What's For Dinner?

[ticky]

Okay, I love to cook, but the bane of my cooking existence had always been Pie Crust..... BUT my cousin, Susan, makes the most incredible pies and TAUGHT me how to make a crust that's soo freakin simple anybody can do it and it's fool proof! So, Im-a gonna share it wit cha'll!

Aunt Virginia's Pie Crust

3 slightly heaping cups AP flour (all purpose)
a pinch salt
1/3 Cup corn oil
2/3 Cup milk

mix the dry ingredients, make a hole in the center and add the wet ingredients. Mix JUST till combined. It will be very dry and crumbly.
Place a large sheet of wax paper on a flat surface, scoop half the dough onto the wax paper and mold into a crude mound. Place another large sheet of wax paper over the top and, using a rolling pin, roll the dough out into a thin round disc. Using the wax paper, flip the rolled out dough into a pie pan. It WILL fall apart, dont worry, just piece it back together. For covered pies, do the same with the remaining dough, or roll out the remaining dough, slip it onto a cookie sheet, spread with butter and cinnamon sugar and bake till golden brown for a crust cracker.
For fruit pies, liberally coat the top crust first with egg white and then sugar (Helps in browning and holds the sugar to the crust. It also helps keep the top crust together before baking)

[Wildthyme]

I've never had a lentil or risotto. What's it like?

I like lentils because you can use them in almost anything you use beans in but they cook much faster and don't require pre-soaking. Plus they are very good for you and high in fiber and protein. They have a nice "meaty" texture when cooked and make a great substitute for meat in things like chili and stews. I make a curried lentil stew all the time in the winter that I eat with wilted spinach and a little vinegar (greens and vinegar are an Italian thing apparently )

As for risotto... true risottos are only made with arborio rice. They are not hard to make but are a bit labor intensive because you are stirring and adding broth during the entire cooking process. But the result is a this wonderful creamy rice dish...

Here is a recipe for a basic risotto like the one my Noni made:

6 cups chicken stock or broth
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped
3-4 cloves garlic, finely minced
1 1/2 cups arborio rice
1/2 cup dry white wine
3 tablespoons butter
1/3 - 1/2 cup parmesan cheese
salt to taste
pepper to taste

Heat the chicken stock/broth in a sauce pan over medium low heat while preparing the rest of the items (you want the broth to be very warm but not boiling hot).

Heat olive oil in a skillet or sauce pan over medium heat. Saute onions 1-2 minutes until translucent. Add garlic and saute for 1 minute until fragrant. Add rice to pan and saute until it turns a pale golden color - stir constantly and do not allow it to burn! When rice is golden, add white wine and stir until liquid is absorbed.

Add 1/2 cup chicken stock to rice and stir until liquid is fully absorbed. Continue adding chicken stock 1/2 a cup at a time and stirring gently and continually after each addition. When all the stock has been added and absorbed and rice is cooked to an al dente texture remove from heat. Stir in butter and parmesan cheese. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

If you want to turn this into a mushroom risotto then you can saute 1-2 lbs of mushrooms (crimini or portobello are probably the best) in a couple tablespoons of olive oil and set them aside until the rice is cooked. Then at the point you are stirring in the butter and cheese you can add the mushrooms (and any cooking liquid) and enjoy!

[Eve]

Okay, I love to cook, but the bane of my cooking existence had always been Pie Crust..... BUT my cousin, Susan, makes the most incredible pies and TAUGHT me how to make a crust that's soo freakin simple anybody can do it and it's fool proof! So, Im-a gonna share it wit cha'll!

Aunt Virginia's Pie Crust

3 slightly heaping cups AP flour (all purpose)
a pinch salt
1/3 Cup corn oil
2/3 Cup milk

mix the dry ingredients, make a hole in the center and add the wet ingredients. Mix JUST till combined. It will be very dry and crumbly.
Place a large sheet of wax paper on a flat surface, scoop half the dough onto the wax paper and mold into a crude mound. Place another large sheet of wax paper over the top and, using a rolling pin, roll the dough out into a thin round disc. Using the wax paper, flip the rolled out dough into a pie pan. It WILL fall apart, dont worry, just piece it back together. For covered pies, do the same with the remaining dough, or roll out the remaining dough, slip it onto a cookie sheet, spread with butter and cinnamon sugar and bake till golden brown for a crust cracker.
For fruit pies, liberally coat the top crust first with egg white and then sugar (Helps in browning and holds the sugar to the crust. It also helps keep the top crust together before baking)

My mom's pie crust recipe uses oil as well. SHE never has problems with it. Myself, it would be a patched up mess. Hers always looks good and tastes better.

