I like your cream sauce...

sidhe @ 9:47pm: I have a burning question
tweedygal told me to x-post this here she's a mom and can make me do things by using The Voice.

This is the original post and this goes to the suggestions on cooking:

Probably a stupid question, but how the hell do you cook artichokes? I like to eat them, but I've never actually cooked them before. I generally eat them at a restaurant.

Any suggestions?

I don't have a food-appropriate icon. I suppose this one will just have to do. *grins*

We need a Food-911 - srsly. :D

I still don't have a food icon. I suck!

xie_xie_xie @ 7:53pm: Another PSA from Xie
I feel it only right to share this information with the fandom.

When making coffee, if one omits the step where you add the grounds to the filter basket, one is no longer making coffee.

One is making hot water.

That is all.

besamislabios @ 11:37am: Help!
I've a recipe and I need some measurements conversion. I looked at the one on the user info page but I didn't find what I was looking for.

I need these in grams:

1 1/2 cups of flour, 1 cup of sugar and 8 tablespoons of butter.

Thank you.

notreallyme10 @ 6:25pm: Deviled eggs
I'm in a weird mood... I'm craving deviled eggs. Anybody have a good simple recipe for me?

xie_xie_xie @ 2:51pm: A Public Service Announcement
Dear friends,

I felt I should share with you the results of an inadvertent culinary discovery I made while preparing my lunch today.

It appears that cinnamon and chili powder are not interchangeable in recipes. You might want to make a note of that.

Xie

noteverything @ 4:33pm: Vic's Venue: Desserts
I can't remember who asked for my recipe for Key Lime Pie, but I'm finally getting around to it. If you've made Key Lime Pie before you might recognize the recipe, I got it from the Eagle Brand sweetened condensed milk can years ago.

( Key Lime Pie )

xie_xie_xie @ 4:37pm: Artichoke question
I don't normally cook with my microwave. In fact, I think this the first time I ever have.

I use it mostly to heat up the little thing full of beans or beads or whatever that you put on a sore neck, and sometimes to melt butter, and now and then to heat something up. That's it. I rarely use it at all.

BUT... I burned my steamer last night and it was still soaking this afternoon when I wanted an artichoke with my lunch. So I thought, well, I could microwave this... and I googled it and got directions telling me to do it for 4 minutes on high, covered in a little water.

It wasn't quite done so I let it have two more minutes, and then it was done but OMG it was so bitter!

I've never had a bitter artichoke before, and I eat them constantly. I've boiled them and steamed them and baked them and grilled them, and this was a first.

Is this a microwave thing?

jule1122 @ 4:53pm: Capellini Frittata
I am making one of my favorite quick dinners tonight so I thought I'd share.

( Capellini Frittata )

jule1122 @ 9:51am: Italian Soups
I make a lot of soup partly because my sons will eat just about anything if it is in soup. Both these recipes have baby spinach and this is how I like to cut it. I make stacks of spinach leaves and roll them up long-wise then slice to make thin ribbons. There is a fancy French name for this, but I can't remember it. It sounds like a lot of work, but for me it's just as quick as tearing it.

This is probably my favorite soup, and one of the few Rachel Ray recipes I can actually make in 30 minutes.
( Potato, Spinach, and Tomato Soup )

This next soup is one I made up from combining a few recipes. You can adjust it to more like a stew by using less broth and water. Everyone in my family loves this soup including my sons.
( Italian Vegetable Soup )

jule1122 @ 1:12pm: Baked Dishes
I make a lot Italian food so I am going to try for a few themed entries. Many of these are recipes I've changed a bit from cookbooks. Generally I use more cheese than most recipes call for and when using a jar spaghetti sauce I use one that is smooth and slightly sweet. Also I am a vegetarian so no meat here!

My version of Lesbian Lasagne. There is one unusual ingredient here, but give it a chance

( Lasagne )

I rarely like Eggplant Parmesan in restaurants. It's either too bitter or bland. The low fat way of cooking the eggplant came from Vegetarian Time and I solved the boring problem by using smoked mozzarella cheese. It makes a huge difference.
( Eggplant Parmesan )

This next recipe comes from Rachel Ray so it can be done in 30 minutes. I'm a slow cook so most of her recipes take me about 45 minutes. I put my changes to ingredients in parenthesis.
( Fast Fake-Baked Ziti )

gmta_nz @ 12:20pm: A request
Thank you for the recipes posted this week! I really appreciate them.

Unfortunately, I have nothing to offer for now, but I have a request: do you have any suggestions for a recipe that makes use of stale bread? The simpler the better. I'd be happy to look up the recipe myself, if you only want to suggest the name of a dish.

Thank you!

foreverbm @ 9:05am: Debbie Would Approve
I found another one I really like and realized I haven't made it for a long time...may remedy that this evening. It's quick and easy!

*thinks..will have to make some appropriate icons for this asylum*

CHICKEN AND VEGERONI BAKE

2 chicken breast fillets
30grams butter
250grams mushrooms
2 cups milk
2 chicken stock cubes
1/3 cup parmesan
1 cup vegeroni pasta
8 spring onions
1/3 cup flour
1 cup water
1/2 cup fresh breadcrumbs

Cook and chop chicken roughly.
Cook pasta
Melt butter, cook onions and mushrooms.
Stir in flour and cook till dry.
Stir in combined milk, water and stock cubes.
Stir till boiling and thickens
Stir in chicken and pasta
Top with cheese and breadcrumbs
Bake 15 minutes until brown.

noteverything @ 4:35pm: foreverbm posted a recipe...yay!

