Do you cook? What are some notable things you cooked and what were the results?

[littleteapot]

My best?  To entertain, probably Paella; my favorite, Thai red curry (also the easiest); my husband's fav, chicken soup.

Thai red curry (also the easiest) sounds great--recipe?

Thai Curry

Basic Ingredients:
   
- 1 can coconut milk,
- one can baby corn,
- Thai Red Curry Paste (my husband likes the smokey one, I like the hot one...but if you use      the hot paste, go light until you find the heat level you like) 
- Fish Sauce (or sea salt for a substitute), 
- 1/4 cup thin sliced green peppers, about an inch in length.
 
What ever veggies you like...I like mushrooms, broccoli, maybe green beans...you don't need a lot...it should be more like a sauce with ingredients than like a thick stew.

You can also add meat (about 1 lb. cooked.)  I like boneless pork loin or chicken breast. (I usually  slice the meat into thin strips and sauté in coconut oil, but you can use pre cooked meat, like rotisserie chicken) If I make it with pork, I  add a can of chunk pineapple.

Directions:  1.  sauté meat

                  2.  add coconut milk

                  3.  add fish sauce (or salt) and curry paste to taste (about 1 - 2 tablespoons), stirring well (I also add garlic  powder,  just because I like it!  lol

                  4.   drain corn and add, together with other (fresh) veggies and pineapple (add the pineapple juice, too).   If  you go for the hot Thai paste beware...for some reason it  seems to concentrate a lot of the heat in the pineapple.

                  5.  cook on low for about 20 minutes, or until the meat is completely cooked.

                  6.  serve with rice (I like jasmine or basmati).

Sorry for the freestyle recipe...I hope you can follow it.  lol.  I don't have a recipe, was taught how to make it by a Thai friend's (chef) brother.  It really is an easy thing to make, is mostly from cans, and uses just one pot or skillet.  Really, if you have coconut milk, veggies and curry paste you can make a curry.  It is like chicken soup...no matter what you put into it, or leave out of it, you can't ruin it. 
               

I always start with garlic and ginger in the frying pan, add curry paste and coconut milk and then add the meat and veggies after a few minutes. Makes it more flavorful IMO. Also if a you saute it for a bit and throw it in the slow cooker for 3-4 hours it will be delicious. I've also only made Thai Green curry tho and indian curries - not sure if you're just supposed to make red curry differently.

[RockinRyA]

Im a Pastry Chef by profession, however I enjoy the "read and react" of cooking savory foods rather than the "set plays" of baking. I specialized in breadmaking, and the most notable thing I did was when there were orders for Sta. Lucia buns, pretty neat considering its cost and the volume (3000 pcs). I enjoy making dinner rolls (small ball) rather than loaves (big) due to the faster pace. Even through down season and when I have day offs, I usually bake & cook random things at home, never hurts to practice and sharpen our skills (we talkin' bout practice?!)

[KeepRondo]

My girlfriend has gotten really busy in the last year so I've become a ridiculous cook by default.  My mom was an excellent cook which helped, too.

I typically do the following:

I get 1-2 fish entrees and 1-2 meat entrees a week.  Every other week or so I'll get a whole chicken or a roast for our slow cooker.  I also get vegetables that are good as stand alone sides but can also fit in along with other meals.

The entrees are typically salmon, mahi mahi, black cod, pork chops, chicken breast (bone in skin on), lamb chops or something like that.  Usually no steaks, as they are played out.  Depending on how much time I have, I'll either do something fancy or I'll just sear it on the stovetop.  Vegetables are usually asparagus, potatoes, butternut squash, egg plant, shi****o peppers, peas, okra, etc.

