Lately, I've taken up juicing every day. I really like to have a tall glass of carrot/apple juice. And I've been feeling a lot healthier. It's a much easier way of getting the nutrients without having to sit down and eat an actual apple or handful of carrots.

Does anyone else juice things? What's the weirdest combination of things you juiced together?

~Riella

*finally gathered the courage to post in here*
I have to say, all the posts have just been making my mouth water

Ithie, my sister used to make carrot and apple juice for us, most of my family really liked it.....I think the carrot spoils the apple but that's just my opinion
My sister also likes to make pumpkin and carrot juice (that's even worse than apple and carrot )
I remember I once made my own grape juice, but it didn't really come out right, I don't think I did it properly
My grandma makes amazing apple and pear juice and apple and pumpkin juice, she hasn't made it in a while though

I really enjoy cooking, I cook dinners once or twice a week in my home and lunch once a week. For lunches I always cook soup usually Borscht, Shi, vegetable soup and my favorite 'making do soup' (where I just hunt around the kitchen, collect some random foods and start creating a soup with them)
I want to experiment with more soup recipes cause I'm getting tired of the ones I've been using so far, my mom gave me her cook books and I hope to start trying new stuff soon
For dinners I usually do something different every time, but they all involve meat, and being creative is a must, or certain people in my family rebel
I'll post some of the recipies I use for cooking meat, as soon as I get around to translating them

My sister also likes to make pumpkin and carrot juice (that's even worse than apple and carrot )

I never even thought of juicing pumpkin. But then, I don't normally have pumpkins on hand.

I'd love to juice a bunch of different things, just to see what it would taste like. Like lettuce. I want to drink lettuce. It would probably take a lot of it to make a full glass though.

~Riella

fantasia, your mom's Grilled Chicken Caesar Salad sounds AMAZING!

How did your grilled corn turn out, shastastwin?

My favorite grilling heat source is wood fire.

Yes, indeed!

Does anyone else juice things?

I juiced grapes for years upon years. Gave lots away as gifts, but kept a good number for ourselves, as well. Soooo tasty! Made from concord grapes. Finally, my sister was getting more into juicing, so I indefinitely loaned her our big juicer, which she has been enjoying.

Drinking lettuce, eh, Ithi?

I don't care for thick juices, such as tomato juice, even though I adore tomatoes, so I don't think I'd go for carrot juice (again, even though I love raw or cooked carrots). I guess I'd rather eat the actual vegetable, rather than have the juice from it. I enjoy lighter, pure juices, though: apple, cranberry, orange.

Welcome to the thread, wild rose! It sounds like you're getting some great experience in the kitchen. "Borscht" sounds very familiar, as since my hubby is from a German/Dutch background, that is a standard and favourite soup of his family's.

For a special occasion this past weekend, I made a tasty, refreshing punch with the combination of pineapple, cranberry, apple, and lemon juices, plus ginger ale. 'Twas yummy!

My family eats way too much meat. But my parents don't get along too well with salad. Are there any good meatless recipes you guys know?

~Riella

Does anyone else juice things?

My family makes our own homemade grape juice ever year, but that's about it. I've never tried anything like carrot/apple juice. I want to now though. It sounds interesting.

We also make our own applesauce, can our own tomatoes and peaches, and freeze a bunch of fruits as well as a few vegetables (strawberries, blueberries, peaches, pepper, rhubarb, etc.).

I think I've just invented a new sandwich!

Sounds like a cheesy bratwurst to me. Not far off from something I have all the time. I'm not surprised it's good.

I hate Chopped, the judges are almost all snobs.

Ok.... ok. I give you they do have big egos, and while I won't excuse it, they are some of the top chefs in the industry. They can put their money where their mouths are. I guess I've seen pretty much all of them in other shows where you get to see the other more personable side to them. But I can see where you're coming from. I love Chopped. I've learned more about food and cooking from that show than any other food show I've ever seen.

I would to see them make a meal with the ingredients they put in some of those baskets.

Wish granted.

and for dessert two pies- Butterscotch Pecan and Sour Cream Blackberry.

