Mixed Review
#11
  Re: (...)
Tonight I had my most favorite meal...finger food. There were two items from here, so I figured I'd lump them into one post and review them all.

We had marinated olives which turned out really nice. They were served warm. There were various cheeses as well.

Next, I combined two bruschetta recipes...wound up with a balsamic vinegratte (sp?) with diced tomatoes, red onion, garlic, basil, and fresh mozzerella. I served this on fresh baguette slices. (This was my best loaves of bread so far. I was very excited.) This was second favorite of hubby and myself.

Next was the Window Crab Cakes posted by Jean a while back and bumped to the top last week. I have two in the family that LOVE crab cakes and I've never been able to make them where they would stay together. NO LONGER! I now have my crab cake recipe. I may play with it a little, but they stayed together beautifully. I did chill them for several hours before frying them. This was oldest son's and hubby's favorite of the night. (Oldest really didn't want to pick...he really liked them all.) BTW, there were none left to freeze and I doubled the recipe...YIKES!

Finally, Jean's Sesame Chicken. I was very upset when I realized I did not have sesame seeds..not sure how that happened. Oh well! This was my youngest son's and my favorite of them all. He would have eaten ALL of them if I'd have let him.

All in all, it was a good night of experimentation! I can't wait for tomorrow. I've got two more days off and I'm planning on taking advantage of it by experimenting as much as possible!
Daphne
Keep your mind wide open.
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#12
  Re: Mixed Review by Gourmet_Mom (Tonight I had my mos...)
I said it in another post somewhere, but this really is my fvorite kind of dinner - just tastings all over the place. And isn't it fun to like everything.
Retired and having fun writing cookbooks, tasting wine and sharing recipes with all my friends.
www.achefsjourney.com
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#13
  Re: Mixed Review by Gourmet_Mom (Tonight I had my mos...)
WOW! Sounds like a great night. I got full just reading your post!
"Time you enjoy wasting is not wasted time."
Laura
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#14
  Re: Re: Mixed Review by luvnit (WOW! Sounds like a ...)
Funny, but I think I was most excited that my bread turned out so well...LOL! I've been trying for months to get it "right". This is the first time the crust crackled but wasn't too thick and the inside was soft and light. I finally trusted my KA to knead my dough. I noted that someone, somewhere, mentioned 4-5 minutes was all it took. I watched the dough carefully to look for those gluten strands. I think I may finally understand the process.

Of course, the chicken was just yummy. Jean mentioned that she didn't think it would work for an entree. I disagree. I didn't use "all" of the hoisin, so that may have made the difference. I plan to make it again and serve it with my fried rice. The rice dish is almost a meal in itself, so I usually only serve a small amount of protien with it so the boys feel like they've had a meal. I think 3 or 4 of these will work nicely.
Daphne
Keep your mind wide open.
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#15
  Re: Re: Mixed Review by Gourmet_Mom (Funny, but I think I...)
My family loves an old recipe I got from Taste of Home for chicken wings. We do serve it as an entree. The menu is usually:

* Marinated Chicken Wings (1/2 cup soy sauce, 1/2 cup honey, 1/2 bbq sauce)
* White Rice
* Tasty Green Veggies (salad or grilled zucchini or roasted green beans, whatever)

There is usually nothing left. My kids love this meal.
"Time you enjoy wasting is not wasted time."
Laura
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#16
  Re: Re: Mixed Review by luvnit (My family loves an o...)
Laura, does that mix for the wings give you the bbq flavor you find at Chinese places? My youngest son loves wings and ribs at these places, but I have not found anything he likes. I've tried to tell him it's probably the preservatives and MSG in the stuff they use that makes him like them, but he still insists on indulging from time to time. I'd love to find a healthy alternative.

Funny, I've never thought of adding "real" bbq sauce to any of the ones I've tried....LOL!
Daphne
Keep your mind wide open.
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#17
  Re: Re: Mixed Review by Gourmet_Mom (Laura, does that mix...)
"she didn't think it would work for an entree. I disagree." - that's good to know, I'll certainly give it a try with a good hearty rice dish.
Retired and having fun writing cookbooks, tasting wine and sharing recipes with all my friends.
www.achefsjourney.com
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#18
  Re: Re: Mixed Review by Gourmet_Mom (Laura, does that mix...)
Quote:

Laura, does that mix for the wings give you the bbq flavor you find at Chinese places?




Along with what Laura mentioned, try adding sesame oil and ginger. Makes a HUGE difference. I did that, once, to rescue some bottled BBQ sauce I had bought that was terrible, and it turned out great!
If blueberry muffins have blueberries in them, what do vegan muffins have?
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#19
  Re: Re: Mixed Review by Gourmet_Mom (Laura, does that mix...)
It has a great flavor, not too sweet, not to bbq (we use Master Piece). Great balance of flavors that mimick an Asian BBQ. You cook them for an hour at 375, stirring frequently. The sauce carmelizes over the wings and they become very sticky on the outside with tender meat on the inside. I also never use frozen, precut wings. I buy wings whole and cut them myself. They are much more meaty and don't render 'water' or ice, or whatever liquid they inject into the meat to make it weigh more. That tends to water down the sauce and it doesn't caremelize like they should.

Originally these were an appetizer, and they still make a great appetizer.
"Time you enjoy wasting is not wasted time."
Laura
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#20
  Re: Re: Mixed Review by luvnit (It has a great flavo...)
Thanks you two! I'm giving this one a try soon! Youngest son will flip!
Daphne
Keep your mind wide open.
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