IRL Cooking! post your recipes

[Haine]

Hello, as it turns out there are quite a few goonstation people who like to cook!  I thought we could have a thread to discuss stuff and post recipes.
My favorite recipes (as in the recipes I've made for others that are usually hits):

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Chili Mac & Cheese!
So far I haven't served this to anyone who didn't end up loving it (SpyGuy tends to request it when we're together in person, use this recipe to win ur man's heart (and destroy it and his stomach at the same time, this is not a healthy meal))
For the mac & cheese:
Spoiler!

From:
http://foodwishes.blogspot.com/2009/02/life-liberty-and-pursuit-of-cheesy.html
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=coYqrXsDPdU
Modified a bit from the original.



Ingredients:
1 lb / 16oz / 4 cups / 500g elbow macaroni
3-4 cups / 600-900g grated sharp white cheddar cheese, or whatever
¼ cup / 60g butter
¼ cup / 60g flour
¼ tsp / 1mL dried thyme
⅛ tsp / .5mL chili powder or cayenne*
⅛ tsp / .5mL old bay (optional)
⅛ tsp / .5mL white pepper
¼ tsp / 1mL Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp / 5mL salt
pinch of nutmeg
1 tsp / 5mL Dijon mustard
3 cups / 675mL milk
½ cup / 110g Panko breadcrumbs plus 1 tbsp / 14g butter
*original recipe called for ¼ tsp cayenne but I found that to be both a bit much and less flavorful than the chili powder

Directions:

1. Melt butter in saucepan on medium heat
   
2. When butter begins to sizzle and foam, whisk in flour
   
3. Cook on medium heat for 3-4 min
   
4. Whisk in thyme, chili powder/cayenne, white pepper, and old bay
   
5. Cook for another minute
   
6. Whisk in 1 cup COLD milk
   
7. Add in 2 more cups milk
   
8. Bring up to a simmer on medium heat
   
9. Add nutmeg, worcestershire sauce, salt
   
10. Simmer on medium-low for 8 minutes
    
11. Turn off the heat and add cheese in a couple additions (save ¾ cup for the top)
    
12. Add mustard
    
13. Cook the pasta (8 ounces for very gooey mac, 16 for lighter, 12 to split the difference)
    
14. Dump pasta into casserole dish (no need to butter the dish)
    
15. Add sauce and mix with pasta
    
16. Add rest of the cheese to the top
    
17. Mix the panko and butter, spread on the top of the dish
    
18. Put in 400°F / 200°C oven until the top is browned (about 20 minutes)
    

For the chili sauce:
Spoiler!

This recipe is a lot more freeform than the mac and so I don't have exact amounts for the seasoning, sorry!
Ingredients:
1lb / 0.5 kg ground beef (I tend to prefer leaner beef so that when it comes time to drain the fat, there's less to do)
29 oz / 1 lb / 850 mL plain tomato sauce* (the kind that comes in cans or cartons, unseasoned!)
1 clove fresh garlic or some garlic and/or onion powder
chili powder
old bay** (once again, optional)
black and/or white pepper
salt (I use seasoned salt in america and regular salt in sweden, both work fine!)
Worcestershire sauce
apple cider vinegar (optional)
* I'd suggest getting a couple smaller things of tomato sauce the first time around to see if you want to use all of it for a more saucy sauce, or less for a more meaty sauce
** I'm from Baltimore and I like old bay, please forgive me using it so much I can't help it aaa

Directions:

1. Heat up a large frying pan to medium-low (closer to low than to medium) and brown the ground beef slowly, chopping it up with your spatula/whatever as you go.  You don't want big beef chunks in the sauce, unless you do, in which case don't chop it up too much!!  This recipe is generally all down to your personal preference in the end.
   
2. Once the beef is browned, drain the fat and try to dry the meat a bit.  With too much fat left in and on the beef, the sauce gets a bit weird in my experience.
   
3. Open the tomato sauce can/carton/whatever and add a bit to the meat.  Add the rest to a large saucepan (one that can hold both the sauce and the meat eventually!) and start heating it on low.
   
