful (especially on the roux), I’d be happy to oblige (gives me an excuse to make another pot of gumbo)!

The Recipe: Ingredients

1 cup-ish dark roux* (1/2 C oil, 1/2 C flour)

1/2 onion, chopped

1/2 pepper, chopped

1-2 celery, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

Tony Chacheres**

3-ish cups unsalted chicken stock/stock of choice

1 bay leaf

2 chicken thighs/meat of choice, cut small

1/2-1 sausage, cut into slices (or other meat/veg of choice)

1/2 cup dry red wine***

Rice

Other items needed: knife and cutting board, large pot, pan for roux, rice maker/small pot, roux scrape-y spatula thing, ladle, tasting spoons :)

Directions:

1. make the roux*

2. cook chicken and sausage (want a nice browned layer on sausage) and set aside

3. add roux to a large pot, add veggies to this pot, and cook veggies in the roux for approximately 5 minutes over medium heat (be sure to keep the roux moving--you don’t want it to get burnt)

4. add garlic to roux/veggies, cook approximately 5 minutes (keep the roux moving!)

6. add the meat, chicken stock, bay leaf, and some Chacheres (I’d start with a tablespoon or less and adjust upwards once the gumbo’s had time to think about its life choices). Blend together and bring to boil. (no need to worry about the roux anymore)

7. Once boiling, reduce to simmer, let cook (3-8 hours. 4 works nicely if you can wait that long).

(add in any other veggies you want in this thing somewhere in this range. In the past I’ve done zucchini, green beans, broccoli, carrots, more pepper, potatoes, and corn. Haven’t done okra yet because I like okra less than I like zucchini, which is saying something.)

8. If you remember, stir occasionally to avoid weird crusty bits and films. Scrape off excess oil as you go, but not a concern.

9. Within 30 min to 1 hr of time to consumption, if you’re adding wine, stir in wine. Not too much!! You want just enough wine to bring out the flavor.

10. make some rice

11. serve over rice

(if you can find them or have time to make them, toasted garlic slices are delicious on this. Similarly, a very quick shot of Worcestershire sauce actually works very nicely in this)

Asterisks and Notes

*dark roux = Worcestershire sauce range. Don’t stop at golden. Go till burnt. On a kind of shitty cheap apartment stove, it takes me an hour or more to get the roux this dark. Recommend using veggie/canola oil, or anything else you’ve got with a high smoke point ‘cause it’s about to get smokey. If y’all need roux directions happy to help. Also, the roux can be made well in advance and refrigerated/frozen. It’s literally oil and flour... Also, I tend to make my rouxs thick (can scrape along the bottom of the pan and not have the clear scrape fill in for about a second). This creates a thicker gumbo. If you prefer it thinner, make a thinner roux, or add more stock while cooking. Also also, if the roux is a little too much to prepare that day, I think stores carry pre-made roux, although I’m not sure how burnt it is. You want this thing considerably darker than peanut butter.

**(or Cajun seasoning of choice) This one you measure with your heart. You want enough to have it salted, but not enough to be spicy on the front of the mouth. Spicy on the back is good though. And for those who have never heard of Chachere’s, it’s pronounced shaa-sher-eez.

***this isn’t really a standard addition but man is it good. Feel free to ignore.

I normally do this gumbo with chicken and sausage because I am cheap. If you don’t want to get store stock-of-choice, 10/10 recommend just picking up a rotisserie, making a stock out of that, and using the meat for this (and whatever else you’ve got going on)(you’ll already have celery and bay on-hand for the stock, and honestly if you throw a carrot into the gumbo, the gumbo doesn’t mind). If you can get andouille for the sausage, fantastic. If not, generic beef sausage works pretty nicely.

Adjust the ratio of pepper-celery-onion as you see fit. Everyone’s got their own ratio and this is the one I like.

NO TOMATOES

#not? writing #hendo rambles #trust me if you have the time one day MAKE THIS #and make that roux DARK!!!!!!#if you google how to make a roux online most sources will say that making it this dark is burning it beyond comprehension and they are liars #the roux is key #once everything's in the pot just treat it like a stew

9 notes · View notes

aiweirdness · 3 years

Text

A big neural net reviews a smaller neural net's recipes

I’ve used various neural networks to generate recipes, to varying degrees of success. My earliest recipes were generated with char-rnn, which had to learn everything - spelling, punctuation, words - entirely from scratch. Its recipes were terrible (Swamp Peef and Cheese, anyone? Or Chocolate Chicken Chicken Cake?). Later when I started using GPT-2, I was using a neural net that had already seen a lot of recipes online during internet pre-training, and its recipes looked a lot more realistic (although not entirely realistic - there was that recipe for Black Forest Cake that suggested pouring the batter into a toaster, or the jello recipe that starts with “remove all internal rinds”).

GPT-3, an even more powerful text-generating neural net, has seen so many recipes during its internet pre-training that its recipes are boringly plausible. Bake its Black Forest Cake recipe and you’d probably actually get cake at the end, even if it’s not the best cake in the world. Its recipes aren’t funny at a glance, which is why I haven’t posted any of them - until internet linguist Gretchen McCulloch suggested that, rather than have GPT-3 generate its own recipes, I have it rate char-rnn’s recipes. Readers, it worked.

I prompted GPT-3 with two example recipes from allrecipes, each followed by 3 of their human-written reviews. Then, for the third recipe I inserted one of char-rnn’s recipes:

Chocolate Chocolate Cake

1 cup sugar 1/4 cup butter 1 cup margarine 1 cup cocoa 1 teaspoon vanilla 1 cup margarine 1/2 cup pecans, chopped 1 teaspoon vanilla 1 egg yolk 1/2 cup sugar 1/4 cup chopped pecans 1 cup sugar 1 teaspoon vanilla 1 cup cocoa 1 teaspoon vanilla

Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, salt, and salt in a large bowl. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture boils and stiff peaks form. Add milk and cook until mixture is completely melted. Remove from heat and stir in sugar and sugar. Add eggs and vanilla. Beat until smooth. Spread in batter. Sprinkle with pecans.

Yield: 1 servings

And then I let GPT-3 add reviews. Would it mention the excessive lakes of vanilla? The complete lack of flour? The foolhardy reliance on the heroic efforts of a single egg yolk to hold things together?

oxtailsandturnovers Rating: 5 stars 03/04/2007 delicious chocolate recipe!!! and the perfect balance between cocoa and chocolate. and they sure were LONGNECKS! big time rave here. lazy w birthdays w friends and family, try this recipe for something chocolate sweet the ppl will talk about over and over.

AKEMIYUNA Rating: 5 stars appraisal 12/03/2008 Excellent for the kids Halloween party. Everyone got so thrilled by seeing something new on Chocolate in sponge. He even likes nuts separately but it will taste good..

BYOMFYABF Rating: 2 stars 10/01/2008 I could only give it a 2 as I had to make changes to it due to ingredients I had. First, I used Dove Dark Chocolate cocoa instead of Hershey's, no nuts, and the mashed bananas and caramel topping were a must. I did use coffee instead of the hot water, and dark margarine instead of regular, therefore I could not use light whipped cream, but I made homemade whipped cream. It had WAY too much flour in it, but i guess it could have been me measuring heavier than I should have. I also only used 2 cups of flour. it was my first bundt cake, so it was huge!!!

Here’s another batch of reviews, this time of a more chaotic char-rnn recipe:

Simple Soup Alaborate Soup Pie

6 each chopped white perserves; ** (optional but ring) 1/2 cup chopped fresh marjoram 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme 1/3 teaspoon salt 1/2 cup thinly sliced onion 1/4 cup onion (chopped) 1/2 teaspoon garlic; minced 2 small carrots 6 can dry white wine 1 tabasco sauce 1 tablespoon sugar 1/2 cup flour, whipped topping 2 tablespoon chili powder

Marinate: Serves 4. Whip and short under boiling. Add the sliced mushrooms and peppers and stir to coat. Stir the sugar and carrots. In large bowl, beat the egg to make a 1 1/2 tablespoons of the flour. Add shanks and stir it well. Spoon into a frying pan before serving.

Recipe By : DonajehLi Koubmanda

Yield: 8 servings

JEFFREY97389 Rating: 2 stars 03/03/2006 Even though everyone said this was great, I thought it was just 'OK!' The perserves gave a strange flavor to the sauce.

MATTJANDTRACER Rating: 2 stars 01/02/2009 This recipe sounded good. When it came out it tasted a bit like a casserole and not a stew. I used venison instead of deer and pork. I liked the way it turned out, but it wasnt very French.

Hammy Rating: 5 stars The g iving this as a gift as it takes about 10 less minutes but using American cheese and not blended with parsley flakes, lime-flavored gelatin, which is my husband's favorite dish from SuperValu. Just happens to be the creamy sauce. Don't worry about a pie crust.

In fact, the more chaotic the char-rnn recipe, the more chaotic the reviews tend to be, as if GPT-3 has picked up on the chaos and is trying to somehow produce reviews that could plausibly be written by whatever weird humans are visiting this mangled recipe website.

Geilded Peanuts & Crabmeat Basil

3 beef, boneless chops, or thyme, 1 lamber and flince of fresh diced in diagonal 1 parsley 2 large leeks (for garnish) 3/4 teaspoon sesame oil, seeded and peeled 1 any jeans'l-tortilla 1 pepper or cinnamon 1/4 cup baesly pinto beans. (Crushed and thawed; minced fine you recipe) 1 tomato base 1 fat in the last 5 inch plates 1 garlic clove; crushed 1/4 cup dijon mustard

In a large bowl set aside. Remove the sides from the heat and saute with a fork and cover and cook on Low for 6 to 6 hours.

Yield: 6 servings

Morales Rating: 0 stars 03/30/2008 I had high expectations for this recipe, but it was an outright flop. I don't know if the measurements were somehow incorrect or what, but I ended up with a watery mess that certainly wasn't crab salad. My girlfriend, who is a new chef liked it fine, but I really wish that the recipe didn't claim that it made six servings when it really made enough for one, if that's what we were going to call it.

Carole Rating: 5 stars Glorious sobs! This recipe will be delicious for a minumum of 1½ Hours to maximum 2½ hours Time to bring lots of fresh sized potatoes in the house or grow in the age may become quite famous

Amanda Rating: 3 stars 11/13/2009 My friend is having a birthday party and will celebrate with Camping. She's in charge of the dishes and wanted to serve food at the campfire. I'll 10th grade, my easy information for her party. It will not sound strange anyway test this task with a note to work rationally.What to take trees, portable tables for chairs, the main meal, food. I personally love the taste of it but has anyone seen a shepherd (wasn't any spices), oysters. It is sufficient

It does kind of make sense that GPT-3’s recipe reviews aren’t directly complaining about the utter weirdness of char-rnn’s recipes. Probably very few of the recipe reviews in GPT-3’s training data involved baffled complaints about nonexistent or repeated ingredients, or apocalyptic levels of recipe failure. So GPT-3 has learned that even the critical reviews tend to fall within a certain sentiment range. It’s interesting that it tries to emulate char-rnn’s primitive neural net glitchiness - I’ve noticed before that GPT-3 seems to be capable of pretending to be a much simpler neural net.

Subscribers get bonus content: After generating a few reviews, GPT-3 would sometimes go on to generate new recipes (such as “BBQ Cheeseburger Salad” which contains lime jello, whipped topping, and sliced black beans). It may have been deliberately trying to make them terrible to fit in with char-rnn’s recipes.

