Dejah

Ann_T: I would love some of your mini-baguette with my coconut chicken soup...with ANYTHING really! Baking is not my forte, but Sobeys have some fairly nice mini loaves. Naan would be good too, but we have 2 days of thunderstorms, lightning, etc - not great for using the Big Easy in a downpour...

SO many fantastic meals I want to replicate! This is my go-to place for inspiration when I don't know what to have for supper. Thank you ALL for taking the time to cook and post! Gardening at the moment is taking up most of my cooking time after teaching classes. So, anything I can throw together and cook by itself is alright by me! Last night, we had Betty Crocker Slow Cooker Coconut Chicken and store-bought French bread for supper. Ate a few mosquitoes as appetizer... Picked up 1.55 KG of cremini mushrooms at 50% off while shopping for fruit - $5.07! Made the start for Hungarian Mushroom soup. Will complete the process tonight after work.

The spring roll at Pomelo: made with the thin spring roll wrapper, deep fried? I've never had them "blister". Were they made with rice paper? They look fabulous!

I've been spending my Sunday afternoons teaching an exercise program called Drums Alive! to seniors. Throw together meals have been the norm the last few Sundays, but I took the time yesterday and put some lamb shanks to braise with Middle Eastern spices. Put this in the oven before class at 2 and enjoyed with lots of rice at 6. This was followed by the first rhubarb pie (never strawberries in the first one) of the season!

Anna: I LOVE curry leftover curry chicken salad, or in a wrap, or on fresh bread, or BY THE SPOONFUL!

I follow my Mom's method with "kare jup ha" by silkening the shrimp (seasonings, oil, cornstarch). Heinz Ketsup was also used. The cornstarch on the shrimp produces a silky texture as well as thickening the sauce. I love lots of green onion or chives in my portion. Must have with this dish? - LOTS of rice! The same goes for Tomato Egg stir-fy although I add beef to mine, again, a la my Mom.

Kim Shook: That's a lovely spread you put on for your relatives. I'd eat at your table in a flash! All the meals look great...The shrimp po'boy - dredged in cornmeal? Sapidus / Bruce? Lazy days for cooking due to gardening, but we've enjoyed rainbow trouts, stuffed with lemon and fresh ginger slices. These were grilled on the BBQ, basted with cilantro, lemon juice, and melted butter. And last night, a throw together Thai red curry chicken and our first feed of fresh fiddleheads!

"Killing me softly .............with this thread............................ "

Just getting back on the egullet boat. Loved this video series and really wish I could read Chinese! Thanks Liuzhou for this thread.

Thanks, basquecook! "fond" is the word I was looking for; and "sucs de cuisson" sounds quite impressive, mm84321! rotuts: So happy to finally be able to do the Big Easy without winter coverings. Now, it's mosquito repellent! Happy to see more halibut postings. We were able to have another feed of fresh halibut this week from Sobeys. After smearing the thick fillets with mayo containing olive oil, added freshly grated ginger and unsweetened shredded coconut to the panko crumbs this time. Quick sear in the pan and finished in the oven with the carrot fries and cauliflower. We loved the texture and taste of fresh fish!

Had our first SPRING Big Easy Chicken tonight - no snow - no need for the parka Can someone tell me the word for the lovely brown bits with the drippings? It made fabulous gravy! Eaten with stir-fried bok choy and steamed carrots.

Family all together for supper Friday evening. Did my first ham in the Big Easy! It was a smoked picnic shoulder from Sobeys - 4.85 Kg. Cut off the skin, scored the fat, studded with cloves and brushed with honey. I had the BE on full and brushed the ham again with honey after an hour. 30 minutes more and it was perfect! That also freed the oven up for the scalloped potatoes and carrot dries. I also made a fresh pineapple - cranberry relish. It was perfect for the ham. Son and d-i-l made homemade ice cream (coffee flavour and peanut butter), and deep fried donuts for dessert!

Anna: I am so pleased to see you made the naan from this book. The results look delicious. Did the cheese add anything to the texture, or was it mainly the taste factor? It will be Big Easy naan experiment again soon...I need the temperature to be above freezing to stand outside for long periods of time...

Thanks to Ann_T, never again will I boil corned beef brisket. The slow, low roasting in foil produced the most succulent corned beef I've ever had! Eaten with plain sauteed cabbage, cabbage sauteed with fresh curry leaves and cumin, and steamed carrots.

Anna N: Looks like I'll have to add blue cheese to hubby's "dessert salad" now that I showed him yours. Norm: Lovely looking Inche Kabin

Sunnyside egg on avocado, sprinkled with "Slap Ya Mama" seasoning, tomato slices with basil and feta cheese, blackpepper crusted bacon...Good Morning! It's a sunny day after 15 cm of fresh snow yesterday...

Thanks for the replies, Simon, scubadoo, and janeer. Janeer: Hand chopped the cod? I really missed the texture in the fish cakes I made. Should have realized from making crab cakes that texture is important. The flavour in the fish cakes was good, but texture was too "smooth"...Live, Eat, and Learn!

Used up the tail-end pieces of halibut that I had in the freezer. I pulsed the fish lightly, mixed with fresh bread crumbs, chives, fresh basil, a stalk of celery, an egg, whole grain Dijon mustard, and salt and pepper. Formed the mixtured into 4 patties, chilled, then coated with panko. The patties were pan fried then finished off in the oven. The flavour was good, nothing overpowering the fish, but I would have liked more texture in the fish next time. Perhaps I should hand-chop, or use pre-cooked fish. Eaten with mango chili sauce, roasted beets, steamed green beans, and boiled baby taters fried in the leftover oil after I took the patties off.

I have several tail end portions of fresh halibut to use up. Ann_T used leftover halibut for the ones she made Moe. Googled gave me a couple of recipes using fresh halibut pulsed in the food processor. Would appreciate some advice so I can cook 'em up for supper in about 3 hours. Thanks!

Tom Thomas: Several dishes you mentioned in your first post caught my attention as they sound so similar to what we enjoyed in Malaysia. We were staying with friends in the northern tip of the country, a village in Kadah province. What really got my attention was the fresh fish coated with spices and shallow frie you mentioned. My friend said they used mackerel, rubbed with salt and turmeric and fried until crispy. The flesh was almost dry and so easy to eat with the hands. Can you elaborate? I tried when we got back home and it just didn't turn out the same...

Kim: I think I had about 1/3 cheese 2/3 panko. I didn't really measure once I decided to mix the two. I've never used mayo instead of egg wash before, but I think it must be this that kept the chicken so moist. I used Himalyam Pink salt as that's what I was given in MY Xmas stocking. Ate the rest of the pulled pork with a throw together BBQ sauce on top of penne. It was good! Picked up a corned beef brisket at Sobeys and will try slow roasting it in the oven per Ann_T. Heading off across the border for some retail therapy, so I will look forward to making that belated St. Patrick's Day meal on the weekend!

Today, made the Kalua Pulled Pork as posted by Kim Shook. Started it early in the morning before I went to babysit with our granddaughter. Got home around 7:30 and the kitchen smelled delicious! Made up some carrot fries and stir-fried bok choy as sides. There wasn't much liquid in the bottom of the pot, so I added half a can of pineapple in its juice and simmered it while the carrots were roasting. It was really good! The recipe called for Hawaiian Red Salt. There is no source for this ingredient. How much would it have affected the flavour, Kim? I did wrap the meat in banana leaves. Always liked the fragrance when I used it to BBQ fish, and we liked the combination with the liquid smoke. Thanks, Kim! The carrots fries were sprinkled with Curry Seed Salt, a gift from San Diego via friends who wintered there.

Best memory of smoked turkey - "dinosaur legs" from Disneyworld. Our daughter was about 5 when we were there. In the evening, we were hungry, chilly, and were waiting for the Parade of Lights. There were 3 kids and 2 adults, and we thought we should share one leg. The vendor only had one, but more were on the way. We gave the daughter the first bite - she became VERY possessive and ate nearly the whole thing! We've never allowed her to forget that. We don't usually see smoked turkey unless it's Xmas. Maybe we'll be able to find some for Easter to provide a walk down memory lane! And, I REALLY want some now...

Hi Smithy: I use the simmering vinegar and water to clear the smell of deep fat frying or any kind of strong cooking odour. My kitchen is open to all areas of the main floor and up to my bedroom, so it's really important to "clean the air" in the winter (when I cannot open doors and windows at -40C temps!) so I can sleep. I told a friend the trick once but she thought it was straight vinegar. That definitly worked well! huiray: I must have been typing with a Toisanese accent...yes...it IS Inche Kabin. If anyone tried to google Inche Kiban, of course, it would say " do you mean Inche Kabin". Don't think it will direct the reader to Ayam Goreng . And yes, it is Penang Nyonya and double fried. We were introduced to this "fried chicken" on our trip to Malaysia last spring.

Ann_T and patrickamory: re- smell of cooking onions and whatever elses that lingers - I find if I simmer vinegar and water for about 30 minutes, it really cleans the air. I did that tonight after deep frying Inche Kiban - Malaysian Fried Chicken