food, whatcha been eating?

[bansil]

Sunday night dinner smoked chicken and potatoes





chicken:
Take chicken and pat it dry, sprinkle dry rub on it and in it

open beer can drink 1/2 and put a teaspoon of rub etc in can, make a couple extra holes in top of can.........insert into the chickens butt

place chicken in smoker and heavy hickory smoke for 3 hrs at 225

remove and cover with foil and let rest 15 mins

potatoes:

(make topping ahead of time)
topping is equal parts of blue cheese crumbled into sour cream, stir and mesh together, put in fridge for a few hours to let them meld together

take small potatoes, wash and dry place in plastic boil with some olive oil and coat outside in oil

roll 'tators in salt and place on cookie sheet

bake at 375* UNTIL SQUISHY

pull out cookie sheet and cut an X in top of potaoes

squeeze potatoes to creat a puffy open looking thing, spoon in a teaspoon of topping mix, garnish with chives

[lornaschinske]

I was trying to come up with something to do with the canned chicken other than Cranberry Pecan Chicken Salad sandwich filling. This is what I ended up with. I would say it makes 4 servings. I generally have all the ingredients on hand either in the frig or in the pantry, so this is a good recipe for me to have.

Cheesy Chicken Mac
Combine 2 oz shredded Muenster cheese, 2 oz shredded mozzarella cheese and 4 oz shredded sharp Cheddar cheese, mixing well. Boil 8 oz pasta (I used raditorre) in salted water with 1/2 tbsp oil added for 7 minutes. Drain well in a colander. While pasta is draining, melt 4 tbsp butter in the saucepan used to cook the pasta over low heat. Add 1 cup milk, 4 oz diced Velveeta-type cheese (I used WalMart Great Value brand), 1 lightly beaten egg, 6 oz of the mixed cheeses, 1 (13 oz) can chunk chicken meat, 1/8 tsp salt, 1/8 tsp cajun seasoning blend and 1/8 tsp black pepper. Heat until cheeses are mostly melted and everything is mixed together. Add the drained pasta to the pot, stiring to coat the pasta with the sauce. Transfer to a 2 quart oven safe container that is well greased. Sprinkle remaining cheeses over the top of the pasta mixture. Dot with about 1/2 tbsp butter. Bake in preheated 350°F oven for about 30 minutes or until the cheese on top is melted and casserole is bubbly around the edges. Serve hot.

Next time I make this, I might add some cooked broccoli florets to the mess to make a complete meal.

[Skunky Bus]

Originally Posted by bansil

open beer can drink 1/2 and put a teaspoon of rub etc in can, make a couple extra holes in top of can.........insert into the chickens butt

Now there's a visual.

[bansil]

Originally Posted by Skunky Bus

Now there's a visual.

[lornaschinske]

David just made this recipe. I originally found this recipe in a cookbook called "I Hate To Cook Cookbook" by Peg Bracken. Full of some pretty good, little work recipes. I don't hate to cook, it's the cleanup that kills me. But I do love to eat. This is a cake recipe from the depression era. I call it a "pantry" cake. Everything used to make the cake are shelf-stable items I normally keep on hand in the pantry. No eggs, no milk (and I use powdered milk so that's a shelf stable pantry item). I use peanut oil but any clearish light flavoured oil like sunflower, safflower, corn oil, nasty canola/soy oil will work. You can even use a light olive oil. It makes a nice light not too sweet chocolate cake. We make it in a shallow 2" deep 1/3 steam table pan but the recipe calls for 8 or 9 inch square pans. I have made it in 8" round cake pans as well. And no bowls to wash either. I wrote my recipe down to include the weights of the ingredients so I have very little measuring equipment to was as well. I just slap the greased cake pan on the scale, zero it out and weigh everything into the pan (zeroing out after every addition). I also try to keep shelf stable canned cake frosting (handy stuff) and fruit pie fillings (another very handy item) on hand as well. This cake is great on it's own. Also can be dressed up a bit with frosting. To get really fancy, plate a serving of the cake, spoon some cherry pie filling over the cake, drizzle some warmed up chocolate or fudge ice cream topping or cake frosting over the cherries and cake, spritz a shot of whipped cream on top. Quickie "Black Forest" style cake. Back when we had the popup and were camping every other weekend, I used to combine the dry ingredients in a ziplock baggies. when we wanted a cake I would grease up the baking pan, dump the contents of the baggie into the pan then add the wet ingredients to my dry ingredients and bake in the toaster oven. I also kept a can of frosting on hand as well. This was a single day cake in our family of four. With just the two of us, it is gone in a couple of days and doesn't hang around long enough to go bad. We tend to store it, unfrosted and covered, in the microwave. We don't frost it because sometimes I like my cake heated up and either a light glaze (spread small amount of cake frosting on warmed cake) or butter swiped across the top. This cake has turned up on our table as everything from everyday snack cake to special occasions like birthday cake. Don't let the odd ingredients scare you off. The cake is very good plus is cheaper to make than a box mix, which I never seem to have (not since I started making this cake).