4. Start dumping some seasoning on the meat!  Add chili powder, garlic/onion powder, pepper, salt, old bay, worcestershire sauce, and apple cider vinegar here.  Be generous with the chili powder, I probably use about 1tsp/5mL of it or more.
   
5. If you're using fresh garlic, mince it and add it to the meat along with the seasoning.
   
6. Mix that stuff up real good so all the meat is coated with the sauce/seasoning in the pan, and let the meat simmer like that for about 3-5 minutes.  Make sure the heat is pretty low (I always end up setting the heat a bit too high at first and need to turn it down as the meat cooks)
   
7. Once the meat has absorbed a bit of the tomato sauce and vinegar, dump it in the saucepan with the rest of the tomato sauce and mix it together real well.
   

Once both of these are done, keep them separate until they're in someone's bowl to eat!  This makes a lot of both mac and sauce and it's far nicer to reheat seperately and then mix together while you're eating it, I find.
I wouldn't suggest this meal for anyone who has a stomach sensitive to spice/one with an ulcer (having had this stuff with what was probably an ulcer, it hurts a lot)

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Potato Pepperoni Mini Quiches!
These are my go-to food when I'm invited to a party and want to bring something.  They're more like an omelet bite than a mini-quiche since there's no crust like a normal quiche, but they're delicious regardless.
Spoiler!

From:
http://foodwishes.blogspot.com/2013/02/p...-last.html
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r_ZSis4y_F8

Ingredients:
4 oz / 110g chorizo or pepperoni
2 tsp / 10mL olive oil
1 russet potato
salt and pepper to taste
vegetable spray, as needed
8 large eggs, beaten with pinch of cayenne and ½ tsp / 2mL salt
about ⅔ cup / 150g grated manchego or cheddar cheese
garlic aioli and chive to garnish (I skip this part personally, they're always gone so fast there's no time for fancy garnish)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F / 175°C
   
2. Dice chorizo/pepperoni
   
3. Heat skillet to medium-low and saute chorizo/pepperoni in olive oil for about 3-4 minutes, stirring
   
4. Dice potato and add to skillet, turn heat to medium and add pinch of salt
   
5. Cook until fork-tender (about 10 minutes)
   
6. Transfer potato and chorizo/pepperoni to paper towel lined plate to absorb some of the grease
   
7. Let drain for about 10 minutes
   
8. Grate cheese
   
9. Spray mini-muffin tins with vegetable spray
   
10. Add pinch of cheese to bottom of each tin
    
11. Spoon potato chorizo mixture into tins, filling about 3/4 (do not pack down)
    
12. Crack eggs into bowl, add pinch of cayenne and salt
    
13. Beat thoroughly, no separation
    
14. Pour eggs into each tin, filling just slightly from the top
    
15. Shake and tap tins to settle eggs
    
16. Add pinch of cheese to top
    
17. Transfer tins to baking sheet
    
18. Bake for about 17 minutes
    

These things will vanish like magic at most parties in my experience.

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Swedish Semlor!
Semlor were one of my favorite things I ate while in Sweden, and when I got home I had to try and make some myself.  Apparently this recipe is a good one, because when I returned to Sweden and made some for Spy and his family, they loved them!  I figure if a recipe for a Swedish dish can impress a group of Swedish people, that's pretty good!
I didn't change this recipe at all from the one on the website I got it from, whenever I made it, so posting it in here is mostly for posterity's sake and because I've converted a few of the measurements.
Spoiler!

From:
http://www.swedishfood.com/swedish-food-...uns-semlor



Ingredients:
425g / 800mL vetemjöl, strong white flour or AP flour
50g / 100mL superfine or confectioner's sugar
½ tsp / 2.5mL salt
1 tsp / 5mL ground cardamom
250g / 250mL milk
75g unsalted butter, softened
7g instant dried yeast OR 25g fresh yeast
1 egg (lightly beaten)
1 egg (thinned with water, optional for glazing)

Method if making by hand
If you are making the buns by hand it is easier to add melted butter to the mixture, but otherwise the recipe is exactly the same as using a stand-mixer.

