I bought a frozen full duck recently and would like some input.

So, I saw the person who recently posted about having duck breasts.. I recently bought a full, frozen duck, and it's been sitting in my freezer since (about two weeks). I bought it because I have loved duck whenever I have had it, and hoped/ figured I could cook it well. I imagined I'd just look up a recipe.. but then I remembered you guys, and so here I am.

The duck is around 4/5 pounds and as of right now is still frozen. Any suggestions as to how to cook it? Would like something with the best flavor (obviously). Time isn't an issue.

Thank you in advance.

bon appetit

Chinese Smacked Cucumber with Garlic (Suan Ni Pai Huang Gua)

Click here to see the full recipe with pictures!

Chinese Smacked Cucumber with Garlic

Ingredients – Serves Two

• 1 cucumber

• 1/2 tsp salt

• 1tbsp chopped garlic

• 2 tsp light soy sauce

• 1/2 tsp caster sugar

• 2 tbsp chilli oil

• 1/2 tsp Chinkiang vinegar

Preparation

Start out by laying the cucumber on a chopping board and giving it a few good wallops with a rolling pin or the flat side of a Chinese cleaver (or a robust wooden spoon if you have neither, as in my case), until it begins to crack and releases its juice. Once done, cut into bite sized chunks, before laying in a bowl, adding the salt, mixing well, and leaving for about ten minutes.

Meanwhile, combine all the other ingredients in a bowl. Then add to the cucumber and toss well. Leave to marinate for a short time, or even leave in the fridge to serve it extra chilled.

bon appetit

Why can't I use rendered fatback lard for pie crust?

Not sure the best sub for this. I'll x-post if someone thinks a different sub would be better.

I've been reading about lard and I'm going to render my own. Everything says to use leaf lard for pie crust. It doesn't say not to use fatback lard, it just says leaf is better. Is there a reason I can't use fatback? How much better is it?

Is fatback lard still fine for tortilla/biscuits?

I xposted this from /r/cooking since I didn't get any responses.

bon appetit

Easy and Healthy Russian-Ukrainian Borsch. No fancy ingredients, just seasonal vegetables

Borsch is one of the most popular classic dishes of Slavic cuisine. It is a thick vegetable soup, with red beet as the main ingredient, wholesome, flavorful, healthy and perfect for the cold season.

Serves: 6

Ingredients

• 3 liters beef or vegetable broth
• 2 potatoes
• 2 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 medium-sized onion
• 1/3 leek (the light-green part)
• 1 medium-sized carrot, cut into strips
• 1-2 medium-sized red beets, cut into strips
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• 1/2 small sweetheart cabbage or 1/4 white cabbage
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 medium-sized tomatoes
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 bunch parsley
• 4 slices of rye bread
• salt
• black pepper
• sour cream

Instructions

1. Heat beef or vegetable broth in a large pot. Dice potatoes and put them into the pot.

2. In a pan, heat one tablespoon of vegetable oil over medium heat. Finely chop onion and leek and add them to the pan together with stripped carrot, red beet and lemon juice. Cook over medium heat for 10-12 minutes, stirring occasionally.

3. Cut cabbage into strips and put it in the pot together with bay leaves.

4. Chop tomatoes and put them in the pan. Cook for 3-4 more minutes, then transfer to the pot, stirring everything together.

5. Finely chop garlic and parsley.

6. Heat one tablespoon vegetable oil over medium heat. Cut bread slices into 4 pieces lengthwise. Roll them in half of chopped garlic, keeping the other half. Transfer bread strips to the pan and sprinkle with salt. Fry for around 3 minutes each side or until crispy.

Check the recipe here: Russian-Ukrainian Borsch

bon appetit

[Request] Your recipes with Somen noodles

Went to an Asian grocery for the first time and picked up these curiously thin noodles. What should I make with them?

bon appetit

[Request] Healthy, Vegetarian based meals that are easy, I just had surgery

Hey I couldn't find a more appropriate sub so I hope ya'll can help me out? I am an experienced cook and not a vegetarian, but at a loss as I just had a big operation so I am limited in how much I can do and how long I can be standing cooking for.

It's spring here, and I feel like a dose of legumes and vegetables as I haven't been getting enough the last few days.

What can I cook for lunches/dinners that will take less time and require less energy? Tonight I am doing tempura vegetables with soba noodles and one other salad.

bon appetit

Peanut Butter and Jalapeno Jelly Chicken

You can use any cut of chicken, but I've had the best results with drumsticks and wings.

Ingredients

• Chicken (for this I used 2 packages of drumsticks with both packs consisting of 6 drumsticks)
• 3/4 cup creamy peanut butter
• 1/2 tablespoon soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1/2 tablespoon rice vinegar
• (optional: you're favorite hot sauce)
• 1/2 tablespoon sesame oil
• 1/2 a cup of water
• 1 11 oz jalapeno jelly

Cooking

1. Mix all the ingredients (including the jalapeno jelly) in a large mixing bowl until it becomes a sauce consistency.
2. Place all the chicken in the mixing bowl with the sauce, and mix the chicken in the sauce until chicken is completely covered to your liking. place now sauce covered chicken in the fridge covered with plastic wrap in the bowl for at least 2 hours.
3. heat oven to 375F. place chicken on a baking tray and into the oven for 40 - 45 minutes. let cool and serve.

bon appetit

Hearty Beef Soup

Hearty Beef Soup

Prep Time: 30 min

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 pounds beef stew meat, cut into 1/2 to 1 inch pieces
• 2-3 pounds beef shanks, excess fat cut off
• 8 cups beef broth or water or a combination
• 15 ounces tomato sauce
• 1/2 cup red wine
• 2 onions, diced
• 2 stalks of celery, diced
• 2 carrots, diced
• 4 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1/2 ounce dried porcini mushrooms, chopped by hand or in food processor
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 tsp marjoram
• 1 cup kidney beans that have been soaked overnight.
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Olive oil to brown meat
• Cooked barley (optional)