I have good luck using white Crisco and making sure that is is good and cold. With those handy apple peeler/corer/slicers and that Crisco crust recipe, it's fast to whip out an apple pie.

[AzEaglesFan]

I don't like to cook and if it was just me I would live on Marie Callenders frozen dinners. Bobby will cook sometimes usually pinto beans or something in the crock pot

[Troubadour]

Finally got around to posting this recipe. Try it - it's delicious!

Leek, Mushroom and Lemon Risotto

Ingredients

225g/8oz trimmed leeks
225g/8oz/3 generous cups brown-cap mushrooms
30ml/2tbsp olive oil
3 garlic cloves, crushed
75g/3oz/6 tbsp butter
1 large onion, roughly chopped
350g/12oz/scant 1 3/4 cups arborio rice
1.2 litres/2 pints/5 cups hot vegetable stock
grated rind and juice of 1 lemon
50g/2oz freshly grated parmesan cheese
60ml/4tbsp mixed chopped fresh chives and flat leaf parsley
salt and freshly ground black pepper
lemon wedges and flat leaf parsley to serve

Serves 4

Method

1. Wash the leeks well. Slice in half lengthways and roughly chop. Wipe the mushrooms with kitchen paper and roughly chop.

2. Heat the oil in a large saucepan and cook the garlic for 1 minute. Add the leeks, mushrooms and plenty of seasoning and cook over a medium heat for about 10 minutes or until softened and cooked through. Remove the ingredients from the pan and set aside.

3. Add 25g/1oz/2tbsp of the butter to the pan and cook the onion over medium heat for about 5 mins. Do not let it brown.

4. Stir in the rice and cook for 1 minute. Add a ladleful of stock to the pan and cook gently, stirring occasionally until all the liquid is absorbed.

5. Stir in more liquid as each ladleful is absorbed - 20-25 minutes. Keep the stock over a gentle heat. It should be hot when you add it to the rice. The risotto will turn thick and creamy and the rice should be tender.

6. Just before serving, stir in the leeks, mushrooms, remaining butter, grated lemon rind and 3tbsp of the juice, half the Parmesan and herbs. Adjust the seasoning to taste and sprinkle with the remaining Parmesan and herbs. Serve with lemon wedges and sprigs of flat leaf parsley.

[Koala]

Troub, this recipe sounds good, I think I'll try it out!

[Prettymaid]

Me too!

[Brooke]

Eve sent me a link to her Raspberry Thumbprints and am posting it for everyone. These looked so good, can't wait to try them! Thanks Eve!

http://www.marthastewart.com/recipe/...ry-thumbprints

[TimothyBFan]

Here's the thing, I'm a fantastic cook but not so good a baker!! I don't care much for baking and therefore don't do it that often. But my hubby loves his Mom's cheesecake (completely from scratch-d*mn her!!) and I can't find her recipe anywhere. I'm now on a mission for the perfect cheesecake recipe that I also won't pull my hair out trying to make. Looking on line, I'm finding a lot of them and all seem different and I don't know which one to use. Here's a couple of links I found.

http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/blue...0000001599817/

http://iammommy.typepad.com/i_am_bak...heesecake.html

But they both seem somewhat difficult--especially the last one combining the 2 "perfect cakes" to make 1. Yikes!!! Of course, it could be just me making it seem that way also. I'm no stupid and know I can do it.

Does anyone here have a good one that isn't going to take a rocket scientist to make it? I'd appreciate your help. Planning on making this a Sunday project since it seems they take awhile to put together.

[EaglesFanatic]

I actually made chocolate cheesecake cupcakes last week. I made the mistake of putting in too much salt, but other than that, it's a pretty good recipe, and it's easy to make!

Here's the link if you're interested:
http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/c...ecake-cupcakes

PS: If you substitute brown sugar for the regular sugar in the batter, it tastes really good!