COCK-EYED CHOCOLATE CAKE
Makes one 8 or 9 in cake

In a greased 8x8x2 or 9x9x2 square pan, sift (I never do) or stir together 1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour, 3 tbsp baking cocoa (I prefer Saco brand), 1 tsp baking soda, 1 cup sugar and 1/2 tsp salt. Stir until the flour is well mixed into the cocoa breaking up any little lumps.

Add 1 cup cold tap water, 5 tbsp cooking oil, 1 tbsp vinegar (either white or apple cider, I've used both) and 1 tsp vanilla (preferably REAL). Beat with a spoon until it'd nearly smooth and you can't see the flour. Make sure you scrape the corners if your pan has corners. It'll be a little bit thick, don't worry about that. Bake it at 350°F for about 30 minutes. It'll taste sorta like a cake-type brownie. It seems to rise lighter in higher altitudes and turn out more brownie like at lower altitudes. It could just be my imagination. Frost it however you want, with whatever you want, if you want. It''s pretty tasty even without frosting.


Note: this recipe can be doubled and baked in a 9X13 pan. Bake at 350°F for 30 minutes.
VARIATIONS
DOUBLE CHOCOLATE: add 1/2 c chocolate chip to the batter
NUTS: add 1/4 c chopped nuts to the batter
CHOCOLATE SPICE: add 1 1/2 tsp ground allspice with the dry ingredients
CHOCOLATE CHERRY: omit water, add 1/3 c. chopped almonds. Stir in syrup made from 3/4 c water and 1/4 c marachino cherries cherry syrup. Stir in 1/3 c of the marachino cherries
COFFEE: 1 tbsp espresso power (instant) with the dry ingredients
KAHLUA: omit water add 3/4 cup brewed coffee (cold or room temperature) and 1/4 cup Kahlúa

VANILLA VARIATIONS:
VANILLA: Omit cocoa

VANILLA COCKEYED CAKE VARIATIONS:
PUMPKIN SPICE: add 1 tbsp. pumpkin spice with dry ingredients
LEMON: add 1 tbsp lemon zest with dry ingredients and 1 tsp lemon extract with the wet ingredients


Don't want a a lot of cake hanging around?
Make a single serving in a mug!
Using a large microwave safe mug, grease the inside with shortening or butter. Next, mix 5 tbsp all-purpose flour, 4-1/2 tbsp sugar, 2 tsp baking cocoa, 1/4 tsp baking soda and a dash of salt (scant 1/8 tsp) in the mug. After mixing well, add 1/2 tsp vinegar, 1/4 tsp vanilla extract, 2 tsp oil and 4-1/2 tbsp water Mix well until smooth using a fork. Place in microwave and cook on high for 1 - 2 minutes, uncovered. Check with toothpick to make sure it comes out clean. Be sure not to over cook! Top with whatever you like - powdered sugar, frosting, chocolate chips, caramel or whipped cream! Enjoy hot or cold!

*Don't forget that each microwave cooks differently, the times are just a guideline so adjust time accordingly!


You can make the variations in single serving size by using the variations noted above as guidelines.

[gusbus]

SALAD!!!!!!!
FRUIT!!!

Gus

[Das Mel]

Uhm.... ONE POUND STEAKS. On the grill. Served rare as heck. With Salad (various greens, maters, onions, radishes, cheese, bacon, chicken, ham, more cheese, oil-and-vinegar) and some fruit.

