What did you make for dinner?

[TheSaint]

15 hours ago, StrandedonEarth said:

It liiiived! I got a nice batch of yogurt out of pot and strained it overnight, making it nice and thick and leaving a bowl of whey, Then I used a stick blender to blend some blueberries into some of it, which made it runny again. Maybe it'll thicken up again in the fridge...

My wife makes yogurt in the Instant Pot all the time, pretty much every time milk goes on sale. She just makes plain yogurt by the gallon, then the kids grab that and mix in some preserves and maybe granola from the pantry to make themselves quick breakfast when she's working.

Oh, and save the whey. You can use it in pancakes and waffles instead of milk.

Edited March 8, 2022 by TheSaint
BTW

[Spacescifi]

5 hours ago, TheSaint said:

My wife makes yogurt in the Instant Pot all the time, pretty much every time milk goes on sale. She just makes plain yogurt by the gallon, then the kids grab that and mix in some preserves and maybe granola from the pantry to make themselves quick breakfast when she's working.

Oh, and save the whey. You can use it in pancakes and waffles instead of milk.

 

Oh my.... you guys would have survived just fine 200 years ago with all the cooking skills you have. Although you would sorely miss the instapot.

 

Either that or you somehow beat Edison and make and get an electric patent.... all to get your beloved insta-pot back!

 

That would make for one amusing time travel story.

The alternative to fancy quick technology way way way back in the day was of course manpower, popularly levied via nonpaid labor.... and I reckon you would.... as most would... be uncomfortable at the thought.

 

Are'nt we glad we have tech?

[TheSaint]

3 minutes ago, Spacescifi said:

 

Oh my.... you guys would have survived just fine 200 years ago with all the cooking skills you have. Although you would sorely miss the instapot.

 

Either that or you somehow beat Edison and make and get an electric patent.... all to get your beloved insta-pot back!

 

That would make for one amusing time travel story.

The alternative to fancy quick technology way way way back in the day was of course manpower, popularly levied via nonpaid labor.... and I reckon you would.... as most would... be uncomfortable at the thought.

 

Are'nt we glad we have tech?

Oh, it's all my wife, trust me. I would have died of dysentery on the Oregon Trail.

[Spacescifi]

4 minutes ago, TheSaint said:

Oh, it's all my wife, trust me. I would have died of dysentery on the Oregon Trail.

Congrats then... wait... are you the one with the wife who you also met because she was a classical pianist or something?

Multi-talented wife? You hit the jackpot did'nt you? Or was that someone else?

Edited March 8, 2022 by Spacescifi

[TheSaint]

10 minutes ago, Spacescifi said:

Congrats then... wait... are you the one with the wife who you also met because she was a classical pianist or something?

Multi-talented wife? You hit the jackpot did'nt you? Or was that someone else?

No, my wife is a physical therapist. But, yes, I did hit the jackpot.

[Nuke]

i made some mongolian beef yesterday. thing is i made it for breakfast so i don't think it counts. i keep weird hours. 

On 3/8/2022 at 1:04 PM, Spacescifi said:

 

Oh my.... you guys would have survived just fine 200 years ago with all the cooking skills you have. Although you would sorely miss the instapot.

 

Either that or you somehow beat Edison and make and get an electric patent.... all to get your beloved insta-pot back!

 

That would make for one amusing time travel story.

The alternative to fancy quick technology way way way back in the day was of course manpower, popularly levied via nonpaid labor.... and I reckon you would.... as most would... be uncomfortable at the thought.

 

Are'nt we glad we have tech?

idk about the instapot. ive never owned one, i barely wanted a microwave. i mean i have pans, skillets, utensils, an insatiable love for meat. im sure all those things were available back then. i think the biggest issue with 200 years ago would be the availability of high quality ingredients. you couldn't get out of season crops or ingredients that come from across the globe as cheaply. you would have to go shopping more often to get fresh meat and dairy (or give bessy a squeeze and check under the chickens, livestock ownership was more common back then). its entirely possible cavemen were cooking some variation of my ribs recipe.

Edited March 12, 2022 by Nuke

[tater]

Made these last night. Insanely great, and ridiculously easy.

