Quote:

---

Originally posted by SIGNYM:

Quote:

---

Here is an enitrely made-up recipe that family is OK with for quiche. (Hubby hates quiches except for this one.)

Line the bottom (JUST the bottom) of a loaf pan with commercial or homemade pie crust. Bake at 400F until golden, about 15 minutes; remove from oven

Place into food processor or blender
about 6" turkey sausage, sliced
1 carton cottage cheese (I rinse and drain it to reduce salty/sour taste)
6 oz shredded cheese (I use "Italian blend" but you can use whatever you like)
4 eggs
1/4 c flour
1/2 c milk
youcan add cooked broccoli, chopped parsley, cooked onions or fresh green onions or mushrooms

blenderize it to desired texture (You can make it smooth and uniform or leave visible peices of sausage and vegetables ... it's up to you.

Pour into the loaf pan and bake at 325 until inserted knife comes out cleanly, about 1 1/4 hour.
*****
I serve this with a salad on the side and fruit/jello.
=SIGNY


I'm not a big fan of sausage. Would that also work with something like pulled turkey meat? JSF

---

It depends on the flavor and texture. Sausage or REAL smoked meat adds a smokey flavor and salt. Pulled turkey? What's that? If it's just slow-cooked turkey then it might be kind of flavorless and stringy. OTOH if it has a flavor and texture that you enjoy ... by all means! I can see adding thyme, sage and parsley for a "stuffed turkey" or "turkey pot pie" flavor, just stir in some cooked peas, carrots, celery and even cooked cubed potatoes before pouring it into the loaf pan.

Quote:

---

And I cannot eat cottage cheese. Is there some sort of suitable substitute for that ingredient?-JSF

---

Hmm... cottage cheese. I remember you bringing that up before. I'm not sure if we ever got to the bottom of whether or not it was a lactose problem (in which milk and all soft cheeses would cause the same reaction of bloating and gas) or whether it was a milk protein problem (in which case ALL cow's milk products would cause the same problem, typically diarrhea) or whether it was a flavor/texture/association problem specific to cottage cheese.

I only use cottage cheese to "bulk up" the quiche with something that's relatively bland and lowfat but still with a lot of protein. If you're OK with cheeses in general then substitue ricotta, part-skim mozarella, lofat swiss or any lofat cheese of choice. If you're using a hard cheese then add milk or water to make up the missing water content... maybe another 1/3 cup or so. Play around with the recipe, it's pretty tolerant.

---

Quote:

---

Originally posted by 1KIKI:
When I was really, really little - maybe 3 or so, our mom served a very specific kind of sausage, but, sadly for her, that particular batch was spoiled. Everybody got sick. Then years later she tried to serve it again. None of us kids could get it down - even though we didn't remember the earlier incident. Our bodies remembered! Anyway, maybe that's the thing between you and cottage cheese.

That whole idea of using cottage cheese in lasagna instead of ricotta - I guess that's an WASP (non Italian) thing? Every genuine lasagna I ever had highlighted the light, fresh, dairy flavor of good ricotta. Though I think one can only get good ricotta in certain areas of the country. Anyway, I can't imagine a lasagna made with cottage cheese.

---

Quote:

---

There are several different kinds of animal rennet used in cheese making. Rennet obtained from a calf is generally used in cheeses made with cow's milk. Goat cheeses are made using kid rennet, and lamb rennet is used in cheeses made with sheep's milk. These days, vegetable rennet, derived from either the fig tree or Creeping Ivy, is used more often in cheese making. Microbial rennet is also used, and even genetically engineered rennet is now used in making cheese. There are also a few soft cheeses such as cream cheese and cottage cheese that are made using only citric acid for the coagulation process. True cheese artisans still tend to prefer animal rennet and consider it to be superior when it comes to curdling milk.


