think tank forum

1.25 c. flour
2.5 t. baking powder
0.75 t. salt
2 T. sugar

1 egg
3 T. oil
1.25 c. milk

mix dry & wet ingredients separately. (I usually do the wet ingredients in a liquid measuring cup in the order egg, milk, oil.) combine them and mix; should be lumpy. use a pan on the stove or (ideally) an electric griddle set to 350 or so and lubed up with crisco (I know, crisco is nasty, but it works really well for this and actually makes the pancakes taste better.) or butter or whatever.

c. = cup
t. = teaspoon
T. = tablespoon

Cheesy Italian Pasta Bake

1 box pasta
2 cans diced tomatoes
1 small can tomato paste
1 or 2 heaping spoonfuls parsley
1 or 2 heaping spoonfuls basil
1 t. garlic salt
4-6 cups mixed variety shredded cheese

Bring large pot of water to boil, add pasta, cook 10 mins. Meanwhile, mix the rest of the ingredients (except the cheese) in a separate bowl. Drain the pasta, then spread half evenly over the bottom of a greased 9x13 baking dish. Spread half the cheese over that, then half the sauce. Sprinkle with some more garlic salt then another layer of pasta, cheese, sauce. COVER and bake at 350 for at least 45 mins.

Fritatta:
(you can use practically anything, it is basically an gigantic omelette.. here is what i used)
6 fatty stalks of asperagus
1/2 chopped medium white onion
4 slices bacon
8 large eggs
cheese
corn tortillas
milk
1 fat clove of garlic

and

an oven safe skillet

heat oven to 400

boil the asperagus until tender. drain. cut bacon into 1 inch pieces.. fry until done. chop up onion and garlic then toss in with bacon. cook until the onion starts to clear up. Crack up 8 eggs into a big bowl. beat with a fork.. add a splash of milk (not too much, maybe 4T? i usually just sort of guess. you could skip this step also, if you aren't one to fluff up your eggs with milk) and salt and pepper.

chop your asperagus into 1 inch pieces. add the egg scramble to the bacon and onions. with a flat flipper, combine the eggs gently wit h the bacon mixture, lifting the mixture up gently so as to allow the eggs to run underneath them. tear up your tortillas into manageable pieces and throw them in! Sprinkle that shit with a ton of your favorite cheese.

Throw the whole skillet into the oven after the eggs have set a bit. you will know when it is finished when the eggs sponge back up when you gently press the top, or when the outside edges start to brown.

i crockpotted a chicken today.

1 skinned chicken
1 medium white onion quartered
can of diced hot green chilis
salt, pepper, seasoning salt, chili powder, bay leaves, garlic
habanero tobasco sauce
lemon juice

i skinned the chicken the night before, then rubbed it down with the spices. this morning I chopped up the onion quickly and lined the bottom of the pot with them. tossed the chicken in along with some chopped garlic, a bit of water, a lot of tobasco, and topped it all off with the can of green chilis.

10 hours on low did the trick. this chicken gave a new meaning to fall off the bone. I de-boned it with a pair of chopsticks. the smell is incredible and it has a very pleasing amount of hotness to it. I am really happy with the amount of meat i harvested off of this little guy. definitely the way to go as far as saving money while cooking. tomorrow night will be enchilada night!

i made some rough enchiladas tonight:

1 onion chopped
1 garlic clove minced
a can of hot enchilada sauce (yeah i cheated!)
shredded chicken from the crock pot
mexican cheese blend
corn tortillas
olive oil

first thing to do was fry the tortillas. over high heat, oil a pan and lightly crisp the corn tortillas. this will amp up the delicious corn tortilla flavor. crisp as many that might fit in your pan.

with a tad more olive oil, sautee your chopped onions and minced garlic together until onions are tender. add the enchilada sauce. this sauce tasted like shit when i tasted it right out of the can, so after it cooked a while with the onions and garlic, i added several dashes of cayenne pepper, sugar, and cumin.

drizzle some of the sauce into the baking pan of your choice. I like to lay a few onions down on there because they will brown a little bit and taste extra delicious. take your tortilla in hand. dip one side into the sauce. palm the tortilla non-sauce-wise and fill it up with chicken and cheese. roll it up and place it in your pan. repeat until your pan is full. after the pan is full, pour the rest of your sauce all over the enchiladas, covering them evenly. sprinkle a fatty layer of cheese and toss it in your oven until the cheese is at the desired consistency (i like it to be bubbling-brown and semi crispy).

