What are you cooking today?

 I measure ingredients by hand and eye too. Eventually you just look at the quantity of food and know how much to add. Just go slow with the salt. I don't bake either because that is science.

Smoked cheese

1. you can smoke cheese at home
2. you can use a gas grill or covered charcoal grill to do this
3. you can refrain from comments regarding bongs, SCI or a combination thereof.

Smoking food has two basic methods: smoke cooking, with heat to cook the food, and cold smoking, to flavor and treat it without cooking, at less than 80* (* = degrees symbol). For the latter, all it takes is a combination of cold outside temps and a closed area.

For the smoke:
firebox: a metal box or pan, even an old hubcap, in the bottom of the grill, off to the side.

Wood: Use any hardwood and experiment with flavor (pecan is too heavy IMO; oak is the best; mesquite is its own flavor). Look for a new delivery of firewood and split out some heart wood (notice how the oak smells like bourbon?) then cut chunks with your table or skil saw. Even a fallen green branch provides good wood--but no bark! The greener the better. No pine or other evergreen.  Or buy chips and chunks (chunks are better for this). Soaking chunks is a waste of time.

Fire: Light a few pieces of charcoal (never matchlight!) outside the grill--or I use the fire from the gas grill then remove it once lit. Put one or two pieces of charcoal in your firebox and set several wood chunks on top of them. The other lit pieces: put several pieces of charcoal on them outside the grill, and as the first batch burns down, they will light the new coals for replacement.

Cheese: let cheese come to room temp. Cold cheese in the smoker sweats, and sweat makes any smoked food taste sooty. If you have blocks, cut into chunks about 1 1/2 inches--the more surface area, more smoke. Look for hard cheese (until you get good at it). Costco has Cabot cheddar, asiago (my favorite) and a good manchego which work well but smoking improves cheap "rat cheese" as well. Put it in the grill away from the coals on a grill screen or perforated grill pan--although you can try going straight on the grate. But if your temps rise you may get a melt-through.

smoking: a couple of hours. Watch the temp; keep it low. you can insert a meat thermometer into the grill (not the cheese) to monitor. Refresh the charcoal and wood as needed. You do not need heavy smoke, which gets sooty tasting, too.

packing: if the cheese sweats, dry off with paper towels. Wrap in wax paper, not plastic--cheese needs to breathe. Then put it in a large ziplock with some air to breath. refrigerate. It will continue to age and get harder; it also will keep for many months (until lockn). If you get surface mold, cut it off.

Others: you can smoke nuts (cooked, or raw then cook in the oven), sea salt (plat plate, foil or stainless pan), spices, already cooked meats (salami, hot dogs) and dried vegetables. avoid fresh due to water. Add more smoke to bacon before cooking (smoke the block, don't separate).

Smoked meats:

Raw food: use this method to cold smoke meat and fish before cooking. When I make BBQ I cold smoke my rubbed butts for about 6 hours then finish in the oven, dutch oven or crock pot; salmon I cold smoke an hour or two. Skip the liquid smoke and smoke your jerky this way, although the best way is to hang it and most grills are too shallow. Of course, you can cold smoke meat for a while then ramp up the temps and cook it--I find butts are too flammable for this. Also, some people cook their ribs, etc. in the oven then finish in cold smoke--where temp control doesn't matter.

[directions for brining, curing, rubbing, seasoning another time]

Traditionally, meat was cold smoked until the smoke travelled all the way through the meat to the bone--it follows the fat lines and removes oxygen, keeping the meat from spoiling. A smokehouse full of hams and game kept a small smoke fire going for months, and necessarily started in cold months. Today we smoke for flavor (although smoked foods last without molding way longer) so we don't have to do it as long.

Also smoked meat gets a bright red color (think about the pork in Asian restaurants) usually a rung under the surface. It's cooked; looks raw. Don't be alarmed.

Smokers:

About 35 years ago I built my first smoker out of plywood and still use one just like it (had to rebuild when some butts got away from me) but you can use a large box (appliance box) old refrigerator and other containers--for cold smoking the material is not important. Mine is about 42" tall and 24" by 18"--intentionally the size of oven racks I got from the junk store to make shelves inside. My fire box is an old Hibachi; I have a hole for my thermometer. I can also hang whole fish from the top with the racks out. I can run it from cold up to 300* but I stay around 250* max. Mostly I finish meats in the oven just for time and control.

So look for one of those clear cold winter days and have at it!

I made these zucchini fritters that are so good that when my 15-year old had it for the first time asked if there were more.

INGREDIENTS
For Fritters:
3 cups packed, grated zucchini (from about 6 large zucchini)
6 tablespoons dill, chopped
1 bunch (about 8) scallions, white and light green parts finely chopped
6 tablespoons parsley, chopped
1 1/2 cups crumbled feta
4 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup flour (plus more if needed)
Salt and pepper
4 tablespoons olive oil
For Tzatziki:
2 cups greek yogurt
1 clove of garlic, minced
1/2 cup grated, peeled cucumber
1 teaspoon red wine vinegar or lemon juice
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper

DIRECTIONS
1. Make Tzatziki: Squeeze excess moisture from cucumber. In a small bowl, mix
yogurt, garlic, cucumber and vinegar or lemon juice. Stir in olive oil. Add salt and
pepper to taste.
2. Make Fritters: Lay out a layer of paper towels and spread out grated zucchini.
Sprinkle zucchini with salt and let sit for at least thirty minutes and up to an hour.
Squeeze out all excess moisture from zucchini.
3. Put drained zucchini in a large bowl with dill, scallions, nutmeg, and feta. Mix to
combine. Stir in eggs. Season with salt and pepper. Stir in flour until dough comes
together, adding slightly more flour if dough is too wet to form patties. Form dough
into 3-4 inch patties.
4. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Fry patties until golden brown
on both sides and cooked through but still moist, about 2-3 minutes per side. Serve
hot with tzatziki alongside.

