The World of Avlis

This thread is for Real Life Food Recipes. Post away! The idea was given to me by spool32's posting of recipes in the Politico Forum, and I noticed we didn't have one of these yet.

Pics are nice of dishes, if you have any.

To Start:



Original Source: http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Slow-Cooke ... etail.aspx

I have tried variants to it, added different In Season Fruit, and changed a few things. Good stuff.


((can we get someone to sticky this?))

From the politico thread...

By way of explanation, we're super broke 100% of the time now, so I shoot for a maximum of $5.00/serving with every meal I make. Most of them fall into the $2.50/person range, which is pretty reasonable, and kicks fast food prices right in the balls. One caveat - I've been cooking for a long time, so I have a lot of ingredients you may not. Initial investment to stock your kitchen with things like cayenne pepper and balsamic vinegar will be expensive, but they will last you forever. Example: I spent $25.00 on whole black peppercorns for my pepper mill. That might seem like a lot, but the box of peppercorns I bought lasted me almost 3 years of daily usage.

With that said, here's some of how we're eating in the 32 household:

The Tuna Avocado thing is a recipe from my grandmother from the 50s, it calls for mayonnaise, but since I don't eat that EVER we don't add it to anything

For the record, chili should never have beans in it so you should not have to state "no bean" in the title. This comment may be better served in Politico, sorry.

by definition your right, but I like beans, otherwise its just a spicy sloppy Joe

Depends on what region of the US you are in.

I would put my recipes up here but you fuckers are crazy if you think Im giving that stuff away. I will say this I have fed me myself and I on less than $20 a week in groceries and had 3 meals a day plus a snack. Its doable you just have to experiment and explore.

I was once able to score the collected recipes of one of the chef's for Bush Gardens Tampa. Let me see if I can find it, because it had some good stuff in it. However, its for the catering and Crown Colony House, so one recipe could cover 2 people or 2000 people.

All recipes.com is one of my favorite sites I go to for recipes when I feel adventurous. Linky

Another recipe from me:


Original source: http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Easy-Slow- ... etail.aspx

Yeah I like Slow cookers. Makes the house smell wonderful.

With 2 people currently in the household, the grocery bill is usually 55-70 a week, and covers breakfast/dinner/snacks/beverages. I eat pretty basic stuff. 99% lean ground turkey burgers, boneless chicken breast, lean beef etc. I like the occasional big effort meal, but for the most part, if it tastes good and is simple, I'm a happy guy. Generally, just a meat/starch/veg is all I need.

Sunday's dinner, for example:



I'll back wolfie up on this too, you can save grocery money easily by buying good basic foods rather than paying extra for convenience (which I like doing for side dishes). One thing that I always looked for was a sale on pasta. A box of pasta can last a while. I drink water, by the gallon, rather than fruit juices and soda. Sure, I still buy the gallons, but 1 gallon at 89c is better than ~1/2 gallon at 1.59 for soda, or more for juices. 6 gallons a week = saving 13.74. I get my fruit juice the old fashioned way, from apples themselves anyway.

Jambalaya with Shrimp and Ham

Ingredients:

 1 Tbsp Olive Oil
 1 Lg Onion, diced
 1 Red Bell Pepper, diced
 1 Green Bell Pepper, diced
 2 Cloves Garlic, minced

● ½ Tsp Salt, more or less to taste
● ¼ Tsp Freshly Ground Black Pepper, more or less to taste
● 1 Tsp Paprika
● ½ Tsp Dried Oregano
● ½ Tsp Dried Thyme
● 1 Bay Leaf
● ¼ Tsp Cayenne Pepper
● 1 Tbsp Tomato Paste
● 6 Oz Smoked Ham, diced
● 2 ½ Cups Low Sodium Chicken Broth
● 1 14 ½ oz can Tomatoes, diced

 1 Cup Long-Grain White Rice, Uncooked
 1 Lb Medium Shrimp, peeled and deveined
 Hot Pepper Sauce, to taste

Heat the oil in a large Dutch oven over a medium heat. Add the onion, peppers and garlic. Saute until they begin to soften (appx 10 mins). Mix in all but the Rice, Shrimp and Hot Sauce. Bring to a boil, stir in Rice, cover and reduce heat. Simmer for about 20 – 30 minutes or until the rice is done and most of the liquid is absorbed. Add the Shrimp and cook covered for 5 minutes or more, until the Shrimp is cooked through. Season with Salt, and Pepper to taste. Serve with Hot Pepper Sauce.


Remember, Jambalaya is not Gumbo, there should be no liquid sloshing about, think an almost paste-like consistency.

EDIT: The best thing about Jambalaya is that you can substitute just about any meat type if you do not have the Ham or Shrimp. Add any other type of meat where you would add the ham, if you are using any type of shellfish, add it where you would the Shrimp, as it usually needs very little cooking time, if overcooked it becomes rubbery. Mussels or Clams should be added during the Shrimp phase. Caution: I have yet to try the Mussel or Clams, having heard it second hand, attempt at your own risk.

Did you know that up here in Wisconsin ( I think the neighboring states too ... like that one that sends all the FIB's up here without driving skills and plays home to "Da Bears" ) think of chili as a soup ... complete with a soupy consistancy; beans (kidney) and elbow macarroni/noodles?

Records were found by Everrette DeGolyer (1886-1956), a Dallas millionaire and a lover of chili, indicating that the first chili mix was concocted around 1850 by Texan adventurers and cowboys as a staple for hard times when traveling to and in the California gold fields and around Texas. Needing hot grub, the trail cooks came up with a sort of stew. They pounded dried beef, fat, pepper, salt, and the chile peppers together into stackable rectangles which could be easily rehydrated with boiling water. This amounted to "brick chili" or "chili bricks" that could be boiled in pots along the trail. DeGolyer said that chili should be called "chili a la Americano" because the term chili is generic in Mexico and simply means a hot pepper. He believed that chili con carne began as the "pemmican of the Southwest."

"Chili concocted outside of Texas is usually a weak, apologetic imitation of the real thing. One of the first things I do when I get home to Texas is to have a bowl of red. There is simply nothing better."
Lyndon B. Johnson, 36th President of the United States

If You Know Beans About Chili, You Know That Chili Has No Beans.

by Ken Finlay, singer, songwriter, and owner of Cheatham Street Warehouse (a music hall in San Marcos), written in 1976.

You burn some mesquite and when the coals get hot, you bunk up some meat and you throw it on a pot.

While some chile pods and garlic and comino and stuff, then you add a little salt till there's just enough.

You can throw in some onions to make it smell good.

You can even add tomatoes, if you feel like you should.

But if you know beans about chili, you know that chili has no beans

If you know beans about chili, you know it didn't come from Mexico.

Chili was God's gift to Texas (or maybe it came from down below).

And chili doesn't go with macaroni, and dammed Yankee's don't go with chili queens;
and if you know beans about chili, you know that chili has no beans

Not sure how many fellow coffee lovers there are here, but I ran across this and am sorely tempted to try it.


http://coffeegeek.com/guides/popperroasting

If there are any other LOVERS of Thai food, I use the recipes and videos on this site:
http://thaifoodtonight.com/thaifoodtonight/recipes.htm

The Chicken Green Curry and Beef Panang Curry I made using that site are better than any I've eaten at a restaurant.. and I'm picky with my restaurants.

Most ingredients are super cheap. Unfortunately, some Thai ingredients can be challenging to find.

Cheers,
Tizmo

Thanks alot Tiz...now I am all hungry and stuff... *goes on the prowl for foodstuffs*

Not sure how my cousin got this, but:

Jalapeño Corn Chowder

3 cups frozen whole-kernel corn or 3 cups fresh corn kernels (cut from 6–7 ears of corn)
1 14 1/2-oz. can chicken broth
2 cups chopped cooked chicken breast
1 cup milk, half-and-half, or light cream
1/4 cup thinly sliced strips bottled roasted red pepper
1–2 fresh jalapeño peppers, seeded and finely chopped
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves

In a blender container or food processor bowl combine half of the corn and the chicken broth. Cover and blend or process until nearly smooth. In a large saucepan combine the broth mixture and the remaining corn. (If using fresh corn, bring to boiling; reduce heat and simmer, covered, 2 to 3 minutes or until corn is crisp-tender.) Stir in cooked chicken, milk, roasted peppers, and jalapeño peppers; heat through. Top each serving with cheese and cilantro. Makes 4 servings.

Per serving: 315 cal., 9 g fat (4 g sat. fat), 81 mg chol., 681 mg sodium, 32 g carbo., 3 g fiber, 30 g pro.

TRY A NEW QUESO
Top this creamy Southwest-style chowder with crumbly cotija, a Mexican cow’s-milk cheese that’s similar to feta. It’s salty, tangy, and really yummy. Look for it at your local Mexican grocery.

I'm looking for a good Apple pie recipe. Anyone have a good one?

Tried and true. Translated from a local magazine (I have kept & used clippings of their recipe pages since high school):

metric measures | U.S. measures

Apple Pie

Serves 6-8
Preparation time 90+ min

For the dough:
450 g all purpose flour (1 pound)
1 teaspoon salt
250 g butter (1 cup)
1 egg
100 ml cold tap water (between 1/3 and 1/2 cup)

For the filling:
8 apples
1 tablespoon lemon juice
180 g sugar (6 ounces)
2 tablespoons flour
1/2 tablespoon powdered cinnamon
A sprinkle of dried clove

How-to (VoidHamlet's less-than-literal translation):

Make sure you have read the entire text before getting to work.
Clean the kitchen table and/or lay a foil over it.
Have a deep dish & a large fruit bowl at the ready.
Pick a pie baking form of medium size, i.e. large soup plate.
(I have a baking pan 11" in diameter but I think 10" will do better)
Obtain baking paper or prepare for mishaps.

(1) In a deep dish, mix the flour with the salt. Separately, whisk the egg. Cut the butter into small cubes, put one cube to the side. Gradually add the rest of the butter cubes to the flour & salt whilst slowly pouring cold water and the liquidized egg on top of it all. (You may need four hands in order to do this properly.) Work up the dough until your mama starts giving you looks. Bring the baking pan to the fridge, keep it there for 30 min.

Don't go anywhere yet, though: While the dough is cooling down after the massage, you're in for more manual labour.

(2) Peel the apples (or don't) and cut them into cubes, or whatever other shapes you can manage. Pour the lemon juice over the lot, stir them up. Add the two tablespoons flour, all that sugar and spices, stir again. (I also add chopped Brazilian nuts. But you could as well slice them. Or mince them. Your nuts, your preference.)

(3) Enough punishment for the filling, time to get back to the dough. Get it out of the fridge and out of the deep dish, toss it on the kitchen table. (A pinch of flour sprinkled onto the table surface before that arguably prevents the dough from sticking.)

Tear the dough in two equally sized lumps.

Set one to the side, roll the other out and about until it's a wide round flat shape. You can use a kitchen roller for this, or be masochistic and use your hands. Make sure you do not flatten it all the way to transparency, though, 'cause it may very well tear apart when you pick it up later. (That's not the end of the world, it only means you will have to ball the dough and roll it all over again.)

Take a break. See if the butter cube you set aside earlier is still there. Oil the pie baking form with it, sprinkle some flour on top. Carefully pick up the roundish flat sheet of dough you just made, lay it over the pie baking form. If the form is right-sized, your creation should spread a few inches outside the rim.

Check what's up at the fruit bowl. Stir it a bit, then spread its contents evenly onto the dough sheet (inside the baking form).

Oh, wait. There's the other lump of dough to flatten into submission. Well, have at it!

Once done, rest it on top of the baking form and all that's lying in wait therein. Roll the edges of the two dough sheets together, make sure that the filling cannot make an easy breakway.

(4) Preheat the oven to 200'C (392'F or so), cover your heavily-laden-with-expectations baking form with baking paper, bake 50-60 min. (I have never even seen baking paper in the flesh all my life, just so you know. The pie still turns out all right!)

(5) Wait for an hour for it to cool. Serve with vanilla ice ... or not.


Enjoy.

my grandma used to make a wicked apple pie. Alas, I don't have the recipe at hand.