Um, YUM!!! Would you mind sharing the recipe for the Sour Cream Blackberry? That sounds amazing. Last year I made a Bluebarb Pie (Blueberry Rhubarb) and it was incredible with frozen blueberries. I was hoping to make it again this year with my fresh, home-grown blueberries but unfortunately they're all ripening at different rates and I don't have enough so they're getting eaten as they ripen. Maybe next year.

Does anyone else juice things?

Orange juice and lemon juice? I'm not much of a juicer. I feel that a lot of the fruit or veggie goes to waste so I prefer to just eat the whole thing. I'm glad that you've been feeling heathier though! That's cool!

For lunches I always cook soup usually Borscht, Shi, ...

Borscht I have had several times. I had it once from, I want to say a German Dinner? Do Germans make Borscht as well? Maybe it was Polish? I don't remember. Anyways, it was amazing. My poor mom tried to replicate it for me several times but hers was less-than-amazing. Would you mind sharing your Borscht recipe wild rose? And Shi I have not heard of. What's Shi?

I want to drink lettuce. It would probably take a lot of it to make a full glass though.

You might be surprised. Depending on the type of lettuce you use, about all it's made up of is water. Iceburg lettuce in particular is crunchy water.

For a special occasion this past weekend, I made a yummy punch with the combination of pineapple, cranberry, apple, and lemon juices, plus ginger ale.

That does sound pretty awesome. Most of the punches I've made around here add a sherbet in too for a creamery texture. Do you ever add sherbet or ice cream to your punch Jo?

Re: Carrot Juice. I've noticed a lot of store bought juices use Carrot Juice, I think for color. It's in just about every kind of mixed juice you can buy off the shelves.

My family eats way too much meat.

You wouldn't like me either then. Meat is probably 65% of what I eat. But that's also for health reasons, not just because I'm a carnivore.

Are there any good meatless recipes you guys know?

I have several and I'm happy to share them, but they're mostly side dishes. Are you looking for main dishes? What kinds of things do you like?

We also make our own applesauce, can our own tomatoes and peaches, and freeze a bunch of fruits as well as a few vegetables

When you freeze your blueberries, do you do anything to them first? Like blanching and shocking them? Or do you just stick them in a container and put them in the freezer?

This morning the other mods and I were discussing common foods that most people like that we don't care for. (For example, Pattertwigs Pal doesn't like chocolate at all.) I couldn't really think of anything myself, but probably the closest would have to be potato chips. Whenever I eat chips, I feel like I'm eating fat and salt and that's about it. I'll eat chips if they're there, but I don't ever buy them or crave them or anything. How about you guys?

I too choose my food choices with an emphasis on protein. My blood sugar tends to do a fair imitation of a roller coaster if I don't.

Last night I did hamburger patties using a small amount of a southwest marinade and it turned out well.

Night before I did something that was a cross between stir fry and carne guisada. It was beef tips, zucchini, bell pepper, onion, tomato sauce, and various spices including cumin. Turned out pretty well.

If you are ever looking for something to liven up the flavor of a meal, Tonys Creole seasoning works really well. Just be careful with it 'cause it tends to spice it up fast.

Common Foods I dislike:

Peanut butter
Watermelon
Honey Dew Melon
Cantaloupe
Cottage Cheese

It's a texture thing. The peanut butter is a combo of the strong smell and the texture. Anything melon, I don't like due to the texture. Cottage cheese... texture again.

We don't eat a lot of meat. My sister doesn't like big pieces of meat very much. Meat is higher in calories too. I wouldn't mind eating more of it. My sister and I eat a lot of pasta with veggies instead of meat. Sometimes we add chicken or shrimp as well. Last night, we pulled some leftover turkey out of the freezer (it was chopped / shredded). We mixed it with Velveeta Cheese and some tomato. Then we heated the mixture in a saucepan. Once it was warm we piled it on two slices of bread (it was a bit more than we thought it would be. ) and topped it with another slice of bread and cooked it like a grilled cheese sandwich. We were afraid it would be messy to eat because we had so much filling, but the cheese worked like glue and the sandwiches stayed together. It was really good.

Common Foods I don't like
Chocolate (like FK said).
Coffee (I'm not sure if that counts since while it seems to be everywhere, there also seem to be quite a few people who don't like it).
My sister gives me a hard time because I'm not crazy about cheese. I like cheese a lot melted, but only occasionally eat it in its normal form.

