Cooking Meme...
Aug. 8th, 2020 10:23 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
shadowkatHAVE YOU EVER: AMERICANA COOKING EDITION
[US or American language and cooking terminology, specifically Midwestern and Southern, working class/middle class American, in that biscuits mean well the American version of a scone, which if you've ever had them - you'd never in a million years call a scone. They aren't like them at all. Biscuits are more puffy, and Also, since I'm gluten intolerant - most of stuff hasn't been done recently.]
1. Made biscuits from scratch? No (this is not biscuits in how the UK views biscuits. In the US, the UK's idea of biscuit is cookies. This is what it is: Origin of the American and Canadian biscuit.) It actually makes far more logical sense from an American perspective to call the bread biscuits - they are basically "twice cooked" which is what biscuit means. American cookies are not "twice cooked", only biscotti are - and those aren't a Middle American staple. I never had the "Twice cooked" or the "hard" cookie until later, and frankly? I don't like them that much. I don't like a lot of British Biscuits - they are too hard and crumbly. Much prefer the soft baked American Cookies. Also, American Cookies - are easier to make with almond and coconut flours.
2. Fried fresh okra? No, I don't like okra. This is a southern dish. And okra is a plant endemic to the Americas. It came from Africa, mainly, and is an African-American dish.
3. Made sourdough bread? No, my mother did when I was a kid though. (Can't eat it now - gluten-intolerant - also I no longer eat bread or anything made from grains.)
4. Fried chicken? Yes. Did it with gluten free flours no less.
5. Made spaghetti sauce from scratch? Yes.
6. Made any kind of yeast bread? Yes. (There's an Artisanal Almond Flour Bread Mix - that I use on occasion.)
7. Baked a cake from scratch? Yes. (But not since I went off all grains due to gluten intolerance.)
8. Made icing from scratch? Yes (but not recently - due to sugar issues.)
9. Cooked a pot roast with all the veg? No - I don't like it. My mother used to do it.
10. Made chili from scratch? Yes. ( My mother's secret ingredient is chocolate.)
11. Made a meatloaf? Yes - ages ago. (But no longer - since I can't eat it - it has flour. My mother has a great recipe that I loved. She makes it with tomato sauce and macoroni pasta, so it tastes a bit like meatballs and macroni. But I can't have it - since you need bread crumbs as a binder.)
12. Made scalloped potatoes? what are these even? Scalloped Potatoes is a American-German potato casserole dish that has cream and often flour, sometimes cheese in it. Very popular in the Mid-West of the US. Here's Recipe and a picture of them. My mother made them all the time when I was growing up, still does - although now with corn starch not flour - since I can't have flour for a thickener. I don't like them. They are a very German-American dish. I was brought up with them. She didn't really make them with flour though.
13. Made mac/cheese from scratch? Yes.
14. Made a jello salad? - Yes. I don't like them, and yes, they were still popular in the Midwestern US when I was there in the 1990s. In fact I was still seeing the evil things at potlucks in NY in the early 00s. They are evil - I find them disgusting. It's basically jello and whatever anyone can think of to through into it - made into a mold. Often marshmellows, cheap canned fruit, or worse candied fruit (which is in fruit cakes and I despise) and nuts. It's a cheap potluck dish - and popular in Middle America and Working Class households.
15. Made peanut brittle? Yes.
16. Made fudge? Yes. Mother has an excellent recipe.
17. Made cookies from scratch? Of course. Lots of times. Even the gluten-free version - I have a recipe that uses coconut flours and almond flours, since I'm grain free. (I love the word cookie. It's playful. And I prefer it to mean a fun, sweet baked tweet.) Cookies in the US tend to be softer, and often chewy. We do hard ones, too, but rarely. They are baked once - and often for shorter periods of time. Some are best when served hot or right out of the oven.
18. Cooked a pot of beans from dried beans? Yes. (But not often and not recently - in fact I only have vague memories of it, I don't eat beans - they give me severe gas pains. It's genetic, my brother can't eat them well either, nor does my father digest them well. That damn Scotch Irish blood hates beans.)
