Recipes

[capcat]

If you have a great/good recipe you'll share with WCN, please post it here. I'll give it a go soon. Thanks!

[capcat]

This is a good recipe for white queso, or cheese dip, depending on where you live. I substituted a poblano pepper for the jalapeño, and added some cumin.

Restaurant -Style Queso Blanco

Get smooth and creamy restaurant-style chile con queso at home.

Ingredients

1 Tbsp cooking oil (veggie, olive, canola - whatever you have)
1/4 cup white onion, diced
1 large jalapeno or serrano, seeds and stem removed; diced
12 oz white American cheese (I have the deli give me 3 slices on 10), shredded
4 oz Monterrey Jack cheese, shredded (optional; don't use pre-shredded)
1/4-2/3 cup cream, half-and-half, or whole milk
2 roma tomatoes, seeds removed and diced
1 small bunch cilantro, roughly chopped
Instructions

Heat the oil in a saute pan. Cook the onion and pepper until softened and reduce heat to medium-low.
Add the shredded cheese and 1/4 cup of the cream. Stir until mostly melted.
Add the tomatoes, cilantro, and additional cream a little at a time until you reach desired consistency.
Serve with chips, on migas, or my favorite - a stack of still-warm homemade tortillas.
Notes

Yields: ~2 cups

Source: Confections of a Foodie Bride

Estimated time: 15 minutes

http://www.thebrewerandthebaker.com/archives/2135

http://www.thebrewerandthebaker.com/archives/2135

[Uncle Dave]

Bruschetta with tomato and basil

My tomato crop this year has blight(again) and production has been low, but I have had a bumper crop of Italian basil(Franchi Seed Co.) to work with. Been eating bruschetta nearly every weekend.

6 or 7 ripe tomatoes(1 1/2 lb) de-seeded
2 cloves minced garlic
1 Tbsp evoo
1/3 cup fresh basil leaves
1 tsp sea/kosher salt
1/2 tsp fresh ground black pepper
1 baguette French bread
1-2 cloves whole garlic
1/4 cup evoo

1. Preheat oven to 450 and put shelf on top rack

2. Chop tomatoes and toss with minced garlic, evoo, salt, pepper, and finely chopped basil. I strive to create a balance between all these ingredients. (This is the time to add other goodies like balsamic vinegar, chopped anchovies/sardines, Pecorino Romano/Parmesan cheese, sautéed chopped mushrooms, etc. if you like). Adjust salt and pepper.

3. Drizzle or brush evoo on one side of 1/2" slices of bread cut on diagonal. Place this side up. Bake for 5-6 minutes per side until each side has been toasted to your liking. Remove from oven and rub each oiled side with whole garlic.

4. Add tomato mixture, pop open a bottle of your favorite Italian wine, Buon-appetito!!!

[Downes Van Zandt]

Not to distract from the purpose of the thread (so feel free to move/delete this if need be) but I have a question: lately, I've gone almost exclusively to olive oil for all recipes, whenever possible. So, if something in the skillet calls for a drizzle of oil, I use olive oil. However, the smoke point seems to be pretty low, and dropping the heat and dragging out the cook time of certain dishes won't work for multiple reasons. Do you guys have an alternative to your basic canola and vegetable oils, as well as olive oil, that's still healthy but doesn't scorch right away? Does such an oil exist? I've heard grapeseed mentioned a couple times, but have yet to try it.

[Uncle Dave]

Not to distract from the purpose of the thread (so feel free to move/delete this if need be) but I have a question: lately, I've gone almost exclusively to olive oil for all recipes, whenever possible. So, if something in the skillet calls for a drizzle of oil, I use olive oil. However, the smoke point seems to be pretty low, and dropping the heat and dragging out the cook time of certain dishes won't work for multiple reasons. Do you guys have an alternative to your basic canola and vegetable oils, as well as olive oil, that's still healthy but doesn't scorch right away? Does such an oil exist? I've heard grapeseed mentioned a couple times, but have yet to try it.

