Something Delicious

[ahk]

So I think I know Dante learned his cooking on Food Network--

Where did YOU learn how to cook? Family? Friends? School? Food Network?

I learned a little from my grandma, but I mainly just learned by cooking for myself and trying new foods and I really eat with my eyes. I always loved to read books and magazines about food and recipes, and then internet came along and it was over-- I love food blogs.

Then I found my honey and she loves to cook and we have very similar tastes but very different at the same time. She has taught me to like foods by texture and colour.

Every year that I get older, the better I get with cooking. I also, love to watch food network and the cooking channel-- yay tv.

[Ursy]

Originally Posted by ahk

Where did YOU learn how to cook? Family? Friends? School? Food Network?

I learned a little from my grandma, but I mainly just learned by cooking for myself and trying new foods and I really eat with my eyes. I always loved to read books and magazines about food and recipes, and then internet came along and it was over-- I love food blogs.

I'm very visual too. Have you seen these sites? They are like visual recipe searches. So inspirational for us visual types. (edited to add: wow, how many times can I say visual in one paragraph?)

http://www.tastespotting.com/
http://www.nibbledish.com/recipes/
http://foodgawker.com/
http://www.yumgoggle.com/gallery/

I learned to cook a little bit from before I left home, and after that it was mostly trial and error, following recipes, and observing others. My dear mum gave me a good basic cookbook to take with me, I consulted that a lot. I think I still have it somewhere!

[JustLovelyJenn]

Originally Posted by ahk

Where did YOU learn how to cook? Family? Friends? School? Food Network?

My family has always cooked. Every family event involved time in the kitchen and I learned a little bit of something different from them all.

My fathers mother was an amazing cook. She could cook anything from scratch and did. She taught me how to measure by sight... taste and adjust my ingredients, and how to use my imagination and improvise.

My grandmother on my mothers side taught me a lot about "almost homemade" cooking and how to use cheap and quick things from the cupboards to make something no one would guess you didn't make from scratch. She was also the canner in my family... and I still love to can some of the things she made every year... like zucchini relish and chili sauce.

[Sun]

Originally Posted by JustLovelyJenn

My family has always cooked. Every family event involved time in the kitchen and I learned a little bit of something different from them all.

My fathers mother was an amazing cook. She could cook anything from scratch and did. She taught me how to measure by sight... taste and adjust my ingredients, and how to use my imagination and improvise.

My grandmother on my mothers side taught me a lot about "almost homemade" cooking and how to use cheap and quick things from the cupboards to make something no one would guess you didn't make from scratch. She was also the canner in my family... and I still love to can some of the things she made every year... like zucchini relish and chili sauce.

Hi Jenn

Seems like those of us who love to cook and value the rituals associated with creating our family "classics" or staples, developed a love of being in the kitchen at a young age.

You, like many others were very fortunate to have this experience. So many young people today are not getting that time in the kitchen that so many of us had and value as part of our formation as cooks.

If you are interested in teaching us something about canning please do!

[Corkey]

Originally Posted by ahk

So I think I know Dante learned his cooking on Food Network--

Where did YOU learn how to cook? Family? Friends? School? Food Network?

I learned a little from my grandma, but I mainly just learned by cooking for myself and trying new foods and I really eat with my eyes. I always loved to read books and magazines about food and recipes, and then internet came along and it was over-- I love food blogs.

Then I found my honey and she loves to cook and we have very similar tastes but very different at the same time. She has taught me to like foods by texture and colour.

Every year that I get older, the better I get with cooking. I also, love to watch food network and the cooking channel-- yay tv.

I learned long ago back when it was me feeding me. Lets face it I like to eat, and I like food that tastes great. So I paid attention when I did get out to what was in the foods I was eating. I learned to develop my taste buds, try to guess what the chef had used, then make it in my own home. Never moved on until I got the dish right.
Still try to replicate dishes when we go out, and these days with the economy being what it is, I watch food network for inspiration, and do my own take on their dishes. Mom was a good cook and dad was as well, but he was steak (burger) n potatoes kinda guy, and mom cooked irish n german dishes when she had the time to cook. Dad was the main meal provider. So anything other than grilled meats dad wasn't much of a experimenter.

[Bit]

Black beans are our favorite; then black beans and refried pintos combined in the same one-pot dish; then lima beans.

But ahk, I have to say, I do NOT forgive my parents lol--you're so funny!--but Mom never cooked the limas long enough. Wow, what a difference it makes when you cook them till they're actually soft!

I learned to cook in a Greek deli. I was already pretty good at following recipes and I was a good baker, but it was in the deli that I was exposed to enough different foods and techniques to really learn how cooking works. Then it was thirty years of trial and error to teach myself what I like. I have to say, those five years I spent with my mom were a waste as far as cooking; I wasn't welcome in her kitchen and pretty much retreated to very simple foods, sandwiches, burritos, etc. I made up for it in spades the past five years though!

My favorite cooking blog is the King Arthur Flour baking blog. I've learned a lot there because they go step by step with pictures and they also explain all the technical parts, the chemical reactions, the various ingredients. That blog is an education all in itself! http://www.kingarthurflour.com/blog/

[Ursy]

Hello delicious friends!

I thought I'd post a follow up for my heirloom tomatoes, because they are showing up some pretty patterns now.

https://www.evernote.com/shard/s13/s...4ac34025ffa2a5

They are really keeping me in suspense because I don't know how big they are going to get, or whether they are going to turn red or stay green - but I love the markings on them. Unfortunately the camera didn't do such a good job of capturing it, but hopefully you can see enough to get an idea. (They are darker on top, not sure if it just looks like the lighting or whether you can see that).

