USCHO Cooks: Are you our Top Chef?

[Kepler]

Re: USCHO Cooks: Are you our Top Chef?

My family doesn't want me, so I invited my chosen family.

This time of year makes me incredibly sad. I wish the people I am related to would invite me over just once.

Birth families can suck, that's why we build our own. While it does suck you have it in your power to make the pain stop by surrounding yourself with good people. Sometimes the people you are accidentally related to are terrible. OK, but don't let them hurt you for one second after you learn to set your boundaries. After that, it's on you.

Hateful people harm us most by living in our heads. There's a whole huge world of kind, smart people out here who know who you are, Amber. Those other as-sholes can go suck it.

[MissThundercat]

Re: USCHO Cooks: Are you our Top Chef?

My family doesn't want me, so I invited my chosen family.

This time of year makes me incredibly sad. I wish the people I am related to would invite me over just once.

[leswp1]

Re: USCHO Cooks: Are you our Top Chef?

Roasted turkey #1
baked the squash
chopped various ingredients for the stuffing and sauteed them in prep for putting them together
roasted the sweet potatoes for the casserole
made brownies
Tables have the cloths on serving dishes and various casserole dishes are out and labeled
Everything is ins readiness. Usually I do everthing starting tomorrow but tomorrow I need to go do something else (pray for me, I may kill someone) so I will be insane on Wednesday

[MissThundercat]

Re: USCHO Cooks: Are you our Top Chef?

Busy couple of days in mel’s kitchen coming up.

Pumpkin bread with streusel topping and maple glaze has been baked.
Pumpkin pie filling is chilling in my fridge, awaiting Wednesday, when I’ll bake it.
Trying to decide whether I should make a bourbon maple whipped cream in addition to traditional whipped cream for the pie.
Several dips will be put together to be put in crock pots on Saturday for football.
Smoked chicken yesterday for one of those dips (buffalo chicken).
Wild rice soup (Byerly’s recipe) to be made, and turkey added after Thursday.
Chocolate chip cookies will be made, as well, as an alternative to pie.

All’s good in my hood.

Sounds real good.

[melmac]

Re: USCHO Cooks: Are you our Top Chef?

Busy couple of days in mel’s kitchen coming up.

Pumpkin bread with streusel topping and maple glaze has been baked.
Pumpkin pie filling is chilling in my fridge, awaiting Wednesday, when I’ll bake it.
Trying to decide whether I should make a bourbon maple whipped cream in addition to traditional whipped cream for the pie.
Several dips will be put together to be put in crock pots on Saturday for football.
Smoked chicken yesterday for one of those dips (buffalo chicken).
Wild rice soup (Byerly’s recipe) to be made, and turkey added after Thursday.
Chocolate chip cookies will be made, as well, as an alternative to pie.

All’s good in my hood.

[MissThundercat]

Re: USCHO Cooks: Are you our Top Chef?

Nope. Just a temp probe for my smoking setup. Careful control on the gas knob.

Instant reads are great.

Also, in terms of a smoking set up, I'd love to have one. Along with at least two ovens. But I live in an apartment right now, and they won't let me have a grill or anything like that. One more reason to get rich, I suppose.

[dxmnkd316]

Re: USCHO Cooks: Are you our Top Chef?

190? Sous vide?

Nope. Just a temp probe for my smoking setup. Careful control on the gas knob.

Instant reads are great.

[MissThundercat]

Re: USCHO Cooks: Are you our Top Chef?

Ok, couple things on eggs. We went 6.5 minutes at 190 and ice bathed them. Peeled way easier. Forgot to post that last week.


We also froze the excess stock with some of the pork shoulder at the bottom of each jar. It’s going to make an amazing no cook meal some time this winter.

190? Sous vide?

[dxmnkd316]

Re: USCHO Cooks: Are you our Top Chef?

Ok, couple things on eggs. We went 6.5 minutes at 190 and ice bathed them. Peeled way easier. Forgot to post that last week.


We also froze the excess stock with some of the pork shoulder at the bottom of each jar. It’s going to make an amazing no cook meal some time this winter.

[MissThundercat]

Re: USCHO Cooks: Are you our Top Chef?

Growing up, my mom used canned sweet potatoes, I think butter and brown sugar, and topped it with marshmallows. The thought of that now turns my stomach.

If we don’t make AB’s recipe, I’ll just add a little butter and salt to my sweet potato now.

I do that, plus pumpkin pie spice.

[melmac]

Re: USCHO Cooks: Are you our Top Chef?

The idea of marshmallows just grossed me out in a dish like this

Growing up, my mom used canned sweet potatoes, I think butter and brown sugar, and topped it with marshmallows. The thought of that now turns my stomach.

If we don’t make AB’s recipe, I’ll just add a little butter and salt to my sweet potato now.

[hockeymom of 2]

[QUOTE=dxmnkd316;6867434]Thanks! We didn’t use the ice bath. We’ll have to do that.

The yolks shockingly stayed together despite the whites looking like they went through a snowblower.

We did 6 minutes at 190 F. I think I would go like 15-30 seconds longer.


I put week old eggs in an aluminum sauce pan, cover with water and turn on the stove. Set the timer for 14 minutes. As soon as the timer goes off, immediately put the eggs in an ice bath. I never have any trouble peeling them

[leswp1]

Re: USCHO Cooks: Are you our Top Chef?

Does anybody have a recipe for a sweet potato casserole that isn’t candied up the wazoo? I saw one on allrecipes.com that uses a bacon topper rather than marshmallows and that intrigued me, but thought there might be some better ideas here. Thanks.

I use the one from Cooking Light. It is rich but not horribly so. You can make it ahead and then reheat or assemble it and bake it the day of. I almost always put it together on Tuesday and keep it in the fridge.
1/4 cup of sugar instead of 3/4c
Microwave (if short of time) or roast the potatoes rather than boil them then you don't have to peel them- let them cool enough to squish them out
Usually double the topping recipe.
I never broil it like they say at the end and no one cares.
I also use a slightly smaller casserole dish than what they say. One of the Corning flat oval ones.

https://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/sweet-potato-casserole

[dxmnkd316]

Re: USCHO Cooks: Are you our Top Chef?

It’s not a casserole, but we’re fans of Alton Brown’s sweet potatoes. He uses chipotles for a savory mash. I can’t eat the super sweet marshmallow topped mess anymore.

The idea of marshmallows just grossed me out in a dish like this

[MissThundercat]

Re: USCHO Cooks: Are you our Top Chef?

Lose the mint and come to my house!

She has good ideas. Over at my apartment, I'm doing....

Peanut butter cups
Gingersnaps- right now, cookies, but may spin into a muffin if I feel like it.
Molasses spice muffins and cookies
Peanut butter dark chocolate cookies
Chocolate espresso chip cookies
Chocolate covered espresso beans
Marbled dark chocolate and peanut butter bread (I love the combination of PB and dark chocolate)
Pumpkin cranberry pecan bread/muffins
Plain pumpkin bread
Double chocolate crunchy peanut butter bread (my favorite, and an original creation)
Dessert pizza with homemade dough
Fresh brioche loaf
Nutella marbled bread
Chocolate cake with chocolate bourbon ganache and packed with chocolate chips

And more, because Miss Thundercat is in the mood to dance and party and eat.