Sources of my posted recipes ?

[discuspaul]

Just as a matter of possible interest to you folks, or just so you know for info sake, or perhaps just to satisfy a curiosity you may have, the sources for the recipes I've posted here in "Recipes' " various threads, include the following:

- My Mother
- My Grandmother (born, raised, and resided to late adulthood in France)
- My late first wife &/or her mother
- My current wife &/or her mother
- Any one of the approx. 100 cookbooks I've accumulated over many years from here in Canada, the U.S., the Caribbean islands, Asia, & in particular Singapore & Hong Kong where I lived for a time, and Mexico, France, Italy, Greece, & other cuisines/areas that escape me for the moment
- From a few restaurant chefs who were kind enough to share their secrets with me
- From our Singapore amah
- From our Grenadian housekeeper
- Other sources that are also forgotten to this point

Some of you may have been following Liz Streithorst's recent thread here, and will know that at her request, I've provided a few recipes she may care to keep in her library - primarily quick & easy one meal/one person dishes she can revert to from time to time, without having to maintain a large freezer for leftovers.

For any others of you, & including Liz of course, who may want to have a peek at other recipes that may appeal (to her or you), here's a list of some more recipes that I'd be glad to post upon request, in no particular order:

- N.Y. steak with horseradish sauce
- Pork or Lamb kebobs with tomato tzaziki
- Baby back ribs with my sauce
- Pork kebabs with hoisin sauce
- Pork chops with whiskey BBQ sauce
- Pork & Mango kebabs
- Indonesian Steak or chicken satay with my sauce
- Bourbon BBQ'd chicken legs
- Scallops Vera Cruz (already posted somewhere here but lost in the shuffle ?)
- Rib lamb chops (from Rack) with my marinade
- Beef tenderloin with martini marinade (which I'm having tonite)
- Rice & Beef Porcupines
- Steak Diane
- Quiches - a variety
- Sweet & Sour Pork
- Chili Rellenos
- My Mac & Cheese-
- Shepard's Pie

Over the years I've cooked all these recipes many times in the original recipe source format, but I've altered or modified many of them since then, either extensively, or very modestly, to satisfy my tastes, or just for the hell of it !

Please respond if there are any of these recipes you'd like to see published here.

[LizStreithorst]

Chef, make it easy for us and post all the links rather than the title of the posts. You know quality food better than anyone here. If I had the power I would create a "Best Chef" title for you and make your user name have its very own color. I don't have that power. Oh well....

[discuspaul]

Not sure what you mean, or want, Liz

If you're asking me to post links to recipes rather than just the titles of the recipes within a thread or post, I cant provide on-line links for any of the recipes above - al least not my version of those recipes - as I said, many if not most of those recipes have emanated from cookbooks, or what someone has provided for me in writing or by email, or otherwise, not from the internet.
I've modified most of these recipes and have recorded them the old-fashioned way on recipe cards - which are usually in quantities for 4 or more persons, & which I re-write specially to adapt for one person, or 2 meals, as needed.

For example, the chicken thigh kebab recipe I recently gave you which I had on file, called for 10-12 thighs (a recipe for a family meal) which I modified to fit your circumstances- ingredient-quantity-wise, i.e. wanting a one person/one meal recipe.

Hope this explains.

You can look up internet links for recipes with those names, but I doubt many would be the same as mine, ingredient or technique-wise, etc. But go ahead & google some if you wish.

[LizStreithorst]

Sorry, Paul. I thought that you had posted your recipes elsewhere on this forum. I misunderstood.

[LizStreithorst]

I wouldn't mind seeing the recipes for your Chile's rellenos, mac and cheese, sweet and sour pork, and some of your quiches. Post at your convenience. I feel like I'm taking advantage of your kindness.

[discuspaul]

You're not imposing on me at all Liz - happy to do it. I'll get around to your choices one by one in the near future.

[discuspaul]

CHILE RELLENOS

(This is my own version - adapted with a couple of added ingredients not normally found in most relleno recipes).

I prepared this recipe for a one person/one meal but it can be doubled or tripled with some parts of the recipe ingredients frozen, such as the chiles once prepared and stuffed with the filling, and the accompanying relleno red sauce - i.e. a larger volume thereof. The batter however, is best left for a next meal, and made fresh, with ingredients increased to suitably accommodate the greater amount of servings.

