Cyburbian cooking skills

[Maister]

I know there are a number of Cyburbian chefs out there. Last night I made a German themed dinner - Geschmorte Schweinrippen (Pork chops marinated in mustard powder/lemon juice and smothered in onions and tomatoes), spaetzle (german style noodles), fresh green beans seasoned with savory cooked with mushrooms and onions, red cabbage, sauerkraut with caraway seeds cooked in white wine and a couple bottles of Staropramen beer (yeah, I know its Czech beer but thoroughly Kraut in spirit). Sorry no black forest cake or strudel for dessert, but I don't think I'd be spraining my arm while patting myself on the back and saying it was pretty damn good.
Mrs. M and I alternate cooking an international themed meal each week. For some reason I like doing German food best but over the years (and 6,000 cookbooks later) we have prepared very authentic: Puerto Rican, Italian, Swedish, Polish, Russian, Chinese, Japanese, Indian, Mexican, Spanish, French, Vietnamese, middle eastern and many other ethnic meals. The entire meal is supposed to be themed although there have been occasions where we have liked something really well and just prepared a particular ethnic dish served along with the Hamburger helper on Weds. night.
I don't expect that many Cyburbians prepare the whole ethnic meal theme often but is there a particular dish that anyone feels is their forte? (c'mon, guys are expert chili chefs if nothing else!) You will all recieve 1/112th share of the royalties from the cookbook I am compiling entitled "Throbbing Brain Recipes"

Edit: my publisher advises me the title has been changed to "The Cooking of the Throbbing Brain".

 

[Rumpy Tunanator]

I cook a pretty mean duck

Actually I think I will cook up my salmon specialty tonite for the Ms.

I make a mean macoroni & cheese too.

I don't know if there is anyone else out there, but when I cook my steak I like it extremely rare.

 

[Big Easy King]

My specialties are two classic New Orleans dishes...shrimp creole; white beans. Yummy! My pork chops are good too. :-D

 

[Duke Of Dystopia]

My specialties are two classic New Orleans dishes...shrimp creole; white beans. Yummy! My pork chops are good too. :-D

NORTH BAVARIAN STYLE!

Wienershnittzel, Kreute Salat und Pommes!
With a really heavy DARK WIESSBIER or 3!

(breaded and deep fried thin slab pork or viel, cold shreaded cababage soaked in a vineger/oil sauce, and a mass of FRENCH FRIES on the side (that really is authentic in how it is served around Nurnburg!)) :-D

Guarenteed to sit in your stomach like a brick, make you want to hibernate, and chill you out completly! :-D

 

[otterpop]

My specialities include: Corned Beef Dinner New England Style, Shepherd's pie, chicken pot pie, barbecue, seafood fettuchini. Chinese stir-fry, poached halibut, and meatloaf. I was raised by a Cajun momma, so my seafood cooking is pretty good. Seafood boil is in my veins.

 

[Maister]

My specialities include: Corned Beef Dinner New England Style, Shepherd's pie, chicken pot pie, barbecue, seafood fettuchini. Chinese stir-fry, poached halibut, and meatloaf. I was raised by a Cajun momma, so my seafood cooking is pretty good. Seafood boil is in my veins.

I am already regretting this post. I am STARVING now!!!!! Shepard's pie - yum. How do New Englanders cook corned beef?

 

[NHPlanner]

How do New Englanders cook corned beef?

I usually use a crock pot, with the corned beef, cabbage, and potatoes in water, and slow cook it all day.

 

[michaelskis]

I can more than hold my own when cooking...

 

[Larry Felton Johnson]

I don't expect that many Cyburbians prepare the whole ethnic meal theme often but is there a particular dish that anyone feels is their forte?

I'm pretty decent at what Cheryl Mendelson wrote of as "off the hip" cooking. Whatever is in season or even just at arms reach I combine into edible meals.
Put me in a reasonably well stocked kitchen with a few standard utensils, and I'll make a meal.