Like FK, I don't eat potato chips much. I'll eat them at potlucks, etc. but I don't buy them. Unless it is baked Lays or Light Pringles, those I eat a bit more but usually only if I have a coupon. They are a lot less fatty. I love Fritos but I hardly ever get them. My sister and I recently discovered Cracker Chips. They are really good.

Sounds like a cheesy bratwurst to me. Not far off from something I have all the time. I'm not surprised it's good.

Figures . Two other people claim to have invented my sandwich, but we'll see who gets the last laugh when I patent it. It's kind of oily if one fries it so I'm thinking of trying it grilled. Furthermore given the taste/consistency of kielbasa I'm thinking topping with American cheese is not going to do positive things for it...I did it with Colby-Jack which really made it taste phenomenal. But still it's missing something...beyond standard condiments like mustard, of course. I'm thinking of adding sauerkraut, make a sort of Reuben-style sammich.

I hate Chopped, the judges are almost all snobs.

Ok.... ok. I give you they do have big egos, and while I won't excuse it, they are some of the top chefs in the industry. They can put their money where their mouths are. I guess I've seen pretty much all of them in other shows where you get to see the other more personable side to them. But I can see where you're coming from. I love Chopped. I've learned more about food and cooking from that show than any other food show I've ever seen.

Oops, I hope I didn't offend you. But I really can't stand that shop.

I would to see them make a meal with the ingredients they put in some of those baskets.

Wish granted.

Very interesting. I don't have time to sit and watch it, but at least I know three of them had to get chopped.

and for dessert two pies- Butterscotch Pecan and Sour Cream Blackberry.

Um, YUM!!! Would you mind sharing the recipe for the Sour Cream Blackberry? That sounds amazing. Last year I made a Bluebarb Pie (Blueberry Rhubarb) and it was incredible with frozen blueberries. I was hoping to make it again this year with my fresh, home-grown blueberries but unfortunately they're all ripening at different rates and I don't have enough so they're getting eaten as they ripen. Maybe next year.

It's delicious! My older sister made it this time and she did a really good job.

Mmmm, blueberries sound so good.

Here's the recipe. It originally called for raspberries which we sometimes use. I like blackberries best, so I always make it with them. But you can use just about any kind of berries or berry combination.

Sour Cream Blackberry Pie

9 inch unbaked pie shell
2 eggs
1 1/3 c. sour cream
1 tsp. vanilla
1 c. sugar
1/3 c. flour
Pinch of salt
3 c. fresh or frozen blackberries (if froze, thaw at least part way before using)

TOPPING:
1/2 c. flour
1/4 c. chilled butter
1/2 c. loosely packed dark brown sugar
1/2 c. chopped pecans, optional

Beat eggs and whisk in sour cream and vanilla. Mix sugar, flour and salt; add to egg mixture. Gently stir in blackberries. Pour into pie shell and bake at 400 degrees for 30-35 minutes or until center is almost set. Mix brown sugar, flour and nuts. Cut in butter until crumbly. Sprinkle over hot pie and bake 10-15 minutes more.

We also make our own applesauce, can our own tomatoes and peaches, and freeze a bunch of fruits as well as a few vegetables (strawberries, blueberries, peaches, pepper, rhubarb, etc.).

So do we. We also make jam. Last year we bought a bunch of peaches and made pie filling and froze it, as well as making jam and just feezing the peaches. It was so good, of course they were Missouri peaches and that makes them the best. We still have a couple jars of the jam left. Oh, and we have done pumpkin the last couple years. It's so good.

When we freeze berries, we rinse them, drain them, put them on a baking sheet until frozen and then put them in quart size ziplock bags. We don't put anything on them, since we use them for smoothies, desserts, and covered in yogurt with meals.

I'm not a real picky eater although my older sister thinks so sometimes, but her taste buds are kind of weird.

Common Foods I Don't Like:
Tuna (I won't even eat it in Mac & Cheese)
Fish (it's just to fishy )
Parmesan Cheese (it smells so bad!)

*starts the I Love Chips club*

SnowAngel

Are there any good meatless recipes you guys know?