The Chiles:

- 2 (or possibly 3 if you're really hungry) medium to large sized Poblano chiles.

( Anaheim chiles may be used as a substitute).

Remove the stem portions from the chiles by cutting out a large circle around the stem at the top of the chile, then discarding this entire stem part, and shaking the chiles vigorously upside down into the sink to rid them of as many of the seeds as possible.

Place the chiles on a suitable baking sheet in the preheated oven, approx. 6" from the broiler element, and broil until well blister darkened, turning once to blacken both sides.

Then place the chiles in a bowl & cover tightly with cling wrap (or place in a ziplock bag) to let steam for 10-15 minutes, which will facilitate removal of the blackened skin using a thin bladed small kitchen knife & your fingers.
This will take a little time & care to ensure the chiles don't get cut up &/or pull apart, but not to worry if some blackened skin pieces remain on the chiles. Refrigerate the chiles while you move on with the next step of the recipe.

(Instead of the above procedure, you may find it easier to carefully make a slit up the side of each prepared chile, and gently stuff each one with the filling until you're just able to close the slit comfortably. If the chile refuses to stay together, you could try using a toothpick, but this should not be necessary.

However, I do feel a better result comes from using the no slit procedure outlined above.)

Ingredients for the chiles filling:

In a bowl, combine the following well:

- 2-3 oz. of ground pork previously sauted until cooked through & lightly browned . To this saute, add 1 tspn or so of finely chopped onions & cook for 2-3 more minutes along with 2 cloves of finely chopped garlic, & add 1/4 tspn. each of salt & pepper.

(You may substitute ground beef, or italian sausage meat - (mild or spicy) - or other sausage meat of your choice.

- 1-2 rashers of bacon, fried crisp and crumbled.

- 1/2 finely chopped jalapeno pepper, seeds & ribs removed.

- 1 tspn. of dry taco seasoning. (Or 1 tbspn. of taco sauce if available)

- 1/3 cup each of grated cheddar and gruyere cheeses.

Feel free to use other cheeses of your choice - e.g. Monterey Jack, or Jalapeno Jack, or Fontina, or Provolone, etc.
If you can get it, you might like to use Asadero mexican cheese, or Asiago as a substitute for any mexican cheese.

- 1 beaten egg as a binder.

Please keep in mind that once the chiles have been blackened under the broiler and most black skin removed, the residual chile 'meat' will still be quite soft even after cooling & refrigerating, and may be somewhat more difficult to handle & fill than you might have thought, so:

Carefully & gently fill each prepared poblano chile so as to cause as little damage as possible to these soft baked chiles, & set aside for later battering. ( It may help to freeze them just a bit, ahead of filling to facilitate the filling process).
Do not overstuff with filling - they should be lightly filled to prevent any of the filling from dropping out when handling, battering or frying.

My rule of thumb is to make the filled chiles not more than approx. 3/4" thick to facilitate handling & frying.

(P.S. - Some may prefer to forego adding any meat whatsoever to the filling, using only a variety of cheeses, and nothing much more - that's up to you.)


Red Chile Relleno Sauce:

Place the following ingredients in a blender & blend well:

- 5-6 oz. of tomato sauce
- approx. 1 tbspn. finely diced onion
- 2 finely diced garlic cloves
- 1/2 tspn. oregano
- 1/2 tspn. dry taco seasoning ( any brand - I use Old El Paso) or 1 tbspn canned taco sauce if available)
- 1/2 tspn. flour
- 1/3 cup of chicken stock ( I use easy bulk chicken stock powder mix and hot water to make as little or as much chicken stock as I need ). It's OK to substitute water instead of chicken stock.
- Dashes of plain sugar, salt & pepper
- Optional: Juice of 1/2 lime


Place this blended mixture into a small saucepan, bring to a boil, lower heat & simmer for approx. 4-5 minutes. Then strain through a sieve to remove onion & garlic dices to produce a smooth liquid sauce.
Reserve to be reheated later when your chiles have been fried and are ready to serve.

As an alternative to this, I have instead used 1/2 of a 10 oz. can of red ( mild or preferably medium) enchilada sauce which is easier and also has a pleasing taste with the fried chiles.

