What Have You Cooked Recently?

It pains me when people say they cannot cook, and then complain about spending too much going out to eat. I know a few people at work like this and it blows my mind.

Anyway, tonight I made Gordan Ramey's spicy sausage and rice. Pretty easy and delicious.
 
It pains me when people say they cannot cook, and then complain about spending too much going out to eat. I know a few people at work like this and it blows my mind.
That's always one of my biggest gripes with the decision to eat out. Just pre-load the conversation with the fact that you're either uninterested, lazy, or actually so much richer than you claim to be. They're all normalized at this point. Even the arguments of a lack of knowledge, caloric density, and emotional energy are insane to me when slow cookers, multicookers, and free online recipes exist. I don't think that making fun of people who are new to cooking helps them get better as it just discourages them, so I try to abstain unless they make a point out of sucking at cooking, but there is no reason to reject the ability to transform ingredients you get easier than anyone before you in the history of your family tree into something tasty.
 
This mess is my attempt at an air fryer mini pizza. The stuff on it is an entire diced baked chicken breast, unfortunately I couldn't get the dough flat enough for it to all fit properly. I put the sauce and cheese on after the chicken so it'd all be nicely coated. Dough, sauce, and cheese are all store-bought. I think I need a rolling pin to get the dough how I want it.

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I usually do a no-knead several day cold rise in the refrigerator. Makes it easier to stretch it without resorting to a rolling pin. So far as I can tell you should generally air-fry at 25-50 F less than the usual temperature.
 
Don't bully me (I will cry). I made gluten free cutout Christmas cookies last night. I'd make normal ones, but I'm celiac, so I don't have a choice. They suck. They really, really suck. I spent all this time frosting them too. I thought they'd be good since they had a lot of butter, but they taste like sand even though I used my high quality ingredients. I'm just gonna dump them in the trash. *sigh* Count yourself lucky if you can eat normally. Being glutarded is a curse. (:_(

Despite baking failures, I consider myself a good cook otherwise. I cooked all of US Thanksgiving dinner for my fam and they loved it. Also made some tasty beef stroganoff a few days ago.
 
Don't bully me (I will cry). I made gluten free cutout Christmas cookies last night. I'd make normal ones, but I'm celiac, so I don't have a choice. They suck. They really, really suck. I spent all this time frosting them too. I thought they'd be good since they had a lot of butter, but they taste like sand even though I used my high quality ingredients. I'm just gonna dump them in the trash. *sigh* Count yourself lucky if you can eat normally. Being glutarded is a curse. (:_(
That sucks. What's wrong with them? Do they just taste bad, or is a texture thing, too?
 
That sucks. What's wrong with them? Do they just taste bad, or is a texture thing, too?
It's both.

Gluten protein is a naturally occurring binding agent in flour that gives baked goods its varying textures depending on knead/mixing time. Without it, recipes need a replacement, which is commonly gums, starches, or psyllium husk powder. It's just a poor imitation that's not at all the same. Gf products are either all grainy/sandy that fall apart with any manipulation or overly chewy due to the added substitutes.

Not to mention gluten free flour is often made of rice, sorghum, or whatever and it doesn't have the same flavor profile as wheat.
 
Peanut butter cookies are always a viable option for those with celiac. Since they can be made with just peanut butter, egg, and sugar. Not so good though sadly if you're allergic, but I think there's a few oddball two or three ingredient options that can also be used.
Not cookies, but brownies are also a great alternative, as gluten-free flours produce denser products and that's good for brownies. I'm lucky as a fellow Celiac, I have one of the greatest grocery stories in America nearby and there are some local places that make good Gluten-free baked goods, but you still lose out on some things.

On a similar note, I made Japanese Hambagu steaks, Gluten-Free panko worked just fine, 2/3 85/15 ground beef and 1/3 80/20 ground pork. If you're going to make them into burgers I recommend mixing the typical sauce with a good mayo as the main condiment and use either white American or Swiss for the cheese, depending on how melty you want. The sauce is just a mix of the left over juices from cooking the meat, ketchup, tonkatsu sauce, butter and red wine reduced in the pan. I added some worchestershire and it turned out fantastically.
 
My favorite "gluten free" food (that is gluten free by coincidence) is Brazilian pão de queijo. I love that shit.
South America has a lot of options for similar gluten-free options. Colombian Arepas are usually, but you do have to check, Goya's Arepa de Yuca are top tier if you can find them, just add some sour cream, hot sauce to taste.
 
My wife just cooked a 1kg wagyu tomahawk steak.

Meanwhile I've got Boston baked beans. Bacon, gristle and some whiskey for flavor. (The real four food groups) heating up in a slow cooker and some rice a roni...kot even rice a roni or rice sides the great value version of rice sides.


Well it's poor fag bachelor chow..but it's hot and filling....the beans will provide fiber.
 
If it turns out half decent and not a complete disaster, I will post a photo once it's finished.
Here is my finished gingerbread house, it took me a week to complete.
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I am a novice when it comes to gingerbread houses and encountered several issues so I am relieved that it turned as well as it did.
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It was stressful but also fun, here is the template for anyone who wants it.
 
Made mostly from scratch nacho cheese. Didn't have pepper jack, just Cheddar and American, but had plenty of spices and Sazon to spruce it up, as well as a can of Rotelle. All in all, turned out pretty good and not gritty. I've definitely got cheese sauces down pat.
 
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