What did you make for dinner?

[JoeSchmuckatelli]

I've kinda gotten into cooking.  Enough so that I've bought a good Carbon Steel skillet (properly seasoned) and some good knives.

I don't generally follow recipes, but here's what I made:

A mustard base glaze (with garlic, ground pepper, a dash of Cholula and some chili balsamic) for pork tenderloin, which marinated for several hours waiting for its turn on the pellet grill.  Smoked it for 40 minutes, then finished at 400.  Couscous and shaved zucchini sauteed in olive oil with a bit of mozzarella sprinkled on top.

Kids ate it - so it must have been alright.

Any other home-chefs out there?

[JoeSchmuckatelli]

BTW - this thread was entirely inspired by @StrandedonEarth's post about making Jerkey.

 

His fault.

Edited February 10, 2022 by JoeSchmuckatelli

[StrandedonEarth]

51 minutes ago, JoeSchmuckatelli said:

BTW - this thread was entirely inspired by @StrandedonEarth's post about making Jerkey.

 

His fault.

What? You’re giving me an outlet for more PC shenanigans? Lol

Nothing fancy tonight. I’m not much of a cook, just the basics, and it was my turn to come up with dinner, so I just boiled  hot dogs, lol. At least I didn’t make dinner with the phone 

If I’d known this thread would be here I would have skewered them on the rotisserie in the air fryer… 

[JoeSchmuckatelli]

23 minutes ago, StrandedonEarth said:

At least I didn’t make dinner with the phone

Yeah - this won't be fun if we all post "Microwaved Burritos"

Just whenever you put out a little effort... share.

Edited February 10, 2022 by JoeSchmuckatelli

[tater]

Tacos 2 ways, both prok. Made carne adovada a few days ago, so I had that, and today I made carnitas.

Super easy, cut up pork shoulder, add to pan with 1% of the pork weight in salt (a little less, I round it down). Cover with water, cook until all the water is gone. You can chop/pull it at that point, I like some ~1" chunks, some smaller/torn up. To serve, throw in skillet and cook until golden brown on at least 1 side (or until you've reached your personal taste in porky goodness). Stick that in a taco (soft corn, warmed up), add some cheese (cotija, or whatever), some pico de gallo, and yer good. Made the pico and salsa verde, too (the latter is ridiculously easy, veggies and blender).

[JoeSchmuckatelli]

6 hours ago, tater said:

Cover with water, cook until all the water is gone.

Never tried that - sounds fantastic! 

 

6 hours ago, tater said:

Made the pico and salsa

Another something I've never made.  In Cali I had a couple of roommates one from Mexico, another who's grandmother was from there - the first's Mom and the second's grandma would show up a couple of times a year and make days worth of food.  They each had their own take on pico/salsa. 

Still remember the smell... Fantastic. 

And the taste?  You could live on the stuff! 

[tater]

The pork keeps well in the fridge, you can scoop out as many servings as you need, instant tacos, whatever. Note since it has no seasoning except salt, you can play with it. You can, but don't have to crisp it—it's like pulled pork otherwise, which is also delicious. Add those sorts of flavors if you like, or add cumin, or smoked paprika, etc. Really versatile. Pork shoulder is cheap as dirt, too (for some reason called "Boston butt" in our grocery store).

My pico is some chopped tomatillos, chopped tomato, chopped red onion (all about the same size pieces, sorta small), some cilantro, chop a jalepeño or 2 and put it in there, and super fine mince a habanero as well (alternately use serano instead). Squeeze of lime juice and some salt. No idea how authentic it is, I just sorta made it up after years of eating pico here.

[JoeSchmuckatelli]

Sounds awesome.  I remember watching this one lady chop everything into chunks halfway between a BB and a pea. She used seranos (although tbh, she might have used habanero as well - but she did not like people hovering over her in the kitchen).  She did, however enjoy watching us eat. 

I usually got clean up duty - never complained 

[tater]

14 hours ago, JoeSchmuckatelli said:

Sounds awesome.  I remember watching this one lady chop everything into chunks halfway between a BB and a pea. She used seranos (although tbh, she might have used habanero as well - but she did not like people hovering over her in the kitchen).  She did, however enjoy watching us eat. 

I usually got clean up duty - never complained 

I was at a party at the house of a guy who used to work for me. Previously he had worked in a restaurant kitchen. And while I was in his home kitchen with a crowd of people (all drinking including him), he made more pico de gallo, chopping everything fine (and FAST) while chatting, and barely ever looking down at the cutting board. I didn't get a recipe, just liked it and vaguely remembered what he put in there. His pico contained no fingers, which was surprising considering how fast he made it.

[Spacescifi]

Alright this is going to sound lame but it is still a winner in my opinion.

If you go out and get a burger I highly recommend you take some slices of sharp cheddar along with you.

If you like spice or tartness they add quite a bit of tang and in my opinion make ANY burger or sandwich better.