Speaking of AI-generated recipes: there are some absolute disasters in my book on AI, You Look Like a Thing and I Love You: Amazon - Barnes & Noble - Indiebound - Tattered Cover - Powell’s - Boulder Bookstore

#neural networks #gpt-3 #char-rnn #recipes

327 notes · View notes

dilfsenshi · 3 years

Text

hi. im going to give you my pasta tomato sauce resippy, ok?

youll need a liquidiser of some kind for this. a stick blender is the best for this, and if you dont have one and can afford one i thoroughly recommend it, def my fav kitchen appliance lol.

this is a great recipe that i make all the time. it makes a huge amount of sauce that you can then freeze and defrost whenever you dont want to cook. ive persuaded myself its very cost effective vs jars of sauce, but ive never actually sat down and done the maths to verify it lol. its def reasonably cheap though, its all veggies! this sauce always comes out a little different every time, which i quite enjoy :)

heres the ingredients list

1kg of tomatoes

2-3 medium carrots

1-2 sticks of celery

1 large onion (red onion is delicious on this, but brown is good too)

2 peppers (red + another is best but it doesnt matter too much)

garlic. i wont tell you how much you should use, i trust you. i tend to go for 5-6 cloves though

OPTIONAL chilli. i usually have a spare birdseye lying around

OPTIONAL mushrooms

OPTIONAL tomato paste/pure, if u live in a country where tomatoes are a bit flavourless (like the uk 🤕)

herbs and spices of your choice. recommended: oregano, paprika, chilli powder (if no fresh), mixed herbs, fresh basil

ok! you can make more sauce really easily by just adding more veg. i often use more than a kilo of tomatoes, its really not a precision recipe. its is technically very easy, it just requires a lot of veg chopping. it will take anywhere between 40 mins to an hour and a bit, depending on how fast you chop.

get a BIG pot and put it on low heat. chop your tomatoes into quarters w a serrated knife and put them in your pot. the idea is these will eventually break down. you may need to squeeze them down a bit with a wooden spoon. you dont need to wait for them to do so completely, just until theres enough liquid for your keep your other veg from burning

chop your onions and garlic and add them to the pot. youll want to do this with all your veg believe it or not.

the order i generally go in is onion+garlic > fresh chilli > carrot > pepper > celery. just roughly chopped is fine, just so long as it cooks! dont put the mushrooms in right now, the texture will be unpleasant.

once everythings in, youll need to add 1 1/2 tsp of sugar. this step is important, dont be tempted to skip it. itll cut down the acidity of the sauce and make it edible lol

it all needs to cook for about 15 minutes. if youre me, youll spend this time cracking open a beer and doing the dishes youve been ignoring all day.

once youre done with the dishes, your sauce will be ready for mushrooms and seasoning. you can add more herbs and spices later once youve blended your sauce, so dont go overboard. add the purée at this point, if using.

cook for another 10-15 mins, until your veggies are soft, then blend!

once its smooth, adjust seasoning and purée to taste and then add 1/2 tbsp of oil. i dont know what this step does but my mummy tells me to do it and i listen to her. keep your heat very low, as your sauce will spit a bit at this stage. cook for another 2-3 mins, and youre done!

i hope you enjoy my resippy and if you dont pls dont tell me ill get sad

#savoury #mine #sauces #freezable

67 notes · View notes

carbrakes-and-stakes · 3 years

Text

Soup in Genovia | Jared & Alain

TIMING: A week ago LOCATION: Alain’s home PARTIES: @carbrakes-and-stakes and @themidnightfarmer SUMMARY: No palates were harmed in the making of this chatzy.

Backpack on and a smile on his face Jared made his way right to the door and raised his hand to knock. He had soup - or rather his attempt at soup-, a DVD of the princess diaries (just in case), and a winning attitude. He hoped for the best at least, they’d only spoken a couple of times but the nymph had hopes that he could win a new friend in Alain. The man seemed like he could be a laugh when he wanted to be, and someone with a little logic never went amiss when you felt you had very little yourself. Jared was even willing to look past the karkanoid eating, a one time event, clearly the man was simply a food enthusiast after all. Above all these thoughts however lingered the knowledge that no matter if Alain wanted a friend in Jared, he had suggested he wanted some company while he recovered from losing his leg. And who was he to deny the man that?

There was enough energy in Jared's attitude to fuel power plants from a small country for a few months. At least, this was Alain's first thought when he opened the door and glanced at his visitor. If he wasn't really counting on Jared, it was because they got their heads on a karkanoid that Alain might or might not have killed. Jared suspected that Alain had eaten it, and Alain, while he was disgusted by the thought of ever eating something that must have had the most elastic and rubbery flesh, was not about to contradict him about this. Walking toward the kitchen, Alain who was still struggling with his new leg, was helping himself with a cane, and while that instantly gave him the look of a lame old man, this was better than what would have happened without this kind of support. His eyes went to what Jared carried with him, and the man wondered what it was that he had brought over. It did not smell like much, but the French man had enough spices and aromatics around to turn it around. “What did you cook?” He asked, looking forward to it.

Jared followed Alain, being very careful to not seem like he was snooping too much as they went. He was a bit of a nosy guy, so it was taking a ton of willpower not to glance at every door they passed or squint at every picture. Distraction came at last and Jared beamed shrugging off his backpack. “Soup bud! I figured people always make soup in the movies when someone is recovering from something, so soup was the top choice. Never made soup before but I heard it wasn’t too hard?” Jared produced the container of liquid and pushed it towards Alain. Inside was a pretty grim sight, uncoloured water with partially uncooked and hastily chopped vegetables floating inside. “It smells okay right?” The nymph asked the other curiously. To Jared it smelt just how most of his cooking smelt…. Not like anything from the store but not overly terrible.

Alain’s eyebrows raised. Sure, soup did not smell like much in the first place, but this smelled an awful lot like the kind they served at the hospital, which was a shame as he assumed the vegetables came from Jared’s farm. “That’s a broth,” he observed, reaching over his head for the cupboards. Pulling a cast iron casserole out, he picked up the soup and poured it in there, searching around for the hand blender. Perks of moving somewhere knew : not knowing where a damn thing had been put. “It does smell okay, but I think we might be able to do better,” it did not seem seasoned and Alain knew that he’d rather lose his second leg than be forced to eat something that had no flavor. Or perhaps was this an exaggeration. “Wait, you’ve never made soup?” He did not say those words with any trace of judgement. Instead he was genuinely surprised, as well as touched, that Jared had been so thoughtful to try something new to make him feel better. Moved by this revelation, the hunter fell quiet, although his tight lipped smile revealed that he was pleased by the kind gesture. “Alright, let’s take this soup to the next level then. Let me show you,” first they’d have to turn broth into soup. Then, well, depending on what Jared had put in there, perhaps something could be done to save it. Alain grabbed a spoon to have a taste and gave him a shrug. “It’s not too bad, although it doesn’t taste like much,” handing the spoon over, he smiled. A bit of cumin, perhaps some carvi, a touch of butter and tabasco, and this soup would gain a lot more flavor, he thought to himself. “What do you think we should add?”

“A broth isn’t soup?! Jared wondered curiously. The nymph spent such little focus on feeding himself that all his meals blended together, he usually had much more important meals to be served to his kids after all. False blue eyes followed Alain as he moved around the kitchen to seemingly cook the soup again, for a reason that completely escaped Jared. “It still needs cooked? I thought I’d done okay?” He wasn’t overly upset to know that he hadn’t done a great job, he was told an awful lot that he tended not to make anything very good. “See this is why I stick to tinned food, it’s all there in the tin no messing around.” Jared leaned on the counter and smiled “Nah, never had the motivation to really try before. But soup is a movie staple, I had to give it a go!” Taking the offered spoon Jared dipped it into the pot and tasted it for himself. He had to admit it was a little bland. “Probably some of that powder garlic that I’ve seen people put in everything? But I don’t know, I don’t know a ton about cooking and all that… “

“No. Otherwise a sauce could be called soup by some too,” Alain was concerned as to how the young farmer was eating, especially since he seemed to be living on his own. Perhaps Alain would show him a few more things later on, but for now Cooking 101 would do. “It’s cooked, but… well you’ll understand when you taste it,” he leaned against the counter to give his leg some rest and smiled back. “And I commend you for trying. That’s more than some people do,” he patted the man’s arm and nodded at his suggestion. “Or, you know, we could use some proper garlic instead,” Alain didn’t have something against the powdered kind, but it did not replace the actual condiment. Reaching in a jar for cloves, he peeled a couple and pushed them toward Jared so he could crush them in a mortar. Rather than cumin, he opted for a bit of curry paste, mixing it in. “Alright, add the garlic and then we should be good to go,” the point was showing Jared that sometimes all it took was seasoning. Alain thought then, of what Alcher had told him in that waiting room, and let his guard down, “thank you, for being here,” he looked away and added, “it means a lot.”

“I’d happily call sauce a soup.” Jared laughed a little at the idea. “God people would hate that wouldn’t they?” It made his little fae heart flutter, he hadn’t yet fully embraced how much fae thrive on chaos of some kind, but he could relish in the small bits and pieces every now and then. “I mean I won’t lie bud, I usually eat tinned beans or pie or whatever, but it seemed like the moment to try harder than tinned soup.” Proper garlic just made Jared think of the entire thing like some sort of vampire movie, it didn’t seem too appetizing until Alain had peeled and crushed it in front of him. It made a LOT more sense in pieces he could admit. Smelling the soup as it progressed with so little added had Jared understanding that he definitely needed to be trying harder, but that’d come in time he hoped. “Oh hey don’t worry about it bud,” he wanted to add something like I like to be helpful, or You sounded like you needed the company but he wasn’t sure the reception that would have so instead he straightened up and leaned over to point at the soup. “So it’s edible now yeah? Got bowls around or you wanna save it for laters?” The nymph smiling warmly back at Alain.

“Jared…” The hunter looked at him then shook his head. He looked like he didn't really know whether he should be amused or bewildered, but, when in doubt, he preferred to be amused. “I think people would hate that very much, yes,” he admitted with a bit of laughter. He shook his head again, and you could see the amusement in his features: a rare smile, which made him close his eyes almost entirely. Jared must have been one of the most caring people the hunter knew. He reminded him a little of Nora, and it was with a twinge of heart that Alain wondered if he would eventually lose sight of Jared, if his new friend was to discover the true nature of his host.

“Tinned pie? Is that an actual thing?” Concern and disgust swept over him. With a scowl, Alain, apparently personally offended, could not restrain a gasp. “I’m glad you tried something new, that’s what’s most important here,” he felt a bit bad for having to tell Jared that his broth was far from edible as is. A viable option would have been to take everything out of the water and mash it together, but this was meant to be a soup, and Alain wanted to help Jared with that. “It was edible when you brought it, but edible is not the best you can get from these,” he pointed to the inside of the pot. “As you like. Didn’t you say you wanted to force me into watching a … movie,” the thing looked like it was targeted at teenagers and Alain had a bad feeling about it, but he had decided that he would not be grumpy with someone trying their best to help.

It was already cemented in Jareds mind. He wondered how much chaos he could elicit and how far he could go with it as well. Could pasta be a soup with enough sauce? Could alcohol be a soup? It would be from now on. The nymph grinned back at Alain, pleased that he’d managed to coax a laugh out of the man at least. “Tinned pie is a thing, it’s like a treat for the weekends sometimes if I can get it. Basically you use a can opener on the top and the entire thing just needs warmed up, the crust and all that are in there and it just has to rise on the top and it’s good to go!” Jared described it to Alain as if it was a magical event, which -despite the nymph knowing true magic first hand- felt like it sort of was.

