So lets ease some mid-season tension by doing something we typically do in the offseason. A way off topic thread.

Share your cool recipes folks. Its just that simple.

I'll start...

Scott's Stupid Easy Key Lime Ice Cream

- 1 Cup "Nellie and Joes Key West Lime Juice" (finding this is the hardest part)
- 2 Cups half and half
- 2 cups whole milk
- 1.5 cups sugar (more if you like sweet, less if you prefer tart)
- Green food coloring (optional but it will be off-white in color without it)

Dump everything in a bowl and mix until the sugar dissolves.
If you have an ice cream maker - use it.
If not, just put the bowl in the freezer for about 4 hours, take it out and mix it up, then put it back in the freezer for about 4 more hours. It'll work, trust me.

PS - No, I did not create this thread just to get another freebie recipe from Adam. At least thats my story and I'm sticking to it.

 

Speaking of easing tension and relaxing, here's a favorite "beverage" recipe for margaritas that will definitely take the edge off, likely make you more apathetic, and quite possibly temporarily lower your IQ by about 15-20 points. If you like margaritas, I guarantee this recipe will be among the best you've ever had.

Here's the recipe, per individual drink.

2.0 oz. gold tequila
0.5 oz. white tequila
0.5 oz. triple sec
Splash of orange curacao
1.0 oz. Rose's lime juice
Squeeze in the juice from both a lime and lemon wedge

Couple of notes: it really does taste best when made according to the recipe above. However, if you only have one kind/color of tequila, you can just use that (I prefer the Sauza brand) and it tastes good, too. And I usually make it in batches of four drinks or more; it is much easier than making a bunch of individual drinks. And, yes, the orange curacao is important; I don't know exactly why, but it just is. The fresh lemons and limes are essential; don't bother with this recipe with them. Enjoy!

Word of warning: as you can see, these babies are mostly alcohol and, consequently, are very potent. Drink responsibly.

 

Tarragon Vinegar Chicken:

- a couple of carrots, shredded
- two big onions, diced
- 2-3 stalks of celery
- 1 bouquet garnis
- salt, pepper
- one whole chicken, in pieces (or you can use a bunch of your favorite chicken parts)
- 1-2 cups of chicken broth
- one third of a bottle of tarragon vinegar
- one stick of butter

1- brown chicken pieces in one half a stick of butter in a pretty big pot.
2- salt and pepper to taste and stick in warm oven (just to keep it warm)
3- slap in the butter and chicken fat the carrots, celery, and onions to saute them a bit
4- before the onions brown, add the vinegar, the bouquet garni, the chicken and enough broth to cover the chicken.
5- cook about 45 minutes on low heat
6- remove chicken
7- strain the vegetables and bouquet garnis out, put the juice back in the pot. You can save and eat the veggies if you want (I don't).
8- heat up the juices to a boil, add the rest of the butter and reduce for a while. You can add some corn starch to thicken if you want.
9- serve the sauce over the chicken.
10- eat.

you can serve with green beans, or sauteed potatoes.
Your house will smell damn good, and the food will taste pretty decent too.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Neo &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">I guarantee this recipe will be among the best you've ever had.</TD></TR></TABLE>

I can do you one better.

- 1.5 oz anejo tequila (expensive chit)
- 1.0 oz cointreau
- 0.5 oz orange juice (fresh squeezed)
- 2.0 oz fresh sour mix

Shake and pour. Top off with .5 oz of grand marnier.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by .RJ &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">

I can do you one better.

- 1.5 oz anejo tequila (expensive chit)
- 1.0 oz cointreau
- 0.5 oz orange juice (fresh squeezed)
- 2.0 oz fresh sour mix

Shake and pour. Top off with .5 oz of grand marnier.</TD></TR></TABLE>

Sounds good. You try mine and I'll try yours; we'll compare notes after the hangovers wear off...

 

Cornish Game Hen -- Buffalo Style.
In a large pot, bring cooking oil to temperature over medium heat.
Bread (thawed) whole Game Hens in Cornflour+water+Old Bay mix
Deep fry game hens until coooked through.

