Next family bake-off; please vote

[Barbarian]

We're separated all over the country, but we Zoom once a week and compete in making the best dishes. Please go here and vote:

Parson Family Bake Off Round 5

Apples

docs.google.com

 

[JohnDB]

Oh no...
I'm not gonna get in the middle of a family feud... LOL... even over various apple dishes.

But they all look and sound great.

Now one thing that I've seen is that when they have those cooking shows and they want something to be the star, chief component of a competition...it has to be the central component of a dish...not an accompianment, seasoning, or side dish.

But if that is ok with y'all...then I have no standing to judge anything.
An apple empanada is making the apple the star.
The acorn squash stuffed with apple is a close second.
(I'm having a difficult time remembering them all)
Grilled cheese with apple ... barely makes it.
The one with all the animals? Was there an apple in the dish?
Also where a chief component of Waldorf Salad is Apples...it's a component and not the star anymore than the celery or raisins. It's gotta tie with the grilled cheese. Now if it was a grilled apple "pie" with cheese...oh yeah! Then it's a direct head to head mashup with the empanada. Apple is the central focus.

All of it is going to have to be tasted to really get into the true competition.
All of the presentations looked great though. All the food sounds interesting and something I'd want to try.

 

[Tessa]

Voted hope it went through ok

 

[Corn Pop]

I can only go on appearance as unfortunately I cannot sample each dish.

 

[JohnDB]

As a side note...
I totally made rice Krispy treats like a boss today.
My first batch kinda sucked...I had never made them as a teenager...so now as I enter into my second childhood...I did it.

 

[Corn Pop]

What are rice krispies?

 

[Corn Pop]

I looked it up and rice krispies are from what we call rice bubbles, and the rice bubble slice would be like rice krispies.

 

[Corn Pop]

Oh no...
I'm not gonna get in the middle of a family feud... LOL... even over various apple dishes.

But they all look and sound great.

Now one thing that I've seen is that when they have those cooking shows and they want something to be the star, chief component of a competition...it has to be the central component of a dish...not an accompianment, seasoning, or side dish.

But if that is ok with y'all...then I have no standing to judge anything.
An apple empanada is making the apple the star.
The acorn squash stuffed with apple is a close second.
(I'm having a difficult time remembering them all)
Grilled cheese with apple ... barely makes it.
The one with all the animals? Was there an apple in the dish?
Also where a chief component of Waldorf Salad is Apples...it's a component and not the star anymore than the celery or raisins. It's gotta tie with the grilled cheese. Now if it was a grilled apple "pie" with cheese...oh yeah! Then it's a direct head to head mashup with the empanada. Apple is the central focus.

All of it is going to have to be tasted to really get into the true competition.
All of the presentations looked great though. All the food sounds interesting and something I'd want to try.

Any dish could be a winner if we had a sample so we could include texture and flavour.

 

[Michael74]

I'm a simple man, so I pick the sandwich. I like sandwiches.

We would really have to taste them to pick which one is the best though.

 

[JohnDB]

I'm a simple man, so I pick the sandwich. I like sandwiches.

We would really have to taste them to pick which one is the best though.

I tend to think along similar lines...
Pot roast is just a simple dish... completely understandable. But when it's done to a level of finesse that nobody goes to the trouble of accomplishing...it's absolutely a favorite of most people.

Everyone has eaten frozen or home made lasagna...
Most who make the lasagna use sauce from a jar or can (add their own flavorings) and then store bought noodles and then bake.

What happens when you make the sauce from fresh tomatoes you turn into sauce, make the noodles yourself, and provide all seasonings in a great fashion is a final product that no longer resembles the other versions. I'm not saying that the version using mass produced components is bad...far from it. But the one that has all hand crafted components is so far superior that it will create a memory of a perfect evening for a lifetime. The dish is so rich and has a depth of flavor to it that it permanently etches a place in your head.

That's what great food is about....good friends sharing a great meal that goes way beyond the norm. Then... you have changed people's lives in a small way.

Yeah, you can share a frozen pizza baked off in an oven with friends and have a good time...but then...it's not that memorable either.

When I told a friend of mine that friends don't let friends eat Thanksgiving takeout from Cracker Barrel...he really didn't understand.
Then I made Thanksgiving dinner at his house...he and his family were over the top...his wife cried tears of joy. We had a wonderful time that day.

Those are the perfect days you see in movies but think aren't reality. But they actually are.

 

[Michael74]

I do like tasty food.

 

[Barbarian]

What happens when you make the sauce from fresh tomatoes you turn into sauce, make the noodles yourself, and provide all seasonings in a great fashion is a final product that no longer resembles the other versions. I'm not saying that the version using mass produced components is bad...far from it. But the one that has all hand crafted components is so far superior that it will create a memory of a perfect evening for a lifetime. The dish is so rich and has a depth of flavor to it that it permanently etches a place in your head.

Yes. When I decided to make the pizza for the competition, I made my own sauce (which took longer than anything else) and I made the crust from scratch. It was so much better than anything else I've had before, that I will always be making it that way from now on. Likewise, the empanada dough, made from scratch, was just a revelation, compared to the pie dough I usually buy rolled up in a package.

When I started, I was thinking "too much butter; this dough will never come together." But it did. And it was just amazing. I've learned that cooking, done right, is an art. And that was a revelation.

 

[JohnDB]

A great outdoor kitchen for when company comes over and you need to social distance...

 

[Barbarian]

I am envious.

 

[Corn Pop]

A great outdoor kitchen for when company comes over and you need to social distance...

What?, your acturaly allowed friends and family to visit and have a BBQ at your our own private property?.

 

[JohnDB]

What?, your acturaly allowed friends and family to visit and have a BBQ at your our own private property?.

That's just a picture on the internet of someone else's place.
I currently live in an apartment. I've owned my own house before...they are very expensive and take constant maintenance when you have kids...and even when you don't.

I dunno if I want that again. If and when I do buy/build another it's going to be small but I've been looking at patios like this if I live near my in laws. They tend to come all at once over to someone's house especially if someone cooks.
Soooo...I'm going to need something along these lines to get it all done...which is why I was looking at this...for ideas in how to get it done.
Concrete/limestone countertops...pizza oven, grill, smokehouse, and firepit. And some stove eyes, refrigerators, and storage cabinets.
Gonna have to be difficult to keep clean from leaves and lawn grass.
It definitely needs a water supply somewhere to hose it all down and a place to stack wood and charcoal.
But I love the idea and it looks great.