What, Oldog, is "lime aid mix?" Frozen lime juice? I'm really curious, I do most of the cooking 'round here, and am always looking for simple, new or old things to try. My repertoire gets stuck in a rut...
Daddio, look in th frozen juice section at the store if they have it, Its with the orange juice. lime aid is sweetened, vs lime juice which is not. margarita frozenmix can be used as well although lime aid works better IMO .
the Recipie can be tinkered with some with good result, Again the sugar in the marinade makes it want to burn watch the heat and turn frequently..
Now... for something completely different. M just came up with this, out of the blue, yesterday.
Homemade Pill Pockets
Boil a cup or 2 of penne pasta, drain. Add some butter, bacon grease, parmesan cheese, mix well. Option: Add finely ground bacon bits. Insert doggie pill, offer to the critter... GULP!!!
Backstory: One of our dogs, well, he aint natural. We medicate him with 3 different pills to control seizures. Problem is, he can just about tell every time if we're trying to sneak in a pill. Don't matter if it's yummy steak, cheese, most anything any other dog would snarf down instantly, along with a finger maybe. Plus, he's dang finicky. Much of the time we end up having to shove the pills down his gullet manually, which is loads of fun. Not. So, FINALLY, hopefully, my brilliant woman has arrived at a solution to the problem.
For those with similar issues, give this a try! And, by all means, share ideas for improvement. This is a HECK of a lot cheaper than the brand-name "Pill Pockets".
Posted on Wednesday, February 17, 2021 - 03:33 am:
As for tips:
Tip #1 Get the pan searing hot first before placing the meat in there. This way, the meat develops a crust quickly so that the juices remain in the meat and don't seep out. Also, a hot pan is a non-stick pan. Meat sticks to cold metal much easier than to hot metal.
Tip #2 When you flip a steak or burger in a pan, don't place it in the same spot as before. That spot has become "cold" and will not cook the meat as good as other hotter spots in the pan.
Tip #3 The thicker the pan,the better. Thick pans remain hotter for longer. Don't use Teflon pans for meat, they can't take high heat that well.
Posted on Wednesday, February 17, 2021 - 09:53 am:
I like the reverse sear method for a lot of meats. steaks and pork chops. Cook in a low oven up to about 10 degrees below desired done-ness, then sear briefly in a blazing hot pan. That eliminates almost all the grey band of overcooked meat. America's Test Kitchen.
Su Vide does much the same with a more controlled environment and extends the "dwell" time, ideal for restaurants and busy folk who need time flexibility. The oven technique is best done in sequence without pause. Su Vide is fine when you are actually taking up to hours, are willing to take the time to plan and start a meal, but may not want to finish at a set time.
Flexibility costs more total time to allow finishing & serving after binge watching one, or five sitcoms.
When you reverse sear in an oven you still get the 20 minutes of no work except listening for the thermometer to beep ( The smart, lazy use in oven thermometer probe ) but then have to finish the cooking before the internal temperature drops and you get cold rubbery food.
But I also like the cast iron pan technique from Cuisine at Home. Preheat cast iron pan in 450f oven for 15 minutes. Oil, and place steak in pan for 3 minutes, then flip and place in oven for 3-4 minutes depending on desired doneness. ( again, in oven thermometer probe is nice ) Let Rest 5 minutes under loose foil. ( no rest time needed with Su Vide or reverse sear )
Or for a real time saver, DON'T microwave steak for 2 minutes, then order pizza, because you'd ruin it, eat steak later when you're willing to do it right.
A vacuum sealer is a good investment. My sister cooks for weeks before her annual 2 week camping trip. Fills a cooler with dry ice and individual frozen servings, including cooked rice! Just drop bags in pot of water on the stove. She gets a week of safe chili, stews, 5 cheese Mac, etc. before it thaws. ( Igloo "7 day" cooler ) More if she does a dry ice run off site.
For liquid foods, like Chili, cook batch, let cool until you can handle pot and bags bare handed, then partially fill bags and freeze, OPEN, stacked in freezer vertically ( they make racks, but arranging boxes to constrain the bags works, albeit with some thawing of the box's contents ) THEN vacuum seal without sucking liquids into pump.
There's a lot of foods, chilis and stews, that are better after cooling and reheating. Those are prime candidates for vacuum sealers.
Go see Inman. heading to Townsend down TN321, he's just before the entrance to The Foothills Parkway. Makes boiled peanuts there, pork rinds, etc., sells apples, honey, birdhouses, walking sticks... ask to see pics of his several '55 Bel Airs. On the side of the road. Woman and I love the spicy.
