You Are What You Eat - Page 8 - Truckers' Trucking Forum

kickin chicken · **^ Top** #71 09.30.2009

The Irreplaceable Cast Iron Pans

Quote:

There are several reason that people rave about their cast iron pans and cast iron skillets. Besides being an ideal heat conductor, cast iron cookware heats evenly and consistently, it is inexpensive and will last a lifetime (actually several lifetimes) with proper care, and it is an old-fashioned way to cook fat free. When well seasoned, a cast iron pan will be stick resistant and require no additional care.
The benefits of cast iron pans and skillets are terrific: Foods glide out of it as from no pan made with Teflon; it goes from stove to oven; no special utensils are needed to cook in it; it won't warp, and cleanup is a cinch. A well-seasoned cast iron pan will only get better with age, and will last you for a lifetime. It's time people realize the culinary wonder that a cast iron pan can be!

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simplyred1962 · **^ Top** #72 09.30.2009

OMG!
Cast iron skillets are the BEST for cooking nearly EVERYTHING.
IMHO

Judi Kay

Red Fox · **^ Top** #73 10.01.2009

you can ruin one in a minnit, but you can also re-season it easily. It just won't die, and unlike overheated teflon, emits no poisonous gasses.
Most people don't even know teflon shouldn't be heated over 500 degrees F. If you have birds in the house; they'll die. Not good for you either.

kickin chicken · **^ Top** #74 10.03.2009

It is hard to imagine what cooking would be like without the unique flavors provided by herbs, spices, and the many seasonings available.

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For centuries they have been an integral part of many of the world's great cuisines. Today we take for granted black pepper and the other spices over which wars where once fought. At one time only kings and other wealthy people could afford such a delicacy as cinnamon. Today all supermarkets and most small grocery stores have well-stocked spice shelves offering a wonderful selection of herbs and spices.

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The term "spices" is often used broadly to include all seasonings. Spices come from the bark, roots, leaves, stems, buds, seeds, or fruit of aromatic plants and trees which usually grow only in tropical countries. Pepper, allspice, cloves, nutmeg, mace, cinnamon, ginger, saffron, and turmeric are spices.

Herbs are soft, succulent plants which usually grow in the temperate zone. Until recently cooks have had to make do with very few fresh herbs, such as sage, parsley, and thyme. Nowadays you can also find fresh basil, coriander, chervil, tarragon, rosemary, and dill. Since herbs are at their best when they are young and freshly picked, it is well worth growing your own.

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kickin chicken · **^ Top** #75 10.09.2009

Squash (Summer & Winter Squash) Glossary
Types of Squash - How To Purchase Squash - How To Prepare Squash

Quote:

The Definition of Squash: The fruits of various members of the gourd family, which fall into two classifications, summer squash and winter squash.

Did You Know? Every part of the squash plant can be eaten, including the leaves and tender shoots, which can be cooked in omelets or made into soup.

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simplyred1962 · **^ Top** #76 10.10.2009

Summer squash are popular and versatile vegetables served in a variety of ways in the South. Most Southerner cooks have an arsenal of squash recipes and are constantly looking for new squash recipes, since squash grow quite prolifically when in season.
Summer squash are thin skinned squash as opposed to the winter squash which are thicker skin and more like pumpkin in terms of cooking. Both summer and winter squash are available in an almost endless variety of shapes and colors. The most common summer squash in the South, however, are the yellow and zucchini types. Other varieties can be substituted in recipes calling for summer squash, so a white patty pan squash, for instance, can easily be substituted for the yellow or zucchini in a recipe.
Skillet Chicken and Summer Squash is one of many main dish Southern recipes for squash. The recipe is quick and easy and on the stove top so does not heat up the kitchen like some of the casserole recipes. It’s also light and healthy but still makes a satisfying and filling dinner dish.
Chicken and Summer Squash Recipe

Ingredients:

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
½ tsp salt
¾ tsp pepper (fresh ground is very good)
¼ tsp paprika
2 ½ TBS olive oil
½ cup chicken broth (canned or homemade)
1 small zucchini squash
1 medium yellow squash
1 bell pepper (various colors add visual interest)
1 TBS basil
Grated parmesan cheese to taste

Remove any extra fat from the chicken breasts with a sharp knife.
Sprinkle chicken breasts with salt, pepper, and paprika.
Heat olive oil in a skillet until medium hot.
Cook chicken in oil until browned on both sides (takes around 10 minutes).
Reduce heat to low and pour chicken broth over chicken.
Put lid on skillet and simmer on low for around 20 minutes.
Chop squash and pepper into bite-sized chunks and add to chicken mixture and then sprinkle with basil.
Put lid back on skillet and cook until vegetables are tender. Use a fork to check doneness and cook to preferred tenderness or softness. A good ballpark time is 3 to 5 minutes for tender but still crispy squash.
Pour mixture onto a serving platter and then sprinkle with parmesan cheese or have cheese available so that everyone can add cheese as desired.