19. Cooked a pot of greens? No - hate cooked greens. Slimy. The appeal is completely lost on me.
20. Made cornbread from scratch? Yes. (gluten free as well - but it didn't sit well, so not doing that again.)
21. Made a pie dough from scratch? Yes. Along with pie crackers from the left over dough, with cinnamon and sugar - so good. Can't do it any longer though. My mother did it when I was a child and I've done it myself. It's called pie dough in the US, because we have covered fruit pies and uncovered ones...and often "crust" doesn't quite fit the description. Also, keep in mind this Middle American and Mid-Western slang or dialect.
22. Cooked a whole turkey? Yes, once or twice.
23. Snapped green beans and cooked them? Huh? - Yes. To snap Green Beans, you snap off the ends. These are often fresh from gardens. You snap off one end, then the other, drop them in the pot. Mother often had me do it for Thanksgiving.
24. Made mashed potatoes from scratch? Yes - also mashed Cauliflower. It's a major Thanksgiving dish. I'm not overly fond. But very popular Amerian dish.
25. What’s the most people you have (alone) prepared a whole meal for? Three -four people. I had to make Thanksgiving Dinner once, when my mother couldn't cook - for my mother, grandmother and father. I don't like to cook for other people. It makes me nervous. My mother and grandmother hovered over me the entire time. I also cooked a meal for five people in college - and had the same problem, people hovered over me and criticized my every move. Okay, folks, a piece of advice? Don't do that. If someone is kind enough to cook for you? Leave them alone to do it. Ask if they need any help, when they state no - leave them alone. And when they provide the meal? Be complimentary of it, no matter what it tastes like. If you can't do that? Then you cook or buy them dinner.
26. Poached an egg? Yes, numerous times - love poached eggs. Easiest in the microwave though unless you have a good poacher, I used to, but it's gone now.
27. Made pancakes from scratch? Yes. From gluten flours no less. Coconut flour, banana, coconut oil, and egg.
28. Roasted vegetables in the oven instead of boiling them? Rarely. I don't own a roaster or a roasting dish, best I can do is a pan with alumnium foil - and I have put chicken or fish in with veggies and roasted them or baked them that way. I prefer to steam and boil to be honest. Not a fan of roasted vegetables. They become mushy with a brown crust and just eww. Also I don't like a lot of root vegetables, which work best for roasting. Green beans and aspergus aren't good for roasting, nor is brocolli.
29. Made fresh pasta? No
30. Made croissants from scratch? No (can't eat them now - gluten intolerant and they are impossible to make from substitute flours.)
31. Made tuna salad? Yes - another American staple. Although I call it making tuna fish. Mother makes it best - canned tuna fish, sweet pickles, onions, helman's mayo. Some people put celery in it - and no.
32. Fried fish? Yes. But not recently - because I can't eat fried foods. And haven't had any fried foods since roughly...2005. Most I've done is a gluten free breading on chicken fingers...which isn't really a fried food, since I do it with olive oil and it's almond flour, egg, and seasoning.
33. Made baked beans? No - I don't like them.
34. Made ice cream from scratch? Yes. Or rather helped various relatives.
35. Made jam or jelly? No.
36. Zested an orange or lemon? Yes.
37. Made grits from scratch? Yes - American Breakfast Staple, mother made them all the time.
38. Made an omelette? Yes - for breakfast this morning.
39. Lived in a house without a dishwasher? I don't currently own a dishwasher and haven't had one for over 23 years. I live in an apartment in NY, it's rare to have one here. The ones with them are about a $1,000 more a month, not worth it.
40. Eaten a bowl of cereal for supper? Yes. I've done the hot cereal thing. Not a cold cereal though. And not in recent memory. Had a friend once who did it all the time - I don't recommend doing it all the time, she died of colitis.
[US or American language and cooking terminology, specifically Midwestern and Southern, working class/middle class American, in that biscuits mean well the American version of a scone, which if you've ever had them - you'd never in a million years call a scone. They aren't like them at all. Biscuits are more puffy, and Also, since I'm gluten intolerant - most of stuff hasn't been done recently.]
