Food and Recipes while under Coronavirus quarantine

[margarita25]

Ok sooooo after the week at work I have had dealing with co-workers who may/may not have tested positive (not really getting straight answers) and then coming into the office possibly exposing others (oh so happy about that). And customers who are starting to fall apart and be less than understanding - this girl is shifting gears with her recipe ideas

Tonite I am making Spicy Jalapeno Margarita's and it just might be dinner LOL

Salt
Ice cubes
2 oz Tequila (I use a Silver)
1 oz Triple sec
1/2 Lime - juiced
1/2 Tbl agave nectar
1/4 to 1/2 Jalapeno pepper, cut into thin rounds (I muddle some in shaker and then place rounds in glass) but I like spicy
Splash of OJ


Take your glass and run the squeezed lime rind around the edge, dip your glass into a plate filled with salt to rim the edge.

Fill a cocktail shaker with ice cubes halfway. Add tequila, triple sec, lime juice, agave nectar, jalapeno slices and a splash of orange juice. Close tightly and shake vigorously until icy cold. Enjoy!!

Woohooo! Margaritas

 

[Deleted member 158085]

I’m finally making my Cream Cheese Quiche.

Temp 350 for 35-40 min
10 inch pie plate
8 oz cream cheese
1 Cup milk
4 eggs, beaten
1/4 Cup sautéed onions
1/4 tsp Dill Weed
Dash of pepper

Stir cream cheese and milk over low heat until smooth. Gradually add it to egg mixture until well-blended. Add the onions, dill weed (this ingredient is very important) and pepper. Pour in pastry shell.

Crust
1 Cup flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 Cup iced water
Bake at 490 for 12-15 minutes

 

[Wicked Strong]

My re-purposed (premade) pecan roll bread puddding:

3/4 of the pan of pecan rolls leftover from last week (chopped into cubes)
2 cups milk
2 eggs

Let stale, dry cubes soak up the milk/egg mixture, bake at 350 for 45 minutes.

OK isn't a real exciting recipe, but I had milk that needed to be used, and I just couldn't force another pecan roll down - so it lives on.

 

[BetteDavisEyes]

Turkey Bone Gumbo

• 3/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1 cup flour
• 2 cups chopped onions
• 1/2 cup chopped bell peppers
• 1/2 cup chopped celery
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne
• 1/2 pound smoked sausage, such as andouille or kielbasa, chopped
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 3 quarts Turkey Broth
• Reserved turkey meat and vegetables from making turkey broth
• 2 tablespoons chopped parsley
• 2 tablespoons chopped green onions
• Cooked long grain white rice, for serving

• Combine the oil and flour in a large cast-iron pot or enameled cast-iron Dutch oven, over medium heat. Stirring slowly and constantly for 20 to 25 minutes, make a dark brown roux, the color of chocolate.
  
  
• Season the onions, bell peppers, celery and garlic with the salt and cayenne. Add this to the roux and stir until soft, about 5 minutes. Add the sausage, the dried thyme and oregano, and cook, stirring often, for 5 minutes. Add the broth and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer, uncovered, for 45 minutes. Add the reserved turkey meat and the reserved onions and celery and cook for 15 minutes. Taste, adjust the seasoning if necessary, and add the parsley and green onions.
  
  
• Serve in soup bowls with hot rice. (Filé powder can be added at the table according to personal taste.)

 

[AStartoSteerBy]

Questions for instant pot and multi-pot gurus:
Everyone has their strengths and their weaknesses. Sadly, cooking is not a strength in my skill set. Fix and forget it recipes are really good recipes for me. Nothing too fussy.

My "tried and true old standby" was the crockpot. I say "was" because I planned to make a crockpot pot roast (2lbs) with potatoes and carrots. I seared my roast to seal the flavor. And then, heartbreak! (yes, I'm being intentionally melodramatic!) I plugged the crockpot this morning. Nothing. Won't turn on. I desperately moved to three other outlets, but no luck. Last week, I thought it was strange that about every hour/half hour the crockpot would turn itself off. My crockpot is about 10 years old.

So, I switched to plan B, my NinjaFoodi xl. It was a gift from last year. I never really made friends with it so it's sat mostly unused in the cupboard. The crockpot function on the Foodi tended to dry out any meat I tried, so I always used my "old" crockpot.
Anyway, I looked at about 3 recipes for the Foodi and picked one for pressure cooking a pot roast. It had about 2 cups of liquid. I didn't get the lid on right on my first attempt so it sat steaming for about 10 minutes before I realized I needed to fix the lid. After I got a tight seal, I cooked it for 45 min and did a 30 minute natural steam release.