Instructions

• Heat oil in heavy pan, I used my large cast iron skillet. With heat at medium high to high, working in batches sear your cubes of stew meat until browned on all sides, adding oil as necessary.
• Put stew meat in your slowcooker or in a heavy pot if you are using your stove top.
• Adding oil if necessary, brown your shanks on all sides.
• Place shanks in slowcooker or pot
• Add remaining ingredients and cook in slowcooker on LOW for 9-10 hours or on the stovetop on simmer for 2-3 hours.
• If cooking on stovetop, you may need to add some additional liquid if it evaporates.
• If gluten is not an issue, add some to your soup as desired. I try to avoid unnecesary gluten and it is plenty hearty without the barley.

Pic and printable recipe available at: Nourish and Nestle

bon appetit

I bought a smoked duck and a couple of duck breasts and I don't know how to cook either!

So I went to this awesome smoke house and spent way too much money. I saw the duck and really wanted to try and cook it. I know I could google duck recipes but I've got some great things from here before and I wanted to see what you guys have done. Reddit, what are your favorite duck recipes?

bon appetit

Need help with menu planning

So I'm going away with a few guy friends for a week and need help with some dishes I can serve that taste great but will also keep them full enough so that our budget isn't depleted on food. We are going to the beach and it will be warm so I can't just serve stews.

bon appetit

I need help converting lingonberry jam to lingonberry sauce for Swedish meatballs.

I'm making some Swedish meatballs for the first time on Sunday. I couldn't find and raw lingonberries or sauce locally, only jarred Felix Lingonberry jam. How can I convert this into a suitable sauce for some traditional Swedish meatballs?

bon appetit

[Question] Recipes App

Hi. RANDOM brought me here ^{^} so I have this question.. At the begining for every month , I go to the super market and fill the kitchen with Ingredients and we are happy. By the time, my wifes used those (ofcourse XD) but there're some remaining Ingredients, she doesnt know what to cook with them..

My question is: Is there an applictaion that I can use to filter the recipes depending on what I have?

bon appetit

Made homemade pizza today but the crust came out blandish

Made homemade pizzas today,

I know i made a bit of a mistake without the pizza stone (i don't know where to get one and the ones i've seen are like 100$)

but the doughs flavor wasn't that great, it was really bland, here's the recipe I used

I like new york style pizza, I'm a new yorker (it's in the blood!) any tips? to improve the flavor.

bon appetit

Banana Oatmeal Chocolate Almond Bars (No-Bake, Non-Processed, Vegan, Gluten Free, and Naturally Sweetened)

My recipe for home-made protein bars. Personally I find them to be very delicious. They are an excellent and easy alternative to expensive and chemical-based store bought protein bars. Hope you guys enjoy.

bon appetit

Top ten this week (2015-10-30)

In a way to promote popular recipes throughout the week we're going to recap the top ten popular post. Here are the top ten recipe post from this week!

1. What is your special sauce? What do I eat with it, and how can I make some? by /u/Littlecondom (+271)

2. Giant twix bars by /u/AhmedF (+190)

3. It's fall! So what is your best STEW recipe? by /u/ludefisk (+159)

4. My 1st place chili: Indian Infusion by /u/JBStevens6 (+132)

5. Our Family's Favorite Cookie by /u/jdcauley (+125)

6. I have problems swallowing, help me find easy to make and swallow lunches. by /u/CoSonfused (+78)

7. Chorizo Rice by /u/CustardAssassin (+74)

8. Famous/celebrated chefs selecting their favourite recipes that they have presented? by /u/KINGCOCO (+55)

9. [Request] dill pickle (deli pickles) by /u/ndertheradar (+52)

10. White Chocolate Toffee Cookies by /u/etressler (+50)

bon appetit

Fun with Ground Beef: A Cuban-Style Picadillo

Olive oil

• 2 cups Spanish onions, coarsely chopped

• 1 cup bell pepper, diced

• 4-6 garlic cloves, minced

• 1 cup Spanish chorizo, diced small

• 2 lbs. ground chuck

• 3-4 Tbsp. red wine vinegar

• 1 28oz. can diced tomatoes or 4 fresh tomatoes, diced

• 3-4 fresh bay leaves

• 1 Tbsp. cinnamon

• 1 Tbsp. ground cumin

• 1 Tbsp. fresh oregano, chopped

• 1/8 tsp. ground cloves

• 1/8 tsp. allspice

• 1/2 cup raisins

• 1/2 cup pimento-stuffed spanish olives, chopped

• 1/4 cup capers

Directions

Coat the bottom of a heated large heavy saute pan with olive oil and fry the onions and bell pepper in the oil until they begin to soften.

Add in the garlic and cook for another 30 seconds.

Stir in the chorizo and ground chuck, breaking up the ground meat with a fork.

Cook until the meat is well-browned, then spoon off some of the excess fat.

Add the vinegar, tomatoes, bay leaves, cinnamon, cumin, oregano, cloves, and allspice. Cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, for about 20-30 minutes.

Uncover, add the raisins olives and capers, and simmer for another 15 minutes.

Serve by itself or accompanied by white rice.

Note: For this recipe, I used Spanish chorizo, which is a dried sausage similar in texture to salami or andouille. Andouille might be a good substitute if you can't get Spanish chorizo, though I haven't tried that. Some versions of Cuban picadillo incorporate ham and ground pork, rather than dried sausage.

