What's your best or favorite recipe?

[Awkward]

What's your "specialty?"

I make a pretty delicious apple pie. I started with a highly rated online recipe and doctored it up and made some changes. My sister came to visit last weekend and flew home with two of them in a box as her personal carry on item. I made one again this weekend and make the mistake of overcooking it AND I forgot to put on the pie shields. The crust is a bit tough and the apples are mushier than usual, but it's still better than any store bought pie.

I know MM has some delicious recipes floating around. You guys introduced me to the wonder and majesty of crack dip.


Awkward's Apple Pie
(adapted from Grandma Ople's Apple Pie on allrecipes.com)

1 recipe pastry for a 9 inch double crust pie (I use the premade stuff)

6T unsalted butter

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

3T water

1/2 cup white sugar

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1 t cinnamon

dash of nutmeg

5-7 cortland apples - peeled, cored and sliced into quarters

Place foil or oven liner in the bottom of the oven, this pie has the potential to overflow! Make sure oven rack is in a middle position.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Melt the butter in a saucepan. Stir in flour to form a paste. Add water, white sugar, brown sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, and nutmeg and bring to a boil. Reduce temperature and let simmer 5 minutes. Your house should start to smell amazing.

Pour all but around 1/4 cup of the liquid into large bowl and mix with apple slices to coat evenly. Return the remainder to the stove to keep warm. Place bottom crust in pie dish. Either pour the apple/sugar/butter mixture into the crust, or place each slice by hand. The apples should be slightly mounded.

Place the top crust over the apples and pinch to seal to the bottom crust. Cut slits or holes in the crust for venting. With a pastry brush, brush the remaining warm sugar/butter liquid onto the top crust. Place pie shields on the crust edges.

Bake 15 minutes in preheated oven. Reduce temp to 350F and continue baking for another 35-40 minutes, until apples are soft.

[mbcdefg]

I've been making the Hershey's Best Brownies a lot lately and our friends really love them. I use the "Special Dark" cocoa powder and I add semisweet chocolate chips to the batter: www.hersheys.com/recipes/recipe-details.aspx?id=98

This black bean and corn salsa is my typical appetizer contribution: allrecipes.com/recipe/heathers-cilantro-black-bean-and-corn-salsa/

Something silly: if I make pigs in a blanket, I use puff pastry rather than crescent roll dough. A little pricier, but it makes a big difference.

I'm also pretty good at making roast chicken (insert thin slices of lemon under the breast skin, along with butter/garlic/paprika/S&P rub) and pork tenderloin (great with a white wine Dijon sauce, and use a meat thermometer while roasting).

[Deleted]

I got a lot of requests from family for some of their favorites, because they apparently think I'm a restaurant and I take requests, but one of the most requested things is chicken and andouille gumbo. I don't think it's really all that different from a traditional gumbo, it's just the fact that gumbo isn't overly common in our northern state. They have nothing to compare it to. lol

I think lard is disgusting, but I buy it for one reason, and that's because it makes the best roux. It kind of stinks while the roux is cooking, but the finished product is much better than any gumbo I've made with another type of fat. My thighs told me they don't like it, though.

[Deleted]

I tried the original recipe of that apple pie and it's embarassing how badly I messed it up. It got tossed. LOL

DH would say my apple streusel pancakes.

www.williams-sonoma.com/recipe/praline-pancakes.html?cm_src=RECIPESEARCH
Replace pralines with 2 diced and peeled apples, add 2 tsp. cinnamon, 1/2 tsp. nutmeg, dash of cloves (the spices are estimates because I just toss them in)

Mix up streusel. Some cold butter, brown sugar, a bit of flour, cinnamon

Sprinkle streusel on top of pancakes just before flipping.

Serve with: caramelized apples from this recipe: www.williams-sonoma.com/recipe/cinnamon-waffles-with-caramelized-apples.html?cm_src=RECIPESEARCH

[ladygrey]

I'm a big fan of America's Test Kitchen and Cooks Illustrated, so many of my favorite and best recipes come from there:

Chicken and dumplings: www.crumblycookie.net/2010/01/08/lighter-chicken-and-dumplings/

Perfect chocolate chip cookies (aka "brown butter" cookies): www.cooksillustrated.com/recipes/detail.asp?docid=19364

Beef enchiladas: house-wifery.blogspot.com/2010/12/beef-enchiladas.html

(note: you have to pay for a subscription to ATK's website, so some links are from other blogs/websites to make sure everyone can view them)