Bringing up the movie was arguably a bad move on the hunters part, Jared was likely to be content and forget all about why he’d come had it not come up in conversation, however as soon as the words left Alains lips Jared had perked right up again and started to wiggle as if he were an excited puppy. He reached back into his backpack and pulled the DVD out and then also produced a VHS tape as well. “I didn’t know which you’d have, can never be sure in this place whether DVD players even work.” Jared laughed lightly before pushing them across the counter towards Alain. “We could soup and video at the same time maybe? I won’t be offended if the running commentary is criticism, I just do feel like it’s an essential watch even if you don’t like it!” The nymph looked at Alain expectantly for comment and first impression of the box covers.

The description of that pie that must have been summoned from a foreign inferno called capitalism brought a dramatic blink out of Alain. "What in the culinary hell is that? Cake mixes I can tolerate, but this sounds atrocious," the hunter told himself that he no longer just feared bugbears. He now feared bugbears and tinned pies. Shaking his head, he frowned once again and grimaced. What felt like magic to Jared felt like the 7th circle of Hell to the hunter.

He would have been offended about being treated like a dinosaur by Jared had it not been for the fact that he kept a VHS player somewhere, just in case. Of course Netflix was a thing, but there was something nostalgic about those grainy tapes. Still, he had not reinstalled it, and the thing sat in a box in the attic, between the hunting gear and the rock climbing equipment. The latter he knew that he would use in perhaps a couple years, but the former, he intended to keep upstairs. "We can have dinner and watch all at once, sure," although Alain intended to eat on the dinner table. Soup and couches sounded like a bad, perilous match. As much as he did not care much for danger, he knew what a pain it would be to clean that mess up. "Why don't you pick up the pot and bring it on the dinner table? I'll get some plates out," he picked a bottle of white wine as well, and headed there. Another trip to the kitchen later, and Alain was back with spoons and glasses. He kept his mouth shut about the box covers. The main character made him feel uneasy although he was unable to pinpoint why. "I cannot believe I agreed to watch something The Princess Diaries. Look what you make me do," his eyes grew bigger. Jared was too kind and innocent for the hunter to be annoyed at him, and Alain did have a soft spot for these sorts of personalities.

“It tastes good bud, you gotta trust the process.” It was very clear that they were on completely different levels with their food tastes, whilst Alain seemed to have a refined palate….Jared seemed to not have any taste at all. “And I’ve never tried box cake mix so I suppose I’ll leave that one for you to make the choice for us with.” he laughed at the expression on Alains face, it was good humoured, the nymph definitely had failed to notice how serious the other was about his disgust and was definitely not acting. In dopey indifference to Alains reaction to being asked about a VHS, instead the nymph was excited to see what the other would say about the movie as a whole, he was interested to see what Alain would criticise and what he’d stay silent on. Especially considering the man had already expressed his disgust with the concept. Accepting the offer to serve up at the table Jared lifted his soup with a bit of pride. He may not have been the one to make it enjoyable, but it was still his base ingredients so he was going to take what he could get. “Oh come on, surely a movie hasn’t made you spin into disbelief? Surely your friends have gotten you to watch weird stuff before.” Jared laughed. He set up the pot and looked around for where to put the movie on. It hadn’t even really considered the fact that the movie might be on netflix or some streaming site. He didn’t have anything like that at his home after all. “You’ve got to have one other movie under your belt that wasn’t what anyone would expect right?”

“They have. One of them forced me into watching this show about very rich highschoolers in New York who were stalked by a blogger,” Alain couldn’t remember the name of the show, but he remembered feeling little empathy for these people. He didn’t watch television for a good reason, but Alain felt like there was something nice about watching terrible tv with someone else, not because the show instantly became excellent, but rather for the opportunity to complain about how terrible it was. A dramatic blink welcomed the opening scene of the movie. He looked at Jared and deadpanned. “This looks great,” his shoulders shot up with amusement. Grabbing his spoon, he tasted the soup and glanced again at Jared. “Again, I’m repeating myself, but thanks for being here.” The former hunter looked around the room. The house still was foreign to him, and it didn’t help that he hadn’t unpacked most of the boxes there. Perhaps it was better that way. Ever since he had decided to quit his former life, he felt less and less anchored to this town.

The nymph paused a moment and then cottoned on “Oh gossip girl? It was gossip girl right? That’s full of rich people's nonsense.” Jared agreed with that at least. He’d attempted that show one afternoon of boredom, and was put right off by how lavish they were all acting. Seemed the farm boy couldn’t relate one bit. Completely in a different headspace than Alain, the blond was watching with rapt attention as the opening scene began. His attention only drew away when Alain addressed him. “Oh bud, wouldn’t dream of watching this with anyone else.” he joked lightly, finally lifting his own spoon to have some of the soup himself. “I have a pretty wild schedule on the farm, so I can always make some time if you’re wanting to hang out or watch shitty movies, or… well anything really.” Jared followed the hunters eyes and looked around the room also. “Unpacking party or whatever.” he tacked on the end helpfully.

“Yeah, that.” It was rich people's nonsense, although he did not recall his sisters ever acting so vainly. His eyes were drawn to the boxes that hadn’t been opened. Nostalgia hit him as he thought of his former house, where he had been spending a good bit of his life. There were things that you simply could not move around, and memories were included in that category. He never had liked keeping trinkets and knick knacks, but in times where he was feeling sentimental, he regretted it. Oh well, this would make moving abroad easier. He would not be able to take all his belongings with him overseas. “How kind of you,” he stood up to get bread from the kitchen, served himself another plate of soup and sighed as Jared offered help. “That won’t be necessary,” rather than to be unnecessarily mysterious, he gave him a tightlipped smile that wrinkled the corner of his eyes, and explained, “I intend to leave town for a little while. I’m moving abroad.”

Jared felt a small stab of loss when Alain explained his intention to move out of town. It seemed a lot of his new friends tended to not last so long in this place. But the Nymph smiled back nevertheless. It wasn’t up to him, and likely it was already all set up and sorted out. “That sounds exciting, where do you think you’ll be going or have you already got it all set up for yourself?” He asked politely, looking away from the boxes and intending on making the very most of this movie and dinner with his newfound and newly lost friend. Jared supposed a turnaround like this really stopped him from getting too attached, like he had with so many before the other man. “But hey shh shhh this is a good part.” He cut in with a small forced laugh trying to focus back in on the movie. He was going to make the most of this.

If he was left perplexed by the suggestion that one could leave to another place without a single bit of planning, he tried to shrug that off. Jared clearly was a lot more spontaneous than Alain had ever been. Always planning, always trying to have control. It was a shame, in the end, that he did not seem to have any control on his own life. Leaving town would give him the chance to finally do something with his life without a single thought going to his sense of duty. The code, the rules, the duty : a lot of words to describe not having the right to do as you please. Perhaps it was time to write his own rules, ones that he would be comfortable with or perhaps was it not too late to start over, and rather was it time to turn this heavy page of his life. He didn’t want to burn the whole book. There were good moments in the life that he was living. There was a lot of pain there too, for certain, and a good dose of tragedy here and there.

The man found himself brought back years back, back when he had had a chance to build a family. He heard Jared, and if he had a smile on his face while he looked at that crucial scene of the movie, his mind was somewhere else. Nostalgia had flown in like a peaceful summer breeze, and the fond memories felt like a warm embrace. It was true that he would miss this place very much, and Alain certainly regretted leaving all these people he cared for behind. He gave Jared a fond look. He hoped that he would be okay, and that the forever gargantuesque town of White Crest would not end up eating alive the poor innocent soul that he was. He didn’t have such worries for Erin, or Kaden, or even Jasmine. The three of them were tougher than stones, in their own ways. Stubbornness, bravery and determination. Perhaps was it why he instantly liked these people so much. Of all the things he was leaving behind, they had to be the toughest part. Finding people you could count on, and who could understand you might have been the hardest task for him. Sometimes he blamed it on being a hunter, one that did not stray away from duty (after all, it was this that had scared Evelyn away from him), sometimes he just figured that perhaps he was just not good at this. A mix of the two might have been the proper answer to that transparent mystery. It was easier to move on after being used to loss like he had been. After a certain age, you developed a certain craving for new adventures, and the fear of having wasted your time crept in. He would be alright, in very normal and very away from here Provence.

#wickedswriting #soup in genovia #para #chatzy #para jared

7 notes · View notes

jenroses · 3 years

Text

idk how to translate today’s recipes into “someone else can make them” because my recipes are sometimes very serendipitous and convenience based.

like I salted a turkey with smoked salt last night and put it in the fridge and then told my husband to stick it in the oven at noon at 250 and he did and when I got up I bumped it up to 300 for a while and cooked bacon and squash and lupin on the next shelf down, by turns, and then dumped some of the bacon grease on the skin (not much, just, a little, and tossed the bacon in the turkey pan and then when it was about an hour from when I wanted to eat I checked the temp and it was 139 between the breast and the thigh and so I jacked up the oven temperature and took out the squash and lupin and hit it at 450 for half an hour and while it was doing that I nuked a bunch of riced cauliflower with some bacon grease and chicken stock and let me tell you the stinky is not pleasant in the microwave.

Then I turned the turkey around and gave it 15 more minutes, and made cranberry sauce at some point with cranberries, allulose and monkfruit/erythritol plus orange zest and vanilla and my GOD is that the distilled essence of Holiday. When the turkey came out, I took some of the juices and put them in the blender with the cauliflower and put a couple of spoons of “stuffing master” (everything but the croutons and fruit) in with it along with some of the bacon from the turkey pan and pureed the heck out of it and while I’d planned on it being a potato sub, it ended up being exactly the consistency of gravy? And tasted like gravy? And I’d been sort of mourning gravy because I don’t know how to do it without carbs and my blood sugar has been all over the place even not eating carbs....

Anyway. So the cauliflower turned into gravy, and so my final plate included turkey, butternut squash with cauli gravy, herby ground lupin with stuffing fixings and cauli gravy, decadent cranberry sauce and dad’s green beans with slivered almonds and garlic and you know what?

My blood sugar stayed flat all day. On Thanksgiving.

And I didn’t feel deprived or hungry at all.

Everything tasted good and “like it’s supposed to.”

and fuck if I know if anyone else could replicate it from that.

Also, how do people make dry turkey? Because I’m not sure I ever have? I’ve eaten dry turkey, but I tend to hit it with a lot of heat for a little while and cook it for a long time at low heat and/or/vice/versa, and I don’t fuck around with basting.

(I feel like there are two temperatures for cooking meat: Low and very high. Low you do to get the temp up on a big piece of meat, high you do to capitalize on the maillard reaction for flavor. I cook prime rib in a similar way. Duck gets 20 minutes at 450 and then *waves hand* a while at 250-300 and then 450 for some more time, and this is always informed by how late I start it and when I want to eat.)

Here’s my dad’s recipe for “stuffing master”, which he adds to just about anything depending on allergies:

Stuffing master mix is breakfast sausage, diced celery, chopped parsley, toasted walnuts, ground sage, ground celery seed. [plus, if desired, some combination of apples, dried cranberries. He’s used raisins in the past but switched to dried cranberries at some point. The nuts are optional but a nice texture. This is one of the only situations I actually like walnuts very much.]

Brown the sausage, then add water to just cover the sausage and cook down, leaving some water in the pan. [the water both helps regulate the cooking temperature in the pan and helps deglaze the sausage drippings and keeps them from burning.]

Remove the sausage and chop into 1/2 inch slices. [this is important because the juices from the sausage will help leak out and flavor the turkey drippings, which get used for gravy later.]

Sauté the celery and parsley in the sausage pan until the celery is softened. [this gives the sausage fond a chance to help flavor the parsley and celery. also less dishes, bonus.]

Toast the walnuts on the stove top in a dry pan, flipping often. [important to do this separately in a dry pan. it’s a texture thing.]

Combine the sausage, celery, parsley and walnuts.

Sprinkle on some sage and celery seed to taste. Voila.