While frying the game hens, in a small skillet bring 1/4 C butter, a whole 12 Oz bottle of Cayenne Pepper sauce of choice up to temp. Remove from heat and begin mixing in Old Bay until you have a paste.

Toss birds in the paste, Garnish with celery+bleu cheese. Serve with plenty of napkins.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Neo &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Sounds good. You try mine and I'll try yours; we'll compare notes after the hangovers wear off... </TD></TR></TABLE>

&lt;--- bartended for a year

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by .RJ &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">

&lt;--- bartended for a year</TD></TR></TABLE>

Big whoop. I'm much older and have more drinking experience.

 

- one stick of butter

I was reading the list just waiting for it .
Looks good, I'll try it if you tell me what "bouquet garnis" is.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Neo &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">

Big whoop. I'm much older and have more drinking experience. </TD></TR></TABLE>

Really. Bartenders have made some of the shittiest drinks I've ever tasted.
But RJs recipe does look good. GM is often a difference between a cheapo margarita and a good one.

 

http://www.geocities.com/inmyk...arnis I actually have a whole jar full of the stuff, dried and cut, ready to add without messing with the bag (especially in this case since the sauce is strained)

you know you CANNOT have any kind of french cooking without AT LEAST one whole stick of butter. As a matter of fact, that is how you make a sauce: add butter until it tastes good. All that, and we still have one of the lowest rates of incidence of heart disease. Moral of the story: drink more wine (but watch out for liver disease - can't win'em all)

 

best Margaritas come from Mexico, and dont have all that sweet crap in them. RJ made me one of those one time and I didnt particularly care for it.
but how did we get talkin on drinks anyway....

recepies.....hrm I never write mine down...
here is a quick easy one though:
really good, really easy pizza. (requires bread machine)
take 1 box of krusteaz italian herb bread machine bread mix, put it in your bread machine under the bread setting. Add a little extra flour so the dough isnt too gooey. After its done, sprinkle a little flour over the dough for the same reason.
Do your best pizza-dough toss or just knead the dough out on the pizza pan (stone works best)
Top it however you like, but my personal fave is
-Hunts 4 cheese sauce (cheap stuff, but makes great pizza sauce)
-shredded mozzerella and cheddar cheese
-italian seasoning and red pepper sprinkled about
-artichoke hearts
-tomato slices/chunks
-Pineapple chunks and mandarin oranges (surprisingly good on pizza.)

put in the oven for about 30 min at 375

nothin' fancy, but will come out the best pizza you have ever had.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Catch 22 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Really. Bartenders have made some of the shittiest drinks I've ever tasted. But RJs recipe does look good. GM is often a difference between a cheapo margarita and a good one.</TD></TR></TABLE>

All depends where you go. If you go to chili's and order something off the menu with a picture that comes in a decievingly-looking big glass with an umbrella on it, its going to taste like ****.

 

1. Premium vodka, Moskovskaya or Finlandia are best. But double-distilled Smirnoff (50% alc content) is awesome too. Put in freezer for 24hrs. Vodka doesnt freeze, it just thickens a little. You can also put the bottle in a small stainless bucket and fill with water before freezing. The ice will keep the Vodka below freezing a lot longer when consuming...
2. Fill a shot glass 3/4 full
3. Fill the rest with Rose's lime juice, refrigerated
4. Repeat steps 2-3 as necessary...

Nice and simple, but oh so effective. Cheers!...

 

Mom Knestis' Tzaziki (Greek cucumber/yogurt sauce like you get in Gyros)

32 ounces plain lowfat yogurt
2 cucumbers
4 tablespoons olive oil
Juice of one lemon
4-5 garlic cloves (pressed)

Wrap the yogurt in cheesecloth or a clean dishtowel secured by a rubber band. Place in a colander over a bowl overnight to drain excess liquid. Peel, seed, and shred cucumbers. Place shredded cucumber in cloth and wring out excess liquid. Place all ingredients in a bowl and stir. It’s best if it stands several hours before serving.

Serve with toasted pita triangles- cut pita into triangles, lightly coat with olive oil and toast in a 350* oven until crispy. Garnish with kalamata olives and pour copious quantities of wine (red or dry white/rose). This is really a double recipe, but it tends to slide right down in our house.