[Diesel Dan]

Yes, yes, food is good. But what about drink? Anyone out there besides me a fan of single malt Scotch whisky? I could go on about this topic for some time, but instead I'll make a few recommendations for anyone who hasn't yet waded into this territory. Single malts, as a rule, are pretty expensive compared to many other types of liquor. It's hard to find anything decent for less than $30 a bottle, and the quality stuff is more like $50 and up. I am fortunate to have a friend who is truly a connoisseur of fine Scotch and has the money to get really good stuff. His collection is well over 100 bottles. So, in short, I've tried a lot of varieties, and received something of an education on this topic. There are a couple single malts that are a great bang for the buck, and are not too pungent for the uninitiated. Probably the best in this category (obtainable for around $25-$30) is Glenmorangie 10 year old. It's a straightforward Highland malt, is pretty smooth for a 10yr, and has a nicely balanced flavor. Speyburn 10yr is another Highland/Speyside malt, and is a few dollars cheaper. The Speyburn is not as smooth, but it's youthful character is fresh and flowery and truly delightful. Now, if you want to step up to a 12yr Scotch, your options expand quite a bit. I don't think I want to try to cover that ground, except to say that there are distinct Scotch regions and styles, just like French wines, and depending on your tastes there are many options in each of these styles. Of course there are 17yr and 25yr old malts, and older, but those get cost prohibitive on my budget, although I do get to sample them at my friends' house now and then. If you like peated Scotch, and have a couple hundred bucks to spend, the Talisker 25yr is magnificent. But for those of us in the 99%, who are willing to splurge a bit now and then, for under $50 the Highland Park 12yr is a fine peated whisky from Orkney that doesn't club you over the head with smokiness like an Islay malt, and if you like sherried Scotch, Macallan 12yr is the bomb, but there are several "double-cask matured" Scotches that have a more moderated sherry taste, like the Aberlour 12yr or Glenmorangie's Quinta Ruban 12yr. Stuff like this sits in the back of my cabinet for special occasions, as I can't afford to drink like a king all the time.

[bansil]

A couple times a year we get together and partake in drink and cigars

this past spring was a 1 month old Cuban and sipped on a honey bourbon of some kind (very good); a very nice hour and a half, under an awning in the rain

[ol trunt]

Hey, you guys are killin me. I can hardly afford to finish my bus and you guys are swillin the drink of kings! ---I am up for adoption though.!

[lornaschinske]

Originally Posted by ol trunt

Hey, you guys are killin me. I can hardly afford to finish my bus and you guys are swillin the drink of kings! ---I am up for adoption though.!

Das Mel is going to support her parents in their old age and feed them shrimp, lobster, tender ribeye steaks and good barbeque!

Am I old enough yet?

[Das Mel]

Originally Posted by lornaschinske

Das Mel is going to support her parents in their old age and feed them shrimp, lobster, tender ribeye steaks and good barbeque!

Am I old enough yet?

I have, uh, special dietary requirements. Yeah, that's it. Really.

I'm gonna need a lobster cage, methinks.

[bansil]

[quote=Das Mel]

Originally Posted by lornaschinske

Das Mel is going to support her parents in their old age and feed them shrimp, lobster, tender ribeye steaks and good barbeque!

Am I old enough yet?

I'm gonna need a lobster cage, methinks.[/quote:2ocso81n]
For the folks? or you need too move a little closer to the ocean

[lornaschinske]

Originally Posted by lornaschinske

Das Mel is going to support her parents in their old age and feed them shrimp, lobster, tender ribeye steaks and good barbeque!

Originally Posted by bansil

you need too move a little closer to the ocean

September 2015, after Labour Day, we move to southeast Texas. No matter what! Looking like it will be northwest side of Beaumont. Closer to the coast, warmer winters, summers that aren't as hot as our current location. We're hoping that along with fresh seafood, we can get some decent bbq. They don't know what good bbq is in NM.

[Das Mel]

Originally Posted by lornaschinske

We're hoping that along with fresh seafood, we can get some decent bbq.

Why does Corpus Christi NOT have any fresh seafood?! *flips table* I can get fresher seafood in the middle of NEW MEXICO than on the coast of the Gulf in Corpus bloody Christi!

[bansil]

You got to go to Crystal beach for the annual crab festival...it rocks!

I won Mr. Crab legs 2000 and still have the trophy it's amazing what beer and friends can convince you to do

[lornaschinske]

Originally Posted by bansil

You got to go to Crystal beach for the annual crab festival.

Sounds like a good thing to do. I'm sure we will "do" the Texas Crab Festival once we get down there.