Downes give this a whirl.......

https://jonbarron.org/diet-and-nutri...t-smoke-points

I use several oils when cooking, just depending. When I'm cooking something with high heat like Chinese(wok), I use canola or peanut oil. I LOVE seasame oil but use it more for flavor than actually cooking something. If I want to sear a steak, I use evoo. If I'm cooking something like Cajun/Creole I'm prone to use vegetable or corn just because it's more "traditional" than olive oil. Most of the time I use stainless pans at medium high heat. My steaks are crunchy/crisp on the outside and rare on the inside. I cut them at about 1 1/2" which works perfect for what I'm doing. Cook first side for 7 minutes and the second side for 5 or 5 1/2. I do generate smoke but not too much. At the end of the day, I use way more evoo than the others, but a lot of this usage is for seasoning not cooking. At this point in my life, I just want something that tastes good. Easy for me to say.....I'm on meds to keep my arteries clear!!

[Downes Van Zandt]

Downes give this a whirl.......

https://jonbarron.org/diet-and-nutri...t-smoke-points

I use several oils when cooking, just depending. When I'm cooking something with high heat like Chinese(wok), I use canola or peanut oil. I LOVE seasame oil but use it more for flavor than actually cooking something. If I want to sear a steak, I use evoo. If I'm cooking something like Cajun/Creole I'm prone to use vegetable or corn just because it's more "traditional" than olive oil. Most of the time I use stainless pans at medium high heat. My steaks are crunchy/crisp on the outside and rare on the inside. I cut them at about 1 1/2" which works perfect for what I'm doing. Cook first side for 7 minutes and the second side for 5 or 5 1/2. I do generate smoke but not too much. At the end of the day, I use way more evoo than the others, but a lot of this usage is for seasoning not cooking. At this point in my life, I just want something that tastes good. Easy for me to say.....I'm on meds to keep my arteries clear!!

That link looks very helpful. Thanks!

We've actually given Blue Apron a try lately, and most, if not all of their recipes call for some ingredient to be cooked with "a drizzle of EVOO on med-high," which smokes up the kitchen every, Single, TIME. I'd had the same issue prior to the BA meals, but it's really become noticeable as of late.

[Blue Heaven]

Grilled stuffed jalapeno poppers

1. half approximately 15 jalapeno peppers. Remove seeds and membrane. If you want them "cooler", place in ice water or boil for a few minutes
2. mix 8 oz softened cream cheese, 1/4 cup of shredded sharp cheddar, 1/4 cup minced green onion, 1 teaspoon of lime juice, and 1 small minced garlic clove
3.fill peppers with the mix
4. wrap in bacon. Use toothpicks to hold together
5. place in freezer for 15 minutes to prevent cheese from running out when grilling
6. prepare a grill for direct heat (I only use charcoal)
7. Wrap grill grate with foil to prevent flare-ups
8. grill 5 minutes per side or until bacon is crispy and you are done!

These were the shiznitonitobangbang! They are a much healthier alternative than the breaded and fried version and they taste better. Give them a try if you love jalapeno poppers. They are fantastic!

[Downes Van Zandt]

Grilled stuffed jalapeno poppers

1. half approximately 15 jalapeno peppers. Remove seeds and membrane. If you want them "cooler", place in ice water or boil for a few minutes
2. mix 8 oz softened cream cheese, 1/4 cup of shredded sharp cheddar, 1/4 cup minced green onion, 1 teaspoon of lime juice, and 1 small minced garlic clove
3.fill peppers with the mix
4. wrap in bacon. Use toothpicks to hold together
5. place in freezer for 15 minutes to prevent cheese from running out when grilling
6. prepare a grill for direct heat (I only use charcoal)
7. Wrap grill grate with foil to prevent flare-ups
8. grill 5 minutes per side or until bacon is crispy and you are done!

