The Syndicate

I keep finding myself asking about food stuffs in the random thread. As many food conversations as we've had there, feels like it's time to start a thread for recipies and general foodie geeking out here. If there's enough interest in this thread, I'll ask the powers that be for a subforum for specific food related topics. At the moment, I think one thread will prolly serve us well.

I love food

I made dinner tonight -- one of my favorite recipes. Tilapia with cilantro cream sauce over lemon-pepper fettuccine and asparagus.

that sounds amazing - recipe please!!! : D


I'm just making meatloaf and mashed potatoes with corn on the cob. - i'ts comfort food for sure!

http://www.dinasaurhedcult.com/forums/s ... #post76092 I posted it on HV a while back, there it is. Probably should have cited where I originally got it from >_> could easily google for that, that's how I found it originally

I made a lower fat version of Tiramisu over the weekend. I mixed Vanilla pudding mix into plain Greek yogurt and spread it over the top of Alessi brand Ladyfingers that I had poured espresso on top of. Topped with Cool Whip that I had mixed a little vanilla into and then topped with cocoa powder. Good in a pinch when you want something sweet but not crazy out there ridic stats. I do this with lemon pudding sometimes too for a limoncello type dessert.

"‘Zerts’ are what I call desserts. ‘Trée-trées’ are entrées. I call sandwiches ‘sammies,’ ‘sandoozles,’ or ‘Adam Sandlers.’ Air conditioners are ‘cool blasterz’ with a ‘z’ — I don’t know where that came from. I call cakes ‘big ol’ cookies.’ I call noodles ‘long-ass rice.’ Fried chicken is ‘fry-fry chicky-chick.’ Chicken parm is ‘chicky-chicky-parm-parm.’ Chicken cacciatore? ‘Chicky-cacc.’ I call eggs ‘pre-birds,’ or ‘future birds.’ Root beer is ‘super water.’ Tortillas are ‘bean blankets.’ And I call forks ‘food rakes.’”

" Never eat anything that has sauce I have to dip myself. Just drizzle it on for me. I ain't your maid!"

- Tom Haverford, Parks & Rec

@ LA - that explains why it sounded vaugely familiar. I prolly said something right after along the lines of "that sounds amazing I can't wait to try it!" Fresh cilantro isn't too expensive out here, but the problem I find is that it only comes in the bundles and I tend to have a hard time finding lots of recipies to use it in before it goes all bad since such a little bit does so much work.... Though, this is the time of year when roma tomatoes start going for 99 cents a lb if you buy them on the right day so maybe it's time to bust out a huge batch of fresh pico and make some tillapia. Yay for payday friday!!!

lemoncello tiramisu sounds sooooooooooo good. Also - I love the odd names mongooose. I' m big on the "sammies" myself. But "super water" and "chicky-chicy-parm-parm" are my newest favorite words ever!!!

This is where all that mess came from -- it's HILARIOUS.

yeah definitely try the limoncello twist on tiramisu! I am a lemon fiend, so it's prob my favorite dessert ever -- I love semifreddo.

I didn't realize all of it was a Tom quote - I just thought the last bit was.

god I'm dumb sometimes.

My husband makes tasty cheesy risotto, but last week we tried a lemon, scallion, basil risotto recipe. Yum! Then we used the leftovers to stuff peppers. Still good, but not quite the right flavors with green peppers, maybe stuffed tomatoes next time.

I thought the same thing bea! We were givng you so much credit Mongoose!

Hedgeowl wrote:My husband makes tasty cheesy risotto, but last week we tried a lemon, scallion, basil risotto recipe. Yum! Then we used the leftovers to stuff peppers. Still good, but not quite the right flavors with green peppers, maybe stuffed tomatoes next time.

I thought the same thing bea! We were givng you so much credit Mongoose!

those both sound awesome! Last time I made risotto I use mushrooms, bacon, shrimp and parm cheese.

Mmmmmm those risottos sound fantastic. Especially Bea's

Clearly bea's! Bacon is almost like food cheating. It makes everything taste better. This coming from a lifelong vegetarian too. In my meat-tasting days, bacon was definitely my favorite. Also risotto with bacon might be what the green peppers need to taste better.

Have people tried bacon wrapped dates? These are pretty popular here right now.

Hedgeowl wrote:Clearly bea's! Bacon is almost like food cheating. It makes everything taste better. This coming from a lifelong vegetarian too. In my meat-tasting days, bacon was definitely my favorite. Also risotto with bacon might be what the green peppers need to taste better.

