# Cooking anything interesting? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 13, 2011, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cooking-anything-interesting/599585 "2011-10-13T23:45:34Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![papergirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/aca169/32.png) [@papergirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/papergirl)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2011, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cooking-anything-interesting/599585/1 "2011-10-13T23:45:34Z")
I’m not…but I have some turkey wings, leftover turkey, and noodles, so I think I’ll make turkey & noodles for the kids. I just bought a charcoal grill and made steaks on it last night. Tonight I used the leftover steak in stirfry…mmmm. Have two more steaks to deal with but will freeze them til next week. We went to a cabin last weekend and I promised myself I wouldn’t make anything too exciing until we finish all the hotdogs, casserole, chips, etc we had left. But it’s killing me, so maybe I can cook vicariously through Dopers who have more exciting things on the menu! ---
**Author:** ![Eva\_Luna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e495f1/32.png) [@Eva\_Luna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eva_Luna)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2011, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cooking-anything-interesting/599585/2 "2011-10-14T00:33:36Z")
I’m thinking of making a [plum-almond tart](http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Plum-Almond-Tart-15566?recipename=Plum-Almond%20Tart&saved_to_box=y) after dinner to take to a party tomorrow night. Otherwise we will never eat all these damn plums! ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2011, 1:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cooking-anything-interesting/599585/3 "2011-10-14T01:10:48Z")
Butternut squash soup with curry and anise, with ginger shrimp. Herb-parmesan bread. Awesome stuff. ---
**Author:** ![aruvqan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aruvqan/32/2891_2.png) [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2011, 1:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cooking-anything-interesting/599585/4 "2011-10-14T01:47:23Z")
Steamed [filets of sole](http://www.mycookinghut.com/2010/01/28/steamed-plaice-spinach-rolls/) with spinach and [ginger braised bok choy](http://www.donalskehan.com/2010/02/ginger-and-garlic-braised-bok-choy/). Though it is actually going to be tomorrow, not today. Haven’t decided in what to make for hubby and roomie for dessert though. I will probably have an apple or a pear. ---
**Author:** ![Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tapioca_Dextrin)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2011, 1:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cooking-anything-interesting/599585/5 "2011-10-14T01:53:58Z")
I’m cooking Indian food on Saturday. For ten people. In a strange kitchen. Should be an adventure. ---
**Author:** ![Drain\_Bead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e47774/32.png) [@Drain\_Bead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drain_Bead)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2011, 2:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cooking-anything-interesting/599585/6 "2011-10-14T02:07:20Z")
Made some pan-seared red snapper with chimichurri tonight. Oven-roasted green beans as a side. Thawing out bison short ribs for Saturday. Not sure what I’ll do with them yet. ---
**Author:** ![devilsknew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4da419/32.png) [@devilsknew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/devilsknew)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2011, 2:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cooking-anything-interesting/599585/7 "2011-10-14T02:08:02Z")
What should I do with all of these [early Fall, Harvest Moon, Indian Summer Tomatoes](http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v386/devilsnew/Frontgarden%2011/10-13-11_212937.jpg)? I have been drying the chiles out on the counter, mostly Thai Dragon, but some Cayennes. [Have a half filled cup](http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v386/devilsnew/Frontgarden%2011/10-13-11_213709.jpg) of dried chiles from the garden (maybe 2 ounces)…most of the chiles went into two jars of fresh pureed chiles, with four heads of garlic, some salt, and vinegar. Very, very hot, very flavorgul, deep and fruity… [I am down to the dregs](http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v386/devilsnew/Frontgarden%2011/10-13-11_213909-1.jpg), in maybe two months… probably less. ---
**Author:** ![devilsknew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4da419/32.png) [@devilsknew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/devilsknew)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2011, 2:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cooking-anything-interesting/599585/8 "2011-10-14T02:10:49Z")
Probably have twice as many green. ---
**Author:** ![Eva\_Luna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e495f1/32.png) [@Eva\_Luna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eva_Luna)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2011, 2:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cooking-anything-interesting/599585/9 "2011-10-14T02:19:52Z")
> [@Eva\_Luna](#): > > I’m thinking of making a [plum-almond tart](http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Plum-Almond-Tart-15566?recipename=Plum-Almond%20Tart&saved_to_box=y) after dinner to take to a party tomorrow night. Otherwise we will never eat all these damn plums! I don’t have red currant jelly, by the way, or anything similar - do you think I could just substitute honey? ---
**Author:** ![Dung\_Beetle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dung_beetle/32/7945_2.png) [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2011, 2:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cooking-anything-interesting/599585/10 "2011-10-14T14:04:18Z")
A couple of days ago I tried a new recipe: [Marrakesh Vegetable Curry](http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/marrakesh-vegetable-curry/detail.aspx). I followed it exactly except I subbed allspice for turmeric because we didn’t have any, and I accidentally doubled the cayenne. Except for being too damn spicy to eat, it turned out really good and in fact, I am still eating it. I just keep adding couscous. 🙂 The rest of the family likes it enough to keep the recipe, provided I do it right next time, and we aren’t even vegetarians. Highly recommended. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2011, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cooking-anything-interesting/599585/11 "2011-10-14T14:21:53Z")
