I'm not sure how many years I have been around here but it's been quite a
while.

There is little doubt in my mind there are some awfully good and creative
people here. In several cases at cook-ins I have been blessed to taste
their wares.

Don't worry I shall not go through a list of the people and the delicious
foods I have tasted.

IMHO the level of creativity here is simply unmatched.

End Intro:

So here goes: What do you consider to be your most creative/or tasty
concoction:

I'll start;

The one I enjoyed the most was a "red oak smoked rare Tri Tip served cold
with sour dough rounds and a red onion relish.

OK your turn.


--
Dimitri
Coming soon:
http://kitchenguide.wordpress.com.

Dimitri said...

> The one I enjoyed the most was a "red oak smoked rare Tri Tip served cold
> with sour dough rounds and a red onion relish.
>
> OK your turn.


I'm hardly at all a creative cook. I follow recipes by the letter,

My vegelaya, Mexcellent cheeseburgers and green death tuna salad sandwiches
are about the extent of my kitchen creativity.

Sorry!

Best,

Andy

On Oct 9, 3:44*pm, Andy > wrote:
> Dimitri said...
>
> > The one I enjoyed the most was a "red oak smoked rare Tri Tip served cold
> > with sour dough rounds and a red onion relish.
>
> > OK your turn.
>
> I'm hardly at all a creative cook. I follow recipes by the letter,
>
> My vegelaya, Mexcellent cheeseburgers and green death tuna salad sandwiches
> are about the extent of my kitchen creativity.
>
> Sorry!
>
> Best,
>
> Andy

My Sloppy Joe's, of course!!!!! Actually I make a really mean "Day of
the Dead" Southwest chili with ground sirloin and chorizo. Yummy! In
fact...I'm making some tonight!!!

On Oct 9, 12:18 pm, "Dimitri" > wrote:
> [snip]
> So here goes: What do you consider to be your most creative/or tasty
> concoction:
>
Most creative was probably something late at night, long forgotten.
In the running for tastiest would be this that I posted in July 1999
(glad the Search function in GG works again):

Spicy Eggplant 'Yuxiang'

Preparation and Ingredients

3 or 4 Japanese(Chinese) eggplants -- one pound or a little more.
Remove
stem, do not peel. Cut lengthwise into quarters, then across into
about 1"
pieces.

1/4 lb. ground pork. Mix with 1 TB sherry and 1 tsp. cornstarch, set
aside.

3 quarter-sized slices fresh ginger root, minced.

4 medium garlic cloves, smashed and finely chopped. [Or more--this
dish
can take all the garlic you want. I used six cloves, but we weren't
going
out later.]

4 scallions, including about half the green part, cleaned, shredded
and cut
in lengths of about 1".

1 TB Sichuan chili bean paste. [Note: made of yellow bean paste,
chilis,
garlic and spices, this is not identical with 'chili sauce' or 'garlic
chili sauce'. But if you can't find it, substitute. Ken Hom suggests
Satay sauce, a SE Asian version.]

1 tsp, or 3, or to taste, crushed dried red chili flakes. [The dish
is
supposed to be hot. Don't worry, they won't hide the other flavors.]

1 TB Chinese black vinegar. [Cider vinegar can be substituted, but
the
black vinegar, aka Chinkiang vinegar, is wonderful. I used 2 TB.]

1 tsp sugar.

2 TB soy sauce.

1/2 to 1 cup chicken stock or water.

1 tsp sesame oil

Cooking

Heat wok or heavy pan on high heat. When hot, add 2 to 3 TB peanut
oil,
then the eggplant. Stir fry on medium-high for five or six minutes
until
eggplant is somewhat darkened and has begun to soften. It will first
absorb the oil, then release it. Remove the eggplant.

Add 1 TB oil to wok, if necessary. Turn heat up to high. Add the
garlic
and ginger and half the scallions, stir 30 seconds or so until
fragrant,
then add the pork. Stir fry until it's brown and crumbly. Add the
rest
of the ingredients except the sesame oil, give a couple of stirs, add
back
the eggplant and the broth or water, stir, cover and simmer for about
five
minutes. You want the eggplant well cooked and soft. Uncover, turn
the
heat back up, push everything back from the center to make a well for
the
liquid. Add the sesame oil and some cornstarch slurry, stir to
thicken.
[You have to judge how much based on how much liquid there is at this
point. About 2 tsp cornstarch in 1 TB cold water, maybe. Or just use
a
scant half cup of broth/water in the first place and don't thicken
it.]
Serve immediately.