1. Made biscuits from scratch? No (this is not biscuits in how the UK views biscuits. In the US, the UK's idea of biscuit is cookies. This is what it is: Origin of the American and Canadian biscuit.) It actually makes far more logical sense from an American perspective to call the bread biscuits - they are basically "twice cooked" which is what biscuit means. American cookies are not "twice cooked", only biscotti are - and those aren't a Middle American staple. I never had the "Twice cooked" or the "hard" cookie until later, and frankly? I don't like them that much. I don't like a lot of British Biscuits - they are too hard and crumbly. Much prefer the soft baked American Cookies. Also, American Cookies - are easier to make with almond and coconut flours.
2. Fried fresh okra? No, I don't like okra. This is a southern dish. And okra is a plant endemic to the Americas. It came from Africa, mainly, and is an African-American dish.
3. Made sourdough bread? No, my mother did when I was a kid though. (Can't eat it now - gluten-intolerant - also I no longer eat bread or anything made from grains.)
4. Fried chicken? Yes. Did it with gluten free flours no less.
5. Made spaghetti sauce from scratch? Yes.
6. Made any kind of yeast bread? Yes. (There's an Artisanal Almond Flour Bread Mix - that I use on occasion.)
7. Baked a cake from scratch? Yes. (But not since I went off all grains due to gluten intolerance.)
8. Made icing from scratch? Yes (but not recently - due to sugar issues.)
9. Cooked a pot roast with all the veg? No - I don't like it. My mother used to do it.
10. Made chili from scratch? Yes. ( My mother's secret ingredient is chocolate.)
11. Made a meatloaf? Yes - ages ago. (But no longer - since I can't eat it - it has flour. My mother has a great recipe that I loved. She makes it with tomato sauce and macoroni pasta, so it tastes a bit like meatballs and macroni. But I can't have it - since you need bread crumbs as a binder.)
12. Made scalloped potatoes? what are these even? Scalloped Potatoes is a American-German potato casserole dish that has cream and often flour, sometimes cheese in it. Very popular in the Mid-West of the US. Here's Recipe and a picture of them. My mother made them all the time when I was growing up, still does - although now with corn starch not flour - since I can't have flour for a thickener. I don't like them. They are a very German-American dish. I was brought up with them. She didn't really make them with flour though.
13. Made mac/cheese from scratch? Yes.
14. Made a jello salad? - Yes. I don't like them, and yes, they were still popular in the Midwestern US when I was there in the 1990s. In fact I was still seeing the evil things at potlucks in NY in the early 00s. They are evil - I find them disgusting. It's basically jello and whatever anyone can think of to through into it - made into a mold. Often marshmellows, cheap canned fruit, or worse candied fruit (which is in fruit cakes and I despise) and nuts. It's a cheap potluck dish - and popular in Middle America and Working Class households.
15. Made peanut brittle? Yes.
16. Made fudge? Yes. Mother has an excellent recipe.
17. Made cookies from scratch? Of course. Lots of times. Even the gluten-free version - I have a recipe that uses coconut flours and almond flours, since I'm grain free. (I love the word cookie. It's playful. And I prefer it to mean a fun, sweet baked tweet.) Cookies in the US tend to be softer, and often chewy. We do hard ones, too, but rarely. They are baked once - and often for shorter periods of time. Some are best when served hot or right out of the oven.
18. Cooked a pot of beans from dried beans? Yes. (But not often and not recently - in fact I only have vague memories of it, I don't eat beans - they give me severe gas pains. It's genetic, my brother can't eat them well either, nor does my father digest them well. That damn Scotch Irish blood hates beans.)
19. Cooked a pot of greens? No - hate cooked greens. Slimy. The appeal is completely lost on me.
20. Made cornbread from scratch? Yes. (gluten free as well - but it didn't sit well, so not doing that again.)
21. Made a pie dough from scratch? Yes. Along with pie crackers from the left over dough, with cinnamon and sugar - so good. Can't do it any longer though. My mother did it when I was a child and I've done it myself. It's called pie dough in the US, because we have covered fruit pies and uncovered ones...and often "crust" doesn't quite fit the description. Also, keep in mind this Middle American and Mid-Western slang or dialect.