Full printable recipe at http://ift.tt/1PZj9wB

bon appetit

Creamy Peanut Butter Fudge

http://ift.tt/1PUAbwQ

• Ingredients
• 4 C Sugar
• 1 C Milk
• 1/2 C Butter
• 1 1/2 C Peanut Butter
• 10 oz Mini Marshmallows
• Instructions
• 1. In a big pot over medium heat add sugar, milk, and butter.
• 2. Bring to a boil and boil for 8 minutes
• 3. Take off of heat and stir in peanut butter and marshmallows until smooth
• 4. Pour into a 9 X 13 lightly greases cake pan
• 5. Let cool at room temperature until solid about 1 to 2 hours
• 6. Cut into squares and serve

bon appetit

[Friday] What are you cooking this weekend?

It's Friday so what are your plans for cooking this weekend? Share any great recipes you're looking forward to try or maybe you have a whole dinner planned out. Let's hear it!

bon appetit

Recipe for Vietnamese crispy duck breast?

There's a Vietnamese restaurant in my city that makes an awesome fried duck breast in a spicy coconut sauce. I've scoured the internet, but I only find recipes for the traditional way of preparing duck breast (put in cold pan, skin side down, heat until fat renders, so on.) I've made a delicious duck breast this way before, but definitely didn't achieve this level of crunch. It is almost like battered fried chicken because the "crust" is so thick and crispy, more than I think the skin could be by itself. Once sliced and served, though, only the top part is this crispy, so they must not do anything to it again after slicing. This restaurant is in Germany, so I don't mean to suggest it's an authentic preparation method, but what do you think they might be doing? I wouldn't mind deep frying or something with a batter, but I'm clueless...

bon appetit

Cranberry White Chocolate Cheesecake Recipe

For people that are more VISUAL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q9R21YqWhcA

FULL RECIPE:

Ingredients

Ingredients for the base: • Graham cracker – 2 cups • Butter – ¼ cup • Granulated sugar – 2 tbsp

Ingredients for the filling: • Cranberries – 350g • Granulated sugar (for the sauce) – ¾ cup • Water – ½ cup • White chocolate – 200g • Cream Cheese – 4 packages (at room temperature) • Granulated sugar – 1 ¼ cup • Eggs – 3 (at room temperature) • Vanilla extract – 1 tbsp • Flour – 1 tbsp

Recipe:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (176 degree C).

2. Mix the graham cracker crumbs, 2 tbsp of the granulated sugar and the melted butter together until it resembles wet sand that you can pack together. Press the mixture into the bottom of the 9 inch springform pan. Bake for 10 mins at 350 degrees F. Leave to cool on the counter for 20 mins.

3. Turn down the oven to 250 degrees F (121 degrees C).

4. Mix together the cranberries, granulated sugar and water and bring it to boil and put it on simmer until it makes a thick sauce (15 mins). Let it cool.

5.In a double boiler, melt white chocolate chips.

1. In a large bowl, mix together the cream cheese, granulated sugar and 1 tbsp of vanilla extract until light and fluffy. Whisk in the eggs one at a time.

2. Add in the melted white chocolate and flour to the cream cheese mixture until well incorporated. and mix together with the cream cheese mixture until well combined.

3. Add half the cream cheese batter to the graham cracker base. Add 1 tbsp of cranberry filling to the cream cheese and swirl it around with a fork. Now, add the remaining cream cheese filling to the pan and add 2 tbsp of cranberry filling on top and swirl with a fork.

4. Bake the cheesecake at 250 degrees F (121 degrees C) for 2 hours, or until the filling is set and turn off the oven. Take the cake out and leave it to cool at room temperature. Wait until the cheesecake is cool to remove the sides and bottom of the pan. Refrigerate overnight.

5. Add the remaining cranberry filling on top of the baked cheesecake and spread evenly with a fork.

bon appetit

Toor Dal Recipe (x-post /r/pressurecooking)

I have cooked this recipe twice and it is great! I used red lentils instead of yellow, and I multiplied the spices (except salt) by 1.5. I also halved the water. I cooked this in my Cuisinart electric Pressure cooker and it took 10 minutes after pressure built up, and I manually released the pressure after the ten minutes.

Serves 2 to 4.

◾1 cup toor dal ◾4 cups water ◾1 teaspoon salt ◾1/2 teaspoon turmeric (haldi) ◾1 tablespoon fine chopped ginger ◾1 teaspoon mango powder (amchoor) ◾1 teaspoon garam masala

Variation 1: With Vegetable Chaunk/Seasoning ◾2 tablespoons clear butter (ghee) ◾1/2 teaspoon cumin seed (jeera) ◾1/2 teaspoon black mustard seed (rai) ◾1/2 teaspoon red chili powder (lal mirch) ◾2 bay leaves (tajpat) ◾Pinch of asafetida (hing) ◾1 tomato medium chopped ◾1 small zucchini chopped into 1 inch long cubes ◾6 string beans chopped about 1 inch long

Variation 2: Chaunk/Seasoning ◾2 tablespoons clear butter (ghee) ◾1/2 teaspoon cumin seed (jeera) ◾1/2 teaspoon black mustard seed (rai) ◾2 bay leaves (tajpat) ◾Pinch of asafetida (hing) ◾4 whole red chili (sabut lal mirch) ◾1/4 teaspoon paprika

Method 1.Wash dal, changing water several times until the water appears clear. 2.Soak dal in 4 cups of water for 30 minutes or longer. 3.In pressure cooker add dal, water, salt, turmeric, and ginger. Cook over medium high heat. 4.When the pressure cooker starts to steam, lower the heat to medium and cook seven minutes. 5.Turn off the heat and wait until steam has stopped before opening. 6.Mix the dal well. If the dal is thick, add more boiling water to desired thickness. 7.Mix the mango powder and garam masala with a few spoons of water and add the mixture to the dal.

