Anyone else like to cook?

[jaylach]

I'm not real good with explaining what I do but I love to cook. My main thing is that I like to experiment with food. To begin I will start with this... I guess it is my own recipe...

1 Boneless chicken breast pounded flat for stuffing and rolling.
2 TBs cream cheese
1/2 cup minced red onion, shrooms and bell peppers combined.
2 tsp fresh chopped basil.
1/2 cup of your favorite BBQ sauce.
2 slices of bacon.
Combine cream cheese, basil, bell peppers, shrooms and onions. Spread on flattened chicken breast and roll and tuck the ends. Wrap with the bacon strips. Secure with toothpicks. Let it all sit in the fridge for about an hour to allow the cheese mixture to blend and mellow.
Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees. Cook the chicken for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and brush with BBQ sauce. Cook for another 10 minutes. Increase oven temp to broil and remove chicken. Brush again with BBQ sauce and return to oven for 5 minutes. Let stand for a few minutes to allow the cheese mix to set.
As a note I used a Gothom ceramic slotted griddle to cook the chicken as shown in the following image. The slotted surface makes so that you do not have to 'flip' the chicken as there is air flow through the slots of the pan. I LOVE this grill!

 

[FishandBirdLover]

Wow, that looks tempting. Maybe I have to try it out sometime.

(And totally off-topic but your signature is so funny)

 

[jaylach]

Wow, that looks tempting. Maybe I have to try it out sometime.

(And totally off-topic but your signature is so funny)

LOL! Thanks for the comment on my signature. Sadly it is pretty much true.

Ya, the chicken thing above is REALLY good. As sides I'd suggest roasted baby red taters with rosemary and asparagus.

Here is another sort of recipe but I can't give exact spice measurements. For the most part the palm of my hand is my measure. This is best done with a wok but a large skillet will work. Again we are going with a boneless chicken breast but, this time we will go heavy on basil which is one of my go to spices.

Cube a boneless chicken breast to about 1/2 inch cubes. As a hint this is much easier to do if the chicken is partially frozen. With the wok at medium high heat partially cook the chicken until slightly browned but not totally done. While doing this cook egg noodles until still not totally done and set aside. slice some mushrooms and a lot of fresh basil. Push the chicken up the sides of the wok or to the outer sides of a skillet. If using a skillet use a large one and a small burner. Add a table spoon of unsalted butter to the center of the pan and partially saute the mushrooms but again not to where they are totally done. Add a can of fire roasted diced tomatoes and the fresh basil. I would say about 1/2 cup of chopped basil. We are sort of making a tomato and basil pesto. Cook the basil, tomato and shroom mis to where it is reduced by about 1/4. Bring the chicken back into the mix and add the egg noodles. Turn the heat to high and constantly toss the whole mix just until the edges of the noodles start to brown/crisp. Totally yummy and another original thing of mine.

 

[TheLavenderBadger]

I like baking! Does that count?

 

[jaylach]

I like baking! Does that count?

Of course it does! Is not baking a form of cooking?

Haven't done it in years but I used to bake bread a lot. Forget bread machines as they are just not the same. While not really needed for bread I need to get some loaf pans and dive back in. I would really like to experiment with yeast breads... I mean the kind with a very high yeast flavor.

I also used to make a scratch to the point of folding egg whites double fudge sheet cake of a size of 9X11. I would cut the sheet cake into two layers and fill and frost with scratch, again to the point of folding egg whites, tapioca pudding and throw in the fridge to let it all set. May sound strange but was REALLY good!

 

[kiko]

I'm no cook, but I'm a professional eater...
and between me and my dog....EVERY food tastes great xD

 

[Fishmanic]

I'm no cook, but I'm a professional eater...
and between me and my dog....EVERY food tastes great xD

if you're a professional eater, maybe you should sign up for a Nathan's hot dog eating contest. Joey Chestnut ate 71 buns and weiners in 10 minutes Can you top that?

 

[jaylach]

If any looking here have seen some of my aquatics posts it is pretty obvious that I'm old school. I'm the same way wit cooking. I totally hate some modern recipes I see. Take stroganoff as an example. I see recipes that call for ground beef; not happening with me. Stroganoff is a VERY elegant yet simple dish. Really it is just a good cut of meat, shrooms, red wine, sour cream and nutmeg. Really, that is all it is. The thing is the quality of the ingredients. I don't eat much red meat but get an urge and get a rib eye steak now and then from a local butcher (as a note I consider rib eye the only true steak. To me any other cut is just solid hamburger.). Anyway, when I do get a rib eye I will have the steak cut ~3/4 inch. When I do this I will also get two cuts ~1/4 inch. These thinner cuts are for stroganoff. I will cut these thinner cuts to strips and brown on medium high heat to brown/char. Throw in some red wine; I prefer burgundy, and reduce by 1/4. Add the shrooms and nutmeg and reduce another 1/4. On an average I'd say about half a tea spoon of nutmeg for each pound of meat. Add the sour cream and toss with egg noodles. It is so simple that it should not be as good as it is. This is old school and the best you will ever have. The thing that makes true stroganoff special is the mystique as in a flavor that you can't quite figure out. That comes from the nutmeg.

Since stroganoff is cream based due to the sour cream it is also awesome with chicken instead of beef.

 

[jaylach]

if you're a professional eater, maybe you should sign up for a Nathan's hot dog eating contest. Joey Chestnut ate 71 buns and weiners in 10 minutes Can you top that?

To be honest I would not want to top that! Heck, I very seldom do hotdogs anyway. Now brauts are a different thing especially if grilled wrapped in bacon!

