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Post by bixaorellana on Apr 1, 2009 2:58:18 GMT
You all are hopeless. Where are the recipes? Here, this is all y'all deserve at the moment. No, I don't know who Ann is -- it's an internet recipe.
ANN'S HASH BROWN CASSEROLE
2 lb. pkg. frozen hash browns 1/2 c. butter 1/2 c. chopped onions 1 can cream of chicken soup 1 pt. sour cream 1 1/2 c. grated cheddar cheese 1/2 tsp. salt Pepper (opt.)
Heat butter and soup, then blend in sour cream, onion and cheese. Stir in potatoes, salt and pepper. Pour in buttered 2 1/2 quart casserole in 9"x13" pan. Mix crushed corn flakes with 2 tablespoons melted butter. Sprinkle on top. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour.
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Post by Kimby on Apr 1, 2009 5:34:56 GMT
You all are hopeless. Where are the recipes? Here's a comfort food recipe: Grandma's Ground Beef Stroganoff
Brown some onions and a pound of lean ground beef. Add sliced mushrooms, some minced garlic and lots of ground pepper and cook a while longer. Stir in one can of Cream of Chicken condensed soup and cook while boiling potatoes for mashing. Add about 2/3 cup sour cream to the beef mixture and heat to warm through. Mash the potatoes and serve the stroganoff over the potatoes.Mmmmm. I remember this meal fondly from Christmases at Grandma's house, a 6 hour drive from my family's house. It was a quick no-pressure meal for Grandma who cooked for 16 on Christmas Day. When Grandma went into a nursing home, I asked my Aunt Mary if she knew the recipe, and she said it was taped to the inside of Grandma's kitchen cabinet. Sure enough, she found it there and mailed it to me. I've made it ever since. (I've tried adapting it with sliced steak, but it just isn't the same, not as comforting.)
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Post by bixaorellana on Apr 1, 2009 5:45:32 GMT
Mmmm ~~ it does sound really good, Kimby. Don't you love how some of those old classics use no herbs, unless you count black pepper, but come out tasting rich & good?
You know what would be good? You could reverse the order and put the stroganoff in a casserole. Then fold some grated cheddar into the mashed potatoes, smooth that over the top of the stroganoff, and stick it in the oven until bubbly and golden.
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Post by Kimby on Apr 1, 2009 5:50:17 GMT
bix, I LOVE cheese, but somehow I don't want it on this dish. Its whiteness is part of its appeal. But it might be good to put it in a casserole dish with some of those French Fried Onions spread over the top.
(Like on the green bean casserole that is my husband's favorite comfort food.)
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Post by Deleted on Apr 1, 2009 8:14:28 GMT
Here (again) is a super easy dish that I often make in the winter (it appeals less on a hot day).
Stuffed tomatoes
(for 6 people)
You need:
6 juicy large tomatoes (in France, 'stuffing tomatoes' are a special category at the store)
500g ground beef
1 large yellow onion (or shallots)
3 garlic cloves
Fresh parsley
Fresh coriander
1 egg
Olive oil
Salt and pepper
Steps:
Start by washing the tomatoes and then cutting the top of each. It will become le chapeau. Remove the seeds and scoop out the flesh with a spoon.
Sprinkle with salt and turn them upside down so that the excess water comes out. In the meantime, mix together all the other ingredients Preheat your oven to 220°C
Place the stuffing in each tomato, cover with the cut tomato slice (le chapeau-the hat) and add a drop of olive oil on top, salt and pepper.
Cook for about 45 min.
Voilà.
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Post by hwinpp on Apr 2, 2009 4:24:07 GMT
Sounds good, and not too difficult to make. Does anybody have experience using the little electronic mini- ovens instead of real ovens?
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Post by Deleted on Apr 2, 2009 5:01:11 GMT
I only have a countertop oven, but I can roast a chicken in or cook a 2kg leg of lamb -- not to mention cook a big set of stuffed tomatoes. There is nothing very electronic about my oven, though -- just a couple of dials for time and temperature.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 2, 2009 9:53:57 GMT
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Post by hwinpp on Apr 3, 2009 5:17:22 GMT
I think I'll get one then. They're widely available here.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 3, 2009 7:17:53 GMT
They take a little experimenting, but I have always found that they work just fine. Generally, if you are baking any sort of cake type item, it is best to keep a close eye on the oven, because the recipe time indications rarely match reality.