The amount of animal rennet needed to coagulate milk is very small. Though times are changing and more cheese makers are using other forms of rennet, the majority of cheeses on the market are still made with animal rennet. Parmigiano-Reggiano, considered one of the world's best cheeses, originated in Italy. It is next to impossible to find this cheese made with anything but animal rennet, unless one considers a product by BelGioioso called Parveggiano. Most imported cheeses, in fact, still use animal rennet. There are only a few exceptions that include: French Saint-Andre, Tomme Perigourdine, a few English and Spanish farmhouse cheeses and some Dutch made diet cheeses.

Because vegetarianism is on the rise and more vegans are requesting cheese like products, the cheese industry is slowly starting to make changes. Microbial rennet and genetically engineered rennet are starting to be used more frequently, but confusing labeling can make it difficult to know exactly what kinds of enzymes are used in each cheese. According to Whole Foods Market, labels list enzymes in up to eight different ways: enzymes, microbial enzymes, microbial coagulants, rennetless enzymes or coagulants, rennet, both enzymes and rennet, and vegetarian rennet.

---

Quote:

---

Originally posted by SIGNYM:
Getting tired of cooking the same old thing, so today I tried making something different: onion rings. found a recipe online and it worked out better than I could have imagined! The recipe required triple-coating the onion rings, first with a flour/bakingpowder/salt mix, then adding egg and milk to the flour mixture to make a batter and dipping the rings in that, then dusting them with panko bread crumbs before deep frying.

But I had a little batter left over so I made corn fritters too. For dinner we had turkey burgers, onion rings, corn fritters and cole slaw. (It's a little too cold for cole slaw, but what the heck, it was easy and I had cabbage in the frig.)

The cole slaw itself is my very own recipe. I used to try and make it fancy with carrots and/or raisins and/or chopped onion and/or carraway seed, but for our family simplest is best: for 4 cups shredded cabbage make a dressing of scant 1/3 c mayo, 2 t sugae and 1/2 t Dijon mustard, toss well. Less dressing keeps the cabbage crispy and fressh-tasting; too much and it comes out greasy and wilted,


*****

Tomorrow I'm going to attempt twice-fried pork and stir-fried green beans/mushrooms.

The day after that, tandoori chicken, palak paneer, and potato/cauliflower curry..

I think after that, pork in peach sauce, with maybe collards and yam.

---

Quote:

---

Originally posted by SIGNYM:

Quote:

---

Originally posted by 1KIKI:
When I was really, really little - maybe 3 or so, our mom served a very specific kind of sausage, but, sadly for her, that particular batch was spoiled. Everybody got sick. Then years later she tried to serve it again. None of us kids could get it down - even though we didn't remember the earlier incident. Our bodies remembered! Anyway, maybe that's the thing between you and cottage cheese.

That whole idea of using cottage cheese in lasagna instead of ricotta - I guess that's an WASP (non Italian) thing? Every genuine lasagna I ever had highlighted the light, fresh, dairy flavor of good ricotta. Though I think one can only get good ricotta in certain areas of the country. Anyway, I can't imagine a lasagna made with cottage cheese.

---

Neither can I, which was I was su surprised to see it in America's Test Kitchen Cookbook lasagna, and also surprised to read (here) that it may have been the offending ingredient in school-lunch lasagna. But maybe schools (and their suppliers) don't want to spend the money on ricotta and substitute cottage cheese instead?

I was thinking that maybe cottage cheese is (or was) made with rennet and possible that is what the problem is, but it turns out that cottage cheese is now made without rennet while many of the other cheeses, like Parmesan, are still mmade with rennt.

Quote:

---

There are several different kinds of animal rennet used in cheese making. Rennet obtained from a calf is generally used in cheeses made with cow's milk. Goat cheeses are made using kid rennet, and lamb rennet is used in cheeses made with sheep's milk. These days, vegetable rennet, derived from either the fig tree or Creeping Ivy, is used more often in cheese making. Microbial rennet is also used, and even genetically engineered rennet is now used in making cheese. There are also a few soft cheeses such as cream cheese and cottage cheese that are made using only citric acid for the coagulation process. True cheese artisans still tend to prefer animal rennet and consider it to be superior when it comes to curdling milk.