Good idea, dude.

 

Good idea. I've got two, here's the first, lifted from a cooking magazine and lightly modified.

Habanero Salsa Verde
- 2 pounds medium tomatillos, husked and rinsed
- 1/2 of a medium red onion
- 4 garlic cloves, peeled
- 2 average size habanero chiles. Less if you want it mild-ish, more if you're into pain.
- 1/2 cup fresh chopped cilantro (NOT the dried stuff)
- juice of 1 lime
- salt to taste

Preheat broiler on high. Place the tomatillos, onion, garlic and chiles on a baking sheet and stick 'em in there. Turn when they start to blacken - you'll need to keep an eye on this since each thing blackens at a different pace, but 10 minutes overall tops. Don't skip this step, it's important.

Pull that stuff out of the oven and throw it in a blender, along with any juice that accumulated. Add the cilantro and lime, and puree. salt to taste.

Was a huge hit with the THSCC folk, but might be a little hot for some.

 

Number two. Flank steak rolls, stuffed with artichoke hearts, spinach, sun-dried tomatoes, and mozzarella, served over angel hair pasta with a marinara sauce. This one's kind of time consuming so save for a special occasion.

For the steak rolls:
- four pieces of flank steak (the thin, lean stuff you get for fajitas)
- fresh spinach leaves, washed and drained
- fresh (water packed) mozzarella
- 1 small jar marinated artichoke hearts
- 1 cup or so marinated sun-dried tomatoes
- 2 cloves garlic

For the sauce (or use a marinara of your choice):
- 1 can diced tomatoes, drained
- 1/4 stick butter
- 1 tbsp or so olive oil
- 1/3 of a medium size white onion, finely chopped
- several fresh basil leaves, finely chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, crushed under a chef's knife and chopped

Garnish: chives, freshly-grated parm., anything you like on italian

Start with the sauce. In a saucepan on medium heat, heat the olive oil and butter. Throw in the onions and garlic, cook till soft but DO NOT burn. Throw in the rest of the stuff, let it simmer while you do the rolls.

Rolls:
Preheat oven to 350.

Take the artichoke hearts, sun-dried tomatoes, and garlic and chop finely in a food processor (the little Cuisinart "mini prep" thing is perfect for this). If it seems too dry, throw a little olive oil in; it should become like a paste.

Lay out the steaks and spread this "paste" on them. Then slice some of the fresh mozzarella thinly and place over top of the paste. Then top that with the spinach leaves. Roll up and secure with wodden toothpicks, or with twine.

At this point you'll want to start some pasta up. I used angelhair.

Get out an average-size casserole dish and spoon just a little bit of the sauce into the bottom, to cover the surface and prevent sticking. Place the rolls in the dish and put into the oven for 5 minutes. They will have just started to cook at this point; take them out, and surround with the rest of the sauce. Turn the rolls, with tongs, after about 5 minutes in the sauce and cook for another 10 or until done. Think "marinating" and you've got the idea.

Put pasta on plate, ladel on some sauce (don't overdo it), and top with a flank steak roll and garnish. Sounds complicated but if you're good at multitasking you can probably do it in an hour and a half.

--Karl, aspiring to be Adam...someday...

 

This is an easy, yet impressive way to get back in the good graces of your lady friend after the season:

Steak au Poivre

- 2-4 filet mignons, 6-10 oz each (best way to buy is to get a good thick one, then cut it in half thick-wise (butterflied))
- 2-3 tbsp butter
- some olive oil
- 2-3 tbsp green peppercorns (Dad uses moist, I use dry. Mine's better)
- 2-3 tbsp Hennessey Cognac
- 3/4 cup heavy cream
- 3/4 cup beef stock

Crush the green peppercorns. Lightly salt the steaks, and cover with crushed green peppercorns (have tried with regular pepper - doesn't have quite the zing as the green). In a heavy skillet, melt the butter, then add olive oil to cover the bottom. When hot, pan-fry the steaks until done to the desired level (few minutes per side).

Before removing the steaks from the pan, heat the cognac in a small metal saucepan (I use a metal measuring cup). When warm (you'll see the shimmer on the surface), light and CAREFULLY pour over the steaks. Expect a big fireball.