 

[Spacescifi]

On 2/20/2022 at 9:45 AM, Nuke said:

define sharp. i can get something called "sharp cheddar" at the grocery store. but i can also get a 4-year aged sharp from a gourmet food catalog. its so good it dominates the flavor of anything you put it on. i used some (with equal parts pepperjack and colby) on a batch of shredded beef enchiladas i made a few weeks ago. it worked out really well.  the enchaladas themselves were nothing fancy, just a thing i do the day after we have a pot roast. you can also use canned roast beef. you can also use shredded pork or chicken, though i prefer a green sauce with chicken rather than a red sauce. shred the meat with a fork, throw in a can of chilis, some minced onions, a bit of cumin, chili powder and seasoned salt, stew that in a pot for about a half hour. then your roll it up in corn tortillias (you can steam or microwave them to make them more pliable so they wont tear). arrange them in a square or rectangular baking pan trying to fill up the whole pan (protip, if you have more pan than enchaladas, you can fill the unused areas up with refried beans for a side dish). then cover it with a can of enchalada sauce and your cheese mixture (any cheese you like really), then bake it around 375 until the cheese is crispy.

we also got a swiss wheel which i use mostly for cooking. best thing is my monte christo, which ive calculated to be a 900-calorie sandwhich. just get some turkey and ham from the deli, and an uncut french loaf. cut the loaf diagonally in 3/4 inch slices. you then dip 2 of them in an egg and cream mixture (as if making french toast) and place on a griddle. when the first side cooks heat up your turkey and ham. after the first side has cooked completely, flip them over and add a generous slice of swiss to each side, put the now warmed turkey on one side and the ham on the other. once they are done enough to flip, flip one on top of the other, finish cooking flip again and finish the other side until the cheese is melted. reject any notions you have about watching your weight and dig in.  i also make cheese steak sandwiches, malibu chicken and a few other things with it.  its amazing what you can do with good cheese. 

Nice.... I was referring to supermarket sharp cheddar.

Tillamook brand is my favorite, but others also suffice.

 

I am not privy to gourmet cooking catalogs though.

Now I am curious.... several times you said you were unattached (no significant other), and yet I am fully aware that several women I have spoken with WISH their man could cook instead of just them doing it.

What I am implying is that there is no reason why you would stay single unless you wished to be.... since you have had relationships before.

And no.... I am not hitting on you as I too am male.

Yet I suppose that perhaps by now you are 'attached' since you keep mentioning 'we' and I am rather certain you DON'T mean the cats nor are you so egomanical that you refer to yourself in the the third-person like some cartoon villian.

Edited March 14, 2022 by Spacescifi

[Nuke]

while ive had some relationships most were short, disastrous, or meaningless (pick two). way i figure it, women claim to want a lot of things from men, but present them with a man who can do all these things, and you will get a resounding meh. however there is one thing women cant resist, and that's something another woman has. dating for me came in waves. i once dated this party girl, a couple times. this did not go anywhere. however i got bombed by the flirtations of almost every one of her friends, all of which immediately ceased the second we broke up. there was a girl i dated before that, she was a bit more introverted. that relationship was both short and disastrous, despite the fact that we got along really well it ended tragically because of circumstances out of our control. anyway i ended up dating her best friend and a couple of her other friends, except i didn't know this at the time. 

also i turned 40 last year and i have to say the motivations change as you get older. in your 20s hormones pretty much run the show (this was where most of my dating took place). when you get to your 30s things get pragmatic. shared expenses, income, having someone to have your back, for women the need to procreate, and taking care of children if you already have them. i haven't been 40 long enough to know what relationships look like at this point. im not really closed to the prospects of a relationship now, but im not going to pursue it it with the same fervor as when i was younger. relationships aren't all they are cut out to be and ive had better relationships with my cats (and they express their affections with ample use of claws and teeth and the occasional drawing of blood).

as for "we", i have to admit i still live with my mom, but more in a caregiver role and not in the more stereotypical loser living in the parent's basement. she has a balance disorder and a couple years ago she mangled her arm and while they were able to put it back together she still doesn't have full use of it and can no longer use a walker. i don't really get paid for this so my resources are limited, but i do get room and board and all the crypto i can mine and it frees up a lot of time for my various projects. recently one of her nurses made a comment about wishing she had someone to cook and clean for her, to this i made the comment "im available". that shut her up really fast. 