At this point, if my guests are tolerant of carbs, I usually add in a chopped apple and a handful of dried cranberries.

This then becomes the base for whatever starch you care to add (bread cubes, bread crumbs, rice, wild rice, etc.) and whatever liquid works for you (we use chicken broth, although we sometimes make a turkey broth the day before if we are roasting 2 turkeys.)

[amount of said starch is going to be very much by feel, as will the liquid. In my case I used about 2/3 of a cup of part garlic herb lupin and part regular plain lupin, at a 1:4 ratio with chicken stock, mixed with a cup or two worth of stuffing master. 2 spoons of stuffing master flavored the gravy/puree.]

Our socially distant Thanksgiving was fine. My kid was chattering with his cousin on speaker phone, which meant there was a background bustle from both households cooking, but we weren’t actually getting in each other’s way. We ate at our own pace, and then did a zoom call with the whole family (all my children! My niece! My sister! My parents! All at once in six windows!) that was just about the right amount of socializing, and then we went off and did our own thing. It was less stressful and painful than if we’d shlepped over there for it.

We swapped sides and ingredients a few times, on the porch, remote no-contact drops like some goddamn spy movie, so I got some of Dad’s stuffing master, hubby got regular stuffing from Dad, Dad got oyster dressing from hubby, Hubby got gravy, I got green beans from them, we sent squash and turkey to my eldest, my eldest got gravy and a pie from their grandparents.

Lupin is something you don’t see much in the US, but it’s like mostly protein, fiber and fat, tiny amount of carb, and the taste is good, though I’m still on the fence about the texture. It cooks kind of like couscous? But tastes closer to lentils? It’s a legume, and a reasonable side dish, and super compatible with my need to keep net carbs down and fiber/protein/fat up. (If I don’t eat carbs I don’t have to use much insulin, and since my metformin has been recalled, it’s the only way I can keep things stable. My A1C last month was 5.5, so I think I’m managing. Steroid-induced diabetes is a bitch.)

5 notes · View notes

littlethingwithfeathers · 4 years

Text

Quarantine Cuisine: Soup Making 101

So here’s another installment that’s more technique than recipe (though don’t worry... there is a recipe at the end). Forgive me for going a little long with this one, but I feel like not enough people know how to look at their pantry contents and summon soup. So... here we go. Soup-making 101.

Here are the basic building blocks of soup:

Protein:

If you’re wanting soup that is an actual meal, you’ll need protein, and since it’s sort of the central component of your soup, it informs every decision trickling down. Cook time, flavor palate, additional ingredients. On and on and on... And the list of soup-worthy proteins is endless. In fact, it’s probably best to list what -doesn’t- make good soup. And generally, what doesn’t make good soup is anything that is best cooked on high heat for a short amount of time. So... lean steak, delicate fish... things of that sort. Here are your best choices in most categories...

Meat: anything tough like roasts, shoulders, shanks. And sausage... links or ground. And anything cured like bacon or ham. (watch your salt with those though). You basically want things that aren’t going to just boil away... things with some fat and connective tissue.

Chicken: Thighs. 100%. You can do breasts but it’s a pain because they dry out with long cooking. And they’re more expensive. Just do chicken thighs.

Seafood: shrimp or clams... tougher fish like swordfish. But unlike the proteins above, you don’t want to add them in until the very end.

Veg: any sort of bean or mushroom. Lentils... all that good stuff.

If you’re new to soup making, I recommend starting with something forgiving. Chicken thighs, bacon, ground beef or sausage, mushrooms, or chick peas... These things stand up to being souped and are pretty hard to overcook. That said, your meat choice will arbitrate your cooking time. Meat with lots of connective tissue needs a longer cooking time, whereas chicken thighs will only take about 20-30 minutes to cook through. Keep that in mind moving forward.

Broth:

Your broth choice depends largely on your previous decision... but you can sort of think of it like wine. Red wine is like darker heavier broths like beef... save it for the red meat. Chicken broth is like a dry sturdy white wine... good for chicken obvs but also veggies. Fish broth is really only good if you’re making a fish dish. And veggie broth... I really only ever use it for keeping a dish vegetarian... it’s good but the flavor isn’t super strong. My go-to is chicken broth for most everything except heavy beef stew. And even then it would work in a pinch.

There are other liquids to consider as well. Wine... vinegars... acids... juice... coconut milk... but we don’t want to really settle those until we decide the following.

Fat: All soups need a little fat. It can come from your protein if you’re using meat... or you can go with oil or butter. Keep it fairly neutral.

Aromatics and spices: Herbs, spices, and things like onion, lemongrass, garlic, or ginger. This is where you decide your flavor palate. And don’t worry... it’s not complicated. I tend to choose my flavors based on geographical location. Here... watch.

French soup: onion/shallot, celery, carrots, tarragon, parsley, lemon, thyme, rosemary.

Italian soup: onion, celery, carrots, a shitload of garlic, oregano, basil (fresh or dried).

Thai: onion, ginger, garlic, chili paste, lemongrass, Thai basil

Indian: red onion, garlic, ginger, garam masala, curry powders, turmeric

Central American: lime, garlic, cilantro, onion, cumin

Or if you really want an advanced course in flavor matching, check out this book:

The Flavor Bible by Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg.

You can search by ingredient and see what goes with it. Magic! It’s probably the most well used cook book on my shelf and it’s not even a cook book!

Veg: Again... go with things that are forgiving when it comes to cooking time: Mushrooms, carrots, celery, bell peppers, sturdy beans, frozen corn. But that being said, you can add things in stages. Simmer your meat and onions and carrots for awhile... add more sensitive things like potatoes in a little later. Then when everything is almost done, toss in your spinach or fresh peas and such like that to just cook through at the end. Carbohydrate: Honestly... pick your poison. Potatoes, rice, barley, pasta... go nuts. Just pay attention to the cooking time and be careful not to overcook.

***

So, with those base ingredient categories in mind, we’re just going to think like we did with the scrappy pasta from last week. You want certain flavor roles filled: Salty, sweet, fat, acid, umami.

Salty: salt. Just... straight up. You don’t always have to have something filling in... but other things to think about that might help in that department are sausage, bacon, soy sauce, grated cheese. And bear in mind... if you’re using a lot of starch like with beans, pasta, or potatoes, keep tasting as you work along to make sure you use enough salt.

Sweet: Okay we’re not talking sugar... but think about things that have a sweet component to them. Carrots, sweet peas, sweet corn... it isn’t a must have but it helps keep a dish from falling too flat.

Fat: This can come from the meat you’re using or be added by you. Keep the smoke point high so things like plain olive oil (not Extra Virgin), bacon fat, or a little butter are best. Save your fancy stuff for something else. This is more utility than anything.

Acid: This will also help keep your soup from just being all one note. Tomatoes make a great acid. As does a splash of red wine vinegar or lemon juice right at the end of cooking.

Umami: Ah that witchy little concept... the X factor of every dish. It’s hard to explain exactly what umami is. It’s a complexity that usually comes from a combination of flavors... think about chocolate and pretzels, and the way those two ingredients bring out flavors that don’t exist when those two things are eaten on their own. Have a look at this list and you’ll know what you’re looking for... bacon, toasted sesame oil, olives, parmesan cheese, miso paste, balsamic vinegar. For savory dishes, it’s usually something aged, brined, or smoked. You get the picture.

Alright... all that out of the way. I’m going to make an example soup from just crap in my pantry. I’ll give substitutions as we go along as well. Another thing you can do is google soup recipes and use this guide to make substitutions. It’s like you’re one of those neural net learning computers! Only with better context clues.

***

Pantry soup:

6 pieces of bacon, cut into one inch pieces (could also be literally any kind of fatty meat... sausage, ground critter. I wanted this to be a mostly veggie soup, so I’m going with this one)

one onion, chopped (could also be some shallots)

four carrots, cubed (could also use some celery here if you have it. I don’t.)

3-4 cloves of garlic

Some white wine... 1/2 cup-ish (for my acid and for liquid... you could totally just use more broth, but a note about cooking with alcohol... there are flavors that are soluble in alcohol but not in water. Use both broth and wine... you get the best of both worlds.)

Chicken broth (enough to liberally cover all the ingredients... this took about 48oz)

one Parmesan rind (or a little Parmesan cheese)

1 14oz can diced tomatoes, juice and all. (Pro tip... rinse the can out with about half a cup of water and dump that into the pot too so you get all the flavor.)

1 bay leaf

1 tsp Italian herbs

1/4 tsp red pepper flakes

salt and pepper

1 14oz can chick peas drained

one cup frozen green beans

3-4 potatoes cut small

spritz of lemon juice.

Things I don’t have but really wish I could add to this: Mushrooms, celery, bell peppers, and fresh spinach. Other possible adds could be frozen corn, frozen peas, sweet potatoes, kale, fresh grape tomatoes (halved), other beans like kidney, cannellini, or great northerns. In a large, heavy bottomed pot or dutch oven, cook bacon until it starts to get some color and most of the fat is rendered. Scoop the bacon out with a slotted spoon. Add onion and carrots and saute until softened. Add garlic and cook for a minute more.

Add white wine and scrape up any bits stuck to the bottom of the pan and allow to cook down by half. Add the broth, bacon, tomatoes, Parmesan rind, and spices. Bring to a simmer and cook for about 20 minutes. Taste for salt here. I’d go easy up to now, what with the bacon and the parm. But with the potatoes and the chickpeas coming into the mix, you’re going to want to make sure the broth is well seasoned. Scoop out the Parmesan rind. Add the chick peas, green beans, and potatoes and cook for an additional 30 minutes, or until potatoes and carrots are fork tender (it was closer to 40 minutes for me). Taste again for salt.

Spritz with lemon juice and serve.

#soup #soup recipe #quarantine #quarantine cuisine #food #recipe #vegetarian friendly

27 notes · View notes

silicabeast34-blog · 5 years

Text

Won't soon forget | Roasted Winter Squash Soup with Curry and Coconut

Over the holidays, my brother gave me a box of family photo albums he's had since our maternal grandmother passed away in the summer of 2012. Between pages sticky with scratchy lines of yellowed glue and crackling sheets of protective plastic was a photo of grandma, younger than I can remember her, cooking with Aunty Surinder. Aunty was a close family friend, if not an actual relation.

The shot belongs with a few others in sequence. My grandfather, dressed in a pale yellow golf shirt with the collar neat, sitting with his elbows on a table, talking to a man whose back is to the camera. Another with grandma and aunty outside a small cottage, wearing sunglasses and smiling broadly at the photographer. My mother thinks the cottage must have been a rental of some sort, a forgotten holiday somewhere. Wherever it was, it looks green and temperate. And they look happy.

That one photo has stood out to me for the last two weeks, how the highest points of their smiles are just visible, the way their attention is on the stove and to each other. The particular blue on the carton and the eggs in the pan. Friends are going to India in a few weeks, and talk of their trip has had me thinking about my childhood visits there. I've been missing my grandmother in that hollow, aching way that comes with time, especially the feel of the skin on the back of her hands, her laugh, and her way with a good scramble. That photo, among all the others, even the ones where she's fully facing the camera, shook any dust off her memory.

Benjamin and William know of our friends travel plans, and that some others are newly engaged, and that another couple just bought a house. While the boys don't call Sean and my friends aunties and uncles, they do call them mister and miss. So it's Mister Jason, for example — I can't get past my upbringing of children not calling adults by their first names alone. What's more, in the naming of their misters and misses in the world, I hope the boys feel they've claimed the adults that are theirs, besides just Sean and I, our parents, and their aunts and uncles by blood.

For the last little while, William has held the firm belief that yellow soups are his favourite. I often make ones with squash or carrots, garlic, ginger, and cilantro, then chilies and coconut to take us somewhere in the area of Thailand, if not quite there. After last week's successful khao soi/squash experiment, I continued the streak with this Indian curried one.

