Cookin again

[prabe]

That’s a good looking variant on the classic bean recipes I’ve seen over the years, no doubt. Sounds delish! Is yours more creamy or soupy?

FWIW, I was taught from the very first pot of creole red beans I ever cooked that you just mash a bunch of them against the side of the pot.

I usually go for creamy-ish, both by cooking the beans until they're extremely tender and by mashing for a while. The fact I garnish with shredded cheese and Mexican-style crema makes it more creamy-ish, without question. Between the vaquero beans (which aren't entirely black) and using chicken soup base instead of pork, the soup was more brick-red than charcoal-black colored; still tasted good, though.

EDIT: I suppose it could be made more soupy by mashing less--I don't think you'd want to try to undershoot the cooking time (though to the extent I overcook the beans, you could shorten by that much).

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

First time using our toaster oven for cooking an entree beyond egg, bacon, or quiche. This was done out of necessity, since our oven died after 22 years of use.

I baked 3 fillets on a bed of onions. Seasonings were salt, black pepper, paprika, parsley, garlic powder and lemon zest. I coated the pan with EVOO, and topped the fish with some butter and lemon juice.

Baked at 400degF for 13 minutes.

It came out nice & flaky, but it could have taken some more aggressive seasoning and it was a tad overdone. Not terribly, but enough to notice if you’re familiar with baked tilapia done right. The REAL clue was that some of the onion was blackened instead of caramelized. A minute less cooking time would probably be perfect.

 

[Zardnaar]

That’s a good looking variant on the classic bean recipes I’ve seen over the years, no doubt. Sounds delish! Is yours more creamy or soupy?

FWIW, I was taught from the very first pot of creole red beans I ever cooked that you just mash a bunch of them against the side of the pot.

I think I've eaten fish 4 times this year. Think that's a record. I trust your cooking skills way more than mine.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

We are in the process of ordering our replacement oven & microwave. It’s going to be nice- the oven will add convection, the microwave will be .7cu ft larger than the one it’s replacing.

Punch line: the delivery date is first week of March.

 

[prabe]

Wow. I know that at least sometimes you cook for a lot of people--that's going to be difficult, now. Presuming that you were going to have those get-togethers, of course, which isn't a given right now.

For cooking in smaller amounts, you have a toaster oven, IIRC, and those can be impressively capable. One can hope you have a separate cooktop instead of a range ...

On the upside, convection ovens are nice. There was one in our house when we moved in, and if/when it comes time to replace the wall ovens we'll make sure we have at least one convection oven after. I know there are many uses, but the magic they perform when roasting vegetables is enough, IMO.

 

[Umbran]

Punch line: the delivery date is first week of March.

Ouch!

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

Yeah! Tell me about it. C19 is causing slowdowns in parts manufacturing and appliance assembly worldwide. Regardless of brand, if it wasn’t something currently in stock or already en route, wait times were 1+ months. Even if we had gone with our least favorite option, the delivery date was Nov. 24.

So we figured, if we have to wait regardless, might as well wait for something worth waiting for.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

Wow. I know that at least sometimes you cook for a lot of people--that's going to be difficult, now. Presuming that you were going to have those get-togethers, of course, which isn't a given right now.

For cooking in smaller amounts, you have a toaster oven, IIRC, and those can be impressively capable. One can hope you have a separate cooktop instead of a range ...

On the upside, convection ovens are nice. There was one in our house when we moved in, and if/when it comes time to replace the wall ovens we'll make sure we have at least one convection oven after. I know there are many uses, but the magic they perform when roasting vegetables is enough, IMO.

All of our holiday plans were effectively torpedoed when the oven died. I know of some workarounds, but...

At any rate, I still have an arsenal to work with. Besides the toaster oven, I have a tabletop roaster capable of handling a turkey, plus a few other appliances...some as yet untried. Mom had to have an air fryer, for instance, so there’s one sitting on top of the fridge. And we own 2 BBQ pits and a smoker in the yard.

 

[Umbran]

Besides the toaster oven, I have a tabletop roaster capable of handling a turkey, plus a few other appliances...some as yet untried. Mom had to have an air fryer, for instance, so there’s one sitting on top of the fridge. And we own 2 BBQ pits and a smoker in the yard.

If I may, sir... a properly smoked turkey can be amazing. That was our tradition at home when I was growing up. I think in large part so my dad could say, 'I have to go out and tend the fire" and sit out with a beer away from the frenetic house, but the bird was good.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

“Properly cooked” is the operative phrase!

I love smoked turkey, and have been using it preferentially over ham in my greens for the past 5 years. But I have always decided to BUY mine, even after buying the smoker.

Reason: I’m still a tyro when it comes to using it. My results are never undercooked, but they are often under smoked. I keep forgetting to add more wood in a timely fashion.

But in every crisis, there is opportunity.

I had been lamenting I didn’t really know how to properly cook rice all that well. But when our younger dog got sick, adding rice to her diet was part of her recovery, and the boil-in-bag rice was hard to find during the panic-buying days of the early days of the pandemic. Regular rice was all I could find. Well, after cooking 2 cups of rice every week and change, I’ve gotten a lot of practice. I may never buy the other kind again.