Edited March 14, 2022 by Nuke

[Spacescifi]

6 hours ago, Nuke said:

while ive had some relationships most were short, disastrous, or meaningless (pick two). way i figure it, women claim to want a lot of things from men, but present them with a man who can do all these things, and you will get a resounding meh. however there is one thing women cant resist, and that's something another woman has. dating for me came in waves. i once dated this party girl, a couple times. this did not go anywhere. however i got bombed by the flirtations of almost every one of her friends, all of which immediately ceased the second we broke up. there was a girl i dated before that, she was a bit more introverted. that relationship was both short and disastrous, despite the fact that we got along really well it ended tragically because of circumstances out of our control. anyway i ended up dating her best friend and a couple of her other friends, except i didn't know this at the time. 

also i turned 40 last year and i have to say the motivations change as you get older. in your 20s hormones pretty much run the show (this was where most of my dating took place). when you get to your 30s things get pragmatic. shared expenses, income, having someone to have your back, for women the need to procreate, and taking care of children if you already have them. i haven't been 40 long enough to know what relationships look like at this point. im not really closed to the prospects of a relationship now, but im not going to pursue it it with the same fervor as when i was younger. relationships aren't all they are cut out to be and ive had better relationships with my cats (and they express their affections with ample use of claws and teeth and the occasional drawing of blood).

as for "we", i have to admit i still live with my mom, but more in a caregiver role and not in the more stereotypical loser living in the parent's basement. she has a balance disorder and a couple years ago she mangled her arm and while they were able to put it back together she still doesn't have full use of it and can no longer use a walker. i don't really get paid for this so my resources are limited, but i do get room and board and all the crypto i can mine and it frees up a lot of time for my various projects. recently one of her nurses made a comment about wishing she had someone to cook and clean for her, to this i made the comment "im available". that shut her up really fast. 

 

Hmmm.... I guess that is true... women when young can be immature but so can men.

Different strokes for different folks.

My situation is quite different. Never dated. Still have not 'done it'.

Why? Was raised in a highly religious environment.... where intent to marry was the only proper way to date.

Naturally a fear of comittment to someone I don't even know while still trying to get myself sorted out kept me from that.

Nowadays I am on my own and away from the family that grew more and more unbearable the longer I stayed.

I could in theory play the dating game but I have kept the view I was raised with. I really was quite unaware for a while that 'doing it' was not always about love, especially for those that flirt.

I just think fair is fair, stealing girlfriends or boyfriends is bad practice for being loyal in marriage.

[Nuke]

you got to test the waters. how can you develop a relationship if you never meet the person? even strongly religious people date. my friends with benefits gal (also my longest relationship, which means yes it was disastrous and meaningless) was raised by a preacher and was strongly religious. im not (unless you count the ancient egyptian gods of cuddles and lacerations). just make sure you inform them about your intentions and, more importantly, listen to theirs. some women want to play around and others want to start families, some dont know what they want yet, others never will. dating need not culminate in physical affections, and dinner and a movie with pleasant company can still be something you both enjoy.  a long term relationship was always my intention, i was pretty fed up with the fwb thing from the get go, but opportunities present themselves and one goes off objective (road to hell...etc). that happened enough to turn me into the jaded sob you see before you.

[StrandedonEarth]

On 3/14/2022 at 9:12 AM, Nuke said:

they express their affections with ample use of claws and teeth and the occasional drawing of blood).

Sounds like my wife!

*WARNING* Off Topic! Pull up! 
*WARNING* Off Topic! Pull up!

On 3/8/2022 at 8:22 AM, TheSaint said:

Oh, and save the whey. You can use it in pancakes and waffles instead of milk.

Fantastic suggestion, thanks. Used whey as starter for the next batch of yogurt, and then the rest for pancakes. Whey from the second batch was used for waffle sticks. So much fluffier, and delicious!

[StrandedonEarth]

One bag meal: Jumbo prawns, potatoes and corn in minutes…

https://www.instagram.com/reel/CbJdubSlInR/?utm_medium=copy_link

[Shpaget]

Ok, this may sound pedestrian compared to stuff you guys talk about, but hear me out.