( I get the Dos Amigos brand in the mexican foods section of the local grocery store.)


The Batter for the Chiles:

Whisk the following together briskly in a bowl to produce a medium to heavy thickness consistency of batter for coating the chiles: (add more flour if need be to ensure the consistency of the batter is thick enough to well & properly coat all of the chiles' surfaces for frying.

- 1/3- 1/2 cup, or more, of all purpose flour
-- 1/3 cup half & half cream, or whipping cream mixed with a bit of milk
- 1 egg yolk (reserving the white for separate whipping later until fairly stiffened)
- Dash of each of baking powder, baking soda, plain salt & pepper
- 1/2 tspn. olive oil

Whip the egg white by hand or with an electric mixer until fairly stiff and gently fold this whipped egg white into the prepared batter until just lightly mixed in.

Dust/coat each stuffed chile pepper with flour, gently shaking off excess, then dip the chiles into the prepared batter, coating them as well as possible.

Quickly transfer the chiles for frying into to an already well heated skillet (on medium/high heat) in which you have placed a fairly thin layer of vegetable oil up to no more than 1/4" level, & turn once until they have been lightly browned on both sides.

Serve up the finished chiles on a plate, & placed on top of a good layer of the red chile sauce which has been separately heated up on stove top.

This is not one of the easiest or least time-consuming recipes, but you'll have fun doing it as properly as possible, and hopefully, really enjoying this tasty mexican dish.


Words of advice and encouragement:

- I'm sure you'll find the meld of flavors to be truly delicious, as I do.

But like many recipes if they are being used for the first time, it may take several 'goes at it', to get it turning out the way you expected and thought it should be.

Examples might be that your batter is not thick enough to fully and properly coat the chiles for frying, or that the soft chile product is difficult to fill, or to turn over to brown both sides when frying, without falling apart a bit. I've seen even well experienced mexican 'nanas' not produce a good-looking finished dish.

So don't fret it, be patient and do your best - it'll still taste awesome.

[LizStreithorst]

Paul, that was great. I could almost taste the ones with cheese only while I was reading the recipe as I lived in a small town in Mexico that's the way they were made. I like Queso de Oaxaca in mine but I think that that when I make it I'll use a blend of that and Gruyere.

Your batter sounds more like what I got in Mexico than what I've been making. I don't know why I never thought of baking powder. That's what will make them puff up when they're fried. Why the baking soda?

The ones I had in my former "home town" never had a sauce. I'll try them both ways.

I'll make a bunch because since I got my vacuum sealer stuff doesn't take up much space in the freezer. This sounds like a good one. Thanks for sharing your expertise.

[discuspaul]

One version of quiche - a much simpler recipe than the chicken rellenos recipe which preceded. Enjoy.


RAINBOW QUICHE RECIPE


Ingredients needed:

- 1 - 9" unbaked pastry shell


- 3-4 rashers of bacon, fried crisp and cut/broken into small bite-sixed chunks
- Meat of 1 spicy italian sausage, fried well to browning


- 3 eggs
- 1 &/1/2 cups evaporated milk or whipping cream
- 2 tspns. of dijon mustard
- 1 T of chopped parsley
- Salt & pepper to taste


- 2 T's of loosely chopped onion or shallot
- 12 or so small bite sized pieces of orange or yellow bell pepper
- 8-10 small bite-size pieces of broccoli florets
- 3-4 small mushrooms, quartered


- 1 cup each of swiss and gruyere cheeses, mixed together


- 6-8 thin slices of fresh tomato

- 1/2 cup of finely grated parmesan cheese


Whisk together the 3 eggs, the evaporated milk or whipping cream, the dijon mustard, the chopped parsley, and the salt & pepper.

In a saucepan, saute the onions ,broccoli, red pepper and mushrooms together for up to 7-10 minutes on medium heat until the onions are soft, and the broccoli florets, the bell pepper chunks and the mushroom pieces are mostly cooked through.

- Layer the cooked bacon & sausage meat into the bottom of the pastry shell placed in an ovenproof 9" dish.

- Add 1/2 of the two mixed cheeses over top of the meats, then add a layer of the almost fully cooked veggies, with the remaining half of the cheeses sprinkled over top of that.