Potatoes and carrots are actually good. Not mushy. The roast is dry and stringy. I do have gravy to cover it up. And, I figure I can always make BBQ sandwiches to hide the dry meat.
How do I keep from meat turning out too dry? Undercooked? Overcooked? I see all these reviews claiming melt in year mouth roasts? I did a quick google search, but all that comes up are recipes with glowing success stories.

Later, I noticed that the recipe for the 8qt recommended 2.25 cups of liquid instead of 2 cups. It's possible that when the lid wasn't on correctly, I steamed off too much of my liquid?

Anyone have recipes or suggestions for the Foodi/pressure cookers to get tender, juicier meat? I won't be replacing my crockpot any time soon. So, I need to figure out the Foodi.
Please share! Thanks in advance!

 

[Wicked Strong]

Everyone has their strengths and their weaknesses. Sadly, cooking is not a strength in my skill set. Fix and forget it recipes are really good recipes for me. Nothing too fussy.

My "tried and true old standby" was the crockpot. I say "was" because I planned to make a crockpot pot roast (2lbs) with potatoes and carrots. I seared my roast to seal the flavor. And then, heartbreak! (yes, I'm being intentionally melodramatic!) I plugged the crockpot this morning. Nothing. Won't turn on. I desperately moved to three other outlets, but no luck. Last week, I thought it was strange that about every hour/half hour the crockpot would turn itself off. My crockpot is about 10 years old.

So, I switched to plan B, my NinjaFoodi xl. It was a gift from last year. I never really made friends with it so it's sat mostly unused in the cupboard. The crockpot function on the Foodi tended to dry out any meat I tried, so I always used my "old" crockpot.
Anyway, I looked at about 3 recipes for the Foodi and picked one for pressure cooking a pot roast. It had about 2 cups of liquid. I didn't get the lid on right on my first attempt so it sat steaming for about 10 minutes before I realized I needed to fix the lid. After I got a tight seal, I cooked it for 45 min and did a 30 minute natural steam release.

Potatoes and carrots are actually good. Not mushy. The roast is dry and stringy. I do have gravy to cover it up. And, I figure I can always make BBQ sandwiches to hide the dry meat.
How do I keep from meat turning out too dry? Undercooked? Overcooked? I see all these reviews claiming melt in year mouth roasts? I did a quick google search, but all that comes up are recipes with glowing success stories.

Later, I noticed that the recipe for the 8qt recommended 2.25 cups of liquid instead of 2 cups. It's possible that when the lid wasn't on correctly, I steamed off too much of my liquid?

Anyone have recipes or suggestions for the Foodi/pressure cookers to get tender, juicier meat? I won't be replacing my crockpot any time soon. So, I need to figure out the Foodi.
Please share! Thanks in advance!

It might just have been the roast, and not your cooking skills. I think you did everything correctly, I have used a normal pressure cooker in the past, and it is very forgiving on liquids. If you have liquid in the Foodi, it didn't boil dry. Sorry, but I have had to resort to the BBQ sauce to moisten it enough to eat.

 

[abstr]

I’m finally making my Cream Cheese Quiche.

Temp 350 for 35-40 min
10 inch pie plate
8 oz cream cheese
1 Cup milk
4 eggs, beaten
1/4 Cup sautéed onions
1/4 tsp Dill Weed
Dash of pepper

Stir cream cheese and milk over low heat until smooth. Gradually add it to egg mixture until well-blended. Add the onions, dill weed (this ingredient is very important) and pepper. Pour in pastry shell.

Crust
1 Cup flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 Cup iced water
Bake at 490 for 12-15 minutes

I make quiche a lot...usually just with whatever I have on hand. I am trying to hold out on going to the grocery store a few more days but will definitely get some cream cheese and try this. And the farm market that I go to should have fresh dill. I bet it would be great if you got the onions carmelized (like you would do for french onion soup). Thank you for sharing.

 

[Gardener1850]

Questions for instant pot and multi-pot gurus:
Everyone has their strengths and their weaknesses. Sadly, cooking is not a strength in my skill set. Fix and forget it recipes are really good recipes for me. Nothing too fussy.

My "tried and true old standby" was the crockpot. I say "was" because I planned to make a crockpot pot roast (2lbs) with potatoes and carrots. I seared my roast to seal the flavor. And then, heartbreak! (yes, I'm being intentionally melodramatic!) I plugged the crockpot this morning. Nothing. Won't turn on. I desperately moved to three other outlets, but no luck. Last week, I thought it was strange that about every hour/half hour the crockpot would turn itself off. My crockpot is about 10 years old.