I like eggs. Fried, boiled, poached, sunny side up, scrambled, soft boiled, hard boiled, basted, omelette... you name it, as long as they're not overcooked. My usual way to make scrambled eggs is to put a pan on low to medium heat,  crack the eggs in the pan, let the whites cook almost completely, then break the yolks, add salt, stir for a few moments and toss them out of the pan. This gives me whites that are a bit better cooked than yolks, without overcooking the yolks and making them dry.

Then the other day I stumbled upon a Gordon Ramsay video about scrambled eggs on toast where he was frantically stressing out while oblivious that he had overcooked the eggs to the consistency of the finest Saharan desert, but he also managed to burn the toast.
Then I got a suggestion for a video by Marco Pierre White for eggs with smoked salmon and it's an entirely different method compared to Gordon's and since it's much more aligned with my taste, today I decided to give it a go.

I don't have smoked salmon at hand, but I do have some melted cheese triangles (gourmet, I know). Cut those up to small bits and crushed a nice big hot pepperoncini. Put the biggest nonstick pan I had (Marco uses a small sauce pan, but I had a hunch) on the middle burner on very low heat, put a bit of sunflower seed oil and cracked the eggs inside, added "cheese" and pepperoncini and let it sit there until the whites just started to cook, then gently stirred the whites until they were about 20% done. Broke the yolks and gently stirred them as well. I used Marco's rule for the heat - you must be able to touch the pan without burning yourself. When they are just about done, add salt. During the cooking at one point I lowered the heat so much that the flames barely kept themselves alive. Yes, it took a few more minutes to cook, but those were the best scrambled eggs I've ever eaten.

If you like your scrambled eggs to not taste of sand and sadness, give this method a go. They are super creamy and delicious.

[TheSaint]

I've heard of several various "scrambled eggs in the pan" methods which people swear by. Never had a chance to try any of them because when I'm making scrambled eggs I'm always making at least a dozen of them. Because teenagers.

Personally I like my eggs over medium: whites cooked through, yolks still runny. Unless they're going on an egg sandwich, in which case they should be over hard.

Tonight at our house it's burgers. Nothing fancy, just burgers. Oh, and tots. Love me some tots.

[Shpaget]

18 hours ago, TheSaint said:

I've heard of several various "scrambled eggs in the pan" methods which people swear by.

I suppose that's because for a dish as simple as eggs, they can be cooked a lot of different ways, and nuances matter. They are easy to make, but also very easy to botch.

[Nuke]

show of hands who all made corned beef and cabbage yesterday? i only made a small one. simmered it for several hours, in the last hour i added four potatoes, a bunch of baby carrots,  and half a small cabbage (will use the other half when i make a stir fry this weekend). i threw in extra mustard seeds and pepper corns (it was pre seasoned). its one of those stables with an excellent easy:good ratio.

18 hours ago, TheSaint said:

I've heard of several various "scrambled eggs in the pan" methods which people swear by. Never had a chance to try any of them because when I'm making scrambled eggs I'm always making at least a dozen of them. Because teenagers.

Personally I like my eggs over medium: whites cooked through, yolks still runny. Unless they're going on an egg sandwich, in which case they should be over hard.

Tonight at our house it's burgers. Nothing fancy, just burgers. Oh, and tots. Love me some tots.

i like to use dill on my eggs. got that trick from james t. kirk none the less, and it works. how i like my eggs depends on what im serving it with. over easy if im having them with hash. scramble them with some fancy cheese black pepper and dill if im serving bacon or saussage. i have half a dozen go to omelet recipes (really i just throw in whatever i can find, sometimes it conforms to one of the standards). sometimes il just make filling for a breakfast burrito. 

[StrandedonEarth]

@TheSaint: Just made my third batch of yogurt. The second batch was a bit runny, and I feared my starter was already getting weak, so for the third batch I went with fresh store-yogurt starter and whole milk instead of our usual 1% part skim.

OMG after straining it was soooo thick and rich!  :drool:

This is definitely going to be a regular habit.

Spoiler

https://www.instagram.com/p/CbY7XB8lIWi/

 

Edited March 22, 2022 by StrandedonEarth

[TheSaint]

14 hours ago, StrandedonEarth said:

@TheSaint: Just made my third batch of yogurt. The second batch was a bit runny, and I feared my starter was already getting weak, so for the third batch I went with fresh store-yogurt starter and whole milk instead of our usual 1% part skim.