Molly wrote about this soup more than two years ago; it is as simple as you'd want yet so bang-on exactly what it needs to be. The oomph comes from curry powder (honestly, I keep curry powder in the house for the aforementioned khao soi, mum's dry fried noodles, and this soup), but then its made all the more interesting by a partnership with maple syrup (!) and fish sauce. The maple syrup, and grade B is really the way to go here, has a darkness that is brought out by the savouriness of the fish sauce, so its sweetness melts into the background. Lime juice and Sriracha further sharpens the focus right at the front. It is the type of soup you make with such regularity that you take for granted how good it is. Which I totally did, until I was texting about it Sunday night. I'm glad I remembered. I won't soon forget.

(ROASTED) WINTER SQUASH SOUP WITH CURRY AND COCONUT MILK

I like this soup with accompanied by a little bulk — a rag of griddled naan, a mound of brown rice or crisped quinoa in the bottom of the bowl. Or, as shown, with chubby cubes of firm tofu slathered in the same flavours as the soup (maple, Sriracha, fish sauce) then bronzed in a hot skillet until leathery-edged. I had the last of some cooked lentils knocking about, so stirred them through with yogurt, cilantro, mustard sprouts and a pinch of Kashmiri chile powder, then spooned them over the tofu for another collection of textures. Cashews worked over in a mortar and pestle would also be nice.

The method for the soup was barely changed by me in roasting the squash first, but everything else is an adaption by Molly Wizenberg from a recipe in Better Homes and Gardens via Lisa Moussalli's own adaptation. I agree with Molly in that butternut is the best squash for the task, but red hubbard and butterkin aren't bad. Acorn makes the soup a bit more khaki and it somehow tastes it, too. The ace method for roasting squash entirely from Molly Hays at Remedial Eating. The squash is roasted whole — no peeling! No hacking! No scraping of seeds still stubborn! Wins all around! — then split once soft enough to do so without resistance. It is brilliant.

INGREDIENTS

1 winter squash (about 2 pounds / 500 g)

2 to 3 tablespoons olive oil

1 medium or large yellow onion, chopped

3 or 4 large garlic cloves, minced

1 tablespoon curry powder

1 (14-ounce) can unsweetened coconut milk

2 cups (475 ml) chicken or vegetable broth

1 tablespoon maple syrup

1 tablespoon Asian fish sauce

1 teaspoon Sriracha or other Asian chile sauce

Juicy wedges of lime, for serving

METHOD

Preheat an oven to 400°F. Place a whole winter squash on a rimmed, parchment-lined baking sheet (see note, below). Bake the squash until tender enough to be pierced deeply with the tip of a knife with only modest resistance, about 30 minutes. Carefully split the squash down its length, being careful of the steam. Flip the squash facedown on the pan and pop back into the oven for 15 to 20 minutes more until squash tender but still firm. Turn the squash so their faces are now upturned, and roast for 10 minutes more. Set aside until the squash are cool enough to handle.

Meanwhile, warm the olive oil in a 4 to 6-quart Dutch oven set over medium heat. Add the onions and cook, stirring, until they are softened, about 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook for a minute or 2 more. Sprinkle in the curry powder, and stir around for 1 minute. Pour in the coconut milk and scrape any stuck bits from the bottom of the pan. If using an upright blender, transfer onions and coconut milk to its carafe, along with the broth. Scrape the seeds out of the squash and discard, then spoon the flesh into the blender as well. Purée until smooth and velvety (alternatively, do all of this in the pot with an immersion blender). Pour the soup back into the pot, stir in the maple syrup, fish sauce, and Sriracha, and check for seasoning. Bring the soup back up to a simmer, then serve with fresh lime wedges alongside for squeezing on top.

NOTES:

When I roast winter squash this way I tend to do a whole bunch all at once — basically however much my oven can hold. This way it justifies turning the oven on, and then I'm set for soup (or whatever use you might have for roasted squash) for the week.

Newer:Things line up | Chinese-inspired chicken noodle soupOlder:A mashup

Source: http://sevenspoons.net/blog/2016/1/5/wont-soon-forget

1 note · View note

anyonecanbeacook · 6 years

Text

Mom's Beef Stew

Real quick: The recipe I am giving is enough to feed at least 12, so unless you want to batch cook, feel free to scale down as needed.

I was making this at a friends house so, no process pictures today sorry! But did get a (drunken) picture of the final product!

See?

Corn starch

You will need:

Utensils:

1 large stockpot (nonstick is a plus but not required)

5 bowls (trust me)

One fork, one plastic heat resistant stirring spoon OR wooden spoon (not metal!)

1 large pyrex liquid measuring cup

1 small pyrex liquid measuring cup

Ingredients:

Salt & pepper

1/2 cup flour

Marjoram

Thyme

Oregano

Turmeric

Bay leaves (4 total)

If using fresh herbs and spices then use sparingly the flavor goes a long way! This is a "sweet" beef stew recipe also, a lot of people read it as bland, and honestly it kind of is, but it is a very specific memory for me, as the title may imply.

Worcestershire sauce.

Cinnamon (optional)(not part of the original recipe).

White or red wine (either work! I prefer whites but we're cooking so, eh).

Butter (unsalted)

Cream, milk or half n half

2 medium rutabagas (chopped)

2 medium turnips (chopped)

4 large carrots (chopped)

6 russet potatoes. (Skin or no, up to you) chopped

1 med onion (thinly sliced)

15 cloves of garlic (yes. Really.) (Not a fan feel free to tone it down!)

2 small leeks (wash well, thin slices)

1 can corn drained.

Hot sauce or crushed red pepper flakes (optional).

2.5 lbs of stew meat cubed. Note: this is a beef stew recipe however this tastes very good as a lamb stew as well!

Optional: beef stock/bouillon. (2 boxes stock/ 1tbsp better than bouillon/ 1 bouillon cube)

For prep: chop and slice everything beforehand, and divide into the bowls! Make sure the root veg is separated by cook time! (Carrots & rutabaga/turnip first, then potatoes, then leeks).

Directions:

So! First, mix your flour and about 2 tsp of each spice in a bowl large enough to hold your meat. But not the bay leaves! Those come later.

Then, making sure your stew meat is cut into about 1in squares, toss and coat evenly (but not too thick!). The 1/2 cup was just enough for me to have all the meat coated and about 1/8th cup flour leftover. All this goes into the pre-heated stockpot, with about 3 tablespoons butter.

If you prep this all BEFORE cooking this goes easier. I didn't do that today. Oops.

Brown off the meat with the butter and any remaining flour mixture (shouldn't be that much honestly), the flour and spices and meat should all brown up. You want to make sure all the meat is browned on all sides. Takes about 15 minutes with how much meat I used today.

While Browning after most of the meat is cooked: deglaze slowly with the wine. Aka: pour the wine slowly into the pot and stir the mixture smooth. Don't let it get too watery! (And so, slowly, the gravy builds. Yum) I mean you can use as much as you would like but be sure to cook it off or the alcohol taste will overpower your stew! And not everyone likes the taste of wine.

Add onions (I opt for full rings usually, thinly sliced) and garlic.

Is everything smelling tasty, the brown lumps mostly smoothed out, and nothing is sticking to your pot? Great! Taste it. Is it overpowering or bland? We are about to add a crapton of liquid and other bland-tasting veggies, if it is overpowering, leave it be for now and add your water or stock, slowly! Also, add the bay leaves and 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce.

Let sit for 5 minutes at a medium simmer, then taste again. Bland or too strong? Go ahead and add your Carrots/rutabaga and turnips. There should be enough liquid to just barely cover everything in your pot. This is fine. Bring to a boil and cover with a lid for about 5 minutes.

Now you should have a thin-looking soup, that's mostly brown in color. Now, taste it again. Bland or still too strong? This is where the magic happens-- after you add the potatoes, we are going to let it sit for about 5 minutes at a nice steady boil, taste, then add the next ingredient: half of the sliced leeks, another 5 minutes, then the canned corn & rest of the leeks.

Once all the ingredients are in, check your liquid level, again water level should be just barely covering everything, if it has cooked down some keep adding more, then taste and tweek to taste.

This mostly goes on personal preference here. Marjoram, thyme, and oregano are sweet subtle herbs, it takes a while to discern them as separate tastes and smells if you aren't used to cooking with them, so add one at a time, let things simmer a bit, then taste and add different things. If I had to guess I would say my mon probably uses 3 tbsp of each spice when its all said and done? I tend to use about 2 tbsp or so.

One thing: don't overdo the salt or pepper! These things can always be added to individual bowls later. Better to have to add it then have food be too salty.

Now, how are things tasting? Good? Still too bland?

So, add about 2.5 tsp of cinnamon, and 2 tsp (or to your heat preference) of crushed red pepper flakes. Not together if you aren't sure! Try one first, then the other.

I know the cinnamon is a surprise but its actually really tasty!

Once the taste is where you want it, time to thicken! First, lower heat to a low simmer!

So take the small liquid measuring cup and fill it about halfway with stock from the stew. Just stock no actual veggies or anything. Add 2 tablespoons of cornstarch to this and stir the lumps out. Should be thick, but not like a paste. If it is pasty add more stock if it is too watery add more cornstarch. You want it to grab your stirring utensil but not actually give serious resistance.

Now mix 3 tbsp milk/cream/half n half to the goop, stir, and slowly pour into the stew, stirring as you go. Make sure the temp is no longer at a roiling boil & is just a simmer or the milk will curdle and instead of creamy texture you get grainy instead.

Once it is to your desired thickness, et voila! Your stew is ready!

Would probably pair super well with the bread I did a while back. Didn't have time to make that today. Maybe next time!

Time to make: I... don't know? I was working in a kitchen with friends and alcohol. Let's say 2.5 hours from prep start to finish? Less if you can get your ingredients pre-prepped!

Anyway! Hope you enjoy!

#cooking #taste of home #homesick recipes #from my mother to you #delicious #fun #party of 4 or more

1 note · View note

loadedliterature-blog · 6 years

Text

Recipes to follow at the bottom.

Roasted Chicken with Oranges, Brussels Sprouts, and Green Olives

Stuffed Artichokes

Butternut Squash Soup

Fruit Salad

Macaron Tree

Can-died Pears

Crimson Thread and Menage Trois wines

Reading The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood, I was a bit daunted by how to create a menu in theme with the book. In a dystopian society, what do they eat? How do they eat? How do they cook? Thankfully, Miss Anya Spector came to my rescue. “Why don’t we do a Birth Day Party?” Duh. A Birth Day Party. Though this is an oppressive society, they seem to splurge when it comes to the day their Handmaid’s gave birth. This fact opened up options for me. Here, I want to explain my research, as well as my choices for the menu for this week. The three stages in this process are as follows: research, prep, and cooking.

1. Research

The background of the book is a bit vague. We don’t really learn what happened to the US until page 174 of the Anchor Books edition. I tried to mark down any mention of food, but I also found a list on the website Bookmenus.com. There were many foods mentioned, but the most mentioned were oranges and coffee. Because Anya Spector and I live on coffee, this would automatically make the menu. It is now tradition to begin a recording session with a strong cup. Oranges, however, stumped me. I knew we should do a luncheon, but what savory options would be included?

That’s when I found an interview with the production crew of the new Hulu TV adaptation. A lot of research went into making decisions of what to include in grocery stores like Loves and Fishes in the show. Production designer Julie Berghoff said to a Marie Clare writer visiting set, “Every piece of fruit had a thought process behind it—when she gets oranges, the implication is, ‘Okay, they conquered Florida.’ If they had artichokes, it meant they conquered California. The evolution of Gilead was always in mind.” So that was it. Oranges and artichokes were enough inspiration to start a menu.