Variation 1: Vegetable Chaunk/Seasoning 1.Heat the oil in a saucepan. Test the heat by adding one cumin seed to the oil; if it cracks right away, the oil is ready. Add hing, cumin seeds, and mustard seeds. 2.After the seeds crack, add bay leaves and chili powder. Stir for a few seconds. 3.Add the vegetables. Stir and cook four to five minutes, until the vegetables are tender. 4.Combine the vegetables and the dal and mix gently.

Variation 2: Chaunk/Seasoning 1.Heat the oil in a saucepan. Test the heat by adding one cumin seed to the oil; if it cracks right away, the oil is ready. Add hing, cumin seeds, and mustard seeds. After the seeds crack, stir for a few seconds. 2.Add bay leaves, whole red chilies, and paprika. Stir for a second, adding one tablespoon of water to prevent burning. 3.Pour in spice mix over dal.

Serve with steamed rice or any Indian bread.

Found from: http://ift.tt/20ew8iD

bon appetit

Spearmint - The sweet smelling ancient herb. Three simple ideas to try out at home

Spearmint just needs a pot and plenty of water to drive you crazy with its aroma.

It was named after Mentha or Minthe, a beautiful water nymphe, who fell in love with Hades, the god of the Underworld. His wife Persephone found out and hunted her down until she finally located her in a mountain in Messenia. So furious had she become that she trampled upon the girl again and again. By the time she was about to die, Minthe was transformed into a plant releasing a sweet fragrance on every contact and was named after her: Minthe in ancient Greek, Mentha in latin and Mint in English.

Spearmint is a species of the genus Mentha and its Greek name is hedyosmos (=sweet smelling) and dyosmos in Modern Greek. In antiquity it was thought of as a symbol of hope and was therefore used in funeral rites as well as a special drink offered to the initiates of the Eleusinian Mysteries. It also was – and still is – a common herb widely used in salads, meatballs, cheese pies and sauces.

It grows in almost any climate and you can easily cultivate it in a flower pot. It is very rugged and it will give you no trouble. It looks beautiful and you’ll just have to cut off a small leaf and the whole place will be filled with a sweet smell.

Greeks and Romans had discovered the interesting qualities of spearmint and made salves and effusions using its fresh or dried leafs.

Leave a small portion (about one teaspoon) of spearmint leafs in a cup of hot water (not boiled) for 15 minutes covered up. One such cup of spearmint tea everyday would

-relax your nervous system

-facilitate the digestive process

-stimulate man’s sexual desire. But use it in very small portions, because if you overdo it you will have the opposite outcome.

-boost your metabolism

-relief the headache

-make your mouth feel fresh and clean, even if you just chew on some leafs.

Spearmint is also a natural freshener. Ancient Greeks used to scrub their table with spearmint before every meal and they spread some leafs in their bath as well.

Leave some leafs simmering on the stove and your whole place will be filled with a sweet fragrance.

Three ideas with spearmint flavor

Greek Mochito

Ingredients: 50ml mastic liqueur, half a tea spoon of sugar, 2 thin slices of peeled lemon or orange, 5 spearmint leafs, soda water and crushed ice.

Muddle in a glass the lemon or orange slices with spearmint and sugar. Pour the liqueur and the crashed ice while stirring and in the end add the soda water.

Refreshing salad with wheat goats

Make a salad with wheat goats, tomatoes, cucumber, chopped bell pepper, scallion, chopped parsley and spearmint. Pour over olive oil and add some salt and pepper.

Original ice-cubes

Boil water and add fresh spearmint leafs (leafs from 4 sprigs of 10cm for each liter of water), turn off the stove, cover the pot and leave it there until it cools to room temperature. Fill the ice-cube tray and you’ll have flavored ice-cubes. Use them in fresh juices of lemon, orange, peach or strawberry. You can even use them in a glass of plain table water or soda water.

Enjoy!

And if you find our post interesting, please visit our original article on http://ift.tt/1Wm0bzW

Looking forward to hear from you how it was having Spearmint at home :)

bon appetit

Sriracha Guinness Chex Mix

I'm still on the Sriracha train, this time with a twist on the class Chex Mix – a Sriracha Guinness Chex Mix. The Guinness Extra Stout is reduced to thick syrup, and butter & Sriracha is added to that syrup. This blended with cashews, Thai green curry, and the Rice Chex. A spicy snack for this Sunday

Hardware

• 1 cup Guinness Extra Stout
• 3 TBSP Sriracha
• 6 cups Rice Chex
• 1 cup roasted cashews
• 6 TBSP butter
• 2 TBSP Worcestershire sauce
• 2 TBSP Thai green curry
• 1 TBSP garlic powder

Directions

1. Reduce Guinness in a sauce pan over low heat until it resembles a thick syrup
2. Melt butter into the stout syrup
3. Add Sriracha and stir to incorporate
4. Remove from heat and add Worcestershire sauce
5. Heat oven to 250°F
6. Mix Chex, cashews, Thai green curry, and garlic powder
7. Pour liquid over the dry ingredients, and mix thoroughly
8. Lay into baking sheets
9. Bake 1 hour, stirring every 15 minutes

More beer-themed recipes at AleMeals

bon appetit

[Request] Simple Pork Loin recipes + sides

I looked through the sub for recipes that are easy and there are a bunch but nothing simple (at least to me)

I can only cook on the pan (maybe bake if the recipe requires it). I have no wine, and I have simple seasonings:oregano, sage, paprika, garlic powder etc and simple veggies: garlic; onions, tomato, frozen mixed veggies etc..