[Mrs.Beagle]

allrecipes.com/recipe/baked-ziti-i/detail.aspx?event8=1&prop24=SR_Title&e11=baked%20ziti&e8=Quick%20Search&event10=1&e7=Home%20Page

allrecipes.com/recipe/chucks-favorite-mac-and-cheese/detail.aspx?event8=1&prop24=SR_Title&e11=chuck%27s%20favorite%20mac%20%26%20cheese&e8=Quick%20Search&event10=1&e7=Recipe%20Hub

[Deleted]

These are my favorites: www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Beef-Stroganoff-102134

I just use leftover pot roast so it cuts down on time.

www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/tyler-florence/chicken-and-dumplings-recipe2/index.html

Use leftover roast chicken (and I don't use any veggies in mine). The dumplings are so light!

[cahabalily]

No one can touch my meatloaf.

I also do an untouchable red velvet cake (no, it is NOT chocolate cake and should not taste like chocolate) and pound cake.


Sent from my SGH-T959V

[cahabalily]

I don't share the other tqo recipes unless I know the peraon, lol, but here's the pound cake:

Cream three sticks.of butter and 8Oz cream cheese until.whipped. Add 3 cups of white sugar blending until smooth.

Alternate flour and eggs, beginning and ending with flour until you've added 3 cups flour and 7 eggs. Fold in a tablespoon of vanilla.

Bake in a greased and floured bundt pan at 350 for one hour. The top will be shiny and look uncooked, but it is ready and will set.

It gets better with time, so I suggest cooking a day bedore serving and letting it rest uncut.

Sent from my SGH-T959V

[womet]

We love Grandma Ople's apple pie. We went with one of the variations, where we coat the apples in cinnamon and nutmeg. That way, each bite has cinnamon, nutmeg, apple, and that wonderful caramel sauce. Yum!

I make this chocolate cake. Well, it's really 3 layers of brownies with a chocolate ganace frosting.

[Pilsy]

Oct 8, 2012 20:16:19 GMT -5 cahabalily said:

No one can touch my meatloaf.

This makes me laugh. I'm not even sure why.

[Deleted]

Oct 8, 2012 20:20:07 GMT -5 cahabalily said:

I don't share the other tqo recipes unless I know the peraon, lol, but here's the pound cake:

I completely understand. I won't even give my mom my cake recipes.

[auggie]

Oct 8, 2012 20:48:03 GMT -5 aswartzw said:

Oct 8, 2012 20:20:07 GMT -5 cahabalily said:

I don't share the other tqo recipes unless I know the peraon, lol, but here's the pound cake:

I completely understand. I won't even give my mom my cake recipes.

Why won't you give your mom your cake recipe?

[auggie]

www.food.com/recipe/ice-cubes-420398

I spent about 20 minutes reading the reviews!

[Deleted]

Oct 8, 2012 22:09:18 GMT -5 auggie said:

Oct 8, 2012 20:48:03 GMT -5 aswartzw said:

I completely understand. I won't even give my mom my cake recipes.

Why won't you give your mom your cake recipe?

I work hard to find my recipes with the dream of doing cakes one day. Once I find it, no one gets the final modified version. If someone asks, I'll give a good recipe but it's not my version.

[chia]

I make really good rice (a mushroom rice, and a rice and beans), and good corn souffle. And, fried pork chops.

I can also make yummy cake from a cake mix.

[ESF]

Oct 8, 2012 22:14:41 GMT -5 auggie said:

www.food.com/recipe/ice-cubes-420398

I spent about 20 minutes reading the reviews!

I'm DYING.


I was wondering if you had a crock-pot version for this recipe. I work long hours and I just don't have the time to invest in this kind of hands-on cooking, but they really look yummy.

:-( :-( :-(

[Deleted]

Adobo, Thai curries, chicken enchiladas, pumpkin bread, key lime pie, peanut butter noodles....and I make fabulous salads and appetizer platters.


With extra spices:
allrecipes.com/recipe/downeast-maine-pumpkin-bread/

I modify the dressing ingredients depending on what I have in the fridge:
www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/sara-moulton/rainbow-peanut-noodles-recipe/index.html

This is a great starter recipe. Vary the veggies, proteins....
www.nigella.com/recipes/view/red-prawn-and-mango-curry-16

Best oatmeal cookie, ever! I add chopped apricots and other stuff sometimes.
www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/raisin-pecan-oatmeal-cookies-recipe/index.html

[Deleted]

Probably the most liked item is peach crisp--it isn't anything special--just a fruit crisp recipe with frozen peaches.

I am happy not to cook much.