Adventure Mouth!

(from mancavechef.com) Oil Unsaturated fats polymerize best, so the highest ratio of unsaturated to saturated fat (and non-fat contaminants) is best. You need to exceed the smoke point of the oil used. Options Flaxseed (top choice, 450 F smoke point, a bit expensive) Due to expense, might be a good choice for initial seasoning, but then use others for maintenance. Grapeseed (second choice, 420 F smoke point, less expensive) Acceptable choices: corn oil, olive oil, sunflower oil Poor choices: bacon fat, lard, coconut oil, cheap oils (likely to have contaminants). Seasoning Clean Do this even with new cookware, as well as when seasoning has holes.  Be thorough to ensure the best bond between seasoning and metal. Scrub with 1/4 cup of kosher salt, using fingers. Wash with hot, soapy water.  Place in the oven or on a stove and heat it completely dry. Oil Lightly coat inside and out with oil. Add 1 tsp of oil and spread around with fingers.  Don't use a paper towel as it will leave micr

Ingredients 2 acorn squash, halved 1 T walnut oil 1/2 cup onion, finely diced 1/2 T garlic, minced 1 lb ground beef 1.5 cup mushrooms, chopped (baby bella or other) 1/4 cup dried fruit, small / chopped (figs, raisins, cranberries) 1/2 cup chicken stock 1 t fresh rosemary, chopped 1 t fresh sage, chopped 1 t pepper 1/2 t salt ½ cup nuts, chopped (pecans, etc) 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese Instructions Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Grease baking sheet w/ walnut oil. Slice acorn squash in half, scoop out seeds and place flat on sheet.  Bake 20 min, until tender when pierced with a fork. Meanwhile, sauté onions and garlic in oil until translucent, about 3 min. Add ground beef and cook ~10 minutes until browned. Add mushrooms, dried fruit, chicken stock, nuts, herbs, pepper and salt.  Sauté 5 minutes. When the squash is done, remove from oven and scoop out most of the cooked center, leaving the mostly empty squash. Mix squash filling into to beef mixture and scoop into empty squash. Top with

 Ingredients 2 - 2.5 c Meat drippings (turkey, beef, duck, etc) 1/2 c Unsalted butter 1/2 c All-purpose flour (rice flour also works) 2 t Chopped, fresh thyme 1 T Chopped, fresh parsley Broth (chicken, low-sodium ideally) Kosher salt and black pepper Instructions Melt butter in a saucepan over medium-low heat. Whisk in flour and thyme, and lightly brown ~1 min. Gradually whisk in drippings. Boil briefly and lower to a simmer (keep heat low to avoid burning) to thicken, whisking throughout. Stir in parsley. Keep on low heat, adding salt and pepper to taste, and broth to dilute and lower saltiness. Possibilities Garlic, minced or fine-chopped onion, mushrooms.

Ingredients 1 lb ground beef 1/2 c chopped onion 2 cloves garlic, minced 1 T cumin 2 tsp chili powder 2 cans tomatoes and green chilies (rotel) (~2 cups) 2 cans chicken broth (~3.5 cups) 1/2 c heavy cream 8 oz cream cheese (1 package) Instructions Brown ground beef, onions, and garlic in a soup pot. Add cumin and chili powder, and cook a couple minutes. (optional) May add some cayenne for increased spice. Mash in cream cheese and mix. Add rotel and bring to a simmer. Add broth and cream.  Stir and bring to a boil. (optional) Serve with fresh cilantro, avocado, and/or hot sauce. Nutrition 1 cup: 335 calories, 29 g fat, 5 carbs (4 net), 1g fiber, 13g protein  http://forum.lowcarber.org/archive/index.php/t-220277.html

Deep-Voiced Version Pint glass, chilled Juice of a wedge of lime, or 0.5 oz of chilled lime juice 1/2 to 1 packet of splenda 2 oz gin, chilled in freezer 4 oz Fever Tree tonic, refrigerated, poured gently down the side to preserve carbonation Add ice gently with tongs Garnish with crushed wedge, if used Stir gently

