Cooking

[Pat Germain]

Does it have something to do with yeast in the beer? Interesting!

There is also a lot of yeast in the dough which I do think contributes to a umami flavor. The beer does add flavor as well as leavening. Of course, the type of beer you use has an affect. I good pilsner works really well. I sometimes also use an amber.

You can find this particular recipe on Brian Langerstrom's page. He also has a YouTube video for this "One Hour Pizza". If you've never made it before, it will take more than an hour. After you get the hang of it, you really can get a pizza in one hour.

[Pat Germain]

I’m looking for a chicken recipe for soup. Bought a whole chicken, but lost the recipe off YouTube..

If I have time will try and make butter steak and potatoes

I really like Brian Langerstrom's recipes and videos. Pretty sure he has multiple chicken soup recipes.

[George Yetka]

I do most but not all.

Every week we have
1 pasta meal(usually with a meat in there for protein and salad on the side)
1 baked chicken meal with rice and cooked veggie(every 5th or 6th week this will be breaded and fried)
1 taco night(mix up the meat)
1 takeout
1 fend for yourself night each I take kids out when its my turn. SO goes easy mac and cheese/ chicken nuggets
other 2 nights are always a surprise. extra chicken night, soup night, chili, Steaks. But never repetitive

[Maurice Mcmurry]

Time is running out on Pie day. We had one so far, homemade pizza. I might fold over a piece of bread with jam inside and grill it to keep the celebration going.

[Paul F Franklin]

While I was retired and Mary was still working, I did almost all the cooking. Now that Mary is also retired, she has mostly taken over (unless the smoker or grill are involved) and we are eating very well indeed. We have always (regardless of cook) tended to cook 2 or 3 times a week and enjoy leftovers the remaining days. Often Mary will cook two days in a row and then we will alternate leftovers for 3 or 4 days. Mary makes wonderful rye bread or wheat bread at least once a week. We had braised chuck roast a few days ago that was amazing. After having that twice we shredded the remaining beef and added spicy BBQ sauce and had that over sliced home made rolls for a couple more days. We use a similar strategy with lamb, making a whole boneless or bone-in leg, having that for a couple of days, and then using some to make lamb biryani while freezing the rest for future use.

One of my long time favorites is paprika chicken (not to be confused with chicken paprikas, another favorite). It's a skillet dish with bone-in chicken thighs and rice that has amazing flavor. Last week, Mary made lasagna with home made lasagna noodles and tomato sauce (tomatoes were from the garden) and it was the best I've ever had. As for pizza, Grandma pizza has become our go-to with home made dough.

We don't eat out nearly as much as we did when we were both working. Now it's mostly for special occasions or sometimes Sunday breakfast.

[Bruce Wrenn]

Been cooking most of my life. When I was a kid, both parents worked. Mother would leave me a menu of what to fix for dinner. When they got home at 6:25 PM, dinner was on the table. As an adult still cook most of the meals. especially if it's something going to a pot luck. Last week for a dinner at church, fixed both Potato Soup, and Brunswick Stew. Yesterday fixed a huge pot of Red Beans and Rice to share with family and friends. Today, made a Carrot Cake for sharing with friends tomorrow night while enjoying friend birthday. Get up almost every Saturday morning and make biscuits. Use my food processor to make pie crusts, biscuit dough and pizza dough. FYI, if you need a lot rice, cook it in the oven. Ratio of water to rice is five parts water to three parts rice. Most of our proteins (meats) are bought on sale. On Wednesday morning look at ads and see if there is something that fits our needs on sale, and plan meals accordingly. My recommended web site for recipes is "Collard Valley Cooks."

[Patty Hann]

Does it have something to do with yeast in the beer? Interesting!

Yes it does... look up recipes for "Beer Bread" . Quick and easy to make (as long as you have beer handy )

[Patty Hann]

I still make a lot of soup: Green Pea (Not Split pea as I don't have a ham bone handy)
Black bean and Corn
Vegetable (using box of Vegetable Stock and frozen vegetables and canned garbanzo beans and red beans)
Tomato (using canned tomatoes and box vegetable or chicken stock).
Sometimes (rarely, really) I'll make french onion soup, but it takes a long time to cook the onions to properly carmelize them.

