Food Porn and Discussion.

[bono_212]

So, while I was in Maryland, we went to an Italian restaurant where I had a lasagna that was filled with crab, spinach, artichokes, Monterey jack and chipptle pepper cream. It was amazing.

So I was suddenly craving it again last night, but I don't live in Maryland, so I went to Wal-mart and bought the ingeredients and made up my own thing. It came out almost better than the original. If anyone's interested, I'll post what I did. It was super easy to make for how great it is.

Pics to come.

Also, arw, that spread IS amazing. And peanut butter cookies with kisses are my favorite cookie.

 

[Thora]

Sounds tasty! Post away!


I made a loaf of bread this afternoon in my bread machine, and it turned out rather wonky looking.

 

[bonocomet]

Sounds tasty! Post away!


I made a loaf of bread this afternoon in my bread machine, and it turned out rather wonky looking.

Oooh Jabba the Hutt bread!

I'll bet it's tasty though.

 

[Thora]

Oooh Jabba the Hutt bread!

I'll bet it's tasty though.

It is! This type of bread (Bloody Mary bread) is fabulous for eating with chicken or turkey sandwiches.

 

[bonocomet]

It is! This type of bread (Bloody Mary bread) is fabulous for eating with chicken or turkey sandwiches.

Oooh yum.

 

[mama cass]

It is! This type of bread (Bloody Mary bread) is fabulous for eating with chicken or turkey sandwiches.

i've never heard of that kind of bread - what has it got in it??

i love my bread machine! i use it a lot, nearly every other day to make bread for my family - i love that it has a timer so you can wake up to the smell of fresh baked bread at some unearthly hour when i remember to set it all up before going to bed lol!

i also use it a lot just for making different kinds of dough, pizza dough, and dough for different kinds of breads, brioche, kanelbullar and bread rolls that i then shape by hand and bake in the oven... very handy when you're pushed for time but still want home-baked bread...

 

[Thora]

My bread machine is extremely ancient, so it doesn't have a timer. Even if it did, I'd never use it, since the machine is so incredibly noisy. It's hard to watch TV or anything during the kneading process. All that being said, I love my machine to bits. Greatest invention ever. I make about a loaf a week.

Here's the recipe:

• 1 package yeast
• 3 cups bread flour
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 Tbsp sugar
• 1 Tbsp soft butter
• 1 6oz can of spicy V8 juice
• 1 Tbsp vodka
• 1 egg

In my recipe book (that came with the machine) it says to put all the ingredients in the order it was listed, and at room temperature. Bake on the white bread setting.

 

[mama cass]

cool! thanks for the recipe Thora! i'm not sure if i can get V8 juice here but will have a look! i wonder if i could just use tomato juice with a dash of tabasco??

my machine is about 7 years old but still working ok! it's not toooooo noisy, but sometimes when i set it on timer and then stay up working late i forget it's on and it makes me jump out of my skin when it suddenly starts kneading lol!!

i couldn't be without mine now... when it eventually breaks down i would like to get one that also makes jam lol!!

my everyday loaf is super simple to make, rustic half-half wholegrain/brown loaf (French "pain de campagne" flour + wholegrain flour)

1 pk dried yeast
250 g of each type of flour
three-quarter teaspoon salt
325 ml water

then bake on the French bread setting - the whole cycle takes 6 hours from start to finish... will take a photo of the next one lol!!

 

[Thora]

cool! thanks for the recipe Thora! i'm not sure if i can get V8 juice here but will have a look! i wonder if i could just use tomato juice with a dash of tabasco??

my machine is about 7 years old but still working ok! it's not toooooo noisy, but sometimes when i set it on timer and then stay up working late i forget it's on and it makes me jump out of my skin when it suddenly starts kneading lol!!

i couldn't be without mine now... when it eventually breaks down i would like to get one that also makes jam lol!!

my everyday loaf is super simple to make, rustic half-half wholegrain/brown loaf (French "pain de campagne" flour + wholegrain flour)

1 pk dried yeast
250 g of each type of flour
three-quarter teaspoon salt
325 ml water

then bake on the French bread setting - the whole cycle takes 6 hours from start to finish... will take a photo of the next one lol!!

Yup, that would work. I didn't have any V8 juice in the house, but I did have Clamato (tomato & clam juice) and added a bit of hot sauce to it.

Ahh, I think I have you beat. My machine was made in about 1992! It also makes me jump out of my skin when it starts up the kneading process.

I know this machine isn't going to last forever, so I will suck it up and buy a new one when the time comes, but for right now it's working totally fine. *knock on wood*

 

[mama cass]

Yup, that would work. I didn't have any V8 juice in the house, but I did have Clamato (tomato & clam juice) and added a bit of hot sauce to it.

Ahh, I think I have you beat. My machine was made in about 1992! It also makes me jump out of my skin when it starts up the kneading process.

I know this machine isn't going to last forever, so I will suck it up and buy a new one when the time comes, but for right now it's working totally fine. *knock on wood*

WOW!! that's impressive!! i hope mine will last as long!!

 

[bono_212]

8 oz monterey jack
I used about 3/4 pack of imitation crab
lol, uh, two handfuls of spinach, chopped...it needed more than that, though.
7 oz can of artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
1 teaspoon salt for taste, it really brought out the chipotle.

For the chipotle sauce,
1/2 cups of sour cream,
3 teaspoons of chipotle peppers in adobo sauce.

Mix it all together, and bake it in the lasagna for around 30 minutes at 350. Might want to play with that yourself, because ours came out a little oddly cooked, But that's basiically what you do!

