The Recipe Thread

[Dirty n Evil]

Dirty 'n Evil here... and despite being Evil and all that, I actually love to cook. I don't cook nearly as much now that I'm single, but I try and find any excuse to cook when I can. And I think there are plenty of us here that love to cook as well! So, this is the thread where we share recipes of some of our favorite foods. Be they desserts, meals, soups, something you've made up, or something that you've borrowed from a friend's recipe.

Here is my contribution - Steak & Shrimp Quesadillas w/ Habanero Cheddar & Chipotle Seasoning

Requires:
Steak (only needs to be of all-right quality... London Broil will do)
Shrimp (can be pre-frozen, but thaw before cooking starts)
Green Pepper
Red Pepper
Black Beans
Onion (I prefer a red onion with this recipe)
Minced Garlic
Black Pepper (preferrably course ground)
Chipotle seasoning
Lime
Habanero Cheddar (White cheddar and 1 finely diced habanero pepper can be substitued)
Extra Sharp Yellow Cheddar
Tortillas
Butter
Olive Oil

Cooking Impliments:
Cutting Board, Knife, Spatula, Skillet

Total cooking time (including prep): About 35-45 minutes

Dice up green pepper, red pepper, onion, and set them in a small bowl for later. Shread the cheese, adding about an equal amount of both. (If you have to dice up the habanero fresh, BE CAREFUL! Wear gloves!) Chop up the shrimp into roughly 1 inch (about 2 centimeters) size portions, and put them into a seperate bowl. Cut up the steak into similarly sized portions, put in skillet.

Along with the steak, into skillet add a splash of olive oil, the minced garlic, black pepper, chipotle seasoning, one quarter of your lime's juice, and the black beans. Heat over medium-high until steak is fully cooking, stirring often. Lower heat to medium-low, and add both vegetables and shrimp. Cook only until vegetables are warm, and not limp. Remove from heat, placing the mixture into one of the now emptied bowls. Wipe down skillet, and return to burner over medium-low heat. Add a small dab of butter, allowing it to melt over surface of skillet evenly.

Bring out tortilla, and rub thoroughly into the melted butter. Add mixture of cheeses along with other earlier cooked meats & vegetables. Remember that the tortillas has to fold over, so don't over-stuff! Fold the tortilla, making sure that you get a sense of how quickly your tortilla is browning so it doesn't burn. Watch the cheese melting, and flip once the cheese has melted sufficiently to make sure it "glues" the meats & vegetables from falling out. Flip the tortilla a few times, to try and get the correct golden hue of it being well cooked.

Serve onto a plate, cutting it into at least halves (if not quarters) for easier consumption. Continue to add tortillas to the skillet to make more quesadillas, remembering to add a small dab of butter each time. Enjoy!

You'll notice I don't add exact amounts for this recipe... I've found some people enjoy a greater amount of meat, or a greater amount of shrimp to steak, or more vegetables. They like it spicier, or less spicy. This is the general "blue print", and I like to gauge the people I'm cooking for to see what they'd like.

[Aren]

(If you have to dice up the habanero fresh, BE CAREFUL! Wear gloves!)

Holy Jesus yes. D:

Also, it sounds so good, but I can't have it! Half-hearted vegetarian because of the boyfriend (but I don't like shrimp or onions anyways).

I may use the rest of it as a base for some spicy foods of my own, however.

[Asaryu]

That sounds really really good **drools**

I think I may need to take 5. :o

[Don Alexander]

That sounds really really good **drools**

I think I may need to take 5. :o

*drools a bit more on pepperkitty's fur too*

I am sorry. I am not a cook. I can't contribute at all.

But I will eat you, urm, your food. And praise you.

PS.: I'd suppose the spiciness of DnE's recipe will restore his Evil reputation amongst the unwashed masses.

[Peppercat]

Oh my! Now I'm all wet because of you, DA! (tee heeeee)
I mean, stop drooling! Of course, why else would I be wet?
As much as I like you, I don't enjoy it!
*jumps onto his head*
Better (^_^)

Now, you don't know how much I appreciate you sharing that recipe, D&E
Here's one of my own (though I didn't invent it)

Chocolate Chip Cookies!!!
Just, these are special!;)

Enjoy!

What you need:
4 1/2 of cups all-purpose flour
100gr (2 packages) of instant vanilla pudding mix
2 teaspoons of baking soda
2 cups of melted butter
1 1/2 cups of brown sugar
4 eggs
2 teaspoons of vanilla extract
4 cups of chocolate chips

What you do:
Preheat the oven to 175 ºC (That's 350 ºF for you guys in the US). In a large bowl, cream together the butter and the brown sugar. Beat in the instant pudding mix until blended. Stir in the eggs and the vanilla. Blend in the flour and the baking soda. Then stir in the chocolate chips. Finally, drop the cookies by rounded spoonfuls onto cookie sheets. Bake for 10 to 15 mins and voilá!