The amount of animal rennet needed to coagulate milk is very small. Though times are changing and more cheese makers are using other forms of rennet, the majority of cheeses on the market are still made with animal rennet. Parmigiano-Reggiano, considered one of the world's best cheeses, originated in Italy. It is next to impossible to find this cheese made with anything but animal rennet, unless one considers a product by BelGioioso called Parveggiano. Most imported cheeses, in fact, still use animal rennet. There are only a few exceptions that include: French Saint-Andre, Tomme Perigourdine, a few English and Spanish farmhouse cheeses and some Dutch made diet cheeses.

Because vegetarianism is on the rise and more vegans are requesting cheese like products, the cheese industry is slowly starting to make changes. Microbial rennet and genetically engineered rennet are starting to be used more frequently, but confusing labeling can make it difficult to know exactly what kinds of enzymes are used in each cheese. According to Whole Foods Market, labels list enzymes in up to eight different ways: enzymes, microbial enzymes, microbial coagulants, rennetless enzymes or coagulants, rennet, both enzymes and rennet, and vegetarian rennet.

---

https://oureverydaylife.com/which-cheeses-contain-animal-rennet-125313
34.html

So I'm back to lactose, or an associative reaction to cottage cheese, or possibly citric acid, which is one of the ingredients found in cottage cheese and cream cheese but not other cheeses.

A citric acid reaction would also put citrus foods out of reach.

JSF, hw do you react to oranges, lemons and limes?

---

Quote:

---

Originally posted by JEWELSTAITEFAN:
A recipe of a different type, not sure if I mentioned this one already.


Hot Chocolate Bon Bon
Cup of Hot Chocolate, extra rich is fine (extra spoonfuls of powder or flavoring).
Add 1 shot of Amaretto.
Tastes like Chocolate covered Cherries, or Bon Bons.

---

Quote:

---

Originally posted by JEWELSTAITEFAN:
A recipe of a different type, not sure if I mentioned this one already.


Hot Chocolate Bon Bon
Cup of Hot Chocolate, extra rich is fine (extra spoonfuls of powder or flavoring).
Add 1 shot of Amaretto.
Tastes like Chocolate covered Cherries, or Bon Bons.

---

Quote:

---

Originally posted by 1KIKI:
This is my new WINTER marinara recipe:
Please note that these are 12 servings, since I cook in batches and freeze for later. (So one of the things my recipes have to be is freezer-tolerant.)

The recipe calls for steps that most people don't do, which is to brown things first, and to 'bloom' the spices. The browning step adds tons of extra flavor, for example it actually makes the onion both sweet and 'oniony', while the 'blooming' step increases the flavor of aromatics. 'Blooming' isn't cooking, it only take a minute or two, but it helps release the volatile oils. It also calls for 'deglazing' the skillet you brown things in, which is to add some liquid - in this case a cup of wine for flavor but you can even use water or tomato juice - to the skillet while it's being heated, and stir the liquid around, scraping off the caramelized bits from the bottom.

4lbs 85% ground beef
3lbs onions, diced
4lbs cherry tomatoes, pureed
2lbs cremini mushrooms, fine diced
1qt or liter bottle no-salt tomato juice
1C dry(ish) red, rose, or white wine of your choice, optional
5 cloves garlic, minced
3T dried basil
salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes to taste
a large skillet with lid and a large dutch oven with lid

brown the ground beef in the skillet and use a slotted spoon to remove it to the dutch oven
pour off the fat and juice from the skillet and reserve
put about 2T of beef fat back into the skillet, and put in the diced mushrooms and cover, and cook till they give up their liquid, then uncover and cook with stirring till the liquid evaporates and the mushrooms are lightly browned, then put them in the dutch oven
add another 2T of fat back to the skillet, and do the same for the onions, but cook them till they're golden brown, then put them in the dutch oven (because the high sugar content of the onions won't let the liquid evaporate to dryness, the brown color is your guide)
add about 1T of fat and 'bloom' the garlic and basil (and red pepper flakes if you're using them) in it which means heat them while stirring the little pile just until you can start to smell them, then add them to the dutch oven
deglaze the skillet with the wine (or other liquid), cook off the alcohol a bit, then add it to the dutch oven
if you have any beef fat left you can add back in as much as you want, or skim it off, but in either case add the broth back in that you reserved earlier
add the pureed tomatoes and the tomato juice to the dutch oven, and stir everything
bring to a boil on the stove - then cover
and transfer to a pre-heated oven at 350F
cook for 2.5 hours with occasional stirring, if the marinara gets too dry add more water

I think it's everything a winter dish should be - savory, rich, and hearty.