 

[Lynnzer]

It really makes me wince when so many cooking programmes are hosted by Italians. It's as if the rest of the world hasn't a clue how to knock up a decent meal. Also the programmes such as those where people are stuffing the biggest burger, almost 2 storys high, into their mouth are just pure wack as far as I'm concerned. That's nothing to do with cooking. It has no real entertainment value either.
Myself? I love to cook things such as great Sunday lunches. I hate waste too. When I cook cauliflower for instance I use the stalk and leaves for a cooked vegetable. It;s lovely as a green. Same thing for broccoli. The stalks are superb when steamed. I'll try anything once though and my personal favourite is a ribeye steak done in the Ninja Airfryer.
That device is pure genius. It's so quick, uses way less energy and I've never had something that tasted better.

 

[I Like Rare Fish]

Baker here, but I do dabble in cooking. Burger with broccolini and mushrooms, and terriyaki grilled salmon. Since we’re sharing recipes, I’ve discovered the key to chocolate chip cookies! Butter. I use cold butter to butter the baking sheet, and I like to use butter and milk solids to make brown butter to add in with the chocolate chip cookie dough. Also a tablespoon of milk.

 

[I Like Rare Fish]

One of the hardest things to make successfully was strawberry boba. The dough is so sticky, and it is much different than traditional brown sugar boba. Another hard one was monkey bread. Delicious outcome, but tough to make. I also like to experimentally cook, and by that I mean I bake it normally the first time, tweak something the next, and then tweak a couple more things the third time. By that time I usually get bored of the food and switch.

My stand mixer has a pasta attachment to it. I recently got Semolina Flour in the mail, but it was infested with maggots, so I have to wait for another batch to be sent. I’ve made it before with a mix of white, whole wheat, and rye, and it turned it good. But although the pasta book says rye flour is good in pasta, I can assure you that there are many other flours better than rye flour to go in pasta! I made parmeggiano reggiano cream sauce with it. That was the most delicious pasta I’ve ever had!

 

[jaylach]

It really makes me wince when so many cooking programmes are hosted by Italians. It's as if the rest of the world hasn't a clue how to knock up a decent meal. Also the programmes such as those where people are stuffing the biggest burger, almost 2 storys high, into their mouth are just pure wack as far as I'm concerned. That's nothing to do with cooking. It has no real entertainment value either.
Myself? I love to cook things such as great Sunday lunches. I hate waste too. When I cook cauliflower for instance I use the stalk and leaves for a cooked vegetable. It;s lovely as a green. Same thing for broccoli. The stalks are superb when steamed. I'll try anything once though and my personal favourite is a ribeye steak done in the Ninja Airfryer.
That device is pure genius. It's so quick, uses way less energy and I've never had something that tasted better.

I'm not sure that I follow about cooking shows being prominent as to Italian. As to the food network shows I watch Italian chefs are a definite minority. The mainstays on the food network are Bobby Flay from the North East of the US doing mostly south west food and Guy Fieri who is from California. Chefs with Indian backgrounds also out number Italian chefs.

I've thought about getting a Ninja air frier but resist. I just don't see where I have a need. As a kitchen I am better equipped than some small restraints. I mean I have a stove top grill, a stand alone grill with a rotisserie, a 2 gallon crock pot, a meat slicer and other odds and ends. When I do food I'm more into the experience than just getting it done fast. When I do 2 gallons of sketti sauce in my crock pot I LOVE smelling it going for 2 days. I LOVE turkey but have only done breasts on my rotisserie for 9 years now.

To me cooking is not just something to do so one can eat. For me the cooking is part of the eating. I enjoy food in both cooking and eating. I also like to experiment with food. Put me in the right mood and this all means that I will experience something new. Sometimes my experiments end up down the toilet but, usually, they are pretty good.

 

[jaylach]

Baker here, but I do dabble in cooking. Burger with broccolini and mushrooms, and terriyaki grilled salmon. Since we’re sharing recipes, I’ve discovered the key to chocolate chip cookies! Butter. I use cold butter to butter the baking sheet, and I like to use butter and milk solids to make brown butter to add in with the chocolate chip cookie dough. Also a tablespoon of milk.
View attachment 167879View attachment 167882

The plates you show look wonderful! How far are you from Wyoming? I may make a trip for dinner.

 

[jaylach]

One of the hardest things to make successfully was strawberry boba. The dough is so sticky, and it is much different than traditional brown sugar boba. Another hard one was monkey bread. Delicious outcome, but tough to make. I also like to experimentally cook, and by that I mean I bake it normally the first time, tweak something the next, and then tweak a couple more things the third time. By that time I usually get bored of the food and switch.

My stand mixer has a pasta attachment to it. I recently got Semolina Flour in the mail, but it was infested with maggots, so I have to wait for another batch to be sent. I’ve made it before with a mix of white, whole wheat, and rye, and it turned it good. But although the pasta book says rye flour is good in pasta, I can assure you that there are many other flours better than rye flour to go in pasta! I made parmeggiano reggiano cream sauce with it. That was the most delicious pasta I’ve ever had!

I am shamed to admit that I have zero idea as to what boba even is.

As to bread I'm sure that you have done raisin bread. Some time try a more french bread mix Roll it out to a sheet before the final rise. Brush with butter with just a little bit of garlic. Spread crumbled breakfast sausage touched with a bit of maple syrup and roll it up. Do NOT use a loaf pan for a French mix. Just form it as you want and bake it on a cookie sheet. At this stage it is awesome but gets better. Take this French sausage loaf and slice to make French toast. Add just a touch of cyan pepper to the egg wash for the french toast along with a little bit of sage and basil. This is almost better than sex but don't serve with maple syrup. For a topping use either a blue berry or black berry compote with a dusting of powdered sugar. It is to die for!