Also any sides that would go with it? Potatoes? Mashed? Rice? (I have those)

I love bbq & A1 sauce too. (Just to give you some ideas)

I'm at work so I'll check in a few hours :) thank you in advance!

bon appetit

[Request] Mustard noodles

So for about the last six months to a year, I have had a dream. Hu Hot has this Mongolian Mustard sauce that I put into noodle stir fry that I cannot replicate. I can't find similar dishes online. I can't figure out a way to use powdered mustard in a stir fry sauce that comes out more hot & sweet than brown mustard butter. I have driven myself (and my wife) to the brink of madness and back seeking the perfect 'smells like mustard so strong nearby children start crying' stir fry that doesn't taste like I poured dijon mustard over perfectly good noodles. I don't care what noodles the recipe uses. I don't care about anything but the sauce, the rest I can put together on the fly.

Help me, r/recipes, you're my only hope. That's right. I am at shameless Star Wars quoting levels of desperation here.

bon appetit

[Request] dill pickle (deli pickles)

My dad made some pickles but they are way to sweet, any suggestions would be appreciated.

bon appetit

My favorite quick and easy filled chicken breast recipe (infographic style)

This is in an infographic form.

For the interactive version link

For the static image version imgur link

All the best!

bon appetit

White Chocolate Puff'n Corn (Halloween Edition)

http://ift.tt/1OjcMmD

• Ingredients
• 12oz White Chocolate Melting Candy(Purple)
• 16.5oz Original Flavored Puff’n Corn
• Instructions
• 1. Place Puff’n Corn into large mixing bowl
• 2. Melt White Chocolate Melting Candy over double boiler or in microwave
• 3. Mix melted white chocolate with puff’n corn until completely coated
• 4. Let chocolate harden at room temperature before breaking apart
• 5. Break puff’n corn apart and enjoy!

bon appetit

What can I make with these vegetables?

I've just received my first organic veg box and am planning out meals for the week! I'm finding it a bit odd looking for good recipes using X veg, rather than looking for good recipes then buying X veg in order to make them. Especially as some of the veg we received we rarely buy (turnips, kale).

We received a sweet mama squash, turnips, potatoes, carrots, big flat mushrooms, curly kale, black kale, beet leaves, a cucumber, red peppers and onions of varying sizes.

Can anyone help me out with some suggestions? I don't eat meat but fish is fine.

bon appetit

My First Crack at Moose Meat!(plus a great pasta sauce recipe)

Sorry no pictures :( I was trying to do too many things and just didn't think about taking them...

I ended up making lasagna, as the only meat that was ready to go was some ground moose from undesignated areas. The meat was a pretty rough grind, it reminded me of cube steaks, if they were actually cut along the perforations on those. This is a pretty rough recipe, I didn't think about posting it until afterwards.. But this turned out so nice I thought I'd share :) I'm sure this would work with any meat, just use matching broth.

Moose Meat Lasagna

For The Sauce:

2T Olive oil

2 Mild Italian sausages

(I prefer using the uncooked brats and taking them out of the casing to use as ground pork as opposed to the Italian spiced ones because I don't like fennel, but this is what we had, so this is what I used)

1-1 1/2lbs roughly ground moose(or whatever meat you're using)

2t garlic powder

1/4-1/2 cup fresh Italian parsley chopped

1 medium yellow onion diced

4-6 cloves garlic

5 Roma tomatoes

2 15oz cans of tomato sauce(not pasta sauce!)

1-3 cups of broth(I used a moose broth I had made today as well, how much you add depends on the consistency you want. I used closer to 2 1/2 cups because the uncooked noodles need extra. If you are using this as a regular tomato sauce I might only use 1/2-1 cup)

Small handful of fresh basil

For the Other Parts os Lasagna:

1-10 oz Bag of Spinach(I wilted this in a pan and added it with my other layering ingredients, but you could also add it to the sauce)

3/4lb Mozzarella(shredded)

1/2-1/4lb Parmesan(shredded)

1/3lb Asiago(shredded)

1 box Ronzoni lasagna noodles(I used the ones you're supposed to boil first, but I just added a little extra juice from the sauce and baked it, and it came out perfectly)

1. Heat up the oil in a cast iron skillet and turn your crockpot on to high

2. Take the sausage out of it's casing and chunk it into smaller pieces and brown it in the skillet, while the sausage is browning mix your ground meat in a bowl with the parsley, garlic powder, and salt and pepper

3. When the sausage is done browning, take it out and put it in the crock pot along with the 2 cans of tomato sauce

4. Brown the ground meat in the skillet with the sausage fat. You'll either need to do this in batches, or drain excess liquid in order to get a good crust on the meat. While this is browning, dice your onion and garlic, but keep them separate.

5. Remove ground meat from skillet and transfer to crock pot. Add onion to the skillet and cook until translucent, then add garlic and cook until you can start to really smell it ~1-3 minutes?(Not sure on the timing)

6. Remove onions and garlic to the crock pot, and add chopped roma tomatoes, use their juice to scrape the bits from the bottom of the skillet. If they are not very juicy(like mine were) use a little water or broth to help you scrape the pan.

7. Pour everything(including the liquid you're using) into the crock pot and leave it for a couple hours

Assembly!

Preheat your oven to 350F

Pour ~1-2T Olive oil into a glass casserole pan(9x13) and spread it around with your hand

Layer your lasagna however you like. For the bottom I just put a little sauce down first, then the first layer of noodles.

After the first layer, I do: spinach, sauce, cheese, noodles

I could only fit 3 layers of noodles with sauce and cheese on top.

As far as the cheese ratios go, I use mostly mozzarella, with a light sprinkle of the parmesan and asiago.

