Vin's Recipe Thread~! (^o^)

[Vintersorg]

Hey guys~ First I'd like to apologise for not being around so much (as usual). Whenever real life happens, Mabi's the first thing to go, it seems. (sigh)
Anyway, I love to cook, and I also like to share recipes, so that's what I'm doing here, lol.
Feel free to share your recipes too!

Here is the first one, because it's autumn (my favourite season) and pumpkins (one of my favourite flavours) are EVERYWHERE... put them to good use! (Actually, I cheat a bit and use the tinned pumpkin XD) ... Most of my recipes will be in US measurements, because 1.) I live here and 2.) it's how they come to me, LOL. This one is from my mum, which she found on a website. My comments are italicised and in parentheses! (^_^)/

PUMPKIN CRANBERRY BREAD

Cook Time: 1 hour Serves: 24 (or less... if you cut big slices hehe)

INGREDIENTS:

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
  
• 5 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
  
• 2 teaspoons baking (bicarbonate) soda
  
• 1 and 1/2 teaspoons salt
  
• 3 cups granulated sugar
  
• 1 15-ounce can of pumpkin (brand: Libby's, generic is fine)
  
• 4 eggs
  
• 1 cup vegetable oil
  
• 1/2 cup orange juice
  
• 1 cup fresh or frozen cranberries (I use frozen cos fresh are expensive and I'm lazy it's convenient)
  

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour two 9 x 5-inch loaf pans.
   
2. Combine flour, pumpkin pie spice, baking soda, and salt in large bowl. Combine sugar, pumpkin, eggs, vegetable oil, and orange juice in another large mixer bowl; beat until just blended. Add pumpkin mixture to flour mixture (always add wet to dry!); stir until just moistened. Fold in cranberries. Spoon batter into prepared loaf pans.
   
3. Bake for 60 to 65 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in centre comes out clean. (I never do this. I have been cooking for so long I just know when most things are done. XD)
   
4. Cool in pans on wire racks for 10 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely. (I never do this either, I just let it sit on top of the stove for 20 minutes or until I can't stand it anymore... must eat delicious FOOD! nom nom~)
   

[Majelle]

Oh, that sounds good. I have a quiche recipe that I've modified to make it quite hearty, but I imagine that it's probably not that great for you if you have to watch your weight. I have a crazy metabolisim, and a fairly active job, so it's not as big a worry for me, tho I've noticed it is starting to slow a bit. First stage of getting older, I suppose. I don't have all the instructions and ingredients on hand, so I'll list em out later.

[Vintersorg]

Awesome, Maj! Do post... I could care less about watching my weight lmao. I love food and eat whatever I want. The key is portion sizes, and drink lots of water. XD
I'm by no means a skinny girl (far, FAR from it in fact~), it just doesn't bother me (anymore) cos I know I will never fit the model image no matter how I try, so why not just enjoy life instead?
Also, I take comfort in the fact that Renoir would have wanted to paint me had I been born during his time... and, at least I am healthy.
Anyway~ hope you find the recipe soon, I'd love to try it. (^_^)

[Majelle]

I just say that because back in high school I made a cake for a project, only to have half the girls in the class throw it away afterwards. It really irked me that they'd rather waste it rather than just say they didn't want any. But anyway, onto the recipe.

Quiche, Maj Style xD

• Store bought deep dish pie crust, or home made crust in a deep pie dish
  
• 4 eggs
  
• 1 cup of milk (2% is the lowest I go)
  
• 3 Tbs flour
  
• 1 onion, diced and sauteed
  
• a quarter or so of a Polska Keibasa sausage, cut into slices and quartered (depending on how you buy it, but about 2-3 inches of the sausage)
  
• 2 cups of grated cheese (I've used colby jack, cheddar jack and medium cheddar)
  

The way that I put this together is to grate the cheese and dice the onion first, and then I set the cheese off to the side in the measuring cup and set the diced onion underneath an overturned bowl on the cutting board. That's a new step, because I learned that it's better to let diced onion sit in a container for a few minutes, as there's an enzyme that only spreads through it after the onion is cut. With those two done, I put the milk, eggs, and flour into a large mixing bowl and beat till lumpy. And I see you all laughing in the back there about beating it lumpy xD.

