USCHO Cooks: Open Your Mystery Basket.

[Spartanforlife4]

Re: USCHO Cooks: Open Your Mystery Basket.

Has anyone found anything that doesn't work with scrambled eggs?

I've tried buffalo chicken scrambled eggs.
I've tried BBQ pork scrambled eggs.
I've tried jalapeno scrambled eggs.
Earlier this week I even threw in some chili powder and cumin for a little spicy kick, and it was still great.

Think I might try to put together some chicken chili soon, or maybe a gumbo.

 

[bigblue_dl]

Re: USCHO Cooks: Open Your Mystery Basket.

Has anyone found anything that doesn't work with scrambled eggs?

I've tried buffalo chicken scrambled eggs.
I've tried BBQ pork scrambled eggs.
I've tried jalapeno scrambled eggs.
Earlier this week I even threw in some chili powder and cumin for a little spicy kick, and it was still great.

Think I might try to put together some chicken chili soon, or maybe a gumbo.

Jellybean Tequila Haggis Scrambled Eggs aren't very tasty.

 

[St. Clown]

Re: USCHO Cooks: Open Your Mystery Basket.

Has anyone found anything that doesn't work with scrambled eggs?

I've tried buffalo chicken scrambled eggs.
I've tried BBQ pork scrambled eggs.
I've tried jalapeno scrambled eggs.
Earlier this week I even threw in some chili powder and cumin for a little spicy kick, and it was still great.

Think I might try to put together some chicken chili soon, or maybe a gumbo.

Cucumbers and broccoli. Those two are my biggest failures in scrambled egg experiments thus far. Actually, cooked cucumbers are pretty much all around horrible, they're much better sliced and raw.

 

[bigblue_dl]

Re: USCHO Cooks: Open Your Mystery Basket.

Cucumbers and broccoli. Those two are my biggest failures in scrambled egg experiments thus far. Actually, cooked cucumbers are pretty much all around horrible, they're much better sliced and raw.

The only way cucumbers are even edible are if they're pickled. Gross.

 

[jen]

Re: USCHO Cooks: Open Your Mystery Basket.

4 days at Zingerman's was kind of a lot. I took the Savory Bake-cation class and we made: grissini, cheese palmiers, wood-fired NY pizza, ham and cheese croissants, potato dill bread, parmesan pepper bread, cheddar herb scones, bacon pecan sandies, maple apple bacon doughnuts, gazpacho, ravioli, gougeres, cornish pasties, spinach knish, quiche Lorraine, Indian strudel, garlic seed crackers, and hamburger buns. I was a little disappointed we did not make langos. It was very fun; we got to try a lot of different techniques and a few things I'd never attempted before. My favorite, taste-wise, was probably the bacon pecan sandies. My favorite, process-wise, was the strudel. You have to stretch the dough out to the size of the table.

 

[goldy_331]

Yeah, that's not t far; I'm in Farmington. I'll have to look into it. I forget that there's civilization to the SE. Normally I just think of what's out that direction as farm fields that eventually become Paint Thinner Nation.

There isn't civilization out there. Just Greg's in a field. Greg's has some great stuff.

 

[wolverineTrumpet]

Re: USCHO Cooks: Open Your Mystery Basket.

4 days at Zingerman's was kind of a lot. I took the Savory Bake-cation class and we made: grissini, cheese palmiers, wood-fired NY pizza, ham and cheese croissants, potato dill bread, parmesan pepper bread, cheddar herb scones, bacon pecan sandies, maple apple bacon doughnuts, gazpacho, ravioli, gougeres, cornish pasties, spinach knish, quiche Lorraine, Indian strudel, garlic seed crackers, and hamburger buns. I was a little disappointed we did not make langos. It was very fun; we got to try a lot of different techniques and a few things I'd never attempted before. My favorite, taste-wise, was probably the bacon pecan sandies. My favorite, process-wise, was the strudel. You have to stretch the dough out to the size of the table.

Sounds like fun though. How were the pasties and knish? I think the savory pies (pasties, knish, empanadas) is the next class I want to take there.

 

[bigblue_dl]

Re: USCHO Cooks: Open Your Mystery Basket.

Got the new smoker. Going to use it next weekend to smoke a brisket.

My tentative plan is:

Friday night - Apply a dry rub (haven't decided on a specific rub recipe yet, but I am leaning towards something fairly simple), then wrap the brisket up in aluminum foil and let it rest overnight.

Saturday morning - Start smoking, at 225 degrees F, with hickory chips. Smoke the brisket for 3 hours, with mopping every 45 minutes (0:45, 1:30, 2:15). The mop is going to be a combination of butter and Shiner Bock, with possibly a few other ingredients.
Remove brisket from smoker, place in aluminum pan, pour a bottle of Shiner over it, then cover tightly with foil. Cook for 2 hours.
Remove brisket from smoker, pan, and put back in the smoker for 2 more hours with 1 mopping, after 1 hour.

Slice and eat the thing!

I have an electronic meat thermometer, to monitor internal temperatures. My goal is to get it to 185-190 degrees, and keep it there.

edit: The mop sauce is going to be 1 bottle of Shiner Bock, 1 cup of Apple Cider Vinegar, 1 stick of butter, half of an onion diced finely, paprika, sea salt, black pepper, mus**** powder, 3 cloves of garlic diced finely. I'll leave it to meld overnight, without the butter, and add the butter the next morning.

