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eG Foodblog: rsincere - DIY cooking school/cooking therapy in WI


RSincere

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Would a little orange zest be overkill?

I'm now going to heat up my leftovers--you know it's good if I'm willing to eat the leftovers, I'm allergic to leftovers. 

Now that you mention it, I think I'm allergic to leftovers too. I always make my husband take them to work for lunch if there are any. I try not to have any. Except meatloaf. There's not a better leftover than a cold meatloaf sandwich.

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Now that you mention it, I think I'm allergic to leftovers too. I always make my husband take them to work for lunch if there are any. I try not to have any.

Exactly. That's the way we handle leftovers because I make recipes that serve 4. Otherwise, he'd just take Hot Pockets to work or something. :blink:

Same boring breakfast--two pieces of bread (almost to the end of the loaf), the last of the cinnamon/sugar cream cheese, and a diet Coke. I'm going to throw on some jeans and run to the store for the ingredients I need for lunch.

Rachel Sincere
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Rachel, I thought of you last night when we had the Sauteed Brussels Sprouts with Pancetta from the CIA Gourmet Meals in Minutes book. This side dish is absolutely delicious! The layers of leaves of the Brussels sprouts are gently pulled apart. I could easily get on a kick of eating this stuff, kinda like eG's favorite, roasted cauliflower, except that the cauliflower is easier.

I started to suggest that you try it if you like Brussels sprouts, but I won't say that. I would suggest this to anyone, even to somebody who doesn't like Brussels sprouts. :smile:

Life is short; eat the cheese course first.

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Susan, that sounds good. If I ever find pancetta, I will try it! I only recently found proscuitto.

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Chicken Calvados, basmati rice with toasted walnuts, roasted beets sliced and tossed with melted butter.

The theme of the day was butter! I put some in the rice and on the beets, and used clarified butter to saute the sliced chicken. Then added sliced mushrooms, sliced onions, and 2 diced Gala apples, and a little fresh garlic and ginger. After that cooked down I deglazed with Beachcomber apple rum :rolleyes: that I bought in a tiny bottle for $1.00 because I couldn't find Calvados and didn't want to buy a huge bottle of apple vodka to use up. Then I added cream, and it's done. I seasoned everything with Penzey's 4/S.

I can't drink alcohol for fear of seizures and other stuff, but I love to cook with it. I was afraid that the (probably) rotgut rum would ruin the dish, but it's very good. This is the first time I have cooked a savory dish with fruit in it. I haven't even had pork with apples before. The beets were a first for me too, haven't had those since the canned beets as a kid. They were awesome! I ate most of the beets, and then mixed everything else up on my plate. It ain't pretty :unsure: but it tastes awesome.

Rachel Sincere
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Just had a small handful of puppy chow. Jason is going to take the rest to work to share with the nurses in the break room, I think. Nap time, then I'm going to attempt a poppyseed torte. I think that might be a Wisconsin thing? Tonight, I'm going to make spice pumpkin cupcakes with Daniel, and he's going to decorate them. He turns 8 on the 20th so he's taking a treat to school tomorrow.

Rachel Sincere
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I didn't see the thread on the cooking notebook.  I will look for that.

It's funny.  Several months ago, the Department of Vocational Rehabilitation had a voc eval guy come in and spend a morning with me doing all these tests.  When he wrote his report, one of his recommendations was that the DVR send me to culinary school, because I told him I had a lot of cookbooks.  :shock:  :blink:  :rolleyes:  On the one hand, I'd love to go, and for free! to learn all these things I'm trying to teach myself.  But it wouldn't be fair, because the point is for employment, and I would not be right for that kind of job.  I don't take criticism well--if a chef type yelled at me, I'd probably burst into tears--and I can NOT be rushed.  I'd sit and peel potatoes all day no problem, but try to hurry me along, or give me multiple tasks at once?  Not going to happen.  Also, it would be a waste if I can only work about 10 hours a week.  So I'm happy to stay home chained to my cookbooks, taking all the time I please.  And no one to yell at me but myself.  :laugh:

Here it is

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Thank you!

I've got a question. Is rum sweet?

If I had to make one criticism of that chicken dish, it's that it was a touch too sweet. I think the reasons are:

1. I used Gala apples (the recipe didn't specify)

2. Lots of sauteed onions

3. Apple Beachcomber rum is sweet?

Rachel Sincere
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Rum is very sweet compared to Calvados, Calvados is brandy and is a really different taste. I'm not sure what others do but I'd say next time just use a brandy (not specifically apple) and the apples themselves?? not sure though.