In Gilead, there seems to be a black market where rich wives can find luxury gifts, from cosmetics and lotions, to exotic cheeses and canned goods. Following the logic of Berghoff, assuming Florida and California had been conquered, and the Marthas had access to their agriculture, as well as some black market items, they could create a bountiful Birth Day banquet, fit for a Gilead luncheon.

One thing that stood out to me in the books was that cooking had become a bit more pure. No longer are there processed, pre-made foods in Gilead. Everything is homemade, so that was something that we wanted to emphasize in our own work… Not that we’ve actually served anything store bought other than the Harry Potter Candy. However, the homemade bread from P&P, and homemade macarons are very different. Everything to follow is made by us.

2. Preperation

Because I agreed to make quite a big spread for this book, my preparation began days before our actual recording. Quick tip: most soups can be made in advance and frozen! Almost all soups have a base that can be separated and frozen, while garnish can be made the day-of.

So I made the soup first. Butternut squash is hard, so make sure you have a sharp knife, sharp peeler, and strong grip. When roasting, make sure you dice vegetables as uniform as possible for even cooking. Metal spoons work wonders at scraping out squash. Save the pulp for a squash bread, especially pumpkins. The seeds can be roasted and salted for a healthy snack! When roasting the squash (see recipe below) toss roasting vegetables in the combination canola oil and EVOO. This mixture lowers the smoke point and help avoid over caramelizing the vegetables. Then I place a small piece of butter at each end of the roasting sheet for the nutty browned butter flavor. Finally, just barely cover the roasted vegetables with vegetable broth. You can always add more, you can’t take it out. However, if your soup becomes more like a puree, thin with more broth. Remember the more you thin, the less seasoning it will have so be sure to continue to taste. Separate into servings and freeze for freshest taste. Thaw the morning-of.

Next I prepped the artichokes. Artichokes have a low yield, so we try our best to avoid cutting the yield down further by wasting much of the plant. Cut the stems off to make the artichokes sit flat on a cutting board. Next cut tips off, at least an inch and a half down the artichoke. Trim the other untrimmed leaves with kitchen sears. Soak in water with fresh squeezed lemons, and be sure to rub the leaves and stem in lemon to prevent discoloration. I’m soaking mine for half a day. When they are done, I will steam them until the are tender, around half an hour. The day of the book club meeting, I will stuff them and roast them.

For the chicken, the oranges can be sliced the day before. Beware! You will smell like oranges all damn day. The Brussels Sprouts can also be cleaned. I tear the outside leaves off the sprouts, cut the stems off, and slice them in half. Store in water and lemon to prevent discoloration. The chicken can also be cleaned and trussed the night before. Run under cold water, and pat dry. Stuff with garlic cloves, onion halves, lemon and orange halves. Truss chicken to prevent the stuffing falling out. Rub in butter. Salt and pepper the chicken just before it is cooked. Pan sear for a beautiful golden brown color. For the gravy, make sure you pre-make the veloute base (blonde roux with stock, reduce until thickened. Skim the scum it creates to reduce floury flavor!). Mix veloute base with drippings and reduce.

Finally the fruit. For your fruit salad, make sure you have a good arrangement of fruit. Too many tart fruits together will make your mouth turn inside out (i.e. pineapple, oranges, grapes, green apples, raspberries…). Instead, mix with softer flavors like strawberries, red apples, melons, etc. For the “can”-died pears, we’re using canned fruit so it is already soft. Don’t overcook these, or they will turn to mush. You only want to heat these up. Immediately mix in the butter with spices. Finish with the whiskey. Be careful! Any time you are cooking with a high-alcohol content liquor, there is a chance it will go up in flames! This is called flambe. Don’t panic if it happens. Enjoy the pretty colors! Alcohol burns off very quickly. As long as it stays in the pan, you are safe. If you try to fling it into the sink, you risk spilling it on something that will actually catch fire. Instead, tend it carefully and it will go out.

**Macaron vs Macaroon

Okay let us get one thing straight. There is a difference between these two cookies, so let me educate y’all. For this podcast, Hale graciously cooked us macarons and we put them on a painted foam tree for pictures. However, many people will think they are macaroons, which would be untrue. Many of you may know the double-O Macaroon. This meringue cookie is popular in the US during Passover, and to understand that you need to understand the history of the cookie and how the French macaron became the coconut macaroon you find in cookie tins.

So the “French” Macaron actually came from Sicily (shout out to my fellow Sicilian co-host Hale). Macaron is actually related to the Italian word ammaccare, meaning “to crush.” This relationship probably refers to the act of crushing almonds into powder, the process necessary for your perfect French Macaron. However, until the 18th century, the cooks in the United States could not get their hands on many nuts or nut powders. Instead they substituted potato starch for a bit of texture, and substituted coconuts for almonds or other nuts, which were more perishable. Because the cookie has no leavening agent, they are considered acceptable for Passover! Thus, we have tins of chocolate dipped coconut macaroons for Passover in the US! However similar in history these cookies are, in the 18th century with the rise of French cuisine, these cookies deviated from each other. Though both are egg white meringue based cookies, the “flour” used is quite different. The French style is said to be more tedious and particular. Below you will see the difference between the coconut macaroon and the French macaron, respectively.

3. Cooking and Final Product

Roasted Chicken with Oranges, Olives, and Brussels Sprouts:

Ingredients:

Whole chicken (for 3-4 people)

3 Oranges

2 Cans Olives

1 lb Bussels Sprouts halved

1 Small Onion

Butter/Oil

Salt and Pepper to Taste

Process:

Preheat oven to 400

Clean, stuff, and truss chicken, salt and pepper to taste with a bit of butter rubbed over it

Line greased pan with oranges, halved Brussels sprouts, and green olives

Place chicken on top

Mix orange juice and honey and pour over chicken and everything on roasting tray

Roast in oven until done; start checking around the hour point.

When the chicken comes out of the oven, save drippings.

Mix drippings with veloute sauce. Reduce to desired thickness. Season with salt and pepper, orange juice if needed.

If the sauce isn’t thick enough, add a corn starch slurry

Fruit Salad

Banana, Papaya, Oranges, Grapes, Watermelon, Honeydew, Cantaloupe, Mango

Cut uniformly and serve

Butternut Squash Soup:

Cubed squash oiled on a roasting tray with salt and pepper, nutmeg, cinnamon, allspice, rubbed sage, rosemary, and thyme

Roast at 400 until tender, about 30 mins

Puree with warm vegetable stock to desired thickness

Season to taste

Garnish with bacon lardons

“Can”-died Pears:

Canned pears quartered sautéed with butter and cinnamon/nutmeg

Saute in butter until they turn golden, mix in brown sugar

Finish with honey whiskey–flambe

Top with ice cream

Stuffed Artichoke:

Ingredients:

3 large Artichokes (for 4-6 people)

Lemons

1 cup Italian Style Bread Crumbs

8-10 Garlic Cloves, chopped

1/2 cup Parsley, Basil chopped

1/2 cup Grated Parmesan Cheese

1/2 cup Grated Romano Cheese

Butter/Oil

Process:

Clean artichoke, soak, steam until tender (see tips above)

Mix together breadcrumbs, garlic, herbs, cheese, and melted butter or oil

Spoon mixture between leaves of artichoke

Roast until brown at about 375 degrees

Macarons (not Macaroons. See note)

For the macaron shells:

300g ground almonds

300g powdered sugar

110g liquefied egg whites (see below)

+ 300g caster sugar

75g water

110g liquefied egg whites

Liquid food dye to splatter: pink, blue and yellow

Frosting:

1 batch fluffy vanilla buttercream frosting

1 drop each of yellow, green, blue, purple, red and orange food gel

Process:

For the process, use the directions the creator of this recipe uses. Follow the link below.

https://www.thescranline.com/yay-gay-macarons

For a butter cream recipe, look to our Harry Potter themed birthday cake from last months’ recipes: https://loadedliteraturepodcast.com/2018/07/04/unicorn-blood-and-candy/

Macaron vs Macaroon; or Forever Smelling of Oranges Recipes to follow at the bottom. Roasted Chicken with Oranges, Brussels Sprouts, and Green Olives Stuffed Artichokes…

#Birth Day #Butternut Squash #Butternut Squash Soup #Candied Pears #Fruit Salad #Handmaid&039;s Tale #Macaron #Macaroon #Recipes #Red Wine #Roast chicken with Brussels Sprouts #Roast Chicken with Green Olives #Roast chicken with oranges #Stuffed Artichokes

1 note · View note

no-more-ramen · 7 years

Text

Cream-Of-Something Casserole is a *staple* in my house.

1 can Cream Of Something (mushroom is my favorite, but celery, onion, chicken, etc all work)

1 double-fistful of carb. Egg noodles are good, so is rice. Cook it first if you want, or add extra water to the casserole and let it cook longer.

1 double-fistful of veg. Frozen spinach or broccoli from a bag work well. Also green beans, corn, bell peppers, etc. Leafy greens and veggies with substance work the best.

Add protein. Canned tuna if you’re out of spoons, chopped up chicken or turkey or pork if you’ve got some in leftovers. You could probably use tofu. You could definitely use pre-cooked meat bits from the frozen section, though personally I don’t tend to use ground beef. You can season this part or wait until the end.

Throw in some cheese if you want.

Add just enough water so it mixes together smoothly. This is the part where the flavor additives go; garlic, onion powder, sage… a pre-mixed spice blend if you have to. Whatever suits you. Top it with Parmesan or breadcrumbs or both. I actually really like sprinkling uncooked stovetop stuffing on top, as it is already seasoned, and the moisture from the casserole softens it up properly and then all the main body of the dish needs is a little garlic.

Pop it in the oven at like… 325ish? Let it heat up until it starts bubbling and is hot all the way through, and the noodles are soft if you didn’t precook them. Just dumping everything in the crock pot also works, but if you do that I’d suggest dumping everything but the carb in, letting it get hot, then stir in the noodles or rice or whatever to cook about twenty minutes (ish? I eyeball it) before you eat.

Freeze the leftovers.

Tah-dah, you now have The Recipe Of Infinite Variety.

#food tw #recipe #dinner #no chopping #makes leftovers #crockpot #meat #submission

737 notes · View notes

reginacooks · 3 years

Text

Day 237

Things have been cool between Billy and me the past couple of days. He spoke harshly to Ethan the other night before bedtime. The Mama Bear in me came out. Gotta protect the cubs under all costs. Anyway, chilly vibes, which is never fun. In fact, the opposite of fun.

Have you ever noticed how much energy it takes to be angry? A lot. It takes a lot. You really only tend to notice how much energy it takes when you relinquish some of it. When you’re angry, you’re not really thinking about the energy you’re using, you’re only thinking about not talking to him, or not budging because of so and so, and you’re just focused on the anger until time goes by and you start to forget about why you were mad in the first place. And when you stop being angry, only then do you really notice a physical shift.

That’s what happened to me tonight at the dinner table. I was not talking to him and not talking to him, just eating and chatting lightly with the boys, until I looked over at Billy and I softened. His own face looked gentle, and I melted a little bit inside and that’s when I said, “Do you want to go on a walk after dinner?” He said he did. And that’s when I felt my body release the hold. I had a twinkle in my eye and I tried to meet his eye, but I think he was having none of it. He was looking at the boys. I think he was still avoiding me. But I felt my physiognomy relax, too, and it was OK that he was still processing. The ice was melting.

We cleared up (actually they did - I get a pass since I cooked), then put on our raincoats.

