Let's Talk About Cooking!

Steppenwolf

Steppenwolf

New member
To be honest, I never did much cooking before I got married. My mom was a fantastic cook and could whip up several dishes in matter of minutes.

My life before the kids was busy with school and work, so we did a lot of take out. I had a cabinet full of those quart size plastic containers that you get with egg drop soup. One day I opened that cabinet and my parents were horrified I was eating Chinese Take Out. Oh the horror!

So then comes my daughter and I asked myself, can I be good a parent and give her Chinese take out food 24/7? So then this wonderful food journey began.

My sister, who was already a food snob, was working at a top-notch food magazine company, use to come over and prepare the holiday meals. It looked so much fun and everybody was amazed by her culinary kills.

I thought cooking would be a burden, and it was at first because you need to be a bit organized to be a great cook. You need to have ideas, have the recipes ready, and have a complete list of items available before you can start cooking.

When I got the FoodNetwork channel, it was like opening a whole new door for me. Whoa! Did I get carried away. My kitchen smelled like a restaurant and I was trying every new recipe I saw on FoodNetwork: Rachel Ray, Emeril Lagassi, Paula Deen, etc. That was a lot of fun.

Now, I don't have a lot of time to cook, but whenever I get stressed out, I head to the kitchen and create something I haven't created before. I pop in that opera cd and I'm peeling, cutting, chopping to my hearts content.

Can you tell I'm a little passionate about food?

Anyway, I hope there are others that are interested will share their own experiences and we can also share good recipes. :)
 
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[nomedia="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GV7fgezNP4o"]YouTube - step brothers bonus disc fancy sauce deleted scene[/nomedia]

"Mom, I mean, c'mon! You just come out and you say we got Fancy Sauce and Boom, it's over."
 
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red and spicey....

Now, I can eat really spicey food, but that's usually to prove my manliness. Sometimes I just like to relax and enjoy my food, so I would say mildly spicey.

If you get me a recipe I'll make it and let you know how it came out.
 
UPOKERILIQUOR said:
red and spicey....

Now, I can eat really spicey food, but that's usually to prove my manliness. Sometimes I just like to relax and enjoy my food, so I would say mildly spicey.

If you get me a recipe I'll make it and let you know how it came out.
Click to expand...

That sounds like a deal to me!

Steppenwolf Chili

Ingredients:
2 lbs lean ground beef
2 (16 oz) cans kidney beans, rinsed and drained
2 (14.5 oz) cans diced tomatoes, undrained
1 (8 oz) can tomato sauce
1 1/2 cups chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped celery
1/4 cup chopped green bell pepper
1/4 cup chili powder
2 tsp ground cumin
1 1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp white sugar
1/8 tsp ground cayenne pepper (use this to control heat)


Directions:
Brown beef in skillet over medium high heat. Drain, crumble and set aside

Add all ingredients into large pot (I use 6 qt pot). Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 1 - 1 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally.

I serve it with sour cream and/or shredded sharp cheddar.
 
Steppenwolf said:
That sounds like a deal to me!

Steppenwolf Chili

Ingredients:
2 lbs lean ground beef
2 (16 oz) cans kidney beans, rinsed and drained
2 (14.5 oz) cans diced tomatoes, undrained
1 (8 oz) can tomato sauce
1 1/2 cups chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped celery
1/4 cup chopped green bell pepper
1/4 cup chili powder
2 tsp ground cumin
1 1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp white sugar
1/8 tsp ground cayenne pepper (use this to control heat)


Directions:
Brown beef in skillet over medium high heat. Drain, crumble and set aside

Add all ingredients into large pot (I use 6 qt pot). Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 1 - 1 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally.

I serve it with sour cream and/or shredded sharp cheddar.
Click to expand...
Finely Chop a few Jalapenos and one Habanero (Whole, do not remove core and seeds), add it....

And you have some decent chili...
 
Damocles said:
Don't forget the Habanero.

Fresh, make sure they're fresh. I get them from my garden.
Click to expand...

That's nice, having your own garden. That can be a lot of work. I like to keep fresh herbs in the window. That's the extent of live vegetables in my house.

Habaneros! You like real heat, don't you?
 
Steppenwolf said:
That sounds like a deal to me!

Steppenwolf Chili

Ingredients:
2 lbs lean ground beef
2 (16 oz) cans kidney beans, rinsed and drained
2 (14.5 oz) cans diced tomatoes, undrained
1 (8 oz) can tomato sauce
1 1/2 cups chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped celery
1/4 cup chopped green bell pepper
1/4 cup chili powder
2 tsp ground cumin
1 1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp white sugar
1/8 tsp ground cayenne pepper (use this to control heat)


Directions:
Brown beef in skillet over medium high heat. Drain, crumble and set aside

Add all ingredients into large pot (I use 6 qt pot). Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 1 - 1 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally.

I serve it with sour cream and/or shredded sharp cheddar.
Click to expand...

Now that is as close to my own recipe as I've ever seen. No 'hunks of tomatoes' or 'a veggie dump' in chili! I like my chili, hot and with meat and beans. May not be 'Tex Mex' but it rocks. Mind you, nearly all my other recipes are veggie laden, but NOT chili!

My additions:

Oyster crackers
Shredded cheese, your choice
Maybe, perhaps, a dollop of sour cream
 
Steppenwolf said:
That's nice, having your own garden. That can be a lot of work. I like to keep fresh herbs in the window. That's the extent of live vegetables in my house.

Habaneros! You like real heat, don't you?
Click to expand...

I'd like that too, but don't have a wind with direct sunlight. The association will not allow any gardens or 'pots.' I'm going to sell sometime soon, when I can kick the kids out. LOL!
 
also for everyone in this thread please don't let darla and ladyt know that us guys were talking about cooking. they'll never let us hear the end of it.
 
Kick ass chile(with beans--)...imho....use only lean beef,lotsa jalopeno pepper slices,a little added addition... Italian peppers,dried sun baked tomatoes,(or Italian stewed tomatoes)lotsa garlic,ranch beans,red onion slices(fresh), a dash of papricka,you can substitute the base sauce by using a little (any brand) spagetti sauce,(or tomatoe paste)a dash of tobasco,and by all means after a good simmer don't forget the BL Lime or Corona to wash it down!...oh yeah and texas garlic bread to dip into the sauce whilst ya enjoy a temper tantrum of flavor!:clink:


addendum: for the mild chili freaks...add a tablespoon of sugar...my momma and grandmomma taught me this Italian cooking tip! Takes the acid outta the mix!
 
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