So, I switched to plan B, my NinjaFoodi xl. It was a gift from last year. I never really made friends with it so it's sat mostly unused in the cupboard. The crockpot function on the Foodi tended to dry out any meat I tried, so I always used my "old" crockpot.
Anyway, I looked at about 3 recipes for the Foodi and picked one for pressure cooking a pot roast. It had about 2 cups of liquid. I didn't get the lid on right on my first attempt so it sat steaming for about 10 minutes before I realized I needed to fix the lid. After I got a tight seal, I cooked it for 45 min and did a 30 minute natural steam release.

Potatoes and carrots are actually good. Not mushy. The roast is dry and stringy. I do have gravy to cover it up. And, I figure I can always make BBQ sandwiches to hide the dry meat.
How do I keep from meat turning out too dry? Undercooked? Overcooked? I see all these reviews claiming melt in year mouth roasts? I did a quick google search, but all that comes up are recipes with glowing success stories.

Later, I noticed that the recipe for the 8qt recommended 2.25 cups of liquid instead of 2 cups. It's possible that when the lid wasn't on correctly, I steamed off too much of my liquid?

Anyone have recipes or suggestions for the Foodi/pressure cookers to get tender, juicier meat? I won't be replacing my crockpot any time soon. So, I need to figure out the Foodi.
Please share! Thanks in advance!

I just got an Instant Pot for Christmas. I think that is similar to a Ninja Foodi? If it's not an electric pressure cooker you have then disregard the following. While I haven't quite mastered it, for cooking large pieces of meat here's what I have noticed/what has worked best for me with my IP:

1. It's better to cut up a big piece of meat into 3-4 inch chunks, use the saute feature to sear the outside of each chunk and then cook the pieces for much less time, rather than trying to cook a large piece of meat whole for a longer cooking time. If your Foodi doesn't have a saute feature then sear your meat off on the stove top. You're not trying to cook the meat through, you just want to get a cooked outside crust to seal in the juices. Use tongs to rotate the meat and get all edges just barely cooked.

2. After searing your meat in your inner pot you need to deglaze the pan with the water you are using. All this means is you remove the meat, pour the water in while the pot is still hot and use a spatula or a whisk to stir and get the bits of meat off the bottom of the pan. If you don't do this you may get a burning food warning.

3. The less liquid you can use the better. You always need to use some liquid, but usually only enough to cover the bottom of the inner pot (check your cooker's minimums but I only use 1/2 a cup of liquid for mine). Don't submerge the meat in water. I've had best results when I use the metal rack to keep the meat elevated out of the water. The water is only used to steam the meat, not to boil it like you might do in a slow cooker.

4. When in doubt on your cook time do a shorter cook time first, natural release for 15-20 minutes and check your meat to see if it's done. I've found that it's usually done sooner than I expect with less cooking time than most recipes call for. I start with 30 or 35 minutes cook time (with the meat cut in chunks and seared off first) and for most cuts that has actually been a better time than some recipes that call for 45-90 minutes on full pressure. Even with less cook time my meat has sometimes been too dry. I haven't mastered my ideal cook time yet but I'm getting close.

4. If you don't sear your meat and deglaze your pan, then make make sure to heat your water before putting in the pot. This is not specific to meat only but anything where you are putting liquid in the bottom to steam something above-- if the water or the pot is heated first your pot will come to pressure faster. You can microwave the water, use a tea kettle or just turn on your saute feature for a few minutes to warm the water.

5. Don't cook frozen meat. Lots of people say you can cook frozen meat in an electric pressure cooker with no problem but so far I have not had good results with it. You need a longer cook time if your meat is frozen or super chilled. And frozen meat will release a bunch of water into your pot meaning the meat might partly boil, rather than steam, and be unevenly cooked. Maybe someone has better tips but every time I've tried frozen meat it has turned out super dry. I also have better results waiting about 30 minutes for chilled meat to come closer to room temp. I'll pull the meat from the fridge first thing and put it aside while I prepare a marinade or spice rub and chop veggies. or while heating my water up.

6. Add salt and other seasonings when done cooking instead of at the start. One thing I have noticed is the flavor seems to dilute if I season the meat first. I add salt, pepper and sauce at the end and then let it rest or let it stay on warm until dinner time. But do not leave it on warm for hours and hours. The warm feature on my instant pot seems higher than my slow cooker on low and it will dry the meat out. This is one of the things I have struggled with the most-- timing my meals to be done but not done too early. Sometimes the meat has been perfectly cooked but done 2 or 3 hours before we are eating and when I left it on warm I ruined it. It's usually better to pull it out when it's ready, let it rest before cutting and eat it cold or reheat in small portions rather than leave it on warm in the pot for several hours.