[Note for the fat-conscious. This dish, like many from Sichuan, may
strike
the contemporary American palate as too oily. If this is a concern,
Ken
Hom suggests baking the eggplant on a baking tray at 350F for 15
minutes.
Cool, then cut up. Then omit the step of frying them in oil.
Personally,
I like the richness of the oil. You can also pour off the fat
rendered by
the pork before adding the rest of the ingredients. Or, you can omit
the
pork entirely.]

"Dimitri" > wrote in message
...
> I'm not sure how many years I have been around here but it's been quite a
> while.
>
> There is little doubt in my mind there are some awfully good and creative
> people here. In several cases at cook-ins I have been blessed to taste
> their wares.
>
> Don't worry I shall not go through a list of the people and the delicious
> foods I have tasted.
>
> IMHO the level of creativity here is simply unmatched.
>
> End Intro:
>
> So here goes: What do you consider to be your most creative/or tasty
> concoction:
>
> I'll start;
>
> The one I enjoyed the most was a "red oak smoked rare Tri Tip served cold
> with sour dough rounds and a red onion relish.
>
> OK your turn.
>
>
> --
> Dimitri
> Coming soon:
> http://kitchenguide.wordpress.com.




adding lots of ground black pepper to my very grainy cornbread and using
the packets of muffin mixes (Martha White usually) as a base and adding a
banana, dried fruit, oats, wheat germ, various chocolate chips, canned
pumpkin and anything else I might have on hand. Also mixing peanut butter
and bananas with Blue Bell homemade vanilla ice cream and refreezing it.
>

Dimitri wrote:

> So here goes: What do you consider to be your most creative/or tasty
> concoction:
>
> I'll start;
>
> The one I enjoyed the most was a "red oak smoked rare Tri Tip served cold
> with sour dough rounds and a red onion relish.
>
> OK your turn.


I have five items which spring to mind:

1. cinnamon hot milk chocolate & apricot anti-lava cake served together

2. corn cake with a sheet of coriander-pepper bacon, pickled chiles, maple
foam, and crispy onions

3. chocolate truffle flavored with raisin-infused brandy

4. scallop seviche on blood-orange sushi rice

5. country-style ribs braised with plums, habañeros, and allspice


As to which was the most creative and/or tasty, I'm not objective enough to
say. They're ALL my babies!

Bob

In article >,
"Bob Terwilliger" > wrote:

> Dimitri wrote:
>
> > So here goes: What do you consider to be your most creative/or tasty
> > concoction:
> >
> > I'll start;
> >
> > The one I enjoyed the most was a "red oak smoked rare Tri Tip served cold
> > with sour dough rounds and a red onion relish.
> >
> > OK your turn.
>
>
> I have five items which spring to mind:
>
> 1. cinnamon hot milk chocolate & apricot anti-lava cake served together
>
> 2. corn cake with a sheet of coriander-pepper bacon, pickled chiles, maple
> foam, and crispy onions
>
> 3. chocolate truffle flavored with raisin-infused brandy
>
> 4. scallop seviche on blood-orange sushi rice
>
> 5. country-style ribs braised with plums, habañeros, and allspice
>
>
> As to which was the most creative and/or tasty, I'm not objective enough to
> say. They're ALL my babies!
>
> Bob

They all sound interesting but I like #4 the best!
--
Peace! Om

"Human nature seems to be to control other people until they put their foot down."
--Steve Rothstein

Web Albums: <http://picasaweb.google.com/home?tab=mq>

Subscribe:

Om wrote:

>> 4. scallop seviche on blood-orange sushi rice
>
> They all sound interesting but I like #4 the best!

That dish is a bit tricky in terms of timing: If you take the scallop out of
the marinade too soon, it's raw inside and a bit unpleasant because of that.
If you take it out of the marinade too late, it's tough and a bit grainy. If
your guests are late, you're screwed, because making the scallops sit around
in the refrigerator or at room temperature causes bad things to happen.

The salted reduced blood orange juice used in place of the usual flavored
rice vinegar doesn't lend as deep a color to the rice as you might expect; I
ended up amplifying the color using red and yellow food coloring to make it
as gorgeous as I wanted it to be.

Bob

In article >,
"Bob Terwilliger" > wrote:

> Om wrote:
>
> >> 4. scallop seviche on blood-orange sushi rice
> >
> > They all sound interesting but I like #4 the best!
>
> That dish is a bit tricky in terms of timing: If you take the scallop out of
> the marinade too soon, it's raw inside and a bit unpleasant because of that.
> If you take it out of the marinade too late, it's tough and a bit grainy. If
> your guests are late, you're screwed, because making the scallops sit around
> in the refrigerator or at room temperature causes bad things to happen.
>
> The salted reduced blood orange juice used in place of the usual flavored
> rice vinegar doesn't lend as deep a color to the rice as you might expect; I
> ended up amplifying the color using red and yellow food coloring to make it
> as gorgeous as I wanted it to be.
>
> Bob

You could always use saffron or turmeric?

