Gastro-Love! Foodies and Kitchen-Dwellers UNITE!
 

Post all your food-love, utensil-love, gadgets and such here!
This isn't a photo-thread - Just a place to share our joy about all the things in the kitchen and belly.


I had a moment while cooking the other night where I was relishing in the burst of a lemon squeeze over simmering string beans, the earthy and acidic scent of finely-minced garlic, and the waft of an olive-oil plume over my favorite All-Clad pan.

JD has RUINED me on All-Clad cookware. I had a trusty set of Rachel Ray pans with bright orange silicon handles, glass lids, and non-stick surfaces and they served me well for a few years but DAMN, All-Clad is like cooking with a Humvee. Sturdy and durable, and able to take a beating (and yes, there is a joke in there somewhere but I'll leave it alone!)

I've been making a lot of meals in the last year with a white wine reduction so I've taken to buying Black Box Chardonnay when at home because our selection in Arkansas isn't great. Otherwise, I pick up a divinely cheap bottle of 2.79 Chardonnay at the local farmer's market and it is totally adequate for cooking.


Now, tell me all your delicious business!

Love this thread! I'm a total foodie, although not so much a cook any longer. I'm looking forward to posting here again soon :eating:

ZOODLES! YES!

I haven't made them in a while but I would do a biggo pile of zoodles and carrots and garlic and make a mock-alfredo out of a couple of Laughing Cow cheese wedges, some chicken broth, lots of spices, and a little half and half or almond milk with dry Parmesan. It wasn't as satisfying as the real deal but for the calorie exchange it sure took the cravings away.

I have a bunch of veggies marinating in the fridge and some chicken in mojito-style seasoning for grilling later tonight.

I love to make kabobs and grill a bunch of stuff up all at once so there is plenty to gnaw on for the rest of the week.

I chopped up a bunch of red peppers, purple onion, garlic, zucchini, squash, and will throw in some cherry tomatoes. They are stewing in olive oil and lime juice with smoked salt, granulated garlic, lots of black pepper, and a tiny bit of cumin. I'll pop them on some skewers later and they'll sizzle over a charcoal grill for a while later tonight.

We are basically having a late 4th of July meal and will cut up the giant watermelon that has been living on the countertop for the last 4 days LOL

One thing I love about summer? ALL THE FRESH VEGGIES AND FRUITS!! HUZZAH!

Simple breakfast this morning of scrambled eggs with dill, smoked salt, and mozzarella cheese, center-cut bacon, and a big bowl of grapes, raspberries, and cherries.

Tonight will be a simple dinner because we have a lot to do and want to cram in as much time as possible before I return home. We will be trying out some chicken and swiss meatballs and I'll do brussels sprouts pulled apart into "chips" with olive oil, black pepper, granulated lime, smoked salt, and a squeeze of fresh lemon once out of the oven.

Today is all about working at home and cleaning the kitchen. I'm a little sheepish to admit I love cleaning the kitchen. I love scrubbing the countertops and stove, loading up the dishwasher, cleaning out the fridge, and wiping down the appliances and cabinets. Something joyful about open windows, podcasts, and a sparkling food-prep area!
WEE!

I love spending time out in the kitchen too!

Lately, I'd say since last Christmas, I began to slowly 'weed' out all the usual flour, sugar and pre-packaged food things I used to keep on hand. I now buy alternate flour's, stevia, I still keep local honey stocked, but carefully use it (per doctor's orders), I also buy certain types of breads now too. I stock rice or almond milk, rather than regular milk. I don't drink coffee anymore but keep a small sampling of coffee to make for impromptu guest visits by friends or family. I drink herbal teas, hot or cold. Filtered water or natural spring water is the type of water I like, especially artesian water.

My kitchen has a few energy saving appliances, but the appliances not in use I keep unplugged. To save on the power bill, I switched to LED lights, and rarely use lights. But my favorite torchier lamp by my bed has twin lights, functions. One has a small natural light LED bulb, the other is a red LED bulb which I use or turn on late at night. I have light sensitivity so the LED lights have improved how my eyes feels, plus the bulbs last more than 13 years and although expensive, it's cut my power bill down greatly to use LED lighting and energy efficient appliances.

When I move I plan to invest in new pots and pans and buy several hand held can opener devices....electric ones are useful, but I prefer keeping a low power bill. :blush:

I love, Love, LOVE making apple pies. I also experiment with creating my own sauces and breads. Some turn out really good but replicating the same outcome varies widely....still.

Love your forum thread idea Medusa,,,,, and like you, I do like a clean kitchen. :bunchflowers:

Oooohhh! You know what? I prefer the hand-held can-opener things too. The electric ones are handy and MUCH easier on my carpal tunnel hands but I hate the clutter.
I don't generally keep small appliances out on my counter either. Just my biggo industrial Kitchenaide mixer and my Keurig!