- Pour the whisked eggs, milk/cream etc. mixture over the top of it all, so that it settles in well throughout.

- Then more or less evenly place the thin tomato slices on top of all those quiche elements, and evenly sprinkle the finely grated parmesan cheese over the tomato
slices.


Bake @ 350 for approx. 45 minutes or until browned on top.

Let cool a bit, slice & serve with your favorite salad.

[discuspaul]

Paul, that was great. I could almost taste the ones with cheese only while I was reading the recipe as I lived in a small town in Mexico that's the way they were made. I like Queso de Oaxaca in mine but I think that that when I make it I'll use a blend of that and Gruyere.

Your batter sounds more like what I got in Mexico than what I've been making. I don't know why I never thought of baking powder. That's what will make them puff up when they're fried. Why the baking soda?

The ones I had in my former "home town" never had a sauce. I'll try them both ways.

I'll make a bunch because since I got my vacuum sealer stuff doesn't take up much space in the freezer. This sounds like a good one. Thanks for sharing your expertise.

Not sure why the baking soda, I got that from another recipe and assumed it helped with making a good batter to fry up, so added it in.

You must try it with the red sauce - that really adds a good deal of flavor to the dish.

I prefer some meat mixed in for the filling, rather than cheese only, but that's just me.

Mac & Cheese, and Sweet & Sour Pork, recipes will follow in the next few days.

[Pices]

Wow Liz- you are my taste “buddy”. I was going to ask for 3 of the 5 recipes you asked for. Yummy! Now all I need is the time to cook them! I want to be daring and try those Chile Rellenos. Thank you for sharing Chef Paul!

[LizStreithorst]

He's a master isn't he, Patty?

[discuspaul]

SWEET AND SOUR PORK

Firstly, regardless of the numerous variations for making sweet & sour pork, two of the most widely held views on making this the best dish possible, with which I agree, are:

1. The pork pieces need to be the crispiest, crunchiest you can make them.
I believe this involves using a cornstarch dredge generously applied, and double frying the pork pieces;

2. Preparing the sauce first, and frying the pork pieces last, not adding them to the heated sauce until the last minutes, just before serving up the dish, to best maintain their crispiness.


Let's get started making this easy dish:

The Pork and its marinade:

- Approx. 1 lb. or so of pork tenderloin (my preference rather than pork butt), sliced up into bite-size pieces of around 1"- 1 & 1/2" X 3/4"- 1".

Place the pork pieces in a ziplock bag to marinate for around one hour in the following:

- 1/2 cup water
- 1 & 1/2 T soy sauce (preferably light soy)
- 1 tspn sesame oil
- 1/3 tspn baking soda ( helps the meat absorb the flavors of the liquids)
- Some salt & pepper

Remove from marinade, shake off excess liquid, place on a suitable holding platter/tray, and allow the pieces to dry out somewhat before dredging as below.


The Dredge for the Pork Pieces:

- 1/2 cup flour
- 1/4 cup cornstarch
mix flour & cornstarch well together
- 1 beaten egg, with 1 T of heavy cream whisked in

Prior to frying the pork pieces for the first time in batches ( for about 2-3 minutes or until they just start to get golden brown) in 2-3 cups of well heated vegetable oil, dredge all the pieces well in the flour/cornstarch mixture, then dip into the egg/cream mix, and dredge with flour again.

After this first frying, which should likely be done during the making of the sauce with its ingredients as set out later, set the pieces aside on a sheet pan until you're ready to fry them a second time in the reheated oil.

This double frying should be done as a last item just before you're ready to serve the dish.

Simply dredge them a second time in the flour/cornstarch mix , and fry once again in batches for a minute or two to crisp up the coating.

As mentioned earlier, this double frying can take place while the sauce is simmering, with the second frying being done just before or as the sauce is completed to your taste & consistency.