Directions:

1. Add the flour, the sugar, salt and cardamom to a mixing bowl and stir thoroughly.
   
2. Add the yeast and stir thoroughly. (Skip to below if using jäst för söta degar).
   
3. Carefully melt the butter in a saucepan and then add the milk. Heat until just warm, 40ºC (104ºF).
   If you would prefer to use jäst för söta degar, simply crumble the yeast and add it to lukewarm milk instead, reducing the temperature of the milk to 37°C (98°F).
   
4. Add the milk mixture and the beaten egg to the flour and stir with a large spoon until you get a sticky dough.
   
5. Turn the dough on to a floured work surface and knead for at least 5 minutes until it starts to feel smooth and elastic. If the dough is too wet add a tablespoon of flour at a time, but take care not to add too much as the buns will end up too dry. The dough should feel sticky, but it shouldn't stick to your fingers.
   
6. Put the kneaded dough back in the mixing bowl, cover with a clingfilm (plastic wrap) and put in a warm place to rise for 40—90 minutes, until doubled in size.
   
7. Line two baking sheets with baking parchment.
   
8. Tip the dough onto a lightly floured surface and punch once or twice to knock it back. Divide into 12 pieces of roughly equal size, work into evenly shaped balls and place on the baking sheets. Leave to rise, covered with a damp kitchen towel, for about 30 minutes until doubled in size again.
   
9. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F, gas 6, fan 180°C).
   
10. If desired, lightly glaze the buns with a beaten egg thinned with a tablespoon of water.
    
11. Bake the buns in the bottom half of the oven for 15-20 minutes, until nicely browned.
    
12. Allow to cool on a wire rack under a kitchen towel.
    
13. Once cool, slice a thin portion off the top of each bun and set aside. Using a fork, tease out a small layer of crumbs from each bun and reserve them in a bowl. Grate the almond paste and combine it with the reserved crumbs and 100 g of milk. Blend everything thoroughly until it forms a thick paste.
    
14. Whip the cream until stiff.
    
15. Place enough of the filling in each hollowed bun so it comes to the edge without going over the side. Spoon or pipe a generous helping of whipped cream on top, trim the lid to a diamond or heart shape if desired and then replace the lid. Dust with icing sugar and serve immediately.
    

This recipe makes 12 semlor, which is just under the amount of semlor that can kill you, 14.

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Russian Tea Cookies / Wedding Cakes!
I love these things.  They're very floury in taste, but in a delicious way.  Like the name suggests, they go really nicely with some tea!
Spoiler!

From:
http://foodwishes.blogspot.se/2015/12/ru...ookie.html
]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Js1ztb9T3j0]



Ingredients:
Makes about 28 to 32 Russian Tea Cakes:
1 cup / 2 sticks / 250g room temperature unsalted butter
⅓ cup / 80mL packed cup powdered sugar (plus much more to coat finished cookies)
1 cup / 250g finely chopped walnuts (very lightly toast nuts in dry pan first for best results)
⅛ tsp / .5mL salt
1 tsp / 5mL vanilla extract
2 cups + 2 tbsp / 505mL all-purpose flour
- Roll into just slightly larger than 1-inch balls, bake at 350°F / 175°C for 15 to 25 minutes, or until lightly golden

Directions:

1. Toast walnuts in dry pan over medium heat, let cool and chop
   
2. Add sugar to butter in mixing bowl
   
3. Add walnuts, salt, vanilla and flour to bowl
   
4. Mix ingredients with hands until clumpy and can be rolled into balls
   
5. Roll dough into balls and place on baking sheet, placed slightly apart
   
6. Put in 350°F / 175°C oven for 15-25 minutes, or until lightly golden
   
7. Let cookies sit for 5 minutes
   
8. Toss cookies in powdered sugar
   
9. Let cookies cool completely
   
10. Toss cookies in sugar again
    
11. Dust in sugar lightly again to serve (if you wanna be fancy)
    

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Now I wanna see what y'all got!!  Post your best recipes so that we all may kill ourselves with delicious food.