What are you doing today?

[Fishmanic]

I think most of my students still like me...but a lot of them don't like recorders. I should really figure out an alternative. Highland bagpipes, anyone?

Maybe they'd prefer to play kazoos?

 

[davros]

jaw harp(s) would be fun....

 

[WhistlingBadger]

Maybe they'd prefer to play kazoos?

We've done that! But only for special occasions.

 

[JuiceBox52]

Ah my beautiful aotearoa

 

[Fishyfreeonz]

Ah my beautiful aotearoa View attachment 328579

Wow! That is beautiful!

 

[jaylach]

Kind of starting a list of foods I used to REALLY like that I haven't made in years.

One is called city chicken. At least that is what it is/was called back in Ohio where I grew up. It is cubes of pork boneless short ribs on a skewer and then egg washed and breaded just like country fried steak and fried in oil. It is awesome!

Another is strawberry short cake except I want to try it with a mix of raspberry and blackberry which I like much more than strawberry.

As a side note many won't believe it but some things we think of as vegetables are actually berries such as tomatoes, eggplant and cucumbers.

Mayhaps even get back into baking bread. I used to make bread all the time but haven't since the late 1980s.

Another is real tapioca pudding from scratch. By scratch I mean folding in egg whites and all that. Totally different than the pre done packages you can get.

Another is an Italian meatloaf that is like a meatball in loaf form. Used to make it and slice and do like chicken parmigiana to go with pasta. I wish I could find the recipe for that again. It was in a really old Betty Crocker cookbook and uses milk and rolled oats as the filler instead of crackers or bread crumbs. I remember the spices well enough but can't remember the amounts of oats and milk. As a note to those that make meatloaf and/or meatballs and find them a bit on the dry side don't just use ground beef. I use 2/3 ground beef 80/20 and 1/3 ground pork. Some also add veal. Another mistake is over mixing which causes the toughness. Always mix by hand and only until things are mixed, don't over work it.

Another is banana bread. There is a trick to this also. You need to leave the bananas out until the skins are mostly black. The 'meat' of the banana is still fine but broken down to allow the natural sugars to form.

The last I'll mention is a whole turkey done right. My mom was an awesome cook as were both my grandmothers. I learned this from them but haven't done in many years. Story as I have heard it was that this method started during World War 1 when you had to be pretty wealthy to be able to get aluminum foil which was invented in 1910. Actually I figure that it probably started much earlier before foil was even invented. You use a towel instead of the foil. Ya, I know that sounds strange but it works. You get a towel large enough to cover the bird with the corners reaching the bottom of the roasting pan. In a large pan melt a bunch of butter mixed with all the spices you want such as sage, rosemary, basil and tarragon. Soak the towel in the butter mix and use to cover the turkey and pour the rest of the butter mix in the roasting pan covering the corners of the towel. The towel acts like a candle wick sucking up the butter and turkey juices self basting the bird constantly. Sounds off the wall but REALLY works. My mom and grannies were old school enough that they started turkey stuffing by putting sheets of sliced bread in the oven to dry. The only juicer turkey breast I've had is when I do a breast, not a whole turkey, on my indoor rotisserie.

So that is what I spent some time doing today..... figuring out ways to drastically increase my cholesterol.

 

[davros]

We prefer doing turkey in a covered pan with fluids on the bottom, add some mushroom soup and our gravy is half way there. We drag out our bread maker every couple of years and make a few loaves, fun in small doses I guess...

 

[Essjay]

Maybe I can talk water keeping

Don't forget that General Chat, where this thread is, is for anything except fish keeping

 

[Rocky998]

Don't forget that General Chat, where this thread is, is for anything except fish keeping

Yeah, when we want a break from fish keeping, but still want to talk to fishy people, we come here

 

[WhistlingBadger]

We prefer doing turkey in a covered pan with fluids on the bottom, add some mushroom soup and our gravy is half way there. We drag out our bread maker every couple of years and make a few loaves, fun in small doses I guess...

We do ours in oven bags. They work reasonably well; perhaps not quite as well as the old basting method, but a whole lot less work. I'm intrigued by @jaylach's towel method, though.

For gravy we just use the juices that collect in the bottom of the pan. Bring it to a boil in a saucepan, whisk in about 1 tablespoon cornstarch or arrowroot per cup of broth (mix it 1:1 with cold water first), salt to taste, and dig in!

 

[10 Tanks]

Don't forget that General Chat, where this thread is, is for anything except fish keeping

Thanks for the response. Actually, fish keeping is what I do most of the time. So, that's my field. The rest is a sideline and I don't believe there would be much of an interest in that stuff, except for me personally.

10 Tanks (Now more)

 

[jaylach]

We do ours in oven bags. They work reasonably well; perhaps not quite as well as the old basting method, but a whole lot less work. I'm intrigued by @jaylach's towel method, though.

For gravy we just use the juices that collect in the bottom of the pan. Bring it to a boil in a saucepan, whisk in about 1 tablespoon cornstarch or arrowroot per cup of broth (mix it 1:1 with cold water first), salt to taste, and dig in!

If you ever try a towel just don't use something like a bath towel. You want a thin dish type towel.

 

[jaylach]

Hey @WhistlingBadger , as to your gravy method have you ever tried doing a roux? If not they are really easy. just equal amounts of flour and butter in a skillet on medium to medium low heat until the flour cooks out and starts to brown, stir it around often (really any fat, but butter is the most common) . The reason you cook it for a while is to remove the 'raw' taste of the flour. When the roux is browned just add pan drippings. Does pretty much the same thing as corn starch but gives a richer result. Even better if a little wine is added but that makes the cooking time longer as you have to let wine 'cook out' for a while or it will leave an acidic taste.

As a note using a roux can be a little tricky until you get used to it as it becomes a thickening agent. It takes a little practice to learn how 'wet' to have a gravy (or many other sauces) when you add the other liquids to the roux.

As to a roasted turkey gravy it is a case where I would not use all butter for the roux. I would use half butter and half turkey fat from the roasting pan. Make a pad of paper towels and lay on the remaining pan drippings to remove some of the fat. Use the rest of the drippings to form the actual gravy. Don't be afraid to scrape and use some solids left in the roasting pan.

 

[10 Tanks]

Hello. Thursdays are my weekly trip to the chiropractor. I've never been a real fan of medical doctors, so the chiropractor is my "go to" doctor. Now, if I was to break a bone, I'd go to the doctor. But, at my age, 70 years old, the doctor would find something that would require a medication. Of course, medications have side affects. But, the medical doctor will have a remedy for that in the form of another medication. So, no thank you to medical doctors. I'm very happy with my chiropractor. He's excellent and will never prescribe a medication other than a natural supplement. I firmly believe I'm healthier if I don't go to a medical doctor. Some will disagree and that's fine with me. Go ahead and take your prescriptions, I'll pass.

10 Tanks (Now more)

 

[simonas]

Today I am off to the prison to see a client. It is pouring down with rain, plasterers are in my house doing hall stairs and landing and before I leave for prison I am keeping my 2 dogs in the kitchen who want to go and see the plasterers.
Nightmare