Thai Chicken

3-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 can coconut milk
2 tbls. red curry paste*
2 tbls. fish sauce*
3 tbls. sugar
2-3 tbls. parsley (I don't really measure, just dump in a ton)

Note: I usually add ~1 tbls. more curry paste than listed above. But I like it HOT! :)

Cut the chicken into bite-size pieces and throw in a large pot with a bit of oil over medium high heat until cooked through. Add the rest of the ingredients, mix well, and bring to a boil. Cover loosely and let simmer until rice is done. (start 1.5 cups rice when you start your sauce simmering)

*Found in grocery stores with an oriental food section

Mom's corn chowder:

1 lb cubed smoked sausage
1 small onion chopped
small bag frozen corn
1T dry chicken season base (bullion cubes)
2 cloves garlic minced
1/2c butter
1/4c flour
4c milk
2c water
2 potatoes diced small

Fry the cubed sausage till a little bit crispy.. set aside.

In your pot, melt the butter and cook the onion and garlic in the butter until the onions are clear. add the chicken base and flour along with some salt and pepper. keep stirring so nothing burns. gradually add the 2 cups of water and 4 cups milk. bring to a boil. add the potatoes and let simmer until the potatoes are tender.. 30 minutes or so. add the sausage and the corn last. let simmer for a bit longer. the longer the soup cooks, the more flavor it will get out of the sausage.

Tonight i bought some Panko bread crumbs (japanese) and decided to make some mashed potato patties:

1 egg beaten in a bowl
some flour
some panko
seasonings.. whatever is around. i used some cayenne, oregano, garlic salt, white pepper.
olive oil

season your panko to taste.. take your potatoes in your hand and make a ball then flatten into a fairly thin patty.. otherwise you will have a chilly center - gross. bathe it in the beaten egg and coat it nicely. toss it in a bed of flour and again, cover it completely. make one more pass into your eggs then on to your crumbs. try to get it as covered as possible!

heat up your skillet with enough olive oil to coat the bottom of your pan, on high. cook your patty until it is brown and crispy! flip and repeat!

The Exploding Manwich

toasted bread
2 sliced pepper jack cheese
a few jalapeño slices
some diced onions
butter
leftover bbq pulled pork
1 large egg

toast up your bread. butter it.. lay down the cheese, jalapeños, onions.. heat up the pulled pork. lay that down on top of the other stuff.. fry your egg over easy and finish off the sammich. i like to add some extra heat with sriracha sauce. be careful not to let the goods explode on you.. its not called the exploding manwich for nothing. :D

Fried Rice
2 or 3 cups of your favorite rice
4 or 5 pieces bacon sliced into 1/4 inch pieces
3 eggs
little bit of milk
soy sauce
salt/pepper
2 green onion stalks
vegetable of some sort. Tonight i used 1/4 of a cucumber sliced very thin and quartered

In a pot, rinse your rice thoroughly with your hands until the water turns white. drain. cook the rice. after it is cooked all the way, add the cucumber to steam. meanwhile, cook your bacon alone until it is crispy. scramble your eggs along with a splash of milk and salt and pepper (add hot sauce here if you love it love it). pour in eggs right on top of the bacon. mess it around with whatever device you are using to stir with. make sure they get cooked a little bit. Add the rice and cucumber mixture to the pan with the bacon and eggs. turn the rice in and mix it well with the bacon and eggs. Add your chopped green onions. Splash soy sauce on the rice mixture until it is a light brown color. salt and pepper it until it is done!

you need a pretty big pan to do this!