<---- Also a non-judgmental vegetarian

Mongoose wrote:

Hedgeowl wrote:Clearly bea's! Bacon is almost like food cheating. It makes everything taste better. This coming from a lifelong vegetarian too. In my meat-tasting days, bacon was definitely my favorite. Also risotto with bacon might be what the green peppers need to taste better.

<---- Also a non-judgmental vegetarian

Now people will get us mixed up even more!

Bacon is cheating but my sweetie loves it soooo very much and I do love seeing my sweeite happy with my foods

I've not had bacon wrapped dates but they sound delish.
One of my fav. appatizers from my old job was asparagus spears wrapped with prosciutto and marscarpone cheese then sauteed in a skillet. OH. MY. GOD. I could eat like a thousand of them.


I'm totally cool with vegitarian cooking. Before I met my sweetie I dated a vegetarian for a really long time. We'd make all kinds of stir fries and pasta dishes sans meat. I love tofu, but ironically can't stand any of the "fake" meat products (Like no veggie hamburgers or italian sausages or hot dogs - it all tasted yuck to me.) except the soyusso sausage I liked to use it when I made spagetti or lasagna for him because it gave me a "meat" taste but he could eat it too. I learned so much about the lifestyle from him. I never knew things like jello and marsh mellows were no go. It never occured to me. It became that marsh mellows became a guilty pleasure of mine.


I can't do vegan though. I need me some dairy like you wouldn't believe.

I LOVE bacon. I've even done bacon-wrapped marshmallows roasted over a fire, lol. >_>


I could never be vegetarian, let alone vegan (though I know several people at Reed who are) D:

Not everything will work for everyone, so I totally get that. I think everyone should eat how they like. What is something you liked that you ate today?

I "ate" a red velvet cake protein shake for lunch and it was awesome!

I found a store demo espresso machine on sale for my husbands birthday. Since coffee turns me into a crazy person, he figured out to make one of my favorites today, steamed milk. Yeah, that's right I feel 5 years old, but with a little honey it's amazing.

Red velvet shake? How? Want!

Hedgeowl wrote:I found a store demo Yeah, that's right I feel 5 years old, but with a little honey it's amazing.

Red velvet shake? How? Want!

It's this! I love this brand, I've used it for years and I about lost my s*** when I saw this.

I figured you were both vegetarians- neither of you mention meat, your avatars are meat, your user names are meat.

I have respect for vegetarians, but I would not wish to be one. I used to say I could never be one, but I have discovered so much love for the variety vegetable-based dishes present that I know I could do it.

I just don't wanna.

Best veg dish I make? Eggplant Parmesan.

Epignosis wrote:I figured you were both vegetarians- neither of you mention meat, your avatars are meat, your user names are meat.

I have respect for vegetarians, but I would not wish to be one. I used to say I could never be one, but I have discovered so much love for the variety vegetable-based dishes present that I know I could do it.

I just don't wanna.

Best veg dish I make? Eggplant Parmesan.

@ our usernames being meat.

Eggplant Parm is the best!

PF changs has helped me cultivate a love for tofu. It's not nice when it's mushy. Several taco places around here have tempeh as a filling offering so that's nice.

What brought you to vegetarianism?

Eggplant parm is a dish from the Gods. I always wanted gram to teach me to make it the old skool way - all I could ever get out of her was how you have to salt the eggplant to draw out all the liquid. I've never really gotten around to digging up a good recipe for it and giving it a go.

Mongoose - almost every Thai place I've has a fried tofu appetizer served with spicy peanut sauce with varrying degrees of awesomeness. Thai food was one thing we could "go out to eat" and get that had lots of options for him as well. Though to be honest, I grew to like tofu enough that I would often get it in my curry as well.

Eggplant Parm is so good when its homemade. I still have bad memories of college cafeteria parm. Amazing how they could ruin so many dishes. As for tofu I grew up with it and love most kinds, but have never liked tempeh. I have had some good dishes with it, but its usually too strong for me. My husband is not vegetarian, which mostly works out, but I always ask before I add tofu cause it depends on the dish.
He really likes the Tamale Pie recipe in Joy of Cooking. Top and bottom layer of almost cornbread with middle layer of ground beef and spices for friends and then will do a veggie version with beans, corn, and peppers for me. It is delicious.

Epignosis wrote:I figured you were both vegetarians- neither of you mention meat, your avatars are meat, your user names are meat.

Epignosis wrote:What brought you to vegetarianism?

