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Post by pantsgoblin on Dec 14, 2022 10:06:06 GMT -5
I sure as hell ain't baking, but I will be hosting Christmas dinner as usual.
Smoked prime rib Smoked Cajun turkey Mashed potatoes Dressing/stuffing Green bean casserole Gravy Horseradish sauce
And maybe more. It'll depend on what the family commits to bringing, but I'm pretty sure I won't have to make anything else.
What do you throw on the turkey to make it Cajun? |
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LazBro
Prolific Poster 
Posts: 10,280 
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Post by LazBro on Dec 14, 2022 10:28:57 GMT -5
I sure as hell ain't baking, but I will be hosting Christmas dinner as usual.
Smoked prime rib Smoked Cajun turkey Mashed potatoes Dressing/stuffing Green bean casserole Gravy Horseradish sauce
And maybe more. It'll depend on what the family commits to bringing, but I'm pretty sure I won't have to make anything else.
What do you throw on the turkey to make it Cajun? I use the Meat Church Holy Voodoo, which is their version of Tony Cachere's, plus extra brown sugar and black pepper. Once thawed, I will rub the turkey in the seasoning and let it dry for the day in the fridge. Then before cooking I rub it all over with softened, unsalted butter that I've added still more Cajun seasoning to. That's what I usually do. Though, if I'm honest, I'm kind of feeling wet brine this year. For a change of pace. My family isn't into the skin anyway, so focusing on the meat is really the way to go with them. |
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Post by Powerthirteen on Dec 14, 2022 10:39:32 GMT -5
Somehow I've never made icebox/slice and bake cookies before, and let me tell you if you haven't made them before that dough seems like it cannot possibly be correct. I made chocolate espresso coins and almond slices and they were both pretty good, not spectacular but good enough to eat too many of before putting the surplus in the freezer.
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Post by 🐍 cahusserole 🐍 on Dec 14, 2022 14:53:28 GMT -5
Somehow I've never made icebox/slice and bake cookies before, and let me tell you if you haven't made them before that dough seems like it cannot possibly be correct. I made chocolate espresso coins and almond slices and they were both pretty good, not spectacular but good enough to eat too many of before putting the surplus in the freezer.
I roll the logs maybe a little larger than a quarter, and slice them so, so thin. They bake up all crispy and wonderful. And they don't spread, so I can fit like 5 dozen on a tray. I had two rolls left in the freezer from last year, and just baked them last week.
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Post by Liz n Dicksgiving on Dec 15, 2022 9:57:16 GMT -5
Christmas dinner at chez Dick n Hisses is going to be the standard from the last few years: canelloni with black pepper pasta, pork sugo filling, and bechamel. The sugo is already made, so it'll be easy-peasy.
And in great news for us spice cookie enthusiasts, Hugs baked up a batch of them on Tuesday; the recipe yields about a gajillion cookies, but she took most of them with her to work yesterday for her department party (and to give a heap to one of her coworkers who has become as addicted to them as we are). But when she was about 10 minutes away from work, while stopped for gas, she got a text saying that work was closed because the heat is broken. And then when she got home she got a text saying work would also be closed the following morning. She was only working yesterday and this morning before going on vacation, which means A) her vacation started a day and a half early, and -- and this is the best part -- B) WE GET ALL THE COOKIES. (They're the kind of cookie that seem, like, "Oh, they're fine" when you take the first bite, but are very mild and light and have a pleasing tea-cookie crumbliness, and when you finish one you go, "that went down easy, I should probably have another..." and then a few minutes later you look up and realize you ate 15 of them and are like, "Is this the best cookie I've ever eaten?" No, they're not the best cookie you've ever eaten. But they are the puffy cheetos of cookie, in that you just don't ever want to stop, and they're never going to tell you to stop either.)
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Post by Pedantic Editor Type on Dec 15, 2022 10:09:03 GMT -5
Christmas dinner at chez Dick n Hisses is going to be the standard from the last few years: canelloni with black pepper pasta, pork sugo filling, and bechamel. The sugo is already made, so it'll be easy-peasy. And in great news for us spice cookie enthusiasts, Hugs baked up a batch of them on Tuesday; the recipe yields about a gajillion cookies, but she took most of them with her to work yesterday for her department party (and to give a heap to one of her coworkers who has become as addicted to them as we are). But when she was about 10 minutes away from work, while stopped for gas, she got a text saying that work was closed because the heat is broken. And then when she got home she got a text saying work would also be closed the following morning. She was only working yesterday and this morning before going on vacation, which means A) her vacation started a day and a half early, and -- and this is the best part -- B) WE GET ALL THE COOKIES. (They're the kind of cookie that seem, like, "Oh, they're fine" when you take the first bite, but are very mild and light and have a pleasing tea-cookie crumbliness, and when you finish one you go, "that went down easy, I should probably have another..." and then a few minutes later you look up and realize you ate 15 of them and are like, "Is this the best cookie I've ever eaten?" No, they're not the best cookie you've ever eaten. But they are the puffy cheetos of cookie, in that you just don't ever want to stop, and they're never going to tell you to stop either.)This sounds very similar to my pfeffernusse and I also have a coworker who is addicted to them. |
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Post by Liz n Dicksgiving on Dec 15, 2022 10:36:22 GMT -5
This sounds very similar to my pfeffernusse and I also have a coworker who is addicted to them. I've often thought your pfeffernusse cookies are right up our alley! My family's spice cookies came from my German-heritage grandmother, so I suspect our cookies are from the same family, at any rate. They are Not For Everyone, but the people who are wise enough to see their charm become deeply devoted!  |
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Post by Pedantic Editor Type on Dec 20, 2022 14:14:43 GMT -5
Notes on the "Twix Cookies" from the holiday cookie issue of Delish:
2 sticks of butter
1 cup of powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla
3 cups of flour
...if you're sensing a disturbance in the force here, it's because without an egg, 3 cups of flour is roughly a half-cup too much. I should have trusted my instincts, but I dumped the whole last cup in, and guess what... crumbs!