It still sounds fascinating!
--
Peace! Om

"Human nature seems to be to control other people until they put their foot down."
--Steve Rothstein

Web Albums: <http://picasaweb.google.com/home?tab=mq>

Subscribe:

Om wrote:

>>>> 4. scallop seviche on blood-orange sushi rice
>>>
>>> They all sound interesting but I like #4 the best!
>>
>> The salted reduced blood orange juice used in place of the usual flavored
>> rice vinegar doesn't lend as deep a color to the rice as you might
>> expect; I ended up amplifying the color using red and yellow food
>> coloring to make it as gorgeous as I wanted it to be.
>>
> You could always use saffron or turmeric?
>
> It still sounds fascinating!

I didn't want to add the flavor of saffron or turmeric. The rice had a great
flavor from the salted blood orange juice; all I wanted was a more striking
color.

Bob, wondering whether cochineal went into the red food coloring

In article >,
"Bob Terwilliger" > wrote:

> Om wrote:
>
> >>>> 4. scallop seviche on blood-orange sushi rice
> >>>
> >>> They all sound interesting but I like #4 the best!
> >>
> >> The salted reduced blood orange juice used in place of the usual flavored
> >> rice vinegar doesn't lend as deep a color to the rice as you might
> >> expect; I ended up amplifying the color using red and yellow food
> >> coloring to make it as gorgeous as I wanted it to be.
> >>
> > You could always use saffron or turmeric?
> >
> > It still sounds fascinating!
>
> I didn't want to add the flavor of saffron or turmeric. The rice had a great
> flavor from the salted blood orange juice; all I wanted was a more striking
> color.
>
> Bob, wondering whether cochineal went into the red food coloring

<chuckles> Worried about bugs now?
There are some fruits that can add an intense color and complimentary
flavor too if you are worried about that. I understand tho' that food
coloring has it's place.
--
Peace! Om

"Human nature seems to be to control other people until they put their foot down."
--Steve Rothstein

Web Albums: <http://picasaweb.google.com/home?tab=mq>

Subscribe:

On Fri, 9 Oct 2009 16:16:37 -0700 (PDT), aem wrote:

> On Oct 9, 12:18 pm, "Dimitri" > wrote:
>> [snip]
>> So here goes: What do you consider to be your most creative/or tasty
>> concoction:
>>
> Most creative was probably something late at night, long forgotten.
> In the running for tastiest would be this that I posted in July 1999
> (glad the Search function in GG works again):
>
> Spicy Eggplant 'Yuxiang'

<recipe snipped>

i saved this one, aem. thanks.

your pal,
blake

In article
>,
Ranée at Arabian Knits > wrote:

> In article >,
> "Dimitri" > wrote:
>
> > So here goes: What do you consider to be your most creative/or tasty
> > concoction:
>
> This is a great question. I was hoping to read more from other
> people and glean their ideas.
>
> I don't know that I can pinpoint the most creative thing I've made.
> Perhaps this is why other people aren't posting as much, either.
>
> I think I get pretty creative with ingredients when I am down to what
> we have and forced to make up something that is nutritious, tasty and
> filling, but I don't know that I can quantify what those meals are.
>
> Regards,
> Ranee

That's kinda why I could not come up with anything either.
I tend to make up stuff as I go along on a daily basis depending on my
mood and what I have on hand.

I always try to cook creatively!

This morning, for instance, I used a couple of small green apples in
dad's fritatta. I peeled, cored and chopped them fine and cooked them
with a chopped onion, garlic powder, lemon pepper and a little curry
powder until they were soft, then added a sliced up home made smoked
beef sausage link and a few eggs. Once that was cooked, I topped it
with some shredded cheese after plating it.

Dad really liked it and I need to use up all those darned apples he
bought! I gave half of them to my sister for the boys. I will also
peel and core a few of them and make some baked apples for him with
butter, cinnamon and splenda.
--
Peace! Om

"Human nature seems to be to control other people until they put their foot down."
--Steve Rothstein

Web Albums: <http://picasaweb.google.com/home?tab=mq>

Subscribe:

"Ranée at Arabian Knits" ha scritto nel messaggio > "Dimitri"
> wrote:
>
>> So here goes: What do you consider to be your most creative/or tasty >>
>> concoction:
>
> This is a great question. I was hoping to read more from other > people
> and glean their ideas.
>
> I don't know that I can pinpoint the most creative thing I've made. >
> Perhaps this is why other people aren't posting as much, either.

