Food Glorious Food - The Cooking Thread

[Yossarian]

Greecie foodies, this thread is for you!

[LAX]

I ended up making gluten free tres leches cake using a mix from Bob's Red Mill. The cake itself was okay, it tasted fine but was gritty in texture. It was better than some of the plastic y or rubbery gluten free cakes I've had in the past.

The bad part was the cake would not absorb the liquid I poured over it so the milks just pooled around the cake or filled the holes I'd poked without soaking into the cake itself. I ended up with a cake with a side of milky sauce. Tasty, but not exactly a tres leches cake.

[chonies]

Boo to Bob's Red Mill! I've tried Namaste, and that was pretty good. I also like the Betty Crocker gluten-free mixes and have had great success with them, including the vanilla.

[Carolinian]

I scored some smoked turkey breast halves today at a good price. I'm stumped, however, at how to use smoked turkey beyond sandwichs and salads. Do the Greecie cooks have any suggestions? And do you have any interesting salad and sandwich ideas too?

[LAX]

You can dice the turkey and put it in Red Beans and Rice. It'll give it a nice smoky flavor.

You could slice it thin, wrap it around your favorite stuffing/dressing, pour a little turkey gravy over each roll, then bake to heat through. Smokey thanksgiving in May.

[biondetta]

We get smoked chicken breasts in the grocery stores here, so I chop those up and mix them with some veggies and a bit of cheese and stuff peppers with the mixture.

[chonies]

I'm seeking advice about cooking quinoa. It often comes out too mushy, but when I order it elsewhere, it comes out bigger and fluffier, almost like Israeli couscous. I always rinse it, but I wonder if I'm rinsing too much, or maybe I should use salt? Most recipes use a two parts water to one part grain ratio, but I wonder if I should use slightly less water.

HALP!

[Sunnyhorse]

I would try backing off the water a just bit and see what happens.

[LAX]

I've never rinsed my quinoa. I used the 2:1 ratio, sprinkle it with a little salt and diced onions and it has always turned out fine.
I do use a rice cooker which may help with the final product.

[chonies]

Thanks for the advice! The bag [Arrowhead Mills, I think] recommended rinsing to cut down on bitterness but I think might account for that better in the future.