What's for dinner?

[Whistler]

if I make homemade chicken broth, yes, I usually eat it in soup. Recently I've taken to buying organic chickens, roasting them, and then using the carcass for broth (basically, organic chicken is spendy and you bet I will use those bones). Boullion can get pretty good and I use it for almost everything non-chicken-soup I need it for (I find canned broth to take up way too much space).

[Marduk]

Now, THERE'S where a huge difference is. Boullion is no substitute for broth. It just makes things taste like Ramen Noodles.

[Dragon Lady]

I use it for both soups and other things. I'm not about to have two different kinds of broth, depending on what I cook.

[Marduk]

I use it for both soups and other things. I'm not about to have two different kinds of broth, depending on what I cook.

I was curious if you used the broth AS a soup. I still maintain that putting it IN something there is no difference, flavor-wise. Even soup.

[Dragon Lady]

I use it for both soups and other things. I'm not about to have two different kinds of broth, depending on what I cook.

I was curious if you used the broth AS a soup. I still maintain that putting it IN something there is no difference, flavor-wise. Even soup.

I do it more for health and self-reliance purposes than for flavor. I don't have a very discerning palate. Minor flavor differences mean nothing to me. I'm not sure if that's a good or bad thing.

[Marduk]

My mother is the same way, which is very frustrating when she asks me to cook for family gatherings, because that means she grocery shops.

Without fail, I give her a detailed list of what to get, and an item comes back that is not what I asked for, because "what's the difference?"

Some egregious (to me, anyways. I don't know if anyone else will agree) examples:

Buying margarine instead of butter (though this one hasn't happened in a few years.)
Not buying shallots, or coming back with some kind of onion (usually white.)
Buying mozzarella instead of fresh mozzarella.
Buying yellow mustard instead of brown.
Buying red wine instead of red wine vinegar.

There's probably a lot more, but those are the easiest to recall right now.

[SmurfBlueSnuggie]

Chicken and Broccoli Braid

I'm trying this tonight! Thanks for the recipe, Digit.

[Dragon Lady]

To be fair, I usually follow whatever recipe I have. Or in that case, I'd buy whatever you ask. Since I can't tell the difference, but I know others can, I want it to be right. I'm not a very confident cook unless it's a recipe I make often. And then it's usually that I'm confident simply because I have the thing memorized and know it's going to turn out yummy. Not so much confident in changing things up at all. (Though, I have been toying with our stroganoff recipe lately... making my own cream of mushroom soup. That's a huge change for me. And I want to start experimenting with the crusty bread I make to add in herbs or cheeses. But the desire to do it is being nixed by the scariness of such an experiment. Perhaps I'll google some recipes first... )

[UffishThought]

I made this tonight. http://www.melskitchencafe.com/2013/06/ ... -ziti.html

It was good, but MAN that's a lot of cheese. I might half it next time.

[Indefinite Integral]

So, if you want another idea, I came up with one last night. Pizza! I love putting shredded chicken on pizza. You can make chicken alfredo pizza (either homemade or bottled alfredo sauce, chicken, seasoned salt, maybe some chili powder, whatever else you want) or barbecue chicken pizza. Mmmm....

[UffishThought]

Did someone already say salad? It could be a good thing to mix in salad, too.

[vorpal blade]

So, if you want another idea, I came up with one last night. Pizza! I love putting shredded chicken on pizza. You can make chicken alfredo pizza (either homemade or bottled alfredo sauce, chicken, seasoned salt, maybe some chili powder, whatever else you want) or barbecue chicken pizza. Mmmm....

I came here with the same idea! Last night we had a guest for dinner. We had pizza. He said his favorite topping for pizza was barbecue chicken. I said, "There's an idea for using chicken. I'll have to let Dragon Lady know." He said, "Who's Dragon Lady?"

When I told him that Dragon Lady didn't want to experiment with something new and scary like a curry he asked, "She is called Dragon Lady and she doesn't want to try something new like curry?" I didn't have an answer for that.

[Digit]

Chicken and Broccoli Braid

I'm trying this tonight! Thanks for the recipe, Digit.

I hope you liked it, SmurfBlueSnuggie Honestly, I haven't had it from personal experience and just thought it looked good from the pictures on that recipe site I'll have to try it too.

