The TRF Cookbook

[Greg Furtman]

My wife made this bread today. Oh my, how tasty! Thanks, Greg!!

@BEC Glad you like it. It's one of my favorite breads.

 

[Funkworks]

I can make toast. If anyone wants toast, let me know and I'll ship some over.

 

[NateB]

I can make toast. If anyone wants toast, let me know and I'll ship some over.

Cooking is a lot like building a rocket. If you can follow well established directions, you will have good results. Some directions are better than others. I highly recommend the America's Test Kitchen and their other brands. They explain the why behind the recipes which helps you make substitutions and make your own down the road. The editor of seriouseats.com used to be one of their writers and follows the same style.

----

Tonight, we had Dinosaur chicken nuggets with chips and vegetables, blueberries for dessert. Recipe was on the bag.

 

[jsdemar]

Cooking is a lot like building a rocket.

Cooking, especially baking, is more like making propellant. But you get to lick the spoon. ;-)

 

[Greg Furtman]

Cooking, especially baking, is more like making propellant. But you get to lick the spoon. ;-)

 

[kuririn]

I highly recommend the America's Test Kitchen and their other brands.

+1. Used to enjoy watching their weekly shows on PBS.

 

[Onebadhawk]

Cooking is a lot like building a rocket. If you can follow well established directions, you will have good results. Some directions are better than others. I highly recommend the America's Test Kitchen and their other brands. They explain the why behind the recipes which helps you make substitutions and make your own down the road. The editor of seriouseats.com used to be one of their writers and follows the same style.

----

Tonight, we had Dinosaur chicken nuggets with chips and vegetables, blueberries for dessert. Recipe was on the bag.

Ohh mann,,
You guy's are killin me..
Everything looks just fantastic..

Yes, I also use "Americas Test Kitchen" or "Cooks Country"..
I have found their recipes are the best.
They go to extraordinary lengths to tweak the recipes they print..
I just made a batch of babybacks on the smoker yesterday..
Came out smokin..
Get it..
"Smokin"..

Aww,, forget it..

Teddy

 

[prfesser]

Cooking is a lot like building a rocket. If you can follow well established directions, you will have good results. Some directions are better than others. I highly recommend the America's Test Kitchen and their other brands. They explain the why behind the recipes which helps you make substitutions and make your own down the road. The editor of seriouseats.com used to be one of their writers and follows the same style.

FWIW the American Test Kitchen's shows and cookbooks are great...but be exceedingly careful when ordering from their online site. I ordered their big cookbook several years ago, fantastic price...until I started getting additional books---and was billed for them. Sending "approvals" without the recipient's request is illegal; there may have been some small print somewhere on my order that allowed them to send the other books.

FWIW I never paid 'em. Anything sent through USPS that you did not specifically request is (supposed to be) yours to keep, by law.

Best -- Terry

 

[Cl(VII)]

This one is a little closer to healthy, if you don’t look at the coconut milk label too closely. My wife loves squash, me not so much, but I’ll eat almost anything if it is curried (Curried goat is amazing incidentally). The squash goes in with about 10-12 min left. You will need to adjust the salt at the end due to the squash. Serve on rice.

 

[NateB]

Curried chicken sounds good. I made a thai style red curry with beef, broccoli, and peppers a few nights ago.

1 tablespoon oil
2 tablespoons red curry paste
1 clove minced garlic
About 1/2 tsp grated ginger
Red pepper flakes
Protein of choice, I had sirloin sliced into thin strips. Flank steak is good, shrimp is good too.
1 bell pepper cut into strips. I like orange or red best
1 package of frozen broccoli florets, or a fresh head cut up.
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 tablespoon fish sauce
1 or 2 cans of coconut milk depending on how soupy you want the curry.
Juice from a lime
Small handful of cilantro or thai basil.


1. Heat the oil over medium. Add the curry paste, garlic, red pepper flakes, and ginger. When you can smell the spices, add the peppers and beef. Cook and stir just until the beef is browned.

2. Add the coconut milk, lime juice, brown sugar, and broccoli, simmer until the beef is done. Stir in the thai basil or cilantro and serve over rice. Depending on how soft or crunchy you want the broccoli, or if it is fresh instead of frozen you may want to hold off until the last 10 minutes to add it.

 

[Cl(VII)]

TABLITAS!

This isn’t really a recipe as much as an endorsement of a particular form of meat candy. Tablitas are thin (~1/4” thick) cross cut beef rib that can be found at the finest (cheapest) Mexican meat markets (locally I prefer La Michoacana) Usually they come in either marinated or not, I prefer to buy the marinated. You cook them hot and fast on the grill, and serve them with rice, refried beans, pico, grilled jalapenos and onions, and any other Mex or TexMex thing you like.