Andy's Chili (crockpot)

1 lb ground beef
1 medium onion, chopped
1/2 bell pepper (orange in my case)
5 medium tomatoes, chopped
3 garlic cloves
1 14oz can pinto beans
Cayenne, Chili powder, Cumin, one bay leaf, and Parsley
habanero tabasco sauce
lemon juice
tomato paste

chop every thing up! brown your beef before you crock pot it.. I cooked my chili for 4 hours on low then another 2 on high. this was more than enough.. just make sure your meat is cooked and you should be good! I also have a small can of garbonzo beans to add if it gets too soupy. Also thinking about adding some heavy cream or a roux later to thicken if needed. As far as spices go.. i sort of just sprinkled them in as i thought they should be.. i will add more later if it is needed.

edit: the chili did, indeed, come out a little soupy and thin.. so, to thicken, i added tomato paste. This stuff is awesome. i only used probably half of a can and it did the trick, as well as added a bunch of much needed flavor. Speaking of flavor, I also added a bit of lemon juice to waken it up a bit, as well as more chili powder and cumin. I am toying with adding some cinnamon also. For some reason in my mind it seems like cinnamon would go great in chili. maybe another day.

over all, the chili turned out excellent.. i'm very happy with it! now to get some buttered rice going and a movie!

Cashew Curry

1 can whole coconut milk
1 - 2 tablespoons curry powder*
1/2 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
1 green onion chopped
1 medium garlic clove, chopped
1/3 cup water
1 chicken breast cut into bite sized pieces
1 cup green beans, cut into 1-inch segments
1 1/2 cups cauliflower, cut into tiny florets
1/3 cup cashews, toasted
a handful of cilantro, loosely chopped (optional)

*Curry powder
1/2 to 1 T dried red chiles
1T Fennel Seeds
1T Coriander Seeds
1T Cumin seeds
1/2t cardamom seeds
1 1/2T Turmeric
1t Cinnamon

Use whole seeds for spices. Toast lightly on a dry pan until smokey and fragrant. grind each spice in a coffee grinder or mortar and pestle. combine all the spices! curry powders are extremely versatile, feel free to customize the mix as you like. I found there to be a little bit too much Cumin for my liking in this particular recipe.

After the curry mix has been created, simply cook your chicken in a saucepan or regular deep pan. After the chicken is done, add the coconut milk and add the curry mix until it is at the desired strength. add the rest of your ingredients and cook until the vegetables are done. feel free to use different vegetables. this is the beauty of curry! make it vegetarian by replacing the chicken with some nice tofu! great with rice.

Salsa
1 lb tomatoes
1 onion
3-5 cloves garlic (to taste)
1-2 jalapenos (to taste)
cumin, salt, lime juice to taste

Roast the vegetables for 15 minutes at 400, then blend and add the seasonings to taste.

Enchiladas
10-15 7" tortillas, less if you use larger ones
2-3 lb roast chicken
1-2 lb Monterey Jack cheese
2 cups chicken broth
olive oil
cumin (to taste)
1 onion
3-5 cloves garlic (to taste)1
1/2 cup flour

Carmelize chopped onion in large pan with olive oil. Add garlic and cumin when complete. Add flour, then pour on chicken broth slowly. Let it simmer and thicken to form a veloute. Add half your salsa and the chicken.

Put a layer of salsa in a baking pan, and start constructing the enchiladas. Put some of the chicken-veloute-salsa mix in a tortilla with some shredded Monterey Jack. When done, layer salsa over the enchiladas and put cheese on top. Bake for 20-30 minutes at 400 and SERVE

When I was done I had a lot of chicken mix leftover, om nom nom
Also this made some really spicy but watery salsa, you might want to use only 1 jalapeno and strain the tomatoes beforehand.

Basic Hummus
1/4 cup tahini
2 garlic cloves
2 tbs olive oil
1/4 cup lemon juice
15oz can garbanzo beans drained and rinsed

throw all of this in a food processor and bam! hummus! tahini recipe is below.

Tahini

1 cup white sesame seeds
1/8 to 1/4 cup olive oil

Toast the sesame seeds lightly in a dry pan. just a few minutes and make sure the seeds are browned nicely. Grind them in the food processor with the olive oil until it reaches the consistency of a paste. thats it!

