Cook Something You Have Never Made and Report Back

[saveinla]

Sept 20, 2012 14:08:24 GMT -5 Apple said:

Wow, I wanted to try home-made tortillas too, but maybe not

I wonder if GF flour would work, but I'm too cheap to try

The Whole wheat flour is much easier to work with for tortillas.

[swamp]

why would anyone make tortillas when you can buy them for next to nothing?

It's like making your own pasta. What's the point?

[Loopdilou]

I've never had a problem with flour and I definitely don't roll for 10 minutes.. maybe just knead longer initially? And don't go for burrito sized.

[Chocolate Lover]

Sept 17, 2012 0:30:09 GMT -5 Apple said:

I made the crack.ers, they came out really good. The first sheet full was a little thick, the second sheet full got a little dark on the bottom. They were still good I think I need to look into getting a silicon cookie sheet, or else bake them at a little lower heat (my oven acts weird sometimes, I just have to adjust things).

How about using a cookie press? My aunt makes cheese straws, same basic idea but she uses the star shaped dealy to make long lines that will break apart when they're cooked into smaller pieces. As long as they're cooked long enough and not taken out early, they're always crisp.

Here's a link with a picture of how they come out looking:

atripdownsouth.blogspot.com/2009/12/southern-staple-cheese-straws.html

[NomoreDramaQ1015]

why would anyone make tortillas when you can buy them for next to nothing?

I'm a masochist?

For those of you that have better luck making flour tortillas from scratch how do you do it?

[Apple]

Sept 20, 2012 14:26:26 GMT -5 Chocolate Lover said:

Sept 17, 2012 0:30:09 GMT -5 Apple said:

I made the crack.ers, they came out really good. The first sheet full was a little thick, the second sheet full got a little dark on the bottom. They were still good I think I need to look into getting a silicon cookie sheet, or else bake them at a little lower heat (my oven acts weird sometimes, I just have to adjust things).

How about using a cookie press? My aunt makes cheese straws, same basic idea but she uses the star shaped dealy to make long lines that will break apart when they're cooked into smaller pieces. As long as they're cooked long enough and not taken out early, they're always crisp.

Here's a link with a picture of how they come out looking:

atripdownsouth.blogspot.com/2009/12/southern-staple-cheese-straws.html

Oh, those look good! I was thinking I can try my pizza stone (but worried they won't get crispy enough), or I could do something as easy as moving the rack up a level (that was my "duh" moment today when I was thinking of making more). I was going to see if I could find a cheap pizza cutter so I didn't have to cut them out with a knife, but this looks easier still.

[Deleted]

Sept 20, 2012 14:20:28 GMT -5 swamp said:

why would anyone make tortillas when you can buy them for next to nothing?

It's like making your own pasta. What's the point?

Because it's fun and a challenge! That's why.

[Deleted]

I did try corn tortillas once and they didn't turn out so well either.

[Deleted]

Sept 20, 2012 14:11:06 GMT -5 swamp said:

Last night I made macaroni and tomatoes. My gramma used to make it all the time. Super simple, but I've never thought about doing it.

I canned tomatoes from the garden, used a quart with a half pound of macaroni.

Now see swamp, i don't understand canning. I have never canned anything. Just seems like a lot of time and investment and i am a lousy gardener too. But, it is something i might try later down the road when i have more time to really garden.

[Deleted]

Sept 19, 2012 8:33:34 GMT -5 @shooby said:

I need to make some good Hoagie sauce. When i was a kid, a local pizza shop made hoagies with a really good sauce. I searched the internet and really can't find anything.

So what is this hoagie sauce you were talking about, anyway?

[swamp]

Sept 21, 2012 8:28:21 GMT -5 @shooby said:

Sept 20, 2012 14:11:06 GMT -5 swamp said:

Last night I made macaroni and tomatoes. My gramma used to make it all the time. Super simple, but I've never thought about doing it.

I canned tomatoes from the garden, used a quart with a half pound of macaroni.

Now see swamp, i don't understand canning. I have never canned anything. Just seems like a lot of time and investment and i am a lousy gardener too. But, it is something i might try later down the road when i have more time to really garden.

I have organic tomatoes with no added chemicals and preservatives all year 'round to use for chili and sauces. The sauces also taste so much better.

I don't particularly like to garden, but DH does. He needs a hobby.

And canning tomatoes is really easy. Most of the time is the time spent boiling the jars, which we do outside on the burner on the grill, so it's not like we have to watch it. If it explodes, it's outside, who cares?

[mmhmm]

For rolling tortillas, you need a very heavy rolling pin to do it right. A marble one will do fine. Always let your dough rest for about 20 minutes before you roll it out. Another trick, taught me by a Mexican friend, is to use bacon grease instead of shortening. Real Mexican tortillas are made with lard. They're not hard to make if you have the right tools.

