Personal computing discussed

Moderators: askfranklin, renee, emkubed, Captain Ned

 
Chuckaluphagus
Gerbil Elite
Topic Author
Posts: 906
Joined: Fri Aug 25, 2006 4:29 pm
Location: Boston area, MA

What are you cooking right now?

Wed Nov 22, 2017 2:18 pm

DYMT currently has a lot of discussion of Thanksgiving food preparation, which I've been taking part in. I thought it might be spun out into its own thread, and while we have an "eating" thread, I can't find a recent "cooking" one. So here goes:

Currently in the middle prep stages of the Thanksgiving meal. All groceries purchased, and this is what I've got done already or in the works:

  • Turkey - dry-brined, with chopped fresh rosemary and freshly-cracked pepper added to the brine rubbed inside the cavity. Trussed and sitting in the fridge, will add some more rosemary and pepper to the outside tomorrow.
  • Gravy - Debating between making tonight or tomorrow, using the neck, organs and mire poix.
  • Cranberry sauce - just whole cranberries, zest and juice from four mandarin oranges, sugar and water. Cooked yesterday and chilling in container in the fridge.
  • Pumpkin pie - crust dough was made over the weekend, pumpkin roasted last week, froze it for storage and thawing now. Will make tomorrow, pumpkin pie is dead simple.
  • Bourbon pecan pie - I make a brown sugar custard-based pecan pie instead of a syrup-based one; I like it a lot better. And I throw in 45 ml of bourbon because it makes it taste awesome. Crust dough was made yesterday, will throw together and bake tomorrow.
  • Scalloped potatoes - making tomorrow.
  • Mashed potatoes - making tomorrow.
  • Rolls - Pillsbury crescent rolls, which I don't care for but my wife loves.
Relatives are bringing dressing (not stuffing, since it's not in the bird, but that's ok), mashed sweet potatoes, wine, peas, corn. Much food will be consumed. Only part that ever makes me nervous is the bird, since it's large and I don't want any part over or underdone.

Anyone else working in the kitchen?
 
layerup
Gerbil
Posts: 56
Joined: Tue Jun 02, 2015 6:41 pm
Location: Tacoma, WA - A Town Entirely Too Large For Me

Re: What are you cooking right now?

Wed Nov 22, 2017 2:57 pm

The last 6 years we have cooked for/hosted 15 or so family members. Because of work and where we now live, the SO and I are staying home, and only cooking for ourselves and the dog, which means greatly reduced cooking responsibility, probably 8 less dishes than normal.

Turkey - Defrosting in the fridge. Will fire up the smoker and set it tomorrow morning.
Gravy - Will make from the smoked turkey drippings, honestly, this is the whole reason to smoke a turkey, with mushrooms and gizzard, looking forward to it.
Looks like I will be making mashed potatoes with peas at some point tomorrow evening.
Dressing - embarrassed to say this, but I am making dressed up stove top. After making stuffing twice a year for the last 6 years, I just don't feel up to making any from scratch for just the 3 of us.
Cornbread - I don't really like bread/rolls, and since I do not have to make them for the family, this will take it's place.

Dessert - Traditionally make chocolate dipped creme puffs, but will likely settle for ice cream this year.
 
DancinJack
Maximum Gerbil
Posts: 4494
Joined: Sat Nov 25, 2006 3:21 pm
Location: Kansas

Re: What are you cooking right now?

Wed Nov 22, 2017 4:06 pm

I'm not going to go into great detail but the menu for tomorrow includes:

Turkey (brined)
Gravy from delicious turkey mess
Ham (because turkey mostly sucks)
Dressing (haven't decided yet, but have some crusty bread at the ready)
A delicious broccoli salad similar to this one
Mashed sweet potatoes
Baked (russet) potatoes
A homemade pasta salad with a bunch of veggies that is hard to describe
Rolls - boring but delicious
Apple and Cherry pie (we had pumpkin last week for some reason)

Having said all that. Man, turkey is just not that great. Ham ftw. Hope you all enjoy the long weekend.
i7 6700K - Z170 - 16GiB DDR4 - GTX 1080 - 512GB SSD - 256GB SSD - 500GB SSD - 3TB HDD- 27" IPS G-sync - Win10 Pro x64 - Ubuntu/Mint x64 :: 2015 13" rMBP Sierra :: Canon EOS 80D/Sony RX100
 
Chuckaluphagus
Gerbil Elite
Topic Author
Posts: 906
Joined: Fri Aug 25, 2006 4:29 pm
Location: Boston area, MA

Re: What are you cooking right now?

Thu Nov 23, 2017 10:46 pm

Started cooking at 7:30 this morning. Oven went off sometime around five o'clock, with the pie coming out.

Fed, exhausted and happy. Everything turned out great. Turkey was perfect. Scalloped potatoes take a ridiculous amount of time in the oven (1.5 hours!) for a single side, but damn do they taste good.

Soon: turkey pot pie.
 