It's been Vidalia onion season here, so my favorite thing to do has been to take a large sauce pan, put in about a quarter cup of olive oil, and enough Vidalia onions to reach the top edge of the pan. I then turn the flame on as low a heat as I can accomplish without the flame going out, toss the onions to coat them with the olive oil, and cover the pan. Every ten minutes or so I check on them, tossing them as needed, and cook them for as long as I'm willing to wait. Ideally the onions are nearly in a liquid state before I eat them. As the mood hits I mix in minced garlic and/or soy sauce about twenty minutes before I declare them done.

On the off season I do the same thing with a mixture of cabbage, yellow onions, and any vegetable or pepper I can scrounge up.

 

[Michele Zone]

This thread (or something like it) has been done before. My previous answer included Rolade. (Now, time to work on my final. :-D )

 

[otterpop]

I am already regretting this post. I am STARVING now!!!!! Shepard's pie - yum. How do New Englanders cook corned beef?

Corned beef, potatoes, carrots, cabbage and I use turnips, too. The turnips provide a little bite to offset the blandness of the potatoes. Simmered for 45-60 minutes per pound of meat. Add the turnips an hour before serving, the carrots shortly after, the potatoes about 25 minutes later, and the cabbage about 15 minutes before serving.

 

[Zoning Goddess]

My son and I like fixing theme meals from time to time, although we probably don't hit the level of authenticity that you do. I'll research, say, "how kids lived in the wild west", and we'll learn games and make toys from that time, then make a "cowboy" dinner. We've also done the middle ages, Rome, and some familiar ethnic stuff like chinese and italian.

I like to cook, but with a picky eater who is now in braces, I keep it pretty simple.

 

[Maister]

...."enough Vidalia onions to reach the top edge of the pan...." .

Vidalia onions are the best on earth, no matter what you're cooking. Accept no substitutes.

 

[Planderella]

Vidalia onions are the best on earth, no matter what you're cooking. Accept no substitutes.

Have you ever had a Vidalia onion saturated in crawfish boil??? Now that's when it's the best on earth.

I'm a pretty good cook, but my specialties are holiday meals - I cook everything except for homemade cakes. I also can cook a pretty mean pot of seafood gumbo.

 

[Gedunker]

"Breakfast" would neatly sum up my cooking talents, although I am (apologies to BEK for usurping his title) The KING of the Grill ;-)

 

[Floridays]

I don't know if there is anyone else out there, but when I cook my steak I like it extremely rare.

Ditto! I like my meat bloody ;-)

I can cook fairly well, but my specialty is Chicken Marsala with a side of bow tie pasta and alfredo sauce....homemade Caesar salad (including dressing) and warm french bread.

IT'S NOT ON THE LOW CARB PLAN! WHEEEE!

 

[kms]

I bake breads, including home made pizza. My family likes risotto, and the leftovers are rolled around mozzarella cheese pieces, breaded and fried.

 

[jmf]

Corned beef, potatoes, carrots, cabbage and I use turnips, too. The turnips provide a little bite to offset the blandness of the potatoes. Simmered for 45-60 minutes per pound of meat. Add the turnips an hour before serving, the carrots shortly after, the potatoes about 25 minutes later, and the cabbage about 15 minutes before serving.

We generally don't add the potatoes to the rest of the stuff but cook them separately - my mother says it has something to do with the starch in the potatoes. For a recipe - I just follow the one on the back on the meat package.

 

[Suburb Repairman]

I fancy myself a pretty decent chef, especially chicken dishes. I cook a mean chicken marsala and baked pecan/almond crusted chicken.

Because of the rampant diabetes in my family, I've got a whole list of sugar-free deserts that are pretty damn good (I'm not diabetic and I'll pick some of these deserts over the 'fully-leaded' ones).

Mmmmm... time for lunch!