---

Quote:

---

Originally posted by SIGNYM:
Hey JSF, I read that you were sick! I hope you're feeling better.

*****

Discovered two new recipes that are easy and tasty. But just as an aside, we all (and I mean ALL) have been sick with fever, coughing and wheezing. Soup really seems to help. I've been relying on soup, and soup-like recipes, to help us get better.

RED CURRY
The ingredients might be a little hard to come by, but if you can find them the recipe is simple to prepare

2T coconut oil
3-4T commercial Thai red curry paste
approx 1/4 c chopped cilantro and stems
1/2 t ground cumin

2 cans light coconut milk
2T fish sauce or soy sauce
2T sugar
1/2 lb frozen pineapple chunks
2 potatoes, cut into 1/2" pieces
shrimp to taste

8 oz snow peas tipped and de-stringed
1 red bell, into 1/2" pieces


1 c basil rinsed
Chipotle powder, cayenne, sambal oelek, or Sriracha to taste.

Melt coconut oil in pot, add curry paste, cilantro and cumin, and cook until cilantro is wilted.
Add light coconut milk, potato, pineapple, shrimp, fish or soy sauce, and sugar. Bring to simmer and simmer about 7 minutes

Add snow peas and bell pepper, cook to crisp-tender, add basil at end just to stir in and wilt. Add hot spice to taste.

*****

Now, hubby is not a huge fan of shrimp (altho it is very good for you) so I serve this with pork. I discovered a new cut - tenderloin- that is indeed very tender, and fortunately for me it was on sale for $3/lb. Trim off silver-skin, slice into 1/4" strips. For 2 lb, sprinkle with 1 t fish sauce and 1 t soy (or tamari) and 1/2 t ground black pepper and marinade for 30 minutes or so. Slice approx 1/2 c (yes that's 1/2 cup) garlic cloves, rinse drain and heat 2 bags of shirataki noodles, and rinse approx 1 c of basil leaves.

Melt about 1 T of coconut oil in a pan to med-high, add pork in batches to stir-fry, then add noodles, add pork back in, and garlic to "bloom" the garlic, then add basilto wilt. Add some green or red Thai curry paste if you like. Serve over red curry vegetables in coconut milk. That's it!

---

Quote:

---

Originally posted by SIGNYM:
Sounds great, KIKI! Except I can't eat potatoes (allergies), and hubby shoudn't (too much starch). Any recommendations for substitute? Don't say cauliflower, dear daughter can't eat that!

-----------
Pity would be no more,
If we did not MAKE men poor - William Blake

Happy New Year, WISHY. I edited out your psychopathic screed!

---

Quote:

---

Originally posted by SIGNYM:
I FINALLY made a turkey pot pie that the family thought was acceptable!

---

Quote:

---

Originally posted by 1KIKI:
This is my new WINTER marinara recipe:
Please note that these are 12 servings, since I cook in batches and freeze for later. (So one of the things my recipes have to be is freezer-tolerant.)

The recipe calls for steps that most people don't do, which is to brown things first, and to 'bloom' the spices. The browning step adds tons of extra flavor, for example it actually makes the onion both sweet and 'oniony', while the 'blooming' step increases the flavor of aromatics. 'Blooming' isn't cooking, it only take a minute or two, but it helps release the volatile oils. It also calls for 'deglazing' the skillet you brown things in, which is to add some liquid - in this case a cup of wine for flavor but you can even use water or tomato juice - to the skillet while it's being heated, and stir the liquid around, scraping off the caramelized bits from the bottom.