[Bit]

They're lovely, Urs!

I've been dreaming over the pages of the Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds catalog this past week. Sneaky people, mailing that catalog out while people are in the holiday spending mood, lol.... Sun, here are your non-GMO seeds, including corn and soybeans. They test every batch; I'm telling you, pretty soon we're going to have to start growing corn in greenhouses to keep it GMO free. But in the meantime, we can still buy some pure seedstocks. http://rareseeds.com/ This year they have more than 1400 varieties of seeds, veggies, herbs, gourds, flowers, cover crops, etc. This is one of the small companies that's leading the fight for every one of us to have the right to non-GMO foods, AND their seeds are really vigorous with high germination rates. I would buy from them even if I weren't a gardener, just to support them in the fight for pure foods.

[Sun]

Originally Posted by Bit

They're lovely, Urs!

I've been dreaming over the pages of the Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds catalog this past week. Sneaky people, mailing that catalog out while people are in the holiday spending mood, lol.... Sun, here are your non-GMO seeds, including corn and soybeans. They test every batch; I'm telling you, pretty soon we're going to have to start growing corn in greenhouses to keep it GMO free. But in the meantime, we can still buy some pure seedstocks. http://rareseeds.com/ This year they have more than 1400 varieties of seeds, veggies, herbs, gourds, flowers, cover crops, etc. This is one of the small companies that's leading the fight for every one of us to have the right to non-GMO foods, AND their seeds are really vigorous with high germination rates. I would buy from them even if I weren't a gardener, just to support them in the fight for pure foods.

Thank you sweet Cath!

It is my hope that everyone grows or starts growing non GMO foods so this seed resource is just priceless.

Thank you for keeping this reminder in front of us as we talk about food, we must not forget where our food is coming from.

[Sun]

Originally Posted by Ursy

Hello delicious friends!

I thought I'd post a follow up for my heirloom tomatoes, because they are showing up some pretty patterns now.

https://www.evernote.com/shard/s13/s...4ac34025ffa2a5

They are really keeping me in suspense because I don't know how big they are going to get, or whether they are going to turn red or stay green - but I love the markings on them. Unfortunately the camera didn't do such a good job of capturing it, but hopefully you can see enough to get an idea. (They are darker on top, not sure if it just looks like the lighting or whether you can see that).

Your tomatoes look great Ursy! I hope that you get some green zebra's. They are so good. Thanks for posting the pics!

[Sun]

Originally Posted by Corkey

I learned long ago back when it was me feeding me. Lets face it I like to eat, and I like food that tastes great. So I paid attention when I did get out to what was in the foods I was eating. I learned to develop my taste buds, try to guess what the chef had used, then make it in my own home. Never moved on until I got the dish right.
Still try to replicate dishes when we go out, and these days with the economy being what it is, I watch food network for inspiration, and do my own take on their dishes. Mom was a good cook and dad was as well, but he was steak (burger) n potatoes kinda guy, and mom cooked irish n german dishes when she had the time to cook. Dad was the main meal provider. So anything other than grilled meats dad wasn't much of a experimenter.

Do you have any of your Mom's Irish or German dishes to share with us?

It's awesome how we experience something that we like and then try to create it for ourselves. That sense of adventure and willingness to learn is so vital to becoming a cook.

My Dad was a baked potato guy. When we were kids and would travel I never understood why he always wanted to go to steak houses. We just thought Dad really liked steak. Then one day I asked him and he told me that he really wanted the baked potato. That cracked me up.

[Corkey]

Originally Posted by Sun

Do you have any of your Mom's Irish or German dishes to share with us?

It's awesome how we experience something that we like and then try to create it for ourselves. That sense of adventure and willingness to learn is so vital to becoming a cook.

My Dad was a baked potato guy. When we were kids and would travel I never understood why he always wanted to go to steak houses. We just thought Dad really liked steak. Then one day I asked him and he told me that he really wanted the baked potato. That cracked me up.

Mom made a hella stroganoff.

[Sun]

Originally Posted by Corkey

Mom made a hella stroganoff.

Bring it on Corkey!

[Sun]

For anyone who may have missed it, this is our Foodie Survey from Saturday. If you are a reader and have not been posting, please join us!

We would love to hear from you!


#1 Is there a city or town that stands out for you as having a great food scene?

#2. What makes a location a great food scene for you?

#3. Where would you like to travel to, to experience the local foods?

#4. What dish or meal stands out as something that you would travel for again?

[Corkey]

Originally Posted by Sun

Bring it on Corkey!

Flank steak cut into thin strips
marinade: in worchishishire shire sauce and EVOO
1 tbl spoon of Rosemary
1 tea spoon of thyme
2 sage sliced thin

Lightly pan flour steak strips and pan sear over med heat.
add fresh marinade herbs, 2 cups sour cream and sliced mushrooms, portobello work best.
heat to simmer for 5-8 minutes and serve over egg noodles.

Simple and delicious.

[Sun]

Originally Posted by Corkey

Flank steak cut into thin strips
marinade: in worchishishire shire sauce and EVOO
1 tbl spoon of Rosemary
1 tea spoon of thyme
2 sage sliced thin

Lightly pan flour steak strips and pan sear over med heat.
add fresh marinade herbs, 2 cups sour cream and sliced mushrooms, portobello work best.
heat to simmer for 5-8 minutes and serve over egg noodles.

Simple and delicious.

Thanks Corkey!

A great winter dish for a cold evening.

The fact that it came from your Mom makes it just that much more special.