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Starving Artist Cafe

Cookery is a juggling act between time, money, and skill. With several hobbies competing for my limited spare time, cooking method often determines what I make. Therefore, on the left side: recipes by cooking method. On the right side, the index of food by name. Keep up with a FREE subscription to the BABA YAGA newsletter.

Oven, Braised

Meat, Braised : Brisket, Corned Beef, Meat Loaf, Roulades, Stew

Oven, Baked

Biscuits
Bread
Kneaded Bread Recipes
No-knead Recipes
Bread Specialties
Bread Dipping Oils
Boston Brown Bread, steamed in a slow cooker with special pan.
Brownies
Chex Mix
Cabbage: Stuffed Cabbage
Cakes: I have read of folks baking cakes in an electric skillet. The cake does not brown but it does cook through.
Cookies:
Biscotti and Rusks
Shortbread, Plain and Chocolate Covered
Devon Cream for shortbread
Theresa's Chocolate Chow-Mein Cookies
Ginger Biscuits, three types.
Lindsay Tarts, using shortbread dough.
Snickerdoodles
Chocolate Chip Cookies
Chocolate Marshmallow Bars
Rice Krispie Cookies
Oatmeal Toffee with Heath Bar bits
Crackers
Irish Brown Bread
Muffins
Vegetables
Roasting:
  • 425 F ideal for most vegies; root vegetables, crucifers, zucchini, onions, bell peppers, cabbage, tomatoes.
  • Cut into bite size pieces and toss with good-tasting oil until vegies have a glassy coating. Mild oil is recommended.
  • Re-toss begies with salt;
  • Spread out on baking sheet; that will make the difference between roasting and steaming;
  • Check for toasted bits after 15 minutes. That's the signal that the vegies are done. There is leeway here on roasting time.

Slow Cooker

Slow Cookers are also known as Crock Pots. All crockpots are not alike! Some cook twice as fast as others. Use the time instructions in the following recipes as GUIDELINES only; pay attention to what YOUR crockpot does the first time you cook each recipe.
Bean Soup
Cheese Macaroni
Hot Dogs
Lasagna with Lasagna or Spaghetti Noodles
Meatloaf with Veggies
Moroccan Vegetable Stew
Pasta Stoup (with vegetables and chickpeas)
Polenta
Ravioli
Rice Pudding
Sweet Potato or Yams

Stove Top

Baked Macaroni
Chapatti and Hummus
Chili
Chickpeas and Potatoes with Cumin and Mustard Seeds
Cornbread as a Waffle
Pesto and Pasta Salads
Gelatin:
Broken Glass Jello
Gelatin: excellent source of protein. Kosher beef gelatin is considered a high-grade source. One tablespoon gells one pint of liquid.

Beverages, Condiments, Dips

Beverages: Tea, Punch, Smoothies, Alcohol-Enhanced

Family recipes

Kitchen Medicine

References

Now THIS is a blog! Five O'Clock Teaspoon, cultural perspectives on the art of cookery.

Cast Iron Cooking

  • Do not subject the cast iron pots to sudden changes of temperature; they may warp or crack. Heat and cool gradually.
  • Acidic foods, like tomatoes, can be cooked in cast iron AFTER seasoning is well established.
  1. From Cast Iron Skillet Hack:
  2. Pre Heat Cast Iron Pan by placing skillet on burner mid/high heat for 3 to 4 min
  3. Add butter or choice of cooking oil
  4. Once melted make sure cooking juice is evenly spread over entire cooking surface
  5. Cook.
  • Hand wash by hand with mild soap or none at all.
  • Dry ASAP
  • Rub with a light coat of vegetable oil after every use, preferably while pan is warm.. Olive oil and butter are NOT recommended.
  • If it rusts: scour the rust wth steel wool, rinse and dry, rub with a little vegetable oil
  • Lots of rust? Re-seasoning instructions at Lodgemfg.com

Cookies

Freezing cookie dough: drop cookies frozen in balls and then stored in plastic bag. Sliced cookies frozen as logs.

