What Have You Cooked Recently?

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Few days ago I decided I wanted to get back into baking starting with something simple. Picked up some regular milk, whole buttermilk (don't know if fat-free buttermilk makes a difference-wasn't taking any chances) and instant yeast packets. I thought I'd try out this recipe with all-purpose flour and some baking powder I had on-hand as substitute for self-rising since I didn't have any in the house:
They weren't burnt, cooked thoroughly and perfectly edible. But they were harder and cakey with a slight aftertaste that I wasn't a fan of rather than being the light-and-fluffy buttermilk biscuits I was hoping for. Ate a few and froze the rest that I'll finish throughout the week. As for what I learned, apparently most southern biscuit recipes are built off of "soft wheat" flours and not all-purpose flour, so next time I'll have to keep that in mind. For now, I picked up some more basic flour (this time unbleached all-purpose) and hopefully I'll be able to bake some basic bread loaves for sandwiches/toast/etc. later on to get the basics down.
 
Batch cooked some rice, prepped some over night oats, made an incredible rosemary olive oil garlic bread (rosemary olive oil bread grilled and "sanded" fresh garlic on it). It was incredible and if I didn't run out of bread I'd still be eating it. Will do again. Even my picky wife was thrilled.
 
I've started watching presenter James May's foray into food over the last few years, primarily his bumbling experiments in pairing inexpensive food or classic dishes with his personal brand of gin, which didn't sound hugely appetizing, but I decided to try making his version of penne alla vodka, just with ordinary gin.


I used slightly more gin (London Dry), tomato paste and garlic, and less pasta water, cheese and cream then he does in the video (and I didn't have a kitchen knife that night so the basil is just whole) and I have to say, it's actually really nice. The gin brings out the chili and makes an otherwise creamy, rich sauce less heavy. If it were for more than one it feels like it would pair well with a green salad with some light protein in it, like seared beef.

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I'll try his take on coq au vin next, because this gin thing seems quite interesting now.
 
Pizza Subs with Pepperoni stuffed meatballs. I used Havarti cheese and pizza sauce. Followed by double layered apple pie in an iron skillet.
I've started watching presenter James May's foray into food over the last few years, primarily his bumbling experiments in pairing inexpensive food or classic dishes with his personal brand of gin, which didn't sound hugely appetizing, but I decided to try making his version of penne alla vodka, just with ordinary gin.
Based top gear in enjoy-er here.
 
Turkey burgers, I think I used a bit too much green onion. Cook wise they came out great on the grill. I've got some more reading to do on how to grill properly, but this was a great start.
Sauteed Summer Squash, I made this last year and it was okay. Having applied a lot more of what I've learned about how to use heat and how foods should come out, it's a hell of a lot better this year. One of the things that really helped was not using pre-cut squash and cutting them to the correct thickness myself.
 
Grilled up some Jamaican jerk chicken and served it over spicy rice with veggies. Leg quarters were on sale for 50 cents a pound, so this plate (8 oz chicken, 1 1/2 cup rice) cost less than $1.00*:
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*the stupid bell pepper is the most expensive ingredient and my plants won't be producing for a while yet *sigh*
 
I’ve been playing around with salsa again. I got some of these peppers hoping to make a spicy red salsa, I ended up with a thick ass pepper paste that might’ve been good slathered on a low n slow crockpot pork roast. It tasted ok but not like salsa at all, so back to the drawing board on that one. I’m hoping to find some other uses for the peppers as well.
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I tried making green salsa again and actually got this one right. I boiled the tomatillos (I got regular size instead of the mini ones like last time) and peppers, then blended them with raw onion, garlic, and cilantro. I very much prefer the boiled vs the last roasted salsa I made, from now on this will be my go to. It kept its consistency overnight and wasn’t all jellyfied like the last one I made.
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I was excited bigly about nailing the green sauce. I think I’m going to try to make chilaquiles with it.
 
I might have made the perfect cheeseburger. It's better than any I've ever had at a restaurant or anywhere else and it's so basic. Been making this a lot lately for my cheat meals.

Season the ground beef with pepper, garlic salt, worchestershire sauce and red pepper flakes. Make into patty(s). Cook them on a stove, NOT a grill (yes, it matters)
Get brioche buns, coat the inside of the buns with either avocado oil or avocado oil mayo. Not the cheap shit, either. Authentic avocado oil. Put that in the oven at 350F until they're lightly toasted.
Get thin bacon, not thick, cook it until it's just cooked but not crispy. This is important
Once burger patties are done, put a slice of swiss cheese over them, keep on stove until melted.
Once the buns are lightly toasted and cooled off (important), spread avocado oil mayo on the top bun.
Order goes: bottom bun, burger patty w/ cheese, bacon (just one layer of bacon), thin slice of tomato, a tiny bit of ketchup, diced onion, top bun (w/ the avocado oil mayo).

Perfect combination of salty (from the becon), acid (from the tomato) and fat (from the mayo).

Another tip is if the beef is lean (90/10, 93/7 or leaner), add a tiny bit of avocado oil to the beef when you're mixing it up with the seasoning. Makes a big difference
 
Not sure what to call this. Bought shrimp for a good price a week ago. Got home from work today and didn't want to go back out for ingredients. Simmered (saved from the garden, frozen) basil and thyme, bay leaves, paprika, allspice, garlic, onion, a dash of fish sauce, and black pepper in butter. Saved the shrimp shells and boiled them to make stock and then used that for pasta-cooking water. Chopped up some leftover grilled zucchini, bell pepper, and onion for veggies. Pan-fried the shrimp on medium heat in the seasoned butter.

Mix everything together and add a splash of fresh lemon juice. Delicious.
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