I'm really bad at knowing what apples to cook with, the only one I know for sure are granny smiths.

An idea for your soup leftovers, I cool mine a bit and then line a big 2 or 4 cup measuring cup with a ziplock freezer bag. Pour in soup and keep it in the fridge or freezer. I find the bags lay nice and flat and my freezer is quite small so this helps to save room. That soup looks awesome!!!!!

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An idea for your soup leftovers, I cool mine a bit and then line a big 2 or 4 cup measuring cup with a ziplock freezer bag. Pour in soup and keep it in the fridge or freezer. I find the bags lay nice and flat and my freezer is quite small so this helps to save room.

Oh, duh! I went through a "Once a Month Cooking" kick when Daniel was first born, and that's what I did then. I never even thought of Ziplocs. I just picked up some Gladware for $2. We have tons of soups and stews in the freezer, and that's probably what we're going to eat for the rest of the week, because I've made all the recipes I shopped for two Fridays ago.

Daniel's cupcakes are in the oven. He did everything except portion the batter into the liners. I did that so that they'd all be even. When they're cool, Daniel's going to decorate them himself, and I'll post a pic.

I don't think that roast chicken is going to happen tomorrow. It's been sitting in a cooler full of water for 8 hours now, and it's still hard as a rock.

Not sure if the poppyseed torte will happen tonight either. We'll see how things go.

Rachel Sincere
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Daniel's having fun decorating. His hands weren't strong enough for the pastry bag, so I'm ashamed to admit that those messy squiggles of frosting were done by yours truly.

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And we made one extra test cupcake we're going to split in half and share to make sure they're good! Daniel says, "This cupcake has a job--a job to get smushed up into our stomachs."

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They are pumpkin spice cupcakes made with a box of spice cake mix, a can of pumpkin, some mini chocolate chips, and the usual eggs, oil etc.

Edited by RSincere (log)
Rachel Sincere
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Thanks, ms foodie and Karen! Daniel's thrilled to be on the Internet.

So, dinner. I had a couple bites of cold leftover beets, and Daniel had a piece of whole wheat bread with peanut butter. We weren't hungry. Maybe we spoiled dinner by sharing that cupcake! Ooops!

Rachel Sincere
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This has been such a great blog!

I can't drink alcohol either, due to seizure and vestibular problems, but love to cook with it! It is very forgiving -- I don't cook with the best stuff -- unless there's just a bit leftover. Now that makes a good leftover!

The soup was luscious looking.

And sorry, I said Jason up there in the germ post when I meant Daniel. He's a cutie!

Judith Love

North of the 30th parallel

One woman very courteously approached me in a grocery store, saying, "Excuse me, but I must ask why you've brought your dog into the store." I told her that Grace is a service dog.... "Excuse me, but you told me that your dog is allowed in the store because she's a service dog. Is she Army or Navy?" Terry Thistlewaite

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I don't have much time this morning, so having a bowl of 75% less sugar Coco Puffs and my diet Coke.

I forgot that I have to go to court this morning! Stupid parking ticket I got last December, thought I paid it but missed some $10 fee, license plate got suspended, I didn't realize it, got caught driving! :shock: You know what's worse? I've worked with every judge in this county and in the neighboring counties as their court reporter, many times. I used to be the district court reporter, so I've worked for them all in this district--so even though I wouldn't care enough to switch judges, it would be pointless. It's just going to be embarrassing sitting there in traffic court, though. :rolleyes:

Kind of makes me mad, because other than this, my only ticket was when I was 18 and got caught doing 9 over the speed limit. I'm 30 now and hadn't gotten a ticket since then. :hmmm:

Well, we'll see how long it takes. I'm still hoping to roast that chicken. I've sat through many a traffic intake on the other side of the bar as the court reporter, and it all depends on how many people contest their ticket.

Edited by RSincere (log)
Rachel Sincere
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The clerk put my case first without my even asking her to, so I got out of there in record time! :biggrin: Didn't you know S comes before A on the alphabet? :raz:

Thank you, spaghetttti and Judith! Judith, I knew that you meant Daniel. I do think your theory is correct about him thinking Germany is full of germs! His theory was that germs were everywhere (he showed me his fingers as proof, I don't want to know what germs he thought he was harboring there and why) so they must come from a country and have their own language.

Either way, we washed our hands well before making the cupcakes.

I felt the chicken, and it's squishy! So we're having roast chicken today after all. I'll probably make mashed Yukon Gold potatoes and we'll have the leftover beets.

I have a bunch of beet greens from the beets--the greens look beautiful. I tried making them once and they were really bitter and gross. I will try again. Usually I just give them to the guinea pigs.

Rachel Sincere
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I hope someone's reading this...

If I smear the chicken with butter, and put it in a 450 degree oven, will the butter burn? I'm following a Bittman recipe but he doesn't have you put anything on the chicken, and I thought butter would be good.

Rachel Sincere
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I hope someone's reading this...

If I smear the chicken with butter, and put it in a 450 degree oven, will the butter burn?  I'm following a Bittman recipe but he doesn't have you put anything on the chicken, and I thought butter would be good.

Nah, don't worry about it burning - if you're concerned, smear it under the skin of the chicken, along with some fresh herb. Or, you can roast it naked if you want - preheat the pan in the oven and wipe the chicken very dry, and it won't stick at all.

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Thank you! Off to cook. The chicken looks very naked right now. I don't have any fresh herbs--except my thyme outside might still be good, going to check--so I'm doing butter, salt, and pepper. Preheating a cast iron skillet in the oven and dumping the chicken right into it!

Rachel Sincere
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Hmmmm. Bittman recipe called "Foolproof" says a 3-4 lb. chicken should take 30 minutes with his method--heating a cast iron pan in oven to 450, dumping the chicken in the pan, done. My chicken is 4 lb. and it's been 30 min. and the spot between the leg and the body of the chicken is at 86 degrees. The chicken is also not brown. Maybe my Pyrex digital thermometer (the kind that beeps when it reaches your temperature) is broken?

Also, had the legs tied together with a strip of wet cheesecloth but they didn't hold.

Edited by RSincere (log)
Rachel Sincere
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Interesting. :hmmm: Usually Bittman recipes are right on it. Did you put the cast-iron skillet in after the oven got hot, and then wait the full 10 minutes for the skillet to get hot and for the oven to return to 450? Sounds like maybe your oven temperature is off or maybe it is your thermometer that is off. And if your chicken is four pounds + some, it would probably need a little more time.

I'm looking at the clock, so by now you've probably done whatever it is you're going to do, but for next time, back to the same theme... trust your instincts, and perhaps use the wiggle-the-leg method or the stick-a-fork-in-it method. :smile:

Life is short; eat the cheese course first.

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I felt the chicken, and it's squishy! 

You may have done this, but it's good to feel inside the chicken cavity to make sure it is completly unfrozen. If the internal temperature was significantly lower that would slow down the whole cooking process...

"Under the dusty almond trees, ... stalls were set up which sold banana liquor, rolls, blood puddings, chopped fried meat, meat pies, sausage, yucca breads, crullers, buns, corn breads, puff pastes, longanizas, tripes, coconut nougats, rum toddies, along with all sorts of trifles, gewgaws, trinkets, and knickknacks, and cockfights and lottery tickets."

-- Gabriel Garcia Marquez, 1962 "Big Mama's Funeral"

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Hmmm. That took over an hour. I put the cast iron skillet in right when I turned the oven on, so it preheated with the oven. I even gave it a few extra minutes. This stove was new with the house a year ago. It could be off, but actually I tend to burn stuff before the recipe suggested time is up. When I was messing with the raw chicken, I stuck my hand inside and pulled out a little slush. So maybe it was too cold inside the chicken?

This picture is from the first time I took it out of the oven when the thermometer read 165 at the thigh joint.

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As you can see, the wing tips flopped free the second I put the chicken into the pan. Guess I didn't tuck them tight enough. I thought my cheesecloth came undone, but it didn't. After letting the chicken rest and working on the pan gravy, I glanced over and saw the lovely pool of dark red liquid accumulating under the chicken. I knew that that wasn't supposed to happen, so I cut into the thigh where the thermometer was. Red. So got out a baking sheet, and back in the oven for another 10 min. or so. This time, I didn't goof around and said screw letting it rest, I cut right into the other thigh, the juices were clear so I took it out. To be honest, some of the dark meat is a little bit pink but honestly, I don't care. :shock:

Here's my plate. Trust me, there was a lot more drama than I'm letting on here, so I didn't even care if my meal looked purty.

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It's good! I really have to watch my tendency to oversalt things. Too many years of not salting at all and I'm having a hard time finding the balance.

Lots of cleanup to look forward to! :wacko: Nap first.

Rachel Sincere
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