This is my family’s go to celebration food. We helped some friends move today (because that was less risky than hiring movers), so this is the celebration of their new house.

 

[prfesser]

"Surely you don't cook your lasagna noodles first?!?"
"Yes I do, and don't call me Shirley!"

Easy Lasagna
8 lasagna noodles, uncooked
1 jar spaghetti sauce (or more). Cheap runny sauce is great for this!
16 oz. carton cottage cheese
Basil and oregano (opt)
1 egg
8 oz. mozzarella or provolone cheese, shredded
Cooked ground beef and/or Italian sausage (optional)

Beat egg, blend in the cottage cheese, adding a little basil and/or oregano if desired. Spray 6x10” pan (can use 8" square pan, just break the noodles as needed to fit) with Pam, or lightly rub with oil. Add enough sauce to the pan to coat the bottom completely. (Mix remaining sauce with beef/sausage.) Top with two noodles. Spread about 1/3 of the cheese mixture on the noodles. Top with about a cup of sauce. Repeat noodles, cheese, and sauce. Cover with a sheet of parchment paper, then tightly with foil and bake at 325° for 90 minutes; a bit longer doesn't hurt at all. Remove foil, top with mozzarella, return to oven for 15 minutes or until cheese is melted and slightly browned. Let stand 10 min. before serving. Can be cut into serving sizes and frozen.

Water from cheap runny sauce is absorbed by the noodles, giving a nice final texture. The so-called "oven ready" lasagna noodles are not necessary. Any noodles will do. The local dollar store has cheap noodles that work just fine.

Guys, dirty up a few bowls, pans, other cooking utensils while it's baking. Spray water on face if you're not sweating already. Wife comes home, "Look honey, I made lasagna! Took a lot of work but nothin's too good for my gal!" Open bottle of wine/beer/dirty brown liquor. Enjoy nighttime activity.

You're welcome.

 

[tsmmiller]

"Surely you don't cook your lasagna noodles first?!?"
"Yes I do, and don't call me Shirley!"

Easy Lasagna
8 lasagna noodles, uncooked
1 jar spaghetti sauce (or more). Cheap runny sauce is great for this!
16 oz. carton cottage cheese
Basil and oregano (opt)
1 egg
8 oz. mozzarella or provolone cheese, shredded
Cooked ground beef and/or Italian sausage (optional)

Beat egg, blend in the cottage cheese, adding a little basil and/or oregano if desired. Spray 6x10” pan (can use 8" square pan, just break the noodles as needed to fit) with Pam, or lightly rub with oil. Add enough sauce to the pan to coat the bottom completely. (Mix remaining sauce with beef/sausage.) Top with two noodles. Spread about 1/3 of the cheese mixture on the noodles. Top with about a cup of sauce. Repeat noodles, cheese, and sauce. Cover with a sheet of parchment paper, then tightly with foil and bake at 325° for 90 minutes; a bit longer doesn't hurt at all. Remove foil, top with mozzarella, return to oven for 15 minutes or until cheese is melted and slightly browned. Let stand 10 min. before serving. Can be cut into serving sizes and frozen.

Water from cheap runny sauce is absorbed by the noodles, giving a nice final texture. The so-called "oven ready" lasagna noodles are not necessary. Any noodles will do. The local dollar store has cheap noodles that work just fine.

Guys, dirty up a few bowls, pans, other cooking utensils while it's baking. Spray water on face if you're not sweating already. Wife comes home, "Look honey, I made lasagna! Took a lot of work but nothin's too good for my gal!" Open bottle of wine/beer/dirty brown liquor. Enjoy nighttime activity.

You're welcome.

Holy cow! Any time I make lasagna it is a three day ordeal!
First I have to get my BIG pot out. I chop all the ingredients for the sauce while the beef is browning. Once the tomato sauce is ready I combine with the beef and simmer on very low heat for hours and hours.
While this is simmering I grate all of my cheeses and mix them by hand. Anywhere from 3 to 7 different cheeses.
after the 2nd day I let the sauce begin to cool, once it is luke warm assembly starts. Fresh noodles, all put together into disposable aluminum pans. Usually I make 4 to 5 pans. Reason is they freeze really well, and make great “what to cook tonight” dinners. If I go to all the trouble to make it 100% scratch, and as I mentioned a 3 day ordeal, I make lots of it!

 

[PatD]

Tried a bunch of rubs over the years, like this one for ribs. Made a batch yesterday, rubbed a rack of St Louis style ribs and refrigerated overnight.
Magic Dust
1/2 cup paprika
1/4 cup kosher salt
1/4 cup sugar (can use brown if you like)
2 tablespoons mustard powder
1/4 cup chili powder
1/4 cup cumin
2 T fresh ground pepper
1/4 cup granulated garlic
2 T cayenne pepper
Mix well, store in airtight container.