 

[Cardinal]

Baked goods are something of a specialty, like Wisconsin chip cookies and rhubarb muffins. I experiment with soups. Add traditional roasts for an entree.

 

[sisterceleste]

I can't cook worth s***. My husband threw me out of the kitchen 15 years ago and told me to go to work and make money. However, my former very southern sister in law taught me how to make real Southern biscuits and real southern iced tea, so I am not hopeless.

 

[Chet]

Tonite I made an awesome Coc Au Vin if I do say so myself.

 

[Jen]

I'm a half-way decent scratch cook if so inspired...
Fried eggs are my specialty - one pan no spatula. CFO eggs on matzo cracker with hot sauce yum.

 

[AubieTurtle]

I've wanted to give African cooking a try. There is an African Cookbook online, so one of these days I'll try it out. Even if it doesn't turn out good, it'll be fun to try.

 

[SlaveToTheGrind]

Sweet and sour spare ribs (just had them last night). Two spaghetti sauces I make (I refuse to buy bottles sauce) in which one of them requires a two lbs. block of Tillamook sharp cheddar cheese. My enchiladas are a requested favorite as well.

 

[Downtown]

I'm big on comfort food - meat loaf, tuna noodle casserole, turkey dinner, oatmeal raisin cookies, etc.

My darling husband, however, has possibly the LEAST adventurous palate I've yet to encounter. Which is why I love eating out, to escape the monotony of grilled food and pasta/beef/red sauce meals.

 

[Rem]

I stole a recipe from a restaurant I worked in while supporting myself through Uni. - turkey breast fillet in cream, mustard and sherry sauce. Everyone likes it but it is very rich.

Like all Australian men who have ever lived alone I make excellent spag. bol. - much better than Mrs Rem's - even the Remettes say so. I am also a self-proclaimed BBQ expert - it's another very unattractive Australian male trait.

Otherwise if caught out, it's stir fry - anything lying around with sesame oil, hoi sin, shrimp paste, soy and oyster sauce. Thicken with corn flour if too watery.

 

[tsc]

My son and I like fixing theme meals from time to time, although we probably don't hit the level of authenticity that you do. I'll research, say, "how kids lived in the wild west", and we'll learn games and make toys from that time, then make a "cowboy" dinner. We've also done the middle ages, Rome, and some familiar ethnic stuff like chinese and italian.

I like to cook, but with a picky eater who is now in braces, I keep it pretty simple.

What fun a fun mom!

I have not one specialty...but love ethnic foods. My housemate's mother is German...so we do the German thing.

I do a great BBQ, Italian (make own sauces of course), roast, ...do all the comfort foods from scratch, bake desserts,,etc,,,etc,,

 

[Plannerbabs]

We eat a mix of comfort food and experimental stuff at my house. Mr. Plannerbabs insists on jambalaya once a month at least, and we also have potato/spinach curries, roast chicken, fondue, seared scallops with lemon, Thai mussaman curry, bangers and mash, noodles of all kinds, samosas, chocolate-chip banana bread....we don't eat out too often, and then it's usually either stuff we can't make at home, like sushi, or we're just too tired to cook or don't want to nuke something.

 

[Planit]

BUMP


I love to grill. It's summertime, but I don't care if it's winter, I love to grill.

I also can pull off a few dishes in the kitchen too, but haven't really been successful at several others. I have learned a few things by mistake (like allspice isn't exactly an "all spice" to be used in most dishes like salt). I'm starting to gather a recipes to try.

Most of the people on this thread don't play here anymore so time to bump it up.

 

[Big Owl]

I like to cook both indoors and outdoors. It helps full my eating habit. I am a big fan of southern comfort food. I rarely follow a recipe to the tee but I use them as a guideline. The two dishes that are my favorite to cook is my grandfather's bbq chicken and country style steak. There are a lot of fond memories of both of those dishes growing up. Both of those dishes always seem lift my spirits, it's like being hugged from the inside out.