So for salmon, if I'm busy, I can just come home, put it on a plate, then cut a lemon in half and squeeze one of the halves onto the salmon.  I usually puncture the meat with a fork.  Then I'll walk the dog while that sits.  When I come back, I'll throw a random marinade together (usually something like olive oil, white wine vinegar, soy sauce, a pinch of Worcestershire sauce and some salt and pepper) and let that sit while I prep the vegetables.  Throw that on the stove top at a low/medium heat for 15 minutes and it's good to go.

If I have more time, I can make more elaborate marinades or on the weekend if I have a ton of time, I can use every dish in the house and make stuff like this: http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Braised-Lamb-Shanks-Wrapped-in-Eggplant-107589

It takes forever but it's so good.  Basically, just have the groceries to be flexible.  Once you get a system down, you can use leftovers to make fried rice or you can make fancy stuff.  It doesn't cost any more or less.

Oh and wow, my favorite pepper is censored here.

looks like eggplant wrapped around a spoon of lamb stew. I'll have to try this. You got any other favs?

[Quetzalcoatl]

I always start with garlic and ginger in the frying pan, add curry paste and coconut milk and then add the meat and veggies after a few minutes. Makes it more flavorful IMO. Also if a you saute it for a bit and throw it in the slow cooker for 3-4 hours it will be delicious. I've also only made Thai Green curry tho and indian curries - not sure if you're just supposed to make red curry differently.

I usually saute the meat on a different pan in some garlic and olive oil, then put it in the curry with like 8 minutes left or so.

I think the big difference with red curry is that you use red curry paste.  Everything else is basically the same.  Also, you tend to use less coconut milk

[csfansince60s]

TP, eja, fun thread.

I make this decadent, rich thing that I started making in college for my roommates (40+ years ago) and their girlfriends and now make it once a year on Christmas Eve when we have the 7 fishes. I got the recipe from a now defunct but iconic Middle Eastern restaurant in Lawrence, MA called Bishop's.

It's baked stuffed lobster with walnut, shrimp and scallop stuffing. (They used to stuff the lobster with lobster, but my twist was adding the shrimp and scallops for variety.)

[Redz]

I make a pretty mean scampi.

Mostly do grilling unless utilitarian stuff.

[thirstyboots18]

I am not sure about the ginger in spicy curry...will have to try it.  To me, curry is an acquired taste.  At first the only flavor I got was the heat...but as I got addicted the other nuances came through.  I also think that the favors come through more the second day...the trick being to manage to have leftovers.

I haven't tried Indian curry or green curry.

[Eja117]

I keep a spreadsheet and I've done these things with various levels of success


Osterich on rice
hot dogs
hamburgers on George Foreman grill and outdoor grill and pan
Pasta (with meat)
Salmon
chicken tenderloins
Pineapple chicken
Stuffed squash
Mexican pizzas
tacos?
the occasional steak type thing
Cube steak
grilled/marinated chicken…not great
Pineapple cube steak and regular steak on the grill with texas toast but it wasn't great
pizza
breakfast sandwiches
scrambled eggs
omlettes
grilled tuna
grilled swordfish
lamburgers
venison burgers
brisket
pork chops on the grill….didn't come out great
pulled pork
egg filled baked avacado
pho
egg nog croissant french toast
no bean meat chili
Steak cordon bleu
baked tuna
fruit kababs
duck
hummus coated chicken tenderloin
accidental chinese chicken tenderloin
fritata
beef borginuion aka burgundy

[KeepRondo]

I'm not as god as my wife, but not bad. She thinks the best thing I made was steak cordon blue. I think it might have been the egg nog croissant french toast.

I never seen anyone make steak cordon on blue but I do make it with chicken.

If you're feeling lazy, here's an easy way to make it. It's the deconstructed version.

Ingredients -

Boneless chicken breasts cut into thin slices
Bread crumbs
Eggs
Brie cheese
Thinly cut prosciutto
Salt and pepper

I prefer to cook with a cast iron pan to get a better crisp.

I also have an electric stove top which is annoying so I have to give it some time to make sure the pan is hot enough. Either way, I always feel this is the most important step. Always make sure the pan has enough time to heat up to your desired heat level.