Anyway, with the liquid part of the quiche mixed, it should be good to start sauteing the onion, as well as setting the oven to 375 so it will be done preheating about the time the onion is done. Since I use the store bought crusts, I pull one out of the freezer at this point and fill it with the cheese, and then slice and quarter the section of the sausage I cut for the quiche. Once the onion becomes translucent, I put both the onion and the sausage on top of the cheese. If you feel so inclined you can mix them into the cheese a bit, but I usually just arrange em on the top layer, that way the top of the sausage gets crispy when it's baking in the oven. With all the dry ingredients in the crust, I open up the oven and set the pie on the middle rack, and pull it out so I can pour the liquid mix for the quiche in. That way I don't have to do any fancy balance work, because once you pour the liquid mix into the crust, it will nearly be overflowing.

After the liquid mix is poured in, set a timer for 35 minutes and just bake it at 375. After the timer goes off, if the middle of the quiche jiggles when you tap on it, it's not quite ready, so set another five minutes and check it again. Once it seems fairly solid, put a knife into the middle, and if it comes out clean, turn off the oven, crack the door, and let the quiche sit for another ten minutes. The middle may also rise a good bit while it's baking, but that's fine. Watching the crust of the pie is a good indicator, too, for once that turns golden brown the quiche is pretty close to done. You really do need to let the quiche sit and settle after baking it, because if you slice it too soon the center will end up being runny and not all that appealing. If all goes well, when you slice into it the filling should stay nice and firm, with egg and cheese evenly mixed and the crisp sausage on top, with the sweet onion flavor hint in every bite, but not overpowering.

Oh, and if you really want to go overboard with it, you can add browned hamburger, bacon, broccoli, spinach, pretty much anything that goes well with cheese and egg. Quiche is basically a baked omelet xD

Forgive me for being so wordy in describing what to do. It's a side effect of being a writer, even if it's only amateur writing (at least for now)

[Umbrasquall]

Umbra's quick critical one-hit finish your hunger recipe.

• 1 packet of instant ramen
  
• 1 bowl of hot water, microwaved
  
• Combine in bowl.
  
• Profit?
  

Yeah still a college kid here. Sue me.

[Vintersorg]

Maj: No worries! This thread was intended to be for all, and some people may not know how to make a quiche, so it's good.
That recipe sounds yummy.

Umbra: LOL! Well, I've been there, done that too. Adding stuff to it (assuming you can get things like eggs, veggies, and seaweed) helps. (^_^)

[Majelle]

That's actually one of my standbys. Ramen, bring the water to a quick boil, and cook the noddles till I can pull em apart with chop sticks, then toss in zucchini, tofu, carrots, corn, spinach, ravioli, and whatever else strikes my fancy.

[Heath]

Umbra's quick critical one-hit finish your hunger recipe.

• 1 packet of instant ramen
  
• 1 bowl of hot water, microwaved
  
• Combine in bowl.
  
• Profit?
  

Yeah still a college kid here. Sue me.

You forgot the packet of soup base.

[Vintersorg]

Okay, I don't eat these everyday, I hardly ever have them but tonight I had such a craving...
Here's my spin on an old favourite, the BACON BUTTY!!
This is for one sandwich; adjust as needed for more servings.


Ingredients:

• 3 rashers of bacon (I like thick bacon but it's hard to find here so thin it is D: ... but that means you can put more!)
  
• 2 slices of bread
  
• butter
  
• ketchup or HP sauce (since I didn't pick up any, and all I had was tonkatsu sauce, this will work just fine (another option is Worcestershire sauce); and I used both, shhh don't tell anyone)
  

Directions:

1. Put your bacon on to fry, or griddle it, or otherwise cook it however you like.
   
2. Whilst bacon is cooking, butter one side of each slice of bread.
   
3. When bacon is done, put it on one of the buttered slices of bread. With the other slice, put whichever sauce you prefer, or both, on.
   