Edited February 14, 2022 by Spacescifi

[Nuke]

On 2/13/2022 at 8:52 PM, Spacescifi said:

Alright this is going to sound lame but it is still a winner in my opinion.

If you go out and get a burger I highly recommend you take some slices of sharp cheddar along with you.

If you like spice or tartness they add quite a bit of tang and in my opinion make ANY burger or sandwich better.

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. 

Edited February 20, 2022 by Nuke

[Nuke]

On 2/11/2022 at 4:14 PM, JoeSchmuckatelli said:

Sounds awesome.  I remember watching this one lady chop everything into chunks halfway between a BB and a pea. She used seranos (although tbh, she might have used habanero as well - but she did not like people hovering over her in the kitchen).  She did, however enjoy watching us eat. 

I usually got clean up duty - never complained 

i made a really spicy serano chilli once that burns you three times. the first is when you cut the peppers, the second was when you eat the chilli. the third, well il let you use your imagination.  i dubbed it "apocalypse later chilli"

Edited February 20, 2022 by Nuke

[Akagi]

I made tempura.

 

Yum.

Like always.

[Nuke]

i got to get up and pre cook my  pork ribs. i like to rub them down with seasoned salt and smoked paprika. then i seal them in aluminum foil and cook em slow and low for about 4 hours. then i make a batch of my rib sauce (its a spicy tangy bbq sauce) and reduce it down until its thick as mud. then i slather it on there and put the ribs under the broiler (its still too cold to use the grill). then i serve with beans and a baked tater. thems good eats. id say i make the best ribs on the island. 

[tater]

On 2/20/2022 at 11:24 AM, Nuke said:

i made a really spicy serano chilli once that burns you three times. the first is when you cut the peppers, the second was when you eat the chilli. the third, well il let you use your imagination.  i dubbed it "apocalypse later chilli"

You can add a 4th time by accidentally touching your eyes. And a 5th by accidentally touching anything else

Prepping chile is a time when you need to wash your hands both before and after using the bathroom.

On topic, I made salmon last night. Usually I buy wild, but the few they had didn't look awesome, so I bought the farmed Atlantic. It is always delicious, but the wild is healthier for you (better omega-3 vs omega-6 fat ratio).

Scaled, cut into portions. Seasoned all sides with salt and Ras el Hanout (they have it at Whole Foods, but other brands are around as well):

Cook in the cast iron skin side down (medium hot). Just enough butter (ghee) to keep it from sticking because the fatty farmed stuff will release a LOT of oil. Cook until the skin is nice. Flip, cook that side. Serve.

It's like pork belly or bacon. No kidding. The skin is delicious.

Edited March 1, 2022 by tater

[Nuke]

its like they took all the good stuff out. i want my spices irradiated!

one of the perks of being in an alaskan fishing town, is you can go to the docks during the fishing season and buy it right off the boat. or get it yourself if you can get out to the fishing hole. and you can get everything, shrimp, crab, salmon, halibut, etc.

[cubinator]

I made some potatoes, and discovered that there are purple potatoes.

[Just Jim]

A big, juicy meatloaf. Enough for dinner and a few sandwiches next week!  

[adsii1970]

12 minutes ago, Just Jim said:

A big, juicy meatloaf. Enough for dinner and a few sandwiches next week!

Meatloaf is always one of those meals that's better after it's aged a day or two after it's been made.

Now, back to the original post. I normally do the cooking in our family; because of the migraine I've had today, that duty and responsibility fell to my spouse and daughter and neither one of them were too happy. So, a fried bologna sandwich it was!

[StrandedonEarth]

Homemade calzones aka pizza pockets/pucks....

4 hours ago, cubinator said:

I made some potatoes, and discovered that there are purple potatoes.

And purple tomatoes

E: Oh, I also have a bioscience experiment in progress: yogurt culturing away in the multicooker

Edited March 7, 2022 by StrandedonEarth

[Nuke]

3 hours ago, Just Jim said:

A big, juicy meatloaf. Enough for dinner and a few sandwiches next week!  

thats what im making tonight. im obligated to produce one meatloaf a month. however it usually comes out pretty good. every now and again i wrap it in bacon. 

Edited March 7, 2022 by Nuke

[razark]

Today seems to have been meatloaf day.  Add another one to the list.

[Admiral Fluffy]

The limit to what I can make is cookie dough and pitta pizzas.

[BigFatStupidHead]

Made a pasta Carbonara last night in the Instapot. My favourite kitchen gadget.

[StrandedonEarth]

Dinner tonight will be chicken scampi, with the chicken cooked sous vide yesterday...

23 hours ago, StrandedonEarth said:

E: Oh, I also have a bioscience experiment in progress: yogurt culturing away in the multicooker

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...

3 hours ago, BigFatStupidHead said:

Made a pasta Carbonara last night in the Instapot. My favourite kitchen gadget.

They are pretty handy. Easy-peasy potatoes!