Cookbook?

[RAGER]

I'm not really saying I'm going to write a cookbook because at my advanced age I don't think I possess the muster to. But if I were to write one what would be a good subject or topic?

A recent development has me musing. The churchy hipster dingbat across the street with a bunch of kids just wrote one to be released in April. I've checked out the IG page on the DL and I don't much care for the content. It's not interesting and it's all foofy lighting and styling.  Still a bit envious if I'm being honest.

So it got me thinking what I would write one about.

[mortlock]

You are an awesome cook so anything you featured would be a hit. Maybe instead of focusing on a particular style or region of the world, you could have different chapters for different styles or regions you want to feature.

I expect an exclusive chapter for DCS.

[sleestak]

Hot dog chapter.

[RAGER]

Yeah I could do a chapter on doing a bunch of stuff with hotdogs without ever doing anything normal/traditional. 

[RAGER]

You are an awesome cook so anything you featured would be a hit. Maybe instead of focusing on a particular style or region of the world, you could have different chapters for different styles or regions you want to feature.

I expect an exclusive chapter for DCS.

Although I'd love to do some Asian dishes I'm a white guy that's never even been to an Asian country and hardly an authority on the subject. I'd be roundly lambasted. And deserve it.

It'd be fun to do a bunch of random stuff with minimal ingredients ya know. Something like  "Got nothin ta eat in the house eh?  Watch this!"  and pull out something cool.

"Pimp my pantry outta nuthin". Except I can't  say pimp.

[socket]

Where's the Kickstarter link?

[RAGER]

You can just PayPal me all of what you have.

[Muffin Man]

I keep thinking sauces, a book on those and put with amuse-bouche dishes. Maybe that's too tappas or appetizery. Dunno. Something to do with sauces and/or condiments like that red flake oil stuff you make.

[Pissy]

I think it's a great idea.  In my head it would make more sense to appeal to a broad range of people, so something like a fantastic meal from leftovers in terms of concepts and examples could strike a chord.  I do wonder if The Splendid Table may have done it once before, because they used to have that segment (maybe still do) on the show.   Don't matter though.  Every subject has been covered many times over.

Something that requires lots of money at specialty shops won't get much participation in the real world from lay-people, though that doesn't mean they wouldn't buy a cookbook showcasing such a thing.

You could do a publish on demand thing to start.  No publisher required.  Start with one recipe, write, photo, lay it out and get an independent honest third party to give you creative criticism, then use it creatively and i think you could make something to be proud of. 

[mortlock]

Do a stoner themed cookbook on munchies. Name the recipes after bands or album/song titles.

[RAGER]

All good ideas.

Question?  What are some of the things you always seem to
still have when you're ready to go shopping and you need to make
dinner. You can include condiments.


What is always in your pantry?  Noodles rice dried beans something
in a can you've had there for a year maybe?

Do you have any edible things in your yard right now? 

[Pissy]

Always have bbq sauce and mayonnaise.  Soy sauce.  Butter. 

Leftovers almost always include rice, some form of creamy pasta roasted or grilled chicken, taco meat (finding a use for white trash taco meat would be a good one.  Almost always goes right back into a boring taco or gol' dang queso-dilla).  Leftover pancakes, mashed potatoes too.

Vegetables don't normally get saved.  No one will eat them, unless it's grilled zucchini. 

[RAGER]

Good list. Lemme think.

[Pissy]

Also like 3 bottles of the same brand horseradish mustard are in my fridge right now.  Along with dijon and basic yellow and even a grain mustard.  I mean we like mustard, but not like that inventory would suggest. 

[Pissy]

Do a stoner themed cookbook on munchies. Name the recipes after bands or album/song titles.

Good niche reader base.  Brownie batter deep fried chicken legs. 

[RAGER]

Leftover taco meat can go in breakfast burritos or an omelette. Fry some taters and mix the meat with some shredded cheese and melt over the top. Add it to breadcrumbs to top your mac and cheese.

As for the rice and veggies I'd do fried rice with veggies sautéed last and folded in along with a thin egg only omelette rolled and cut into chiffonades.

Make a stir fry sauce out of the soy and bbq sauce. It's good.

Use all the same above but cook the rice down first in stock or just water. Then add the other stuff for a nice hot bowl of congee.

Another to do with those leftover veggies is purée them and use as a base layer under a protein.

Mustards and horseradish can always go in vinaigrette or dressing. Can't remember the last time I bought a bottle of salad dressing.

[mortlock]

Nothing edible in the yard right now unless you count the deer poop that my dog would love to eat if i let her.

[RAGER]

Make gnocchi with the leftover mashed taters. Kids would love probably.

[Pissy]

Growing up the stand in grandma for me and my brother was a really good cook.  She would make yeast rolls regularly.   No one has her recipe, but the rumor was that she used the water from boiling potatoes to mix the dough. 

[RAGER]

Yes I've heard of that. Just using it to be frugal as it cools it passes into the right temp for yeast could have been an old timey habit. If it ferments a bit I could see it adding something too.

I've never made bread that way but I often reuse it for soups or gravies. Kinda like you would pasta water. I always save or reuse poaching/braising liquid too.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[RAGER]

I keep thinking sauces, a book on those and put with amuse-bouche dishes. Maybe that's too tappas or appetizery. Dunno. Something to do with sauces and/or condiments like that red flake oil stuff you make.

It would be cool to do a sauce flow chart.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[RAGER]

Also if I do YouTube videos which I'll have to to hype my book signings, I could include music pairings. What to listen to while cooking and what to listen to while dining.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Muffin Man]

The flowchart would be great, I acutally could use one.  Your food music pairing idea is intriguing.

[Pissy]

Dining music should always alternate between Neurosis' Souls At Zero and Buzzov-en's Sore.  You know, something light and uplifting. 

I can't make sense of the YouTube music licensing policy.  It's bonkers and ever changing.  My channel is nothing more than album sides transcribed straight from vinyl to the platform.  Everything gets claimed for copyright, which is fine, but as contracts and licensing between labels and YouTube get renewed, vids that have been there for years get blocked.  My account gets a violation, and my catalog shrinks.


Meanwhile the exact same albums are found elsewhere on the platform and still visible, uploaded by joe schmoe who certainly doesn't have permission.  Why that guy can continue and I can't, isn't something YouTube will ever truly explain.  It's an algorithm, and hands get thrown in the air. 

So... while I would encourage you to incorporate a playlist, recognize that shit like that might happen.  And it can be infuriating.

[RAGER]

Anyways.

How about different ingredients in run of the mill plain recipes.

I like to do grilled cheese with Szechuan chili oil or kimchi or Szechuan pickle.

Sausage with with fermented black bean.

Red Thai curry gravy mashed potatoes.

Coleslaw with king oyster mushrooms.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk