USCHO Cooks: Are you our Top Chef?

[leswp1]

My mom would put the giblets in her stuffing. My grandpa and great uncle fought over who got them, so she just put it in the mix.

They used to be in our gravy. I don't put them in and I don't miss it one bit. Yuck.

[FadeToBlack&Gold]

For gravy, you mainly just need the neck. I wouldn't use any of the other parts in a gravy you plan on serving to guests, especially the gizzard.

[jen]

Personally, I love a simple celery, onion, bread, seasonings stuffing. My sister-in-law also makes one with sausage which is really good.

This is what we have - with sausage.

[MissThundercat]

The one lonely perk of cooking for my dad and I:

I can do what I want and no one complains. Next time, my stuffing will have apples or dried cranberries.

[jen]

2018 cookies -

New -
Pecan currant rugelach - BEST RUGELACH EVER
Rum punch sandwich - sugar slice and bake cookies with a chocolate-raspberry-rum filling
Buttered rum shortbread - from the Sister Pie cookbook - sorry, no link. Buy the cookbook.
Pistachio cream cheese
Cherry Rum Ribbons
Eggnog Glazed Spritz
Orange Oatmeal Currant
GF Pinwheels - this recipe has disappeared - made them red and green instead of vanilla and chocolate

Repeats -
Ginger Jump Ups - recipe from Zingerman's
Gingerbread Snickerdoodles
GF Red Velvet Crinkle
Peanut Butter Maple
Hot Cocoa Cookies - also a version with peppermint extract and peppermint chunks
Cornflake wreaths
Peppermint Shortbread
Grasshoppers
Zimsterne
Christmas Confetti Biscotti
GF Maple Pecan Shortbread
Chocolate Cherry Pistachio pinwheels
Dark Chocolate Buttercrunch
Peppermint Bark
GF Choc Cherry Oatmeal


Also had some stuff to use up, so added these -

Smores and Cookies Cream - from the packages of cookies and cream chips, and S'mores baking bits
Apricot White Chocolate Oatmeal
Maple Pecan Snickerdoodle - from the package of maple chips
Berry Bark - basically all the leftover dried fruit and nuts - cherries, apricots, blueberries, pistachios, pecans - with white chocolate


I'm not quite done yet. The rugelach is seriously incredible. I've made rugelach before, and it doesn't even compare to this recipe. I was going to use the chocolate-raspberry-rum filling in the rugelach, but it's not usually baked, and I was afraid it would melt everywhere (and I had leftover currants anyway). Then I had to come up with a sandwich cookie that wasn't a cutout.

Also, my cookie press broke when I was making the spritz cookies, and it was a huge pain in the ***. Someone please make a cookie press that does NOT have breakable plastic parts.

[leswp1]

Ditto on the cookie press. I have an old aluminum one from when I was a kid but it turns the dough a bit black on the edges. I got aggravated enough I rarely make Spritz any more.

Pepparkakor
Sugar
Lace
Chocolate treasures
Jumbles
Maple Pecan
Almond
Lemon
Peppermint with choc drizzle

I always feel good until I see jen's list. Then I feel like an under-achiever. Haven't started yet. Pepparkakor dough tomorrow.

[MissThundercat]

Ditto on the cookie press. I have an old aluminum one from when I was a kid but it turns the dough a bit black on the edges. I got aggravated enough I rarely make Spritz any more.

Pepparkakor
Sugar
Lace
Chocolate treasures
Jumbles
Maple Pecan
Almond
Lemon
Peppermint with choc drizzle

I always feel good until I see jen's list. Then I feel like an under-achiever. Haven't started yet. Pepparkakor dough tomorrow.

I'm in awe of jen, but try not to get caught in comparison.