The thing is, when you get creative in the form you describe you rarely
remember exactly what it was you did! There's an entirely different program
to setting out to develop something new, and it includes more thinking and
more record keeping than just staring into the fridge trying to imagine how
to make those things work together. And yet, that's a really important
creative venture. Families must eat.

Anyone can only create with what he knows. If he hasn't a clue what saffron
tastes like then he won't use it creatively.

On Mon, 12 Oct 2009 13:35:17 -0600, Christine Dabney wrote:

> On Mon, 12 Oct 2009 12:29:13 -0700, Ranée at Arabian Knits
> > wrote:
>
>> This is a great question. I was hoping to read more from other
>>people and glean their ideas.
>>
>> I don't know that I can pinpoint the most creative thing I've made.
>>Perhaps this is why other people aren't posting as much, either.
>
> I don't think I am very creative at all. I tend to go to my cookbooks,
> and if I have made a recipe a time or two, I might change something.
> But that's about it.
> Occasionally, I decide I want to try a takeoff on something..but I
> can't say that is really creative.
>>
>> I think I get pretty creative with ingredients when I am down to what
>>we have and forced to make up something that is nutritious, tasty and
>>filling, but I don't know that I can quantify what those meals are.
>
> Again, I usually head to my cookbooks... I find there isn't much that
> hasn't already been done sometime or another.... If I am low on
> ingredients, and need to only use what I have in the house, I can
> usually find something to do with them. And I am pretty good about
> substitutions....
>
> But creative? Nah....
>
> Christine

i wouldn't feel bad. not everyone can be an artist, but artists also need
people with the taste to appreciate them.

your pal,
blake

"blake murphy" > wrote:
>> Christine
>
> i wouldn't feel bad. not everyone can be an artist, but artists also need
> people with the taste to appreciate them.
>

Very wise.

On Tue, 13 Oct 2009 13:36:18 -0400, "cybercat" >
wrote:

>
>"blake murphy" > wrote:
>>> Christine
>>
>> i wouldn't feel bad. not everyone can be an artist, but artists also need
>> people with the taste to appreciate them.
>>
>
>Very wise.
>
Thank you both very much.
I am in awe of many folks here in rfc that are truly creative. Some
really amaze me in terms of what they develop, and with their
presentations.
Even those that don't cook much often have great ideas: I have learned
from you all, even tiny little things that sometimes are a revelation.
Sometimes those things are inspiration to what little creativity I
might have.

Christine

In article >,
Christine Dabney > wrote:

> On Tue, 13 Oct 2009 13:36:18 -0400, "cybercat" >
> wrote:
>
> >
> >"blake murphy" > wrote:
> >>> Christine
> >>
> >> i wouldn't feel bad. not everyone can be an artist, but artists also need
> >> people with the taste to appreciate them.
> >>
> >
> >Very wise.
> >
> Thank you both very much.
> I am in awe of many folks here in rfc that are truly creative. Some
> really amaze me in terms of what they develop, and with their
> presentations.
> Even those that don't cook much often have great ideas: I have learned
> from you all, even tiny little things that sometimes are a revelation.
> Sometimes those things are inspiration to what little creativity I
> might have.
>
> Christine

Join the club girl. ;-)
I learn new cool ideas almost daily from this list and a.b.f.
Flavor combinations I'd never have thought of on my own!
--
Peace! Om

"Human nature seems to be to control other people until they put their foot down."
--Steve Rothstein

Web Albums: <http://picasaweb.google.com/home?tab=mq>

Subscribe:

On Tue, 13 Oct 2009 11:47:45 -0600, Christine Dabney wrote:

> On Tue, 13 Oct 2009 13:36:18 -0400, "cybercat" >
> wrote:
>
>>
>>"blake murphy" > wrote:
>>>> Christine
>>>
>>> i wouldn't feel bad. not everyone can be an artist, but artists also need
>>> people with the taste to appreciate them.
>>>
>>
>>Very wise.
>>
> Thank you both very much.
> I am in awe of many folks here in rfc that are truly creative. Some
> really amaze me in terms of what they develop, and with their
> presentations.
> Even those that don't cook much often have great ideas: I have learned
> from you all, even tiny little things that sometimes are a revelation.
> Sometimes those things are inspiration to what little creativity I
> might have.
>
> Christine

part of being a great artist is knowing steal from.

your pal,
blake