Remove any extra fat from the chicken breasts with a sharp knife.
Sprinkle chicken breasts with salt, pepper, and paprika.
Heat olive oil in a skillet until medium hot.
Cook chicken in oil until browned on both sides (takes around 10 minutes).
Reduce heat to low and pour chicken broth over chicken.
Put lid on skillet and simmer on low for around 20 minutes.
Chop squash and pepper into bite-sized chunks and add to chicken mixture and then sprinkle with basil.
Put lid back on skillet and cook until vegetables are tender. Use a fork to check doneness and cook to preferred tenderness or softness. A good ballpark time is 3 to 5 minutes for tender but still crispy squash.
Pour mixture onto a serving platter and then sprinkle with parmesan cheese or have cheese available so that everyone can add cheese as desired.

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simplyred1962 · **^ Top** #77 10.10.2009

Creamy Tomato-Basil Soup

"Simple to prepare, delicious tomato-basil soup. Great for an easy lunch served with bread or grilled cheese!"
INGREDIENTS

1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup olive oil
1 1/2 cups chopped onions
3 pounds tomatoes - cored, peeled, and quartered
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil leaves
salt to taste
ground black pepper to taste
1 quart chicken broth
1 cup heavy cream
8 sprigs fresh basil for garnish

DIRECTIONS

Heat the butter and olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Stir in onions and cook until tender. Mix in tomatoes and chopped basil. Season with salt and pepper. Pour in the chicken broth, reduce heat to low, and continue cooking 15 minutes.
Transfer soup to a blender (or use an immersible hand blender), and blend until smooth. Return to the pot, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, and gradually mix in the heavy cream. Pour soup through a strainer before serving. Garnish each serving with a sprig of basil.

FOOTNOTES

If tomatoes are not in season, good canned tomatoes are better than mediocre fresh ones!
Peel fresh tomatoes by making a small 'X' on the bottom and dunking in boiling hot water for 15-30 seconds. The skin should slip off easily.

kickin chicken · **^ Top** #78 10.12.2009

Quote:

Pumpkin Nook's cookbook has pumpkin recipes, Halloween recipes, Thanksgiving recipes and more. There's Recipes Galore! Pumpkin is excellent for you. It has no cholesterol, low in fat and sodium and rich in vitamins, in particular beta carotene and vitamin A. On top of being good for your health, it tastes good too. That's why it is part of the diet in almost every country in the world

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kickin chicken · **^ Top** #79 4 Weeks Ago

Quote:

Originally Posted by kickin chicken

Thanks Red Fox!!!!

I'm listing it here again, to accompany my Papa's roux recipe.
The secrets out

May you all enjoy cooking with these essentials in a variety of ways.

Quote:

Trinity, to me/for me, consist of onions (Vadalia

, every color and type of pepper I fancy, (roasted Red peppers, green, yellow, Hungarian Banana, Japs....Garlic, carrot, celery, parsley/cilantro....

Put cut up pieces into a blender or juicer (add plenty of H20).

Then strain (save all the precious juice)!!!
Use this juice to cook other things. Mind, only a little of this power broth will be needed. I cook my rice and vegetables... About anything that requires water, I use some Trinity Juice.

Back to Trinity processing... After well strained, I then put into a freezer bag. Press mixture flat (use several bags...) All air removed. Freeze flat. When I need some for a meal, I simply break off what I need and reseal.
I froze it all fresh, so I always have my essential Trinity readily available.

My daughter and her friends love it as well. Several of them do not think that they even like onions, peppers, garlic... The smell of this Trinity lured them right in. Plus, everything is blended. They can hardly see it. Simply sautee it, or add to any stew....

We all get together and tear the kitchen and every vegetable we can up, and create our Trinity batch

.
Lots of fun for us. Saves us bunches.

Then we make a roux base.....

Another recipe..

What recipes have you, anyone???

Basic Roux

Is a base of flour and butter,olive oil or fat...

Roux is a basic gravy. It is the basis for most soups and stews. Many cultures use different herbs and vegetables in their roux. Such as Cajun(Seafood...), Indian(Curry...), Spanish (Piata...), Hungarian (Goulash...).
All different flavors and ingredients. One main starter base, ROUX.

The start of the roux is the same, where you take it from there, is what makes it yours.

Once you master the roux you can quickly and easily create soups, stews.....

I learned from my Hungarian Father. Yes, Goulash, Paprikash, Chicken soup.... My Mother is from the NC mountains. She puts her own flair to dad's Hungarian dishes.

They are celebrating their 50th Anniversary this weekend. Obviously, they have found the right mixture of ingredients.

Papa's Roux

1/4 C. Butter
1/4 C. Olive Oil
1/2 C. Flour
Sea (Sea) & Black Pepper (Ground) to taste
Optional herbs and seasonings to be added as your recipe requires

Best to cook in cast iron or use heavy skillet.

Heat butter and olive oil over low heat.
When butter has melted, gently sprinkle flour, slowly about, stirring constantly.

Continue to mix and stir until mixture starts to sautee and change color.

Note:
Different shades of browning will produce different taste.

Dark Roux will thicken less than light.

If you see any black specks, then the mixture is probably scorched and needs to be discarded.

Proper prep times vary 15-30 mins.

Use immediately or ,after cooled, put into air tight container in fridge/freeze and use as needed.

Note, Rule of Thumb:
Hot Fresh Roux - mixes w/ cold liquids

Hot stews, soups( needing to be thickened) use cold roux.
Smooth as silk, every time.

Thank you Papa.

Happy 50th Anniversary, mom and dad

kickin chicken · **^ Top** #80 4 Weeks Ago

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