Are your parents okay with vegetables in general? Because I have an awesome pasta recipe. No specific measurements though, so you'll have to experiment to your liking...

You take some gnocchi (it's a type of pasta, small little balls made of thick, heavy potato dough, you normally get them in the frozen section. One to two bags should be good.) And boil them as directed, then season with olive oil and salt to taste. While the noodles are cooking, in a hot skillet with olive oil, cook some green peppers and onion. When you cook onion and peppers, they shrink...alot. I think if you use 4-6 peppers and an onion, you should be good. Cook those in olive oil and season with salt, garlic (powder) and onion (powder) to taste. The peppers should start to taste kind of sweet. Once that's done, mix the cooked and seasoned gnocchi in and serve! (Parmesan cheese on top is optional.) You can also substitute the peppers and onions with fresh, cooked broccoli.

I made lemon lush over the weekend. It's a really simple, really tasty dessert.
__________________________________________________________________
Ingredients
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup butter, softened
2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese
1 cup white sugar
2 (3.4 ounce) packages instant lemon pudding mix
3 1/2 cups milk
1 (12 ounce) container frozen whipped topping, thawed

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). In a medium bowl, combine the flour and butter using a pastry cutter until a ball forms. Press into the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking dish.
Bake for 25 minutes in the preheated oven, or until lightly golden. Remove from oven and allow to cool completely.
In a medium bowl, beat the cream cheese and sugar together until smooth and well blended. Spread evenly over the cooled crust. In another bowl, whisk together the lemon pudding mix and milk for 3 to 5 minutes. Spread over the cream cheese layer. Chill until set, then top with whipped topping.

_____________________________________________________________________
I made a half batch in a loaf/bread pan, and it turned out fine. I plan on making it again this week with butterscotch pudding instead of lemon. Mmm...... The crust is pretty good all by itself too, no sugar in it though. Tastes like shortbread. I LOVE shortbread...

I have several and I'm happy to share them, but they're mostly side dishes. Are you looking for main dishes? What kinds of things do you like?

Yes, it's the main dish I'm looking for. As for what I like when it comes to that sort of thing... Hm, I don't know really. See, meat and fish and things like that are the only main dishes I've ever known. I don't even really know what the other options are. My dad has diabetes and is wheat intolerant, I might add; so that limits my parents a lot. It would be awesome if there was something besides meat they could eat. But even if you don't have one that fits that criteria, I'd still love to have it. I'll be a homemaker myself one day, and I'm not diabetic or wheat intolerant.

Thanks so much for the recipe, AslansChild.

~Riella

Sounds like a cheesy bratwurst to me. Not far off from something I have all the time. I'm not surprised it's good.

Ryadian's dad likes to butterfly brats (or cheddarwurst, which come with the cheese already in them) and pan fry them, sometimes adding cheese based on individual preferences. Really tasty!

Johnsonville's brand of cheddarwurst is called Beddar with Cheddar I really like grilling them over the fire, though caution is required because they're a bit fussy. Too much heat and some of the cheese can squirt out.

(Now I'm hungry again! Good thing we have a cookout scheduled in a couple of days )

Peanut butter

I'm not alone!!!!! Granted, I love Crunchy Peanut butter, but ... I simply can't eat creamy Peanut Butter. The first time I tried it, I stayed away from basically all types or forms of peanut butter, whether in PB&J sandwiches or Reese's.

Are there any good meatless recipes you guys know?

Most Indian food is usually vegetarian, because most Indians are vegetarian. They have lots of main dishes involving lentils, cottage cheese, and greens. This is probably if you want something more on the spicy side. A lot of them involve potatoes and herbs. Or, you could do vegetables (such as okra) rubbed and marinated in spices (ground cumin, chili powder, etc) and fry it and have that with flatbread or yogurt. If you try googling some recipes along this line, you might get some ideas.

Foods I don't like:

-Creamy Peanut Butter, as mentioned above. It feels like I'm eating cement.
-Boiled onions/cooked onions. I don't mind the taste of onions at all; I rather like how they taste/the taste they give to foods, but it's a struggle to get them down when they're steamed and everything. Can you spell slimy?

PP, I must admit I am completely transfixed at your dislike of chocolate... O.O