I'm still learning what works and what doesn't for many things. I learned the hard way that there are many recipes out there on the internet that are fake and simply don't work. Many bloggers have tried to cash in on the electric pressure cooker craze by claiming you can cook things in it that don't make sense to use it for or by copying bad recipes they haven't actually tried out themselves. I try to only use recipes from bloggers I trust (if most of their normal recipes have been successes, then they are more likely to have actually fine-tuned their instant pot recipes as well before posting). Or if I can't find a recipe from a blogger I trust I will look for recipes that have lots of good reviews and read the reviews to make sure that most people followed the recipe and didn't do their own thing.

So far the best, most succesful uses of my Instant Pot have been:
1. Cooking dried beans without soaking
2. Making bone broth
3. Pureed vegetable soups such as broccoli cheddar or butternut squash
4. Risotto
5. Mashed potatoes from scratch
6. Steamed potatoes for use in potato salad
7. Hard boiled eggs

I really haven't been happy with the texture of chicken from it at all. I can get it to cook okay but I much prefer to oven bake or pan cook or grill my chicken for the texture. Meatloaf is not bad in an instant pot but I still had to put it under my oven broiler to get a caramelized top, which sort of defeats the purpose of the instant pot to me if I have to also heat up my oven. And you can't very well do meat and veggies at the same time due to the drastically different cooking times. Many recipes claim you can but they are usually sacrificing quality of one or the other item by either over cooking the veg or stopping the cooking of the meat to add the veg at the end and continue cooking, in which case you risk having tough meat. So I don't mess with trying to cook a full meal in my instant pot anymore. I mostly use it for a side dish or for items I'm making in advance for future meals. I have made a decent cheesecake in the instant pot once. I haven't tried any other baking. Pasta was a total failure for me but I have to use Gluten Free pasta which turns to mush quickly, so YMMV. Hope some of these suggestions help someone.

 

[Kavya01]

Man I hate cooking. I am reading the recipes and still cannot get inspired.
Sigh.
I just boil some potatoes or rice, or cook a starch from a box and microwave some veggies from the freezer and stir fry some chicken or tofu and put spices on the table for people who want to make it more interesting. When inspired, not often but sometimes, I may wok the protein and veggies together with some soy sauce. I suck. I do make good salads though. But that's about it.

 

[PayrollNerd]

Man I hate cooking. I am reading the recipes and still cannot get inspired.
Sigh.
I just boil some potatoes or rice, or cook a starch from a box and microwave some veggies from the freezer and stir fry some chicken or tofu and put spices on the table for people who want to make it more interesting. When inspired, not often but sometimes, I may wok the protein and veggies together with some soy sauce. I suck. I do make good salads though. But that's about it.

Don’t be too hard on yourself. I’m sure you have many other fabulous talents. I survived for years on breakfast foods, salads and sandwiches!

 

[acutename]

They didn't sound good to me either but our thought was, they could be used as "bread" for a veggie sandwich so to speak. My youngest kids' allergies are horrible - wheat, eggs, dairy, peanuts, sesame, almonds, mushrooms, etc. Her menu is so small. We're trying to find more stuff she can pack in her lunch or on a hike. I guess she'll get regular waffles with sun butter and fruit still. Last night she made hummus, put it in a romaine leaf and piled on tomato, spinach and something else. Then, she ate the zucchini boats we made. Like you said, we'll figure it out and survive just fine. At least with her being unemployed we have time to focus on recipes.

have you had Indian papdams? chickpea flour crackers...very delish

 

[Laughing]

@Kavya01 , I agree with PayrollNerd about your other talents!

You might try

Food Hero | Where Healthy Food is Fun, Fast, Tasty and Fits Your Budget

Wyoming Cent$ible Nutrition

for any recipes that interest you.

Honestly, you describe a nutrition conscious person assembling meals for a family -- in other words, a competent cook.

Best, Laughing

 

[acutename]

Quarantine food quiz: Check Off The Foods You’ve Made From Scratch During Quarantine And We'll Guess Your Age And Location

hmmm... says I am 18 and from CA... not not

 

[IceIce9]

Quarantine food quiz: Check Off The Foods You’ve Made From Scratch During Quarantine And We'll Guess Your Age And Location

Lol I just took this again to add a few more foods I made, and it said I was 19 from Florida.

 

[raja]

Man I hate cooking. I am reading the recipes and still cannot get inspired.
Sigh.
I just boil some potatoes or rice, or cook a starch from a box and microwave some veggies from the freezer and stir fry some chicken or tofu and put spices on the table for people who want to make it more interesting. When inspired, not often but sometimes, I may wok the protein and veggies together with some soy sauce. I suck. I do make good salads though. But that's about it.