Weather is finally nice so I broke out Old Crusty, the smoker. I use the 3-2-1 method. Three hours smoking, 2 hours crutched (Texas crutch, wrap the ribs tightly with foil or paper and add 1/4 cup apple juice) then 1 hour open and smoked again. All at 225 F. I usually cut the 2 hours crutched short. I don't like ribs fall off the bone, like a little tug required.
Serve with your favorite sides and sauce on the side. Anyway here they are.

 

[NateB]

Those ribs look great.

 

[Cl(VII)]

Those ribs look great.

 

[PatD]

Those ribs look great.

Those ribs look great.

Thanks guys! Pretty tasty if I do say so myself.

 

[NateB]

Stupid Simple Grilled Fajitas

Optional marinade -
2 tablespoons oil
Shot of tequila
1 cup pineapple juice (from a can of pineapple)
1/4 cup lime juice
4 cloves of garlic, grated on a microplane grater
Big pinch of salt and brown sugar

Stir together, marinate the steak for 1-2 hours. If you skip the marinade, the steak will be a little tougher. Just season it with garlic salt and lime juice before grilling. It will still be good.


Cheap, thin steak
Assorted vegetables
Onions and bell peppers pictured; poblanos, beefsteak tomatoes, zucchini, and yellow squash all grill up nicely and would be excellent additions.

Light the grill and clean the grates good.

Grill the steak and veggies. The onions will probably take the longest. The thin steak won't take long to get to medium and I wouldn't go past that.

Chop the veggies

Slice the steak against the grain. I cut mine up even smaller to make it easier for my son to eat.

Serve in a bowl or with warmed tortillas.

Good toppings are avocado, cilantro, and cojita cheese.

If sweet corn is in season, take the chance to make elotes as a side.

 

[Cl(VII)]

The Coney Dogs got me craving my favorite hot dog, The Banh Mi Dog!

Banh Mi relish:
Grate Carrot and Diakon radish (about 2:1) about 2 cups total
1 cup water
1/2 cup rice vinegar
3/4 cup sugar
- mix all and let in fridge at least 24h
- drain well before serving

Sriracha Mayo
just mix Siracha sauce and mayo to your preferred heat

To serve: brioche or potato buns with fresh jalapeño slices, grilled dog (I prefer Nathan’s bun length, skinless beef franks), banh mi relish and sriracha mayo.

*serve mayo and banh mi relish cold.

Makes a great mix of sweet, spicy, hot and cold.

 

[Cl(VII)]

I grilled a steak today! Woops, wrong thread, and not a steak. I grilled a pork tenderloin today.

This one is easy, and great if you cook to temp of 145 F, and let it rest before slicing. I do direct heat To start, and then finish indirect. The best part is you strain the marinade, and turn it into the gravy...so easy. I like IPA for the beer, but really whatever you like. Below is the little one of the two.

 

[NateB]

I smoked some ribs yesterday. Nothing fancy, just Meatheads Memphis Dust rub, charcoal briquettes and cherry wood, smoked at 225 for 7 hours. Last glaze of your favorite Kansas City style sauce for the last 30 minutes. If you need a good recipe for this weekend, you won't go wrong with this one. Even if you have never smoked meats before, just follow the instructions.

 

[prfesser]

Strawberry Freezer Jam

This is far easier to make than cooked jam. No sterilizing, no boiling water bath, no pressure cooker, no special jars or special lids (we use empty peanut butter jars). Tastes like fresh strawberries even after a year in the freezer--which is the only downside, it must be stored in the freezer until ready to use. Lasts for a month or more in the fridge once thawed (only theoretically; at our house it gets et in a couple weeks at most).

Most of the jam/jelly recipes say that you should NOT DOUBLE THE RECIPE! We didn't feel like doing six or seven batches, so this is our double-batch recipe that's worked well for us. (For a single batch use 2 c puree, 4 c sugar, 2 T lemon juice, 1 pkg pectin, and 3/4 c water.)

4 cups strawberry puree
8 cups sugar (1760 grams)
3 Tbsp lemon juice
2 1/2 pkg Jel-Ease, Sure-Jel, or other powdered pectin (1/2 pkg is 25 grams)
1 1/4 cups water

Wash, hull, and process enough strawberries to make 4 cups of puree (we like ours pureed but if you like it a little chunky, that works too).
In a large bowl mix puree, lemon juice, and sugar, stirring for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, in a small saucepan add pectin to water; it will be lumpy at first but don't worry, it gets smooth as it's heated. Stir it continuously as you bring it to a full rolling boil that cannot be stirred down. Boil hard for two minutes. Add the pectin mixture to the strawberry mixture and stir for three minutes. Pour into clean containers and top with lids. Allow to stand at room temperature, without disturbing, for 24 hours, then freeze. Makes about 6-7 pints.