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Post by gringalais on Apr 3, 2009 17:06:33 GMT
I only have one of those little electric ovens. I bought my stove when I was in an apartment, which had gas piped in for the whole building. Now I am in a house and the gas is in cylinders and doesn't work with my oven. You can get it converted, but that is expensive, almost the same price as a new stove, so I bought a cheap electric oven for now. It works well, I find I can cook almost anything in it. I guess the one drawback is that it is smaller than a regular oven, but since it is just the 2 of us, that is not really an issue.
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Post by auntieannie on Apr 4, 2009 19:27:16 GMT
simple yellow split-pea curry, served with either rice or chapatis.
edited to add recipe:
boil your yellow split peas with one whole chilli at least, and some turmeric. you can add one tomato if you want.
approximately 5-10 minutes before it is ready, soften an onion in oil or ghee and add to the peas, with some pepper.
Instead of the onion, you could add some spinach and garlic, after wilting the spinach&softening the garlic in a frying pan with a little oil.
obviously, you can make it complicated with many spices, but when down, the simple version makes me feel better, just cooking it!
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Post by lugg on Oct 18, 2015 18:27:40 GMT
I have searched and not found a similar thread- please move if I have missed it.
After a crap couple of weeks or so - car crash and whiplash ; lame horse needing to go to the equine hospital; work and personal crap blah bah blah and so on I was in sore need of sustenance tonight (food wise.) I am now cooking what is probably my favourite meal. Daughter came home and saw/ smelt it and said "Mum,that's just what we need" So I got to wondering what do you cook to lift the spirits / what would be your last supper ?
Mine - Hainanese chicken rice.
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Post by lugg on Oct 18, 2015 18:51:17 GMT
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Post by chexbres on Oct 18, 2015 19:18:54 GMT
Cinnamon toast made under the broiler, like my mother used to make. Even when I'd really rather take the easy way out and just have a giant Snicker's bar, this gives me what I really need. Of course, the bread isn't the same as it was 60-some-odd years ago - especially in Paris - but that's probably a good thing.
Preheat the broiler to the Ninth Circle of Hell Line a cookie sheet with aluminum foil (anything else will burn) Open a window or turn on the exhaust fan (there will be smoke)
2 thick slices white bread or brioche Salted butter, spread on very thick Raw sugar, enough to make a very thick blanket Ground cinnamon - important to not mix this with the sugar, but just let it fall here and there
Watch this like a hawk! The goal is to have the sugar caramelize like the top of creme brulee, but without the bread burning. The bread will still burn on the edges, but if you put enough sugar on, it will still taste as good as my mother's did.
Usually two slices are not enough to lift me out of my doldrums, but they help.
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Post by bixaorellana on Oct 19, 2015 3:36:10 GMT
This is such a great topic. Lugg, I found an earlier thread on the same subject, so am moving yours there. Thanks for bringing this crucial part of life back to everyones attention!
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Post by questa on Oct 19, 2015 12:58:09 GMT
Custard...whether made with custard powder, bought from the supermarket dairy section or made from start with eggs etc. Custard with banana slices, my own bottled peaches or sultanas in it. Custard with flaked almonds, coconut or cinnamon on top. Just Custard, the wonder food for comforting the soul when you're feeling down.
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Post by lagatta on Oct 19, 2015 13:17:18 GMT
Everytime I clicked on the BBC recipe, I just got another copy of this board discussion, probably because BBC Food has undergone at least one redesign since it was copied here. Poultry and rice is indeed a common comfort food; there are so many versions of arroz con pollo in different Spanish-speaking countries! www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/hainanesechickenrice_91826 perhaps this version of the BBC recipe will be clickable. I've made the savoury bread pudding, usually in deep winter. I'd definitely go for spinach then, as there is always decent frozen spinach in wintertime. I don't hate broccoli, but prefer rapini. Though their bitterness wouldn't work in the savoury pudding described upthread. The recipe could also be made with squash, though then the result would be a bit sweet. One of my favourite comfort foods is simply very good bread with equally good cheese, or a duck pâté.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 19, 2015 14:10:12 GMT
While on holiday in NY my husband and I ate twice at a little hole in the wall set on a wharf and had some of the best chowder(s). My husband had the New England (cream style) seafood chowder which was quite good. I went with the more hardy and flavorful Manhattan Clam Chowder which was chock full of vegetables and an adequate amount of minced clams and the perfect broth. That along with some good homemade bread and we were quite sated. I would vote for it as being the ultimate comfort food. Sorry I don't have my own personal recipe but I'm sure one could be found. I have a great James Beard Seafood cookbook which probably has one.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 19, 2015 18:05:34 GMT
Sounds fantastic, Casimira, but my own concept of comfort food is something that you eat at home, which is where most of us flee when we need comfort. But maybe I am wrong.