These were the shiznitonitobangbang! They are a much healthier alternative than the breaded and fried version and they taste better. Give them a try if you love jalapeno poppers. They are fantastic!

I knew you were all right.

[Blue Heaven]

I knew you were all right.

Nothing but the best. I smoked on my Weber Sunday for the first time. Chicken leg quarters. DANG!!!!

[Dwight Schrute]

Jalapeno poppers are one of my favorite things. I'd weigh 600 lbs if I ate them as much as I wanted.

My neighbor gave me a smoker - one of these knock off big green egg kamado style cookers. It's the best smoker I've ever used - I previously used a Weber kettle which works fine, but is a little more finicky. So far, I've smoked a 10 lb pork shoulder and a rack of baby back ribs. Both of which were darn near perfect, and the pork shoulder cooked in about 6.5 hours - by far the fastest I've ever cooked one.

[Uncle Dave]

Recipe for Sunday Gravy....

A dear friend just gave me over 20 lbs of paste tomatoes to put up. I'll be doing that this weekend in preparation for:

https://spaghettisauceandmeatballs.com/

I don't have one drop of Italian blood in me, but over the years I've been using this recipe with some variations(I love Cajun seasoning, just NOT in my tomato gravy!!!!!), and found it to be incredibly good. My friends and family would agree. I also tend to mix up the meats that I use. Sometimes I make braciole and sometimes I don't. IF I don't, I'll add extra chops, sausage, or meat balls. Open up some good red wine, prepare a crisp salad, and warm up some good bread and it's ON.

[CATHYnKY]

Recipe for Sunday Gravy....

A dear friend just gave me over 20 lbs of paste tomatoes to put up. I'll be doing that this weekend in preparation for:

https://spaghettisauceandmeatballs.com/

I don't have one drop of Italian blood in me, but over the years I've been using this recipe with some variations(I love Cajun seasoning, just NOT in my tomato gravy!!!!!), and found it to be incredibly good. My friends and family would agree. I also tend to mix up the meats that I use. Sometimes I make braciole and sometimes I don't. IF I don't, I'll add extra chops, sausage, or meat balls. Open up some good red wine, prepare a crisp salad, and warm up some good bread and it's ON.

Will try this for my Italian

[CATHYnKY]

I call this Curly's Dip

8 oz cream cheese softened
1 large can of chicken, drained

Mix and serve with crackers, pretzels, etc.

I tweak it a tad. I use the green onion herbed tub of cream cheese and add chopped water chestnuts. Always a crowd pleaser and super easy and quick. Also good with raw veggies.

[Uncle Dave]

Sausage and Cabbage.....

Yesterday I harvested 2 heads of cabbage from my garden(6 lbs.). I also had 3 lbs. of Randolph Market andouille sausage. I also had 2-3 Tbsp of home blended Cajun seasoning. Slice up the sausage into bite size pieces and throw them into a heated pot with some oil. Let this brown and carmelize really well. Place sausage in a bowl for later. Drain and save 2-3 Tbsps. of rendered fat. Use a cup of stock(I used chicken) to de-glaze the pot. Save this liquid. I took 3 sweet onions and sliced them into rings. Add fat back to pot and sauté the onions. Add a bit of sea salt and 1-2 tsps. of Cajun seasoning. I do this until they start browning. Add 3 red bell peppers cut into thin, long strips and 5-6 cloves of rough cut garlic. Add salt and more Cajun seasoning. Let this cook for 5-6 minutes and then add the reserved liquid(nuclear flavor). Add another cup of stock. Cut the cabbage into 1/2" strips and add. Add a little more salt and Cajun seasoning. Cover and let cook stirring often for maybe 10-15 minutes. Add back the browned sausage and stir really well. Let this cook until the cabbage suits your fancy adding more stock if necessary. Adjust seasonings and serve in a bowl with cornbread on the side.

[Blue Heaven]

^ Wow Uncle Dave that sounds great!