The Sauce and its Ingredients:

You'll need:

Liquid elements:
- A mixture of approx. even amounts of tomato paste, ketchup, and sweet thai chili sauce, around 1 T of each.
- 3/4 cup water
- 1/2 cup of white vinegar and apple cider vinegar mixed together (1/4 cup of each)
- Pineapple juice only, from an 8 oz. can of pineapple chunks (the chunks themselves added as set out below)
- 1 T of bottled chili sauce ( I use Heinz)
- 1 tspn plum sauce
- 1 tspn lemon juice
- 2 tspns soy sauce (preferably light soy)
- 1/2 tspn sesame oil


Other Main Dish Ingredients:

- 1 T of corn starch mixed with cold water ( this as a slurry to thicken the sauce for finishing - as needed)
- 1/2 cup or so of white sugar
- 1/2 red bell pepper, cut into bite size pieces
- 1/2 green bell pepper, cut into bite size pieces
- 1/2 small/medium onion, cut into bite size wedges
- Similar number of bite-size pineapple chunks as peppers & onion above
- 2/3 slices of fresh ginger, smashed/or grated/or finely diced
- Optional - 1 medium tomato, cut into bite size pieces or wedges:
- " - as an alternative, or addition, 8-10 bite size pieces of celery


Sauce with ingredients prep:

In a large saucepan over medium heat, place 1 T of vegetable oil to which add the fresh ginger, pieces of pineapple, bell peppers, onion ( & options or alternates), lightly fry for a minute or two, tossing/turning until you can smell the aroma from the peppers & onion -

- Then add all of the liquid elements above along with the SUGAR, and stir until the mixture starts to simmer and the sugar is dissolved. Turn to low heat and let the sauce simmer and reduce until it starts to coat a spoon - about 30 minutes or so. The sauce needs this time for the flavors to meld.

- At this point taste the sauce -it should be sweet and pungent, but if you find it either too sweet, or too sour (pungent) you'll want to adjust it to your taste by either adding more sugar, or more white vinegar, and you'll also want to achieve the desired sauce thickness by either adding more water, or using some cornstarch slurry to thicken it.

- Once you're satisfied it has reached the level of taste and consistency that you feel is satisfactory, now's the time to add in the pieces of crispy pork which you have completed double frying in the meantime, until they are assimilated with/into the sauce coating.

Serve immediately.


P.S. - An alternative finish to the pork dredging and frying:

While living in Singapore, our amah used a somewhat similar sauce and it's preparation, but did the pork in this manner:

She used pork tenderloin, but pounded slabbed slices cut from the tenderloin into approx. 1/4" thickness, and cut them up into rectangular pieces of around 1 & 1/2" to 2" X 1"( X the 1/4" thickness).

She then breaded them by dipping the pieces in a beaten egg mixture laced with a good amount of soy sauce, then coated them well with cornmeal. These pieces were then pan fried (just one frying) in approx. 1/4" of heated veg oil, turning once to golden brown both sides, and then added the fried pieces to the completed sauce just before serving.

It's quick & easy, and is a pleasing/tasty different approach to sweet & sour pork, which you might like to try.

[discuspaul]

TASTY & TANGY MAC AND CHEESE

This recipe will make 2 or 3 portions of mac & cheese, which will be sufficient to fit well in a reasonable depth in an ovenproof corning ware casserole dish of roughly 7" X 7" & up to 3" deep, or 9"X 7"X 2.5" deep.


The Pasta:

Many Mac & Cheese lovers regularly use elbow macaroni as their pasta of choice, but I feel there are better options which will retain more of the creamy cheese sauce - my favorite is a Garofalo brand of elicoidali pasta, which is similar in size and shape to rigatoni - a little narrower and shorter, with curved ridges instead of straight.

If you can't find elicoidali pasta, rigatoni will be excellent as well, or ziti, or penne - all of which are my favorites for making mac & cheese.

I feel the best mac & cheese is made by starting with a roue that is creamy & stays as much in 'liquidy form' as possible after baking i.e. does not dry up as much as a thicker roue when baked.

This means you should use less flour, adding more milk & cream combo to the roue.

Cooking the pasta:

You'll need approx. up to2 cups of the dry elicoidali or rigatoni pasta

Boil the selected pasta in a large saucepan or pot of salted water to al dente consistency - i.e about a minute or 2 less than the stated cooking time on the package, depending on which pasta you're using.

Cool the partially boiled pasta for later layering in the casserole dish before baking.

If the pasta you use calls for cooking in boiling water for say 10 minutes, remove it after 8 minutes in al dente form to be drained and cool, as it will cook further when baked.