My list:

Crunchy peanut butter chocolate chip
Oatmeal cranberry
Oatmeal chocolate chip
Mint dark chocolate (same recipe as a chocolate chip cookie)
Gingersnaps
Molasses spice
Spiced biscotti
Possibly white chocolate macadamia

Actually, may not even spend time with cookies. Simpatico, my favorite coffee shop, has a chocolate banana bread studded with chocolate chips on top. Want to try that first

[vizoroo]

First of all I got tired just reading Jen's list and, I must admit, started to drool. Chocolate-raspberry-rum filling made mt lick my lips just thinking about it.

After reading Jen, leswp and MissT I'll have to expand from lots and lots of bourbon or rum balls

[Twitch Boy]

Scored a cheap mini French press for $10 at King Soopers.

I'm officially one of THOSE guys now.

[FadeToBlack&Gold]

Scored a cheap mini French press for $10 at King Soopers.

I'm officially one of THOSE guys now.

French press is soooooo 2005. You gotta get a pour-over rig now.

[Twitch Boy]

Seems to make a decent 6 cups - I taste some oil, but that could be ye old Kroger brand coffee.

I'm following pretty standard steps (pour enough hot water to cover the grounds, wait 30 seconds, pour the rest, wait 3-4 minutes, slowly press.)

[FadeToBlack&Gold]

Oh jeez, Kroger? Now we have to get you some real snob coffee.

Since you live in Denver, try this:

https://www.gocoffeego.com/products/...-Novo-142.html

[Twitch Boy]

Oh jeez, Kroger? Now we have to get you some real snob coffee.

Since you live in Denver, try this:

https://www.gocoffeego.com/products/...-Novo-142.html

Hey, at least I didn't buy Starbucks.

There's Peet's here, and I've seen Kaladi Brothers before, just can't remember where.

I don't need to go full "organic fair trade hand-picked by Bernie Sanders' stable of trained Millennial unicorns" but something decent quality with flavor would be nice.

I have some Death Wish on the way for the lulz.

[FadeToBlack&Gold]

Just don't buy dark roast. Wanna know how that was invented? Back in the days when coffee was delivered by ship, some of the beans would inevitably spoil during the ocean voyage. Rather than throw them out, roasters burned the hell out of them, and sold them as "French roast" or "Italian roast" to the rubes who couldn't afford the good beans.

[BassAle]

The one lonely perk of cooking for my dad and I:

I can do what I want and no one complains. Next time, my stuffing will have apples or dried cranberries.

I put apples and cranberries in my homemade bread stuffing this year. It’s probably my favorite way to prepare bread stuffing.

[BassAle]

Question: How do you prefer your T-day stuffing/dressing?

I'm a girl who loves all the carbs! My cousin put fruit in his dressing this year. Stuffing should be savory, not sweet. It made me a very sad panda. I didn't like the cherry or cranberry or whatever it was in there. If someone wants to sweeten their stuffing, they can do it on their own plate by taking a spoonful of cranberry relish or fruit/jello salad.

Personally, I love a simple celery, onion, bread, seasonings stuffing. My sister-in-law also makes one with sausage which is really good.

My grandmother used to always make a French-Canadian pork stuffing (as well as bread stuffing). I know it has ground pork and potatoes. I’m not quite sure on the seasoning, but I think it had allspice among others. Very savory. Similar to the filling in tourtiere pie (French-Canadian meat pie)

[state of hockey]

Latkes and sufganiyot tonight. Belly feels awfully heavy.

[dxmnkd316]

Had my girlfriend’s family over and made my go to of tomahawk steaks and roasted vegetables. Relatively easy, great presentation, and super tasty. I’m pretty sure everyone was happy.

[leswp1]

Latkes and sufganiyot tonight. Belly feels awfully heavy.

I had to google that. I love Latkes but time consuming to make.

[MissThundercat]

So I chopped up a Ghirardelli 60% chocolate baking bar, added the chunks to the Crunchy Peanut Butter Banana Bread, and I have a winner.

After I portioned the batter into the muffin pan, I started spooning it into my mouth.

Truth is, my mind is "hot, nutritious food? Yeah, sure, whatever you say. You REALLY want to bake all the yummy stuff! Now get on it!"