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Post by chexbres on Oct 19, 2015 18:30:54 GMT
bixa - the Savory Bread Pudding is what I know as "Strata" - it's a Sicilian dish that I had to learn when making food for Saint Joseph's Altars. Basically, it's a "kitchen sink" recipe - you can put anything you want in it that isn't too juicy (like tomatoes).
The recipe I have is for about 350 people, but just off the top of my head:
Twice as much stale bread as will fit in your baking dish 3 eggs per liter of bread 2 cups of milk (or half and half, or both) per liter of bread (add more if bread is really stale) In a big bowl, use your hands to mush the bread around with the eggs and milk until it's really wet. Cover with plastic and let stand for an hour or two (or overnight) in fridge. 2 cups any grated cheese (never tried bleu or really stinky cheese, but this might be really good) 2 cups of any pre-cooked meat, fish, vegetables (or any combination) Season well to taste Bake in buttered baking dish at 375 or 400 for about 40 mins or until it puffs up like quiche.
When we were sick, Mom used to always make us instant mashed potatoes with margarine and a little slice of ham. When we were better, it was canned tomato soup and peanut butter and grape jelly sandwiches - yes, together! I have no idea how we survived to adulthood...
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Post by bixaorellana on Oct 19, 2015 18:40:30 GMT
You have made food for St. Joseph's altars?!! *admire* All honor & glory! Your version seems as though it would be nice & custardy -- a plus. When we were sick, we got toast and Campbell's tomato soup made with milk & with a big pat of butter on top. Also Coca-Cola, which everyone knows is a miracle cure when used correctly. Ask any southerner who's ever had a hangover, if you don't believe me.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 19, 2015 18:45:30 GMT
Wrong. The sick drink was 7-Up.
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Post by chexbres on Oct 19, 2015 18:47:31 GMT
Cookies, breads, everything - I had to move to Paris to stop being an indentured Sicilian slave...
My French doctor prescribes Coke too, for "le gastro", but it must be shaken or stirred to get all the bubbles out.
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Post by bixaorellana on Oct 19, 2015 18:53:10 GMT
Can you make those bread figures with the fig filling? For a mildly upset stomach, try a Laverne & Shirley -- milk & Coke. (really, that would be Pepsi & milk, but what decent person drinks Pepsi?)
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Post by chexbres on Oct 19, 2015 18:56:51 GMT
You mean the monstrance and stuff - yup, I can...but I won't anymore! You can't eat those, anyway. But the fig cookies were wonderful...way better than Brocato's.
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Post by bixaorellana on Oct 19, 2015 19:00:44 GMT
I'll bet. Brocato's commits the ultimate sin of putting beadies on its cats-in-the-sack (<-- my grandmother's name for those cookies. Hers were divine.)
I don't know if you're too traumatized to want this, but I have a great recipe for the seed cookies.
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Post by chexbres on Oct 19, 2015 19:06:26 GMT
Thanks, I'm sure it's delicious, but I never want to think about them again. But if you like, you could just send it to my husband's secretary, instead. She's in charge of rounding up the slaves, these days.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 19, 2015 20:44:04 GMT
Sounds fantastic, Casimira, but my own concept of comfort food is something that you eat at home, which is where most of us flee when we need comfort. But maybe I am wrong. Had I had my "home' while there at my mother's house, this is likely what she would have served, even if she had to pull it out of the freezer. Therefore, all the more gratifying to find a version that was equally as satisfying and comforting. I've had many versions of this chowder and most are lacking in sustenance/substance and flavor, and are watery due to a lack of a true flavorful broth/stock. I post this because this had all of the above perfect "comfort" qualities I associate with "home". The wharf where we dined at was equally at "home" as I would have liked (sitting on a bench overlooking the bay), versus a chic chic table-clothed overpriced bistro. All that was lacking was my mother's presence and this happened to be one of her favorite spots. Comfort not lacking.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 19, 2015 20:54:54 GMT
Wrong. The sick drink was 7-Up. Ginger Ale
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