 

[KhanadaRhodes]

ohhhh man, that reminds me. i'm sitting here eating my crab dip right now. fucking awesome. i don't like a lot of dips since i don't like sour cream very much, or guacamole, or etc. etc., but the ones i do like i fucking LOVE.

behold a crappy photo:

 

[mama cass]

this morning's craggy rustic loaf lol!

 

[mama cass]

while i'm at it, here are some xmas baking piccies!

home-made mince pies - do you have these outside the UK or are they just a traditional UK thing?? my french friends are quite bemused by them as they expect them to be made of meat - they're made with mincemeat (raisins, sultanas, currants, candied orange peel, lemon and orange zest, glace cherries, and apples, all finely chopped and steeped in alcohol, then cooked down gently with suet, and stored in preserve bottles) - our christmas isn't christmas without mince pies - i love those christmassy smells wafting thru the kitchen lol!:

xmas cake - jamaican fruit cake with marzipan and fondant icing:

yule log - joconde sponge filled and iced with French chocolate butter cream:

also made proper christmas pudding but didn't manage to get a photo! i set it alight at the table and served it hot with rum sauce for christmas dinner - YUM

christmas seriously is my fave time of year baking/food-wise...

 

[bonocomet]

Wow, some talented cooks and bakers in here!

 

[bono_212]

Mincemeat isn't meat?

 

[mama cass]

Mincemeat isn't meat?

that's right - mincemeat goes in mince pies - minced meat goes in bolognaise

it's a mixture of dried, candied and fresh fruit (currants, raisins, sultanas, candied peel, glace cherries, apples, orange/lemon zest and spices like cinnamon and nutmeg) plus ground or chopped almonds, which is mixed with alcohol and suet, cooked gently until the fat melts and infuses into the whole mixture, and then cooled and bottled... you can buy it ready made in jam-jars in the UK and it's used as a pie filling... very sweet, and definitely not meaty lol!

apparently, traditionally, meat was involved - in the days when we didnt have ways of keeping meat fresh, it was mixed with fruit and spices to make it taste more edible, hence the name "mince pies" and then gradually they did away with the meat til it was just fruit...

 

[mama cass]

here's a photo of my home-made mincemeat

it looks evil, but it smells like heaven (citrus, alcohol and spices), and tastes so good when baked in the pies

 

[Thora]

I'm not a fan of mincemeat pies, but I grew up with them in the house. My great-grandparents were British, so my Dad always had them growing up and still loves them. He was the only one of us in our immediate family who ever ate them.

 

[mama cass]

I'm not a fan of mincemeat pies, but I grew up with them in the house. My great-grandparents were British, so my Dad always had them growing up and still loves them. He was the only one of us in our immediate family who ever ate them.

hehe i think people either love them or hate them, if the name doesn't put them off first

they're just a really nostalgic thing for me haha

 

[yolland]

I love mince pie...it used to be fairly common at Thanksgiving (though never as popular as pumpkin), but nowadays I think that kind of winey-spicy flavor with all the dried fruit tends to taste "old-fashioned" to many people. American fillings often omit the suet and add additional fruits (figs, pears, dates etc.) and maybe some gingersnaps to thicken. In general, the range of American fruit-based desserts seems to have shrunk dramatically in my lifetime--everything's about the chocolate now...

 

[misfit toys]

xmas cake - jamaican fruit cake with marzipan and fondant icing:

Hmmm, what is in a Jamaican fruit cake? That sounds interesting. I'm always on the lookout for recipes that are "different"

My daughter spent Christmas in England with her boyfriend's family. One of the things she looked forward to were the mincemeat pies!

That does seem to be true about fruit based baking. Probably a result of people growing and canning less.

 

[mama cass]

Hmmm, what is in a Jamaican fruit cake? That sounds interesting. I'm always on the lookout for recipes that are "different"

My daughter spent Christmas in England with her boyfriend's family. One of the things she looked forward to were the mincemeat pies!

That does seem to be true about fruit based baking. Probably a result of people growing and canning less.

it's a really rich heavy dense fruit cake, based on "Black Cake" - which i grew up with - i never wrote down the proper recipe - i knew how my mother made hers but kind of had to invent my own recipe re. quantities etc... my version is a bit looser and lighter than the traditional cake as i don't use treacle/molasses and don't chop the fruit too fine

basically the dried fruit is soaked in rum and sherry (or port) for as long as you want, anything from 3 weeks to a year (i soaked the fruit this year for about 3 months) before mixing it into a batter then baking... the amount of alcohol in it is just immoral

it's very rich so you only need to eat tiny pieces, and the almond icing + fondant icing offset the fruity rum kick nicely... i like to make one big cake and mini ones for gifts...

 

[mama cass]

it's funny about the fruit-based baking - i've noticed the French seem bake with fruit (especially fresh fruit) even more than the English... it's nice though...

 

[waynetravis]

 

[bonocomet]

From Disneyland over the holidays. Best caramel apples I've ever tasted. Going again tomorrow, will see what other trouble I can get into.

 

[mama cass]

yum... they look nice!

 

[mad1]

has anyone ever used one of those cube chocolate sticks for hot milk?

nice arent they!

 

[mama cass]

has anyone ever used one of those cube chocolate sticks for hot milk?

nice arent they!

do you mean the ones on the spoons?? i got some for stocking fillers for my family this christmas - they're really good!

the ones i got were this brand:

http://www.chocolatecompany-online.com/hotchocspoon

 

[Rachel D.]

I had some chocolates filled with Bailey's at work yesterday. They were pretty good.