Bake at 350F for ~1 hour? I'm not sure how long mine took to finish baking all the way through... My roommate came home and I made her watch it while I showered. Keep an eye on the top, the cheese on top got super browned before it was done, I caught it in time and just put some foil over the top to let it finish cooking. I imagine it would take less time with the "no boil" noodles or if you boiled the noodles like you're supposed to before assembling, but I'm not sure how great the difference would be.

When you can easily insert a knife through the noodles in the middle it should be done!

The recipe for the sauce is one that has been passed down to me from my Nonna, she immigrated here in 1969 from Castro Di Volsci, Italy. This is honestly the best sauce I have ever had, I haven't found a canned, or restaurant sauce I like even half as much. Although, I am probably just a tidge biased....

The sauce can also be made in a pot on the stove.Make sure to make it BEFORE you start everything else, so it has time to let the flavors meld together. Just brown the meats at the same time(I would use smaller amounts for a regular pot) then add the onions and garlic, once the onions are becoming translucent add all the spices and tomato sauces(the whole tomatoes are optional in this) then bring it to a boil, and reduce to simmer. Simmer it while your water boils for your pasta or whatever it is you're using sauce for.

This is also the way we make lasagna, with no ricotta. Don't get me wrong! I love ricotta, just not in my lasagna. We also use home made noodles when we have the time. But I was NOT feelin that today, along with cleaning the rest of the moose diaphragm, making this sauce/lasagna, and making stock.

I hope you all give this a try! Enjoy!

bon appetit

Home made BBQ Sauce

BBQ sauce with Dram Òrach Whisky.

See the pictures here!

INGREDIENTS

• 500ML TOMATO KETCHUP (HOMEMADE IS BETTER!)
• 2 GARLIC CLOVES
• 5 TBSP SUGAR
• JUICE OF 1 ORANGE
• JUICE OF 1 LEMON
• 3 TBSP SOY SAUCE
• 2 TBSP JAM
• 100ML DRAM20 WHISKY
• 2 TBSP GOLDEN SYRUP
• 1 TSP TABASCO SAUCE
• 2 TBSP HOT MUSTARD
• 1 TSP WORCESTERSHIRE SAUCE
• 1 TBSP SWEET PAPRIKA
• 1 TBSP GROUND GINGER
• 3 SPRIGS FRESH ROSEMARY
• 1 SPRIG FRESH THYME

I could literally put barbecue sauce on absolutely everything. I think bottled stuff to taste to ‘fake’ though, almost a little plasticy. This version is homemade barbecue deliciousness. (This way you can actually pronounce the ingredients on the label). It just tastes so smoky! You know when you get an old fashioned (which i despise with a passion) but they have that woody kind of burnt taste? This sauce just tastes like a barbecue. Anyhow, this is perfect for autumn as it’s warm, it’s cosy and it contains alcohol (hurrah for warm stomachs) The list of ingredients looks terrifying, but you’ll probably actually have most of them in your cupboard already!

This one is so easy – there is absolutely no cooking involved. There isn’t even any heat! Just add in the ingredients as the list goes – one by one! Make sure you whisk it up beautifully and voilà, a scrumptious 1 litre of barbecue sauce is ready to be devoured.

Store in an airtight container in the fridge – it’ll last for ages. Throw it out if it starts growing friends. NOTE: If you’re adding this to a dinner party dish make sure that no-one is gluten free as some of these ingredients are not (depending on the brand/where you buy them from). Always check the labels!

bon appetit

Cheap, easy, no-bake recipes with peanut butter, nuts/oats and chocolate for the starving middle school teacher on the go?

Would love to add more fiber, fat and protein to my diet.

I've been using these two recipes for months and LOVE them (http://ift.tt/Jrx1B3 and http://ift.tt/1du1xrr), I just want some more inspiration from folks out there who are always on the go like me. Thanks!

bon appetit

Chorizo Rice

Ingredients

• 1/2 lb. Chorizo
• 2 cups rice
• 4 cups water
• 1/2 onion, diced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 Tbs. tomato paste
• 1 jalapeno, chopped
• 1 pablano (or your choice of any other pepper), chopped
• queso fresco
• cilantro
• lime

Cooking

1. In a good sized sauce pan, add in the chorizo and cook until the fat starts to seep out into the pan (I did this instead of adding fat or oil because chorizo fat produces a lot of oil on its own) then add in the chopped onion and peppers and cook until onions are soft, and chorizo is cooked then add in the garlic and rice, mix it all together well.

2. add in the tomato paste and water and stir and mix for a minute or until the paste is completely dissolved into the water. bring to a boil, reduce heat then cover and let cook for 10 - 15 minutes (or until the rice has completely absorbed the liquids and is soft).

3. when finished, plate up and add some queso fresco, cilantro and lime. also good with warmed corn tortillas or corn chips and salsa and guacamole.

bon appetit

How to oven bake wings?

i just snagged a 10 lb bag of breaded pre-cooked schneiders wings for $15. They don't say how to properly cook them. We tried 425 for 40 minutes but they were very fat and gross.