I use to love to cook probably because I love to eat. It use to be the first thing I thought about when I woke up. "What can I cook and what can I eat today." That is not the case anymore. Now at 4PM I am "Crud I can't think of anything I want to cook". Let's look at some recipes....Oh I don't have any cream cheese that won't work. I will put that on my grocery pick up list for next week. 6 days later I am confused, why did I get cream cheese? Just give me this bag of chips for dinner.

 

[Deleted member 158085]

Not a recipe exactly - about lattes. I always made them the standard way with milk. The lockdown has actually made me discover two things better than milk.

I have not been able to get my preferred soy milk that I use for cereal and “milk and cookies.” So we’ve gotten a bunch of other stuff online. When I realized the milk was still frozen, I had to resort to soy milk for the lattes. Previous attempts at this had failed.

Day 1 I used vanilla silk to make a mocha. This was seriously yummy. I mean, I made a vanilla mocha, for goodness sakes!

Day 2 I realized we had another soy product - Pacific Foods Barista series soy milk. This is incredible. It’s actually better than milk for lattes.

Both of these products were bought online in desperation, as I cannot stand to drink milk or to use it in my cereal. They are readily available online.

 

[PayrollNerd]

have you had Indian papdams? chickpea flour crackers...very delish

I had to go look this up. I’ve never heard of it. Thanks for the tip! I bet we could make these. They look crispy not soft but that is good for salsa & dips.

I had to look up what UHT milk was too. I was reading other comments about it and this week the food bank gave me some. I like that it’s expiration date is Aug. That way if a hurricane comes barreling thru, I’ll have milk!

 

[MsMarple]

I'm sure that many of you make your own pizza dough, but DH and I like making Naan pizzas. Our favorite is Roma tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, basil, and a drizzle of olive oil. We usually grill the Naan pizzas, but we've done them in the oven on a baking sheet, as well.

4 Ways To Make Delicious Naan Pizza – Stonefire Authentic Flatbreads

I *love* naan pizzas (and pita pizzas too!). They were a staple for play dates when my kids were little. I shortcut it though and use ready made pizza sauce, shredded mozzarella cheese and optional pepperoni. Sometimes I'd sneak in some spinach, broccoli or whatever veggie I had on hand. Under the cheese so the kiddies didn't see anything healthy. I'm a slug, lol!

It's yummy adult food too when you make it more like your recipe. We'll add garlic and artisan cheeses or whatever we have on hand.

 

[MsMarple]

Misfits Market - Ugly and Imperfect Produce, Delivered To Your Door

Unfortunately they are sold out. I signed up for the wait list.

Imperfect Produce not available in this area.
Darn it!

That reminds me of a visit we had many years ago. A local group of kids who were cooking for displaced teens rang our bell and asked if we had any old produce to give them. Sure enough we let them go through our fridge and pick out some sad looking veggies which they were thrilled to have.

As the kids got older they ended up being founding members of our local food bank. Not only am I proud of their resourcefulness and the the energy they've put in feeding locals I'm also grateful for the lesson that "imperfect" or not quite fresh produce can be used.

Hubby and I now keep aware of what's in the veggie drawer and have come up with some interesting - and delicious - recipes to make use of stuff we used to toss out. So you can teach old dogs new tricks sometimes.

 

[MsMarple]

Ok sooooo after the week at work I have had dealing with co-workers who may/may not have tested positive (not really getting straight answers) and then coming into the office possibly exposing others (oh so happy about that). And customers who are starting to fall apart and be less than understanding - this girl is shifting gears with her recipe ideas

Tonite I am making Spicy Jalapeno Margarita's and it just might be dinner LOL

Salt
Ice cubes
2 oz Tequila (I use a Silver)
1 oz Triple sec
1/2 Lime - juiced
1/2 Tbl agave nectar
1/4 to 1/2 Jalapeno pepper, cut into thin rounds (I muddle some in shaker and then place rounds in glass) but I like spicy
Splash of OJ


Take your glass and run the squeezed lime rind around the edge, dip your glass into a plate filled with salt to rim the edge.

Fill a cocktail shaker with ice cubes halfway. Add tequila, triple sec, lime juice, agave nectar, jalapeno slices and a splash of orange juice. Close tightly and shake vigorously until icy cold. Enjoy!!

Sorry for the serial posting - I lost this thread and just found it again. I love the spicy Margarita you posted! Right up my alley and will make it this week! We don't have jalapenos and they tend to be mild in my area but I'll sub with Fresnos.