 

[PXR5]

I can grill me some jalapenos

 

[John Kemker]

Swedish Cinnamon Knot Buns
Got this one in an email today. Looks delish! I'll report after I've tried it.

 

[NateB]

I wanted to smoke some pork butt today to portion out pulled pork for work this weekend and some for the freezer for a rainy day. Unfortunately, the grocery I went to was out of that cut this morning. I was tempted by a whole packer brisket in the cooler, but it was a little pricey. I ended up with a chuck roast and smoked it like I would a brisket point.

Rub was simple:

1-2 parts kosher Salt depending on your taste
1 part Pepper
1 part espresso ground coffee
.5 part Onion powder
.5 part Garlic powder

( I often use this SPOG base and add something else to it now and then for a slightly different flavor)

Use my rub or your own. I don't like any sugar on a beef rub and usually make it a little spicier.

Sprinkle the rub on all sides of the meat and let it rest for an hour.

Meanwhile, get your smoker set up with Cherry wood at 225 degrees. I used a Weber kettle with charcoal and Cherry chunks and a small stainless steel baffle that keeps the flame away from the meat.

Now you wait. The target temperature to slice it is 180, try 202 if you want to pull it.

While it was smoking, I worked on some rocket projects, went for a bike ride with my son, and listened to a 2 hour video meeting for work. I had to reload the charcoal twice. I use the wood for smoke early into the cook and don't reload it. A little smoke is delicious, too much is very bad.

I wish I could tell you how long this will take, but the hunk of meat is on it's own timeline. I planned for 6 hours, it took 9.

 

[Rob702Martinez]

I'll just leave this here...

 

[prfesser]

I'll just leave this here...

Rob, you should be arrested. Indecent Exposure (of a Perfect Rib Roast) and Attempt to Use a Weapon of Mass Salivation. Drool and slobber everywhere!


Best -- Terry

 

[Rob702Martinez]

Here is what it was made with.

Stuffed with roasted garlic.

Completly Covered in a butter pack about 1/2 thick all around. Butter pack contains...a lot of stuff. Use it to baste along the way.

14 sticks of salted butter softened.
Lots of-
Fresh
Chopped Basil
Chopped Thyme
Chopped Oregano
Chopped Sage
Chopped Rosemary
Chopped garlic
Repeat above with dried/powdered too
Onion powder
Garlic powder
Ginger powder
Sea salt
Black pepper
Red pepper flake
Chinese 5 spice- couple dashes
Smoked paprika
Brown sugar

Put a tin tray under it to capture drippings. Fill it halfway with water. In the last couple of hours add chopped mushrooms and dump the rest of the roasted garlic into the tray. Use it as a sauce/topping etc. when finished.

Smoke over a mix of cherry/hickory/mesquite for 6 hours or so until temp reached inside of around 136 deg. Smoker at 210-240. Helps to have high heat for the first hour.

I was just 'winging this recipe when I made it.

 

[jqavins]

Cooking, especially baking, is more like making propellant. But you get to lick the spoon. ;-)

Baking is like making propellant I'll buy. Cooking allows a lot more freedom. With both you can vary from baseline recipes once you understand how they work, but baking and propellants require a lot of experience and deep understanding, where rockets and cooking are comparatively very easy to fool around with. Not even all baking is that finicky; bread is deceptively easy if you're looking for something good and mostly like it was last time (not demanding exactly the same over and over).

You cook them hot and fast on the grill, and serve them with rice, refried beans, pico, grilled jalapenos and onions, and any other Mex or TexMex thing you like.
View attachment 413918

I'd serve those with a skewer. Just a skewer. Period.

OK, here's one. I like a little heat on a steak, at least some of the time, but most of the hot rubs I've tried cover the "beefiness" with heat and/or salt. So I made up my own.

1 empty spice bottle with shaker lid, washed and dried
5 tsp ground black pepper
1 tsp salt
1 tsp ground cayenne pepper
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp tsp ground cumin
1 tsp onion powder

Mix the ingredients thoroughly and place them in the spice bottle. Sprinkle to taste on steak either before or after cooking, but I prefer before.

Because there's not a lot of salt and the heat comes mostly from the black pepper, only assisted by the cayenne, the beefiness is enhanced rather than covered.

More recipes to come.

 

[Cl(VII)]

Just finished up steakhouse at home dinner...no pictures as the feeding frenzy was real. Made the standards: creamed spinach, steamed broccoli, baked potatoes/sweet potatoes, salads, and grilled New York Strips. The difference this time is instead of sherry mushrooms for the steak topper I made Sherry Peppercorn Cream Sauce...life changed forever.

Used this recipe as is except Sherry for the booze...cook times are longer than she reports, but product is unreal: https://www.recipetineats.com/peppercorn-sauce/