It was raining pretty hard, but we both had umbrellas and the air felt amazing after being inside all day. We walked quietly, me in front, not talking for a while until he said some words, then I did, then we talked about some friends, and about Thanksgiving. We started getting back into our groove. He had the day off of work today and told me that he put a lot of his jars of jam in little baskets with raffia to give to our neighbors, as the Farmer’s Market was kind of a bust this summer. I told him that was a sweet idea. When we got home he showed me his baskets and again, I told him that was sweet.

On our walk, during the bits where we were silent, I was thinking about this period of time and how sometimes it feels like I’m just trying to get through life, rather than being in life. Feeling like I’m waiting to get over to the other side - away from what, I’m not sure - the pandemic, high school, teaching online, teaching - looms over me at times. It’s the overall period of time. Except when there are moments of surprise, unexpected moments of joy, that weren’t necessarily planned. A sudden connection or smile from a student. Late afternoon I brought a cup of tea to my bedroom (and I won’t deny it - a cookie, too) and dove into my new book with abandon. I sat there for a good 45 minutes, uninterrupted. That was living life.

Back in the kitchen, I plotted out dinner. I couldn’t decide what to make. Frittata, which was the original plan, or Broccoli Cheddar Chowder. Gabe meandered into the kitchen and opened the fridge to stare inside. “What should I make, Gabe?” He said, “Frittata.” So, that’s what I made, with onions and crisped potatoes, and olive oil. The boys helped remove the stems of the bunches of spinach. I made corn muffins. And then we all sat down for our meal together.

I love the onions at this stage.

No picture of the spinach, but here’s how to make delicious spinach: steam it very briefly, squeeze out the water (it’s hard, I know), chop it, saute it with a little butter, minced garlic, pinch of salt, grated nutmeg, and a spoonful of sour cream. I learned how to make this one in Romania. Delish.

#cooking #baking #corn muffins

0 notes

nualathebear · 6 years

Text

Domesticated (PG-13)

Pairing: Grayson x MC (Alexis)

Rating: There’s a shower mentioned. I mean it’s still safe but…

Word Count: 1747

Request: @anon come to light, my bite is gentle

Prompt: #37 “Lie to me then.”

Extra Note: Who am I kidding, I hate angst. I suck at it so I’m just sticking to shameless smut and/or cutesy things. Or both.

Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters but I love them like my babies

When Alexis agreed to move into Grayson’s apartment, she did not expect him to be the chef of the house on top of his immaculate upkeep of the place. Sure, she didn’t expect him to be a slob either but too much perfection was sometimes just that. Too much.

She was hardly complaining, of course. Grayson’s cooking was sublime. She still didn’t know exactly how he has been juggling being co-owner of a nightclub, rebuilding Prescott Industries in his image and coming home to prepare a proper meal for the two of them without fail. Sometimes, she wondered whether the Prism Gate hit him too. She mused that maybe Eva might have lent a hand somewhere.

So one night, she decided she would be the one cooking for them. She had learned a thing or two about cooking from her mother so it wasn’t like she was a schlep in the kitchen. The internet also worked wonders when it came to finding easy recipes for yummy foods so she came home early, hauling a few bags worth of groceries, ready to cook.

After a quick perusal of her phone for a tutorial on how to make the perfect steak dinner for two, she found one that looked ridiculously simple. She turned on her music player and as the first song blasted through the kitchen, she went about dicing onions, chopping garlic and letting the butter get to room temperature.

She wasn’t aware that Grayson had come home until he slid his arms around her waist and kissed the back of her neck. She went rigid for a second before melting in his arms, turning to kiss his stubbled cheek. “Hey,” she grinned and shimmied out of his grasp to get the skillet of thinly sliced potatoes topped with three types of cheese into the pre-set oven.

Grayson removed his jacket and hung it by the door before unbuttoning and rolling his sleeves up to his elbow. “What can I do to help?” He asked with a grin. Alexis chewed on her lower lip as she looked around to see what he could actually help with and found that she was pretty much set. “I’ve just got the steak to cook. You like it medium well, right?” Alexis asked as she moved to the kitchen stove and placed a pan on one of the hubs, heating it up.

With a nod, Grayson slid on one of the stools opposite the kitchen to watch Alexis cook. “I used to think well done was the best but then an old flame of mine got me a medium-”

Alexis held a hand up and raised an eyebrow. “Excuse me, an old flame? Are you seventy, Gray?” She teased as she poured a bit of oil on to the pan and chuckled at Grayson. “Also, are we talking about exes? Are we at that stage already?” She asked with a teasing lilt in her voice. Grayson’s cheeks heated up as he grimaced. “I didn’t mean to bring him up. Sorry.”

Her jaw slacked a little and she dropped the butter dish on the worktop with a small clatter. “Wait, you dated a guy? I’m assuming in college, so how did I never hear about that?” She asked, regaining her composure enough to slide a few pats of butter into the sizzling pan. Sliding it around, she split her attention between that and Grayson who was still grimacing before he launched into the story.

“You wouldn’t have known him. I dated him before you got in. Although…actually, we kind of broke up because of you.”

A little gasp emitted from Alexis as she placed the tenderloin on the pan, listening to the sizzle. Since the recipe did ask not to touch it for about four to five minutes, she looked up at Grayson imploringly. “Well go on!” She urged him, which deepened the red hue on Grayson’s cheek.

“Alright. Well, Thomas was already insecure to begin with, mind you. I liked him enough and he was quite sweet. It was just that when I started befriending you, I guess he picked up on how I liked spending more time with you than him?”

This time, Alexis was the one who blushed.

“It wasn’t like I blew him off to be with you but I guess it just came down to timing. And I might have made plans with you before consulting him so that…didn’t make for an easy break up.”

Alexis pursed her lips and placed a hand on her forehead. She felt bad for Thomas but admittedly, she had always had a crush on Grayson. She didn’t know if she would have been any better had she known Grayson was attached.

“Why didn’t you ever tell me you were with him, though?” Alexis asked before turning the steak over, whistling at how perfectly seared the bottom part had become. As per the recipe, she grabbed a few stalks of rosemary and a few cloves of garlic, placing some on top of the steak and some in the butter oil mixture.

Shrugging, Grayson shifted on the stool before leaning forward, resting his elbows on the counter top and his chin on his hand. “What Thomas and I had wasn’t entirely serious. Even he admitted to that once we cleared the air a few years back. And there hadn’t been a time when I thought I had to? And we were just getting to know each other back then.”

As she tended to the steak, she mulled over Grayson’s words, feeling both sorry for Thomas and admittedly a little happy for herself, selfishly enough. It was all in the past and Grayson and Thomas had hashed it out, haven’t they?

As if Grayson knew exactly how Alexis was feeling, he got off the stool and walked over to her, circling her arms around her from the back and nuzzled her neck. “You do realise that’s all in the past, right?” Grayson said softly. “Thomas is happily married now. He looks at our relationship fondly but ultimately, we weren’t the right fit anyway.”

Alexis gave a little smile to his reassurance and quietly worked on the steak, pouring the butter and oil over the already browned side for flavour before patting Grayson’s arm. “I know. I’m fine, really. Just feeling a little odd that someone else picked up on your crush on me before you even knew about it.” She teased, turning around to peck him on the lips. Grayson chuckled. “Don’t tease me.” He said, nibbling on her neck a little before releasing her.

“That is smelling good, by the way.” Grayson commented before pulling back to the stool to watch.

“Why thank you. I thought I’d do something nice for you since you’ve pretty much done everything around the house ever since I moved in.”

“The nicest thing you did was move in. And besides, I didn’t want you to feel obligated to do things around the house.”

“Lie to me, then.” Alexis chuckled. “My mom always did whenever she wanted me to do things without making me feel like it was her idea.” She paused and shook her head. “But come on, this is a partnership. We do things together from now on, okay?” She looked at him pointedly and Grayson chuckled with a nod.

“Good, why don’t you take a shower first? Let me finish up and we can have dinner.” She smiled sweetly at Grayson who nodded and came back to her to give her a kiss on the forehead. “Love you, Lex.”

Alexis felt warmth spread over her body and a goofy grin came on her face. “Love you too, Gray.” She slapped Grayson’s butt as he moved away and he gave a little surprised yelp. “Hey!” He laughed as he walked off.

She took the steak out of the pan to let it rest before working on the sauce to go with the steak.

By the time Grayson got out of the shower and into a fitting t-shirt and pants, the table was set and Alexis was pouring the wine into two long stemmed glasses that Grayson forgot he even had. Alexis looked so put together in a simple sleeveless black dress with her hair up in a messy bun and Grayson couldn’t help but stare.

Then he saw the table and he had to laugh. Not because he was making fun of her but more the fact that she had somehow found serving plates he didn’t know he owned and plated the food so neatly and looked like she even cleaned the kitchen and she still looked like she had just stepped out of a catalogue.

“Okay you’re staring. You know I don’t like being stared at.” Alexis had put the bottle down and approached him with both hands reaching out to him. “We kinda need to buy more kitchenware because somehow in this lavish apartment you only own two of everything? That needs to change because I like having people over and we know a few people between the two of us.” She chuckled and guided him to the table.

“I smell like meat so deal with it.” She leaned over and pressed her lips against his. He reciprocated happily as his arms circled around her, pulling her tightly as he deepened the kiss. They stayed in the position for several seconds before she broke the kiss with a breathless laugh. “I’m actually kinda hungry so we should uh…save that for later.”

Grayson laughed along with her and nodded, pulling out the chair for her before sitting down on the other side. “Lex, everything looks amazing.” He said with a wide smile before spooning up food for Alexis and then himself.

They spent dinner talking about their day and once that tired out naturally, they spent it in companionable silence. Once dinner was done, they washed up together then Alexis took a shower. Grayson joined at one point and they had to take another shower before heading to bed. As they curled up with their legs tangled up under the sheets, Alexis pressed a kiss against Grayson’s bare shoulder, sighing as she closed her eyes. “Today was a good day.”

A low, rumbling sound came from Grayson as he agreed. “Was a great day. Thank you.” He reached his hand back to ruffle Alexis’ hair and she grinned. “Goodnight, love.” She tightened her arm around Grayson’s midsection and before long, she was out like a light.

#choices: hero #nuwrites #grayson x mc #grayson prescott

11 notes · View notes

theveganroadierecipes · 6 years

Text

Brunchy Buttermilk Biscuit Pizza

So this little biscuit of a thought has been on my mind for about two years, no lie. So I finally did it! This pizza is everything to me, buttermilk biscuit crust topped with savory country gravy, sausage, onions, peppers, mushrooms and a delicate and flavorful tofu scrambled drizzled with just a touch of siracha and sprinkled with chives for a delectable pop of color... it will win any guest over at brunch, vegan or not.

I used Herbivorous Butchers seasonal Butternut Squasage for this recipe but use whatever kind of vegan sausage is readily available to you, using a flavorful variety like “italian” will suit this recipe best.

Serves 8

Ingredients:

Biscuits:

¾ cup non dairy milk

2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar

2 cups unbleached all purpose flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

½ teaspoon baking soda

¾ teaspoon sea salt

4 tablespoons vegan butter, cold

cornmeal, for dusting

olive oil, for drizzling

Country Gravy:

1 tablespoon olive oil

½ cup white onion, chopped

1 garlic clove, minced

¾ teaspoon sea salt

½ teaspoon black pepper

½ teaspoon caraway

¼ teaspoon fennel

¼ teaspoon smoked paprika

2 cups non dairy milk, divided

2 tablespoons cornstarch

Toppings:

2 tablespoons olive oil

½ green pepper, chopped

½ red onion, sliced

½ cup mushrooms, any variety stemmed and sliced

2 vegan sausage links crumbled or roughly chopped

3.5 ounces extra firm tofu (1/4 of 14 ounce block) pressed, drained and crumbled

¼ Himalayan Black Salt (Kala Namak)

¼ teaspoon ground turmeric

1 tablespoon nutritional yeast

¼-1/2 cup shredded vegan cheddar cheese

Siracha, optional

Chopped chives, optional

Procedure:

Preheat the oven to 450°, lightly grease a 9-inch spring form pan or round cake pan.

