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Your Signature Dish?

jglass

jglass

New member
What dish are you best know for?

For me is has to be homemade fudge. Everyone is always asking for it lol.
Jon's friends, their parents and our family on both sides love the fudge recipe I use for some reason. My little sister asked for it when she was in the hosp after having her last baby and she wanted it on her birthday. They all get it on the holidays. Its the recipe my Mom always used and I only cook it til thread stage so it keeps a creamy softness to it. I make peanut butter or chocolate and sometimes I make both of them and swirl them together for a reese cup effect. We worked at the highschool for a couple years when Jon was a sub and I used to make it for the kids. They are all now in college and they still email talking about craving my fudge. It was so funny when they were in home ec class and the teacher wanted them to make fudge...none of the kids would use her recipe. They came to the class where Jon and I were working and got my recipe. They made it the next day and did a wonderful job. I dont think that home ec teacher ever like me after that lol. I make my fudge for my little niece and she has even hid the tin under her bed to keep others out of it lol.
The ironic thing is Jon is not a fan of fudge much at all. He loves peanut butter balls.
 
I don't make any particular dish often enough for it to be my signature. But there's one I would like to be known for. I call it Chicken Zohar, and it's the first dish I set out to develop from scratch.

When I was in school we had some Israeli friends. She was talking classes, he worked for the government. When she had her first child they named her Zohar, which means "splendid" (it's part of the full title of the book of Caballa). I wanted to create a dish in honor of the baby. It would have to have Israeli ingrediants, and wind up being splendid in all respects.

After some experimentation I reached that goal, using mandarin oranges, orange juice, za'taar, and Sabra liquor. Chicken Zohar is a treat to the eyes as well as the nose and mouth. And everyone who's eaten it raves.

You'd think I'd make it more often.
 
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Too many requests - it's like Burger King - have it your way! Mama do this, Mama make that, and no one helps with the dishes - cuz Mama can do that too..............
 
LOL..Mama that sounds like my house around here...I hear Mama..Mama from Daughter or Honey...Honey from Hubby....and I'm stuck with the dishes !
 
Mama and Francie that reminds me of a great joke I heard, hope you'll find it as funny as I do:

If you love something, set it free.
If it comes back it will always be yours. If it doesn't come back it never yours to begin with. But, if it just sits in your living room, messes up your stuff, eats your food, uses your telephone, takes your money, and doesn't appear to realize that you had set it free......you either married it or gave birth to it!
 
>AND DON'T POST THE RECIPE<

Well it's more a procedure than an actual recipe. Amounts are determined using the MarkII Eyeball Detector. But should be close.

Lightly pound two whole skinless, boneless chicken breasts (i.e., four pieces) so they are about the same thickness. Cut into bite-sized pieces (when in a presentation-is-important mode I actually use a cookie cutter to assure all the pieces are the same size)

Dust the pieces in flour, in an egg wash, and in flour seasoned with za'taar. Ballparking it I'd say a heaping tablespoon of za'taar per cup of flour.

Pan fry the chicken until golden brown and cooked through. Set aside.

Make the sauce: Drain any oil remaining in the skillet. Deglaze with a cup or so of orange juice---ideally fresh squeezed. Drain a can of mandarin orange segments and add the juice to the pan. Bring to a boil. Sprinkle with some additional za'taar and a pinch of ground cloves.

Meanwhile, for each cup of liquid, make a slurry with 1 tbls arrowroot and 2 tbls Sabra. Add to the pan, stirring, until sauce thickens. Add more Sabra if desired.* Stir in the reserved orange segments. Return chicken to pan, making sure each piece is coated with sauce, and cook until heated through.

In the past I served this on a bed of couscous or white rice. Nowadays I would use the couscous pearls (Israeli couscous) both because I like the size, and because it's an additional Israeli element.

*Note: They have changed the Sabra formula since I created this recipe. It used to be an orange liquer with a hint of chocolate. Now it's a chocolate liquer with a taste of orange. So, if you want more of an orange liquer flavor, add a tablespoon of Triple Sec, Cointreau, or such.
 
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CanMan - sounds good!

I like my doggies burnt! And may I request BBQ chips??? Heck - I'll do the dishes for that meal with no complaints!

LOL!



Hey Cathy - I've heard that one before - and I've even posted it on the fridge - but it didn't work - Mama's the kitchen slave.
 
Jons doesnt like to wait on anything to get done so I end up cooking up a big batch of food and he eats off of it for a couple days. Ill make a big pizza or fry a batch of chicken and he will have that til its gone. Last night they had baby bella mushrooms on sale at the store so I made a big batch of eggrolls and some asian fried noodles with them. I made a pan of chocolate chip brownies. lol Jon is the leftover King.
 
Ha! Now I'm laughing AND craving Brook's citrusy chicken, and burnt dawgs and "Tim's Cascade River Jalapeno Chips"!

As shared elsewhere I have a couple of signature thangs.

When I go to a Super Bowl party or some such where finger foods are in order I usually make a trio -assortment of various decorated cheese-ball spreads like smoked salmon/whiskey, ham & pineapple, and procuitto/pine-nut.

For desserts, my family & friends tend to invite me when a tall, decorated layer-cake is in order.

And when I have folks over for supper, I think most people hope I do an Alaskan cookout that would include grilled salmon, crablegs and caribou kebobs. At these gatherings it's also fun to make up a pretty l'il Baked Alalska for dessert to catch afire out on the patio at dark when the lightening-bugs are just starting to glow...
 
I love the avatar!
Is that one of your cakes? Its beautiful. I dont have the patience to decorate cakes.
 
Hey are those Rum Balls in your avatar J? lol Cookie :)

That cake looks really good yum. Cookie :)
 
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Wow that Za'taar chicken sounds wonderful KYH! You guys can keep your Rum Balls, my poor Mom burnt me out on them years ago and she made the rum taste so strong I almost choked, so needless to say Rum Balls are off my list SORRY just that's the way it is! But Kevin's cheese balls well I imagine they're to doe for! Gosh now I wish we were at a party!!!

Tonight I made pulled chicken BBQ sandwiches on homemade yeast Rolls, macaroni salad, and for dessert homemade doughnuts dusted with cinnamon sugar:p All washed down with my Peach Iced Tea....I'm 'bout done in, I also painted my fiance a painting!

Some of my signature dishes are cherry tomato salad, deviled eggs, homemade biscuits and pumpkin pies!
 
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Cathy,

Is your lovely new avatar the painting you created for Eddie? If so- how perfectly wonderful! And if not- well the avatar is still quite lovely! How lucky your family are to have an artist to love and care for them!

Your menu for tonight's supper sounds scrumptious! I love any kind of bbq. Also- I have been craving good macaroni salad all summer and still haven't made one!

You've inspired me though- tonight is my "friday" at work and I'm taking my hour-long lunch break at 2:00AM and going to a nearby Kroger's to get the fixin's for my Grandma's best "white trash" mac salad! Among the ingredients are: spam, velveeta and miracle whip! Nothing fancy, and I can't believe I crave those things from time to time- but that was her recipe for the mac salad she made when I was little and sometimes I just gotta have it! It's also got elbow mac, chopped tomato, cucumber, broccoli and celery seeds. MMMM! And when she was in a fancy mood she made it with "scroodles" instead of the elbows.

Thank goodness I'll be at the store in the wee hours when the crowds are thin and the lights are dim- hardly a soul will see me in the velveeta aisle! Hee-Hee!
 
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