I also make a lot of oatmeal (regular oats not quick cook) at one time and then portion it and freeze it.

I make the "crisp" used as the topping of fruit crisps (Flour, rolled oats, brown sugar, butter and cinnamon) make several cups of it, portion it and freeze it. Then it's ready for when I bake any kind of fruit.
Baking fruit usually takes less that 40 minutes, and you don't have to take the time to make the topping.

I also make my own hot cocoa mix. This is mainly because all the store bought mixes (and for the record Swiss Miss is my favorite) are made out of "Coffee creamer" and a boatload of unidentifiable ingredients.
I use the Nido dry milk, generic cocoa powder, sugar, and corn starch. I make enough dry mix to fill a gallon glass storage jar. You can use just hot water when ready to make a mug, but I usually do half water and half milk; the milk gives it a little more "body."

I oven roast a medley of vegetables (whatever is available) several times a week: Broccoli, onion, carrots, Brussell sprouts, asparagus,Sweet potato medallions, sometimes add some mushrooms, then drizzle with basalmic dressing while still hot.

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Use the whole chicken this time, but I'll suggest you buy boneless/skinless thighs for soups and stews as they are easy to cut up and brown and they also carry a "ton" of flavor. That's what I used in the stew pictured above yesterday. I rarely buy the "white meat" unless I'm going to roast a whole chicken. (which I typically spatchcock for that, too)

I tried spatchcocking chicken for the grill this summer for the first time. It amazed how much easier it made getting the chicken done completely all at the same time! Thats become my favorite method of preparing chicken for the grill!

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Yes it does... look up recipes for "Beer Bread" . Quick and easy to make (as long as you have beer handy )

I learned about beer bread with my FIL and 20 other guys opening a Boy Scout/Explorer camp in Canada 40+ years ago. I fixed it for my family but they couldn't get past knowing there was "beer" in it. I am a beer drinker and my wife detests beer! Visiting a friend/coworker in Christchurch, NZ in 2008, he did convert me to Scotch ales so unless we have friends or neighbors coming over that I know like a particular brand of beer, I have not bought a common commercial beer in years. I drink primarily a locally brewed Scotch ale.

[Patty Hann]

I learned about beer bread with my FIL and 20 other guys opening a Boy Scout/Explorer camp in Canada 40+ years ago. I fixed it for my family but they couldn't get past knowing there was "beer" in it. I am a beer drinker and my wife detests beer! Visiting a friend/coworker in Christchurch, NZ in 2008, he did convert me to Scotch ales so unless we have friends or neighbors coming over that I know like a particular brand of beer, I have not bought a common commercial beer in years. I drink primarily a locally brewed Scotch ale.

Yep... I was eating beer bread long before I was old enough to drink it legally. Learned how to make it from a Polish lady.

[George Yetka]

Forgot to mention anytime its over 40 degrees the grill/smoker runs at least once a week

[Rod Sheridan]

You might want to give homemade pizza dough a try. I use either an Italian OO flour found in some grocery stores or an organic 00 flour from central milling (shipping is a killer).

In my 550 deg home oven i first pre bake the dough for 2 min before adding sauce and toppings then cook for about 7min ymmv.

Sounds great Mike, you should make yourself a wood fired pizza oven, 60 seconds to cook a pizza to perfection.

I’m too lazy for that so I have a pizza oven that goes over a gas BBQ, 3 minutes to perfection

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Pizza made from homemade dough is fantastic

Regards, Rod

[Pat Germain]

My cousin has a massive, wood pizza oven in his back yard. It takes six hours to get it up to temp. Then it will stay hot for days.

There are many new, propane pizza ovens on the market. I'm looking to get one this spring. Wood pizza ovens are way cool, but I don't think the 60 seconds it takes to cook a pizza makes that much of a difference in taste.

[Jim Becker]

I tried spatchcocking chicken for the grill this summer for the first time. It amazed how much easier it made getting the chicken done completely all at the same time! Thats become my favorite method of preparing chicken for the grill!

Yea, it's a game changer for an even cook and works equally well in the oven as on the grill. Easy to do with a proper set of kitchen shears, too.