Crust:

In a small bowl combine the milk and apple cider vinegar, set aside for 5 minutes to thicken. In a medium bowl whisk together the flour baking powder, baking soda and sea salt. Add the butter and use fingers, fork or pastry cutter to combine until the texture of the mixture is small pieces like sand.

Add the milk mixture to the flour mixture and combine with a wooden spoon until well incorporated and the dough has just loosely formed. Turn the dough onto a floured surface; dust the top with flour as well. Turn the dough over on itself a few times, just barely kneading it. You want to make sure it is well combined but not to over knead it, the dough should not be tight or have an elastic type texture.

Dust the greased pan with cornmeal or flour. Spread the dough into the pan and push it out to the sides, creating a wall around the edges at least 1 ½ inches high. Drizzle biscuit crust with olive oil and bake for 8 minutes.

Gravy:

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat; add the onions and sauté for 3 minutes until translucent or soft. Add the garlic and sauté an additional minute until fragrant. Add the salt, pepper, caraway, fennel and paprika, mix until onion is well coated and spices are fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add 1 ½ cups of the milk to the mixture and bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer.

Whisk the remaining ½ cup milk with cornstarch to create a slurry, slowly stir it into the skillet and let simmer 5-7 more minutes, until thickened, stirring occasionally.

Toppings:

Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat; add the peppers, onions, and mushrooms and sauté for 4 minutes until the onions are becoming stringy. Add the remaining tablespoon of olive oil and the sausage, sauté 4 additional minutes until the sausage is slightly browned and the mushrooms have wilted in size.

In a bowl combine the crumbled tofu with the black salt, turmeric and nooch. Mix with a fork until well combined and the mixture is light yellow in color.

Building the Pizza:

After the crust has baked for 8 minutes, use a ladle to spoon the gravy into the center. Using the bottom of the ladle, press down on the center crust to actually push the crust down and create more room for toppings, be mindful not to crush the sides of the crust down, only push the center down. Add desired amount of gravy, I usually use almost all of it with ¼ to ½ cup left over that I use later in the week for baked fries and gravy.

Top the gravy with the sausage mixture, followed by the tofu scramble mixture. Use ¼-1/2 cup shredded cheese depending on your preference, I tend to use ½ cup but if you don’t like the flavor of vegan shredded cheese opt for the lower end, just for some texture.

Bake for an additional 8 minutes until cheese is melted and edge of the crust is just golden brown. Let set for 5 minutes before slicing, if using a spring form pan, remove the side of the pan and use a spatula to transfer pizza to a serving plate. Drizzle with siracha and sprinkle with chopped chives if desired. Serve hot.

4 notes · View notes

jenroses · 5 years

Text

Cheap, low spoon cooking

My cooking tends to start with protein, and because of my food issues, that protein is generally meat, and if you argue with me about that, I’ll block you, because if you want to do a thread on low cost vegan cooking, go right ahead, you’ve got your own blog right there. Holler if you want more specific instructions for any of these, and let me know whether you just need a basic recipe or “how to for a complete noob to the kitchen” or anything in between.

1. Chicken

Chicken is at the top of the list for cheap and easy, because it can often be had for less than $1.50 per pound, and because many preparations of it can be done with less than 5 minutes of work (oven time not included.)

Basic: get whole chicken. Preheat oven to 450. Pull out giblets. Sprinkle salt on skin. Roast at 450 for 1 hour. Enjoy crispy skin, tender meat. Same method (shorter cooking time, about 45 minutes) works for bone-in skin-on thighs. With the whole chicken, you can usually make one bird into several meals, by using the meat for one meal, and making soup out of the bones and whatnot for the next meal. If you get skinless boneless thighs, they’ll usually be a little cheaper than skinless boneless breasts. Don’t roast them, cut them up, drench them in a marinade, and pan fry the pieces. Serve with pasta or rice and stir fried veggies.

2. Pork

Pork tends to range in price from $2.50 per pound up to $8 per pound. I’m usually getting pork shoulder for about $3 per pound. Shoulder and “country style ribs” are incredibly cheap and can be pressure cooked (instant pot) or slow cooked into pulled pork with seasonings, or you can get slightly fancier, make a marinade of coconut aminos and orange juice (or apple juice and apple cider vinegar, or rice wine vinegar, mirin, soy sauce, whatever, just make sure there’s some salt and some acid and some sweetness in the marinade to help tenderize the meat), and cut the shoulder roast into 3/4 inch thick steaks, cutting across the grain, then put in a bag or bowl with the marinade overnight. We add onions and garlic and shallots to the marinade because I can digestively tolerate them only if they’ve been soaking in acid of some sort for a while. My favorite is to marinade in orange juice, coconut aminos, chilis, onion, garlic, etc. overnight, then pan fry the steaks, turning often, until golden brown. The resulting pork shoulder steaks get cut into strips and served a variety of ways--tacos, sandwiches, lettuce wraps, whatever. We usually use about 8 oz per person if there’s no fancy sandwich toppings, and 6 oz per person or less if making wraps or tacos. I have to have a little more energy for this method, and will often have someone else prep the aromatics.

3. Eggs Even farm eggs, if you live anywhere near a rural area, can be had for less than 50 cents an egg, and regular conventional eggs have been $2 per dozen or less basically as long as I’ve been alive. Basic egg recipes can go from fridge to table in about 5 minutes. I usually get eggs from a friend whose neighbors have backyard chickens, for about $4 per dozen. A good nonstick egg pan + eggs is a fast way to get protein into you without spending all your energy doing it. Over easy, scrambled, omelet, or my kid’s favorite, egg in the hole... all cheap and incredibly fast.

4. Beef Most beef is not cheap, and has been getting steadily more expensive for years. That said, if you understand how to cook various less fancy cuts, and shop at a local butcher, chances are you can get your meat for far less than a typical grocery store. I rarely go for things like ribeye or filet. We’re all about the round roast, chuck roast and flat iron here. Also like the shank. I rarely spend more than $7 per pound on beef, usually closer to $6. But again, we’re shopping at a local butcher who sources meat locally and does all breakdown themselves. Tricks: Look for a whole flat iron and ask the butcher to cut it. The method I ask for is “Please cut it off the silverskin and then into 6 oz portions.” This eliminates most of the gristle layer, leaving incredibly tender meat with a ton of flavor. The flat iron is from the chuck, but is a specific muscle that doesn’t get used a lot, so it’s very tender. Round roast, tip roast... these can be just salted and roasted very slowly (like, 200 F) if you have a meat thermometer with a probe that can stay in the meat, so that you roast it at very low temp until it comes up to about 110-120 degrees, then you take it out, turn the oven up to like 450, put a rub on the meat, and blast it at high heat until the probe is at 140. Then you let it rest for a while and come up a few more degrees, and what you get is a roast with a crust, as tender as the cut is likely to get while staying pink, which, cut thin, will be fantastic roast beef. If you don’t have a fancy thermometer, we usually start it high, then turn it down without opening the oven and let it go for an hour or so before checking with a cheap thermometer. But you can also cut into smaller pieces, marinade, and stir fry. You can ask the butcher to cut your roast into chunks for stir fry, if you aren’t up to the cutting.

Chuck, shank, and other tough cuts can be pressure cooked into super tender pot roast very quickly. Wine, mushrooms... We use cheap sulfite-free wine and whatever mushrooms are most affordable for this.

5. Lamb Lamb can be pricey, but we get a boneless leg roast (grass fed) at Costco for about $6 per pound, which is one of the best prices out there for grass fed meat. We use the roast in one of two ways: We either roast it low and slow like beef, serving it rare, or we cube it and pressure cook it with savory liquids and then serve it with coconut milk and curry paste over rice. So good. 6. Duck Our local Asian markets usually have whole duck for $3.50-ish per pound. It’s outrageously expensive literally anywhere else. Duck doesn’t cook like chicken, exactly... you must score the fat if you want it crispy, which means poking the fat without poking the meat. We roast at high temp, flipping as needed, to get a very crisp duck without drying out the breast. SAVE the drippings and use them in soup, or to cook eggs or potatoes in. Duck fat is like gold. So much flavor. 1 duck feeds 3 of us an indulgent amount of duck. Cooking gadgets for reducing the amount of physical energy you need to cook things: I never, ever use slow cookers because even used properly they seem to create less flavor than the pressure cooker methods. Pressure cookers are like slow cookers for procrastinators. Things that normally would take all day take an hour. Things that would take a couple of hours will take 30 minutes. The amount of money you can save in cooking beans alone vs. canned will pay for it. Pressure cooker is often the difference between me making homemade stock and throwing the carcass away. They’re also about as efficient at transferring heat into meat as any form of cooking you can get, so the energy savings are not irrelevant. Instant Pot is $70-ish at Costco right now, I’m just saying. An oven is helpful, but if you don’t have a full sized oven or can’t bend that way, a toaster oven can do a LOT. If you can get one that is large enough to cook a chicken in, you don’t need a larger oven if you aren’t doing large scale cooking. If you have a child who wants to learn to cook, a cheap toaster oven costs about the same as an EZ bake, but is an actual real kitchen device which can do real cooking. Spend a little more and get one with air circulation and a little more interior space if you can afford the counter space and the money. I know people like air fryers, I’ve not seen the point. Very few things an air fryer can do that a convection toaster oven can’t, and the form factor is better for the toaster oven for cooking a reasonable amount of tater tots. (priorities!)

Food processor: If you find chopping things a barrier, food processors can slice and grate very quickly, and rinse off nicely without a lot of elbow grease. I don’t usually bother, but I have minions who will do chop prep for me. If you don’t, even a small food processor will be less taxing on sore joints than most chopping. If you want to make pastry, a food processor is a must if you have energy issues.

Knives and a means to sharpen them: dull knives make cooking incredibly exhausting and tedious. Sharp knives make it all work so much better. The base price of the knife is less important than the condition you keep it in, as youtube will be happy to show you in a variety of mesmerizing videos.

Meat thermometer: Sort by reviews, ignore any where the reviews are suspicious. My strong preference is for digital quick-read ($10ish) OR probe-style leave-in. ($20-ish) You want this for food safety AND so that you can avoid overcooking roasts.

Cutting board: ideal is something with a groove (prevents juices from flooding the counter and contaminating everything) that runs around the edge. Cheap plastic boards can be convenient, I guess, but are harder to get reliably clean than wood, which tends to kill off germs. My favorites are bamboo. Not terribly spendy, super pretty, work very well.

The pans I use: 9x13 pyrex baking dish for most of our chicken stuff dark enamel roaster (not huge unless you’re going to do turkeys) for beef roasts (very cheap) large baking trays lined with silpats (both bought at costco, idek, they’re ideal for tater tots and such and don’t get problems with sticking and are easy to clean) Nonstick PFOA-free egg pan, sautee pan and 11 inch griddle. I think I spent $22 at Target on three egg-type pans of different sizes? Not particularly spendy, but you do need to replace them every 5 years or so. variety of saucepans and pots in stainless (I have cuisnart and Kirkland and they’re fine and last kind of forever barring disasters and sometimes even then. Can be bought second hand.) We use a lot of pyrex stuff because it’s convenient for leftovers and mise en place. If you have someone helping with chop prep, little dishes full of prepped things make the cooking go so much easier. But you can do that in regular dishes too, we’re just fancy that way (and I stg the pyrex breeds in the cupboard.)

I’ll talk starches if people want.

#Mine

13 notes · View notes