22. Cooked a whole turkey? Yes, once or twice.
23. Snapped green beans and cooked them? Huh? - Yes. To snap Green Beans, you snap off the ends. These are often fresh from gardens. You snap off one end, then the other, drop them in the pot. Mother often had me do it for Thanksgiving.
24. Made mashed potatoes from scratch? Yes - also mashed Cauliflower. It's a major Thanksgiving dish. I'm not overly fond. But very popular Amerian dish.
25. What’s the most people you have (alone) prepared a whole meal for? Three -four people. I had to make Thanksgiving Dinner once, when my mother couldn't cook - for my mother, grandmother and father. I don't like to cook for other people. It makes me nervous. My mother and grandmother hovered over me the entire time. I also cooked a meal for five people in college - and had the same problem, people hovered over me and criticized my every move. Okay, folks, a piece of advice? Don't do that. If someone is kind enough to cook for you? Leave them alone to do it. Ask if they need any help, when they state no - leave them alone. And when they provide the meal? Be complimentary of it, no matter what it tastes like. If you can't do that? Then you cook or buy them dinner.
26. Poached an egg? Yes, numerous times - love poached eggs. Easiest in the microwave though unless you have a good poacher, I used to, but it's gone now.
27. Made pancakes from scratch? Yes. From gluten flours no less. Coconut flour, banana, coconut oil, and egg.
28. Roasted vegetables in the oven instead of boiling them? Rarely. I don't own a roaster or a roasting dish, best I can do is a pan with alumnium foil - and I have put chicken or fish in with veggies and roasted them or baked them that way. I prefer to steam and boil to be honest. Not a fan of roasted vegetables. They become mushy with a brown crust and just eww. Also I don't like a lot of root vegetables, which work best for roasting. Green beans and aspergus aren't good for roasting, nor is brocolli.
29. Made fresh pasta? No
30. Made croissants from scratch? No (can't eat them now - gluten intolerant and they are impossible to make from substitute flours.)
31. Made tuna salad? Yes - another American staple. Although I call it making tuna fish. Mother makes it best - canned tuna fish, sweet pickles, onions, helman's mayo. Some people put celery in it - and no.
32. Fried fish? Yes. But not recently - because I can't eat fried foods. And haven't had any fried foods since roughly...2005. Most I've done is a gluten free breading on chicken fingers...which isn't really a fried food, since I do it with olive oil and it's almond flour, egg, and seasoning.
33. Made baked beans? No - I don't like them.
34. Made ice cream from scratch? Yes. Or rather helped various relatives.
35. Made jam or jelly? No.
36. Zested an orange or lemon? Yes.
37. Made grits from scratch? Yes - American Breakfast Staple, mother made them all the time.
38. Made an omelette? Yes - for breakfast this morning.
39. Lived in a house without a dishwasher? I don't currently own a dishwasher and haven't had one for over 23 years. I live in an apartment in NY, it's rare to have one here. The ones with them are about a $1,000 more a month, not worth it.
40. Eaten a bowl of cereal for supper? Yes. I've done the hot cereal thing. Not a cold cereal though. And not in recent memory. Had a friend once who did it all the time - I don't recommend doing it all the time, she died of colitis.
no subject
Date: 2020-08-08 07:47 pm (UTC)10. I didn't know chocolate in chili was a thing until a few years ago. This chocolate chili recipe converted me.
21. I love the pie crust leftover bits baked with cinnamon and sugar! Was always a treat when I was a kid.
35. I make it a lot in the summer, but only in small batches that I keep in the fridge and use over a couple weeks. I haven't actually canned jam for a few years but still have all the stuff. It's easier than you'd think (but it is like a half=-day project)
no subject
Date: 2020-08-08 11:03 pm (UTC)Chocolate apparently is a staple in a lot of Latin American cooking - they also make moule sauce with it - very spicy. It's never in the store bought chili though.
It is an interesting list. I could actually play a bit with it.
no subject
Date: 2020-08-11 03:03 pm (UTC)