Instead, here's my Mango-Coconut-Curry, it's simple, tasty and surprisingly filling:


You need (2 servings):

2 bell peppers
2 fresh mangos / one can if you can't get fresh ones
half an ananas
one cup basmati rice
two handfuls of cashews (non-salted)
one can of coconut milk (~300ml)
curry powder (much easier than to add in the individual spices seperately)

Cut up the bell peppers, mangos and ananas into small bite sized chunks.

Put the rice into cooking water.

Roast two handful of slightly crushed cashews in a pan.

Add the coconut milk, bring it to a boil, then add the fruits and bell peppers.

Stir, let the coconut milk thicken a bit, add curry powder to taste.

By now, the rice should be cooked, get it out and form a small mound on a plate, then arrange the curry around it - you're done!


Apart from preparation (cutting and dicing, opening up cans, etc.), this is done in about 15 minutes. Works nicely with a Riesling.

I don't have an apple pie recipe off hand, but I will share a apple pie trick with you:
If you want really crispy apples in your apple pie, use pears instead

My grandmother had a pear tree in her backyard and she used pears instead of apples in her pies.
You can't tell the difference in the taste of the pie, and if you don't know it has pears in it you won't be able to tell.

~Sappy Soup~

Late night soup without too much effort to cook. A great snack! I love potato soup. This was the 1st time I made it and here's what I used.


Ingredients:
Unpeeled Potato(es)
White onion
Green onion
Minced garlic
Cheese
Milk
Butter/Margarine
Flour
Salt
Garlic Salt
Rosemary
Parsley


Prep:
Cut up potato(es) into around 18 pieces or so, no need to cut into small chunks. Cut onions thin and about an inch or so long (size may very to preference). If using fresh garlic, mince some up, but dehydrated works just fine and is more suitable for a lazy recipe. Cut green onions into small rings for garnish. Bring water to a boil and then add the potatoes, onions, and minced garlic. Cook until potatoes are soft, then drain.

Add milk and butter/margarine, then begin to mash the potatoes up while bringing to a boil. Chunks are good! Add seasoning: salt, garlic salt, rosemary, and parsley. Be easy with the rosemary. Use flour while stirring to thicken the soup to your preference.

Add shredded cheese to the top and garnish with some green onions (don't go overboard though as they can overpower)

1 potato serves 1 person.

10-15 minutes total prep and cook time.




Tip: Do prep while water is boiling to save time. These are common ingredients that you can generally have stored around. If not, well maybe you should get them! The seasonings are good to have around and last a long time. (another tip, shake your seasoning containers that have closed tops violently before using them to mix them up and keep them from ever clumping if you don't go through them quickly.) You can cut out more work if you have pre-shredded cheese and dehydrated minced garlic.

Inspired by the Pic I posted for Zar'roc.

Link: http://www.beckybakes.net/2011/01/20/oreo-stuffed-chocolate-chip-cookies

Pork Loin

Preheat Oven to 475F or 250C
1 Tbsp Olive Oil (you can add more if needed)
1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 garlic clove (minced)
1/2 tsp Oregano
1/2 tsp Rosemary

Mix the olive oil and worcestershire sauce together first as they do not like each other and will seperate.
Add the spices to the olive oil worcestershire mixture and make a paste. (If you need more of something add it, remember you can always add cannot take away)
Take your pork loin and rub it down with the paste mixture. (You can do this a day ahead of time and stick it back in the fridge if you like or cook it straight away)
Place the spiced up pork loin into a roasting dish with a rack
Cook at 475F or 250C for 15 minutes
Then turn oven down to 275F or 135C and cook for 1 hour (This time may vary based on weight, oven, altitude etc.)
After an hour turn oven off and leave pork loin in the oven for 10-15 minutes before removing
Remove from oven and slice and serve

Leftovers make great sandwiches

the OMG WTF CROCK POT recipe

Crock Pot
+
One package of stew beef seared in a pan first
+
Half cup of rice
+
Thick Sliced Carrots
+
Potatos (diced to homefrie size)
+
Crushed Garlic
+
Old Bay Seasoning
+
Half can of Boddingtons
+
Water to just below top of ingredients
+
Time

Feeds one bachelor or an army of hobos, and it's foreal good!