I always kind of shied away from meat, even as a kid. I just have an aversion to it. It definitely wasn't my upbringing as my dad loves ham, lamb, cornish hen, quail, venison, etc.

That said, I can prepare it for company (for Easter, I made Dr Pepper pork tenderloin for my inlaws). I didn't love handling the raw meat, but then who does? I let the Dr Pepper soak into the meat and the acid just ate away all the sinews and they said it was so tender.

Eggplant is mighty fine.

Last night I made green curry. Sauteed the tofu first so it gets a crispy cover, added the sauce and let simmer. I served it over quinoa and added fresh broccoli and a bag of frozen veggies. The leftover portion is my dinner for tonight (I seriously eat dinner at 4pm), so I am counting the hours until then. The sauce was so lemongrassy and had a nice kick.

Y'all I seriously love lemongrass. It is so good.

Bea -- I know exactly what you are talking about! The little triangles usually, right? I don't know if you have a PeiWei option there, but I have a lot of meatophiles that will actually get the tofu option there because it's so delish.

My youngest daughter (21 years old) has been a vegetarian since she was 15. So I've learned to cook a few things besides vegetables, that work. But I have a caveman inside me, I think, because I'm truly a meatatarian. I'm hoping to find some really nice recipes here for veggie dishes!

Here are some good links to my favorite Veg food blogs. I like things that I think meat eaters would like. I don't usually like fakey fake meat analogues and would rather indulge in whole foods.

http://myvegancookbook.com/recipes/all_ ... hp?by=date I love this blog. He uses food as a cure, which is an idea I love. Also, he avoids isolated soy protein. Yay! Seriously, I have tried so many of these recipes, and I've never been let down.

http://theveganstoner.blogspot.com/ This blog is legit mental. While sometimes a little minimalist, it is off-the-Richter tasty.

http://thugkitchen.com/ Very health-oriented with adult language. Very tasty. I have friends that ardently oppose vegetarian and pesco diets that freakin love this blog.

Quinoa-Beet Burgers! Our new burger bar has those and they are delicious! Too bad they make the regular burgers too salty so you'll buy more beer. Otherwise, we'd eat there more often. Also, that Tofu curry sounds tasty. My husband will eat tofu with a nice curry sauce. Easy to make the base with curry and veggies and then throw in chicken in one version and tofu in another too. We just had beef and veggie burgers tonight. There's a local company making lentil veggie burgers now. They are not as delicious as I would hope however. I would like to introduce them to a salt shaker to start.

Ooo veggie blogs! My fav veggie cookbook Author is Deborah Madison. Some of her stuff seems a little tricky at first read, but almost everything I make comes out great the first time. Can't say that about a lot of cookbooks.

Thanks, mongoose! I'll read those blogs and see if I can get a more varied menu going.

Hedgeowl wrote:Quinoa-Beet Burgers! Our new burger bar has those and they are delicious! Too bad they make the regular burgers too salty so you'll buy more beer. Otherwise, we'd eat there more often. Also, that Tofu curry sounds tasty. My husband will eat tofu with a nice curry sauce. Easy to make the base with curry and veggies and then throw in chicken in one version and tofu in another too. We just had beef and veggie burgers tonight. There's a local company making lentil veggie burgers now. They are not as delicious as I would hope however. I would like to introduce them to a salt shaker to start.

Ooo veggie blogs! My fav veggie cookbook Author is Deborah Madison. Some of her stuff seems a little tricky at first read, but almost everything I make comes out great the first time. Can't say that about a lot of cookbooks.

OMg Hedge, are you talking about Burger Fi? They have an epic veggie burger that I think is quinoa and beet. Those fries are epic too.

Do you guys like Isa Chandra Moskowitz and Terry Hope Romero?

I LOVE green curry omg and lemongrass <3 Thai curry is the best

I'm making my not-so-famous pizza dough.

Want to know the secret ingredients?

Yuengling and Parmesan cheese.

I don't have any Yuegling though, so I'm trying Shiner Bock.

Wow, how fun is that?

Today is Throwback Thursdaze at Tijuana Flats (it's counter-service Tex Mex if you don't have one near you. IMO it's superior to Moe's), which means you get a big-ass burrito, fresh tortilla chips and a drink (free refills) for $5.99. I'm meeting some friends there when I get off work.

Mongoose wrote:Wow, how fun is that?

Today is Throwback Thursdaze at Tijuana Flats (it's counter-service Tex Mex if you don't have one near you. IMO it's superior to Moe's), which means you get a big-ass burrito, fresh tortilla chips and a drink (free refills) for $5.99. I'm meeting some friends there when I get off work.