 

[ericredaxe]

Re: USCHO Cooks: Open Your Mystery Basket.

Cucumbers and broccoli. Those two are my biggest failures in scrambled egg experiments thus far. Actually, cooked cucumbers are pretty much all around horrible, they're much better sliced and raw.

Broccoli works well in an omelette or scrambled eggs. I can't imagine cucumbers would be good.

Is there a food items less versatile than cucumbers? Sliced raw or pickles. Any other viable options for them?

 

[XYZ]

mus**** powder

That's awesome.

 

[leswp1]

Re: USCHO Cooks: Open Your Mystery Basket.

this t*** thing is a hoot

 

[jen]

Re: USCHO Cooks: Open Your Mystery Basket.

Sounds like fun though. How were the pasties and knish? I think the savory pies (pasties, knish, empanadas) is the next class I want to take there.

it was a lot of fun. had a good group, too. pasties and knish were great; knish was probably my second favorite thing to eat (and fun to make). the pasty crust was very flaky and delicious, and also fun to make.

and re, your rep: that'd be great, thanks the email link on the board should work

there was one lady in my class that has taken like 160 classes if I lived closer, I might be close to that mark.

 

[jen]

Re: USCHO Cooks: Open Your Mystery Basket.

Have to turn in my entries for State Fair this weekend. They are:

Maple breakfast cookies (with coffee, maple syrup, wild blueberries, oats, bacon and cinnamon chips)
Gingerbread pound cake with hot buttered rum cream cheese glaze
Chocolate-cream cheese mixed berry pie (with a cream cheese pastry crust)

Not that happy with the cookies, but I'm pretty satisfied with the pound cake and pie.

 

[XYZ]

Re: USCHO Cooks: Open Your Mystery Basket.

Have to turn in my entries for State Fair this weekend. They are:

Maple breakfast cookies (with coffee, maple syrup, wild blueberries, oats, bacon and cinnamon chips)
Gingerbread pound cake with hot buttered rum cream cheese glaze
Chocolate-cream cheese mixed berry pie (with a cream cheese pastry crust)

Not that happy with the cookies, but I'm pretty satisfied with the pound cake and pie.

Are you making them the night before? Some of the maniacs who enter things stay up all night and make everything at the last second. Especially true with the baking entries.

 

[jen]

Re: USCHO Cooks: Open Your Mystery Basket.

Are you making them the night before? Some of the maniacs who enter things stay up all night and make everything at the last second. Especially true with the baking entries.

I am, but I have two separate days to turn things in. Making pie crust tonight, then cookies and pie tomorrow. That gets turned in on Friday. Pound cake gets turned in on Sunday.

 

[Gurtholfin]

Re: USCHO Cooks: Open Your Mystery Basket.

Fish tacos...

Mahi with Old Bay, S & P and Blackened seasonoing.

Flour torts with ranchero sauce... add the fish... some shredded lettuce and chopped tropical fruit (mango, papaya & pineapple).

Serve with a side of cucumber salad - cucumber seeded & chopped with garlic, lime juice and chopped garden salsa pepper.

For beverage... rum and Coke.


What a great dinner that was.

 

[jen]

Re: USCHO Cooks: Open Your Mystery Basket.

Just got Bouchon Bakery and Momofuku Milk Bar cookbooks from Amazon. Can't wait to try some new stuff. And it's time to start planning my annual family get-together.

 

[bigblue_dl]

Re: USCHO Cooks: Open Your Mystery Basket.

The brisket was a success. I am going to try to keep the heat a little lower next time, for a bit in the middle it got a little too warm, and I didn't get the temp back in control fast enough. So it ended up cooking a little too fast, so I think it could have been a little more tender, even though it wasn't bad as it was, and it stayed very juicy. I don't know if there is much I could do to improve the flavor though, excellent penetration from the smoke, giving it the good hickory smoke flavor, and the mop and rub were great.

 

[jen]

Re: USCHO Cooks: Open Your Mystery Basket.

My State Fair experience is done. meh. I didn't place in the first 2 categories, and I don't know the results of the last one yet. I wasn't happy with my cookies, and the winners that beat my pie looked REALLY good. I ended up re-making my pound cake because the first one sank in the middle (second one was fine).

I think I was on the lower end of how seriously I took the contest, so probably would not do State Fair again. I like baking to be fun, and this was not all that fun. I'd rather find something that looks good or fun/challenging to make, and try it - not spend endless hours tweaking the same recipe over and over before a deadline where it feels like a chore.

 

[St. Clown]

Re: USCHO Cooks: Open Your Mystery Basket.

My State Fair experience is done. meh. I didn't place in the first 2 categories, and I don't know the results of the last one yet. I wasn't happy with my cookies, and the winners that beat my pie looked REALLY good. I ended up re-making my pound cake because the first one sank in the middle (second one was fine).

I think I was on the lower end of how seriously I took the contest, so probably would not do State Fair again. I like baking to be fun, and this was not all that fun. I'd rather find something that looks good or fun/challenging to make, and try it - not spend endless hours tweaking the same recipe over and over before a deadline where it feels like a chore.

There used to be an old woman, Marjorie Johnson, that used to enter the MN state fair for a whole slew of baking and cooking categories. She had won so many categories so often that a local company started selling her preserves, putting her name and face on the labels. She's been on a number of those lady gossip shows as the guest chef, and even Leno's show a time a two. There's some money in winning these competitions.

She even has a site to buy her recipe books: http://www.blueribbonbaking.com/