How should I be cooking these in the oven?

bon appetit

My 1st place chili: Indian Infusion

• 1 lb ground pork, browned in 1 tbsp ghee
• 1 large green pepper, chopped
• 1 medium yellow onion, diced
• ½ cup frozen corn
• 1 can diced tomatoes
• 1 6-oz can tomato paste
• 1 can garbanzo beans, drained
• 1.5 cups coconut milk
• 1 small piece fresh ginger (slightly larger than a quarter coin), diced tiny
• 1 clove garlic, diced tiny
• 1 tbsp ground turmeric
• ½ tbsp cumin
• ½ tbsp chili powder
• 1 tsp salt

Spice blend: (heat all this together on a dry frying pan approximately 1 minute, seeds will begin to “pop” when ready. Then blend to a powder in a grinder)

• 1.5 tbsp coriander seeds
• 2 tsp yellow mustard seeds
• 1 tsp black peppercorn
• ¼ tsp whole cloves
• ½ tsp cardamom pod (insides of 1 cardamom pod)
• 1-inch of cinnamon stick
• 3 dried chile de arbol

Throw everything in a crockpot and cook on low for 10 hours. Eat!

bon appetit

Looking for recipes that uses primarily pumpking pureé

I got 6kg to get rid of and theres just a limited amount recipes i have that uses it.

bon appetit

Fast/easy dinner ideas for one person?

I pretty much work two jobs, so I really need the cooking/eating of dinner every night to take less than an hour. Lately I've just been making salads, sandwiches or frozen stuff and I'm tired of it.

What's your quick and dirty dinner for one recipe?

bon appetit

Roasted Chicken Breasts with Fall Fruit

These roasted chicken breasts evoke all the flavors of fall, with apples, pears, cranberries and just a hint of smoky bacon.

Recipe:

Ingredients

• 4 chicken breasts, bone-in

• 3-4 Tbsp. dry rub (see note)

• 2-3 slices strongly smoked bacon, diced

• 2 cups red onion, coarsely chopped

• 2 tablespoons brown sugar

• 1 cup apple, chopped

• 1 cup pear, diced

• 1/3 cup dried cranberries

• 2 cloves garlic, minced

• 2 tsp. fresh rosemary leaves, minced

• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

• 1/4 cup hard apple cider

• 2 Tbsp. Marsala wine

• 1 Tbsp. cider vinegar

Directions

Pat the chicken breasts dry with a paper towel, rub on both sides with your favorite seasoning and place skin-side up in a lightly greased Pyrex baking dish. Refrigerate for 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 425F.

When the chicken is chilled, transfer to the oven and roast for 30 minutes at 425F and check the internal temperature of the chicken with an instant read thermometer. If the chicken isn't at 160F or more, continue cooking and checking until it is just done.

While the chicken is roasting, heat a saute pan over medium heat and add the bacon and cook until it begins to crisp.

Add the onions and saute until they begin to soften.

Add the brown sugar and continue cooking over medium-high heat until onions turn a light brown color.

Increase the heat and add apple, pear, cranberries, garlic, rosemary and pepper to the pan and cook for another 5-7 minutes, stirring periodically.

Add the cider, Marsala and vinegar and allow the liquid to reduce and thicken until it clings to the fruit. Set aside until the chicken is done.

Place roasted chicken on a serving platter or individual plates and top with the fruit mixture. Serve immediately.

Notes: This recipe was adapted from one I found at Midwest Living. For the dry rub, I used a blend of dry herbs and spices from Basiks at Home that had a little cayenne pepper in it. The little bit of heat really put this dish over the top. Feel free to use your favorite dry seasoning, however.

Full printed recipe at http://ift.tt/1N7OxIq

bon appetit

Famous/celebrated chefs selecting their favourite recipes that they have presented?

This has to be a thing right? Somewhere on the internet Gordon Ramsay or Alton Brown must have shared their top 3/5/10 favourite recipes that they made on their show or that they put in cookbooks. Did a google search but didn't get much.

Has anyone seen something like this?

bon appetit

Cast Iron Skillet Challah Bread French Toast

http://ift.tt/1WfxzKG

• Ingredients
• 1 Loaf of Challah Bread
• 1 C Heavy Cream
• ¾ C Milk
• 2 tsp Vanilla
• 3 Large Eggs
• 2 Large Egg Yolks
• ¼ C Sugar
• 1 Tbsp. Cinnamon
• Instructions
• 1. In large shallow dish whisk together heavy cream, milk, eggs, egg yolks, sugar, vanilla, and cinnamon.
• 2. Heat cast iron skillet to medium low heat. Be sure skillet it properly seasoned. I used 1 Tbsp. of extra virgin olive oil to season mine.
• 3. Slice bread into ¾ to 1 inch slices. Egg mixture should be enough for entire loaf (8 to 10 slices)
• 4. Soak bread in egg mixture 1 minute on each side
• 5. Once skillet is heated evenly place soaked bread onto skillet. * 6. Cook bread for 2 to 4 minutes on each side or until golden brown.

bon appetit

Challenging recipe request for post-surgery

Hey everyone,

I recently had a major jaw surgery (maxillomandibular advancement), and I'm just starting to get to the point where I can eat again. I'm looking for some recipe ideas to mix things up a bit.

My restriction is that I can't chew. I am able to have "real" food, but I have to swallow it whole in really small pieces. To give you some ideas of what I've been able to have, my last few meals were:

Lasagna

Curried lentils

Taco meat served with guacamole and sour cream

Beef and barley soup

Riz collée (Haitian style rice and beans)

I'm just about out of ideas. If anybody has any interesting meals that I can make, it would be much appreciated.

bon appetit

A recipe for homemade Kit Kats that is ACTUALLY homemade?

I'm not looking for a "combine X premade ingredient and chocolate" that seems to be the Pinterest solution. I want to actually make the wafer/cookie itself, then assemble.

bon appetit

What is your favorite online recipe "box"

I've used Pepperplate for awhile, but I'm curious what online sites other people are using to store their recipes?

Pepperplate is annoying because I can't link to it w/o the other person having to register to see it. But it does have an Android friendly app that I can shoot to my tablet while cooking.

