How many of you guys here really, really enjoy cooking and planning meals?

[CloverKnollFarms]

It took a total of 18 hours to make these sourdough cinnamon rolls.

 

[JasperFrank]

Depends on your partner. I use to love cooking when my wife was still adventurous about food. And I would find recipes from all over the world. And mix it up so we were not eating the same cultural fare two days in a row. She began to dislike this and culled our extensive collection of recipes, down to about 20 or so, that can be packaged for the freezer, and re-heated in the microwave. I hate making these 20, cause there is no "discovery," any more. And any thing "off the rails," is just something I'll be eating myself.

 

[Yander]

It took a total of 18 hours to make these sourdough cinnamon rolls. View attachment 1690693

Looks amazing. Those and a cup of coffee would be a great start to Sunday morning. Cinnamon rolls are one of the few sweets that cannot be in my house, I can't resist them and I have a ton of weight to lose.

 

[CloverKnollFarms]

Looks amazing. Those and a cup of coffee would be a great start to Sunday morning. Cinnamon rolls are one of the few sweets that cannot be in my house, I can't resist them and I have a ton of weight to lose.

I also cure and smoke our own bacon. Perfect compliment to the rolls.

 

[ponytug]

I also cure and smoke our own bacon. Perfect compliment to the rolls.View attachment 1690774

Looks yummy! Any recipe tips (brine, spices etc.)?

@JasperFrank sorryy to hear about your partner's narrowed tastes. I would find it hard, too. It sounds a bit like orthorexia.

All the best,

Peter

 

[kozal01]

I have always loved grilling, BBQ and cooking in general but since my divorce I am now cooking every meal for the kids and I and I do enjoy it. I am now a better cook than my X wife was.

 

[CloverKnollFarms]

Looks yummy! Any recipe tips (brine, spices etc.)?

@JasperFrank sorryy to hear about your partner's narrowed tastes. I would find it hard, too. It sounds a bit like orthorexia.

All the best,

Peter

Dry cure is my favorite.

For a 5lb belly...
1/4 cup kosher salt
1/4 cup dark brown sugar
1tsp Prague powder
Coarsely crushed black pepper (to taste). Blend into a powder.

Apply evenly. Seal in bag.

Refrigerate for 5 days, then flip and cure for 5 more days. I've gone to 13 days total.

Then smoke with hickory, cherry and apple at 180F until an internal temp of 150F

 

[Dftodd]

I made Paste E Fagioli last night for a pot luck dinner at a friend's house.

That was a great hit and had to share the recipe as well as the changes I made to it.

I take it as a complement when I show up with a large crockpot and people clean me out

 

[MossRoad]

It took a total of 18 hours to make these sourdough cinnamon rolls. View attachment 1690693

Begs the question....

How long did it take you to eat them?

 

[CloverKnollFarms]

Begs the question....

How long did it take you to eat them?

Since I seem to be the only one who appreciates sourdough... They will last me 9 days

 

[ponytug]

Since I seem to be the only one who appreciates sourdough... They will last me 9 days

That comment brings back memories! My dad was an avid whole wheat sourdough baker, and developed a strain of sourdough that was mouth puckeringly sour. He was also the prime consumer. His other mainstay was a made home made yogurt, also lemon juice sour. After I left home, I haven't had any issues with either, and have made both, though out here we get great breads and yogurts. I feel very spoiled and lucky in that way.

As the only consumer, those cinnamon rolls are definitely a labor of love for you then. My great grandmother's recipe for her apparently widely loved cinnamon rolls was, when I found it in the heirloom cookbook;
"Bread dough,
cinnamon"
I had to get my grandmother to apply a little family history to get me closer to a recipe that I could cook from.

All the best,

Peter

 

[MossRoad]

Since I seem to be the only one who appreciates sourdough... They will last me 9 days

That would last me 2, maybe 3 days, tops!

 

[Oaktree]

Depends on your partner. I use to love cooking when my wife was still adventurous about food. And I would find recipes from all over the world. And mix it up so we were not eating the same cultural fare two days in a row. She began to dislike this and culled our extensive collection of recipes, down to about 20 or so, that can be packaged for the freezer, and re-heated in the microwave. I hate making these 20, cause there is no "discovery," any more. And any thing "off the rails," is just something I'll be eating myself.

I do probably 90% of the cooking here. I was single a long time before I met my wife so I'm very much at home in the kitchen. I wouldn't say I'm adventurous in the sense of trying new recipes, but I will tweak them so it's rare a given dish is exactly the same from one time to the next. Wife is the opposite...she's more willing to try new recipes, but she generally follows them to the letter (though I have rubbed off on her to some extent on that ).

As far as planning meals...not really, it's more "what do I feel like making tonight?".

 

[CloverKnollFarms]

Homemade keto crust pizza tonight!

Retirement is grand.

 

[JasperFrank]

For three weeks, I tried to make best Native American meals I could. Followed the old recipes. And this took a bit of doing, research, had an elder cook pamphlet and collected stuff from the Oregon Coast and Forests. I invited guests over for what I thought would be a unique historical cultural experience. They were informed this was to be an original thing with no cheating.
It did not turn out well. And I'll never do it again.

 

[Dftodd]

That would last me 2, maybe 3 days, tops!

Days??? Umm.... err..... no comment!!!

 

[ponytug]

Homemade keto crust pizza tonight!

Retirement is grand.

View attachment 1695763

Recipe? We use crust based on flaxseed meal and egg whites. And no, not better than a yeast based heat dough, but it does make a gluten free pizza.

All the best,

Peter

 

[CloverKnollFarms]

Recipe? We use crust based on flaxseed meal and egg whites. And no, not better than a yeast based heat dough, but it does make a gluten free pizza.

All the best,

Peter

2 cups low moisture mozzarella
2tbsp cream cheese

Warm that in microwave for 45 seconds, then add:

1 cup almond flour
1 egg
1 tsp baking powder
1tsp Italian seasoning
1 tsp garlic powder

Bake at 450 for about 10 minutes

 

[CalG]

I'm king of the one pot meal.

Rice or oats as the base, then steam whatever on top.

Eat to live, not live to eat!

 

[Oaktree]

For three weeks, I tried to make best Native American meals I could. Followed the old recipes. And this took a bit of doing, research, had an elder cook pamphlet and collected stuff from the Oregon Coast and Forests. I invited guests over for what I thought would be a unique historical cultural experience. They were informed this was to be an original thing with no cheating.
It did not turn out well. And I'll never do it again.

Curiously, what were some of the meals you tried? Historically, people used to eat some stuff that would be considered pretty gross today.

Homemade keto crust pizza tonight!

What's the trick for rolling out the dough? I never can get it to stretch out evenly. My attempts to toss it would get me a slot in Fail Army.