Gastro-Love! Foodies and Kitchen-Dwellers UNITE!

[Medusa]

Originally Posted by GeorgiaMa'am

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 Some of it is no longer applicable with today's modern foods, but it's still a solid source of information and basic recipes.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.

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.

[Medusa]

Originally Posted by justkim

Right now we have a super small kitchen space. Then again, I've never seen a really big kitchen in a 40 foot 5th wheel. So for now until our house is built I do a great deal of our cooking on the grill. When the house is done I'll have my dream kitchen with an island to die for and a big ol gas stove.
Gadgets... we have a Ninja cooker, love it! I was gifted a beautiful kitchen aid stand mixer for Christmas a couple years ago. Utensils are best if made of bamboo or silicone. Once the house is done it will be like Christmas all over again. I'm certain since we've been living tiny for almost a year now I will do a huge purge of things that really aren't needed.
I just love to cook and play in the kitchen. Some of my favorite memories are centered around creating in the kitchen. I have a feeling I'm going to enjoy this thread. Thank you Medusa.

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!

[Liam]

Originally Posted by Medusa

What are your favorite cookbooks?!

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.

[Medusa]

Originally Posted by Liam

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!

[girl_dee]

My kitchen used to be the heartbeat of my house. It was an old craftsman house that the previous owner built for his wife. They had 7 children, which explains the kitchen. i had a HUGE open kitchen with a big ceramic sink with a huge window over it where i could see into my big back yard. That kitchen is why i wanted that house so badly.

It was my happy place. i got a reading from Arwen in that kitchen one time, and she saw my Mamere with me. i've always channeled my grandmother but that let me know for sure.

Its where i would put on my favorite apron, pull my hair up tight... and get in my mode..

Its where i would crank up my Kitchen Witch Playlist and dance around while trying to focus on the task at hand. Ricky Martin can be distracting.

Its where i cranked up my gas stove and made my yearly 20 dozen holiday cookies, (my Mamere's recipe), strawberry jam, Blackberry dumplings, pepper jelly, boiled crawfish, gumbo, jambalaya, etouffe for the masses, fudge and chopped tons of veggies that i grew in the back yard.

i've never had a microwave or used a Kitchen Aid appliance. i have burnt up many mixers and blenders though!

Its where my family would sit around my big table and drink coffee and chuckle about how much my house looked JUST like my grandmothers. Its where we played with Tarot cards and ate Oyster dressing on Christmas eve. Its where when no one wanted to make Oyster dressing we ate Popeyes chicken because thats all that was open on Christmas Eve.

i guess that's what this thread is about, and i totally get it. For now i am enjoying a break but soon, i think i will have my mojo back.

[ksrainbow]

Originally Posted by Liam

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.

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-

[justkim]

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.

Originally Posted by Medusa

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

[Medusa]

Originally Posted by justkim

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

[Medusa]

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

[Medusa]

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!

[ksrainbow]

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

[Medusa]

Originally Posted by ksrainbow

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

What does this mean?

[not2shygrrl]

Originally Posted by Medusa

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!

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

[Medusa]

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~!

[UpNorth]

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.

[clay]

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

[Mel C.]

Originally Posted by Medusa

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!

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?

[Gemme]

Originally Posted by Mel C.

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 have friends that get Hello Fresh and the meals have been really good. Sear initially on a higher heat but turn it down to finish the cook when using a stovetop and make sure to let it rest. It'll be juicier if you do. When baking, keep the time short and the temperature up (15 min and 425 degrees or somewhere in that ballpark). The meat thermometer should read 145 degrees. Also, when baking, put it in the pan so the fat side is up so as the fat melts, it will baste the meat.

[Medusa]

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

[clay]

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!!!

Originally Posted by Medusa

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