And I'd really prefer something online that seems robust, so that I don't lose my recipes when my computer crashes and seems like it's going to be around so I don't log in one day and find it gone.

bon appetit

It's chilli season, my favorite chilli (con carne), basically from ATK.

Since this seems hard to find and I wrote it down or cut/pasted it long ago. I make some minor changes, but this is the original. It's without a doubt the best chilli I've ever made. I actually freeze it in individual storage containers and it cooks back up as good as fresh.

INGREDIENTS 1(14-ounce) can diced tomatoes 2teaspoons minced chipotle chiles in adobo sauce 4slices bacon, chopped fine 1 (3 1/2- to 4-pound) boneless beef chuck-eye roast, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces Salt and pepper 1 onion, chopped fine 1 jalapeño chile, seeded and chopped fine 3tablespoons chili powder 1 1/2teaspoons ground cumin 1/2teaspoon dried oregano 4 garlic cloves, minced 4cups water 1tablespoon brown sugar 2tablespoons yellow corn muffin mix (or MASA HARISA)

INSTRUCTIONS 1. Process tomatoes and chipotle in food processor until smooth. Cook bacon in Dutch oven over medium heat until crisp, about 8 minutes. Transfer bacon to paper towel-lined plate and reserve 3 tablespoons bacon fat.

1. Pat beef dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper. Heat 1 tablespoon reserved bacon fat in empty Dutch oven over medium-high heat until just smoking. Brown half of beef, about 8 minutes. Transfer to bowl and repeat with additional tablespoon bacon fat and remaining beef.

2. Add remaining bacon fat, onion, and jalapeño to empty Dutch oven and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in chili powder, cumin, oregano, and garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in water, pureed tomato mixture, bacon, browned beef, and sugar and bring to boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer, covered, for 1 hour. Skim fat and continue to simmer uncovered until meat is tender, 30 to 45 minutes.

3. Ladle 1 cup chili liquid into medium bowl and stir in muffin mix; cover with plastic wrap. Microwave until mixture is thickened, about 1 minute. Slowly whisk mixture into chili and simmer until chili is slightly thickened, 5 to 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Serve.

bon appetit

Tips on breaking Candy Corn

Hey all, I'm planning on whipping up a second batch of Sugarspunrun's Halloween Bark, but was noticing the slap-chop equivalent wasn't able to chop up candy corn properly, I was wondering if anyone had suggestions on how to break it up to a small enough level that it mixes well with crumbled Toffee besides cutting the corn up individually?

bon appetit

Pork Side Ribs

Side ribs were on sale. So I bought a bunch. I'm on a budget these days and looking to stretch a dollar, so hit me with your best stews, chilis, soups and so on (not bbq/grill recipes). I'm looking for things in which the ribs will feature not just as meat but as a flavour, and be supplemented by other hearty ingredients or be served with a substantial side.

I'm a decent home cook and an adventurous eater, so hit me with your regional dishes if you've got them.

Thanks!

bon appetit

Intermediate to advanced recipes

I'm looking for some more advanced recipes to try. I can cook, I know the basics, but I want to push myself with recipes that will require me to learn new skills. And recipes or ideas would be great!

bon appetit

I killed it with a goulash today

I had to stay home sick with the flu, so I decided to cook. I was a little tired, so I didn't measure anything too closely.

• 500g of pork or beef goulash/stew meat. mine was mixed.
• about 1/4L of beef broth (i use a beef broth powder and just add water. i like this method because it tends to make less dense broth which I think is better for the goulash sauce)
• 1 red bell pepper
• 3 cloves of garlic
• 2 small onions
• cumin
• paprika (sweet)
• salt and pepper
• parsley
• creme fraiche
• vegetable oil

Serves 2 hungry people.

1. dice your veggies. really small is best. i find they cook nicer that way.
2. oil in the pan. let it get hot. add the meat. once most of the meat is brown, some people like to drain the juices. i think it adds to the flavor. keep it.
3. at this point you can add the veggies and salt & pepper the business. don't add any chilis, they'll make the goulash too chunky. don't go too heavy. we will add this towards the end again.
4. once the veggies and the meat are nice and soft, add the broth. then add your spices. go heavy on the paprika, but make sure you have a bit more for later, too. if you want to make it spicy, add chili powder or cayenne pepper here.
5. make like beyonce and put a lid on it. turn the heat off. this thing needs to simmer for a minimum of 20 minutes.
6. taste it. do you love dairy like i do? then this is the best part. add the creme fraiche, a bit of S&P and a few extra shakes of paprika. stir it up and cover it for another 5 minutes or so.

Serve with some parsley on top.

 

A Post-script on thickness

how thick it is depends on how you will consume it. noodles? dumplings? potatoes? soup? if you like it soupy, then maybe add some more water and broth. probably good for potatoes too. if you want noodles or dumplings, which are my prefered side dishes, make it creamier. add a bit more fraicheness.

in some crazier parts of the world i.e. Austria or Hungary, people eat goulash with a hot dog or a sunny side up egg. those goulashes are usually a bit soupier.

those crazier parts of the world are the homes of goulash. i have had it there many times and think my recipe, simple as it may seem, competes with theirs, hands down.

bon appetit

(Almost) Too hot to handle: request for recipes that leave you sweating.

I love spicy food. My general rule of thumb is, the hotter, the better.

However, whilst I'm pretty competent at imbibing the hot stuff - I dare any of you to a chilli-eating challenge - I'm not nearly as experienced with cooking it at home.

What are your signature, spicy concoctions?

bon appetit

[Request] Re-purpose leftover white rice.

My wife just texted me about dinner, she bought some nice fish filets and broccoli. She wants to have it with leftover white rice from chinese food that we have in the fridge. Anyone got a good recipe to repurpose some white rice?

bon appetit