[Dirty n Evil]

Gah... I can't leave well enough alone. After posting this recipe, I was thinking "perhaps it wouldn't be a bad idea to post a recipe that's a bit easier to prep?" So, this is what I thought of suggesting... omlettes. I LOVE omlettes! They lend naturally to creativity, giving you so much free reign to throw in most any ingredient that goes along with eggs.

Now, most people think an omlette is simply a scrambled egg with stuff in it. Uh-uh. An omlette differs in that it's whipped, giving it a fluffy texture. While I used to think this texture could only be acheived by whipping the eggs in a bowl for minutes on end before hand... then I found a short cut! If you add your eggs to the skillet and cook on a very low heat, then whip and stir them with your spatula (this especially works well if it's a spatula with holes in it)... you get the same effect within a minute or two. The heating egg catches the air faster, for the same taste! The look the egg should have will end up looking almost like the head of a soda - nice and bubbly.

Now, the suggestion I'll give for the extra ingredients of the omlette are as follows -

Green Onions (diced)
Maple or Honey Cured Ham (cut into small cubes)
Feta or Goat Cheese
Ground Black Pepper
Dried Parsley Flakes
Garlic Powder

The ham is really easy - you can go to your local grocery store or deli and ask for some sliced up. Then cut the sliced ham into smaller cubes, and add along with the other ingredients into the fluffy eggs. Be aware the cheeses I've suggested are strong, so don't add too much and overpower the flavor. Add just a dash of the garlic powder, black pepper, but perhaps up to a tablespoon of the parsley flakes. After all ingredients are added, cook over a medium-low heat and stir infrequently - stirring too much gives the ham and onions too much chances to fall out from the eggs. Viola!

The idea is that the sweetness of the ham will contrast with the earthy flavor of these cheeses and the crisp flavor of the green onions. The parsley adds a very slight element to the taste and texture, but most of all? It makes the eggs look more interesting - and believe it or not, this can make a huge impression for some people out of a tiny step.


And Peppercat - I'm going to have to try those cookies! Instant pudding mix? Sounds interesting! Mind you, I'll add a few walnuts to them, but that's just my preference. ;)

[Peppercat]

The original recipe mentions walnuts, but I prefer them with just chocho chips

[Nathan Dorian]

Are you hungry for something sweet and delicious?

Look no further!

Guaranteed sponge cake recipe that I have had memorised since I was a kid:

50g of all ingredients per egg.

So for a good-sized cake..

200g Self-raising flour.
200g Butter / Margerine.
200g Sugar.
4 Eggs.


You can bung all of these ingredients into a bowl and hope for the best.

Or!

You put the sugar into the bowl and add the margerine. Use a wooden spoon to mix the two together until they become one light, fluffy mass.

Then cracks your eggs and add one at a time - or put them all into a jug and gently add a bit of egg at a time. I like to gently mix with a spoon at first and then, as you work your way through the egg, begin to beat the mixture with a whisk.

Finally, sift your flour into the mixture and mix and/or fold it gently into the concoction. Add a bit of flour at a time.

Preheat your oven to about 200 degrees if it's an electric oven and you're British, and then you're good to go. For best results, place in a baking tin and not a bowl or sommat, because it'll end up taking years to cook. It should take 20-30 minutes or longer to cook, check on it regularly.

To make sure that it's done, stick something into the cake and remove it - if there is no mixture on it, your cake should be done.

Flavoured Twist: You can also liven up the mix by adding lemon, vanilla, cinnamon or any other thing to give the cake a yummy flavour.

Colour: Feeling crazy? Add a touch of food dye to the mix for a funky-coloured cake.

Chocolate twist: Or you can add 150g instead of 200g of flour, and then add 50g of cocoa powder. (If you wish, you can also add chunks of chocolate which will melt when the cake cooks, making the sponge soft and omgtasty.) This will give you super chocolate sponge.

Victoria Sponge: With a plain sponge cake, you can turn it into a Victoria sponge by slicing the cake neatly in half, so that there is a top and a bottom.
Seperate the halves. Then, spread butter icing on one side and jam (of your choice, but typically strawberry) onto the other and smack 'em together, then lightly dust icing sugar onto the top. Et voila!

Butter Icing: To put on or inside your cake! Simply add the required amount of butter to cover the cake with icing sugar. Keep adding and mixing the two until they form a yummy, icing paste. Or you can use cocoa instead of icing sugar for cocoa butter icing.