4. Pop this in your bacon-frying pan, sauce-side down, for no more than a couple minutes, lest it get too soggy with bacon drippings.
   
5. Put your butty together and enjoy with a nice strong cuppa tea or coffee, milk or sugar as preferred.
   

Variation of this includes a chip butty, done the same way except with fried potatoes. But my fav is the bacon one. Nom nom~ (^_^)

[Umbrasquall]

Omg... how could I. I have shamed the ramen gods.

[Umbrasquall]

I made this:



OMURICE FTW!!!

Ingredients:

• 130g Chicken (0.287 lb)
  
• Salt & Pepper
  
  
• 1 Garlic Clove
  
• 1/4 Onion (70g / 2.47 oz)
  
• 4 Button Mushrooms (50g / 1.76 oz)
  
• 1 tbsp White Wine
  
• 200g Canned Tomato (0.441 lb)
  
• 1 tbsp Tomato Ketchup
  
• 1/2 Bouillon Cube (2.8g / 0.1 oz)
  
• 1 Bay Leaf
  
• 30g Frozen Green Peas (1.06 oz)
  
• Olive Oil, Salt & Pepper
  
  
• 280g Steamed Rice Cooked with Less Water (0.617 lb)
  
  
• 4 Eggs
  
• 2 tsp Dairy Cream
  
• Olive Oil, Salt & Pepper
  
  
• Baby Salad Greens
  
• Parsley
  
• Tomato Ketchup[code]
  

Instructions

I made an avocado salad (ripe avocado with salt) and sprinkled the parsley (flakes) into the rice instead but otherwise mostly the same as in the video.

[Vintersorg]

That soup base packet has way too much salt anyway. You're better off just using half or making your own flavouring. XD
And omg that looks good! (drools)
Too bad I went to the store already... oh well, I can make some next week or something. XD

[Vintersorg]

I've been baking a lot recently; usually something I only do in the winter to heat up the house, but one day I got so sick of having all these mandarins around that I searched for a recipe and found...
THIS!

... The trick for this recipe is do not, under any circumstances, use salted butter as it calls for in the recipe. Just use regular, unsalted butter. Also I used real mandarins, not tinned as it calls for. I think I used about 5 or 6 (the third time I made these I used 8 lol) and sliced the segments into two or three pieces, taking out the seeds.

And cos my oven is different or something I raised the temp higher... my first batch following the recipe didn't get done so I had to put them back in for extra time. So your time may vary; turn the heat up by 15~20 degrees and keep checking them every 5~10 minutes until done, or the bottoms are golden brown.

These are the best biscuits I've ever made, and I've stopped buying store-bought ones cos I'm spoilt by these now. XDDD
Unfortunately I spoilt my family too and they keep asking me when I'm going to bring them more, haha~
They go lovely with spiced tea, or any tea, really (^_^)

[torhu]

Baked Lemon Chicken Breasts:

Ingredients:
Boneless skinless chicken breast halves
2 Tablespoons Lemon juice
3 Tablespoons melted butter
1 tablespoon garlic powder OR 1 glove of garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper

Combine lemon juice, butter, salt, pepper, and garlic in a 9x13 baking pan. Add chicken. Turn chicken over so it is covered completely with the lemon sauce. Bake at 350 for 40 minutes. Eat.

I love it cause it's easy, it takes less than 5 minutes to prep it, and it still tastes really really good.