4lbs 85% ground beef
3lbs onions, diced
4lbs cherry tomatoes, pureed
2lbs cremini mushrooms, fine diced
1qt or liter bottle no-salt tomato juice
1C dry(ish) red, rose, or white wine of your choice, optional
5 cloves garlic, minced
3T dried basil
salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes to taste
a large skillet with lid and a large dutch oven with lid

brown the ground beef in the skillet and use a slotted spoon to remove it to the dutch oven
pour off the fat and juice from the skillet and reserve
put about 2T of beef fat back into the skillet, and put in the diced mushrooms and cover, and cook till they give up their liquid, then uncover and cook with stirring till the liquid evaporates and the mushrooms are lightly browned, then put them in the dutch oven
add another 2T of fat back to the skillet, and do the same for the onions, but cook them till they're golden brown, then put them in the dutch oven (because the high sugar content of the onions won't let the liquid evaporate to dryness, the brown color is your guide)
add about 1T of fat and 'bloom' the garlic and basil (and red pepper flakes if you're using them) in it which means heat them while stirring the little pile just until you can start to smell them, then add them to the dutch oven
deglaze the skillet with the wine (or other liquid), cook off the alcohol a bit, then add it to the dutch oven
if you have any beef fat left you can add back in as much as you want, or skim it off, but in either case add the broth back in that you reserved earlier
add the pureed tomatoes and the tomato juice to the dutch oven, and stir everything
bring to a boil on the stove - then cover
and transfer to a pre-heated oven at 350F
cook for 2.5 hours with occasional stirring, if the marinara gets too dry add more water

I think it's everything a winter dish should be - savory, rich, and hearty.

---

Quote:

---

Originally posted by JEWELSTAITEFAN:
Not sure I understand the use of tomato juice when you already have pureed tomatoes.

I might be tempted to replace with tomato paste (if flavor is the reason) or more wine (if liquid is the reason).

---

Quote:

---

Originally posted by 1KIKI:
So, this is the last cooking experiment for the next while. I tried some mashed cauliflower at TJ's, and I liked it, it was very similar to mashed potatoes though with a mild but different flavor. But it was full of chemicals and salt. So I thought I'd try to recreate it at home. I cooked a 12oz package of riced cauliflower with 2T rice flour for thickening (but any flour that thickens would work, I think), and a cup of milk for flavor, and when it was done I immersion-blended it to a smooth consistency with a tablespoon of cultured unsalted butter. It was a little watery at first, but it thickened with sitting. I did end up adding a small amount of low-sodium salt to counter the sweetness of the cauliflower. Like the TJ's product, you can't mistake it for mashed potatoes, but it's an exceptional alternative that's very similar. Well, I really liked it! Anyway, I put the rest in the freezer. I'll take it out and thaw it after a couple of days to see if the texture survives freezing, or if it breaks into grainy solids and liquid. That's what the flour is supposed to help prevent - but we'll see.

If it freezes well, my next set of meals will be chicken, mashed cauliflower, and gravy.

---

Quote:

---

Originally posted by 1KIKI:
Well cool. I just defrosted the 'mashed cauliflower' and it looks like the rice flour did the trick. The 'mashed cauliflower' didn't break or lose any of its fluffy/creamy mashed-potato texture !! YAY !!!

So now I'll be on to creating my next recipe. Since I WILL be making gravy, I think I'll cook the chicken thighs with an appropriate amount of carrots, celery, onions, and fresh thyme. I can then puree the veges into the broth and use that to make an extra-flavorful gravy. I believe the chicken and gravy over mashed cauliflower will be quite a comfort-food treat.

---

Quote:

---

Originally posted by SIGNYM:
I wish DD could eat cauliflower, that would be a nice treat for her and very healthful.

---

Quote:

---

Originally posted by 1KIKI:

Quote:

---

Originally posted by 1KIKI:
This is my new WINTER marinara recipe:
Please note that these are 12 servings, since I cook in batches and freeze for later. (So one of the things my recipes have to be is freezer-tolerant.)