Basic Version Over ice 2 oz vodka 1 oz kahlua 1 oz heavy cream or 4 oz milk Stir Deep-Voiced Version 1.5 oz vodka 1.5 oz Leopold Bros french-press coffee liquor  1.5 oz toasted cream Add to shaker w/ ice.  Shake 10 sec and double-strain into glass w/ ice. Toasted Cream 1 pint heavy cream, 1/4 t baking soda, whisked together Sous Vide Version Seal in sous vide / zip-loc bag. Sous vide at 180 F for 24 hrs. Strain to remove solids and refrigerate. Pressure Cooker Version Place in two 12 oz mason jars and screw on lids finger-tight. Pressure cook at full for 2 hrs, allow to cool naturally. Homemade Coffee Liquor Add 1/4 c ground espresso beans to 1.25 c water in a mason jar.  Mix and refrigerate for 12 hrs, then filter out grounds. Mix 1 c turbinado sugar in 1 c water in a saucepan and simmer to dissolve. Combine sugar syrup and cold brew. Add 1 t vanilla extract and 2 c dark rum. Shake and refrigerate.

Lazy Version 2 oz whiskey 1 oz lemon juice 3 splenda packets Pint glass half filled with ice Fill the rest of the way with 7-up Deep-Voiced Version 3/4 oz simple syrup 3/4 oz lemon juice 2 oz whiskey Shake w/ ice for 15 sec.  Double-strain back into shaker glass to remove ice and pulp. (optional) Add 1 egg white, shake again w/o ice for 15 sec. Can use aqua fava (chickpea brine) instead of egg white. Pour into glass. (optional) A few drops of angostura bitters on top of the egg foam.

Ingredients 8 T butter, unsalted 2/3 c brown sugar, packed Reduce to 1/3 c or 2 T for reduced sugar version.  Mostly the same, just a bit less sweet. 1 t vanilla extract 1 t cinnamon 1/4 t nutmeg 1 t baking soda 1 t baking powder 1 t salt 1.5 c ripe banana, mashed 3 T jam or marmalade (optional) 1/4 c honey 2 large eggs 2.25 c all-purpose flour, unbleached (can use King Arthur gluten-free) 1/2 c nuts, chopped (optional) Instructions Mash bananas by placing chunks in a Ziploc bag, and squish with fingers. Preheat oven to 325 and grease a loan pan. In a bowl, combine butter, sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.  Beat until smooth. Add bananas, jam, honey, and eggs, beating until smooth. Add flour and walnuts, beat until smooth. Pour into pan and let rest at room temperature for 10 min. Bake for 45 min,  Lay a piece of foil over the top to prevent over-browning, and bake for 25 min. Test to see if it's done with a too

Ingredients A bunch of conecuh sausage Instructions Tear the sausage into roughly 3" segments.  Tearing leaves ragged ends, which will turn crispy.  Prepare enough to cover a large plate one layer deep. Microwave the sausage for 3 minutes.  Preheat a frying pan (big enough for all the sausage to be a single layer) to medium. Cook in the frying pan for 3 minutes, turn the pieces and cook for another 3 minutes.

Ingredients 2 T vegetable oil 1 large white onion, coarsely chopped 1 large green pepper, sliced in strips Handful of green beans, trimmed 1 T crushed garlic 8 oz bamboo shoots 1 can (4 oz) Maesri green curry paste 1 T ginger, crushed, minced, or paste 1.5 - 2 lb boneless, skinless chicken thighs, chunked 1 can (13.5 - 15 oz) coconut milk 1 T lime juice 3 T fish sauce 1 T brown sugar 1 t coriander 1 t cumin Handful of thai basil leaves or fresh tarragon Instructions Add oil to instant pot, set to saute on high.  After 3 min heating, saute onion, pepper, and green beans for 5 minutes. Add garlic and ginger.  Mix and cook 1 minute. Add chicken and thai basil / tarragon and cook 3 minutes. Add coconut milk and mix, scraping to deglaze the pot. Add brown sugar, cumin, coriander, lime juice, bamboo, fish sauce half can curry paste. Mix well and pressure cook on manual, high pressure for 6 min.  Quick release when done. Open, mix in remaining curry paste, and let