[Vintersorg]

Yum yum!! That sounds almost like this lemon-butter fish recipe I found (and have been using for a couple years now), except one adds paprika on top for a garnish.
Now I want some lemon chicken, with broccoli

[Candy]

Hot and Cold Sesame Noodles
(4 Servings)

Ingredients:
1/2 pound spaghetti
1/4 cup Tamari dark soy, eyeball it
1/4 cup rounded tablespoons smooth peanut butter, softened in microwave 15 seconds on high
2 tablespoons cider or rice wine vinegar
1 tablespoon dark sesame oil, eyeball it
2 tablespoons hot sauce
2 cups shredded cabbage and carrot mix, available in produce department
1 cup bean sprouts or pea shoots, any variety, available in produce department
3 scallions, chopped on an angle
2 tablespoons sesame seeds

Directions:
Cook pasta to al dente, with a bite to it, then cold shock it to stop the cooking process by running it under cold water in colander. Drain the pasta very well.

In the bottom of a large bowl, whisk together soy, peanut butter, vinegar, oil, sesame oil, and hot sauce. Add noodles and veggies and toss to combine the noodles and coat them evenly with sauce. Sprinkle scallions and sesame seeds throughout the salad and serve.

[Candy]

Kebabs of Tuna with Wasabi Dipping Sauce

INGREDIENTS:
1 1/2 pounds sashimi-grade tuna, deep red in color
16 large shiitake mushrooms, stems removed
2 large sweet red peppers
1 large red Bermuda onion
8 large bamboo skewers, soaked in water
1 1/2 cups Sherry-Soy Marinade (recipe follows)
1 to 2 teaspoons Wasabi paste (depending on how hot you want it)

DIRECTIONS:
Cut the tuna into 24 equal-size cubes. Quarter the mushrooms. Cut the peppers and onion into 1/2-inch squares. Divide the ingredients equally among the 8 skewers, alternating squares of vegetable and tuna. Pour 1 cup of the Sherry-Soy Marinade over the kebabs and marinate, refrigerated, 2 to 3 hours.
Dissolve the wasabi in the remaining 1/2 cup marinade to make a spicy dipping sauce to serve at the table with the grilled tuna.
On a hot outdoor grill or under a broiler, sear the kebabs 2 to 3 minutes on each side. The tuna should be medium rare--still red in the center--when served with the dipping sauce.

SHERRY-SOY MARINADE
1/2 cup canola, vegetable, or peanut oil
1/2 cup dry (not cooking) sherry
1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce
2 tablespoons Oriental sesame oil
2 tablespoons peeled and finely chopped fresh ginger
2 cloves garlic, peeled and finely chopped
1/4 cup coarsely chopped cilantro leaves, tightly packed
3 whole scallions, sliced
3 tablespoons rice wine vinegar (or white vinegar)
1 tablespoon Annatoo (Achiote) paste
2 tablespoons ground cumin

[Candy]

Mushroom Risotto

Ingredients
5 to 6 cups chicken stock
1 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp unsalted butter
2 tbsp finely chopped shallots
1 tsp minced garlic
12 oz assorted mushrooms
1 tsp chopped fresh thyme
1 cup dry wine (Chardonnay/Reisling)
½ tsp salt
½ tsp ground pepper
½ cup heavy cream [adjust to your liking]
1 cup grated parmesan
2 tsp chopped parsley leaves

Directions
In a medium saucepan, bring the stock to a simmer over medium heat. Reduce the heat to very low to keep hot. In a large heavy saucepan, heat the oil and melt the butter over medium-high heat. Add the shallots and garlic, and cook, stirring until fragrant and soft, about 3 minutes. Add the mushrooms and cook, stirring, until wilted and their liquid is evaporated, 4 to 5 minutes. Add the rice and cook, stirring constantly, until the grains are opaque, about 1 minute. Stir in the thyme. Add the wine and cook, stirring, until nearly all evaporated. Add 3/4 cup of the stock, the salt, and pepper. Cook, stirring constantly, until the stock is nearly all evaporated. Continue adding more stock 1/2 cup at a time as the previous addition is nearly absorbed, until the rice is tender and the risotto is creamy, 18 to 20 minutes. Stir in cream, 1/2 cup of the cheese, and the parsley and mix well.

Remove from the heat and adjust the seasoning, to taste.

Serve immediately, topping each portion with a sprinkling of the remaining cheese.