Remove the steaks once the flames die, and set aside, covered in foil. Add the beef broth and cream. Stirring constantly, reduce by one half or so. Sauce should be a nice tan color when done.

Pour sauce over steaks and serve immediately.

Serve with choice of side.

 

Here's a chicken pasta idea:

Sautee some chicken tenderloins or a chicken breast (I would not use a non stick pan and I'd use a pan substantially larger than the amount of chicken) in olive oil (make sure pan's hot when you add oil but not too hot), when done or 90% done, lower heat on pan and pull out and slice into small thin strips (like across the breast). Throw a splat of minced garlic in the remaining bits and oil and give the pan a bump. Restore to med-high heat and throw in some sliced uncooked mushrooms. Flip pan a few times keeping items from sticking to bottom. Once the mushrooms look to have cooked down a bit throw in some mashed or sliced black olives, capers and a few quartered artichoke hearts and throw the chicken slices back in. Turn up to full heat and keep flipping the pan occasionally. Once it begins to dry up, hit outter rim of pan with white wine - flip a few times to dislodge and sticky bits. Add in a splash of chicken stock (or a good pinch of chicken powder stock stuff and a couple tbs. of water), a good glug of lemon juice, basil and two cold tablespoon slabs of butter (not margarine, not half-fat, not country crock) add a pinch of salt and pepper and swirl pan vigorously until the butter melts and becomes a creamy consistency. Immediately toss in cooked penne pasta and flip pan until its all crazy mixed up.

 

Crikey this is the best idea I've had since moving down to ITC.
Great stuff.

Karl... Put that in for my dinner order IF I can manage to come up to VIR (still working on that).
Phatty... I'm trying that one tomorrow night. That sounds really, really good.

Ya know, I tried phattys salsa (and I know Karl had the same trouble I did) and while mine came out OK it just wasn't right. I followed the directions perfectly (twice now) and still missed the mark. Mine was good, but Adam's was friggin fanastic.
I think theres a "touch" there that I just dont have.

Scott, who really doesn't enjoy cooking, but absolutely LOVES eating good food.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Catch 22 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Karl... Put that in for my dinner order IF I can manage to come up to VIR (still working on that).</TD></TR></TABLE>

Will do.

In any event, here's another...chicken tacos. Could probably be adapted to fish or beef too. Going on memory here, as I kind of made it up as I went along...

Meat:
- 2 boneless chicken breasts
- 3 serrano chiles, sliced into thin rings
- 1 bottle Sierra Nevada Pale Ale (or similar)
- juice of 1 lime

Wrap:
Taco-sized flour tortillas, warmed in microwave (wrap in moist paper towels, zap 30 sec)

Toppings:
- thinly sliced bay cabbage
- thinly sliced red onion
- creme fraiche (sp?) or, in a pinch, sour cream
- homemade salsa like Adam makes (or whatever salsa you like)

Cut some shallow lines into the chicken breast. Put in container and marinate in the beer, serrano chiles, and lime juice for several hours. When ready, throw the chicken on the grill, or fry in a pan, until done. Put on plate and cut into managable pieces.

Place the chicken onto the tortillas and top with a dollop of creme fraiche and salsa. Add cabbage and onion, get a bunch of napkins, and enjoy.

 

Hehe, you guys are making this sound like some complex thing and it ain't Unfortunately I don't have any measuring amounts but I think this is pretty close:

- mild stuff -
a big can of peeled whole tomatoes (I tend to use Furmanos cause they are pretty consistent)
three maybe four jalapenos (for me personally, a few more but I like spicy stuff - if you really don't, remove the vein and seeds to dull it down but still get the basic taste)
maybe two cloves of garlic (or the minced in a jar equivalent)
equal parts Cider Vinegar and Lime Juice (no clue ... maybe a tablespoon each, whatever the equivalent of what you'd get out of a decent sized lime??)
handful of cilantro
little bit of olive oil
pinch of sugar
pinch of salt

- take the jalapenos, cut them into smaller pieces (removing the stem) and put them, the garlic, vinegar and lime juice in a food pro. Mix on in pulses til the jalapenos are the size you'd want them. Put this in mixing bowl.
- take the can of tomatoes and strain it off but don't go nuts on it. Put them in the food pro and mix in pulses until its small lumpy (opposed to big assed lumpy - I usually do a half a can at a time) and put this in the mixing bowl
- add to the mixing bowl the salt, sugar, olive oil and finely chopped cilantro (and don't beat the **** out of the cilantro or it will turn black).