Making the Roue:

You will need butter & flour, milk and cream, velveeta cheese, dijon mustard, & some powdered nutmeg & cayenne pepper - quantities as below.

Prepare ahead a full cup of milk and heavy cream (whipping cream) mixed together - 3/4 cup of milk to 1/4 cup of cream.

In a medium-sized saucepan, melt approx. 1/4 to 1/3 cup of butter, to which you add 1.5 T of flour.

Whisk the flour into the melted butter on low/medium heat for a minute or two until it begins to brown a little, & the flour has "cooked' somewhat.
Then whisk in 1/4 tsp. each of powdered nutmeg, and cayenne pepper while cooking.

It should have begun to bubble, so start adding some of the milk/cream ( say 1/4 cup at a time) while whisking continually as it thickens more.

When you have added say 3/4 cup of the milk/cream, or even up to the full cup or more if need be, the roue consistency should have thickened somewhat, but still be quite loose & 'liquidy' - at this point add a couple of ounces of Velveeta brand cheese (that's a small block piece about 3" thick, cut up in 8 or 10 small pieces) - add the pieces of Velveeta a few at a time, whisking all the while until all of the velveeta is melted to make the sauce consistency a bit thicker, but still somewhat 'watery'.

At this point also whisk in 1 - 1.5 teaspoons of dijon mustard.

Remove the roue from the heat, cover, and allow to cool.

The Cheeses and other Ingredients you will need:

- A small block piece of Velveeta cheese which you have already used in making the roue.


- 3/4 cup of grated sharp cheddar cheese
- 3/4 cup of grated gruyere cheese
- 1/2 cup of grated jalapeno (or habanero) monterey jack cheese, or havarti cheese w/jalapeno
-3-4 bacon rashers, fried crispy, and broken up into small bite-sized pieces


- These 3 main cheeses and the fried crispy bacon pieces (when cooled) should be mixed well together for layering into the casserole dish


- 1/2 - 3/4 cup of finely grated parmesan or romano cheese
-1/2 cup or more of panko bread crumbs
-1- 1.5 teaspoons of paprika powder
- 1/4 cup of melted butter

These 4 ingredients are to be well mixed together to sprinkle evenly over the top of the finished mac & cheese dish before baking.


Prep for baking:

- Lightly butter the bottom & sides of the casserole dish.
- Add a single layer of the cooked and cooled pasta to the dish
- Sprinkle a portion of the 3 mixed grated cheeses over the pasta
- Ladle a small portion of the cooled roue sauce over top of this pasta & cheese layer

- Repeat this portioning & layering until you've used up all of the pasta, grated cheeses, and the roue sauce

- For' good measure' as they say, & to help with making a real creamy mac & cheese, dribble/drizzle more heavy cream over the entire casserole- say about 1/2 cup.

- Evenly sprinkle the mixture of buttered panko bread crumbs with finely grated parmesan or romano cheese and paprika powder over the top of the casserole.

Bake @ 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes, or until the panko bread topping is nicely browned.

Hope you like it !

[discuspaul]

Please note:

Re: My Chile Rellenos recipe -

While altering this recipe from one calling for several more chiles to accomodate a larger group of eaters, to a smaller portion to become a one person/one meal recipe, I believe I overestimated the quantity of ingredients needed to stuff 2 or 3 even large poblano chiles.

The quantities of ingredients for the FILLING of the chiles would likely turn out be quite a bit more than actually needed to 'lightly' fill 2 or 3 chiles.

Therefore, if you're following this recipe to include meat, bacon & cheese, etc. together as the filling, I suggest you cut down somewhat on the quantities of the list of ingredients, or you'll have more than enough filling necessary.

Nothing serious I'm sure, but thought I'd let you know.

[LizStreithorst]

Chef, I thought I'd make six of these without meat to the point where they are stuffed, put them in a vacuum seal bag and freeze and freeze all but one or two which I would finish right away and eat. With the vacuum sealer I can fit a lot more stuff in the freezer and it keeps longer. I like to stock up of food for when money gets scarce. The last time I went to the tienda they were out of Poblano's. Yesterday I had to go in the other direction to deliver fish. I have to go that direction tomorrow to pick up some parts they had to special order for me. I hope they have some in. I yearn to make them.