Tomato Sauce

1 carrot finely diced
1 stalk celery diced
1/2 medium onion diced
2T olive oil
2T fresh chopped Parsley
2 garlic cloves diced
1T oregano
1 28oz can peeled tomatoes with juice
1T tomato paste

heat oil in a large flat pan to medium heat. cook the carrots, celery, parsley, and onion for about 20 minutes or until the vegetables are soft and translucent if they dry before they get too soft, add a spalsh of water and cover immediately. add the chopped garlic and oregano and cook for about 30 seconds. cut up the tomatoes into the desired size. I like them not so chunky. add them and their juice to the vegetables. add the tomato paste and mix in well. simmer until desired thickness. if you like your sauce smoother, toss all of this into a blender or food processor.

Curried Zucchini Soup

3T butter
1/4c flour
1 lb Zucchini sliced into 1 inch thick chunks. skin is OK
1 yellow onion quartered
2 cloves garlic quartered
3 cups chicken or veg broth
1 bay leaf
1 1/2T curry powder
1/8t cayenne
1/8t white pepper
salt/pepper
1c milk

bring broth to a boil in a large pot. add the zucchini, onion, garlic, all the spices, bay leaf and cook until all vegetables are soft about 30-40 minutes on a steady simmer. with a hand blender or food processor, puree all of the vegetables. If you are using a blender or processor, add some of the broth from the pot to facilitate the blending. transfer back into pot.

make a roux by melting butter and mixing in flour in a small pan. cook until brown and nutty smelling. add milk to the pot and then slowly add the roux until it is at the desired consistency. cook on low for another 15 minutes and serve it hot!

andyp's veggie burgers

15 oz can black beans, drained
small can (4oz?) chopped green chiles HOT
1 1/2c chopped medium yellow onion
2 garlic cloves chopped
olive oil
2 cups bread crumbs
2 cups portobello mushrooms
2 cups cooked rice
1/2 large bell pepper chopped
1t salt
1t white pepper
1t nutmeg
1 1/2t cayenne
Sriracha chili sauce (optional, it needed a kick in the pants)
some buns!

chop up onions, garlic, and pepper. fry in oil in a large pan with the green chiles until the veggies are soft and cooked through. cook rice and heat up buns. in a blender or food processor, blend 3/4 of the onion/pepper/garlic/green chile mixture with the mushrooms, rice, beans, bread crumbs, and spices until pastey setting aside the last quarter. after blended, salt and pepper and add more spices to taste.. remember its all veggie, so you wont have to worry about eating uncooked stuff :D. after it is done blending, transfer to a bowl and combine with the remaining 1/4 of the onion mixture. form into patties the size of your buns. be gentle with them, as they might be a little less grippy than their meaty cousins. I like to coat the patties in bread crumbs before frying them in a little oil on a pan. beware of using this recipe on a bbq because it will most likely fall apart. I hear that adding an egg to the mixture will increase the strength of the patty.

garnish with whatever you feel like you need to. Tonight i used some of the hummus in place of mayo/ketchup, which was a good move, along with some pepperjack and lettuce. yum!

Ingredients:

* 1 16 oz can of chickpeas or garbanzo beans
* 1/4 cup liquid from can of chickpeas
* 3-5 tablespoons lemon juice (depending on taste)
* 1 1/2 tablespoons tahini
* 2 cloves garlic, crushed
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 2 tablespoons olive oil

1 pound of browned ground beef with some onion
2 cans of tomato sauce
1 can of diced tomatoes
2 cans of chili beans
1 can of kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 can of black beans, drained and rinsed
some chugwater chili
some brown sugar

put in pot. simmer for some hours.

0.5 c. butter
1 c. sugar
2 eggs
1 c. bananas, mashed (~3)
2 c. flour
0.5 t. salt
1 t. baking soda

mix butter and sugar. beat in eggs. alternately add mashed bananas and dry ingredients and mix (start and end with dry). grease and flour loaf pan. bake at 350 degrees for ~45 minutes. eat!