My kitchen counter space is sort of taken up with several small appliances: toaster oven, blender, wood cutting board, clay pottery, microwave, radio, huge designer serving platter-dishes,
And other types of stuff. If I need working space to roll pie dough or that type of creative process, then I clear off my cherry wood bistro table in the dining area..... to do that kind of thing.

My kitchen is not overly big and it sort of shares a marital relationship to the dining area. :)

I was given the best kitchen knowledge by my two grandmas: one from Russia and the other from Norway. Both immigrated from each of their respective home land in search of safe home to raise their children along with their husbands.

Always use a gas stove/oven
Learn how to can/preserve/store
Be diligent about your knife being sharp
Have a tea pot of boiling water available
Use salt on all your cast irons' for cleaning
Take at least one moment to give thanks
Make more than needed to share
Share your recipes with those who ask

Ks-

I'm currently pining away for "Mastering the Art of French Cooking" by Julia Child but also culling my other cookbooks so I can't justify getting a new cookbook while trying to weed things out of my belongings.

I actually really enjoy the "Better Homes New Cookbook"! My Mom gave it to me on my 18th birthday and it has been a loyal companion since then and has some of my favorite old standby recipes.

Other favorites:

The New Amish Cook
"Dinnertime" by Ree Drummond (the Pioneer Woman)
Treasured Amish and Mennonite Recipes
An old raggedy-assed cookbook from 1929 that belonged to my Great-Grandmother and that still has her handwriting in it!


What are your favorite cookbooks?!

I think it was about a month ago now, but I watched a superb documentary about Julia Child on PBS. She was ahead of her time and she was meticulous in all her endeavors to help people learn how to cook foods in a variety of ways. And super funny, very dry humor .... I would say. :)

I have one cookbook that my mother gave to me back in the early 1990s. It's full.of recipes from ladies in her church, ladies we grew up knowing at church, and we're very close to.

I rarely use cook books. I learned ratios and various cooking methods from my Aunt, on my dad's side of the family. Aunt Kate was my dad's mom's only sister. She was of French and German descent. I learned from her, and use her style of cooking and baking. By heart. No recipes.

But if I personally make something that turned out fairly well, I convert everything I did to recipe form.

Btw, have you ever tried roasted cactus???

I just dined at a locally owned restaurant, which is owned by elderly Mexican family friends. Omg, it was d e l i s h! :)

The Modern Family Cookbook - from the 1950's, it was one of those how-to-do-everything for new brides cookbooks, from how to make bridge party snacks to how to singe a chicken and rub with soda to get the pin feathers out. Some of it is no longer applicable with today's modern foods, but it's still a solid source of information and basic recipes.

Low-Fat Soul by Jonell Nash - Back when low-fat was the craze, Jonell Nash de-fatted a lot of her favorite family recipes. It is full of delicious things, and has my go-to recipe for greens.

Also, a bunch of church and school cookbooks with contributed favorite family recipes. I love both the ones from my own geographic area, and from other areas, too. There's always something delicious in these.

Aww! I remember my Great Auntie had a little box like that and I was so upset when her asshole daughter took it and threw it away. My Great Auntie made the best pasta sauce aka "spaghetti gravy" that I've ever put in my mouth and without a recipe, the family spent years trying to recreate it but we all failed miserably.

That's one thing I think about with everyone "going digital". I hope the hand-written recipes with boxes and little cookbooks stay around in paper form :)

I am SO going to look up that Julia Child documentary! I hope I can find it on the net somewhere! LOL

I rarely use recipes either...or at least in their exact form. I've been making certain things since I was a kid so the recipe exists in my head and experienced hands. Occasionally I will pull out one of my favorite recipe books to compare the basic ingredients but generally wing it.
If it's something I've never made before, I might follow a recipe more closely (especially if it is something delicate like a souffle) but generally once is all I will need the written instructions.

I haven't had roasted cactus but it sounds delish! They have several different kinds of cactus at the Farmer's Market in Decatur so I might have to grab some and give it a try the next time I'm out that way!

YESSSSS!! Church cookbooks are the best...especially in the South! My Granny always participated in a church cookbook and had her recipe for the famous "Hot Pineapple Salad" published several times and people always raved about it.
I've found them to be great for yummy desserts, breads, and old-school items like okra relish and muscadine jelly. YUMMMMMM.

Justkim!!

I love my Kitchenaide stand mixer as well. Mine was a birthday gift years ago and it was pretty funny because the first one got returned because it wasn't big enough. I have a giant bright red professional model and she has certainly gotten her workout over the years.

I did invest in lots of attachments for her and have a pasta roller set that I got on clearance for like 75% off that still needs to be experimented with. Maybe I'll try some spinach pasta and report my results back here!

My favorite cookbook is The Joy of Cooking, it expanded my experience and gave me a good set of tools for transforming ingredients into food.

I love that one! My best gingersnap recipe came from that one!