The mac and cheese sounds very good, too. Seems to me that I should be able to freeze single portions and warm them up in the oven later. Please tell me if you think this won't work. BTW, the first cheese you mentioned was Velveeta. I thought, "No. This is not what I want in mac and cheese". Then I read on and got to the other cheeses, the Panko bread crumbs and finally the heavy cream and I was drooling for it.

I've got two meals now that will keep me fed in cake business isn't good. I'll take a second hard look at the sweet and sour pork after I make the other two. On first reading I didn't see the point where I could freeze it and finish it later but I might on a second reading.

Good lord, I want to make your lasagna too. Do you think that I could cook it, cut it into portions and freeze them like I want to do with the mac and cheese?

I feel blessed that you so freely share all the wonderful things you have learned to do over the years. Thanks again.

[discuspaul]

Yes Liz, no problem freezing portions of lasagna or mac & cheese, except that in both cases the thawed & reheated portions will of course likely be a bit dryer than the original version right out of the oven. Certainly doesn't affect the taste though, which may be even better in the case of lasagna. For the Mac & Cheese, sometimes I add a bit of milk or cream when re-heating which kind of returns it to fresh baked consistency.

As for the Velveeta, I figured someone would comment like you did. That's the way I used to feel too - however I found that it adds a nice different cheese flavor to the dish, and it melts easy & well, adding to the creaminess/smoothness of the sauce.

I haven't frozen S. & S. pork, but I don't see why not, except that the pork pieces would likely have softened up & lost their nice crispiness - but flavor should be just fine.

I have no problem posting recipes - in fact I rather enjoy it - keeps me busy when I have nothing else to do - which is fairly often in retirement - LOL

P.S. I'm having my mac & cheese for lunch today - should be ready in about 15 minutes - 2 serving portion, so 1 portion will be a leftover for sometime this week.

[discuspaul]

Just finished my m. & c. lunch - don't want to toot my own horn, but it's been a while since I last had it - and I kind of forgot how creamy & delicious it is - you must try it.

And remember folks, make sure that roué sauce is only slightly thickened after the velveeta has melted in it. If it's not somewhat runny, add some more milk.

[discuspaul]

OOPS - Sorry......


I just noticed a typo in the mac & cheese recipe - under 'making the roue'
- see the paragraph where I mention the size of the small block of Velveeta cheese to be melted in the roué - it should read 3/4" thick - NOT 3" thick- -which is far too much velveeta - please take note & amend your recipe if you've printed it.

[LizStreithorst]

I just ate my first Poblano pepper. I used sharp cheddar and Gruyere. The only meat I used was the bacon. The flavor of the filling was to die for. The sauce was wonderful. The batter was perfect. I have 5 more waiting in the freezer for more meals. Thank you so much Chef.

[LizStreithorst]

Chef, the thing about your recipes is that the parts themselves are good but something magic happens when the dish is all together. I've always had good taste in food but I can't believe that I've been able to cook your stuff and it comes out right! I've made these chilies, your famous chicken, and your stuffed grape leaves now. I'm full right now but as soon as I get a little hungry I'll decide which one I will make next.

[discuspaul]

You've made my day, Liz ! Many thanks for the kudos - I truly hope it encourages others to try the recipes too.

I'm very pleased you find it easy enough to follow the recipes and that they turn out right for you.

I remind y'all that when I normally follow a recipe for the first time, I usually end up finding a way to alter the mixtures, add, or subtract ingredients, change the prep or finishing technique in some way or another in an effort to make the dish tastier/more to my liking.

So most of the recipes I give you are the end result of these testings - some after trying several variations until I feel I've got it right/to my liking. Those are the recipes of mine that you get in these threads.

[LizStreithorst]

I decided on making the mac and cheese next. I'll be going to town this afternoon and I'll buy the stuff that I don't already have and make it tomorrow. I have several ramekins. I see no reason I couldn't make it in those, do you?

[LizStreithorst]

I have no problem posting recipes - in fact I rather enjoy it - keeps me busy when I have nothing else to do - which is fairly often in retirement - LOL


I think that's the reason that you and I are almost the only ones posting in this forum. Spending time cooking or writing detailed recipes when you have to go off to work every day is very difficult. On the weekends folks have to catch up on other stuff that was neglected during the week. I miss not having the money to take myself and my New Yorker magazine out to eat, but there's a sense of accomplishment making something as good or better myself.