I've got one for a basic tomato sauce. I use this sauce, which I sort of "made up" after trying several recipes I found online, as my go to sauce for Italian. I add cream to make a bolognese sort of sauce, or any kind of meat (Italian sausage, chicken, meatballs) to make a sauce for spaghetti. Sometimes I add chopped sausage and bake it with penne and mozzarella to make a sort of pasta bake. But my absolute favorite way to use it is in Eggplant Parmesan (or chicken parm if you're my husband and think eggplant sucks). I *SOOOO* don't think eggplant sucks. I don't like the fried element of Eggplant/chicken parm, so we bake instead -- I prefer baked to fried now.

Basic Tomato Sauce
1-2 chopped shallots (can use onion, but I prefer the flavor of shallot)
1 stalk chopped celery
2-3 chopped cloves garlic
extra virgin olive oil
fresh chopped basil (I just guesstimate on amounts...about 5-6 leaves)
fresh thyme (throw in the whole stalk and remove after cooking)
1-2 tablespoons Italian seasoning (dried herbs)
1 or 2 28 oz. cans crushed tomatoes
1 14 oz. can petite diced tomatoes (I use the Italian seasoned kind)
boxed chicken broth if needed
more chopped basil for the finish

Heat oil over medium to medium-high heat. I use a big saute pan with a lid. Add shallots and celery and saute until soft and translucent (2-3 minutes). Add garlic and cook for about another minute. Season with salt and pepper. Add both cans of tomatoes, Italian seasoning and thyme and basil. Simmer gently for about an hour...longer if you like. The flavors only improve with cooking. If the sauce gets too thick or you want to "stretch" add up to 2 cups of chicken broth. Occasionally, I add a teaspoon of hot pepper flakes. At the end of cooking, add some fresh basil and whatever "extras" to make the type sauce you desire. This keeps very well in the fridge and you can't screw it up. Honestly...I can screw up *ANY* recipe and this one works every time for me. :D

foreverbm @ 12:29pm: Debbie Would Approve
Not sure how this works, so I will just type out on of my favorite pasta recipes which I make a lot.

ROASTED VEGETABLE PASTA SALAD

Preparation Time: 10 minutes
Cooking Time: 30 minutes

Serves 6
Tip: Serve Hot or Cold as a salad

1 tin kernal corn
1 zucchini (corgette) sliced
1 onion (chopped into wedges)
250gram punnet cherry tomatoes, halved
1/2 pumpkin, cubed
500gram packet penne pasta
either fresh or dried rosemary
2 cloves garlic ( or crushed jar garlic, approx 2 teaspoons)
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
parmesan cheese

Dressing: 1 1/2 tablespoons balsamic or red wine vinegar

Pre heat oven to 220degC.
Combine all vegetables, rosemary and garlic and oil in a bowl.
Season with salt and pepper, toss and tip into a large baking
paper lined tray.
Roast for 25 - 30 minutes until vegetables are golden.

Cook pasta according to directions.

Peel garlic (and squash) (or jar garlic), mix with vinegar
Mix together vegetables, pasta and dressing. Top with parmesan
and serve.

noteverything @ 4:11pm: *it doesn't have to be sophisticated*
Rather than just sit around thinking about getting a tag for every food category, I'm going to just throw one out there and ask for recipes to fit.

We're going to start with "Debbie Would Approve": Italian dishes. I chose this one first because it's what I like to cook the very most. Sometimes I make healthy Italian, other times it's horrible for you, but I always like to make Italian.

So...share with me. What are some of your favorite Italian dishes? If you think about it...add the tag "Debbie Would Approve."

I have a pretty good list of tags already and I'll put those on the info page and add a recipe later this afternoon. I need to be somewhere now.

noteverything @ 4:00pm: *i'll never know, what you show to unfamiliar faces*
Thanks if you joined this asylum! And a special *hug* to xie_xie_xie for coming up with the perfect name.

To be honest, I still don't really have a big plan for how this will *pan* out. Yes, that was a bad cooking pun. ;-)

But...I like the idea of tags with silly QaF themes, so let's start out with some suggestions for those. I know that pendulumchanges and court1429 had several at my journal. Check those out if you want and add your own. I'll whittle the list down, then we can use them to get started posting recipes.

Here are some of the tags already suggested:
Italian -- Debbie Would Approve
Meat -- Not That Kind of Meat or A Different Kind of Protein
Appetizers -- the name of Emmett's catering/party planning company, which I don't think actually had a name, but we could make one up
Pastries/Desserts -- Vic's something or other
Vegetarian -- Ben-related...Zen Ben maybe?
High in carbs -- Not After 7:00 pm or Brian Only Sneaks These
Poultry -- Poultry, NOT Chicken!


Also...I am going to try to find some conversion charts and such because besamislabios and maybe others don't use American measurements. Any suggestions on other things like that?