Pancake
Gerbil First Class
Posts: 161
Joined: Mon Sep 19, 2011 2:04 am

Re: What are you cooking right now?

Fri Nov 24, 2017 4:04 am

Pörkölt
 
derFunkenstein
Gerbil God
Posts: 25427
Joined: Fri Feb 21, 2003 9:13 pm
Location: Comin' to you directly from the Mothership

Re: What are you cooking right now?

Fri Nov 24, 2017 9:27 am

We love turkey leftovers so much in my family we went way overboard. 14 pounds for six people between two breasts. I get sandwiches from here to December anyway. Lol
I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do.
Twittering away the day at @TVsBen
 
just brew it!
Administrator
Posts: 54500
Joined: Tue Aug 20, 2002 10:51 pm
Location: Somewhere, having a beer

Re: What are you cooking right now?

Fri Nov 24, 2017 1:47 pm

We're having the family over tomorrow. Turkey is brining (citrus/tea brine), we're also going to make lasagna and some baked salmon.
Nostalgia isn't what it used to be.
 
Chuckaluphagus
Gerbil Elite
Topic Author
Posts: 906
Joined: Fri Aug 25, 2006 4:29 pm
Location: Boston area, MA

Re: What are you cooking right now?

Fri Nov 24, 2017 2:20 pm

Pancake wrote:
Pörkölt

That's what my grandmother used to make! She passed away, I always assumed that it was Hungarian goulash.

I should dig up a recipe and make it in her honor, it was delicious.
 
BIF
Minister of Gerbil Affairs
Posts: 2458
Joined: Tue May 25, 2004 7:41 pm

Re: What are you cooking right now?

Fri Nov 24, 2017 2:37 pm

I baked bread and cooked two turkeys yesterday. Cooked the bone broth until about 3 am then when I was starting to fall asleep, I pulled the meat out, separated the bones, and transferred the broth to the fridge to see if there would be any significant fat separation. So far, it looks to have very little fat rising to the top.

Going to the grocery later today to get brown sugar for some choc-chip cookies and veggies for the soup, and maybe a turkey leg or wing to throw in there too. I'll probably make the soup tomorrow.
 
Pancake
Gerbil First Class
Posts: 161
Joined: Mon Sep 19, 2011 2:04 am

Re: What are you cooking right now?

Fri Nov 24, 2017 9:13 pm

Chuckaluphagus wrote:
Pancake wrote:
Pörkölt

That's what my grandmother used to make! She passed away, I always assumed that it was Hungarian goulash.

I should dig up a recipe and make it in her honor, it was delicious.


It's one of my go-to dishes when there's a few things needing to be used in my fridge. In this case a bit of over-smoked duck breast (not nice to eat by itself), a soft carrot and half a small jar of ajvar ignored for a *bit* too long. Meat it up with some extra pork scotch fillet. There's always good Hungarian paprika in my pantry. Was too lazy to make nokedli (which really isn't that much of an effort) so went with packet pasta instead...
 
Chuckaluphagus
Gerbil Elite
Topic Author
Posts: 906
Joined: Fri Aug 25, 2006 4:29 pm
Location: Boston area, MA

Re: What are you cooking right now?

Fri Nov 24, 2017 9:47 pm

My wife is requesting that I bake another bourbon pecan pie tomorrow. I married well.
 
llisandro
Gerbil
Posts: 88
Joined: Wed Jan 23, 2013 4:30 pm

Re: What are you cooking right now?

Fri Nov 24, 2017 10:06 pm

I'm all about the stuffing/dressing. I make mine with chorizo, sofrito and smoked paprika. It's different enough that I can justify making two kinds of stuffing :lol:
 
just brew it!
Administrator
Posts: 54500
Joined: Tue Aug 20, 2002 10:51 pm
Location: Somewhere, having a beer

Re: What are you cooking right now?

Sun Nov 26, 2017 4:03 pm

The family Thanksgiving dinner went well. We made a pot of turkey stock from the remains, and froze it in 2 cup portions (in Ziploc bags). Something like 2 gallons total. We cook a lot so we go through a lot of stock, and homemade beats buying the canned stuff. This stock is a little more strongly flavored than typical stock though, due in part to the way we brined the turkey. So I guess we'll need to keep that in mind when using it.
Nostalgia isn't what it used to be.
 
Captain Ned
Global Moderator
Posts: 28704
Joined: Wed Jan 16, 2002 7:00 pm
Location: Vermont, USA

Re: What are you cooking right now?

Sun Nov 26, 2017 4:22 pm

just brew it! wrote:
The family Thanksgiving dinner went well. We made a pot of turkey stock from the remains, and froze it in 2 cup portions (in Ziploc bags). Something like 2 gallons total. We cook a lot so we go through a lot of stock, and homemade beats buying the canned stuff. This stock is a little more strongly flavored than typical stock though, due in part to the way we brined the turkey. So I guess we'll need to keep that in mind when using it.

I can't ever get the wife to roast/brown the picked carcass before tossing it in the stock pot. She loves my gravy which starts with browning/roasting the neck, gibby bits, and aromatics (rough-chop mirepoix), yet just makes standard turkey soup.

I'll need to take control of the next carcass and do a proper stock browning and reduction. Should also get some stock bones from the local butcher to make some beef stock.
What we have today is way too much pluribus and not enough unum.
 
just brew it!
Administrator
Posts: 54500
Joined: Tue Aug 20, 2002 10:51 pm
Location: Somewhere, having a beer

Re: What are you cooking right now?

Sun Nov 26, 2017 4:43 pm

I think it's pretty cool that things like making your own stock are becoming more popular again. Not only is it thrifty (good way to put vegetable trimmings/peelings to use in addition to the bones, fat, cartilage etc. from various forms of meat), it just tastes better than store-bought stock.
Nostalgia isn't what it used to be.
 
Captain Ned
Global Moderator
Posts: 28704
Joined: Wed Jan 16, 2002 7:00 pm
Location: Vermont, USA

Re: What are you cooking right now?

Sun Nov 26, 2017 5:29 pm

just brew it! wrote:
it just tastes better than store-bought stock.

At least store-bought chicken stock has some chicken in it. Grocery beef stock has little to none and is usually all yeast extracts, so if you want "real" beef stock, you need to get some bones and start brownin' them.

Oh, and brew pots make really good stock pots (as I'm sure you know; this is for the young 'uns). Just make sure they get a really good green scrubby treatment in between uses.
What we have today is way too much pluribus and not enough unum.
 
just brew it!
Administrator
Posts: 54500
Joined: Tue Aug 20, 2002 10:51 pm
Location: Somewhere, having a beer

Re: What are you cooking right now?

Sun Nov 26, 2017 5:55 pm

Captain Ned wrote:
Oh, and brew pots make really good stock pots (as I'm sure you know; this is for the young 'uns). Just make sure they get a really good green scrubby treatment in between uses.

Turns out the brew pot was also the perfect size to brine the turkey in. The pot actually looked better afterwards; I think the overnight brine soak (it had some citrus in it too so it was somewhat acidic) took some of the stubborn reside off the bottom of the pot! :lol:
Nostalgia isn't what it used to be.
 
Captain Ned
Global Moderator
Posts: 28704
Joined: Wed Jan 16, 2002 7:00 pm
Location: Vermont, USA

Re: What are you cooking right now?

Sun Nov 26, 2017 9:21 pm

Made Kentucky Hot Browns for dinner tonight. If you've got leftover turkey but none of the other fixins, don't go any further than this.
What we have today is way too much pluribus and not enough unum.
 
Chuckaluphagus
Gerbil Elite
Topic Author
Posts: 906
Joined: Fri Aug 25, 2006 4:29 pm
Location: Boston area, MA

Re: What are you cooking right now?

Sun Nov 26, 2017 10:13 pm

Captain Ned wrote:
Made Kentucky Hot Browns for dinner tonight. If you've got leftover turkey but none of the other fixins, don't go any further than this.

That looks delicious. However, wife's family tradition is that leftovers after the weekend get turned into pot pie. I am a fan of this tradition, because pie is wonderful. I fall definitively on the "pie" side of pie v. cake.

Speaking of which, made the second bourbon pecan pie this evening. I swear, it's a conspiracy: the recipe calls for 8 oz. of evaporated milk, but evaporated milk is sold in 12 oz. cans. I have no choice but to make them in threes.
 
JustAnEngineer
Gerbil God
Posts: 19673
Joined: Sat Jan 26, 2002 7:00 pm
Location: The Heart of Dixie

Re: What are you cooking right now?

Sun Nov 26, 2017 10:41 pm

Leftover turkey becomes turkey sandwiches, turkey ala king and turkey noodle soup.
· R7-5800X, Liquid Freezer II 280, RoG Strix X570-E, 64GiB PC4-28800, Suprim Liquid RTX4090, 2TB SX8200Pro +4TB S860 +NAS, Define 7 Compact, Super Flower SF-1000F14TP, S3220DGF +32UD99, FC900R OE, DeathAdder2
 
just brew it!
Administrator
Posts: 54500
Joined: Tue Aug 20, 2002 10:51 pm
Location: Somewhere, having a beer

Re: What are you cooking right now?

Mon Nov 27, 2017 5:51 am

Should also mention, brining the bird worked out really well. Very good flavor, and the breast meat was moist and tender. We will definitely be doing that going forward whenever we make turkey. Bit of a PITA, but worth it (and hey, dealing with a whole turkey is a big production regardless).
Nostalgia isn't what it used to be.
 
layerup
Gerbil
Posts: 56
Joined: Tue Jun 02, 2015 6:41 pm
Location: Tacoma, WA - A Town Entirely Too Large For Me

Re: What are you cooking right now?

Mon Nov 27, 2017 11:18 am

Leftover turkey has always become turkey tacos in my family.

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 1 guest
GZIP: On