I usually refrigerate it for a while as it tastes better chilled (and you can add diced red onion if that's your thing - I usually just make stuff I have in the house and that's not one of them)


- not so mild stuff -
two small carrots (washed and peeled and cut into smaller chunks)
a handful of raisins (I have used kiwi instead before and it too works)
a couple dozen habanero chillies
one small yellow onion
- same as above -
equal parts Cider Vinegar and Lime Juice
handful of cilantro
little bit of olive oil
handful of very very finely chopped cilantro (I take a handful and let it dry for a day or two on a paper towel until it is bone dry - then put it in a coffee grinder)

- take the habaneros, carrots, raisins, yellow onion and sautee them off in a big sautee pan that has a lid (or a big sauce pan), just use a little olive oil. Once you have them going, throw in the garlic, put the lid on and let it simmer for a good 30 minutes on the lowest heat (basically you want the carrots to be mushy). When you check the lid, stand way back and do NOT breathe this stuff in as it causes some serious breathing problems.
- take immediately from saucepan to food pro and mix it to a smooth consistnecy adding in the vinegar and lime juice.
- remove from food pro to a mixing bowl and add in little bit of olive oil, sugar, cilantro and salt to taste (some might find it hard to do that to taste part).


- as you see, not real creative and not worth the "Adam's salsa" notations

and with any salsa that isn't too watery, take some oven safe stoneware, place some medium sized chunks of monterey jack and medium cheddar cheese, a plop of sour cream and bake until it starts to melt. Give it a stir, put on as much salsa as you want on the top and back in the oven until it starts to bubble up. Pull it out and have a nut with some grilled flour tortillas or corn chips. How do you think I got to be 191 pounds and why you think I had to knock back on the carbs

Oh, and since you bleepers have me thinking about the food I gave up for lent - great and totally unhealthy as hell snack: Take a flour tortilla, put a handfull of shredded cheese and some salsa and throw in the microwave for about 15 seconds. Roll it up and you got a nice little mini cheese soft taco action - totally rocks for that mid afternoon snack (just don't do 3 or 4 a day between meals or see above carb comment).

 

NW slacker BBQ beer Chicken:

Free-range chicken breasts (skinless)
Jack Daniel's Tenness Hickory Mesquite BBQ sauce
Six pack of domestic beer

Pre-heat grill on medium heat
Open cold beer
Place olive-oil coated chicken on grill
Drink another beer and wait
Turn chicken after 10 minutes and swab on JD's
Open third and fourth beer and consume
Let sauce cook down and blacken slightly turning often
Splash a half can of beer in the BBQ as you knock over the beer while removing chicken...
Open new can of beer
Serve with boxed macaroni-n-cheese and a cold beer. (preferablly on a TV tray)

Bon Appetite!




Modified by bulldog_RS20 at 8:27 AM 8/26/2003

 

Steak: as put by my big brother when asked how he would like his filet cooked

"chop it's horns off, smack it in the *** and send it out"

The best tasting meat is that which needs no marinade to flavor. Working on an Black Angus farm for many years we worked on breeding the perfect cow everyday. When you do get that perfect piece of meat it will look like a marble floor and will fall apart when you touch it with a fork.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by urbanlegend21 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Steak: as put by my big brother when asked how he would like his filet cooked

"chop it's horns off, smack it in the *** and send it out"</TD></TR></TABLE>
A friend of mine used to say "Show the cow a match".

Here's a super-simple recipe that's nice around the holidays:

Make hot tea by boiling tea bags in water (make it as strong or weak as you prefer; IIRC, I use 6 bags for 1/2 gallon). For each tea bag, include one cinnamon stick (be sure to add the cinnamon before boiling). Once tea reaches the desired strength, remove the tea bags and add an equal amount of apple cider or juice. Serve warm.