# The November 2017 Challenge is . . . COMFORT FOOD



## mike9 (Jul 13, 2012)

With Autumn in the air and cold weather right around the corner - (not to mention the holidays) I could think of no better Challenge than good old Comfort Food. It can be something from your youth something your grandma made, or something you discovered along the path of life. I know I have many different ones at this point. They can be simple, or complex, or it could be food you take comfort in preparing as well as enjoying. My friends - the game is afoot . . . may the best dish win.

*Guide lines copied from another month*

*- The challenge begins on the 1st of every month and the last entry must be made by the last day of the month.*

*- You may post multiple entries.*

*- All entries must be cooked during the month of the challenge.*

*- If you use a documented recipe, please cite your source.*

*- Entries should include the name of your dish and a picture of the final product. Sharing personal recipes and pictures of the process are not mandatory but extremely helpful.*

*- The winner is chosen by the person who posted the challenge, and is announced after the last day of submissions. The decision is final and falls entirely at the discretion of the challenger.*

*- Submitting an entry makes you eligible to win. If you do not wish to be considered for the win you may still participate in the challenge, but make your wishes known to the challenger.*

*The winner's bounty includes praise, virtual high-fives, and the responsibility of posting the next month's challenge. That entails choosing a theme, posting a Challenge thread that includes the guidelines, checking in on the submissions regularly during the month, and promptly choosing a winner at the end of the challenge.*


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## phatch (Mar 29, 2002)

Cool, or maybe hot in this case


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## chefbuba (Feb 17, 2010)

I'll be first out of the gate. Only have a pic of the finished product. 
Had half of a roasted chicken in the fridge. Mushrooms, celery, onions, sherry so it was tetrazzini for dinner. 
Made a rich stock, for veloute, threw it all together with pasta and lots of freshly grated Romano cheese, topped with panko crumbs, baked till golden brown. 
It was GSP approved.


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## pete (Oct 7, 2001)

Man, wish you had posted this a few hours earlier. Supper last night was meatloaf, mashed potatoes, peas, and an awesome creamy mushroom and onion gravy. Alas, no pictures!!!


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## brulo (Jun 6, 2017)

We are in plain summer here in South America! Still, I'm gonna try some of my favorites and share here  

Great challenge! The possibilities are endless!


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## mike9 (Jul 13, 2012)

IMHO "COMFORT" is a year 'round thing - just sayin'


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## chefbuba (Feb 17, 2010)

pete said:


> Man, wish you had posted this a few hours earlier. Supper last night was meatloaf, mashed potatoes, peas, and an awesome creamy mushroom and onion gravy. Alas, no pictures!!!


I did about the same a few nights ago.


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## kuan (Jun 11, 2001)

Today I made braised lamb shanks and beans with wild rice sausage. Here are the shanks braising.









Final product.


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## mike9 (Jul 13, 2012)

Nice Kuan -I love shanks and have five venison shanks in the freezer.


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## koukouvagia (Apr 3, 2008)

Luckily comfort food is everyone's favorite thing to eat so hopefully we'll get lots of entries on this one. Although there are many agreed-upon comfort foods out there (mac n cheese, soup, meatloaf, etc) we all know that comfort food is very unique to each person. A friend of mine for example told me his comfort food is sushi, which is not at all the food I turn to when I'm in need of some comfort. Everyone's story is a little different and I'm hoping people will give us insight into why these foods bring them comfort.

After a very long week of working I sat down to cook yesterday. I can't tell you how many times I've had cheese and crackers for dinner or picked up a salad for lunch, always eating on the run. So I was really looking forward to this pork roast. In my opinion, any food that takes a really long time to cook ends up being comfort food. Now when I make a pork roast for guests I make sure the pork holds together so it can be presented nicely. And I wouldn't dream of serving roast potatoes unless they were perfectly shaped and golden brown. But for myself, I want a big mushy pile of potatoes that have fallen apart roasting in the pork juices. So voila, my garlic/lemon/thyme roasted pork and potatoes.


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## phatch (Mar 29, 2002)

Double Cut Pork Chop (Sous Vide) with Rotkohl and Spaetzle with Jaeger Sosse (mushroom gravy)










And that's pretty much the order you make it in as well.


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## phatch (Mar 29, 2002)

I'd like to hear more about that rice sausage Kuan.


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## drirene (Dec 30, 2015)

My favorite comfort food is usually sweet. This is a yellow butter cake filled with a thin layer of chocolate ganache topped with a thick layer of chocolate mousse. It is covered with vanilla SMB and chocolate curly cues. While my piping is very slowly improving, the cake was delicious.

The ganache is Maida Hatter's Queen Mother Cake's ganache recipe with only 1 tsp coffee.

The mousse is the Cake Boss recipe with the chocolate increased to 1 cup, no rum and a touch of dried coffee and salt added to amp up the flavor.

The Swiss meringue buttercream was made a month ago and frozen. The recipe is Cake Boss, but the method was Summer Stone's butter cream myth.

The cake was my go to yellow cake from Smitten Kitchen.


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## phatch (Mar 29, 2002)

Nice


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## morning glory (May 28, 2015)

kuan said:


> Today I made braised lamb shanks and beans with wild rice sausage. Here are the shanks braising.


Lamb shanks are _so_ comfort food! Add the beans and I'm sold.


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## morning glory (May 28, 2015)

phatch said:


> I'd like to hear more about that rice sausage Kuan.


Me too - didn't quite know what that was...


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## drirene (Dec 30, 2015)

View media item 141644I don't eat meat or chicken, so one of my favorite savory comfort foods is veggy curry. This slightly sweet vegetable curry, which is far juicier than pictured, is a doctored version of Karen's Spice Kitchen.

Karen provides a yummy spice mix and directions. That's all. You provide and chop the veggies and other ingredients, so it is all scratch cooking and very healthy. The ingredients that predominate in this South Indian dish are coconut, sweet potato, chick pea, and carrot the way I make it. The dish was doctored by adding more salt, a tablespoon of sugar, a handful of raisins, 1/2 tsp cinnamon, and doubling the lime juice and zest. This dish is surprisingly hearty and highly addictive.


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## kuan (Jun 11, 2001)

phatch said:


> I'd like to hear more about that rice sausage Kuan.


It's just pork sausage with wild rice used as the panade.


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## phatch (Mar 29, 2002)

I've used regular cooked rice that way before but wasn't sure what you had meant.


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## mike9 (Jul 13, 2012)

I've been on a brown basmati rice cooked in broth kick lately. Good stuff


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## happyhound (May 19, 2014)

Found a nice flush of Honey Mushrooms yesterday. So, cream of mushroom soup with some white mushrooms from the market and a handful of morels from last spring. Pinch of salt and a wee bit of tarragon. Bring on the cold!

Can't seem to load pics from my phone. Ce la vie.


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## pete (Oct 7, 2001)

It may not look pretty, but this is pure comfort to me-Choucroute.

I start by rendering diced bacon in a large pot. I just render it until it gives up a bunch of fat then I pull it out. I then brown off various other pork products. In this case it was boneless chops, Kielbasa and bratwurst. After all the meat is browned and removed, I add sliced onion and sauté until slightly caramelized. Next I deglaze. I will use white wine, beer, hard cider sweet cider, or a mixture of hard and sweet cider. It all depends on what I have in house and what I am in the mood for. While that is reducing by half, I give my sauerkraut a quick rinse then add that, along with a few apples, peeled and diced. I stir in the bacon and finally add the meat back in. Turn the heat to low, cover and simmer, at least 1-1 1/2 hours. Serve with mustard of your choice, boiled potatoes or spaetzel, and a good, hearty loaf of rye bread.


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## cheflayne (Aug 21, 2004)

This may not be food that my grandmother made, nor food that I grew up on, but to me it is comfort food.
Massam Beef Curry







It is a great representation of melting pot cuisine which is a style I embrace wholeheartedly. It is a Thai dish but it's roots (depending on who you talk to) are Persian, or Malaysian, or Southern Indian. Massam isn't even a native Thai word. I learned to make it in the Caribbean from a South African. _I can't help but love it!
_
Started off by making a nam phrik kaeng massaman. Then sauteed garlic, ginger, shallots. Added the beef and sauteed until browned. Added the massaman paste. Sauteed a couple of minutes and then added coconut milk. Simmered for 1 1/2 hours. Cooled and put away to let flavors develop and meld overnight overnight Finished the next day by bringing to boil, adding sweet potatoes and red onions, simmering for 15 minutes, adding lacinato kale, simmering for 5 minutes. Finished with toasted coconut, roasted peanuts, palm sugar, tamarind, and nam pla. Let sit, covered for 5 minutes.

One pot dish. Rich. Flavorful. Simple but complex. Heat that you don't notice with first bite, but then you notice...oh yeah spicy. Not labor intensive but takes time (which means time to play, adjust, and enjoy). Unpretentious. Soulful and soul satisfying. _My kind of dish!_


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## chefbillyb (Feb 8, 2009)

Meatball sub


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## pete (Oct 7, 2001)

I love a well made Meatball sub!!!

Last night, was another comfort meal for me; caramelized onions and cabbage tossed with pasta, lots of butter, salt and a healthy dose of freshly ground black pepper. Sunday was sauerkraut-fermented cabbage, and last night fresh cabbage; boy my wife is loving me!!!!


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## chefbillyb (Feb 8, 2009)

Pete, growing up in Connecticut "Haluski" Fried cabbage, onions in butter and tossed with egg noodles. Comfort food at its best and simple.


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## bigmickel (Jul 5, 2017)

Love the theme! It's getting nice and cold up here so tonight I made a lasagna! It was my first lasagna and it turned out pretty good! Left my machine at my dad's so I rolled it out by hand and it ended up a little bit too thick but other than that - delicious!


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## teamfat (Nov 5, 2007)

No bacon, or salt pork or fat back?

mjb.


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## butzy (Jan 8, 2010)

All food to me is comfort food, just need to find time to upload some pictures!
By the way, nice to see some new people posting!!!


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## butzy (Jan 8, 2010)

Nacho's:








And the left overs (yes, there was some, but I did finish the nacho chips) were made into a pasta dish. I added some ****** lime leaves and fish sauce for a different flavour.


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## planethoff (Apr 25, 2011)

I've been out out of the loop for the last month. Looks like this challenge is heating up, and who doesn't love comfort food.

Tonight, I got Sloppy Joes and onion rings. Did the cold pan start, lean beef, onion, celery, s & p, ketchup, dijon, wochestershire, celery, garlic, cayenne, pinch of cinnamon, paprika, and bottle IPA. Make crumble and cook for an hour to evaporate liquid. 
Serve on Sesame seed buns with Onion Rings. YUM!


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## kaiquekuisine (Apr 11, 2013)

Usually when I get home from work, i make myself something to eat. The meal is usually something very rustic, simple, quick and comforting, as well as... tasty.

So tonight i made a stew, and i find stews very comforting.

*Tomato base, sweet potatoe, charred greens, charred tomatoes, zucchini:







*


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## chefbuba (Feb 17, 2010)

Made chicken & dumplings but was in a hurry and forgot pics. It was tasty on a cold, blustery, rainy night.


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## pete (Oct 7, 2001)

chefbillyb said:


> Pete, growing up in Connecticut "Haluski" Fried cabbage, onions in butter and tossed with egg noodles. Comfort food at its best and simple.
> View attachment 64027


Dang, that looks good!!!


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## koukouvagia (Apr 3, 2008)

Did you know that if you overbraise leeks they completely fall apart and make "sauce?". Anyway, this is very autumnal dish of braised leek pasta with pangrattato. It's based on a recipe by Jamie Oliver who embodies everything I like about cooking. Beautiful ingredients, simple preparations, hearty food. It's like a hug in a bowl.


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## brulo (Jun 6, 2017)

A couple days ago I made my favorite dish (at least one of it's infinite variants): Risotto!

This time with white wine, saffron and pine mushrooms from Patagonia.

Here are the pics, it's almost a recipe because 





  








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## eastshores (Oct 23, 2008)

I had some chicken breast in the refrigerator that needed to be cooked and since it got a little cool here I decided I would make white chicken chili for the first time ever. I've spent years refining my red chili but sometimes change is nice. Basic run down was 1 green bell, 1 red bell, 1 poblano, 1 large onion, 3 cloves of garlic. Sweat down and then add chicken stock.

I used canned cannellini beans. 1 can I pureed to add some thickness, the other went in whole. Chicken was grilled then pulled after it cooled. Towards the end of cooking I stirred in some milk, and then made a quick butter roux to thicken it a little more. Oh the seasonings were cumin (this was the main one), oregano, fresh thyme, and a dash of nutmeg.


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## chrislehrer (Oct 9, 2008)

With this thread in mind I made a lovely boeuf bourguignon, and didn't remember to take any pictures until we'd finished eating. Somehow I doubt you guys want to see pictures of dirty dishes!


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## planethoff (Apr 25, 2011)

Alright. Kinda funny @chrislehrer mentioned it. I did a beef Bourguignon/ Beef Stew Hybrid. My wife doesn't like mushrooms, I added Dutch creamer potatoes.
Browned son beef chuck cubes







Then braised with thyme, rosemary, bay leaf, garlic, onion, celery, carrot. In cabernet and beef stock.







Made roux, roasted carrots, dutch creamers, and pearl onions. I did not get pic of roasted vegetables.








And then the amazing comfort food


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## teamfat (Nov 5, 2007)

Some great stuff showing up so far. I'm hoping to have some tasty braised short ribs Sunday night. Got a beef stock steeping on the stove, here's some of the short rib bones getting browned before going into the pot.


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## mike9 (Jul 13, 2012)

@teamfat - nice!!! . . . some great looking entries so far. Keep 'em comin'


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## koukouvagia (Apr 3, 2008)

@planethoff thata an awesome looking stew! @eastshores your chili almost makes me want to try making a white chili!


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## chrislehrer (Oct 9, 2008)

I just made one of the all-time favorite Japanese winter comfort foods: yosenabe. Simple hot pot, lots of fresh ingredients, delicious and healthy. The fish are haddock and monkfish. Napa cabbage, shungiku, shimeji mushrooms, tofu, negi. The broth is dashi, soy, mirin, and sake.


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## koukouvagia (Apr 3, 2008)

@chrislehrer that looks great, I definitely want to try making that!

My next entry is Stifado. I don't often make this dish but my mother made it for us a lot growing up. Cold weather has punched NYC right in the gut this weekend and the spiced aroma of this stew has been very comforting. The star ingredient is the onions, you can never have enough onions. Ideally I should have added pearl onions too but I didn't have any. These are legs and thighs braised in onion, garlic, vinegar, red wine, and tomato. The spices include cinnamon, allspice, clove, bay leaf, and peppercorns.


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## planethoff (Apr 25, 2011)

1) I love comfort food 2) I go big or go home. So, Tonight was Chicken pot pie, but with buttermilk biscuit topping instead of pie crust.

Poached chicken with chicken stock, rosemary, thyme, garlic, celery, carrot, and onion, black pepper. Cubed
Sautéed onion, garlic, carrot, celery. Made blonde roux. Added peas. Added dry sherry to deglaze, Poaching liquid, half and half, splash of worchestershire, splash of hot sauce. Heated and thickened. 
Added chicken and poured into greased casserole dish and topped with buttermilk biscuit dough.

It took all of my wife and my willpower to not devour entire pan.


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## peachcreek (Sep 21, 2001)

Poutine. I so love squeaky cheese.


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## Iceman (Jan 4, 2011)

Clockwise from top: Gorgonzola & Pear w/ red-onion, Margherita, Classic everything, Hawaiian.


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## maryb (Mar 21, 2008)

Left over roast beef hash with the potatoes and carrots that were roasted with the meat... and my typical green salad


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## phatch (Mar 29, 2002)

Chicken and sausage gumbo.


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## Iceman (Jan 4, 2011)

Lasagna uncooked ...








Lasagna cooked ...








Lasagna portion w/ meatball to-go _(standard 10" take-out dish)_ ...


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## toddhicks209 (Nov 14, 2017)

I'm impressed with these photos. You are obviously very good cooks. It would be even better if all of these photos had a label for the dish in focus.


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## koukouvagia (Apr 3, 2008)

toddhicks209 said:


> I'm impressed with these photos. You are obviously very good cooks. It would be even better if all of these photos had a label for the dish in focus.


What do you mean a label?


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## Iceman (Jan 4, 2011)

I think he means telling everyone what your dish is. As an example, my last pics were label-naked. Everyone may not have known that it was lasagna. After reading Todd's post I corrected that by labeling each pic. I agree. I think it was a good smart request.


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## phatch (Mar 29, 2002)

Diner style breakfast of crusty corned beef hash (with ketchup) and a soft set basted egg.


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## eastshores (Oct 23, 2008)

Keeping along with the theme and our cooler weather I decided to do the "American Shepard's Pie" .. using ground beef instead of lamb.

Sweated some onion and carrots down, then added beef stock, some "kitchen bouquet" for color, fresh thyme and rosemary. Thickened it using wondera flour and cool water. I could have done a roux but I don't notice any difference and this keeps the fat down some. Frozen corn and baby peas. Everything into the pan - yes there's a little too much here.. but I'm going with it!










I was worried about the dish drying out. I went a little overboard with that, but basically the mashed potatoes were made with a ricer and then I incorporated a large amount of cream into them. I then folded in finely grated parmesan and parsley. Topped it with grated aged vermont cheddar and into the oven.










After a night in the refrigerator it tightened up a little more.. Just about right now.


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## chrislehrer (Oct 9, 2008)

I did it again: last night I made a beautiful split pea soup with ham... And forgot to photograph it. Agh!


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## phatch (Mar 29, 2002)

Last week I made a squash soup and bean soup to put in the same bowl thinking that it would be fun to enter. I photographed it anyway but I'm not going to enter it. I haven't mastered the art of pouring two different soups in the same bowl. It looks pretty sad.


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## butzy (Jan 8, 2010)

Since I had some carrots lying around and I felt like a curry, I decided on an experimental SE Asian carrot curry (as curry got to be the ultimate comfort food )

The main ingredients: ground beef, onions and carrots




















And the whole lot being cooked together with Indonesian spices, coconut milk, kecap, fish sauce and potatoes








And cooked till the carrots and potatoes were soft.


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## teamfat (Nov 5, 2007)

So a while back I posted a picture of some short rib bones getting seared for a beef stock. We recently attended a very nice wedding and one of the courses for the dinner was short ribs. Wanted to do them again. Got to it the other day. The beef stock got finished, time for the main event. Not going to do my usual Players, Procedure, Product formatting here, just a couple of snapshots.










The shortribs were seared, set aside and seasoned. An onion was diced and sweated in the fat left from the ribs. Ribs put back in along with tart dried cherries, bay leaf, some of that great beef stock and red wine, a nice pinot noir. That pot looks a bit crowded, maybe I'll splurge on a bigger one this Christmas.

Anyway, the nearly overflowing pot gets covered and stashed in a 250 F oven for a few hours. Threw some red patoots in a pot, when they were just about done, drained, cooled, cut them in half and fried in some butter. Meanwhile more of the beef stock went into a gravy.










Actually this picture was taken too soon, should have done it after I drizzled some of the braising liquid and a few of the cherries on top of the beef.

It was tasty.

mjb.


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## butzy (Jan 8, 2010)

Nice!
I did short ribs as well.....
Nice (and very meaty) comfort food:


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## eastshores (Oct 23, 2008)

@iceman that's a very unconventional approach to lasagna in my experience but I have to be honest that looks like it would be better on so many levels! Can you explain your approach a little? I can see what looks like ricotta and parsley.. slices of provolone/moz? Are you using wonton skins as the pasta or cutting fresh pasta into squares? I like my lasagna with a little more sauce but that could be spooned over.. you're topping with a marinara? I am super intrigued here.


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## drirene (Dec 30, 2015)

Yes iceman, ditto!


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## planethoff (Apr 25, 2011)

iceman said:


> I use square Asian won-ton wrappers and stack them like Napoleons. I like having 4 layers; cheese, stuff, stuff, cheese. They are perfect portion size and they look fantastic on the plate.
> 
> I'm not telling you to change and do it my way. I'm just having conversation because I'm bored. I'm freakin' layed up with plantar fasciitis.
> 
> Two(2) important valuable words to remember ... _ARCH SUPPORT_.


Since he didn't answer yet, I remembered he posted his method on a post a while back.


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## planethoff (Apr 25, 2011)

iceman said:


> [justify]They're _(won-ton wrappers)_ the ones that are smaller than egg-roll wrappers. 3.5-4 inches square maybe. They also come round. Sammiching 2 of them makes beautiful raviolis. I use round for cheese and square for meat ... or vice-versa. Folding 1 over on itself is for pierogis. Making raviolis or pierogis I use them right off the stack. For lasagna I cook them for 10-seconds in tap water as hot as it will get. You gotta be careful because if you put too many in the pan they glue themselves together _(really nasty)_. I use 2 per layer because they are very thin compared to lasagna pasta. At my store they come $1.59-$1.99 a pkg., depending on who has the price gun. Each pkg. has 48-50 per. They're also great for pot-stickers and dumplings et al Asian stuff.[/justify]


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## drirene (Dec 30, 2015)

Pete's Pastitsio

I plead guilty... Comfort Food for a Greek American _vegetarian?_ It was made for my Italian, meat-loving husband. He expected to smother it with tomato sauce, but changed his mind at first bite. He loved it! And I couldn't resist. So I didn't. Thank you Pete! You nailed it with your amazing pastitsio recipe.

I ribboned the eggs since reading about it here, not realizing until later that maybe I shouldn't have, plus I ribboned whole eggs, not just yolks. As an unwritten rule, when does one ribbon? Only yolks? Only for baking? Also, by necessity, I threw the finished béchamel into a food processor since the milk was added too quickly and created a few lumps. Not sure if béchamel should ever be blended, but it seemed simpler than using a sieve - and time was running out. So scattered during this part, I forgot to take pictures. Nevertheless, the white sauce came out light, thick, fluffy, and the flavor was spot on.

The supermarket-branded meats almost glowed with an unnatural, too bright pinky-magenta-reddish color; I was concerned with possible red coloring. Not knowing what color natural fresh meat is, I opted for a pre-packaged grass-fed, no antibiotics, no hormones, no anything-extra ground beef from a well-regarded local company. We had tried a butcher some time ago. Never again; rancid!


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## millionsknives (Apr 25, 2014)

I am cutting way back on red meat and dairy. Mostly vegan with seafood. You can see why my standard comfort foods are difficult..

Made samosas for a friendsgiving party.

Samosas - potato, onion, peas, garam masala, coriander, cumin, brown mustard seed, turmeric, ginger, thai green chili, garlic, dry mango powder, cilantro

Tamarind and date chutney

Mango chutney


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## mike9 (Jul 13, 2012)

@millionsknives You'll forgo all the prior to do deep fried??? 

Looks good BTW


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## Iceman (Jan 4, 2011)

WOW ... JUST FREAKIN' WOW!

I was happy that someone liked my dish. I was really happy that someone knew what I did and then could QUOTE me from another thread. OMG! It's 10-min to 10-o'clock pm @ my house. I'm so screwed now that I'll be up all nite. 

Thank You.


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## Iceman (Jan 4, 2011)

Yes ... won-ton wrappers, 2x each layer, 1x each layer for people that want "lite". The cheese is a ricotta combo w/ shredded mozzarella and grated parm/romano. The green is minced parsley and basil. Also, an egg or 2 depending on how much cheese. The meat was browned Italian sausage blitzed in the food-pro. I like it all nicely evenly ground. I cement it up w/ 1 small can of _Pastorelli's_ pizza sauce. Believe me here ... it's a fantastic canned sauce. The cheese slices in between is either provolone of mozzarella, depending on what I have. This time was 50/50 because I didn't have enough of either. The layers were cheese/meat/cheese. I portion everything out before assembly. Two(2) reasons; every serving is the same and you don't get stupid little amounts of left-over. The sauce was 1-can pizza sauce and 1-can minced fire-roasted tomatoes. I'm positive sure that I've posted about that before. 50-minutes in 325* oven. The meatballs joined in for the last 15-minutes with the heat jacked up to 350*. I'll post the meatball recipe if anyone wants.

Thanks for asking.

_"We work in kitchens ... It ain'te rocket surgery."._​


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## drirene (Dec 30, 2015)

Heck, post it!


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## chrislehrer (Oct 9, 2008)

Tonight a Mexican-based comfort braise. It's derived from several different dishes, so I'm not sure what it should be called.

In short, I seared a nice big chunk of pot roast beef. In the pan went broiled tomatoes and garlic to deglaze. This was then pureed with soaked and seeded guajillo chiles, sesame seeds, a dash of sesame oil,some roasted sunflower butter, oregano, etc., plus some water. I friend the sauce to reduce a bit, then put the meat back in and braised very slowly about 4-5 hours.

Served with rice, chopped tomatoes, and a fresh sour relish of cilantro, scallion, hot chile, rice vinegar, water.


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## phatch (Mar 29, 2002)

Probably a sesame version of pipian => sesamian


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## millionsknives (Apr 25, 2014)

mike9 said:


> @millionsknives You'll forgo all the prior to do deep fried???
> 
> Looks good BTW


Hehhh yeah. Saturated fat is what I am watching. Deep fried once in a while is okay.


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## toddhicks209 (Nov 14, 2017)

koukouvagia said:


> What do you mean a label?


What I meant is that the names of the foods should have been included.


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## koukouvagia (Apr 3, 2008)

It turns out that everything I make is comfort food hehe.

Pasta casserole. Orzo, meat sauce, mozzarella, parmesan.


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## chrislehrer (Oct 9, 2008)

Cheap chicken thighs au vin.


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## planethoff (Apr 25, 2011)

I share with sentiment with @koukouvagia in that I'm all about the comfort food. Tonight may be the one that is closest to my heart. The first food I would really long for and dream about after I moved away from my hometown. 
*The Philly Cheesesteak*.
Chipped up some boneless ribeyes. Fried some onions. Salt, pepper, and granulated garlic on meat, cooked on griddle. Used real American cheese. (Cheese varies. Sometimes provolone, whiz, whatever on hand) and fresh hoagie roll. Brings me home.


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## eastshores (Oct 23, 2008)

Oh man.. the bread makes or breaks a PCS.. and that bread looks awesome.


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## chefbuba (Feb 17, 2010)

Almost looks like an Amaroso roll. That's what I used on the truck for my cheese steaks and cold sandwiches, lightly toasted can't be beat.


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## mike9 (Jul 13, 2012)

That is a killer looking cheese steak - 

I made Charro Beans to take to a dinner party last yesterday. Also compound butter, some of my chili sauce and some $40/lb. 5yr. aged Gouda. We had venison, a side dressing, the beans, and Wellfleet oysters - lots of them. Four of us were shucking and people were eating them as fast as we were shucking. It was a great party.


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## eastshores (Oct 23, 2008)

This doesn't really count.. but I got invited to a friends-giving today and decided to do some roast veges. I learned a lesson.. the purple potatoes freaked some people out.. they had never seen dark potatoes. Oh well.


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## planethoff (Apr 25, 2011)

*Chicken Enchiladas
*
Braised a dry rubbed chicken in beer/chicken stock and shredded. Sautéed onion and jalapeños. Made enchilada sauce with onion, garlic, jalapeño, tomato, cilantro, lime, tomatillos, beer, and chicken stock. Grated queso fresco. Made corn tortillas. Put together and baked. Real, Real good


















































*
*


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## koukouvagia (Apr 3, 2008)

@eastshores I hate people. Those look great.


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## phatch (Mar 29, 2002)

Potato soup garnished with cheddar and bacon. Some green onion it comes would have been nice but I was out.


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## pete (Oct 7, 2001)

*Mushroom and Sausage Ragu with Sage Polenta*

The thread on polenta, the other day, got me to thinking about polenta and how much I love it, especially when the weather turns colder. This is one of my favorite cold weather dishes. It is not a comfort food from my childhood, but in recent years I has become a regular in our house when the weather turns cold and nasty.

The polenta is made with milk, cornmeal, butter and fresh sage and finished with lots of parmesan. The ragu itself is a mixture of fresh and dried mushrooms (really helps to punch up that umami flavor), Italian sausage, onions, garlic, lots of red wine, a bit of the rehydrating water from the mushrooms and tomato sauce, simmered for at least 1 hour. It's a deep, rich dish, loaded with flavor, that just warms the soul.


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## brulo (Jun 6, 2017)

pete said:


> View attachment 64120
> 
> 
> *Mushroom and Sausage Ragu with Sage Polenta*
> ...


Haha! Love to see my question on another posts fired you up to make some comfort food!

I'll add one more entry, this wasn't planned a comfort meal until I've tried it (was the first time doing it) and now will be part of my collection.

Grated Portobello mushrooms, bechamel, blue cheese, parmesan.

The debut of my new cast iron pan


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## Pat Pat (Sep 26, 2017)

Great props. I really like the knocked over grinder and the three tomatoes!


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## brulo (Jun 6, 2017)

Pat Pat said:


> Great props. I really like the knocked over grinder and the three tomatoes!


Thanks!

The props actually upgraded the dish, I wasn't planning on putting tomatoes but since I got them for the nice colors I cutted a couple and burned them with a torch, in part just to justify having them on the dish... well the result was awesome, that touch of sour-sweet-freshness was pretty cool!

And for the grinder, pepper is a holy ingredient


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## eastshores (Oct 23, 2008)

I'm giving @iceman 's approach to lasagna a try tonight!










Edit:
Well this baked up well and I am sold on the idea! The thin wonton sheets create a nice soft layered texture that I enjoy a lot. The portioning was perfect and very easy to get out of the pan. Cheers!


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## planethoff (Apr 25, 2011)

@eastshores Very nice lasagna. One of my favorite things about this blog/forum is the shared technique and great learning experiences.

My Sloppy Joe's from earlier in the thread is a modification of what @mike9 posted a while back. Doing the cold pan start was a game changer for me. I now do my taco meat that way as well. (for ground beef tacos anyway)


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## Iceman (Jan 4, 2011)

_*WOW! *__*... *_Thank You.


_"We work in kitchens ... It ain'te rocket surgery."._​


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## chefbuba (Feb 17, 2010)

Damn iceman, I think you started something here. Was planning on lasagna next week, now I'm going to try your method.


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## butzy (Jan 8, 2010)

Rotisserie chicken....
Is there anything more comforting than that?
But, with a twist. Got myself a new toy and can now easily do chicken thighs on the rotisserie 

Chicken thighs loaded (they are marinated in a homemade madam Janet - Papaya sauce)









Spinning away








Done









And one of the nice things of using a rotisserie is the drip pan with potatoes and onions underneath









And plated....
Struggled with the flash, but this is about the best I could make it.
Anyway, it was tasty!!!!


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## Sansa (Nov 23, 2017)

I'm gonna try some of my favorites and share here


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## phatch (Mar 29, 2002)

Turkey soup


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## phatch (Mar 29, 2002)

Turkey tamales in the steamer


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## mike9 (Jul 13, 2012)

@phatch Leftovers already ?


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## phatch (Mar 29, 2002)

I've got a long drive to return my daughter to college on the weekend. I have to load her up with home cooked goodness.


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## butzy (Jan 8, 2010)

Burgers on the braai,









With asparagus from the neighbours, a tzatziki-raita sort of sauce and home made sourdough


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## chrislehrer (Oct 9, 2008)

Turkey gumbo, mashed potato dumplings, prosecco.


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## drirene (Dec 30, 2015)

I have always loved canned tuna sandwiches on white bread, dry as a kid. (Yea I know.) 
My updated version has just a little mayo, lemon juice, celery, pimento olives, cumin, red onion, cilantro, salt and pepper, on, of course, lightly toasted white. Yum!


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## drirene (Dec 30, 2015)

Also made Marcella Hazan's Italian Broccoli and Potato Soup for my Italian husband. He didn't even miss the tomatoes! It was amazingly rich even though I only used half the butter. Thanks y'all for bringing her to my attention.


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## rick alan (Nov 15, 2012)

@iceman , my restricted diet doesn't allow for lasagna or pizza, though on the upside I can otherwise have all the saturated fat and meat my little heart desires. But I have to say that I really love the way the edges of your pizzas curl up, and the presentation of the Magurita and everything are also attractive.


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## chrislehrer (Oct 9, 2008)

Turkey noodle casserole


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## teamfat (Nov 5, 2007)

It was just my wife, myself and a guest from the senior housing across the street. On the left side of that nibbles platter is some mortadella that was simply divine. Some house smoked cheddar and on the right a rustic cotto salami from Beltex meats. Then a bacon wrapped turkey thigh roulade, filling of sausage, bell peppers, mushrooms and onion. With roasted asparagus, mashed taters with turkey gravy.

The turkey was just a bit overcooked, but everyone cleaned their plates.

mjb.


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## mike9 (Jul 13, 2012)

@rick alan - Rick I make lasagna using eggplant instead of pasta and no body misses the noodles.


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## rick alan (Nov 15, 2012)

Ahahaha, eggplant and all other high-lectin foods (like tomato sauce also) are off the diet too. I'll never forget it, I started what became a well travel eggplant thread (the monthly challenge at the time was coincidentally eggs), then shortly thereafter found out I needed the diet restrictions. I save my cheating for the pastry stuff and errant croissant, but thanks for making the suggestion anyway.


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## chrislehrer (Oct 9, 2008)

Japanese style turkey curry-rice (kareiraisu) with cranberry sauce and a drizzle of hot chili oil.


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## Iceman (Jan 4, 2011)

Rick ... based on my standard attitude of general cockyness ... you can guess that I can make anything. 

What CAN you eat?


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## planethoff (Apr 25, 2011)

One of my favorite meals now. Asada tacos. I use flank steak now. Pound out and marinate. Add grilled onion, avocado,tomato,queso fresco, hot sauce sauce on fresh corn tortillas


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## cheflayne (Aug 21, 2004)

Yucatan Pork Stew w/ xnipec salsa




__
cheflayne


__
Nov 27, 2017







Cold rainy day, so I decided it was a good day to stay inside and cook. Cook what??? Why one of my favorite things of course...stew.
Today I made a Yucatan Pork stew garnished with crema, xnipec salsa, and chips. Pork shoulder sauteed, removed meat and added onion and pasiilla to pan. Sauteed golden brown, added garlic and sauteed a few more. Added small diced yucca and tomatillos. Sprinkled with toasted ground cumin. Sauteed a bit and deglazed with Modelo Negra. Added OJ. Brought it to a boil, reduced heat to simmer. Added pork back in and simmered for 2 hours. Near end of cooking threw in butternut squash and cilantro.


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## chrislehrer (Oct 9, 2008)

One last entry, another of the most beloved Japanese cold-weather comfort foods: oden.








It's basically a pot of various fish balls, plus potatoes, mochi cakes, and medium-boiled eggs. You let it cook very gently in standard, rather light Japanese soup broth (dashi, sake, mirin, soy sauce, water) for a looooong time (obviously the potatoes and eggs are added late). For a dip, a little mustard-water paste. Everyone just reaches in and takes a little of what they like, as the spirit moves them. Warm, convivial, a central pot of mixed stuff--the essence of old-fashioned Japanese home cooking.


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## butzy (Jan 8, 2010)

Sausages.....


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## koukouvagia (Apr 3, 2008)

If I'm being honest my top favorite comfort food is food cooked by my mother. Nothing brings back that feeling of being taken care of like being cooked for by Mom. So since my mother is here visiting for the holidays and she cooked one of my favorite meals I'm posting it here.

Bacalao stew with potatoes, leeks, Swiss chard and lemon. Salty, sweet, bitter, and sour all come together and it's the bomb.


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## butzy (Jan 8, 2010)

A bit of an ugly picture, but real comfort food for me: Pad Thai.
Little twist as I had some asparagus that needed to be used..... Not typical Thai, but still pretty good


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## butzy (Jan 8, 2010)

curry with shrimp and asparagus


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## eastshores (Oct 23, 2008)

koukouvagia said:


> If I'm being honest my top favorite comfort food is food cooked by my mother.


Me too. Hamburger helper and the smell of rain is still one of the most visceral things I can think of. Because my home growing up didn't have central heat and air.. I could smell the weather in our house with with the windows open.. and her cooking mixing in with the way the weather smelled gave me an experience most kids in the US haven't had in the last 30 years. To me this was a wonderful thing.

I remember a particular day my best friend and I had ridden our bikes a few miles away from home to play with a friend that was at his grandmothers. As often happens in Florida.. sudden thunder storms formed in the sky and we decided it was time to high-tail it home. We zipped into my driveway.. wind swirling around and electricity in the air.. you could feel it. We ran inside and as soon as we collapsed onto the couch the sky let loose and my mother had a "chefs salad" ready for both of us.

That.. is comfort food.


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## rick alan (Nov 15, 2012)

iceman said:


> Rick ... based on my standard attitude of general cockyness ... you can guess that I can make anything.
> 
> What CAN you eat?


That's actually a very good question for any professional cook who considers accommodating special dietary needs good business. And low-lectic diets are medically becoming very popular, so I'll answer it here.

It's simple enough, I eat everything but: seeds/nuts (except pistacheo and flax); all grains are a no no; cooked dairy (like the cheese in lasagna); a handfull of fruits and vegetables that are especially high in lectin (like tomatoes and eggplant), you can google "high-lectin foods" for that. Any mild seasoning is OK, and peppercorns not so bad.

This is a cheaters-diet so far as most be concerned. A sprinkle of rice for the Chinese, a bite of cupcake, a couple small tomato wedges for the salad, but something like a big bowl of pasta or full serving of lasagna I would never do.


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## Iceman (Jan 4, 2011)

El-Suckamundo my friend. ... I'm feeling for you.


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## rick alan (Nov 15, 2012)

Ah no need man, I get to have all the red meat and saturated fat I want>


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## peachcreek (Sep 21, 2001)

Apple Walnut Eggnog Muffins.
I didn't have any eggs this morning so I subbed eggnog for the sugar, eggs, milk and spices. They turned out excellent.

Recipe:
2 cups cake flour
1 cup eggnog
1/2 vegetable oil
2 cups fresh grated apple
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt

Topping:
1/4 butter
1/2 AP flour
1/2 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon

Baked at 400F for @25 min


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## koukouvagia (Apr 3, 2008)

peachcreek said:


> View attachment 64171
> 
> 
> Apple Walnut Eggnog Muffins.
> ...


 Oh my goodness did they turn out tasty!?


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## peachcreek (Sep 21, 2001)

koukouvagia said:


> Oh my goodness did they turn out tasty!?


They tasted great. And very moist.


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## mike9 (Jul 13, 2012)

Wow this is a tough one with so many delicious entries. kuan's lamb shanks are right up my ally, koukouvagia's pork and potatoes looks great and Pete's "hat trick" with chops, kielbasa and brats is something I'd eat any day. That Philly cheese steak and the meatball sub look like it came from the county fair. But - at the end of the day the dish that generated the most interest and commentary was *iceman's* individual serving lasagna. An innovation on a classic comfort dish - so I choose _*iceman*_ as the winner of the November challenge - congratulations!!


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## Iceman (Jan 4, 2011)

_WOW. Thank You._ My first try and My FIRST WIN!

_I've got nowhere to go from here. LOL. _
Being new to this game I'm a little blind on the procedure. I believe I pick the next theme? Is there a reference of past themes? With just a little guidance here I'll be on the ball ASAP. *THANK YOU ALL.*


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## morning glory (May 28, 2015)

iceman said:


> _WOW. Thank You._ My first try and My FIRST WIN!
> 
> _I've got nowhere to go from here. LOL. _
> Being new to this game I'm a little blind on the procedure. I believe I pick the next theme? Is there a reference of past themes? With just a little guidance here I'll be on the ball ASAP. *THANK YOU ALL.*


Congratulations @iceman, well deserved! Yes you pick the new theme and then start a new thread in Cooking Discussions titled The December 2017 Challenge is ....

I don't know if there is a succinct list of past themes but the past challenges can be pulled up on a search - I just did a search for challenge. See here. It goes back quite a few pages as the challenge has been running a long time. As long as you choose something which hasn't been chosen recently it will be OK.


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## butzy (Jan 8, 2010)

Congratulations Iceman!
Well deserved...
Looking forward to the next challenge


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## Iceman (Jan 4, 2011)

_*OK ... Go ahead ... HATE ME. *_


*The December 2017 Challenge is ... *_*"VEGAN"**.*_


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## morning glory (May 28, 2015)

iceman said:


> _*OK ... Go ahead ... HATE ME. *_
> 
> 
> *The December 2017 Challenge is ... *_*"VEGAN"**.*_


That is very brave! I once chose vegetarian as the theme and it certainly provoked discussion!


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## smokeydoke (Sep 5, 2016)

I really enjoyed this thread, there's some amazing chefs/cooks in here. I'd like to participate sometime.


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## Iceman (Jan 4, 2011)

Nothing wrong with *NOW.
*
The December 2017 Challenge is . . . "VEGAN"


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## koukouvagia (Apr 3, 2008)

Wow congrats! I knew that was a winner because it drummed up so much interest and got people to start copying it. That's what this is all about!

@iceman don't forget to post the rules on the next challenge.


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## planethoff (Apr 25, 2011)

Congratulations @iceman ! Well done.

I'm not a big fan of your pick for the December Challenge, but I'm sure we will see some good entries.

I personally have a particular distaste for vegan food from a non food related issue, but I guess making a dish or two won't kill me.


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## brulo (Jun 6, 2017)

Congrats to the winner!

Would be cool if at the end of each challenge the winner is announced along a link to the submission! I can't seem to find the now famous lasagna!


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## Iceman (Jan 4, 2011)

Look at the middle of page #3 ... post #50.


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## brulo (Jun 6, 2017)

iceman said:


> Look at the middle of page #3 ... post #50.


thanks!


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## Iceman (Jan 4, 2011)

HEY ... Here's a "?" for those in charge ...

How come my nameplate doesn't have this nice badge







included?!? Also ... as I have asked before ... How come my name is not capitalized, like a proper noun should be?!?

Look ... NOBODY is gonna win December's competition until I get my badge. I don't care if you all gotta cook VEGAN until June. I want my badge. I want my name capitalized too.


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## chefbuba (Feb 17, 2010)

Don't hold your breath, I inquired about the same after I won the beef challenge, this was in July of last year. I still don't ave my gold star.


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## koukouvagia (Apr 3, 2008)

Is there a better way to go about this than to whine and threaten? What would a grown up do? One of the things I enjoy most about the challenges is how gracious everyone is, so get on board. Oh and you still haven’t included the challenge rules on this month’s challenge.


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## mike9 (Jul 13, 2012)

Um - @iceman & @chefbubba - you both have "monthly challenge winner" under your avitar - so what's the issue? Freakin star? . . .really? are we not MEN??? Or are we DEVO? I've won this thing three times and I don't have a "star" and it doesn't bother me in the slightest.


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## rick alan (Nov 15, 2012)

In all fairness, when Iceman and Chef Bubba posted that niether had their proper monikers.


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## chefbuba (Feb 17, 2010)

I pm'd two different mods about it at the time, nothing happened. 
I hadn't thought about it until iceman brought it up here. 
That trophy didn't show up until today.


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## millionsknives (Apr 25, 2014)

Yah I recall names used to be case sensitive, at least they would display as such, it didnt matter for login - MillionsKnives


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