[NoNamePerson]

Sept 21, 2012 8:28:21 GMT -5 @shooby said:

Sept 20, 2012 14:11:06 GMT -5 swamp said:

Last night I made macaroni and tomatoes. My gramma used to make it all the time. Super simple, but I've never thought about doing it.

I canned tomatoes from the garden, used a quart with a half pound of macaroni.

Now see swamp, i don't understand canning. I have never canned anything. Just seems like a lot of time and investment and i am a lousy gardener too. But, it is something i might try later down the road when i have more time to really garden.

I've never canned either. I love to garden but figured I would die of botulism if I started canning stuff I'm dangerous boiling water

[Apple]

The ones on the left were a little thick, so I made them thinner, but then I over-did them a little. I'm going to try again today if I have time.

[Apple]

I'm going to make chicken broth! I can't believe I've never made it before, guess I just didn't have the motivation.

[chiver78]

funny you bump this tonight, I bought cheez-its last night for the first time in eons.....and I'm waiting for chicken stock to cool so I can put it in the fridge overnight.

[Apple]

Lol, that is kinda funny.
I forgot to pick up celery on the way home from the store last night, so I'll have to wait til tomorrow to make the broth. I'll probably freeze it in muffin pans then put them all in a bag or container together.

[Deleted]

I am an adventerous cook.....I get bored very easily with food and have to try new things. It drives some people in my family nuts because they suck.

Since moving to Italy I have learned to cook mussels, clams, rabbit,...all things I had never cooked in the states.

This week I have several dishes planned that I have never made before. They aren't super adventerous, but they are new for my kitchen.

[Deleted]

Strong work Apple! Those look great!

[Deleted]

Here is a tip i learned this week. When making cupcakes, instead of using the cupcake pan/tin, we used a larger muffin tin and put the regular cupcake papers in them and oiled the inside upper 1/3. Then we filled the papers about 3/4 so the cupcakes would rise over the paper. Seems so simple but makes a much nicer cupcake and holds the edges versus a regular cupcake tin that overflows and spreads and is harder to remove from the pan without breaking the tops.

[Apple]

I made chicken and dumplings for the first time this week (using the homemade chicken broth) and it was GOOD. No pics, just envision a messy dish of thick "gravy" with chicken, potatoes, veggies and big dumplings (really big they swelled up more than I expected). I'm going to have to keep trying new stuff.

[Deleted]

OK, DD and i made a marble cake for DS 2's 15th Bday. We made homemade peanut butter icing. It is kind of disgustingly sweet. How do you make frosting less sweet and intense. Obviously the recipe had a lot of powered sugar. And, then DD decorated the cake with sprinkles and so forth. I will let you know how it tastes after dinner.

[mmhmm]

Try mixing some cream cheese in with the icing, shooby. I've also heard you can cut the sweetness by substituting cornstarch for some of your powdered sugar, but I've not tried it myself.

[Deleted]

Yes, cream cheese is a good idea and yummy!

[Apple]

Well, today I made homemade "larabars" with dates I got at the farmer's market Saturday.

chocolatecoveredkatie.com/2011/08/12/hot-fudge-brownie-larabars/

Mine look just like them, except I rolled them into balls. They are actually pretty good

I followed the recipe except... I used pecans and a few peanuts (thought I had walnuts in the freezer, but didn't see them) and added a few chocolate chips. Then I figured "why not" and threw in some shredded, unsweetened coconut in them. Dates are loaded with natural sugar, so even with all the cocoa they were plenty sweet.

[Deleted]

Sounds yummy!

[Apple]

I made homemade au gratin potatoes last night, no recipe, just made it up how I thought they should go (made a roux (sp?) with flour and butter, added milk, butter, and then put lots of different shredded cheeses on the sliced potatoes). They would have turned out perfect, except I used the wrong kind of potatoes (I used yukon gold instead of russet--they don't soften up as well). I decided to try cooking them for another 20 minutes to half an hour to soften them up, but then we lost power for 2 and a half hours They were good, the potatoes were just a little too firm. I would have put them on the grill to cook them more that way, but I used up the last of the propane last weekend *sigh*

[Deleted]

OK. I made Cornish Hens yesterday. My kids were thrilled to have a "personal mini chicken". They were a big hit. With mashed potatoes, gravy and stuffing of course!

[Apple]

Nov 5, 2012 6:43:52 GMT -5 @shooby said:

OK. I made Cornish Hens yesterday. My kids were thrilled to have a "personal mini chicken". They were a big hit. With mashed potatoes, gravy and stuffing of course!

I've never made those, but they always looked kind of fun

I made hamburger chowder and some bread sticks with corn last night, turned out yummy. That will become a winter staple I'm sure.

[Deleted]

Hamburger chowder? Never heard of that. I will have to dig out some cookbooks and try something new. You should try the hens. I roasted them for about an hour or so to about 190 and i always use a meat thermometer.