What did you cook today?

My meal ended up being: Meatloaf, Green Beans, and Cornbread.

 

Mmm pasta

 

Everyone has such good food!

Makes my Mac and Cheese look so abysmal

 

agreed

http://oi64.tinypic.com/fbjng8.jpg

 

As far as family recipes go, I usually just throw ground beef, tomato sauce, kidney beans, sliced onions and bell peppers(capsicum) together somewhat how I used to see my mom make it. I usually don't measure the ingredients out. I'll try to figure out a rough estimate of the amounts and post back. Actually, I'm heading to my mom's house in a few minutes - I'll see what recipe she uses, and I'll also ask how my dad used to make it(they had two pretty different ways of making it). Lately I've been using Internet recipes. I thought about trying this one next:
http://www.food.com/recipe/debbies-crock-pot-chili-45069?nl

 

This is just a basic recipe. I asked my mom if she had a recipe, but she basically just uses 1 pound of ground beef, then adds stuff until she feels she has the amount that she wants. I basically did the same today, except I used 2.25 lbs of ground beef. This is almost exactly 1 kg. The rest I estimated from past experience.



I used 3 Bell peppers(capsicum), and one medium size onion. Small, medium, and large are subjective, so I put the ingredients next to jar of vegemite for comparison. Sometimes I put carrots in too.

I used pre-made chili seasoning, but you can use plain chili powder, or any mix if seasoning that you like.














I used one 822gm and one 425 gm can of tomato sauce.


This is what it looked like with the ingredients mixed in, but not cooking yet.


This is after a few hours.

 

I was in such a hurry all day today, I left out a main ingredient...kidney beans. I'm going to add 2 cans that are about half the size of the 822gm tomato sauce can. They are pre-cooked so it's all good.

 

Now it's chili

 

I microwaved leftovers: Mashed potatoes and some rice.

 

Taco tuesday!

 

Made a beef stew with dumplings. It was really good. I did not get a picture as I have not been on in so long I forgot to take one.....lol

 

Fried Chicken, collard greens, and cornbread.

 

Bratwurst, mashed potatoes, and sauerkraut

Well, i didnt really cook it. The bratwurst were precooked and mashed potatoes were instant. Dont judge me

 

But did you ferment the sauerkraut yourself? :-D

 

You need practice. You'd better start posting your wonderful spreads again.

 

I thawed out leftover pork roast...and rice. I need to go to the store. Yuck.

 

Forgot the beans! Poor Expanse needs to slow down. Actually, I think in Texas they think it's an abomination to use beans. It's basically meat (not always ground) and chilis there. And really hot.

 

Yes, I've been around people who thought I had ruined the chili by adding beans!

 

I made sushi for the first time today! I used a short grain brown rice because there seems to be some inexplicable shortage of short grain white rice here. But I liked the nutty flavour it added.

The rolling was a learning process. So was stuffing the rolls. I put way too much rice and filling in the first time.




It tore the roll and the filling spilled out the sides. I think I wasn't pressing the mat hard enough either so the nori sheet wasn't sealing properly.




I gradually got better at it. I put in less filling and put more pressure on the mat and I lifted the mat and turned the roll over with my hands before pressing with the mat again. The rolls turned out a lot better. With this roll I put the nori on the inside, rice out.




I found it easier to make them this way, the rice sticks easier than the nori sheets. I didn't have black sesame seeds so I toasted raw white seeds I had. I love sesame seeds in sushi.




And the finished product. You can see the progression. The top ones are the first, too much rice and filling the second roll less filling, the third the rice outside the roll with even less filling. I made a few hosomaki, the small ones with avocado and cucumber. I'll have to julienne the cucumbers smaller next time, they were too big and the rolls broke up when I cut them. For the others I used various combinations of tuna, salmon (our supermarket carries sushi grade of both), shrimp (cooked), imitation crab sticks, cucumber, avocado, green onions and lettuce. I want to try adding asparagus next time, and mango. I also sliced some of the salmon thicker and had sashimi. The salmon was really fresh, so nice and sweet.

Since I didn't salt the rice or put salt in the vinegar mixture (which you add to the rice -- rice vinegar, salt and sugar), I made a spicy sauce of mayo and horseradish and put some in the rolls, and used some as a dipping sauce (no soy sauce for me) along with wasabi paste. They tasted really good. I thought it would be a lot harder to make them but it was fairly easy, if a little labour intensive. Mostly the cleanup, rice everywhere! And the rolling, which should be less time consuming once I get it down pat. It was fun making them! I highly recommend trying it.

 

Sometimes I put spaghetti in also.