YIELD: 6 ACTIVE TIME: 40 minutes TOTAL TIME: 40 minutes

My daughter (15) always has one answer when I ask what she wants for dinner: dumplings. My grandmother taught me to make them, and it's just a mix of flour and eggs that is dropped by the spoonful into boiling water, cooked a few minutes, then removed to a bowl in which you add butter and salt. 

She has asked me several times for the recipe so she can make them any time and she's having a hard time understanding there isn't a recipe to follow really, and that you just have to mix and eyeball it until you get it "right". It depends on the size of the eggs, maybe there is a larger white to yolk ratio this time, the type of flour, maybe have to add a dash of water to get the perfect consistency. It can't be too runny or thick or they won't cook through or be mushy. I told her she just has to watch me every time I make them and get the hang of it. which of course, 15 year olds don't want to do. 

My chef was sick yesterday so I stopped at Wegmans (best grocery store ever!!!) and picked up chicken marsala with sides of broccoli and macaroni and cheese. And I nuked it all by myself.

Yes...I make the world's best grilled cheese. Unfortunately I'm kind of a one horse show.

Moon--regarding your chili, your recipe is very similar to mine.

I started making my own chili powder a while ago and recommend this for making chili:
Dry mix these:
The four most important:
Corn (tortilla) flour "masa" for thickener and great flavor
Powdered oregano
Powdered cumin--tons--this is the top flavor
commercial chili powder--which is a blend (as is curry powder)and probably includes my other spices already in it

and also:

Garlic powder (even though I use lots of fresh garlic sautéed with my peppers and onions)
Chipotle powder--for smoke. Smoked paprika would work
a little sugar, to counter the dry spices' bitterness
a little salt--add more later if needed
Onion powder if you don't have fresh onions in it
I don't put in paprika simply because it is made from dried chilies just as is chili powder--Chili= pepper; paprika = Slavic for pepper. But it can't hurt.

Stir these in with the meat or vegetables as they brown/sauté so the flour cooks, just like when making a roux, then add the canned/liquid ingredients. This also opens up the spices. But later you can add more of any of them EXCEPT THE MASA to tune it up.

Also, I don't put elbow macaroni in chili; that changes its name to "Train Wreck" !

I like the way you think--I mean, cook!

Dumplings reminds me to post this one.  It does have specific measurements for the dumplings, but of course those are an art.  :


Chickpeas and Dumplings

A meatless version of Chicken and Dumplings, inspired by Thrifty Veggie Mama and Saveur, and adapted from

Martha Stewart.

Ingredients

3 tablespoons butter

1 medium onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

3 medium carrots, peeled and sliced

1 large parsnip, sliced

2 small red potatoes, diced

3 ribs celery, sliced

1 teaspoon dried thyme

2 dried bay leaves

1 cup all­purpose flour, divided

1 3/4 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

3/4 teaspoon dried dill weed (or 2 tablespoons fresh dill)

1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons milk

1/2 cup white wine

3 cups no­chicken broth

1 (15­ounce) can chickpeas (or 1 1/2 cups cooked chickpeas)

1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika

Salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions

1. Melt the butter in a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic, carrots, parsnip,

potatoes, celery, thyme, and bay leaves. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are

translucent, 5­8 minutes.

2. While the veggies are cooking, whisk together 3/4 cup flour, baking powder, salt, and dill in a

medium bowl. Use a fork to gradually stir in 1/2 cup of milk. The batter should be slightly thicker

than pancake batter and drop easily from a spoon; if it's too thick, add the additional milk 1

tablespoon at a time. Set aside.

3. Sprinkle the remaining flour over the veggies and stir to coat; cook for 30 seconds. Pour in the

white wine and cook until evaporated, about 2 minutes. Add the broth, chickpeas, paprika and

salt and pepper to the Dutch oven; bring to a slow boil, stirring occasionally, then reduce the

heat to low. Drop the dumpling batter into the pot in heaping tablespoonfuls. You should have

enough batter for 8­10 dumplings­­be sure to keep them evenly spaced because they'll expand

as they cook! Cover the Dutch oven and simmer for 20 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender

and the dumplings are firm. Remove the bay leaves before serving and season with additional

salt and pepper, if needed.

ohmyveggies.com/chickpeas­and­dumplings/

I know that you are being helpful and informative and I'm just being a smartass. I'd like to say that it won't happen again but...

I don't mind tofu as long as it's honest--a white square cube, not whittled into some faux meat shape. It's harmless and as TOO said, merely a vehicle for the sauce and spices. I first had it in Indonesia and had no idea what it was or if I was supposed to eat it. I ate a lot of food like that over in that part of the world.

Instead of tofu, mushrooms make a good neutral but protein rich ingredient often used in place of meat--something chunky.

Many veg recipes, including those here, have squash chunks (as well as eggplant, mushrooms or tofu) to add bulk and chunks in lieu of meat. Not fooling me. So unless it's a basic vegetable dish like squash casserole, I'd just as soon have the chili, lasagna, pasta sauce or stir fry without meat at all, rather than add in posers.

I've heard three types of chili "experts" where one claims "real chili" doesn't have beans, another claims it doesn't have meat, and another claim it doesn't have tomatoes. And I've had all three kinds and they are each very good if cooked right, and don't need apologies. Or squash chunks.

Either Veg Stock or there is a really good Vegetarian No Chicken Broth made by Imagine Foods. And you do realize that chickpeas is not really baby chicken pee.

The problem I have with cooking tofu at home is that by the time I am done cooking it no longer qualifies as anything approaching healthy.