Tijuana Flats was within walking distance when we lived in Florida. The manager was a cracking Aussie who gave quizzes to the customers and cookies to the kids. One afternoon he kept the Sam Adams coming and didn't charge me for the drinks. Love their hot sauce varieties. For Christmas one year my wife's brother-in-law got me a bottle of the Slap My Ass and Call me Santa.

I love that sauce! My husband likes the Sweet version of that Slap My Ass sauce. I like the Jason's Mom sauce, which is a good bit hotter.

New secret ingredients.

Shiner Bock and Parmesan cheese.

Epignosis wrote:I'm making my not-so-famous pizza dough.

Want to know the secret ingredients?

Yuengling and Parmesan cheese.

I don't have any Yuegling though, so I'm trying Shiner Bock.

Yuengling!!!! I love that beer!

Just after I moved out here, they started selling Yuengling in Ohio.

When I went home last summer, I was like a freek little kid with the "I'll have a yuengling" because it was so novel to me to go to all my local bars and be able to get it. heheh.

Mongoose would be proud of us. Veg all day!

Tonight, it's stuffed portobello mushroom caps with angel hair pasta.

Epignosis wrote:Mongoose would be proud of us. Veg all day!

Tonight, it's stuffed portobello mushroom caps with angel hair pasta.

Way to go, all sounds delicious! Your pizza crust recipe sounds very innovative. Does all that yeast make it nice and fluffy?

It was the best pizza dough I ever made, and it was about an inch thick. So good.

And the supper I just described (paired with my not-so-famous Alfredo sauce) was amazing.

A family member tried to make crepes for everyone over Thanksgiving last year. The french exchange student there swore they always made them with beer in her family. So they searched every for a pale beer with no luck. Finally added a dark beer and the next morning we all tried to eat beer flavored crepes. Not a success when paired with fruit, sugar, and syrup. Glad to hear the Shiner Bock worked so well!

Hedgeowl wrote:A family member tried to make crepes for everyone over Thanksgiving last year. The french exchange student there swore they always made them with beer in her family. So they searched every for a pale beer with no luck. Finally added a dark beer and the next morning we all tried to eat beer flavored crepes. Not a success when paired with fruit, sugar, and syrup. Glad to hear the Shiner Bock worked so well!

I wonder if a Chocolate Stout would work with something like that. Hey, what about this -- you know Sea Dog Brewery? We have one of those here, but you can get it on tap at a lot of places. Hear me out, what if you put the Blueberry Sea Dog into ...pancake batter! You could roll up sausages or other breakfast meat into it.

I've always wanted to play with chocolate stout in cooking - but I always lean more toward deserts and things like that. I had a dark stout tiramisu that was pretty rad. I'm thinking though that finding *the* chocolate/coffee stout would make it sing ya know?

I like the idea of infusing beer into pancake batter. You could put the blueberry beer into it - add a few blueberries as well and yea - that sounds awesome!

epi!!!

check this out for lulz!: http://www.behance.net/gallery/Shiner-B ... gn/1536551

Over the past half year or so I've been trying various blue cheeses. Apparently most people eat them with other things but I love the taste so much that I sit here and eat it all by itself. My question is: is this normal, or am I weirder than I previously thought?

Mongoose wrote:

Hedgeowl wrote:A family member tried to make crepes for everyone over Thanksgiving last year. The french exchange student there swore they always made them with beer in her family. So they searched every for a pale beer with no luck. Finally added a dark beer and the next morning we all tried to eat beer flavored crepes. Not a success when paired with fruit, sugar, and syrup. Glad to hear the Shiner Bock worked so well!

I wonder if a Chocolate Stout would work with something like that. Hey, what about this -- you know Sea Dog Brewery? We have one of those here, but you can get it on tap at a lot of places. Hear me out, what if you put the Blueberry Sea Dog into ...pancake batter! You could roll up sausages or other breakfast meat into it.

Oh what a great idea! I had Sea Dog at a bar where they put blueberries in the beer. I don't remember whether it made the beer better, but it was fun to try. Do they do this where you are?

A Person- If I liked Bleu Cheese more than this would be aok in my book. I eat it with things cause its too much for me otherwise. Do you eat it with crackers or on its own? We've become big fans of the cheese before dinner course because we are always so hungry at the end of the day. There's a mustard and ale cheese called Red Dragon i think, that we found at Whole Foods and its our current favorite.