OMG after straining it was soooo thick and rich!  :drool:

This is definitely going to be a regular habit.

  Hide contents

https://www.instagram.com/p/CbYvyRfpEzA/

 

My wife's usual habit is to buy whole milk from a local farmer for drinking (and to skim the cream from that for our coffee) and then to buy milk from the store to make yogurt. I keep telling her she should try making yogurt from the farm milk some time, just to see how it turns out, but she refuses on the grounds that it may be too good and then the kids won't eat the yogurt we make from the store milk anymore.

[Nuke]

here in this part of alaska,  milk costs something like $8 a gallon. i usually get a half gallon for cooking. i was never big on dairy anyway, except cheese. 

[TheSaint]

19 hours ago, Nuke said:

here in this part of alaska,  milk costs something like $8 a gallon. i usually get a half gallon for cooking. i was never big on dairy anyway, except cheese. 

My middle child would shrivel up and die. I think he gets half his calories from milk.

But lucky for us, around here the primary agricultural business is cattle and dairy farming. The majority of the undeveloped land isn't good for anything but grazing. (When we go target shooting on the National Forest land we always have to check the brush around the target area to make sure there aren't any cattle hiding out.) So milk is always cheap, and usually on sale at the local stores.

[Spacescifi]

On 3/23/2022 at 2:02 PM, Nuke said:

here in this part of alaska,  milk costs something like $8 a gallon. i usually get a half gallon for cooking. i was never big on dairy anyway, except cheese. 

 

In theory... could a wisecracking guy with sufficient cash buy a cow, let it live in his backyard or what land he has.... and sell milk for cheap and reap mega profits since everyone in town will want fresh cheap milk?

Or are their laws against keeping a cow in your backyard or land?

Edited March 24, 2022 by Spacescifi

[Nuke]

32 minutes ago, Spacescifi said:

 

In theory... could a wisecracking guy with sufficient cash buy a cow, let it live in his backyard or what land he has.... and sell milk for cheap and reap mega profits since everyone in town will want fresh cheap milk?

Or are their laws against keeping a cow in your backyard or land?

you know when my sister was married to her former husband, they were talking about getting some cattle. they had enough land for grazing, however the usda kind of makes that difficult, as you would have to ship the meat up to palmer for inspection and processing. and the logistics for that are practically non-existent, other than have your cattle live on a barge for 6 weeks, and then the animal rights people would be all over that. story of alaska, its rich in natural resources that you cant touch because of down south bureaucrats and people who want to protect the nature (around these parts nature usually wins). alaska does have a dairy or two, but again logistics kills it. alaska is bigger than people think it is. our grocery store has theirs flown in which no doubt is why the price is so high. 

Edited March 24, 2022 by Nuke

[TheSaint]

13 minutes ago, Nuke said:

you know when my sister was married to her former husband, they were talking about getting some cattle. they had enough land for grazing, however the usda kind of makes that difficult, as you would have to ship the meat up to palmer for inspection and processing. and the logistics for that are practically non-existent, other than have your cattle live on a barge for 6 weeks, and then the animal rights people would be all over that. story of alaska, its rich in natural resources that you cant touch because of down south bureaucrats and people who want to protect the nature (around these parts nature usually wins). alaska does have a dairy or two, but again logistics kills it. alaska is bigger than people think it is. our grocery store has theirs flown in which no doubt is why the price is so high. 

The joke in Hawaii is: "If it isn't a pineapple, it's imported." I'm sure you have a similar quip up there.

[Spacescifi]

15 minutes ago, Nuke said:

you know when my sister was married to her former husband, they were talking about getting some cattle. they had enough land for grazing, however the usda kind of makes that difficult, as you would have to ship the meat up to palmer for inspection and processing. and the logistics for that are practically non-existent, other than have your cattle live on a barge for 6 weeks, and then the animal rights people would be all over that. story of alaska, its rich in natural resources that you cant touch because of down south bureaucrats and people who want to protect the nature (around these parts nature usually wins). alaska does have a dairy or two, but again logistics kills it. alaska is bigger than people think it is. our grocery store has theirs flown in which no doubt is why the price is so high. 

 

So?

Get a goat. Milk it. Sell cheaply. And no.... I don't give up on crazy ideas easily.

What? Is the USDA going ruin my fun here too lol?