Anyways, easy recipe here.

Scramble the eggs in one bowl and place bread crumbs in another.
Salt and pepper the chicken.
Oil the pan and put a little butter in the pan. Once the butter starts turning brown -

Dip the chicken in the egg and then the bread crumbs. Pan fry til crispy. Be patient and flip them after they had time to crisp. The breadcrumbs will absorb the oil so may need to replenish with more while cooking.

After you pull them off the stove top, put them in a baking pan. The oven should be set at 400.

Place the brie cheese on the top of the chicken. Put in the oven for 12-14 mins at 400.

After you take it out, place the thinly cut prosciutto on the top.

This meal is all about the cheese. Make sure you get the good brie cheese.

[littleteapot]

pho

Did you like making Pho? How did it turn out? How did you make it?

[slamtheking]

I am not sure about the ginger in spicy curry...will have to try it.  To me, curry is an acquired taste.  At first the only flavor I got was the heat...but as I got addicted the other nuances came through.  I also think that the favors come through more the second day...the trick being to manage to have leftovers.

I haven't tried Indian curry or green curry.

Highly recommend green curry (or red) if you have a good Thai restaurant in your area.  should try it there first before trying to make it (IMO) to see if it's something you care for.  Personally I love it.  doesn't taste nearly as good when I've made it at home

[Donoghus]

Solid thread topic.  My dad owns a restaurant so I grew up around it.  Ended up working in the kitchen during the latter part of high school and during college when I was home on breaks.   Also worked at a seafood restaurant down on the Cape the summer after I graduated college before embarking in the world of accounting that fall.  Definitely enjoy cooking.  To me, it can be a soothing experience and I find it relaxing for the most part (I know many do not).  Also extremely rewarding at the end, especially if you're entertaining guests.

Love cooking seafood in the summer if I'm back east on the Cape.   Love grilling and trying new marinades for steak & chicken.  This time of year, I love trying new crockpot recipes or doing various roasts in the oven whether its beef, poultry, or pork.  Personally, I love working with pork.  You can do so many things with it. 

I've put together a mish-mash of recipes that I've either wrote down in a notepad or found & cut out from magazines over the years.  I guess some of my favorites would be a soft shell crab recipe, a pasta recipe that involves asparagus and uses a basalmic reduction instead of red sauce,  a cajun chicken alfredo dish.  Found this amazing pork shoulder recipe with a Carolina vinegar sauce I used last year for the Super Bowl.  Those are just a few off the top of my head.

The thing I like about cooking as opposed to baking is that you can really get creative with things.  You can experiment.  Baking is just too darn precise for my liking. 

[Eja117]

pho

Did you like making Pho? How did it turn out? How did you make it?

I used a slow cooker and beef broth and stir fry beef and just used meatballs for no good reason. Scallions. Rice noodles. Little bit of ginger. Noodles in the last 20 minutes or something I think. Then served with bean shoots and mint and ciliantro I think. It was good enough to justify not going to a restaurant and was fine as left overs.

[indeedproceed]

Baking is just too darn precise for my liking. 

Agreed. I remember once, I decided I was gonna make chocolate chip cookies, my wife was sick (she makes crazy good cookies), and I knew I shouldn't make a full batch because I'm...well...I have issues with warm chocolate chip cookies.

So I thought, "Easy, I'll make a half-batch", and kind of rounded everything down to 1/2.

Well, long story short, I threw out a half-batch of chocolate chip cookies.

And I'm a good cook, I swear. I know how to grill, fry, or bake just about any type of protien or vegetable. I know how to properly slice a london broil, how to properly sear a steak over an open flame on a regular gas stove, I'm pretty good.

But baking any type of dough or sweets..just a lost cause.

[Eja117]

Like Dons I also find cooking soothing, but only if my wife is drinking wine a solid 50 feet away