[LizStreithorst]

I have no problem posting recipes - in fact I rather enjoy it - keeps me busy when I have nothing else to do - which is fairly often in retirement - LOL


I think that's the reason that you and I are almost the only ones posting in this forum. Spending time cooking or writing detailed recipes when you have to go off to work every day is very difficult. On the weekends folks have to catch up on other stuff that was neglected during the week. I miss not having the money to take myself and my New Yorker magazine out to eat, but there's a sense of accomplishment making something as good or better myself.

[discuspaul]

Ramekins will be great Liz - I use them myself when I do Mac & cheese just for myself for only one meal - which I did yesterday for lunch.

I do find however, that the creaminess of the dish is somewhat less than when you do a larger portion of m. & c. - no doubt due to being able to do a better job with the roué sauce when putting together a larger quantity.

[LizStreithorst]

Chef, I would have posted sooner but my internet was down for a couple of days. I made 6 ramekins of your mac and cheese, froze 5 and ate one. OMG it was so rich that I had to eat vegetarian for the next two days! That mac and cheese is a heart attack in a ramekin. I should have expected it with all that cheese, butter and cream. I won't be hungry for it for a while because it's so dang rich, but it was absolutely delicious. You are indeed an artist. I think I'll have veggies only again tonight. My neighbor brought me some home grown tomatoes, baby summer squash, and new potatoes.

I have already bought the ingredients for your sweet and sour pork. I'll be making it tomorrow. Thanks again. I have never made such good food in my entire life.

[discuspaul]

Linda constantly tells me that my tastes in food are 'rich', but I believe foods are meant to be as flavorful as you can make them !
Ask Bobby Flay who feels the same way - that's how he wins over the judges 4 out of 5 times competing against chefs who try to beat him making the same dish - he doesn't win with traditionalism, different ingredients, color & innovation, or great presentation - nor by doing unique dishes- he does it mainly with flavor - better flavor does it almost every time !

I got my love for that kind of thinking by visiting France several times, once for a month - because as you know,
the French make the tastiest and most dishes that are to die for !

[LizStreithorst]

You're absolutely correct, Chef. But I can't eat like that every day. My body says no. My stomach doesn't want more fat. But once a week I want to swim in fatty food. Like you inferred, the flavor is in the fat.

Ever since my nephew made his famous roast potatoes to go with my corned beef and roasted cabbage I have yearned for two ovens. My corned beef was cooking at 250 his taters called for 350 for 45 or 50 minutes. Both things would have suffered at the other's temp. I decided to eat the corned beef warm with good German mustard so he could do his taters correctly. Corned beef is fine just warm or even cold so in this situation it worked out.

Today I'm having the taters, and baby squash with good Parmesan. The taters will suffer this time because the squash asks for 450.

Do you have 2 ovens? I can't afford 2 and the carpentry to accommodate them so I'm bidding on this thing. I'll try the air fryer part because a friend says that she can't tell the difference between what she gets from it and fried. I have my doubts but I won't know until I try it myself. I want it most for the oven part. I need to get it at a bargain price so please keep your fingers crossed for me. https://www.ebay.com/itm/Cuisinart-TOA60-Electric-Air-Fryer-Toaster-Oven/383023908800?hash=item592e0107c0:g:JUUAAOSw5uVc9o3 F

[discuspaul]

Yes, we have 2 ovens, and we need to use them both more often than I thought we would.

[LizStreithorst]

Tonight it'll be your mac and cheese. I wanted your famous chicken but I'd already eaten it all, dang it!

[LizStreithorst]

Your famous chicken is in the oven, Chef. You should really share it with these with the folks, Paul. They would adore it as much as we do.
http://www.discusscooking.com/forums/

[discuspaul]

Your famous chicken is in the oven, Chef. You should really share it with these with the folks, Paul. They would adore it as much as we do.
http://www.discusscooking.com/forums/

Thanks Liz - I had a look at this forum - liked what I saw, & joined.

I just posted my first thread in the 'Member Introductions' section - with username: "Recipes Make Magic"

[LizStreithorst]

:thumbsup::thumbsup: