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Oct-1-2006 18:58

Hi Everyone,
I have been thinking about this for awhile and would like your input.How about a sleuth cookbook?We submit our favorite recipes and somehow compile them in a cookbook.Maybe in ebook format.Any thoughts?

Dec-30-2006 01:06

addenda:

If you want to use fish, I'd poach it through before you add shellfish then return it at the last minute. Stirring with all those shells WILL tear it apart. Stick with a firm-fleshed white fish like sea bass, snapper or halibut.

If you use clams, they should go in just slightly ahead of the mussels. Thicker shells means longer cooking.

Rules for mussels and clams, in any recipe:

1. Soak them in lots of cold water prior to cooking.
2. If the shell is open or damaged before cooking, throw it out. Don't even think about eating it. You really don't want all that toilet time, like at all. Just not worth it.
3. If the shell is closed after cooking...see #2.

Dec-30-2006 05:09

Mmmmm. Foooood. Crunch, I am all over that Thai cashew chicken thing you posted.

Okay, this is going to tarnish my sophisticated image, but I must share with you my favourite CROCKPOT recipe. If you don't have a crockpot, you should get one. It's not just beef stew anymore--and once you whip up your recipe (which often doesn't take more than 20 minutes) it cooks all day, so if you're out you come home to a lovely hot meal, and if you're home, you feel like you're actually accomplishing something instead of sitting on your duff all day playing Sleuth. So here it is: Crockpot Hoisin Chicken

3 lbs chicken pieces (I use drumsticks but thighs or breasts would work too)
1/3 cup hoisin sauce
1/4 cup plum sauce
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 piece fresh ginger, peeled & thinly sliced (I use a piece about the size of my thumb)
juice of one lime
3 tablespoons cornstarch
as much garlic as you like, chopped (I use 4-5 cloves)
pepper to taste (don't use salt, the soy sauce is enough)

1. Throw chicken in crockpot.
2. Whisk the rest of the ingredients together in a bowl.
3. Add the mixture to the chicken to coat all pieces.
4. Cook for 5-6 hours on low.
5. Serve with rice. In our family, the stickier the rice is, the happier we are--and it goes really well with this recipe.

Yum!

Dec-30-2006 05:24

Oh, I forgot to add the word "HA!" in brackets after the phrase "sophisticated image" above.

Mar-12-2007 00:55

bump for zanjana

Mar-12-2007 06:14

Hungarian Goulash
Serves 4

3 large onions, thinly sliced
1 tbsp butter
3 tbsps canola oil
1 1/4 lbs tenderized flank or hip steak, cut into 1-inch strips or cubes
1 tbsp paprika--sweet, hot, or a mixture of both
1 tsp salt
freshly ground pepper to taste
dash of cayenne
1 bay leaf
3/4 cup beef stock or water
1 cup sour cream

In a large heavy fry pan or pot with a tight-fitting lid, saute the onions in the butter and one tablespoon of canola oil over medium-low heat until the onions are tender but not brown, about 10 minutes. Remove the onions and set aside.

Heat the remaining oil in the pot, add enough pieces of meat so they aren't crowded, and brown for about three minutes on each side. Remove the meat and repeat the operation if necessary until all meat is browned. Return the meat and onions to the pot, and stir in the paprika, salt, pepper, cayenne, and bay leaf. Pour in the stock (or water) and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover, and let simmer, stirring occasionally, for 40-50 minutes, or until the meat is very tender. Remove from heat, fold in the sour cream, check seasonings, and serve immediately with egg noodles or rice.

Jul-12-2007 04:14

Here is a really easy and quick recipe for pizza dough that any fool can make.

1 cup flour
1/3 cup milk
2 tbsp. oil
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt

1. Sift the dry ingredients into a bowl then make a hole in the middle, sort of like a volcano :D.

2. Add the wet ingredigents into the centre and stir in quickly. With dough, the least amount of playing you do with it the better :).

3. When the ingredients have come together, use your hands to knead them into a ball. Once, again the less time you spend touching the dough the better.

WARNING: Now, things can go wrong. Maybe it's the measuring, maybe it's the flour. But don't worry!
If the dough is too sticky or moist, coat your hands in flour or sift a teaspoon of flour at a time over the dough until it's the consistency you want.
Conversely, if the dough is too dry, add water (or oil but I prefer water) a teaspoon at a time and knead in.

4. Once you have a ball, leave the dough for 15 minutes, some people say cover with gladwrap or clingform or plastic wrap but I don't think you need too and that it's a waste.

5. Clean up the kitchen :D

6. Grease your pizza cooking tray. You don't need to go out and buy expensive pizza dishes, I've even used roasting pans before. And flat surface that is big enough and can go in the oven is fine :)

7. Over a clean surface, spinkle/sift flour out so you can roll the dough out.
OR
Spread of a piece of waxproof/cooking paper.
Though messier, I prefer the first option and use the bench near the sink so I can just sweep any remaining (there usually isn't any) flour away.

8. Plonk your dough on your rolling surface and roll.
I don't usually worry if it's square or circles as I'm not actually using proper pizza dishes.

9. Once your dough is rolled out, carefully spread it over the grease tray.

10. Viola! You're ready to decorate.

11. Sauce and Top.

12. Cooking time is approz 20-30 minutes in a high heat oven. About 200 C and 400 F.

Jul-12-2007 04:23

THINGS TO NOTE:
The cooking times really depend on your oven and how many toppings there are and how your dough turned out.
And you will need to experiment a little.

This recipe is very easy to double/triple or quadruple.
However, if you are making big batches, it might be better to only double the recipe and make up two lots of dough rather than one big quadruple dough ball at once.

Now here's the fun part :D

Sauces and Toppings.

Anything can be used, it's your imagination.

You can use Tomato Sauce/Ketchup, Pasta Sauce, Tomato Paste, BBQ sauce, chilli sauce, a homemade satay sauce, apricot jam, cranberry jam, a mixture of sauces, even a salsa. When I was poor, I just used canned tomatoes with some of the excess liquid drained.

Some people use canned spaghetti or a can of chilli beans instead of sauce if they're making a "mexican" pizza or a spaghetti pizza.

Toppings:

Once again, the sky is the limit. Obviously your sauce goes with your topping. :)

So maybe with the Chilli Beans, you can put corn, corn chips, brocolli and dollops of sour cream.

Cranberry, chicken and Camebert.

Satay sauce, capsicums/bell peppers and chicken.

Apricot sauce, apricots, chicken, pine nuts and cream cheese.

Broccoli, blue cheese, cashew nuts and caramellised onions.

Ham and pineapple (this goes really well with spaghetti.

The pizza can be as simple or as fancy as you want it.

For more ideas, check out this website and have a lot at their toppings.

https://www.hell.co.nz

Jul-25-2007 14:01

I was going to offer my buttermilk biscuit recipe, until I remembered that the last time I made biscuits everyone became ill.

And then I was going to offer my favorite pumpkin ginger spiced chocolate chip muffin recipe, until I realized that after reading about the biscuit ordeal no one would want to try out any recipes of mine.

Here's one:

Bread
Lunchmeat and/or cheese

Put lunchmeat and/or cheese on slice of bread. Put another slice of bread on top. Make a disgusting "eww" face and then stuff it down throat (a husband's throat will do fine).

Aug-12-2007 19:08

AWE SOME!!!!!!!!!

Sep-28-2007 11:27

Gracie Allen's Classic Recipe for Roast Beef



1 large Roast of Beef

1 small Roast of Beef

Take the two roasts and put them in the oven.


When the little one's burnt, the big one is done.