Kitchen Mojo
 

My future daughter-in-law is from France...I gave her this very same cookbook for Christmas! She was admiring mine and I KNEW she would love it!

Ks-

I love gingersnaps! Have you ever tried adding a dash (or more) of cayenne pepper to your gingersnap recipe? It is a celebration of taste sensations that explode in your mouth.

NOOOO!!! But it does sound pretty interesting and like something I would enjoy :)

I'll be making a vegan pasta sauce tomorrow and having some wheat pasta with it. I like to make enough for several days and besides, I am DYING to try out the new Dutch oven I picked up.

Y'all? If you have a Kroger grocery store in your area they have GORGEOUS 6 qt cast iron enameled Dutch ovens right now for $25! I have seen these go for upwards of $80 so this is a great deal. I got a red one :)

Y'alllllllllllllllll!

I have been pining away for this book for a while now and came across a dirt-cheap copy of it at Halfprice Books when I was in Atlanta last.

It's...ahem...a *delicious* read!

http://amzn.to/2yFQqrD

https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1...93l/815612.jpg

Eeeekkk!!

Anyone else have new recipe anxiety?

I am making something I've never made before and so excited and also nervous to see how it turns out.
It's not even a complicated recipe but WEEEE!

Spring rolls made with chicken, cilantro, ginger, garlic, and soy sauce. Easy as hell, and I hope they taste as good as they look!

WTF ?
 

Suggest any options?
Try and Fail?
Never shy nor anxt-ed about something new.

What does this mean?

So were they as good as you thought? and as easy???

I have a strange request!

If anyone else has crappy, arthritic hands like I do, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE post your favorite potato peeler?

I have a junky potato peeler and surely there has got to be an amazing one out there~!

I have both OXO’s Pro line swivel and Y peelers and they are fantastic! I also have OXO’s hand grater and mandolines. Their grips are the best and they all are ergonomic. I am currently recouping from carpal tunnel surgery on both hands, and along with my arthritis, food prep can be painful for me. On those painful days, I use Cuisinart’s mini-mate chopper.

Medusa:

There is an electric peeler...Starfrit Rotato Peeler for like $15....

There are a various asundry of the silicone hand & palm peelers....Walmart, Amazon...in same price range.

I have arthur in several fingers of both hands, so holding a hand held peeler hurts my hands.

Good luck in hoping you find something amenable to your needs.....xo...clay

We've been using a meal delivery service for a couple months. We choose a few meals, they send the ingredients and recipe. We LOVE it!!! I enjoy the fact that I don't have to plan anything, shop for anything, or even think really. I whip out the recipe card and the ingredients and make myself follow instructions for 30-45 minutes. There have been healthy options and tasty options, sometimes even in the same meal. I feel like the menus are fully vetted so there is probably less anxiety than if I was choosing something online. How do you choose a recipe....is it something you've eaten then looked up on-line so you can make it yourself? Something you've seen on TV? Something based on ingredients you have in your kitchen? I find recipe-hunting intimidating so having limited choices each week (maybe 15 recipes to choose from) helps me.

We haven't had much success with the pork entrees (tenderloins, chops, etc.). I'm thinking we overcook by cooking too long or having heat too high. We probably need to try a meat thermometer. Anyone had success cooking with pork want to give us tips?

I can't remember if I posted about it here but we just ended an 18-month-long OVEN SAGA!

We bought our house in February of 2021 and the appliances were not up to par so we decided start replacing them.

Jd installed a beverage fridge under the cabinet, similar to this:
https://www.bestbuy.com/site/insigni...?skuId=6262624

And then we got this new Kitchenaid Fridge:
https://www.homedepot.com/p/KitchenA...0ESS/205905754


We then special ordered this Kitchenaid wall oven and convection microwave combo:
https://www.brandsmartusa.com/kitche...QaAvrgEALw_wcB


Y'all. It took EIGHTEEN MONTHS to arrive. They kept talking about how the pandemic had created a shortage of the chips used in the oven so there was nothing to do but wait.
Well, it finally got here!

It's installed and I have to say, it's pretty AMAZING! I have't tried all the features yet but it's nice to have one that cooks evenly and has lots of extras. AND it's beautiful!
So, I'm doing a little happy dance about finally being back in my bread making and pumpkin loaf mode.
I had the oven that came with the house but it was super old and I didnt trust it so I hated to cook in it. The new Kitchenaid is inspiring me to get out my cookbooks and try some new recipes <3

WOW! That is one gorgeous wall oven unit!!!!

We just bought a newer house (to us) and the stove is old...I HATE it. My wife got me a Chefman Air Fryer combo unit for our 2 year anniversary. BUT SHE burned it up...lol. She cooks EVERYTHING on 450 and lots of EVOO..lol. Burned my elements out!!!

I really love using the air fryer, so much healthier for me!!

Enjoy that LOOOONNNGGGGGGG awaited oven, Ang!!! Congratulations!!!