[Candy]

Sesame Beef and Scallion Kebabs

10 (7-inch) bamboo skewers
1/2 cup soy sauce
4 garlic cloves, forced through a garlic press
2 tablespoons Asian (toasted) sesame oil
2 teaspoons minced fresh peeled gingerroot
3 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon sesame seeds, lightly toasted
2 teaspoons black pepper
1 1/2 pounds boneless shell steak, cut into 1-inch cubes
16 scallions, trimmed

DIRECTIONS:
Soak bamboo skewers in water for 30 minutes.
In a small bowl, whisk together the soy sauce, garlic, oil, gingerroot, sugar, vinegar, sesame seeds, and pepper. Thread the steak cubes loosely onto 8 of the skewers and thread the remaining skewers crosswise through the middle of each scallion so that the scallions stand parallel to one another. Put the beef and scallion kebabs in a shallow dish just large enough to hold them, pour the marinade over them, coating them well, and let the kebabs marinate, chilled, turning them frequently, for 25 minutes.
Grill the kebabs on an oiled rack set about 6 inches over glowing coals, turning them, for 10 minutes. Alternatively, the kebabs may be broiled under a preheated broiler about 4 inches from the heat in the same manner.) Remove the beef and scallions from skewers before serving.

[Vintersorg]

Wow, Candy~! Those all sound delicious Thank you.

[Candy]

I love cooking. Will try to post more when I have the time. :]

[Vintersorg]

Me too, well, when it's not too hot/I'm not too exhausted XD
Yay

[Candy]

Smothered Filet Mignon
(2 servings)

INGREDIENTS:
2 (6 ounce) filet mignon steaks
seasoned salt to taste
cracked black pepper to taste
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1-1/2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon dried rosemary
1-1/2 teaspoons butter
1 cup onion slices
1/2 teaspoon white sugar
2 ounces blue cheese, crumbled

DIRECTIONS:
Season steaks with seasoned salt and black pepper, and arrange in a single layer in a large baking dish. In a bowl, whisk together olive oil, balsamic vinegar, mustard, and rosemary. Pour mixture over filets, and turn to coat. Marinate for up to 30 minutes.

While you are marinating the meat, melt the butter in a skillet over medium heat. Cook onion slices in butter until soft, then stir in sugar. Continue cooking until onions are caramelized. Set aside.

Preheat grill for high heat on one side, and medium heat on the other side.
Lightly oil the grill grate. Place steaks on the hot side of the grill, and cook for 10 minutes, turning once. When the steaks are almost done, move to the cooler side of the grill. Top each filet with a quarter of the caramelized onions and blue cheese. Close the lid, and continue cooking until the cheese is melted.

[Candy]

Thai Glazed Chicken Lettuce Wraps
(4 servings)

INGREDIENTS:
1 pound thin cut chicken breast meat, available packaged in meat case of market
Grill seasoning (recommended: Montreal Seasoning by McCormick)
2 tablespoons vegetable oil, 2 turns of the pan
2 tablespoons minced ginger root
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 large red bell pepper, seeded and very thinly sliced
1 cup packaged shredded cabbage and carrot mix
3 scallions, chopped on an angle
1/2 cup plum sauce
2 cups basil leaves, loosely packed
1/2 head iceberg lettuce, cut into half again
1/2 seedless cucumber, chopped

DIRECTIONS:
Thinly slice the chicken into strips and sprinkle with grill seasoning.
Heat a large skillet to screaming hot. Add vegetable oil, then chicken. Cook chicken 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Add the ginger, garlic, peppers, cabbage and carrot mix and scallions and stir-fry another 2 minutes. Add plum sauce to glaze the mixture, toss 1 minute, then add basil and wilt leaves. Transfer cooked chicken and vegetables to a bowl. Place spoonfuls of chicken into a piece of lettuce with cucumber and fold lettuce over to eat, like small tacos.

[Vintersorg]

Oh that filet mignon recipe made my mouth water LOL.

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