Dejah

The best-laid plans... The family would not allow me to do the prime rib in the Big Easy, so it was in the oven by 2:30 after the Yorkies were done. It was to be pulled at 120F but we had a visitor, so it was 125F. It was closer to medium, but still tender, delicious, juicy. Main side attraction was brussel sprouts sauteed with bacon, shallots, pecans, and whole grain mustard. Santa brought all the kids T-shirts when he visited A Christmas Story in Cleveland in the summer. I got the apron - most appropriate when our family has gatherings. That's my future-son-in-law Ryan who also loves to cook...and eat! Xmas Day dim sum was sort of cancelled until grandson decided he really wanted to come up for brunch. So it was a rushed job with only siu mai, char siu baos, and deep fried wontons. Luckily, I had all the prep. done as previously planned. Supper was some of the leftover roast beef. Boxing Day was with my brother and his families - for 25 people. Ryan and I decided to make a marinade to inject into the turkey instead of using a brine. Bought a utility turkey, used everything except the dark meat to simmer with roasted vegetables. The broth was seasoned with fresh herbs and reduced to 2 liters of intense marinade. This was injected into the turkey as well as the bone-in turkey breast. The whole turkey was cooked in the Big Easy for 2.5 hours in -20C weather. The dripping was incredible, and made the best gravy ever. My nieces had a battle to see who would take the leftover gravy home! We also had meatballs, and ham with raisin sauce, plus a gazillion sides. Dessert was mango pudding for 30 - made in a big catering dish. It was such a busy time that no pictures were taken... Dec. 27, we had visitors for brunch, and made dim sum again: siu mai, har gow, sticky rice in lotus leaf, char siu baos, summer rolls, shanghai bak choy stir-fried with garlic and ginger, and another batch of mango pudding. Families all went home to the big city late afternoon. I was so tired I had a 4 hour nap. Woke up at 11:00 pm. cooked rice and had it with Chinese cheese (fuyu)...SO good after all the rich meals and baking... Yesterday, I made a pot pie with the ground-up, well seasoned dark turkey meat that Ryan had made up. I added frozen mixed vegetables, topped it with creamy mashed taters, and it was very good. I think we'll keep Ryan as a s-i-l!

Xmas Eve with our own family: 10 - Our traditional menu: 7-rib prime roast (this year in the Char-Broil Big Easy) with Yorkshire pudding, brussel sprouts, cardamom carrots, oven roasted potatoes, apple-walnut salad, green salad, gravy, trifle, an assortment of Xmas baking (shortbread, butter pecan tarts, mince meat pie, gingerbread...) Got a huge package of beef fat from the meat guy, so I'll need to render that a couple of days ahead for the Yorkies, gravy, and potatoes. Xmas Day: Dim-sum brunch: congee, long donuts, har gow, siu mai, sticky rice in lotus leaves, cha siu boas, chicken feet, a steamed vegetable , most likely, gai lan, mango pudding Evening meal will probably be leftovers from the roast beef dinner as I'm sure there WILL be, even with 4 meat-loving men! Boxing Day: with my brother and his family: 25 people. I am cooking a 16-lb turkey, brined, then in the Big Easy. I will also do an "unadulterated" bone-in turkey breast - about 6 lbs, in the oven for one of the niece's husbands who is very picky. My s-i-l will be doing Alaskan King Crab claws and the sides. I'll be doing some kind of creme brulee for dessert along with whatever my s-i-l makes.

C.sapidus: How is the Mexican oregano different from the "usual" variety? I have asked friends down in Mexico to bring some back for me. Love how that pickled onion adds so much colour to an already colourful salad. Do I have to use Mexican oregano to achieve the same flavour if I try to make the recipe now?

We used to be able to buy canned chicken in all the supermarkets in Canada during the 70's and 80's. It was a whole chicken with gelled stock, and handy for lunch when our band of 6 was travelling on the road in a motorhome. I was able to prepare lunch on the move. It was juicy and didn't need much chewing. The product disappeared for a while, but a friend gave my son a can as a joke for his birthday last year. Not sure if it was a new product or one from his parents' emergency supply from 30 years ago. Not sure how the meat would work in soup, unless you add it at the last minute to heat up. But, it would certainly work for emergency supply.

It's been temps around -20C, windchill plus -30 these last few days. Today was -30C with windchill -40C. Definitely NOT Big Easy days. Some recent meals: Thai Curry Seafood stew: Last night was our daughter's birthday dinner. She requested Chexican fajitas. I made Spanish rice, loads of guac., chicken fajita, and roasted prime rib for the wraps. She was happy. Tonight, it was s-i-l's pork ribs with his "never-the-same-twice" rub and fresh pineapple based sauce. Definitely finger-licking good!

The BE does produce a crispy skin, but using Zuni salting and drying would take it over the top! Made the Chinese salted chicken that way, and yes!

Steve Irby: Is there a particular reason why the cauliflower must be roasted whole? I do mine as cauliflower steaks and they cook evenly and have browning on the whole "steak" from contact with the pan. I've been marking essays and exams all day and getting frustrated by stupidity, so decided to cook something a little more time consuming to let off some steam. The new e-version of Saveur arrived in my email, so I made Chicken Dopiaza - Chicken and Onion Curry. It was great, served with basmati rice with jeera and whole peppercorns, and steamed green beans. Had a bowl of vegetable soup, Chinese style with pork rib stock, bok choy, carrots, celery, and ginger while supper was simmering.

I was using the Zuni method with great success...then...along came the Char-Broil Big Easy Oil-Less Turkey Fryer...No need for venting.

Thanks, Anna. for the naan! Now, can you try to sweet talk them into divulging their recipe? The look really light. Guess I'll keep experimenting. Great to see Marlene's post here and in Camping Princess Style. Have missed your presence on eGUllet!

Very happy to see this thread. Glamping would be my style but the driving and hauling a trailer is too much for us. SO, I am pleased to live this life vicariously through your posts:-) Thanks for this, and Rock On!

Thanks, Ann.

It was only -6C today, so what else could I do but cook with the Big Easy again! Chipotle Turkey Meatloaf in a bundt pan. The meatloaf - ground turkey breast and thighs, chopped mushrooms, onion, parsley, chipotle peppers in adobo sauce - was moist with a little bit of kick. Will have to work on the presentation...maybe more like a cake... Eaten with potato pancakes, green beans, salsa, and jalapeno peppers.

Scotch broth made with a leftover lamb shoulder from the freezer. Satisfying lunch just before we went outside to hang more Christmas lights. I didn't have plain old barley, so I added a couple handfuls of ancient grains, which contained a variety of barley.

The egg blossoms look so pretty! I too would like to know "how-to". Thanks!

rotuts: check post 163 in the Cooking for Weigh Loss thread for my version of cauliflower fried rice. I included a brief "how-to". Is that the way you did your friend rice, Ann N?

rotuts: check post 163 in the Cooking for Weigh Loss thread for my version of cauliflower fried rice. I included a brief "how-to". Is that the way you did your friend rice, Ann N?

It's -28C but i REALLY wanted to use the Big Easy for a chicken, so I did! Picked up a $1.50 paper towel holder at Dollarama, and it works perfectly for one or two chickens...much better than the ones sold commercially for "beer can chicken". It should be a little more stable for the Xmas turkey. I rubbed commercial Cajun spice under the chicken skin, laid 4 chunks of potato at the bottom, pre-heated the BE for about 5 minutes, and the fowl was done in 1 hour 15 min. - same as when temps were warmer. The breast meat was juicy, yet the skin was translucent and crispy!The potatoes were perfect as well. Gravy was made from the drippings, thickened with just .5 tsp cornstarch in chicken broth. Hubby had the potatoes, gravy, chicken and peas. I had chicken, raosted spaghetti squash, and steamed asparagus.

Curry Chicken with fresh curry leaves and Jamaican curry powder. Sauce was reduced chicken stock simmered with brown mustard seeds, curry leaves,onion, red pepper and whole peppercorns. Our local Sobeys had purple asparagus. Thought it would add a nice splash of colour...but it turned green upon steaming. Chicken was rubbed with curry powder, browned, laid on top of sauce ingredients, then finished off in the oven. Naan was store-bought. It was a bit too chilly to use my Big Easy "tandoor" to make my own. Hubby had that. The oven added that bit of extra warmth (and aroma) on a chilly evening : windchill -28C. Here comes winter!

Instead of raw vegetables for salad, I sometimes mix lightly blanched cauliflower, carrots, celery, and broccoli in olive oil, vinegar, and Montreal Steak spice. I use purple top turnips as a substitute for potato. Peel, chunk and boil until just tender. Drain well, sautee in non-stick pan with a light spray of PAM and again, Montreal Steak Spice. Cook them slowly and I can get a "crust" on the cut sides so it ends up by pan-fried potatoes.

Congratulations, Shelby! Last night, I rubbed chicken breasts with a little dab of olive oil and commercial Cajun spice. These were grilled on a non-stick pan. Eaten with cauliflower "steak" and steamed carrots. A large side order of sliced jalapeno peppers added more ooomph. For snacking, I made kale chips. Substituted Pam spray for the olive oil. It's much easier than trying to distribute the olive oil! Used the Cajun spice for seasoning. I was a little too heavy-handed with the seasoning, but they were still good. Got me to drink up my quota of 8 glasses of water.

Trying to get on the 17-Day Diet again before Xmas. It's been a slippery-slope since our travels to Asia this past spring. For tomorrow's lunch, I made my Mock Curry Chicken Fried Rice with grated cauliflower: For supper tonight, I used part of the steamed grated cauliflower along with steamed chicken breast with smashed fermented black bean sauce. Blanched gai lan completed the meal. Forgot to take a picture, but it was satisfying. Had a large mug of hot water before supper and during supper. Dessert was plain yogurt with Caramel Krisda sweetner.

Here ya go, Franci: This was sent to me by my friend in Johor Bahru, Malaysia. She and another friend took us over (across the bridge) for the day. As we had been staying with Muslim friends, that day was pork, pork, and more pork: Coffee Flavoured Spare Ribs This dish is both sweet and slightly bitter (because of use of the coffee granules). Choose the spare ribs carefully, select those that are fleshy (also known as the soft bone) and you will get a very meaty and rich and aromatic dish. Ingredients 1. Spare ribs 1 kg, cut into pieces 2. Oyster sauce 1 tablespoon 3. Sugar 1 teaspoon 4. Salt 1 teaspoon 5. Sesame oil 1 teaspoon 6. Egg 1 7. Plain Flour 2 tablespoon 8. Custard powder 1 tablespoon 9. Bicarbonate of soda 1 teaspoon 10. Water 200 ml 11. Corn flour 200 gram 12. Maltose 2 tablespoon 13. Sugar 2 tablespoon 14. Worchestershire sauce 1 tablespoon 15. Instant coffee granules 1 teaspoon 16. Water 100 ml Method 1. Combine ingredients 2 to 11, add ribs and marinate for 3 hours. 2. Heat oil in wok until very hot and deep fry ribs until golden brown. Drain. 3. Mix ingredients 12 to 16 and stir in clean wok for 2 minutes until thicken. 4. Put in fried ribs, mix quickly and serve.

Memories of a wonderful meal we had in Singapore last April: Coffee Flavoured Pork Spareribs: Then we got brave and bought a previously frozen durian. The first time we tried one, it was so foul we couldn't get it past our nostrils. It was opened in the garage and then went directly into the dumpster. Poor neighbors. The second time, we had it at a cousin's house, squeezed our noses closed, and got it into out mouths - really enjoyed it! Then, we had it fresh in Malaysia last spring - really strong aroma, but it didn't bother us, and it was absolutely delicious! So, when I saw them at the store yesterday, I picked one up. Expensive - $5.98 for 3 lobes, but really good. I wonder if being frozen that the odour is reduced?

Anna N : Next time please?

I guess the commercial tandoor is hotter than my Big Easy. The top of the naan is blistered and golden, and I bet the bottom is perfect too, without having to flip it over. Mine flattens because I turn it over and cook it some more. I still do enjoy mine, but so envious of the ones in East Indian restaurants. The ones we get here at the restaurant are quite thin / delicate.