Eggs

Peeling Eggs Instead of boiling fresh eggs, you should STEAM THEM! All you do is use a vegetable steamer or a double boiler. Fill the bottom with some water and heat to boiling. Add your eggs into the upper basket, cover, and steam for 20 minutes. After cooking, immediately put the eggs into ice cold water to cool.

Is the egg fresh? Put the egg into a deep bowl of water and:

  1. If it sinks quickly to the bottom in a horizontal position this means that it is very fresh so you can use it without fear.
  2. If it sinks slowly and reaches the bottom in a vertical position, it means that it is still in good condition but should be consumed quickly, so don't wait a few days to eat it.
  3. If the egg floats or does not sink completely, throw it away because it is rotten or off and is not fit for consumption.

You can also check its freshness on your plate: when you open the egg and the yolk and the white are firm and do not spread out it means that it is fresh. However, if both parts spread too much and the yolk loses its consistency it is not as "new" as you thought.

Meat

Always let meat rest for a few minutes after cooking to allow the juices to redistribute; this keeps the meat moist for eating. Also: always slice then and cut against the grain. This makes any piece of meat more tender.

Pastry

Rolling dough: "Also, I added 3T of sour cream with the butter. It makes for very tender pastry. Since it's a fairly soft dough, chill as long as possible (I did overnight) so that you have to use a min. amount of flour for rolling. Better yet, roll between 2 sheets of waxed paper, remove the top sheet, cut the shapes without removing them, and put the whole thing in the freezer for a few minutes to get them good and stiff again. They will pop out easily and the scraps can be re-rolled over and over since no flour was added in rolling."

Seasoning

Acid is as important as salt; white wine, lemon juice, vinegar. A teaspoon is enough and can seriously transform a 'flat' dish.

Shade-tolerant Vegetables

  1. Kale
  2. Scallions
  3. Beets
  4. Parsley
  5. Spinach
  6. Carrots
  7. Cilantro
  8. Turnips
  9. Chard
  10. Lettuce
  11. Arugula
  12. Garlic
  13. Potatoes
  14. Mustard Greens
  15. Bok Choy

Successful gardening

  • Berries
  • Perennials: asparagus, artichokes, rhubarb, sage, thyme, tarragon, mint and oregano.
  • Rosemary
  • Leeks and garlic
  • Tomatoes
  • Figs (if practical in your climate) or Asian pear tree for colder climates
  • Pecans, hazelnuts

Index

Baked Macaroni

Beverages: Tea, Punch, Smoothies, Alcohol-Enhanced

Biscuits

Bread

Boston Brown Bread, steamed in a slow cooker with special pan.

Brownies

Cabbage: Stuffed Cabbage

Cakes: I have read of folks baking cakes in an electric skillet. The cake does not brown but it does cook through.

Chapatti and Hummus

Cheese Macaroni in a Crockpot

Chex Mix

Chili

Cookies:

Cornbread as a Waffle

Crackers

Dips

Herbs, Spices and Seasoned Salts

Hummus

Gelatin:

  • Broken Glass Jello
  • Gelatin: excellent source of protein, but there is no plant sources. Kosher beef gelatin is considered a high-grade source. One tablespoon gells one pint of liquid. It is frequently dissolved in cold water and then hot water is added, stir until dissolved, but that is not a hard-and-fast rule.

Irish Brown Bread

Lasagna

Meat, Braised

  • Brisket
  • Corned Beef
  • Meat Loaf
  • Roulades
  • Stew

Meatloaf with Veggies

Moroccan Vegetable Stew

Muffins

Omelet

Pancakes and Waffles

Panini

Pasta recipes

Pasta Stoup (with vegetables and chickpeas)

Pesto and Pasta Salad for Christmas Eve.

Potatoes

Quick Mix

Ravioli

Rice Pudding

Salad

Scones and Sodabread.

Soup

Spaghetti Un-Casseroles

Spanish Rice


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Author: Maura Enright
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Last updated Aug 2020
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