The recipe calls for steps that most people don't do, which is to brown things first, and to 'bloom' the spices. The browning step adds tons of extra flavor, for example it actually makes the onion both sweet and 'oniony', while the 'blooming' step increases the flavor of aromatics. 'Blooming' isn't cooking, it only take a minute or two, but it helps release the volatile oils. It also calls for 'deglazing' the skillet you brown things in, which is to add some liquid - in this case a cup of wine for flavor but you can even use water or tomato juice - to the skillet while it's being heated, and stir the liquid around, scraping off the caramelized bits from the bottom.

4lbs 85% ground beef
3lbs onions, diced
4lbs cherry tomatoes, pureed
2lbs cremini mushrooms, fine diced
1qt or liter bottle no-salt tomato juice
1C dry(ish) red, rose, or white wine of your choice, optional
5 cloves garlic, minced
3T dried basil
salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes to taste
a large skillet with lid and a large dutch oven with lid

brown the ground beef in the skillet and use a slotted spoon to remove it to the dutch oven
pour off the fat and juice from the skillet and reserve
put about 2T of beef fat back into the skillet, and put in the diced mushrooms and cover, and cook till they give up their liquid, then uncover and cook with stirring till the liquid evaporates and the mushrooms are lightly browned, then put them in the dutch oven
add another 2T of fat back to the skillet, and do the same for the onions, but cook them till they're golden brown, then put them in the dutch oven (because the high sugar content of the onions won't let the liquid evaporate to dryness, the brown color is your guide)
add about 1T of fat and 'bloom' the garlic and basil (and red pepper flakes if you're using them) in it which means heat them while stirring the little pile just until you can start to smell them, then add them to the dutch oven
deglaze the skillet with the wine (or other liquid), cook off the alcohol a bit, then add it to the dutch oven
if you have any beef fat left you can add back in as much as you want, or skim it off, but in either case add the broth back in that you reserved earlier
add the pureed tomatoes and the tomato juice to the dutch oven, and stir everything
bring to a boil on the stove - then cover
and transfer to a pre-heated oven at 350F
cook for 2.5 hours with occasional stirring, if the marinara gets too dry add more water

I think it's everything a winter dish should be - savory, rich, and hearty.

---

Quote:

---

Originally posted by JEWELSTAITEFAN:
Not sure I understand the use of tomato juice when you already have pureed tomatoes.

I might be tempted to replace with tomato paste (if flavor is the reason) or more wine (if liquid is the reason).

---

Sorry I didn't see this earlier. It's to add more vegetable for nutrition, more liquid for cooking1, and more tomato flavor. Otherwise, I think the dish's flavor would be beefy/ mushroom-y heavy.

---

Quote:

---

Originally posted by 1KIKI:
Yeah - oddly enough the 1 qt of 'no salt added' tomato juice I used DOES add flavor. But diced tomatoes could work too!

---

Quote:

---

Originally posted by 1KIKI:
Yeah - oddly enough the 1 qt of 'no salt added' tomato juice I used DOES add flavor. But diced tomatoes could work too!

---

Quote:

---

Originally posted by 1KIKI:
Rum (sometimes sweet) and whiskey (smokey) I don't believe have flavor profiles that would work with the basic recipe flavors - tomato/ beef/ mushroom. But if you're willing to experiment, you might be on to something unexpectedly good!

---

Quote:

---

Originally posted by JEWELSTAITEFAN:

Quote:

---

Originally posted by 1KIKI:
Rum (sometimes sweet) and whiskey (smokey) I don't believe have flavor profiles that would work with the basic recipe flavors - tomato/ beef/ mushroom. But if you're willing to experiment, you might be on to something unexpectedly good!

---

Hmmmm.

I could be off-base with rum and whiskey, just poking in the dark. I was wondering if anything in different alcohols react negatively with any of your other ingredients. Degrade them, reduce them, distract.
I thought beef is always enhanced by wine, or Cold Duck. Burgundy has specific dedicated recipes for beef. Vermouth seems to work well for tomato sauces. I have seen vodka pasta sauce.

---