As I mentioned in the Halloween forum, I’ve bought a big bag of Alden grapes and made two pies with them. I;ve been making concord grape pies every fall since I lived in upstate New York, and have wanted to make a pie using a different _Labrusca_ varietal for years. but it’s hard enough to find Concord grapes (there’s a very small temporal window of opportunity), and I’ve never seen buncjhes of other types – Niagara, Catawba, Diamond, Delaware – at supermarkets or farmstands. I found a vineyard that grew small amounts of other varieites, and have kept in touch, waiting for them to be ripe, but they pruned their delaware too far back, and rain and insects got their Niagara. Then they said that they had some Alden grapes. I’d never even heard of them, and had no idea if I could make a pie with them, so I took them. They were elicious by themselves, but harder to peel (you have to peel them and de-seed them, which is pretty labor-intensive). The pie came out an ugly color (Concord grapes give the entire filling their lovely purple color. Alden grapes are red-green, and the resulting filling had the color of some bodily fluid.), but it tasted Great. Very unlike concord. The second pie I made I reduced the sugar and other ingredients, and it came out looking and tasting better. I still have some in the fridge. ---
**Author:** ![drastic\_quench](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e36b37/32.png) [@drastic\_quench](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drastic_quench)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2011, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cooking-anything-interesting/599585/12 "2011-10-14T15:14:19Z")
Last night I made the cajun stuffed, smothered turkey recently shown on No Reservations. I used drum sticks. They’re not stuffed in the traditional sense, but you cut slices into the meat, and pack the cuts with cayenne and the holy trinity. Cook it on medium low heat in a cast iron for a few hours. Let it stick and caramelize frequently, and deglaze it with beer. I used two bottles of Hoptober over the course of 2 1/2 hours + a cup and a half of stock. I also kept tossing handfuls of the trinity into the mix. I finished it off with more herbs and spices to taste and some flour to thickening and roux it up. The brown sauce you end up with is amazing and powerful. Classic damn the rules poor people cooking. ---
**Author:** ![Walkabout](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/46a35a/32.png) [@Walkabout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walkabout)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2011, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cooking-anything-interesting/599585/13 "2011-10-14T15:35:36Z")
My husband is out of town for the week, so I’m taking advantage of that by cooking food that he doesn’t like. Last night it was lamb stew and tonight it is chicken chili. At some point I’ll probably be having something with curry and some Chinese food, but I haven’t figured out what yet. ---
**Author:** ![Athena](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/35a633/32.png) [@Athena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Athena)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2011, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cooking-anything-interesting/599585/14 "2011-10-14T15:57:34Z")
Not really cooking, but I’ve got a big pot of pork leaf lard rendering in the oven. I bought half a pig a week or so ago, and haven’t gotten any meat yet, but I’ve got the lard. My pies are going to be amazing this year. ---
**Author:** ![limegreen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/82dd89/32.png) [@limegreen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/limegreen)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2011, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cooking-anything-interesting/599585/15 "2011-10-14T17:28:56Z")
Big soft pretzels in my food science class. The interesting part is that my class has one severe Asberger’s student, two hyper ADHD boys, one blonde in every sense of the word, and one princess that is more interested in her makeup than her classes. My blood pressure goes up sixty points every time we do a lab. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Lovely\_Margo\_Lane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/34f0e0/32.png) [@The\_Lovely\_Margo\_Lane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Lovely_Margo_Lane)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2011, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cooking-anything-interesting/599585/16 "2011-10-14T17:40:53Z")
After I get my car picked up from the shop, I’ll swing by the grocery store for chicken stock and carrots to make [this modified coq au vin](http://reassignedtime.wordpress.com/2011/09/09/dr-crazys-fabulous-chicken/). I made it last month with a few further modifications of my own: added a bunch more veggies - mushrooms, potatoes and extra onions, upped the stock and wine for more sauce to go with the veggies and used reisling instead of pinot noir since I really dislike red wine. Also added more herbs from the garden- thyme and sage when it got popped in the oven and chopped parsley to finish it. I am pretty excited about trying it again. I should also write it down how I do it, as I’ve had bad experiences losing blog-posted recipes. I’ll probably do kale and polenta too, just like the blogger recommends cause I have a ton of kale in the garden and I can pick up the cornmeal when I’m at the store, too. Last night I made up the penultimate portion of the bag of beet gnocchi I made back in June when the spring beets were cheap. Boiled them up right out of the freezer, then sauteed in sage butter. I need to pick up a few butternut squashes and spend a few hours making a big batch of squash gnocchi to last the winter. Also had a massive veggie roast - 2 cookie sheets worth of broccoli, cauliflower, sweet and white potatoes, onions, bell peppers with rosemary, chives, hot pepper, olive oil and parsley. That was a good dinner for a rainy night. Probably going to bake up some of the leftovers of that with eggs for lunch tomorrow. ---
**Author:** ![Push\_You\_Down](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/push_you_down/32/9095_2.png) [@Push\_You\_Down](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Push_You_Down)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2011, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cooking-anything-interesting/599585/17 "2011-10-14T22:29:36Z")
Making mini-caramel apples tonight for my wife’s yarn party. Wanted to make a cranberry mince pie but probably will not have time. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2011, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cooking-anything-interesting/599585/18 "2011-10-14T23:04:55Z")
Not really interesting but I made a big pot of beef stew in the slow cooker today. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2011, 11:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cooking-anything-interesting/599585/19 "2011-10-14T23:07:15Z")
> [@Push\_You\_Down](#): > > Making mini-caramel apples tonight for my wife’s yarn party. What’s a mini-caramel apple? How do you make them smaller than regular caramel apples? ---
**Author:** ![papergirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/aca169/32.png) [@papergirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/papergirl)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2011, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cooking-anything-interesting/599585/20 "2011-10-14T23:14:04Z")
A yarn party! I want to go to a yarn party!! And beef stew sounds really good to me. Tonight I’m all by myself so I had a hotdog with saurkraut, garlic lime micro popcorn, a lot of booose and am watching a scary movie! [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cooking-anything-interesting/599585.md?page=2)