I salvaged the dough with another Tbsp or so of melted butter and a drizzle of cold water until it came together, but man. The instructions say to chill and then roll the dough out, and let me tell you, that was rough too. I finally got some cookies out of it, which are currently cooling (then you top them with caramel and chocolate) but it was a huge pain and if I ever make them again I will definitely use less flour.
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Post by Powerthirteen on Dec 22, 2022 14:12:08 GMT -5
Notes on the "Twix Cookies" from the holiday cookie issue of Delish: 2 sticks of butter 1 cup of powdered sugar 1 tsp vanilla 3 cups of flour ...if you're sensing a disturbance in the force here, it's because without an egg, 3 cups of flour is roughly a half-cup too much. I should have trusted my instincts, but I dumped the whole last cup in, and guess what... crumbs! I salvaged the dough with another Tbsp or so of melted butter and a drizzle of cold water until it came together, but man. The instructions say to chill and then roll the dough out, and let me tell you, that was rough too. I finally got some cookies out of it, which are currently cooling (then you top them with caramel and chocolate) but it was a huge pain and if I ever make them again I will definitely use less flour. I made BHG's version of the same thing last week and it was great. |
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Post by Pedantic Editor Type on Dec 22, 2022 15:12:27 GMT -5
Notes on the "Twix Cookies" from the holiday cookie issue of Delish: 2 sticks of butter 1 cup of powdered sugar 1 tsp vanilla 3 cups of flour ...if you're sensing a disturbance in the force here, it's because without an egg, 3 cups of flour is roughly a half-cup too much. I should have trusted my instincts, but I dumped the whole last cup in, and guess what... crumbs! I salvaged the dough with another Tbsp or so of melted butter and a drizzle of cold water until it came together, but man. The instructions say to chill and then roll the dough out, and let me tell you, that was rough too. I finally got some cookies out of it, which are currently cooling (then you top them with caramel and chocolate) but it was a huge pain and if I ever make them again I will definitely use less flour. I made BHG's version of the same thing last week and it was great. Fascinating. Another stick of butter would have helped too. The Delish version had the shortcuts of store bought caramel and chocolate chips but they are pretty tasty once I got it to work. |
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Post by Celebith on Dec 26, 2022 0:04:48 GMT -5
Somehow I've never made icebox/slice and bake cookies before, and let me tell you if you haven't made them before that dough seems like it cannot possibly be correct. I made chocolate espresso coins and almond slices and they were both pretty good, not spectacular but good enough to eat too many of before putting the surplus in the freezer.
I roll the logs maybe a little larger than a quarter, and slice them so, so thin. They bake up all crispy and wonderful. And they don't spread, so I can fit like 5 dozen on a tray. I had two rolls left in the freezer from last year, and just baked them last week.
I think I've posted the coffee cookies here somewhere - uses instant coffee in the batter, and coffee beans pressed into the cookies before baking. ETA: I don't know where I shared it, but here's the pic again.  |
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Post by Celebith on Dec 26, 2022 0:13:09 GMT -5
We need a new rice cooker, so I got my wife an Instant Pot for Xmas, plus an extra inner pot, so we can use one exclusively for rice. I realize we can clean it pretty thoroughly if we use it for meats, but this way there's no psychic contamination. My parents, after talking with my daughter, who did not know I was buying an instant pot, also got us an instant pot, but the 'pro' version. So, I'll return mine, and get another pot that fits the one they got us.
I was planning on making pulled pork, so I did. Had to remove the bone from the pork butt first, which was a bit of a pain. And I definitely overfilled the pot, although I 'only' used two cups of liquid - some stock I made with the pork bone, some cola and some worchestershire sauce. Still, with about 6 lbs of pork and the liquid, it was about an inch from the top of the pot. No explosion, but when I hit the steam release, a foamy mess shot up towards the cabinets and got all over everything. Some of it was probably melted fats, though.
So, lessons learned - don't fill the pot so much, and remove more fat before cooking. Probably worth it, though - the pork was so soft it I had to scoop it out of the pot with a strainer. Using tongs just ripped the bits I grabbed and left the rest.
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Post by The Stuffingtacular She-Hulk on Dec 30, 2022 13:48:26 GMT -5
Doing an appetizers-and-desserts New Year's Eve with my favorite married couple! It'll be an alcohol-free evening, as they are trying to conceive, and I'm fine with that. We'll have sparkling apple cider to toast in 2023 -- provided we actually manage to stay awake til midnight, that is. The menu:
- Steamed Maryland-style shrimp with cocktail sauce
- Hot crab dip with crackers, baby carrots, and celery sticks
- Pretzel bites with beer cheese
- Raspberry and brie tartlets
- Chocolate chip cookies
- Cheesecake
...yeah, we like cheese.
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GumTurkeyles
AV Clubber 
$10 down, $10 a month, don't you be a turkey
Posts: 3,065
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Post by GumTurkeyles on Jan 3, 2023 7:16:01 GMT -5
For Christmas, we had cancelled plans, as my brother in law caught covid (who would have thought a NYC trip would give you covid, even when the same thing happened last year?!). So that morning I took out some frozen ground lamb and made a bolognese. My in-laws didn't have contact with my brother in law, so they came over.
We tried to convince them to stay with us until he tested negative, but they said they'd isolate from him and would be fine. We found out this morning my mother in law got it.
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