Glace Icing: My favourite! Simply use prolly around 100g or so (use however much you think you need) of icing sugar and add a teaspoon of water. Mix these together until they form a smooth, wet icing. It should not be too wet, it should only have as much water as it takes to make it into glace. Add more or less water or icing until it is right.
I personally like to use lemon juice instead of water, this makes a delicious lemon glace icing. Pour/spread it on top of the cake and leave it to set.




You can also use this mixture to make miniature cakes or fairy cakes.

[midgetshrimp]

Curse you people. You and your stove-friendly ways! :lol: I'm not sure how often I can look at this thread, my insides are eating themselves. I love food too much... this must be torture.

[Scaramouche]

I'm going to print out the recipes and try some, since I'm moving soon and will need all the help I can get.

[Lilianna]

How about some blended drinks to go along with the food?

No, they're not alcoholic, but you could make the smoothies with rum I suppose.. And I have no idea on EXACT measurements. Sorry.

Smoothie 1:
1 whole mango, cubed
2 dashes of Fuze or other fruit juice
A few chunks of pineapple
A dash of milk

The liquids should fall to a level about 1/2 to a full inch below the top of the fruit when in a standard blender.

Smoothie 2:
A handful of frozen mixed berries
A dash of milk
A dash of honey

The milk should, again, fall to a level about 1/2 to a full inch below the top of the fruit.

Frappucino:
Two cups of ice
3/4 cup of double strength coffee
Two cups of milk
Three tablespoons of sugar
Two tablespoons of chocolate syrup
Two tablespoons of caramel flavoring
Whipped cream (optional)

[Lilianna]

Mmmm, rum, so delicious. Yes, the smoothies would probably be very good prepared with rum. And the frappucino sounds wonderful. I'm going to try it one of these days (love coffee).

I had a Peach Cheesecake recipe somewhere that I would like to share. But first I have to find it and then translate it If I can, I'll post it later.

Ooh cheesecake.

[Dirty n Evil]

Curse you people. You and your stove-friendly ways! :lol:

Okay, this next recipe is for Midgetshrimp, because I know he can can at least make spagetti... and if you can make spagetti, you can make this recipe. Oh, and for Peppercat, 'cuz it's spicy. :twisted:

(Midget)Shrimp Diablo (or, Chicken Diablo)

Requires
Angel hair pasta
Spagetti sauce
Frozen Shrimp (thaw before use), or Chicken breast
Olive Oil
Horseradish
Small amount of minced white onion (maybe a quarter cup)
Oregano
Garlic Powder
Your favorite brand of hot sauce
Paprika
Red cooking wine

Cooking Impliments: Two pots, two stirring spoons, knife, cutting board

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Into first pot, poor a tablespoon full of olive oil before filling with water. Place over high heat until it reaches a rolling boil. Meanwhile, in second pot place spagetti sauce, the minced onion (even if you don't like onion, do this - it's tiny enough that it's there mostly for flavor!), about two tablespoons of red wine, a liberal dash of paprika, liberal dash of black pepper, a tablespoon of garlic powder, a liberal dash of oregano, a tablespoon of your favorite hot sauce, and a tablespoon or two of horseradish. (The horseradish is the key - I made this recipe several times before stumbling on this ingredient.) Second pot heat over medium-low heat, stirring well to mix contents at first, then stirring when it looks close to "bubbling".

When pot of water boils, add angel hair pasta. Cook until ready, drain and rinse briefly under cool water. This "sets" the pasta. Mix with sauce, then mix in whichever meat you're using - either the shrimp or chicken. This meal works best whenever the meat in question is cut into "bite sized" pieces before being added to the sauce. Enjoy!

The shrimp doesn't have to be cooked before being added - if it's pre-cooked and frozen, just thaw it and add it. The heat of the sauce will be enough that it won't strike a contrast. If you need to cook the chicken breast, first cut it into the bite sized pieces and add to a skillet. Put in a small amount of olive oil to prevent the chicken from sticking, stirring often. When it's done, drain and remove excess grease by placing it on a paper towel before adding to the sauce. But I do recommend either way preparing this before cooking the sauce or pasta. The chicken just adds a little prep time to the recipe.

If I was to recommend a vegetarian version of this? I would possibly mix eggplant and red bell pepper - the two flavors would go well against the spicy heat of the sauce.

[midgetshrimp]

You underestimate my ability to have my preparations go horribly awry. That and I've just noticed that we don't actually have large pots in the apartment... and I forgot to grab the wok on my way out this morning... my lo mein recipe looks good too... I love lo mein... ad an ellipsis for flavor...

[stephaielikes]

Microwave Cheese Sauce For students and those of similar persuasions.

Cheddar : Double Cream : Butter
5 : 2 : 1

Nuke.

I'll post some proper ones once I find where they're written down, profiling my chorizo obsession and my love for iced ginger biscuits, but I'm completely asleep.