[Whistler]

My mother is the same way, which is very frustrating when she asks me to cook for family gatherings, because that means she grocery shops.

Without fail, I give her a detailed list of what to get, and an item comes back that is not what I asked for, because "what's the difference?"

Some egregious (to me, anyways. I don't know if anyone else will agree) examples:

Buying margarine instead of butter (though this one hasn't happened in a few years.)
Not buying shallots, or coming back with some kind of onion (usually white.)
Buying mozzarella instead of fresh mozzarella.
Buying yellow mustard instead of brown.
Buying red wine instead of red wine vinegar.

There's probably a lot more, but those are the easiest to recall right now.

that's... very frustrating.

[Dragon Lady]

Actually, Vorpal, I love curry. Haha. Maybe I should try my coconut chicken curry with shredded chicken instead of cubed. That could be yummy.

Also, Whistler, I'll have you know it's been really hard not to just shoot down a recent idea on here. So in an attempt to make an effort to change...

So... I don't know how to make pizza crust. I've bought it before and it turned out horrible. I've been scared of it ever since. Related: for our wedding we were given a pizza pan with a bunch of little holes in it. I understand it's supposed to make pizza crust crispier. But if I cook pizza on it from dough, the dough just seeps into the little holes and makes it hard to take off. Am I supposed to cook the pizza on a different pizza pan and then transfer it to this one for the end? Or how the heck am I supposed to use it? Also, I don't have a pizza stone or those wooden slats to transfer pizzas. Can I just buy those disposable baking sheets from Papa Murphys? Can... anyone help me solve any of the above? I mean, I think it could be fun to make pizza. It just scares me. So it's currently on the Scary list. But for reasons of inadequacy rather than fear of eating.

[thatonemom]

I got an airbake when I got married, too, Dragon Lady! I love it, but it's terrible for anything doughy. It makes an excellent frozen pizza, though. You could always try those pre-made pizza crusts they sell at the store. I know Boboli is one brand, but I'm sure there are others. That should cook just fine on an airbake. There's also the roll out pizza crust that comes in those little pop-open (and scare the crap out of you) rolls. I've never tried those so I don't know how tasty they are. A pizza made from that would have to be cooked on a regular hole-free baking sheet, though. A regular cookie sheet works fine, especially if you don't mind rectangular shaped pizza.

What happened with your pizza crust before that it didn't turn out? (too dry? too thick? etc)

[UffishThought]

A lot of pizza places will sell you dough, too. I keep meaning to get some from Brick Oven or Nicolitalia's, but I always forget or get intimidated.

I'll second the regular cookie sheet, especially if you sprinkle cornmeal on it to keep the pizza from sticking. My mom always made pizzas on cookie sheets, and it worked just fine.

[Katya]

A lot of pizza places will sell you dough, too. I keep meaning to get some from Brick Oven or Nicolitalia's, but I always forget or get intimidated.

There was a chain of pizzerias in Maine/New Hampshire that also sold the dough in grocery stores, so you could get five or six types of really good pizza dough with the rest of your groceries. I really miss that part of Maine.

[Whistler]

If you've ever made bread by hand, pizza dough is even easier. I use a recipe from a cookbook, but something like this with would probably be fine (and you can roll out the dough if tossing seems weird). Try to think of it as making bread that doesn't take as long.

I also have one of those pizza pans with holes in it. It's good to grease it really well. I like to stretch/roll my dough out before putting on the pizza pan, but my husband likes to push it down into shape. Either will work honestly.

You're pregnant so you might not be in the mood to try making pizza dough at home. But does Yellow like cooking much? Sometimes people will get surprisingly excited about homemade pizza. I know I do!

[Dragon Lady]

Heh. Yellow doesn't cook unless I'm too sick to do it and ask him to. He's gotten a bunch of experience this pregnancy. lol. But I think asking him to make a dough would be pushing it. I don't mind making bread. Maybe I should get brave and try it. It's just that pizza pan that has been scaring me off. I should just do a regular cookie sheet. I should just get brave. Be brave, DL. Be brave.... someday. Maybe I'll try a frozen one first. Or see if Papa Murphys sells dough.